Highland Heroes: Vote for your Secondary Pupil of the Year
Lily Kelman, Inverness High School
FOR Inverness High School fifth-year, Lily Kelman, the mantra ‘keep dancing’ has never been so apt – even during lockdown!
The world champion Highland dancer is a human dynamo who is always on the go, from dancing at home when she couldn’t go to classes at Fraser School of Highland Dance, to volunteering at the Highland Food Hub during the pandemic.
Last year, the 16-year-old realised one of her childhood dreams when she won the World Juvenile title at Cowal Highland Gathering making her the first dancer to bring the title home to the Highlands in its 112-year history. She already has her sights set on winning the world title in the next grade up, the juniors.
A nomination for Lily praised her dedication to dancing but also her positivity: “Lily is an inspiration for teenage girls showing that hard work pays off, expressing a healthy mind and body to enhance wellbeing.
“She is a very modest person who is liked by all, she is a happy, friendly fifth year pupil who is ready to help at any opportunity. Her lovely personality, coupled with her sportsmanship, has made Lily a very popular dancer and high school pupil.”
Mum Yvonne was delighted for Lily: “Her dedication was unbelievable. She sacrificed going out with friends and doing other things. She was absolutely gutted when Covid hit because she had lots of plans and had been doing really well, so she wanted to keep fit and keep going. To have the motivation to do that was just huge.
“It’s just fantastic. We’re super proud of her for her achievements over the past few years and her help with the Highland Food Hub during Covid was brilliant. We’re just over the moon.”
Olivia Macleod, Tain Royal Academy
FROM being a member of the YMCA Tain youth committee to committing hours to volunteering as part of the Saltire Awards, and all while doing her schoolwork, 17-year-old Olivia Macleod is used to managing a full schedule.
A nomination for the Tain Royal Academy pupil also highlighted the numerous awards she has achieved for her efforts including being one of only eight young people in the Highlands to receive the Saltire Summit Award for her ongoing commitment to volunteering within her community and for volunteering a further 1100 hours.
During lockdown, Olivia amassed 500 volunteering hours towards her Saltire award when she looked after her neighbour’s dog for around 10 hours each day.
Olivia joined the YMCA Tain as a youngster and has never left!
“I used to go to the P7 club on a Monday night and you could put your name forward if you wanted to be on the youth committee. I put my name forward and I was chosen, and I’ve been on it ever since!
“We’re a group of young people from the Academy and we choose two people from each year group. We’re like the eyes and ears of young people so we get to make decisions on what events we want to put on. We’re representing young people. It’s good and it’s a nice group of people as well.”
On hearing she had been shortlisted for the secondary school pupil of the year award, Olivia said it had been a surprise but a good one!
Matthew McCreadie, Millburn Academy
WHEN it comes to taking on challenges in life, Millburn Academy sixth year, Matthew McCreadie, dives right in – literally!
On top of his school work, Matthew is a member of the Down’s Syndrome GB swimming team and is currently training hard to compete in the European championships being held in Italy later this year.
It should be no surprise that when he decided to raise funds for the Archie Foundation, it was going to be a water-based challenge!
Matthew swam the length of Loch Ness to raise more than £3600 for the charity, swimming 2000 lengths of a 20m pool in one month.
“It was hard going but he loved it,” said proud mum Susan. “Give him a challenge and he’ll do anything for you.”
But it’s not just in swimming where he has made his mark! When schools returned out of lockdown, Matthew also organised and hosted a teacher basketball session.
A nomination said: “As a result of his work ethic, support from home and his drive to help others, he has regularly contributed towards the running of extra-curricular sports clubs and is part of the Higher leadership class.
“Notwithstanding the difficulties Down’s Syndrome presents to young people, he is proof that through persistence, good humour and a pride in his own performance they can all be successful and achieve in anything they commit to.”
Susan added: “He’s a character. He’s not shy, he loves people. He’s a people-person, he loves fun and is fun to be around. We feel humbled that someone has taken the time to recognise everything he’s done. It’s really lovely.”
Words from the category sponsor: Developing the Young Workforce Inverness and Central Highland (DYWICH) programme manager, Eilidh Edgar, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Highland Heroes and sponsoring the secondary school pupil of the year award.
“DYWICH has a dedicated coordinator in every secondary school in the Inverness and Central Highland area and through our work, connecting employers with education and helping young people get work ready we come across many young heroes who achieve amazing things, demonstrating exceptional character, resilience, passion and dedication.
“This award is a fantastic opportunity to shine a spotlight on their achievements.”
