Shelburne

L4 Reflections

21 March 2024 - Shelburne

The first two terms of the academic year have flown by and our L4 pupils feel well and truly part of the furniture. They are an incredibly happy, lively and enthusiastic bunch who have made a very positive impact on the House. For this blog, I have chosen to share a selection of their reflections on their Shelburne experience so far. I hope you enjoy reading them.

Imogen

“My favourite thing about Shelburne is definitely the people. No matter the year, or the age, or who you are, they’ll always accept you. When you’re in Shelburne, you know it’s always going to be a party. Everyone is so positive and kind and always leaves a huge smile on my face. Everyone works together so well and is always eager to help you no matter what. This is just one of the amazing things I love about my House, Shelburne. My special highlight of the year so far has been games nights with my dorm. Most Fridays we get out a board game or a different game and we play for a while. It is super fun and it has really strengthened the bond between my dorm and I.

Next term is hopefully going to a be a lovely, sunny term. In the Daws Hill community, when it’s lovely and sunny, we play rounders. Last year, in UIII, whenever we came up to visit Shelburne, everyone was playing rounders! I loved seeing this because it really shows how close everyone in our community is and how well they work together. Furthermore, in the Summer term, I’m looking forward to being a House Mother. I’m so excited to meet my House Daughter and be the best Mother I can be. I’m super happy to welcome new girls into the Shelburne community, just as they welcomed us so warmly. I hope that they feel just as welcome as we did then.

In my short time in Shelburne, I’ve made lasting friendships and learned many things. One thing I’ve learnt is to be more confident and be myself. I know that whoever I am, the Shelburne community will always accept me and be there for me.”

Penney

“My first two terms in Shelburne has been nothing but amazing. I have made so many memories that I know I will cherish. Sharing a dorm with my house family has been a highlight as the kindness I’ve received from everyone has made it truly memorable and getting to know them was so wonderful. There are so many things about Shelburne that are amazing. I always look forward to a smoothie night or chips ‘n’ dips. It is such a great time to talk to your friends and relax after a long day of school. Looking ahead in the summer term, there are some many exciting activities to get involved in. I look forward to rounders in the evening, sports day and also getting to know the U3’s better. Shelburne is more than just a place to live – it’s a community filled with amazing people and supportive staff. I have learnt so much here over these past two terms and I can’t wait to continue to make memorable experiences in Shelburne!”

Izzy

“I have had a wonderful two terms in Shelburne so far. Playing in Lacrosse Counties was one of my highlights as it was really enjoyable and a lot of fun! In Shelburne, I think I have learnt how to better control my time in terms of balancing time to study as well as time to spend with friends, which is quite important. I love being in Shelburne because of its community, it is so supportive and welcoming, especially for the newcomers! Next term, I’m really looking forward to being able to play outside in the warm weather, as well as Dove Day, which was also a highlight of my year last year.”

Lexi

“Since I have joined Shelburne, I have settled in really well. By far my favourite highlight of the year is winning House Netball. It was a challenging task but was extremely fun. I am looking forward to playing Daws Hill Rounders next term as it is known to be really enjoyable. During my time in Shelburne, I have had so many favourite things to do but the best of all is hanging out with friends. At first I thought it would be quite daunting to be sharing a dorm with the older years but it has turned out that they are all kind and it is not anything to be anxious about. I have had such an amazing time in Shelburne so far and I can not wait for the many years to come.”

Nelly

“Shelburne has been AMAZING so far, we have so many opportunities to do activities, to celebrate our peers and staff, to bond with each other and older girls. The community that surrounds Shelburne is such an inviting space and I feel so welcome. My favourite event that has happened so far has been our termly dorm feasts. It is such a great opportunity to have fun together as a dorm. You get to go shopping with them to get all the food and then you cook and eat it as a House. I love the way Shelburne does dorm feasts, we all come on top landing and eat as a house instead of just being in your dorm. After we eat we all get up and put on some groovy tunes and dance together, shouting and singing to the music as a house. I am so excited for future events coming up in the Summer Term, but the one I am most excited for is Sports Day. It sounds so fun and ties in with my favourite hobby, so for me it is a perfect day full of fun, sports and House spirit.”

