Invicta Vlogs
On 25 January, many people around the country will celebrate Burns Night - an annual tribute to the Scottish poet, Robert Burns.
On 25 January, many people around the country will celebrate Burns Night - an annual tribute to the Scottish poet, Robert Burns who wrote over 550 poems and songs before his death in 1796, at the age of 37 after suffering from rheumatic fever. The evening was originally organised by his close friends and family after he died as a memorial, but it is now a country wide event. Indeed, our Young Chamber and Interact groups organised an extremely successful Burns’ Night celebration on Saturday, when they hosted nearly 100 guests with traditional Scottish food, music and Burn’s works. The photographs are a lovely record of the evenings’ celebrations – lots of smiling faces clearly highlighting the way in which our business and school community work together to have fun and also raise over £1000. What a fantastic sum of money. This makes me very proud once again. Thank you to Mrs Bennett, Mrs Brewster, Mrs Lloyd, Mrs Giles and Mrs Berry and to all the students from Young Chamber, Interact and Hospitality.
Robert Burns is understandably Scotland’s national poet and considered a revolutionary figure of Scotland. Almost 200 years have passed since his death but people still enjoy celebrating him and all things Scottish. This mix of tradition and longevity has made me think about several e-mails that I have received this week. I was greeted with three e-mails from past students, all telling me about their ventures and challenges in the world of work and university. But, what really touched me is that the past students ranged from those that I had taught 10 years ago to just a year ago, which is delightful. Our communications relayed the memories of school and the traditions naturally associated with life at Invicta – our House events, non-uniform days, assemblies and of course, the school Prom – where the dress code was traditional but the music certainly wasn’t! It is always one of the first things any past student talks about. It actually highlights that although we remember school for our examination success, we actually think about the teachers and the memories. So, as I reflect on the excellent outcomes of the Department for Education league tables last week, it is of course, fantastic to know that we are the only Maidstone school in the top 100 schools, but it is without doubt, clear that we are also known by so many for our traditions and memories. After all, school is about fun, engagement and friendships. For as long as I am Headteacher of Invicta I will certainly ensure that we will celebrate all of this. It will not be as elaborate as Robert Burns, but it will I hope, last a life time!
