I have always acknowledged TES to be at the forefront of education as they have always provided articles and materials to help educators within the classroom, so I hold their opinion with the highest esteem. I nominated the Film Ambassadors for the impact they have had on our school in developing a culture of film throughout the student body, it was only right to see it be recognised.
The Film Ambassadors have received recognition and awards for their work from other prestigious institutions and film festivals, this demonstrates their enthusiasm in the creative arts. Overall, the St Mungo's Film Ambassadors are an incredibly dedicated group of pupils who willingly give up their own time to help build a film culture within our school and deserve.
The evening itself lived far beyond my expectations, even just being in the grand hall made us all feel special and recognised, in my ten years of teaching I have never seen nor attended anything like it. From the host, the entertainment to meeting other educators from all over the country has been the highlight of my teaching career.
Winning the award has impacted how the subject of Film & Media has been perceived not only in our school but throughout the local authority as the uptake has grown significantly. More pupils want to take the subject as it allows them to fully express themselves as well as prepare them to take part in an ever-growing film industry in Scotland. This was the main reason for starting the initiative in the first place.
Since winning the award, it has put our school on the map as other schools throughout Scotland want to know what we did and how we did it. How did we build a culture of Film within our school? Since winning the award.
For anyone considering entering the awards, do not hesitate, just enter. I entered thinking it would be fantastic to even be nominated in such a prestigious ceremony. To win, has exceeded all my expectations and has felt genuinely like a dream come true.
