News from Elise Nolan (1998-2010)
I can hardly believe that it has been five years
since I left Peterborough High School. So
much has happened in that (seemingly) short
space of time. The Peterborough School
(as it is now) has welcomed male students
into the senior school, gained an impressive
new sports facility, and improved security with
the addition of gates at the top of the
drive. Meanwhile, I have managed to gain a
degree, begin my first full-time job, and have
moved away from Cambridgeshire.
Let me take you back to my first day at
Peterborough High School. At six years old
I joined P3 (Year 2) with Mrs Burrell as my
teacher; the uniform hasn’t changed all that
much since then. That morning, my mum
wrapped me up in her old school scarf
(having been a pupil and former Head Girl
of the then Westwood House), I put on
my brown leather shoes (a tradition that,
thankfully, ended; smart, brown shoes are a
nightmare to find) and placed my green
bowler hat proudly on my head for my first
day at school (an item which I have kept and
treasure dearly).
When I think of the ‘old days’ at PHS, a
number of memories spring to mind:
Mrs Storey (my first Headmistress) walking
her little dog ‘Friday’ through the Prep
Department to her office most mornings;
having to wear red jumpers for every formal
occasion, whilst the preferred option of
students was definitely green; spending
two to four hours rehearsing how to walk on
and off stage for the Carol Concert and
Speech Day; buns at first break; Miss Facey
and her ‘meat pies’; toast and ‘Jeremy Kyle’
in the Sixth Form Common Room; games
of ‘Guess Who’ in the Boarding House
Common Room when we were definitely
meant to be revising for our A Levels; and
finally, the fact that in the senior school
we were all girls.
Ready for my first day of school! – September 1998
Graduation day – July 2014
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