The crest of our outstanding Sixth Form is the Bible on top of which stand the scales of justice. This image links to the motto for our sixth form: “Wisdom in Judgement.” The idea being that the virtue of wisdom is perhaps the most important of all virtues. It enables us to make the correct judgements in our lives and ultimately if wisdom permeates our daily life, or indeed the search for it, we will forever be happy as true wisdom links us directly to God and as such will always inform correct judgement in life. This motto and crest are aligned to the sixth form saint: St Edmund Campion. St Edmund Campion was one of the great English martyrs. He showed great wisdom as a young boy illustrated by his intellectual ability when in August 1553, he was chosen to make a ceremonial address to Queen Mary as she passed through London. Campion was able academically and went to St John’s College, Oxford, at the age of 15 (which was not unusual in those days). He was awarded his degree in 1564 and became a Fellow of the University. In 1566, he was again chosen to make a formal speech of welcome before the new Queen, Elizabeth I, when she visited Oxford.
His great judgement was shown in his composition of his “Ten Reasons” which, during a time when it was difficult to be a Catholic in England, he outlined why the Catholic tradition was the one true faith in his eyes and why people should be free to worship in the Catholic tradition. Martyred at Tyburn in 1581, he was one of England’s great saints.
It is this wisdom in judgement that St Edmund Campion displayed throughout his life that we seek to nourish in our sixth form students. They are on the final stages of their school life and must seek to show wisdom in how they are approaching the changes that are about to happen when they leave school, as well as having the wisdom in judgement to apply themselves fully to the work they need to do to in order make the right choices for their future. Key to using this wisdom and making the right choices are using the right sources as an aid to doing this. This support comes from home, school and most importantly God as shown in the sixth form crest.
The crest for Oswald house is the crown that is the symbol of King Oswald. The motto reads “Charity In Action” which reflects the character of St Oswald who on his conversion to Christianity illustrated the virtue of charity especially among the poor and strangers. Indeed his actions have led the excellent local charity of St Oswald’s to be named after him. This life and example of St Oswald and the virtue of charity are hugely important to all at Cardinal Hume Catholic School; there are annual fundraising events for many different Catholic charities through a variety of programmes and groups. It gives our young people a sense of responsibility through getting involved with and contributing to fundraising. This extols the virtue of charity in each and enables the full development of the young person to occur in a positive way.
The crest for Aidan House is the staff behind which a road disappears amongst a pastoral landscape. This reflects how Aidan walked all over Northumbria converting people to Christianity. An Irishman invited by St Oswald to the region, he was a man of just and gentle temperament. He is seen now as `the apostle to the English’ and the beginning of the strong link between Ireland and Catholicism in England that is still strong today. The motto for St Aidan House is “Justice In Work” which fits with the just character of the saint and extolls the virtue of justice. This virtue is something we seek to establish in the character of all students at Cardinal Hume Catholic School so that in all their work, both in school and beyond, a sense of justice and achievement underlies all that they do.
The crest for Bede House is a book, this illustrates the great knowledge and learning that St Bede was famous for throughout the Christian world. The motto for Bede House is “Knowledge In Learning” which reflects the character of St Bede perfectly. The virtue of the pursuit of knowledge through learning is a high priority for all at Cardinal Hume Catholic School. It is our duty we believe through the process of teaching and learning to embed as much of the wonder of knowledge in all our students so that they reach their full potential and positively influence all they come into contact with.
The crest for St Cuthbert House is `St Cuthbert’s Cross’. The Pectoral cross was found deep in the robes on the breast of St Cuthbert when they opened his coffin on 17th May 1827. St Cuthbert is our diocesan saint. The motto for Cuthbert House is “Faith In God” which reflects the intrinsic character of all that St Cuthbert said and did. It was the virtue of faith that led him from his solitary meditation on isle of farne to evangelisation throughout the North East. Inspired by his vision of seeing the soul of St Aidan being carried to heaven, his faith has been an inspiration to all Christians in the North East and far beyond. Faith in God is the key to outstanding success and achievement both in Cardinal Hume Catholic School and beyond it. We have a firm belief that to trust in God enables the positive aspects of all at Cardinal Hume Catholic School to flourish and that this faith naturally leads to a faith in each other which encourages everybody in the school to do their very best in all aspects of school life.
The crest for Hild House is the staff behind which lies the hills and the sea. This reminds us of Hilds northern roots as a nun based in a monastery in Whitby. Hild was a woman of great faith, a confident and fair leader, a brilliant educator and a great peacemaker who did amazing work spreading God’s love and the message of the Gospels. The motto for St Hild House is “Excellence in Endeavour” which fits with the strong character of the saint and reflects the idea of hard work and perseverance always endures . This virtue is something we seek to establish in the character of all students at Cardinal Hume Catholic School so that in all their work, both in school and beyond, the best version of themselves may shine through and great achievements are made and can then be celebrated.
