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Date Posted... Jul 8th 2022

Senior Speech Day 2022

“Dare to dream, dare to ask and when you are given an opportunity grab it with both hands and make it possible.”

A fantastic finale to the school year took place with the return of the Senior Speech Day where we welcomed pupils, students, staff, family and friends from across our community, nationally and internationally.

Speeches included our Head Girl and Head Boy, our Chair of Governors, Mr Richard Thomas, our Head, Mr Andy Johnson and it was a honour to welcome guest speaker Director, and Old Truronian, James Hawes (read more about James below).

‘Today is about success, success in all its flavours, it’s about your achievements as individuals, as teams. The success of your teachers, the school as a whole, and of your families for supporting you through this year. And for all of you who may not have received a prize, but for achieving another year. ‘

James encouraged our pupils to dream, “In my job I am paid to dream, to imagine a world, to see in my mind how something will become real.”

He continued, “Dare to dream, dare to ask and when you are given an opportunity grab it with both hands and make it possible. It probably won’t be an immediate success. It will involve hard work but it could very well turn out to be an adventure and a big stride in the way to the sort of future that you count as success… Success will be different for each of you and only you should decide what success means to you.”

Mr Johnson wished the leavers well, “There is an exciting year ahead. For our leavers, your journey continues elsewhere but you travel with your bags full of our blessing and of our support. With the friends that you have made here and empowered by the knowledge, skills and values that you have developed, and always with a warm invitation to see us in the future.”

Now is a time of celebration for what has been achieved by all of you over the last year; from all of us, we wish you a super summer.

James Hawes Director and Old Truronian

James is an established and award-winning director, working internationally in high-end TV and movies. He began his career in fringe theatre, where he set up the Young Shakespeare Company, before joining the BBC to work in documentaries and current affairs. He has made documentaries on subjects ranging from ancient Egypt to Lawrence of Arabia; from a film about international fraud to another about global environmental challenges, written and presented by HRH Prince Charles.

James was nominated for a BAFTA for his film ENID, starring Helen Bonham-Carter and won the Royal Television Society’s Best Single Drama award for The Challenger, starring William Hurt. He has directed two films for the cult Netflix hit, Black Mirror. Most recently, James was lead director and executive producer on Slow Horses, a spy thriller starring Gary Oldman for appletv+. Slow Horses, becomes the sixth show he has piloted to be renewed for multiple seasons. It joins C4’s The Mill, Snowpiercer for HBO Max, BBC’s family hit Merlin and the Suspicions of Mr Whicher. He also launched David Tennant as the 10th Doctor Who. James has experience working for a list of networks, including Netflix, hbomax, TNT, C4, BBC, natgeo, Showtime, ITV and Sky.

James is Vice Chair of DirectorsUK, the guild representing all UK screen directors.