Parents, pupils, staff and members of the Benenden community recently gathered for the first Speech Day ceremony to be held in the new Centenary Hall.The event had all of the grandeur fitting for a farewell to a truly exceptional year group in our departing Sixth Formers. Speeches from the Headmistress and the Chairman of Governing Council were interrupted with operatic interludes, a photo montage allowed our Upper School the chance to reflect on the highlights of the last academic year, and Head Girl Jessica’s words had her schoolmates in tears, with both laughter and emotion.Despite the brand new setting and slightly different arrangements this year, the most important traditional staples and rites of passage associated with a Benenden Speech Day remained, notably the handing out of the Angel books, the concert and, of course, the crossing through the Floral Arch.
