Students at St Mark’s Church of England Academy in Mitcham, part of Anthem Schools Trust, were delighted to hear an impromptu rallying speech from the famous rapper Dave Omoregie.
Dave, a former student at St Mark’s, was at the school to see his mother, Juliet Omoregie, receive an ‘Inspirational Women of the Year’ award during its Black Excellence event.
The theme of this year’s Black Excellence evening at the school was ‘Inspirational Black Women, bringing together students, staff, families and special guests for an inspiring celebration of achievement, resilience and community.
During the evening, St Mark’s students gave presentations about inspirational women in their lives, such as mothers, family members and teachers and they also interviewed guest speakers.
Guest speakers included Margaret Casely-Hayford CBE, Rio Alice the fashion entrepreneur and founder of BEXX The Brand and Juliet Omoregie, mother of the UK rap artist Dave.
Dave attended the evening to see his mother be interviewed and receive her inspirational woman award and delighted the students when he came up to the stage to make an unexpected speech.
The famous rapper told them: “You’ve got your entire lives ahead of you, you guys are going to achieve great things. Time goes fast, you know. You’re going to miss school once you leave it so work hard – you only have one chance to set up your life.
“I used to play that piano over there with a teacher called Miss Hawley and my friend Carl who produces with me everything that we do now.
“It all started here – but seriously, just cherish it. You guys are the next generation of scientists, actors, musicians and lawyers or whatever it is you want to be, so start it here.
“Don’t look at school as something that you need to get out of. It’s the foundation for the rest of your life, that’s what it was for me.”
Principal of St Mark’s CofE Academy, Aimee Gallagher, said: “Our Black Excellence evening was a great success, giving our students the chance to celebrate the inspirational Black women who shape and influence their lives.
“We would like to thank everyone who gave up their time to support this event, especially our guest speakers.
“It was a wonderful surprise to welcome back former student David Omoregie, who came to support his mother as she received our Inspirational Woman of the Year award.
“His impromptu speech to students was authentic, humble and deeply inspiring, and it meant a great deal to our school community to see one of our former students return to encourage the next generation in such a powerful way.”
