Enniskillen Royal Grammar School’s ethos of Perstare et Praestare: to persevere and excel, was a prevalent theme of principal Elizabeth Armstrong’s speech at the school’s annual prize pight celebrations on Tuesday, December 3. Guest speaker on the night was Brigadier John Graham FFPH DL, a former pupil of Portora Royal School who has had a distinguished medical career at home and abroad. In his address he shared his memories of his school life and how it enabled and encouraged him to take on challenges with confidence in his adult life.

Peter Little, Chairman of the Board of Governors opened the prize night by welcoming all in attendance and commenting on the successes and achievements of the school and its pupils during the past year.

During his speech, Mr. Little paid tribute to Sir Anthony Hart who passed away unexpectedly in July. “The whole school community was greatly saddened by the sudden and unexpected death of Sir Anthony Hart.

“Sir Anthony had been a Governor of Portora Royal School for many years, only resigning from that Board on his appointment to the hugely demanding position as Chair of the Northern Ireland Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry,” said Mr. Little.

“We all miss him and I personally miss his sound advice and very wise counsel,” he added.

Mr. Little also highlighted the “long and highly successful career” of Mr. Trevor Smith who retired at the end of August after 47 years of service to the school.

Principal of Enniskillen Royal Grammar School Miss Armstrong spoke of 2018 to 2019 being a year which saw the school continue to gain “distinguished recognition and worthy respect” in many diverse areas of endeavour both at home and abroad.

Miss Armstrong said: “In the third year of our new school our pupils and staff, working in strong partnership and common purpose, have continued to enjoy not only significant successes but also memorable experiences together, as they have worn our school colours and crest with pride in destinations as diverse as Singapore, Henley Upon Thames, London, South Africa, Cork, Clongowes, Berlin, Bielefeld, Paris, Crans Montana and Messines in Belgium as well as in their more familiar stamping grounds nearer home.”

She added: “In carrying the honour of our school name far and wide they are ensuring in the words of our school ethos, that our school community, whilst firmly rooted in its community here in Fermanagh and Tyrone, is also outward looking, enabling our young people to find and take their place in local, regional, national and global communities as well-rounded and forward looking individuals with a clear pathway to the future.”

Miss Armstrong continued her speech by sharing the varying successes achieved by individuals and the school as a whole over the year through academic and extracurricular endeavours.

“This evening as I have delivered in my report, what can only be a snapshot of the many achievements of our school community over the past year, I have also referred frequently to our school ethos, to our values and to our vision,” commented Miss Armstrong, adding, “I have done so because I believe strongly that our ever growing success as a school community is tangible evidence of the outworking of our vision for our school and of the values which anchor this vision, as we move purposefully, step by step in to the future: a school increasingly at ease with itself and within its wider community whom it is determined to serve with distinction.”

Concluding her speech, Miss Armstrong noted that the school community has a “clear direction of travel for the future”.

“We have a new and renewing vision of excellence for our school community and we travel forward into that vision with a hopeful, persevering spirit. May our school colours and those who wear them persevere in shining ever more brightly, achieving ever more highly and speaking ever more eloquently of what our school, Enniskillen Royal Grammar School means to us and to our community whom we are proud to serve. The blue, red and gold has much to celebrate tonight: we know there is much much more to come. May God bless us all as we take the next steps into our bright future,” she said.

committed to supporting each other as we travel forward together with much hope and expectation,” she added.