The Columban Issue 33 - St Columba's School

Issue 33 february 2012
The Columban
2012 Year of Creative Scotland:
St Columba’s has a Role to Play
in a Creative Community

Rector’s Message
We ended last term on a high note. Over eight hundred
members of the school and the wider community attended
an evening of musical excellence at Greenock Town Hall.
both performers and audience had a feeling of being part
of something special.
The power of the creative arts to bring people together, to
inspire and even empower is at the heart of a new national
initiative – Year of Creative Scotland 2012, which “will
embrace London 2012 and celebrate Glasgow 2014”. It is an
opportunity to showcase Scotland’s rich cultural and creative
heritage, to promote new talent and to encourage more people,
especially our young, to access and enjoy the arts. We are
pleased to launch our own Creative Communities project to
coincide with this. Over the course of the year our writerin-residence,
Kirstin Zhang, will be facilitating a number of
writing and story-telling workshops within School and in the
community. Further details can be found on the next page.
In February we will also be offering another session of the
extremely popular evening class in Art and in September the
School will hold its biennial art show. This includes work
produced by the pupils and by professional and amateur
local artists. We also invite you to join us for the Silver
Tablet Concert in June, when senior pupils compete for this
prestigious music prize.
As you will know from the last Columban, Mrs Cook will be
retiring as Head of Junior School at the end of the session.
I am delighted to announce the appointment of Mrs Alison
Duncan as Head of Junior School in succession to Mrs
Cook. Mrs Duncan was selected from a very strong field
of candidates which included Heads and Deputes with
substantial experience in independent schools. Mrs Duncan’s
appointment, of course, means that we will be recruiting a
new Depute Head of Junior School.

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Musical Celebration

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Creative Communities
Inspired by the mythical founder of the ancient Games, Heracles, as well as the physical talents of the Olympic athletes, our
overall theme this year is ‘superheroes’. There will be a chance for children to create their own superhero during a workshop
which we are holding on 9th June to mark the passing of the Olympic flame through Kilmacolm. Ten of the twenty spaces
available at the event will be reserved for pupils aged 8-10 years from St Columba’s. The other ten spaces will be offered to
children from the wider community. Places will be allocated on a first-come basis.
For adults there is an opportunity to look for inspiration nearer to home, with workshops on writing from life and from local
history. This could be poetry, memoir or fiction. Workshops will take place in Kilmacolm Community Centre and are free.
You don’t need any creative writing experience, just a willingness to come along and see where your imagination takes you.
See p3 for details of how to book a place
schedule of community events
When Who Max. No. What
28th april
11am-1pm
9th June
10.30am-12pm
8 september
10am-1pm
6 October
10.30am-12pm
Adult 16 Writing from life
everyone has at least one story in them… or maybe even a poem or two.
Writers of all levels welcome.
Light refreshments will be available.
Children 20 superheroes
An event for children aged 8-10.
Create a superhero and save the day!
Adult 16 Writing History
A walk with a local historian will be followed by a writing workshop.
Participants are welcome to work on memoir, poetry or fiction.
Light refreshments will be available.
Children 20 spooky stories
As we approach the witching hour, a chance to try out your spookiest stories.
For children 7-10 years.

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young Writer
In December our writer-in-residence worked with pupils from
Junior 4 to Transitus and with the afterschool Writing Club
run by Ms brash at Senior School to produce prose and poetry
on the themes ‘Olympic Spirit’ or ‘Olympic Dreams’. The work
was submitted to the Rotary Young Writer competition, which
has been granted the prestigious Inspire mark by the London
2012 Inspire programme. Six young writers have been chosen
to proceed to the district level of the competition.
Congratulations to:
senior Poetry
Spirit Strong – Jazz Catto
senior Prose
Living with Ecstasy – Megan-Kate McClement
Intermediate Poetry
The Dream Builders – Katie McLean
Intermediate Prose
The Fallen Expectations of 1936 – Daisy Docherty
Junior Poetry
King of the Hill – Thomas Rainey
Junior Prose
Olympic Spirit – Mark Connolly
A special award of ‘highly commended’ was also made to Kim
Crawford for her story My Olympic Spirit.
Here is a taste of some of the work produced during the
workshops:
“Franceso Di Mourbellirami was so relieved because he had
made it to the Olympics in London. The only thing that
troubled him was that his arch enemy Rafael Di nocamonya
was also in it. Rafael was known as the ‘Cheat of the Century’
because he was a cheat and got on people’s nerves.” (Kedar
Crossan, Age 9)
Senior School Winners
“I was there, behind the starting line, waiting, waiting for the
gun to go off, the 800metre race to begin. I was the youngest
lady athlete in the race. People had laughed at me when I told
them I was running in the 2012 Olympics. “no way,” they said
“are you going to manage to win 800 metres, Annie.” “I will,”
I told them determinedly.” (Flo eadie, Age 9)
“We walked through the village, hand in hand, and mother
smiled at my curious innocence. The streets were dim with
the soft glow of fires from within the warm homes. My winter
hat was strapped to my head as the snow of 1934 fell lightly.”
(Daisy Docherty, SIII)
To read more go to the Creative Communities website
www.creativecommunities.st-columbas.org
To take part in any of the workshops, please email
creativecommunities@st-columbas.org or complete the
form below.
creative communities
name
(event)
Address
Postcode
Tel
email
Please send your completed booking form to:
Kirstin Zhang, st columba’s school, Duchal road,
Kilmacolm, Pa13 4au
Junior Young Writers with Mr Douglas and Ms Zhang

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Staff news
Congratulations to Dr Iain spencer (Physics) on the birth of
his daughter, nina Mae, and to Mrs rachel Kerr (Geography),
who gave birth to a daughter, niamh emily.
Ms laura Greig, bSc, Glasgow, will cover Mrs Kerr’s maternity
leave.
Mrs Gillen (History) will begin her maternity leave from the
February holiday.
Ms Heather Macewan will cover Mrs Gillen’s classes.
Ms Macewan is a graduate of the university of Glasgow.
Duke of edinburgh’s Award
John broadfoot, School Governor, presented pupils with their
awards at Assembly.
bronze awards silver awards
Lucy bishop Peter borland
Ryan Doherty Isobel Clarke
Fiona Faint Stuart Cunning
Anna Galloway Jessica Lee
Ruby Gilmour Chloe Lyth
Kirsty McCrorie Sammy Rose
Carla nugent Duncan Stewart
edward Stirrup
Madeleine Stow
Alex Wren
Sean Yacoubian
Sammy Rose
Duncan Stewart
Congratulations also to Mrs fiona Mcfarlane (Junior 1) who
had a little boy called Charlie in October.
Mrs anne Holt (Modern Languages) and Mrs Margaret
blackie and Mrs eileen black from the Junior School will
retire at the end of the session. We wish them well for the
future.
Mr allan Gallagher, Company Secretary, will retire from his
post at easter.
PSe
learning from Olympic Heroes
The SII pupils produced Learning for Life posters during
PSe. They chose a wide variety of Olympic heroes, ranging
from John baxter Taylor Jr to Tammy Grey Thompson.
They also identified a lot of excellent inspirational quotes.
One of the favourites was: “Team work makes the dream
work” (e Milligan).
The winning entries were:
1st – Zoe borland (Craigmarloch)
2nd – Jennifer buchanan (Kilallan)
3rd – Kharis Cunningham (Strathgryffe)
4th – Olivia Gemmell (Duchal)
They have been put forward to be judged against other
schools and the winners will be announced in June. All of the
pupils worked extremely hard identifying their heroes and
undertaking a self reflective exercise.
Debating
In October St Columba’s debaters, Fiona Ritchie, Rachel
Munro, Maxine Muirhead, Katie McLean and Amy bretherton,
competed in the International Independent Schools’ Public
Speaking Competition in Vancouver, Canada. They met pupils
from many countries, including Cyprus, Peru, bermuda and
India and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Although they
did not secure any trophies during the IISPSC itself, Fiona,
Maxine and Katie did enjoy success when they took part in a
show debate in the World Schools Format in Victoria and won.

