On Saturday 20 June we held our annual Prize Giving and Leavers’ Service, which this year merged into one Zoom Webinar, given the current restrictions. Prize Giving is enjoyed by the leavers and prize winners and their parents, the staff and governors of the school, and also many prize donors.
We said a final warm goodbye to our upper sixth leavers, and marked their many and varied achievements; this year the leavers have missed many of the traditional end of year events, and so Prize Giving was a very special milestone.
Speakers were Professor Mike Stevens, Chairman of Governors; Mr Mike Windsor, Headmaster; the Revd Dr Simon Steer, Chaplain; and the two retiring Heads of School, Jimmy Strainge and Louis Renouf. Mr Dawswell, Second Master, read out the prize winners and their citations.
Speaking about his time at Abingdon Jimmy Strainge said:
‘I would not change a single thing about my journey through Abingdon – not even the somewhat unfair home straight. Every single achievement, obstacle and relationship has played a key role in who I am today and it’s safe to say I have come quite a way since that first day of Third Year all those years ago.’
And fellow Head of School, Louis Renouf said:
‘Abingdon is like a delicious cake: all the ingredients work in harmony, producing a perfect balance of sweet and savoury – and Mr Windsor is the icing on the cake.’
