THE LOWER SIXTH, LOWER FIFTH & MIDDLE SCHOOL PRIZE GIVING 2024

This year, we were delighted to welcome Guest of Honour, Dr Sarah Ruggins, endurance athlete and Head of Investment Specialists for wealth management firm St James’s Place to present the awards.

The proceedings began with Chair of Governors, Mary Edis, praising the students and teaching staff for all their hard work, determination and respect for each other. She also thanked the parents for their continued support for the school and all the students for their wonderful achievements.

In his address, Headmaster, Joe Smith, highlighted the many outstanding achievements from the past academic year. He continued to praise the motivation of the students driven by ‘excellent teachers who consistently go the extra mile to support them'.

Describing his first impressions when joining St Benedict’s, he concluded,

The biggest surprise for me about joining St Benedict’s has been the wonderful sense of community. Schools are about people, and St Benedict’s has wonderful people. Congratulations to our students for all their fine achievements this year and thank you, parents, for your continued support for the school.

Dr Sarah Ruggins shared her story about overcoming adversity, when, as a young talented athlete, her Olympic dream was tragically cut short when she unexpectedly became paralysed. She spoke about how the process of learning to walk again helped her redefine her life. As she takes on the gruelling 4,400km Transcontinental Bicycle Race for the second time in July, she recounted how her rehabilitation taught her that we are capable of enduring infinitely more than we think, and to be brave enough to fail in pursuit of our dreams.

“I hope that my story illustrates that you are more than what happens to you, and that only you have the power to define your values and instil the discipline you need to achieve your goals. If there is one thing I’m certain of, it’s that life WILL have other plans for you at some point, but the only limits you are bound by are the ones you place on yourself."

Dr Ruggins concluded with the very poignant message:

To the remarkable pupils we celebrate here tonight, if you can learn one thing from my story, it is this: have the courage to stand up for your values, the bravery to fail, and the strength to keep going. Take it one day at a time, and if that's too much, one step at a time. I promise, you will arrive exactly where you're meant to be.

Following the evening, she also remarked, “The energy from St Benedict's community was electric, and I felt particularly inspired at seeing the range and depth of talent that is being curated here. The history of this institution is strong, and there is no doubt the future of its pupils is exceptionally bright.“