30 Jul Awards Evening at Whitley Academy
Written By Ava, Lola and Eve – Year 7 student reporters
“There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs”
Zig Ziglar (Motivational Teacher)
The Whitley Academy Awards Evening happens once a year which means it’s a great honour to be nominated for one of the awards. There are 12 categories and three nominees in each. We know that we are certainly excited to be nominated for ‘Student Reporter of The Year’ but what do other contenders have to say about their nominations? We interviewed some nominees to see how they felt before and after the awards:
Eve: “I feel delighted to have been nominated and I am very happy to know that the work I have put in across the year has benefited my academic life so this will be a rewarding event.”
Lola: “I feel proud to be chosen for this honour and that our hard work has been recognised because we worked very hard to get to the point where we have gained the most opportunities possible and used them to the fullest.”
Ava: “I feel honoured that I have been nominated at all! That is the reason why I was so shocked when I was informed. However, I am very grateful and proud overall. I hope that I’ll enjoy the evening with my loving family and my deserving friends.”
Miss Bloom: “I am very proud and pleased that my efforts to help the students have been recognised. However, I don’t think I’ll win as the other candidates do more for the school.”
Izzy: “I’m excited to be nominated for ‘Sports Person of the Year’ but I think the other two candidates have just as good a chance as I do since both are amazing at sport.”
Miss Williamson: “ I feel very proud that people believe I deserve the award. Being nominated at all is just as brilliant as winning.”
Mrs Neale: “I feel appreciative but I believe the other contestants have a great chance of winning.”
During the evening…
Most of us arrived at the school around 5:45pm however, the event didn’t start until 6:00pm. Luckily, we were provided with some delicious food to pass the time. Soon enough, our stomachs were full and the nominees, along with their friends and family, made their way into the Auditorium. Everyone was nervous for the announcements, but were all very supportive of each other. Each nominee for each award had a video made for them by a chosen member of staff filled with highlights on why they should win the award and once all were played for the category, the winner was announced.
There were many worthy candidates but sadly only one could be chosen. The prize for the victor was a beautiful plaque with a certificate beneath the glass stating their name and the award they had been nominated for. The other nominees also were given a prize: a framed certificate with their name and the words ‘Runner-up of’ and then the award they had been nominated for.
Here are a few words from some of the winners and contenders…
Lola: “I feel completely proud of Ava for winning ‘Student Reporter of the Year’! I admit that I did think Eve would win and so did Ava but she is such a good friend, I haven’t thought about myself once yet.”
Mrs Neale: “I thought it was good. The event in itself was a nice social occasion and I quite liked the fact that we got to eat before the event began.”
Ava: “I’m very proud and honestly, still in shock about winning ‘Student Reporter of the Year’. I am grateful for it and for the support of Lola and Eve, two of my closest friends who were also nominated!”
So the awards evening, as you can tell, was full of pride along with excited teachers and students all worthy of their awards. Let’s not forget all of the family members who took their time and effort to be present and applaud as, in turn, people hopped down the steps to collect their certificates. This will be an occasion that those who were present will remember for a long time.
Thank you for reading our blog and have a great summer!
