Success at Our Year 13 Prefect Celebratory Dinner and Speech Night
What an honour it was to host our Year 13 Prefect Celebratory Dinner and Speech Night – a special evening dedicated to recognising and celebrating an exceptional Year 13 cohort and all they have achieved.
(Abigail pictured with the Principal, the Mayor of Bury and BGS School Captains Rocco and Khadijat)
We were especially delighted to welcome back Abigail Irozuru, alumna of the school, as our guest speaker. Abigail shared inspiring reflections and insights from her remarkable career as a Team GB Olympic finalist, three-time British long jump champion and former international athlete. Returning to speak to current students made the occasion even more special, and her words encouraged pupils to embrace ambition, resilience and the opportunities ahead. We are incredibly grateful that Abigail took time out of her busy schedule to join us and help make the evening so memorable.
We were also honoured to welcome the Mayor of Bury to the evening’s celebrations and extend our thanks for taking the time to join us in recognising and celebrating the achievements of our students. His presence made the occasion even more special as students, families, staff and guests came together to mark this important milestone.
This year’s event also provided the perfect opportunity to celebrate the launch of our very first BGS Reporter Competition for students in Years 5 to 10. The competition was created to encourage curiosity, creativity, and journalistic talent among our younger pupils and has already made a positive impact across the school community.
We extend our sincere thanks to our competition judges for supporting this exciting new initiative and for giving their time and expertise to review such an impressive range of entries. During the evening, our BGS Reporter Prize winners were invited on stage to receive their awards from Abigail and celebrate their achievement with a special presentation photograph.
(Sarah and Amanda pictured with the Principal, and our BGS Reporter Prize winners)
Manchester Evening News editor in chief Sarah Lester and executive editor Amanda Crook were delighted to judge the BGS Reporters competition.
They said: “The famous American journalist Walter Cronkite once remarked: ‘Journalism is what we need to make democracy work,’
“That has never been more true than in the current climate of social media-fuelled mis- and dis-information. As a result it has never been more important for our young people to be able to look at the world around them with an inquiring mind.
“The entries to the BGS Reporters competition were thoughtful and clever and give us hope for the future. Thank you to everyone who took part. We really enjoyed reading them.”
Reflecting on the evening, our Head of Sixth Form said:
“Speech Night is always one of the highlights of the school year and a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our Year 13 students and all they have accomplished during their time with us. This cohort has demonstrated commitment, resilience and ambition, and it has been a privilege to support them on their journey. It was especially meaningful to share this occasion with parents and families, whose encouragement and support have played such an important role in their children’s success. We are incredibly proud of every student and look forward to celebrating with them again on Results Day in August.”
A heartfelt thank you to all of the parents, families and guests who joined us for the evening. Your encouragement and support play such an important role in our pupils’ achievements, and it was wonderful to celebrate these special moments together as a school community.
Most importantly, congratulations to our Year 13 students who received their School and Academic Prizes. Every award reflects the hard work, commitment and enthusiasm shown by our students throughout the year.
As our Year 13 students prepare for their next chapter, there is naturally a sense of excitement but also sadness as we say goodbye. They will be greatly missed, but they will always remain part of our school community. Seeing Abigail return to school as a former pupil and sharing her experiences was a powerful reminder that once you leave, BGS will always be your school. We hope our students leave with happy memories, continue to achieve great things, and one day return to inspire future generations, just as so many of our alumni do.
