an olympian founder’s day - independent school …€¦ · an olympian founder’s day ... callum...

Issue 43 I Autumn 2013

Astronaut takes pupils to moon and back

Computing visit to Edinburgh

Success with the stars

An Olympian Founder’s Day

2013 Autumn Quadrangle issue 43.indd 1 09/10/2013 12:09:37

DanceFreya Oswald (now S5) achieved the following for dancing year 2012-2013:Royal Academy of Dance: Grade 7 Classical Ballet with distinction Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing: Intermedi-ate Modern Dance with distinction British Association of Teachers of Dancing: British Medallion in Highland Dancing, Commended, Bronze Certificate in Sailor’s Hornpipe, Highly Commended, First Award Scottish National Certifi-cate, Highly Commended.

COLOURS (yeargroups at June 2013)ATHLETICS Bruce Sorbie (S4)CRICKET Andrew Sweeney (S6)DEBATING Morag Forbes (S5) (Re-award), Tomas Sanders (S5) (Re-award) ICE SKATING Jessica Milne (S4)MATHEMATICS Cong Lu (S4)MUSIC Adam Castle (S6), Gregor Coull (S6), Sarah Cowie (S5), Morag Forbes (S5), Freya Hall (S4), Miriam Ingram (S5), Casseia Taylor (S6), Daniel Tootill (S6), Kirsty Trail (S5), Craig Brownhill (S6) (Re-award), Kathy Donaldson (S6) (Re-award), Ewan Harry-Thomas (S6) (Re-award), Samantha Hopkins (S6) (Re-award), Heather Watson (S6) (Re-award)PUBLIC SPEAKINGKyle Spencer (S4)SWIMMINGChristopher Yule (S5), Jack Ness (S5) (Re-award), Caitlin Tootill (S5) (Re-award)

MERIT AWARDS (all S6 at June 2013)CEILIDH BAND Iain Hall, James Merry CHAMBER CHOIR Gregor Coull, Bethany Cross Iain Hall , Maxwell Harris, Samantha Hopkins, Irvine Masson, James Merry, Robert Miller, Heather Watson CHARITIES COMMITTEENathan Adam, Kenneth Watt CONCERT BANDThomas Brown, Craig Brownhill, Adam Castle,

Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awards (all S6 at June 2013)Miriam Abraham, Abbie Buchan, Frankie Christie, Edward Harwood, Sunny Kumar, Robert Miller, Sam Povey, Hamish Strachan, Greig Torpey, Chris-tine Watson, Katie Wood.

Pipe bandLewis Maitland was placed 2nd in the Under 18 years Piobaireachd event at the recent Braemar Gathering attended by HRH the Queen. London College of MusicS5: Charlotte Edwards Grade 6 Piano with Merit

Gregor Coull, Sarah Davidson, Ewan Harry-Thom-as, Oliver Hay, Joel Ingram, Alison Leslie, James Merry, Rebecca Moffat, Caitlin Rees, Sam Stevens, Liam Stewart, Casseia Taylor, Daniel Tootill, Heather Watson, Kenneth Watt, Katie Wood CRICKETSam Morris DUKE OF EDINBURGHThomas Brown, Mohamed Elyas, Andrew Hainsworth, Edward Harwood, Ross Milner, Grant Scott, Jack Taggart, Callum Thomson JASPARSRoos Boon von Ochssée, Megan Cunningham, Chantel Duguid, Samantha Hopkins, Fiona Kennedy, Maxine Mancellon, Christina McIntyre, Harriet Mills, Lucy Needle, Alex Owen, Vicky Paisley, Manahil Qadir, Anna Richardson, Yasmine Sahraie, Georgia Shirreffs, Morven Sneddon, Beth Summers, Greig Torpey, Maxine Walker, Kirsten Warrender, Christine Watson, Heather Watson, Christy Young JUNIOR SCHOOL ASSISTANTKaty Reynard PUPIL COUNCILRebecca Moffat, Kenneth Watt SI BUDDYEmma Paterson, Euan Shand, Christy Young S6 YEARBOOKKathy Donaldson, Amy Ether, Ross Farquhar, Aliya Hossain, Emily Johnston, Jen Lightbody, Eilidh MacVicar, Lalit Maganti, Christina McIntyre, So-phie Murphy Lucy Needle, Manahil Qadir, Kirsten Warrender

