We were honoured to be invited to sing at the Declaration of the new High Sheriff of Rutland on 28th March 2023. We think we may well be the first school choir to be invited to such an event.

 

The new High Sheriff for 2023-24 is Geraldine Feehally, who is also one of our school foundation governors, and she was very keen to have children at her declaration ceremony, asking the children to provide twenty minutes of music. 

 

We have been practising hard, and the children did an amazing job, performing five songs to the assembled dignitaries. We started with 'Where on earth is Rutland?', a song written by Richard Stilgoe which explores all the counties in England in the search to find 'tiny Rutland'. We then sang 'Children of the World' - a song we learnt when the war broke out in Ukraine -  about children coming together to believe that they can make a difference. Our third song is a firm favourite at school - 'Build it High'. We then sang the moving, but contemplative 'Believe' before finishing with 'Power in me'. 

 

The children's singing was fantastic, and we received many compliments from those assembled to listen. Not only that, but their behaviour through the more adult parts of the ceremony was exemplary. The children were very proud to have been invited and to be there for Geraldine, as she is so often in school supporting us.