At our recent, very busy Year 6 open evening there was one feature that nearly every parent commented upon. One thing that truly stood out amongst the many excellent activities that went on. It was the performance of our Y11 ‘school captain’, James Richardson. As part of the presentation to parents and Y6 students James spoke about his experiences at the school, how, in his words the school has helped to sculpt him into the confident, articulate, rounded young man that he is today. James encapsulated better than any of us other presenters could what it means to be a student at Beverley Grammar School, what opportunities exist, and the excellent relationships which develop between staff and students. It was a proud moment for all of us at the school but especially for those such as Mrs Elgey who can remember James when he arrived in Year 7. In her words he was a nervous, disorganised boy who wouldn’t say ‘boo’ to the proverbial goose.
Whilst James won the plaudits, however, the open evening had a whole host of students helping out with tours and in departments. All of these students willingly gave up their time to be involved in the evening. It is a great testament to how our students feel about the school that so many of them volunteer in this way and they drew many compliments from our visitors for the way in which they talked about the school and what it is like to be a student here. They are, of course, our best advocates.
In a similar fashion Alfi Gozacan our head boy and Ben Blissett our deputy head boy will have their turn in the spotlight when they give speeches at our forthcoming speech night at Beverley Minster. Indeed the sixth form team which includes head girl Siobhan Schneider and deputy head girl Ellie Parker have made an excellent start in the way in which they have engaged their peers and contributed to the life of the school beyond the J6. All of them will be very active in helping to promote the sixth form at our open evening, which this year is hosted by the High School, on October 13.
That we have so many students who are such willing advocates for the school and who are able to talk openly and articulately about their school experiences speaks volumes.