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Who was St Andrew and what did he stand for?

My quote of the week comes from Caspar Grathwohl, the president of the Oxford Dictionaries, who said, “I’ve never witnessed a year in language like the one we’ve just had… It’s both unprecedented and a little ironic – in a year that has left us speechless, 2020 has been filled with new words unlike any other.”
 
The word pandemic, though not new, has increased in usage by more than 57,000% this year. And it feels like I have quoted it 57,000 times in the last week alone with my various missives updating you on the ever more complex challenges. At times it has felt like my advent calendar has arrived early as I find myself asking: what will today bring? However, through the courage and valour of my colleagues, plus the support and good sense of everyone in our community, the difficult decisions have been made easier and we are still smiling, grateful for the knowledge that this will pass and we will get back to ‘normal’ in the new year.
 
The word valour is quite difficult to define yet it is inextricably linked to our school because of St Andrew. His name translates to ‘manly valour’ and it is his courage and bravery, and association with the sea, that drove the first headmaster to name the school after him. Valour is often connected to heroic acts in battle; military medals are awarded for it. But bravery and courage can take many other forms too. St Andrew was an ordinary man and some would say he never did anything ‘outstanding’. But what he did do was to put faith and trust in others and he stood up for what he believed in. This takes courage!
 
For us it should be no different. We might sometimes think that we are not important and that we are incapable of achieving something but if we put our faith in others to help us then we can achieve great things. For today’s Androvians then, my message is simple: be bold, be brave, trust one another and stand up for what you believe in.
 
Although Monday is officially St Andrew’s Day, our celebrations today have been their usual cocktail of madcap merriment and frivolous fun – only with a little more social distance and ‘bubbling’. The Juniors entertained us in the hat parade this year but we hope to see the Pre-Prep efforts next week. The Year 8s did a fabulous job of devising a variety of games for the rest of the school and this year had to contend with the added complication of year groups operating separately. The afternoon show was not live sadly but it was still a wonderful effort from many people and I would like to say thank you to Mrs Shephard, Mr Shouksmith, Mr Cousins, Mrs Radley and the gappies in particular for all their efforts. Superb!
 
Well done too to Mrs Adams and the Drama Masterclass group who have been filming scenes from A Christmas Carol this week. With the planned production scuppered, this was a novel experience for the young actors and actresses and one which they thoroughly enjoyed. I cannot wait to see the finished piece.
 
Tomorrow should have been the Advent Fair which now cannot happen but our activities programme will be running as normal. Have a good weekend everyone!