Presentation Evening 2018

Presentation Evening is a very special event in the Academy’s busy calendar. The evening celebrates the achievements of our highest-performing students, in particular those students who have distinguished themselves in their public examinations, both at GCSE and at A-level. At Churchill we recognise that a school is about more than just the examination results that young people achieve, so we also awarding prizes for service to the community, for progress and improvement, for compassion, for resilience, and for attitudes to learning, all of which often go hand in hand with academic success. 

This year's guest of honour was Churchill alumnus Stefanie Martini. Stefanie was a student at Churchill from 2002 to 2009, leaving us to pursue an Art Foundation course, before applying to RADA to pursue acting. From there, Stefanie landed a role as Mary Thorne in Julian Fellowes’ Doctor Thorne for ITV, as well as the mysterious Lady Ev in the NBC fantasy series Emerald City, set in the world of the Wizard of Oz. She is perhaps best known for playing the role of a young Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect 1973, showing us the origins as a probationary police officer of the iconic Detective Inspector Tennison that Dame Helen Mirren brought to ITV in the 1990s. Her latest film, Hurricane, tells the story of Squadron 303, a group of Polish airmen who fought with the RAF in the Battle of Britain, fighting both prejudice on the ground as well as the Luftwaffe in the air. It is in cinemas now!

Stefanie, alongside Headteacher Chris Hildrew, handed out the awards before addressing the assembled students and their families. She spoke about her experiences at Churchill, and how those had shaped her character to enable her to be successful in the competitive world of acting. Her speech gave great inspiration to the audience, exemplifying Churchill's value of determination. The audience was also treated to some fantastic music: Music Prize winner Lucy Buncombe had the audience spellbound with her rendition of Blues in the Night, whilst the evening was closed out by brothers George and John Skeen performing a piano and violin duet. 

A total of 139 prizes were awarded in all. George Rabin won the Headteacher's Prize for Best Overall Performance at GCSE, whilst the Headteacher's Prize for Best Overall Performance at A-level was shared between Hanna Whydle and Lucy Nolan, both of whom achieved three A* grades in their A-levels. Please see below for a full list. Congratulations to all the prize-winners.