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YEAR 12
Upon choosing ‘Dare’ as the 2021 theme, I do not think we realised how applicable it would become. 2021 brought our cohort a myriad of surprises – both good and slightly less good – but nevertheless, we ‘dared’ to take these challenges in our stride… The year started off strong; SACs were few and far between and the Year 12 Formal was coming closer by the minute. With the constant demands and hefty workload of Year 12, you would think finding a formal dress would be the least of our worries – but you would be surprised. As Formal came and went with the end of Term 1, COVID-19 continued to hum quietly in the background, eventually sending us back into our lockdown routines of 2020. Although the antics of the Year 12 Common Room and the constant presence of friends were sorely missed, the art of subtle online school sleep-ins and excitement upon seeing a fellow classmate at the local vaccination clinic seemed to mitigate the better half of our worries. With the creativity of the 2020 Year 12 cohort to thank, the class of 2021’s online experience was filled with a plethora of inter-year-level activities that kept us engaged. From competitive scavenger hunts to baking, online House Cross Country and strenuous Zumba routines, our time spent online was far from dull. We were ‘dared’ to leave a legacy and you best believe we gave it our best shot. Much quicker than anticipated, the pointy end of Year 12 appeared signalling our time at St Catherine’s was fast approaching its end. This realisation was met with both excitement and apprehension, but the response of our teachers cannot go unnoticed – from the arrival of surprise COVID care packages, Year 12 jumpers and exam study packs, their efforts re-established our motivations and allowed us to persevere towards the end of such an unpredictable year. The class of 2021 brought a prodigious amount of resilience and courage to our final year. Through the challenges brought to us by a global pandemic, our cohort has risen above setbacks and upon reaching the other side, has embodied the St Catherine’s 2021 theme, ‘daring’ to embrace the challenges thrown at us whilst leading the younger girls through unprecedented times.
Tamsin Sleigh Year 12 Student
