La Rochelle Yearbook 2022

F A R EWE L L , L A RO C H E L L E

Message from the Deputy Head Girl

Milan Horn

On 22 Sep t ember 2021 , I was e l ec t ed t o be t he Depu t y Head Gi r l o f La Roche l l e Gi r l s ’ Hi gh Schoo l . When I was g i ven t he t ask o f be i ng a head l eader , o f a l l t he t h i ngs t ha t

friends you make at high school, will be friends you have forever.” I know he said it to help me, but all I could think was, “Fine, Dad, if you say so, but do not come with your wise guy act here with me!” To my surprise, he was actually right. I did not yet have the understanding to realise that a lifetime’s worth of friendship takes a little more than one day to achieve. I would like to share something beautiful with you regarding friendship. “ Platonic love is my favourite of them all. To see a person, get to know them, and choose to walk the path of life together. Not because you must. Not because you desire each other, but because you truly admire them, to the core of their being. I have never felt more cared for, more seen, more loved, than when I am with my dearest friends. ” Friends are such an important aspect of life. They have the ability either to take you to greatness or drag you down to the darkest places you have ever known. But the decision of who the supporting characters in your story are, is entirely up to you. Surround yourself with those who contribute to your character development for the better. Do not sacrifice your happy ending for a few scenes of popularity and adrenalin. High school has taught me that time is not your friend. In fact, time tends to be sadistic. It enjoys reminding

cou l d have gone t hrough my mi nd , I t hough t , “Wha t am I go i ng t o say a t Va l ed i c t ory? ” Probab l y no t wha t I shou l d have been t h i nk i ng abou t ! Bu t , here we are . We have surv i ved t he year . The truth is, that this speech has been in the making for the past five years. I used to think that ‘Paarl’ in Afrikaans was spelt with a kappie on the ‘e’ as in ‘ Pêrel Sport ,’ but, luckily, five years allow for time to change, learn, and grow. I might end high school the same way I started it … crying! That is right. I cried my way home on the first day of school, because I felt like an outsider who did not belong and did not make any friends. My family had just moved down from Pretoria and I wanted nothing more than just to go home to the world I knew. It was obvious that with that attitude I was not going to make it very far and so my father used to say, “The

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