We are pleased to introduce to you the Deputy Head Girls for the 2025-2026 academic year. This year’s deputy head girl team includes Pola Kowalewska as Deputy Head Girl: Community Action, Ellie Ralph as Deputy Head Girl: Inclusive Community, and Agnes Palmer as Deputy Head Girl: Community Voice.
What are you most looking forward to doing during your time on the SLT?
Pola: Getting stuck in with all the events along the way, where I can meet all of you guys and build upon past successes to make them as special and memorable as possible :))
Ellie: I’m looking forward to getting to work with such a great group of people this year. I think it’ll be exciting to see ideas and events we plan come to light and benefit life at WHS.
Agnes: I am really excited to do more with Student Parliament – it would be really great to hear more about what people lower down the school think about school life. I also can’t wait for Off Timetable Day! I have never helped organize an event as big as this one but it will be so fun to take control of the school for the day.
What’s your go-to comfort meal?
Pola: It’s got to be a hearty portion of my homemade butter chicken on top of some fluffy basmati, served with a sprinkling of coriander, a dollop mango chutney and some soft garlic naan bread
Ellie: My go-to comfort meal would probably be a Five Guys cheeseburger and chips with their vanilla milkshake.
Agnes: Ah, this is a hard one! I think it has to be my Dad’s chicken tagine (the one dish I could never eat too much of) – it’s a classic in our family and always puts me in a good mood!
What’s a niche topic you’re really passionate about?
Pola: If there’s anything I know and feel a lot about, it’s got to be dad music. It transports me to what feels like a richer soundscape in time (when my parents grew up), which I connect with strongly, even though I didn’t grow up with it. I tend to ‘live with’ certain musicians for a while, letting their music transform the way I view the world, painting it in a different shade or tone each time. If you’re after recommendations, I’ve got plenty!
Ellie: Not sure if this counts as niche but I’m interested in intersectional feminism at the moment. I think it’s a really interesting topic which I definitely would love to speak about more and even introduce to the PSHE curriculum.
Agnes: I really love Renaissance Art. Ever since I was little I’ve loved going to art galleries and seeing amazing paintings by Botticelli and Rembrandt. I think it’s the storytelling I love most and being able to imagine an existence outside my own.
What would your biography be titled?
Pola: Probably something like ‘Colouring Outside the Lines’ – I think it says a lot about my creative spirit, as well as my instinct to experiment out of the box/the lines, and learn from this approach as I go!
Ellie: I’m not sure
Agnes: Probably something along the lines of ‘Girl. Woman. Fencer.’ – I know it’s cringe! I guess if there’s one thing I would want to accomplish in my life it would be competing at the Olympics in Epée Fencing!
What’s your comfort movie/TV show?
Pola: My comfort movie has to be ‘The Darjeeling Limited’ by Wes Anderson. You can never get bored of the visuals and the acting, and the story leaves you with a warm, restored feeling every time (yes, even by the 5th time).
Ellie: A TV show I’ve watched multiple times and can always have on in the background is ‘Criminal Minds’. Though a bit gruesome at times, I enjoy the suspense of crime thrillers. My comfort movie would probably be the Disney movie ‘Tangled’. Taking a different turn to ‘Criminal Minds’ but equally as valued to me, Tangled’s soundtrack and storyline is always a good watch.
Agnes: That’s got to be ‘Trading Places’ – it’s a brilliant comedy/drama set in New York in the 1980s about two men who are forced to swap places. Eddie Murphy cracks me up every time I watch it! It makes me laugh so much.
What are your top 3 favourite songs?
Pola: Girls On Film – Duran Duran; Everything She Wants – Wham!; Love Resurrection – Alison Moyet (such a bold, soulful anthem)
Ellie: Add Up My Love – Clairo, Landslide – Fleetwood Mac, and Ghost in the Machine – SZA
Agnes: 1. Bring on the Night (by the Police/best band of all time) – this is the song which I sing in the shower most! 2. Shortyville (by Trombone Shorty) – It’s got an epic trombone solo! This is the song that made me realize just how cool the trombone actually is. 3. They Can’t Take That Away from Me (by Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong) – it’s angelic, I love their voices, and the lyrics are gorgeous
