Straight (Forward) Thinking: Goodbye to Year 11

Straight (Forward) Thinking: Goodbye to Year 11: "To each of you This is always a bitter sweet moment. We have come to know you as part of the Winton family but equally like any proud pare..."

Goodbye to Year 11

To each of you

This is always a bitter sweet moment. We have come to know you as part of the Winton family but equally like any proud parent we recognise there is a time when our young need to fly the nest. For each of you that time has come, it is your turn to enter into the world with all of the opportunities and challenges that this will bring. What advice can I give you and what is my wish for each and every one of you?

Firstly always be true to who you are, listen to your instincts they are usually spot on. Do not simply follow the crowd, make your own mind up and have the strength of character to follow it. Be a force for good with everybody you meet, treat them with respect even when this is hard to do. Do not tolerate a lack of respect towards you but deal with it in a polite and courteous manner and when this is not enough, leave those people behind. Be resilient do not give up when something is hard to achieve, for it is these things that will make you stronger and are worth having.  Finally there are no short cuts in life, drugs will not make your life happier or more fulfilled, money is not the route of happiness and very often the more difficult choice is the right one.

I wish you every happiness for a life fulfilled, take the opportunities that come your way, embrace the challenges that life will throw at you in a positive and determined manner but, most of all at the closing of your day be proud of who you are.  As the song says, “Je ne regret rien.” (I regret nothing)