After a tour of the impressive new extension of Stonehill, one of our girls’ boarding houses, we sat down for a chat with Maya and Eva, two Fourth Form girls who have just moved into the new rooms. Both have been at Bloxham for four years, having joined in Exham in First Form, and they’re really enjoying being part of the first cohort to be based in this lovely new space. To see photos of the extension, please click here.
How was the move from exham to stonehill?
M: Stonehill is a great House and I really love the environment and the friendliness here. Moving up to the Senior Houses was a big change from Exham. We have more freedom and we’re relied on to do more things on our own. Also, the walk from Stonehill to Main School makes it different to the other Houses but I like that we’re slightly further away and that we have a bit more independence.
E: I love my group of friends from different age groups in Stonehill. Being all girls is such a change from the Lower School boarding experience and the energy is amazing.
What do you think of the extension?
M: I love it, it’s so nice! My favourite thing is how much warmer it is than the older part of Stonehill!
E: I like the big bedrooms, they’re really beautiful. I also really like the open plan shared kitchen space – it’s a great place to spend time together and to chat with friends or Miss Woodward and Matron, or sometimes we play games around the table.
what’s a highlight of your time in stonehill so far?
M: I like the socials which we have in the evening or at weekends. After prep time or sometimes a bit later, we have socials which can be something simple like a takeaway, or something a bit more elaborate. Last term we had a pamper evening and that was really fun. We had a social to introduce us all to the new extension where we came in here for pizza which was great. Also every evening from 8:30-9:30pm we’re allowed to go up to Main School to see our friends from the other Houses and that’s always really nice.
E: I like the socials as well. Last term we went ice skating and that was really fun.
what’s your favourite thing about boarding?
M: We both board twice a week. I like it because I live around 45 minutes away, so I get a lie in when I board!
E: I just like being with my friends and getting to spend extra time with them after the school day. The evenings here are always really fun so I look forward to the days I board.
