The Columban Issue 24 - St Columba's School
The Columban Issue 24 - St Columba's School
The Columban Issue 24 - St Columba's School
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ST COLUMBA’S SCHOOL NEWSLETTER • ISSUE <strong>24</strong><br />
Get all the news online at<br />
<strong>The</strong> World <strong>School</strong>s<br />
Debating Championships<br />
www.st-columbas.org<br />
Cooking up a Feast for<br />
the Year of the Ox<br />
An invitation to the<br />
Silver Tablet Concert
1<br />
January was, of course, also dominated by the<br />
SV & VI Preliminary Examinations and full<br />
written reports were issued to parents on<br />
the 4th March. <strong>The</strong> results are an important<br />
guide to a student’s present performance.<br />
Together with the late evidence assessments,<br />
which are undertaken towards the end of the<br />
courses, they are also vital evidence in case of<br />
appeal. SIV pupils commence study leave on1<br />
May followed by SV and SVI on 12 May, and<br />
as I always remind students a great deal of<br />
their success in the SQA examinations will be<br />
dependent on the good use that they make of<br />
this time. I ask parents to support pupils in<br />
this endeavour.<br />
We are happy to report that cashless<br />
cafeterias are now fully operational in both<br />
Junior and Senior <strong>School</strong>s. <strong>The</strong>re appear to<br />
have been few ‘teething problems’ and queues<br />
are certainly moving much quicker.<br />
A History of Musical Excellence<br />
Rector’s Message<br />
<strong>The</strong> Spring Term began with great activity. Many of our pupils were involved in the 84th<br />
Inverclyde Music Festival. It was my pleasure to present a number of medals and cups, including<br />
the Andrew B Cockle Trophy and Medal for the winner of a competition among outstanding<br />
performers either vocal or instrumental aged 18 years and under. I was delighted to learn too<br />
that seven pupils have successfully auditioned for the National Youth Choir of Scotland Girls<br />
Choir and Boys Choir. For one school to provide what amounts to nearly one-tenth of the<br />
Girls Choir is an amazing achievement. Parents, staff and friends of <strong>St</strong> Columba’s subsequently<br />
enjoyed an evening of music which showcased the immense talent within the Senior <strong>School</strong>.<br />
<strong>The</strong> new school website<br />
(www.st-columbas.org) was launched in<br />
March. We hope you like the new design,<br />
find the site more accessible and generally<br />
enjoy greater ease in locating key<br />
information.<br />
For many years the Former Pupil matches<br />
have been a highlight of the season. As many<br />
of you may now be aware, the SRU is<br />
currently reviewing player safety in schoolboy<br />
rugby. Recently Mr Manson and I attended<br />
separate meetings (for Directors of Sport<br />
and Headmasters, respectively) at which the<br />
SRU’s intentions were discussed. A key<br />
proposal is the organisation of rugby into age<br />
groups so as to ensure that players of similar<br />
skill, strength, weight and size play against<br />
one another. As a result and with<br />
tremendous regret, it will not be possible for<br />
the FP rugby fixture to go ahead.<br />
<strong>The</strong> cover image is of the Silver Tablet.<br />
During Miss Janet Waugh’s time as Headmistress<br />
(1900-1928), the Silver Tablet award was set up in<br />
honour of Miss Martha McIntyre and Miss Margaret<br />
Macindoe (both of whom taught Music until 1914) for<br />
pupils who reached the very highest standard in music.<br />
<strong>The</strong> first winner of the Tablet in 1917 was Margaret Harper<br />
who went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London where she gained great<br />
distinction. During the next ten years another five girls attained the standard. In 1922 Lilias<br />
Cook played a programme of seven pieces entirely from memory. Indeed in later years it<br />
became usual for contestants to perform without the music score.<br />
Even those who were never destined for musical greatness were taught to listen to and enjoy<br />
music by Miss Waugh, something which they carried with them from their time at the school<br />
and which lasted them through their lives. This is a sentiment still promoted at <strong>St</strong> Columba’s.<br />
An Invitation to the Silver Tablet Concert<br />
<strong>The</strong> concert celebrates the best of musical talent from the Senior <strong>School</strong> and performers are<br />
chosen from SVI students who have attained a minimum standard of Associated Board Grade 8.<br />
Following the success of last year’s competition, early indicators suggest that at least four pupils<br />
will participate this year and programmes are already well underway. <strong>The</strong> event will take place<br />
on Tuesday 9th June, 14:00, at <strong>St</strong> Columba Church, followed by light refreshments. Former<br />
pupils and friends of <strong>St</strong> Columba’s are cordially invited to attend.<br />
To confirm your attendance: please email kzhang@st-columbas.org or write to Kirstin Zhang at<br />
<strong>St</strong> Columba’s <strong>School</strong>, Duchal Road, Kilmacolm, PA13 4AU<br />
Pupil safety is of prime importance to me and<br />
the <strong>School</strong> will implement all directives and<br />
advice issued by the SRU.<br />
We hope to include the FP rugby fixture in a<br />
slightly altered form. Please refer to the<br />
<strong>School</strong> website for details. <strong>The</strong> hockey<br />
fixture between FPs and the 1st XI will<br />
proceed as planned. I am confident that<br />
despite the changes we will enjoy an exciting<br />
morning and I look forward to seeing plenty<br />
of old faces.<br />
Please note that the annual presentation<br />
evening at which <strong>The</strong> Chairman of<br />
Governors, Mr David Ward, Mrs Cook and I<br />
report to parents, has been rescheduled for<br />
Wednesday 13th May in the Senior <strong>School</strong><br />
hall (6.30 p.m.). This will be followed<br />
immediately by the Parents’ Association<br />
AGM.<br />
To date we have raised nearly £3,000 for <strong>St</strong> Ignatius <strong>School</strong> in Letham, Guyana and over<br />
£1,000 for other charities. SV's charity event this year was a Wii Mario and Sonic<br />
100m Challenge organized by Andrew McAlpine and Matthew Murray.<br />
<strong>The</strong> competition was held over several lunchtimes and raised £100<br />
for <strong>St</strong> Ignatius <strong>School</strong>. Nobody managed to better Usain Bolt’s<br />
world record, but Mr Weir, Head of Physics, was very pleased to<br />
beat 10 seconds. <strong>The</strong> positions were: Mr Weir, Christopher<br />
Marshall(SIV) and Calum Grant (SII). <strong>St</strong>aff and students indulged<br />
their sweet tooth for a good cause when SIII held a bake sale in<br />
the senior school foyer. £<strong>24</strong>0 was raised for <strong>St</strong> Vincent’s Hospice.<br />
Eco <strong>School</strong><br />
Niamh Allen (SII) on the other hand<br />
was happy to go without in order to<br />
support the World Society for the<br />
Protection of Animals and Yorkhill<br />
Children's Hospital. Nearly eighty<br />
friends attended a disco to celebrate<br />
Niamh's birthday, but instead of<br />
