Year One (2018/19)
I began my first year at Sligo Sudbury at age 11, after having been homeschooled since I was six. As someone who spent most of their time at home and outdoors, I didn't have a huge amount of close friends. One thing I remember well about my first year at Sudbury was the new experience of having a friend group. Even in just the first few months, I definitely learned a huge amount about social skills in a group setting, and how different people act and behave in different social settings. Many of these experiences were new to me at the time, and served as huge learning for 11 year old me.
In my first year I also took on the role of School Meeting Chair, which entailed chairing the school meeting twice a week for the duration of the school year. This experience is one that I value very much, as I am certain that it taught me very well how to manage and interact with people in a meeting, how to propose and manage ideas being brought to the table, and how to make decisions in a democratic way.
Year Two (2019/20)
At the beginning of my second year, I suddenly felt the need to "study", because I was almost 13, and was at the age of "first year" in mainstream schools". I tried to take on multiple subjects all at once, and kept up a strict routine for about three weeks, before my friends, and my own attention span, distracted me away from my studies. I straight away took on a different project though, and wrote, filmed, and edited a film with my friends at school. This project certainly taught me great things about project management and how to get the best out of people, which at times, was difficult.
Halfway through the second school term however, Covid 19 hit, and school closed for the remainder of the year. I did continue chairing School Meeting on Zoom, which also taught and improved my management skills.
This school year for me was quite a turning point, I had reached a certain age, and a larger friend group was starting to emerge at school. It was a very social school year, and definitely included a lot of personal growth as a young teen. During this year, I kept up the role of school meeting chairperson. It was also during this year that I worked on a large scale project of filming and organising a school promotional video. I had the help of staff, but I did a large amount of the work, especially editing the film. This was a very extensive project, and working to a tight deadline was very stressful at times. I learned a huge amount about project, time, and work management. Projects like these definitely stand out when remembering certain school years, and it's because of the great learning and experience I gained from them.
Year Four (2021/22)
My fourth year in school felt like a real continuation of my third. The larger friend group was forming and developing, and different dynamics between people were emerging. I experienced a lot of personal growth during this year, especially in the social aspect. During this year I started a rock band with my friends, which was a fantastic pathway for me to discover and experience performing on stage. It was a very eventful year for me in many regards, and I definitely grew and matured as a person a huge amount. I continued being chairperson of the school meeting during this year, however, it was my final year as chair.
Year Five (2022/23)
My penultimate year at school, not unlike the previous, was full of growth. I think one of the main things that made this year such a turning point was the IGCSE exams that I spent all year studying towards. I studied with a fellow student who I maybe wouldn't have spent so much time with otherwise, and it helped me to create new and different connections with people, which were based more on common interests, rather than just social friends. Studying for these exams involved a great deal of dedication and commitment, and the experience of this was vital to my decision to take A levels. During this year I also realised my passion for jazz music and completed the mental transition to a "jazz trumpeter" rather than a "metal singer". This, combined with the time spent studying, was very important in my own self reflection and realisation of who I am.
Year Six (2023/24)
My final year. When I started the year in September, I didn't know that it would be my last. But due to how my life progressed inside and outside of school, it feels right to move on now. I began the year studying two A levels in Music and Thinking Skills. I am studying Music with an external conservatory by distance learning, and am being supported with Thinking Skills by Sudbury staff. During this last year, I have joined a drama group at school with the goal of performing a Shakespearean play at the end of the year.
In this penultimate year, I feel like I have developed real clarity on what I want to do, and gained important confidence in how to go about achieving my goals.