17 June 2021
Charlotte, Head Girl 2020-2021
For the past week and a half, the Upper Sixth have taken part in the ‘FutureProof’ programme, kindly put together by Head of Sixth Form Mr Abbott, the Sixth Form team and other members of staff.
Things began on Monday 7 June with a public speaking workshop, which was so inspiring and I know we all learnt transferable skills from it. As the week progressed, we had talks from Miranda Banks, a performance psychologist who helped us learn how to find ‘peace and pace’; CV writing workshops from Mrs Chambers, Head of Higher Education & Careers; lectures from specialists in film; talks from the empowering Deana from the RAP Project and masterclasses in personal safety and self-defence
Every single talk and workshop provided us with a new skill to take on board and to use outside the valley, all of which I know we will find extremely useful in the future.
On top of that, we also started our own charity campaigns. We were put into groups and had the task of raising funds for a charity of our choice. Each group went above and beyond to raise as much as possible, with some hiring a churros van, others holding bake sales and Ching even jumped into the swimming pool fully-clothed! On Tuesday, we shared the overall sum of our efforts via presentations. It was great to find out that as a year group we had raised more than £1,000 for charities including Cancer Research, Uplift Africa and Choose Love. Congratulations to the group which raised funds for Medics4RareDiseases and won the best campaign award.
Tuesday 15 June was an especially busy day as after our fundraising presentations we headed to the Chapel to celebrate our final year group Mass together. It was a bittersweet occasion but nevertheless wonderful to take part in such an uplifting and hopeful service. A special thank you to Fr Gerry, Ching and Mr Hargreaves for making it possible.
Tuesday afternoon was also a great success as Mr Abbott had organised a complete transformation of Pergola Lawn! We had a barbeque, an ice cream van, candy floss, inflatable assault courses, gladiator fights and bungee races. Everyone was blown away by this and we all thoroughly made the most of the sunshine and various activities. It really was a fantastic way to end the day!
On Wednesday 16 June, we all said our final goodbyes to one another in true Woldingham style. Following a very emotional leavers’ ceremony, where we celebrated the whole year group, we had drinks on Pergola Lawn with many of our teachers. Having managed to avoid the rain, we enjoyed a delicious three course dinner, which included some spontaneous speeches and photo opportunities. By the end of the evening, there was not a dry eye in the house but it was a fabulous way to finish our time at Woldingham!
A huge thanks to everyone who made the FutureProof programme possible, from the catering team, to Foundation Director Mrs Mair and to Mr Abbott and the Sixth Form team, it was truly was a great experience and a wonderful end to our Woldingham journey.
