Page 6 - Southwell School Year Book 2019

PRIZE GIVING ADDRESS - HEAD GIRL
How do you say goodbye to a place, that has been part of your life for as long as you can remember? Though this question is rhetorical, I could really do with an answer. From the students that I have known since the age of five, to the teachers who have had to put up with my constant chatter, Southwell School - thank you!
Ever since I started at Southwell, I dreamed of finally being a Year 8, and believe it or not, finally walking out of the Southwell gates for the last time. This had nothing to do with me not enjoying Southwell, but was due to my longing to grow up. (Yes - I very much regret that now.) Around the middle of 2017 I began to fear this day, fear my life beyond Southwell. Suddenly my wish to be a big kid was turned into a feeling that made me want to cling on to every day that I had left at Southwell. It got me thinking about why I feared leaving Southwell, then I realised that it is because it’s my home, and Year 6 was when I realised how much this school, and everyone in it, means to me.
Over the years I have become very accustomed to Southwell life. At one point I was astounded to learn that other primary schools didn’t have chapel! Children would start at Southwell and be bewildered by our norms, but to me not going to chapel three times a week was unimaginable. All Hallows to me is Southwell - a place where we, as a school, can all come together on a regular basis, and though it can sometimes be a bit crowded, it represents our school's past, and without recognising the past we can’t move forward into the future. With that logic I am sure you can all agree that Chaplain is All Hallows - though he is nowhere near as old! Chapel truly isn’t the same without him.
This year I had the privilege of being student director of the Opera The Little Mermaid. My job was to write down every bit of genius that came out of Mrs Walker’s mouth, as well as prettymuchbeinghershadowforTerm3.The Opera is practically a year-round event: Term 1: Auditions; Term 2: start learning; Term 3:
perfect and perform; Term 4: Opera party and start planning for next year. Then repeat.
It is amazing to see just how much Mrs Walker, as well as all the teachers who help, put into the Opera every year. I am glad that I now know just how much it takes to pull off a Southwell Opera, and the impeccable standard that it ends up being.
When I first started Southwell, one of my many dreams was to be in the choir. At that time my reasoning was ‘I like singing and in the choir the big kids all sing.’ Now I realise that I love being in the choir, not just for the singing but for the sisterhood that comes with it. And all that love starts at the top a.k.a. Mrs McIntyre - one of the most beloved teachers in the school. She has the very difficult job of dealing with both the Girls' and Boys' Choirs. It probably doesn’t sound bad so I’ll paint a picture so you all know what I’m talking about: roughly 45 min of just her and either a group of 30 boys or 30 girls (between the ages of 9 and 13) four times a week. (Sometimes five during Super Sunday when it’s just her against all 60 of us for four and a half hours!) But she is truly brilliant at it. Despite the trouble of getting us to learn the songs, they always end up sounding brilliant.
The most walked through building in the school is the library. At times a quiet, peaceful place, other times, a building full of buzzing, loud kids. Everyone spends at least 40 minutes in the library per week, laughing, yet learning, in the reading pit and searching through the shelves for the perfect book. Every time you walk through the doors to go for a class you are greeted by a smiling, warm Mrs Walch and Mrs Huggins. They don't just know all our names, but also what types of books we all enjoy reading! They are able to recommend the best book for each of us to read. They also organise one of the most fun days in our school year, Book Character Day, which, if you think about it, subtly makes us love books even more. They also sneakily takes pictures of us during fun events, so our parents can see and enjoy them. Mrs Walch has known me for a very very long time. She is partly to blame for my unique personality - and I feel as though it is a crime to not give her a small shout out in this speech. So thank you Mrs Walch! Thank you for everything.
The school itself can’t function without the people who work behind the scenes, who come into school earlier and leave later than the rest of us, yet get little to no recognition, because most of us don’t know the extent to which they work. I am talking about the groundsmen, cleaners, kitchen staff and office ladies.
The groundsmen are always here, rain or shine, to make sure the school is looking impeccable. During Opera time Mr Hall, along with the other groundsmen, are busy making
the Opera set - which never ceases to astound the audience.
Thanks to the cleaning staff I always walk into a nice clean class in the morning, despite the sometimes bad condition that I leave it in on the previous afternoon. They also manage to clean up every mess or accident that students leave.
Whilst boarding for a week last term, I realised that the kitchen staff arrive at Southwell early in the morning to prepare breakfast, and only leave late at night after serving dinner. They have to work the hardest during the day to serve the many kids and boarders who have out lunch.
The office ladies, always greet you by name with a smile, knowing not just your name but most of our parents' names too. They are always helpful to anyone who needs anything and do more than most realise.
Mr and Mrs Speedy do a lot for the school without us knowing. Most days I see Mrs Speedy giving tours to anyone looking to start at Southwell. With a smile on her face she cheerfully chats with whoever she sees. I have really come to know Mr Speedy throughout this year. I have been able to see how much he cares about this school, and hear some of his many ideas for Southwell's future. Leaving here today I know that Southwell is in the best hands possible.
The teachers at Southwell, can be described using one word - caring. They truly care about all their students - not just our learning, but our lives, to the extent that they are willing to listen, to give advice and treat us all equally. Though we don’t always realise it, we owe a lot to our teachers. The things that we get in trouble for - for me most of the time it’s because I can occasionally be overly chatty - or even the little things like tucking your shirt in, or sitting up straight - are things that in the bigger picture we genuinely need to work on for our futures. (To be fair, them telling me to stop talking is probably because I’m annoying them!)
For everyone who is leaving Southwell today - we don't know what the future will hold and that’s okay, because it means we get to figure it out for ourselves. Though this is not going to be the biggest step we take in our lives, it is probably the first. High school will be different, a struggle for some and effortless for others. We are going to face challenges that we can either overcome or run away from. But we need to always stay true to ourselves, because what are we if not ourselves? We will all eventually achieve our dreams but until then, keep reaching for the stars.
Per aspera ad Astrum
Rachel Koshy
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Southwell School Yearbook 2019
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Southwell is my home...