La Rochelle Yearbook 2025

ACADEMIC PRESTIGE AWARDS EVENING

GRAAD 12 TOP 10

GRAAD 12

Like many of you, I have been attending the Academic Prestige Evening since Grade 8. Every year, when the Dux walked up to give her speech, I always had one question at the forefront of my mind: ‘How did she do it?’. Now, I could tell you exactly what I did. I could tell you how incredibly hard I worked, and how many sacrifices I made. I could tell you about the nights where melatonin was the only thing that could get me to sleep or the detailed time-tables I used to juggle my studies, extra-murals and competitions. I could explain that I studied applied subjects like Maths and Science by summarising and studying my mistakes and working through past papers, whereas for theory subjects like Biology I read the entire textbook out loud the day before the exam. For the most part, the advice that I would give is similar to what you’ve heard before. Practise, set up a schedule, don’t waste time, start studying early, get enough sleep and ask questions if you don’t understand. The crux of the matter is that my exact study method or approach to things is not what this speech should be about. Not only was my way of doing things far from perfect, but my unique approach is highly unlikely to suit every individual in this room. I could never watch Netflix while doing Maths like Zoë, or crochet while studying like Iris did. After big exams, I spent my afternoon recreating historical buildings in The Sims using Google Maps, floor plans found online, and museum websites. It isn’t what I did that is important. It’s why . I always say that your preparation for matric starts on the first day of school. For most, that would be the start of grade 11 or 12, but for me, the journey began on the first day of Grade 8. My years in primary school were by far the toughest, most isolating years of my life. I never wanted to feel that way again, so when I came to La Rochelle, I promised myself that this would be a fresh start. There were naturally a few hurdles, but I made the most out of every day. For the first time in my life, I was truly happy. I started to enjoy school, and to my utter surprise, came fifth in the grade in the first term of grade 8, moving up to first by the end of that year.

What made my dedication and diligence regarding my schoolwork sustainable was not willpower or ambition. I am a firm believer that my success came from my enjoyment of school and of learning. When I had the time, I did what I loved, be it singing, reading, or creating something new. When I worked, I made it enjoyable for myself by writing with fountain pens at an antique desk and using sparkly inks for my Maths notes. There were still rough times, especially during exams, but enjoying regular school days meant I wasn’t as worn out by the time exams rolled around, and I had already absorbed the content in class, making studying much easier. If you go about your day seeing school as a chore, you will exhaust yourself. I encourage you to try every day to see the world a little bit differently. Instead of shuffling from class to class, lift your face toward the sun. Feel the breeze, the wind, the rain. Enjoy the little things and keep a positive mindset, because in the long run, when you feel broken and raw at the edges, something as insignificant as the next chapter of the book you are reading or the glitter on your hands after dragging yourself through Maths notes can be the last push you needed to keep going. There is so much more to this world than we allow time for. If you let yourself enjoy the journey instead of fixating on the destination, the road there will be far easier to travel. In the wise words of composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim: ‘Though it’s fearful, though it’s deep, though it’s dark and though you may lose the path, though you may encounter wolves … There are always wolves. There are always spells, or a giant dwells there, so into the woods you go again. You have to every now and then. Into the woods, no telling when, be ready for the journey.’ Thank you Erin Meyer (Dux 2024)

60 | Hoër Meisieskool La Rochelle | Girls’ High School