The last day of school is an opportunity for the student and parent community to come together to reflect on the year and celebrate the successes of individual students during our Trinity Prizegiving ceremony.
We first heard from David Seymour CB, Whitgift Foundation Court of Governors who said, “Today we celebrate individual success but acknowledge it is a collective effort from the whole school staff and parent community.”
Mr Kennedy, Headmaster, then reflected on the year and acknowledged that the world outside of school had seen a lot of change including a new monarch, three different Prime Ministers and the advancement of AI systems like ChatGPT.
In reference to prizegiving, he said, “There are many unseen and unsung student achievements, and we want to recognise those, as well as the most excellent student achievements that we are celebrating today.”
Mr Kennedy went on to celebrate commonalities of Trinity students and said, “There are three things that are true of all students at Trinity: they are ambitious for themselves and collectively; they understand the value of hard work and are brave enough to learn and grow; and they understand that participation matters. I truly believe that being part of a supportive and inclusive community makes hard work and ambition easier.”
After a musical interlude from our Trinity Musician of the Year 2023, classical guitarist Dominic Holland, our special guest Air Vice-Marshall Paul Godfrey OBE took to the stage to present students with their prizes. Each Head of Year from across the school named students in each form who had been recognised for academic excellence and sustained effort. Students who have excelled in co-curricular activities and represented their country in sport were also acknowledged.
Alumnus Air Vice-Marshall Paul Godfrey OBE then addressed the audience, sharing his Trinity story, and how the opportunities offered to join and excel in the Combined Cadets Force (CCF) at school, set him on his path for a successful career in the Royal Air Force and his current role as the inaugural Commander of UK Space Command.
He said, “My three top tips for life are: 1) always be yourself, you may be tempted to stray but be proud of who you are 2) don’t plan to far ahead, the path will take unexpected turns and if you focus too much on the destination, you won’t enjoy the journey and 3) in the words of Baz Luhrman: do one thing every day that scares you – don’t accept ‘easy’ as the answer.”
Our two departing Heads of School then joined us for the last time, to thank the school for their time at Trinity and to share some parting words with the students.
Aarav Ganguli said, “Make the most of the opportunities Trinity offers you. When I joined, I had never heard of water polo, now I leave as a triple national champion and take with me some of the best memories I have from school. I thought it was fitting to leave with the first words I heard from Mr Kennedy at my induction, and which have stayed with me throughout school: his words were, ‘If it is to be, it is up to me.’”
Izzy Crispin said, “It has been an honour to be part of a community that is so rich in talent and has so many opportunities. I have been told that asking for help is not a weakness but a strength, and would encourage every student to take advantage of the supportive network at Trinity. Ending the season as World Schools Netball champion was the perfect end for me. Thank you.”
Thanks to everyone who attended and the wider school community for a fantastic year. Have a wonderful summer, we look forward to seeing you in September. School is dismissed!
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