Jess Haigh

I feel comfortable and accepted here

I’ve always been creative. When I was little, I’d prefer to make my own toys out of different bits and pieces that I’d put together. Now I’m older, I’m still doing that but I’m creating sculptures instead of toys. In the Sculpture course I take at Hagley, I’ve learned that sculptures can contain symbols, and incredibly deep ideas, but sometimes they can mean nothing at all! I’m inspired by what I see around me, and I’m always looking for new mediums- some of my favourite materials are copper wire and bone. I also take Animation where I get to see my drawings come to life. It was the opportunity to take interesting classes that drew me to Hagley in the first place.

In the past I’ve experienced bullying for being deaf but that hasn’t happened at Hagley. I feel comfortable and accepted here. I’ve found the students are pretty non-judgemental and willing to have a conversation and get to know each other. My friends and I gravitated towards each other in Year 9 but this year we’ve been making other connections through our different subjects and our group is expanding.

I think Hagley encourages responsibility while respecting our independence. It’s certainly helped me to develop my maturity and explore my passions. Going into Year 11, there was a clash between two subjects and I was able to take a Level 2 class to make space for Psychology. Next year I’m keen to pick up the Creative Writing class. I don’t know what my future direction is but I’m going to make the most of my time here working on the projects that I love.