La Rochelle Yearbook 2025

BOODSKAP VAN DIE HOOFMEISIE

My hockey team and the water guns we took everywhere. I will not miss the bleep tests, but I most definitely will miss all of you; the Con Spirito and our pre-practice mashups, vlogs or laughs on stage; Ignite and getting to take a moment of peace in a busy week with my group; my Daisies, Holly and Livia – somehow it feels as if I have learnt more from you than you have from me. Thank you for all the visits, letters and gifts. The two of you were an absolute blessing to me this year. The coaches and teachers whose effort and passion inspire us: Thank you for sometimes pretending not to see us on our phones. Ms Bothma – I think some of us are still recovering from the PTSD of the feeling just before a class with you in Grade 9. Thank you for the random songs you would play and for never allowing us to foget y=mx+c. I am going to dream about your Sunday meals and braaibroodjies ; Mrs Naude, my constant supporter. I cannot explain how much you mean to me and how much the SC and I appreciate all of your guidance and care. It is an honour to form part of your lasts; Ms Nel – this one is extra difficult. Thank you for being so much more than just a teacher – for being our director, mentor and our role model. For creating a space where we could be loud, vulnerable and real. I am so so grateful for all the time I could spend learning from you. To the Student Council of 2026: Through the obstacles waiting ahead, remember why you started and continue to lead with love; to the Student Council of 2025 – despite all the dirty mugs in the sink – you were the best team for which I could have asked. I love all of you. Frikkies, Corin and Tinette: I cannot wait to see what you accomplish next year and have no doubt that your bond will continue to flourish. Do not forget to lean on God. Mom, Dad: Thank you for being my built-in mentors and exposing me to the pillars and values that have shaped me. Every little note, text and call meant the world to me. I cannot do justice in my attempt to show how grateful I am for you. Lael: You were the first person I sat next to at our Grade 8 Orientation and now here we are – numerous late-night calls, meetings, outbursts and laughs later. You have seen me at my best and worst and stuck by my side through it all. Those sandwiches at the SGB Meetings did not stand a chance with us. I started high school sitting next you and started my Head Girl journey holding your hand. Today I want to end my high school career in the same way – next to you, holding your hand. There is no other person with whom I would have wanted to lead. The days are long, but the years are short, so do not waste a single day! I ask myself if I have followed my own advice and I do not think I can claim to have. Looking back on high school, I

realise there were so many things I wanted to do – but did not do. In Grade 8, I went to a grand total of two piano lessons. I cried at both. After that, I told my mom there was no way I was ever going back. The truth is, I was not scared of the piano – I was scared of what the teacher might think of me. I let that fear make decisions for me. I told myself I would pick it up later, that there was time. But time does not wait for anybody. I think especially as high schoolers, it is so easy to let other people’s opinions dictate our actions. We worry about fitting in, about not standing out too much, and about what others might think if we step outside the box. It almost becomes second nature to hold ourselves back – whether when it is not raising our hand in class, not auditioning for something, or not being completely ourselves. But 25 years from now, we will not remember the moments we remained quiet. We will remember the moments we took a chance; the times we stepped outside our comfort zone, even when it was terrifying. So, wherever life takes you next year, do not let other people’s opinions decide who you become. The fear of judgment will always be there, but at the end of the day, you are the one who has to live with the decisions you make, or the ones you are too scared to make. We have been given a clean slate, another chance to start afresh. So, become involved. Try something new. Take the risk. Do not hold back just because you are worried about what others might think. Because if there is one thing high school has taught me, it is that time moves far too quickly to live for someone else’s approval. Be unapologetically, authentically, and wholeheartedly yourself and do not waste a single day! To secure our tradition, Matrics, let us dab on 3: 1, 2, 3, Dab. As we turn the page and step into the next chapter of our lives, may we carry the essence of La Rochelle with us: the laughter echoing down the corridors; the lessons that have shaped us and the friendships that have become home. May we continue to move through the world with courage, with grace and with the confidence this school has instilled in us. Wherever life leads us, may we never forget where it all began; the classrooms that built us; the people who believed in us and the moments that reminded us who we are. Even though our time here is ending, the spirit of La Rochelle will always be part of who we have become. En Avant ! Claire le Roux

Hoër Meisieskool La Rochelle | Girls’ High School | 27