SCHOOL CAPTAIN

HUGO ROMPANI

The refounding of Reading School’s student magazine is something that fills me with pride. As School Captain, it is not surprising for me to see fellow Reading School boys making an effort to enrich our student lives. It is one of the things that makes Reading School special; the important role that the boys play in the running and organisation of the school. The work done to establish this newspaper reminds me of the dedication the prefect team has shown in the running of the school this year. So much has been accomplished by the prefect team. A notable progression is the new house charity competition, championed by Ben Coneybeare, the charity prefect, which has raised over £2500 since it started in the Michaelmas term! If I have learned one thing about Reading School boys during my time here, it is that we love competition; so why not use it to raise money? Shaan Mohan, the wellbeing prefect, has worked towards helping students deal with their mental health, organising the very successful Tea & Talk event. The student council has also seen a revitalisation under the able leadership of Theo Sharkey, the student voice prefect. From sitting in, one is very much reminded of the beauties and horrors of a democratic system! The work

done by Mithesh Duddekunta in organising the attendance duty rota must also be noted. Every time a prefect interrupts your lesson to ask for someone who is missing the lesson because of a cancelled train or because they went to a music lesson and forgot to email the teacher, remember Mithesh. These are some of the highlights of what has been a very successful period thus far for the prefect team.

Much as a newspaper needs an editor, a prefect team needs a leader, or in our case, five leaders. Those leaders are my four Vice-Captains and I. Being in the captaincy team is a very rewarding job. This year we have worked tirelessly behind the scenes, organising open days, allocating roles for the entrance exam (not a small feat!) and attending countless meetings and events. A highlight for me was the ORA annual dinner in Big School. It is not one to miss, for any future School and ViceCaptains.

Something I have also relished as School Captain is the public speaking aspect of it. In the same way it takes a lot of courage to write an article for a school-wide magazine, it also takes a lot of courage to speak in front of an audience. Even after all the practise I have had in the debating society and in House Eisteddfod competitions over the years, I still get butterflies every time I am due to speak. However, the rush of adrenaline one feels upon completing a speech is almost addictive. The same can be said for completing an article and seeing it published. So, with this resurgence of the school magazine, I urge any student reading this to contact Suyash and to offer a piece of work for the next edition. Believe me, opportunities like this are worth it.

As it nears the last quarter of my time as School Captain, and the last few months of my seven years at the school, I increasingly find myself looking back at my time here. From doing so, it has become very clear that when an opportunity presents itself, it is always the best course of action to take it. Just like how the boy involved with the creation of this paper saw an opportunity and took it.