Aspire and achieve

At British schools, the Headmaster or Headmistress is not the only head of school. One or more representative from their last year at school is elected or appointed Head Girl and/or Head Boy.

Being a coeducational English boarding school, Warminster School has one of each and the Head Boy happens to be one of the students we assisted with finding his place at the school. Finn and his colleague Freya were described as “excellent role models for the school’s younger community” by new Headmaster, Matt Williams, before they addressed the rest of the school in Chapel at the beginning of term.

Finn began by reflecting on his journey at the school over the past year: “For me, Warminster is a very special place. We are all one big community and each and every one of us is accepted for the way he/she is. I myself, have only been here for a year but the School already feels like home to me. Coming from a German school, the teacher/pupil relationships and the way of interacting with our teachers have made me feel so welcome. In my opinion this is a key factor that creates this special and friendly atmosphere.”

It was particularly inspiring for the younger and newer pupils to hear his honesty as Finn went on to say, “Obviously, not everything will be great all the time, you will face challenges and have to make difficult decisions, but with the support you receive from everyone here, you will be able to overcome those obstacles and become more confident in what you are doing. When I arrived at Warminster last year, I would have never believed that I would stand here today in this church, talking to all of you.”

Finn’s parents were naturally delighted to learn of his appointment: “We are very proud of Finn and we are also confident that he will do his best to fulfil this privileged job. We pass on our special thanks to Headmaster and the whole school team.

“In our eyes, Warminster does an excellent job in supporting not only the intellectual part of a student’s personality but also in engaging them to be a socially responsible person interacting with others and who is brave enough to risk mistakes and grow from that. We are looking forward to Finn’s last and maybe most adventurous year.”

Head Girl Freya talked of the importance of friendship: “I have been fortunate to go through my time here with an incredible group of individuals, each with their own unique personalities. It has been a privilege to learn and grow with them. I have also been fortunate enough to get to know people from across the School, from the Prep School to Old Verlucians, our community of former pupils who continue to support the School once they have left.”

She too had some inspiring words for the younger students: “I wouldn’t have developed those friendships had I not seized each and every opportunity that was presented to me. For example, joining CCF, participating in the various shows and performances put on by the Drama and Music Department each year, as well as taking up two new sports, netball and hockey. All of these opportunities have pushed me completely out of my depth, from playing my very first fixture with the U14s in year 9 to singing solos at Cabaret. All of these things have helped me to develop as an individual and have made me who I am proud to be today. In addition, they are opportunities that have helped me develop my career path including the Duke of Edinburgh Award and a BTEC level 2 in leadership and personal development in the community.”

Their final words were sincere pieces of advice: “Believe in yourself to try out new things, especially the ones that seem scary at first. Enjoy your time here with good friends around you,” Finn declared. Whilst Freya concluded, “Get involved. It’s a new year, a new start and a chance to prove not only to everyone else, but to yourself that you can do more than you think.”

We think both are shining examples of how our British boarding schools support the holistic development of their charges and we too are proud of Finn’s achievement in particular.

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Photo by kind permission of Warminster School