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Young Chef Competition
Ten pupils participated in the first round of the Rotary Young Chef 2012 competition in november – an evening of great
excitement, high tension and ambitious menus.
At the end of the ‘heat’, the chief judge from the Rotary Club of Gryffe Valley praised all of the competitors for the quality
of their cooking and the composed way in which they performed under pressure. Indeed, all received certificates and goodie
bags – courtesy of Gibb Stuart and Pyrex – with two pupils receiving the top prizes. The runner-up was Caroline Dale from
SI and the overall winner was Jonathan Ferguson in SIV. Jonathan went on to compete in the district final held in South
Lanarkshire College.
Photographs courtesy of John Clark, Gryffe Valley Camera Club

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Challenge Week
(Ms Kirsty brash)
Challenge permeates all that we do at St Columba’s and this
was celebrated during Challenge Week, which took place
between 28th november and 2nd December. Pupils were
encouraged to take their thinking further by developing skills
in critical thinking and making meaningful connections
between disciplines in order to tackle problems and consider
ways forward.
The School welcomed guest speakers, including Rob Maslen,
Lecturer in english Literature at Glasgow university, who
conducted workshops in Shakespearean tragedy and the
themes of art and nature in The Tempest and The Winter’s Tale
with SV and SVI english students respectively. Claire Cassidy,
of Strathclyde university, challenged pupils across the year
levels to reflect upon ethical dilemmas through a series of
philosophical discussions. Faculties also participated with a
series of competitions and opportunities for pupils to present
Physics Challenge
(Dr Iain spencer)
The Physics Department challenged SV and SVI pupils to
explain the physics of a photo they had taken. As always, we
were impressed at the way that St Columba’s pupils accept
and take on a challenge like this in a manner which makes us
proud of them time and time again. The standard of entries
was excellent and exceeded our expectations. The judging was
based on the effort made to produce the photo and the quality
of the explanation. Since the submissions were of such a high
quality, this made the judging very difficult, but in the end the
winners were chosen to be –
Douglas barclay
Sammy Rose
Mark McGregor
sammy rose’s entry
“This picture was taken when a pan of water boiled over
onto an aga hotplate. The small water droplets appear to be
floating, whilst the larger are partially suspended. The effect
of the droplets floating is caused by the bottom layer of the
droplet vaporising instantly when it comes in contact with
the hotplate. To allow the expanded volume of water vapour to
escape, the drop appears to jump. The minuscule weight of the
small droplets allows them to be lifted high by the vapour. As
the layer of vapour suspends the droplet, it becomes insulated
against the heat. The small droplet of water can therefore be
observed skittering across the hotplate for a prolonged period
of time, until eventually evaporating completely.”
research and thoughts on particular areas of interest to them:
examples included the Physics challenge to photograph an
aspect of everyday life and, using understanding gained
through Physics, to explain relevant phenomena; the Music
Department’s challenge to pupils to take up a new instrument
for the week (So you think you can play…?) and the Psychology
investigation into the baffling concept of national identity.
The Technology Department ran a Dragon’s Den competition,
which challenged pupils to invent a new and original product
and convince harsh judges of its value.
We hope Challenge Week has helped to consolidate much of
the hard work we have already done in teaching our pupils
to expect and to embrace challenge and that what they have
experienced will impact on their thinking and learning beyond
this week.
Mark McGregor’s entry
“This is a picture of me scuba diving. The colours in the
photograph are almost exclusively blue. The photo was taken
at a depth of about 15 metres on an otherwise sunny day
with good visibility. This clearly illustrates the absorption of
sunlight in water. Absorption is greater for long wavelengths
(the red end of the visible spectrum) than for short
wavelengths (the blue end). The colour spectrum is rapidly
altered with increasing depth. For example, white objects at
the surface appear blue underwater and red objects appear
very dark at depth.”

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beat the MacQueen
Challenge
Current School Chess Champion Stuart MacQueen (SVI)
undertook his toughest challenge to date, taking on five
challengers simultaneously. All five were capable players,
but Stuart rose to the occassion, defeating all of them in a
‘MacQueen Whitewash’. His game against Maxine Muirhead
(SV) went right to the wire, with Stuart achieving checkmate
just as the bell rang to mark the end of the challenge.
The event was well attended, with supporters on both sides
engaging with the fun. Stuart enjoyed himself so much that
he said he’d like to try another challenge like this in the future,
possibly to raise money for a local charity.
Art Challenge
Psychology Challenge
The SVI Psychology students were asked to carry out a
study into national identity. We interviewed pupils from
SIII upwards and staff from a variety of faculties. The aim
of the experiment was to learn more about how people view
themselves and if they thought that they were particularly
patriotic. The results revealed some clear trends and
interesting results. One of the most interesting results was
that 75% would rather wear a kilt than a suit. While a high
percentage of the participants felt patriotic, the majority did
not want an independent Scotland. Most participants are
proud to be Scottish and 74% would want to continue living in
Scotland as they get older.
Pupils have been developing work from the large-scale exploratory drawings they produced during Challenge Week.

