Annual Awards Evening 2017

Carol Skewes, Headteacher
October 18, 2017

On Wednesday 18 October 2017, the Cornelius Vermuyden School held its annual Awards Evening ceremony.

It gave the school the chance to celebrate the outstanding achievements and successes of over 100 individual award winners, from both past and present pupils. The evening provided an opportunity for the school to recognise individuals that have excelled in different subject areas across the curriculum, as well as in their wider contributions to the school and community at large.

The school was joined by several local dignitaries, special guests and sponsors, including The Mayor of Castle Point, Cllr Brian Wood, Cllr John Anderson, Town Mayor of Canvey Island, Castle Point Council, along with the school’s board of Governors, local artist Paul Karslake and representatives from SEEVIC and SEC. We were fortunate enough to be supported by our sponsors, RM Education, Proctor & Gambol, Benfleet Music, Canvey Island Rotary Club and Essex School Partnership.

Our guest speaker this year was Dr Paul Kelly BSc MD FRCP. Dr Kelly is a consultant cardiologist at the Essex Cardio-thoracic Centre at Southend Hospital. As a local consultant cardiologist with specialism in the management of acute coronary syndromes and intervention, we invited Dr Kelly to deliver a stimulating address to students, parents and guests of the school, with insights shaped by having lived and worked in the locality for over twenty years. It is vital that our students recognise the life-enhancing and transformative power of education and we feel certain that Dr Kelly’s tales of his formative experiences resonated with many.

Mrs Skewes, Headteacher, spoke passionately about the school. “The opportunity to educate other people’s children is a rare privilege, bringing with it a huge responsibility to provide the best all-round education possible as we aim to prepare young people for happiness and success in their adult lives. At Cornelius Vermuyden School we take this responsibility extremely seriously. We care about the individual and pride ourselves in the warmth of a community in which all our students feel valued”.

She thanked everyone who has supported the school, especially sponsors for the awards, Cllr Ray Howard MBE and the Chair of Governors Jeffrey Stanley, who constantly give of their time and effort to support the school. Mrs Skewes ended by saying “I feel immensely proud of our school, its students and our community and look forward to another year of success on all fronts”.

Well done to all of the evening’s award winners.