The Stonar Way 16.01.26

At the start of each new year, there is a natural tendency to think about change. New Year’s resolutions encourage us to improve, to do things differently, or to become something new. Yet when I speak to pupils at the start of term, I often suggest that just as important as change is our attention to the constants in our lives: our families, our friendships, and the school community that support us day after day.

Over the New Year, the Way family gathered, as we often do, with two old friends from school days and their families. On New Year’s Day it has become a tradition for us to have a walk followed by a pub lunch—and this year was no different as we set off towards the Toll Gate Inn in Holt. With us were two elderly dogs: Bella, belonging to one of our friends, and our own dog, Dave. It later transpired that this would be one of Bella’s final walks; she died peacefully a few days later. It felt a genuine privilege to have shared that simple, ordinary moment with her. Dave, meanwhile, is hanging on in there!

Pets have a quiet but powerful presence in our lives. They anchor us to routine, to responsibility, and to companionship without judgement. They teach patience, empathy, and care—not through instruction, but through daily interaction. This week, while showing a prospective parent around the school, she remarked that although her son has no interest in horses, the school felt different as we passed the equestrian centre and saw a few horses heading out on a hack. Animals, quite simply, change the atmosphere of a place.

At Stonar, animals are part of our landscape and our identity, but more than that, they are part of the constancy that grounds us. As we begin a new year, it is worth remembering that growth does not always come from radical change. Sometimes it comes from valuing, nurturing, and holding close those enduring presences—human and animal alike—that quietly shape who we are.

I hope that you have a good weekend and don’t forget to walk the dog, whatever the weather!