LOC KD OWN PROJEC TI ON S
Grab opportunities, as you just never know what’s around the corner. the students and the opportunity to get back to this is hugely welcomed. The need to continue to work hard throughout the whole year has been emphasised, with one leaver offering advice about mock exams –“Make sure you try your very best as you never know – they may be the ones that really count!” For many, a break in a packed schedule and busy life has been a chance to have some more downtime, and the opportunity to relax more regularly with a focus on slower paced activities was welcomed. One student talked about how she had taken on more responsibility in her community to help out in the village shop (a job that she had anyway) for a few extra hours per week.
While this change of pace was recognised in a positive light, the lack of face-to-face contact, physical closeness to friends and the school environment was very apparent in our conversations. The chance to keep in touch through social media and online video platforms was vital for so many, with a strong sense of selfawareness around mental health and different approaches being taken to preserve and enhance that. One pupil established her own podcast to create and share happiness – music, happy news stories and generally positive reflections. With listeners from all over
22 | Autumn 2020
WHAT WILL WE COME TO MISS? Lockdown life has put a different spin on the everyday for many people. Former teacher and pastoral counsellor Jenny Pearson has shared her own personal experiences through poetry, prompting us to think about our own experiences; the good, the bad and those things that we might actually come to miss about lockdown.
the world, this was a very interesting and uplifting approach to remaining as upbeat as possible and thinking about a wider community. For those leaving school, there is a recognition that university will not be the usual experience of previous years gone by, and that it will require some shifting of expectation. There will be a greater emphasis on virtual learning, fewer first year or ‘fresher’ activities and, for some, a requirement to live in tutor groups, rather than more cross-courses and disciplines. With the recognition that this time has taught students to think twice about “overrunning ourselves”, there is also a desire to “grab opportunities, as you just never know what’s around the corner.” There is definitely still wider ambition and one pupil was clear to share her own advice: “Aim to do things and travel to broaden your horizons, however don’t over analyse or over think, as it could all change!” It is in the context of wider life that the greatest lessons or reflections have been made. A level of flexibility, adaptability and capacity for change is an overwhelming theme in all the conversations we had and one that is so positively communicated by our future generations of alumnae. The students we spoke to talked about a greater sense that they “could cope with change and new circumstances” more than they may have previously realised; the chance to “reconnect with people and get really close to family”. The appreciation for school and all that it offers was very clear, “not only from an educational perspective, but how it allows [students] to make connections and support one another.”
(The) quality and intensity of classes definitely (remained) with the online schooling.
The Virus as I see it Jenny Pearson 22/04/20
The dogs keep running The cats keep purring The f lowers keep blooming They know nothing of the officious notices spoiling the park benches They know nothing of the daily deaths The children keep riding The scooter and bike brigades are herded ‘that distance’ away from all
The lasting thoughts from this strong and resilient community of Sixth Formers were about looking beyond their own lives and considering far wider issues in the world. Beyond COVID-19, to consider the global and lasting impact of climate change and the need for greater recognition and response to issues such as Black Lives Matter. One student summed it up well: “Climate change is also an emergency and, although not such an immediate threat as a pandemic, it does make me wonder why governments and leaders are not treating climate change with the same urgency.” With grateful thanks to Hannah Monk, Amelia Norbury, Naomi Scott, Sahiba Jutley, April Hall, Eilidh Page and Sarah Cooper for their very thoughtful contributions.
We will sit on the benches in parks once more We will be allowed to pause To hear the burn f lowing The applause will fade The rubber gloves will be removed The masks will no longer cover both smiles and tears Our new heroes will go on The buses will fill up We will breathe differently
That measurement that will forever signal required separation
We will be less fearful less wary
The virtual hug, the socially distanced smile
We will miss our community or will we sustain our precious connections?
Yet the rainbows keep coming Their colours shine from windows and pavements The children keep laughing The music keeps playing There are some givens in this uncertain world The sun keeps rising The sun keeps setting The The The The
gardens are tidied jigsaws completed fences mended gates painted
How will it all appear when we look back at this time? The chalk gifts on driveways in front of cleared out garages The spring-cleaned homes in the warmth of April The The The The
blossom comes daffs go birds sing f ledglings arrive
The The The The The
shared clapping lone pipers neon window signs classical music bells ringing
How will Thursday nights be? How noticed will those delivery drivers be? How welcome will the Royal Mail become? How will the refuse collectors be treated? Will those with the initials NHS on their uniforms disappear from our conscious psyche? Will we remember who to honour? Will we thank those who we no longer take for granted? Will the video and artistic creativity ebb away?
As the speed picks up As the days fill in different ways As we live on, beyond the end of the rainbows As the new beginning unfolds As we ref lect on what was, What came to be and Where they join “Stay safe, stay well, stay home” Where will they come to belong? In history or in the future? In the past or in the now? The before, the after The hugs will feel new The kisses like gold The planet will wonder what might have been The The The The
dogs keep running cats keep purring f lowers keep blooming butterf lies will keep landing
The tadpoles will leave The window-sill bears will hibernate once more The schools will reopen to a grateful generation The rainbows will disappear from windows, but never from the sky Those of us who were spared must carry “lest we forget” forever within our souls Our onward journey will be different – the route the speed the destination, the news The meaning of “key”, the definition of “essential” But the dogs will keep running The cats will keep purring The f lowers will keep blooming. What will we then come to miss?
Autumn 2020 | 23
