A WIDNES teacher has been awarded for leading on social action across the academy.

Ormiston Chadwick Academy’s #iwill leader, Sarah Martindale, has received a runner-up award for ‘Staff Social Action’ from Ormistion Academy Trust (OAT) for her ‘diligent work’ on a number of projects at the academy.  

The #iwill project is a nationwide initiative aimed at getting students involved in social action, which OAT has introduced to all of its academies.  

Notably, Sarah has done a lot of work focused on recycling and sustainability.

In 2018, a project was initiated with the removal of all single use plastic in the canteen to support the worldwide agenda and help clean up the environment.

Students then planted 250 trees on the academy grounds in order to put back 20 per cent of what they use as an academy in paper each year.  

Students also volunteered to take part in the ‘Green Can Award’ which consisted of Sarah delivering litter picking packs to over 30 students who went out to collect waste cans in the local community for Sarah to then collect for recycling.

Finally, to honour the project’s sustainability, Sarah has created a celebration garden which includes a 20ft club house, planters and a memorial for a student who sadly passed during 2021.

This will be a place where students can celebrate everything they have achieved and continue with the academy’s ongoing journey towards an eco-friendly environment. 

Sarah also created a wealth of activities to promote student wellbeing throughout the lockdown and delivered the necessary resources to students’ doors – including rewards and prizes for many exciting competitions.

Activities included upcycling projects, outdoor activities projects and supporting the NHS illustrations.

Over 150 students decorate flags which Sarah displayed at the front of the academy so that students could share messages to their friends as they carried out their daily walks.  

Jennifer Lowry-Johnson, Principal at Ormiston Chadwick Academy said: “The #iwill project has been a great way to get our students involved in social action and Sarah has done a fantastic job in inspiring our students to take part.

“She has been a great role model to all our students and has helped further our academy’s commitment to enrichment.”