The Heart of England Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme has been celebrating the attainment of silver and bronze awards with a special ceremony where students were presented with their certificates.
After an introduction by science teacher and Duke of Edinburgh Manager Mr Nance, the Principal Miss Hughes-Williams gave a brief address in which she spoke about how our own school values chimed with the qualities of the Award. “Everything about these words: honesty, courage, determination, kindness and of course humour are qualities central to becoming a well-rounded and successful person which resonates strongly with the vision of the Duke of Edinburgh Award that sets you up for life.”
Mr Nance spoke about how much the implementation of the award at Heart of England relies on volunteers. “We depend heavily on our community volunteers and they are a real strength to our scheme and we are so grateful,” he said. “We are indebted to you and to the assessors who give up so much time for the students.”
After and introduction by Mr Nance, volunteer Dr Rob Walker spoke to the students about their achievements and used the opportunity to encourage successful bronze candidates to continue to silver. “You’ve done a lot of the leg work,” he said. “All the basic training is done so why not continue?”
Local Duke of Edinburgh Operations Office Jo Huck also praised the awardees and presented a certificate on behalf of the scheme for the staggering 767 hours of volunteering served they’ve chalked up this year. Jo told the students: “Congratulations to every one of you. That is superb!”
Once the brief preamble was over, the successful students were called up in their walking groups and presented with their certificates and an exclusive bronze or silver enamelled badge by Miss Hughes-Williams followed by photo opportunities and lots of happy smiles.
When all the groups had been up, Mr Nance concluded the proceedings and said: “It’s a privilege to be here and to celebrate your accomplishments. You have contributed to our school and local community in amazing ways. I hope you take away many lasting memories of what you’ve done.”