HEADMASTER ' S MESSAGE
Another key strength of a Winchester education is that we learn in community. Bright young people, hungry to learn, might be intellectually isolated if dispersed throughout other schools. Here, instead, they have a critical mass and readily find peers who are just as keen as they are – to put on a play in French or Ancient Greek, to devise a proof for a mathematical theorem, to form a band, to read Shakespeare together on a Saturday afternoon. Living together, they simultaneously imbibe and engender a culture that rejoices in exploring the world and the richness of human capacity and experience. And the immersive experience of communal living also requires them to develop maturity, unselfishness and tolerance, essential emotional preparation for a fulfilling and productive adult life.
At the same time, we have always had a culture of immense respect for the individual. Recent surveys of our families and pupils affirm that this remains a place where, despite the angst and self-consciousness that usually dog the teenage years, one can unapologetically be oneself. The boys and girls of Winchester are thus thrown together in ways that demand they learn to live together, whilst simultaneously being afforded the freedom to pursue their own views and values and interests. It is a precious and liberating window of opportunity at a formative period of life.
If we can get this right, despite the societal trends working against us, we provide the foundation for a life of purpose and fulfilment – as we see exemplified in the stories in this Wykeham Journal.
Here... they readily find peers who are just as keen as they are … to put together a band, to read Shakespeare together on a Saturday afternoon.
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