The President’s Award Achievement – Well Done Marco!

The 2020 academic year began with an exciting opportunity for Marco De Mattos when he enrolled for the International Programme for Youth Development, more commonly known as The President’s Award.

Life took an unexpected turn with the advent of Covid 19 and the subsequent national lockdown. This was an incredibly difficult time for parents, teachers and especially for students who had to adapt quickly to the medium of online learning.

However, this Year 8 student would not allow any of these challenges to stand in his way and, despite the disruptions of lockdown, managed to complete all the requirements for a Bronze medal. Marco is the first student at BIS to achieve a Bronze medal in the President’s Award and we are all incredibly proud of him.

Since enrolling in the programme, Marco has acquired a ream of new skills, such as cooking and sign language. He served his community by handing out free hand sanitizer and followed an exercise regime, making sure he remained fit and active. On top of all of this, he also completed an ‘adventurous journey’ as prescribed in the requirements for a Bronze award.

Congratulations again to Marco for setting such an aspirational example for his peers.

Riaan Vosloo
High School Teacher