Taylorian

TAYLORIAN 2024 13 THE HEAD MONITOR 13

What have you thought of your experience as Head Monitor? What has been the highlight? I often think about my role and consider myself to be very lucky indeed. From a very selfish perspective there are some nice perks: no, I do not queue for lunch; yes, I do have an office. More important, however, is the fact that I am part of a long line of great Taylors’ Head Monitors, and I have felt the need to live up to their legacy and my responsibilities. I have over 400 predecessors in this role, each of whom has gone on to do some incredible things. The recent visit of Dr David Naumann (OMT and Head Monitor 1999-2000) reminded me of the difficulty and the privilege of acquiring this position. I would like to think I have made the most of my tenure to leave my mark on the school, not only literally by scratching my name into the infamous ‘Head Monitor’s Box’, The Head Monitor

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but also through the reallocation of the Head Monitor’s office to the Clock Tower (which was almost lost to time) and the introduction of a new annual Prom venue. I am sure that many in the Monitor Team would agree that the Doctors’ Dinner was a fantastic memory – the stresses of the role fell away on the night as we enjoyed the generous hospitality of the Merchant Taylors’ Company. The dinner gathered head pupils from other schools governed by the company, and brought me and my team closer together. I would not have been able to make it through the year without their support. What are your top three moments at the school? This is a question I have been actively avoiding these past few months. It is very difficult to distil my MTS experience into discrete moments, let alone rank them!