Queenswood School held its first annual ‘Happy Day’ on Wednesday 15 October, with contributions from schools in Japan, Australia, Africa and the UK.

The inaugural event that inspired Happy Day was the launching and signing of a specialcelebrity ’Happiness’ book compiled in aid of BBC Children in Need, by Hanni Blaskey, one of
our 13 year old students.

The entire school came together for a special Happy Day photograph in Chapel, before flocking to the Terrace Room at lunchtime to buy signed copies of Hanni’s books. Almost 350 copies were sold, raising substantial sums of money for BBC Children in Need.

Hanni Blaskey was inspired to raise money for the charity after being moved by
the TV coverage of BBC Children in Need’s work all over the UK to help
disadvantaged children. She sent letters to a variety of high profile
individuals to ask them to write or draw about what makes them happy.   The Prime Minister, David Cameron, got on board, and has
written the foreword for What Makes Me
Happy? The collection of handwritten responses from over 100 of the
country’s best-loved entertainment, music and sports celebrities,
including  Michael McIntyre, Pixie Lott
and Nicole Scherzinger, plus politicians, including Boris Johnson and Ed
Miliband, have been collated for the book. The responses are funny, inspiring,
emotional and moving, providing a fascinating snapshot into the wide variety of
things that make people truly happy.

Happy Day – 15 October 2014 from Queenswood School on Vimeo.

The entire Queenswood community contributed a giant display about what makes us happy – including contributions in French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Latin! LVI Geography students sent us a picture from their rain-sodden field trip to Dorset.

Queenswood also sent messages of happiness and friendship to our link schools
across the world – Mkanakhoti School in Malawi, the Konan School in Japan, St
Catherine’s in Melbourne and Abbotsleigh in Sydney – as well as to local junior
and prep schools here in the UK. We were delighted to receive many responses, which were added to the messages from our own girls and staff.

Mrs Kinuyo Nagao from the Konan School wrote, ‘It’s very
exciting to see my students’ messages among Queenswood’s.  The students of two schools far apart can
work together.  There seem to be more and
more possibilities to do something together.’

Some of the messages we received from Mkanakhoti made for profoundly thought-provoking reading:

• Desire Tembo is happy to see his small shop running
• Gertrude
  is happy to have many friends.
• Sydney is happy to see new
  places.
• Tamara Lungu is happy to be smart and HIV free.
• Doreen is happy to grow crops and
  make money out of it.
• Emily Chavula is happy to help others.
• Catherine is happy taking
  risks.
• Colleta Chirwa is happy playing games.
• Charity Ngoma is happy visiting new places.

Mrs Edgar was thrilled by the
success of Hanni’s book. ‘Here at Queenswood we are absolutely in awe of what
Hanni has achieved. For a girl her age to have persuaded so many influential
people to help spread happiness and positivity is incredible. She is a
wonderful role model for young women.’

Paul Stephens, Sainsbury’s Potters Bar Store Manager, said: ‘We are pleased to be stocking Hanni’s book, and we’re proud to have such a
talented young author in our local community. We’d like to wish Hanni all the
best with her future writing career.’

What Makes Me Happy?
is on sale now for £3, with £2 from every book going to BBC Children in Need.
The book is available at 500 participating Sainsbury’s stores nationwide, and from Ocado.

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