Spring Newsletter 2012

omagh academy grammar school
NEWSLETTER
SPRING 2012
SPRING CONCERT AT STRULE A HUGE SUCCESS
Congratulations to the Music Department for producing an excellent Spring Concert on Tuesday 6th March. This
concert has become an annual event for Omagh Academy and we were delighted to avail once again of the
wonderful performing space at the Strule Arts Centre. It was really encouraging to see a full auditorium and the
community support we enjoy. Over 150 pupils
from Years 8-14 graced the stage, for what
was a spectacular feast of music-making! The
Academy Orchestra opened the concert with
three rousing pieces, showing the full extent
of our instrumental forces – strings, brass,
woodwind and percussion – in the best possible
way. A diverse programme followed which
highlighted the musical talents of our pupils
and staff - Brass Band, String Orchestra, Jazz
ensembles, Junior Choir, Senior Choir, Ukulele
Orchestra, Bluegrass Group, solo singers,
African Drumming, Percussion Ensemble,
String Quartet, Vocal Quartet and ending with
the traditional show-stopping finale (this year
using songs and drama from the musicals ‘A
Chorus Line’ and ‘Fiddler on the Roof’.
By continuing to support ‘Northern Ireland
Music Therapy Trust’ and providing an evening’s entertainment of such high quality, the pupils and staff in the
Music Department have shown that the future of the Arts in Omagh is very bright indeed! Well done to all involved!
A full report of the concert can be accessed on the school website. ENVIRONMENTAL
YOUTHSPEAK 2012
Two Year 9 students, Claire Harpur and
Rebecca Smyth, recently represented Omagh
Academy in Omagh District Council’s
‘Environmental YouthSpeak 2012’. This
is an annual event in which students from
across the County compete in a Public
Speaking challenge, the title of which is
usually set on a current environmental issue.
This year’s title was ‘WEEE* Waste,
Big Problem, What can we do?’ (*Waste
Electronic and Electrical Equipment) and
even the judges commented on the difficulty
of the topic as it is not one of the most
WORK EXPERIENCE
IN L’HAY-LES-ROSES
Omagh’s Twin town, L’Haÿ-les-Roses has invited
proverbial forms of recycling. However, the
girls rose to the challenge and created very
informative, professional and persuasive
speeches which showed evidence of
good research and solid preparation.
They performed incredibly well (Omagh
Council Chairman Declan McAleer
congratulated Rebecca on her humorous
anecdotes!) and received certificates as
well as ‘Environmental Goodie Bags’
for having taken part in the event.
Both girls should be congratulated on the
superb effort they made as well as their
success—speaking to an audience can be
quite intimidating, but both girls managed
formal and adroit deliveries. For more
information on the Competition, how to
reduce your electrical waste, and much,
much more on all things recycling,
please visit www.rethinkwasteni.org.
And remember!
Reduce,
Reuse and
Recycle!
six ‘A level’ French students from Omagh
Academy to participate in work experience
during their Easter holidays (April 2012).
The six students who applied are:
Anna
Gilmour,
Rebekah
Irvine,
Rachel Kirke, Zoe Deazley, Judith
Campbell
and
Charlotte
Kincaid.
The girls will be hosted by French
families in L’Haÿ and will work in
the local primary school teaching the
children English, as well as making
two visits to a nearby secondary school.
This is an excellent opportunity for our
language students to immerse themselves
fully in French before their exams in
May and June. Although they plan to
bring their books with them to revise for
the imminent exams in their spare time,
they will be sure to make the short train
ride into Paris to see the famous sights!
“Bon Voyage, les filles!”
CHARITY PRESENTATION
Members of the Junior Choir handed over
a cheque for £1060.00 to Cliona Dudgeon,
Community Fundraiser for Horizon West
Children’s Hospice. The money was
collected at the Annual Carol Services held
both in school and St Columba’s Parish
Church in December, 2011. To date the
school has raised over £3000 for Horizon
West Children’s Hospice. We would like to
thank parents, pupils, Staff and friends of
the school for their continued support. The
Hospice is due to welcome its first patients
in the Spring.
UK SENIOR MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE
Year 13 and Year 14 mathematics students at Omagh Academy took part in the UK Senior Mathematics
Challenge. Thirteen students were successful in receiving either bronze or silver certificates.
Congratulations to all pupils who took part and especially to Ryan Patterson & Chloe Campbell who
also received ‘Best in School’ certificate.
UK INTERMEDIATE MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE
Once again, due to other school commitments, about two thirds of Year 11 pupils took part in the
UK Intermediate Maths Challenge in February. Y11 students who took part in this competition were
successful in receiving 2 gold, 3 silver and 6 bronze certificates. Special Mention must be given to
Hannah Patterson and Keane Davison who both received gold certificates. Hannah also achieved
‘Best in School’ certificate and is invited to take part in the ‘Pink kangaroo’ competition on Thursday
15th March. Well done, Hannah.
NSPCC NUMBER DAY
Year 8 pupils participated in a variety of mathematical games and puzzles including ‘Who wants to be
a Mathionaire’ in aid of the NSPCC. An outstanding amount of £1,100 was raised. Well done, Year 8.
