Summer is traditionally the time when British weather finally improves , and boarders can gather outside for our summer Olympics programme . It ’ s the highlight of the interhouse competitions , usually featuring such ‘ competitive ’ activities as the egg and spoon race , rounders and of course the synchronised swimming .
This year brought new Olympics competitions , but similar enthusiasm . Park Grange ’ s letter G scavenger hunt led to some out-of-the-box thinking : ‘ garlic ’ was swiftly countered by ‘ gap ’ and ‘ gravity ’, although I rather liked the IB-centred ‘ GDC ’ calculator . The first round went to Sennocke , whose house staff were joining in with enthusiasm . Aisher ’ s video round was next , with hilarious entries , impressive creativity and superb teamwork . Tears of laughter characterised the judging panel , with special mention going to School House for roping in a boarder ’ s entire family to represent a Weasley family dinner . School House won that round , so it was close going into the last section , the School House skills challenge . Here boarders were asked to choose from a long list of possible ‘ skills ’, and video themselves to prove that they could complete the task . Origami swans , keepy uppies ( with a toilet roll ), magic tricks and bottle flips were all options for boarders to try . School House romped away with this round , winning the overall competition much to their delight .
Typical house activities such as quizzes , celebratory leavers ’ suppers and cooking club have all been replicated as closely as possible , making important points of normality in a very strange term . Zoom has also enabled us to meet and welcome our new boarders into the community more effectively than ever before .
But that ’ s not really the point . Shared endeavour , laughter and inclusivity are vital parts of the Sevenoaks boarding experience . I ’ m glad to say that those things are still intact , although the boarding team is looking forward to the return of the constant footfall .
Nichola Haworth Head of Boarding
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