21 September 2018 - Issue 4
HEAD’S
WEEKLY REVIEW
Head’s Introduction As you can see from the main article on this page, the top story at Roedean this week is that we have secured the Olympic Champion Hockey players, Kate and Helen RichardsonWalsh, as the School’s Sports Ambassadors - this really is remarkable news for Roedean! Helen and Kate are both very excited about our partnership, so it will be brilliant to see them down on the all-weather pitch, working closely with the girls – there is no doubt that the impact of this on the girls will be considerable. Helen will be in School next week, and we all look forward to meeting her then. The last of the four residentials returned this week. I am pleased that they all went very well, and that many of the girls pushed themselves beyond barriers they thought were insurmountable – well done, and thank you to all the staff who went on these trips to share the girls’ experiences. Twelve girls have spent two days filming a video prospectus for the School this week. By all accounts, they rose to the challenge of busy filming schedules and using professional equipment excellently – thank you to everyone involved, and I look forward to seeing the finished product. At the end of next week, we have our annual Founders’ Service in Chapel, when we remember past benefactors of the School, and we will also have the Pitch Opening on this day. I look forward to seeing our top musicians perform at the Scholars’ Recital on Monday. Well done to everyone on a busy week, and I wish you all well for the week ahead.
Helen and Kate –
Roedean’s Olympic Champion Sports Ambassadors Roedean is incredibly proud to announce that both Kate and Helen Richardson-Walsh will be the School’s Sports Ambassadors for the next two years, over which time the girls will benefit hugely from their regular visits. It has already been wonderful to see so many girls of all ages loving having the all-weather pitch at the heart of the School this term. Giving them the opportunity to learn from the experience and talents of Helen and Kate will be the icing on their sporting cake! GB Hockey players, Kate and Helen won Olympic Gold in Rio 2016. Kate captained the team for 13 years and represented her country 375 times, and Helen has played in the England and Great Britain teams since 1999. As Olympic champions in 2016, they became the first same-sex married couple to win Olympic Gold. They are not only sporting icons, but also exceptional role-models to young women. Kate was the Guest Speaker at our two Prize Giving Ceremonies on Roedean Day in June this year, and she was very impressed with the girls she met on that day. In her speech, she talked about some of her own experiences which required great determination and resilience to reach a positive outcome; she told the girls that it is how you bounce back from disappointment that will define how successful you can be. This resonated strongly at Roedean, where we encourage the girls not to fear failure, but to be ready to learn from it to improve themselves and their performance going forward.
Director of Sport, Alastair Carter, is delighted with the news: ‘This is huge for Roedean sport. Having such incredible sporting role models working with the girls on a regular basis will have a massive impact on their sport, but it will also help them approach other situations in school life with determination and confidence.’ We are very pleased that Helen RichardsonWalsh will be coming to Roedean on 28 September. She will have lunch with some Sports Scholars, after which she will be part of the official opening of the all-weather pitch. This will be her first visit to Roedean, and we cannot wait to meet her! RB