Legacy and Leadership: A conversation with Berkhamsted’s new Head Girl and Head Boy  

With the start of Michaelmas term now in full swing, we catch up with Alice S and Bruno A, Berkhamsted’s new Head Girl and Head Boy. We hear about their plans for the year, their takeaways from the position so far, and what they value in a leadership role.  

Both Alice and Bruno joined Berkhamsted Prep from schools overseas, from Australia and the USA respectively. Reflecting on his experience, Bruno describes how his nerves at moving to a new country were eased by the ‘really accepting’ school community. For Alice, the ‘incredible’ opportunities that Berkhamsted offered were worlds away from her previous school: ‘I feel so privileged to go here’, she says.  

Now in Berkhamsted Sixth, the pairs’ responsibilities as Head Girl and Head Boy are driven by a profound belief in Serving Others. ‘Part of the reason I applied was wanting to give back to the school’, Bruno says. He describes his proposal for a ‘buddy system’, which would see Year 12s tutor Year 11s during their lunch break. ‘We’ve been speaking a lot about legacy. How are we going to impact the school positively, not just for ourselves, but for future years?’ 

Alice similarly decided to apply for the role with a view to benefitting other students: ‘I wanted to encourage my peers to try everything’. Hoping to inspire engagement with Berkhamsted’s extra-curricular opportunities, Alice describes the School’s ethos as ‘if you want to do it, do it’. She also stresses the importance of interacting with other year groups and meeting new people through extra-curricular engagement.  

Half a term into their new roles, the pair are enjoying being part of a wider team of legacy-makers. ‘It’s really weird to be looking from the other side of the window and seeing the inner workings of the school’, Bruno says. ‘You’ll be talking about something in meetings, and then a few weeks later you’ll see it happening in school and think – wow, I knew about that!’  

The knowledge and perspective that this role offers reflects the process of working in a real-world environment – something that Alice finds particularly enlightening. ‘It’s obvious that change doesn’t happen quickly’, she says, drawing on an image used by a senior member of staff. ‘It’s like turning a large ship. You’ve got the motivation and the morale; it’s just getting it all moving. There’s a lot of different parts which work together’.  

As role models to the lower years, the pair reflect on what makes a good leader. For both, leadership is relationship-based and collaborative, centred around listening to others rather than taking an individual approach. ‘I remember a teacher telling us in Year 8 that in order to be a good leader you have to be a good follower’, Bruno says, ‘so that’s the thing I try to embody’. 

‘Empathy as well’, Alice adds. ‘You can never know other people’s personal situations just by looking at them’. 

So what does the future look like for our young leaders? Bruno admits that at the start of Year 12 he felt ‘really unsure’ about whether he wanted to pursue his interest in computer science at university or with a degree apprenticeship. However, after meeting with the careers department, he feels ‘very confident’ that he wants to go to university. 

Alice similarly faced some uncertainty: ‘I’m really hoping to be a dentist, which does require going to university. I’m not a triple A* academic student, so dentistry is a highly ambitious goal’. On the advice of the careers department, she is planning on taking a gap year before embarking on her ambitious adventure. 

With both our Head Girl and Head Boy Aiming High, they are keen to stress the importance of taking risks, even if they don’t always succeed. ‘Mistakes are okay’, Alice says. ‘That’s something I’ve learned from this role and throughout my time here. Mistakes are a learning curve, not a failure’. 

‘Never treat something as a failure or as a loss’, Bruno adds. ‘Always look on the positive side and wonder – how can I improve from this? How can I better other people from this experience?’  

Congratulations to Alice and Bruno for their appointment in these roles. We cannot wait to see the legacy that they leave!  

If you’d like to learn more about the student initiatives and leadership opportunities we have at Berkhamsted Sixth, please come along to our Open Event on September 27 – booking is essential.