Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Penrith, welcomed back last year’s A-Level cohort for the school’s annual awards evening.
Headteacher Paul Buckland welcomed the former students and their parents to an evening dedicated to celebrating the students’ achievements. He paid tribute to the hard work of students and staff, which resulted in a 100% pass rate for the cohort, making QEGS sixth form one of the top 25% in the country. Mr Buckland also reflected on the many extra-curricular accomplishments of the students, showing many photographs from throughout their time at QEGS.
Musical entertainment was provided by Lucy Hanson-Wilcock, performing the song “Beauty and the Beast” from the school’s recent production, and Molly Jervis on the piano, who played Beethoven’s “Presto alla tedesca” in G Major, Opus 79.
A-level certificates and some 40 special awards were presented by poet and author Katie Hale, who was herself a QEGS student between 2001-2008. The awards are sponsored by local businesses, former members of staff, and former students and their families, and include prizes for academic achievement and service to the school.
Ms Hale, who published her debut novel “My Name is Monster” in 2019, reflected in her address on the importance of failure. She had words of encouragement from her Twitter followers, to whom she had posed the question, “what would you say to your 18 year-old self?”. The advice included “You get to decide what to do with your life. Not parents, not teachers, not social media, not anyone else. If you don’t know what you want to do with it, that’s fine. But it’s your life.”
The evening concluded with a vote of thanks from 2018-19 head boy, Henry Marshall and refreshments provided by the Friends of QEGS.
