Dundee S6 pupils who have proved to be truly community-spirited though their efforts at home and school have been recognised at a special ceremony.
The annual presentation of the Lord Provost McManus Citizenship Award was made in the City Chambers.
The scheme is designed to encourage and recognise young people’s hard work and application in their school and the wider community. It was named after Maurice McManus who served as Lord Provost of Dundee between 1960 and 1968.
Current Lord Provost Bill Campbell hosted the ceremony attended by nominated pupils, along with their families and school staff.
The winner of the Lord Provost McManus Citizenship award is Ammer Hamza from Morgan Academy.
Ameer is the Vice-Captain at Morgan where he has supported a wide range of volunteer activities which have raised a significant amount of money for local and international causes.
In addition, he led a campaign to deliver the school’s first ever Iftar during Ramadan 2023 and it was so successful that the event ran again in 2024 with Ameer being integral in leading and presenting the event.
Furthermore, he and his team donated to train nurses in Nablus.
In second place was Harry Leadingham from Grove Academy. Harry is involved in a range of activities both within and outside of school. For the past two years Harry has run a Model United Nations Day in the school where they had a mock general assembly and discussed topics such as climate change and nuclear weapons.
Outside of school Harry is a Scout Leader, swimming coach and volunteers to support the Broughty Ferry Gala week each year.
In third place was Jerome Black from St John’s RC High School. Jerome is vice-captain of the school and has achieved his Caritas Award this year demonstrating his commitment to the life of his school and community. As president of the school’s Saint Vincent de Paul conference, Jerome not only raised money, but went out into the community to distribute food parcels and organised a Christmas supper.
In addition, Jerome has been instrumental in organising a fund-raising sponsored walk, which raised over £1,000 to support the local community of Lochee.
Lord Provost Bill Campbell said: “It was a pleasure to gather to celebrate the outstanding individuals who have shown their impressive commitment to the spirit of citizenship and have made a significant contribution to their school and their community.
“All of the nominees would, no doubt, be first to say that the support they get from their parents/carers and staff within their schools has given them the opportunity to participate in the activities which have led them here today.
“Our city is well known for having a strong sense of community and we are lucky to have many people who look out for one another. All of today's nominees have followed in these proud footsteps.”
“Dundee thrives because of the efforts of its citizens—those who volunteer, support their neighbours and those in their community, and work tirelessly to create a more inclusive society.”
Full list of finalists: Sophie Agnew, Craigie High School; Jerome Black, St John’s RC High School; Ameer Hamza, Morgan Academy; Neha Kuriakose, St John’s RC High School; Harry Leadingham, Grove Academy; and Millie Swift, Baldragon Academy.
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
