SMS Give – Year 10 Charity Project

On Wednesday evening, we were delighted to welcome parents, charities and members of the wider community to SMS Give, our Year 10 charity initiative, for an evening that celebrated compassion, creativity, enterprise and student leadership.

Now in its fourth year, SMS Give is a project I introduced in my first year at St Mary’s, and it has truly gone from strength to strength thanks to the commitment, passion and energy shown by our students year on year! This cohort demonstrated teamwork, kindness, enthusiasm and resilience throughout the project, and it was a real pleasure to see that reflected so clearly on the evening.

The event was confidently compered by Camille, Ailie and Hannah, and opened with a lively performance of Wonderwall by Oasis, performed by Sena, Diya, Amy, Caitlin and Elsa. This was followed by Amy’s beautiful performance of From the Start by Laufey. Students then presented with clarity and conviction on behalf of a broad range of charities, including One Can Trust, Women’s Aid, Dogs Trust and Chiltern Cats Protection, demonstrating impressive research, empathy and a genuine desire to make a difference.

The programme was interspersed with a series of accomplished performances. Ailie delivered Viola’s speech from Twelfth Night Act 2 Scene 2 by William Shakespeare, Diya performed Sunsets in Savannah on the piano, Maryam and Jorja performed Just the Two of Us, Jorja performed So Easy by Olivia Dean, and the evening concluded with Caitlin’s performance of Nostalgia by Tate McRae. All performances were supported expertly by Mrs Philips, enabling students to perform with real confidence on the night!

Alongside their presentations, the girls fundraised creatively over several weeks, from designing and selling 3D printed cats, making and selling dog treats, and even fortune telling! The evening also included a lively and much enjoyed raffle, adding to the strong sense of community spirit.

After very thoughtful deliberation from our judges, One Can Trust was announced as the winning charity. My sincere thanks go to Mr Fox, Mrs Cork, Mrs Stacey and Mrs Williams, who kindly returned to St Mary’s for the event. All the teams did amazingly well and I am very glad that I did not have to make the difficult decision myself!

Thank you to Miss Crossland, our Year 10 tutors and all staff who supported the girls throughout the project, as well as to the parents, charities and community members who joined us on the evening.

A massive well done to Year 10 for an evening that truly reflected our TAKE CARE values and showed the power of young people leading with kindness and purpose!

Miss Kelly
Director of Innovation