The Senior Prizegiving was held on Thursday 3 November. As in previous years it was an opportunity to recognise the academic, sporting and cultural success of our boys. There were a few changes for this year’s event. This year, as well as awarding prizes, there was also an acknowledgement of the Year 13 boys who graduated as Shirley Men. This had been done in other ways in the past such as Shirley Man dinners, but it was decided to include it with the prize giving. The Senior Prize Giving is the premier event of the year and it was appropriate to acknowledge those boys who have contributed in a variety of ways over the previous five years, and celebrate that they were graduating as Shirley Men.

Another change was that it was held in the Sports Hall instead of the Hall. This was to create more space for the increased number of parents and families who wished to come along and see their son graduate or receive a prize. Carpet was laid on the floor, seats were set out and a temporary stage was established to create a very attractive and spacious area for staff, students and guests. The increased space was required with over 700 students and families taking up the seats.

The evening was punctuated with speeches from the Board of Trustees Chairperson, Tony Deavoll and the Headmaster. There were also a range of high quality musical performances. The evening culminated with the two top awards in the Senior School. First was the PTA prize for proxime accessit, which is the runner up to the Dux of the School. This was awarded to Boris van Bruchem. The ultimate award for the senior school, the PTA prize for Dux of the school went to Sean Takai. 

At the conclusion of the evening the Year 13 boys gathered in front of the stage to perform the school haka for their final time. This was their way of thanking their families for their support over the five years at Shirley Boys’ High School.

Please see attached programme for a full list of our prize winners.