Castleford High School In the Newspapers
Teenager's Bravery Award.
Heroic schoolboy Michael Morton has received a top bravery award for his life saving actions to rescue a drowning youngster. The 15-year-old - who was born deaf - has been rewarded with a royal stamp of approval for putting his life on the line to dive into deep water and save nine-year-old Bradley Richardson, who nearly drowned in a Knottingley Quarry last July.
The courageous teenager learned this week that he has been awarded the Royal Humane Society's Testimonial on Vellum, which is personally approved and signed by the societies president, Princess Alexandra - The Queen's Cousin.
Michael's mum. Maria Noble, of Throstle Row, Knottingley, told the Express; "He's pleased to get the award but i think he is quite embarrassed about it all. He doesn't talk about the incident. I think at the end of the day. It was frightening for him as well - jumping into that water and pulling Bradley out. We are really proud of him."
Michael - a pupil at Castleford High School's deaf and hearing impaired unit, was walking his dog in a quarry between Knottingley and Darrington, when he spotted little Bradley, of Poulars Grove Knottingley, struggling in deep water and screaming for help. Michael jumped straight into the water just as Bradley slipped below the surface and pulled him back to dry land.
The brave teen was nominated for the award by Ann Stokes, who is a senior advisory teacher of the deaf across Wakefield and is in charge of the team which supports deaf children in schools. She said " I am really proud of what Michael had done. I though he had acted with a lot of bravery because he is deaf. He had to take his hearing aids out before he jumped in and risked his life for someone else's. He was able to understand the situation by looking at it and acted on it selflessly and i thought he deserved special recognition for that."
Joanna Wardill - Castleford and Pontefract Express - June 27th 2007
Bikers on Right Trax
Young students in Castleford got a taste for speed when they were allowed to whizz around their school field on motorbikes.
The after school club at Castleford High School - for mainstream and deaf children - was visited by motorcycle road show Right Trax for an afternoon of fun. The children were taught the safety of bikes and shown how to ride them before they were let loose to motor around the school field.
Alun Jones, support worker at the school said; " This after-school club was set up to encourage mainstream and deaf children to mix, the idea behind getting motorcycles in was to teach children basic motorbike skills and maintenance to allow them to do something they have never done before. It was superb and great to see the children's confidence grow throughout the sessions."
Castleford and Pontefract Express - June 27th 2007.