Caring Louie Wild has been awarded Oldham Student of the Year by the Rotary Club of Oldham.
Louie, a Year 9 pupil at Saddleworth School, is an absolute credit to the year group and school. He has had so many achievements both in and out of school which truly are testament to the remarkable young person he is.
In school, Louie is a form representative and a member of the school council, representing Year 9 in whole school council meetings. He is also completing his Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Angela Reece, the school’s community and operations manager, said: "In January we had a new Ukrainian female pupil, Zhenya Voitiiv, who had been offered a place following her and her mother fleeing Ukraine due to the war.
“I placed Zhenya in Louie’s form and asked Louie to be her ‘buddy’ while she settled in to school. However, Louie did more than this and has gone above and beyond to ensure Zhenya is settled, happy and confident in school.
“Prior to teaching, Louie took Zhenya to all her lessons and introduced her to all of her new teachers. Louie has spent every break and lunchtime with Zhenya and built a solid, loyal friendship with her.
“Louie has also been learning the Ukrainian language in his own time! He had no understanding of the language previously and can now hold conversations with Zhenya in her native tongue, Louie felt this was particularly important because Zhenya has no understanding of English and was unable to speak English when she first arrived at Saddleworth School.
"Since this time, Louie has helped Zhenya to improve her English by translating words for her and by holding conversations with her in Ukrainian to further allow her to settle into school and in to life in England.”
Outside school, Louie is an elected member of Oldham Youth Council and an elected Deputy Member of Youth Parliament. Through this, Louie attended the Youth Parliament Annual Conference in Hull this academic year. Louie is also running in the elections for Vice Chair of Oldham Youth Council.
During the recent February half term break, Louie visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland as part of the ‘Listen to the Earth 2023 Programme’ and has taken a real interest in developing his understanding of the Auschwitz and has shared his experiences and knowledge gained from his trip to Poland with his peers and teachers in school.
Angela adds: “I am sure you all agree that Louie is a worthy winner and deserves this amazing award.”
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