The Waddesdon Voice

Our school magazine, the Waddesdon Voice, is published termly. It showcases our students’ achievements and their contributions to the school community and beyond. As its name suggests, the Waddesdon Voice provides a mouthpiece for our students. Each edition offers you a rich range of articles, think-pieces and reflections on how our students make a positive impact on society.

“You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.”

These words come from Maya Angelou’s famous poem, ‘Still I rise’ in which she addresses racial inequalities, oppression and deliberate deception. It is a powerful, beautiful poem which transcends pettiness and injustice by reminding us that even if we are downtrodden and dispossessed, we will rise. It is a hymn to human dignity and to hope.

Why, you may ask, however, has it come to mind for this term’s edition of the Voice? Each time we go to print, I am reminded of the optimism and promise of our young people. I am reminded how they rise to challenges, lift and inspire others. Through their creative flourishing, public speaking (in assemblies, the mock trials or the Model United Nations) and through curiosity and connection to wider opportunities, their talents shine out as their potential is unlocked.

The majority of what you are about to read here is authored by them; it is their voices you are hearing and it is their reflections on how school-life enhances and sustains them. And for that reason, it provides me with profound hope, “springing high”, when I read the Voice. I hope that is also your experience.