EDITORIAL

Returning to Repton this past September, as we eagerly anticipated the start of our Lower Sixth year - and the newfound privileges and long-awaited free periods that it would bring - the excitement was tempered with the realisation that we had not experienced a year considered

‘normal’ since our own B Block.

The past few years have posed challenges to all of us, both as individuals as well as part of the wider Repton community that no one could have predicted. Yet, within that time, as last year’s Editor noted, there existed a real sense of flourishing within our community, despite the abnormal conditions we were living within. As we progress through this more ‘normal’ year, seeing the return of events that are integral to the Repton experience – from the highly anticipated Invitational Dinners and House Unison to the more anxiously awaited return of the Steeplechase – it is clear how we as a community are no longer ‘flourishing despite’, but simply flourishing.

The purpose of The Reptonian, as much as anything else, is to provide a snapshot of the year, tangible proof of the fact that, in a world still filled with uncertainty, the spirit

of Repton remains unchanged. Perhaps exemplified most by the Junior girls running an (accidental) additional two kilometres on Steeplechase, or this year’s continued commitment of the emerging Rugby XI. This year saw the return of the Fashion Show (fittingly themed Revival), two fantastic drama productions, and none of us having enough hours in a day to fit in such a plethora of opportunities.

'Reptonians are, if nothing else, busy.'

As we considered how much really has changed in the last few years, it led us to reflect on what characterises and solidifies the universal ‘Repton Experience’. The transition from Lower to Upper School is coupled with the stark realisation that, sooner than we think, our time at Repton will come to an end. And no doubt the memories of our time here will range from polar extremes: the elation of winning House Unison, to the intense cramming for exams, to a moment of peaceful reflection in Chapel.

Yet, it is often the mundane, day-to-day experiences of Repton that leave the greatest imprints on us.

The definition of the ‘Repton Experience’ can be found in the stumbling through the Arch at the ringing of the bell. Or laughing uncontrollably at the lunch table with friends. A warm exchange of smiles walking through the Furneaux corridors, hurrying to Period 4. Taking a moment to admire the autumn sunset over the hockey pitches, or the grounds dusted with a December snowfall.

It is in these small moments, fleeting seconds of a sort of beautiful realisation, that truly fulfil the ‘Repton Experience’ in our eyes. We hope that this year’s edition of The Reptonian can provide a glimpse of this. How in these moments, we find ourselves flourishing.

Sophie D L6M and Florence T L6F