No fewer than five of the College’s post-16 students were shortlisted for the Academy Excellence Awards 2011 – one in each category for English, Humanities, Science, Technology and Mathematics. The Awards were part of an innovative new scheme to stretch and challenge exceptional students, which boasted an impressive cohort of judges including the eminent biologist, Lord Robert Winston, the television historian, Dan Snow, and Countdown’s Susie Dent.

Academy principals were asked to nominate one student in each category to tackle a challenging question set by the University of Nottingham. No fewer than 110 academies entered across the country, and the College proudly dominated the shortlist – a fine testament to our students’ deep engagement with learning across subject areas.

Tom Roethenbaugh (Year 13) was shortlisted for his essay dealing with how humankind can secure a sustainable future. Tom put forward a convincing yet controversial case to support the use of fossil fuels, which he argued are a relatively ‘green alternative’ to palm oil.

Landau Forte’s contender in the Humanities category, Catherine Wragg (Year 13), found that the research skills she had acquired through completing an Extended Project Qualification were of great assistance when completing an essay for this competition.

For the English category, Jonathan McGovern enjoyed the challenge of going beyond the A Level curriculum by exploring the effects of Romantic poetry on environmental debate, drawing parallels between Wordsworth’s naturalistic ideals and the principles of contemporary sustainability.

Other shortlisted students were Timothy Wakefield (Year 12), who drew on his adept mathematical skills to create a sustainable packaging design, and Alexander Leck (Year 12), whose abilities in design and engineering made him well-equipped to develop a proposal for high-tech, sustainable developments in the local community.

All five shortlisted students were invited to an Inspiration Day at the University of Nottingham on 6th July. This was an unparalleled opportunity to acquire and refine skills such as business acumen and presentation techniques. Workshops were hosted by successful entrepreneurs, Claire Young and Catherine Yaffe, the former well-known for being a finalist on The Apprentice.

In the evening, the atmosphere was decidedly tense as Kate Silverton prepared to announce the winners of the Awards. We delighted to hear that both Jonathan McGoverns and Tom Roethenbaugh were chosen as the recipients of £1500 and an internship with a FTSE 100 company, and Timothy Wakefield was selected to receive a runner-up prize of a four-week internship with the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Regardless of their final position in the competition, all five entrants agreed that they were greatly enriched by the experience, and would approach the next stages of their educational journeys with renewed confidence and optimism.

Visit www.academyexcellenceawards.co.uk to view a full list of shortlisted students, and exciting details of the Academy Excellence Awards competition for 2012.

Photograph taken by Andrew Hallsworth