Rotary Junior Community Award

On Wednesday 29th June, six Primary 7 pupils from Dunbar Primary school were presented with the Rotary Junior Community Award.  This is the first time in Scotland that pupils have been given the opportunity to participate in a scheme which originated in Australia several years ago. The award is presented to children who complete a range of activities during their final year of primary school; these activities are designed to give them a wide range of experiences in their local community, including the opportunity to directly participate in some form of community service. The award is non-competitive and designed for children of all abilities.  Participation is voluntary and is outside of school hours.
The aims of the award are:
      To raise the level of knowledge in children of the range of values in their community
      To give a greater understanding of what makes our communities work
      To provide an opportunity for children to experience the satisfaction of community service
To give children an opportunity to see and understand their own potential value to the community, regardless of academic, physical or other abilities.

Dunbar Rotary Club’s Incoming President, Bob McKinnon, presented the awards to  Ben Cymber, Lennon Francis, Heidi Jackson, John Virtue, Aden Smith and Erin Finlayson praising the students for their perseverance and the way in which they had risen to the challenges set for them throughout the year, and wished them well when they move on to the Grammar School next term.  He also thanked Dunbar Primary School Youth Worker, Richard Taylor, the principal mentor of the programme and Headteacher, Helen Gillanders, without whose support this award programme could not have taken place. 

Before the award presentation, students, teachers and guests enjoyed a musical entitled Cinderella & Rockerfella which was written and musically scored, with all the scenery, lighting and sound done by the school’s P7 students, the performance showing the amazing talent and versatility the pupils  

A number of other Rotary Clubs in East Lothian have expressed an interest in the Award scheme and may be introducing it to their local Primary Schools in the near future.