In November, we were excited to announce that we had two nominees in this year's Henley Herald Community Champion Awards! Year 12 pupil Amelie Holden had been shortlisted in the Rising Star Theatre category, while Head of Art Miss Jiggens had been shortlisted in the Top Teacher/TA category. Now, following the awards night earlier this month, we are delighted to say that Amelie has won her category!
The awards honour those individuals who have gone above and beyond throughout 2024. There are several categories and winners and awards are decided by a public vote. In previous years, we have seen pupils nominated and so to have both a teacher and pupil nominated in the same year is a fantastic achievement.
The Top Teacher/TA category is awarded to an individual teacher or teaching assistant who has shown extraordinary commitment to have a positive impact on the lives of local children through their enthusiasm and commitment. In her nomination, Miss Jiggens was praised for her thoughtfulness and drive to get all staff and students involved in different projects and whole school displays. Miss Jiggen's passion for art and passion to ensure everyone has access to the creative arts at the College is there for all to see and we're so proud that this has been recognised at this year's awards.
The Rising Star Theatre Award is awarded to a young person between the age of 11-18 who is reaching for the stars in performance arts or associated theatre roles e.g. lighting, staging, script writing. Amelie is passionate about music and as well as having her music on Spotify, performs at small venues and events in and around Henley. Recently at Shiplake, we have seen her perform at Shiplake Rocks, the Winter Concert, Lunchtime Concerts, and in this month’s House Singing Competition where she helped Everett House take the overall win. Speaking at the awards ceremony, Amelie said:
‘I want to say thank you so much for all the votes. It means so much to me, and I want to say a huge thank you to Jenny (who nominated Amelie), because I wouldn’t be here without her.’
Congratulations Amelie on your win. We can’t wait to see you perform more at Shiplake and beyond!