Page 33 - Herioter 2021

And then, in the final days of November – just the loss of music speakers in their common
as it seemed we may be turning a corner – S5 room (let alone the entry limits), had something
pupils arriving at school on a Friday morning were to get excited about as universities started
told to leave the campus before they had even offering places for courses that would commence
reached their registration rooms, after three pupils when the world had hopefully regained some
contracted the disease. semblance of what-it-used-to-be.
It was an extraordinary sight – students who November was hard – perhaps the hardest
had (supposedly) Higher prelims in a month- month we would experience in 2020. It was
and-a-half literally being told to go away – but emotional and exhausting. Darkness fell early,
the news caused barely a ripple with onlookers: marking stacked up, the flicker of dread preceded
it was just another extraordinary moment in an the checking of a phone or inbox.
extraordinary year. Passing teachers met the news It was an achievement to just keep going, to
with a rueful shake of the head, wondering – yet just keep moving forward, to remember that there
again – how could it have come to this? would be better days – eventually.
It was for these reasons that things could not In years to come, we will look back on this
be ‘normal’. A glance at the November pages month with wonder that we made it through, and
of the 2020 Herioter confirmed the absence of admire the resilience that pupils and staff had to
anything resembling business-as-usual. Junior show.
School Music Festival – postponed. Senior School Gratitude was also never more important,
play – cancelled. A trip for S6 artists to Jupiter with the Junior School’s Learning Enhancement
Artland – cancelled. Sporting fixtures – cancelled. Department taking a lead in reminding pupils of
A talk to English Higher pupils by Christopher just that.
Brookmyre – cancelled. An MUN competition at The outcome was an eye-catching ‘Gratitude
North Berwick High School – cancelled. And it is Wall’ display featuring dozens of responses, some
this list – and I could go on – that provided the of which are highlighted in the main image (right)
greatest sadness for pupils. ‘Cancelled’ is perhaps and the bank of images below.
the wrong word; the prospect of these events Heriot’s, too, always has a way of surprising has championed mental health awareness and
was simply not entertained. S3 Activities Week, you, of lifting you up. Just hours after S5 had the school has been recognised for everything
scheduled for June 2021, was abandoned too, been sent home, it was revealed that the school from environmental awareness, rights awareness,
parents and pupils were told. had been named the Sunday Times ‘Scottish internationalism and the embedding of
Young people come to Heriot’s to learn – Independent School of the Decade’ by Parent philosophy in the curriculum from nursery
but learning is so much more than sitting in Power, The Sunday Times Schools Guide. Praising onwards.
a classroom. To not play in that fixture, or to the school, Alastair McCall, editor of Parent Power, ‘Pupils achieve exceptional standards across all
not feature in that concert or play, or to not said: ‘George Heriot’s has ranked outside the top walks of school life and leave ready to take their
represent your school in a competition – those are three independent schools in Scotland just twice place in the world and make an impact on it.’
experiences that are lost forever. in the past decade, a measure of the consistent It was a ray-of-light reminder – even in the
That is not to say we did not carry on in the academic success that children achieve there. midst of a pandemic – why we exist and why we
best way we could – and as happily and positively However, the school is about much more than just continue to matter. It is a reminder, too, that our
as possible. Singing restarted and with windows excellent grades. efforts, and the effort that personified November,
thrown open to encourage air flow, the sound of ‘Its charitable foundation ensures a significant matter more than the words in this introduction
Junior School pupils belting out Christmas songs number of pupils study fee-free and the school’s could ever convey.
seemed to be the soundtrack to a wet and wild values of “work hard, be kind, be happy” permeate
November. Sixth year pupils, still bemoaning the fabric of the place. Principal Lesley Franklin Mr Jonny Muir

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