Barry

Here we go again.

As we have come to the end of an extremely busy and demanding academic year, it has been wonderful to have our first full academic year and to see the return of the normal range of activities and events and greater sense of House spirit and camaraderie. Friendships have grown between all year groups and kindness and a sense of community has remained the keystone of life in Barry. I am proud of the Lower VI for leading by example and setting the tone for the younger years to follow in years to come. The House spirit is something that really makes Barry stand out; no matter the year group, every girl in Barry has a part to play in representing the House. 

The House came together at Dove Day in true Barry Blue spirit.  It was lovely to welcome pupils, staff, parents, pets and families to the House marquee for a picnic lunch. Families mingled, shared their food and conversations easily flowed – the air was filled with laughter, joy and great smells from the sumptuous food that was displayed on the tables.

We saw Katie, Nicola, Claudia, Tess, Daisy and Scarlett and their respective bands rock the School at GlastonAbbey. The crowd were energised by the sheer talent of the various bands. Well done all. Although we were not the coveted champions at Sports day (we were robbed), the House, led by Katie and Maya, definitely won best House spirit. Anisiya, Maya, Anabelle, Morade and Issy won their respective events or heats.  Special shout out to Abbey, Tiwonge, Katie, Grace and Emily for taking one for the team. UIII Barry were brilliant.  Well done to all our athletes. I am so proud of you. After a long and tiring day on the sports field – the girls and staff put on their dancing shoes and were transported to London to watch Mama Mia the Musical. The show was energetic, funny and entertaining – definitely a must if you are an ABBA fan. A great way to end the term.

However, it is time for Victoria F, Penny, Maya, Katie, Nicola, Claudia, Layo, Amelie, Argia, Freddie, Angela, Victoria T to move on to Clarence. They have poured their hearts and souls into the House and their energy and enthusiasm is admired by all those that they have come into contact with, and I cannot praise them highly enough. Our Head and Deputy Head of House, Victoria F and Penny have been outstanding leaders. Their calm, helpful, thoughtful and supportive manner have helped to reignite House spirit making Barry a wonderful home. We will miss the Mons of 2022.

We bid farewell to those that are fleeing the nest. Mia, Ellie and Cindy we wish you the very best at your new school and beyond and we hope that they will stay in touch.

Once again, I am indebted to all the staff who support the girls and me. The domestic staff, House staff and Tutors – I am grateful to them all. Sadly, however we will also be saying goodbye to Miss Gaioni, Miss Holland and Miss Lowe. Thank you for all that you have done for the girls. We wish them well in the next phase of their lives.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the girls on their good humour, hard work, politeness and determination.  I hope that the younger years learn from the Lower Sixth role models who are leaving us. Being Housemistress is one of the most rewarding jobs and it is a great honour and privilege to lead such and amazing House – now I am ready for the holidays.  My very best wishes to all of you over the summer holidays.

A message from Barry LVI:

As our time in Barry has drawn to an end, we decided to reflect on some of our favourite memories in the House. We have become an incredibly close group.

Claudia:

My favourite moment was all of us being in the big Moscow/Wellington dorm all of U5. We would stay up late and have super long DMCs (Deep and Meaningful Convo). We created a family and have stayed just as close over our time in MONS.

Victoria F:

U4 dance: While it was more comedic than graceful, it was a great opportunity for the entire group to bond. We still love to perform it for unsuspecting parties. We had so much fun and it has made us stronger and more close-knit as a year group. I loved that everyone was so passionate about winning and the Barry House spirit shone through us all as we performed.

Amelie

My favourite moment was decorating the House for Fairies. I was still a Day Boarder at the time, but it was so lovely to feel part of the boarding community when everyone came and chatted in my dorm after decorating.

Argia

I remember my first night as a boarder when Amelie dropped her phone down the side of the bed. We stayed up for ages trying to retrieve it, in the process half deconstructing the whole room. We built multiple ‘brooms’ out of anything lying around. With the effort of at least 5 of us we got it out using the 5th edition of the ‘brooms’.

Layo

One of my favourite times in Barry was when our GCSE exams were announced and we all went outside Barry and Butler and screamed. But what we didn’t realise was that Butler was in the middle of House Order and everyone could hear us. Miss Lowther came stomping out looking really cross and we couldn’t stop giggling.

Maya

I always love our Chinese take-out nights; we often get the duck pancakes and Angela carves up the duck like a pro. I love our conversations as a group and how honest we are with each other.

Freddie

I remember hanging up candy canes on the night of Fairies. It was so freezing that our hands went numb and we couldn’t stop laughing. I also loved how we hid from teachers in our friend’s dorms on Saturday nights. When the teachers came in, we used to dive behind beds, into cupboards or under covers.

Katie

After GCSEs my favourite thing to do was to pull the beanbags out of the drawing room to the grass outside and read in the sun. Often a group of us would sit and read after exams. I remember reading Penny’s copy of  ‘The Song of Achilles’ then passing it to Nico and then Maya. In the end nearly everyone had read that one book outside Barry in the sun.

Angela

I enjoyed of being in Barry however if I am to choose my best moment it would be singing Angel Eyes at the top of our lungs in Chapel especially teaching the House our brilliant/obnoxious choreography.

Nico

I loved the comradery in our U5 study that pulled me through GCSEs. We had study sessions and meals together. The feel of community has been so important to get me through more stressful moments of the year.

Vic

My favourite moments in Barry were Vic’s Barbershop. I started cutting my sister’s hair when we were young and I really loved catching up with younger girls in my dorms while giving them the dreaded ‘curtain bangs’ even Eton boys would be jealous of.