Ode to our Leavers

We recently celebrated and said good-bye to our leavers in a lovely, heartwarming, personalized virtual ball that recognized this special group of students who have raised the bar for our school in so many ways. Harrow’s Leavers’ Ball was also attended by our teachers, staff, parents, and grandparents, all keen to show their support and gratitude for this “vintage group” of pupils. 

This prestigious event was hosted by our Head of Senior School, Ms Tess St. Clair-Ford, and the room was filled with laughter and cheer as precious pictures of life at school and beyond flashed across the screen. 

Joe C., Deputy Head of School, commenced the programme with a moving recap of cherished memories of life at Harrow. This was then followed by Midori S., our Head of School, who inspired fellow pupils by sharing that every day is an opportunity to become the person you want to be, and profusely thanked our teachers for inspiring and guiding all to learn beyond the textbook, and for always being available to listen, advise and encourage as needed. 

We celebrated the musical talents of our budding artists with solo performances by Jasmine Y. and Aegean A. Listen to Aegean’s soulful performance, “Misty Air”, with a special guest artist appearance by Finley J.. 

Our beloved Sixth Form tutors showed up in their finery to say a few words to their treasured tutees. They shared personalized, moving stories of how each of their pupils have learned and grown throughout their time at Harrow. All tutors expressed what a privilege it was to teach and mentor such a fine group of individuals and wished them all the best in their future endeavours.  

All participants had a chance to participate in Live Awards for our 2022 Leavers, with categories which included the  “Wise and Witty Award”, “The Likeliest to Make Millions Award”, “The Brainiac Award”, and the “Social Butterfly Award”.  Winners received glory, honor and a lifetime of memories, as the results of the “Best Friends Forever Award” is revealed below, to celebrate the numerous wonderful friendships in this year group. 

Our Head Master, Mr Charles Ellison, closed the event, stating that the Harrow Shanghai Leavers of 2022 will always be remembered as a vintage year group, as evidenced by the way they led the school, each other and all the other year groups, by the high standards they set for themselves and the values that they demonstrated in our school community. He challenged our leavers to continue to embody the Harrow mission characterized by constant learning, leadership and service, and reminded them that their education is a privilege, and as a result, they, like so many Harrovians of the past, have a responsibility to improve the lives of others less fortunate than them. Finally, he expressed gratitude for the loyal support of our parents, who recognize that a Harrow education is so much more than exam certificates. 

Our 2022 leavers are now officially International Old Harrovians (IOH), continuing members of a global family for life with all the opportunities these connections will afford them. 

As we raise a glass of cheer to our leavers, we thank you for all you have done for our school, our students, and the wider community. You have raised the bar and set high standards for the lives of Harrovians who will follow behind you. Good luck, and we look forward to seeing how you will lead and serve in the new spheres of influence afforded to you in university life and beyond.