THE Alton College Foundation has hosted the annual Second Year Awards ceremony.
Introduced to celebrate students who have shown outstanding achievement during their first year of study, this year’s awards, on September 26, served to highlight the wealth of talent being nurtured and developed at Alton College.
Opening the ceremony at the Wessex Arts Centre, Trevor Heley, managing director of the Foundation, said the presentation would include the awards for a special essay competition, sponsored by Sir Simon and Lady Virginia Robertson and Sir James Scott.
As a long-time supporter of the Foundation, Sir Simon had set a challenge for students to address an important issue of the day by answering the question: “How can the current political economy be re-organised without undue disruption in order to reduce inequality within our society in the UK?”
The shortlisted essays were judged by the sponsors together with Alton College Foundation director Peter Wilson.
Lucy Bayliss received the £2,500 prize for her winning essay and Alf Hamer received £750 as runner-up.
Mr Heley congratulated all 11 second year students who had excelled in their chosen subjects of creative visual arts, engineering and mathematics.
Award winners were:
Creative Visual Art Awards: Emily Barnett, Sarah Buckley, Laila Virji.
Design and Technology Product Analysis, Specification and Development Award: Ayla Reynolds, Sophie Clow-Gardiner.
Level 2 Engineering Skills Awards: Dan Gloria, Hubert Berwick.
Level 3 Engineering Skills Awards: Emily Stokes, Ash Turton.
Mathematics Awards: Montague Moran, Harry Buchanan.
Mike Gaston, interim principal and chief executive officer of Alton College, praised the outstanding quality of all the award winners.