Wirral: Paralympic star speaks at Catholic college awards evening

Girls Sports Team of the Year

St John Plessington Catholic College, in Bebington on the Wirral, honoured students' achievements with an incredible awards evening celebration.

The school was also joined by a special guest speaker, Sean Highdale. During an emotional introduction to Sean from associate assistant headteacher, Mr Dean Davies, attendees discovered how this incredibly talented individual was struck with tragedy after becoming captain of Liverpool FC's under 18s team.

Sean, who is a former student of Mr Davies, overcame his adversity and went on to represent Great Britain in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio De Janeiro. His attendance was an opportunity to demonstrate how true resilience and determination can help students achieve their lifelong dreams.

The celebration presented awards across individual subject areas and recognised students for their outstanding efforts and subsequent achievements in that subject, these students were nominated by their class teachers and heads of department.

Awards were given across all subject areas and included awards specific to students who studied certain subjects at GCSE and A-level.

Year 13 students from the 2022/23 academic year were also invited to the celebration and were presented with their Level 3 certificates to honour the final phase of their education at St John Plessington (SJP).

The school also paid tribute to the students who have made outstanding contributions to wider school life throughout the whole year with the pastoral awards. The winners were each nominated by heads of learning and learning coaches, a group of pastoral leaders at the school.

With additional awards categories celebrating achievements across physical education and performing arts, there were plenty of opportunities for students to receive some much-deserved recognition and praise.

A section of the event was dedicated to students who have excelled in a subject area, championed positive change, and developed as leaders.

Winner of the Community Award, Jack Lally, shared how proud he was to be a part of such a deserving group of young leaders at St John Plessington.

Jack said: "I was proud to be a part of a group of deserving young learners whose achievements were publicly celebrated when I received my SJP Community Award. The event was something I will take with me when I continue my learning journey here as part of the SJP family."

The final award of the evening and most highly anticipated, the St John Plessington Award, is open to all students, with nominations considered from all staff.

The award winner, Molly Dawson, demonstrated incredible determination and positively enriched school life with her presence, and is a valued ambassador for the school.

Molly said: "Receiving the letter of invitation to attend the SJP annual awards evening celebration made me feel very excited, yet nervous, as I was unaware of what the award was for.

"I am grateful to have achieved the SJP Award. I couldn't have done it without the amazing support from sixth form. Listening to the speech before receiving the award made me incredibly proud of my achievements.

Molly added: "The impact it has had on me motivates me to do well and try my best every single day, as this award has shown me that hard work and determination can pay off, and I will continue to show this after SJP."

Headteacher at St John Plessington, Mr Peadar McLoughlin, said: "I am filled with a profound sense of gratitude and admiration for each and every one of our students. The talent, dedication and passion demonstrated by our award recipients is nothing short of extraordinary.

"Our awards evening is more than just recognising student achievements; it is a celebration of the human spirit and the pursuit of excellence at our school. The diversity of accomplishments reflects the rich tapestry of our community and the magnitude of its influence.

"From everyone at St John Plessington, I want to congratulate our winners and praise them for their commitment to their craft, goals, and communities - you are the beating heart of our school - well done."

St John Plessington Catholic College is part of Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy Trust.

LINK

Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy Trust: www.hfcmat.com