We’ll be regularly blogging about the process of transforming our Year 12 common room into a more bright and motivating environment and hope you’ll enjoy following the progress.
In order to fulfil everyone’s needs, we asked pupils in our year group to tell us how they want the project to benefit them. Henrietta is striving for “a communal area where everyone feels welcome, supported and confident” along with Bethany agreeing that it should be “a blend of practicality and style”. Jasmine also believes that “it is essential that the common room is a multi-functional area for productivity to manifest”.
We are taking this opportunity to develop essential skills along the way. One of the great things about Project Q-Vamp is that it will push us out of our comfort zones. We’re hoping it will help us to improve our leadership, money and time management, creativity, teamwork, resilience and communication skills. This and the opportunity to be mentored by professionals will give us an insight into different career paths, making it an invaluable experience. The project will offer all team members interested in interior design, management, accountancy, fashion, journalism, photography and many more, a flavour of the workplace.
Project Q-Vamp was first introduced to us when we met as a whole year group with Mrs Tunnicliffe, Miss Jones and Mrs Wallace-Woodroffe and the idea created excitement and anticipation. We were able to establish the current flaws of the common room and agreed to have a smaller meeting which was open to anyone interested in being involved in the redecoration.
Another positive element of Project Q-Vamp is the inclusivity of our team. The first meeting was attended by all those interested in helping. There is a huge range of interests, such as Amelia Gardiner who is passionate about fashion, design and art, to Abby Jennings who is determined to become successful in the field of medicine. On the other hand, members of the team who are uncertain on their career paths will be given the opportunity to explore their interests, for example Alanna Lewis and Phoebe Schofield.
After having just one meeting, we decided the main changes that needed to be made. Almost immediately we agreed that study pods were essential for the silent work room and a very worthwhile investment, despite taking up a large portion of our £10,000 budget. On the other hand, the colour scheme took more consideration; we were very aware that the walls needed to be bright and inviting, yet practical and able to last for years to come. Eventually we decided on a grey and green theme to match the existing blinds and sofas. Smaller details, such as a splash back screen above the sink and dishwasher, paying for the sofas to be professionally cleaned, moving the lockers from the landing and investing in bag drop cubes, were also agreed on in order to keep the common room as clean and tidy as possible. Further along the line, we hope that we will buy plants and beanbags and decorate the walls using art from our peers, to add to the sense of individuality.
Of course, as the Project Q-Vamp Team, there will be challenges that we will have to overcome- both anticipated and unforeseen. Currently, we are all very aware of the difficulty in balancing the inevitably contrasting opinions of everyone in Year 12; decisions such as the colour scheme and investments in furnishings are controversial, but it is important to remember that Project Q-Vamp will benefit not just our year but many years to come. Money and time management will be key to the success of our project, especially since we will be working with external companies so there is no room for mistakes. Also, ensuring everyone is satisfied with the finished result and that we all feel comfortable is an important factor.
We hope this has given you an insight to our new project and that you will continue to follow us on our journey through this exciting experience.
Anna, Freya and Niamh
