On Tuesday, 3rd March, following our pre-Eisteddfod subject activities, including everything from History tasks to French quizzes, pupils in R12, R13 and R14 came together in the hall to celebrate Welsh culture and heritage at the annual Senior Eisteddfod. After progressing through preliminary rounds, students took to the stage to compete in a range of performances, from traditional Welsh recitations to impressive musical showcases.
The morning began with a packed hall enthusiastically singing our national anthem, before the competitions began. There were many standout individual achievements throughout the event. In the R13 Welsh Individual Recitation Competition, Jasmine C (De La Salle) took first place, followed by Raunaq (Bute), Aadhya (St David’s) and Millie C (Mostyn). In the R12 Music Competition, Hetty W (De La Salle) earned first prize, with Zoya P (De La Salle) earning second prize. In the R13 Music Competition, Maharshi R (Mostyn) wowed the audience with his powerful rendition of Dafydd Iwan’s ‘Yma o Hyd’, securing first place, followed by Alice G (Bute) and James C (Mostyn). In the R14 Music Competition, Ava J (De La Salle) won first prize followed by Millie P (Bute). In the R12-R14 House Choir Competition, Bute claimed first place, with St David’s in second, followed by De La Salle and Mostyn.
Congratulations go to this year’s highest individual point scorers from each house; Raunaq S (Bute), Adam S (De La Salle), James C (Mostyn), and Hohoko L (St David’s). The overall top point scorer, and crowned Bard of the 2026 St John’s College Senior Eisteddfod, was Hetty W of De La Salle. Da iawn to all competitors!
This year, the Welsh Department introduced a new award to the Senior Eisteddfod - ‘ Gwobr Dysgwr y Flwyddyn’ (Learner of the Year). This award recognises a pupil from R13 who has shown outstanding effort, progress and enthusiasm in learning Welsh. It celebrates commitment, growing confidence, and a willingness to use Welsh both inside and outside the classroom. The runners up of this prestigious new award were Jackson C and Arjun S, both of St David’s house, whilst our ‘dysgwr y flwyddyn’ for the 2026 academic year is Raunaq S (Bute) for her outstanding commitment to her Welsh studies.
This year, for the first time in a long time, Mostyn emerged as the overall winning house, achieving an impressive total of 1,204 points. Llongyfarchiadau!
Mrs George extends her sincere thanks to all staff for their support in organising and running the many competitions, particularly Mr Howard for his musical accompaniment and Miss Prosser, Mr Campbell-Nichols and Mr Capel for adjudicating the Welsh and Music competitions so meticulously. Special thanks also go to Miss Sanders, Miss Cooper, and Mrs Crowley-Davies for their work as Heads of House, and to Mr Taylor for helping deliver such a memorable and spirited event. Above all, the biggest thank you goes to the pupils, whose enthusiasm and pride in representing their houses made the day such a success.
