Leavers' Assembly 2010

It is always sad to say good-bye to the young people that we have nurtured, cajoled, and grown so fond of over (in some cases) many years. Leavers' Assembly is always a thoughtful -even quite solemn- occasion, and gives us an opportunity to reflect on the purpose of the education we offer and the aspirations of those who benefit from it. Here is an extract from the Headmaster's address:

In closing I would say that you -the class of 2010- have been a particularly impressive and much-loved year group in the remarkable story of The Grange School. You have been rewarding to teach, generous with your contribution to school life and enriching to work with both in and out of the classroom. You have made us laugh, at times you’ve inspired us and you have moved us to think and reflect about the job that we do. You have cared for each other really well and been more unified than most year groups I can recall. In short, it has been a pleasure for us to work with you, and, however proud we are of your achievements as you do so, it is sad to see you leave us.

But leave you must, and I’ll take my leave of you with a few questions to ponder in the spirit of the reading Mr Reeve read for us earlier. As you go through your life:
• Will you be more a giver or a taker?
• Will you lead or will you just follow?
• Will you create more than you consume?
• Will you love much more than you hate?
• Will you step on others on the way up or will you give a helping hand up to those below you?
• Will you keep for yourself or give away?
• Will you value truth over ease, integrity over expediency?
• Will you be remembered for what you did or what you didn’t do?
• Will the world be a tangibly better place for your having been in it?
• Will you settle for pleasure, or will you fully flourish?
• Will you put yourself in a place where true happiness can find you?

I’ve left you a few things to ponder. Within your answers to those questions might lie a clue as to how truly happy, fulfilling and rich your lives will be, as to how far you will flourish, as to how far you will become the best ‘you’ that you can possibly be. That is what I wish for you…what we all wish for you…and what I hope that you wish for yourselves.

We wish you a truly happy and fulfilling life…now it’s time to go and find it.

Sophie Hirst left the Upper Sixth last year. As part of her year off before university she travelled to Paraguay and worked in a number of projects alongside a church, helping some of the poorest in Asuncion,the country's capital. She came into school recently and gave a really inspirational assembly; here is the conclusion that she shared with us:

I went to Paraguay knowing no one and very little about what I would be doing. I thought I was going to teach, and to help people: everyone does when they do this kind of thing. They think they are going to go out somewhere ‘to make a difference’ and maybe even ‘change a few lives’; I had no idea what I’d be doing specifically, but I guess, if I think back on it, that was my general aim.

The thing is, though, I learnt so much more than I taught (which is not to say that my teaching skills were in fact pretty poor!): if you go somewhere where things are so different and where priorities are on an entirely different scale, you cannot help but revaluate your own. I have no doubt that those children will forget my name soon; children do. But I will not forget theirs because they showed me what it was to really live and be grateful, just for the sun that rises each day.
I don’t really have an overall message. I’m not asking for anything or telling you to think differently about anything. I’m just telling you that doing what I did made me think very differently about a lot of things. I guess if I wanted to leave you with anything it would be this; don’t be scared to just go for it. Go out there and see it for yourself. Then maybe when you come back and you happen to bump into me, you will tell me you knew what I was talking about.