Star A Level and vocational graduates returned to Nelson and Colne College for a glittering awards ceremony attended by inspirational alumni and local VIPs.
The Star Awards, an annual highlight of the NCC calendar, was attended by around 200 people, to celebrate the outstanding achievements of students who have gone above and beyond during their time at College, and who are now preparing to take their next steps, be it an apprenticeship, a job, or University.
On arrival, graduates and guests, who included Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson, former student and entrepreneur Azhar Siddique, the Mayor and Mayoress of Pendle, governors, parents, and local headteachers, were able to walk a red carpet, have their photographs taken and enjoy refreshments. They were welcomed by the Chair of Governors Stephen Barnes, and were also given highly interesting presentations by alumni Sarah Kendall, a University of Leeds Microbiology student, and Sean Ruane, an international opera singer – who also performed a stunning rendition of Nessun Dorma.
Principal of Nelson and Colne College Amanda Melton said: “Our latest Star Awards Evening was a huge success – there was a real sense of celebration and excitement throughout the night, as students prepare to leave NCC for their next step at University, in an apprenticeship or in the workplace. It is always sad to say goodbye to our students, but it is wonderful to see them getting ready for their futures and seeing their aspirations becoming a reality.
“I must thank all our VIP guests for the evening and our wonderful guest speakers Sarah and Sean, who were truly inspirational and helped show our students how hard work and determination can ultimately help them achieve their career goals.
“This year we have once again seen some outstanding grades across our A Level and vocational studies, and this is testament to the work of both the students and our outstanding tutors, who work tirelessly to provide support and guidance, as well as endless extra-curricular activities.”
As well as subject specific awards, special prizes were also handed out on the night. These included the Fort Prize, presented by trustee Mr Robert Fort, which went to the highest achieving A Level student Sam Bolton – who picked up four A* grades and is now set to read Maths at the University of Warwick. A special Gold Award was also presented to one A Level and one vocational student, Chantelle Waddington and Shaughna Anderson, the latter of which was sponsored by the University of Central Lancashire. UCLan, where Shaughna will be studying from September, came to a special arrangement with their accrediting body, the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) to present their winner with a fully paid membership to the Royal Society of Chemistry for the whole of her MChem degree (four years).
Shaughna, 19, said: “I now plan to complete my course at University and hopefully progress into a career in Organic Chemistry. NCC is absolutely fantastic – the tutors have put in 110% in getting me to excel in my studies, and I couldn’t have done it without them. I am very appreciative of the prize from the University of Central Lancashire, and I will be putting it to very good use.”
And former Colne Park High School student Sam Bolton, 18, added: “I am very excited about winning the Fort Prize. The teaching here is top notch and has helped to bring out my potential.”
The awards ceremony completed what has been a hugely successful academic year for NCC – with the College achieving a 100% vocational and 99.9% A Level pass rate, and more than half of exam entries gaining A*AB. Many students are now preparing for University, including The University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and the University of Warwick. The latest Government data has also placed the College number one in Lancashire for the progress students make in their A Levels, and number one in the area for vocational studies.
Nelson and Colne College is still enrolling. No matter what course/s students are interested in, they can still come to NCC between 10am to 2pm – Monday to Friday – for the next couple of weeks, to speak to expert staff and get ready for their next step after school.
For more information about joining one of the top colleges in the country contact 01282 440272 or visit www.nelson.ac.uk
For more pictures go to the Nelson and Colne College Sixth Form page.
The full list of award winners is:
A Levels
Applied ICT: Faluck Tanvir; Biology: Dawud Afzal; Business: Emily Mulligan; Chemistry: Kelly Cheng; Computer Science: Anthony McCaigue; Creative Writing: Emily Cox; Drama and Theatre Studies: Rachael Cox; English Language: Rebecca Marshall; English Literature and Film Studies: Erin Fielding; Fashion and Textiles: Holly Leedham; Fine Art: Elizabeth Ceplinskaite; French: Amy Halawi; Further Mathematics: Liam Evans; Geography: Emily Logan; Geology: Amy Colliston; Government and Politics: Jessica Sutcliffe; Graphic Design: Andrew Cain; Hairdressing: Kelsie Lampard; History: Anton Garanin; Law: Sabrina Mason; Mathematics: Joe West; Media Studies: Sabah Taj; Photography: Roman Sekowski; Physics: Lotte Gleeson, Tim Jones; Physical Education: Emily Brennan; Psychology: Simra Ahmed; Sociology: Beth Selway; Spanish: Liam Stockdale
Vocational
Access to Health Professions: Alison Clarke; Access to Social Sciences: Janice Harris; Art and Design: Ewan Tennent; Beauty Therapy: Taranjot Kaur; Business: Ismaeel Mehdi; Catering: Marta Miziur; Childcare: Rhiannon Robinson; Creative and Digital: Amy Finn; Engineering: Michael Spencer; Health and Social Care: Charlotte Clegg, Jason Tyhurst; ICT-Games Design: Kaleb Arnold; ICT-Multimedia: Zameer Ejaz; Public Services: Kadi-Leigh Greenwood; Science: Shamsa Iqbal; Sport: Leah Hillman; Sport – Burnley FC Shadow Squad: Joseph Kouadio
Special awards
Abraham Leaver Trust Fund: Tom Parker; Barker Leaver Prize: Shamsa Iqbal; Fort Prize: Sam Bolton; Gold Award (A Level): Chantelle Waddington; Gold Award (vocational – sponsored by the University of Central Lancashire): Shaughna Anderson; Walter Parker Memorial Prize: Kevin Muldowney; Oustanding achievement: Becky Coyne; Outstanding achievement – exceptional commitment: Shayla Booth
