At Woodford County High School for Girls old traditions are still very much alive and current. From school birthdays, where you will hear a Latin song or two, to the four houses (Repton, Newton, Highams and Warner) that each and every girl belongs to; WCHS girls continue to embrace the old customs of their beloved school.

To find out more about Woodford life and traditions, I conducted an interview with the House Heads of the Highams House: Lizzie March, House Captain, and Rochelle Thompson, Vice-Captain.  Both are currently making the final preparations for the House Drama Competition that is due to take place Tuesday the 20th of November.

What made you want to become House Captain and Vice-Captain?

Rochelle: ‘At Woodford we don’t really do drama apart from extra-curricular activities, however it was my hidden passion and I had been doing it from a young age, so I wanted to share my passion with the rest of my house. I also like to think that I am well organised, and I like to organise big tasks and events, which I knew would be useful when it comes to House Drama’.

Lizzie: ‘It is almost like I had an epiphany’ she laughed. ‘All the way through my life at Woodford the House Heads are the people that stood out to me; everyone respected them; they were the ones that inspired me. They got me involved with House Drama and got me passionate about my house. After years of playing an active role in my house, being the House Captain was the icing on the cake.’

What do the roles of House Captain and Vice-Captain consist of?

Rochelle: ‘As House Heads we are involved in all aspects of our house, the greatest task of all is House Drama. We organised the scenery, selected actresses, decided on the chorus and assembled the orchestra. The area where I had the most fun was the auditions and also choosing the play. We’re also responsible for keeping our house motivated and arrange the publicity’.

Lizzie: ‘Not only are we the directors, but we are also the managers of our house. We delegate jobs and create initial designs as well as taking part in every step of the production process. We make sure that all the bits and bobs come together for a successful House Drama.  Personally my strong point is the acting, so I made sure that was of a high standard’.

How were you chosen for the role?

Lizzie: ‘I gave in an application form where I outlined my relevant skills and talked about my experiences that make me a good leader. A big part of it was also why I think I deserve it, and apparently they agreed with me.’

Tell me a little about the process of House Drama?

Rochelle: ‘Time goes so quickly. Oh wow it’s like next week! There is always a lot to do; no one is super woman so a lot of hard work is needed. It is really nice to see it come together, especially when the younger years put their all into it. It’s like running your own little west end production!’