Sunday 6 May 2018

Episode III: The Week That Welcomed

Welcome: A word that resonates strongly with our boarders this week. On Friday evening, we came together as a house to welcome the 2018 Westwood House Music competition. Amidst the hype, (at times) hysteria; and the sheer individual talent on show, our boarders became part of their respective Westwood houses to compete for the annual prize. 2018 saw Disney's I Just Can't Wait to be King; Disney's The Bare Necessities; Beyonce's All The Single Ladies; and Miley Cyrus's The Best of Both Worlds, battle it out, very much in that spirit of welcome, but also togetherness:

Yuma, Sasha & Ishika ready to go!
Meanwhile, Noelina - flanked by Suruchi and Katya - is receiving some final pre-performance treatment from prefects!

Isabella and Angel welcome some time together...
...before Act 1!
Then everyone seemed to want to be King...
...before being reminded that The Bare Necessities were just as important as status!

So to compromise, Act IV campaigned for The Best of Both Worlds.
The judges appeared to agree with this compromise, naming Beckford the Champions of the 2018 Westwood House Music Competition! Their victory was a reminder to the philosophical among us that a life lived together - in pursuit of a common cause - can truly give us the best of both worlds.

Our boarders embraced the beautiful Saturday Sunshine as welcome reprieve from a generally overcast week, continuing to participate in sports fixtures and pilgrimages to food suppliers in Bath! The evening brought the established tradition of movie and pizza. This week, our boarders were welcomed to the jungle, enjoying the sequel (yet standalone film) to the 1995 classic: Jumanji.

Image result for jumanji

Sunday: Another beautiful day brought with it a welcome opportunity for our boarders to come together with the rest of our boarding community, by participating in the Boarder's Residential Walk. In support of the wonderful charity Hope for Homes, Westwood boarders joined forces with families, friends and others in the Kingswood community to traverse the serene heights of the Bath hills and countryside. They soaked up the sunshine and clearly welcomed the chance to take time out of a continually busy schedule to simply be:

And we're off!

Simply beautiful!
 


"Do not go where the path may lead...
...go instead where there is no path, and leave a trail." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Half way point...time for a group shot!
...before the voyage home!
 


The beautiful countryside rolls on...
 


...before our final descent back to school.
And thus it was writ: The Week that Welcomed now bids us farewell. Our minds must, of course, turn to new challenges and experiences as we enter Week 4 and - as I write - I feel confident that, although what lies before us is ultimately unforeseen, we will welcome each day together, nonetheless.