SCRABBLE CLUBRoss Farquhar SENIOR BIG BANDThomas Brown, Craig Brownhill, Adam Castle, Sa-rah Davidson, Ewan Harry-Thomas, Oliver Hay, Joel Ingram, Alison Leslie, Sam Stevens, Liam Stewart, Daniel Tootill, Kenneth Watt SENIOR CHOIRBethany Cross SENIOR ORCHESTRAKathy Donaldson, Iain Hall, Samantha Hopkins, Molly Inglis, Tim Marple SILLERTON HOUSERoos Boon Von Ochssée, William Broadhurst, Frankie Christie, Bethany Cross, Maxwell Harris, Ewan Harry-Thomas, Carrie Hutchison, Emily John-ston, Maxine Mancellon, Liam Stewart, Maxine Walker STRALOCH HOUSENathan Adam, Sarah-Jane Bush, Aliyah Hossain, Irvine Masson, Laura Murphy, Sophie Murphy, Sam Povey, Hussain Raja, Jack Taggart SUBJECT ASSISTANT: BIOLOGYAmanda Berg SUBJECT ASSISTANT: CHEMISTRYFrankie Christie SUBJECT ASSISTANT: ENGLISHMaxine Mancellon SUBJECT ASSISTANT: GEOGRAPHYAmy Ether, Eilidh MacVicar SWIMMINGMorven Sneddon

ABRSM Music Exams (yeargroups at June 2013)P7: Thomas Cameron Grade 2 Bassoon with distinc-tion; Kapil Deshpande Grade 1 Violin with distinction; Patrick Robinson Grade 1 Oboe with distinction.S1: Callum Adams Grade 2 Flute with merit; Samuel Hill Grade 2 Flute with merit; Emma Morrice Grade 3 Clarinet with distinction; Kirsty Oldham Grade 2 Flute; Aidan Parkinson Grade 3 Flute with merit; Elizabeth Ruska Grade 1 Flute with distinction.S2: Louise Houette Grade 1 Clarinet with distinc-tion; Georgie Milne Grade 4 Clarinet with merit; Jack Rathbone Grade 4 Alto Saxophone with merit; Millie Skidmore Grade 3 Alto Saxophone. S3: Ewan Bruce Grade 4 Bassoon; Nick Cameron Grade 5 Double Bass; Fraser Cowie Grade 5 Violin; Janet Foster Grade 5 Alto Saxophone with merit; Sarah Montgomery Grade 4 Flute with distinction; Katrina O’Donovan Grade 3 Clarinet with merit.S4: Katy Gordon Grade 5 Clarinet; Charles Lawrie Grade 5 Violin; Louise Oldham Grade 5 Singing with merit; Harry Simpson Grade 5 Cello. S5: Aized Shahbaz Grade 6 with Cello; Tom Sum-mers Grade 5 Flute with merit; Miriam Ingram Grade 7 Trumpet with distinction.

S6: Robert Fitch Grade 7 Clarinet with distinction; Oliver Hay Grade 8 Trumpet; Katie Hibbrt Grade 7 Oboe; Molly Inglis Grade 8 Violin with distinction; Joel Ingram Grade 8 Alto Saxophone with merit; Louise Ouston Grade 4 Singing; Caroline Hutchison Grade 8 Piano.

Trinity College Music Exams (yeargroups at June 2013)P7: Thomas Capderou Grade 2 Trumpet with merit; Johnnie Gamba Grade 1 French Horn with distinction; Ben Chapman Grade 1 Alto Saxophone with distinction; Charlie Houette Grade 1 Euphonium with distinction; Henry Lyons Grade 1 Alto Saxophone with distinction; Michael O’Donovan Grade 2 Tuba with distinction.S1: Brodie Nicol Grade 3 Tuba with merit. S2: David Peacock Grade 5 Alto Saxophone with merit. S3: Alastair Hunter Grade 2 Drums with distinction; Maitland Mackie Grade 2 Crums with merit.S4: Bronagh Miller Grade 6 Flute with merit; Catriona Soden Grade 6 Flute wityh distinction; Mirrhyn Stephen Grade 7 Viola with distinction.S5: Scott Chisholm Grade 7 Trumpet; Charlotte Johnson Grade 7 Trombone; Laura Tulloch Grade 5 Trombone with merit; Sarah Cowie Grade 7 Saxophone with

