Dear Parents
2020 MATRICS
I was very happy to attend last week’s Prizegiving at College, followed by a Valedictory Service in the Memorial Chapel. As with most things this year, it was completely different: only Matrics, their parents and staff in the open air on the Piley Rees field. Matrics sat on the Heatlie Pavilion’s grandstand and staff and parents were spread out in front of them.
Speakers spoke of the year they had had, the enormous disappointments they had had to deal with as so much that is special in a senior year was taken away from them. They were applauded for their resilience and ongoing positivity. The Head Boy and his Deputies spoke with great appreciation of their time at Bishops and their obvious affection for each other. There was some lament for what they had missed, but not in any way defeatist or angry, but rather matter of fact and focusing on what had been good about their Bishops schooling. The Head Boy ended by saying, “Don’t worry about us, the Matrics of 2020, we’ll be okay.”
One of the awards I always look forward to hearing announced at College Prizegiving is for considerateness. Each House votes for the matric boy that they have experienced as the most considerate in their House. I was so pleased that of the eight Houses, five had voted for boys who had been at the Prep and, in most cases, the Pre-Prep as well.
They were also saluted for their protest in June, where they stood up for a better school, one that needed to be free of racism, sexism, homophobia and in fact any form of discrimination urging the school to go further in its transformation process. This is their particular legacy and one for which we can be proud of them.
This was followed by a short Valedictory service with only the Matrics and staff present, all appropriately socially distanced. Father Monwabisi delivered such a pertinent sermon and the boys sang their hearts out (still masked) for their last time as school boys in the Chapel, ending with the iconic Psalm 150. As the Head Boy led them out at the end there was a great deal of emotion as they realised that this season of their lives was over.
I was struck by the fact that this same group had stood in protest outside the Chapel a few months before, in silence, as they presented their Memorandum to the school. And here they were, tear struck, some crying, as they realised that these years at Bishops were over and with it the easy camaraderie and all the school offered.
One of the Deputy Head Boys had said at the protest in June, “We love Bishops”. But at the same time they wanted it to be better, a better place for all where every boy and staff member could feel that he (or she) belonged. A school free of discrimination and intolerant of it.
Have a good weekend.
Kind regards
GREG BROWN
HEADMASTER |
