Congratulations to our Class of 2021!
Wednesday 26 May was Speech Day. Our 2021 Leavers celebrated the challenges they faced, the successes they achieved and the lasting friendships they forged. Our teachers, parents and family members celebrated the amazing young women and men our 2021 Leavers have become.
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After a stirring musical performance by Linda, Mr McCallum, our head of Senior School, began the commencement with a speech full of humour and plenty of extended metaphors. He reminded our Leavers:
Don’t limit yourself to convention, or by the judgment of others, or toeing some made-up line. If situations are a little uncomfortable, embrace it, because you are capable of more than you know.
Following Mr McCallum was our head of sixth form, Mr O'Brien, who offered our Leavers his vote of confidence in their power to achieve great things:
Many of you are about to embark on the next stage of your education, reading various disciplines at some of the top universities around the world. I hope that you’re excited but most of all confident. Excited – because university is an exciting time. But, most of all confident that you can leave here and achieve anything that you set your mind to.
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This year's head of college address saw two pupils take the podium. Co-head of college Serena offered some wise words of encouragement about facing challenges in the future:
Many of our role models started out being average or even a failure like Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, The Beatles, and many more. So in life, if you do feel like you're a failure or you're average just remember that you are getting one step closer to achieving your goal and that somewhere across the world, across the continent, or even across the country, a member of Wellington's class of 2021 is rooting for you, cheering you on, and believing in you with all of their heart.
Serena's counterpart, Mats, then approached the podium and reflected on his seven years at Wellington:
Standing up and reflecting on my time in Wellington, these seven years have gone by faster than I could have ever expected. But at the same time, it took so much hard work, dedication and determination for all of us to reach this point.
Our Principal, Ms Prescott, brought the speeches to a close with some poignant remarks on transitioning to new beginnings in life.
Today, for our year 13 Leavers, their time as children is done. They are infant, nor school pupil any longer. And this is why it is worth pausing a while to acknowledge that although there is also a new beginning, there is also an ending. That ending is perhaps particularly felt by the parents and teachers of our year 13 pupils here today. For those of you pupils here today who are continuing on in August, you will be on this stage sooner than you think. That is a very adult thing to say, and I realise it’s difficult for you, our pupils, to appreciate. Life and time haven’t passed so much for you yet, but they will. And you too will leave. And when the time comes we hope that, like our Leavers today, you will be ready to go. Because, like our Leavers today, you should be ready to leave, ready to move on with the next stage in your lives.
After Ms Prescott concluded her remarks, Wellington’s Class of 2021 were called by name and took their final steps through the doors of the Wellington College Theatre as newly minted Old Wellingtonians.
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Congratulations to Wellington's class of 2021. We are immensely proud of each and every one of you. We are confident that you are ready to take on the world. We only hope that the world is ready for you!
Are you on a quest for success, too? Wellington is now accepting applications for the 2021-22 academic year. To learn more about how to apply, please scan the QR code below.
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