merit; Matthew Girvan Grade 6 Trombone; Peter Leslie Grade 8 Drum Kit with distinction; Claire MacKenzie Grade 8 French Horn with distinction; Jennifer Paterson Grade 6 Clarinet with merit; Kirsty Trail Grade 7 Flute with merit; Laura Veitch Grade 5 Clarinet.S6: Adam Castle Grade 7 Bass Trombone with merit; Gregor Coull Grade 8 Clarinet; Ewan Harry-Thomas Grade 8 Trumpet with distinction; Samantha Hop-kins Grade 7 Violin with merit; Lucy Needle, Grade 6 Singing with merit; Heather Watson Grade 8 Flute with merit; Kenneth Watt Grade 6 Cornet with merit; Craig Brownhill Grade 8 Trombone with distinction, Daniel Tootill Grade 7 Trombone with merit.

Aberdeen Music FestivalSamantha Hopkins (S6 June 2013) was awarded:Vocal Solo (Classical) Soprano Open Joint 1stOratorio Solo Open 1stLight Music Solo Open 1stNora Atkins Trophy for “highest aggregate grade in the Open Vocal Solo, Open Operatic and Open Oratorio solo classes”Margaret Wright Trophy for Light Music SoloRachel Barry Bursary for 2013 for “promising performer”

Junior Mathematical OlympiadHaving achieved “ Gold” and “Best in School” certificates in the UK Junior Mathematical Challenge in April whilst in S1, Timothy Groves automatically qualified for the UK Mathematics Trust Junior Ol-ympiad in June. The paper is a two hour paper with two sections; section A consists of 10 relatively short questions where only answers are required whereas section B requires full written solutions, including clear mathematical explanations and proofs. The use of calculators, rulers and square paper is forbidden. Our congratulations to Timothy who would have been one of only twelve hundred pupils in the UK taking part in this competition. Mrs Taylor


Editorial: [email protected] and articles: A big thank you to everyone who contributed to this edition of From the Quadrangle. © Robert Gordon’s College 2013Robert Gordon’s College is a charity registered in Scotland, No. SC000123

ContentsAstronaut talks to pupils 3 Junior School News 4 Computing visit to Edinburgh 5 Latest Sport News 6

Term datesMid-TermMonday 14 to Friday 25 October 2013 (inclusive)

End of TermFriday 20 December(half day)

Spring term 2014Monday 6 January 2014Inset Day (staff only)Tuesday 7 JanuaryTerm commences

Mid-termFriday 14, Monday 17 FebruaryTuesday 18 February 2014*Inset Day (staff only)

End of termThursday 3 April (half day)

* please note there may be Prelim exams on this day

Triple Olympian David Carry, returned to school to deliver an inspirational annual Founder’s Day Oration on 19 September. David encouraged our pupils of all ages to make the most of their talents and education at Robert Gordon’s College.

Gordonian David delivered a typically honest, humble, down-to-earth and entertaining speech that was much appreciated by all ages in his rapt audience. He succeeded in his aim “to inspire them to aim even higher and believe that they can turn their dreams into reality.”

Graduating in 1999, David is a Triple Olympian and Double Commonwealth Games champion. He is on the board of directors at Swimming Scotland and has been selected as an Ambassador for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. After achieving his lifetime ambition of competing in an individual final at the London 2012 Olympics David retired from competitive swimming in October 2012. He now works for his former sports management company, Red Sky Management, based in Edinburgh as a business coach.

Olympian joins Founder’s Day celebrations

Robert Gordon's College, Schoolhill, Aberdeen AB10 1FE UK Tel: 01224 646346 (Senior School) 01224 646758 (Junior School) Email: [email protected] www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk www.facebook.com/robertgordonscollegeFollow us: www.twitter.com/robertgordons www.linkedin.com/company/robertgordonscollegePupil Photo Gallery: http://www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk/pupils/gallery

Listen, engage and discuss fascinating topics in Physics in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere in the MacRobert Hall at 7.00pm. 7 October The Search for the Higgs Boson4 November Alma and Llamas: 2 December T-Rays - a new frontier in imaging and information technology

Parking is not available onsite. Nearby parking at Harriet Street and Denburn.All events are free to attend and open to the public.Further information available from www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk/scienceinthequad


2 from the Quadrangle Autumn 2013

News from the School CaptainsWe hit the ground running into a busy term after an amazing experience on the Sports tour in South Africa, where we marvelled at beautiful wildlife, diverse culture and the sporting prowess of the teams we faced. Recent additions to the positions of responsibility, including prefect leaders and student leaders, have all been taken on with great enthusiasm by the 6th years.

