The Hallifordian - 2016-2017

27 What Halliford means to me When I am asked ‘What does Halliford mean to me?’ I start to think about what it really means. It also gives me pause for thought and a moment to reflect on my time here. When I first started at Halliford it seemed like such a scary place. There seemed to be so many boys from different schools and most of us were strangers to each other. However, I was quick to make friends here and even got involved with things such as house events, school matches, fun clubs and that sort of thing. The staff here really encourage you to take part in extra-curricular activities. By the end of Year 7 I felt really settled at Halliford and going into Year 8 held no fear for me. Year 8 was even better than Year 7! I joined the Podcast Club dur- ing the Summer Term which I am still in today. It’s good fun. There are lots of clubs but you can always start one up of your own if you think there is a gap. People say I am friendly. I like to think I’m someone who you could turn to for advice. By the end of Year 8 I had a lot of friends here and I was liked by some of the students in the up- per school too. There is a real sense of community at Halliford School. Even when you’re feeling low other people rally round you and try to make you feel better. In Year 9 I have set up my own club called Pokemon Club and the response has been really positive. I’ve continued to do well at school though my work sometimes doesn’t reflect that! I use a laptop in most of my lessons which really helps. So what does Halliford mean to me? The answer is simple. It’s just a community of great students and staff. Finley Crichard, Year 9 Spelthorne Junior Chess Championship At the start of 2017, I took part in a chess competition in the under-fifteen sector. I got off to a good start with a nice win in the first round. There were five rounds and at this stage, I had not lost a single game. The next round I did lose to a very impressive competitor from Staines Prep School. However, I had high hopes going into round three. After a very lucky win things suddenly took a turn for the worse! I suf- fered another loss and I had low hopes for the last round. I was only on two points and needed three for a rosette but I was then told that one of the other under-fifteens, also had two points. The result? We would have to play each other to declare an overall winner. Things were tense but I kept calm. We played for the final trophy and after some decisive moves I won! When I told my mother the news, she was over the moon and told me how proud she was. I currently own the Spelthorne Under-fifteen tro- phy for 2016 and 2017 and the Halliford Chess Trophy too. I hope to keep them both for a few more years at least! Matthew Turley, Year 8. I was very proud to win!