Happiness author encourages girls to ‘make Mondays your new Fridays’ at Portsmouth High awards evening

Senior girls (Years 10-13) at Portsmouth High School were the proud recipients of achievement awards and cups last week as friends, family, pupils and staff from the school gathered for an evening of celebration. The evening was attended by many VIPs including the Deputy Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, Councillor Ken Ellcome with the Deputy Lady Mayoress, the Mayor of Havant, Councillor Faith Ponsonby with the Mayor’s Consort and Flick Drummond, MP for Portsmouth South. 

The Vice Chair of Governors, Admiral Sir Jonathon Band GCB, gave the welcome address.

The guest speaker was Mr Andy Cope. Andy describes himself as a qualified teacher, author and learning junkie. He is currently studying happiness, flourishing and positivity as part of a Loughborough University PhD thesis.

“It is wonderful to be invited to a school where happiness and wellbeing are evident, centrally, within the curriculum,’ said Andy. Our happiest moments are about experiences and moments spent with people we love.

Did you know the average hug last 2.1 seconds? To transfer the love we need to have hugs lasting 7 seconds – but don’t count out loud!”

“Make Mondays your new Fridays,” he continued. ‘One seventh of our lives are spent on a Monday so stop bemoaning Mondays and be happy now.’

Flick Drummond, MP, added:

“I was thrilled to see how brilliantly well all the girls have been doing. But it isn’t just about the prizes, it is about the character and resilience which is nurtured here which will take the girls through life, whatever is thrown at them.”

Headmistress Mrs Jane Prescott, added in her address:

“I know that I am biased as a headmistress of a girls’ school but the research and evidence is hard to ignore in that girls generally have a greater confidence and self-esteem when they are taught in a girls’ only environment. I would go a little further to say they are happier too when away from those pressures to conform to a stereotype that should have been buried long ago.”