Going forward, it looks like it will be a high-tech future for the College as we begin to take over the remaining RGU building on site, turning it into a brand new science and performing arts centre. In the lead up to this the College is hosting “Science in the Quad” which will be open to the public and is bound to be a great success! Alongside this, the school will soon be introducing touchscreen devices for teachers to use and at a later date pupils as well and this is definitely something to look forward to. We are looking forward to an exciting year as your school captains. Robyn and Hamish (S6)

Sarah enjoys work experience at Spanish EmbassyWhen I turned up on London’s Peel Street for work experience at the Spanish Embassy Education Office, I was terrified. My journey there had taken an hour on commuter trains and Underground lines. Despite my previous disgust at this aspect of working life in London, I had spent the whole time fretting. As I stood in front of the building, clearly marked as my destination by its red and yellow flag, it took an effort not to turn around and go right back to the suburbs.

Once I entered the building, however, it became clear that my fears were unfounded. I was assigned to Isabel Mateos, Events Organiser, PA to the Education Counsellor, and one of the sweetest people alive. Still, I was a little taken aback when on the first day I was asked to phone overseas sponsors about an invoice. “I’m at the Spanish Embassy,” I said. I was so nervous. But what frightened me was making official calls. I didn’t realise until afterwards that it was the first time I’d ever conducted a telephone conversation in Spanish.

By the end of the week I could barely believe that I’d had difficulty just walking in the building. After only five days it was hard to leave. Going to London allowed me to meet so many great people and to use a foreign language in a work environment for the first time. It was even worth all the time spent commuting, including when I fell asleep on a train and ended up at the terminus in Kent!Sarah Simpson (S6)

The Old Man on The Old ManThis summer, to celebrate his sixtieth birthday, Mr Thomson climbed the Old Man of Hoy. This sea stack is situated on the Island of Hoy, just South of Orkney Mainland.The first party to climb the Old Man, in 1966, included Tom Patey, who attended Robert Gordon’s College for his sixth year of school before going on to study medicine at Aberdeen University. He subsequently became one of the most celebrated Scottish climbers of his day. He died whilst abseiling from another sea stack in the North of Scotland, aged 38 years old.

S6 raise £3000 for CharityOn Friday 14 June, S6 pupils involved in the Post-Exam Programme held a charity auction in the MacRobert Hall to raise money for Maggie’s Aberdeen and the Elsulaimaniya Trust. Maggie’s Aberdeen is a local charity that is raising funds to build a new cancer care centre while Elsulaimaniya is a charity, run by the father of a Sixth Year pupil, which focuses on preventing and treating water-borne diseases in rural Sudan.

Those involved did particularly well to source a wide range of attractive auction items, including a night’s stay at a holiday home in Stonehaven, theatre tickets to an Edinburgh musical and a rubber duck family signed by Mr Elder! In addition, they managed to persuade two members of staff, Mr Cumming and Mr Fish, to act as guest auctioneers for a few lots! We are extremely grateful to local businesses, family members, RGC pupils and staff for their extremely generous support, which led to the auction being such a success, raising a grand total of more than £3000.Eilidh MacVicar and Adam Hendry (S6 June 2013)

Music Tour to Canada70 pupils and 7 staff flew out of a very dismal Manchester airport in June to the west coast of Canada for a two centre, six concert, 10 day tour. Groups involved were the Senior Concert Band, Senior Big Band, Senior Ceilidh Band, a Jazz Combo Group and the Senior Brass Quintet.

The groups played at various venues throughout Vancouver, Kelowna, Lake Okanaga and Kitsilano Showboat. The temperature was consistently in the mid 30s and on the day we visited Canada’s only desert it reached 43 degrees!

Our concerts were extremely successful, very well attended and professionally organised and perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the tour was bumping into and chatting with so many expats, many of whom are Gordonians.

The group also got the opportunity to participate in zip lining and an excursion to the top of Grouse Mountain by cable car, where we experienced fantastic views over the city.Mr Cormack


in brief...Clubs and Societies – Take your pick!With each new school year, more options are added to the list of Clubs and Societies on offer to our pupils. The MacRobert Hall was packed full of new pupils for the annual ‘Clubs & Societies Fayre’ showcasing what is on offer. With more than 100 activities on offer it can be a tough choice! Please visit our website for a full list of what is available beyond the classroom.

