Rydal Penrhos was delighted to welcome home its Class of 2022 for a celebration and awards evening on Friday 31 March.
Due to the unprecedented period of national mourning that followed the death of HRH Queen Elizabeth II, Rydal Penrhos was compelled to postpone its Speech Day scheduled for the start of the new school year in September 2022. This was a great shame as the entire school community was keen to celebrate our amazing pupils, and in particular the Year 13 cohort who had departed over the summer.
All year groups who pass through Rydal Penrhos have their own unique qualities and this is certainly true of the group who are now our youngest alumni. The Class of 2022 certainly put their stamp on Rydal Penrhos during their time with us, excelling across all areas of school life. Academically, the particularly adept group scored A* or A grades in 64.2% of their A-Levels and 66.7% of their GCSEs; a remarkable testament to their hard work and persistence.
These results are all the more impressive when situated against the context of an unprecedented global pandemic, which began only months before the Class of 2022 were set to take their GCSE exams. Supported by a team effort from staff and parents to ensure that online learning during lockdown was as fruitful as possible, the Class of 2022 did not let circumstances deter them as they continued to excel.
The Class of 2022 Awards Evening was a far cry from the memory of social distancing and isolation during lockdown. A strong turnout of former pupils, parents, staff and Governors were welcomed by Deputy Principal Mr Phil Sutton, who then led the presentation of awards and certificates alongside Assistant Principal Mrs Rhian Williams.
University of Birmingham Dentistry undergraduate Shruthi Ganapathi received the Head of School award after her exemplary year as Head Girl of Rydal Penrhos. Talented Mathematician Rebecca Mann, who is currently reading the subject at the University of Warwick, was awarded the Further Mathematics prize alongside the prestigious Rosa Hovey Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded for excellence in a pupil’s studies.
The full list of awards is available here.
Executive Principal Mr John Waszek closed the ceremony by recalling his memories of the Class of 2022. Afterwards, guests enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with some delicious canapes, courtesy of Rydal Penrhos’ superlative catering team led by Mr Jonathan Stubbs. It was wonderful to see all in such good spirits and proved an excellent occasion to round off a successful term.
Many thanks to all involved in delivering this wonderful evening, but more importantly, we would like to express our gratitude to the former pupils and their parents not only for joining us for the event, but more broadly for being such wonderful members of our community for so many years.
We look forward to seeing many of you at Founders’ Day in September!
