Hummersknott School held its snow-delayed awards ceremony last night A SCHOOL'S outstanding achievers were celebrated at an awards ceremony last night.

The leavers' presentation evening at Hummersknott School, in Darlington, was due to take place before Christmas, but was cancelled because of the snow.

The reception was anything but frosty for former pupil Simon Hamilton, now regional manager of UK Steel Enterprises, who handed out the awards.

He presented certificates and a number of special prizes to the students who were chosen from those who left the school in July.

Staff, parents and governors joined him in recognising the students' success.

Headteacher Pat Howarth praised the students for their excellent examination results and for "the wider contribution they had made to the life of the school during their time".

He also thanked staff for providing students with a wide range of learning activities.

Last year, 80 per cent of students achieved 5 A* to C at GCSE level, with a quarter of all grades at A or A*.

The special prizes were awarded as follows: Effie Kendal Award, to the head boy and girl: Ryan Gray and Lucy O'Neill; Eleanor Trotter Award, for general helpfulness in and around school: Matthew Bremner and Alexandra Jennings; Rotary Prize, for a responsible and reliable student who had served school well and taken part in community affairs: Gareth Rogers; Endeavour Cup, for a student who has overcome problems during their school life: Jessica Doyle; LF Gordon Prize, for sport and service to the school: Ryan Buckley; Jean Thurkettle Prize, for commitment to performing arts: Lily Thompson; Dorothy Cameron Award, for outstanding examination results: Thomas Gray and Katharine Groves; Electrolux/ Flymo Prize, for best performance in languages and maths: Thomas Gray; The Black Trophy, for involvement and achievement in music: Alexandra Jennings, Robert Smith and Adam Tennant; The Rajkiran Trophy, for a student who has overcome personal difficulties: Kieron Fox; The Waller Cup, for effort and enthusiasm in an artistic field: Amber Kasagic; The Adele WaterfallBrown Trophy, for a student who has achieved success as a result of their integration intomainstream secondary education: Marcus Atkinson and Mark Patterson; The Linda Thomas Award, for persistent endeavour to improve writing skills: Alastair Leigh; The David Henderson Prize, for the best performances in English, Maths and Science: Thomas Gray and Katharine Groves; James Barningham Scholarship, for an outstanding piece of work in Humanities: James Carbert and Katharine Groves; Darlington Prize Fund, for service to the school community: Christopher Davis and Nichola Peters; Dave Watson Prize, for excellence in languages: Liam Innis; Sports Leader of the Year: Andrew Peacock and Stephanie Coates; Education Fund (Middleton Greathead), for most progress in Art: Alex Lucas; Quakers Running Club Athlete of the Year: Robert Lucas and Hannah Evans; Headteacher Awards: Stephen Bell, Jennifer Bogg, Shaun Bradley, Connor Brough, Holly Dickinson, Shiddharth Gurung, Natasha Lyne, Elizabeth Middleton, Lucy O'Neill, Gareth Rogers, Naomi Sandhu, Roxanne Spence, Stephanie Wolstenholme, Joshua Wright.