Issue 54 Sept 2019

Dates for your diary

Tuesday 24 September KS5 Parent Information Session

Tuesday 1 October KS4 Parent Information Session

Thursday 3 October Year 8 Transition Meetings

Tuesday 8 October Dr Kathy Weston Presentation

Tuesday 22 October Prize Distribution

Tuesday 7 November Year 14 Parent/Teacher Meetings

Thursday 21 + Friday 22 Nov School Show - The Crucible

Congratulations to Year 9 pupil Eoin Keenan who played the part of Snake Eyes in the Grand Opera House Summer Youth Production of Bugsy Malone. Professionally directed and choreographed with a full live band, the show featured 150 talented 10-18 year olds from across the Province.

Top Achievers in A2, AS and GCSE Examinations

A2 Level

23 x A* 40 x A

GCSE Level

222 x A* 252 x A

AS Level

79 x A

Bursary Winners

Congratulations to Dieon Karikunnel, our top achieving A level pupil. Dieon achieved A*A*A*A* grades in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Physics and is taking up his offer from the University of Liverpool to read Medicine.

Adam Crilly, our top performing A Level pupil going on to study a mechanics or engineering related degree, achieved A*A*A*A grades in Chemistry, Maths, Physics and Biology and has taken up his offer from Durham University to read Engineering.

The Principal’s prize was awarded to our outgoing Head Boy and Head Girl. Ethan McConkey achieved AAAB in Chemistry, Maths, Physics and Biology and following a gap year will be commencing his medical degree. Sophie Patterson achieved A*AA in Biology, Chemistry and Maths and had accepted her place at Queen’s University Belfast to read Medicine.

Holly Topping was presented with a bursary for most improvement made from GCSE to A Level. Holly achieved ABC grades in Media Studies, English Literature and Music and following a gap year will be attending drama school in London.

Top GCSE Pupils Congratulations to our top performing GCSE pupils:

Amy Ellis (10xA*) Amy Armstrong (9xA*,1xA) Katie Marshall (9xA*,1xA) Alexandra Stafford-Santana (9xA*,1xA)

Performing Arts and Sports Ambassadors 2019-20

Senior Prefect Team 2019-20

Performing Arts Ambassadors Naomh Clow and Erin Peel

Sports Ambassadors Jenni Beattie and Aaron Douglas

Head Boy (centre left) Andrew Huey, Head Girl (centre right) Annabel McGrath Deputies (l-r) Scott Hutton, Jonathan Mullan, Talula Reid and Kirsty Mitchell

Senior Prefects 2019-20 Congratulations to our Senior Prefects - Olivia Allister, Chloe Bingham, Reuben Bolton, Ben Buchanan-Rolleston, Rose Dykes, Sarah Eastham, Sophie Limb, Dean Logan, Kiera McDermott, Jordan McKee, Katelyn Mills, Simon Morgan, Josh Scott, Angel Shaji and Serena Sidhu. The pupils will work closely with staff in a number of key areas throughout the 2019-20 academic year.

Year 8 Paris Trip Our Year 8 pupils had a fantastic time in Paris in June with excursions to Disneyland and Disney Studios, Aquaboulevard, Parc Asterix and a boat trip on the Seine. The pupils were a credit to the school and great fun was had by all.

Year 8 Form Prefects 2019-20 8E Beth Flanagan Jacob Ogle 8P Mia McCleave Ross Gray 8W Caitlin Morris Simon Morgan 8T Drew Mulholland Naomh Clow 8M Sophie Foreman Sam Buchanan

Former Pupil Success - Ulster Rugby Congratulations to former pupil Gary Leslie on his election as IRFU (Ulster Branch) President for the incoming season. Gary captained the BHS 1st XV during the 1986-87 season, represented Ulster Schools and was a member of Ulster’s Heineken Cup winning team in 1999.

BHSFP RFC The BHSFP RFC Annual Dinner Dance took place on 7 September at The Ivory, Belfast. The evening was a great success with 140 in attendance. Mrs Weir is pictured with Mr Stephen Hilditch, former Headmaster and former President of the IRFU, Mr Gareth Adams and Mr David Wilson incoming and outgoing Presidents of BHSFP RFC.

