St John Bosco Arts College, Croxteth, recently honoured students’ achievements at its annual prize-giving day ceremonies.

​

Taking place over the course of two days, celebrations began with a Key Stage 3 graduation and awards ceremony for Year 9.

​

On the second prize-giving day, the school was joined by guest speaker, Kirsty Doyle.

Born and raised in Liverpool, Kirsty rose to national prominence after winning the first series of Sky One’s ‘Project Catwalk’. Her success on the show led to a mentorship with Topshop, launching a career that has spanned more than two decades.

​

Today, Kirsty has built a successful global fashion brand and has also expanded her work into education, founding The KD Club, which empowers young people through creative education, careers and work experience programmes.

​

Kirsty joined the Year 7 and 8 awards ceremony, as well as the Key Stage 4 and 5 ceremony where she delivered an inspiring speech about entrepreneurship and the importance of building a supportive network.

​

Kirsty also discussed her latest venture, The Work XP, a social enterprise that connects careers to classrooms. It was founded after Kirsty noticed many young people with incredible talent were unaware of the careers that existed or how to get into them.

​

Concluding her speech, Kirsty said: “Success isn’t about collecting contacts, it’s about creating connections, helping other people and opening the doors for others to come with you […] Say yes to opportunities, ask for help and offer help, because the opportunities that change your life often come through conversations you never expected to have.”

​

Students who completed their GCSEs and A-levels last summer also attended the Key Stage 4 and 5 ceremony to receive their official examination certificates.

​

Throughout the event, guests enjoyed performances from the school band, the cast of this year’s production of Mary Poppins Jr, and the award-winning choir, which concluded the celebration by leading the school community in the hymn to St John Bosco.

​

Deputy headteacher, Mrs Clare Roberts, said: “It has been a joy to celebrate our students across two days of award ceremonies. From the fantastic musical and dance performances to the hundreds of awards presented for academic and personal achievements, all three ceremonies perfectly embodied our school’s mission of inspiring each other to flourish in faith, hope and love.”