Can you ever really lockdown an Uppinghamian? P
erhaps the only thing that unites the entire Uppingham community is the lived experience of being a pupil here. Different generations will, of course, have had different versions of school life, under a range of headmasters and teachers, and through more or less challenging socio-economic times. But still, you were all schoolboys and girls once. When the editorial team came together to discuss content for this issue, a feature was conceived to tell the story of what life is like for current Uppinghamians and, to try and articulate this, we reached out directly to them. We were pleased to receive responses about how important Uppingham is, and how their time here has shaped them as young adults. Responses such as those from our current Captains of School: The continuous bustle of Uppingham life is what has shaped me over my years here. The extracurricular activities on offer, whether it is the MAD (Making A Difference) programme or taking part in a play, from beekeeping to bridge club, there’s something for everyone to help you to meet people that you may otherwise have never have talked to and make long-lasting friendships.” Zuha Animashaun (J U6th), Captain of School
I was a quiet boy when I first arrived and felt incredibly overwhelmed at what the School had to offer. But as time passed, I found my feet and got involved with the many activities on offer, such as helping on the School radio station UppAir, and a variety of sports. I joined the cast in some of the amazing productions in the theatre and even took part in some of the house competitions, like the House Shout, House Challenge, and debating competitions, which really boosted my confidence. My boarding house has been key to my time at Uppingham and I have many great memories of evenings spent playing whole house football on the Farleigh pitch and tense games of ping pong in the games room! Throughout my time at Uppingham, I feel I have gained so much, it has made me who I am today, and I’m sure many others will feel the same.” Hugo Bray (Fgh U6th) Captain of School Heartening to say the least, but then, at the end of March, as with everything else, the School year changed dramatically. The essence of our boarding school – our sense of united endeavour – was thrown into disarray as pupils were sent home to cities, counties and countries around the globe. Naturally, we assumed this would mean the tone of this article would shift from a celebration of the fulfilment of formative years to bemoaning the state of the world. We were wrong. Rather than dwell on their physical education being taken away from them, our pupils approached it as a rewarding challenge. Pupils like Marcus van Rest (SH U6th), who writes: Lockdown provided me an opportunity to help with delivering food and toy parcels to underprivileged families, as well as helping out neighbours with odd jobs, such as mending shed roofs and fixing lawn mowers. The time also allowed me to spend time supporting my local church by adapting their services to be broadcast live. I could even compete with other members of the School swim squad via the online Strava leaderboard.”
66 School News
