Bohunt Horsham

BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW…

DEBORAH MANSFIELD, RECEPTIONIST, BOHUNT HORSHAM

Deborah Mansfield, Receptionist, Bohunt Horsham

What gets you out of bed in the morning?

The daily Wordle, Nerdle and Quordle.

How would you describe your job to a child? I help anyone that needs help, either in person, on the phone or by email. My favourite part is helping the children so that they can get on with their day.

What three words would you use to describe your job?

Varied, busy, rewarding.

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

I’ll still be here, I hope. However, in 15 years’ time I’d like to be running a campsite in Cornwall with some alpacas, selling my crochet and cakes.

What’s your favourite song lyric or line from a film?

Can it be from a book instead? I like “Reader, I married him” from Jane Eyre because I’m a hopeless romantic, but also: “‘Why did you do all this for me?’ he asked. ‘I don’t deserve it. I’ve never done anything for you.’ ‘You have been my friend,’ replied Charlotte. ‘That in itself is a tremendous thing.’” from Charlotte’s Web because you can learn a lot about acceptance and friendship from that little spider.

What’s the best thing about working at BET?

The people and the fact that they live the BET values and ethos. I feel respected, valued and supported. And of course, the children - I cherish each and every one of them.

If you were an animal, what would you be?

My name means ‘bee’ in Hebrew and my family calls me Busy Bee because I always seem to have some busy craft project on the go and never seem to sit down.

What famous person inspires you most?

I feel inspired by people around me who I meet in real life. Some have the most incredible struggles, are going through loss and despair, and do battle with poor mental health. I admire everyone who just keeps going. I also admire anyone who fights for equality and I am proud that Bohunt is a gamechanger in this field. Tell us about something you’ve done that scared you?

I was once on a training course with about 15 other people. Unfortunately, the trainer had some very racist views and was using language with which I was very uncomfortable. I challenged her on this in front of the rest of the group. It was very scary, but I hope it made her think about what she was saying and that her views were not shared with everyone.

What two things would you take to a desert island?

A library and my wool stash. I could probably whittle some crochet hooks out of driftwood.

SCHOOL HIGHLIGHT…

HORSHAM STUDENTS HIT THE SLOPES FOR FIRST INTERNATIONAL TRIP

On 19 February, 50 Year 8 and Year 9 students went on Bohunt Horsham’s first ever international school trip to Radstadt, Austria, where they went skiing for a week - if you include the two, long and tiring 20-hour journeys. The skiing consisted of many achievements and, of course, many falls and crashes. However, every single person, teachers included, had a great time. Our day It was an early start, so if you aren’t a morning person it was a challenge. But, It was worth it though, because it meant that we got to spend as much time as possible skiing. We skied three hours in the morning, stopping for lunch where we could buy chips and hot chocolates (yum) on the mountain, or have the great lunch that the hotel provided for us. In the afternoon we skied for two hours before heading back to the hotel. We did lots of activities after skiing, including: a snowman building competition, games night, movie night, trash fashion challenge and a snowball fight - with protection of goggles! Awards and… embarrassments

At the end of the day, we would have an award ceremony to recognise the people that did well, improved on the slopes or showed respect. These people were recognised by being a game changer, and one person would receive the award each day. There were other awards too, but these weren’t in recognition for the amazing skiing or showing kindness, these were awarded for the less proud moments! For example, crashing into the other people in the groups or constantly forgetting mandatory equipment. Prizes included a one direction bag and a ski hazard high-visibility jacket. If you got the one direction bag, it meant that someone noticed that you managed to ski in just one direction. For example, on the second day, someone skied in one direction into their group, knocking everyone over, resulting in a big crash! If you were given the ski hazard jacket, it meant that you have done something that has been a danger to other people on the slopes. One person got this award because they got their ski pole stuck in the snow, causing them to split from their group and going down a red run. Funniest moments

There were lots of funny moments, but the funniest moments included a student who skied backwards and off-piste into a tree (they were in the advanced group too), someone forgot all of the ski stuff they needed for the day and another person in the advanced group skied through a fence on a fun slope. Students weren’t the only ones though. Whilst the teachers went up the slopes to ski together during lunch, one skied straight down a red run at a crazy speed, making no turns at all. The other teachers described them as ‘just being a dot in the distance’. Despite the two broken arms and one concussion, the ski trip was an absolute success. The trip almost didn’t go ahead at one point, because we had to change countries from Italy to Austria due to Covid restrictions and storm Eunice. The teachers worked extremely hard to make the ski trip possible and we know we can speak for everyone when we say that we are very grateful. Freya Thompson, Issy Scott and Issy Martin. (Year 9)