The start of my term as captain of school has been a manic one to say the least. I was thrown into the deep end straight away having to organise prefect rotas, a sixth form welcome morning and afternoon, a lower 6th form parents briefing and the opening of the Collier centre.
The Collier Centre was the building that every single 6th former was eagerly awaiting since its plans became reality early last year. The Bateman room is the 6th form common room, a room that blends modern, comfort and space into something anyone would be proud of. This new learning hub gives a new classroom and 2 smaller seminar rooms along with an 80 seater lecture theatre. This new building has been a breath of fresh air at Queen Mary’s and sparks the start of a construction year which has already seen the three geography rooms of S10, S11 and S12 be converted into 2 larger multipurpose science rooms. The second and third stage of development is under way, expanding S5 and S7 and the extension of the language block to create a new Geography department on top of the languages wing.
The manic first 2 weeks all seemed to lead up to that first nerve racking public speaking event at the Old Boy’s Dinner, a dinner that bring Old Marians back to Queen Mary’s to give thanks and express their gratitude to the school. Luckily my speech went down well with all the honoured guests and the night was one of my best experiences at Queen Mary’s.
In the first half term, there is always a mad rush for the QMA committees to get the meetings in order for their events. The fireworks committee have been working hard to get all their arrangements in order for their event on the 3rd of November, something I have been to every year. Being part of the planning of these events has led me to realise how much planning goes into these events that raise so much money for the school.
Of course, the last event that happened before the end of the half-term was, Speech day; a day that is said to be the most important for me, the Captain of School. The day that starts with a church ceremony and finishes with the prize giving at Walsall town hall. The church ceremony saw a new look choir accompanied with a full band and an engaging address by the Archdeacon of Walsall, the Venerable Chris Sims on the 11th commandment. Prize giving saw two talented musicians, Casey Tang on electric guitar and singer Paolina Adamo give us all the delight of listening to their amazing talents. The guest speaker was a Guardian reported called Luke Harding. Mr. Harding gave us all an insight into his life in Russia and how he got on the wrong side of the Russian Federal Security Service and eventually got thrown out. This day was one of the most rewarding days of my Queen Mary’s life, giving the first lesson in church and a speech on the night of prize giving made me realise how I have achieved at Queen Mary’s.