“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”
– Vince Lombardi
As the weather has warmed up, so has the atmosphere in school as we head towards the end of term – on both sites we have celebrations of music and exercise. This week we have seen sports days on both sites, a concert in the Junior School and the Fete de la Musique in the Senior. A huge number of pupils have participated and despite the weather they have performed well. It is great to see new soloists emerging and school records being smashed. We encourage our pupils to be excellent.
I often write in this column about the importance of service and community. Another virtue that I don’t always write about is the pursuit of excellence. Such a focus is not necessarily to the detriment of other laudable characteristics, unless it is allowed to develop without check and, as many have said, chasing perfection is little more than a fool’s errand. All that said, our pupils should be and are ambitious in their pursuit of excellence. When we play sport we play in good spirit, but we do so to win. To do otherwise would seem counter-intuitive. Winning is great, losing is rarely the end of the world. Learning happens in both cases. Music played with skill and virtuosity is always a joy to behold, and our pupils are right to aim to be the best that they can be. We learn when we focus on the win or the peak of performance even if they are elusive.
Academically we want those who take exams to gain the highest of grades, we want pupils to be rewarded for their hard work, talent and dedication. They too should be striving for victory.
This week has been a hot one, next week is likely to see the mercury rise still higher. We will be ensuring that we provide the correct conditions for pupils to flourish, to realise their ambitions and to do so safely. Don’t forget to send your young person in with a hat! Ideally in school colours, but really anything will do.
We have two more weeks in which we can reach for the top spots, fulfil our potential and along the way have a great time, there will be much to enjoy.
