Celebrations at Friends School Lisburn Prize Day

Certificates were presented to those who had completed AS and A-level examinations in 2022 and the Guest of Honour was Old Scholar Siobhan Haire, Deputy Recording Clerk at Quakers in Britain.

The Chair of the Board of Governors, Philip McDonagh, opened proceedings by congratulating pupils on their achievements, saying that they had coped magnificently with the disruption of the past two years and that, even though they had lost out on experiences they might have expected to enjoy, they had learned new skills in the process. He also thanked staff for their hard work and for maintaining as much normality as possible over the course of the pandemic.

Siobhan Haire received a warm reception and gave an inspirational speech to those in attendance. She added her congratulations to those in attendance and began by sharing some of the responses she had received to a questionnaire she had sent out to Leavers and Year 14 pupils, which included advice they would pass on to those coming after them.

Stephen Moore, Principal, welcomed new members of staff and thanked those who had moved on, including Hannah McKnight, who had taken up the post of Head of Physics at Wellington College; Claire Kingston, who had moved closer to home to a post in the Royal School Armagh; Rodney McCrea who had retired from the Technology Department after 17 years; Heather Scott, who had retired from the Languages Department after 20 years; Paula McPoland who had retired from the Art Department after 30 years; Vivien Black, who had also served for 30 years at Friends’, most recently as Head of English; and Norman Gamble, who had retired as Head of Physics after a remarkable 41 years in school.

The Principal went on to highlight pupils’ achievements in public examinations which had taken place for the first time since 2019. He recalled how, in March 2020, he had broken the news to the Leavers present that their GCSEs would be cancelled, adding that it was hard to appreciate from our current vantage point the magnitude of that decision. He expressed his gratitude that they had, at last, had the opportunity to demonstrate just how well they could do in examinations and commended them all for their efforts. He said that, despite the fact that awarding bodies had announced that grades would be down across the system from 2021, standards at GCSE, AS and A2 at Friends’ compared very well with the previous year.

“There are many more individual achievements I can’t mention, but I am delighted that almost all of our young people have moved on to their chosen destination. Many will be starting very competitive courses at top universities, and the wide variety of these courses reflects the diversity of interests and talents amongst our Leavers. As well as more traditional pathways, our young people will be taking degrees in subjects such as Games Design, Screen Production, Infection and Immunity and Ceramics. I very much look forward to following their progress in the future.”

The Principal said that although the young people in the hall had worked exceptionally hard, the last twelve months had not been all about academic study, adding that he was full of admiration at what Sixth Formers and Leavers had accomplished alongside their work:

The Principal also said how pleased he was that competitions and other activities had resumed, and that this had allowed Friends’ pupils to demonstrate just how good they are at regional and national level. It had been pleasing also to see a resumption of sporting activities, with pupils taking part in school teams and enjoying success at representative level across a range of sports.

The Principal concluded: “There is enormous talent and potential in the room here today, and I would encourage each one of you to make the most of the opportunities that come your way, so that you can flourish as individuals and make a difference in the lives of others.

“I hope that, despite all the disruption of the past few years, your time at school has been something you will cherish, and that you will all come back and tell us about where life has taken you. We’ll be celebrating our 250th anniversary in two years’ time, and we would love you all to be a part of that important milestone in the life of the school. And until then, the only advice I can give you is this: live adventurously.”

Head Girl, Natasha Whiteside and Head Boy, Finlay Crawford thanked Siobhan Haire for taking the time to come to Friends’ and, on behalf of the pupils, staff, parents and guests, expressed their appreciation for what she had said. Following the ceremony, pupils, parents and guests gathered in the Dining Hall for afternoon tea.