Famous for his work with the environmental project which has been dubbed ‘the eighth wonder of the world’, Sir Tim Smit KBE has led a fascinating and varied career which has included work as an archaeologist, a record producer and writing the best-selling environment book of the century.
He inspired the audience with a highly entertaining address in which he talked about moments that had changed his life. These ranged from the decision to leave a successful career in the music industry to find projects which truly fulfilled him to the enlightening experience of staring at 1sqm of grass for an hour.
With a call to take a closer look at the world around us and trust our intuition, Sir Tim urged the girls to always seek out the things which intrigue them and endeavour to put their instinct into action.
He said: “Why do we go on about what sort of planet we are leaving our children, when the real question is: what sort of children are we leaving our planet? The generation in this audience are living in the most glorious age of scientific enlightenment and, as most great things are created by the spirit of people working together, the future is looking pretty exciting.”
Seventy seven prizes were awarded in total for a range of achievements including general academic progress, excellence in a particular subject, engineering, outstanding written English, creative writing, drama, art, linguistic skills, singing, instrumental, composing, business, swimming, sport, helpfulness and sustained effort. Old Girl Susan Dowding received the Lynn Green Memorial Cup for her service to the school.
A brand-new award aimed to give a helping hand to the next generation of physicians has also been introduced this year. The Purohit Prize for Aspiring Medics offers recipients tailored mentoring throughout their application to study Medicine including one-to-one tutorials, expert support and hands-on work experience. The prize was this year awarded to Year 12 Mary Lau.
Headmaster Dr Glenn Moodie said: “For close on a century and a half, Truro High School has been providing an outstanding education to young women who leave the school equipped to top their chosen professions, from medicine to law, from politics to the media. Our pupils’ achievements are a matter of considerable pride; a testament to all the hard work they put in throughout the year and the close bonds they form with teachers who are always willing to go the extra mile.”
Performances during the event proved a real testament to the skills and talent he was talking about. The school Chamber Choir sang Sting’s ‘Fields of Gold’ and the Flute Choir performed the traditional ballad ‘Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill’. There were rounds of applause for Emily Elwell-Deighton, Savannah Hall, Isabella Arthur-Austin, Freya Martin and Felicity Hood who performed an impressive ensemble rendition of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud’.
There was also a reading by Deputy Head Girl Sophie Jones and Head Girl Olivia Riley gave the vote of thanks. Outgoing Head Girl Zahra Dalal gave a rousing send-off to her fellow Sixth Form leavers sharing her memories of her time at the school.
One of the most important dates in the school diary, Speech Day is marked every year with a special ceremony in Truro Cathedral including music, readings, prayers and speeches.
