On Wednesday 17^th January the School held its annual New Scholars’ Celebration. This is an event at which all pupils who received new scholarships for this academic year are able to share with their parents a little of what it is to be a scholar, and a pupil, at Roedean. Scholarship at Roedean is thought of as a journey, and follows six strands: a leading role, working towards mastery, showcasing, community and outreach, trips and workshops, and mentoring. Each of these elements was represented throughout the evening, with an impressively diverse selection of performances and presentations showcasing the skill, commitment, and enthusiasm of our scholars across all their areas.

The evening began in the Drama Studio, with the opportunity to attend an exhibition of work from our Art Scholars and a selection of research posters from our Year 12 Academic Scholars. Once in the Theatre, a highlight was the contribution from 4 pupils from Year 2 at St Mark’s Primary School, with whom Roedean’s Sports Leaders, many of whom are Sports Scholars, work to build fitness, team-work, and listening skills. The audience also enjoyed snapshots of Roedean’s ever impressive performing arts offer, with an excerpt from The Crucible, a concerto for four violins, and an ensemble dance.

At a variety of intervals, we heard from scholars in each year group and each area of scholarship, sharing their personal thoughts on what their scholarship at Roedean means to them. For the adults in the audience, hearing this from so many pupils, across the school, was wonderful. For the scholars themselves, of course, the highlight was receiving their badges.

Thank you to all the scholars, and the staff involved, for their contributions to the event.