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GAUDY, 4TH JULY 2015
A spirit of adventure is often in evidence in
the exploits of Teddies people. Last year I told
you about George Henry and Will Bull, who
cycled from Paris to Gibraltar in a successful
charity fundraising venture. On Thursday I
met four Fifth Form girls - Immy Higgins,
Caitlin Scott, Mia Hammersley and Alexia
Demetriou - who tomorrow are planning to
complete the Three Peaks Challenge, which
means climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and
Snowdon in 24 hours - sounds like a tall
order to me. They are climbing to raise funds
for Mary’s Meals, the international food
charity currently feeding more than one
million schoolchildren every day.
It is thanks to the outstanding opportunities
offered by our North Wall Arts Centre that
there are currently a group of OSE enjoying
huge success in the fields of film and
entertainment. Emilia Clarke is world-famous
for her role in
Game of Thrones
and stars with
Arnold Schwarzenegger in
Terminator Genisys
.
Sebastian de Souza has a major role in the TV
drama
Recovery Road
. Flossie Pugh, who left us
last year, has already starred in a feature film,
The Falling
, which earned her a ‘Best
Newcomer’ nomination at the London Film
Festival and Pippa Bennett-Warner is currently
at the National Theatre in
The Beaux’
Stratagem
. A week or two ago we welcomed
Graham Broadbent back to School to talk to
pupils about his career producing films such as
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
and
Welcome to
Sarajevo
. Moving beyond acting to music and
literature. George Fenton is composer of more
than 200 film and TV scores including
Gandhi
,
Shadowlands
and
Dangerous Liaisons
,
and has 14 BAFTA Awards, including one
for
The Blue Planet
. George Parris set up the
Carice Singers and there are at least four OSE
who are professional singers. Several OSE
bands are making names for themselves. The
Dreaming Spires appeared on the Andrew
Marr Show recently and The Glass Animals
were at Glastonbury. Local group Wild Swim
are writing and recording. Crime writer Robert
Wilson has published 12 novels, won the Silver
Dagger Award and has two television series on
the go.
It is always easy to celebrate success, and of
course we know more about OSE who achieve
prominence than those who go quietly about
their business. For our pupils, we value above
all else that they find happiness and fulfilment,
and so I dedicate an important moment in
this celebration of our high-profile OSE to all
those I haven’t mentioned; to those who have
worked hard, raised families and kept the
Teddies spirit alive in countless ways of which
we may never hear. It is also important to
remember that the path to some of the
successes I have mentioned may not have been
a smooth one. Life isn’t always easy. One of the
things we aim to instil in our pupils is the
resilience to cope if things don’t go as expected,
so when you tackle the many challenges life
will throw at you, hold on to that spirit, that
determination, that grit - and you will make it.
Today, we send our Leavers out beyond the
Teddies community and we wish them
enormous happiness and success. Certainly,
be inspired by those who have gone before you,
but find your own path. And don’t forget to
stay in touch and tell us what you do – the big
successes, and the little ones - we value them all.
Have a happy, successful and enjoyable summer.