As I said to the parents and students at the last of the three gatherings, we hold these ceremonies for two reasons. Firstly, we like to celebrate success in all its forms as publicly as possible. This is just a great thing to do for our students, and it’s personally one of the most rewarding things about working in a school.
Secondly, we want everyone to revel in learning, to value it as an activity and to think that it’s a “cool” thing to do. We—students and teachers—exist in an environment where we can spend our time learning about all sorts of interesting events and ideas. The ancient Greeks, Socrates and Aristotle, for example, knew this. They both identified learning as the ultimate pursuit of the virtuous and happy person. So, when it happens well, we want to celebrate and encourage it, and so we gather together and give out medals. To celebrate a student’s pursuit of education is a beautiful moment, and a wonderful way to end the term.