All the news from the schools - April 8, 2009
PUPILS from East Dunbartonshire and North Lanarkshire are top class...
strong>Bishopbriggs Academy
It's football, but not as we know it
On Thursday, March 26, American football player Mike McCoy talked to Bishopbriggs Academy S1 and S2 pupils about his life in the spotlight as a New York Giants player and the influence religion has had on his life.
He taught the pupils about the difference between friends and enemies – the fact that some people in your life who you think of as friends actually convince you to do wrong, start smoking or to take drugs. Mike made it clear that we should choose our own paths in life, not be swayed by others and have perseverance in going for our hopes and dreams.
We were told many stories about the choices he made, in his highly-successful sporting career and in his own life, and how these choices got him to where he is today.
Pupils were given a Mike McCoy American football card as a parting gift and both the school and Mike McCoy himself hoped that what he spoke about persuaded the pupils to stick to their goals.
The pupils themselves were delighted to have met such a highly-regarded sporting figure, to have been given an insight into a sport which they knew very little about and to learn about the ways in which faith can inform your choices positively in life.
Mark Hajduk 1P8
Golf Day Tournament
As the final phase in what has been a tremendously-successful effort in the Prince's Trust Scholar's Challenge, Bishopbriggs Academy organised a golf tournament at the prestigious Turnberry golf course on Thursday, March 12.
After weeks of careful planning by both Mr Clark and Mrs Thomas in the school, 56 pupils and various members of staff took to the course for what turned out to be a fabulous round of golf.
Competitions were held for longest drive and best putt but most agreed that after such a long and relaxed day out in the beautiful weather, the three course meal held in the evening was the greatest reward for everyone's efforts.
Spring Disco
The pupils of Bishopbriggs Academy welcomed in the spring by dancing the night away at the annual spring disco on Thursday, April 2.
As usual, Mr Laver, social studies teacher, was on hand to provide the crowd with all the party pleasers, and everyone had a fantastic time. Around 200 tickets were sold, raising 800 for school funds.
Alia Ghafar, 2P5
Sporting Achievements
Bishopbriggs Academy has been performing exceedingly well in recent sporting competitions.
The school's Under 15 and Under 18 teams have successfully reached both finals of the prestigious Scottish Cup, the oldest school boys' contest in the world. The Under 15 boys secured a place in the final after a closely fought contest with Madras College in Kirkcaldy, finally winning a penalty shoot-out to settle the tie and the Under 18s shall be playing the final after prevailing over Kirkcaldy High at Broadwood Stadium with the fantastic score of 7-1.
The U18s final shall take place at Hampden Park on Friday, May 8, and the school is extremely hopeful that the boys will return to school with the honourable cup.
The Senior Girls team for netball have qualified for the semi- finals of the Scottish Cup. The girls will face Duncanrig Secondary in East Kilbride for the semi- final and the whole school wishes them the best of luck.
Alia Ghafar, 2P5
Anti-Sectarianism Event
On Monday, March 30, Bishopbriggs Academy chose 60 pupils to attend a team-building exercise with Turnbull high school which aimed to foster good relationships between pupils of different faiths.
For the whole morning there were games held to introduce the children to each other including the name memory game where you were paired into groups and had to remember pupils' names with a food they had chosen.
The first letter of the food had to be the same as the first letter of the person's name therefore pupils learnt a little bit about alliteration at the same time as they did the activity. The activity went in a clockwise direction which was bad news for the person at the end of the group because they had to remember every person's name in the group.
Later on the pupils hopped on a bus to go to Loretto pitches and play more games like passing a water balloon over your head and through your legs and the person at the back would have to crawl through every body's legs.
The day was a big success and was enjoyed by all students at both Turnbull and Bishopbriggs Academy. I felt that the day was a great opportunity to make lots of new friends and made me sure I would never judge other people by their faith.
Adam Carmichael 1P8
Kirkintilloch High School
Spring Concert
THE music department staged a Spring Concert on Tuesday, March 17. The concert showcased the work of the SQA candidates who all performed to an excellent standard on a variety of instruments. The concert also included items played by the School Orchestra, Vocal Group, Jazz Trio and Flute Group.
Glasgow Music Festival
THE KHS Jazz Ensemble and the KHS Flute choir, both conducted by Miss C McDonald represented the school at the 97th Glasgow Music Festival. Both ensembles performed to an excellent standard with the Jazz ensemble winning their section and the Flute choir gaining a very commendable third place.
Under 16 Football
Congratulations to the Kirkintilloch High School Under 16 Boys Football Team which won the East Dunbarton League this season. Team coach Mr Stevenson praised the work ethic of the team and said he was 'over the moon'.
Pupils of the month
Congratulations to Abby Carr of 1B1 and Jamie Patrick of 2K2 who won the first Kirkintilloch High pupils of month. Abby achieved a fantastic 53 merits and Jamie achieved 48 merits. Well done to both pupils on their fantastic achievement.
