Students who have been involved in Excellence Programmes at Shrewsbury International School over the past academic year gathered together on Wednesday 11th May at the Excellence Awards dinner.

The event, which is organised annually by Mr Nick Dunn, Director of Sport & Activities, celebrates the achievements of students in Sport, Drama, Music and the International Award.

More than 300 students and staff attended the event which took place in the Ballroom of the Chatrium Riverside Hotel and included a buffet dinner, speeches and the all-important awards ceremony.

Guest of Honour was Professor Dave Collins, a Performance Psychologist at Grey Matters Consultants and the former Performance Director for UK Athletics. Mr Collins, also a Professor of Coaching and Performance at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK entertained the students with amusing stories about his PE lessons when he was a child, whilst reminding the audience that success may not last forever and should be celebrated.

The Sports’ Excellence Awards were given for a variety of sports, ranging from Football to Golf, played through the different sporting seasons. The accolades were given to players who were viewed as the most valuable or improved players amongst the team throughout the long and strenuous season. King’s House was richly represented in this category, with several awards going to its members. Cameron Storah was recognised as the winner of the Open Go-Kart Championships in Thailand, while Boss and Book won the Most Valued Player and Most Improved Player respectively at U17 Boys’ Basketball level. Lee (the Victrix Londrum on Sports Day 2011), won the MVP award for U17 Girls’ Softball and Basketball.

In Music Excellence, students displaying continuous talent and commitment throughout the years were rewarded for their outstanding performances. Many of the musicians will continue as music scholars at this school. However, the school will be saying goodbye to the immensely talented musicians in Year 13 who will leave Shrewsbury at the end of this year to pursue their studies at some of the world’s finest universities and music colleges. Indeed, without the contributions of these students, Shrewsbury International School would not have been able to enjoy all of the colourful music concerts which have taken place at the school, so the staff and students wish all the graduating musicians good luck for the future.

Throughout the evening, the atmosphere was resplendent and continued to build as the Drama and IA students went on stage to collect their awards. A huge round of applause was given to the eight IA Gold students who had successfully completed a two-year course at Gold Level that included challenging hikes up some of New Zealand’s toughest mountains.

Year 12 student Banpote (Jinji) Khuntivaranggul summed up the feelings of the students at the end of the night: “We are all grateful to Mr. Dunn for organising the event so well and for making this dinner a memorable evening for all the students who have devoted so much effort and time to these Excellence Activities throughout the year. On top of this, we also want to congratulate the coaches and teachers who have all given their time in ensuring that each student is provided with the opportunities to achieve at the highest level.”

To see a gallery of pictures from the evening, click here

For the list of sports winners, click here

For the list of drama winners, click here

For the list of music winners, click here

For the list of International Award (gold) winners, click here

See also:

1.   Sport News