Amongst the hoard was a procession of Junior Sixth Form pupils who had achieved record CLS GCSE results. Joining them were cohorts of other years winning prizes ranging from Drama to Chemistry, to the less appreciated but equally important Form Prize.
The traditional speech in praise of John Carpenter delivered by Head Boy, Ken delivered a clear and confident speech in praise of John Carpenter; but he also reflected on his time and CLS and what this school has meant to him:
“What makes City truly special is not just the grades, the trophies, the concerts, or even the competitions. It’s the people. Nowhere was that clearer to me than in the Second Form, when I was taught by Mr Crockatt, whose passion for music was impossible to miss. Silencing a full class of 12-year-old boys fresh from the highs of lunchtime table tennis was already beyond impressive, but Mr Crockatt’s ability to transform our class into a choir capable of singing Shosholoza, an iconic South African song, still amazes me to this day.
I’ll never forget the excitement with which he inspired our class to sing something new every week, even when the shy majority made it a challenge, and I know his infectious enthusiasm encouraged many of us, myself included, to develop a lifelong love of music.”
Head, Mr. Bird, spoke reflectively on the changes he had seen during his eight years at CLS now that another generation of CLS pupils have left. He reminded us of the need for:
“humility and the ability to hold multiple perspectives. It is about being able to flourish in a world where information is abundant, but wisdom is scarce.”