St Ninian's High
Food Challenge Article
On Wednesday, April 1, S1 took part in The Food Challenge.
The Food Challenge aims to help pupils to improve their self-discipline and allows several departments within the school to cooperate in order to organise a successful event that many pupils enjoy.
The pupils had the chance to design, make and market a hand-held savoury product for James Allan the Bakers.
The managing director, Mark Bradford, has been supporting the food challenge by providing pie shells and pastry for the pupils to use in making their product.
When asked about his contribution Mark was enthusiastic about the challenge as he feels that: "Baking is a traditional skill and it is great to be given the opportunity to help pupils have a go."
Mark and many of the teachers believe that by giving the pupils the chance to participate in The Food Challenge it allows them to see the different stages that need to be considered when designing and making a product. Finally, Mark believes that the pupils will have learned about the work that is involved in food manufacturing.
They have learned to appreciate the difficulty and hard work that goes into making everyday products. The teachers and Mark hope that in the future some of the pupils might consider the food industry as a possible career.
Overall, the pupils and teachers had an inspiring and memorable experience and The Food Challenge looks set to continue for many years to come.
Laura Cawley and Calum Downey
Lenzie Academy
In the early months of 2009, qualifying questions for the Interhouse Reading Quiz were distributed around all the S1 English classes. All the teachers read out ten questions to their class for them to answer.
There was a wide range of questions from The Simpsons to The Boy in Striped Pyjamas. Everyone who attempted the questions did extremely well, but, as with all quizzes, only the best made it through to the Final!
Angus Milliken, Conor Richards, Calum Roberts and Rachael Marshall were the lucky contestants for Campsie. Kirsty MacKintosh, Lewis Carroll, Christopher Campbell and Cameron McCabe made it to compete for Cawder, Clark Midgley, Liam Haggart, David Radcliffe and Ryan Gault were the brainy competitors of Kelvin, and Rebecca Gallagher, Euan Robertson, Alex Gaffney and Mairi Fletcher represented Lennox.
Last but not least, the Teachers Ms Fordyce, Modern Studies, Mr McKenzie, Science, Mrs Kerr, Home Economics and Mrs Wohlgemuth, Modern Languages competed on behalf of the staff of Lenzie Academy!
The quiz itself was held recently and there were five rounds. The rounds were Little and Large, Famous Fliers, Detectives and Spies, Comic Characters and a picture round devised by Mr McKinstry.
In the Little and Large round all of the teams got eight points and no-one used their joker (if you use your joker, the points that you get for that round double. You can only use it once!). In the Famous Fliers round Kelvin, Cawder and Campsie got seven points, the teachers got five points and Lennox got four points. In the Picture round everyone got ten points but the teachers used their joker and got 20 points!
Throughout the competition, the scores were very close. It was any horse's race up to the very last round when Kelvin, Campsie and Lennox used their joker card. There could only be one winner and that was… Kelvin!
The trophy and prizes were awarded to the team by Mrs Cunningham, Depute Head Teacher. Liam, Clark, David and Ryan were elated! The competition was great fun and everyone has gone off to start reading up for next year.
Craig Haggart & Rowan Steele (S2)
Kirky Band "Tour" Glasgow's Finest Venues
Indie band, Tourist, performed exceptionally well at Glasgow's ABC theatre last week and received nothing but positive responses from their audience.
Even though they were the support act for Atlanta band, Black Lips, they managed to attract more attention and provided the audience with a better sound. The crowd's irrepressible exhilaration was displayed when Tourist played their single "Unbelievable" which involved a combination of intense drumming and sheer guitar playing ingenuity. The band's chances of future success looks propitious as a fan, Stephen Moss, 15, puts it:
"Tourist definitely have the potential to become one of the biggest bands in the UK."
The band consists of four members Scott Wohlgemuth, Gerald Chau, Joe Djaelani and Robbie Houston. After meeting in their first-year music class they decided to form a band. When asked about the Tourist's greatest success to date, Scott said "I think the band's greatest achievement so far was when we sold out at the Barrowlands."
Tourist aim to play at T in the Park one day and are currently looking to sign with a record label. The lead singer's mother, Alison Wohlgemuth, who is currently a French teacher at Lenzie Academy told us her thoughts: "Music is Scott's real passion which is good as he has career ambitions in music. I am pleased that he has a pastime that helps him develop his skills. I think they have a good chance of becoming successful as with every concert played their fan base continues to grow."
If you want to learn more about Tourist or listen to tracks can visit
www.MySpace.com/TouristMedia
Daniel Hannah
Kilsyth Academy News
On Tuesday 28th April, we will be holding a 'Celebration of Success' evening to showcase the range of work undertaken during our second year as a 'School of Ambition'. Parents, friends of the school and members of the local community are welcome to come along and have a look round the areas involved. All the performances and exhibitions will be towards the rear of the school and so you are asked to enter by the new back entrance at the basketball court, off Balmalloch Road.