Chrissie

“I have really enjoyed being a member of Shelburne. Everyone was so welcoming when I just joined and my dormmates definitely helped me settle in really well. I was scared about sharing a dorm with older girls, however everyone helped me and I realised it was going to be ok. My highlight of the year has got to be the past few days: dorm feast followed by Dining Room, then bubble football with dominos pizza. It was such a fun weekend and I cannot imagine a better way to end the term. The thing I have learnt is to always name your laundry! One of my favourite things about Shelburne is the weekend activities. As an overseas student, I always stay in on weekends. The staff always work so hard to put on a variety of fun activities for us, and I just wanted to take this opportunity to say how grateful I am for this. One weekend activity I particularly enjoyed was making mocktails. Next term I am looking forward to rounders with the new L4s and I can’t wait for the sunny weather and summer uniform!”

In other news…

Lacrosse

Shelburne girls love their sport and excel across the full range on offer at Wycombe Abbey. Lacrosse takes top spot as the most popular, with nearly half having represented the school on a Lacrosse team this term. We had eight girls attend the National Schools competition in Aldershot, twelve girls involved in Tri-Counties Tournaments, and two of our top sportswomen, Emily and Lily, were also selected to represent the South-East in the Super Counties Finals and won! Below, Zoe describes her experience playing in the Tri-Counties Tournament on home turf.

“Despite the very rainy conditions, Ava, Leila and I had a fabulous day playing lacrosse at the Tri-counties tournament. We had six other schools to face and we came away with a very successful win. The horrible weather was definitely a challenge but it was a good practice to stay determined through all the matches. Well done to everyone involved!” (Zoe)

Music Concerts and Legally Blonde

The Music Department have held several informal concert opportunities this half term and our musicians have regularly put themselves forward to be involved. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Hen, Kate, Audrey and Francesca in the ‘Two’s Company’ duet concert, and also to hear Francesca practise her diploma exam repertoire during an evening recital in Chapel.

We also had seven pupils involved in the Legally Blonde Musical, not only on stage but supporting with the backstage management and in the live band. The feel-good performance left everyone blown away. A huge congratulations to the talented Shelburne bunch involved in the production: Francesca, Frida, Nell, Ava, Mij, Ameera and Kate. They worked incredibly hard and the final result was slick and professional.

Zara heads down under!

After a rigorous application process, Zara was selected as one of five Wycombe Abbey L5 pupils to head ‘down under’ on a 3-week Australian exchange. We are really looking forward to Zara’s exchange partner becoming a Shelburne boarder in the Summer Term. Here is what Zara has to say about her experience so far:

“I have finished my first week of school here in Sydney and it has been so much fun! The school days are overall shorter but with longer lessons and this week I am starting some extra-curriculars. The weather has consistently been above 20 degrees and even reached 35 with both sunny and cloudy days. My exchange partner Sarah brought me to Taronga Zoo on Saturday and we walked around Westfield in the city. On Sunday, I went shopping with Sarah and her friends. It’s been such an amazing weekend!”

Academic Successes

Congratulations to Myra, Kate and Eloise, who have all received a Head’s Commendation this term. Departments nominate individuals who have made significant progress in an area of their studies or have produced an outstanding piece of work. Mrs Duncan reviews all the entries and selects the winners. This is a huge accolade and we are very proud of them for their hard work and commitment.

Felicity has received due recognition for her GCSE English result. The exam board CAIE deemed her performance one of the ‘Top in the World’. A hugely congratulations to Felicity, who hopes to study English at University.

Dining Room

An age old tradition in the Daws Hill Houses, ‘Dining Room’ refers to a fancy dress party hosted by the U5 cohort at the end of the Easter Term. The U5 allocate every girl in the House a character or celebrity to dress up as, and this year they also organised a host of classic party games and some karaoke! The costumes and decorations were fantastic, as you can see in the photos below!