House Dinner

In Concord, the House Dinners are held annually and are a chance for students and staff to gather as a ‘house’ to have dinner and bond.

Gandhi:

The Gandhi Dinner was amazing, as always. It’s just great to see so many people working together towards the same goal. It was like coming back to family. Everyone was happy, the food was fantastic and it set the right tone for the upcoming year with everyone. Unlike other houses, Gandhi did not have any performances during the dinner. We focussed on building up connections between the returning and new students. We had a quiz to match the Prefects to their given facts as the dinner went on, and that really helped many people open up and get to know one another.

Michael – 6.2

Pankhurst:

Like other social events, the House Dinner embodies values of the community and diversity. Having experienced it for 4 years as a member of Pankhurst, approaching it from an organiser’s perspective has taught me two lessons I’d like to relay to my younger self – if a time machine is ever invented. Firstly, the amount of consideration and commitment put in by Prefects is easily hidden as you arrive with everything laid out beforehand – but even the smallest details are performed with a purpose. Show immense gratitude to the seniors and the staff for trying to create the best experience for you. Secondly, the seniors aren’t as intimidating as you think they are. There is no reason to place unnecessary pressure on the impression you make with the ‘wiser’ ones amongst us. They only want to make you feel comfortable and see your beauty in its raw form, not to judge you for a single embarrassing word. Every story has multiple perspectives, and this event is no exception. Although these pieces of information may seem obvious to some, experiencing it as a reality is truly something else.

Mia – 6.2

Teresa:

The Teresa House Dinner is always an annual celebration of blue, student talent, laughs, and what it means to be part of the Teresa family. As students enjoyed their food, the Prefects’ seating arrangements helped everyone to make new friends and catch up with old pals. Everyone, of course, had a good laugh at figuring out how well Teresa House Prefects have aged according to their baby photos. And by matching facts to the right Prefects, we were able to learn so much more about the diversity of our friends. The dinner was filled with impressive piano playing, voices of our home-grown Teresa talent, and even an upbeat Korean song. There was the yearly ‘murder mystery’ to solve and the sharing of desserts (since we were unfortunately not allowed to take three at once ha-ha). In all, the Teresa House Dinner was a reminder of the fun-loving house where we have made so many friends.

 Leah – 6.2

Mandela:

The Mandela House Dinner was yet again another amazing opportunity to bring staff and students of this great house under one roof. The dinner kicked off with an opening address by Mr. Rawlinson, the Head of Mandela House, followed by wonderful performances by students, Jamus and Chloe. In addition, the Prefect quiz which was put together by the Mandela Prefects made the evening even more exciting and captivating. As the saying goes, “All good things must come to an end”. The evening was brought to a beautiful end with the song Frozen by Sabrina, sung by Alisar.

 Antoinette – 6.2

House Dinners

‘Social identity theory’ explains that humans like to gather together to experience unity, and nurture common values and aims. Last week in Concord can be described as such celebration of community, as we all participated in our House Dinners.

In Concord, there are 4 houses to which students are assigned: Gandhi, Mandela, Pankhurst and Teresa. Between Monday and Thursday, members of each House spent one fine evening in the company of the Head of House, House Captains (student girl and boy who represents the community), teachers, and last but not least, great food.

Every evening started with appreciation of the dining hall which for one night was sunk in the colour of each House (Gandhi-yellow, Mandela-green, Pankhurst-red, Teresa-blue) which was caused both by accessories and emblems, as well as by students’ clothes. Then we all listened to the speech of the Head of House about our House values, what it means to be responsible for others and the upcoming House events (such as House Arts). We also had a good time enjoying our meals and getting to know peers sitting around us. To make it easier for new students, Prefects prepared games such as finding the person who speaks the most languages or the students who have birthdays on the same day. Finally, we listened to House Captains, who introduced us to the house plans for the upcoming terms from the students’ perspective.

Yet most importantly, directing their words to younger students, they stressed that they really have been in the same situation before-when nothing seems to be certain-and they ensured them that this time passes away as we settle in Concord and strengthen our friendships. Overall House Dinner week was a warm time – reassuring us that we are not alone and that we have even more power as a community.

Kate Rudzka 6.2