The official opening ceremony for the recent school refurbishment will take place later that week, on Thursday 30th April at 7.15 p.m. Councillor Jim Logue, the Convenor of Learning and Leisure Services, will perform the opening and all parents will receive invitations, immediately after the holiday.
The junior inter-house netball tournament was held last week and proved to be a very close affair. The first 2 games between Kelvin and Montrose then Lennox against Montrose ended as draws, setting up a deciding game between Kelvin and Lennox. In an exciting final Kelvin scored a couple of late goals to win 4-1 and seal an overall victory. This result meant that Montrose were 2nd with Lennox 3rd. Well done to everyone who represented their House and congratulations to Kelvin.
Higher Geography pupils have donated money to buy mosquito nets, to link with the Development and Health Unit they have been studying. They raised a total of 80 and managed to purchase 16 mosquito nets from World Vision. These nets will be donated to African families to protect them from the killer disease malaria. We hope that some other classes will also get involved in this venture.
The S5/6 Hair, Skin and Nails group raised 100 for charity too, by inviting family members and friends along for treatments. This money will be added to the school's main charity fund for the year.
The Badminton Club had a finals night a couple of weeks ago when all the competition results were decided. In the Junior Tournament, Amy Dodds beat Emma Watkins 21-12, 21-18 in the girls' singles, Emma Watkins & Debbie Marshall beat Amy Dodds & Lorraine Scott 21-15, 18-21, 22-20 in the girls' doubles, Callum Dickson beat Chris Bankier 21-11, 20-22, 21-19 in the boys' singles, Chris Bankier & Callum Dickson beat Darren Smith & Cameron Shaw 21-13, 21-19 in the boys' doubles and Amy Dodds & Cameron Shaw beat Emma Watkins & Callum Dickson 21-17 in the mixed doubles. In the senior tournament, Stuart Burns beat Mark Hair 21-10, 21-12 in the boys' singles and Mark Anderson & Robbie Hutchins beat Stuart Burns & Jack Chalmers 21-14, 15-21, 21-19 in the boys' doubles. The title of 'Most Improved Player of the Year' went to Mark Hair. Mr Jim Lawrie, formerly a member of staff and leader of the badminton club, came along to add his support on the evening. Well done to all concerned. Immediately prior to the holiday, there was also a staff/pupils badminton event which was well supported and everyone enjoyed a great afternonon.
The S2 Football team took on Cardinal Newman High School on last week, in the 2nd round of the Lanarkshire cup. Kilsyth started the match with a change from their usual formation which made a huge difference to their play, this saw them take an early 2 goal lead thanks to a double by Chris Craigie. Kilsyth were on top for the whole of the first half and eventually got another just before half time. This time it was a Matthew Eastwood corner from the right hand side which was met by Jordan Cooper at the back post who headed home to give Kilsyth the 3 goal lead at half time. In the second half Kilsyth had an excellent defensive display which limited Cardinal Newman to only a few chances. They did eventually break through from a corner of their own to pull one back. This was the last of the goals and Kilsyth Academy progresses to the quarter finals of the Lanarkshire cup where they are due to face Duncanrig High School. The man of the match was Chris Craigie.
Pupils from S1, S4, S5 and S6 took part in the North Lanarkshire Dance Festival, at St Maurice's High School, last week. The S1 team – Lana Dolan, Gillian Hood, Lara Cullen, Hayley Fitzsimmons, Meghan Oliver, Joanne Lawrie, Laurie Anderson, Rachel Craik, Miriam Hogg, Emily Hossack, Shannon Barrie and jenny Brownlie – danced in the cheerleading category to the Miley Cyrus Hannah Montana number and took a credible third place, out of 53 entries. The team was coached by Stephanie Rankin and Gemma Butterly (both S5). The S6 team – Lynsey MacKenzie, Louise Rippard, Lyndsey Angus, Caireen kennedy, Ainslie mason, Kirsty Adam and Kara Gallagher – danced in the senior competition, with a 'weather compilation', and also came in 3rd, out of 23 entries. Well done to both teams and those involved in preparing them.
Congratulations to Mrs Tracey Henderson, our Principal Teacher of English, on her appointment to the post of Principal Teacher of Communication at Wallace High School, in Stirling. Mrs Henderson will take up her new post in June. Congratulations also go to Miss Jude Gilvear, our Active Schools Coordinator, on the occasion of her marriage last weekend.
The school will resume on Monday 20th April at the normal time. S3 examinations begin on Wednesday 22nd April and run until Wednesday 29th April. Thereafter, the main diet of SQA examinations will begin on Tuesday 5th May, with the exception of Standard Grade Art and Design which will be spread across 29th and 30th April, in the previous week.
Please remember too that there are two in-service days coming up, on 1st and 5th May.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Kirkintilloch
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 11 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 10 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: West
