Welcome back to a new and exciting school year! My name is Leo and I have the privilege of being your Head Boy for this academic year.  I am a keen Lego constructor, swimmer, golfer, tennis and clarinet player (although not at the same time).  My true passion is for fossils, both collecting and hunting for them.  Just be careful if you ask me to give you the details of my collection, as you may be a fossil by the time I’ve finished telling you all about them!  It has been absolutely amazing how many of you have stopped me to say hello, introduce yourselves or share a high-five with me.  I look forward to meeting and getting to know all of you over the coming months.  Please continue to come over, say hi and share your thoughts and experiences with me, I’d love to hear all about them and you.

After the excitement of Speech Day, I spent the summer fielding the same question from friends and family that I had been pondering myself, “What does Head Boy actually mean?”  There is the traditional answer of it being a formal role model and representative of the school.  Then the more pastoral answer of looking out for and being a friend to all of the amazing boys that make up the Bickley Park Community.  It was however when I listened to Mr Quilter’s first assembly that it came to me!  Just like the All Blacks having the honour of looking after the shirt, I am merely holding the badge for a year until it is passed on.  There is no multiple choice answer, essay or exact scientific definition of head boy.  It is merely a goal to follow;  leaving ’The Purple Blazer’ in a better place, than when we started, just like the ‘Black Shirt’.

The Head Boy Committee takes comfort in the fact that the school community has elected a team in whom they see potential; and believe can bring value to the school.  Therefore, we do not need to work out what our roles should mean or be.  We need to use the morals, beliefs and visions we have inside us; listen to all your thoughts, ideas and even concerns, in order to put our Head Boy Committee stamp on this school year.

I hope you, like myself are excited about the opportunities and challenges of the year ahead.  Give everything you can, perform to the best of your ability, inside the classroom and out. Take immense pride in representing our school at sports, whether in team A or E.  Take on a new challenge such as an instrument or a new style of art.  This all comes down to, the building blocks for my approach to school life; “Try hard and have fun!”.

P.S. Don’t be put off asking me about fossils, I can probably give you a brief overview in less than an hour 😊……