Tormead Win GetIT Competition

A group of Year 8 pupils from Tormead School have WON the Amazon Web Services (AWS) GetIT Competition, held at the London Excel Centre on Wednesday 27 April. 

Emma H, Julia N, Anaiya P, Shaam S, Olivia S and Rosie T (aka ‘Team Aces’) took to the stage at the 2022 Amazon Web Services Summit, to pitch their Application design ‘TickBox’, which aims to reduce food waste in schools. 

This year around 150 schools from the UK entered, with Tormead pupils from across Year 8 joining the challenge, designing Apps to address issues that both whole school communities and pupils face daily. 

There were many excellent App designs from Tormead pupils, with the ‘TickBox’ App progressing past the initial rounds, the AWS judging panel and then onto the grand finale. 

At the finale, ‘Team Aces’ presented their ‘Tickbox’ App with confidence, delivering a strong pitch to both the judges and delegates, highlighting the benefits of their innovative App design. After some post pitch grilling from the judges, ‘Team Aces’ were crowned overall winners of the competition! 

Presenting the girls with their awards were: Liz Rice – Chief Open-Source Officer with eBPF Pioneers Isovalent, Tanuja Randery – Managing Director of Amazon Web Services Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Darren Hardman – VP and General Manager of Amazon Web Services UK and Ireland. 

The AWS GetIT initiative has been designed by Amazon Web Services to encourage girls aged 12-13 to consider a career in Technology – challenging long-standing gender stereotypes. Throughout the process, pupils were encouraged to adopt Amazon principles, such as to learn and be curious, think big, invent, simplify, and do more with less, earn trust and treat others respectfully, and dive deep – mastering everything from the tiniest detail to the big picture. Along the way, Tormead teams were also inspired and supported by female ambassadors from AWS and the wider IT industry. 

As a School with Technology at its heart, Tormead has a passion for innovation in Education, continuously striving to offer state-of-the-art learning facilities and technology opportunities to its pupils. The outstanding success clearly demonstrates how confident Tormead pupils are in the use of Technology, equipped for a future that will be disrupted by AI, robotics, and automation. 

Re-accredited as an Apple Distinguished School in 2021, Tormead is already part of an elite group of educational establishments, recognised by one of the world’s largest and most successful tech organisations. This prestigious accolade from Amazon Web Services, another of the world’s technology giants, is a testament to their approach, but more importantly the incredible skills of the pupils. 

See Tormead School’s online listing here.