A PIONEERING Myton School student is making history by becoming the UK’s first Young High Sheriff.
Aaron Dhesi fought off tough competition from his peers to win the Young High Sheriff for a Day competition run by Warwickshire’s high Sheriff Sophie Hilleary.
The competition was trialled for the first time with pupils from Myton School in Warwick.
The concept was to give the winner real experience of the duties and responsibilities that high sheriffs undertake with the aim of raising levels of understanding about this important ceremonial role.
During the first part of the autumn term, students from Myton School, in years 10 to 13, wrote essays, poems and recorded video clips to explain why they would like to be young high sheriff for a day.
Entries to the competition were judged by a panel that included Tim Ollerenshaw, a director at Moore and Tibbits Solicitors who were the main sponsor for the event, Graham Sutherland, a retired Warwickshire Police chief inspector and former town crier, and Simon Jones, a retired deputy head at Myton School.
Aaron was declared the winner at an event at Warwick’s Old Shire Hall. There were also two runners up.
Aaron wrote an essay that reflected on the history and tradition of the role of the high sheriff and the importance of service to the community. His essay recognised the ‘exceptional privilege’ of becoming the first young high sheriff and expressed excitement at the opportunity this brought to understand more of the ‘rich tapestry of history and tradition’.
Aaron stated his motivation to become young high sheriff came from his already extensive community service and voluntary work through the Kissing it Better Charity and was keen to use this opportunity to ‘leave a positive mark on his community’.
The runners up were Toby Odling who wrote an essay that recognised the important role of the high sheriff in supporting communities, and On Tai Yeung who produced a video full of passion and dedication for the local community.
As winner of the competition, Aaron received a special ceremonial robe, which was donated by Michael’s Civic Outfitters. His day as high sheriff will begin early in 2024 with a full itinerary of activities.
Sophie Hilleary said: “An excellent evening of celebration in The Shire Hall with the finalists. It was so encouraging to have such an enthusiastic response by the students. Congratulations to Aaron who I look forward working with in the New Year. My thanks goes to all helped pioneer this competition.”
A spokesperson for Myton School added: “It’s been a pleasure and a privilege to be part of such a unique opportunity. We’ve been thrilled with the interest and excitement that the competition has generated. It’s always great to see the young people of today being so invested in such a traditional institution and one that they still see as an evolving and important role.”
