A team from Queen Elizabeth II High School has won the Boston Group Award for Junior Achievement Student Company of the Year after creating a children’s picture book.
The Elixir team pictured here show Charlie Milner, Isaac Sanderson, Heather Black, Rachael Tumelty, Emma Hodson, Cliodhna Caley, Rhian O'Leary, Katie Watterson together with their mentor Jason Spooner from Manx Telecom and Ruth Robinson, director of the Boston Charitable Foundation.
Elixir, impressed the judges with their ‘very simple but professional product which had lots of potential.’
Their book, Isle of Monsters, is ‘fun and educational with an inspiring moral tale’ that also teaches children how to ride a bike.
The Company of the Year awards are the culmination of the Company Programme, sponsored for the fourth successive year by the Boston Charitable Foundation, which challenges Year 12 students to set up and run a company over the course of an academic year.
Presenting the award, the Boston Group’s Ruth Robinson said of Elixir: ‘In their panel interview they demonstrated they functioned well as a team and were able to identify how they had developed their skills throughout the process. They also gained top marks for their presentation which was both relevant and engaging.’
Elixir’s Katie Watterson said: ‘Winning Company of the Year is fantastic. Although we were probably one of the biggest teams we managed to work very well together. The whole Company Programme process was great. We’ve learned a lot from it and I think we’ve all become more confident as a result.’
Elixir will now go on to represent the Isle of Man in July at the JA-YE Europe Company of the Year competition in Berlin, where they will be competing against 38 other teams from across Europe.
Company of the Year runner-up was Les Petites Terres from Ballakermeen High School with their handcrafted terrariums. Third place went to Nobelium from King William’s College with their range of products that uses nano-suction technology so they stick to any non-grain flat surface.
Speaking at the awards ceremony held at the Palace Hotel Junior Achievement chief executive Sue Cook congratulated all the teams. ‘The standard of entries this year was phenomenally high and the judges had a really difficult job selecting the winners, so close were the marks. After the presentations were over and the students had left, the judges spent another hour and a half deliberating before arriving at their final decision.
‘We’re enormously grateful to the Boston Charitable Foundation for their continued support, also to our business mentors who are with the students every step of the way and to our student ambassadors who’ve been through the competition process so can offer the teams invaluable advice.
‘The Junior Achievement “dream” is to be able to reach as many students as possible and equip them with the skills and confidence they’re going to need to get a job. The Company Programme is designed to do exactly that and students who take part are always going to be ahead of the rest in what’s now a relentless race for jobs.
‘Our work is to help create the next generation of entrepreneurs. Perhaps even the next Fraser Doherty. Who knows?’
The Junior Achievement Company of the Year awards:
Boston Group Company of the Year
Elixir, Queen Elizabeth II High School
Runner-up: Les Petites Terres, Ballakermeen High School
Third place: Nobelium, King William’s College
The Barclays Award for Volunteer Mentor of the Year
Terry Bradley from Zurich
The SmartHR Award for Outstanding Team Member
Sydney Paul – The Box, Ballakermeen High School
The Deloitte Award for Innovation
Blend from Ballakermeen High School
The Maggie Galloway Award for Inspirational Leadership
Karl Evans – The Box, Ballakermeen High School
The Swagelok Special Recognition Award
Legacy – Castle Rushen High School
The Zurich International Life Award for Corporate Social Responsibility
Team Addo – Castle Rushen High School
Richard Holt Students’ Choice Award
Navitas – Queen Elizabeth ll High School
The Appleby Award for Best Report
Les Petites Terres – Ballakermeen High School
The Sure Award for Best Trade Stand
Quantitas – Ballakermeen High School
Interlude entertainment was by Isle of Man singer songwriter Joey Wylde, an ardent supporter of Junior Achievement’s Next Big Thing annual talent contest for 11 to 17-year-olds.
To find out more about Junior Achievement visit www.jaiom.im or follow them on Facebook.
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