First of all, I came to school one week before school started. I met Martha and Rosa who were quarantining with me, this turned out to be great fun and we got to know each other really well and make friends. It was nice to meet them. Miss Anders (Head Matron) greeted me very warmly. The first week of school. What can I say? The first few days were a bit hard to get used to the school and now where all the classes are, but luckily we got buddies who showed us around. After school we went on a walk, had ice cream, a campfire and we went ‘down Bay’ to see our surrounding. It was great to see everything we could explore over the year.
It was interesting to see how the teachers teach. it is very different to Germany, everyone is much more relaxed and kind. I like all subjects especially games. We have games twice a week but I once a week I go horse riding in this time.
Who doesn’t love horse riding? For me this is the best day of the week. We get our horses ready and we go (depending on the day) to a range of different places for example the beach, arena, to Robin Hood’s Bay or on the moors. It is so much fun. To canter givers you a feeling of freedom and I love it.
Meeting new people from different countries for example Russia, Spain, France is fantastic. We have so many different nationalities here so you can learn about their culture as everyone lives so differently. One sad moment is when students come for one a specific time span because you could have a lot of memories with them and then they have to leave. When we got to half term and again at Christmas, it was sad to say goodbye to people who had to go home, but we are able to keep in contact through social media.
We have had some fun activities all together in school like Halloween and the Santa Dash at Christmas. Those days we had lessons but they were more fun and after school we were in groups doing fun activities like exploring the school grounds and finding ‘monsters’. The 6th formers organised the events for everyone and they were great fun. On Santa Dash day we gathered after tea around the Christmas tree and opened our presents, we were laughing, singing and some were even dancing.
Another memory is our school dog, Bailey. He has grown up so much! But even if he has to be told not to jump he is still so sweet and funny. When people come he jumps at you because he is so excited to see everyone. Of course we try to include him in activities with us but it doesn’t always work. At Santa Dash he even got a present!
Winter was very cold compared to Germany. In my home we had have only had snow a handful of times but here in England it snowed often this winter. We had snowball fights, made angels in the snow, drew pictures and just enjoyed the snow. Even some weekend activities were cancelled because the snow was too much to get out of school. But that was exciting too, as we stayed in our dorms and hung out with our friends.
We celebrated Lunar New Year in the second term. We had traditional food and activities afterwards. It was incredible to see how our Chinese and Korean friends celebrate for new year.
Finally we made it to summer term! It took a while until it was warmer. New people came, for example Charlotte. At that time we knew each other for about two weeks and we are now very close. We are in the same dorm and we sing, laugh and make jokes together. At school I am often outside with a group of friends from all around the world. We like to laugh and share stories together.
The last few weeks of term are busy as we have exams, not as fun as the usual end of school but then we get Activities Week, which is a whole week doing all sorts of fun activities with other pupils from across the school. I am sure they will be really fun.
What more can I say now; I am very excited to have all these memories and to make more memories next year. I am so thankful for my parents sending me here for a year and now allowing me to stay for year 11 too. Even though I miss them a lot I am excited to be here with my best friends for another year!
Ana B, Year 10
We hope you have an amazing summer, Ana and look forward to seeing you in September for more fun!
Lizzie Jeeves, Head of Drama and English as a Second Language, Tutor