Rhyl Sixth Tutor Awarded Teacher Trailblazer Title
A ground-breaking Coleg Llandrillo tutor has just returned from London after collecting the 'Teacher Trailblazer Award 2022'…the only winner from Wales and one of only two recipients from across the whole of the UK!
Sam Egelstaff, programme leader of English and Media at the college’s Rhyl Sixth, was presented with her prestigious international award by representatives from The Poetry Society, The Arts Council and The Foyle Foundation at a glitzy ceremony at the National Theatre in the English capital.
The global teaching awards were presented to the winners during the annual ‘Foyle Young Poets of the Year’ awards ceremony, which garnered 13,500 entries from over 6,600 poets aged 11-17, from over 100 countries worldwide.
Originally from Newcastle, Sam has been teaching for over 20 years and has always taught in deprived areas in order to make the biggest impact.
She said: “I was thrilled to receive the ‘Teacher Trailblazer Award 2022’ alongside the fabulous winning poets at the awards ceremony.
“Seeing young people being inspired by poetry is such a huge joy. There is sometimes a sense of hopelessness in more deprived areas and creative writing is so important in order to empower young people. Poetry enables youngsters to share emotions and express themselves. At the Rhyl Sixth, we have a proud history of success in a range of student competitions.”
As well as her full-time job teaching A-level students, Sam also goes into local schools to teach poetry to the disenfranchised, and people with mental health issues and low literacy levels.
Not to be outdone by her younger counterparts, Sam has had her poetry published six times in the last month, including at the Cheltenham Poetry Festival!
For more information on A-level courses at Coleg Llandrillo’s Rhyl Sixth, contact the college on 01745 354 797.
Web: www.gllm.ac.uk
Email: rhyladmissions@gllm.ac.uk
