Baker’s Beacon Blog – Week 34

Dear Parents,

Thank you for all of your generous donations to what was an unforgettable weekend en route to Paris.  The Beacon Peloton strode confidently out of the Quad last Friday and made our mid-morning and lunch stops in good time and full fitness.  Then as the weather turned, a southern headwind blew violently into our faces and a series of punctures and mechanicals held up progress…to the extent that we all made the 5pm ferry with moments to spare.  Never has there been such emotion after a long bike ride, but it only added to the shared experience and bonded the group yet further as we embarked on the second leg through northern France on Saturday.  More headwinds, tired legs and even more mechanicals endured but we all made it, just after 6pm to the foot of the Eiffel Tower before a celebratory dinner.  A superb weekend and the very best example of everything that is great about this school: ambition and determination embraced with good humour and the best company…let’s do it all again next year!

A real sense of FOMO these past few days as everyone has been telling me how amazing the Year 8 production of ‘The Revengers’ is and I won’t get to see it until tonight.  As you all know, we have an excellent theatre here with retractable seats and full lighting rig but as typifies this school, we always like to push the boundaries and change things up and so this year’s is ‘in the round’ with a completely different structure and aspect.  “Doesn’t this make things just way too complicated?” I asked Bex Livermore some months ago.  She shrugged and replied, “Yep” and has proceeded to put on what I’ve heard is a truly incredible school production.  My thanks and admiration to her, Karl Leutfeld, Anthony Mackey, the team of parent helpers and of course, our immensely talented Year 8 boys who have taken that Beacon School dramatic bar and raised it a stage further than one could ever imagine.

And lastly, thank you to the many of you who have emailed or spoken to me asking after Patrick and Joseph’s A Level and GCSE experiences this year – it is clear that there are many of us in the same boat.  Joseph finished last Friday and Patrick yesterday – they both felt that some went better than others but as I said to them, exams are not written to be easy; if you find them difficult then that is perfectly normal.  We await the results in August but as Brigid and I have said to them both, we are proud of how hard they have worked and that they could do no more, their results will not define them as people.  Patrick is off to Malia in Crete next week with a big group of friends…I’m more nervous about that than all of his exams put together….

Have a good weekend,

Nick Baker

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