17th May 2024
Dear Michael Hall Community,
For our students in Classes 10 and 12 the National GCSE and A-level examinations are now fully underway. Each student is tested on an individual basis and this can be experienced by them as quite a lonely time due to the focus being placed so strongly on the academic side of our education. The Guardians of both classes are holding the groups with real awareness and understanding, whilst the running of the exams, organised by our Examination Coordinators, Emily Worth and Alex Gearing, is carried out with a great deal of additional care.
In the midst of this we will be acknowledging Whitsun on Sunday 19th May when, on Monday morning, the school celebrates this festival in the theatre.
Whitsun, or Pentecost, is celebrated on the 7th Sunday (50 days) after Easter; 10 days after Ascension. It is the festival with which Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit being the third part of the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Pentecost comes from a Jewish harvest festival called Shavuat. The apostles were celebrating this festival when the Holy Spirit descended on them. It sounded like a strong wind and it looked like tongues of fire. The apostles then found themselves speaking in foreign languages, inspired by the Holy Spirit, yet still being able to understand each other.
In paintings, the white dove is often the symbol for the Holy Spirit. This is the reason why we dress in white and some children learn to make doves in preparation for the festival. One can also create a ring of 12 white candles and light them as a representation of the 12 apostles. Often, we hear the same text spoken in different languages on our stage; languages which live in our school community through our pupils and students. It is an extraordinary experience and we finish with a song created by our former Music teacher, Nick Prater, where each class sings in a language reflecting their curriculum: English for Class 1, Gaelic for Class 2, Hebrew, Swedish, Greek, Latin, French, Maori and Xhosa from South Africa, all brought together in one cohesive whole. It is a towering experience.
Happy Whitsun!
Michaela Devaris-Halla
Upper School Assistant Principal
