Christmas Dinner 2015
As always, our Christmas
Dinner was a moving and special occasion in the School Calendar. It’s a
treasured ‘Villiers Family' event, there’s no better way to celebrate a sense
of family than to eat together. Head Boy, Conor Ryan, with his usual poise,
made a remarkable speech and captured the true spirit of Villiers, extracts of
which are below:
"…I am in this school is because my dad wanted me to have the
same experiences as he received. He wanted me to learn how to become a man of
manner, confidence, maturity and most important of all, he wanted a son who
knew how to cook some fine rashers!
He wanted me to be someone who will give their all going through
life. He wanted me to be taught how
to think, not what to think. And so
going into first year I adopted the notion of giving everything 100%, which has
become one of the best decisions I have ever made. This idea was reinforced one
evening when Janet turned to me and said, “As with anything, you only get out
of Villiers what you put into it.” I find this very true. And there is no doubt
that there's a strong student-staff relationship which helps students make the
most of their time here in Villiers…
…It's not often that you see a teacher who is an ex-Aussie prop
forward take to the pool like a natural and play a game of bulldog against the
whole rugby team, and still manages to win. He was just too quick on his feet
and out paced us all. The fact is that we all get along with our teachers,
something which is quite special nowadays…
…Going through Villiers has happened so quickly that you really
have to cherish every day. Sometimes, you just have to stop, and take a second
to really appreciate everything that is going on around you. Whether it is Mike
and Dimitri fixing almost anything, or our newest member of staff, Sam the dog,
bringing Ms.Storey for walks and keeping her on her toes. It was only yesterday
when one member of the housekeeping staff came into Ms. Moriarty’s office with
practically no voice and refused to go home because she needed to prep the
dining hall for the Christmas Dinner. This just shows the dedication that is
shown to Villiers School…
…It could be said that Villiers is more than the sum of its
parts. Each and every one of us contributes something to make the wheel turn,
and once we do, the system functions and collectively, we drive forward to
achieve great things. In my time here, I've heard Villiers be compared to many
things, such as a clock, a wheel and even chapters of a book. But I like to
think of this school as a system of intricate gears, working collectively to
drive Villiers on. The teeth on each gear are the members of the non-teaching
staff, and what if those teeth are missing? The gear slips and the system
breaks down…
…I am privileged to be the head boy standing in front of
you with the opportunity to thank these important people in the Villiers
family. But I am very conscious that I do so on behalf of all the Villiers
students who are deeply appreciative of what each and everyone one of you do.
Now my English teacher always said I needed to include a
quotation in a speech, so I’m going to leave you with one. “Appreciation can
make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all
that is necessary.”
Tonight my job has been to put the student’s appreciation
into words, and on that,
I'd like to wish everyone an early merry Christmas and
best of luck to those of you doing exams next week.
Thank you."
