Henry E and Olivia B-L (both Upper Sixth) have taken on the responsibility of Heads of School for the Michaelmas Term. On Friday they gave their speeches to the student body in Headmaster’s Assembly. You can read both speeches in full below:

Henry E

Good afternoon school,

I hope everyone enjoyed the long summer break and you are now ready to get back into the school routine for the year ahead. Firstly, I would like to congratulate Olivia on becoming Head Girl, I couldn’t think of a better choice, she is the most deserving of the role and I am sure she will make my life so much easier. I would also like to say well done to Jack and Rosalie who have set high standards for Olivia and I to follow and I look forward to continuing their success over the next term. I also would like to thank Mr Thomas, Mr Farrell and the rest of the senior management team for giving me this opportunity.

Like many other Heads of School before me, I was very apprehensive about this speech and had no idea what to write about and after hours of soul searching and head scratching, I decided on a theme which is personal to me and hopefully something you can take with you into the new school year. The theme of my speech is Carpe diem, a phrase first coined by the Roman poet Horace over 2000 years ago, but brought to prominence more recently in the film Goodwill Hunting. It means seize the day, but more of that later.

For those of you who don’t know me as well, my family has had a difficult time over the last year and I wanted to focus on one of the most challenging experiences of my life. This time last year my cousin Reggie, aged 18 at the time, was a passenger involved in a serious car accident which left him in a coma. The doctors told us that it was unlikely Reg would live longer than 3 days, however he ignored this and kept fighting.

After five weeks Reggie was in a more stable condition however still in a coma, the doctors then told us that he had a type 3 brain injury, the most severe and it was unlikely Reg would ever wake up, and knowing how much he loved a lie in we didn’t doubt it. However, Reggie was oblivious to the doctors’ prognosis and after countless one-way conversations with him, my family and I were amazed and overjoyed when he came out of his coma after 6 weeks.

This process of the doctors setting a limit on Reggie’s recovery and him ignoring it, smashing through the opinions of the experts continued over the next few months. Reg had severe brain damage, and his short-term memory was not there at all at the beginning of his recovery, so much so that he would be able to have a conversation with you, but if you left the room and then came back in, he had no recollection of you being there. However, it didn’t stop him. With therapy, his memory continued to improve. The neurologist treating Reggie described him as a miracle and he continued to push past the boundaries set by others. If you met my cousin today you might not even realise that he has brain damage, after six months in hospital he is now home and well, and his recovery is truly remarkable.

What I am trying to get across is, that in life you never know what is around the corner, good or bad, you often can never predict what will happen next. I learnt this with my cousin and it has changed my perspective on life. This can be daunting and understandably so, however I didn’t write this speech to make anyone anxious about their future, the point of my speech is the opposite of that. This brings me back to the phrase Carpe Diem, which is Latin and translates into seize the day. This means to focus on the present, because there is never any point in overthinking about the next step in life or dwelling on something that has happened in the past, because you cannot control it. Instead of worrying about things you can’t control, you should make the most of everything you can in the present, no matter how big or small.

This leads me onto how we are extremely fortunate to be in a school like this. Whether it’s the amazing support from our teachers or the fantastic facilities provided for us, we are very privileged, and we would do well not to forget that. So please make sure you make the absolute most out of every moment here. Before you know it, it will be gone! From there you will find you can go anywhere you want to in life and look back with few regrets. So as tradition I will end with a quote, and mine is by Ghandi “Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever”.

Thank you for listening.

Olivia B-L
Good afternoon school,

I hope you have all had a relaxing summer and are feeling ready for another busy year ahead.

I’d like to start by thanking Mr Thomas, Mr Farrell and the rest of the Senior Management Team for this opportunity to give back to a school which has given me so much. I would also like to congratulate Henry on becoming Head of School, I couldn’t think of anyone better for the role and look forward to working with him. I would also like to say congratulations to Rosalie and Jack for setting the model example as the previous Heads of School and helping Henry and I.

On discussing with my friends what I should write in my speech, they refused to let me make it boring, and, instead, encouraged me to make it personal. On dwelling on this, I have come to realise, it’s not that I haven’t faced challenges, but instead, it’s because of the people I have had by my side that I have been able to deal with all that has come my way.

To those of you who have persuaded me that frees are in fact study periods, thank you. You have reminded me to work hard in every moment, being resilient when it matters most, even when it’s tempting to just sit on my phone and scroll.

In encouraging me to work towards the goals I want to achieve, I have been able to continue on when it seems as though the challenges will beat me, rather than the other way around. It can be easy to give into negative habits, letting our procrastination or fears get in the way of our goals. But push through this, work hard, and seek help when you need it. Centre stage in a play, mid-tackle on the sports pitch, or even just working on those dreaded quadratic equations, it’s not about the skills you’ve been given, but about what you do with what you’ve got.

Through the influence of others, putting themselves out there for something they may not initially want to do, I have learnt to believe in myself. They have reminded me that we must have confidence in who we are, and, if all fails, laugh, because other doors will open along the way. Sometimes things do just happen for a reason!

Therefore, when we doubt ourselves and decide not to try things because we are scared of what happens when we fail, focus on your successes and believe in yourselves that you are capable of all you want to be. Come out the other end of a challenge having tried it in the knowledge that you might not succeed, but that you have given yourself a chance.

And, of course, a special mention must go to those who have encouraged me to enjoy every last moment, even when the lesson feels like forever or I’m getting a stitch on the hockey pitch, which deems to surprise me every time (sorry Miss Hallett). It may sound cliché, but I encourage you to do the same, doing what you love and enjoying every moment, because, before you know it, you’ll be in upper sixth and thinking of life after school.

The people you surround yourself with make a huge impact on the person you become. Inside and out of this community, be kind to those you don’t usually talk to, encourage each other in your endeavours, and laugh with your friends when things go wrong, because, without re alising it, not only are you creating the life you want, but the way you act is changing that of those around you.

As is tradition, I’d like to end with a quote by Sir Isaac Newton that I feel summarises my time at the school and I hope will encourage you to work together with those around you: ‘If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.’

Thank you for listening.