Upper 6 Prize Giving 2021

This year’s prize giving focused on the Upper Sixth year only, due to COVID-19 restrictions. This resulted in a wonderful morning enabling us to celebrate the outstanding achievements of this exceptional year group.

Our guest speaker was Dr Jae-Ram Song. Jae-Ram is a former pupil having left in 2013. Jae-Ram was awarded a full bursary to join Queen Anne’s School as a full boarder in 2009. At school, Jae-Ram immersed herself not only in academic work, but also in the co-curricular activities. Jae-Ram was particularly fond of music (a superb pianist and cellist) and was an active member of the school orchestra and choir. Jae-Ram performed in many concerts, some at prestigious venues such as St, Martin-in-the-Fields and Westminster Abbey, as well as a choir tour to New York.

In 2013 Jae-Ram went on to read Medicine at the University of Southampton and graduated in 2018. She successfully completed the Foundation Programme at Poole Hospital and continued working as Junior Medical Fellow; during this time Jae-Ram worked on a dedicated COVID-19 ward for sixth months. This experience has inspired her to pursue a career in Respiratory Medicine; she is currently a member of the COVID-19 Follow-up-Pathway Project at the Respiratory Department at Poole Hospital.

Jae-Ram gave a very moving account of her experiences as a young child moving from Korea to England when she was only eight years of age, the excellent opportunities she was given at Queen Anne’s School, entering the very competitive world of studying medicine at university and then consequently working as a Junior Doctor in a leading hospital. Jae-Ram is a highly successful young woman who embraces a kind heart, fierce mind and strong spirit. Jae-Ram asked the Upper Sixth pupils to face the real world with determination, kindness and grit.

Mrs Harrington’s excellent report focused on three important strands as we move out of the pandemic: Mourners, Stormers and Explorers. The three strands were punctuated by the poetry of Emily Bronte, William Shakespeare and Lord Alfred Tennyson and the music of JS Bach, Schubert and Renaldo Hahn. Mrs Harrington paid tribute to the Upper Sixth pupils when they received their respective prizes: pupil attainment, achievement, attitude to learning, ambition and determination were all acknowledged.

The prize giving event closed with a wonderful vote of thanks by our two exceptional Head Girls: Anna H and Jasmine V, followed by strawberries and Champagne in The Space!

Performers:

Music

Sarabande from Partita No. 2 in D minor, JS Bach

Performed by Maya F

Ave Maria, Schubert

Performed by Jessica E

A Chloris, Renaldo Hahn

Performed by Lucy E

Poetry

Mourners

The Night is Darkening Round Me by Emily Bronte

Read by Anna H – Head Girl

Stormers

Lear’s Strom by William Shakespeare

Read by Jasmine V – Head Girl

Explorers

From Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Read by Gill Little – Deputy Head: Teaching and Learning