As I write this, Leaver’s Week is upon us, and,whether you started back in the Prep, Year 7 or joined for Sixth Form, I think I speak for all
of Year 13 when I say it’s a strange experience going through all the “lasts”.

With Thursday marking my last ever school lessons, last chapel service (with a rousing rendition of Jerusalem to mark the occasion) and last activity afternoon (this being my last article), it’s now my turn to honour the “Occasional” tradition of reflecting on my time at the school and in the journalism team. What springs to mind most is how much the school has physically changed over my time here: the dining hall and sixth form centre have both seen redesigns, and the music corridor that existed back when I started in Year 7 has been replaced with the new state of- the-art Britten Faculty of Music, all of which I have had the privilege of benefitting from these last couple of years.

Reading back through past Occasional articles also reminded me how much has changed beyond the school; my first article back in 2014 was a big question betting on the name of the first royal baby, which of course has now been followed by two more, and a royal wedding just last week. I also discovered a large number of articles I wrote on the Great British Bake Off (before the Channel 4 thing happened; we
miss you Mary, Mel and Sue), which used to conveniently air on Wednesday night, perfectly timed for me to celebrate or commiserate the following day depending on who had been eliminated. More recently, I've had the pleasure of interviewing Escape to the Country's Jules
Hudson, writing the front page review of the Snape Maltings concert, and a personal highlight, reporting back on the Classics trip to Rome, of which there were many amusing anecdotes.

Thank you to Mrs Bryan and Madame Cliffe for many enjoyable Thursday afternoons, that after four years have become part of my routine. It's been a pleasure!

Written by Gabrielle Cracknell, Year 13 Leaver