With the cancellation of exams and uncertainty about the re-opening of schools our senior students remain optimistic and are finding ways to stay productive.
Finn (Head Boy)
I’ve taken full advantage of the opportunity for extra time and space to dive full on into my wider reading. Taking on the small challenge in 2020 to read 30 books for fun, my time in social distancing has so far been well spent reading phenomenal books both fiction and non-fiction, as both forms of entertainment and to give me a head-start on my preparation for university.
Day 14 without school: peeling fruits have now become one of the main highlights of my day."
With A-levels cancelled, a few of the things I could do right now is to make sure I am prepared for university by engaging in online classes so that I don’t fall behind and investing time in developing essential skills, such as cooking and preparing food, to make sure that I am ready to live independently at university.
Frame (Deputy Head Boy)
Staying at home for prolonged periods of time can pose a significant challenge for remaining physically active during self-quarantine, and since exams are cancelled, I have decided to do at-home workout routine everyday to stay fit and lit.
Pear N13 (Senior Prefect)
Unun (Senior Prefect)
I started the quarantine feeling a little uncertain, not getting to spend our last few months at school with friends and teachers and unclear of where the situation will take us.
However, I knew that eliminating travel time out of my schedule means a more productive day for me, which so far I have ticked off a lot of both study-related and non-study related tasks.
Online-learning during the past few weeks have also been a really memorable and enjoyable experience. The video-calling format of learning made lessons really cosy and communicating with teachers are still as easy as it was. We are also very lucky that technology allows us to keep in touch with our friends during this period. This is a photo of me video calling a friend to revise chemistry together. I’m also getting to spend family time in a full house as they all now work from home everyday, which is a definite bonus.
Nikko (Senior Prefect)
Many of us are disheartened by the fact that the exams are cancelled. However, I find that this is an excellent time to work hard and study topics beyond the syllabus to prepare ourselves for university. Personally, I like to video call my friend during work and simply make sure we do our work. This is what we call "Study Babysitting", and it allows us to maintain focus while keeping each other company during the isolation period.
I am missing the daily face to face contact with our Year 13 with ongoing Isolation and on-line learning. The ongoing global pandemic has not been easy for our graduating class in particular who have missed a number of key leaving events which normally take place at this time of year, including the traditional ‘leavers pranks’ when our Sixth Form offices are often filled with balloon/post sticks, and ‘throwback day’ when the graduating class celebrate their final days of school by wearing their old uniforms from younger Harrow years.
Despite our physical distance, day to day Sixth Form life continues from our respective homes and Year 13 have continued to engage with their teachers in lessons virtually, completing A Level courses and finalising university plans.
I enjoy catching up each day with my Year 13 geographers and checking in on how everyone’s well-being. I even sometimes get the opportunity to say a quick “hi” to Finn’s ‘lunchtime zoom gang’ whilst I am cooking everyone lunch. I am incredibly proud of the maturity and resilience our students are demonstrating but I am looking forward to that time when we can all be back in the Rayleigh Centre and chatting in person.
Mrs P (Head of Sixth Form)
Apart from daily online classes, I have tried maintaining a relatively normal schedule by staying in touch with my friends through lunchtime zoom sessions. In this time of uncertainty, I am doing the best I can to stay motivated working from home, pushing through to the end of each subject's syllabus, knowing that this is all we, as graduating students, can do to stay on the right track of progressing to tertiary education.
May (Head Girl)
As the graduating class, we are coping with the cancellation of exams by accepting that feelings of panic and worry are very normal, but also knowing that worrying only gets you so far. On the bright side, with much more time on my hands, I have been able to spend more time with loved ones, get better rest, and even bake more often. I feel that this pandemic has given us the opportunity to make the most out of our time that is usually taken for granted.
We are staying positive by looking forward to celebrating each other's successes this year in person soon, knowing that this situation will not last forever".
