After a year filled with surprises and disruptions, we have finally reached the end of Year 11. The final week of Year 11 saw everyone wanting to make the most out of the opportunities afforded us before we hopped onto the A-Level train for the next two years, these included carving out time to think about careers, listening to inspiring individuals, dodging the rain at a BBQ and creating a film in a day.
Monday was our final day of A-Level tasters. These were lessons that gave us a glimpse into our chosen A-Level topics, and varied from experiments in the Science Schools, to discussions around the viability of ‘Global Britain’ in History to the basics of Behavioural Economics.
The following day, we heard from Sir John Bell, who has been heavily involved in the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination. He spoke about the impact of the pandemic on our world, including the recognised importance of investing in the pharmaceutical industry. We also heard from the Provost, Lord Waldegrave, who has had a long and distinguished career was kind enough to offer his advice on pursuing a successful career in politics. Our three weeks back at school were a brilliant mix of inspiration and relaxation, so the afternoons of our final week were full of football competitions on the astroturf.
Wednesday was probably the busiest day of our final week. We took part in Sex Education talks and considered appropriate behaviour at summer events such as festivals and the importance of achieving healthy relationships, as well as exploring digital dangers. Laura Bates spoke about facing gender inequality and the experiences that encouraged her to create the Everyday Sexism Project, which provides a platform for women’s voices. After these influential talks, we had a convivial BBQ, where we were able to be together as a year group for the first time in a long while.
Thursday saw the arrival of the One Day Film School, who organised a competition to see who could produce the best 3 minute film. My friends and I tried to create a classic Western, and we had a lot of fun making it! In the end, there was an Eton Oscars ceremony where all the films were shown, the effort and quality of the final products were amazing!
Our final day of Year 11 included talks by Emily Maitlis, presenter of BBC’s Newsnight, who spoke about careers in journalism, and Sir Matthew Pinsent, Olympic gold medal-winning rower.
Thank you Eton for providing us with such memorable opportunities. Year 12, here I come!
