Head Boy

Well, here we are again. The end of another year and the end of another era, as Form 7 leaves the school. We have had such an amazing journey through Russell House. It's hard to believe that for many of us that journey began 9 years ago in Robins, when we were just two years old and could barely string a sentence together!

It's been an unforgettable adventure, with so many memories and experiences since then. We've had some amazing times, like our trips to Norfolk Lakes, Greenwich Observatory, the Houses of Parliament and Chessington. Eating snails in France was also quite an experience!

And we've had some tough times, like getting through COVID, schooling online and being away from our friends during lockdown. The tons of 11 plus revision was not exactly my favourite time either. Sorry Form 6, it's your turn now!

The School and our friends have always been there for us and we've all come so far. Personally, I've grown in confidence so much thanks to my time at the School. I used to be so shy and could never have imagined standing here and giving this speech. But we've all had opportunities that allow us to be the best we can be.

For me, the personal highlight is definitely all of the sports I've been able to take part in at the school. I've particularly enjoyed playing football, rugby and cricket and taking part in sports day and swimming galas. It's also been really great to see the girls playing cricket and I hope one day that there will be a Russell House girl's football team as well. All of those activities give us so much more confidence to compete, to learn how to win, how to lose, and show us that hard work usually pays off. My Dad says the match tea cakes are pretty good as well! Music and drama is also such an important part of Russell House and we all love the various shows and performances we've taken part in over the years. Although, this year, I think Anders may have enjoyed playing the villain a little bit too much!

But the most important thing we will all take away from Russell House is the friendships we have made. We've got an amazing group of people, with so many talents!

• Aimee is a superb singer,
• Anaya is an amazing artist,
• Anders is a genuine genius, and our human encyclopaedia!
• Annabella is a cracking cricketer,
• Austin is a wonder with words,
• Barney is a sports superstar, there's nothing he can't do!
• Bella is a brilliant ballerina,
• Clara is a virtuoso violinist, and will probably be Prime Minister one day!
• Felix is a fancy footballer, and always makes us laugh!
• Georgina is ferociously fast, and definitely a future Olympian!
• Grace is a musical maestro,
• Henry is brilliantly brave,
• Isla is a passionate performer,
• Izzy is terrific at tennis, and has a question for everything!
• Lucy is an academic ace,
• Mia is a maths master,
• Olly C is a chess champion, and all round nice guy!
• And Olly L is a Lego legend, and can climb just about anything!

I will miss you all so much and wish everyone the very best of luck at secondary school. Now we will move on to pastures new and pass the baton onto Form 6. Whilst it's sad to think we're all leaving, on the plus side, at least we will be able to have tomato ketchup with lunch and we've already done GCSE science!

Finally, all of us in Form 7 would like to thank the teachers and staff for helping and supporting us through the school, even though at times we may not have been the perfect pupils! We really do appreciate everything the school has done for us and we're proud to have been pupils at Russell House.

Head Girl

One of the reasons why I was inspired to run for Head Girl was a comment that Mr McCarthy made in my Form 1 report. In it, he said that I was one of the few people that he could leave in charge of the School whilst he went off to make a cup of tea. I hope that after a year in this role Mr McCarthy still has the same confidence in my abilities, but listening to all the Form 6 speeches a couple of weeks ago, one thing is clear... whoever will be appointed the new head boy and head girl team next year, Mr McCarthy is going to need some more teabags and perhaps even some biscuits too!

I have been at Russell House since I was two years old when I joined Russell Robins, and I have been so fortunate to have had my entire primary education at this School. During my time here, I have been given numerous opportunities.

I have played a sleepy shepherd, a star that couldn't shine and most recently... a hopeless secret agent. I have sung with choirs and performed many times on the violin and piano. I have played in goal at the IAPS hockey tournament at the Olympic stadium and bowled my way through many cricket matches although, with apologies to Mrs Curling, I have never mastered gymnastics. I have loved English and humanities and even learnt to tolerate maths and science.

I have made so many fabulous friends here and will miss you all when I leave. Thank you to my brilliant classmates and to all the wonderful Russell House staff who work so hard to make this such a special School.

This wouldn't be my speech without a reference to food. As anyone who knows me will testify, I really like my school dinners. There has never been an Oliver Twist moment for me with the kind dinner ladies who can always find that little bit more, especially when there is custard on offer. I would therefore like to finish with a poem which I would like to dedicate to the entire catering team here at Russell House.

A recipe for Russell House (serves 200):

• Take some wriggly Wrens and some red-breasted Robins.
• Add a gaggle of girls and boys aged 5-1, enough to fill seven classrooms comfortably.
• Introduce a variety of teachers, experts in their fields, all kind and caring.
• Pour in the essential ingredient of support staff oil - without this your recipe will be lumpy and fail to work.
• Mix in a well-chosen selection of books, pens, pencil and paper, trays, desks and chairs.
• Whisk together to form a broad and exciting curriculum.
• Throw in a handful of school trips, a drama production or two, a spoonful of musical soirées and several cups of sporting fixtures.
• Combine together slowly and leave to simmer; as the ingredients blend, allow individual strengths to flourish and grow.
• Add in some respect and understanding, a good pinch of enthusiasm and a scoop of good humour.
• Divide your mixture evenly into four houses - Johnson, Cavell, Nightingale and Fry.
• Sprinkle some healthy competition and a splash of fun on top.
• Allow to cool and serve with love.
• This is where the remarkable happens.

For more photos, please see our Facebook Page.