By Sabine Ebanks, Y11
As many students will have noticed, last Friday (the 23rd April) was the last day of school for the LGB class of 2021. To celebrate this exciting milestone, I talked to two Year 13 students about their experiences and hopes for the future.
During their last week, the Year 13s did a lot of revising for their upcoming exams as they finished their final week of high school (ever!). Year 13 student Lucca Turrettini said “It was a fun last week, we revised a lot but the last day made it worth it.” Another Year 13, Thomas Van Der Burg, recounted “I sadly only went to school on Thursday and Friday because I was in quarantine. But it was quite surreal to think that I’ve reached the end of such a big part of my life.”
The atmosphere on Friday, the last day, was noticeably one of excitement. Starting in the morning, many students in classes in the GB and the Salève could hear the assembly for the Year 13s that was happening in the Greek Theatre. There was a lot of cheering, applause and live singing performances from some of the talented musicians in Year 13. Later on, at break time, loudspeakers began to blast music into the courtyard in front of the GB and the Pavillon des Langues as Year 13s gathered to participate in the popular Jerusalem Dance Challenge. Led by PE teacher Ms. Smith, the dancers were exuberant, and even Dr. Hughes and Mr. De Wilde joined in the fun. The music and dancing attracted a large group of younger students who clapped and cheered along, and eagle-eyed students could even see math teacher Mr. U hanging from a window in the library to watch the festivities. Toward the end of the day, excited Year 13s flooded the hallways with speakers, singing and dancing. In the Salève, the halls were completely blocked at the end of period 7 when some Year 13s were completely finished with classes, and the song “Dancing Queen” by Abba was played at full volume. Naturally, this annoyed some of the other students still trying to get to their classes, but it was hard not to appreciate the happy atmosphere anyway.
Despite their excitement, the Year 13s are unfortunately not yet finished with the stress of the IB. Starting on Thursday 29th April, they will have four weeks of IB exams, the culmination of almost two years of hard work and dedication. These exams are extremely important as they will determine their final grades for the IB, so most of the Year 13s are still feeling large amounts of pressure. After May 20th, exams will be finished and they will finally be able to relax after a long period of constant work.
One LGB tradition that the Year 13s are looking forward to is the Greece trip. After being delayed last year due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the trip will hopefully be able to go ahead this year as planned and on time, although there may be a quarantine requirement for when Year 13s get there or when they return. The trip dates are likely to be the 3rd of June to the 14th of June, or extended to the 18th of June, although of course this could change depending on the quarantine requirements. The plan is for the Year 13s to spend the first three days on the popular party island of Mykonos before going on to Ios, a well known destination for nightlife. When asked about it, Year 13 Lucca Turrettini said “Yeah, I think everyone’s excited for the Greece Trip!” and Thomas Van Der Burg said “I am obviously very excited for Greece to make some crazy memories with my friends and to celebrate all the hard work that brought us there.”
After the Greece trip, the official LGB graduation ceremony will take place. COVID restrictions will make the process more complicated than in previous years (last year there was a ceremony with strictly reduced guest numbers), but the graduation will certainly go ahead. The dates and exact plans are not yet finalized, however, the school is currently considering three separate ceremonies to ensure as many people as possible will get to experience the milestone. The first ceremony would be for teachers and students, and the second and third would divide the students in half alphabetically by last names, so that each half could have parents and possibly siblings invited. Graduation will be held in the iconic Greek theater where so many past graduations have taken place.
As for advice for the younger grades of LGB, the Year 13s had a few words of wisdom. There was a common theme of hard work; Lucca Turrettini advised us to “Work hard, it all pays off at the end. You work hard and then you play hard.” Thomas Van Der Burg also reminded students to appreciate their experience, saying “My advice for younger grades is work hard to get the grades but don’t forget to invest time in making unforgettable memories with your friends because although it doesn’t feel like it, high school starts and ends in the blink of an eye. Make the best of it.”
We wish all the Year 13s the best of luck on their exams and on the exciting period ahead!