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Senior VI
school ball
Chinese Language and Culture Course
(sian Williams)
Continuing the School’s link with the Ricefield Arts and
Cultural Centre in Glasgow, a group of Senior VI pupils
completed a short course aimed at providing a glimpse of
the art, history and culture of China. The course began
with a lesson on Chinese calligraphy led by Glasgow-based
artist Yan Wang. We learned of the cultural importance that
calligraphy has had throughout China’s history, before being
given the opportunity to try our hand at this challenging
form. In session two we enjoyed an introduction to the basics
of Tai Chi. unsurprisingly, the graceful movements of Tai
Chi instructor, Li Ho, who has practised this form of martial
art for over 20 years, were far from matched by a batch of
clumsy adolescents, although a select few were delighted
to be informed at the end that they possessed ‘Chi’. These
hands-on lessons were followed by a pair of more academic
presentations, led by Dr Daniel Hammond from the Faculty of
Asian Studies at the university of edinburgh: the first focused
on what he termed the ‘winners and losers’ during China’s
‘Reform era’ and the second explored the extreme poverty that
is endemic across this vast country. both sessions opened our
eyes to the very different society and cultural expectations
that exist in this burgeoning superpower. The course returned
to a more practical format when composer, musician and
co-founder of the Harmony Ensemble, eddie McGuire, led a
fascinating lesson on the Music of China and encouraged us
to try to elicit at least something resembling a sweet noise
from a range of very exotic-sounding instruments. The course
was wrapped up with a class on Smokelong Fiction taken by
Dr Laura Tansley, lecturer in english and Creative Writing at
the university of Glasgow. In this session we were introduced
to this ultra-concise form of writing, and using pictures taken
from an exhibition by Polly braden at the Ricefield Centre,
we had a go at composing our own short stories. below is an
example of Smokelong Fiction written by Rebecca Anderson
during this final lesson.
(Photo courtesy of Polly Braden)
Standing in the doorway I watched her cheerfully board the car –
or at least that’s how she put it. Excited chatter poured from her
mouth and filled the empty street. I followed and sat beside her in
an ungraceful manner whilst her voice continued to ring through
my ears and spill into the sweet, country air.
As time went on the air of excited chatter morphed into
comfortable conversation and soon I found myself resting on her
shoulder falling into a cheesy sleep.
I awoke with a jolt to a somewhat ironic scream. There had been
a bee lurking, waiting for a moment to ‘attack’. I sighed, looking
up into her beautiful eyes and suddenly realised what I had partly
known all along. I finally knew what the brilliant discomfort in
the pit of my belly really was – after all I had taken my travel
sickness pills! It was love.
(Rebecca Anderson)

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Mathematics
Stuart MacQueen (SVI) has progressed to the next round of
the Senior Maths Challenge. This is a national competition
with participants coming from all uK schools. Stuart was
taking part in the Senior Kangaroo Challenge. This paper
allows students in the uK to test themselves on questions set
for the best school-aged mathematicians from across europe
and beyond.
Humanities
Modern studies educational Trust competition
SIII pupils, Patrick Skirving, Laurens Zhang, Melissa Rankin
and Tori Hamilton won the Modern Studies educational
Trust SIII/IV PowerPoint competition. They had to design a
PowerPoint that focused on ‘the work of our representatives’.
Having been visited by Councillor David Wilson, Derek
MacKay MSP and Iain McKenzie MP in the first term the pupils
were able to produce informative PowerPoints with lots of
evidence of the work done by their elected representatives.
The judges were impressed by the research and the quality of
the presentation.
Inverclyde festival
Languages
Pupils from the Advanced Higher French class enjoyed a
visit to Paris in December. The pupils took the opportunity
to practise their language skills during the 3-day trip, whilst
visiting the main sites of the city. The trip was a great success
and the pupils were excellent ambassadors for the School.
Pupils from the SV Higher German class recently took part in
an immersion day at the Goethe Institut in Glasgow. This was
an enjoyable event, where they had the opportunity to interact
with other students of German and boost their linguistic and
cultural competence.
Music & Drama
Maestro Music rsNO
Congratulations to Junior 4, who won the Wilson/Mackay Trophy for Group Verse
with their performance of The Dragon Who Ate Our School at the Inverclyde Music
Festival 2012.
Clare eagle played violin with the RSnO at an orchestral
schools’ concert at the Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow. She was
chosen from pupils who have reached Grade 7/8 standard.
Clare played the 1st Mvt of beethoven’s Symphony no. 5
bbc scottish symphony Orchestra
Will Fleming (J5) has been selected to receive instrumental
lessons with a horn player from the bbC SSO as part of
Renfrewshire Council’s Music Service.

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Rugby and Hockey
Tour to Ireland
The 1st XV rugby team and an SV/SVI hockey team enjoyed a
successful tour of Ireland.
sV/sVI hockey team v 1st XV v
High School of Dublin High School of Dublin
3-1 won 34-12 win
Kings Hospital 0-0 nAAS Rugby Club 17-17
Muddrock 1- 0 lost
Silver at Road Relay
Congratulations to Rachel bannatyne, Katrina Miller and Kim
Crawford (J6) who won Silver at the Scottish Primary Schools’
Road Relay races. Well done to everyone who took part.
South West Hockey
Laurie Kirkland, Kirstin bailey, Karina bailey, Caitlin Girdwood
and Katie McAlpine successfully trialled for the South West
under-18 team.
ellie Halliday, Chloe Hardie, Morven Macewen, Abigail Robb
and Iona Grant tried out for the South West under-16 team.
Morven Mcewen, Laurie Kirkland, Chloe Hardie and ellie
Halliday subsequently received a Scottish trial.
Players were split into two squads – the Performance Squad
and the Development Squad. The Performance Squad is set to
play Wales, england and Ireland this year. The Development
Squad has games in Ireland. Chloe has been selected
for the Performance Team and will play in the under-16
Scotland Squad. ellie and Morven have been selected for the
Development Team.
Gold at Road Relay
Hot on the heels of the J6 girls’ success at the Scottish Primary
Schools’ Road Relay Championships, the SI girls, Iona Miller,
Catriona Allan and Laura Stark, won Gold at the Scottish
Secondary Schools’ Road Relay Championships. The b team
(emma Devine, eilidh Love and Catherine Martin) was 10th.
A fantastic result!

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School Christmas Canter

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Kilbarchan Cross Country
Over forty athletes from the School took part in the Kilbarchan
Cross Country event. For the first time the School won the
Junior and Senior trophies.
J5/6 Girls
Gold Kim Crawford
Silver Rachel bannatyne
Team gold Kim Crawford, Rachel bannatyne
and eilidh Gibson
J5/6 boys
Gold Calvin Wardell
Team gold Calvin Wardell, Jamie Love and Cameron Stark
Transitus Girls
Silver Molly Cuthbertson
bronze Molly bower
Team gold Molly Cuthbertson, Molly bower
and Rachael Curry
Transitus boys
Silver bill McIntosh
sI Girls
Gold Laura Stark (Laura also won the girls’ 3k at
Kilmacolm in the morning)
Silver Iona Miller
Team gold Laura Stark, Iona Miller and Catriona Allan
sI boys
bronze Jamie eatock
sII Girls
Gold Olivia Gemmel
Tom to Race for birel
Tom Thickpenny (SIII) has secured a place on the birel team
for 2012. His selection was based on his performance during
the easykart World Finals and a test with birel in Italy last
month. Tom’s success at international level in the sport was
recognised earlier this year with a nomination for a Young
Scot Award. You can find out more about Tom’s racing at
www.tom-karting.com
Inverclyde Cross Country
Championships
senior school
SI/II girls’ team – gold
Laura Stark, Iona Miller, Catriona Allan, Olivia Gemmell
Individual medalists
sI girls
Laura Stark – gold
Iona Miller – silver
Catriona Allan – bronze
sII girls
Olivia Gemmell – gold
sIII girls
Deborah Staber – bronze
sI boys
Jamie eatock – gold
Junior school
Individual medalists
Kim Crawford (J6) – gold
bill McIntosh (Transitus) – bronze
Team medalists
Girls’ Gold – Kim Crawford, Rachel bannatyne, Katrina Miller
boys’ Silver – bill McIntosh, Calvin Wardell, Ross Wilson
Junior Tennis Stars
Fraser Currie and Julia Smith (J4) competed in the final of the
Strathgryffe under-8 Tennis Championships. It was the best
of three games and both Fraser and Julia took their first two
games, winning their category.

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netball
(Gillian beggs)
The Junior 6 and Transitus netball Club continues to be a
popular extra-curricular activity. The Junior 6 members have
demonstrated both hard work and determination to succeed.
They have listened carefully to instruction and developed
many of their skills by watching and playing with the
Transitus pupils.
Megan Connolly and Meera Patel (SIII) are currently
volunteering at netball Club as part of their Duke of edinburgh
activities. The girls have demonstrated a highly enthusiastic
and responsible attitude towards their duties. Megan and
Meera were responsible for successfully organising and
running the inter-house tournament in December. The J6
and Transitus girls thoroughly enjoyed the excitement of the
event, with Strathgryffe winning overall.
Mrs Connolly continues to provide invaluable coaching
techniques and her enthusiasm for netball continues to have
a positive impact on the girls. I am also extremely grateful for
the assistance offered by Mrs Porter who has volunteered to
help out. We have a busy term ahead in preparation for the
competitive tournament taking place in March.
Scottish Schools’
Swimming
Twelve pupils from St Columba’s recently participated in the
Scottish Schools’ Swimming Association regional heats at
Johnstone. Swimmers can only participate in two events each.
Despite this, pupils secured an impressive medal haul for the
School.
Calvin Wardell (J6) 2 Golds
eilidh Love (SI) 1 Silver
Kharis Cunningham (SII) 1 Gold, 1 bronze
Kim Crawford (J6) 1 bronze
Megan Connolly (SII) 2 Silvers
Lauren Aiston (SII) 1 bronze
Sarah bradford (SII) 1 Silver
Olivia Gemmell (SII) 1 bronze
Also taking part, but just missing out on medals were Amy
Crawford (Transitus), Katrina Miller, Olivia Saddler and Jamie
Love (all J6). Lauren, Sarah, Kim, Kharis, eilidh and Calvin
have all made the consideration time for the Scottish Schools’
finals.
Sailing
Lewis Marr (SIII) has seen the efforts of a tough winter
training and a successful summer of racing rewarded with
selection for the Great britain Topper Junior Intermediate
squad. Training takes place at the Olympic training centre at
Weymouth as well as other locations in the South of england
and Wales.
Lewis will train with the Scotland Squad as well as the Great
britain Squad throughout the winter in his aim to reach
the top levels of british sailing. He will then embark on an
intensive summer of racing in 2012, which will see him
race at venues throughout the uK and at the World Topper
Championships in Holland next year, at times racing in fleets
of around 300 boats.
2012 scottish schools’ brown cup for sailing
Lewis Marr (SIII) and Robbie Peacock (Transitus) will be
competing in the 2012 Scottish Schools’ brown Cup. This is a
team event and the brown Cup is awarded to the top school
team of three boats. It will take place on Monday, June 11th, at
Loch earn Sailing Club, St Fillans.
On the preceding weekend, Saturday, June 9th and Sunday,
June 10th, the club is inviting students to attend an intensive
training camp at Loch earn. A limited number of places are
available for this two-day camp. Cost are yet to be confirmed
(but are heavily subsidised by sponsorships). entry to the Cup
is free and all under-18s sailors (who must be still at school
to qualify) are welcome. For more details contact Loch earn
Sailing Club: 01764 685229

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A note from Mrs Cook
Pupils from Prep through to J3 were transformed into
Children of the World for the christmas Nativity show.
We had dancers from China and from Scotland and surfers
from Australia. Our performers and audience both thoroughly
enjoyed themselves and everyone is now looking forward to
our show by the older children in March.
Indeed, the children at Junior School enjoyed a very creative
Christmas Term. Junior 5 and 6 produced potential designs
for the School Christmas card with the help of Mrs Robinson
from the Art Department. The standard was extremely high
and I had the unenviable job of choosing the winning design.
However, I hope you agree that the design by winner, emily
Colville (J6), was very impressive.
We are also delighted that two pupils from the Junior School
have progressed to the next stage of the Young Writer
competition and we look forward to hearing how they do in
due course.
Well, we have a busy Spring Term ahead of us. Please make
sure to put the dates of the Junior School Show in your diary
and we hope to see you then.

Sarah Wins a Golden Ticket
To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of
Roald Dahl’s novel ‘James and the Giant Peach’ british Airways
ran a competition, inviting children to send in a postcard
about their own adventures. The judges were Michael Rosen,
Lauren Child, Quentin blake and Kerry Smith. St Columba’s
pupil, Sarah Sandground (J5), was runner-up in the 9-12 year
category and received Roald Dahl’s hardback fiction library
plus a special golden pass to the Roald Dahl Museum in Great
Missenden.
Prep
sea life centre
Prep went to the Loch Lomond Sea Life Centre, as part of their
under The Sea topic.
Junior 1
The children helped weed the vegetable
beds, sweep up leaves and clear the area
at the front of the school.
The children enjoyed learning about
fairytales and came to school dressed
up as a character from a fairytale. They
made castles and painted pictures of
themselves as knights and princesses.

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Junior 2
Junior 2 children braved the elements at Lunderston bay and
explored rockpools as part of their Seaside topic.
December was a very busy time in Junior 2. In addition to
the Christmas Show the children performed a super pirate
assembly to the Junior School and parents. The children
designed and made their own pirate hats and created some
terrifying Wanted posters.
Junior 3
In november Junior 3 children were fascinated to learn about
the Titanic. They travelled to the Tall Ship in Glasgow to take
part in a Titanic workshop which involved role play as ‘marine
archaeologists’, finding artefacts similar to items found at the
Titanic wreck site in the north Atlantic Ocean.
Just before the Christmas holiday Junior 3 started a new topic
– The Senses.
Junior 4
Junior 4 have been learning about Helping Others as part
of their Religious and Moral education. In november they
watched a film about Operation Christmas Child run by the
Samaritan’s Purse charity. They saw children in countries
around the world receiving special shoe boxes filled with gifts.
Many of these children looked as if they had never received a
present before.
Junior 4 decided to take part in Operation Christmas Child
2011 and collected over 40 shoeboxes, which were delivered
to the local collection centre in Houston. Thank you to all the
mums and dads who helped to make this project possible.
Junior 5
europe
Junior 5 performed a wonderful assembly about europe to
their parents. The children worked very hard to perfect their
parts and sang the accompanying songs beautifully. It was
a great experience for the children, who looked fantastic in
their costumes. As part of their studies the children enjoyed
sampling different foods from around europe. Pain au chocolat
and salami were firm favourites!
Junior 5 concluded their europe topic with a poster challenge
task. The children worked in teams to create an informative
and eye-catching poster based on a european country studied
in class. Cooperation, communication and negotiation proved
to be valuable skills for this type of activity. Junior 6 pupils
were invited to vote on their favourite poster. ‘Italy’ from 5b
and ‘Greece’ from 5M were the winning posters.

