Welcome Back
It has been wonderful to welcome everyone back to Derby High this week and to see the school full
of life again. There is always something special about the beginning of a new academic year: familiar
faces returning, new students and families joining us, friendships being renewed and the sense of
possibility that comes with a fresh start.
For my first Senior School assembly of the year, I chose one word: AFFECT.
To affect something is to make a difference to it: to influence, shape, improve or change it. It is an
interesting word because it works in both directions. We are affected by our experiences,
circumstances and other people, but we also have the capacity to affect what happens next. Our
students are not simply passengers in the year ahead; through the choices they make, the habits
they establish and the way they respond to challenge, they will help to shape it.
I illustrated this with a slightly humbling story from the gym. Despite having trained regularly for four
years, last week I found myself standing in front of a 16-inch box which I was supposed to jump onto
with both feet, and I simply couldn’t do it. I hadn’t even tried and failed; something in my head just
wouldn’t let me jump.

To read all of this week’s Senior High Notes, please click here.