Upper 6th Leavers Reception

Upper 6th

By Ted Macdonald Leavers Reception

My year’s ‘leavers’ do’ is a day I remember well. Our first introduction to the National Liberal Club and one of the last events that we took part in as pupils at Mill Hill.

I don’t remember a lot of what was said at mine, though. Most of us were far too focussed on drinking as much wine as we could (turns out one glass doesn’t get you very far). We didn’t care; a small drop was a little taste of the freedom that was to come, although we were also preoccupied with the angst of impending exams. But we tried to forget about that. Going back again recently, it was funny to see that some things never change. I bumped into my old tutor, who I absolutely loved and looked up to. Mrs Bull was politely policing the vast array of wine and booze displayed in front of the Upper 6th. I almost felt I had to ask her if I could have another glass. ‘Tedmund!’ she said endearingly, ‘Is that your first?’ We laughed and had a quick catch-up, and I shamelessly stole more vino. ‘Thank God she’s not in charge of my student bar,’ I thought to myself.

This time the venue was much closer to home, enclosed by the oak wood panels of the Mill Hill Dining Hall, quite a change of scenery from those peculiar Victorian tiles that seem to be everywhere in the National Liberal Club (not just in the loos). And my goodness the food was good, vast assortments of canapes and little puddings that would give even Ottolenghi a run for his money. (I sneakily took some for the journey home).

We were fortunate enough to have OM, Caroline Hepker, give a talk on the importance of networking, and Sive Ozer, head of the YOMS Committee, welcomed the Leavers to the club, highlighting the diverse range of social and networking events on offer. Whether to give you a push start in your career or just catch up with mates, the Old Millhillians Club is there to help. Peter Wakeham, Caroline Hepker

Jane Sanchez, Sam Chadwick, Micah Lazarus

But it honestly felt quite strange being back. On the short bus ride up from Mill Hill East station I could feel the preregistration nerves seeping back: my hands automatically searching for my prep diary, wondering if I’d left an essay in the printer. It’s tragically completely ingrained in my subconscious. Entering the school grounds, I am still slightly overwhelmed by those mighty pillars, as if seeing them for the first time again.

John Barron, Caroline Hepker, Peter Wakeham, Sive Ozer, Ted Macdonald, Jane Sanchez

Sive Ozer

At last I turned the corner to some familiar faces, although some with a bit more facial hair and others with a good few inches more in height. I was back. The 2019 Leavers are a year I know and remember well. They were in Remove when I was in my final year, and I had the pleasure of trying to teach many of them on Friday evenings in CCF. They are certainly a memorable bunch, plenty of great characters and old jokers who I will sadly miss. The school has seen its fair share of change in the three years since I left. But it did feel notably different this time. It occurred to me that evening that our perception of a school goes way beyond that of just physical buildings. It is the people who we lived and studied with every day who shape our memories of the place. So of course, the school will feel different. Its identity is totally formed by the pupils, teachers and members of staff who study and work there. As you leave you want it to stay the same, though of course it never will.

Ciera Radia, Ted Macdonald, Micah Lazarus, Ed Holland Ed Goode Many, understandably, can’t wait to leave and focus on the next part of their lives. They’re quite right – I also felt precisely that at the end of U6. It’s just part of growing up. But I also loved my time at Mill Hill and I still miss the people I saw every day. As this year’s Leavers depart, the school has lost another promising set of pupils. It won’t be quite the same without them. And yet, in some sense, they will never leave. If you want to stay in some way involved with Mill Hill, you can. If there’s one thing to learn from that evening, it’s that there is a place beyond school where you can dip back into old memories or focus on the future. The Old Millhillians Club will always be there, ready to welcome you with open arms.