Academic Accolades for Sixth Form

Caterham Sixth Form pupils have achieved impressive success in external academic competitions during the 2021/22 year. Application rates for showcasing excellence in this way is the highest we have seen for a number of years now – a sign that pupils really are embracing the challenge of truly ambitious A Level study.

The external acknowledgements of our pupils’ work has ranged across all subjects and projects submitted across different types of media from essays to videos.

• Holly Gordon Clark answering the question “No man (or woman) is an island: how self-sufficient are characters in ancient literature?” Holly compared the presentation of Odysseus in Homer, Ovid and Margaret Atwood. (St John’s College, Oxford Classics and Ancient History Essay Prize). Holly received a Commendation from the don-judges. Holly has also won the 2022 Lancaster University Writing Award for her piece on Duffy’s work – she also came second in the Criticism category – her work will be published in Cake Magazine and on the Lancaster University website.
• Holly won the 2022 Cathkin Park Dig It! Competition – this is a national young archaeologists’ competition (Council for British Archaeology and the Young Archaeologists’ Club).
• Holly Bradley on “Was one’s community in the ancient world limited to one’s city?” She went miles off syllabus and researched how the nascent Christian communities in the late Roman Empire interacted with cities and Roman civic identities/structures. (St John’s College, Oxford Classics and Ancient History Essay Prize). Holly received a Commendation from the don-judges.
• Holly has also won the University of Sheffield’s History Department Essay Prize Competition 2022. The judges noted that “This is a very good essay that shows a depth of knowledge on the issue and a good sense for critical analysis. The shape of the argument is clear, easy to follow, and builds from point to point. In particular, the way you are able to critique lazy comparisons that presume a ‘norm’, but cannot substantiate that norm works very well. The essay is also commendable for its ability to predict counter arguments and objections, which it makes a case against proactively. A strong essay that was enjoyable to read”.
• Mili Greener, Molly Meyer, Holly Gordan-Clark and Paige Griffiths: all of these pupils were Highly Commended for their Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics’ video essay 2022 competition (Oxford University).
• O-Teen Kwok won the Science Snippets prize, beating finalists from Eton, Tonbridge and many other schools. This is an impressive achievement indeed. O-Teen delivered on the topic of aerodynamics, highlighting the importance and uses of the subject across all facets of science from football and F1 through to bird formations and aircraft. O-Teen delivered for only four minutes in front of a live audience, as well as guest judge Sir Jim Smith from the Francis Crick Institute, to demonstrate his passion for the field of aerodynamics. In addition to the above, O-Teen has also been awarded:
  – Triumph Design Award: Outstanding Engineering and Innovation Award
  – Science Communication Competition: Champion
  – Senior Physics Written Challenge: Gold award
  – Senior Physics Online Challenge: Gold award
  – Senior Maths Challenge: Gold award
  – UK Chemistry Olympiad: Bronze award
  – British Physics Olympiad round 1: Bronze II
  – Senior Kangaroo Challenge: full qualification
• Paige Griffiths was awarded a very well-deserved Merit in the Key Stage 5 RE View on Religion Theology Faculty video competition (Cambridge University).
• Olivia Morley was awarded Highly Commended for her short essay in the Harvard Crimson Global Essay Competition 2022.
• Flora Hannay achieved third place in the South East Regional finals for ARTiculation 2022. Flora delivered a gripping piece based on Donna Gottschalk’s ‘Sleepers’ – A Critical Evaluation of lesbianism in the 70s’.
• Elias Daryani achieved second place in the Penguin’s Lit in Colour Student Prize (resulting in a published poem on the Penguin website). Elias has also been awarded a Young Writer’s 2022 prize – his poem will be published in Young Writer’s EMPOWERED poetry collection.
• 2022 has been an impressive year for Science Olympiads. Pupils have achieved multiple bronze, silver and gold awards in national olympiads this academic year. One pupil, Alex Mylet, has achieved an astonishing seven olympiad prizes so far this academic year including:
  – (BPhO) British Physics Olympiad: Silver
  – Physics AS challenge: Gold
  – Senior Maths Challenge: Gold
  – BMO1 (British Maths Olympiad Round 1): Distinction
  – Chemistry Olympiad: Gold
  – Biology Olympiad: Gold
  – British Informatics Olympiad (Computer Science) Merit
• Annabella Woodruff submitted a superb piece (titled ‘Who is the most influential author of the 20th century’) to the Immerse Education Oxbridge Scholarship Essay Competition and won a partial scholarship.
• Tamsin Anderson won The Jacobs Prize for the Innovative Use of Science Learning (University of Sheffield 2021) based on her outstanding presentation on Seasteading and the Future of Floating Cities.
• Rachel Cliffe achieved second place in the Lancaster University Literacy Criticism Essay Prize 2021.
• Salina Henley was Highly Commended, with very promising feedback from the judges,
  for her entry to the Paediatric Medical Article of the Month (October 2021) (Cambridge University – via Medic Collective). Salina’s article was titled ‘Breaking Out: Time for change for allergy sufferers’.
• Joshua Ko is building up quite a portfolio of awards, including:
  – Senior Maths Challenge: Silver certificate
  – British Physics Olympiad 2021-22 BPhO competition: Commendation
  – British Physics Olympiad 2022 Senior Physics Challenge: Silver award
  – British Physics Olympiad 2022 Senior Physics Challenge for problem solving: Bronze award
  – Chemistry Olympiad: Bronze award
• Nithusha Sathyendran has had a poem accepted for publication – it is titled ‘An Open Letter To All Women’. This will be published under Empowered 2022 – Future Echoes.
• Avery Chen achieved a Merit award for her efforts in The Andrew Jobbings Senior Kangaroo competition 2021.
• Maddie Korvin was Highly Commended in the New College of the Humanities (NCH) Essay Competition. Maddie’s work was titled: ‘Is literature always a force for good?’
• Marcus Cheng has participated in the Minds Underground Essay Competition (medicine category), and his piece titled ‘What will the Impact of an Ageing Population on the NHS Look Like?’, was Highly Commended.
• Catherine Chao is building up a portfolio of awards, including:
  – British Physics Olympiad: Bronze
  – Senior Maths Challenge: Silver
  – Senior Physics Online Challenge: Silver
  – Senior Physics Written Challenge: Gold
• Chelsea Chen has achieved a global gold award in the British Biology Olympiad 2022, a wonderful achievement.