This time of year is always bittersweet as we prepare to send the Year 12 cohort on to the next stage of their journey. During their last few weeks, Ms Healy and I meet with all the Year 12 students in small groups, over lunch, to hear from them about their Lowther Hall experience and to discuss the aspects that they feel have been of most value to them in terms of personal development. This feedback helps to inform our planning and strategy as we review, retain or remove programs for future cohorts in order to ensure a culture of continuous improvement. This week, in one of these discussions, I was interested to hear from a Year 12 girl who had joined our school only relatively recently, part way through Senior School. Fresh eyes are a valuable asset and so I asked what she had noticed in her transition from her previous school. She reflected that the thing that struck her most was that the girls here are (for the most part) happy! Sadly, this had not been the case in her other, co-educational, school where she felt that the girls were often subject to some unkind or intimidating behaviour from their male counterparts and lacked the confidence to speak up in class or engage fully in school life. I am genuinely sad that this would be the experience for any girl in any school, but it reminded me of the value of a girls’ only education and of the important role that girls’ schools have in providing environment where young women can develop the confidence to thrive. I am sure that we are once again sending out into the adult world this year, a group of women who will be able to hold their own in their tertiary classes, workplaces and social circles. Being happy and supported at school will, I hope, equip them for a positive start on the next chapter of their lives. For those of us who remain part of the community, we can remember that the happiness we see at Lowther Hall each day as girls come in the gates, greet their friends, chat with their teachers, participate in their classes and enjoy their cocurricular activities, is not a given, but something to be treasured and celebrated! How fortunate we are to live each day in such a positive place! May it long continue!

Ms Elisabeth Rhodes
Principal