Alocal high school student received a prestigious award in Canberra last week.
Mount Gambier High School Year 10 student Alisha Cram was presented with a Muriel Matters Award at the Old Chamber, Parliament House for exhibiting self-initiative in promoting democratic discussion and activity in the community.
The awards profile and recognise the work and life of Muriel Matters, a South-Australian born suffragist, educator and social reformer who made a difference in the early 20th century through her work and activism to further the rights and freedoms of women, promote universal access to education and have careers open to talent.
In recognition of the change role Muriel played in societies around the world, the Muriel Matters Awards aim to identify and recognise young people in schools who show the qualities of self-initiative, determination to make a difference despite personal challenges and a commitment to make the world a better place for all.
The Muriel Matters Awards are conducted by the Minister for Education, Training and Skills and the Speaker of the South Australian Parliament House of Assembly and are presented annually.
Miss Cram has been described as a passionate and enthusiastic member of not only her school community, but the wider community in a variety of ways.
She has been an ongoing member of the Student Representative Council, has engaged in Lions Youth of the Year, was part of the winning STEMIE team and at the MASA quiz night for Mount Gambier High School her team won the overall best Year 9/10 team.
Ms Cram’s engagement stems way beyond the school with her passion for the environment as a member of the Limestone Coast Youth Environment Council doing revegetation work locally and the Australian Youth Climate Coalition where she has been working to grow their members locally.
She also went to the SA Junior Parliament in the term three holidays to attend two training days to learn about how Parliament works, where she created bills and debated them in the House.
Each school can nominate one secondary student for the Muriel Matters Awards each year.
The nominated student must demonstrate self-starting and show initiative beyond school arranged activities, be involved in democratic processes to promote change and make a difference, have taken action of some type and exhibited in their action a degree of selflessness and personal challenge.
Miss Cram received a Muriel Matters Award medallion and a copy of Collette Snowden’s monograph, ‘Muriel Matters – That Daring Australian Girl’.
The medallions have been funded by the House of Assembly, Parliament of South Australia and the books donated by the Muriel Matters Society.