presents they were asked to make a<br />
donation. She was surprised at their generosity,<br />
and delighted to discover she had raised £450.<br />
"<strong>The</strong> Witching Hour" - Author Event<br />
Kilmacolm is the setting for Elizabeth Laird's novel '<strong>The</strong> Witching Hour'. Described as a<br />
thrilling historical adventure which takes place during the seventeenth-century, the story<br />
describes how fourteen-year old Maggie's life changes when her grandmother is accused of<br />
witchcraft. Elizabeth Laird has written more than 150 books and been nominated five times for<br />
the Carnegie Medal. On Wednesday 29 April she will speak to students at <strong>St</strong> <strong>Columba's</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
about her new book and the process of writing. We are pleased to announce that she has also<br />
agreed to participate in a second event on the evening of the 29th, which is to be hosted by<br />
the school and will be open to the public. This should prove a wonderful opportunity for<br />
anyone who is interested in learning more about a fascinating period in Scottish history, and to<br />
discover what prompted the author to locate her latest fiction in Kilmacolm. For more details<br />
please visit our website www.st-columbas.org or contact Kirstin Zhang on 01505 873972<br />
An update from Vicky Reilly:<br />
Having achieved the Bronze Eco-<strong>School</strong>s award last session, this year we aim to achieve the<br />
Silver Award. An elected Eco-Committee has been established and is working hard towards<br />
producing an Eco-Code for the school, and a number of initiatives are well under way. SII<br />
Geography pupils, who are currently working on climate change, have been asked to submit<br />
their recommendations for how to make the school more environmentally friendly. In addition,<br />
the SII Business <strong>St</strong>udies group are planning to sell eco-friendly bags to encourage us to reduce<br />
the number of plastic bags we use when shopping.<br />
Recycling has been a major initiative and all<br />
classrooms now have paper recycling bins.<br />
Pupils are responsible for emptying the bins<br />
on a weekly basis. In January we held our first<br />
Eco-Month with the aim of promoting<br />
recycling throughout the school. A large<br />
number of Christmas cards were collected<br />
and recycled with the Woodland Trust. As<br />
well as paper, we have also joined the<br />
Recycool Project which allows us to raise<br />
funds by collecting printer cartridges and<br />
mobile phones for recycling. Please support<br />
this initiative by sending your used cartridges<br />
and old phones into school. <strong>The</strong> funds we<br />
raise can be used for vital resources and<br />
equipment. In January we donated mobile<br />
phones to <strong>The</strong> Haven, a drugs rehabilitation<br />
centre for young men, which provides<br />
CHARITY & COMMUNITY NEWS<br />
interesting and thought-provoking speakers<br />
for our SIV Social Education classes.<br />
Pupils have also been learning about the<br />
harmful environmental effects of batteries.<br />
We have collected a number of batteries<br />
which will be disposed of safely at Pottery<br />
<strong>St</strong>reet in Greenock.<br />
Parents are invited to help us meet one of<br />
our targets by logging on to<br />
www.generationgreen.co.uk a schools and<br />
community programme developed by British<br />
Gas. Each family who completes an Energy<br />
Savers Report can contribute towards our<br />
Green Leaf target. Meeting our target will<br />
enable us to acquire further resources and<br />
equipment. Please help us to improve our<br />
environment for future generations.<br />
Accord Hospice Carol Service<br />
<strong>The</strong> Transitus Choir made their annual<br />
appearance at the Accord Hospice Carol<br />
Service in Paisley Abbey on the last day of term,<br />
18 December. <strong>The</strong>y performed two contrasting<br />
pieces, the lively Taraq Salayma followed by the<br />
softer and more lyrical Welcome Carol. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
were conducted by Mrs Mitchell and<br />
accompanied on the organ by George McPhee,<br />
the Abbey organist. Kenneth Mathie, the Accord<br />
Hospice Fundraising Manager, praised their<br />
beautiful singing and the wonderful effect it had<br />
on the Hospice supporters. <strong>The</strong> pupils<br />
thoroughly enjoyed the morning and appreciated<br />
the warm welcome<br />
and delightful<br />
comments.<br />
2
Debating<br />
SCHOOL NEWS<br />
Debating continues to flourish. Megan Girdwood and Hannah Reilly have reached the ESU<br />
<strong>School</strong>s Mace Final which will take place on 26 March. Fiona Ritchie and Elliot Gemmell<br />
participated in the Edinburgh University <strong>School</strong>s Competition, and Rebecca Meredith and<br />
Hannah Reilly qualified for the Oxford <strong>School</strong>s Finals.<br />
World <strong>School</strong>s Debating Championship Athens 2009<br />
By Megan Girdwood (SV)<br />
In October 2008 I was selected to join the Scottish team to go to the 21st World <strong>School</strong>s<br />
Debating Championships (WSDC) in Athens. Having been through this arduous selection<br />
process did help prepare me for the large amounts of reading and writing up of cases that was<br />
required before the trip to Athens, but it was not an easy task juggling this whilst also trying to<br />
study for my Higher prelims. However, the team set off with added confidence following a win<br />
at the Home Nations Tournament in Cardiff the previous month where we beat England<br />
in an intensely patriotic final.<br />
Despite some early<br />
setbacks related to travel delays<br />
(half the team spent a day at<br />
Heathrow, eventually stumbling<br />
into the hotel at two in the<br />
morning), we quickly settled<br />
into the routine of the<br />
tournament. We debated twice<br />
a day; once on a motion we had<br />
prepared and once on an<br />
unseen topic which we were<br />
given an hour in advance. <strong>The</strong><br />
endless mental strain proved to<br />
be a challenge, particularly when<br />
we faced strong teams such as<br />
Australia and the competition’s<br />
eventual winners New Zealand, but we<br />
performed well and managed to break<br />
inside the top sixteen. Although we were<br />
finally knocked out in the quarter-finals by the<br />
home nation Greece, in a close debate<br />
concerning lowering the voting age, this did<br />
allow us to relax on the last day of the<br />
competition, indulging in a takeaway pizza and<br />
Bollywood session with the Indian team. <strong>The</strong><br />
final was a rematch between the 2008<br />
finalists, England and New Zealand. In the<br />
Washington competition England had secured<br />
victory. However, this year the New Zealand<br />
team was determined to win and after a close<br />
debate they did so,<br />
convincing 6 out of the 7 judges.<br />
Despite the hard work we did have a chance<br />
to enjoy Greek culture during a visit to the<br />
Parthenon and the Octo-finals, which were<br />
held in Delphi, in the mountains. This trip<br />
gave some contestants, who had never seen<br />
snow before the opportunity to engage in<br />
their first snowball fight! Debating was<br />
obviously a crucial part of the experience in<br />
