From the Senior School Captains: International Friendship Day
Tara S and Nicholas C | 2022 Senior School Captains | Grammar News | 29 July 2022
Well, it would be fair to say the past week has given both of us a bit of déjà vu. Amongst preparations for our upcoming trials, Year 12 has also been thrown a curveball coming in the form of a recent COVID resurgence which has driven us into Online Learning. Annoying? Yes, but nostalgic for sure. And as we prepared ourselves for the coming few days, we were reminded of some of the valuable lessons learned during online learning, but so quickly forgotten - most prominent of which being the value of connection and friendship.
Indeed, this Saturday is the UN-sanctioned ‘International Friendship Day’, introduced in 2011 with the idea that “friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities”. They surmise that
“Through friendship — by accumulating bonds of camaraderie and developing strong ties of trust — we can contribute to the fundamental shifts that are urgently needed to achieve lasting stability, weave a safety net that will protect us all, and generate passion for a better world where all are united for the greater good.”
In this, the UN actively recognises the irreplaceable value of friendship; not only in enriching our lives but in making the world a better place. For it is when we reach out to someone new, it is when we make the effort to understand other perspectives, it is when we extend our kindness unreservedly that our communities become closer and our lives become more meaningful.
The transformative capacities of friendship, however, are not limited to the bridges they build and the wounds they heal. Friendship, rather, occurs all around us, every day. Friendship is a kind word, a smile. Friendship is the shoulder you can cry on, the thing you can always count on to make you laugh, to help you see the good in things. Friendship is seeing another person for who they are, and appreciating every single part of them. The crucial thing that gets you through the day is different for everyone, but friendship, I think we can all agree, makes those days a whole lot better. It is our friends that we look for in sharing happy memories, it is our friends that we seek during periods of trial. Indeed, Year 12 is experiencing a whole lot of trials at the moment (get it?!), and amidst our busy days of study, study and more study - it is those moments of friendship that are cherished.
At the end of the day, it is not the grades or the accolades or the prizes that form the most important part of high school. It is the friendships - they are what you really take away when you graduate. The memories you create with your friends, all the little moments you share that make up the 13 years of our education - and indeed all the years of our life - are as irreplaceable as they are vital. So, cherish your friendships. Help them to grow by checking in with the people you care about. If you are lucky enough to have an honest and true friendship - don’t give up on it, because there are few things more valuable in life.
Until next time,
Nic and Tara.