Arvalee School and Resource Centre recently held its Annual Prize-giving ceremony. In his address Mr Jonathan Gray Principal welcomed everyone to this special day of celebration where the focus was to acknowledge the great achievements of Arvalee’s young people in the academic year 2014/15. He paid tribute to staff and pupils for their resolve and dedication to academic achievement, praised the prize-winners for their individual awards and thanked the parents for their support.
Mr Gray also spoke of this being the last year in “this school building” but he said “what makes Arvalee School a great place is not about the resources or the building, but it is about the people – the staff and pupils. Our ethos is to strive for the best for all our pupils to grow, learn and achieve. In moving to a new building, this moves with us.”
He continued “This celebration is also about the partnerships we have gained across the community and in particular those with Omagh College, the Careers officer and the Education Authority Western Region” and he thanked them for sharing the vision and for the support given to advancing the learning of the pupils.
Mr Gray spoke about the Strule Shared Education Campus “In moving to the new campus I want to assure you that we will continue to be self-contained and pupils will be secure within the school but we will have the opportunity to look at the resources and skills of staff in other schools to develop other opportunities for pupils to grow and achieve. It is also about helping pupils in other schools to achieve. We are not interested in competition. We want all children and young people to succeed. This is our vision for the Omagh District - that all pupils, regardless of their challenges in learning, will experience the successes we have celebrated this morning.”
Mr Gray finished by congratulating all the pupils who received certificates and awards and by saying how proud he was of their achievements. He also thanked Arvalee’s Rock Band and lead singer Grace O’Kane who had delighted the large audience with a rendition of Jessie J’s Price Tag.
