Wisdom from an Old Boy

Each year, Churchie invites our highest-achieving students back to school for the annual Academic Celebration Assembly. This special occasion honours the achievements of our newest Churchie Old Boys and inspires all current students to seek academic excellence. A feature of the assembly is the address by a notable recent Old Boy. On Thursday 16 February 2023, Old Boy from the class of 2021, Prefect and Captain of Debating Jamie Richardson delivered the Academic Celebration Assembly address to the Senior School.

Congratulations to each of you. It is an amazing achievement. You represent Churchie’s most successful year, at least as far as academics are concerned.

The most enjoyable aspect for me is to see so many boys I know and call friends up on the podium this morning. Congratulations also to Chun Lee, John Lu, Dash Young, and Matthew Bond for their perfect scores. All the boys on the podium today have done incredibly well, and their achievements are truly something for them and for the whole school to be proud of.

T hank you for the invitation to speak at the Academic Celebration Assembly this year. It’s a privilege to be back in a Churchie assembly and, in particular, to be part of the celebration for so many newly minted Churchie old boys who performed incredibly well last year.

I would like to bring attention to the fact that, of the boys here, many of them did debating in their senior year. So, if you’re looking to be up on this stage one day, it’s something to consider.

To our new Old Boys—welcome to what feels like unlimited freedom. You get to do what you want, when you want, where you want – all within the limits of civil decency. Enjoy your time out from school – I certainly am. But also remember the hard work each of your fellow students, your family and your teachers here at Churchie put in to support you and help you get to where you are today. Stay close to them, because those friendships are wonderful and can and should last a lifetime.

To the boys sitting in front of me, here are some pieces of wisdom I would like to share.

Dream big—life is what you make it

We often fall short of our goals, but that shouldn’t stop us from setting them as high as we possibly can. Most boys behind me would have been striving for a 99.95. Whilst many of them didn’t get there, they still did incredibly well and are hugely successful. Falling short of your goals is an essential part of being successful. Every success is built on failures along the way. What is important is that you set your goals, give it everything you have and when you don’t get there, pick yourself up, brush yourself off and go again even harder. As General George S Patton once said, ‘I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom.’

Time flies

I can still remember my first day in the Senior School. It feels like yesterday, and I am already into my second year at university.

Your time at Churchie will be over before you know it. For some of you, I appreciate that sounds very appealing, and it is, but don’t miss the opportunities you have today. Make the most of your time at Churchie. Enjoy and savour every moment, because when it’s over you can either look back knowing you made the most of it or wish you had done it better. Make sure you don’t regret your choices.

Don’t procrastinate

I am a master procrastinator, and I learned this the hard way. But now I know how much easier things are if you plan and get onto them straight away. I’m still not perfect, but nonetheless, I try. That also means not taking extensions on your assignments. In my experience, those who took the most extensions tended to do the worst. Some things can’t be helped, but the truth is, there are always going to be things that come up to derail you. If you plan, are organised and don’t delay you will take the stress out of studying and do so much better.

Use your teachers

The lesson that I learned much later than I would have liked is that your teachers, despite giving you work and challenging you in lots of ways, actually do want you to succeed. Whether it was Madame Washington practising French speaking with me in Lanskey after school, or Mrs Prosser or Mr Smith giving me tips on my literature presentation, the assessments I did the best in were the ones where I asked for help from my teachers. Your teachers know what they are doing, and they know what you need to do. So, listen to them, work with them and be grateful to them.

Ultimately, whether this is your first year of university, your last year of school or even the start of your journey in the Senior School, remember these things, and you will succeed.

Thank you so much for having me here today. Congratulations to our academic achievers—may you make the most of the next stage of your lives. To the boys of Churchie: be the best you can be.

Jamie Richardson

2023 Prefect and Captain of Debating