Looking back on a fortnight which began with the celebration of OHS’s 144th birthday and which ended with interviews for Year 7 admissions, I am struck by the idea that the school embraces invisible communities as well as the thoughts, words and actions of all of us at school in the here and now.
In our Birthday Assembly, we celebrated the contribution of that invisible community consisting of all those students and staff from the past who have shaped the school we know today. Many of them went on from OHS to build distinguished careers in a huge array of fields and it is a constant source of pleasure and inspiration to us that many of our living Alumnae and past staff continue to remain in touch and offer their expertise and wisdom to current students.
At our Admissions Days last Friday and Saturday, we began the vital work of identifying the Year 7s who will join us in September. Among the girls we welcomed into school on those days, who were full of excitement and curiosity (as well as a few nerves, of course), will be those who will join another invisible community – the next generation of OHS senior students. For this generation, I reminded my audience in Tuesday’s Assembly, the OHS they will experience will be shaped by the students and staff in the building now. Past, present and future interlock in a complex weave of memories and hopes, values and experiences. This is something to be cherished.
