Prize Giving 2022

PRIZE GIVING & FINAL ASSEMBLY 2022

The annual Prize Giving and Final Assembly ceremonies always serve to mark a set of crossroads in the rich history of Kingswood School.

These are ceremonies where we look both forwards and backwards, celebrating all that our Year 13 Leavers have achieved throughout their Kingswood career, whilst also acknowledging the many talented young people following in their footsteps from the years below.

July 2022 stands out in the memory as being a crossroads moment of particular merit: it was the first time we had held the full ceremony since the beginning of the Covid Pandemic; it was the first time in a few years that we had been able to gather the whole school together in a single venue; it was the last time that a number of long-serving colleagues would attend the events, not least the Hollywells and the Opies, who shared some thoughts and feelings about their Kingswood journeys with the students.

In a break from tradition, the Upper Fields played host this year, providing a generous and picturesque setting via a large marquee surrounded by the beautiful Lansdown countryside. Uncharacteristically for the Upper, we were blessed indeed with the weather – perhaps even a little too hot for those sat under the transparent plastic skylights – and it was something truly edifying to look out on our fully assembled community: a group of people pulled this way and that through years of Covid restrictions yet held together by a set of shared values and traditions.

We all need moments such as these to remind us just how special it is to be part of the Kingswood community.

The Prize Giving ceremony celebrated the usual eclectic mix of achievements that take place during a typical Kingswood school year. Academic departments awarded their prizes for Attainment, Effort and Highly Commended as they usually would, yet the incredibly high level of these young people’s achievements felt even more remarkable this year considering what they had navigated to meet such demanding academic standards. The students given attainment awards this year have reached notably high levels of performance, but it is easy to forget that, for several years, their progress has been hampered by circumstance. In many ways therefore, every award was about character - a recognition of the stoicism and commitment that each young person has shown to continue their pursuit of outstanding educational achievement even when the world around them spins at a dizzying rate.

As is tradition, both events were deeply enriched by performances from some of our senior musicians and artists. Colby Chu gave a characteristically virtuoso rendition of ‘Beethoven’s Romance in F’, the music seeming to suffuse the hushed silence of the marquee air with an additional poignancy as it dawned on us that it might be the last time we would hear him play without having to purchase a concert ticket beforehand. His performance was spellbinding, and a fitting parting gift from such a wonderful talent. Another talented individual, Tom Button, shared his technical expertise with us via a truly remarkable video project, which combined his own video footage with virtual reality imagery; a knowledgeable parent commented that Tom’s final product was of a professional standard. Indeed, the juxtaposition of classical music and virtual reality animation served to emphasise the primacy of both the traditional and progressive arts at Kingswood.

Our ‘special prize’ categories help to encapsulate the Kingswood vision of what excellence looks like

when we think about great education. The special prizes range widely, including prizes for: Exceptional Sports Achievement (Patience Rhodes), Drama and Theatre (Ted Nightingale and Tom Button), Science (Haru Ishizaka), Fine Art (Eloise Weinberger), Charity and Service (Bea Meadowcroft), ‘Unsung Hero’ (Grace and Emily Ardus), Community Spirit (Larissa Man) and Leadership (Niamh Weldon), amongst others. The eclecticism of the awards speak to the breadth of vision for education that we hold so dearly at Kingswood. Although in many ways our world is much changed and more complex than that of Wesley, his vision for a Kingswood education, subsequently shaped by those who have followed in his footsteps, is still urgently relevant today – indeed, the real ‘prizes’ we celebrate are the young adults we send out into the world with the commission to be people of virtue and character, change-makers, who might just help save us all.

It was absolutely fitting that the final prize of the ceremonies was a newly-commissioned one: the Opie prize. Gordon and Jenny had given much thought to both the nature of the prize and its intended recipients for this year. Characteristically, their prize sought to highlight and celebrate perhaps the greatest virtue a Kingswoodian should embody: kindness. It was a prize that the Opies could offer with absolute integrity, having modelled this virtue so consistently throughout their time together at Kingswood. The inaugural ‘Opie Prize for Kindness’ was awarded to Rex Evans and Thea Bailey, two outstandingly selfless young people who, we are sure, will continue to live Wesley’s values as they continue their lives beyond Kingswood.

Of course, both events were also opportunities to say farewell to long-standing members of staff, who collectively have shaped and enriched the lives of countless young people over the years. Mr Thatcher, Mr Burton, Mr and Mrs Hollywell and Mr and Mrs Opie were all rightly honoured for their longstanding commitment to the mission of education at Kingswood. The ceremony was filled with the kind of feeling one would expect at the parting of friends: a deep sadness encircled with joy and thankfulness. The emotional tenor of the moment confirmed in us what we believe to be true about Kingswood, that those who give more than they take find themselves irrevocably bound to a powerful community and ethos, their lives deeply enriched in the exchange.

I emerged from the marquee into the squinting sunshine emotionally exhausted, uplifted, thankful, humbled, and excited about the future of our school –I wondered what the next set of crossroads would bring in a year’s time, and what challenges we might have overcome together in the journeying to get there.

I cannot think of a better road to travel.

PRIZES FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE SCHOOL

The Heart of Westwood Award Emily Ballantyne & Ethan Y Wong

The Charlotte Hecquet Butterfly Award for Fine Art

Eloise Weinberger

The Duchars Award for Art Tom Button

The John Allison Memorial Award for DT

Eloise Weinberger

The Sullivan Award for Drama Ted Nightingale The “Golden Mask” Award Tom Button

The Jean Pratten Award for Music Colby Chu The Dikran A. Knadjian Award for Medicine Larissa Man

The President’s Prize for Contribution to Science Haru Ishizaka

The E.P. Thompson Award for History Rex Evans The Model United Nations Award Rose Bates & Elli Duke

The Grove Award for Sport Emily Ardus & Grace Ardus

The Sandy Burgon Award for Sporting Commitment out of School Patience Rhodes

The Jo Heap Award for Contribution to Sport

Rex Evans & Madi Sayce The Warmann Shield for Team Sport Boys 1st XI Hockey

The Juba Award

Marnie Lister

The Richard Neal Memorial Award Emily Ardus & Grace Ardus

The Friends of Kingswood Award for Community Spirit

Larissa Man

The Gary Best Travel Scholarship Emily Ardus

The Rebecca Bleathman Travel Scholarship Award

Emily Watkins & Florence Burton

The Burns Family Leadership Award Niamh Weldon The Chaplain’s Award for Charity Bea Meadowcroft The Opie Kindness Award Rex Evans & Thea Bailey