Turning The Page: Centenary Edition

By: J. McManus

One hundred years ago, the British in São Paulo founded St. Paul’s School.  

Over the last months, several centenary-year related events have taken place to commemorate this significant birthday. Upon them, we are called to reflect on how the school has grown, changed and remained. We discussed uniforms, structure, subjects, students, buildings, war, struggle and so much more. These very themes have been brought to life on the magnificent stage of Sala São Paulo and the newly launched centenary book. 

It seems as if we are trying to immortalize our past, in a way. Keeping relics, pictures and stories that represent St. Paul’s at its core. With this, the inauguration of the WW2 Memorial Bench can be seen. Our very own Pauleans who gave their lives to protect our freedom and bring honour to the community. Its location remains in the heart of the school, also serving as a place of connection, meeting beneath the shade of the central tree. Another homage to the school’s past is the exposition found on the ramp up to the music department. There, a comprehensive timeline of St. Paul’s can be explored and reminiscing, as an Old Paulean, is invited. The school hosts many gatherings to bring together multiple generations of its students – from a designated Old Paulean day to informal meetings of classes, several opportunities to reencounter old colleagues and catch up are presented and incentivized.  

While we get caught up in the Centenary celebrations, school life continues on and we say goodbye to the graduating class of ’26. Sixth form students continue their IB preparations, and KS4 students move onward with the IGCSE syllabus. Amidst the year-end activities, concluding centenary events, another semester comes to a close. As students prepare for their next adventure, let us use this time to sit with ourselves and contemplate what kind of legacy we want to leave behind. We represent St. Paul’s wherever we go and our memory will remain in these halls for decades to come. As we pass on the stories of our history, it is undeniable that this school has shaped us, leaving an indelible mark on our hearts over the fifteen-year journey we experience.  

Recently, the burial of the time capsule was a landmark for the future generations of Pauleans. As a school, we gathered in the field and watched as prized possessions entered the military-grade box, only to be uncovered decades in the future. It’s strange to recognize that the ripples of our actions today will meet and crash at the shore, long after all of us have made something of ourselves and will be read by someone yet to be born. It’s the kind of nostalgia that brews and emerges only when the time is right. All of this is relative. Our times may come at different hours because perceptions of importance are subjective and who knows? Maybe ourwaves will meet again, on unmarked territory or perhaps familiar lands. Ponder together, talk to each other and never fear change – it is what defines us. 

​All in all, this has been a transformative year. However, at the end of the day, it is just an imprint in the sand, soon to be washed away by the arriving years of infinite lives, laughs and shared love for this community. We have no clue what the next hundred years have in store for the school, but, if we’re lucky, we might experience a fraction of it, turning the page and writing the next few chapters of the story of St. Paul’s São Paulo.