Olympic and Commonwealth Swimmer, Hannah Miley, presented hundreds of certificates to pupils at Nairn Academy’s Celebration of Sport and Leadership Event, organised in partnership between the school and High Life Highland’s Leadership Programme Development Officer.
The event was superbly fronted by two of the school’s young ambassadors, Jamie MacDonald and Rachael Gillespie – who expertly hosted presentations and Q&A to Hannah Miley MBE and High Life Highland’s Chief Executive, Steve Walsh OBE.
Speaking following the event, Hannah Miley, double commonwealth swimming champion and Olympic competitor said, “The evening was fantastic and inspiring from start to finish. To witness so many pupils being awarded for their achievements in sport and leadership goes to show to the level of commitment they have.
“These skills will set up the young people involved for life and hopefully build confidence and self-esteem within themselves.
“I have not been part of a celebration quite like it and personally felt incredibly inspired and very honoured to have been involved in such a prestigious event. Seeing Jamie and Rachael handle the interviews and compere the event is a testament to the school and Highland Region. It’s something I’m sure many regions and schools will be looking to follow in the future.”
There have previously been events that have celebrated the sporting achievements, but this was the first where leadership skills and the leadership programme was also incorporated.
The Celebration of Sport and Leadership evening recognised the sporting achievements of many of the pupils at the school who had been participating in a huge variety of sports from local to national level. It also acknowledged the leadership skills demonstrated by the pupils from the school and how they were contributing to the local community.
Steve Walsh added, “I am hugely honoured to have been invited to be part of the Celebration of Sport and Leadership Event. However, seeing so many pupils recognised through their sporting prowess, or their leadership skills has been absolutely inspirational.
“It is just fantastic to see all the pupils’ work come to fruition and being recognised in front of their peers, as well as in front of their friends and family.”
The High Life Highland Leadership programme has seen over 5,000 individuals taking part in the awards scheme, contributing to literally hundreds of thousands of young volunteer hours taking place across the Highlands and beyond.
Nairn Academy Head Teacher, Julie Macdonald said, “The Leadership programme has a significant place at Nairn Academy for its young people, and it is great to see how the programme continues to go through ongoing development and evolution allowing for the incorporation of a wider range of leadership activities and achievements too.
“The Celebration of Sport and Leadership event is only the tip of the iceberg. The event is just the part that people see. However, the pupils put in a massive amount of time, dedication and commitment to their sport and leadership skills, which both directly and indirectly contributes to the school and the wider community, around which, everyone in the school is extremely proud.”
The event saw S6 pupil, Darcey Woodman lift the Stewart Bursary Sports Personality of the Year in the award’s inaugural year. The stunning trophy was donated by the Parent Council from funds it received from the Stewart Bursary foundation when the charity was recently wound up after many years. The award was presented by Grace Chisholm, Chair of the school’s Parent Council.
Elizabeth McDonald, who has overall responsibility for the Charity’s Leadership programme and its development concluded, “For various reasons, I have waited a long time to see this event come to fruition and I am so delighted for the pupils and the Young Leaders that we were finally able to see it go ahead.
“In terms of engagement in the Young Leader programme, the figures speak for themselves. However, the true proof of the pudding in terms of what the programme actually achieves was demonstrated by way of the number of certificates, awards and trophies that were issued to pupils at this first ever Celebration of Sport and Leadership.
“I very much hope we have set the bar, and many other schools will take Nairn Academy’s lead in seeing there is much to celebrate in some of the more non-academic aspects in and around the school.”