Parent access to current websiteIf you would like a reminder of the access details to the parent or pupil secure areas ofour website, please contact the school office detailing child’s name and form class.

Tatler GuideWe are delighted to be included in the Tatler magazine annual independent guide to the top schools in the UK and to have been one of four nominations for “Top Public School”. To celebrate our inclusion the Head Boy and Girl were invited to a drinks reception at the Dorchester Hotel in London. They were joined by Mr Ouston and Mrs Angus.

Doors Open DayRobert Gordon’s College opened its doors on Saturday 14 September to allow people the opportunity to see behind the scenes of historic buildings in and around Aberdeen.

Astronaut takes pupils to the moon and backFormer NASA shuttle pilot and astronaut Lt Col Duane “Digger” Carey shared his life experiences with pupils from throughout the Junior and Senior School. Duane talked about his incredible career in the US Air Force as a fighter pilot, test pilot, and NASA Space Shuttle pilot. He shared personal highlights from his space shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope in 2002. Pupils from Primary 1 to 7 enjoyed workshops with the inspirational spaceman and then Secondary 1 and 2 pupils heard about his journey to space. In the evening Secondary 3-6 pupils were invited to a public event with families, hosted in the MacRobert Hall. Head of Physics, Mr Stuart Farmer said: “Hearing Duane Carey speak about living and working in space was a great opportunity to launch the Science in the Quad lecture series. His personal story of the motivation and drive that led him to become an astronaut and of the importance of science, maths and engineering education was inspirational for all.”

Anna Scott, Primary 7 said: “I really enjoyed watching the video which showed everyday things you need to know about life in a space shuttle. I asked Duane if you could use mobile phones in space and was really surprised to hear that a friend of his had received a phone call from her Astronaut husband on September 11th 2001 checking she was safe as he watched what has happening from Space. I am really interested in space shuttles and astronaut life so was very excited to meet Duane today”.

Emma Johnstone, Primary 7 added: “I particularly enjoyed learning new interesting facts about space, a place that not many people can visit. I have been looking forward to the workshop with Duane as I have a keen interest in the planets”.

3Autumn 2013 from the Quadrangle

From the ArchivesThe latest display in the Auld Hoose shows life in Robert Gordon’s College in the 1960s. This was a time when the school day ran from 8.45 to 4.10, with 1½ hours for lunch. The Autumn term did not start until 30th August and the tuition fees in the Senior School were £50 per session! Take a look at the exhibits in the cabinets just inside the main door to see what else has changed over the last 50 years.

News from the Parents AssociationDon’t miss: RGCPA Christmas Fair, 8th December 2013 - another great event organised for and by parents and pupils.

VOLUNTEERS required. If you can help or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

Julie Forbes & Steve Kemp, Joint Chairs

As always, S6 pupils had an earlier start to the new academic year when they attended the Beyond School Conference at The Robert Gordon University on Wednesday 21 August. The conference focused on the UCAS application process, especially the Personal Statement and gave them an introduction to interview skills and a taster of campus university life. With entry to university becoming more competitive, universities want it all and are looking for high grades, creativity, personality and individuality, so the personal statement needs to be of the highest quality. The pupils were guided through the rest of the day by a group of excellent parent and local business volunteers, all professionals and experts in their particular field. This process will have helped pupils, whether they plan to go to university, college, get an apprenticeship or a job.

Mr Montgomery accompanied S6 pupils on the annual visit to the University of Glasgow Open Day at the start of September. Pupils are encouraged to attend additional University Open Days to help them decide on which courses and universities suit their needs.

S5 pupils will be embarking on their career

experience placements next year and we would encourage pupils to start thinking about possible areas they would like to experience now. More detailed information will be provided nearer the time. Last year we had some really exciting and unusual placements including the Spanish Embassy in London.

This year our whole S4 cohort will be undertaking Futurewise New Generation electronic careers profiling for the first time. The feedback they receive following their profiling and interview will be used to help them identify their individual interests and aptitudes and suggest possible areas of study and employment for which they appear best suited.

