Highland Heroes 2024: Secondary teacher shortlist revealed – VOTE NOW!
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Here's your secondary school teacher shortlist...
Catherine Ferguson, Invergordon Academy
Deputy Head Teacher (pupil support), Catherine Ferguson, has been shortlisted for a Highland Heroes Secondary School Teacher of the Year award for “always finding a solution and never giving up on her pupils”.
Catherine recently relocated from Golspie High School. Her nomination said: “She is an incredible woman and should be recognised as a hero in the school because she always does what’s best for the child even when they’re struggling or want to quit.”
On hearing of her nomination Catherine said: “I have to admit I was a bit teary eyed.
“It’s amazing to know that someone sees me in that way. I can only do what I do thanks to the other teachers, school staff, pupils and their parents. It really is a community effort to get the right outcome for our pupils.
“Growing up I had a teacher who was always there for me and it was partly because of him that I chose to become a teacher and carry forward his positive attitude. I’ve developed my own motto “Do your best for every child every day, no matter what”, and I remind myself of that every morning before I leave home. I’m honoured to have been nominated.”
Hannah Lucas, Nairn Academy
Hannah Lucas has been shortlisted for a Highland Heroes Secondary School Teacher of the Year award for her success in launching Growing Pains, a program that supports parents to understand the challenges of being a teenager in this day and age.
Hannah, originally from Northern Ireland, has been teaching in Nairn for the past 13 years.
Her nomination said: “Mrs Lucas is an outstanding teacher who goes above and beyond for all pupils.”
Hannah added: “I am so chuffed to hear that someone thinks about me in this way; it is definitely a career highlight! My husband and I have a young daughter and it’s opened my eyes even more to the challenges that parents might face. As a mum I want to be as informed as possible and learn how best to support her.
“Teenagers have very different lives to when we grew up. We need to develop our awareness around online gambling, social media addiction, eating disorders, drugs, alcohol, emotional avoidance, and relationships.”
She concluded: “Parents know their own children the best, but they don’t always have the tools or know how best to support them, so I’ve designed Growing Pains to fill that gap and build enough trust within families so they feel empowered to keep communicating.”
Amanda Moseley, Farr High School
Being an “inspirational woman who makes her subjects come alive using all sorts of innovative ideas to capture interest and share her wealth of knowledge” has secured Farr High School teacher Amanda Moseley a place in the final of the Highland Heroes Secondary School Teacher of the Year.
Her nomination said: “Amanda is an incredible person, nothing is ever too much to ask. She teaches physics, maths, chemistry and organises cultural exchange trips. Amanda has been known to spend her own time fundraising to keep the cost down for families. She is the heart and soul of the school and always finds a way to make sure everything runs smoothly and that her pupils are ambitious and well prepared to succeed in the wider world. There is nobody quite like Amanda Moseley.”
Amanda said: “I am overwhelmed to hear about this nomination.
“I’ve been teaching for 30 years and at Farr for 14, it’s a combination of the staff and the pupils who make everything work so well together; I couldn’t do it on my own. Farr High School is an amazing place to teach and I’m passionate about my subjects.”
Amanda has also created a ‘sharing shelf’ where pupils can access food or toiletries as required.
Barratt and David Wilson Homes North Scotland is sponsoring the award for secondary school teacher of the year.
David Palmer, managing director of Barratt and David Wilson Homes North Scotland, said:“As the UK’s leading sustainable housebuilder, we are always incredibly proud to support the future generation’s success. For the second year running we are supporting the secondary teacher category to highlight the incredible work carried out each day by teachers. It is their inspiration that drives confidence in young professionals, onto their next stage of skills development, higher education or their first steps into a new career. With the skills and knowledge supplied by those dedicated to secondary education, we can see the positive impact this has on our very own new homes business and wider industry.
“This year we continue to grow the industry with employing more trade apprentices in the area to strengthen our site teams, as well as growing our graduate, office and site management teams who continually win Pride in the Job awards year after year – none of which would be achieved without the commitment and pride of teachers in the first stage of building young adults’ career prospects.
“We saw last year the incredible amount of extracurricular efforts that secondary teachers put in to support young adults in the Highland community and strongly encourage readers to vote for their local Heroes so we can raise awareness of those who are truly deserving of such recognition.”
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