A packed Villa Marina audience gave a standing ovation to Hector Duff, the special guest at the Ballakermeen High School annual prize-giving. War hero Mr Duff spoke movingly of the sadness of war, and said that while there may be victors there can be no winners. He fought in the North African campaign and is a veteran of D Day. Mr Duff encouraged his young audience to make the most of the opportunities open to them, and hoped that one of them may discover a better way to settle disputes without recourse to war. Chair of Governors, Gill Skinner, led the applause and the audience rose to give a sustained ovation to their guest of honour. Mr Duff was visibly moved by the warmth of his reception.
Earlier, Head Teacher Adrienne Burnett had taken ‘Heroes’ as the theme of her address, and challenged her students to be the heroes of their own story. The school’s A level examination results had been ‘incredible’ and the GCSE results the best on the Island. These successes had come about because of the positive way students and staff had risen to the challenge when UK political interference had made achieving high grades more difficult.
Mrs Burnett referred to the heroic sporting efforts of many of the school’s students, past and present. School teams won 17 inter-school competitions this year in a wide variety of sports. A third of the athletes representing the Isle of Man at the Commonwealth Games had ‘come through the ranks’ at Ballakermeen, and current students are UK national champions and Youth Olympians.
The Head Teacher praised the vision and determination of Alwyn Collister, former Chair of the governing body, who had set in motion the process that led to the marvellous new canteen and sixth form facilities. She pointed out the heroic qualities political leaders needed to spend money in times of financial insecurity and thanked them for being brave enough to make the necessary investment. The new building has transformed the school and represents an exciting new chapter in the Ballakermeen story.
Mrs Burnett congratulated Mrs Baker, Deputy Head Teacher, on being appointed Head of Ramsey Grammar School, and paid tribute to her contribution over 30 years at Ballakermeen. Mrs Baker follows in the footsteps of Keith Winstanley, Deputy Head at Ballakermeen until July, when he was appointed Head of Castle Rushen High School.
Prizes and certificates were distributed, and entertainment was provided by school choirs and musical groups. 300 younger students had their own awards ceremony at Ballakermeen, as the Villa Marina cannot accommodate the whole school, which is the Island’s largest.
