Recognition for outstanding East Renfrewshire pupils

Published: 31 March 2023

Pupils from all of East Renfrewshire's secondary schools and Isobel Mair School have been honoured for their fantastic achievements at a special awards ceremony.

The Convener's Awards for Outstanding Achievement were held at Clarkston Hall on Wednesday (March 29), with 90 young people recognised.

Nominations for individuals or groups to win an award are submitted by school staff within a wide range of categories, including Sports, Creativity and Personal Achievement, Advocacy, Extra-curricular Activities and Community Service.

Councillor Andrew Anderson, Convener of Education, Equalities, Culture and Leisure, presented all the winners with a certificate and commemorative award.

Counillor Andrew Anderson said: 'The Convener's Awards are certainly a highlight in the calendar and I was delighted to attend this event in person this year, following the disruption of recent years due to the pandemic. It was extremely humbling to hear all of the outstanding achievements from this group of young people who have been so committed to working hard and excelling this year. All of the winners should be incredibly proud of themselves, they are a credit to not only themselves but their families and their school.'

Mark Ratter, the Council's Director of Education, added: 'Well done to all of our incredible young people who have been recognised with a Convener's Award for their exceptional achievements. We continue to strive to offer all of our pupils a vast array of opportunities to achieve and I am delighted we have been able to recognise the hard work of this group of pupils who are now well equipped to excel in the next stages of their lives beyond school.'

All the pupils' achievements were outstanding, including Woodfarm High's Sophie Pope who was recognised in the Creativity and Personal Achievement category. Sophie is a talented young chef and shot to national recognition by finishing fourth in the Young Chef of the Year competition, after battling it out against more than 13,000 other young people. Such is her dedication and skill, Sophie has now been asked to return as a judge for the next Young Chef of the Year competition.

Isobel Mair pupil David Oliphant was recognised in the Advocacy category for his commitment to ensuring his is fully involved in planning for life after school. David was rewarded for successfully achieving a National Qualification in Independent Living Skills and has demonstrated excellent progress throughout the year.

At St Luke's High, Depute Head Girl Katie Dunne was rewarded in the extra-curricular category in recognition of the wide range of activities she's involved in. As a role model for other pupils, Katie was the school Dux after securing 5As at Higher, was part of the school debate team, has taken a lead role in the school's fundraising and graduation committees and is also an outstanding golfer who has represented Scotland at the UK Team Championships.

Lauren Kee, from Barrhead High, is a nine-time Taekwondo national champion and has already represented Scotland at two European Championships. As well as excelling on the mat, Lauren runs classes at her Taekwondo club for children aged 5-9 where she trains them, instils discipline and imparts her wisdom.

Full details of the winners are listed below:

Community Service - Charlie Jackson (Eastwood High), Ashton Wilson (Williamwood High), Rebecca Owens (Williamwood High), Sam MacFarlane (Mearns Castle High), Aliyah Shakoor (Eastwood High), Josh Owens (Williamwood High), Sam Owens (Williamwood High), Young Leaders of Learning (Williamwood High)

Extra-curricular Activities - Emma Morrison (Mearns Castle High), Ross Burnside (Mearns Castle High), Kai Dalton (St Ninian's High), Katie Dunne (St Luke's High), Joy Curran (St Ninian's High), Antonio Carlo (St Ninian's High), Skye Community Action Group (Isobel Mair School), Beth Allan (Eastwood High), Keira Ratter (Eastwood High), Jack Tuck (Eastwood High), Industrial Cadets Team (Woodfarm High)

Creativity and Personal Achievement - Sophie Pope (Woodfarm High), Corinne Deeney (Barrhead High), Caitlin O'Neill (St Luke's High)

Advocacy - David Oliphant (Isobel Mair School), Ashley Kee (Eastwood High)

Sports - Callum MGinn (Woodfarm High), Lauren Kee (Barrhead High), Stephen Clancy (Barrhead High), Dara Ositelu (Eastwood High), Hannah Ryding (St Ninian's High), Andrew Miller (St Ninian's High), Leo Sanders (Woodfarm High), Emma Keith (Williamwood High), Cameron Deverill (Williamwood High), Erin Smith (Mearns Castle High), S3 Netball Team (St Ninian's High), S1 boys football team (St Ninian's High), Senior Cross Country Team (Williamwood High)