Welcoming some of our pupils back to school site, whether at the Prep or in the Senior School, has been one of the greatest pleasures of this academic year. When groups of 15-year-old boys willingly confess that they are delighted to be in school, it can only be a good thing! Had 2020 gone differently, this part of term would be awash with cricket and tennis fixtures, a host of end-of-year performances and concerts, the Lower School play, Mencap Funday, Founders Day and, of course, our inaugural joint sports day at the Allianz Park.
It is hard to replicate all this on Zoom, but adversity stimulates invention and some innovations have emerged that I am sure we will keep. Following the success of the Frontiers programme for the Upper Sixth, this week has been given over to Horizons (spawning rumours that the Geography department has naming rights for all supra-curricular programmes at Habs). Boys in Years 7, 8 and 9 have been developing their public speaking and debating skills, going on remote trips or attending masterclasses on a smorgasbord of topics such as juggling, photography, colonising Mars and DIY. There were over 50 sessions delivered on Wednesday alone and the boys have been fantastic; tuning in, asking questions and engaging brilliantly. They are hungry to learn and, considering this is Week 13 of remote learning, they have done incredibly well.
Two themes that have run through the week are finding a passion and finding your voice. In recent weeks, we have seen people from across the world, finding their voice and being heard. This has been true at Habs too, with students speaking out about injustice and ill-treatment they have experienced and their vision for the future. They have spoken with me and other senior teachers, they have led assemblies, they have, crucially, just spoken to their peers in ways that they have not before. Their voices have been clear, strong and powerful. They have spoken from the heart and they have been heard.
We want our students to be leaders, to take others with them on their journey, and whilst they may be developing skills of eloquence, persuasion and strategy, the hardest part is finding the courage to stand up for what is right – to find your voice. It has not always been comfortable to hear what they are saying, and recent weeks have brought to the fore many things at Habs, and within the sector and within society as a whole, of which no one can be proud. However, hearing our boys find their voices, speak out and lead has made me more proud than ever - and full of hope.
Mr Gus Lock