450 Years and Counting: Founder’s Day at DGS

On Friday the 27th of March, students and staff of Dartford Grammar School flocked to Dartford’s Orchard West Theatre for a stellar celebration of the school’s 450th anniversary. This milestone reflects the school’s integral role in the education and lives of young people in the town. 

The ceremony featured speeches from the sprinting sensation Adam Gemili and fierce stuntwoman and presenter Lucy Jayne Murray, both ‘Old Dartfordians’ – alumni who had used the school as a springboard for their unique and undoubtedly successful careers.  

Adam Gemili, the namesake of Gemili House, gave a speech on the history of the school’s house system, which started in 1917, amidst the demoralising burden of the First World War. The introduction of the houses cultivated a motivating and healthy competitive spirit, promoting unity and fostering excellence in students to this day. 

Lucy Jayne Murray delivered a speech about the heights (and plunges!) that she has experienced since leaving the Sixth Form, appearing in major Marvel, Disney, Warner Bros. and DC productions such as Black Widow, Aladdin and Wonder Woman.  

It would be remiss to not mention the thrilling music performances, which brought a mesmerising light to the evening, taking the audience’s breath with their talent. The Sixth Form vocal group collaborated with the GCSE vocal group of Key Stage Four, alongside various teachers across the school, performing pieces such as Carl Orff’s ‘O Fortuna’, accompanied by the outstanding orchestra. The choir also serenaded the theatre with a new piece ‘Alleluia’, written specially for the school’s 450th anniversary by Tommy Smyth in Year 11.  

Mr Metcalf, the headteacher, delivered a gripping speech on what makes a Dartfordian – in his words, “the answer, is other Dartfordians.” A simple message, yet a powerful one to acknowledge.  

The ceremony ran twice, highlighting the sustained hard work of all those involved: once in the morning for the lower school and again in the afternoon for the upper school, who were also joined by governors and trustees of the school. Every member of the school community experienced this exciting, sentimental, and reflective celebration.