This morning, our Joint Heads of College, Sam Edwards and P Kay, addressed the pupils and staff during our whole school assembly. Below are their speeches which we wanted to share further!
Sam Edwards
Morning all, I hope everyone has had a fab long weekend and enjoyed the somewhat friendly matches against Bluecoats on Saturday. For everyone I know, it was a very big game with the well-known school rivalry that simmers each year.
I wanted to take this time this morning to introduce myself. Many of you I already know, but to the students I have yet been able to chat with, I’m Sam. I’ve been at Shiplake since year 9 and am a proud member of Skipwith House.
I know amongst the many that are here, we have had a lot of you who have joined Shiplake this year. I can imagine for many of you that Shiplake College is a huge school compared to where many of you have come from. I too had come from a much smaller school called Davenies, which I know is where several of you have come from too.
Turning up to Shiplake on my first day, I was very nervous. My Mum had dropped me off that morning at 11, and without a moment to lose bolted off into the distance. Well, she was quite shocked to see me that evening, forgetting that she had only signed me up as a day boy.
Wobbling down the front drive towards Skipwith house, I was met by a group of giants. Prefects they called them. I was ushered (escorted? – felt like a VIP kind of thing) towards the house, met with the beaming smile of Skipwith Matron. For the next few days, I was thrown into the tumble-dryer of Shiplake College. One day I was rowing, the next day playing rugby, the next day stuck in the maths classroom dying of boredom.
Although Maths may not have been my favourite subject to say the least, and I may have dreaded each time I had to step back into the classroom, the school offers much more than just academics with a wide set of activities and sports to be enjoyed. For me it was playing Rugby.
My message to the new joiners is to make full use of the school’s activities and to give yourself a break from the pressures of academic work. And who knows, you may discover something that you really enjoy.
One final thing before I pass over to Phoebe, we will be organising a date for the school council soon. A date will be sent out to the housemasters. It would be great to see many of you there and to hear your ideas and suggestions. Thank you very much.
Phoebe Kay
I'm Phoebe Kay and when Mr Brown asked me to speak in front of everyone, I thought I would say a few words about myself. I have a passion for drama, I love listening to music, and on occasion singing too, and I enjoy American football - watching it of course. You've also probably heard me around school because I've been told by many people that I've still not found my inside voice yet, but apart from that you might not know much about me.
My main goal as head girl here is to be a friendly, approachable face around college, who is always ready for a chat, a walk or to attempt to helping out with your prep, but if it’s anything close to algebra, Sam Edwards, I’m directing them straight to you!
Another thing you will definitely see me doing is promoting ‘always having a go.' I came from an academically competitive single sex school, where if you did ‘have a go’, you were expected to be great at it from the get-go.
One of the first things I noticed here at Shiplake, is that you are rewarded and respected for attempting something new. For me, this was sport. At my previous school, selectiveness in sports was based on skill only, and as someone whose career path was not going to be a pro athlete anytime soon, this did not appeal. But here I quickly learnt this wasn’t the case. Sport is encouraged through your passion and commitment towards learning and developing your personal skills. Although I did score for our football team a penalty, the fact I was still rewarded for getting involved it felt like a win in itself.
Lunch time activities, after school and boarding activities also hold some of my fondest memories here. As a flexi boarder, it allowed me to mix with other year groups creating a tight community within the day and boarding pupils.
So, if there's one thing you can take from me it’s that this school definitely teaches all of us that there's more areas to grow and learn from. Whether that’s something completely new, or expanding your knowledge in an area you're already passionate about, Shiplake makes sure you have space to do so in what always feels like a joyful community - where I hope to make you feel heard, valued, and respected.
And know that as a flexi- boarder, prefect, creativity lover and practically a Shiplake advocate, please feel free to come to me to talk about anything. I will never shy away from a good chat and will always be ready with a kind word.
