Diversity champion Rose named ISA Whitbread Prize 2022 Winner; King’s High Warwick celebrate
Last month the Independent Schools Association (ISA) recognised Rose as the winner of the Whitbread Memorial Prize for 2022.
The ISA Whitbread Prize celebrates academic excellence in Year 11 exams as well as outstanding contributions to the school and wider community.
Rose, a student at King’s High School in Warwick, earned 10 GCSEs this summer – nine of which at grades 9 and 8. That is just the start of her achievements though: Rose also plays a pivotal role at the school as an anti-bullying ambassador, is a leading figure in championing underrepresented voices and continues to be involved in all of King’s High’s productions.
This summer’s results are testament to the time Rose has dedicated to her studies, but she has also spent a great deal of her years at King’s High supporting others and championing initiatives throughout the school that reflect what she is passionate about.
Rose’s role as an anti-bullying ambassador has led to some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, including meeting representatives from the Royal Family. This provided a platform to discuss issues facing young black people and youth in the UK. Her spoken word poem was used to open the whole event which is a truly remarkable achievement. Beyond that, Rose has continued to reiterate the importance of being an upstander against bullying through school assemblies and has appeared as an ambassador for the Diana Award during Anti-Bullying Week on Sky News and ITV.
Actively encouraging those around her to learn more about the communities that have contributed so much to Great Britain is clearly a cause that is close to Rose’s heart. She delivered an impassioned talk on some of the African and Asian voices of history that can be overlooked, exploring the history of Jamaica and the Windrush legacy in an assembly during Black History Month which also highlighted the importance of conserving the history of underrepresented groups.
Rose was honoured with a permanent place at King’s High School’s campus recently as an extract from a poem she wrote now features at the entrance to the school.
The much-anticipated artwork by sculptor @LizMid_Sculptor was unveiled this half term. The sculpture features an extract from a poem by King’s High pupil, Rose, called ‘As the Romans.’ Read the full article to hear both of their thoughts: https://t.co/J4ZETn9IMJ #changemakers pic.twitter.com/FAk321J4k9
— King's High School (@KHSWarwick) October 6, 2022
This was part of a competition from the school’s History Society, inspired by the discovery of a 30ft Roman barn and historic artefacts on King’s High’s grounds. More about the poem, ‘As the Romans’, and project can be read here.
Rudolf Eliott Lockhart, Chief Executive Officer of ISA, reflected on the Whitbread Prize 2022:
“It is an honour for ISA to recognise Rose as our winner of the Whitbread Prize 2022. She has demonstrated a passion for inspiring an inclusive, equitable and diverse mindset at King’s High with her interest in encouraging a deeper understanding of parts of history that can be overlooked. Rose is a beacon of the school’s values and is clearly counted upon as a trusted figure by her fellow pupils with her well-documented engagement in anti-bullying initiatives. It is evident that she embodies the changemaker spirit that King’s High aim to inspire.
“As you can see, the impact of individuals nominated for our annual pupil awards are not confined to their own schools and peers – students like Rose are valued members of their wider communities.
“We’d love to celebrate as many of these journeys from across the ISA family, so we look forward to seeing even more nominations from you all in the future.”
We would like to congratulate all 30 nominees for our award. Their exceptional work and active roles within their school and wider communities leave them taking pride of place on the Whitbread Roll of Honour, which can be viewed here.