As the school year comes to a close, we’d like to recap our experience in our first term as The Abbey’s Head Girls. Before we get into the joys of this term, we’d like to introduce ourselves and set out our hopes for the coming year.
Hi everyone, I’m Aarini! In Sixth Form, I’ve chosen the IB route (whoop whoop!) and hope to study medicine at uni. My strongest passions include music, medicine (and maths in medicine!), diversity and equity, languages and of course…all things Abbey!
I have not always been an Abbey student, as I joined the school about a month before the pandemic but, since then, it has been my second home (actually, it’s more like my first home during term time). My life, so far, has led me to study at various schools across the UK and the wider world. So, having experienced many different forms of education, I can honestly say, without a shadow of a doubt, that The Abbey has provided me with more opportunities, robust support and kindness than any other school ever could.
When interviewing for this position, I was asked, ‘What is your favourite thing about the Abbey?’ Surprisingly, this was perhaps the most difficult question I could have faced as we can boast many outstanding qualities. After some reflection, I still stand by my answer: My favourite thing about the Abbey is… that it isn’t perfect. When one achieves perfection, one does not strive to improve; perfection is limiting. We, as a community, are not limited – the Abbey always strives to improve, and welcomes change. Grace and I are excited to be a part of that change this year as we strive to strengthen the communication and support between years and lead the school through this challenging and exciting time.
Hi, I’m Grace! I have chosen A Levels, on a very essay-focused route with English Literature, History and Drama alongside an EPQ. I hope to study English and History as a dual honours degree at university.
My Abbey journey started in Year 7 from a very small primary school; where my year at The Abbey was bigger than the whole of my old school. As if that wasn’t scary enough, on my very first day I then had food poisoning and was sick in front of my entire form: 25 girls I had never met before in my life! Whilst I contemplated my humiliation in the nurse’s office, there was a knock on the door and three girls entered carrying all of my bags, begging me to join them in our next lesson. At that moment I realised just how special The Abbey is. It’s the sense of community shared by all of the girls and staff alike. This first term as Head Girl has allowed me to connect with other year groups more than ever before and my initial impressions still ring true. The Abbey is defined by its community. My aim as Head Girl is to help everyone embrace the mishaps and support each other whilst having as much fun as possible.
Our first term as Head Girls has been hectic, to say the least. We organised school councils, arranged a quiz with Reading School, wrote speeches for key events and attended A LOT of meetings. Alongside this we’ve both been really busy with UCAS prep and our actual subjects. So how on earth can we pick a favourite moment from all of that?!
Well, we have both agreed that giving back to a community that has supported us no matter what, has been our favourite part of our first term as Head Girls, and it is something we will continue to do next year. We hope to meet with as many people as possible in the school over our next two terms as Head Girls so that every voice is heard as we shape The Abbey’s future. Of course, one year is not enough to reinvent an entire school, and we wouldn’t want to do that! The Abbey has so many strengths, and we only hope that we do the role of Head Girl justice. Ultimately, if we can do something that improves the life of even one Abbey student, our time will have been a success.