Ulster Youth Orchestra Congratulations to Year 14 pupils Erin Peel and Naomh Clow who performed with the Ulster Youth Orchestra on Saturday 24 August in the Ulster Hall. The programme was extremely challenging with the orchestra performing Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony, Hindemith’s Metamorphosis on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber, and a flute concerto by Liebreman. The audience made their enjoyment clear with a very long and well deserved standing ovation.

School Production Rehearsals are underway for our production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Performance dates are Thursday 21 and Friday 22 November. Tickets will be available from Tuesday 1 October.

School Orchestra Congratulations to Holly McKinney who will lead the School Orchestra during 2019-20.

Work Experience Year 14 brothers Adam and Dean Logan were busy over the summer break, completing computer-based work experience:

Adam: During the Digital Insight Week with PwC I used several pieces of software such as Alteryx, Power BI and UiPath. Another activity which I took part in was web scrapping. Both Power BI and Alteryx are pieces of software used to edit databases and UiPath is a platform that allows the creation of bots to automate certain processes on a computer. The final project for the Digital Insight week was a group presentation about the process of cleaning a database. I applied to this work experience through a company called Sentinus. They then paired me with a company called Fujitsu who work with the PSNI on projects and because of this Fujitsu thought it would be interesting to pair me with the ICS (Information and Communication Systems) team and work on some projects with them.

Dean: During my three weeks with the PSNI I worked in a team with my brother Adam and we built a working prototype of a facial recognition system in python for the PSNI to take further. Once this was completed we worked on setting up a system for the PSNI to interact with files on a secure cloud storage system called Box. We also researched potential hand writing recognition software for the PSNI to use to upload all the Legacy files to the databases on Box.

We are extremely grateful to all the companies involved as the work experience confirmed our decisions to apply for computer related courses at Queen’s University next year.

Bar Mock Trial Congratulations to our Bar Mock Trial team 2019:

Barristers: Reuben Bolton, Morgen Henderson, Talula Reid, Josh Scott Witnesses: Joseph Lismore, Jordan McClelland, Scott McDonald, Abigail Pierce Usher: Ella Hunter Clerk: Ellie Kane Court Artist: Sarah Eastham

The Bar Mock Trial competition is a unique opportunity for students aged 15-18 from all over the UK to gain unparalleled insight into the justice system. The competition immerses students in all aspects of a criminal trial as they take on the roles of barristers, witnesses, clerks, ushers and jury members. Students appear in real crown courts in front of real judges and are assisted in their preparations by professional barristers. Every year since 1991, the competition has supplemented traditional class-room learning by encouraging the development of essential skills such as logical reasoning, clear communication and teamwork. The Bar Mock Trial Competition is run by Young Citizens and supported by The Bar Council of England and Wales, The Faculty of Advocates, The Bar of Northern Ireland, HMCTS, the Circuits and the Inns of Court. The regional finals take place throughout November with the national final being held at the end of March at the Old Bailey.

Ulster Schools’ Multi-Event Championships Congratulations to our pupils who competed in the Multi-Event Championships at Antrim Forum on 12 September - Conor Cunningham, Erin Diamond, Holly Diamond, Leah Horan, Jayden Lloyd, Leo McCrea, Zane McQuillan and Finlay Stewart. Special congratulations to Conor who won bronze in the minor boys’ competition and to Finlay who won silver in the inter boys’ competition. Conor and Finlay, along with Zane McQuillan who finished in 4th place, have qualified to participate in the Irish finals in Athlone on 9 November. The boys participated in 5 events – hurdles, long jump, 200m, shot and 800m.

Congratulations to Joshua Knox who won bronze at the Schools’ International Athletics Board (SIAB) Track and Field International at Swansea University in July, recording a new PB of 13.63m in the Triple Jump and represented Northern Ireland & Ulster at the England Athletics Age Group Championships in Bedford in August, finishing 9th in the Triple Jump with a jump of 12.97m.

Congratulations to Conor Nugent on his selection for the Ireland senior schools’ team. Conor attended a Welsh International training camp at the end of June before travelling to Guernsey with the Ireland team to compete in the Senior Schools’ International competition where the Ireland U18 team finished just outside the medals in 4th place out of 9 teams from England, Scotland, Wales, Guernsey and Jersey.

