and change 150 YEARS OF TRADITION

By Andie Stewart and Hala Parker

As we head beyond our 150th year of St Cyprian’s School, we have become wrapped up in the exciting celebrations that have filled our third term. We have forgotten just how long a time 150 years is, as well as the change and stories that fill those years.

After speaking to two of our own beloved old girls and teachers, Mrs Phillips and Mrs Hector, it is clear that some things really do never change. The oldest of traditions remains strong in our school’s past, present, and future – St Cyprian’s Day. It holds fond memories in the hearts of all, consisting of delicious food, dancing, singing, and the very same uniform that we get dressed into every morning, not realizing the history that lies within the sky-blue fabric. In our interview with the old girls, the most important thing that they both mentioned was the sense of community that we’ve always had, held together by all, no matter the year.

In the span of only a few decades, our numbers have almost doubled, but the tight relationships between the students, staff and wider community have never diminished, rather they have grown. During Mrs. Phillip’s time as a schoolgirl, the students were separated into their age groups with designated seating during break meaning there were little to no inter-grade relationships. Now we walk through the hallways as one big family greeting, chatting, and helping one another despite our differences, least of all in age.

In years gone by, the school was far more formal and rigid. Archaic practices included chapel every morning, an even stricter uniform policy with little flexibility for weather or personal preference, strict dining rules, separation of grades, and lack of creative subjects for years. The school has seen a marked change in the relaxing and opening of its systems and society at large. This has allowed students to express themselves individually and escape harmful stereotypes that often fall onto students at all-girls schools. Progress has been made in these various areas with the flexibility of uniforms such as the introduction of pants, integration of multifaceted and holistic school activities, and certainly in our facilities which have been upgraded and grown to accommodate more and more community members with different skills, interests, and talents. Our culture has broadened and deepened over the years too.

Surprising anecdotes include the fact that, the school once had a tortoise quad which had cute little tortoises that were looked after and roamed the school grounds. This area now houses our amazing IT lab which was built in 2009. The School-In-The Woods was also not yet developed until the year 2000. In Mrs Phillips’ and Mrs Hector’s time it was almost like the actual wild woods, a taboo place that nobody went to. A more recent change is the addition of the beautiful indoor sports centre, which replaced a small building that used to be the French Block. The French Block was a century-old building that was demolished in 2019, to make way for the indoor sports precinct, a dream that was a decade in the making. Land and buildings have been repurposed and revamped into the most beautiful music, art, drama, and sports departments that encourage the ever evolving and development of the students within its walls.

While buildings and some practices have come and gone, the heart and traditions of St Cyprian’s will forever stay untouched. What makes our school the incredible place it is today, is the motivation and love it instils in us all and its ability to grow and mold itself to the current students and their needs.