By Isla Williams and Bernie Ramsay
The Sixth Form Awards Evening was a lovely night to appreciate and celebrate the hard work that 2021 and 2022's students put in throughout the years. Subject, Form and Believing and Belonging Awards were handed out and the almost constant applause created a fantastic atmosphere.
We had the pleasure of welcoming former student Ann-Marie Smale MBE back to participate in the evening and give an inspirational talk to the award winners. Miss Lambe, David Williams, Chair of Governors and our Senior Leadership Team shared the presentation of the awards with Ann-Marie. The hall was shared by parents, guardians and teachers who all came together to recognise the prize winners' achievements.
Isla Williams
I joined Bassaleg School in 2018 after retiring from a career in the private sector. I’m based in the admin office and carry out a variety of support functions within the school – including covering Front Desk, topping up sanitizer dispensers around the school, providing refreshments for functions, covering events for photography and making videos.
I was asked to provide refreshments for the 300 or so guests at the start of the awards ceremony, and then to capture some images of the awards being presented by staff and guests.
It was a wonderful evening and fabulous to see the breadth of achievements made by many of the school’s young people. Based in Forge office, we don’t always get to see the great successes and achievements of pupils.
It was rewarding to see the accomplishments of so many; from the Form Tutor awards, the subject awards to the special awards presented by Miss Lambe and the VIP’s too.
Guest speaker and former pupil Ann-Marie Smale, give an inspiring talk based on her own experiences and career progression highlighting the importance of hard work and striving to achieve goals. Ann-Marie is a graduate of Cardiff with a degree from the Welsh School of Architecture. She joined Powell Dobson Architects in the nineties and progressed through the ranks becoming MD a few years ago. I’m sure pupils will have been inspired and motivated by her story!
The school’s forthcoming production of the musical “Annie” was beautifully showcased by the cast in three excerpts; ‘Hard knock life’, ‘tomorrow’, and ‘Hooverville’
Bernie Ramsay