The St Pius X College student was surprised in the school assembly with his award and was then thrilled when  a video message from world No. 1 golfer Rory McIlory  added his personal congratulations to  the Student of the Year winner for Northern Ireland. 

Rory Doherty will now attend the Sky Sports Living for Sport Awards at Sky Studios in London this weekend to discover whether he will be crowned overall UK & Ireland Student of the Year. He will be up against the winners for England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland and the Awards will be broadcast on Sky Sports 1 on Sunday 29 March at 7.30pm. 

The Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of students and teachers in using sport stars and the skills learnt through sport to build life skills in young people as a result of their involvement in the programme. Sky Sports Living for Sport is part of Sky Academy, a set of initiatives using the power of TV, creativity and sport to help one million young people in the UK and Ireland build practical skills and experience to unlock their potential. 

Nick Dougherty said: “Rory is a fantastic young man who’s shown real courage to overcome many challenges in his life including low confidence and self-esteem. Through Sky Sports Living For Sport and the skills he’s learnt through being part of the initiative, he’s transformed his life.

“He has a bright future ahead of him and I couldn’t be more thrilled to present Rory with the Student of the Year award for Northern Ireland. I’ll have my fingers crossed for him on Sunday at the Sky Sports Living For Sport Awards in London!”

Rory was selected as the Student of the Year winner for Northern Ireland by a panel of judges for using the  Sky Sports Living for Sport programme to build the tools and skills to overcome his confidence issues as well as the challenge of severe dyslexia. Athlete Mentor and Irish Paralympian Michael McKillop inspired Rory while working with him on the programme as his life story reflected many similarities to his own. 

The Year 12 student struggled with a difficult transition to St Pius X College from a small rural primary school in Kilrea and his teacher invited Rory to take part in the Sky Sports Living for Sport Kickboxing project. Rory’s involvement in the initiative helped him to combat his low self-esteem while developing valuable life skills along the way. 

Rory’s teacher Padraig O’Kane said: “Rory has really excelled through our project and has developed into a confident young gentleman.  I have no doubt that this will have a major impact on Rory and it is no less than he deserves.”

Sky Sports Living for Sport runs in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust and in this academic year alone, over 1500 UK secondary schools and 175 Irish secondary schools will take part.

To get involved and sign up to Sky Sports Living for Sport visit www.skysports.com/livingforsport.

Jim Curtis or Will Taylor

tpf

02075806200

jimcurtis@tpf-london.com

williamtaylor@tpf-london.com 

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Sky is Europe’s leading entertainment company. The group serves 21 million customers across five countries: Italy, Germany, Austria, the UK and Ireland. We offer the best and broadest range of content, deliver market-leading customer service and use innovative new technology to give customers a better TV experience, whenever and wherever they choose.

 

Sky has annual revenues of over £11 billion and is Europe’s leading investor in television content with a combined programming budget of over £4.6 billion. The company employs 31,000 people and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY).

For more information visit www.sky.com/corporate 

To find out more about Sky Sports Living for Sport, please visit our website https://livingforsport.skysports.com/

Sky Academy is a unique and groundbreaking set of initiatives that uses the power of television, creativity and sport to inspire young people and help them build skills and confidence.  At Sky, we want to use our position as a leading media and communications company to make a positive impact on society. So, to mark our 25th anniversary, in November 2013 Sky Academy was launched with an ambition to create opportunities for one million young people by 2020.  There are many other free initiatives that form Sky Academy, that schools and students can take part in.  

To find out more about these initiatives visit our website http://www.sky.com/academy 

Sky Sports Living for Sport was launched in 2003 and is delivered in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust. Now in its 12th year, it is a free initiative open to all UK and Irish secondary schools. This academic year 1500 UK Secondary schools and 175 Irish Secondary schools will take part in Sky Sports Living for Sport.

Sky Sports Living for Sport uses sports stars and the skills learned through sport to help build confidence and develop life skills. It’s not about finding the next sporting superstar, it's about using the power of sport to change behaviours and increase academic attainment, whatever your athletic ability.

To find out more about Sky Sports Living for Sport, please visit https://livingforsport.skysports.com