Welcome to the Class of 2021

Former Head Girl Hope Simpson and Former Head Boy Ben Dunsmore share an update on their next steps after St Peter’s and reflect on their last few months of School, before joining the Class of 2021.

Once I finished school last summer, I decided to defer my university place and take a gap year. I’d been keen to improve my language skills for a while and this seemed like a good opportunity to do so. Therefore, after finishing two months at a summer job, I moved to Bordeaux to live as an au pair in a large French family. This was initially a shock to the system given that I hadn’t learnt French since GCSE, but I attended a language school each morning and it soon improved. Having spent slightly more than two months there during the autumn, I’m hoping to return this summer to improve my French some more.

Bordeaux itself has been a great place to live. Quite apart from the beautiful architecture and interesting history, the people there were very welcoming (perhaps because Bordeaux was in fact English many years ago!) There was also the unexpected bonus of finding out there was a piano festival while I was there. Lasting through November and into some of December, this involved a series of concerts by some world-renowned pianists – all of which I could attend for only 15 euros a month thanks to a youth pass! I was also able to spend some time at the Bassin d’Arcachon and around Saint-Émilion so overall I’ve been quite lucky.

At the moment (start of February) I am back in York, doing music practice, an English short course and preparing for a three-week trip to Ecuador which will hopefully take in some of the Andes, Amazon and Galapagos islands.

Thinking back to the end of term, I’m glad that Cabaret managed to go ahead on stage and that we could mark the transition into Old Peterites in September. I thought the leaving dinner was a great event and I’m relieved my speech didn’t detract from it!

Ben Dunsmore (2021)

With over half a year passed since leaving school and becoming an Old Peterite, looking back on our time at St Peter’s already has a great sense of nostalgia.

When busy in new surroundings, whether that be at university, at work or on a gap year, it often feels like our school days are far-gone despite it only being months since we received our A Level results. Since then, much has changed with all of us moving on to new chapters in our lives.

In early September I moved to the University of St Andrews, unfortunately just missing out on the summer ball for the Classes of 2020 and 2021. I quickly settled in, with the small community of St Andrews reminding me a lot of St Peter’s, and Halls much like Boarding Houses without the teachers! My studies so far have consisted of modules in art history, management, and maths thanks to the flexible Scottish module system – with my intention to take the first two subjects to honours level. Unfortunately, most of my teaching has remained online due to stricter Scottish Covid restrictions, though after two terms of virtual teaching at A Levels most of us are fully accustomed to the nuances of Teams. Luckily there has still been lots of opportunity for socialising through sports, societies and Halls along with balls and many beach walks. Outside of academic work, I have spent lots of my time travelling around Scotland to play rugby matches as well as involving myself in art classes and publications to keep up the art education I loved so much at St Peter’s.

On my return home at Christmas, it was lovely to see friends from St Peter’s again and visit Dronfield when passing by. It is bittersweet to think of how our school days came to an end so quickly, but I am so grateful for all the wonderful memories and friendships I created at St Peter’s. Over the past few months, I have realised change is a natural progression in which we get the opportunity to experience new things and that even if we leave places and people behind, the most important aspects of them always stay with us. This is most certainly true for St Peter’s. I wish all the Class of 2021 the best for their own next steps, and I hope to see you again soon.

Hope Simpson (2021)

Image supplied courtesy of KL Photographers York