The Senior school has launched a special new award recognising pupils’ contribution to the school community.
The Colfeian Community Award is the product of collaboration between the School Council, Student leaders, Senior Prefects and the pastoral team. Its purpose is to enhance and promote values such as being an upstander and making the most of opportunities, values that the Headmaster, and Crystal Palace FC Chairman Steve Parish OC in his recent visit, have inspired in the school over the past term.
The award also cultivates students’ celebration of each other, as pupils themselves nominate each other for the award in one – or more – of three categories: Being Brave, Being Authentic and Being a Trailblazer. Nominations can be made for any student, by any student, for such actions as speaking out against injustice, being an upstander rather than bystander, acting in line with one’s own values, or creating a new opportunity for others.
The first recipients were presented with their awards in a special Assembly, where Dan Gabriele, Head, said: “A happy and successful society is one in which everyone feels like they belong and one which celebrates all successes. The way you treat people shapes the world we are trying to build, and our culture within school is shaped by the actions of all of us. Our new award gives us the chance to build the community we want to be part of, one where everyone can flourish.”
Year 13 student leaders expanded on the meaning of the award at the launch assembly:
Joseph: “The truth is, being brave isn’t just about big, dramatic moments. If someone charges into battle just because they enjoy fighting, is that really brave? Not really. When we thought about bravery more seriously, we realised it can look like everyday people facing everyday challenges. For example, students who move to a new school and walk into a classroom where they don’t know anyone — that takes a lot of bravery too. We realise bravery doesn’t have to be loud or dramatic. It can be quiet, simple, and still incredibly powerful. It’s about seeing things as they really are and still choosing to act.”
Gabby: “As Barack Obama said when he accepted the JFK Courage award, “Courage, true courage, derives from that sense of who we are, what are our best selves, what are our most important commitments, and the belief that we can dig deep and do hard things for the enduring benefit of others.”
Juhi: “Obama also said real courage is often quiet. It comes from knowing who you are and pushing yourself to do the difficult things that matter, even when no one’s watching. That’s why bravery and authenticity go hand in hand. Being authentic at school might be being honest when you don’t understand something in class or staying true to yourself instead of following the crowd.”
Rohan: “A trailblazer is a person who sets the standard, the first to do something, an innovator, the person who causes change. And this is our call to you this morning. In what ways, big or small, can you be brave, be authentic or be a trailblazer? And when you recognise this in your friends, classmates, older or younger students, we want you to recognise it and celebrate it.”
