Get to know our Head Boarding Prefects, Celeste and Sophie

After last week’s Q+A with Head Prefects Ang-Ya and Emily, this week we venture into Pymble’s Boarding family to get to know the ins and outs of Head Boarding Prefects Celeste McDermott (CM) and Sophie Laing (SL).

Celeste and Sophie hail from Boorganna and Tullamore, respectively, and bring a wealth of life experience to their positions of Head Boarding Prefects. Let’s get to know them a bit better.

What’s the best thing about growing up in the country?

SL: For me, the best thing about growing up in the country is the freedom that you get. I love that I can pretty much go outside and have a million things to do with no restrictions in terms of space, neighbours, and other roads or traffic around.

CM: Having the ability to sing (or even yell) at the top of your lungs and no-one can hear you. Being able to disappear into the forest all day and no-one notices. Another thing I value is going into town and the warm greetings of people in the streets, always a “g’day, how ya goin”, even if you don’t know them (more often than not though, you do!). Going into Coles you can expect to see absolutely everyone and their mother. Being able to appreciate the serenity at night, where the stars in the sky are crystal clear, you can hear the creek trickling on by, and the crickets and cicadas… and you know that nothing will change while you’re gone.

If you could teleport home for just one hour, what’s the first thing you’d do?

SL: I would most definitely go up to the back shed and get my motorbike out. I would ride it all around my property and then my farm over the road to go to the big pit full of piles of gravel that are so much fun to walk up and sit on top of – there is the best view of our properties from there. I would also spend time with my family and friends that live at home.

CM: Being honest, I’d like to open the cupboard and do some baking, to have a kitchen of my own with an oven and ingredients that aren’t banned from the Boarding school pantry (like condensed milk!). Losing track of time in the kitchen while baking something, then stuffing my face as soon as it’s out of the oven to sit on the armchair with a good book… no remorse.

What’s the most “country” thing about you?

SL: The most country thing about me is probably my love for country music. Every time I turn on my speaker or go for a drive, country music is always playing. Even when I am studying at school, I listen to country music to remind me of home, but also the amazing opportunities that have come from me being able to attend Pymble.

CM: I think in the country people are more grounded to nature. Physically, you walk out the front door and walk barefoot onto the paddock. You’re surrounded by nature and I think this grounds me spiritually; it gives me a sense of calmness and belonging. I try to carry this with me wherever I go by being peaceful and down to earth.

What’s the funniest or most unexpected thing that’s happened in the Boarding house?

SL: In Year 7, a cow broke out of the Agricultural Plot and we had to go into lockdown and weren’t allowed outside of the Boarding houses. It was quite funny because to most of us, seeing a cow roaming around is the norm, but to the Pymble staff it seemed to be an absolute nightmare.

Another funny memory is the 3.00am dashes across Marden Lawn when the fire alarms go off. I remember when I was in Year 7 I accidentally left my roommates and ran out so they slept through it… lucky there wasn’t a real fire. More recently, the fire alarms have been inconvenient as the rain makes girls fake tan streaky or their recently straightened hair frizzy. I love recalling this because it shows how our cohort has changed as we have gone through our both individual and collective journey at Pymble.

CM: At Boarding school it’s common to have unexpected fire alarms. So when one goes off at 9.00pm we’ll all stand around and you’ll see people freshly coated in fake tan, and some people who had to jump out of the shower and throw the most random outfit on, which is kind of funny until you realise it’s cold and rainy and your tan will be a disaster the next morning.

If you could plan the ultimate holiday, where would you go and who would you take with you?

SL: I would go to Paris and would love to take my family and all my close friends with me. Except, I would most definitely have to include a trip to the city beforehand with an unlimited credit card so I could buy a whole new wardrobe in order for myself to look incredibly stylish whilst walking the streets of Paris. On this holiday, I would also do a stopover in London and then go to New York. The holiday would ideally be around Christmas time because it is my dream to have a white Christmas and see the tree lighting in Town Square.

CM: Look, if we’re talking really ultimate, I’d go to the moon and perhaps peruse the solar system if budget allowed. May as well bring my family and my friends in my rocket ship like that one Wallace and Gromit episode. Probably then when we touch town set up camp in a sizeable crater. Then go back to earth a month later. I think the Instagram post would be fire.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received from your family?

CM: I get a few good nuggets from Mum and Dad every so often. When I felt overwhelmed the other day with the amount of things on my plate (just Year 12, the usual), Mum just said, “Celeste, nothing’s really that important.” In the sense that in five years time I won’t be freaking out over how my sport selections go or if I’ve covered that part of the syllabus – it really isn’t worth getting all tied up about.

If you could have dinner with one famous person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

SL: I would love to have dinner with Jennifer Lawrence. She seems like the funniest person ever. All her award acceptance speeches, interviews, and red carpets always have me laughing so hard – this dinner would be no exception.

CM: Miles Teller (alive) from the movie Whiplash/Top Gun. I think if we were to get married that’d probably be my only shot at that. Miles, if you’re reading this…

What’s one thing about country life that city people just don’t understand?

SL: I don’t think all city people understand how rural country life is. For me, when I need to get groceries, I drive 1.5 hours and through 3 towns. This means that I have to make a very good and thorough shopping list because if I forget anything, I will have to wait another week for my next trip to the shops.

CM: I don’t think there’d be too many things. Sometimes, I wish people didn’t have a stereotype of “being from the country” meaning that you automatically live on a massive farm with 10,000 cattle and a piece of hay in your mouth. The same could be said for “being a Boarder” – it’s my hope for people to know that they’re just as much of a “Boarder” whether they’re from Wagga or Hong Kong.

If you could have any farm animal as a pet at school, which one would you choose?

CM: The only animals on my property are the wild ones, like wild cows, bandicoots, and dingos. So I don’t know, does my dog count?

What’s your secret to making Boarding feel like home?

SL: My secret is to probably bring something from home, like your favourite pillow or blanket. I find that this is the key to making Boarding feel like home as it acts as a reminder of it and also your family. Another secret that I have is to have movie nights. This might sound random but when I’m at home, my family always watches a movie together so doing that with all your friends will definitely bring that sense of comfort and home that you get from being with your family in your house and on your farm.

CM: As long as the people you surround yourself with are nice, then that’s all you really need to feel safe and comfortable – like you would at home with your family. Me and my friend, who I share a balcony with have decorated our balcony to the max; we’ve got posters, flowers, pillows, throws, snacks, even a mini fridge. Making your space special by bringing a touch of the things that make you happy.