From the High Master

Sally-Anne Huang

I hope you enjoy reading about the year of 21/22 as much as the pupils enjoyed living it.

The academic year 21/22 might be seen as one of transitions. We started in September still very much in a period of uncertainty. Testing for COVID was part of our routine and the Sixth Form and Upper Eighth were still waiting for clarification regarding examinations. Even over the Christmas period, we wondered about the announcement of another lockdown.

It is, therefore, with exceptional joy that we reached June and July of 22. We can look back on seasons filled with fixtures and a full programme of concerts and theatre. We have even begun to reinstate school trips. A special event held for the Class of 2020, whose St Paul’s journey had been cut short so abruptly, only highlighted the celebrations performed in full for the class of 22. They themselves deserve special mention for facing public exams with poise and determination after a two-year gap including the cancellation of examinations for their own GCSEs.

Whilst the pandemic may have dented social skills in some areas by imposing forced isolation, my own feeling is that the St Paul’s community have, if anything, come to value interaction more. Never again will we take for granted the chance to have activities crossing year groups or partner schools. Never again will we assume that access to live sport or music is a given. And, although the pages of The Pauline quite rightly celebrate the successes of the participants in activities, I would also like to pay tribute to the supporters – the many, many pupils, parents and staff who turn up to cheer and to share in the passion and talents of others. We are a community well known for producing independent individuals but the pandemic has also emphasised the value of gathering together as much as possible.

And The Pauline itself is also undergoing a period of transition this year. I would like to thank Suzanne Mackenzie for her eight years at the helm of this wonderful publication which shares and preserves every Pauline year with such enthusiasm. She hands over to Dan Brigham who will now steer its course fully into the next stage of St Paul’s history and a post-pandemic world. I hope you enjoy reading about the year of 21/22 as much as the pupils enjoyed living it.