Brentwood School - Brentwoodian 2020

73 Weald Win. Envisage. Advance. Lead. Dream. John C. Maxwell said: “Reaching the top is a monumental achievement, but remaining there may be the most spectacular feat of all”, a feat we achieved in retaining the House Cup, yet to Weald, how you get to the top is more important than being there. Against all the odds that 2019/20 would throw at us, this is a remarkable achievement, but for me it is the spirit of the Wealdites that makes me the most proud. As always, we kicked the year off with House Music. House Music Captain, Catherine Prior, now at Cambridge University, summarises the prestigious event better than I ever could: “In September our annual House Music Competition, aka the busiest month of the music calendar for the students, took place. But before September even began, an Upper Sixth Former from each House was hard at work arranging the Ensemble pieces over the summer. After much deliberation, I decided to arrange a Shrek Medley featuring a variety of songs from the Shrek 1 soundtrack. It was fun, but I certainly don’t want to hear All Star again for a while! Once school began again, Part-Song rehearsals began almost immediately. Myself and Tia Sharpe held rehearsals almost every lunchtime up in Music desperately teaching a group ranging from First Year to Upper Sixth the harmonies, words, and eventually choreography… After many rehearsals singing the same section over and over and over again walking around the room practising our smiles, we had finally got it nailed and in the end our performance was a personal best and I couldn’t be prouder. Although the judge wasn’t a fan of us walking off the stage and waving while singing Goodnight Sweetheart , we certainly were the most memorable and entertaining. Meanwhile after school Seb Bloom was running our Ensemble rehearsals. After a slightly dodgy start we all kicked into gear and everyone learnt their parts and my arrangement was coming to life! Rehearsal time was more limited for Ensemble, but we tried our best to make every minute count and in the end we played wonderfully. We also gave a great performance with Shrek ears on and with unmatched team spirit. Additionally, Cassie Peacock and Clarise Castleman led Unison with great energy and we all had an amazing time singing ‘Build me up Buttercup’ with younger years giving the actions their all and us Upper Sixth at the back holding up signs and singing with all we had! It isn’t easy to control and conduct a horde of students but Cassie and Clarise did an extraordinary job. We were also very lucky to have Seb Bloom and Vishane Mendis playing drums and piano, keeping us in time and in tune respectively. Although we didn’t walk away with any trophies, we had a great month and it was so rewarding to see the First Years having a ball at their first of many House Music evenings. It was sad for us Upper Sixth who had seen (up to) seven House Musics and we will all definitely miss the energy and comradery that comes with it. (Although we won’t miss the packed lunches every day for weeks!) Overall, I am so proud of the commitment shown by every single person involved in the Competition, students and staff. The amount of support that myself and the other Upper Sixth leaders received from the House Staff was phenomenal and I am so lucky to have been put in such an encouraging House. I am especially proud of those who came along to Part-Song or Ensemble even though they aren’t regular attendees of the School choirs or ensembles and gave it their all because that is what Weald is all about; participation, having fun, and teamwork.” A MASSIVE well done to everyone that took part; another judge may have awarded us first place, regardless, you are truly talented and I could not have asked for any more - well done! After House Music we have the House Weeks. This is where each House has a designated week where they organise a variety of traditional and contemporary events and also raise awareness and money for their respective charities. Our selected Charity was once again the magnificent Little Havens Hospice. Little Havens is a hospice set in beautiful meadowland in Rayleigh, Essex. They provide incredible care for children and young people up to the age of 19 from Essex and the London surrounding boroughs who have been diagnosed with a complex or incurable condition. Miss Martin and our charity team took it upon themselves to go one step further this year and I cannot thank them enough for their hard work.