Athens but far more important was the<br />
international dimension of the event, which<br />
allowed us to meet and get to know teams<br />
from thirty nine different countries. It was<br />
particularly impressive that several teams<br />
competing spoke English as a second<br />
or third language yet still managed<br />
to formulate complex arguments<br />
and present them convincingly.<br />
We were encouraged to<br />
socialise in the evenings, and<br />
the convenor of the<br />
competition organised several<br />
dinners and parties. <strong>The</strong><br />
WSDC is a unique<br />
competition; national teams<br />
which would normally never<br />
interact let alone debate against<br />
each other have a forum on which to<br />
meet. This promotes international<br />
Tick Tock<br />
Inverclyde <strong>School</strong> Health 'No Smoking' Competition<br />
Sophie McNair (J6) won a competition organised to encourage people to<br />
stop smoking. Sophie came up with a clever design that used both the<br />
recognised ‘no smoking’ sign and a clock.<br />
Second-Hand Uniform Sale<br />
<strong>The</strong> Parents Association will be holding a<br />
second-hand uniform sale in the Livingstone<br />
Hall (Junior <strong>School</strong>) on Friday 27th March.<br />
This will coincide with Mrs<br />
Cooks monthly coffee<br />
afternoon, which<br />
begins at 3pm.<br />
Book Fair<br />
Always a popular event. <strong>The</strong> Scholastic Book<br />
Fair was set up in the lobby of the Junior<br />
<strong>School</strong> and enjoyed a busy trade.<br />
Gibb <strong>St</strong>uart Eco Bag<br />
Alaina Taylor (J4) was delighted to see her design on the Gibb <strong>St</strong>uart eco bag. Gibb <strong>St</strong>uart<br />
asked schools in the area to help decorate their new bag. Alaina’s design was one of five<br />
chosen. It features the recycle symbol and a friendly-looking hammer and nail. <strong>The</strong> bags can<br />
be purchased from Gibb <strong>St</strong>uart or from the Junior <strong>School</strong> reception. <strong>The</strong>y cost £2.49,<br />
and the <strong>School</strong> will retain the proceeds from their sales to put towards a project<br />
or charity of their choice.<br />
<strong>St</strong>aff News<br />
Nichola and Richard McKay welcomed a baby<br />
girl, Philippa on 4 February.<br />
Joan and Tony Judd were delighted at the<br />
arrival of baby, Beth, on 11 March.<br />
Mrs Jacqui Marshall has returned to teach<br />
Mathematics in Mrs Judd’s absence.<br />
Mr Ian Forster has been appointed<br />
Development Officer for the SRU. He will<br />
leave <strong>St</strong> Columba’s at the end of term.<br />
Mr Eric Milligan will be returning to the<br />
<strong>School</strong> as Teacher of Physical Education after<br />
the Easter break.<br />
Diary Dates<br />
28 Mar Former Pupils v <strong>School</strong> Hockey and Rugby<br />
Matches - hockey, 9.30, Astroturf<br />
- rugby (please see school website for details)<br />
1 Apr Senior Swimming Gala,<br />
Johnstone Baths, 13.00<br />
Sports Dinner, Senior <strong>School</strong>, 19.00<br />
2-6 Apr Pipe Band Trip to New York<br />
3 Apr <strong>School</strong> closes for Easter holiday<br />
20 Apr <strong>School</strong> reopens<br />
29 Apr Author Event<br />
4 May May Holiday<br />
13 May Chairman, Rector and<br />
Head of Junior <strong>School</strong>’s<br />
Annual Presentation to Parents,<br />
Senior <strong>School</strong>, 18.30<br />
Followed by Parents’ Association AGM<br />
5-26 May May Holiday<br />
27 May <strong>St</strong>aff In-Service<br />
9 Jun Silver Tablet Concert,<br />
<strong>St</strong> Columba Church, 14.00<br />
10 Jun Senior Sports Championships, Linwood<br />
‘<strong>St</strong> Columba’s Has Talent’,<br />
Junior <strong>School</strong> Hall, 19.00<br />
12 Jun Junior <strong>School</strong> Sports Day, Birkmyre Park<br />
15-19 Jun Senior <strong>School</strong> Activities Week<br />
22 Jun Contingency date for Junior <strong>School</strong><br />
Sports Day<br />
Senior <strong>School</strong> Golf Championships,<br />
Kilmacolm GC<br />
23 Jun Pipe Band Social Evening –<br />
Beating the Retreat, Junior <strong>School</strong>, 19.00<br />
<strong>24</strong> Jun Junior <strong>School</strong> Prizegiving,<br />
<strong>St</strong> Columba Church, 10.30<br />
SVI Leavers’ Evening , Junior <strong>School</strong>, 19.00<br />
25 Jun Senior <strong>School</strong> Prizegiving,<br />
<strong>St</strong> Columba Church, 10.30<br />
3 understanding and cooperation.<br />
4
Robert Burns and Rockn' Roll<br />
SCHOOL NEWS<br />
Good food, song and company. <strong>St</strong>udents, staff and guests enjoyed a convivial evening<br />
celebrating Robert Burns and his work. Most of the traditional speeches employed<br />
some good-natured ribbing of peers and staff alike. On a more measured note was<br />
Fraser Dunlop’s enquiry about the nature of Burns’ appeal. What quirk of fate had<br />
rendered him an ‘untouchable’ – revered despite his many flaws? Why should the<br />
Scottish Nationalist Party feel the need to publicly condemn the historian, Michael<br />
Fry, when he described Burns as “a drunken<br />
misognynistic, racist philanderer”? Well<br />
researched and well delivered, it concluded<br />
that Burns was the 18th century equivalent<br />
of a rock star, no less a cultural icon than<br />
Warhol or Cobain – a brilliant talent who<br />
rose from obscure beginnings, shone brightly,<br />
burned out, and died young.<br />
Thank you to the student servers and to Pauline Drummond and<br />
her team in the kitchen for providing<br />
us with an excellent supper.<br />
Prefects’ Motivational Weekend<br />
by Claire McGregor(VI)<br />
On Saturday 10th January the SVI pupils travelled from Kilmacolm to the<br />
Winnock Hotel in Drymen. Mrs Reilly was noticeably impressed by how<br />
little luggage the girls had brought with them.<br />
At the first session Mr Neil Johnstone<br />
spoke to us about CHANGE.<br />
We were then split into teams<br />
and sent on a treasure hunt<br />
to find 10 objects, including<br />
a pin, aftershave and a<br />
petite four! Later we gave<br />
group presentations about<br />
how change is affecting our<br />
lives and will continue to do so.<br />
Our group included some of the<br />
comedians in our year, so this was an opportunity to shine;<br />
our presentations ranged from trying to find the exit of a foreign<br />
Ikea or to the surprise appearance of the legendary Ron Burgundy.<br />
<strong>The</strong> hilarity continued into the evening as we enjoyed a murder<br />
mystery dinner which will remain one of our fondest memories<br />
of 6th year for many years to come.<br />
Sunday began well, with most of 6th year managing to wake up<br />
in time for breakfast. Over the course of the morning we had<br />
the opportunity to listen to various motivational speeches by a<br />
panel of people with connections to the school. <strong>The</strong>se talks gave<br />
us a chance to think about our future in a different light.<br />
We learned that we will need to adapt to constant changes.<br />
Achieving your long term goal by the time you are 23 years old,<br />
keeping great contacts and not having the fear to go it alone were<br />
just a few of the great things to expect from later life. <strong>The</strong> day<br />
ended with a light lunch and informal chat with the panel.<br />
