When the weather warms up, it is evident that we are a school with a wide spread of nationalities. In consecutive conversations I have heard “It isn’t hot until you hit 40°C” and “I think that I am melting…” The difference between Scotland and Australia in a nutshell. With temperatures in the high 30°s it has certainly been warmer than normal. I don’t think I have seen a Junior School pupil without a hat this week – Chapeau! On the Senior Campus I’ve been delighted to see a resurgence of board games being played in the shade. I associate Scrabble, chess and draughts with roaring winter firesides, but it makes perfect sense to play under the canopy of one of our many trees. I did consider the imposition of a school siesta hour, but I think that is more a symptom of the end of term rather than climatic conditions!
This week could have been very different. It is only in the last three years or so that we have had the benefit of widespread access to air conditioned spaces. The Junior School benefitted a couple of years ago while Braille and the Kett building on the Senior School site have had the treatment more recently. Both of these initiatives are a direct result of the School having the resources to undertake this development work and both projects have in part been financed using the Development Fund Contribution that parents pay at the start of their child’s career. The School receives no funding from either the French or British government; we are grateful for the support of both institutions, but financially we stand alone. It is through the generosity of parents and other supporters that we are able to make alterations and improvements to the campuses in particular. Having asked for a substantial contribution to the future of the school I have been reluctant to ask for more. Today I am going to be Oliver Twist. The reason for this change of heart is simple, I think that you may be interested in supporting a project that has come from the students and I won’t have the opportunity to talk about it tomorrow as I had hoped at the summer fair.
The Outdoor Performance Space Project is exciting. It links to the School’s desire to encourage young people to find their voice in the world. The initial idea came from two of our prefects. It has been designed by a talented bunch of Year 12s and the crowd funding campaign has been a collaboration between drama and business students. It uses local materials to create a place where debate, drama and music can flourish. It will provide a place of calm for those who like to chat at break and lunch. Importantly it will also be a place where the past and present meet. We will be reminded of other people and their contribution to the School. Alumni, Parents and Friends of the school can buy a brick, a slab or a bench which will be inscribed with their name. I can think of no more inspiring a message for our pupils than to see that when they speak they have the support of those who went before.
Nicholas Hammond
Headmaster