Last year we supported pupils with a number of additional careers opportunities throughout the year. Of particular note was Rachel Trease’s success in applying for a Gap Year Position with Pinsent Masons LLP Law Firm in Aberdeen after attending a meeting at the Aberdeen office through their Insight programme. She will also have the opportunity to work as a paralegal in future summer breaks.Mrs Pirie and Mr Montgomery

Careers News



New

s fro

m o

ur Ju

nior

Sch

ool

Olympic Stars inspire pupils Primary 4 through to 7 pupils enjoyed an afternoon with Commonwealth 2014 Ambassadors David Carry (Gordonian) and Susan Eglestaff along with a surprise guest ‘Clyde’. The team performed an introduction to all the Commonwealth 2014 sports involved in the Commonwealth Games and talked about their sporting experiences.

Debaters Save the Best until LastOur debaters rounded off an excellent year by winning two national titles in June. Morag Forbes and Tomas Sanders (now S6) won through to the final of the Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament, the largest schools’ debating competition in Scotland, which took place in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 13 June. Proposing the motion, ‘This House Believes that the Internet Encourages Democracy’, Morag and Tomas beat off stiff competition from Glenalmond College, St Margaret’s Academy and Kirkcudbright Academy to win this prestigious tournament, sponsored by the Law Society of Scotland. The following week, Kyle Spencer (now S5) delivered a tremendous speech on the topic ‘All’s Fair in Love and War!’ to win the English-Speaking Union’s Public Speaking Competition. His achievement means that the College has won this title in consecutive years, following Tomas Sanders’ success in the corresponding 2012 event.Mr Elder

Eco GroupA very exciting year is expected with the biggest eco-group ever all keen to feed the birds, create new Eco-Thoughts of the Month, grow plants and welcome speakers in to our November Green Week. September’s Eco-Thought, “Remember to Re-use your bags”, aimed to encourage staff and pupils to reduce, reuse, recycle.Miss Reid

Success with the starsJune 2013 saw the completion of the first GCSE Astronomy course at Robert Gordon’s. Of the 9 pupils involved, three acheived As and another scored the prized A*. Very few schools in Scotland put pupils forward for this qualification – the only dedicated Astronomy course aimed at a High School level – and even fewer run it as a timetabled class.

The course content ranges from practical observation techniques for studying the Moon and constellations, to cosmology looking at the birth and evolution of stars, galaxies and the universe itself. It enables pupils to complement previous and present Physics learning with deeper understanding of how such knowledge is actually applied. Pupils even made remote use of the research grade, robotically controlled Liverpool Telescope – which is actually located on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands – to make observations for their coursework and own interest.Craig Brownhill (Class of 2013) is now studying Astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh.Mr Browett

Kenyan Warriors get pupils jumpingPrimary 7 Pupils enjoyed a visit from The Osiligi Warriors, a group of Kenyan Maasai. They performed a show of tribal song and dance with their celebrated jumping. Pupils learnt about their culture, history and charity work.

Sweet Success for HugoPrimary 6 pupil Hugo Jones enjoyed a tour of the Haribo sweet factory in Yorkshire after winning a ‘Design a Sweet’ competition in the Beano comic. Hugo said: “I really enjoyed it. I got to try some of the sweets that have not been put on the market yet, and the factory was a lot bigger than I expected. I really like Art and I had seen the competition in the Beano and thought it would be fun. It was a bit like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Hugo designed a paintbrush-shaped sweet that would make your tongue change colour!

Extra-Curricular ClubsJunior School have over 50 clubs for our pupils to enjoy beyond the classroom. Pupils can choose from Poetry to Skiing and Rugby to Strings, to name but a few! The full list is available to view on our website.

Christmas Stamp CompetitionA selection of our pupils’ artwork submitted to the Royal Mail Christmas stamp competition is now available to view online. The competition received around 240,000 entries. There are unfortunately no names listed. http://www.royalmailstampcompetition. Search by postcode AB10 1FE


5Autumn 2013 from the Quadrangle

Busy times in ArtIn June, the Fashion and Textiles club organised a trip to Heriot Watt University’s Galashiels campus during which twelve S3-6 pupils participated in a three day course working in a purpose built textiles studio. Each pupil designed their own shirt and learned pattern cutting and how to use an industrial sewing machine so they could make the shirt in their chosen material under the guidance of University tutors.

Our S6 pupils all gained places on their chosen courses in a range of Art and Design subjects at universities across the UK. Two of our Advanced Higher candidates, Jennifer Chatfield (Town Planning at Newcastle University) and Jen Lightbody (Fine Art at Dundee College of Art) have had their folios chosen for the SQA Advanced Higher Exhibition taking place at the Collins Gallery in Glasgow, an exhibition which showcases the best 100 students in Scotland. The current S6 pupils are doing silk screen printmaking at Peacock with James Vass.

