Katie Baxter

My name is Katie Baxter; I’m from Northern Ireland. I have been at Barney for seven years and am now, sadly, in my final year here.

Currently, I am studying towards A Levels in Chemistry, Biology and History.

My family and I chose this school because it looked like Hogwarts… I’m kidding, well – not entirely. We came for a tour and I was fascinated by the variety of facilities available to students. I loved the traditional appearance of the main building. I chose to come here in year seven so I have been fortunate enough to see Barney change, positively, over the years.

Being at Barney, for me, has been such a positive opportunity and experience – in so many different ways, I have been pushed out of my comfort zone and felt amazing afterward. I have made countless fond memories here with so many different people – from capsizing an entire sailing boat, on one of the boarding sailing trips, after being told that we were “pros,” to screaming at the top of my lungs on both Lightwater Valley and Flamingo Land trips.

I’ve always loved to public speak and I especially love the Sixth Form Lectern evenings. Listening to speeches, all with their own twist – whilst sticking to the theme – is a lot more fun than it sounds. I remember, in Year 8 on my birthday, I woke up to three of my friends singing Happy Birthday to me when I couldn’t even open my eyes. I was surprised with a birthday treasure hunt which was, at the time; even now to be honest, the most exciting thing to receive on your birthday.

Sixth form formals have been so prominent when it comes to having a good time with your friends as a collective group. My most memorable one, without hesitation, has to be the silent disco. Taking your headphones off when everyone is jumping and singing so loudly is absolutely hilarious – highly recommend attending one if you haven’t already!

I have so many memories that I would talk about for ages however, I’m conscious this paragraph would end up turning into an entire book. Barney has been a fantastic experience and I would give everything to do it all over again.