I am a teacher at heart and it has always been young people who particularly motivate and inspire me. Getting to know our Challoner’s girls is therefore a great pleasure, particularly because they have such an instinct for the fun, creative and clever. I am regularly struck by the breadth of the girls’ passions and con-tributions, both inside and out of school.
It was great to watch Year 7 student Nimrita Ryatt compete in CBBC’s new television show called Airma-geddon last weekend. Aired during prime children’s viewing time on Saturday morning, my young daugh-ters and I were quickly drawn into this remote controlled drone flying competition. Nimrita had far less experience of flying a drone than the other contestants and said, “I don’t mind being called the underdog but I’m going to show these boys how it is done.” With this fighting spirit, Nimrita went on to fly exceptionally accurately, with my daughters cheering away in our lounge! Challoner’s girls are so often prepared to challenge themselves and have a go, normally with remarkable results.
It was really uplifting to meet Rianna Patel (Year 11) recently. She has created a book for young children, which includes her own wonderful illustrations, to increase awareness of dyslexia. The book will be published soon, for which Rianna has received an award from the British Red Cross. Rianna is incredibly modest about her contribution, and this trait seems typical of so many of our girls and of our school. Whilst an admirable quality, I think that at a whole school level we hide our light under a bushel more than we should.
Lucy Edwards in Year 10 is also unassuming and yet I became aware in December that she had been awarded the Burnham Cup for the most outstanding woodwind player at the Marlow Festival of Music and Drama, playing the flute. I met with her again yesterday at a break time birthday tea and she contributed some thoughtful suggestions about how to make our school even better.
Challoner’s life is a rich tapestry of personalities, talents and passions and I always look forward to my opportunities to spend time with the girls and find out more about their broad range of aspirations. I look forward to hearing about Year 7 gymnast Abbie Dead-man’s experience in the IAIGC World Championships in Florida this June for example. I am also intrigued to see how Katie McManus’ Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) develops over the coming months. A garden shed has recently been delivered to school that will house a colour therapy room that Katie will research, design and create.
There is never a dull moment at Challoner’s with such sparky, creative, diverse and inspiring girls!
Alan Roe
Headteacher