On Sunday 8 September 33 pupils and staff travelled to Edinburgh to visit the Festival Exhibitions at the Natinal Gallery of Scotland, the City Art Centre and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Our biannual Art Exhibition will take place off campus at the Arts Centre from 19 November during the run of the Drama Department’s production of Stardust. This is a new venture and hopefully will increase the audience for the pupils’ creative endeavoursMr Hopps

PetroChallenge 2013PetroChallenge is a great two day event where senior pupils from schools throughout Aberdeen City and Shire come together to compete in an online oil competition. The actual competition consists of several tasks, which involves interpreting magnetic and gravimetric surveys, bidding for drilling licences, competing for rigs and services and then drilling prospects in a simulated offshore environment, where the aim is to make as big a return on investment (ROI) as possible.

Four teams from the College competed in this year’s event at the end of June along with around 180 other pupils at the School of Computing at RGU. The teams competed in four separate environments with the overall winners building a ROI of $2.1bn from their initial $200m. Our best team finished 14th overall out of 45 teams and was the best team on their environment with $7bn ROI.

The whole event was a very worthwhile experience involving a wide range of problem solving, mathematical, negotiating and time-management skills. It gave an excellent insight to some aspects of working in the Oil and Gas sector and the need for a multi-disciplinary workforce. We followed this up by attending the ‘Energise Your Future’ event for school pupils at the AECC during Offshore Europe 2013. Mr Cowie

A Q&A Session with Dr Vint CerfOn Thursday 27 August, a group of S4 pupils along with Mr Simpson and an assisting S6 took a trip down to Edinburgh. We departed Aberdeen by train and soon arrived at Edinburgh Waverley. A short walk took us to the One Square Hotel (which strangely had spherical statues sitting outside) where a Q&A session was given by Dr Vint Cerf (one of the Fathers of the Internet) and Graeme Gordon, CEO Internet for Business. The session itself was very educational and inspirational, encouraging us to ‘Think Big’.

After lunch, we headed over to the National Museum of Scotland. We spent a long time looking over all of the interesting exhibits there. One in particular was an AI Band machine known as the Cybraphon which Googled itself and played different songs depending on whether the reviews about it were positive or negative. Hugh Fraser and James Ross (S4)

Dance PromsPupils Freya Oswald (S5) with duet partner and Gordonian Grant Veitch, Dylan Smith (S4) Alexandra Cameron (S6) Lucy Cowie (S3) will dance at ‘The Dance Proms’ in the Royal Albert Hall on 3 November. They will be taking part in Aberdeen Danscentre’s performance of “Hide and Seek”. Grant and Freya, and Dylan and his partner, will perform the opening duets at the start of the routine. The Danscentre has been selected to present 2 pieces, the other is called ‘’My Space’.

Malaysia 2013Pupils travelled to Malaysia in July arriving at the port of Tanjong Gemok. They saw how the planting of Oil Palm was altering a countryside that was at one time pristine rainforest. A ferry to Tioman Island allowed the group to observe a range of colourful butterflies and plants. In the evenings staff at the resort gave talks about the different Ecosystems on the island and the importance of conserving these important environments.

Throughout the rest of the trip pupils enjoyed snorkelling and visiting mangrove swamps to observe how they are important spawning grounds for many reef fish and act as a natural barrier to the devastating effects of tsunamis. A highlight for all was walking through the rainforest, finding a range of important plant species and having the opportunity to hold a Giant Millipede discovered in the undergrowth. The second group spotted a two and a half metre poisonous Keeled Snake hunting a frog in the river while the other group found a catfish indigenous to Tioman Island.

The next four days were spent diving from a new base at Air-Batang Bay. All pupils successfully completed the PADI Open Water Certificate or PADI Advanced Open Water Certificate.

With some time in Singapore at the end of the trip they enjoyed touring the city and having afternoon tea in the Raffles Hotel!Dr Shand



Spor

t at G

ordo

n’s Athletics

Bruce Sorbie (now S5) represented Scottish Schools in the International Cross-Country match held on 20 July in Dublin. England, Ireland and Wales were also represented.Scottish Schools:Under 14: Alannah O’Donnell - 2nd Discus; Owen Robinson - 1st Triple Jump, 2nd Shot Put Age 14/15: Georgia Summers - 1st 75m Hurdles, Ben Bowring - 2nd Triple JumpAge 15-17: Bruce Sorbie - 2nd 100m HurdlesOver 17: Lindsey Young - 1st 100m

GymnasticsInnes Reid and Callum Adams (S1) have been chosen to represent Scotland at the British Championship in Birmingham in November.

