Berkhamsted hosts Academic Gala

Pupils from Years 10, 11 and the Sixth Form were invited to attend a student run Academic Gala, celebrating the research and scholarly work taking place across the School.

The evening was organised by members of the Sixth Form academic committee and showcased an impressive range of projects from pupils across GCSEs and A Level. This was a fantastic recognition of our pupils’ confidence, curiosity and academic dedication.

With over 110 pupils in attendance, the Academic Gala is a popular event in the calendar where pupils will present on a variety of interesting topics and projects. From Year 10s Rosie and George, who confidently presented on their work on the HPQ (Higher Project Qualification), to our vibrant Year 11 debate, where Annika K, Sophie LG, Ben C and Ben E debated ‘the right to burn fossil fuels,’ our pupils spoke eloquently and showed great confidence in their public speaking.

The theme of the evening was “Entrepreneurship and Innovation,” linking the character development gained through academic study to the experience of starting and running a business.

Our special guest of the evening, Julia Yule, gave an inspirational talk on the foundation of her successful wellness brand, Bloom and Blossom. Julia’s inspiring message encouraged our pupils to exercise their curiosity, take risks and to always stand for what they believe in. As one of the student organisers, Maisy M said, “We were so fortunate to be able to benefit from the experience of Julia Yule, our keynote speaker, as she had a fascinating insight into the values at the heart of business.”

Entrepreneurial spirit was a recurring theme of the evening, and Sixth Former Alexandra G gave a further talk on the value of an entrepreneurial mindset. Alistair M and Igor F then spoke on their experience of running a Young Enterprise business, and their notable takeaways. The message? Failure is an essential part of entrepreneurship, as it helps you to reflect and learn. This growth mindset is also powerful tool in the classroom, as pupils practise resilience, reflection and tenacity in their studies.

“We had a great time planning the Academic Gala,” commented Hannah M, one of the students organising this event. “It was really satisfying to watch something we’d put so much work into come into fruition on Friday.”

The event was led by the Sixth Academic committee, a group of students who help to cultivate academic discussion opportunities around School. From Albie C, Oscar M and Henry M, who keenly organised an impressively challenging quiz and crossword (complete with GCSE maths questions) to Maisy, who led logistics for the night- thank you to every student involved in the evening, including Hannah M, Cindy L and Gaby I.

Maisy commented on the evening:

“Organising the Academic Gala was a really incredible and rewarding opportunity to watch all of our hard work as a team come together on the night, building skills and experience that will be beneficial for the future.

From initial planning stages discussing potential themes last summer, to balancing meetings and our workload with mocks, organising the gala allowed us to develop our collaboration and organisation and build an experience we won’t forget.

Whilst managing an event like this definitely had its challenges (including running down the hill on the day to find a missing mic stand!), and was a little nerve-wracking on the night, we are all so thrilled with how the evening went.

One of the highlights of the night would have to be the fiercely contested quiz rounds – particularly the geography round. Thank you so much to Mrs Miles and Mr Godman in particular for all of their support with this event.”