Campbell Summer Term
4 July 2024 - Campbell
As the school term draws to a close, we take a moment to reflect on the unique journey of our first-year girls in Campbell House. This newsletter captures the voices of our youngest members and oldest, sharing their experiences, challenges, and triumphs. Through their eyes, we explore the vibrant community and supportive environment that defines Campbell House. Join us in celebrating their stories and achievements as they navigate their first year with us, growing not just as students but as individuals within our close-knit school family.
“Campbell is such a warm and welcoming house and I have never felt more at home, it has been such an amazing first year in Campbell. I especially enjoy the mixed age dorms and the delicious cookies! But it is the amazing house staff and the amount of care and support we are given! My first year was incredible and I have enjoyed every minute of it!” Sophia
“My first year in Campbell has been a blast, and I certainly cannot wait for years to come. The switch from Junior House to your senior house may be daunting at first sight, but there is nothing to worry about as soon as you realise all the opportunities you have signed up for! The house staff and older girls will always make you feel at home with a smile on their faces and although I am a Day Boarder now, I am always welcomed up at house and into my friends’ dorms for a chat. From House Games to Tutor Tea, there is a plethora of activities to look forward to when transforming into the senior houses. Most of all, I really enjoy the house family system and that we get to interact with all the year groups. Soon, as I move on to Upper IV, soon Lower V then GCSEs, I will learn to truly cherish the moments now, as they will become core memories” Bernice
“When I think back on my first year here in Campbell, my mind fills with all these different memories, varying from getting caught playing cards at night, to playing on the Switch with older girls in the evening, to having a total sugar rush after Miss Dorme took us out of school for milkshakes. And now as my second year at Wycombe comes to an end, I find it hard to believe I have completed my first year in Campbell as I could easily tell someone I have lived here forever. Transitioning from a house with all my closest friends in my year, to a house where I share dorms with Upper V’s was probably the hardest part of joining Campbell. I look back on my first night ever and how I was overwhelmed with nerves. However, having Campbell welcome me with wide open arms, I instantly felt at home. Becoming close with all the older girls in house has to be one of my favourite parts of this year in Campbell. Sharing a study with the Upper IV’s has enabled all us Lower IV’s to have an instant bond with the year above; asking for help with prep, sharing tuck, filming videos for projects and dancing around for no reason. Mixed age dorms has also let us become just as close with the Lower V’s and the Upper V’s as we have with Upper IV’s; talking in little lights, dorm decs and dorm breakfasts. Now that I’m moving into Upper IV and have completed my first year here in Campbell, I am super excited and am looking forward to the upcoming years of living here, as well as welcoming all the new pupils that will join, which I hope to bond with just as well as I have done with the older girls this year.” Ella
“My first year in Campbell has been exciting and very welcoming. Transitioning into Campbell was a very new experience and I was nervous to be sharing dorms with people older than me and that I had never met. My first dorm helped me settle in very well and I had a lot of fun meeting new people. Fourth form activities always kept us entertained, and I always have fun playing games with my dorm. Over the year, we have had pamper sessions, creative tasks, bracelet making, study sessions and more in fourth form activities, and we always have fun with Miss Mendel in the drawing room. I have so many memories over this past year and I hope to make many more in the coming years.” Cosima
“I am sure that everyone in my year at Campbell can agree with me when I say our time in this house together has been truly special. Regardless of whether we joined this community in LIV or UIV, we have lived together, worked together, laughed together, competed together, and grown up together. From making a Minion for the LIV Guy Competition and dancing to Shrek for the UIV house dance while dressed in shimmery tango dresses, to endless hours of Super Mario Bros on the Nintendo Switch and some competitive games of Uno in year group dorms during Covid, these have all become distinct memories that I will forever treasure. I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to be part of this Campbell community, and I hope those who join this house in the future continue the Campbell spirit and come to love their time here as much as I have. ” Rebecca
“Campbell is the best house. That’s it. Not only is it the closest to school and the best colour it also has the most incredible sense of community! Campbell has always been so welcoming from the beginning – from my first dorm Scorpio up until my final mons dorm, it has always been a family. From your house mother and family tree you join when you enter the house, to then gaining a house daughter, potentially being a buddy to a new girl, there are so many ways which allows you to be fully integrated. One of my favourite memories from when you’re younger girl and gets more special as you become older has got to be dorm decs where the dorms come together to decorate for their U5’s GCSE exams. This simply is the best opportunity to bond with your dorm, support the older girls, have fun and be creative. The number one advice I would give to any younger girls coming into the house is just throw yourself into everything. With the LIV guy make it crazy and wacky as possible. Whilst it might seem unachievable at first, have you really made a guy if you’re not steeped from wrist to elbow in purple paint? As with house dance, make it super funny and engaging. Really as with anything at Wycombe, do it with an open mind, try your best and have fun. Something which Campbell certainly prides itself in is its house spirit. We’ve created cheerleading routines on the side of the pitches for house funals, screaming proudly whilst waving bright purple Pom Poms. The support that comes from Campbell is something I will never forget and will always remember and am proud for being a part of. Having been in Campbell from the ages of 12 to 17, the people around you including the staff have truly seen you grow up and that is an invaluable experience and something that will stay with you forever. Campbell girls always have each other backs, both during and after being in the house. That is for sure. Campbell forever. Thank you for everything!” Ava
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Campbell. Something special for me has been developing such close friendships. Although at first my year didn’t know each other well, now, at the end of my time here, I will be leaving with some friends for life. These friendships, as well as inter-year friendships, have been strengthened through the many house activities we have taken part in. Whether it be winning sports day, choreographing our UIV house dance, or having fun at Top Golf on our House Outing, these house activities have fostered a strong sense of community within Campbell that I have loved being a part of.” Freya
“My time in Campbell over the last five years has been full of fun and excitement. I have grown much closer to the others in my year group, and it is now almost unimaginable to think that we hardly knew each other at the beginning of Lower IV. One of my fondest memories is playing on the Nintendo Switch for hours on end in the drawing room with my friends, always promising that the next round of Just Dance would be the last! The friendly competition and excitement made it all the more enjoyable, and those times we spent together I will never forget. House sporting events were always a highlight. Watching the whole house come together, in a flood of purple accessories and an excessive amount of face paint, to support their peers in different year groups demonstrated how supportive everyone was.
The house staff have also played a key role in making the house so welcoming throughout our time, and I am truly grateful for their constant support, even beyond academics. I have really enjoyed my time in Campbell over the years, and I will certainly miss it when I move to Clarence in September.” Farah
We hope you enjoyed reading the shared experiences of our girls in Campbell House. We want to wish the Lower VI the best of luck on their transition to Clarence House and look forward to welcoming our new pupils in September. Have a lovely Summer!