SACKED as Agricultural Minister last year, Sir Jim Paice reflected on the vagaries of political life when he addressed hundreds of students at King’s School prize giving today in Ely Cathedral.
“I want to share with you a couple of lessons based on my experiences,” he told students, parents, staff and governors.
“Some of you will know that I ceased to be a Government minister last September,” he said. “I went instantaneously from being an up and coming ‘has been’ to just being a ‘has been’.
“Having spent over half my life climbing the slippery pole I had suddenly lost my place on it. That sort of event does make you look back.”
Sir Jim, who has recently announced he will retire at the next election and was also appointed a governor of King’s earlier this year, was guest speaker at today’s ceremony.
He challenged students to take their chances and not to lead a life full of regret and then use the oft repeated words ‘if only’.
But he used observations from his political life to remind students – whose parents can pay up to £18,000 a year in school fees- not to allow ambition to make them self centred and blind to the needs of others.
“Don’t tread on people on the way up because you will need them on the way back,” said the man who has been MP for South East Cambs since 1987. “You will always need a friend. Ambition is laudable but there’s no need to crush others. Respect them.
“There is nothing wrong with success and achievement but respecting others is important in life and the contribution others make to your life. In politics I have seen ruthless and ambitious people who have been successful politicians but without friends when the chips are down and when they’re in trouble.”
Sir Jim told students success could be measured in many different ways and not everyone could be in the first X1 in sport or the lead chorister.
“For those who are not going to receive an award let me remind them that this world is full of more opportunity than ever before and you will find a sphere of life where you can be a success and be happy in your own skin. Do go and look for it.”
He recalled he had only ever won one school prize when he was 10, he was no good at sport and couldn’t even make the third team and didn’t go to university.
It prompted memories, he said, of a management meeting he once attended in his early career before entering Parliament.
“The lecturer put up a notice which said ‘remember no one is entirely useless: even the worst can be used as a bad example to others’,
Sir Jim sat down to enthusiastic applause.
Last September he was attending a farming event in Birmingham when he took a call from Prime Minister David Cameron effectively sacking him on the spot. A short while later Mr Cameron announced a knighthood for his ex minister.
PRIZE WINNERS
Isabelle Elliott City of Ely Local Community Contribution Prize
Gemma Driver FoKSE - Charity Nomination Prize
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Juliet Koopowitz Y9 Major Academic Prize
Sam Lachmann Y9 Major Academic Prize
Isobel Oughton Y9 Major Academic Prize, The Dimmock Reading Prize (Junior)
Harriet Pinto Y9 Major Academic Prize
Isaac Bateman Y9 Academic Prize
Asia Choudhry Y9 Academic Prize
William Topping Y9 Academic Prize
Gemma Dyer Y9 Most Improved Student Prize – Reynolds Cup
George Clift Y9 Outstanding Contribution to School Life
Lucy Pearce Y9 Outstanding Contribution to School Life
Frederick Scott Y9 Outstanding Contribution to School Life
India Baynes Y10 Major Academic Prize
Phoebe Ryan Y10 Major Academic Prize
Tristan Stubbs Y10 Major Academic Prize
Ursule Taujanskaite Y10 Major Academic Prize
Robert Bosworth-Daft Y10 Academic Prize
Kelsey Hughes Y10 Academic Prize
Mark Parry Y10 Academic Prize
Jason Segall Y10 Academic Prize
Tristan Walcot Y10 Most Improved Student Prize – Ashford Cup
Ned Bent Y10 Outstanding Contribution to School Life
Adrienne Schneider Y10 Outstanding Contribution to School Life
Benjamin Taylor Y10 Outstanding Contribution to School Life
