I wonder how often we have taken the time to remember our school days? For some of us I am sure such musings will occur frequently, for others rarely. For those of us who do remember those years, there can be no doubt about the variety of feelings and emotions the exercise will bring forward. There will be the names of friends and peers, staff who made an impact upon us (for whatever reason), activities in which we participated, games we won or lost, maybe even the smells of boarding house food or those emanating from the canteen…..there will be lots of memories that come flooding back.
One thing is for sure – the facilities we enjoyed while we attended school were most probably, in large part the work of others who had gone before us. These parents, families, benefactors and supporters of our school made it what it was for us to enjoy. In the same way as a relay race unfolds, so does the life and history of a school – its just that now, its our turn to carry the baton.
What are we to do with this responsibility? I hope we are prepared to grab hold of it with determination, just as those who carried it before have done. Our significant priority has to be of the school as it currently stands – agreed. However, we also need to consider the bigger picture and at least pay some thought to the concept of handing our baton on to those who follow, having left the school a little better than when we were responsible for it.
It is a serious responsibility we carry. Imagine our disappointment if the baton we were to receive was dropped before we wrapped our fingers around it? Our chances of finishing the race well placed would be significantly dashed. We are fortunate at Fahan, because we have been handed a baton in good time and it has placed us well for our our leg. It’s now our chance to carry it proudly and edge to the lead in order to ensure we are as well placed as possible to hand it to our team mate who is waiting.
How can you do this? I encourage you to speak with Ric Fletcher, our Director of Development, who I know will outline a number of tactics for you – to make your part of this race a winning leg.
