Congratulations to Year 12 student Erin Wilcox who has been named as the new Head Girl at Norwich High School for Girls

Posted on 31st March 2023

Erin will be joined on the student leadership team after the Easter holiday by Rashmi Samarakoon, Saanvi Shenoy and Syd Sydney.

The team were voted for democratically by the whole upper school community after a rigorous process which included a letter of application, an interview with Head, Alison Sefton and Director of Sixth Form, Hazel Packer, as well as presenting their manifestos for 90 seconds in Assembly to the Senior School and Sixth Form. Well done to everyone who put themselves forward to be considered for the team.

Head of Norwich High School for Girls Alison Sefton commented: “Earlier this week in the Senior School, current Head Girl Shadan Danesh, and the team Nora Recel, Grace Hosier and Kajol Aryal led an assembly on kindness. Over the course of their year in post, they have led with compassion, kindness and most importantly have gained the respect of our whole school community. I am grateful to them for their support and leadership this year and wish them all the very best as they head into a period of revision and preparation for public examinations. In the same assembly, we announced our new Head Girl – Erin Wilcox who will take over from Shadan as Head Girl with her team of fellow student leaders – Rashmi Samarakoon, Saanvi Shenoy and Syd Sydney. We look forward to them taking over after the Easter holidays.

“They each personify what we hope for students at Norwich High in that they grow in confidence, curiosity and boldness. In the interviews I held with the team before their appointment, they were reflective of their learning journey so far and of what it means to be a leader. We have heard their exciting plans for a reinvigorated school magazine, chat stops for Fifth Form in the Sixth Form Centre, new ideas for leadership roles; but the one theme that came from every student that we spoke to was around the importance of our school community.”

“The candidates have each brought a conviction that we must do more to ensure there are plenty of opportunities to integrate year groups across the whole school. Our new team champion positive mental health, personal identity and diversity and I look forward to working with them over the next year.”

Alison Sefton, Head of Norwich High School for Girls

Meet the team

Introducing Erin Wilcox

“Hi everyone!! My name is Erin and I am so excited and proud to be your Head Girl! I joined Norwich High School in Year 9 and I shall hopefully be a familiar face to quite a few of you and if not, I hope to get to know you as the year goes on. Currently I am studying Psychology, Latin and Spanish which I really enjoy. I also love sport, listening to music and – especially – food. I am a very driven and passionate person and this is relevant to all aspects of life and I can utilise this to help bring about the changes you would like to see in and around school. I also love talking to people and making them laugh (hopefully) and as your Head Girl, it will be lovely to be able to talk to you about absolutely anything, big or small and find ways to help. Being Head Girl means that I will have the opportunity to pursue my own and any ideas that come my way and it is important for me that everyone feels like they are comfortable to be themselves at Norwich High.”

Introducing Rashmi Samarakoon

“Five months ago, I fell through the Earth from the sweltering suburbs of Sri Lanka, and found myself in Norwich, UK. I felt like a fish out of water until Norwich High School rescued me, and taught me science-y things. Now, I do Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry with the hope of being an Intelligence Officer (spy!!). I like telling stories through words and art, especially absurd and macabre ones. I’m always sketching funky things, storytelling or working on my mind palace.

As part of the Student Leadership team, I will always work to share diverse ideas and viewpoints of others (that’s you). I think everyone has unique strengths and experiences and I will acknowledge and support them through an array of events, festivals and the library. I’m resilient, driven and always try to be kind. I know I’ll love working with everyone in our wonderful school.”

Introducing Saanvi Shenoy

“Hi everyone! I’m Saanvi. I’ve been at Norwich High since reception and I do Maths, History, Chemistry and French for A Level. I have really enjoyed representing the school through public speaking at the Cranmer awards, conferences and sports. I especially love netball and tennis which have helped me to make friends in lots of year groups! I love to read, listen to music, travel, and when I’m older I’d like to be a lawyer in the United Nations. I enjoy meeting new people so I volunteer at the Norfolk Youth Board where I’ve learned lots about young people’s ideas about our society, so I’d love to create more outlets at school for everyone to share their ideas too. I would also love to create a space for older students to pass down their tips and advice for school life, so if you ever need any help or would just like to have a chat then you can always come and find me in the Sixth Form centre or by email!”

Introducing Syd Sydney

“Hi! I’m Syd, and I am so pleased to be part of the Student Leadership team for this year. I’m studying Spanish, English and Classics, and I’m planning to study languages, but I’m also passionate about making music, and hope to continue that too.

“I’ve always enjoyed getting involved in both the performing arts community and the wider school, especially because I get to meet so many people. Having spent so much time among our school’s community, I think it’s safe to say that we are a unique bunch, and I’d love to have the chance to celebrate our school’s diversity, talent and enthusiasm!

“Involvement in extracurricular activities is something I’ve always loved at this school, and as a result I’ve learned the importance of working in a team, putting the work in, and staying organised – which I think would be really useful on the team. I would also be super excited to hear about any ideas you have, and would love to hear from any of you anytime!”

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