Pupils and staff, past and present, joined in the celebrations for Holy Rosary Catholic Voluntary Academy’s 60th anniversary.
A picnic was held in the school grounds, in Winshill, Burton, with parents joining their children to mark the special day.
After the picnic, the Bishop of Nottingham celebrated Mass and blessed the school’s new prayer garden.
One current staff member who enjoyed the celebrations was Annette Batchelor, who attended the school as a pupil and has worked there as a Teaching Assistant for 31 years.
She said: “I had the privilege to be part of a wonderful and joyous celebratory Mass. This was led by Bishop Patrick from the Nottingham Diocese, together with local priests, as we marked the 60th Year since Holy Rosary opened its doors to young pupils.
“This was even more special, as this was also my mum’s anniversary of what would have been her 100th birthday. She was very much part of the Holy Rosary parish family.
“Holy Rosary staff both past and present came together in prayer to celebrate this special occasion. From when the school opened 60 years ago, I believe that in a similar way, the vision has always been to support and nurture our children, allowing them to grow in faith, within our school family and reach their true potential.”
Annette and Lucy Copeland were in the very first class at Holy Rosary in 1966 and share fond memories of their time there.
Lucy said: “I can remember the day I started Holy Rosary on the day it opened. It’s amazing how some of those that I started with, are still in my life. To still be friends after more than 60 years is incredible. When we moved on to senior school, we made even more friends, and we still meet up to this day. We were a very close year group and genuinely care for each other.”
John Marley, a former Year 6 teacher at the school, said: “I really enjoyed the celebrations, meeting staff and many past pupils. There were lots of chats about humorous and fond memories.”
Marie Dyche, Headteacher at Holy Rosary, said: “In celebrating this milestone for Holy Rosary we also celebrated our shared faith, our community and the vision of our school that we hope to continue to build together. Events such as these only succeed because of the acts of kindness, teamwork and willingness to go the extra mile contributed by all in participation. Thanks again to Bishop Patrick for leading Mass and all who joined us to mark this joyful and prayerful occasion.”
