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Annual Presentation of Awards

Prize Day this year turned out to be quite a celebration of success. The large Year 8 choir treated us to a traditional African song “Diye Mwamba” , followed near the end of the afternoon by “The Sally Garden”. The Headmaster’s report was as detailed and encouraging as ever. Another busy year was punctuated by team and individual successes, he said, topped off with a set of GCSE results that exceeded our own school targets. In particular, Caroline Getty’s 6 As and 2 A*s drew special praise, and helped her to earn the Headmaster’s Award at the end of the presentations. Well done, Caroline, and congratulations to all those who won prizes on the day.
Our Chief Guest this year was Mr. Craig McMillan who gave an inspirational talk to the packed audience, outlining the highs and lows of his life. Craig is living with the devastating consequences of being left paralysed from the chest down after, a rugby injury at the age of 17. That life-changing moment could have ruined everything, but that’s not how this young man reacted. Instead, he saw the incident as an incentive to change his plans for life. His ambition to play rugby for Ireland was not to be so he put his energy into getting the best qualifications possible.
Such is Craig’s determination that he graduated from the University of Ulster in 2005 with a First Class Honours degree! He is in full-time employment, in a job he enjoys doing, and he has found time to return to the world of competitive sport. Having discovered a sport called Wheelchair Rugby, he has been playing at international level for the past four years.
Through all that has happened in his life, Craig never lost his deep Christian faith. In fact, he attributes this with giving him the strength to go on after suffering such a terrifying life trauma. Although he seems happy on the outside, it is his inner sense of joy that really shines through. A challenge was issued to all present. Having reminded people that our attitude will help to determine how we get through life, Craig made two recommendations:

  1. Since nothing worthwhile in life is easy, be determined and work hard
  2. Maintain a good work / life balance (this means getting involved in extra-curricular activities while at school of college)

Here was a living example of the power of a right attitude. Here was a young man whose life had been turned upside down, and who simply saw this as an opportunity to experience things he would probably not have otherwise! Having successfully adapted to his new set of circumstances, Craig expressed the hope that our pupils would be able to react in the same way to the changes they faced throughout their lives.
Our guest said he was extremely impressed by the facilities in the school, but more importantly he was encouraged to see the obvious display of hard work and determination by all the pupils. He concluded by saying “If you continue to strive throughout life with the same vigour you have displayed within school you will all be successful in your own right.”