Year 11 Celebrate With Thanksgiving Service
For over 150 Year 11 pupils, Friday 22 June was certainly an important day. With their public examinations finally out of the way, Year 11 pupils and their families were invited back to the College to celebrate the end of their GSCE year in a final Year 11 Thanksgiving Service.
Over four hundred guests attended the service held in the College Chapel. Father Alan Whelan welcomed them all and opened the service with a hymn. A number of staff, including Heads of House and members of the Senior Leadership Team, gave emotional readings that reflected the aspirations the College holds for their future. The mood was one of celebration and optimism for the journey ahead. A plea for continuing kindness and generosity of spirit underpinned all the messages in the speeches.
Mrs Beth Sharpe, Pastoral Deputy Head, thanked all the parents for their support of the College and read a moving extract from a Denis Waitley poem called Roots and Wings. Ed Hester, Headmaster, continued the thanks to the parents before inviting them to join with staff for refreshments after the service.
As friends, families and pupils trickled out of the Chapel to the Sixth Form Lawn to catch up, dish out hugs and enjoy a fine spread for lunch, there was a buzz of excitement ahead of next Monday evening’s all-important prom!
It was wonderful day of celebration and we wish all Year 11s a relaxing summer break before they move on to the next step of their life journey.