Alexander Ammernman Memorial Scholarship
July 12, 2021
Iona Bruce, the inaugural recipient of the AAMS at Pinewood.
The Alexander Ammerman Memorial Scholarship is offered to a new Pinewood student each year in memory of our dear colleague, Alexander Ammerman. Mr. Ammerman, who served as Pinewood’s beloved librarian, leaves behind a legacy of passionately promoting the written word in poetry and literature. While dedicating his life to teaching, reading, and writing, he touched the lives of all those who had the privilege to know him. Mr. Ammerman was scholarly, compassionate, discerning, thoughtful, poetic, and kind-hearted, and it is these character qualities that we aspire to memorialize and promote through the recipients of this scholarship.
We are pleased to introduce Iona Bruce, the first recipient of the AAMS. Iona will join Pinewood’s freshman class, the Class of 2025, in September.
Iona has always been passionate about literature. From a very young age, she was often found with a book or a pen in her hand. She attended St Edmunds Catholic Primary school (London,UK) where her love of reading and writing continued to develop – leading to her being selected to attend writing programs, meet authors, and have her early work recognized by others.
Secondary school life began at St Ursula’s Catholic Convent school – a multicultural girls-only school which altered her perspective on the world around her. Here, Iona learnt to use her writing to express her feelings about modern day society and the impact it has on herself and the youth of today. A strong love of writing poetry allowed her to rearrange her thoughts into a medium that those of her age could relate to while giving her an avenue to express herself.
Iona often uses real life situations as a basis for her writing. Her strong sense of equality leads to her adding in her own thoughts and feelings in a bid to enhance her characters. Her love of reading remains a strong base for her writing, as does her empathy for others, together with her desire to see the world as a better place.
The Pinewood community welcomes Iona and thanks the Ammerman family for their generous contribution towards bringing students with a love of writing to our school.
FIND HER ORIGINAL PIECE OF WRITING