FOUNDATION NEWS & VIEWS

Looking ahead to this academic year, the pupils have made a fantastic start to their academic studies; they are enjoying lessons, feeling inspired by their teachers, old and new, and have risen to the challenges before them.

The School motto is at the heart of our Co-curricular programme, with a focus on providing the breadth and depth of opportunities to allow every pupil to find his or her niche.

Sport, music, drama, CCF – all traditional pursuits at Mill Hill – and all developing apace as a result of the dedication, commitment and enthusiasm of those in charge. Last year highlights included:

• House Drama, won by Cedars

• The Jazz Soiree and Mill Hill proms, hosted by the Parents’ Association

• AGI and Newcastle Competition, won by Atkinson, with Ching Kwok wining Best Caller for the second year in a row

• Charlie Plummer winning the Eton Fives Association National Young Player of the year for 2018

All this, and with over 300 activities on offer throughout the academic year, from Art club to Volleyball, as always there is always something that appeals to each and every one of our pupils.

And this was certainly evident in our inaugural Activities Week in June. Pupils chose from a list of 64 trips, activity days and challenges and a quick peek at the website would have convinced you of the value of such initiatives.

In the summer, the School held a celebration to mark the 250th anniversary of the death of Peter Collinson, in whose house this school started. Over the past 18 months, a group of Old Millhillians have worked with the School and the local community to create the Peter Collinson Heritage Garden, which was formally opened on 21st June 2018.

The garden features plants exclusively brought to Mill Hill from the USA, through Peter Collinson’s collaboration with John Bartram, a Quaker farmer from Philadelphia and keen naturalist. In the coming months, I shall be working with Russell Cowan and Trevor Chilton to maximize the potential of this exciting project.

In other areas of School life, the School Councils underwent a make-over, giving pupils more opportunity to shape their school, and we continued to support a number of charitable causes through non-uniform days, the Foundation coat drop, a 10K run in aid of the Overseas Partnerships, Unplugged concerts and bake sales, in total raising close to £30,000.

Most recently, the Foundation Fun Run raised money for the A Better Chance bursary fund; it was wonderful to see pupils in the Fourth Form and Removes running 5K for their houses, together with pupils from Grimsdell, Belmont and MMHI, whose efforts, together, raised close to £20,000 for the cause.

The icing on the cake, though, in terms of fundraising, was a £1 million donation to be allocated in equal parts to the reconstruction of the Belmont gym and a makeover for the McClure music school. We cannot find any evidence of a gift of that size for more than 100 years – dating back to Sir John McClure’s time – and we are so appreciative that it will very shortly benefit pupils across the Foundation.

In my speech on Foundation Day, I looked back at past achievements but also focused our minds on what future success will depend upon, highlighting 5 key factors:

1. Firstly, being passionate about what you are doing

2. Secondly, working hard to achieve your goals

3. Third is keeping your eye on the bigger picture, even when times are challenging

4. Fourth, retaining a sense of fun and wonder in our endeavours and

5. Last but not least, never being afraid to be original

In my experience, Millhillians usually have copious quantities of all 5, and so, as we embark upon this coming year, my message to the pupils, staff and parents has been clear:

It is down to each and every one of us to set our personal goals, but also to consider how we can contribute to the success of this great Foundation; honouring the principles of those who have gone before, whilst playing a part in building the Mill Hill of the future.

Jane Sanchez, MHS Head