Community, belonging and pride: the Backbone of the BSN

I write this a few days after the Summer Fair, which took place on our Leidschenveen campus. It was the perfect way to round off this year, and for me really epitomised the very best qualities of the BSN: community, belonging and pride.

When I arrived at the BSN three years ago (at the height of the Corona pandemic) people would often tell me about the community spirit that made the BSN so special, and which I would one day witness for myself. This year, when we all properly came back together, and events and school resumed normal business, I can definitely understand what they were referring to!

The special events this year have almost been too numerous to mention, but a few of my personal highlights included becoming a member of the Community Choir, cheering on students, staff and parents at the CPC Run, and taking a team of players to the ISAA U18 Football tournament in Geneva in November.

Next year promises to be another exciting year for us, with Senior School Leidschenveen welcoming its first Sixth Form cohort, and the BSN starting on its journey to become a High Performance Learning school.

I hope that many of you will recognise that same feeling of pride and belonging at the BSN that I have felt this year. Events like the Summer Fair could only happen due to the huge network (over 200!) of parents and guardians, students and staff who were willing to give up their time to make the event a success, as well as to the thousands in our community who turned up to enjoy the day. This backbone of support and collaboration is what continues to set the BSN apart.

Heath Monk
CEO ■