The first few weeks of Year 7 are always a memorable part of an OHS girl’s school journey. With so much to learn and discover, and so many new friends to make, it’s unsurprisingly an exciting and busy time! Now that we have almost four weeks of the new year under our belt, we decided to catch up with a couple of our Year 7 girls, Luli and Saijayani, to find out how OHS life is treating them so far.
So, how have your first few weeks of Year 7 been?
Luli: They’ve been really good. My first impression was that the school is really big, especially in comparison to my primary school. But everyone has been really kind and welcoming.
Did you know anyone else in your year when you started?
Saijayani: Yes – I went to the Prep School, so a lot of girls in my class came over to the Senior School with me. It was nice to have so many familiar faces around!
Luli: I knew one other Year 7 – Sarah, in my class. She went to the same primary school as me, St Ebbe’s, but then left to go to the Prep School for Year 6. But even though I didn’t know many people, I’ve made lots of new friends already.
What are you enjoying the most so far?
Luli: I really like the variety of subjects. Some of them are completely new to me, like Mandarin and Latin. I’m also really enjoying the Science lessons. Obviously, I did Science at primary school, but it’s so different here – there’s so many facilities and we get to do experiments in the lab.
Is there anything that’s been particularly memorable from your first 4 weeks?
Luli: The most memorable thing was probably our last Science lesson, which involved watching Miss Berry dissect the liver and eye of a sheep. We watched it on an ENORMOUS screen – it was quite disgusting really…
Saijayani: …but also really cool!
Do you have a favourite subject?
Saijayani: I like Maths. I think it’s cool that there’s so many different aspects to it, and so much you can do. It’s also satisfying being able to solve a problem and have an answer to show at the end of it.
Luli: For me, it’s Science. I really enjoy the experiments and being in the lab.
Is there any piece of work or project that you’ve particularly enjoyed so far?
Saijayani: We’re doing a really cool project in Science at the moment which is to make a model cell. You can choose how to make it, so I’ve decided that I’m going to make a cake and decorate it so that it looks like a cell.
Luli: I did the same thing! My friend Sarah and I made a ‘carrot cake cell’. I’ve already eaten my half of it…
The most memorable thing was probably our last Science lesson, which involved watching Miss Berry dissect the liver and eye of a sheep.
Looking forward, what are you most excited about for your time at the Senior School?
Saijayani: Definitely the trips!
Luli: Yes, same here. In my buddy letter, they told me all about the trips that we can go on, as well as the shows and plays that are put on at the school.
Tell me about the buddy letter you mentioned – what is that?
Luli: Anyone joining the school at Year 7 gets a letter from a buddy, who will now be in Year 8 but was in Year 7 when they wrote the letter. They tell you all about what the school is like (the lessons, the clubs…) and give you an idea of what to expect when you join. I received mine in the summer holidays, and it definitely made me feel a lot more relaxed about starting a new school.
Saijayani: As I went to the Prep School, I didn’t get a buddy letter. But I do have an older sister, Prashanti, who is in the Sixth Form. She knows the school really well and told me all about it, which was really reassuring.
How different are you finding Year 7 to Year 6?
Saijayani: It’s hard to say. Because of COVID, everything is different at the moment so it’s quite hard to compare. There is more homework, though!
Are you planning on getting involved in any extra-curricular activities?
Saijayani: I haven’t decided yet, but I think choir is starting soon so I might give that a go.
Luli: I’m really keen to try netball and football – they’re both starting in the next few days.
If you had one piece of advice for new Year 7s starting next year, what would it be?
Luli: I would say not to worry too much. When I started, I was quite worried about getting something wrong or missing something, but when you get here you realise that all the teachers are really nice, and your class is really nice, so there isn’t anything to worry about!