Hockey (Girls)Milly Merry travelled with the U16 National Development Squad to Belfast in June and then to Amstelveen in Holland as part of the National U15 team for a further 3 days. Hockey (Boys)The following S5/6 pupils were selected to represent North district at the district competition in August at the National Hockey Centre Commonwealth Games Stadium in Glasgow.North District U18 boys:S6: Ruaraidh Campbell, Fraser Yates, Yorick Enters, Sean Stephen, Alan Oldham, Scott Stevenson, Thiadmar JansenS5: William Serle, Tom Merry, Calum ScottNorth District U16:S4: Matthew Briggs, Ben Kemp, Scott Thomson, Charles Lawrie, Andrew Webb, Hamish Campbell, James Bush, Callum Angus. Simon Craik is also in the squad as a goalkeeper.

RowingOn the weekend of July 20 and 21 the British Junior Rowing Championships were held at Nottingham. Amelia Donovan’s (S6) coxless four won the WJ18 4- event with a time that was six seconds faster than the previous best, which had stood since 2002. Cara Napier in the Women’s J16 4+, came in with a very good silver medal, with a time that also was faster than the previous record. Ross Napier coxed the Boys J16 4+ who ended up as silver medallists in a final that resulted in a clean sweep for Scotland as George Watson’s came first and another ASRA boat came third. With such good results it led to ASRA being awarded the Victor Ludorum Cup for the most successful club in the competition.

RugbyOur thanks go to Internet for Business (IFB) who have sponsored the 2013-2014 Ist XV Rugby strips.

Summer Sports Camp 2013For 85 Junior School pupils the first week of the summer holidays was very action packed and even incorporated a mighty jungle theme. With the added bonus of the fantastic weather, the pupils participated in a broad range of activities, including the traditional sports of hockey and rugby mixed with more diverse activities such as ultimate frisbee and capture the flag.

As well as sports this year, an extended hours programme was also introduced which involved children attending camp for an hour before and after the main sports camp. This proved very popular and the pupils loved the arts and crafts and quizzes that were on offer.

A huge thank you must go to the senior pupils who helped out at camp this year and were all very enthusiastic and excellent leaders. Miss N Stephen

SwimmingWell done to Murray Coueslant (S3) who was recently crowned as Scottish Champion at the Scottish Gas Open Water Swimming Championships held at Loch Venachar in the Trossachs on the 10th of August. Murray swam in the 2 kilometre event and came in first in his age group, winning the Gold Medal and Trophy for the Scottish Champion. Murray has now competed in a number of open water events (no wetsuits allowed!) held all over Scotland as part of a Grand Prix series of events run by Scottish Swimming.

Jack Ness (S6) has been selected for the Senior Gold Scottish Squad which includes our Commonwealth Games individual medallists of Hannah Miley, Robbie Renwick, and Commonwealth and Olympic medallist Michael Jamieson, plus a host of other exciting and talented swimmers from clubs across the country.

TennisCongratulations to Hayley Martin (P7) who won the girls Junior Tennis Championships and Connor McMahon (S1) won the boys event, following an extremely close fought tiebreak against Angus Edward (now P7).

Ross Martin (S2) enjoyed a busy and successful tennis season over summer, culminating in topping the Scottish Area Summer Regional Tour Leaderboard for 12&Unders, based on Scottish tournaments in the summer season. As a result, he ended the season ranked No.4 in Scotland in the 12&Under age group. Ross qualified for the British National 12&Under Championships in Bournemouth where he beat the British No.18 in the first round. He then came up against the No.3 seed, losing narrowly 6-4, 7-5. Ross successfully represented North of Scotland County in the British Inter County Cup in both 12&Under and 14&Under age groups, played in Carlisle and Birmingham respectively, with the highlight being a singles win over the Lancashire No.1, who was then ranked No 9 in Britain.

Graeme Gordon, Chief Executive Officer of IFB with the team at Countesswells.

Summer Sports Camp at Countesswells.

Murray Coueslant

Amelia Donovan


an olympian founder’s day - independent school …€¦ · an olympian founder’s day ... callum...

Documents