Meet the 2021-22 Chapel Wardens

We are delighted to announce that Abi McCarthy and Jed Blacknell have been selected as the 2021-22 Head and Deputy Head Chapel Wardens.

They will lead a team of 22 Chapel Wardens who will support The Rev during the College’s chapel services as well as help with charity initiatives and work with young pupils in the school.

As well as being Head Chapel Warden, Abi is also the Prefect Link, meaning that she will have a ‘foot in both camps’ and ensure both teams work effectively together.

We caught up with Abi and Jed before the end of term to find out about their new roles:

What does it mean to you to be selected as Head and Deputy Head Chapel Warden?

Abi: It felt an honour to be appointed as Head Chapel Warden - to work alongside both Jed and The Rev in the next academic year will be an amazing experience, with all of us coalescing to help the school! To have the opportunity to aid The Rev in leading the Chapel Warden team will be a challenge I look forward to tackling, and, particularly as the school’s second ever female Head Chapel Warden as well as being the Prefect Link, I hope to inspire my peers, and as the school exhorts, to lead by example! 

Jed: I am delighted to be given the opportunity to be Deputy Head Chapel Warden as it presents opportunities to develop my leadership skills when working with peers as well as developing soft skills by working with teachers and students. I am also honoured to be selected for this role as it makes me feel like in the midst of a tough first year at Shiplake I have been doing some things right.

What will you get involved in during the next academic year as part of your Chapel Warden role?

Abi: The experience of chapel services this past year has been strange. I have only recently stepped into the beautiful church building itself, having spent January to March recording readings for services on YouTube. It will be fantastic to finally see everything running in-person, and with restrictions slowly being eased, as a team we will be able to engage and help our peers (since one of our primary roles is pastoral care) as well as being whole-heartedly involved with other years and their services.  

Jed: During next year as well as doing all the obligatory Chapel Warden requirements, I have many other things to get involved in. In a year where socialising has been somewhat limited, most of my ideas involve meeting with others and talking about faith and life in general. This can be achieved by running youth alpha courses in the younger years or just meeting up as groups and talking about some big questions.

Why do you think it's important that Shiplake has a Chapel Warden team?

Abi: The Chapel Warden team has many integral roles which facilitate the school running smoothly, including working alongside The Rev to organise chapel services, reading passages, and on a more personal level, providing pastoral care and support to whoever may need it - this includes giving a helping hand sorting a problem, figuring out solutions with a fellow peer for something they’re enduring, or to simply be a listener. We are here to help our peers as much as we can. As a team, we are here to look after everyone behind the scenes, without seeming intimidating nor overbearing - just someone who will listen when times get tough. 

Jed: I believe Chapel Wardens are hugely important to Shiplake life. When any group comes together and gets things right it can have a great impact and that's exactly what Chapel Wardens have the chance to do in roles like chapel, working with The Rev and fellow Chapel Wardens as well as pastoral care with younger years. 

What skills do you hope the role will equip you with?

Abi: This role, with its senior status in the school, will equip me with a balance of leadership and teamwork. The tasks of preparing the chapel and reading in services will build my confidence and organisation, but the most salient skill that I will take away from this role is the ability to help people and to become a crux within my peers, proffering support whenever needed.

Jed: I believe this role suits me in some ways and in other ways it provides opportunities for me to develop some skills outside of my comfort zone such as public speaking. But I do believe I have good people skills and emotional intelligence. I hope to further develop these as well as improving my public speaking and working as a team with all the Chapel Wardens, Abi and The Rev.

How do you think this role will help you for the future?

Abi: This role will prepare me for life, giving insight into running a school and organising events, but also seeing the ‘grittier’ side of life, as when helping people with problems, one must also face the reality that everything isn’t always as idyllic as it seems. Furthermore, since the role of Head Chapel Warden will foster my leadership and teamwork skills, I will be ready for situations requiring these - with university and the working world approaching, I will certainly need these skills for my future! 

Jed: This role can help me in the future in many ways. Firstly, I believe skills such as leadership, teamwork, and soft skills are very necessary in later life and the workplace when needing to give presentations and work in groups. In terms of my immediate future, getting to know new people could improve my ability to settle in quickly at university. 

As well as Abi and Jed, the following Chapel Wardens have been selected for each house: