Year 7 student, Zakarya has impressed Northampton Academy staff with his high enthusiasm for engaging in school life, demonstrating our core values of determination and ambition. Following Zak's confirmation of interest in careers in the Gaming sector, Zak met up with Game Design university student Oscar Wright. During their meeting, Oscar advised Zak to develop his skill base by taking on new challenges. 

Without letting the grass grow under his feet, Zak promptly commenced organising not one but two after school clubs. With the assistance of Mrs Davies, he focused on implementing a coding challenge. Zak invited other students interested in gaming and coding to create a new game using Scratch software. The second after school club centres around Minecraft and focuses on creating a safe and creative space for students with a shared passion at the end of the school day. 

One Year 7 participant, Ishmael, said that he enjoyed attending the coding challenge as it allowed him ' to be creative'. Ishmael also confirmed that he was pleased to develop his coding skills through teamwork and by employing attention to detail. 

Zak was pleased to see that both his clubs offered students an opportunity to build social skills and provide an opportunity for students to develop an awareness of what they were good at. Zak stated that running both clubs is an excellent way to build his leadership skills. Encouraged to consider how he might view leadership in the future, Zak commented, "I believe that people in charge should be known as, 'leaders' instead of 'bosses'. Bosses might tell you what to do, but leaders are more likely to work with you and guide you." 

Congratulations on making such a positive impact in the short time you have been a member of the Northampton Academy community