Lent 2017 ISSUE 24
Sherborne News Comment It is vital, too, that boys enjoy their childhood and feel able to do so in a safe, supportive environment
www.sherborne.org
It is without doubt a great privilege to take on the role of Wallace Housemaster. What makes this a privilege is the unique nature of boarding at Sherborne. We are one of the few remaining 24/7 boarding schools and this means that, other than at exeats, the vast majority of boys are here throughout the term, learning to live with each other in a boarding environment and constantly developing key character traits such as tolerance, resilience and kindness as they make their way up the School. These attributes undoubtedly serve Shirburnians well as they venture out into the wider world of relationships and careers, something I myself have been lucky enough to use to my advantage both at university and whilst working in a business environment in London. It is my belief that the Sherborne boarding experience allows boys to become good decisionmakers who learn to understand the consequences, good and bad, of the decisions that they make during their time at School. They are of course given guidance along the way, especially lower down the School, and we encourage boys to take part in as many different experiences as possible so that they can make informed decisions about what they would like to pursue either later on in their School careers or after they leave. Boys’ successes whilst at School are important, of course, but I have always been keen to measure the School’s success as much as anything else by how many boys continue participating in and enjoying the activities they have chosen in later life, especially when one’s involvement begins to require a little more effort and dedication. It is vital, too, that boys enjoy their childhood and feel able to do so in a safe, supportive environment where every individual feels valued for who they are. It is a real strength of the boarding Houses at Sherborne that they contain boys from a variety of backgrounds and with a whole host of different interests, as these are often things that can inspire and motivate those around them. After all, it is a similar situation to that which most boys will encounter when they leave School. continued
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