THe COLuMbAn ISSue 33 JuNIOr scHOOl | 17
The burrell collection
In December Junior 5 visited the burrell Collection as part
of their ‘Famous Scots’ studies. The children completed the
Treasure Trail and made sketches of their favourite exhibits.
Maggie Macbean, a member of staff, gave an informative
talk on the life of William burrell and was impressed by the
children’s knowledge and confidence at answering questions.
The children brought some money to spend in the shop, which
was a valuable (and exciting) practical maths experience to
compliment their recent class work.
Junior 6
Junior 6 visited edinburgh Zoo in October as part of their
topic on Africa. They took part in a workshop based on the
rainforests of the continent and had the opportunity to handle
some exotic animals.
In november the pupils visited Scotland Street Museum
and the People’s Palace as part of their topic looking at the
Home Front during the Second World War. Some of the
activities included a challenge to see how many people
could comfortably fit into an Anderson shelter, using
equipment of the time such as a gas mask for an infant, and
taking part in a very strict lesson prior to being evacuated to
the countryside.
Transitus Pupils’ Report
We have had many exciting things going on last term in
Transitus. We were fortunate enough to get a visit from
Strathclyde Fire Service. They talked to us about the many
dangers of fires and how to keep safe at home. They played a
recording of a lady who was stuck in her flat during a fire. This
made us realise that you need to make sure you follow safety
guidelines in order to keep safe. The fire fighters told us we
must always be aware of dangers and make sure fire alarms
work. We thought we had learned a lot and knew what to do
should we be unfortunate enough to experience a fire.
The second visit we had was from the Transport Police and
they talked to us about rail safety. We found out that if you are
on a track and hear a train you only have four seconds to get
away. We learned that even if you do get out of the way, the
wind can suck you back and underneath the train. The visitors
asked us questions and we managed to answer most of them
correctly. The film they showed us was interesting and made
us all realise the dangers of the railway.
In December the Transitus Choir went to Paisley Abbey to
sing. This was a daunting experience with it being such a
massive venue and so many people watching us. After singing
we felt pleased and proud and we found it a privilege to be
asked to perform. This event ended a very enjoyable term for
our year.
J6 & Transitus School Dance

18 | cHarITy THe COLuMbAn ISSue 33
Charity
(elliot Gemmell)
Over the past few months the Charities Committee has been
very busy, continuing with our efforts to raise money for
Quarriers and Ardgowan Hospice and beat last year’s total!
The Heroes and Villains bakesale was organised by sixth year
pupils, who were just waiting for an excuse to dress up. While
some of the more unusual costumes attracted more attention
than the cakes on display, together they raised almost £450,
an excellent way to start the term. SV were feeling festive and
decided to continue our fundraising efforts with a Christmas
Accessory Day, raising over £200. The Charities Committee’s
last act of 2011 was to endure the icy temperatures and
persistent drizzle to collect funds for Ardgowan Hospice while
the School Pipe band played in Kilmacolm village centre.
Thank you to everyone who came along to enjoy the music
and mulled wine, and to our brave helpers! Having made such
excellent progress so far, the Charities Committee is really
looking forward to the fundraising opportunities 2012 will
bring.
Children in need
Junior School pupils raised £1,254.39 with donations, baking
and a ‘spot the spot’ competition, which was won by Jamie
Macmillan.
Macmillan World’s biggest
Coffee Morning
Staff raised over £200 to support the work Macmillan are doing
with people suffering from cancer.
Christmas Tree Festival
Pupils from Junior and Senior School decorated trees for the
event hosted by the Old West Kirk. Ross Findlater, Maxine
Young, Rocco Stakis and Victoria Lambert were chosen by
their Junior School classmates to visit the church to decorate
the tree. The Junior 5/6 Choir added to the festive spirit.
The event raised £570 for erskine.
We Can Shop event
Ladies from the School and wider community enjoyed a
wonderful evening of shopping and a glass of fizz to raise over
£1000 for charity. The main beneficiary of the evening was
Oxfam’s We Can Campaign to end violence against women in
South Asia and the School’s nominated charities, Quarriers
and Ardgowan Hospice, also received a percentage of the sales.
There was a real buzz to the evening and we thank all
stallholders and guests for supporting the event. Thanks
also to School parents, Jacqui Morris, Poonam Gupta and Ros
Davidson (FP President), for organising the event.
Golf Fundraiser
(Mrs sara bishop)
We are organising a golf competition at Kilmacolm Golf Club,
www.kilmacolmgolfclub.com, ‘a miniature Gleneagles’ on
Friday, 27th April. The format will be a 0900 tee off: Texas
Scramble – 18 teams of 4. Price per team is £360 and includes
coffee and bacon rolls on arrival, lunch and prizes.
This fun golf event is to raise funds to provide financial
support for children who would not otherwise be able to
access a St Columba’s education and to provide hardship
support for school families.
If you would like to enter a team, or can help with sponsorship
and/or contribute a prize, please contact Sara bishop by email:
sara@eastcoastlets.co.uk. There will be a ParentMail shortly
with further details. Looking forward to your support for what
will prove to be a fun day raising funds for a really worthwhile
cause!

THe COLuMbAn ISSue 33 fOrMer PuPIls | 19
President’s update
Hello and welcome to the former Pupils’ section of the
columban. We hope you all had a wonderful christmas
and new year; albeit perhaps a distant memory now.
The former Pupils’ committee was delighted to be part
of the Oxfam – We can shop evening back in November.
We had a wonderful turn-out from former pupils, parents
and friends of the school who all enjoyed a lovely evening.
While raising money for Oxfam we also raised £250 for the
school’s nominated charities.
Coming up this year we have the FP AGM, FP & School
hockey and rugby matches and we hope to possibly hold an
event with the Parents’ Association – we look forward to
seeing you at some of these events. Information will be sent
out by email, but also please check the school website for
details.
Database
We are working on a new database and shortly will have
a web front-end to allow our FP and Friends of the School
community to update their details online, share information,
share photographs, personal message friends, book events
online and do so much more.
A database is only as good as the data it holds, so can I please
ask you all to ensure that we have your correct address and
email address. We still have a relatively low percentage of
email addresses and many of those we have bounce back.
Please take a minute to email fps@st-columbas.org or write
to us at Senior School to provide your current details.
Thank you so much for your time.
Dates for Your Diary
Thu 15th Mar Former Pupils’ AGM, Senior School,
19:30 – please come along, all welcome.
sat 31st Mar Former Pupils & School Hockey/Rugby
Matches, 09:30
sat 28th april Creative Communities – Writing from Life
Workshop, 11:00-13:00
fri 8th Jun Silver Tablet Concert, St Columba Church,
10:30
May/Jun Former Staff Lunch, tbc
sat 3rd Nov House of Commons Lunch
Our main social event in 2012 is the House of Commons Lunch
on Saturday, 3rd november. This event has always been
extremely popular in the past and we look forward to seeing
lots of you there. Please read on for further details.
Last June we had a wonderful day for the FP rugby matches
and a great turn-out. We even managed a bbQ without rain!
This hopefully will be the format for this year’s FP matches in
March as everyone had a great time – we will keep you posted.
Thanks to everyone who has sent in updates for this
Columban – it’s great to hear from you. If you have anything of
interest please let us know, we love to hear your news.
Keep in touch and keep us updated.
Kind regards
The FP Committee
Former Pupils’ AGM
notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of
the Former Pupils’ Association will be held on Thursday 15th
March at Senior School, 19:30. All former pupils, former staff
and friends of the School are welcome to attend.
Proposed agenda
Apologies
Minutes of AGM 2011
business arising from the minutes
President’s Report
Treasurer’s Report
election of committee members
Ideas for events
Any other business

20 | fOrMer PuPIls THe COLuMbAn ISSue 33
Former Staff Lunch
Rosemary Hammond hopes to organise another former staff
lunch in the summer. An invite will be sent out nearer the
time, but also please keep an eye on the FP section of the
website for details.
FP & School Matches
Please come along to support the teams on Saturday 31st
March for the annual Former Pupils’ hockey and rugby
matches.
The hockey match is the traditional School 1st XI versus a
former pupils’ team and begins at 9:30 at the Astroturf.
Two rugby matches are played: one between two School teams
(the Captain’s XV versus the Vice Captain’s XV) and the second
between two former pupil teams. The fun begins at 10:15 at
birkmyre Park.
Refreshments will be served in Junior School along with the
presentation of awards. If the weather is kind in the run-up to
the event we hope to have a bbQ again.
Silver Tablet Concert
The Silver Tablet celebrates the best of musical talent from
the Senior School and students who compete for this award
have attained a minimum standard of Associated board Grade
8. Due to public holidays, this year the concert will be held
on Friday 8th June in St Columba Church from 10:30-11:45,
followed by light refreshments.
Members of the school community, including friends, former
pupils, former staff and former parents, are all welcome to
attend this lovely musical celebration. If you would like to
come along, please contact nichola McKay at Senior School or
email nmckay@st-columbas.org.
Planning a Reunion?
This is the year that the class of…
2002 left 10 years ago
1997 left 15 years ago
1992 left 20 years ago
1982 left 30 years ago
… and so it goes on.
Do you fancy having a reunion?
Remember that I am here to help with your reunion
organisation. I can arrange tours of School, provide names
from the database and help you promote the event through a
combination of mailings, The Columban, the school website
and Facebook.
Please contact nichola McKay at nmckay@st-columbas.org
or call 01505 872238.
Class of 2000-2001
10-year reunion
On the 12th november 2011, the class of 2000-2001 met for a
belated 10-year reunion in the Tea Rooms on Glasgow’s bath
Street. The event was well attended, with a number of former
pupils even making the long trip from down south. FPs were
also joined by a few familiar faces with some staff and former
staff from both the Junior and Senior School coming along
too. Those staff and FPs who couldn’t attend were certainly
missed, but as the wine flowed, so too did the reminiscing,
with some Junior School photos even doing the rounds.
A really great night was had by all. Many thanks must go to
nikola Miller and Jamie Macnab for organising the Do and
they are more than keen for a couple of others to take control
in ten years’ time. Hopefully they won’t have to wait ten years
before they see each other again though!

THe COLuMbAn ISSue 33 fOrMer PuPIls | 21
Memories of 50 Years Gone by
unfortunately in the last Columban we were only able
to include a very brief report on the 50th reunion due to
imminent print deadlines.
You can now enjoy the full recollection in the words of
Margaret Tindall (Mcneill):
In September 2011 a group of 23 ‘Old Girls’ who left school
in 1960-61 met in the School Hall. We all wore name badges,
just in case! Five were able to attend who had not been at
our 2001 reunion and seven had been at St Columba’s in the
Prep School. I have a photo from the 1950s of elspeth Reid,
Margaret Aitken, Irene Hogarth, Sheena Macleod, Margaret
Mcneill, Marion Cathro and one of the Millar twins.
After coffee there were interesting tours of all the main
buildings and the Junior School. Amazement was expressed
all round at the advances and changes. Yet there was much to
be recognised in the Hall, stairs, corridors and classrooms –
all very nostalgic. What a wonderful and generous buffet was
provided by Marjorie Mann (Munro), rounded off with a superb
lemon posset. Messages were read from some unable to be
there and Ida McCallum (Diack), who had so enjoyed our 40th
reunion, but sadly died from cancer, was warmly remembered.
Many memories were stirred at the reunion and favourable
comments received:
Margaret Graham wrote:
It was lovely meeting up with so many people I remember
from school days. I realise how much organisation must have
gone into such a gathering and I just wanted you to know
it was appreciated very much. I had lost touch with Sheena
Alpine who was one of my best friends at school, though we
were in different classes.
The school has changed quite a bit, but I still have many happy
memories of being in the main building. Thanks again for all
your efforts and I hope we can all make it again in 10 years.
Marion cathro added:
The abiding memory for me was the opportunity ‘to touch
base’ with those whom I remembered well yet hadn’t seen for
years and the promise to catch up properly at a later date.
A great day to remember and 2021 to look forward to!
The following poem, sourced by Margaret Graham, was much
appreciated.
school reunion lunch Out
Prep School Sheena’s school group
A group of 40-year-old girls were arranging a school reunion
lunch; they discussed where they should meet for lunch.
Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View
restaurant because the waiters there were very good looking.
Ten years later at 50 years of age, the group once again
discussed where they should meet for lunch.
Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean
View restaurant because the wine selection was good and the
waiters were very smart.
Ten years later at 60 years of age, the group once again
discussed where they should meet for lunch.
Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View
restaurant because the food there was very good and the
waiters were cute.
Ten years later at 70 years of age, the group once again
discussed where they should meet for lunch.
Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View
restaurant because they could eat there in peace and quiet, the
restaurant had a beautiful view of the ocean, and the waiters
were sweet boys.
Ten years later, at 80 years of age, the group once again
discussed where they should meet for lunch.
Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View
restaurant because the restaurant was wheelchair friendly,
they even had a lift, and the waiters were kindly.
Ten years later, at 90 years of age, the group once again
discussed where they should meet for lunch.
Finally it was agreed that they should meet at the Ocean View
restaurant because they had never been there before.

