Welcome back & happy new year!

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for an inspiring and eventful autumn term. December was an intense time here at SSHL as not only do our students have a busy social schedule in school and boarding, but the demanding end of term also requires their undivided attention.

After the mid-winter equinox, it seems that the days instantly begin to get longer. Finally! This, together with a 3 week break, will hopefully have given all our students a renewed boost of energy. At the end of our first week back, I can see that we have all returned with a new sense of purpose. I’m glad to see everyone safe and rested back at school.

New Beginnings

I believe all of us love new beginnings. It is something innately human. New beginnings awaken a feeling that we can approach the future with renewed energy, unburdened by the past. The New Year always fills us with a sense of adventure and hope. You only have to look up quotes and meditations about new beginnings on the internet to see that it is awash with all kinds ponderings of the power and importance of the chance to begin again.

Students, at the start of this term, I would like you to remember that we never stand still. What happens to us is important; but what we experience is so much based on our attitude to the things we encounter on life’s rich journey. It is important that we see the potential for change as liberating and an adventure, rather than something we need to fear.

The twentieth century poet T.S. Eliot compares the movement from old to new as if we were speaking in another voice and using another language.
“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language
And next year’s words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning.”

Eliot’s poem is not just saying that we are all capable of learning a new language; it is a call to embrace possibilities. We are all capable of learning something new, of making a change for the better. Whether you’re seeking to improve a grade in a subject you’re struggling with, or perhaps looking to make the leap that will take you on to the university of your choice; perhaps you’re just looking to make a difference on the football pitch! This January, make it a January for new beginnings. Embrace the possibilities that 2018 holds for you. All of us at SSHL can do different, can be better. Let’s meet that challenge together.

Have a wonderful spring term!

Margret Benedikz,
Director, SSHL