From time to time, a parent will quietly share a wondering or a frustration, perhaps after a celebration evening, an assembly, or a special event.

“It’s always the same students getting recognised.”

There’s often a pause before the next part, spoken with genuine care:
“My child tries hard too. Doesn’t effort count?”

It’s a fair and heartfelt question. Because as parents and educators, we all want young people to feel seen, valued, and celebrated, not just for what they achieve, but for how they grow, persist, and contribute. Recognition, however, is a delicate balance. In our effort to honour excellence, we can sometimes give the impression that only certain forms of success matter: academic results, sporting victories, leadership roles. And when the same students are repeatedly called to the stage, it’s natural to wonder, are we missing something important?

So… should everybody get a prize?

Not necessarily. But perhaps we need to ask a deeper question: what are we choosing to notice?

At Kingswood College, we are deeply committed to our core values: kindness, courage, perseverance, respect, and excellence. These are not just aspirational ideals. They are daily practices, and they show up in countless ways that aren’t always measured by trophies or grades. They show up in the student who helps their classmate without being asked. In the one who keeps turning up to after school THRIVE sessions even when the school day is over. In the quiet leaders, the good friends, the team players who lift others without seeking the spotlight.

The challenge for us, as educators and as a community, is to keep broadening our lens. To find ways to name and celebrate the quiet achievers. To ensure that recognition is not a narrow spotlight but a generous, searching beam that finds brilliance in unexpected places. No, not everyone needs a prize. But everyone deserves to be known. Everyone deserves to feel that their effort matters. And everyone should leave school with the understanding that while achievement is worth celebrating, character is worth everything.

Let’s keep recognising excellence, and let’s also stay alert to the many shapes it can take. Because when we celebrate not just the best, but the brave, the kind, the persistent, and the quietly extraordinary, we build a culture where every young person can thrive. And that, in the end, might just be the greatest prize of all.

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