Mr Hole continued to explore our theme in his assembly this week, by illustrating how being under pressure at certain pinch points really can seem overwhelming at times, but with a clear head, a bit of self-belief and the support of a kind friend, adverse circumstances can be overcome. He illustrated this with clips of himself on the occasion when he became a real life tv star! None of us had any idea that a number of years ago Mr Hole had been a winning contestant on the popular tv game show Pointless, (a programme which, I have to say, I find very confusing!) It was so entertaining to see some choice clips of Mr Hole and his team mate as they clearly had to dig deep to overcome the pressurised environment that Pointless inflicts upon its participants. The prize money was well deserved in the end!
The support of a good friend (or two) was an aspect of overcoming adversity that Mr Ford picked up in his assembly the next day. One of his great passions, as many of you will know, is cricket. With the help of some boys in Year 4 and their dramatic re-enactments, Mr Ford re-visited the ball tampering scandal which led to the undoing of several high-profile players in the Australian cricket team a couple of seasons ago now. By the end of his assembly, it was clear to us all that some pretty unpleasant, distinctly unsportsmanlike behaviour will get you nowhere. For Australian cricket, overcoming the adversity that lingered from this scandal required a new beginning, with new players and a new coach who were prepared to work together and leave past misdemeanours where they belong – in the past.
Mr Elliott and Miss Hedding, our two Gap Year Teaching Assistants based in the Prep, produced a filmed assembly for the boys on Thursday. They provided some terrific examples of how they overcame adversity during the first lockdown by taking up a new instrument, returning to painting some beautiful art and improving their fitness and overall stamina. Their excellent examples of how to make the best of an adverse scenario were an inspiration for us all.