This is the final Bulletin of this academic year, ahead of a separate letter I shall write to all Pre-Prep & Prep parents at the end of next week.
Ronak, a boy currently in Year 6 who will, alongside his cohort, be leaving us next week for pastures new was sent to see me earlier this week so that I might read his reflections on his time at Hampton Prep. Ronak had written these entirely off his own bat, prompted, I suspect, by the thoughtful mood that has settled over the whole cohort as they prepare to move on to their senior schools (wherever they may be) this September.
I found what he wrote a wonderfully fitting summary of the time the boys in Year 6 have enjoyed here, and, with his permission, I reproduce a version of it for you below:
My time at Hampton Prep
For me it could seem like the end of the journey; a conclusion to the four years we’ve been together at Hampton Prep. For me however it’s more like the end of the chapter. The book isn’t being shut, for I am sure that there are still plenty of adventures to come.
The key point I wish to make is that being at Hampton Prep is also a bit like being a part of a galaxy, perhaps even the Milky Way. In Year 3, Hampton Prep attracted new stars: new boys, to the school. Quaternary star systems happened when boys formed new friendship groups, nebulae would represent our two classes! They were the breeding grounds of kindness and intelligence.
In Year 4 there were several other new opportunities. Our first residential proved to be awesome and at this time relationships strengthened. And now we would truly trust ourselves and friends. Year 4 was a great year and was worth a few constellations in the milky way.
In Year 5 there were plenty of times to shine, such as the Maths Challenge, reading really thought-provoking novels in English lessons and plenty of demanding sport.
In Year 6 the 11+ process meant there were lots of moments of intense concentration, until finally a truly bright star shone for us in the form of the Year 6 Leavers’ Programme. Now at the end of our time at Hampton Prep, as we near the point of singularity, we the pupils shoot up into space like a supercharged cloud of stars, travelling to larger, bigger, and more mature galaxies (who knows, maybe it’s Andromeda or M1161??)
This stage of our journey is complete and another one is about begin…!
