South Australia

STUDENT CITIZENSHIP AWARDS – 2024

Announcement: 2024 Nominations are now Open

Nominations are now invited for the 2024 Student Citizenship Awards offered by the SA Branch of the Order of Australia Association.

Each school or college is entitled to nominate up to two students from Years 11 and/or 12 who satisfy the criteria for these prestigious awards.

The awards are intended to recognise those senior secondary students who actively engage with and contribute to school and/or local communities rather than for specific academic or sporting achievements. The Awards exemplify the Association’s objective:

To celebrate and promote outstanding Australian citizenship

All nominations received are considered by an adjudication panel, and all students who are judged to meet the selection criteria will receive a special medallion and a certificate signed by Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia and Patron of the SA Branch of the Order of Australia Association.

The ten students judged most worthy (‘With Distinction’) will be invited to receive their medallion mounted on a special plaque with personalised engraving at a reception to be hosted by Her Excellency at Government House. At this ceremony, the 2024 Student Citizen of the Year will be announced.

In keeping with the aim of the Association to raise awareness about the Order of Australia and Australian citizenship in general, each school/college will be encouraged to invite a member of the Association – an Australian Honours recipient – to attend a suitable school function, probably in term 4, to present the Student Citizenship Award certificate to the recipient student. Arrangements for the member’s attendance will be coordinated by the Convenor in conjunction with and subject to approval from the school/college.

The assessment for student nominations will be based on the criteria set out in the nomination form and brochure. Please note that the criteria differ slightly from previous years and therefore nomination forms from preceding years should NOT be used for 2024.

The closing date for nominations for the 2024 Student Citizenship Awards is 5 pm on Monday 29 July 2024. Late nominations will not be accepted.

Please note: Students nominated in past years are eligible to be renominated, but any of these students who have previously been received by the Governor will be ranked only on achievements since that recognition.

Please click here for the 2024 Student Citizenship Awards Brochure

Please click here for the 2024 Student Citizenship Awards Nomination Form

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact:

The Convenor, Student Citizenship Awards
Mr Noel Hender OAM BEM
[email protected]

If you would like assistance in completing the nomination form, Association members may be available to assist in this process.

The SA Branch is very grateful for the ongoing patronage and support of Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia and Branch Patron. We thank all the participating schools and the South Australia Government for their strong support of this Branch initiative.

PLEASE NOTE              
The Student Citizenship Awards are not in any way a category of the Order of Australia, and carry no entitlement to post-nominals.

The Student Citizenship Awards program of the Order of Australia Association SA Branch is separate from, but proudly presented in collaboration with, the Governor’s Civics Awards for Schools program:

 

www.education.sa.gov.au/governors-civics-awards-schools

Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia, and Mr Tony Metcalf OAM, Chairman of the SA Branch of the Order of Australia Association, congratulate the 2023 Student Citizen of the Year Thomas Oxford

The Student Citizenship Awards program is the flagship endeavour of the SA Branch of the Order of Australia Association.

Since 2003, the Association, encouraged by school leaders, has successfully offered prestigious awards and certificates to year 11 and 12 students nominated by their respective schools and colleges, and selected by an adjudication panel as worthy of recognition for their contribution to citizenship in South Australia.

The awards – known as Student Citizenship Awards – are intended to recognise those young people who contribute broadly through voluntary service to school and/or general communities. They exemplify the Association’s objective: “To celebrate and promote outstanding Australian citizenship”.

For the 2023 awards, the top ten awards were classed ‘With Distinction’ and recipients were invited to attend a ceremony at Government House where they received an inscribed plaque with a special medallion, and a ‘With Distinction’ certificate signed by the SA Branch Patron, Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia. These were presented by Her Excellency in an award ceremony held at Government House on Monday 27 November 2023 hosted by Her Excellency and Mr Rod Bunten.

The Top 10 students judged most worthy received a ‘With Distinction’ certificate signed by the SA Branch Patron, Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia, and Chairman of the SA Branch of the Order of Australia Association, Mr Tony Metcalf OAM.

Thomas Oxford from Parafield Gardens High School was announced by Her Excellency as the 2023 Student Citizens of the Year. Thomas has made an impressive contribution to his school and community, as confirmed in his personal citation:

Showing exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment in driving significant initiatives across the school, Thomas has been instrumental in implementing several projects that have brought great benefits to the school and wider community.  His consistent dedication and proactive approach to the development and sustainability of the environment engages and inspires others to become agents of change and to deliver successful programs such as the school’s recycling bin program, the Clean-up Australia Day activities and many other environmentally friendly activities.

The SA Branch Chairman Tony Metcalf OAM joins with all Order of Australia Association members in congratulating each of the worthy Student Citizenship Award recipients who were selected to be in the Top 10.

We thank Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia and Patron of the Order of Australia Association SA Branch, for hosting this awards ceremony to honour these outstanding young Australians.

The SA Branch acknowledges the late Mr Keith ‘Chook’ Fowler OAM, whose generous donations have enabled the SA Branch to include a special medallion for all Award recipients.

The 2023 Student Citizenship Award Top 10 recipients, with Her Excellency
the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia.

Left to right: Efthemia Kipirtoglou, Immanuel College; Nikki Pfitzner, Berri Regional Secondary College; Rogayah Hani Abul Khair, IQRA Islamic College; Jesse Isaac, Endeavour College; Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia; Mr Rod Bunten; Thomas Oxford, Parafield Gardens High School (2023 Student Citizen of the Year); Jack Haddad, Rostrevor College; Zoe Lin, Temple Christian College; Aden Croser, Cardijn College; Alexandra Meneses, Cardijn College; Jessica Grasser, University Senior College.