bBC journalist and former Kelso High School pupil Kevin Young was the recipient of his former alma mater’s freedom award at a ceremony last Thursday.
The Celebration of Achievement Evening took place at the school when parents, pupils, staff and guests gathered to celebrate the successes of the school and its pupils during the 2011-12 session.
Rector Ruth McKay welcomed guests on the front lawn, inviting them to enjoy the opportunity to see the wide range of pupils’ work which were on display throughout the school.
The event included wandering musicians playing around the school, a Duke of Edinburgh demonstration on the front lawn and a range of canapes prepared by students in the home economics department. Pupil awards and medals were on display in the gym.
Mr Young is a former Radio Borders presenter and now works as a radio and online journalist at BBC headquarters in London.
He made the presentations, which included awards for sport, music, literature, poetry, research and dissertations, modern languages, mathematics, enterprise, Duke of Edinburgh, citizenship, art and services to the school.
The awards section of the evening culminated in the presentation of the Bowmont Medal – donated by the Duke of Roxburghe – to dux of the school, Katherine Watson.
Addressing a packed hall, Mr Young said he felt honoured to be invited back to Kelso High School. He reminisced about his days as a pupil and the inspiration he experienced from many teachers and lessons, and how that inspiration was still with him today.
He urged the students to be inspired by their education and to value its benefits in the modern world.