Jamie Barr Deputy Head Prefect
and realising that I might not be able to manage everything. Just because I have football at night, it doesn’t mean I’m going to miss my prep. I can do it all, if I’m organised, and I know what I’m doing in my week. I like being on top of everything, then I find it easy to manage.” Jamie agrees with Jack that it can be hard to step out of your comfort zone but his advice is to try new things, meet new people, and make connections across the whole school. “The best way I found to do that was to get involved in as much as you can because there’s so much on offer here. You can meet friends through classes, through sport and other activities. If you’re involved as much as you can, you’re going to meet a lot of new boys. The best experience is when you have so many different relationships in so many different areas of the school. Try and connect with the older boys, because they will respond if you make that effort.” In his new role, Jamie wants to demonstrate that approach by
being involved with all the year groups across the school. “I don’t want to be a person who just stands there delegating. I want to engage with the boys, be a role model, make new friends and build new relationships with a wide range of boys. In my eyes, a successful leader is having the respect of the people you’re trying to lead or be a role model for – then they will cooperate and relate to you because you open yourself up to them. There’s no point in trying to be this perfect boy but not making it relatable. You’ve got to be a relatable person and be yourself.” This year Jamie is studying an interesting mix of Accounting, Economics, Statistics, History and Drama, together with playing football for school and Ferrymead Bays, cricket, and being in the Chapel Choir. This year, Jamie is also sitting his ATCL in Speech and Drama. During the summer you’ll find him surfing at every possible opportunity in Sumner, where he lives, or mountain biking on Godley Head. In winter, he enjoys skiing.
Jamie likes to take on every new opportunity that comes his way; it’s part of who he is. But, he recognises that it can come at a cost, so he’s learnt the value of balance. “One thing I live by is trying to keep a perfect balance. Everything in moderation. I involve myself in so much, but I only do that because I know that the balance of what I do is going to keep me happy and keep me wanting to come back because of the different experiences I have all the time. For me, balance is better than focusing too hard on one thing because it can narrow your options down. Do lots of different things, meet new people. “I’ve worked out that that’s my favourite way to live. “I sometimes have periods where I find that I’m actually too under the pump, but I think I’ve become quite good at slowing things down
Christ’s College Canterbury
22
Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog