Creative Communities - St Columba's School
Creative Communities - St Columba's School
Creative Communities - St Columba's School
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Issue 34 june 2012<br />
The Columban<br />
Aiming High: Lachlann<br />
Represents Scotland at the<br />
British Tumbling Championships
Rector’s Message<br />
Another school year is almost coming to a close. As always<br />
at this time I am very aware that many of our young people<br />
will soon be leaving us. no doubt they will be feeling a<br />
mixture of excitement and trepidation about moving<br />
on, but I hope that they will also feel that their time at<br />
st Columba’s has prepared them well for the new<br />
challenges this next stage of life presents. We hope they<br />
will keep us up-to-date with their ongoing achievements<br />
in the former pupils section of the Columban.<br />
Over the next five years we will also be saying farewell<br />
to a significant number of staff as they reach retirement.<br />
This year our Head of Junior <strong>School</strong>, Mrs Davida Cook, and<br />
several of her staff will be leaving us. While the prospect<br />
of change is always a little unsettling, I believe that Mrs<br />
Cook and the colleagues who depart with her leave behind<br />
excellent foundations. I thank them for their hard work and<br />
commitment over the years and wish them well in their<br />
retirement.<br />
Once again we mark the end of the academic session with a<br />
celebration of excellence and achievement. You may recall<br />
that our guest at last year’s Senior <strong>School</strong> prizegiving was<br />
the adventurer and broadcaster Mark Beaumont. We were<br />
delighted when he subsequently requested that the <strong>School</strong><br />
Pipe Band play at his wedding in April. This year it will be my<br />
pleasure to welcome Dame Joan Springer, Principal and Vice<br />
Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University, to Senior <strong>School</strong><br />
prizegiving. We are also very pleased that Mrs Cook has agreed<br />
to be our special guest at the Junior <strong>School</strong> prizegiving.<br />
In the meantime, I hope you will enjoy the many other events<br />
which we have ahead of us, such as the Silver Tablet Concert<br />
and Beating the Retreat.
THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34 sChool neWs | 1<br />
<strong>St</strong>aff News<br />
Mrs sheila Robertson and Mrs sheila swinnerton will take<br />
early retirement at the end of this term to spend more time<br />
with their families.<br />
Ms Catherine Patterson will become a full-time, permanent<br />
member of staff with a commitment to Junior <strong>School</strong> Music.<br />
Congratulations to Mrs Alison Gillen (History) on the birth of<br />
her son, Arthur.<br />
Our best wishes to Mr Alan Morrison (Design) and lindsay on<br />
their marriage.<br />
There have been a number of new appointments:<br />
Marie hillyard-Planchon<br />
Ms Marie Hillyard-Planchon has been appointed as a teacher<br />
of French and Spanish. Ms Hillyard-Planchon is a graduate of<br />
Université Paul Valéry and is currently teaching at <strong>St</strong> Modan’s<br />
High <strong>School</strong>, <strong>St</strong>irling.<br />
Finlay Campbell<br />
A former Head Boy of <strong>St</strong> Columba’s, Finlay will be known to<br />
many of you. He is already involved in Saturday morning<br />
rugby, working with some of our J6 and Transitus pupils,<br />
and supports with the Duke of Edinburgh Award’s Scheme.<br />
He completed a BA in Outdoor Education and a PGDE at<br />
<strong>St</strong>rathclyde University and is currently teaching both in<br />
Kilcreggan Primary <strong>School</strong> and at Hermitage Academy.<br />
He will be teaching in Junior 4 next session.<br />
Anne Dickson<br />
Anne is a Hutchesons’ FP and a BEd(Hons) graduate of<br />
<strong>St</strong>rathclyde University. She has worked at both Kelvinside<br />
and Hutchesons’ and is currently covering a long-term supply<br />
at Woodlands Primary <strong>School</strong>. A keen sportswoman, Anne<br />
is looking forward to being involved in the wider life of the<br />
<strong>School</strong>. She will be teaching in Junior 2 next session.<br />
lucy eadie<br />
lucy is also a <strong>St</strong> Columba’s FP who will be known to many of<br />
you. She is a BEd(Hons) graduate of Edinburgh University,<br />
after which she travelled extensively across Australia and<br />
New Zealand. lucy is currently teaching at The Glasgow<br />
Academy and enjoys a wide range of sporting activities.<br />
She will be teaching in Junior 6 next session.<br />
Mrs Duncan (left) and Mrs Andrews (right)<br />
Kathryn leighton<br />
Kathryn taught at Kelvinside Academy and is currently a<br />
teacher at George Watson’s in Edinburgh. She is originally<br />
from Oxford and studied French to MA(Hons) level at Glasgow<br />
University, before embarking on a year’s PGDE at Edinburgh.<br />
Kathryn has played hockey at a national level (England<br />
Under-18), as well as captaining the Glasgow University team.<br />
She will be teaching in Junior 5 next session.<br />
Rachel Porter<br />
Rachel has been teaching in our Junior <strong>School</strong> as a 0.6<br />
Support for learning teacher since August. She came to us<br />
from Kelvinside Academy, where she taught for 5 years as<br />
both a Support for learning and a class teacher. A BEd(Hons)<br />
graduate from <strong>St</strong>rathclyde University, Rachel has been<br />
teaching since 1994. She will be teaching in Junior 5 next<br />
session.<br />
Mrs Alison Duncan (head of junior school)<br />
Mrs Duncan joined <strong>St</strong> Columba’s as Depute Head of Junior<br />
<strong>School</strong> in August 2011 from The Mary Erskine & <strong>St</strong>ewart’s<br />
Melville Junior <strong>School</strong>, where she held the post of Head of Year.<br />
She has a passion for learning; she is an honours graduate<br />
in Modern languages from the University of <strong>St</strong> Andrews<br />
and has since completed a number of additional teaching<br />
qualifications, culminating in the Scottish Qualification<br />
for Headship award in 2011. She is looking forward to the<br />
challenge of leading our Junior <strong>School</strong> into the future and<br />
being at the heart of both the <strong>School</strong> and local community.<br />
Mrs jane Andrews (Depute head of junior school)<br />
Mrs Jane Andrews is an honours graduate in History and<br />
English of King Alfred’s College of Higher Education and holds<br />
the higher degree of Master of Arts in Education of the Open<br />
University. She began her teaching career in 1985 and has<br />
taught in a number of different types of schools and served<br />
as a Depute Head for four years and as Head Teacher for three<br />
years, before moving with her family to the west of Scotland<br />
in 2005. Jane joined the staff of <strong>St</strong> Columba’s in 2006 and is<br />
currently teaching Transitus classes.
2 | sChool neWs THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34<br />
<strong>Creative</strong> <strong>Communities</strong><br />
Website<br />
You can now read about <strong>Creative</strong> <strong>Communities</strong> at<br />
www.creativekilmacolm.org<br />
Many thanks to Harry lang (SIV), who made the video<br />
and sound recordings for the site. Harry is studying Sound<br />
Engineering as part of Intermediate II Music with Technology.<br />
The Adventures of the<br />
Olympic Flame<br />
‘The Adventures of the Olympic Flame’, a collection<br />
of stories written by pupils from <strong>St</strong> Columba’s<br />
<strong>School</strong> and Kilmacolm Primary <strong>School</strong> to celebrate<br />
the passing of the Olympic Flame<br />
through Kilmacolm, was launched in<br />
late May. We were delighted to have<br />
amongst the guests at the event<br />
Mr Hamish Hardie. Mr Hardie<br />
competed in the 6m sailing class<br />
at the 1948 Olympic Games.<br />
Winning Words<br />
Earlier in the year pupils from Junior and Senior <strong>School</strong><br />
entered the Young Writer Competition, which was<br />
organised by Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland.<br />
Congratulations to Thomas Rainey (Transitus), who has<br />
won second prize in his category (poetry 11-13 years).<br />
The competition was awarded the Inspire mark by the london<br />
2012 Inspire programme and the theme was ‘Olympic Dreams’<br />
or ‘Olympic Spirit’. You can read Thomas’s poem, ‘King of the<br />
Hill’ at www.creativekilmacolm.org.
THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34 sChool neWs | 3<br />
Superheroes to the Rescue<br />
Children enjoyed learning how to create a six-frame cartoon story with the help<br />
of artists from the Glasgow Cartoon Art <strong>St</strong>udio at a series of workshops. Our<br />
superheroes rescued pupils from a blazing school hall, were dangled over tanks<br />
filled with man-eating fish and escaped the clutches of jelly-tentacled monsters.<br />
Community Workshops<br />
A highly successful ‘Writing from life’ workshop was followed up by an<br />
unscheduled session some weeks later at Glebe Court Sheltered Housing. Thank you<br />
to participant Patricia leitch and her carer, Maureen, for facilitating this.<br />
We have two workshops scheduled for children and young people later in the year.<br />
Who am I and Where am I?<br />
24 August, 4.00-5.30pm, Kilmacolm Community Centre<br />
Young People, 14-18 years , 15 max<br />
Jasper Fforde is a genre-busting writer. This a chance to challenge yourself and<br />
produce something amazing for your SQA English portfolio or maybe just for fun.<br />
www.jasperfforde.com<br />
everyday Magic<br />
6 October, 10.30am-12pm, Kilmacolm Community Centre<br />
Children , 8-13 years , 28 max<br />
As we approach the witching hour, a chance to hear Roy Gill read from his new book<br />
‘The Daemon Parallel’ and create your own parallel universe. www.roygill.com<br />
To take part in the workshop, please email Kirstin Zhang at creativecommunities@<br />
st-columbas.org<br />
Photography<br />
Competition<br />
We are delighted to announce that<br />
Mr Peter Sandground, an awardwinning<br />
freelance photographer,<br />
has kindly agreed to judge the 2012<br />
Photography Competition.<br />
The theme is ‘superheroes’.<br />
There will be a winner and runner up<br />
for each category:<br />
12-14 years – Winner £50,<br />
Runner-up £25<br />
15-18 years – Winner £75,<br />
Runner-up £50<br />
18 years & over – Winner £125,<br />
Runner-up £50<br />
The deadline for submission is<br />
Friday 31st August 2012.<br />
For full details please see the<br />
<strong>Creative</strong> <strong>Communities</strong> website<br />
www.creativekilmacolm.org<br />
<strong>St</strong> Columba’s <strong>School</strong> ltd is a registered charity SC012598
4 | ChARIty AnD CoMMunIty THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34<br />
Charity and Community<br />
SVI Volunteers<br />
Beth Fraser<br />
As part of a new initiative, a number of SVI pupils volunteered<br />
to help at Kilmacolm Primary <strong>School</strong> for an hour each week.<br />
Unsure of what would follow, we each ventured down to the<br />
school, where we were given a warm welcome and introduced<br />
to the teacher whom we would be assisting over the course of<br />
the year. I was assigned to Primary 4 and, aside from the odd<br />
‘<strong>St</strong> Cucumber’ joke, I was well received by the children. I have<br />
been involved in the various topics they have studied each<br />
term and have very much enjoyed getting to know them all on<br />
a personal level.<br />
From helping to construct Viking helmets, to getting tangled<br />
up in wool during an afternoon weaving session, it has<br />
certainly been a blast from the past and has very much<br />
reminded me of my Junior <strong>School</strong> days. I will be sad to say<br />
goodbye to the children at the end of the school year and<br />
urge the upcoming sixth years to give this a go, especially if<br />
they are considering teaching as a career. It is undoubtedly<br />
an experience that I shall not forget and many of the skills<br />
will prove useful as I begin university (although maybe not<br />
weaving!).<br />
Saddlebags 2012 Calendar<br />
Rosalind, Alastair & Ewan lauchland would like to thank all<br />
who purchased a copy of the Saddlebags 2012 calendar to raise<br />
funds for The Teenage Cancer Trust and Cancer Research UK.<br />
They particularly wish to thank the Parents Association and<br />
Mr & Mrs Mitchell of lynton House Dental Practice for their<br />
sponsorship, which was used to help cover the printing costs.<br />
A total of £6500 was raised and has been split between both<br />
charities.<br />
Earth Hour<br />
Alexander osborne<br />
On Friday 30th March, as part of Eco-Initiatives, teachers<br />
at Senior <strong>School</strong> were encouraged to use as little power as<br />
possible for the day. This was part of the worldwide event,<br />
Earth Hour, set up by the World Wildlife Fund. Some teachers<br />
turned off the lights and interactive whiteboards and<br />
discussed with pupils why they were doing so. Some went a<br />
lot further. Mrs McCaffer even banned the use of calculators<br />
in Geography and Mrs Shaw survived the whole day without<br />
paper, lights or electricity. This proved an interesting day,<br />
with classes literally thrown back to the ‘dark ages’. It showed<br />
us that climate change does not simply affect us, but has a<br />
knock-on effect on the natural world. We hope pupils were<br />
encouraged to take part in the global event the following day,<br />
which saw cities around the world plunged into darkness for<br />
one hour.<br />
Health and Wellbeing Film<br />
Pupils in SI and SII are currently working on a short film<br />
about Health and Wellbeing at <strong>St</strong> Columba’s. Volunteers from<br />
the lunchtime club have been very busy writing scripts and<br />
filming their own scenes, which are acted out in German,<br />
Spanish and French. Many thanks to the pupils in SIII-V who<br />
are giving up their time to help out. We look forward to the<br />
première of the finished film.<br />
Eco Week<br />
Eco Week has become a permanent fixture on the Senior<br />
<strong>School</strong> calendar. This year we were delighted to welcome<br />
Councillor Wilson to Assembly to launch the week and speak<br />
about environmental initiatives in Inverclyde. Teaching and<br />
learning had an Eco focus throughout the week and fun<br />
events were organised for lunchtimes. These included a sale<br />
of Fairtrade products, which raised over £200. Ms Rodger<br />
coordinated a jewellery recycling scheme, which raised around<br />
£100, and the annual Eco Quiz was won by Craigmarloch.<br />
SII pupils upcycled jumpers to create attractive cushions<br />
and SI Art classes worked with recycled materials to produce<br />
CityScapes. Our popular Freecycle event enabled pupils to<br />
exchange books and acquire reading material for the February<br />
break.<br />
Molly Cuthberts and Annalise Nixon (Transitus)<br />
with their eco-instruments
THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34 sChool | 5<br />
Ardgowan Hospice<br />
Duncan stewart<br />
Fiona Bell, Sarah Frederick and Duncan <strong>St</strong>ewart (SV) took part<br />
in a <strong>School</strong>s Project at Ardgowan Hospice. Pupils from a range<br />
of Inverclyde schools also attended and it was interesting to<br />
talk to other pupils who were interested in careers in similar<br />
fields, such as medicine. The first two weeks were focused on<br />
how the hospice was run and, in particular, dispelling common<br />
myths about hospices. The next section taught us about<br />
fundraising and how as little as 44% of the money required<br />
to run the hospice actually comes from the NHS. The rest,<br />
well over a million pounds, has to be found by the hospice’s<br />
fundraising team (so any donations are much appreciated!).<br />
The final two weeks of the course covered the more sombre<br />
topic of death. Although this was one of the more difficult<br />
conversations to have, it proved to be a very interesting topic.<br />
On the last day a priest who organises a lot of funerals,<br />
Father Carlin, came in to talk to us about his job and much<br />
to our surprise, was actually very funny and entertaining.<br />
Our involvement with Ardgowan is not over yet. We still have<br />
to make a presentation at the hospice in June to our parents<br />
and teachers about what we have learned during the project.<br />
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award<br />
The following pupils were awarded their Silver Award at<br />
Assembly by <strong>School</strong> Governor, Mr Hugh Curry:<br />
Hal la Thangue, Fiona Bell, Anna Provan, Megan Reilly,<br />
Emily Weir, Emma Findlay, Mark McGregor, Alexandra Findlay,<br />
Beth Reid and Hannah Kerr.<br />
Bronze, Silver and Gold teams have spent the last couple of<br />
months preparing for their respective hikes, which will take<br />
place in June.<br />
World <strong>School</strong>s Debating<br />
Championship<br />
Mrs stevens<br />
Earlier this year I was lucky enough to be selected to judge<br />
at the World <strong>School</strong>s Debating Championship in Capetown.<br />
The 48 countries represented at the Championships came from<br />
across the continents of Africa, Europe, N & S America and<br />
Australasia. Although it was disappointing not to have anyone<br />
from <strong>St</strong> Columba’s in the Scottish team, it was very exciting<br />
as the final in Capetown Cathedral was between Scotland and<br />
Wales. The motion in the final was:<br />
This House regrets South Africa’s decision to use the Truth and<br />
Reconciliation Commission rather than prosecuting perpetrators<br />
of crimes committed under Apartheid.<br />
Scotland won by 8 judges to 1.<br />
The breathtaking scenery of Table Mountain was always a<br />
backdrop to our journeys to different schools around Capetown<br />
to compete and one day, in complete contrast to much of what<br />
we had experienced in other schools, we visited the Township<br />
schools. Despite having read much about South Africa and<br />
the poverty of so many, nothing prepared me for the schools<br />
there and the enormous contrast between buildings with<br />
caged classrooms, iron bars on all the windows and doors and<br />
furniture padlocked, in case it disappeared, and the delightful<br />
pupils spotlessly turned out in immaculate white shirts and<br />
socks. As I sat at the back of one classroom while the debaters<br />
prepared, I had a fascinating conversation with a Year 10 boy,<br />
who showed me his spotless, carefully covered Maths jotter<br />
and his very neat homework with the few errors he had made<br />
neatly corrected; as I listened in stunned silence, he told me<br />
about his school and how he loved learning! There are not<br />
many wide-eyed Scottish 15-year-old boys who readily admit<br />
to loving learning.
6 | sChool THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34<br />
South Africa is a beautiful country to visit, with spectacular<br />
scenery and very relaxed and friendly people. Despite the<br />
intensity of the competition, we did have one free day after<br />
the preliminary rounds and before the break rounds, when the<br />
Scottish team chose to visit a game reserve. The four-hour plus<br />
bus journey inland was not an exciting prospect, but when we<br />
finally reached our destination and boarded our jeep for the<br />
day I really began to appreciate the experiences I had seen so<br />
often on television. Watching the elephants showering each<br />
other in a mud pool and the lions basking in the sunshine less<br />
than five feet from our jeep was an unforgettable experience<br />
and as our guide took us round to see rhinos, hippos, zebra,<br />
springbok, blue and white-tailed wildebeest, giraffes, cheetahs<br />
and wild buffalo the hours flew by, the cameras clicked and<br />
clicked and we felt our heads were on swivel-sticks as we<br />
responded to shouts of “look at that”, “ there is another<br />
hippo”and “can we follow that elephant to the watering hole?”<br />
The 4-hour journey back to Capetown passed in an orgy of<br />
wild life photographs and sheer amazement at the spectacular<br />
experience the reserve had been.<br />
On the second last evening, as the Scottish team prepared for<br />
the final, several of the teams and 20 judges went up Table<br />
Mountain to watch a most spectacular sunset. As darkness fell<br />
across Capetown and the lights lit up the city in the harbour<br />
way below us, berthed in port was the luxury liner, Queen<br />
Mary 2, the flagship of the Cunard fleet preparing to sail to<br />
Australia. It was a delightful evening, which left us relaxed<br />
before the tension of the final the following afternoon and<br />
Scotland’s victory.
THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34 FACulty neWs | 7<br />
Faculty news<br />
Art<br />
Paisley Art Institute schools’ Competition<br />
Congratulations to the following pupils:<br />
overall Winner (MacFarlane shield)<br />
Dominic Bogle (SI)<br />
sI – sII<br />
1st Jamie Wilson (SI)<br />
2nd Beth Galloway (SI)<br />
3rd Zoe Borland (SII)<br />
sIII – sVI<br />
1st Holly Gibson (SIII)<br />
2nd Saskia Robinson (SIII)<br />
3rd Melissa Rankin (SIII)<br />
j4-7<br />
1st Tara Patel<br />
A selection of work is being exhibited at the gallery until the<br />
10th of June to coincide with the annual exhibition. You can find<br />
out more about the PAI at www.paisleyartinstitute.org.uk<br />
Biennial Art show<br />
Amateur and professional artists will be exhibiting their<br />
work once again at our biennial Art Show on Saturday 15th<br />
September. A wide range of art will be on display, so why not<br />
come along to look or even buy!<br />
The painting below was produced by Iga Martynow (SV).<br />
English<br />
Inter-house Poetry Competition (Gregor Keir)<br />
Now in its fourth year, the annual inter-house poetry recital<br />
competition was once again judged by Mrs Sommerville.<br />
The winner in the SI-II category was Maryka Cain (SI), while<br />
Gregor Keir (SIV) and <strong>St</strong>uart MacQueen (SVI) were both<br />
winners for Kilallan. A performance of the winning poems<br />
made for a very interesting assembly. <strong>St</strong>uart’s “honest,<br />
sonsie face” graced the stage, entertaining the audience<br />
with a superb rendition of the Burns classic “To a Haggis”.<br />
The haggis in question, however, was slightly unconventional,<br />
consisting of a carrier bag and some (hopefully clean) socks.<br />
Gregor’s performance of Edwin Morgan’s “Good Friday” saw<br />
a philosophical, though slightly inebriated, gentleman on a<br />
Glasgow bus temporarily take over assembly, while Maryka<br />
gave an excellent recital of J.M. Caie’s “The Puddock”, the<br />
tale of an ebullient frog who believes that there’s never been<br />
one better than himself, only to find that he makes nothing<br />
more than a small snack for the heron who swallows him up.<br />
Thanks are due to the English Department for organising the<br />
event and to Mrs Sommerville for acting as judge.<br />
the elizabeth earnshaw Prize<br />
The Elizabeth Earnshaw Prize for imaginative fiction has been<br />
won by Jessica Curry in the SI/II category, Saskia Robinson in<br />
SIII/IV and Katrina Holbrook in SV/VI. All English students<br />
in the school took part and used a number of pieces of music,<br />
helpfully supplied by the Music Department, and a variety of<br />
interesting pictures as stimuli for their pieces. The standard<br />
was very high across the school and the winning entries<br />
displayed a high level of imagination and literary ability.
8 | FACulty neWs THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34<br />
the Burns Project<br />
For a number of years the English Faculty has asked SII pupils<br />
to complete a piece of work on ‘Tam o’Shanter’. This work<br />
should display the themes, images and central concerns of the<br />
poem in an imaginative way. Pupils are therefore asked to use<br />
their knowledge of the text to create something different that<br />
displays their own understanding and makes themselves and<br />
others think about the poem. For the first time this year the<br />
scope of the project was broadened to allow SI and SIII to take<br />
part. SI and SIII looked at a variety of poems with a common<br />
theme and used their knowledge of these to produce a creative<br />
response. The best pieces of work in each year group were<br />
awarded small prizes and the winners this year were: Jessica<br />
Curry (SI), lewis White (SII) and Saskia Robinson (SIII).<br />
Geography<br />
Red Cross Visit (Garth Finch)<br />
The SII Geography class was visited by a member of the Red<br />
Cross, who taught us about ‘Emergency Rescue’ or in other<br />
words, the reaction to a natural disaster. We were given<br />
photographs which we had to sort into order – to show which<br />
situations seemed most like an emergency rescue. To our<br />
surprise, we discovered that all the photographs showed forms<br />
of emergency rescue. We were then given cards which we<br />
once again had to sort into order of importance in the shape<br />
of a pyramid, the top point being the most important. After a<br />
debate we realised how many things are crucial when aiding<br />
people in the midst of a natural disaster. The visit ended with<br />
the story of a young boy caught up in a disaster. It was very<br />
frightening to read. We enjoyed the visit very much and are<br />
grateful to the Red Cross for teaching us about an exceedingly<br />
important matter.<br />
Science<br />
scottish space school<br />
Edward <strong>St</strong>irrup and Alex Wren (SV) have been accepted for the<br />
Scottish Space <strong>School</strong>. This will take place during the summer<br />
holidays.<br />
Music & Drama<br />
sweet sound of success<br />
Congratulations to the following pupils who have successfully<br />
auditioned for NYCoS:<br />
Boys’ training Choir Jamie Ewing<br />
Boys’ Choir Marcus Wylie<br />
Alastair Smith<br />
Gavin Findlay<br />
Girls’ training Choir Ciara Ewing<br />
Catriona Faint<br />
Rowan MacKillop<br />
Girls’ Choir lucy Bishop<br />
Sophie <strong>St</strong>uart-Menteth<br />
Fiona Faint<br />
Olivia McNee<br />
Changed Voices’ Choir Luca Hlaing<br />
training Choir Rebecca Anderson<br />
Luca Hlaing<br />
nyCos Melissa Meighan<br />
In addition, Clare Eagle (SVI) has been awarded the<br />
DipABRSM. She passed Associated Board Grade 8 with
THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34 FACulty neWs | 9<br />
Distinction in SIV. Ms Carey, Director of Music, said, “Most<br />
musicians aspire to pass Grade 8 by the time they reach<br />
Senior VI. To have achieved the diploma, which is incredibly<br />
demanding, is a statement, not only of Clare’s musical talent,<br />
but her dedication.”<br />
Clare said, “I’m delighted, but surprised. The jump from Grade<br />
8 to the diploma was huge. I wasn’t confident I could do it.”<br />
As part of the exam Clare had to perform a thirty-five minute<br />
programme. However, Clare has had plenty of experience of<br />
performing at a high level. Apart from her solo at the school’s<br />
recent concert in Greenock Town Hall, she was invited in<br />
November to perform with the Royal Scottish National<br />
Orchestra during a concert for Scottish schools, which was<br />
held at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow. On this occasion she<br />
played violin.<br />
Clare attends the Junior Department of the Royal Scottish<br />
Conservatoire, where she studies piano and violin. She<br />
practises three hours of piano and one hour of violin every day.<br />
When she has time, she also plays the cello.<br />
Inverclyde Music Festival<br />
Duncan Brown trophy (awarded to the competitor with<br />
the best aggregate marks in bagpipe classes in the age group<br />
16 and under) – Sandy Ritchie<br />
the A. Willis Calder Memorial trophy (awarded for the best<br />
performance by any girl or boy entrant in appropriate vocal<br />
solo classes) – Melissa Meighan<br />
the jack Paterson Memorial shield (awarded to the best<br />
solo instrumental performer in the age group 7-11 years) –<br />
Kedar Crossan<br />
the McCaig Quaich (awarded to the competitor with the<br />
best aggregate marks in bagpipe classes in age group 14 and<br />
under) – Keir Brown<br />
All results can be found on the <strong>School</strong> website in the Music<br />
Department news section.<br />
trinity Results – March 2012<br />
sophie ewing Piano Initial Distinction<br />
Aidan hendry Piano Initial Distinction<br />
Catriona lindsay Piano Initial Distinction<br />
Grace Mcloughlin Piano Initial Distinction<br />
sophia Guyler Piano Initial Merit<br />
Keder Crossan Piano Grade 1 Distinction<br />
Matthew Brodlie Piano Grade 1 Distinction<br />
holly Pitts Piano Grade 2 Distinction<br />
Amy Drysdale-Dykes Piano Grade 3 Distinction<br />
Molly Cuthbertson Piano Grade 3 Merit<br />
thomas Rainey Piano Grade 3 Distinction<br />
jamie Beverstock Piano Grade 3 Merit<br />
Will Fleming Trumpet Grade 3 Distinction<br />
Kim Crawford Trumpet Grade 3 Merit<br />
Amy Crawford Piano Grade 4 Merit<br />
Duncan stewart Clarinet Grade 5 Distinction<br />
Fiona Faint Clarinet Grade 5 Pass<br />
Gregor Keir Piano Grade 6 Merit<br />
Caitlin Girdwood Flute Grade 6 Merit<br />
Kirsty harper Clarinet Grade 6 Distinction<br />
Associated Board of the Royal schools of Music<br />
ewan Davidson Clarinet Grade 1 Merit<br />
emily lee Flute Grade 2 Distinction<br />
Rhona McPhail Flute Grade 4 Pass<br />
nicole hall Flute Grade 4 Merit
10 | sPoRt AnD PhysICAl eDuCAtIon THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34<br />
sport and Physical education<br />
Lachlann at British<br />
Tumbling Championships<br />
lachlann Murphy (J6) won the grade 1, 11-12 years old,<br />
Scottish Tumbling Championships and subsequently<br />
represented Scotland at level 3 in the British Tumbling<br />
Championships.<br />
<strong>St</strong> Columba’s Junior<br />
Gymnastics Competition<br />
2012<br />
lucy McClymont 1st=<br />
lachlann Murphy 1st=<br />
Rachel Bannatyne 2nd<br />
Catherine jones 3rd =<br />
Anastasia Denholm 3rd=<br />
Scottish Secondary<br />
<strong>School</strong>s’ Cross Country<br />
Championships<br />
laura <strong>St</strong>ark won the Under-14 individual gold medal and<br />
<strong>St</strong> Columba’s <strong>School</strong> took team gold at the Scottish Secondary<br />
<strong>School</strong>s’ Cross Country Championships. The team consists<br />
of laura <strong>St</strong>ark, Iona Miller, Catriona Allan and Jessica Curry.<br />
laura subsequently represented Scotland in the British<br />
<strong>School</strong>s’ International Cross Country event.<br />
Scottish Primary <strong>School</strong>s’<br />
Cross Country<br />
Congratulations to all 18 <strong>St</strong> Columba’s athletes who took part<br />
in the Scottish Primary <strong>School</strong>s’ Cross Country Championships.<br />
Kim Crawford ran a fantastic race and won an individual gold in<br />
the J6 race and the J6 girls won team bronze. The team consisted<br />
of Kim Crawford, Katrina Miller, Sarah Wilson, Anastasia<br />
Denholm and Olivia Saddler. The J6 boys, David Martin,<br />
Ross Wilson, Cameron <strong>St</strong>ark, Cameron McPhail and Andrew<br />
Smith, were 8th, the Transitus girls, Molly Cuthbertson, Anna<br />
Campbell, Annaliese Nixon, Rachael Curry and Amy Crawford,<br />
were 13th and the Transitus boys, Jonathan Bradford, Rowan<br />
Gibson and Cameron Marr, were 18th.<br />
South West Hockey Cup<br />
<strong>St</strong> Columba’s won the South West Cup for the tenth year in a<br />
row, captained by Kirstin Bailey. The team thus qualified to<br />
play in the Scottish finals at Peffermill.<br />
Team: laurie Kirkland, Kirsten Bailey, Karina Bailey, Sarah<br />
Frederick, Abi Robb, Beth Nandwani, Katie McAlpine, louise<br />
Binning, Morven MacEwen, Megan Reilly, Anna Provan, Jenny<br />
Pirrie, Caitlin Girdwood, Megan Hammond and Amy McIntyre
THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34 sPoRt AnD PhysICAl eDuCAtIon | 11<br />
Interhouse Hockey<br />
Kilallan was overall hockey champion this year with<br />
Craigmarloch 2nd, Duchal 3rd and <strong>St</strong>rathgryffe 4th.<br />
Junior <strong>School</strong> Swimming<br />
Championships<br />
Open butterfly competition (for all swimmers from J4-6)<br />
Girls winner Kim Crawford<br />
new school record of 17.96 seconds<br />
Boys winner Calvin Wardell<br />
new school record of 16.67 seconds<br />
Championship event<br />
(3 lengths, 1 back crawl, 1 breaststroke and 1 front crawl)<br />
Girls Champion Kim Crawford<br />
Boys Champion Calvin Wardell<br />
Winning house<br />
<strong>St</strong>rathgryffe<br />
j6 Girls back crawl<br />
Kim Crawford with a new time of 18.29 sec<br />
j6 Boys back crawl<br />
Calvin Wardell with a new time of 18.92 sec<br />
j6 Boys breaststroke<br />
Calvin Wardell with a new time of 20.82 sec<br />
j5 Boys back crawl<br />
lewis Heasly equalling the time of 20.39 sec<br />
Junior <strong>School</strong> swimming champions (Calvin Wardell and Kim Crawford)<br />
and the winning house captains holding the swimming shield (Jordan<br />
Wotherspoon and Lucy McClymont for <strong>St</strong>rathgryffe).
12 | sPoRt AnD PhysICAl eDuCAtIon THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34<br />
Netball<br />
Gillian Beggs<br />
<strong>St</strong> Columba’s A and B netball teams competed in the<br />
Inverclyde Spring Netball league at Greenock Sports Centre.<br />
It was a two-part tournament involving around 18 teams from<br />
across Inverclyde. The girls played extremely well in the first<br />
round of matches, with the A team winning all their games,<br />
securing them a place in the second part of the tournament.<br />
<strong>St</strong> Columba’s B team showed great determination and hard<br />
work, finishing in third place and only narrowly missing out<br />
on a spot for the finals. Subsequently <strong>St</strong> Columba’s A team<br />
played against five other teams, achieving four wins and one<br />
draw, which gave them the highest score in the competition.<br />
The girls were delighted to defend this particular title for a<br />
third consecutive year. Mrs Connolly and I were very pleased<br />
to see the girls demonstrating both a positive attitude and<br />
good sportsmanship at this event.<br />
Squash<br />
Jack Smillie (SI), who only started playing in February<br />
last year, has gained a place in the West Scotland<br />
development squad. He represented the West of<br />
Scotland at the Junior Inter Regionals at under-13<br />
level, competing against juniors from six<br />
regions in Scotland. He also won his division<br />
at the Central and West tournaments, where<br />
players from all regions in Scotland compete.<br />
Sailing<br />
lewis Marr (SIII) has been selected to join<br />
the Bank of Scotland local Heroes programme<br />
run in conjunction with Sport Aid. lewis sails a<br />
Topper sailing dinghy and has been a member of<br />
the Scotland National Topper Squad for three years<br />
and this year is a member<br />
of the GBR Intermediate<br />
National Topper Squad.<br />
lewis recently joined<br />
other athletes at the<br />
Marriott Hotel in Glasgow<br />
to receive his Sport Aid<br />
Award, followed by a<br />
Bank of Scotland local<br />
Heroes workshop at<br />
Scotstoun Sports Centre.<br />
The workshop, which was<br />
hugely motivational for<br />
all, covered areas such<br />
as learning how to deal<br />
with media attention,<br />
the use of social media<br />
and the benefits of<br />
sports psychology. The<br />
day involved former<br />
Olympians leon Taylor<br />
(diving) and Jonathan<br />
Edwards (triple jump) and<br />
present Olympian lee McConnell (athletics), who gave an<br />
insight into the dedication and perseverance needed to reach<br />
the top as an athlete.<br />
With the Olympics in July, it is an exciting year to be involved<br />
with the local Heroes programme and the athletes even<br />
managed to get their hands on the Olympic Torch.<br />
British <strong>School</strong>s’<br />
Karting Championship<br />
<strong>St</strong> Columba’s karting team, Tom Thickpenny, Glen Fraser<br />
and lewis Marr (SIII) came second in the Regional Heat of<br />
the British <strong>School</strong>s’ Karting Championship and qualified for<br />
the Regional (Scottish) Final. Unfortunately, the Regional<br />
(Scottish) Final was held in Edinburgh when Tom was<br />
competing in Italy and they were unable to attend.
THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34 sPoRt AnD PhysICAl eDuCAtIon | 13<br />
Rugby<br />
Most Improved – Alexander Bascetta<br />
Captain’s shield – Gregor MacEwen<br />
Player of the season – Ker Malcolm & Sean Yacoubian<br />
Hockey<br />
Most Improved – Megan Reilly<br />
Captain’s shield – Kirstin Bailey<br />
Goalkeeper’s shield – laurie Kirkland<br />
Player of the season – Kirstin Bailey<br />
High Jump<br />
Hayley Skimming (SIII) recently took first place in the<br />
Under-15 high jump at an event at Kelvinside Academy.<br />
Overall, she is now 8th in Scotland. Hayley is a member of the<br />
Giffnock North Athletics Club.<br />
Castle Semple<br />
Rowing Regatta<br />
<strong>St</strong> Columba’s pupils enjoyed success at the Castle Semple<br />
Rowing Club Regatta, the largest one-day Rowing Regatta in<br />
Scotland. Congratulations to:<br />
harry Rodgers – J12 open single – 2nd<br />
Katie Rodgers – J14 Double – 3rd, J14coxed quad – 3rd<br />
Megan Connolly – J15 single- 4th,<br />
Womans Novice Coxed Quad – 1st<br />
Chloe lyth – J18 single – 4th, Womans Novice Double – 1st<br />
Chris leiberman, who has only been rowing for a month,<br />
took part in the Men’s Novice coxed Quad – 4th and the Mens<br />
Novice Double and were 4th in their Heat (first three to final).<br />
Katie, Megan and Chloe were part of the winning crew in<br />
the Womans Novice 8. Chloe and Megan have now lost their<br />
novice status in Sculling and are now row under R1 <strong>St</strong>atus.<br />
Sports Dinner<br />
We were joined by Scotland and Glasgow Warrior rugby<br />
players Ed Kalman and Johnnie Beattie. They provided an<br />
informative and amusing insight into the day-to-day life of a<br />
full-time professional rugby player and the commitment and<br />
dedication required to make it to the top of their chosen sport.<br />
During the evening a number of pupils were also recognised<br />
for their sporting achievements throughout the season.
14 | junIoR sChool THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34<br />
A note from Mrs Cook<br />
It is hard to believe that as I write this, I have only eight<br />
weeks left before I retire as head of junior school. It is a<br />
time of mixed emotions. I am, of course, very excited about<br />
having more time to spend with my family, in particular<br />
the three new grandchildren who are expected in the next<br />
few months, but I will be really sad to leave what has been<br />
such a huge part of my life over the last twelve years.<br />
I have obviously been spending a lot of time reflecting over<br />
the last few months. Both education and the <strong>School</strong> have<br />
undergone huge change. There has been the implementation<br />
of the Curriculum for Excellence and enormous developments<br />
in technology. I am so proud of what we have achieved<br />
and in the capacity of the staff to embrace new initiatives.<br />
The sense of teamwork within the <strong>School</strong> is wonderful and all<br />
the teachers really look out for each other, both professionally<br />
and personally. As Mrs Duncan establishes her new team,<br />
I know that she will continue to build upon this crucial part<br />
of the <strong>School</strong>. Our new appointments have all been made<br />
and I am confident that this is the beginning of a new and<br />
successful stage in the history of the <strong>School</strong>. It has been<br />
wonderful to have the opportunity to work with Mrs Duncan<br />
to ensure a successful transition period.<br />
I will miss the children so much – their innocence and<br />
enthusiasm for all that is on offer. I have so many happy<br />
memories of their comments and throw away remarks!<br />
It is always a pleasure to see the pupils in Senior <strong>School</strong><br />
and remember them when they were just innocents in<br />
Junior <strong>School</strong>!<br />
Easter Eggcentricity<br />
With so much going on in the school, there has been little<br />
chance of winding down this session, indeed far from it.<br />
I thought last term’s concert was a great success. However,<br />
having seen how emotional I became at the end, I don’t<br />
hold out much hope for a tear-free prizegiving! I have lots of<br />
goodbyes to say and I hope I will have opportunities to say<br />
them personally to the many friends of <strong>St</strong> Columba’s, but to<br />
those I will not see, may I say thank you for the support you<br />
have given me over the years. I wish this very special school<br />
continuing success in the future.
THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34 junIoR sChool | 15<br />
Review of The Keymaster<br />
Mark Connolly, j6<br />
Pupils from Junior 4, 5 and 6 staged a production of The<br />
Keymaster by Nick Perrin and it proved to be a fun and thrilling<br />
adventure for those involved.<br />
The play tells the story of a class of unruly schoolchildren<br />
whose view of history as boring is completely transformed<br />
when a strange, cool and quirky supply teacher comes to the<br />
school. He takes them on a rollercoaster journey with his<br />
magical set of keys and timelock, transporting them back in<br />
time to different key points in history. However, it is not until<br />
they travel to the future and see the devastation that has been<br />
caused by man that they realize they can use the keys to go<br />
back in time and save the planet.<br />
As well as having an important message about the need to<br />
look after our planet, the play also had some brilliant acting,<br />
some very catchy songs and some great comedy, which had<br />
the audience howling with laughter.<br />
All in all, I believe that The Keymaster was a success. Although<br />
during rehearsals there were some frayed tempers, I think<br />
that, in the end, we all pulled through and gave an outstanding<br />
performance. As a result, we received a great amount of<br />
positive feedback from all who saw it. It’s true that every<br />
actor and back-stage helper was weary after each show, but<br />
we all had a ball and if I, the Keymaster, really did have magic<br />
powers, I would go back in time and do it all over again.<br />
The Keymaster programme was designed by Kim Crawford (J6)
16 | junIoR sChool THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34<br />
Eco News<br />
Ashleigh Blyth’s mother donated a plum tree to the Junior<br />
<strong>School</strong> and it is doing very well. We are hoping to get lots of<br />
plums this year!<br />
We are hoping to carry out lots of work around the school<br />
grounds in the summer term and have a Saturday event<br />
(details to follow). One of the jobs is to build the greenhouse<br />
we bought with our Morrisons vouchers.<br />
Six Nations Rugby Mascots<br />
Radovan Sarafilovic (J5) and Alistair Currie (J1) represented<br />
Scotland as mascots at the recent Scotland v France Six<br />
Nations match held at Murrayfield. They described their day<br />
as “exciting” and were presented with a Scotland rugby strip<br />
and a signed programme as souvenirs of the event. They stood<br />
in front of the Scotland team during the national anthem and<br />
were then given great seats from which they had a good view<br />
of the game. Despite the result, both Radovan and Alistair<br />
enjoyed their day.<br />
Prep<br />
The Prep children and their parents enjoyed dancing at our<br />
Katie Morag Celebration. The children also went on an Easter<br />
egg hunt with their J5 buddies. Great fun was had by everyone.<br />
Junior 1<br />
We have enjoyed having Mummys and Daddys join us for our<br />
active learning. The most popular activities so far have been<br />
playing in the “gloop”, making models from junk and using<br />
real saws and hammers! Our topic this term is ‘Percy the Park<br />
Keeper’ and we have changed our home corner into Percy’s<br />
shed. The children are growing cress seed heads and designing<br />
their own seed packets in the shed.
THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34 junIoR sChool | 17<br />
Junior 2<br />
The children in Junior Two welcomed some visitors to<br />
their classroom. In January Dr lew-Chin Chee Crawford,<br />
parent of Gregor, came in to talk about the Chinese New Year.<br />
She brought with her some beautiful Chinese clothes and<br />
other interesting items to share with the children. They were<br />
particularly delighted to be given a traditional money wallet,<br />
containing a chocolate coin.<br />
In March the children were visited by storyteller Susan Wilson<br />
and her little ‘assistant’, Onion. They were enthralled by her<br />
tales and enjoyed taking an active role in helping to bring her<br />
stories to life.<br />
Junior 3<br />
Junior 3’s World Book Day had an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ theme.<br />
The children and staff dressed up as characters from the book.<br />
The children made sandwiches and decorated biscuits to have<br />
at the ‘Mad Hatter’s Tea Party’ in the afternoon. Everyone had<br />
a lovely time eating and chatting politely.<br />
Junior 3 also enjoyed a visit from Badger the Mystical Mutt<br />
and his author. The author read from the book and answered<br />
questions about Badger and his friends. The children really<br />
enjoyed meeting Badger and were very inspired by the story.<br />
Junior 4<br />
Fairtrade stall<br />
Junior 4 learned about Fairtrade as part of their Healthy Eating<br />
topic. The children organised and ran a Fairtrade stall selling a<br />
range of goods, from delicious chocolate to jewellery and toys.<br />
The goods were supplied by Rainbow Turtle – the Fairtrade<br />
shop in Paisley.<br />
Running the stall also gave the Junior 4 children a great<br />
chance to practise their money skills. Everyone in Junior<br />
<strong>School</strong> had the opportunity to visit the stall and it was so<br />
popular that many products were sold out by the middle of the<br />
week! In total we sold £1,111.30 of Fairtrade goods, which was<br />
an amazing result.<br />
Diamond jubilee healthy eating Café<br />
The parents of Junior 4 children were treated to a Healthy<br />
Eating Café fit for a Queen. As well as enjoying cucumber<br />
sandwiches, strawberry tarts and fruit cocktails, the parents<br />
were treated to a medley of songs, poems, jokes and facts<br />
about Healthy Eating.<br />
Jack Patton in Junior 4H came up with the idea of inviting Her<br />
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to the café. He felt she must know<br />
quite a lot about healthy eating. On behalf of the rest of Junior<br />
4, Jack wrote to the Queen to invite her and we were all thrilled<br />
when he received a reply. Unfortunately the Queen wasn’t<br />
able to join us on this occasion, but the children had a lot of<br />
fun making red, white and blue decorations for the café in<br />
celebration of her Diamond Jubilee.
18 | junIoR sChool THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34<br />
Junior 5<br />
Junior 5 are currently studying electricity and forces as part<br />
of the Junior <strong>School</strong> Science curriculum. The first experiment<br />
involved investigating static electricity using a woolly item<br />
and two balloons. When the children rubbed their woolly item<br />
on the balloon, the wool lost electrons, developing a positive<br />
charge. The balloon therefore gained electrons, developing<br />
a negative charge. The children learned that positively and<br />
negatively charged objects were attracted to one another and<br />
that two negatively charged balloons repelled. The children<br />
had fun exploring the effects of a negatively charged balloon<br />
on their hair!<br />
Junior 6<br />
Junior 6 have been studying Robert Burns as a topic and<br />
visited the Burns Birthplace Museum and Burns Cottage.<br />
A guided walk between the two sites took them along Poet’s<br />
Path, which depicts the story of Tam O’ Shanter, as well to<br />
Alloway Auld Kirk and Brig O’ Doon, which both feature in the<br />
poem. The children also got to see what life was like in Burns’<br />
time with a chance to dress up and take part in some role play.<br />
The Glasgow Science Centre Body Works tour came to visit<br />
the Junior <strong>School</strong> as part of their topic on the Human Body.<br />
The children were entertained and educated with a show<br />
about body systems and how they can maintain a healthy<br />
body through sport participation, regular exercise and a<br />
healthy diet. After the show the children got the chance to try<br />
out some Science Centre exhibits.<br />
Transitus Report<br />
This term Transitus gave a presentation on their favourite<br />
books. The talks were very interesting and we found out a<br />
lot about pupils’ favourite books. We also did a presentation<br />
on a renewable energy source. We had a choice between<br />
posters, newspaper articles and power points to present the<br />
advantages and disadvantages of renewable energy. This was<br />
held in Physics lessons at Senior <strong>School</strong>.<br />
The athletics season has started and we are having a great<br />
time with our championship well under way. We will soon find<br />
out who will become the Transitus sports champions.<br />
We have also entered a competition for Home Economics.<br />
This was a hygiene competition to see how clean we can keep<br />
while cooking. This competition was held by Sainsbury’s and<br />
was extremely good fun.<br />
In language we have been reading the ‘The Wind in the<br />
Willows’ by Kenneth Grahame. We acted out and freeze<br />
framed some scenes from the playscript. This was fun and<br />
entertaining.
THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34 junIoR DeVeloPMent sChool | 19<br />
Development<br />
The Board of Governors has now concluded missives for the<br />
purchase of land on the Milton Wood site adjacent to the rear<br />
of Senior <strong>School</strong>. The land would be purchased subject to<br />
planning consent for an extension to the Senior <strong>School</strong>.<br />
At the time of going to print the <strong>School</strong> had submitted an<br />
application for planning consent in principle to Inverlcyde Council<br />
and was in the midst of a 21-day period for lodging comments<br />
related to the application. We were delighted that Kilmacolm<br />
Community Council decided to support the <strong>School</strong>’s application.<br />
In summary<br />
• The extension would create space to allow Transitus pupils<br />
to return to Senior <strong>School</strong>.<br />
• Modern accommodation would be provided: science<br />
laboratories and preparation rooms, classrooms and<br />
teachers’ bases for English and Mathematics, a Drama<br />
studio, a new entrance to the <strong>School</strong> with reception and<br />
offices, medical room and much needed toilet, locker and<br />
changing facilities.<br />
• This would allow a reorganisation of the old building to<br />
accommodate the languages and Humanities faculties.<br />
Social areas for the children would also be created.<br />
• The school roll will not increase; the size of the <strong>School</strong> is at<br />
the heart of the <strong>School</strong>’s character and ethos.<br />
• The <strong>School</strong> wishes to remain within the heart of the village.<br />
• The building would be on a relatively small site (less than<br />
two Hectares) behind the former police house and opposite<br />
the existing buildings on Gryffe Road; the school building<br />
would be adjacent to the woodland.<br />
• The plans are sympathetic to a woodland setting; the<br />
character of the site would be retained with the building<br />
nestling into the existing surroundings with the removal of<br />
only 4 mature trees.<br />
• The new facilities would be available to the community<br />
including a community car park of 33 spaces which the<br />
overwhelming voice of the village requested.<br />
• Pedestrian access to the woods would still be available<br />
throughout the construction process.<br />
• The entrance to the site on lochwinnoch Road will be<br />
altered to reduce the widths of the roadway and establish a<br />
pedestrian path.<br />
• Construction traffic would not be permitted to enter or leave<br />
the site during times when children are walking to and from<br />
school.<br />
• The <strong>School</strong> is in contact with Inverclyde Council with a<br />
view to arranging for a Crossing Attendant to patrol the<br />
entrance to Duchal Avenue. The Safe Route to <strong>School</strong> would<br />
be unchanged.<br />
• <strong>St</strong>aff cars would enter the site by Duchal Avenue. A total<br />
of 47 parking spaces would be available; this will reduce<br />
significantly congestion on Duchal, Gryffe and lyle Roads.<br />
• <strong>School</strong> buses would continue to arrive and depart from<br />
Gryffe Road – not lochwinnoch Road.<br />
• The pupil entrance would be by Gryffe Road – all droppingoff<br />
and collecting including school buses would be by this<br />
entrance only.<br />
• This is a sole application by <strong>St</strong> Columba’s and is not related<br />
to other applications anywhere in Kilmacolm.<br />
• The <strong>School</strong>’s planning application is for educational<br />
facilities – not residential housing.<br />
• The width of the access road is that which is required<br />
for staff and community car parks together with service<br />
and emergency vehicles. This size of road will be required<br />
regardless of any future aspirations of Duchal Estate.<br />
• Kilmacolm Primary <strong>School</strong>, when it was built, was on land<br />
designated at the time as ‘Greenbelt’ and, more recently,<br />
Inverclyde Council approved the building of Inverclyde<br />
Academy and Gourock Primary <strong>School</strong> on land designated as<br />
‘Green Open Spaces’.<br />
• Previous applications for housing have been denied.<br />
• In developing its plans the <strong>School</strong> entered into a<br />
consultation exercise with a number of groups within<br />
the community, including the Community Council, the<br />
Civic Trust and neighbours. Meetings with these groups<br />
took place again in April and May to confirm how the<br />
consultation exercise shaped the proposal. During the<br />
consultation process the <strong>School</strong> also engaged with both<br />
the parental body and the wider community, through local<br />
publications and a week-long exhibition in Kilmacolm<br />
Community Centre, and in general received very positive<br />
support for the plans.<br />
Financial Assistance Fundraiser<br />
A golf event was held at Kilmacolm Golf Club to raise funds<br />
to provide financial support for children who would not<br />
otherwise be able to access a <strong>St</strong> Columba’s education and to<br />
provide hardship support for school families.<br />
Following a bacon roll and coffee, fourteen teams of parents,<br />
business partners, staff, former parents and former pupils<br />
teed off in the Texas Scramble. The day was rounded off by<br />
a fabulous lunch at the club house, a raffle and prizegiving.<br />
Notable prize winners included Iain Findlay’s team (the Old<br />
<strong>St</strong>iffies). In second place came Sandy Binning’s team and in<br />
third place was Graham Cunning’s team (the Tartan Terrors).<br />
The scores were tight, the last placed team having a net 64…<br />
so proper golfers on the course! Fiona Malcolm was the winner<br />
of the longest ladies’ drive.<br />
The event raised just over £7,000. Thank you to everyone who<br />
supported this very worthwhile cause.
20 | FoRMeR PuPIls AnD FRIenDs THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34<br />
President’s update<br />
hello and welcome to the Former Pupils and Friends<br />
section of the Columban. It’s unbelievable to think the<br />
school year is nearly over and another sixth year is about<br />
to join us as former pupils of st Columba’s school. We wish<br />
them the best of luck for the future – please remember to<br />
keep in touch.<br />
On 31st March we had a wonderful day for the FP rugby and<br />
hockey matches – the weather was very kind to us, if not a<br />
little chilly! We had a fantastic turnout – well done and thank<br />
you to all of those who made the effort to come along; it was<br />
lovely to see you all. The committee would like to take this<br />
opportunity to say a huge thanks to Heather Glass (Crawford)<br />
and Gillian leitch (Smith) for all their help on the day.<br />
It was great to see some former pupils playing in the<br />
<strong>St</strong> Columba’s <strong>School</strong> Golf Day at Kilmacolm Golf Club in<br />
April, which was arranged by Sara Bishop – Alison Adams<br />
(Burns), Norah Adams (Brown), Blair Williamson, David<br />
Slack and <strong>St</strong>uart Thomson, to name a few.<br />
Our AGM was held in March. Unfortunately we did not have<br />
a great attendance, but we would like to thank those who did<br />
come along.<br />
The FP Association has taken the decision to support a charity<br />
annually in the same way that the <strong>School</strong> has done for many<br />
years. We will select a specific charity each year, which will<br />
be different from the one chosen by school. The charity will<br />
hopefully always have an association with a former pupil and<br />
FP& <strong>School</strong> Matches<br />
The annual Former Pupils and <strong>School</strong> Matches took place on<br />
Saturday 31st March and thankfully, this year, nothing was<br />
rained off… the sun even shone!<br />
The <strong>School</strong> Pipe Band paraded the teams on to the pitches,<br />
which always adds to the occasion. A fantastic number of<br />
supporters turned out to cheer the teams on and all enjoyed<br />
refreshments in Junior <strong>School</strong> following the matches.<br />
Results<br />
hockey<br />
Winning team – Former Pupils (Capt: <strong>St</strong>ephanie Kirkland),<br />
3-0. Man of the Match – Gillian Green (Soutar)<br />
Rugby<br />
Winning school team – Captain’s Team (Capt: Gregor<br />
MacEwen), 34-0. Man of the Match – Gregor MacEwen<br />
Winning FP team – FP Team A (Capt: Jamie McDonald),<br />
12-10. Man of the Match – Hugh Gillies<br />
As mentioned in the President’s Update, Calum Yacoubian, a<br />
former pupil and medical student, talked of his charity work<br />
with The Sanata Trust. His parents, Paul and Paula Yacoubian,<br />
have also visited the programme.<br />
most importantly, have an emphasis on education. We will be<br />
organising events, big and small, to help fundraise. This year<br />
we have chosen The Sanata Trust in Kenya. It was brought<br />
to our attention by Calum Yacoubian, our Head Boy of 2006.<br />
The Sanata Trust runs an orphanage and school in Gilgil,<br />
Kenya. They help orphaned babies and children by taking<br />
them off the streets and supporting them into education.<br />
Calum visited the orphanage during his elective year from<br />
medical school and was incredibly moved by the work that<br />
they were doing. We started fund raising at the FP rugby and<br />
hockey matches and made a fantastic £700.<br />
Our main social event this year is the House of Commons<br />
lunch on Saturday 3rd November. This event is proving to be<br />
extremely popular and we look forward to seeing lots of you<br />
there. Places are going very fast, so please get in touch soon if<br />
you are interested in going.<br />
Thanks to everyone who has sent in updates for this<br />
Columban – remember if you have anything of interest,<br />
please let us know – it’s great to hear from you. Email<br />
fps@st-columbas.org or write to the FP Association at<br />
Senior <strong>School</strong>.<br />
Please also keep in touch on Facebook –<br />
www.facebook.com/stcolumbasfpfriends.<br />
Kind regards<br />
The FP Committee<br />
Ros Davidson with Sean Yacoubian, <strong>St</strong>ephanie Kirkland and<br />
Calum Yacoubian
THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34 FoRMeR PuPIls | 21<br />
Sanata Restart Centre is a haven for about 70 less fortunate or<br />
abandoned street boys in Gilgil. It is home to boys aged 2-20<br />
years (although many don’t actually know their real age) who<br />
have been rescued from a life of crime, drug abuse and begging<br />
on the streets.<br />
The centre was started with the aim of addressing the plight<br />
of young, idle, illiterate and unemployed boys resident in the<br />
Bondeni and Somali Camp areas of Gilgil, places characterised<br />
by widespread prostitution, theft, drug trafficking, abuse and a<br />
myriad of anti-social attributes. Eight out of every ten boys in<br />
Bondeni and Somali Camp have been molested.<br />
The boys are offered counselling by two experienced<br />
counsellors and go through informal learning sessions<br />
imparted by two teachers. The boys are now ready to continue<br />
with their schooling. Sanata Restart Centre needs help<br />
to create a proper environment for the boys by building a<br />
rehabilitation/youth training and resource centre, as well<br />
as a series of family-unit homes, and to give them a future<br />
through education. Further, the centre hopes to accommodate<br />
more boys, as well as start up training and empowerment<br />
programmes for the older boys, but this is subject to the<br />
availability of funds. A similar rehabilitation scheme for girls<br />
is also envisaged.
22 | FoRMeR PuPIls THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34<br />
Facebook: <strong>St</strong> Columba’s<br />
<strong>School</strong>, Kilmacolm –<br />
FPs & Friends<br />
Get connected with former Columbans – former pupils, former<br />
staff, former parents and friends of the school. Pictures,<br />
events, news and chat will all be posted here.<br />
If you have not already done so, please like the new page at<br />
www.facebook.com/stcolumbasfpfriends. We would love<br />
to get the numbers up, so please share the page with your FP<br />
friends.<br />
Network on linked In<br />
We are in the progress of setting up a <strong>School</strong> account and<br />
details will be available in due course.<br />
Former <strong>St</strong>aff lunch<br />
Rosemary hammond<br />
Former Pupil Carries Olympic Torch<br />
james Mitchell<br />
At the moment I am approaching the end of the MA Fine Art<br />
degree at Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts<br />
london (UAl). I graduated from the Master of Architecture<br />
course last summer and in October coming I am hoping to<br />
start working at an architect’s office in pursuit of my Part 3<br />
Architecture (the professional qualifications).<br />
I was chosen to carry the Olympic Flame based on my work<br />
with Orkidstudio, the charity I founded around five years ago.<br />
I’ve just returned from a five-week trip to Zambia, Kenya and<br />
Uganda. In Zambia, we have launched our third project, which<br />
is in aid of the Mutende Children’s Village and <strong>School</strong>. It was<br />
set up around 10 years ago by the Bristol Christian Fellowship<br />
and linden Church, Swansea and is still actively supported by<br />
both churches today, During my trip I ran a ‘design and build’<br />
workshop, which resulted in the construction of a chicken<br />
shed. It included a large space for around 800 egg-laying<br />
chickens and a store room for feed.<br />
In Easter 2013 we will return to Mutende to build a second<br />
chicken shed, this time for meat-chickens. And then, in<br />
Summer 2013 we are running a 2-3month construction project<br />
to build a new hall and classroom structure for the school.<br />
We are also in the very early stages of pursuing a new project<br />
in Kawangware – an inner-city slum in Nairobi. This would be<br />
to provide mobile classrooms that could be easily assembled<br />
and dismantled as required without any skilled labour or<br />
special tools. Here, we would be helping a school called Elim<br />
Academy, however, the idea is to manufacture the classrooms<br />
in a prefabricated form and distribute them worldwide to<br />
similar areas of need.<br />
On Wednesday 9th May 2012 some 21 former members of<br />
staff gathered at the River Inn for lunch, much chat and many<br />
reminiscences of our time together in <strong>St</strong> Columba’s. The hair<br />
had more grey and there were several walking sticks, but<br />
none of that held us back. The farthest travelled was Marjorie<br />
Willox from <strong>St</strong>onehaven and the oldest was Marjorie McKeller<br />
(or maybe Elspeth Buchanan) and Isobel Evans attended for<br />
the first time, probably the youngest there. Sally Smythe, who<br />
left as a young mother around 1976, came back again and is<br />
becoming known to later serving members of staff.<br />
Drew livingstone, John Spinks, David Craig and Tom Walton<br />
represented the men-folk and seemed to enjoy the mainly<br />
female company. There was a wonderful atmosphere<br />
when news of families, weddings, engagements, expected<br />
grandchildren, as well as granny boasting books were<br />
exchanged, travel plans discussed and news of those unable to<br />
be with us was recounted. We are becoming so laid back about<br />
this gathering that no photos were taken – we can do better<br />
next time – providing we don’t have collective senior moments<br />
then too.<br />
I was very humbled to have been nominated and then<br />
recognised by the Olympic Torch organisers for my work with<br />
Orkidstudio. It is certainly a rare opportunity to carry the<br />
Olympic Flame and I hope the occasion will help raise some<br />
awareness of what the charity does and hopes to do in the<br />
future. The charity has achieved a huge amount in the past<br />
four or five years, certainly more than we had ever anticipated.<br />
Although I am carrying the Torch alone, I would like to thank<br />
the many people who have helped us over the years, and in<br />
particular the other two founders, Su Mei Tan and Julissa<br />
Kiyenje.
THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34 FoRMeR PuPIls | 23<br />
House of Commons lunch,<br />
Saturday 3rd November<br />
The House of Commons lunch, sponsored by former pupil Eleanor laing MP, is always a great success and<br />
the FP Association hopes that many of you will support the event again this year. Former pupils, former<br />
staff, current staff and friends of the school are all very welcome.<br />
Due to recent changes in the pricing structure in the Food and Beverage Department at the House of<br />
Commons, as well as general inflation, the price per head has unfortunately risen considerably since<br />
our last lunch. The price will be confirmed shortly and will be in the range of £60-£65 a head. At this<br />
time we will take a deposit of £30 to secure your ticket and the remainder will be due once the final price<br />
has been confirmed. The 3-course lunch will be held in one of the exquisite Dining Rooms and Terrace<br />
Pavilion from 12.00-15.00. There is also the option of a guided tour of the historic building which costs<br />
approximately £7.50.<br />
To reserve a place, please complete the booking form below.<br />
london residents often meet for coffee at the National Gallery beforehand, at around 10.30am. If you<br />
are interested, please mark this on the booking form and we shall pass your details to the london Area<br />
Representative.<br />
House of Commons lunch Booking Form<br />
I wish to book for the above event and understand that these tickets are non refundable, but are<br />
transferable if prior notice is given. Each ticket will be printed with the ticket holder’s name to meet<br />
House of Commons security requirements. If ordering more than one ticket, please print and complete for<br />
each person as the tickets will be posted prior to the event – either copy this booking form or download<br />
further copies from the Former Pupils/Events & Reunions section of the school website.<br />
You need to bring the ticket with you to gain entry, as this is a House of Commons security requirement.<br />
Name<br />
(Nee)<br />
Address<br />
Postcode<br />
Tel<br />
Email<br />
Dietary Requirements – please tick if applicable:<br />
Vegetarian option<br />
Special dietary requirement –<br />
please specify<br />
lunch £30.00 deposit. Balance to be paid prior to the event.<br />
I enclose £ (cheques payable to <strong>St</strong> Columba’s Former Pupils’ Association)<br />
I would like to reserve a place on the guided tour.<br />
I would like to meet for coffee. Please pass my details to the london Area Representative.<br />
Please send your completed booking form and payment to:<br />
Former Pupils’ Association, st Columba’s school, Duchal Road, Kilmacolm, PA13 4Au
24 | FoRMeR PuPIls THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34<br />
Class Notes<br />
lynn Preston, 1974 & norma elliott (Park), 1975<br />
lynn Preston and Norma Elliott visited Senior <strong>School</strong> on 15th<br />
March. After a tour of school and much reminiscing with<br />
Debbie Dickie (Tinton), Dorothy Motherwell (Carpenter) and<br />
Rosemary Reeves (Sim), afternoon tea was served in the Main<br />
Hall, providing a chance to peruse old photographs.<br />
lynn said:<br />
“I left <strong>St</strong> Columba’s in the seventies. I have not been back for<br />
many years. However Nichola McKay and the school recently<br />
were very kind enough to show me around again, something<br />
I have always longed to do, as I always looked back with great<br />
fondness on my school days.<br />
I was shown around with Norma Elliot (Park) and it brought<br />
back so many happy memories; I just wish boys had been<br />
allowed in the school when I was there.<br />
Since leaving school I have been an Occupational Therapist<br />
throughout my career, although I developed Multiple Sclerosis<br />
in 2003 and had to give up work. I live in Gourock with my<br />
partner Colin.<br />
Thanks to all who arranged such a lovely afternoon, especially<br />
Nichola McKay, and for the special efforts made to help me<br />
around in my wheelchair.”<br />
jen Marshall (Brown), 1989<br />
I have recently moved to New Zealand thanks to relocation<br />
by my husband’s company. We have been living abroad for<br />
the last six years (Holland and Switzerland) and now find<br />
ourselves on the other side of the world. I am loving it so<br />
far and I have taken up golf again and still play tennis. The<br />
children, now nine and seven years old, have settled in very<br />
well to their new lives and schools in Auckland.<br />
I met up with Jane Gamble (Rowand) who lives in Taupo, and<br />
had a lovely visit from my cousin, Jilly Adams, who is based in<br />
Melbourne. I am looking forward to lots of family and friends<br />
coming to visit.<br />
Andrea Martin-Wright, 1992<br />
Andrea Martin married Graeme Wright on 5th November 2011<br />
in New York City on the banks of the East River in glorious<br />
sunshine between the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan<br />
Bridge. A wedding lunch was held in The River Café followed<br />
by dinner at Giles. Former pupils at the celebrations were<br />
Corrie Martin and Gillian lovatt (Taylor).<br />
Pippa shaw, 1995<br />
Pip delivered Theo Thomas Robinson on 19th April weighing<br />
7lb 2oz. A brother for Jamie (7) and Sam (5) and another<br />
grandchild for Pat Shaw, who left the <strong>School</strong> Office in 2002.
THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34 FoRMeR PuPIls | 25<br />
joanna Ford (lindsay), 1998<br />
Joanna is delighted to announce the arrival of a son, luke,<br />
on the 10th May 2012 in Aberdeen. Joanna and her husband,<br />
John, are moving to Norwich in July. John starts an Academic<br />
Clinical Fellowship in Public Health at the University of East<br />
Anglia in August. Joanna has completed her Registrar training<br />
in Aberdeen and takes up a Consultant post in Norfolk and<br />
Norwich University Hospital in Medicine for the Elderly in<br />
February 2013.<br />
nikola Miller, 2001<br />
Nikola was delighted to be awarded Young Planner of the Year<br />
2011 and was presented with her award at the Royal Town<br />
Planning Institute’s Planning Awards ceremony on<br />
23rd February 2012 at the lancaster Hotel, london.<br />
An extract from the RTPI’s Planning Award’s brochure<br />
describes Nikola’s achievements:-<br />
Edinburgh-based consultant planner Nikola Miller’s<br />
enthusiasm, communication skills and commitment to<br />
planning values made her the judges’ choice to represent<br />
junior members of the profession as Young Planner of the Year<br />
over the next 12 months.<br />
The Geography graduate began her planning career on a<br />
summer placement with North Ayrshire<br />
Council, after which she gained a planning qualification at<br />
Heriot-Watt University. She joined consultancy GVA as a<br />
graduate planner while completing her masters, then took up<br />
a permanent position with the firm after becoming a chartered<br />
planner in 2008. Her work at GVA included a masterplan<br />
for John O’Groats and a major mixed-use redevelopment<br />
in Edinburgh city centre. Her masters dissertation covered<br />
emerging Scottish government policy on community<br />
involvement and she has been able to follow up this interest<br />
in designing engagement programmes for large-scale<br />
applications and masterplan sites.<br />
A placement with Planning Aid for Scotland allowed Nikola to<br />
further develop her understanding of the impact of planning<br />
on communities. As a development officer, she worked to<br />
develop and deliver training to communities, with a particular<br />
focus on creating an education programme to engage children<br />
in planning.<br />
last year she joined development company Miller<br />
Developments, working on large-scale mixed-use<br />
developments. In November 2011 she moved to the rural<br />
planning team at Smiths Gore. Her work ranges from smallscale<br />
housing applications to large-scale site promotions.<br />
Nikola is committed to continuing professional development<br />
(CPD) – both personally as a Planning Aid volunteer and<br />
professionally as convener of the Edinburgh lothian Borders<br />
Fife chapter of the RTPI, where she has taken a lead in<br />
organising CPD and networking events for members. Before<br />
last year’s Scottish elections she organised a hustings<br />
event, bringing together parliamentary candidates and built<br />
environment professionals to discuss planning issues.<br />
She represents young planners through her role on the<br />
Scottish Young Planners Network steering group, working<br />
to provide assessment of professional competence advice to<br />
young planners, an annual conference and other networking<br />
opportunities.<br />
Miller says planners should look to related professions and<br />
beyond in promoting planning as a positive process for<br />
change and a mechanism to deliver viable developments<br />
and sustainable economic growth. “Culture change has to<br />
come from within the profession, but we need to transmit it<br />
to others too,” she says. “Planners have had a bad press as<br />
‘enemies of enterprise’, but planning is a positive force for<br />
change in emerging from recession,” she says. “I would like to<br />
put the message across that there are lots of opportunities – so<br />
stay in planning, show your enthusiasm and get involved.”<br />
Becoming a Planning Aid volunteer is a “great opportunity”<br />
for planners to show their worth, she adds.<br />
The judges said: “Making a final decision was difficult, but<br />
Nikola Miller stood out to us as someone who is inspired<br />
by engaging people with planning and has the passion and<br />
communication skills to inspire others. We believe these<br />
qualities make her a real ambassador for planning and what it<br />
can achieve.”<br />
Katy Kaskonas, 2004<br />
Katy and Thomas Anderson (2003), who met at school and<br />
have been together for nine and a half years, are delighted to<br />
announce their engagement. We look forward to hearing about<br />
the wedding date and venue.<br />
In Memoriam<br />
Geoffrey Duncan<br />
We are sad to announce the death in April of Geoff Duncan.<br />
Geoff was well known in Kilmacolm, having moved to the<br />
village from Bridge of Weir in recent years. He was Chairman<br />
of the local Board of Directors for <strong>St</strong> Columba’s from 1972 to<br />
1982 and also Chairman of the Girls’ <strong>School</strong> Company from<br />
1977 until 1990. This was a very demanding time in the<br />
history of <strong>St</strong> Columba’s <strong>School</strong> and Geoff steered the <strong>School</strong><br />
smoothly into co-education and the introduction of the<br />
assisted places scheme. Following his retiral as Chairman,<br />
Geoff was a staunch supporter of <strong>St</strong> Columba’s and was a<br />
regular and distinguished presence, always in his kilt, at<br />
<strong>School</strong> events such as the Silver Tablet, Prizegiving and the<br />
Carol Service. He is survived by his son David, daughter Rosie,<br />
who is a former pupil, and grandchildren Tessa and Rory.
26 | the BACK PAGe THE COlUMBAN ISSUE 34<br />
Laura <strong>St</strong>ark<br />
senior school<br />
Duchal Road<br />
Kilmacolm PA13 4AU<br />
t 01505 872238 F 01505 873995<br />
e secretary@st-columbas.org<br />
junior school<br />
Knockbuckle Road<br />
Kilmacolm PA13 4EQ<br />
t 01505 872768 F 01505 874642<br />
e juniorsecretary@st-columbas.org<br />
Rector<br />
David G Girdwood<br />
Dl BSc MEd SQH<br />
head of junior school<br />
Davida l Cook<br />
DCE ITQ DipAdPr<strong>St</strong> DipEdMan<br />
<strong>St</strong> Columba’s <strong>School</strong> ltd is a<br />
www.kennethgray.co.uk<br />
registered charity SCO 12598<br />
www.st-columbas.org Design