Virtually every surface in the school staffroom is adorned with posters and placards with Ryan’s name written or painted in all shapes and colours. His desk is covered in little red hearts that his colleagues patiently cut out – it is not too hard to notice that his greatest fans are his work colleagues. The latest artist to reach the pinnacle of success in this country is eternally grateful for all of this. But he does not let it go to his head. Video: Karl Andrew Micallef Merely 72 hours after his victory on Saturday he humbly returned to work and has just finished a morning of lessons when we sit down for an interview. As he sits down calmly, he thanks Times of Malta for finding the time to meet him, not realising that the honour and gratitude are ours. Ryan genuinely did not think he would win. He says he was happy he made it that far and was expecting to place second or third. “I was aware that being on stage meant I stood a chance of victory, but I did not want to think about it, so that if I did not win, I wouldn’t be resentful and would be able to be sincerely happy for the winner,” he said. The shock of winning “So, when they called my name I did not quite understand...