Gena Bagley, 27 July 2026
9Y English: Powerful Words, Confident Voices
Like many English classes, 9Y has just completed their speaking unit. Using the ‘Grammar for Writing’ approach, the boys had an artist model that was the inspiration for their own pieces.
They were required to utilise a range of poetic and persuasive features - rhythm, rhyme, personification, Aristotelian rhetoric, direct address, and anaphora - to make their writing compelling. The highlight was seeing every student step up to present a slam poetry piece with confidence and passion.
I am short.
Short like a blink you don't even realise. Short like a breeze in the morning wind. Short like the time your shoes stay white on a camping trip. Short like the game of rugby you have been awaiting all week. Short like the time the sun peeks through the clouds on a rainy day.
It's about time we change; all of us shorties hear the same words way too much: "He's not making it past 6ft," or even "He can't reach the top shelf." Well lads, it's time to stop reaching for the top shelf and go for the things that actually matter. I may be short, but I will shine bright and prove the doubters wrong with all my might. Though height will never be our thing, kindness will be something we don't need reminders to bring. I am certain we can make a change, and height will never determine how manly anyone is.
"Oh, you'd be great in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," or "Look, a hobbit's escaped from Lord of the Rings!" Don't get me wrong, they are awesome movies, right? But is that all our reputation is - are we just a punchline? No chance. We are not hobbits waiting around for a predictable future, we are not garden elves or tiny guys on shelves, we are out here making moves, defining ourselves. Are we not capable of showing you who we are without your permission, or do we need a petition to make a mark and show the haters who we really are? I am short, you are tall, but we all want a bright future ahead, so let's not blow out each other's candle, because it won't make yours shine brighter.
I am small, but I am not small in pride, not small in heart, and not small in the impact I can make. The world may measure people in feet and inches, but real greatness is measured in kindness, courage, and the way we lift others up. So the next time you judge someone from their height, just know one day they may even be taller than you in height as well as courage.
So if you're short, stand tall in the way that matters most. Walk with confidence, laugh at yourself when you need to, and never let someone else's opinion decide your worth. We don't need to be the tallest in the room to have the biggest dreams or the loudest voice. Because at the end of the day, people won't remember how tall you were; they'll remember how you treated them, how hard you worked, and how you made them feel. And that is something no measuring tape will ever be able to measure.
Benny Brown
I am an athlete.
An athlete facing pressure. An athlete trying to measure. Every step I take, chasing something greater. An athlete giving it all, refusing to fall, yet one mistake can echo and be remembered by all.
Look at me, you might see a moment that broke, but you don't see the hours and the sweat. You don't see the grind left behind, only the error stuck in your mind.
People don't see wins, they see losses. They don't see strength, they see fear. They don't see hard work, they see a bad year. The numbers say that athletes achieve far more than they fail; like the story of Ben Hunt, we are told to remember one dropped ball instead of years of great performances. But why do we remember the mistakes and forget the achievements? Because behind every athlete is someone who shows up again, through pain and rain, through strain and gain. Someone who has passion for the game they love.
That is why one mistake shouldn't erase years of work, or one moment shouldn't predict someone's career. It is time to recognise the hard work. It is time to remember the achievements. It is time to see the whole story. Because I'm sick of seeing hard work get forgotten in seconds.
I'm not just speaking as someone watching from the sidelines. I'm speaking as an athlete. I know what pressure feels like. I know what it's like to make one mistake and feel like that's all people remember. But I also know that one mistake doesn't erase the hours I've trained, the effort I've given, or the person I am. Every fall has made me stand tall. Every hit has made me commit.
Think about your own life. Have you ever made a mistake? Did one bad test define your intelligence? Did one bad game define your ability? Did one bad day define who you are? Of course not. So why should athletes be any different? We are human before we are athletes. We make mistakes. We learn from them. We grow through them. We don't ask to be remembered for being perfect. We ask to be remembered for not giving up.
We celebrate perfection, but we learn from mistakes. We cheer for success, but we grow through failure. We remember the fall, but forget the climb. Maybe it's time we changed that. Maybe it's time we remembered athletes for how they respond, not just how they stumble.
So next time you watch an athlete make a mistake, don't let that be the only thing you remember. Remember the training before the game. Remember the sacrifices behind the success. Remember the courage it takes to step back onto the court, the field, or the track. Because one mistake should never be louder than years of hard work. So do not box athletes in by their mistakes.
Pay attention to the full story, not just the bad chapter.
Cullen Bambry