Bellerby
2 o2o can only really be described in one word – ‘eventful’- and not our usual House events of previous years! However in true Bellerby style, we made the best of the unprecedented situation that we faced, held strong together and made some wonderful memories along the way. ‘Virtual’ seemed to be a word that we used often during the Michaelmas Term. It was paramount to stay as a community so the girls would come together in their smaller year group bubbles for Chapel and assemblies each week, all virtually of course! Over our first exeat weekend, the prefects hosted a noodle challenge to see who could brave the heat! This was closely followedbywhat thegirls described as “the best Bellerby House event of their time here” - a fancy dress Halloween party. Everyone made an incredible effort with their costumes utilising their lab coats, hairpieces, face paint and anything scary. I think the girls pretty much cleared the shelves at Poundland!! The Bellerby family spirit was at full strength too. Seeing and hearing the girls having so much fun together really cemented the Bellerby House bond which girls hold onto for years and years to come. This year’s prefect team was Valerie Ekong, Bridget Akpobolokemi, Joyce Chan, Aba Forson and Semphung Limbu. The team ensured that everyone was kept busy and had fun as many of the girls were unable to travel back to family during lockdown, including themselves. They were determined to not let the situation have a negative impact on the House so got their heads together to come up with lots of fun activities to do in the House. We hosted a games tournament, quiz nights, bingo, baked cakes, pizza nights, chess competitions, dancing lessons, cooked food on a budget ready for university - to name but a few.
The prefects then had the task of putting together their chosen piece for the first of our inter-House competitions, House Drama. This is a popular one for Bellerby, spending many hours rehearsing and preparing for the finale. The theme was ‘Hope’ so the House chose ‘ Tangled ’. They simplified the on-screen version but still kept the full impact of the story. Our acting was seamless which did not go unnoticed by the panel of judges. Bellerby won ‘Best Ensemble Cast’ along with an individual ‘Best Actress’ Award for Claudia who played the part of Rapunzel.
In December, the girls made Christmas decorations ready to decorate Bellerby for our annual Secret Santa around the Christmas
tree. This is always a favourite event as it’s a time to give thanks and to spend time together, sharing gifts seated around the Christmas tree in the atrium of Bellerby. Hot chocolate and marshmallows have also become an accompanying tradition here. In the New Year, a lot of our focus was around mental and physical wellbeing. Although our schooling was online, I
‘At the weekend the girls had lots of fun & laughter competing against each other at a games night organised by the House Prefects. I didn’t realise quite how competitive Musical chairs could get!’
made it a priority to get the girls out in their year group bubbles to get some fresh air and exercise. We are incredibly lucky to have such beautiful grounds to walk around and enjoy. The girls enjoyed the cold air in their lungs and to see the flora and fauna changing through the seasons particularly from winter to spring. Mr Izzard set up a Strava group for the whole school which encouraged pupils, staff and parents to take part in some form of physical exercise, sometimes for the first time. The girls commented that the encouragement to get out and do something really helped them to clear their minds from the constant staring at a screen and to keep some level of fitness ready for the return to team sports whenever that may be.
LAWRENTIAN 2021 14
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