22 | fOrMer PuPIls THe COLuMbAn ISSue 33
A number of former pupils were unable to attend the reunion
and sent some messages to Margaret beforehand – here are
some snippets…
susan Willis-Keyden
…living on Costa blanca. I have been trying to work out a way
that I could attend, but it is just not possible. There have been
many years when I haven’t been anywhere or done anything,
but this year is the exception. First, one of my nieces got
married in July in St Andrews. I attended that and it was a
great do, very Scottish. Then my eldest son, his partner and
my grand-daughter came over at the beginning of August for
an extended holiday. I have my sister’s party in Devon at the
end of September and I am also going to be in the uK over
Christmas when I am meeting up with family and staying
in the Cotswolds. I am really sorry about this as I would
have loved to have been there on the 17th and catch up with
everybody on what they are doing and have we really changed
that much!! Please give my best wishes to all and my apologies
– perhaps I might make the next one if still mobile. If Sheena
Alpine is there, maybe you could ask her to get in touch.
I would love to hear from her.
Diana flanagan (bingham)
…please pass on my best wishes to everyone and I hope you all
have a great time. I certainly enjoyed the last one though it’s
hard to believe it really was 10 years ago!
Hilary Watt (burnet)
…recently got together with Vickie Gillies and Joan Le May and
had a mini reunion.
Vickie sandeman (Gillies)
I’m very sorry to be missing it as it was a very nice way to
catch up with some of our contemporaries.
Patrea More-Nisbet (MacDonald)
…would be good to catch up, but of course I have seen the
transformation over the years – must have been there eight
or nine times. (Good Schools Guide). I am founding editor.
Complete change (apart from the boys), though the smell and
the hall are still the same.
anne Norwell (Mitchell)
I do hope you all have an enjoyable day. It is hard to believe
that 10 years have passed so quickly.
fiona Graham
…what a great idea contacting us ‘old’ girls so early because
I am sure people will be coming from countries thousands of
miles from Gb.
Funnily enough I remember your name Margaret Mcneill
and also I remember Morvyn Hood (the two of you were in
about three classes above me!). Just to let you know, I left St
Columba’s in 1960 and then I went to a boarding school for
two years (after that I left school completely). I’ve got a sister,
Frances Graham, and she was at St Columba’s as well and she
was definitely in two classes above me (I think you were in
the class just above her, if I remember correctly). I am quite
positive I won’t recognise anyone on the 17th September, it
will only be names!
Judith Paxman (cowan)
unfortunately I will be unable to attend, however I will look
forward to getting the magazine after the event. I left school
in 1958 and came to Australia in 1966, the best thing I ever did.
I have many happy memories of St Columba’s, especially as I
was a boarder at Shalott.
Irene MacKenzie (Hogarth)
I am working – very busy; Chairman of the Audio Description
Association (Scotland) which involves a great deal of
travelling. We have acquired five grandchildren.
Margaret Tindall (McNeill)
For me, as for many of you, the last decade has been one of
retirement. To stop the brain from going rusty I embarked on
a degree from Glasgow university and graduated with a bD in
2006 – somewhat greyer than 40 years previously.
Life is filled with walking my Cairn terrier, church visiting
and endless committees. However, after 30 years, someone
has been found to succeed me as Session Clerk! Instead of
grandchildren I have a great nephew who has been a great
source of joy to me. It has been lovely to be part of family
Jeanette Campbell (Millar), Ann Millar Margaret Barman (Aitken), Margaret Tindall (McNeill),
Irene MacKenzie (Hogarth)

THe COLuMbAn ISSue 33 fOrMer PuPIls | 23
Elspeth Farmer (Reid), Margaret Tindall (McNeill), Joan Clyde (Le May)
occasions with Irene’s family, with the opportunity of getting
to know all of her grandchildren.
Marion cathro
It will be about 40 years since I last attended a St Columba’s
reunion. On that occasion it was a large, across the board
gathering in the Hydro just before Miss MacArthur retired!
Then the last time I saw you was after her Memorial Service in
St John’s Church, edinburgh, and that was many moons ago!
Yes, there will be many I haven’t seen since leaving St
Columba’s in 1958 when my father was promoted to the
RbS Dundee Office. I subsequently finished my education at
The High School of Dundee, finally leaving school in 1962 to
go to Moray House.
At one stage we were in the same class and then, if my
memory serves me correctly, you, Irene Hogarth and Morvyn
Hood were ‘high flyers’ and ‘skipped a year’ and became a year
ahead of me.
ann cowan
Potted history: nursing for three years – has stood me in
permanent good stead.
However in Autumn 1963, I was accepted for a three year
professional course at Royal Scottish Academy of Music,
Glasgow, which I loved; followed soon after, by the School
Music Course at Jordanhill. While there were many positive
aspects to all that happens in school, in music teaching it was
very much the smooth with the rough! I grabbed the chance to
apply for peripatetic teaching in schools, to add to the private
teaching I was already enjoying and still do. In the 90s schools’
piano teaching largely became keyboard teaching, so I finished
the schools side of my career in 2004.
now, I have my piano pupils, I play for choir and singing
groups, and in churches. I sing and sometimes play for ‘Sounds
International’, a well-known choir on the south side, largely
Jewish based. Outwith any of these enterprises there is some
ad hoc singing, largely for charities, largely in edinburgh. A
variety of charity work is part of my interest, the main one
being ‘The biggest Coffee Morning’ and usually held in my
home, and even in the recession, upwards of £1400 ‘appears’.
The Haven, blantyre, Day Centre for long term illnesses is
another cause for fundraising, largely through choir concerts,
and rustling up half-full audiences.
Walking is another favourite on my programme, with ‘SLOW’
which stands for South Lanarkshire Older Walkers, based in
Hamilton. So in the Jewish toast – ‘To Life’.
Class notes
alison Hale (campbell), 1985
Alison and her husband Jonathan are delighted to announce
the safe arrival of their baby son Olly Campbell Hale on Friday
21st October 2011 weighing in at 6lbs 14oz. A long awaited
and much loved brother for Mairi and first grandson for Sheila
Campbell.
In Memoriam
Jean M Neill
It is with sadness that the death of Miss Jean neill at
Inverclyde Royal Hospital, Greenock on 8th June, 2011 is
recorded.
Having been born in Kilmacolm, it gave Miss neill pleasure
to return to the village to spend 20 years before retirement
teaching at St Columba’s. In the earlier years of her career
she taught in Renfrewshire, Canada and Argyll. She set high
standards for herself and her pupils and enjoyed sharing her
extensive academic knowledge with the many children who
passed through her classes. Interested in drama, chess and
bridge, she ran the Chess Club while at Junior School and
continued to be involved in student chess into retirement.
The years between 1969 and 1989 at St Columba’s provided
a rewarding and fulfilling period in Miss neill’s life and she is
remembered with affection by all who knew her at School.
(elma Paton)
Jean – far right

