Comments & Editorials 12
The School Captain
(1963-64)

THE remark that St. Nicholas is no longer a new school is certainly not an original one. It has been voiced by the Headmaster at Speech Day, and written in the editorial of the last magazine. Everyone feels that we are, well and truly, an established school. But this is only an external appreciation of the development of the school. Within the school community, in some respects we are still inexperienced and still learning. As the school has had only three school captains, it could well be said that this is one such internal institution which is relatively new. 

Barry Maddams was the senior boy of the school for several years and officially the school captain in 1959-60 and 1960-61. It was his job to see through the beginning of the transitional stage during which some authority devolved on to senior boys, who began to take over some of the day-to-day running of the school. Many problems were met and overcome, standards were established and traditions founded. David Morgan took over in 1961-62 and during that year new steps were taken to raise those standards and to increase the efficiency of the prefects and monitors at the same time, further responsibilities were accepted as the staff relinquished duties which could adequately be passed on to senior boys. 

During 1962-63 the school captain took more responsibility and authority than ever before, and the vice-captain assumed a new role as he shared the various duties with the head boy. This year J. F. Samways proved to be an outstanding deputy in the way he was prepared to share the heavy responsibilities which, in a period of only three years, were already in the hands of the school captain. 

Just as responsibilities increase from year to year, so in return must there be increased efficiency in the running of the school and the highest standards of school discipline. A school captain can only build on the work of his predecessor: there will never be a time when the school captain need make no effort to improve upon the work of those who have gone before. If each head boy leaves the school having made some progress during his term of office, his efforts will have been worth while.

STEPHEN BACON, (School Captain, 1962-63).