Our weekend in Drymen was definitely both enjoyable and insightful.<br />
Amendment - Scots Poetry Award<br />
In <strong>Issue</strong> 23 of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Columban</strong> we reported on the winner of the<br />
Herald’s McCash Poetry Competition. It was in fact Saskia<br />
Robinson in Transitus who won first prize. Our apologies for<br />
any confusion.<br />
Honours Awards January 2009<br />
Before making the presentations at Assembly on 12 January the Rector reminded us of the<br />
rigorous selection process that is undertaken by the Honours Committee. It is pleasing to see<br />
so many young people attaining such high standards in their extracurricular activities.<br />
Hockey<br />
Junior Colours<br />
SIV Kirsty Rarity<br />
Senior Half Colours<br />
SVI Lorna Barclay<br />
SVI Emma Leighton<br />
SVI Emily Jayne Russell<br />
SVI Lucia Wylie<br />
Rugby<br />
Junior Colours<br />
SIV Jamie McDonald<br />
Senior Half Colours with Dates<br />
SV Sean McAlindon Re-Award<br />
SV Christopher Rhodes Re-Award<br />
SV Craig <strong>St</strong>eel<br />
SVI David Conn Re-Award<br />
SVI Christopher Johnstone Re-Award<br />
SVI Michael Kent<br />
SVI Fraser McDonald Re-Award<br />
SVI Kyle Nish Re-Award<br />
Senior Colours with Dates<br />
SV Jamie Binning<br />
SV Jamie Yacoubian<br />
SVI <strong>St</strong>ewart Gray<br />
Tennis<br />
Junior Colours<br />
SI <strong>St</strong>even Leighton<br />
Debating<br />
Junior Colours<br />
SII Maxine Muirhead<br />
SII Megan Reilly<br />
Music<br />
Junior Half Colours<br />
SII Niamh Allen<br />
SII Karina Bailey<br />
SII Fiona Bell<br />
SII Fiona Faint<br />
SII Rachael Ferrier<br />
SII Emma Findlay<br />
SII Kirsten Findlay<br />
SII Hilary Harrison-Milan<br />
SII Dakota Hlaing<br />
SII Jessica Lee<br />
SII Amy MacIntyre<br />
SII Megan Reilly<br />
SII Duncan <strong>St</strong>ewart<br />
SII Sophie <strong>St</strong>uart-Menteth<br />
SII Laura Watson<br />
SII Emily Weir<br />
SII Edward <strong>St</strong>irrup<br />
SIII Clare Eagle<br />
Senior Half Colours<br />
SV Iain Boyd<br />
SV Sarah Coyne<br />
SV Jennifer Hoad<br />
SV Lewis Millar<br />
SV <strong>St</strong>ephanie McCabe<br />
SVI Rachel Cannon<br />
SVI Fraser Dunlop<br />
SVI Laura Dunn<br />
SVI Paul Haig<br />
SVI Carolyn Lang<br />
SVI Emma Leighton<br />
SVI Becky Marshall<br />
SVI Gillian MacDonald<br />
SVI Jessica Weir<br />
SVI Lindsay Wright<br />
Senior Colours<br />
SVI Scott Dickson<br />
SVI Flora La Thangue<br />
SVI Cicily Patterson<br />
SVI Kirsty Wilson<br />
Silver Honours Award<br />
SI <strong>St</strong>even Leighton No 3 in Scotland,<br />
No 36 in Britain Tennis<br />
SII Jessica Lee Scottish Junior Cross<br />
Country Championships<br />
Showjumping Re-award<br />
SIII Rachel McCabe Scottish <strong>School</strong>s<br />
High Jump<br />
SIII <strong>St</strong>uart MacQueen Scottish U-16<br />
Chess Team<br />
SV Rebecca Meredith Debating<br />
International Re-award<br />
SV Hannah Reilly Debating<br />
International Re-award<br />
Gold Honours Award<br />
SV Megan Girdwood Scottish <strong>School</strong>s<br />
Debating Team Selection<br />
SVI Kirsty Wilson Selection U-18<br />
Scottish Hockey Team Re-award<br />
SVI Becky Marshall Selection U-18<br />
Scottish Hockey Team<br />
Duke of Edinburgh<br />
Alec Cumming (Assistant Director of the<br />
Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scotland)<br />
presented a number of pupils with awards at<br />
Assembly on Monday 8th December 2008.<br />
Bronze Award Silver Award<br />
Alex Baum Jennifer Hoad<br />
Sarah Findlay James Mitchell<br />
Rebecca Grant Louise Paterson<br />
Peter Hargreaves Peter Wren<br />
David Johnstone<br />
Hal La Thangue<br />
Mercedes McKay-Turner<br />
Calum Mair<br />
John Miller<br />
Cicily Patterson<br />
Kirsty Rarity<br />
Douglas Turner<br />
5 6
Music<br />
AROUND THE DEPARTMENTS<br />
<strong>The</strong> girls take individual tuition from vocal coach Mrs Betty<br />
Kidd, who visits the school three times a week. <strong>The</strong>y are<br />
also members of the <strong>School</strong> Junior Choir led by the<br />
Director of Music, Ms Yvonne Carey. Singing to impress is<br />
not new to the girls, several of whom enjoyed recent<br />
success at the 84th Inverclyde Music Festival – Rebecca<br />
Ronney won the Janet C Munday Trophy for Scots Song,<br />
while Melissa Meighan took three cups, including the<br />
Andrew B Cockle Trophy and Medal for the winner of a<br />
competition among outstanding performers.<br />
Seven to Sing with NYCoS Choirs<br />
Seven pupils from <strong>St</strong> Columba’s <strong>School</strong> have successfully<br />
auditioned for the NYCoS National Girls Choir and<br />
for the National Boys Choir. <strong>The</strong> six girls,<br />
Caitlin Findlay, Rebecca Ronney,<br />
Melissa Meighan, Fiona Ritchie, Sally<br />
Bishop, Jennifer Faint and one boy,<br />
Luca Hlaing, are all in Senior III.<br />
Unlike the girls, Luca Hlaing has never received any formal<br />
singing tuition. He is particularly excited about the opportunity<br />
to work one-on-one with a professional coach and get their<br />
perspective on his voice. In April all seven students will undertake an<br />
intensive six-day residential course, followed by a number of high profile<br />
engagements. Past repertoire has included works by Hatfield, Brahms and<br />
Britten. Last year the National Boys Choir performed the world premiere of<br />
Seven Planets and a Cosmic Rock, by Tom Cunningham, a cantata that was<br />
specially commissioned for them. This year the Girls Choir will perform a new piece<br />
by Tim Sutton, who recently worked on <strong>The</strong> Bacchae with the National <strong>The</strong>atre of Scotland.<br />
Ms Carey is confident her students will shine. “Yes, it’s a challenging repertoire, but they are<br />
hard workers and they will give their best.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> Boys Choir will perform at Perth Concert Hall on Friday 10 April and at Coats Memorial<br />
Church, Paisley on Sunday 10 May. <strong>The</strong>y will then embark on a short tour to Falkirk and<br />
Edinburgh on 16 and 17 May respectively.<br />
<strong>The</strong> girls will attend the Aberdeen International Youth Festival in April and end on a high note<br />
with a performance at the BBC Proms in the Park, Glasgow in September.<br />
Trinity Guildhall<br />
Congratulations to Scott Dickson (SVI) who passed Grade 8 Piano with Merit at the recent<br />
Trinity Guildhall Examinations.<br />
Name Instrument Level Class<br />
Thomas Rainey Piano Initial Distinction<br />
Joe Yacoubain Piano Initial Distinction<br />
Jennifer Buchanan Piano Initial Distinction<br />
Jessica Curry Piano Initial Distinction<br />
Alexander Schellekens Piano Initial Merit<br />
Caoimhe Cutherbertson Piano Initial Merit<br />
No Pipe Dream<br />
In April the <strong>School</strong> Pipe Band will attend<br />
Tartan Week in New York to play in<br />
Pipefest 2009. As part of their fundraising<br />
activities they organised two highly<br />
successful evenings of music and<br />
dance. Pupils from Junior 5 to Senior<br />
SVI performed a varied and exciting<br />
programme. <strong>The</strong>y were joined by<br />
some fabulous guests, including <strong>The</strong><br />
Tara Dancers and King Arthur’s Men.<br />
Our piping instructor, World<br />
Champion Pipe Major Gordon Walker,<br />
did a splendid job as compère on both<br />
evenings. Guests clearly enjoyed the<br />
concert and there was plenty of audience<br />
participation.<br />
Thank you to guests for supporting the<br />
concert and to everyone who helped in the<br />
organisation.<br />
Associated Board<br />
Name Instrument Level Class<br />
Rebecca Anderson Flute 03 Merit<br />
Saskia Cooper Violin 02 Pass<br />
Julia Cunning Clarinet 01 Distinction<br />
Kirsty Harper Clarinet 02 Distinction<br />
Rhona McPhail Flute 01 Merit<br />
Lauren Morrison Flute 03 Pass<br />
Fraser Quinn Clarinet 02 Distinction<br />
Tom Thickpenny Saxophone 01 Merit<br />
Mercedes McKay-Turner <strong>The</strong>ory 05 Merit<br />
7 8
<strong>The</strong> 84th Inverclyde Music Festival<br />
Once again students from <strong>St</strong> Columba’s have brought a little musical magic<br />
to the festival. <strong>The</strong> Junior Choir won their competition and high praise<br />
from the adjudicator for ‘a lovely programme performed by a first class<br />
choir’. <strong>The</strong>y were awarded the Linda Conn Trophy for the second<br />
year in a row.<br />
<strong>The</strong> J2, 3 and 4 Choir were third in their class, and the J5/6<br />
Choir took second in the Scot’s Song class.<br />
Although their performances of ‘<strong>The</strong> Lamb’ by John<br />
Taverner and ‘It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That<br />
Swing’ were widely admired by the audience, the Senior<br />
Ensemble narrowly missed out to Garnock Academy.<br />
<strong>The</strong> two schools were again engaged in close<br />
competition when the <strong>St</strong> Columba’s Jazz Band was<br />
awarded the outstanding mark of 90 only to be pipped<br />
at the post by Garnock with 91.<br />
Pipers from the school also enjoyed success during the<br />
two-week event. <strong>The</strong> adjudicator, Pipe Major of the<br />
<strong>St</strong>rathclyde Police Pipe Band, Jim Wark, described the<br />
standard as extremely high, and our own Pipe Major,<br />
Gordon Walker, said that the results boded well for the<br />
future success of piping at <strong>St</strong> <strong>Columba's</strong> <strong>School</strong>.<br />
Congratulations to everyone involved.<br />
An Evening of Music<br />
<strong>The</strong> evening was a chance to celebrate the<br />
recent success of pupils at the Inverclyde<br />
Music Festival and NYCoS auditions, as well<br />
as to give the Senior Choir an opportunity to<br />
perform before an audience; the choir had<br />
not been able to attend the Festival due to a<br />
clash with Prelims. <strong>The</strong> programme ranged<br />
from ‘Spider Pig’ to ‘Prelude in C Sharp<br />
Minor’, included Piano Solos and Piping Trios.<br />
Special praise must go to Head Boy and Girl,<br />
Christopher Johnstone and Kirsty Wilson,<br />
who managed to juggle their role as hosts<br />
with a few star turns of their own. We are<br />
delighted to add that the event raised over<br />
£500 for the <strong>St</strong> Ignatius <strong>School</strong> in Guyana.<br />
Thank you to everyone who attended and<br />
contributed so generously.<br />
Major Award - Overall Trophies<br />
AJ Gourlay Trophy<br />
Scott Dickson<br />
Andrew B Cockle Trophy And Medal<br />
Melissa Meighan<br />
Vocal Classes – Solo and Duet<br />
Gender/Age Group Place Name Place Name<br />
B7 1st Findlay Halliday<br />
G7 2nd Annabel McCusker<br />
G8 1st Emily Capell 2nd Nicola Lambert<br />
B9 1st Alexander Schellekens 2nd Gavin Findlay<br />
G10 1st Alice Donaldson 2nd Olivia Gemmell<br />
BScots11 1st Archie Morris<br />
G15 1st Melissa Meighan 2nd Caitlin Findlay<br />
G18 1st Emma Leighton<br />
GScots15 1st Rebecca Ronney 2nd Fiona Ritchie<br />
GBurns15 1st Melissa Meighan 2nd Fiona Ritchie<br />
GScots18 1st Emma Leighton<br />
Shows15 1st Sally Bishop 2nd Fiona Ritchie<br />
Shows15B 1st Caitlin Findlay 2nd Melissa Meighan<br />
Duet13 1st Lucy Bishop/<br />
Caitlin Girdwood<br />
Duet15 1st Fiona Ritchie/ 2nd Caitlin Findlay/<br />
Melissa Meighan Sally Bishop<br />
Duet18 1st Gillian MacDonald/ 2nd Emma Leighton/<br />
Cicily Patterson Jessica Weir<br />
Instrumental Classes<br />
Class Type/Age Group Place Name<br />
Recital Class Senior 1st Scott Dickson<br />
Piano18 1st Scott Dickson<br />
Electric Guitar18 1st Fraser Dunlop<br />
Violin Solo18 1st William Hesselmann<br />
Woodwind13 1st Kirsty Harper<br />
2nd Equal Fiona Faint/Karina Bailey<br />
Woodwind11 1st Julia Cunning<br />
Piano11 2nd Alice Donaldson<br />
Piano Leisure Play 1st Claire Eagle<br />
Piano Play with Teacher 1st Joe Yacoubian<br />
2nd Alice Graham<br />
Parent and Child 1st Gregor Keir<br />
Instrumental Duet18 1st Mercedes McKay-Turner/Jennifer Hoad<br />
Piano 15 1st Rebecca Anerson<br />
Piano Duet 1st Zoe Borland/Jennifer Buchanan<br />
Piano 2nd Zoe Borland<br />
Piano 2nd Georgia Taylor<br />
Piano Trio 2nd Iona Grant/Lucy Grant/Katia Guyler<br />
14years & under Runner-up Sandy Ritchie<br />
<strong>St</strong>rathspey & Reel14 Runner-up Sandy Ritchie<br />
16years & under 1st Hugh Gillies<br />
<strong>St</strong>rathspey & Reel16 Runner-up Hugh Gillies<br />
Jig Runner-up Hugh Gillies<br />
Trio18 Runners-up Graeme Mann, Jamie McDonald, Blair Williamson<br />
Trio18 1st Iain Findlay, Kyle Nish, Hugh Gillies<br />
9 10
English<br />
AROUND THE DEPARTMENTS<br />
Spreading the Word<br />
Faculty Week is a chance for one department to showcase their work to the rest of the<br />
<strong>School</strong>. In December the English Department organised a number of activities, including<br />
writing competitions, debates, quizzes and recitals. <strong>The</strong>re were also visits from authors Alex<br />
Gray, Christopher Brookmyre and Liz Lochhead and journalist Joan McAlpine.<br />
Science versus Classics<br />
<strong>The</strong> debate over whether Science and Technology is more beneficial to today’s society than the<br />
literature and mythology of Classical <strong>St</strong>udies was definitely one of the highlights of English<br />
Faculty Week.<br />
Accompanying Dr Spencer and Mrs Carey in this<br />
impromptu debate were Megan Girdwood and Rebecca<br />
Meredith. Two of the school’s top (and slightly more<br />
experienced) debaters, they added to the passionate<br />
and intellectual arguments put forward by both<br />
teachers. Despite the persuasive and<br />
interesting points made by ‘Team Classics’, ultimately Science<br />
prevailed, confirmed by an informal vote (a.k.a. the loudest<br />
cheer won).<br />
<strong>The</strong> Power of Nature Writing Competition<br />
A writing competition was held on the theme of “<strong>The</strong> Power of Nature”. Pupils<br />
submitted poetry, prose or drama in three age groups, SI/SII, SIII/SIV and SV/SVI.<br />
Commended in each group were -<br />
SI/SII Caitlin Girdwood, Dakota Hlaing and Harry Lang<br />
SIII/SIV Jerome Bailey, Keira Bowden, Elliot Gemmell, Christopher Leiberman and<br />
Christopher Marshall<br />
SV/SVI Iain Boyd, Tessa Robins and Jennifer Smith<br />
You can read the winning entries on our new website www.st-columbas.org<br />
Ancient & Modern Languages<br />
Advanced Higher Paris Trip<br />
By Flora La Thangue and Amy McCulloch<br />
In early February the Advanced Higher French class (Flora and Amy) visited the French<br />
capital accompanied by Mrs Kennedy and Mrs Holt. Although they only had time for a<br />
whirl wind tour of the city, highlights included visits to Montmartre, Notre Dame and, of<br />
course, the Eiffel Tower at night. <strong>The</strong>y revelled in the delights of French culture during a<br />
visit to the Musée d’Orsay and enjoyed Parisian cuisine.<br />
Throughout the trip they were immersed in the French<br />
language from asking for train and metro tickets to<br />
conversing with the locals. <strong>The</strong> experience will be<br />
invaluable when they come to sit their SQA<br />
speaking examination. Despite some narrow<br />
escapes on the metro everyone had an<br />
excellent time!<br />
SALT Poster Competition<br />
Clare Eagle & Beth Fraser, SIII,<br />
won second prize in the<br />
Scottish Association for<br />
Language Teaching Poster<br />
Competition 2008. Pupils<br />
were asked to design a<br />
poster or leaflet with<br />
illustrations and text showing<br />
why “languages are fun!”<br />
Literary Quiz<br />
<strong>The</strong> winner of the staff quiz was Patricia Nicoll<br />
with Helen Beall coming second, after their<br />
entries were drawn out of a hat. <strong>The</strong> S1 & S2<br />
Competition was won by Madeline <strong>St</strong>owe,<br />
Hilary Harrison-Milan and Niamh Moran.<br />
Maths<br />
UK Senior Mathematical Challenge<br />
Congratulations to the following pupils who<br />
took part in the Senior Level of the United<br />
Kingdom Maths Trust Competition.<br />
Joshua Rogers Gold Certificate<br />
Best in <strong>School</strong><br />
Catherine Daly Gold Certificate<br />
Elissa McKay Gold Certificate<br />
Katie <strong>St</strong>irrup Silver Certificate<br />
Sophie Cahn Silver Certificate<br />
<strong>St</strong>uart Nicol Silver Certificate<br />
Megan Girdwood Bronze Certificate<br />
Kelly Provan Bronze Certificate<br />
David Leiberman Bronze Certificate<br />
Beverley Macpherson Bronze Certificate<br />
Emma MacRitchie Bronze Certificate<br />
Hannah Simpson Bronze Certificate<br />
Joshua Rodgers went forward to the<br />
next round, the Maths Olympiad.<br />
Geography<br />
Ardentinny 5-7th Dec<br />
Rebecca Anderson & Luca Hlaing report on the SIII field trip.<br />
Eighteen geography students accompanied by the brave Miss Elkin and Mrs McCaffer left school late Friday afternoon and ventured over the<br />
water to Ardentinny. Throughout the weekend the adventurous group waded through rivers in minus<br />
temperatures and attempted to build snowmen with frozen snow. Although the cold got to<br />
everyone, a great deal was learnt, including how to read weather charts, the<br />
characteristics of rivers and...not to hound people with questionnaires. Vital life<br />
lessons were also learnt, including don’t buy wellies that leak, that it is rather dark<br />
on a night hike and some people fall over for no accountable reason.<br />
<strong>The</strong> weekend was enjoyed by all<br />
despite the bumps, bruises<br />
and wet clothes.<br />
Report on Kindrogan 30 Jan – 2 Feb<br />
By David Johnstone SIV<br />
We arrived at the Kindrogan Field Centre on the Friday evening where we were<br />
greeted by our somewhat eccentric teacher for the weekend, Duncan. After dinner we<br />
had our first lesson during which<br />
Duncan introduced us to the<br />
programme for the following<br />
days, as well as to the<br />
techniques and skills we would<br />
be using.<br />
On the Saturday we had a quick<br />
lesson in studying rivers before we<br />
set out - to study some rivers! A pleasant walk along a path through snow and ice took us to<br />
our first location at the river. We measured the width, depth, velocity and bedload of the river<br />
which involved getting very cold and there were a few arguments about who would have to put<br />
their hands in the freezing water. This was repeated at two other locations and when we<br />
arrived back at the centre, with numb fingers and toes, we had a lesson to collate our data. We<br />
used this information to construct a cross section of the river. We were then happy to crawl<br />
into our warm beds to get a good night sleep in preparation for the next day.<br />
On Sunday morning we set out to climb Kindrogan Hill, armed with a variety of weather<br />
measuring devices. At various points on the way up we measured the wind speed, temperature,<br />
sunlight and humidity. When we emerged from the forest near the summit we were pleasantly<br />
surprised by a beautiful sight – a landscape covered in a foot of snow. We drew a field sketch of<br />
the glacial features, such as corries and truncated spurs, which could be seen from the summit.<br />
Home Economics<br />
On Monday we packed up our things and<br />
went to Pitlochry to conduct a survey on<br />
tourism. We had prepared a '5-question'<br />
questionnaire to show how tourism affected<br />
the area. Before leaving we enjoyed an<br />
excellent hot chocolate in the ‘chocolate café’,<br />
which was very much welcome in the cold<br />
weather. We then paid a quick visit to a hydro<br />
electric power plant which also contained a<br />
fish ladder for the salmon to swim upstream<br />
in the spring. We got on the bus home, tired<br />
and hungry. We were sad to leave but happy<br />
to be on the way home to a warmer climate.<br />
Transitus <strong>St</strong>udents Cook up a Feast for Year of the Ox<br />
Food is an important part of the Chinese New Year and many items are included to<br />
allude to wealth, health and happiness. For example, the Cantonese word for<br />
tangerines sounds like ’gold’ so these are commonly eaten during the holiday<br />
period. Transitus students celebrated the festival, which began on January 26, by<br />
creating a mouth-watering Chinese meal. Amongst the dishes prepared and<br />
enjoyed were Sweet Plum Beef <strong>St</strong>ir-fry with Firecracker Rice, Vegetable Spring Rolls,<br />
Egg Fried Rice and Crescent Moons. We wish everyone a happy and prosperous<br />
New Year. Xin Nian Kuai Le!<br />
11 12
Badminton<br />
Hockey<br />
SPORT<br />
Renfrewshire Area <strong>School</strong>s Badminton Championships<br />
<strong>The</strong> Renfrewshire Area <strong>School</strong>s’ Badminton Championships were played on Tuesday 20th<br />
January at the Lagoon Centre, Paisley. <strong>The</strong>re were over 150 entries in 3 age groups.<br />
<strong>St</strong> <strong>Columba's</strong> had 7 pupils in the competition. Christopher Marshall reached the 1/4 finals of<br />
the Intermediate Singles. Christopher and Hal Le Thangue finished in 3rd place in the<br />
Intermediate Boys’ Doubles.<br />
Each event was played in a round robin format, leading to a knock-out. All players finished well<br />
in their respective groups. This was the first time the event had been played for a few years<br />
and we are delighted with such promising results.<br />
Hannah Simpson is playing with the Scottish<br />
U-16 training squad, while Kirsty Wilson and<br />
Becky Marshall are members of the Scottish<br />
U-18 training squad.<br />
End of Term Transitus<br />
Hockey Tournament<br />
Transitus girls took part in<br />
this festive tournament.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Christmas Trees won!<br />
Cross Country<br />
Scottish Cross Country Club Championships<br />
Kirsty Harper (SI) came 7th in the U-13 group at Holyrood in Edinburgh on 10th January.<br />