Congratulations to Natasha Nevins on her selection for the Northern Ireland U17 netball squad and to Ethan Gardiner on his selection to represent Northern Ireland at the upcoming Commonwealth Judo Championships. Ethan has been training with the Northern Ireland squad for the past few months and will be travelling to Birmingham at the end of September to compete.

Northern Ireland Football At the beginning of September we welcomed Alex Henderson, Billy McDowell and Josh Roney into Year 11. The boys, who joined us from Limavady GS, Coleraine GS and Tandragee Junior HS, have been selected for the new IFA UEFA Academy which started in late August for Northern Ireland players in Years 11 and 12. Twenty boys were selected based on their talent, commitment and potential to become professional footballers. The UEFA Academy is part of the UEFA elite youth player pathway and is a key stepping stone for talented young players wishing to have a professional career in the game. This is a residential Academy and the boys reside at the Ulster University Jordanstown campus during the week, study for their GCSEs and train every day after school, providing them with a technical football education, elite quality training standards, schooling in the local area and personal support. UEFA will spend 5 weeks per season at the Academy to monitor progress. The Academy recognises the importance of GCSE exams and as a requirement for the players retaining their place in the Academy they must maintain good academic performance, good behaviour, attend supervised and private study sessions every evening, complete study skills lessons and attend weekly and monthly meetings with the Player Welfare Manager to check school progress. Alex, Billy and Josh have been selected to represent Northern Ireland U16 at the forthcoming international friendly matches against Finland (away) and we wish them and the team success!

Congratulations also go to Conor Cunningham on his selection for the Northern Ireland U15 team to play in the UEFA U15 Development Tournament in Wales from 12-17 August. The team played matches against Malta, Wales and Cyprus and provided an opportunity for the players to showcase their talents as they prepare to move into the U17 age group where European competition begins in earnest.

Congratulations to Taylor Morrison on his selection for the Ulster U16 golf develop-ment squad. Taylor recently qualified to participate in the Irish U18 Boys’ Amateur Championships. Daniel Corbett, a current member of the RYA Youth Performance programme squad, was selected to compete in the Topper British Nationals in Largs, Scotland during the summer.

Hockey and Rugby Captains Congratulations to Annabel McGrath and Scott Hutton, captains of the 1st XI and 1st XV for the 2019-20 season.

Hockey Committee 2019-20

Captain Annabel McGrath Vice-Captain Hannah McKinney Secretary Chloe Bingham Treasurer Niamh Wait Year 14 Rep Charlie Smyth Year 13 Rep Dara Devine Year 12 Rep Eva McIlwaine Year 11 Rep Vanessa McAlister

Rugby Committee 2019-20

Captain Scott Hutton Vice-Captain Aaron Douglas Secretary Ross Gray Year 14 Rep Jordan Hull Year 13 Rep Ben Reid Year 12 Rep Daniel Clarke

Rugby News Thank you to Specsavers, sponsors of our 1st XV kit for the 2019-20 season. Pictured with the squad are Mr Tony McGinn of Specsavers Abbeycentre and Mr Stuart Douglas of Specsavers Bangor.

Congratulations to Jana McQuillan on her selection for the Ulster U18 girls’ team, Scott Dennis on his selection for the Ulster U18 Clubs’ team and Scott Hutton on his selection for the Ulster U19 team for the recent inter-pro series. The U18 girls’ team defeated Connacht in their semi-final on Saturday 14 September and will play Munster in the final of the inter-pro series.

Swimming News Congratulations to Jenni Beattie, Daniel Harvey and Ellen Millar on their recent swimming success.

Jenni travelled to Malaga for a warm-weather training camp in preparation for the Irish Summer Nationals at the end of July.

Daniel has been selected as one of 40 swimmers by Swim Ulster for the Swim Ireland Regional Skills Academy which is for swimmers aged 11-14.

Ellen swam in the Irish Division 2 competition in July, achieving PBs in all 5 events and qualified to swim in the Irish Summer Nationals in Dublin.