Prize Giving Ceremony celebrates Senior School students

St Mary’s celebrated the outstanding achievements of its Senior School students from Year’s 7-13 on Monday 3 July, at its annual Prize Giving Ceremony. The highly anticipated event is a formal occasion that gives us the opportunity to commend the efforts and commitment demonstrated by pupils throughout the year.

Among the accolades handed out this year were: the Adaptability Prize; the Thinking Prize; and the Hard Work Prize – to name just a few. There were also a range of special awards given such as the Governors’ Prizes for Excellence; the Morag Chapman Creative Writing Prize; the Charlotte Goddard Prize for Classics; and the Delia Russell Prize for Physics. St Mary’s Centenary Award for Exceptional Service to the school was presented to Anna H and the House Shield Winners for 2023 were Paston.

During the ceremony, an inspiring speech was delivered by guest speaker and school Governor, Karen Daber. Students listened intently to Karen, who spoke about the importance of leadership and how it is crucial to ‘be a leader in your own life’. Drawing on her own experiences, Karen explained to the audience that leadership is an action not a position. She also discussed the importance of living by a set of values that form the foundation of who you are – using St Mary’s HEART values framework to explain how demonstrating Hard work, Empathy, Adaptability, Responsibility and Thoughtfulness have influenced her career. Karen retired from the police force in 2014 after an illustrious career that spanned almost 30 years. Reaching the rank of Chief Officer and securing the police long service and good conduct medals, Karen is now a Deputy Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire. She is also a non-executive member of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust and a consultant in coaching, mentoring and leadership development.

Charlotte Avery, Headmistress at St Mary’s School, said:

“Our congratulations go to all of our Senior School students for another outstanding year of first-class achievements. This cohort has demonstrated exceptional talent, resilience, and dedication throughout their time at St Mary’s and we are incredibly proud of all that they have accomplished. We would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to Karen for delivering such an awe-inspiring speech to our pupils.”

A full list of prize winners can be found here, and a gallery of photographs here.