Student celebrates results with dad after he is treated for cancer

St John’s Catholic School and Sixth Form, in Bishop Auckland, are celebrating their A level results. A student whose father was diagnosed with cancer during her studies was celebrating her success yesterday after securing top grades.

High praise for Libby

Libby Parker, a sixth former a St John’s Catholic School, Bishop Auckland, gained an A*, A and a B while her father Gary was being treated for cancer. Libby, who had high praise for St John’s Catholic School where she has studied for the past seven years, said:

“They were dark times. Through exams it was very hard as he was extremely ill and I would have an exam the next day after seeing him,” said the 18-year-old. “I wasn’t expecting to do quite so well so I am very happy with my results considering everything that has been going on. Thankfully, he is all right and here with me today which is great.”

St John’s Catholic School and Sixth Form student Libby Parker celebrates her results with her father Gary who is recovering from cancer.

Libby added:

“I’ve loved it here, I had all my teachers and friends supporting me and it has turned out great with my dad doing much better now and I got the grades I needed. All my teachers helped me through everything that I needed and couldn’t have been more supportive.”

Grades achieved, Libby will begin a degree in criminology and forensic science at the University of Northumbria.

“I’ve always known, since I was a little kid, that I wanted to be a detective and am just so excited. I love my home so choosing somewhere like Northumbria where I can come back and visit any time was important to me. The dream is to be a detective one day so I’ll now be working towards achieving that dream.”

Lisa Bryon Head Teacher at St Johns commented:

“We are so proud of Libby’s achievements given what she has gone through with her family and also having to cope, like all students, with the impact of the pandemic.All our students have maintained their positivity and have been resilient and committed to their studies despite all of the challenges they have faced. Their excellent results are testimony to their dedication, hard work and determination to do well”

Top performers

Other top performers at St John’s include:

Poppi Andelin (A*A*AA) who will study journalism at the University of Leeds
Adam Blighe (Dist*/A*/C) who will read computer science at Newcastle
Isabelle Danks (A*A*AB) who is off to York to read psychology
Alex Edgar (AAB) who will read biomedical science at Newcastle
Mille Fodden (A*AA) who has secured a place at the University of Manchester to read economics
Ellie Foster (A*AA) who will study physiotherapy at the University of Nottingham
Olivia Hind (A*A Dist*) who will read criminology and sociology at the University of Northumbria
Aimee Jacomb (A*AA) who will read English at the University of Newcastle
Sadie Scott Morris (A*AA) who will study geography at Leeds
Jack Shaw (AAABB) who is off to Durham to read computer science
Charlie Jackson – (A*AB) who secured a place at the University of Lincoln to read English and drama
Lucy Walton – (AAA) who will read psychology at the University of Liverpool
Lucy Wilson – (A*Dist*A) who is off to Northumbria to read psychology with criminology
Sri Keshav Rajesh (BBB plus A*) who will study climate science at Durham
Kacper Bloniarz – (AAC), who has been offered an apprenticeship at Glaxo Smith Kline
Leah Moore – (D* Dist A) who also has a Glaxo Smith Kline apprenticeship.

Lisa commented:

“We would like to thank parents, carers and families for helping our young people through these times and also our staff who have worked tirelessly to support them. We are excited to see how they grow in the next chapter of their lives, whether that be in education, training or employment.”

We love to hear good news from North East Schools, to share your news with Schools North East please tag @SchoolsNE on Twitter or apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGgTpbLixAqIprwSS2JXd_AFcKYD5Ahtug_ol7BdHDfgHRsw/viewform

News