Georgina Howell Y11 Major Academic Prize
Megan Laud Y11 Major Academic Prize
Christopher Le Y11 Major Academic Prize
Alexander Piggot Y11 Major Academic Prize
Henry Darby Y11 Academic Prize
Yuki Kimura Y11 Academic Prize, Middle School Music Prize
Madeleine Pinto Y11 Academic Prize
Richard Taylor Y11 Academic Prize
Joshua Oliver Y11 Most Improved Student Prize – Kenneth Carr Cup
Samuel Hirons Y11 Outstanding Contribution to School Life
Oliver Saunders Y11 Outstanding Contribution to School Life
Harriet Shorthose Y11 Outstanding Contribution to School Life
YEAR 12
Margarita Zaychishina Art ( Fine Art)
Constance Wynn Art (Textiles), English
Ursula Meyer-Root Art (Photography)
Georgia Baynes Biology, Chemistry, Queen’s Scholar Prize
Maxim Klimov Business Studies
Matthew Lowery Classical Civilisation, The Grayling Prize
Anna Pyatko Economics
Ella Howlett Film Studies
Lydia Sandercock Food Technology
Laura Day French, Spanish, The Winkfield Cup, Queen’s Scholar Prize
Ella Jordan Geography
Jonathan Ray German
Marco Tamimi Government & Politics
Beatrice White History, Psychology
Robert Seddon-Greve Computing, Physics, King’s Scholar Prize
Sanjiban Mandal Latin, King’s Scholar Prize
Pavel Videnov Mathematics
Georgia Schneider Further Mathematics, Music, Queen’s Scholar Prize
Natta Pornsirianant Physical Education
Ramith Sarathchandra Product Design
George Ryan Religious Studies, King’s Scholar Prize
YEAR 13
Stepan Myannik Art ( Fine Art)
Molly Blacknell Art (Textiles)
Camilla Tricker Art (Photography), Prefect
James Wege Biology, Prefect, King’s Scholar Prize
Zi Wen Wang Business Studies
Luke Cave Chemistry, School Orchestra Prize, Prefect, King’s Scholar Prize,
Ruth Scott Drama
Leo Banahan Economics, Further Mathematics, History, Physics, School Band Prize, King’s Scholar Prize
Emily Holdsworth English, Geography, Prefect
Pui Yue Chan Food Technology
Sophie Emms French, Prefect, Queen’s Scholar Prize
Hannah Ritchie Government & Politics, The Dimmock Reading Prize (Senior)
Lukas Balcaitis ICT
Clea Tanner Latin, Prefect, Queen’s Scholar Prize
Shiran Geng Mathematics
Jennifer Goss Music, Upper School Music Prize, Queen’s Scholar Prize
Michael Brennan Physical Education, Prefect
James O’Brien Product Design
Alexandra McIrvine Psychology
Alex Thake Religious Studies
Jamie Huffer Spanish, Prefect, King’s Scholar Prize
Jonathan Wood The Bennett Prize
Jonathan Herbert The Christopher Humphries Memorial Tankard
Thomas Hawkes The Francis Allen Music Prize
Alexander Clubb The Grande Prize contribution to the Elean
Lily McConkey The Jarman Cup
Max Haines-Messenger The Jon Ayers Memorial Prize, Prefect
Sophie Hart The Mark O’Keane Memorial Trophy
William Chandler The Porta Award
Fern Ashby School Choral Prize
William Oliver The Pye Foundation Prize, The Nash Cup for Singing
Axel Rois The Shepherd Cup
Nicola Lucas The Sonata Prize
Chun-Yu Lin Tomblings Prize for Mathematics, International Scholar Prize
Charles Porter-Thaw The Wilkinson Cup, Director of Music Prize, Prefect
Luofei Dong King’s International Academic Prize
Chikashi Shirakawa-Rison King’s International Academic Prize
Rory Beetham King’s Scholar Prize
David Bercow King’s Scholar Prize
Samuel Huguet King’s Scholar Prize
Tony Lesmeister King’s Scholar Prize, Prefect
Benjamin Love King’s Scholar Prize
Jack Spoor King’s Scholar Prize
Charlotte Callard Queen’s Scholar Prize
Isabelle Elliott Queen’s Scholar Prize
Emily Green Queen’s Scholar Prize, Prefect
Natasha Loversidge Queen’s Scholar Prize
Anna-Rose Sliwinski Queen’s Scholar Prize
Matvey Pogrebinskiy International Scholar Prize
Shangwei Sun International Scholar Prize
Melody Grace Prefect
Sophie Emms Milne Robertson Prize for Deputy Head of School
Tony Lesmeister Milne Robertson Prize for Deputy Head of School
James Wege Milne Robertson Prize for Deputy Head of School
Emily Green Potticary Medal for Head of School
Jamie Huffer Potticary Medal for Head of School
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