Personal Excellence Awards
Personal Excellence Awards
At HAMD we recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of our students. Teachers nominate students for Academic Excellence Awards and now students have the opportunity to nominate their own work.
We have introduced this additional rewards process to acknowledge the exemplary work produced by our students. We believe that it is essential to foster an environment where students feel appreciated and motivated to strive for excellence in their academic endeavours, especially where they know they will be additionally recognised.
Under this system, students will have the opportunity to showcase their exceptional work by completing an online form (link at the bottom) where they can nominate a piece of work they are particularly proud of. This could be anything from an outstanding essay, a creative project, a scientific experiment, or any other noteworthy achievement. Students can also bring work they have completed at home in their own time; the online form allows you to choose this option, and also to upload an image of work completed at home.
An outstanding piece of work will typically exhibit all or most of these characteristics. Striving to incorporate these elements into their work can help students achieve excellence.
Once the form is submitted, faculty leaders and teachers will review the submitted work, then based on their evaluation, students will be awarded one of three levels of certificate: bronze, silver or gold. Mr Sparks also reserves the right to issue a Principal’s Award to students who demonstrate all of the above in an exceptional piece of work or to students that perform a noteworthy act of academy citizenship.
These certificates will be presented to students either during tutor time, or during faculty assemblies, to honour their achievements. Alternatively, faculty coordinators will give the certificate to the student privately if requested. This decision can be made by the student and communicated in the online form.
We believe that this additional reward system will serve several important purposes. Firstly, it will demonstrate to our students that we genuinely care about the quality of their work and recognise their efforts. Secondly, it will encourage a culture of excellence and pride in one's accomplishments and provide additional recognition for students who consistently go above and beyond in their academic pursuits. Most importantly, we want students to take responsibility for their work, being able to judge the quality of their outcomes and recognise when they show strength in the following areas:
1. Ownership of learning: When our students take pride in their work, they feel a sense of ownership over their learning journey. They understand that their efforts directly contribute to their success and take responsibility for their academic progress.
2. Intrinsic motivation: Pride in one's work is a powerful intrinsic motivator. When our students derive satisfaction from their accomplishments, they are more likely to be self-motivated and engaged in their studies, rather than relying solely on external rewards or pressure from others.
3. Building character: Pride in one's work is not just about academic success; it also helps build character traits such as perseverance, resilience and integrity. Students learn to set high standards for themselves and take pride in producing quality work, which will serve them well in all aspects of their lives.
We are excited about the positive impact that this initiative has on our students and the wider school community. We look forward to seeing the incredible work that our students produce and celebrating their achievements together.
Please use the link below to access the online form, or use the QR code.
Personal Excellence Award Form – Fill in form
If you have any questions about this approach, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership in helping us create a positive and rewarding experience for our students.