Senior <strong>School</strong> Cross Country Championships -<br />
December 2008 Results<br />
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Sadly, neither!<br />
<strong>St</strong>ill the chicken was probably thankful for the extra<br />
padding as dozens of students (some in fancy dress)<br />
braved the chill to take part in what is popularly<br />
known as the ‘Christmas Canter’.<br />
Senior Girls Senior Boys<br />
1st Emma Leighton Andrew McAlpine<br />
2nd <strong>St</strong>ephanie McCabe Calum McLeod<br />
3rd Rebecca Cameron David Shields<br />
Athletics<br />
SIII Girls SIII Boys<br />
1st Katie McAlpine Ker Malcolm<br />
2nd Jenny Pirrie <strong>St</strong>uart Wright<br />
3rd Rachael McCabe Christopher Leiberman<br />
SII Girls SII Boys<br />
1st Dakota Hlaing Ian Gillies<br />
2nd Fiona Bell Sammy Rose<br />
3rd Sophie <strong>St</strong>uart-Menteth Euan Hunter<br />
SI Girls SI Boys<br />
1st Kirsty Harper Greg Cunning<br />
2nd Morven MacEwen <strong>St</strong>even Leighton<br />
3rd Chloe Finnie Jack McAlpine<br />
Scottish <strong>School</strong>s’ Indoor Athletics<br />
Championships<br />
Five students took part at Kelvinhall on 5th<br />
February. Callum McLeod (SIV) ran in the<br />
U-16 800m, and Andrew McAlpine (SV) in the<br />
over-16 15,000m. Kirsty Harper (SI) and Katy<br />
McAlpine (SIII) ran in the U-16 15,000m, and<br />
Rachael McCabe participated in the U-16<br />
Girls’ High Jump. All five students acquitted<br />
themselves well, with results nearing their<br />
personal best.<br />
Transitus Cross Country Championships - December 2008 Results<br />
Transitus Girls Transitus Boys<br />
1st Chloe Hardie Tom Thickpenny<br />
2nd Saskia Cooper Patrick Skirving<br />
3rd Louise Colville Ross McDonnell<br />
Swimming<br />
Jack McCusker (SIII), Laura Atkinson and<br />
Chloe Hardy (Transitus) participated in the<br />
Scottish <strong>School</strong>s’ Swimming Championships<br />
at Tolcross on 31 January. All achieved<br />
respectable times. Laura and Chloe were first<br />
reserve for the Junior Girls’ Final Relay.<br />
Rugby<br />
Jamie Binning and <strong>St</strong>ewart Gray are playing at<br />
U-18 District level. Sean McAlindon has<br />
recently joined the U-17 Glasgow team.<br />
SRU U-15 Plate<br />
<strong>St</strong> Columba’s U-15s played against Dunblane<br />
High <strong>School</strong> on 14 January, losing in the 2nd<br />
round of the Plate.<br />
Netball<br />
A report from Miss Beggs<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>St</strong> Columba’s Transitus netball team competed in the<br />
Inverclyde Netball Tournament on Wednesday 11th February.<br />
<strong>The</strong> team members are Hayley Skimming(GS), Jazz Catto (GA),<br />
Meera Patel (WA), Laura Atkinson (C), Karen Finnie (WD), Ellie<br />
Halliday (GD) and Megan Connolly (GK). <strong>The</strong>y drew against one of the<br />
teams and successfully won each of the six other games played that afternoon.<br />
<strong>The</strong> result secured them a place in the semi-final against <strong>St</strong> Mary’s Primary <strong>School</strong>.<br />
<strong>St</strong> Columba’s subsequently won 2-0 with Hayley scoring both goals. <strong>The</strong> girls then played<br />
<strong>St</strong> Michael’s Primary <strong>School</strong> in the final and won 1-0, with Hayley scoring the winning goal.<br />
This was their first netball competition and the girls were delighted with the result.<strong>The</strong>y have<br />
worked extremely hard at weekly netball practice and have improved considerably over the last<br />
year. <strong>The</strong> girls cooperated and worked together extremely well as a team, which undoubtedly<br />
contributed to their success at this tournament.<br />
Junior Swimming Gala<br />
A highlight of the sporting year, the annual Junior Swimming Gala took place on Monday 9<br />
February at the Johnstone swimming pool. Congratulations to the following students:<br />
Butterfly<br />
Girls’ Butterfly Cup – Olivia Gemmell (J6)<br />
Boys’ Butterfly Cup – Campbell Gibson (J6)<br />
Girls’ Championship<br />
Gold – Eilidh Love (J5)<br />
Silver – Sarah Bradford (J6)<br />
Bronze – Iona Miller (J5)<br />
Boys’ Championship<br />
Gold – Garth Finch (J6)<br />
Silver – Josh Henry (J5)<br />
Bronze – Jonathan Bradford (J4)<br />
Inter House Championship<br />
This was won by Craigmarloch.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Junior 6 netball team also took part in<br />
the Inverclyde Netball Tournament and<br />
played three friendly games, which gave them<br />
a taste of competing in preparation for next<br />
year. <strong>The</strong>y drew one of their games and won<br />
the remaining two. <strong>The</strong> girls thoroughly<br />
enjoyed the whole experience and were a<br />
fantastic support to the Transitus team<br />
throughout the tournament.<br />
I would like to especially thank Mandy<br />
Connolly who runs the netball club with me<br />
every Friday afternoon. I am extremely<br />
grateful for all her support and expertise,<br />
which has greatly contributed to the success<br />
of the team. I would like to say a huge well<br />
done to all the other Junior 6 and Transitus<br />
girls who attend netball club. <strong>The</strong>y have also<br />
worked extremely hard to improve their<br />
netball skills. We are hoping to arrange some<br />
friendly games against local schools.<br />
13 14
JUNIOR SCHOOL<br />
Our Local Area<br />
J1 has been learning about Our Local Area.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y had great fun building a den in the<br />
classroom, playing cops and<br />
robbers and enjoying the<br />
Bee Bots.<br />
Visit to Garnethill Synagogue<br />
J3 travelled to Glasgow to visit the Garnethill Synagogue.<br />
<strong>The</strong> pupils have been learning about the Jewish religion<br />
and it was a chance to see at first hand some of the<br />
items they’ve discussed. <strong>The</strong> boys even donned skull<br />
caps for the visit. <strong>The</strong> pupils clearly enjoyed the<br />
experience, asking plenty of informed questions.<br />
Do you know a Diplodocus from a Plesiosaur?<br />
Or an Allosaurus from a Triceratops? Pupils in J2 do! <strong>The</strong> class followed up their<br />
study of dinosaurs with a trip to the Hunterian Museum. <strong>The</strong>y have been<br />
learning about the dinosaurs which existed during the Triassic,<br />
Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. During their trip they had a<br />
chance to examine closely some unusual objects, including a<br />
fossilised T-Rex claw and a piece of dinosaur dung.<br />
Katie Morag Comes to Prep<br />
An Exotic Topic!<br />
J4 brought in exotic fruits as part of their healthy eating topic.<br />
Parents also had a chance to sample something tasty at the<br />
Healthy Eating Cafe where they enjoyed first class service from<br />
the student waiters.<br />
Appreciating the Bard, Robert Burns<br />
What a Load of Rubbish!<br />
On March 2nd, Pupils from Prep to Junior 6<br />
enjoyed a performance by Hopscotch <strong>The</strong>atre<br />
Company. What a Load of Rubbish! was a<br />
very funny play with a very serious message<br />
about recycling. All of the children came<br />
away with the mantra Reduce,<br />
Reuse and Recycle.<br />
J6 recently enjoyed the full Burns experience.<br />
