8 December 2017
On Friday 8 December, Woldingham School celebrated its 175th anniversary with the whole community coming together for a day of activities that showcased the wide array of interests, talents and opportunities that make a Woldingham education so distinctive. The morning began with a Mass of Thanksgiving and continued with song, dance, art and sport, before culminating in a silent disco and huge enjoyment of the largest cake ever seen in the valley!
The carousel of activities that took place after Mass referenced the community of Sacred Heart schools that has grown extensively since six nuns and two children set up the first school in England on December 8 1842. Each of Woldingham’s Houses chose a country from the Sacred Heart network – India (Digby), Colombia (Duchesne), Kenya (Barat) and Australia (Stuart) – and learnt one of its songs and dances, which they later performed to the rest of the school.
Students also creatively expressed their personal identity and connection to the school by decorating clay tiles. The activity encouraged students to share their stories and collaborate, filling the art studios with the buzz of shared memories, fun and laughter. Along with a 175 centrepiece, designed and beautifully made by Lower Sixth art scholar, Neeti Kumar, the tiles will form a permanent display that encapsulates the importance of our community at this special time.