Campbell End of Summer Term Newsletter
1 July 2022 - Campbell
“The end of the Summer Term is often a time for reflection and thinking about the year that has been. Our Mons have more to reflect upon than most as they are not only finishing another school year, this term draws their time in Campbell to a close. Although they will not be living with us next year, they will always be part of our community and reading through their fond memories of the last five years, you can begin to understand why …”
Polina: There are two things that come to mind that definitely made my years memorable. Firstly, hearing Rosie barking in another room and feel that I had to run as fast as I could in the opposite direction for my own safety after learning that not all small dogs are cute and fluffy. I will also definitely mishearing the Mons door open and seeing Mrs Styles walk in with her hands full of biscuits, especially after Airlie eat all our Oreos…
Koharu: My favourite Campbell memory is having picnic suppers during the summer term in the 4th form study. Campbell has been a second home for me, and I will treasure the memory and friendships which I have made here! I will miss the House staff and the House activities that I had fun doing with my housemates 🙂
Dawn: My favourite memory in Campbell has been coming back from School and chatting with my housemates whilst having tea in the Mons kitchen. I will also miss our House anthem practices where we get to sing together as a House and perform at chapel
Sofia: One of my favourite Campbell memories was making bracelets to sell at the charity stall at Bonfire night.
Erica: My favourite memory in Campbell must be fairies; it’s such a fun concept and I had no idea what to expect, or even that it would be a celebration at all. Even after the surprise of the first one it kept being fun, as we had to hide the surprise from the younger girls.
Pia: I think what I will miss most is just being around different people in the House. My best Campbell memories have been filled with people from all year groups, so whilst I do love my year group, I will miss being able to play Mario Kart on my DS with Grace Pattle, or baking something with the whole House and Miss Strange. It also might sound like I’m lying, but I’ll miss House games too. I know I sound really cringe, but the people do really make your experience in school what it is, even if you don’t see it at the time. And of course, I will miss seeing Mrs Styles and Mrs Foster every day 🙁
Reflection on time in Campbell
It is slightly mind-boggling to me that 5 years have gone by this fast, and we are now here writing my last ever newsletter for Campbell. It sounds cliché to say, but the years do genuinely go by in the blink of an eye. We vividly remember coming to Campbell every Wednesday night in the Summer term of Junior House for picnic suppers. That was the first time our year really got to know each other, because most of us were not really friends at the beginning of Junior House.
In LIV, one of our favourite House memories was making the guy. We went quite ambitious with making an Octopus, and after tireless hours in the art department, and we ended up coming second. This experience allowed us to bond as a tutor group, and it was the first opportunity to show our Campbell spirit
In UIV, Campbell was privileged to welcome two of the best new girls we could have asked for: Polina and Jasmine. The UIV saw us competing for our House again in the interhouse Dance competition. This dance gave us the opportunity to become a lot closer as a year, we narrowly missed out on a Top 3 spot. Regardless of the result, it was a memorable and enjoyable experience, which we absolutely would not have changed for anything. We also got the opportunity to take part in the House play, directed by Fuzzy (Zahirah’s older sister), and it was genuinely an amazing play. The judges acknowledged Campbell’s brilliance, and we came first.
When we moved into LV, we made a lot of collective memories; from sharing a study for the first time, and it is certainly convenient that the study is right by the kitchen. Sadly, the last term of L5 was cut short because of Covid, so we missed being in dorms with the year group above us for the last time.
However, we were glad to be back in person for the first term of U5. Admittedly, we were only heads of dorms for about 4 weeks, having moved into year-group dorms at around October due to Covid. Our Spring term of U5 was back online, but it didn’t stop us from keeping contact with each other. We were all incredibly happy to finally be back in person in the Summer, after what had felt like an eternity. After our exams finished, this was the most we ever enjoyed school. The weather was perfect every day, and we spent hours playing card games outside Campbell with friends from both Campbell and Airlie. It was also a LOT of fun watching the Football Euro group games together in House.
That now brings me on to LVI, our final year. LVI is stressful, and there’s no way to really hide from that. However, it is also an incredibly fun experience being in a separate part of the House together and with Airlie. We all became good friends the pupils in Airlie, and those are friendships will maintain for a very long time. Being able to just sit and relax together in the kitchen during break times and in the evening is something we will really miss. You really do grow to love everyone in both Houses.
Like we have said before, the time goes by fast. Even though you probably don’t see it while you’re in the middle of your time in Campbell, the people around you really do shape you. Our biggest piece of advice is simple, but obviously quite hard to follow: just relax and have fun. People at Wycombe tend to get stressed out about the smallest of things, but honestly, just make sure you are having fun with your year group and making memories, because ultimately, it is the time you spend with each other that you will remember most fondly, not the time waking up early to revise for a Spanish grammar test. We have loved my time in Campbell – even though there have been bumps along the road, we wouldn’t change any of it. We hope you all have as great a time as we have.
