In last week's Whole School Assembly on Monday 11 September, our Joint Heads of College - Tom Lebeau and Abi Botterill - took a moment to address the pupils and staff. Below are their speeches which we wanted to share further!
Abi Botterill
Good morning everyone, I am Abi and I am your Head Girl for this academic year!
I have a passion for all things sport, especially netball and cricket. I play netball in the National Performance League and for the Shiplake girls’ senior A team. I can talk all day about sports but I’ve been told I am on a time limit so I will have to keep that topic brief.
Shiplake as a school to me is full of inspiration and what makes it so special is that it’s not only a school but a community. Every day, all members of Shiplake College including staff and pupils celebrate each other’s successes and small wins, treating them like a victory.
Shiplake is a ‘yes’ school.
Where it is viewed as cool to give everything a go. For example, our girls’ senior football team - I don’t think we will be playing in the Premier League anytime soon, but we turn up and give it a go and most importantly just have fun and that is all that matters. This is because at Shiplake, failure isn’t seen as a fear and instead is viewed as a stepping stone towards achievement and personal progress.
As your Head Girl, I am looking forward to getting to know every one of you. At any point in the day, if you want to just have a chat, rant or even rave to me, I hope you can see me as a friendly and approachable face. You will not think twice about talking to me.
As we can see, there is a significant increase in the number of girls at the College this year. This is a massive milestone for Shiplake College. This year I am going to help integrate girls within the college and ensure bonds are built throughout all members of the school and strengthen the family-like feel that is already experienced today.
Lastly, later in the year, both Tom and I have decided that we will be running the Henley half marathon to raise money for the Young Minds charity. We would hugely appreciate it if you could help support in any way you can. Whether that be donating, reading up on the charity, or even running a bit with us. Further information on this will of course be sent out in due course.
Thank you everyone for listening and I’m excited to see what this year brings!
Tom Lebeau
Morning all, I wanted to use this time to quickly introduce myself to everyone. My name is Tom, and I have the privilege of being Joint Head of College for this year.
A little bit about myself - in my free time, I’m often keeping myself busy by going to the gym, going on runs, or playing a round of golf with my friends. I am also a proud member of Mr Claridge's 1st XI football team where last year, we achieved our own small part of history by getting to the semi-finals of the regional cup, which is something that has never been achieved by the school before. The game that we got knocked out in was against Cokethorpe. We had had a rough time throughout the game with several decisions not going our way but, despite all the adversity, we managed to prevail and score an equaliser with the last kick of the game. We continued to work hard in extra time before losing narrowly on penalties. Despite the heartbreak, every single player was quick to shake hands and congratulate the opposition on reaching the final.
To me, this is a perfect example of the Shiplake way of doing things. Giving 100% to everything you do and being respectful when doing it.
Therefore, this is my challenge to you for this year. Whatever it is you do best be it sport, music, art, drama or anything the college has to offer, I challenge you to lead by example by fully throwing yourself into it. There are amazing opportunities for those that invest themselves into Shiplake and most importantly, those who embrace the Shiplake way of doing things are the ones who will have the best time here at the college.
If you see me around the College and feel you need to chat for whatever reason, please do so as I would like to get to know as many new faces as possible.
