Two members of the Class of 2016 at Kilkenny College were awarded prestigious Naughton Foundation Scholarships by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD., in Dublin on Saturday 24th September. The awards, which are each valued at €20,000 are funded by the Naughton Foundation, were established by Dr. Martin and Mrs. Carmel Naughton to encourage and support students who are studying Science and Engineering at Third Level, having achieved outstanding grades in the Leaving Certificate.

Sophie Cairns and Scott Levie are commencing study in Engineering in UCD having sat the Leaving Certificate in June. Scott attained 615 and Sophie 595 CAO Points. 35 Scholarships were generously funded by the Naughton Foundation this year: Kilkenny College was one of only two schools in Ireland to have more than one Scholar.

Speaking after the awards ceremony Principal, Mr. Simon Thompson said, ‘Sophie and Scott both fully deserve these important awards. They have worked hard and to high standards throughout their education. They have both shown they possess complex critical and creative thinking capacities to bring to the important field of engineering. Ireland needs to see more young adults pursuing small and large scale creative industrial design. I am delighted for both Scott and Sophie and their families. I am particularly grateful to my teaching colleagues who mentored these two talented people, as they do all our students, to fulfil their potential during their education at Kilkenny College.’