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John Evans Progress Prize Remembers and Rewards

There were special celebrations at Penryn College on Monday morning, as the John Evans Progress Prize assembly took place, recognising the progress and hard work of students, in memory of John Evans, the late husband of former long-serving Headteacher Miss Hunter.

The John Evans Progress Prize was launched in 2016, in memory of Mr Evans – a highly respected headteacher who offered his support and worked very closely with the College for many years.

Year 10 student, Emma Turton – the winner of this year’s Progress Prize – was selected from 12 current Year 10 Penryn College pupils, who were identified as individuals who had demonstrated the most progress during their first two years at the school, and chosen to be part of the John Evans Progress Pathway.

Subsequently, throughout the 2018/19 academic year, each of the 12 students received enhanced careers advice, guidance and mentoring – helping them identify skills for their future lives.

Miss Hunter attended the recent assembly, and after presenting the Progress Pathway certificates to the pupils, she reflected on their achievements: “John always said that chances come through hard work, resilience, doing the right things, and being a good person; the fact that all 12 of the students have shown these qualities is fantastic.

“There are many other distractions in life at their age, and their perseverance has been fantastic – I’m incredibly proud of all of them.”

As part of the Progress Prize celebration assembly, Head Boy and Head Girl, Sebastien and Dora, and Assistant Head, Mrs Laing, delivered speeches detailing the meaning behind the Progress Prize, before Headteacher, Mr Walker, read ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling – noted by Miss Hunter as one of Mr Evans’ favourite poems.

Between the speeches, the students were awarded certificates for making their way through the Pathway, before Emma, this year’s Progress Prize winner, collected her winning prize.

And following the assembly, Emma reflected on being part of the Progress Pathway. She said: “I’ve gained so much confidence for the future through public speaking and meeting different people.

“It’s also helped me figure out my plans for the future – I now know that I would like to be an aircraft engineer.”

As winner of the Progress Prize, Emma will now see her name etched on the John Evans Progress Prize wall plaque, situated in Kernewek Hall, alongside the previous years’ winners. Additionally, all of the names of the students who were on the Pathway are currently displayed near the main entrance to the College.