Welcome to Clarence
12 October 2023 - Clarence
On Sunday 3 September I had the privilege of welcoming the now Upper Sixth to Clarence. Whilst it was a rather daunting task to learning 90 new names, I at least had the advantage that I met them during the induction programme at the end of last term.
There is always a buzz about starting in Clarence and Pip Lloyd-Williams tells us what it’s been like for her.
The idea of change is always daunting yet exciting, arriving in Clarence is such a change that has certainly involved both these emotions. Clarence provides us with the many new opportunities, responsibilities and skills that are important to develop as we grow and go to university. A major benefit has certainly been the chance to spend more time with all our friends as well as creating new bonds within our year group. We are also able to maintain out inter-year friendships by visiting our senior Houses or inviting younger pupils to Clarence. Other aspects I value include cooking dinner together, the support of the house staff and the flexibility on the weekends. Clarence life provides a space away from the undeniable challenges of UVI life and allows pupils to balance work and enjoyment. Ultimately, the experience would be incomplete without inviting teachers for dinner, karaoke and Clarence bar! I have thoroughly enjoyed my newfound independence so far and am excited for the rest of the year.
It has been a busy start to the year with a whole house trip to play Monopoly Lifesized which Anjali Glen tells us more about
The day before school started, Clarence enjoyed a trip to London to play Monopoly Live–a life-size game of monopoly where each location on the board is a puzzle room where you try to win the rights to that plot by completing the puzzle. We really enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of the games, and many people expressed their love for the dance competition room! The monopoly fans among us enjoyed the chance card quizzes that tested their monopoly knowledge, and a few of our teams also won their games! The lively hosts were also an amazing part of the experience with their enthusiasm and colourful costumes truly immersing us into the world of monopoly. We had lots of fun and are very glad that there were enough get-out-of-jail-free cards for everyone to make it back to the bus!
One of the highlights of the first half term is the Clarence play and this year was no exception. Acada tells us all about it
Paranoia, the Clarence play, which was directed and written by Acada Lue-Fong was performed on the last weekend of September. The talented cast of Chiaka Ajoku, Charmaine Chan, Elena Mokzhani, Elaine Yu, and Eva Zheng began working on it during the summer term. They used various rehearsal techniques to develop characters and relationships. In the final week, light and sound were added to enhance the metaphysical atmosphere. The 35-minute, fast-paced plot centred on mismatched teenagers bonding during a lockdown, culminating in a surprising twist. Both performances went smoothly, with strong audience support and enjoyment of the dark humour.
As Clarence is split into ten individual houses, we thought it would be good to introduce some interhouse competition. The first of which was to write a Haiku about arriving in Clarence:
The runners up were House 7 (they ordered more eggs than they realised on their first Ocado shop!)
broken dryers and
thirty six eggs welcome us
into house seven
The winning house was House 5 with the following
cooking pot in hand,
uni apps we will withstand
with a beige wristband.
I am very much looking forward to announcing next half terms interhouse competition and to welcoming the girls back, along with their Halloween costumes, from a well-deserved Long Leave. It has an absolute delight to get to know them over the last half term.