Page 21 - The Gonzaga Record 2004
P. 21
ond most important teams in rugby, chess and cricket amongst others, and then we
got to sit the second most important exam in the school. It was an extremely stress
ful experience for us in what was otherwise a completely careless existence.
There have often been disagreements and confrontations. We haven’t been the
best of friends throughout our time here. I bet if we were to look around us tonight
we’d hardly find many with whom we’ve never exchanged unkind words, or to
whom we’ve never done some kind of disservice. But what I find most impressive
about the year is our ability to deal with these kinds of upsets. Whenever there has
been conflict the injured party would generally sulk for a day or two, and soon
enough the apology would come, sometimes explicit but more usually implicit in
some act, and the people involved would just get on with things.
Maroon-jumpered fourth year came, and with it new confidence in our position
in the school. We were senior students. Free from the pressure of a looming exam,
we took full advantage of the alternative modes of education offered to us, from
work experience to public works, social outreach to producing films in Irish. This
was a year of change in our class. Five of the original members were by now gone,
and we had been joined by several new faces, some permanently and some tempo
rary. The old institutions of our year fell, namely 3A, 3C and the fondly remem
bered 3S. Attempts to preserve these through representative football teams in
fourth year were honourable enterprises but inevitably they went the way of histo
ry. They were replaced by 4A, 4C and the last-ever, and probably the best-ever, 4S.
The year formed along these lines, recognisable from its earlier incarnation but
with a new sense of unity. Gartan was to be our finest hour yet, and will still be
some people’s best memory of their time here.
The last two years of our time here have been something of a blur. Time man
agement became a relevant skill as we tried to balance our time between studies and
social lives, and it’s a cruel fact of reality that parties have got bigger and better as
we’ve come closer and closer to more important exams. Fifth year didn’t begin too
promisingly, all the careless joys of fourth year gone. We were expected to work.
Three hours a night became the common phrase from teachers. Some of us com
plied; most held out for an alternative. It came in the shape of an old friend - the
Opera. But this time it was to be our opera. We would get the parts, we would
form the chorus, and we would build the sets. There is something unique in pro
ducing a show that united people towards a common goal if nothing else, and so
it was with the opera. For the first time there was an opportunity for the whole year
to work together to produce something we could be proud of and something we
could enjoy. The cast and chorus learnt their lines and practiced their songs to give
three amazing performances, and the stage crew worked similarly - to the sound of
the Beach Boys - to bring a very impressive set to reality. This time was probably
our best in Gonzaga. Young enough not to see future exams as any sort of threat
yet, and still old enough to have matured as a year and to be able to take on own
ership of a project. We were justified in celebrating that night not just a successful
Page 19
got to sit the second most important exam in the school. It was an extremely stress
ful experience for us in what was otherwise a completely careless existence.
There have often been disagreements and confrontations. We haven’t been the
best of friends throughout our time here. I bet if we were to look around us tonight
we’d hardly find many with whom we’ve never exchanged unkind words, or to
whom we’ve never done some kind of disservice. But what I find most impressive
about the year is our ability to deal with these kinds of upsets. Whenever there has
been conflict the injured party would generally sulk for a day or two, and soon
enough the apology would come, sometimes explicit but more usually implicit in
some act, and the people involved would just get on with things.
Maroon-jumpered fourth year came, and with it new confidence in our position
in the school. We were senior students. Free from the pressure of a looming exam,
we took full advantage of the alternative modes of education offered to us, from
work experience to public works, social outreach to producing films in Irish. This
was a year of change in our class. Five of the original members were by now gone,
and we had been joined by several new faces, some permanently and some tempo
rary. The old institutions of our year fell, namely 3A, 3C and the fondly remem
bered 3S. Attempts to preserve these through representative football teams in
fourth year were honourable enterprises but inevitably they went the way of histo
ry. They were replaced by 4A, 4C and the last-ever, and probably the best-ever, 4S.
The year formed along these lines, recognisable from its earlier incarnation but
with a new sense of unity. Gartan was to be our finest hour yet, and will still be
some people’s best memory of their time here.
The last two years of our time here have been something of a blur. Time man
agement became a relevant skill as we tried to balance our time between studies and
social lives, and it’s a cruel fact of reality that parties have got bigger and better as
we’ve come closer and closer to more important exams. Fifth year didn’t begin too
promisingly, all the careless joys of fourth year gone. We were expected to work.
Three hours a night became the common phrase from teachers. Some of us com
plied; most held out for an alternative. It came in the shape of an old friend - the
Opera. But this time it was to be our opera. We would get the parts, we would
form the chorus, and we would build the sets. There is something unique in pro
ducing a show that united people towards a common goal if nothing else, and so
it was with the opera. For the first time there was an opportunity for the whole year
to work together to produce something we could be proud of and something we
could enjoy. The cast and chorus learnt their lines and practiced their songs to give
three amazing performances, and the stage crew worked similarly - to the sound of
the Beach Boys - to bring a very impressive set to reality. This time was probably
our best in Gonzaga. Young enough not to see future exams as any sort of threat
yet, and still old enough to have matured as a year and to be able to take on own
ership of a project. We were justified in celebrating that night not just a successful
Page 19
