A sense of direction and belonging

Departing Deputy Head Boy Hayson Hung spoke about how Worth has given him a sense of direction and a sense of belonging when he delivered an inspiring speech at our annual Year 13 Leavers’ Ball.

Speaking to a packed room of students, families and staff, Hayson also spoke about Worth’s values – the six values which shape our everyday lives at the School – and the powerful implications of what they look like practice.

Our Year 13 Leavers’ Ball is an opportunity for students to celebrate their time together at Worth and for the School to wish them the best in their onward journey. The evening includes speeches from both the Deputy Head Boy and Deputy Head Girl.

Talking about his time at Worth, Hayson said: “I found things here: not just qualifications, but actual passions; things I didn’t know I cared about until Worth put them in front of me and said, ‘Try this’.

“For me, it was simply just being able to participate in the little things and I remember the moment it clicked: the belief I had from my teachers and friends. It sounds small. But that moment pointed me in a direction. It showed me who I wanted to be.

“I think a lot of people in this room have a version of that story. Maybe it was a sport or a subject or a club or a conversation in a classroom that went slightly off-topic and, suddenly, it was the most interesting thing you had heard all week. Maybe you haven’t fully named it yet. But it’s there.

“That is what this place gave us. Not just knowledge, but direction. A sense of what we are actually for and a sense of belonging.”

He continued: “One day, you will be somewhere completely different. A different city, different life, different version of yourself and something small will happen. A song or a smell or a random memory. And you will be taken straight back here. This room. This feeling. These faces. And in that moment, you won’t be thinking about the grades or the deadlines or the things that felt so enormous at the time. You will just remember that you were here. That you were part of something. That it was real and it mattered, and you were lucky to have it, so hold on to it. Because no matter where we end up next, a part of us will always belong here.”

Speaking about Worth’s six values, Hayson said: “I have been thinking about what those values actually look like in practice. Not the poster version or the version that gets shoved at you by teachers, the real version.

“It looks like us, welcoming new people and helping them settle without being asked. It looks like a teacher noticing something is wrong before you have even said anything. It looks like a year group that has been through genuinely difficult things and still shows up for each other. It looks like this room tonight.”

Here are some photos from the Year 13 Leavers’ Ball taken by professional photographer Frances Newman at Smile Event Photography. The pictures are copyright of Frances Newman. For a full set of images follow this link and request a password: https://www.francesnewmanphotography.co.uk/view-your-pictures/12886

Worth’s support for students does not finish when they leave school. Our alumni association, Worth Society, organises regular social events and reunions as well as providing lifelong support and guidance, offering careers advice and enabling former students to stay in touch with one another for business and social networking purposes.

For more on the Worth Society click here.