Foreword from Mr Smith
June has been by almost every measure an awful month on the national stage. Horrific attacks, the Grenfell Tower disaster and political instability have tested most people's resolve, though I hope our pupils have remained largely protected from all this in this 47 acre sanctuary in North Wales.
As ever there is an extraordinary range of stories in the June newsletter, proving that both in terms of the scale of achievement and the breadth of activities Rydal Penrhos punches well above its weight.
As a school we have been primarily focussed on supporting our senior pupils through their public examinations, but there have been two real highlights for me since the last edition.
Speech Day was as successful and memorable as I could have hoped for. The weather, the speeches and the mood was so overwhelmingly positive. I'm already looking forward to #RPSpeechDay18 so please do save the date (Saturday, May 26)
For those of you wondering, my Speech Day tweet has been viewed nearly 6,000 times and I already have some interesting ideas for next year.
Secondly, the Sxith Form led Mock General Election from the speeches to the live debate went far beyond what I have seen at other schools.
Ben Gibson's victory on behalf of the Labour Party was as much a victory for his personality and preparation as for his 'policies'. In many ways his approach personifies a Rydal Penrhos education. The flavour of which can be again be read in this month's newsletter.