It has been a long first half of term for our boarders, some have been with us since the 17th August, an additional two weeks. But, as is our way at Burgess Hill Girls, that has given us an additional two weeks of fun! Alongside the academic curriculum, our Boarding staff have worked hard to ensure this extra long first half of term has been action packed with COVID safe activities, keeping all our boarders fit, healthy and most importantly, happy.
But that is enough information from us.
In this news we have asked all our boarders to report back on their highlights of the term so far.
Michelle, Year 11. Returning boarder.
“This is my fifth year at Burgess Hill Girls and it always feels like a second home. I feel very safe in the boarding house. All the boarding staff are fabulous and being surrounded by my friends everyday makes me feel much happier than staying at home. We have activities every weekend like going for a walk in the country and feeding the ducks. I enjoy it so much, breathing in fresh air and walking with friends always makes me feel relaxed.”
Yashi, Year 10. Returning boarder.
“Choosing whether to return to school was a really hard decision for us boarders. I still remember my first day, I felt worried because of COVID. As time went on I found out that all the worry and fear are worthless. Everyone in boarding is so positive and like a big family, we can talk and help each other whenever we feel worried. During the quarantine, Mrs Beels went to the shops for us and found our favourites food from home. This really made us feel happy and less homesick. I am so glad I came back to my big family at Burgess Hill Girls.”
Cynthia, Year 9. First time boarder.
“I’ve really enjoyed my boarding experience so far these few months, one of the most memorable experiences was the water gun fight because everybody was relaxed and wet but also enjoyed the activity as it was a distraction for us and time to spend with everybody!”
Anita, Year 9. First time boarder.
I was nervous about boarding at Burgess Hill Girls. But I have made lots of good friends and had lots of fun. The food is delicious. My favourite person is Mrs Beels, she is in charge of the boarding house and is like your mum, making you feel warm and comfortable, just like you were at home. Miss Webb, Miss Smith and Miss Scott are all really nice too.
Carissia, Year 10. Returning boarder.
“I really like the boarding life here. The staff are nice and give us lots of help when we need someone to talk to, especially when you have an argument with your friends. Due to the COVID we cannot go out to town or Brighton as much as normal, so Miss Webb and Mrs Beels always come up with new activities for us. My favourite activity this term was the bin bag fashion show. I thought this was a very strange idea but my team has so much fun designing and modelling our bin bags, and we came top and won two boxes of chocolates!”
Shelly, Jiang Year 9. Returning boarder.
“I really enjoy being part of the boarding family at Burgess Hill Girls. It is my home in the UK. Every week there are lots of new and interesting activities, my favourite activity is the messy games, everyone can relax and be themselves.”
Mariia, Year 9. Returning boarder.
“When I came back to boarding I was a little bit scared, because there are a lot of boarders and I didn’t know how it would work with all of us in one house. But the staff have kept us safe, and it has been so much fun! I thought quarantine in the boarding house for two weeks would be boring but we had so many fun activities, like decorating hedgehog houses and hiding them!”
Elaine, Year 9. First time boarder
Boarding at Burgess Hill Girls was the best decision I’ve ever made. We get to spend so much time with our friends, everyday feels like a sleepover. We also have different interesting activities every day so we never feel bored, my favorite one is the baking club on every Thursday, we learn baking with Miss Scott and share the food we bake afterwards. One of my other favourite activities was ‘a day at the pig racing’ We were given £1000 piggy pounds to place on each race as we wanted to. It was so much fun particularly when you won!