PUBLISHED 10 May 2024
The Celebration Evening for Year 13 was held on Thursday 9th May – a fitting send-off to the students before their study leave commenced. Year 13 students were joined by their parents and academic staff to reflect on their time at AKS, interspersed with performances from the Chamber Choir, and piano solos by Maia C and Dev C.
Headmaster, David Harrow’s welcome was followed by a poignant address from Jack Ranby (OAKS Alumni Class of 2014) who reflected on having sat in the OAKS Hall as Head Boy of the newly formed AKS Lytham ten years previously, after starting his school career at Arnold.
Exemplifying the spirit of our current student body, Jack managed to fit in an incredible number of co-curricular activities alongside his A levels in Art, Maths and Physics. These included Gold Duke of Edinburgh, Swing Band, and involvement in AKS Action. He spoke fondly about his time in the Music and Drama departments, however, it was the people he remembered the most – both his friends and staff (many of whom are still teaching at AKS today).
Now a qualified Architect, he spoke about how reaching his goal has not always been straight forward, but required hard work and self-discipline. He encouraged students to pursue their passions, not to be embarrassed about trying, to challenge themselves and to embrace opportunities which take them out of their comfort zones.
Acknowledging the wider global and societal challenges, he advised students to think about the world and society they see around them and consider how they can make the world a better place, quoting Nelson Mandela in saying that ‘education is the most powerful weapon’ for effecting positive change - such as what they have gained from AKS.
Head of School, Max S, gave a heartwarming speech of thanks, noting that despite only joining AKS in Sixth Form, he felt at home straight away. His anecdotes included a reference to how Mr Castellas had introduced him to cricket which had saved him from the doldrums in the rugby off-season. Last, but not least, on behalf of the year group, he thanked the teachers for all their help and support.
The evening concluded with Head of Sixth Form, Kevin Maund, giving a more personal ‘celebration of the class of 2024’ in which he charted the students’ development through the school having plundered our photographic and video archive. Roars of laughter and a tear or two followed before teachers and parents stood to applaud the students. The evening ended with everyone spilling out onto the front lawns for the drinks reception.
Links to photos from this evening and the form/year groups photos from their last day of school will be sent to parents directly.