Students at Blacon High School have celebrated success at an annual VIP event.
The celebration evening was also an opportunity to reward the attainments and effort of students from each year group.
The guest speaker, Sky TV news reporter Mike McCarthy, addressed the large audience of proud parents, carers and students, describing his career as a ‘ticket to happiness’.
He recalled his own rise to notoriety in journalism, a journey that has enabled him to travel the globe, interview world leaders, and report on news stories from Iraq and Afghanistan.
His message to the students was that if you work hard and aim high, anything is possible.
This was certainly the case for a number of leavers in 2015 who secured fully-funded places at some of the top independent schools in the country, including Eton College, the alma mater of the Prime Minister David Cameron, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and actor Damien Lewis.
This year’s Lilian Young Legacy Award, presented in memory of an ex-teacher from Blacon High School, went to top-performing student Alexandra Cosme, who secured A and A* grades at GCSE and, after winning a bursary-funded place, is now studying for her A-levels at Bradfield College in Reading.
The headteacher’s award went to Thea Moore, quoted as an example of all of the qualities that epitomise the values at the school.
Guests and VIPs attended the event including Sheriff of Chester Alex Black; Councillor Carol Gahan; Councillor Reggie Jones and Blacon High School Chair of Governors David Peachey.
This was the last time that the event will be held at its current venue and the headteacher, staff and students are looking forward to welcoming everyone to next year’s celebration in the new school building, which is due for completion in May 2016.
