It's been an exciting week... the classroom names for The Rectory have been announced!
Mr Watkins' group (previously Canada) will now be Fischer
Bobby Fischer - a famous chess player, he became the youngest grandmaster in history, he also went on to win the world championship 14 years after becoming the grandmaster. He is said to have had Asperger’s Syndrome in addition to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He was known to be a very intense person and his extreme focus on chess is also an indicator that perhaps he manages to cope better in structured environments.
Mr Thomas' group (previously Applegate) will now be Banneker
Benjamin Banneker - African-American author, surveyor, naturalist, astronomer, inventor, and farmer who lived as a free man in 18th century America. It is often suggested he had high functioning autism due to his unparalleled brilliance and fixation on certain objects, often leading to an experiment or invention of his own.
Ms Sellars' group (previously Mozart) will now be Darwin
Charles Darwin, English naturalist and geologist, best known for his contributions to evolutionary theory. Trinity College professor Michael Fitzgerald, a leading psychiatrist, researched and published a paper concluding that Charles Darwin had Asperger’s Syndrome.
Ms Patrick's group (previously Steinbacher) will now be Harper
Nelle Harper Lee was an American novelist best known for her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. While this book was written before autism was a diagnosis, autistic people have existed long before then. As Harper Lee based the characters on the book on people she knew growing up, it's entirely possible her inspiration was actually autistic.
Ms Ogilvie/Mr Lee' group (previously Adler) will now be Harman
Heather Harman is a fundraiser for autism, currently fundraising on Just Giving for Dogs For Autism, the first UK charity exclusively providing Autism Assistance dogs. For more information on how you can apply for a pup please visit their website.
The additional classroom in The Pavilion will be Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins, a legendary welsh actor famous for roles in films such as The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal and Meet Joe Black. He received a diagnosis later in his life, in 2007, with Asperger's Syndrome. When asked if his Asperger's helped him as an actor he said "I like to deconstruct, to pull a character apart, to work out what makes people tick. I don't have many friends, but I do like people. I do like to get inside their heads."
We will still have Newton classroom space for lessons to take place and the Sixth Form Common Room will now be Temple.
Chatting with students this week the general consensus is that they are enjoying having the two sites, one year 10 student said "I enjoy the independence and being trusted to walk from each building." Another has said "I suppose it's better, yes.. it's good to move up to the older classrooms."
It's looking FAB over at the Rectory with the new signs and everything slowly but surely coming together!