From our Head Boarder: Aliyah D-A.

My name is Aliyah D-A., and I joined St Mary's in 2018, and was Head Boarder from 2021 to 2022.

This year has been such an interesting time for the boarding community. Being separated due to Covid-19 really made a lot of us realise how integral the relationships between boarders are.

I worked especially hard in my time as Head Boarder to try and reunite all boarders, as I know personally how much it influences the boarding experience. I was extremely lucky to have such a supportive and dedicated Prefect team by my side to discuss everything with me late at night in my room.

Our joint goal was to have fun and use this time to try and get back to some sort of normal.

I’m very grateful that we worked so well together in trying to achieve that, and feel grateful that other members of the house helped us out so readily. 
 
It feels like I applied for the position of Head Boarder just yesterday, and yet I will be handing over my role to the next inspiring young boarder very soon. Even though Covid-19 changed the role of the Head Boarder and Prefect team, it was not ruined. This past year has been a wonderful opportunity to make the best of such confusing circumstances.

We held a splendid Christmas dinner, an amazing Boarder’s Concert, and played many fun games in the house. Activities like these are the perfect way to get to know everyone in the house, improve organisation skills, and play a part in some decisions of the house, but you wouldn’t believe how much it takes to accommodate around 80 people!

Either way, it was one of the best decisions I made in during my time at St Mary's, because it taught me a lot about empathy and made me a better individual. This has been a springboard for me in the journey to becoming the best version of myself.

I feel like a nice way to wrap up this report is to share my hopes for the future of the boarding community now that my time to move on is approaching.

My first wish is that boarders grow closer to one another and integrate more with the main school. As I mentioned, being hit with a pandemic was not helpful, but with time and patience, I hope things will go back to old times and even improve.

I also hope that the Head Boarders following me for years to come make it their priority to make the house a place that is lively, warm, and supportive of everyone that steps in.

Fingers crossed that I didn’t bore you with my little reminisce of the boarding house and thank you so much for reading! 

Aliyah D-A. Head Boarder

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