Following a trip to the poet’s birthplace in Alloway,<br />
they sat down to a supper of haggis, champit tatties<br />
and bashed neeps. All the traditional formalities<br />
were observed, including an impassioned Address to<br />
the Haggis.<br />
15 16
FORMER PUPILS<br />
Annual Hockey and Rugby Matches<br />
As the Rector notes in his Message (p1) these matches have become a highlight of the of the<br />
season. However, due to a review by the SRU into player safety, the rugby fixture will now take<br />
place in a slightly altered format. Two teams of ten drawn from the <strong>School</strong> will play against one<br />
another, followed by a match between two teams of ten former pupils. Despite the changes, it<br />
should be a highly enjoyable morning. Do come along and support the<br />
players!<br />
9.30 Hockey at Astroturf<br />
10.30 <strong>School</strong> Rugby Teams at Birkmyre Park<br />
11.20 FP Teams at Birkmyre Park<br />
12.15 Refreshments in Livingstone Hall, Junior <strong>School</strong><br />
Reunions<br />
Class of 1964<br />
<strong>The</strong> former pupils were in gregarious mood when they met for lunch at Amaretto, Bridge of<br />
Weir, on Saturday 7th March for their annual get together. This year seven out of twelve were<br />
present to catch up on a year’s news: Patricia Telfer, Alisoun Fairbairn (Fullerton), Shirly Ogg<br />
(Jack), Judy Adams (McGill), Carolyn Murray (Mackie), Lindsay Cowie (Bisset) and Dorothy<br />
Motherwell (Carpenter). <strong>The</strong> main topic of conversation was the news of Diana Ormonde<br />
(Hay) who has gone to Russia to teach English in a school in Moscow where she has been<br />
asked to support Early Years.<br />
Class of 1979-80<br />
Several FPs are keen to arrange a 30-year<br />
reunion in 2009 for the fifth years who left in<br />
1979 as well as the year group who stayed on<br />
for sixth form and left in 1980. <strong>The</strong> details<br />
are still being discussed, however if you are<br />
interested in attending please contact<br />
maggie.ayre@bbc.co.uk or Pauline Davidson<br />
Pauline.Davidson@scotland.gsi.gov.uk<br />
<strong>The</strong>y plan to get together in the Glasgow area<br />
sometime towards the end of Summer 2009.<br />
Website<br />
If you haven’t yet discovered the new revamped website, please visit it at<br />
www.st-columbas.org<br />
<strong>The</strong> Former Pupils section now has sub categories:<br />
Contacts<br />
Events & Reunions<br />
Update Your Details<br />
How to Join<br />
Publications<br />
Class of 1989<br />
<strong>The</strong> 20-year reunion is still in the<br />
planning stage and Jen Marshall (Brown),<br />
who lives in Holland, would welcome<br />
any help from FPs in the UK. If anyone<br />
is interested, then please get in<br />
contact - j.marshall@planet.nl<br />
Additional pages can be added as former pupil involvement develops and the Update<br />
Your Details online form should hopefully make it easier for you to stay in touch.<br />
You can, of course, also contact us by: email fps@st-columbas.org or writing to the FPs’<br />
Association at the Senior <strong>School</strong> address on the back cover.<br />
Anything Else?<br />
We would love to hear about any other<br />
events you would like to see, either held at<br />
the <strong>School</strong> or wherever you are across the<br />
country. Please feel free to contact your local<br />
area representative or a committee member.<br />
Where Are <strong>The</strong>y Now?<br />
Erika Lucas, 1997<br />
Erika Lucas married Jack Letson in Dunkeld<br />
Cathedral on 5th September 2008. Erika left<br />
school in 1997 and has since graduated from<br />
Edinburgh University as a doctor and now<br />
works as a GP in Glasgow. Wedding guests<br />
included former pupils Claire Brown, Kenny<br />
Morrice, Boyd Gawish, Georgina McMaster,<br />
Andrew and John Lyons and bridesmaid<br />
Kerry Morrice (Lyons).<br />
Mark Paterson, 2006<br />
I am now a student at Edinburgh University currently studying for a Masters in<br />
Business <strong>St</strong>udies and Accountancy. I have been playing ice hockey for 14<br />
years and during that time my hard work and effort has allowed me to<br />
represent Scotland for 8 years, serving 2 seasons as team captain for<br />
my age group. I spent my final year of school in North America<br />
studying and playing at the National Sports Academy in New<br />
York <strong>St</strong>ate and currently, alongside full time study, I play for<br />
Scotland's only full-time professional team, Edinburgh<br />
Capitals, in Britain's ELITE league and represent Edinburgh<br />
University in the British Universities Ice Hockey<br />
Association League.<br />
Following a rigorous series of trials I have been selected<br />
to join a 20-man ice hockey team to represent Great<br />
Britain at the World University Games (Universade) in<br />
Harbin, China in February 2009. <strong>St</strong>udents from all over<br />
the world will be taking part in a sporting event which is<br />
second only to the Winter Olympics in terms of size and<br />
quality of competition.<br />
<strong>The</strong> majority of the team consists of English athletes who<br />
are eligible for the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme<br />
(TAAS), which may well cover the entirety of their expenses.<br />
As I’m a Scottish student at Edinburgh University this avenue of<br />
funding is unavailable to me.<br />
Ann McKeown, 1951<br />
Ann McKeown (Ewing) died on 12 December 2008 in Wimborne, Dorset. Ann was the<br />
daughter of Freda Ewing (Williamson) and the sister of Eleanor Bennett (Ewing), also<br />
former pupils. Ann was at <strong>St</strong> Columba’s as a pupil from 1945 until 1951. She later<br />
returned and was matron at the Boarding House.<br />
<strong>St</strong>even Lucas, 2001<br />
Having left school in 2001 I went to study<br />
Pharmacology at Edinburgh University. After<br />
two years I decided that the course was not for<br />
me and looked towards a career in sales and<br />
marketing. I managed to secure a position with<br />
Slater Hogg & Howison Estate Agents, where I<br />
worked as a valuer for five years in and around<br />
Glasgow and Renfrewshire. Two years ago I was offered a<br />
position as an Associate Partner in Corum Estate Agents where I am currently working<br />
between the Paisley and Bridge of Weir offices. I still regularly keep in touch with a number of<br />
former pupils, including Calum Brown, Jamie MacNab, Andy and John Lyons, Johny Kelly, Kenny<br />
Morrice and Boyd Gawish.<br />
<strong>The</strong> photo is from a recent charity ball in Glasgow - former pupils from left to right include<br />
Kenny Morrice, PJ Eadie, (Ross Lang not an FP), (Conor Malone not an FP), Ross Miller, <strong>St</strong>even<br />
Lucas, John Lyons and Jamie MacNab.<br />
17 18
Rector: David G Girdwood BSc MEd SQH<br />
Head of Junior <strong>School</strong>: Davida L Cook DCE ITQ DipAdPr<strong>St</strong> DipEdMan<br />
www.st-columbas.org<br />
Charitable <strong>St</strong>atus No: Ed Cr 35129 / SCO 12598<br />
Senior <strong>School</strong><br />
Duchal Road Kilmacolm PA13 4AU<br />
T: 01505 872238<br />
F: 01505 873995<br />
E: secretary@st-columbas.org<br />
Junior <strong>School</strong><br />
Knockbuckle Road Kilmacolm PA13 4EQ<br />
T: 01505 872768<br />
F: 01505 874642<br />
E: juniorsecretary@st-columbas.org