Headmaster ’ s Welcome
Louis Armstrong ’ s song “ Summertime ”, famously interpreted by Ella Fitzgerald , is well known for its opening line “ Summertime , and the livin ’ is easy ” and I certainly hope the next few weeks of summer give you and your families the chance for some easy “ livin ’”. The song is less well known for the later lines that say , “ One of these mornings , You ' re gonna rise up singing , Yes , you ' ll spread your wings , And you ' ll take to the sky ”.
To me , this is exactly what we want our pupils to do here at School – rise to the new challenges ahead of them , take advantage of the range of opportunities on offer and discover new talents and interest in doing so . This term has seen them doing exactly this , in all walks of school life .
The pandemic meant that this year ’ s GCSE and A level candidates were sitting public examinations for the first time , and I wish all of them the best of luck for the 18th and 25th of August . Our cricketers , tennis players and athletes have been hard at work in kindly summer conditions and our musicians and thespians have again turned out some wonderful performances . Treasure Island , the Musical Theatre Showcase and the Summer Concert were all fabulous and it was heart-warming to see a combination of stalwarts and new hands take to the stage . The future of drama and music is bright ! Our Upper Sixth leavers ’ events took on a much more familiar feel , spectators returned to Sports Day and intrepid Pocklington travellers jet off to Namibia and the USA later this month . All these events make me feel , at least for the moment , and hopefully forever , that the pandemic is very much in our rear-view mirror . Whatever your plans for the summer , I hope you enjoy some well-earned “ easy livin ’”.
Toby Seth , Headmaster
Message from our Chaplain
ENDINGS
It is a strange thing ; however , endings are already there at the beginning of anything new . As the summer term comes to a closure , we all knew this day would come . It was booked long ago in the school ’ s booklet . Sixth formers leaving , some teachers moving on , others retiring and even some of our OP ’ s finishing their degrees . At the start of any new activity , we deep down know there will be an end one day . We have also experienced over the year the loss of
several individuals linked to our school . We all recognise and acknowledge the pain of endings . Overall , most people don ’ t like change , however if we can recognise the role of endings , it can transform how we live in the present . So don ’ t take anything for granted , be realistic and make the most of the summer ahead of you . It won ’ t be long before it will also end , and we will begin a new academic year !
Alpha and Omega , Canon Dr Bill Merrington , Chaplain
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