The star of stars at this year’s Scottish Qualifications Authority awards was a modest 18-year-old from Glasgow’s Hillpark Secondary, whose academic achievements were matched only by his contribution to the school.
Richard Glennie, now a first-year maths student at St Andrews University, was School Candidate of the Year, runner-up in the Academic Excellence award and winner of the Pride o’ Worth award for the outstanding winner from all the individual categories in the SQA’s annual Star Awards.
Richard’s Advanced Higher results were: maths 98 per cent, computing 95 per cent and physics 92 per cent. But what made him a truly exceptional pupil, according to Hillpark Secondary headteacher Joan Donnelly, was the contribution he made to others.
“The school is a better place because Richard Glennie has been here,” said Mrs Donnelly.
Richard not only created the school website with computing teacher Margaret Watson, he was one of the best “buddies” to pupils in Hillpark’s autism unit and a mentor to S1 pupils in the school’s “paired maths” programme.
“He is the embodiment of active citizenship,” said Mrs Donnelly.
Richard is equally generous with his praise for his former teachers.
“Margaret Watson in the computing department has been my mentor during my six years at Hillpark,” he said.
And he attributes his love of maths to Mandy Krause, in the maths department. “When I was studying Higher maths, Mrs Krause allowed me to look ahead and go at any speed I wanted to. She gave me books about higher things. Thank God for her - or I would not have known what to do for a degree,” he added.
Bright stars
Individual winners:
Science Teacher of the Year
Morag Ferguson, Annanhill Primary, East Ayrshire
The Big Experiment
The Science of Milk by Mark T Proctor, Aberdeen College
School Candidate of the Year Award
Richard Glennie, Hillpark Secondary
College Candidate of the Year Award
Gordon McDonald, Reid Kerr College, Paisley
Training Organisation Candidate of the Year Award
Jamie Lee Miller, MI Technologies Ltd, Glasgow
Lifelong Learning Award
Gill Roberts, West Lothian College
Academic Excellence Award
Rachael McLellan, High School of Dundee
Appointee of the Year Award
Joe Walker from West Lothian
Skills Competitor of the Year Award
Gary Riley, South Lanarkshire College
SQA Champion
Gordon Thorburn, Perth High
Centre winners:
Innovation Award
South Lanarkshire College for its low-energy house
Lifelong Learning Award
Stevenson College, Edinburgh, for its ESOL (English for speakers of other languages)
Partnership of the Year Award
Sodexo and Langside College, Glasgow for their hospitality programme for additional support for learning students
International Award
ADNOC Technical Institute, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, SQA centre since 2008
Pride o’ Worth for individuals
Richard Glennie, Hillpark Secondary
Pride o’ Worth for centres
South Lanarkshire College
Fellowship of SQA
Hugh McCafferty, apprenticeships manager for ConstructionSkills.
