Our winning nomination was one that was received quite early on; in fact it was the first nomination we received. It shows how things can be turned around if you try! We were extremely impressed with this student's dedication to his studies in the face of adversity and the generous spirit he has shown; saving up his epraise points to buy his sister a Christmas Present. Jaheim is a very deserving winner of the Student of the Year 2014.
Winner
Jaheim, Nortonthorpe Hall School, Huddersfield
"Jaheim started at Nortonthorpe Hall in Sept following a difficult spell at another generic special school. Jaheim quickly settled into life at Nortonthorpe Hall. Nortonthorpe Hall is a BESD Special School and Jaheim has arrived with many different needs to the majority of pupils we have. Jaheim has worked incredibly hard to earn epraise points and sat and continued working on many occasions when other pupils have been behaving poorly and disrupting the classroom. Jaheim saved up his first 1700 points to spend on some headphones, which he gave to his sister as a Christmas Present. Despite Jaheim having many other needs away from pure BESD he has built up excellent relationships with both staff and peers and is a highly liked and respected young man.
Jaheim currently has over 5100 points this year and this is over 800 more than any other pupil in school. This reflects Jaheim's consistently positive and hardworking attitude across the academic year."
Our four runners-up were also really fantastic entries - each of these students have gone above and beyond what might normally be expected of them. They are hard working, determined and generous - all very well deserved winners of the runner-up places.