A Fond Farewell to Our Leavers

At this year’s Leavers’ Ceremonies, students, families and staff at both Senior School campuses, Senior School Leidschenveen (SSL) and Senior School Voorschoten (SSV), took a moment to reflect on the achievements and growth of our Year 13s. Duncan King, Acting Headteacher at SSL, and Joseph Petrykowski, IBDP Coordinator at SSV, shared speeches that acknowledged the students’ impact, celebrated their character, and looked ahead to the opportunities that lie beyond the BSN.

I’ve long believed in the power of three when thinking about ideas. Three is the magic number. It’s just enough for our minds to grasp fully – two feels incomplete, always missing a key perspective, while four becomes unwieldy, hard to hold in mind clearly. Three gives a dynamic balance, always leaving room to juggle thoughts and reflect.

So today, I’d like to share three pieces of wisdom that I’ve encountered, each from very different sources, yet each offering something valuable for the road ahead.

Firstly: “Don’t waste time proving that you were right anyway.”

This advice comes from Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA. Kamprad was famously thrifty – a billionaire who chose to drive an old Volvo and avoided any display of his wealth. His philosophy, outlined in his famous “White Book,” was simple: waste, whether resources, money, or especially time, is one of humanity’s greatest diseases. Spending your precious time proving you were right serves no real purpose. It drains your energy and achieves little. Instead, move forward positively and constructively.

My second piece of advice is encapsulated in a Haitian proverb: “Beyond the mountains, more mountains.”

At first glance, this seems daunting, perhaps even discouraging, as it implies life’s challenges never fully disappear. After today’s mountains, more await in the distance. Yet there’s wisdom here about truly living in the moment. Don’t spend your days wishing away the present, hoping for a future free of challenges. Such a day rarely comes. Instead, embrace today’s mountains, and you’ll find meaning and fulfilment now – not someday. Face each challenge openly and courageously.

The third idea comes from a recent book discovery I made, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg. Mrs Frankweiler, an insightful 82-year-old character, says this about lifelong learning:

“I think you should learn, of course – and some days you must learn a great deal. But you should have days when you allow what’s already in you to swell up inside you until it touches everything. Otherwise, you simply become a receptacle for facts that rattle around uselessly inside you, making only meaningless noise.”

In today’s world of endless information, this advice feels especially valuable. Don’t just accumulate knowledge. Give time and space to let it resonate within you, shaping your understanding and enriching your life.

Now, if these ideas haven’t quite landed with you, that’s perfectly understandable and not unprecedented.

In 1997, journalist Mary Schmich published a column in the Chicago Tribune titled: “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young.” Her column provided various pieces of life advice aimed at younger generations. You might recognise it better as the lyrics to Baz Luhrmann’s song, “Everybody’s Free to Wear Sunscreen.”

Today, Mary Schmich’s advice remains remarkably timeless, though admittedly there’s a lot to retain. So if you’ll grant me a second attempt, returning to my rule of three, I want to highlight just three alternative pieces of advice from her column.

These are for you, too:

“Get to know your parents; you never know when they’ll be gone for good.”

“Be nice to your siblings; they’re your best link to your past and most likely to stick with you in the future.”

“Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few, you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need people who knew you when you were young.”

We wish you happiness, success, and fulfilment in whatever comes next.

And as you prepare to move on from school, I want to talk about something that’s central to the IB – but which I think reflects the experience of all of you: the Core.

For IB students, the Core means TOK, the Extended Essay, and CAS – Creativity, Activity, Service. But those words aren’t confined to the IB. They reflect something much deeper – something human. They’re about pushing yourself, trying something new, giving something back, and reflecting on what kind of person you’re becoming.

And in truth, you’ve all lived that.

Take the Summer Fair, for example. Around 80 of you – many from across both campuses – came together as volunteers, giving your time to make that day happen. It wasn’t a requirement. It wasn’t on an exam. But you showed up, supported your community, and created something joyful for others.

Or the “Home Away From Home” project. A student-led initiative – started right here, in Year 13 – where you collected toys, games, and art materials for children in a local refugee centre. But more than that, you went. You spent time there. You played with the children. You connected with them. And you returned – bringing not just donations, but care, attention, and presence.

And then there was the South Africa trip. Forty of you – 23 from IB, the rest from A-Level – trekking through the Outeniqua Mountains, caring for wildlife, living in the cold, pushing yourselves physically and emotionally. Some of you described it as life-changing. And I believe it. Because those are the moments when we find out what we’re really made of – when we step outside our comfort zones and build bonds that last.

These aren’t isolated events. They’re reflections of the people you’ve become. People who care. Who lead. Who serve. Who go the extra mile – not because they’re told to, but because they believe in something more than just themselves.

You are the friend who helped someone through a difficult term. The student who stayed late to support a club. The person who showed kindness when no one else was watching. And that matters more than you know.

As you leave, I want to remind you of something simple but important: the school doesn’t end at the school gates.

It lives in you. In the way you think. In the way you treat others. In the way you show up for the people around you.

The classrooms might fade, the timetables will blur, but the character you’ve built – and the community you’ve helped shape – that stays with you.

You were never here just to complete a syllabus. You were here to become – to explore, to challenge, to reflect, to grow.

And now, as you step into the next chapter, take all of that with you. The knowledge, yes – but also the friendships, the empathy, the curiosity, the courage.

You’ll always be part of this school’s story. And this school will always be part of yours.

Thank you – and good luck.