8 April 2022
Students, parents and invited guests gathered at Prince Andrew School (PAS) Hall to celebrate the annual Certificate and Awards Ceremony on Thursday, 7 April 2022.
The Ceremony, to award students their certificates for exams that were taken in May/June 2021, began with a welcome speech by HE Governor Dr Philip Rushbrook. Governor Rushbrook said:
“Whatever stage in life you are at – as students, in working life – identify your goals, what you want to do, only you can do it. Here in school take the opportunity to gain knowledge and new skills, and do the work for your exams – society expects to see proof you have learnt something. After school, be open to try out new things. Take courses at college or, when the cable arrives, do more online learning. Then way off in to your futures, I encourage you to continue to be inquisitive to learn about whatever takes your fancy. Build your own lifelong learning path.”
The first round of presentations were to award former year 9, 11, 12 and 13 students their certificates in the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), Vocationally Recognised Qualifications (VRQ), Foundation Certificate of Secondary Education (FCSE) in French, Advanced Subsidiary, and A-Levels.
Shortly after, presentations were made for individual achievements:
| Award | Awardee |
| Jean Beadon Art Award | Lara Lawrence |
| The Governor’s Award for Excellence at Key Stage 3 | Leah Bedwell & Kalem Henry |
| The PTA Student of the Year Award | Hannah Braaf (Yr 11) & Colby Thomas (Yr 13) |
| SURE Sponsorship Awards | Hannah Braaf & Joshua Herne (Yr 11) |
| The Jeanette Williams Maths Awards | Colby Thomas (A level) & Hannah Braaf (GCSE) |
| The English Language Awards | Kelly Yon (A level) & Hannah Braaf (GCSE) |
| Eliza Mary Lloyd Trust Agriculture Award | Ethan Timm (Yr 11) |
| Bishop Houghton Award | Adian Joshua (Yr 11) |
| The Joy George Award (recognising outstanding work at KS3) | Katelyn Lawrence, Maria Dachraoui, Rachael Newman, & Edson Stevens |
In addition, three teachers were presented with certificates; Distance Learning Coordinator, Charmaine Henry, for completing a GCSE in Sociology, Teacher Trainee, Candice Thomas, for obtaining a Cambridge International Certificate in Teaching & Learning, and Acting Head of Mathematics at PAS, David Clarke, for gaining St Helena Qualified Teacher Status.
During the Ceremony, guest speaker, Richard Henry, who is a Conservation Worker for the Environment, Natural Resources & Planning Portfolio, shared his personal education experience – from not wanting to attend school to not paying attention in school and later regretting not gaining an education as he could not pursue his dream of becoming a Firefighter. Richard recently achieved a Level 2 Diploma in Conservation which he took three years to complete, but emphasised to students the importance of gaining an education and encouraged students to always make the most of educational opportunities available.
The Ceremony concluded with a vote of thanks from Student President, Amy Thomas, and Vice Student President, Jamie Peters, and closing remarks from Portfolio Director of Education, Skills & Employment, Wendy Benjamin.
Prince Andrew School Head Teacher, Penny Bowers, concluded:
“We are very proud of our students and the efforts they put into their studies which results in the grades they have achieved. We hope that they will go on to fulfil and pursue their careers as they hope to. A big thank you to all who showed up to our Awards Ceremony to support the youth of St Helena. A special thank you to all staff at PAS for their ongoing support and hard work in ensuring our students reach their potential as far as possible. I conclude with the words of Jamie Peters, Vice President of the Student Council, when encouraging everyone to work hard and achieve good grades: ‘It’s nothing new, but it’s true!’’
#StHelena #Awards #AltogetherBetterForChildrenAndYoungPeople
SHG
8 April 2022
