Christmas Term 2024

11 December 2024 - Cloister

It has been another exciting and memorable term in Cloister. As 2024 draws to a close, the LVI pupils have reflected back on the year so far.

‘My first term in Cloister’ by Romy

My first term at Cloister was transformative, marked by a combination of fear, grief, excitement, adjustment, and joy. Stepping into this new chapter of my life, the enthusiastic and cheerful Cloister spirit welcomed me. In only a few months, it very much feels like a home away from home.

At first, I struggled slightly to adapt to the way of life at boarding school. Waking up early, registering on time, and mustering up the strength to walk up to House every evening. My term further worsened by the passing of a very dear friend of mine, only a year younger than myself. However, I was overwhelmed with support from those around me. From day one, I had felt embraced, and the compassion I felt in that instance was beyond touching.

Having only spent time with younger girls during evening activities, House Games and kickboxing, I have only been impressed by the way in which they conduct themselves – not only in academic terms but also as young people having fun. It was a delight to cheer on Cloister at House Dance and, most recently, watch the LIVs decorate the Christmas Tree. Though there have been moments of homesickness, I am increasingly proud to be a part of Cloister.

By the end of the term, I feel a sense of belonging that I had not anticipated. I would like to thank everyone, in particular those in LVI, for making it so easy to settle into Wycombe.

‘Bonfire Night’ by Elaine

Organising Cloister’s charity stall at Bonfire Night was very memorable. The atmosphere was lively and cheerful, with many students and parents turning up to support the stall, at which we sold a pick-and-mix with candy and hair accessories. It was amazing to see the different stalls come together to raise money for our school charities . The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the fireworks display and the bonfire. I particularly enjoyed seeing the Guys that were burnt as they were so creative and well made! Overall, Bonfire Night was truly an unforgettable experience.

‘House Dinner’ by Emma

The Cloister House Dinner was a lively evening, filled with camaraderie and warmth. It began with introductory drinks, where parents, pupils, and teachers mingled, sharing stories, and building connections. Laughter and conversation flowed as families introduced themselves, with pupils presenting their parents to teachers and peers. Once seated for dinner, the Head of House delivered a speech that balanced formal reflections with humorous anecdotes about boarding life, drawing laughter from all corners of the room. As the guests chatted across tables, discussing experiences, and filling in the quiz, they shared the three-course meal with a main of tender beef brisket, creamy mashed potatoes, and roasted vegetables.

After the meal, excitement peaked during the raffle, which raised an impressive sum for the School’s charities. One table became the talk of the evening, winning a surprising number of prizes and sparking playful cheers from the rest of the room. The sense of fun and community was infectious, with everyone applauding the generosity of the donors and the successes of the lucky winners.

The dessert added a creative twist with a “build your own cheesecake” station. Families enthusiastically crafted their creations, adding toppings like chocolate shavings, and caramel drizzle. As the evening ended, parents left with a deeper connection to Cloister House, making it a memorable celebration of togetherness.

‘Canvas Painting and Hot Chocolate’ by Alice

Your House Family is not the only group with whom you partake in mandated bonding activities, however. The LVIs also meet for hot chocolates with a different younger year each week in ‘Mons’ (the LVI’s exclusive kitchen-room, a rare privilege for the younger girls, I’m sure.) While I sincerely wish none of the LVI intend to pursue careers in waitressing, we do manage to have the liveliest and most amusing of conversations, despite the occasional spillages and malfunctions of the microwave. It is genuinely a great way to integrate the year groups in the House, but it’s also these little moments I think will stay with me most once I have left Cloister.

It’s a tradition in our House to make canvas paintings of each House Family Tree to be hung around the House. After a day of quadratic equations and earnest hymns, it’s a somewhat absurd affair, with paintbrushes being in limited supply, one often having to resort to one’s hands while navigating the unique chaos of five teenagers trying to paint a tree. The result is, at times, equally absurd (I recall one year where we started sprinkling the canvas with grass) and yet one feels an odd mixture of pride and amusement seeing one’s canvas presented on the walls. This one, seemingly insignificant night, thus serves as an ever-present reminder of being part of something one cares about.

‘Sports Report’ by Gabby and Imogen

This Term has been filled with exciting sports in House Games including lacrosse, handball, frisbee, touch rugby and football, in each of which Cloister has played their hearts out! It has been really encouraging to see people attempt new sports and learn various new skills.

Just after half term, our Cloister lacrosse team took to the field and won all of our matches, with dominating scores of 7-0 and 9-1! However, because of our position in the pool, we still came 7th… We are looking forward to seeing some fantastic results and even more house spirit in house swimming at the end of this term. We are certain that the support on the sidelines will be outstanding as always, cheering and helping our swimmers to the finish line!

We have loved watching all of the new LIVs throwing themselves into house games and really embracing our Cloister values. We hope that they have enjoyed their first term of house games as much as we have! The compassion, dedication and sportsmanship shown by Cloister girls during House Games is inspiring, and wonderful to be a part of.

‘House Ensemble’ by Abi

In our House Ensemble practice, we (tried to) perform “I’m still standing” by Elton John. We had Kelly on the drums, Yichen on the synth, Vivienne on the grand piano, Helena on the Guzheng, and me on the electric guitar. Many teachers commented on the eclectic combination of instruments, especially as the vocal part alternated between Helena’s Guzheng and my electric guitar for the verses and choruses. Having decided what we were going to play in the first session, we figured we were ahead of last year’s Ensemble, who were awarded First Place, and so we were bound to win. By the second practice however, the dread started to set in. We didn’t practice together throughout this time, and so at the start of the performance’s week, we had never played together. Kelly kept the tempo stable throughout the practices, which was about the only stable thing in that room. Having no real training in music theory, I felt rather out of my depth when Vivienne told me that we were all playing in different keys, and that Helena’s part was, in fact, missing some notes. But, due to some rather chaotic practices that week, we strung together a pretty coherent piece. And then, we had the Chapel performance. While I can’t say we landed on the podium, we all showed some problem solving abilities when my guitar unplugged on stage, when Helena didn’t have time to tune her instrument, and when, in reply to all this, Mr Ledingham simply said “rock on.” We may not have been stumbling, but we were still standing, and I’m sure we actually got 4th place and they just didn’t tell us.