Hawkins

HOUSE COLOURS

ACADEMIC CUP

2019-20

Houses Hawkins

From the Housemistress

Icould not be prouder of everything that the girls in Hawkins have achieved this year, our inaugural year as another girls’ day house

here at St John’s! Together they have created a vibrant house where they strive to make a warm, caring and happy environment.

Hawkins girls are actively involved in all aspects of school life and have made a valuable contribution to the numerous academic, cultural, sporting and charitable events throughout the year. We are ranked first for the academic cup and another win before lockdown was the girls’ house swimming! What has been so lovely to witness, are the friendships that have formed across all year groups and are valued through our weekly get together in house families and house social events.

“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” This was our motto going into our first year of inter house competitions. The best way to start our “coming together” was with the girls’ energetic rehearsals for house singing. There was enthusiasm in abundance and for only 32 female voices I thought we made a pretty good sound! Part song was arranged beautifully by Poppy Parfitt and Zoe Noussis, inclusive of all years from the Lower Sixth and below, their rendition was breath-taking, reducing me to tears in the Chapel. I feel the judge didn’t appreciate the heart of our small numbers and therefore we were unfairly overlooked. Next year girls, next year... We brushed ourselves down and competed in house drill, with no Upper Fifth the Lower Fifth fiercely represented, with leadership by Zoe Noussis. Sadly, this wasn’t our area of strength but memories were made and we had a good giggle. One memory that we won’t forget in a hurry is that of a Lower Fifth Hawkiner (who shall not be named), entering the AstroTurf fully focused and listening to her commands so much so that she marched straight into the Inspecting Officer, nearly taking him out, clipboard and all, and this was even before the drill had begun! Having found our way as a house towards the end of the Autumn Term, every single member of Hawkins House, hockey player or not, put themselves forward to ‘battle’ in house hockey. The seniors, led by Alice Moody, surprised themselves by making the final against Gloucester, already a huge win for a team where many don’t see hockey as their sport. The juniors, led by Sophie Thompson, were also successful in reaching the final and they too went on to play against Gloucester House. Sadly they were unable to take victory when it came down to penalty flicks. As I say to the girls, we were just giving them a taste of what is to come.

The Spring Term saw debating take full force and there were some extremely impressive speakers and speeches put forward on difficult topics. The girls in every year group supported their speaker by arguing and rebutting some excellent floor points. Another highlight was the filming and showing of house film, directed by Alannah McMahon and Zoe Noussis. This captured a spooky side of the old St John’s buildings and included the majority of our budding house actresses. Senior house cross country was led by Lana Finnegan and Anna Stansfield, and a highlight for me is that all the Lower Sixth participated, runners or not, just so they could support each other out on the muddy track. We ended on a high before lockdown and proved that “working together is success” for our first win, in the girls’ house swimming, with a team coached well by Anna Stansfield.

The inter house competitions are good fun and build camaraderie but they are secondary to the more important qualities which I hope Hawkins will foster. I want to state that Hawkins girls will be successful girls; the more challenging part to achieve is that they are happy, good citizens who will give as much as they take from the School and leave here feeling they can pursue whatever they desire. I want Hawkins girls to be leaders and personalities, individuals who can inspire and be fantastic people, which leads me on to our house charity efforts.

The Hawkins girls are a charitable bunch who stop at nothing and are always finding ways to raise money both collectively and as individuals. Our house charity this year was for a local mental health charity called Oakleaf Enterprise. The charity’s aim is to transform the lives and futures of adults managing their mental health and help them secure the skills, confidence and training needed to return to the workplace. We held a very successful quiz and curry night, with musical interludes and efforts from all the girls to make it an enjoyable evening. The girls also created their own Christmas wreaths that we sold at the SJPA Christmas Market, and this will become a Hawkins tradition for future years - I wanted to buy them all! The prefect team also organised the selling of personalised roses for Valentine’s Day and certain individuals took part in sporting fund raisers during lock down to help those truly in need at a time like this!

