Senior Prize Day

Thursday, 27th November 2008

The guest at the Senior Prize Giving at Immanuel College this year was Jonathan Kestenbaum, Chief Executive of NESTA, The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. With assets under management of £400 million, NESTA is the largest single endowment in the UK exclusively dedicated to fostering innovation.

Jonathan spoke inspiringly to the pupils. He explained the work of NESTA.,

?NESTA is all about finding people who want to make the world look different. We back projects as diverse from one another as driverless pods at Heathrow?s Terminal 5 to laser activated plasters that give diabetics their medication.?

The people who inspire Jonathan are people who want to effect change. ?John F Kennedy dreamed of putting a man on the moon and Christopher Columbus wasn?t scared to discover America.? At the heart of his speech was Robert Kennedy?s perception that ?some men see things as they are and say ?why? and other men see things as they aren?t, and say ?why not???

Three people had made an impact on his life: First, a neighbour who conquered his bitterness when his daughter was killed in a terror attack in Jerusalem and set up a fund in her memory to encourage dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians. Second, his former boss, Sir Ronald Cohen who arrived in this country a poor immigrant from Egypt, weathered successive business failures and is now a captain of British industry. Third, Gill Hicks who had both legs amputated as a result of injuries sustained in the 7/7 London bombings and taught herself to walk again, and who Jonathan had meet when she applied to NESTA for the funding of a new therapy to help amputees recover. These are three people who see the world differently and believe they can change it.

Amongst the pupils who received prizes at this year?s ceremony were Zoe Budwig who won the Brian Duke Memorial Prize for Effort and GCSE, nine pupils who achieved 100% in their Art GCSE, Amos Wittenberg who achieved 100% in GCSE English Literature examination he had taken a year early, Nick Goldstein who won the Raymond Taylor Prize for the Outstanding Contribution to School Sport and Gina Gerstein who won the Brian Duke Family Prize for Service to the Community.

Philip Skelker, Head Master said, ?this year?s Senior Prize Giving was memorable for the inspirational quality of the Guest of Honour?s speech and for the great personal promise shown by the prize winners in so many areas of endeavour.?