THE achievements past and present of young people from a South Yorkshire academy took centre stage at a prize giving ceremony to help inspire students as they look to their futures.
Yasmin Mosby, who was recently selected to play in the first team at Doncaster Belles, and Joshua Taylor, who left Trinity Academy, in Thorne, in 2008 and has just qualified as a doctor supported a theme that encouraged students to ask "What if..?"
Principal David Page told them: "Today is all about what you are, what you have achieved and what you can be in the future."
Yasmin, who as head girl co-presented the event with head boy Morgan Wardle, was interviewed on stage about her footballing success.
She started playing when she was four and was coached by her dad up the age of 12. Her appearance for Doncaster against Chelsea in the FA Cup was "a dream come true".
Although she feared joining the Belles first team as she is younger than the rest of the squad, she told the other students: "If you have a vision, stick to it. Hard work really does get you places. You do have to make sacrifices - I played lots of sports but had to give everything else up for football - but now I'm living the dream."
Joshua, whose mum Karen is house coordinator at the academy, missed out on a place to study medicine eight years ago but after graduating in bio-medical science at Durham University, decided to reapply and was successful second time around.
"I couldn't shake off the feeling that it was what I really wanted to do," said Joshua, 26, who started his education at Thorne Grammar School and joined Trinity Academy in Year 11.
"Trinity made me more focused and motivated to achieve. The transition was a positive one and I don't think I would have achieved as much if I hadn't come here.
"There's a lot of competition out there but you just have to keep pushing, have belief in yourself and always keep some balance in your life," he said.
The whole-school audience of students, staff, governors and parents watched performances by Sophie Hawkins, a nine times world champion in mixed martial arts, and had an update on swimmer Jarvis Parkinson, a former student who won a silver medal in the European championships and is aiming for Olympic selection.
The academy's strong reputation for performing arts also came out in music, singing, drama and dance, including scenes from Macbeth and The Lion King.
Awards were presented for academic, sporting and citizenship success with the outstanding student of the year award going to Luke Pike.
Describing Luke, Mr Page said: "He gained a clean sweep of top grades in his GCSEs, he leads from the front as a sportsman, he is a multi record-breaking middle distance runner, was in Manchester City's development squad, represented South Yorkshire in the English Schools cross country and Doncaster in athletics. He works phenomenally hard and shows amazing dedication to his studies, and he is a Poets house captain."
Award winners:
Academic awards -
For excellence: Madeline Taylor, Ethan Jowitt, Alex O'Neill, Amy Butler, Ted Green, Hannah Jackson, Lydia Pike, Olivia Jenkins, Finlay McRoy, Megan Williamson, Jay Green, Jasmine Wood.
For endeavour: Katie Mann, Leo Cousins, Kate Wheatley, Caitlin Smith, Ryan Cassidy, Molly Plant, Emily Hookway, Lewis Shields, Janiela Nunez, Alex Green, Oliver Page, Samuel Potts.
For improvement: Frankie French, Ross Brown, Megan Smith, Larna Turton, Ben Gillatt, Courtney Wainwright, Jazmin Stafford, Lewis Wheeler, Emma Grayson, Ruvarashe Fungwe, Dominic Cowan, Dominik Pehterevs.
Merit champions: Millie Fox, Tharun Rajkumar, Amy Simms, Mitchell Jackson, Emily Hoggart, Kieran Lay, Hermione Whitehead, Philip Green.
Citizenship awards: Ryan Heley, Alice Lee, Erick Grant Daleon, Samuel Potts.
Most promising students: Simeon Scott (creative artist); Erick Grant Daleon (entrepreneur); Alex Green (food technologist); Jasmine Wood (geographer); Evie Pearce (historian); Amy Barker (linguist); Megan Williamson (scientist); Amy Wilcox (sportsperson); Dylan Hart (technologist); Neve Taylor Dilks (thinker); Amelia Hutchinson (writer).
Sports awards -
Victrix ludorum: Jessica Grainger, Alice Ball, Alix Young, Megan Williamson.
Victor ludorum: Tyler Wainwright, Thomas Easen, David Moores, Jenson Harper.
Sportswoman of the year: Olivia Jenkins.
Sportsman of the year: Jake Dewsnap.
Special prizes -
Academy drama bowl: Caitlin Houlbrook and Bailey Wilson.
Chairman's award for musician of the year: Morgan Wardle.
Alumni award - contribution to the academy and local community: Lauren Walker and Keiran Wood.
Megan Hennessey prize for art: Keiran Clay.
Student courage award: Eve Butler and Lauren Bogan
House awards: William Marshall, Cameron Day, Katie Scothern.
House cup: Shepherds
Outstanding student of the year: Luke Pike