24 | fOrMer PuPIls THe COLuMbAn ISSue 33
House of Commons Lunch,
Saturday 3rd november
The House of Commons Lunch, sponsored by former pupil eleanor Laing MP, is always a great success and
the FP Association hopes that many of you will support the event again this year. Former pupils, former
staff, current staff and friends of the School are all very welcome.
Due to recent changes in the pricing structure in the Food and beverage Department at the House of
Commons, as well as general inflation, the price per head has unfortunately risen considerably since our
last lunch. The price will be confirmed in April and will be in the range of £60-£65 a head. At this time we
will take a deposit of £30 to secure your ticket for the lunch and the remainder will be due once the final
price has been confirmed. The 3-course lunch is due to be held in one of the exquisite Dining Rooms and
Terrace Pavilion from 12.00-15.00. There is also the option of a guided tour of the historic building and
costs approximately £7.50.
To reserve a place, please complete the booking form below.
London residents often meet for coffee at the Tate Gallery beforehand, at around 10.30am. If you are
interested, please mark this on the booking form and we shall pass your details to the London Area
Representative.
booking Form
I wish to book for the above event and understand that these tickets are non refundable, but are
transferable if prior notice is given. each ticket will be printed with the ticket holder’s name on it for
House of Commons security requirements. If ordering more than one ticket, please print and complete for
each person as the tickets will be posted prior to the event – either copy this booking form or download
further copies from the Former Pupils/events & Reunions section of the school website.
You need to bring the ticket with you to gain entry as this is a House of Commons security requirement.
name
(nee)
Address
Postcode
Tel
email
Dietary Requirements – please tick if applicable:
Vegetarian option
Special dietary requirement –
please specify
Lunch £30.00 deposit. balance to be paid prior to the event.
I enclose £ (cheques payable to St Columba’s Former Pupils’ Association)
I would like to reserve a place on the guided tour.
I would like to meet for coffee. Please pass my details to the London Area Representative.
Please send your completed booking form and payment by 30th April to:
former Pupils’ association, st columba’s school, Duchal road, Kilmacolm, Pa13 4au

THe COLuMbAn ISSue 33 fOrMer PuPIls | 25
Creative Communities
(Kirstin Zhang)
The power of the creative arts to bring people together, to
inspire and even empower is at the heart of a new national
initiative – Year of Creative Scotland 2012, which “will
embrace London 2012 and celebrate Glasgow 2014”. We are
pleased to launch our own Creative Communities project to
coincide with this. Over the course of the year our writerin-residence,
Kirstin Zhang, will be facilitating a number of
writing and story-telling workshops, which may be of interest
to former pupils. These will be held in Kilmacolm Community
Centre and are free. Please see page 2 for full details.
To reflect the occasion of the Olympic Games our overall
theme this year is ‘superheroes’. However, you are free to
write on any subject you like. To inspire you I’ve included
some excerpts from past School Magazines.
The new Creative Communities website
(www.creativecommunities.st-columbas.org) will
showcase the work produced. If you would like to share
your work with us please email it as a word document to
creativecommunities@st-columbas.org
We look forward to reading your stories, whether these are
fiction or reflective.
1947-48
The royal Wedding – by form II
On Thursday 20th november, 1947, was Princess elizabeth’s
wedding. We heard the broadcast from London at school. Most
of the girls wearing poppies that day, and we all brought our
sewing.
There was a procession of the Life Guards and crowds and
crowds of people. First came the Queen in her coach and then
the bridesmaids. Princess elizabeth drove to Westminster with
the King in the Royal Coach. She was driven al about the town.
She wore a dress with diamonds and pearls on it.
At Westminster Abbey, the minister was talking very loud.
He asked Princess elizabeth and Prince Philip questions, and
they said, “I do.”
1951-52
letters from Two Queens
King George the Sixth died in February 6th. We wrote to the
Queen because of our sympathy, not expecting a letter back.
One person wrote to the Queen Mother. One morning the next
week we had a letter from the Queen’s Private Secretary and
we were very pleased about it. About ten days later we had a
letter from the Queen Mother. (Claire & elspeth)
The Proclamation
Last Friday we listened-in to the Proclamation. The words
were read out very clearly and there is a new Queen now.
There are a lot of names for the new Queen. They are
elizabeth, Alexandra, Mary, but she is Queen elizabeth. (Ian)
School Play, 1907

26 | THe bacK PaGe THe COLuMbAn ISSue 33
A View of Things
(a collaborative Poem by st columba’s staff)
What I love about Learning is that it is the guide, the guardian
of my heart, and soul of all my moral being.
What I love about Spanish is the sun and the sound
What I love about Pe is its excitement
What I love about biology is the birds and the bees; the
flowers and the trees
What I love about english is its endless opportunity
What I love about Psychology is its sense of understanding
What I love about Technology is the way it solves life’s
problems
What I love about Spanish is its delicious food and the relaxed
lifestyle
What I love about Graphics is the way it draws you in
What I love about Product Design is understanding why
things are the way they are
What I love about Physics is that there’s no greater truth
What I love about english is the fearful symmetry
What I love about Graphics is the way it alters perspective
What I love about english is the world in a grain of sand
What I love about History is its permanence
What I love about Languages is their diversity
What I love about Modern Studies is it inspires you to make a
difference
What I love about business is its impact
What I love about Physics is its reflection and refraction
What I love about Practical Craft Skills is the pleasure of
creating items
What I love about Chemistry is its periodicity
What I love about Product Design is the amalgamation of
aesthetics with practicality
What I love about Graphic Communication is the ability to
illustrate information without language
What I love about French is its sound
What I love about Music is it’s the food of love
What I love about Maths is it all adds up
What I love about Modern Studies it that it is about here and
now; not there and then
What I love about Computing is its binary crowbar
What I love about english is the way it casually welcomes
all-comers to the party: stately Latin, chic French, dependable
German, muscular Scots, mellow Jamaican – the language of
the palace making eyes at the language of the gutter.
What I love about St Columba’s is it makes me think
senior school
Duchal Road
Kilmacolm PA13 4Au
T 01505 872238 f 01505 873995
e secretary@st-columbas.org
Junior school
Knockbuckle Road
Kilmacolm PA13 4eQ
T 01505 872768 f 01505 874642
e juniorsecretary@st-columbas.org
rector
David G Girdwood
DL bSc Med SQH
Head of Junior school
Davida L Cook
DCe ITQ DipAdPrSt DipedMan
St Columba’s School Ltd is a
www.kennethgray.co.uk
registered charity SCO 12598
www.st-columbas.org Design