Rubens House Summer Blog
29 June 2023 - Rubens
The second half of the Summer Term brought the much-desired return of the longer lighter evenings, which in turn reignited the competitive love of Swing ball outside the boarding House. A simple game and simple concept which inspires high levels of sporting ambition within the pink palace. This is also the half of the term where we start to count down the days until the big Summer break, but we are also counting down the days we have left with members of the pink sisterhood who will not return next year. We will miss Penelope (LIV) and Farah (LIV); Annie (UV) and of course all of our LVI girls who graduate to Clarence life in September. Thank you for everything you have brought to the House girls!
I have always loved performance and theatre, and this term the LV took part in the House Drama competition. The LV were asked to write, direct and produce a play to perform as part of the ‘untold stories’ theme. The Rubens team chose Barbie as their inspiration and the overlooked story of Barbie’s rival, Raquelle. Not only was the colour palette of this tale perfect for our House, the LV did an absolutely brilliant job with the story telling. The show was fun, playful and excellently performed. Special mention must go to Sky for her tech savvy and Lily for writing such a brilliant script. The girls will find out if they won the competition on Friday 30th June. Fingers crossed for a Rubens victory!
Dove day is one of the most exciting dates in the Wycombe Abbey calendar. Dove Day is the time the whole School comes together to celebrate our incredible community but also to pay tribute to our pioneering founder, Dame Frances Dove. In true Rubens style, the House stayed up late on Friday night making decorations for our House tent and then we all woke up early on Saturday morning to decorate our tent. The spirit and teamwork of the girls was exemplary and the tent looked absolutely beautiful. One of our Deputy Heads, Mr Woods, commented that he thought Rubens tent was the best. And he was entirely correct.
Rubens always tries very hard with any sporting competition and sports day is no exception. Dressed in pink, and with our new piggy mascot enthusiastically drumming up support, the Rubens girls looked like champions. The girls were hugely supportive of one another, and it was really impressive to see how many of our girls willingly threw themselves into events when other girls had injuries. All competitors gain points, and those points were crucial in securing our impressive 5th place overall. Well done Team Rubens! What we lack in sporting finesse, we make up in spirit!
The final days of the Summer Term include the final House outing of the academic year. Last year we went to see ‘Grease! The Musical’; this year we went to see ‘Moulin Rouge’ at London’s Piccadilly Theatre. The girls loved every minute of the show; from the luscious, opulent red interior of the theatre set, to the catchy songs and incredible dancing, it was a show that they will remember for a very long time. Special thanks to out Assistant Housemistress Miss Rowley who organised this trip expertly, and many thanks to our wonderful UV who took a break from their summer holidays to join us for this special House outing.
So another year of Rubens life comes to a close. Thank you to all the staff and girls who make this House such a special family to be part of. It will forever be the biggest privilege of my career to lead the pink palace and shape the lives of the wonderful girls who live and work here. I know the girls are leaving Rubens for the Summer as bright, brilliant kind people who have boundless capabilities. And I am certain, that should they ever miss Rubens during the holiday, then they only need to look out for a Percy Pig to feel connected back to their special sisterhood.
