THE PROUD principal of Okehampton College congratulated his 'very special' students and staff at an awards evening last week, where pupils were recognised for their work, dedication and perseverance.
Chris Powell, who joined the school at the beginning of this year, spoke of the 'wonderful achievements' of the college pupils, especially in a year which had been so full of incident, not least the foot and mouth crisis which had put many youngsters at a considerable disadvantage.
Among the 28 awards that were presented was the newly introduced Principal's Special Award for Achievement which went to athlete David Dawson who has represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland at shotput.
Mr Powell said collectively the athletics team had secured unprecedented success this year but David's achievement was 'outstanding'.
'Earlier this year he went to the English Schools Athletics Championship and came first in his event,' said the principal.
'This country has a long history of outstanding athletes and they all have one thing in common — the ability to work incredibly hard and David has that.
'Not only has he represented his county but he has also gone on to represent his country and I feel very honoured to be able to give him this special award.'
Triathlon twins Laura and Sarah Gomersall, who were not able to attend the ceremony as they were in Athens competing in the International triathlon championships, were also recognised for their amazing run of success in the sporting world and received the 'Sporting Achievement' award.
Head of Girls' PE Carol Chapman said the girls, who were 15, had managed to juggle school work with training. Their triathlon achievements had come on the back of years of success in pony club competitions and as members of the inter-schools athletics team.
A fabulous role model who had influenced so many by her attitude and commitment was how Gemma Collier was described.
Gemma, who shared the 'Sporting Contribution' award with Jo Moppett, had shown great skill in running and was part of a team who represented Devon in the English Schools Athletics Championships and the college at hockey and netball.
When the college was short of a triple jumper at the Inter-schools Championship, multi-talented sportswoman Jo stepped in and won the event, such was her ability to excel at all sports, said Mrs Chapman.
A committed team player, Jo worked hard to win but she also accepted defeat gracefully.
The 'Anita Fraquet Netball Award' went to Georgina Geikie, who after success in the Okehampton Netball League was recently picked to play for the Under 18s Devon County Netball Team.
Georgina was praised for her 'perseverance and attention to detail'. She was also very supportive of others and always gave 100 per cent, added Mrs Chapman.