News from Mr Grady
Hello Everyone,
Way back at the start of term, in the first week of September, I was driving home, and there is a part of my journey that has a set of traffic lights at a crossroads at the top of a relatively steep hill. As I pulled up, the light was red, and so I slowed and stopped. On the passenger side in my rear-view mirror I saw a student from the local secondary school slowly pedalling her bike up the hill behind me. As she passed on the inside, and came to a stop just ahead of my car, it was obvious that the student was in year 7 – the large and new shiny rucksack, the barely creased uniform, and the VERY shiny solid black school shoes gave this away.
The student was an absolute example of the positivity of youth – she had some plastic flowers entwined around the basket of her bike, her blue and yellow rucksack was positively bulging with books, and school equipment, and as she got her breath back from cycling up the hill, she pushed her hair behind her ears, and set her face in a mask of determination for the moment when the light turned green. It was, if I was writing a poem, a perfect moment of still and controlled potential.
I’m sure better writers than me could sum up this moment in a metaphor, but, for some reason the image has stuck with me, and I feel we are all just about ready to finish our slow cycle up the hill, glad that for the next couple of weeks we might be able to get our breath back while the lights are on red.
Speaking as one of the adults at RHS, one of the most joyful things, amongst all the anxieties and challenges of continuing education in the current pandemic, has been our students. Their positivity, their good-humour, their energy and their bursting potential have been a real tonic, and I know I speak for my colleagues when we say that the one constant pleasure of being back in school has been the fact that we could interact with our students again. We work in education because we want the best for young people, and working with the students of RHS is both a pleasure and privilege.
We know, as we approach 2021 that there will be a green light to get started on up the hill, and if I think back to the year 7 student and her bike, as the light turned green, she resolutely stood up on the pedals, and from a standing start at the top of the hill, started on up the road, steadfastly holding her course so that myself and other drivers had to wait for her to get up to speed before we could.
We can only do the same. If the last term has taught us anything, it is that with quiet determination, with care, kindness and respect we can achieve anything. Look how far we’ve come, and while the red light gives us a chance for a pause, I look forward to tucking my hair behind my ears, standing up on the pedals and steadfastly holding a course when we all meet again in January. Although it has been a steep hill, at some point, we’ll get to take our feet of the pedals and freewheel down the other side!
I have never been prouder of our school community than I have been in the last term, to my colleagues, to students and to parents I can only offer my grateful thanks and good wishes for a peaceful Christmas break and well-deserved rest.
Stay well and safe everyone,
Best wishes,
Mr Grady
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner …
Congratulations to the lucky 200 Club winners whose tickets were drawn at our socially distanced PTA draw on 22nd September 2020. Cheques have been sent out to your home addresses via Royal Mail.
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