This whole year to date has been a moment of pride for me: opening and running Hawkins House, where every Hawkins member has helped to create a fun, kind and inclusive community. I want to say a special thank you to Hawkins’ prefect team: Olivia Nevins, our very first House Captain, your infectious energy and kind heart has set us in good stead for years to come; Emily Aitken, our Deputy, we will miss your creativity; Mila Birtley, your debating wisdom; and Jennifer Guy, your kind smile. Thank you all!

It is a fantastic privilege to work with, support and encourage the Hawkins girls and I hope they continue to thrive in a caring environment where they can enjoy a great team spirit and have a positive attitude to their responsibilities, challenges and opportunities.

Frankie Toloczo, Housemistress

Competitions

WON THIS YEAR: Winner of Academic Cup

NUMBER OF PUPILS 32

It has been an honour to serve as Hawkins’ inaugural House Captain and I have enjoyed every moment working with the other 31 girls in the House’s very first year. Hawkins has not only been a crucial element of my Upper Sixth year, but I can confidently and proudly say that the House has made my experience, albeit a short one, here at St John’s.

Unlike any other house, each year group in Hawkins was made of girls who chose to “jump ship” in order to join and actively shape a new school community - and that they have done. Their loyalty and kindness defines our house spirit, along with their commitment and eagerness to participate in all aspects of house life.

Inter house competitions this year have certainly been a challenge, but our determination to prove that Hawkins is “small but mighty” has seen the selfless and courageous contributions from all members. The House made its highly anticipated debut before the School during the house singing competition, which saw passionate and tuneful renditions of ‘Waterloo’ by ABBA and ‘I’ll Be There’ by Jess Glynne. Whilst we were robbed of a trophy, I’d like to thank members of the Lower Sixth for their strong direction in the part-song competition and also our excellent house film “Hawkins Unsolved”. House drill saw excellent participation from the Lower Fifth and we are pleased to say that we secured a small victory over Churchill. House hockey also saw some stunning performances, especially in the junior section, whilst our fighting spirit was displayed during house netball and debating. Victory struck at last for Hawkins in the house swimming competition and I hope that this win will be the first of many more.

So far this year, Hawkins Did you has raised £1826 for Oakleaf, a mental health know? charity in Surrey. Our “Quiz and Curry” charity

This was our very first in November was a year, making Hawkins huge success. Incredible

St John’s newest house. performances ran throughout the night, demonstrating the House’s musical prowess and the hard work of each girl that went on behind the various stalls. The prefect team also organised a successful Valentine’s Day fundraiser, selling red roses and personalised messages to the School community. Not even Covid-19 has hindered fundraising efforts and I am proud that members of the House have set their own incredibly demanding physical challenges to support our charity during this challenging time.

Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the people who have really made the House what it is this year.

To my Deputy, Emily Aitkin, and our Prefects, Jennifer Guy and Mila Birtley, I would like to say a huge thank you for your endless kindness and support. It has been no mean feat for the four of us to help lead the House and there is no way that this year would have been such a success without you. The Fourth Form has been an endless source of smiles and I would be hard pressed to find a group of people who are as charming as they are. Their enthusiasm and humour has been a great help to the prefect team and we hope that this spirit will continue - just ease up on the toast! The Lower Fifth have been incredibly selfless and willing to rise to all challenges put their way this year. They have shown great courage, often leaving their comfort zones and always giving their very best. It has been a pleasure to share a locker room and we will all miss your weekly baked goods! The Lower Sixth have been our biggest help and harshest critics, but we are grateful that they have kept us on our toes. They have acted as true leaders when called upon and I hope that they learn from our mistakes and build on the successes of this year. Our tutor team has been superb and we thank them for their great support and laughs. Special thanks go to Miss T and Matron, Michele, who both have been our number one fans and our shoulders to cry on, armed with positivity and chocolate.

After the turbulence of this year, the four of us leave knowing that the House is in the very best hands and we are excited to return at some point in the future to see how the House grows. We will no doubt remember our time in Hawkins fondly and we would like to wish the new Prefects and Captains the best of luck in their endeavours next year.

Olivia Nevins, House Captain 2019-20