As the search is now on to find our new Head Students for 2025-2026, our Publicity Officer, Charlotte Underwood (Year 12) interviews Mia and Issy to discover what life is like in the hot seat!

   

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview our current Head Students, Mia and Issy, to find out a bit more about them, their future aspirations and what it is like to be a Head Student at The Marist. Mia joined the school in 2018 as a Year 7 while Issy’s time at The Marist started in 2013 when she joined the Prep school in Year 3.

Here’s what they had to say:

Firstly, what is your favourite thing about The Marist?

Mia- For me, I think it is the people, everyone is so friendly and welcoming. There is such a nice environment here at school, I don’t hear other people talking about their schools in the same way.

Issy- I would say definitely the support I have from the staff, all of my teachers, especially my A Level teachers, who really care and seem to know exactly how my brain works! It’s this relationship that I feel creates a great learning environment. They know me as an individual and can tell if there is something bothering me or I am not quite myself and are always on hand to give me any support I may need.

What subjects are you taking for A Level and what are your hopes for the future?

Mia- I am taking Biology, Chemistry and Spanish, I studied Maths last year as well. I have applied to study medicine at university and I would really like to be a paediatric surgeon when I am older.

Issy- I am studying History, Politics, English Literature and I did an EPQ last year. I have applied to do English Literature at university with hopes to go into screen writing.

What sorts of things do you enjoy doing outside of school and academic life?

Mia- I love music, it has always been a staple in my life, I was a music scholar before I got my academic scholarship and have been playing instruments since I was 5. Even just listening to music, I always have my headphones in as I find it really calming and relaxing. It keeps me grounded and helps me to focus when I study. I also try and play golf, I don’t get an awful lot of time for it now as A Levels keep me quite busy but I do enjoy it when I go out.

Issy- I am definitely a theatre kid at heart, I love acting, drama and performing. I knit as well, I started doing it during my GCSEs and now I find I do it all the time. It helps me to relax as you have to solely focus on knitting rather than anything else. I enjoy music too like Mia, I love singing and it’s a huge outlet for me. To be honest, I love anything creative.

Who inspires you?

Mia- I think Jenna Ortega is really inspiring. The way that she addresses life and the way that she acts. Even though she is a celebrity, she seems really normal and grounded. She also talks a lot about mental health and her own struggles with it which I think is a really important thing to spread awareness about. If I wanted to be like anybody, I would want to have the morals and attitude to life that she does.

Issy- I have three people. My first is Mary Quant who was a fashion designer in the 60s and completely changed the face of women’s fashion as she suggested that it was ok to dress in a more masculine way. She basically invented the onesie! Some of the things she did for the Women’s Rights Movement was so inspirational, I had a huge obsession with her when I was younger. I would also say that David Bowie inspires me because he did so much for the LGBTQ+ community. He spread the message that it’s ok to be different and I think that is really inspiring. My final person would be Tolkien as I’m a huge Lord of the Rings fan, I think it was one of the first books that I read as a kid that really immersed me in the story and the world he created is so imaginative.

What are your plans for your legacy projects?

Mia- At the moment, I am working on replacing the chairs in the science labs as I know they are not the comfiest to sit on. We are in the very final stage of getting this done, I have sorted most of the logistics for this, so I hope to be able to go ahead soon.

Issy- I would like to create an art installation, maybe a tree painted on the wall in the VI Form Centre. When each group of Year 13s leave they could add a flower or a leaf to the tree maybe with their name on it to serve as a way of remembering them. It could become a really nice tradition. Another one that Mia and I thought of was having a mural somewhere around the school, maybe on an outside building. It would be great if everyone could get involved with painting it as that would symbolise our school community in a really lovely way.

What advice would you give to pupils at The Marist?

Issy- I would say put yourself out there, do as many things as you can in order to make the most out of your time at The Marist. You are given so many opportunities here so really take advantage of them.

Mia- Be yourself, even if you’re not the most extroverted person, I think it’s important to be you and not who anybody else wants you to be.

Is there anything that’s going on behind the scenes that you wish we knew about?

Mia- I think we wish people knew the amount of work that goes into the role of Head Student. It’s not just about doing speeches at open events, there are lots of meetings and other activities that happen week on week. For example, we frequently meet with Ms Ellwood (Head of VI Form) and Mrs Graham (Assistant Head of VI Form). I also think it’s important for everyone to know that it’s not just us as Head Students that do a lot of work behind the scenes, its everyone with a role of responsibility.

Issy- Firstly, I think because the VI Form have their own area, which is slightly apart from the rest of the school, perhaps it makes us seem a bit intimidating and I promise you, we’re not! We would like to think that we are all quite approachable people. The sixth form is such a great environment to be in where everyone knows each other and is, as a result, so supportive of one another, there’s a really nice community feel.

Thank you for your time Mia and Issy, we really appreciate it!

Charlotte Underwood

Publicity Officer