WORLD MATHS DAY
On Wednesday 7th March, Year 8 pupils took part in ‘World Maths Day’. They joined 1.57 million
students in a total of 56,082 schools around the world in answering mental arithmetic questions and
setting a new world record. Year 8 pupils were most successful in answering questions correctly
and the following pupils were placed in the top three: Charlie McKinney (1st), Jodie Nethery (2nd) &
Socrates Christodoulou (3rd).
PSYCHOLOGY SOCIETY: CRIMINOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY TALK
The first event of this year’s society was held just before Christmas, where we had the pleasure
of inviting Detective Sergeant Colin Monteith from the PSNI to Omagh Academy for an insight
into how Psychology is used within the police service. Detective Sergeant Monteith spoke in great
detail about police processes and psychological techniques employed by the police service in the
UK. Students posed pertinent questions
throughout the talk, and on numerous
occasions our guest was able to bring-to-life
real theoretical issues being studied by the
current A2 students. This was an excellent
talk that was well attended by society
members… and was, inadvertently, an
excellent revision exercise for the A2 January
module on Criminological Psychology. A big
thank you must go to Detective Monteith for
not only giving up his time, but for taking a
real interest in the issues raised on the day by
Academy students. The Society will be very
busy over the coming months with the next
event being a film viewing on the mental
disorder Schizophrenia, followed by a trip to
the Belfast Waterfront Hall in March to see
Derren Brown.
Students who attended the Talk
YEAR 8 RECEIVING THEIR MERIT CETTIFICATES
On Wednesday 21st March we invited Mrs Gervais to Year 8 Assembly. Mrs Gervais is a Vice
Principal and, before presenting the certificates, she congratulated the pupils on their hard work
over the last two terms. Year 8 pupils have been awarded merits by teachers if they produce
excellent work or if teachers feel they are worthy of recognition for other activities. These
merits accumulate in the pupils’ diaries. Once pupils attain 20 merits they are given a Bronze
Certificate, signed by their respective Form Teacher and Year Head. For 40 merits the pupils
receive a Silver Certificate and for 60 Merits a Gold Certificate. 31 boys and girls received Merit
Certificates on 21st March. 26 received Bronze Certificates. Rachel Hussey, Davina Harkness,
Naomi Rainey and Rebekah McKeown received Silver Certificates. Charlie McKinney received
a Silver and Gold Certificate!
The accompanying photographs show Mrs Gervais presenting the certificates to pupils from each
of the four form classes.
YEAR 11 UNITISED GCSE SCIENCE EXAMINATIONS
In May/June 2012 all pupils in Year 11 will sit the first of their GCSE papers in Science. Double Award
candidates will take three papers, which will contribute up to 33% of their final GCSE grade while
those who are studying Triple Award Science will also sit three papers, contributing up to 35% of their
final GCSE grade for each subject.Parents who wish to obtain further information are asked to contact
one of the Heads of Science- Mr Cairns (Biology), Mrs Mason (Chemistry) or Mrs Cousins (Physics).
ART AND DESIGN TRIP TO
THE ULSTER MUSEUM
On Friday 10th February, Art and Design pupils
from Year 11, 13 and 14 visited the Ulster
Museum in Belfast. As Northern Ireland’s
treasure house of the past and present, the
museum is home to a rich collection of art,
history and natural sciences. The collection
included works by Sir John Lavery, Henri
Matisse, Francis Bacon, Bridget O’Reilly and
Louis le Brocquy, to name but a few.
Pupils also had the opportunity to view
CCEA’s True Colours exhibition which was
hosted by the Ulster Museum for the first time.
This exhibition showcased a selection of the
best of the GCSE, AS and A2 exam entries
from summer 2011, and includes preparatory
work alongside the finished pieces. Omagh
Academy pupil Glenda Hawkes in Year 14 and
former pupil Jennifer Gibson’s coursework
was selected for display at this prestigious
exhibition.
CREATIVE TALENT IS
SHOWCASED IN CCEA’S
TRUE COLOURS EXHIBITION
Congratulations to Glenda Hawkes and former
pupil Jennifer Gibson. Their Art and Design
coursework was selected for CCEA’s True
Colours Exhibition which debuted in the Ulster
Museum. The exhibition was a contemporary
and unique display of exceptional artwork
created by students from schools and colleges
across Northern Ireland. Highlights of the
exhibition can be viewed by following the
CCEA page on Facebook or Twitter.
The Art and Design Department are extremely
proud of both girls. Glenda is currently
completing her A-Level studies and Jennifer
has embarked on the Foundation Studies
course in Art and Design at Leeds University.
We wish them continued success in their future
creative endeavours.
YEAR 10 PARENTS’ EVENT ON CYBER-BULLYING
Keeping our children safe as they use the internet is a topic of concern for both parents and teachers.
On the 1st February Year 10 pupils attended a PSNI Citizen and Safety Education workshop on cyberbullying in the Strule Arts Centre. The Academy thought it would be beneficial to raise awareness of
the same safety issues with parents and Dr Noel Purdy from Stranmillis College, a leading expert in
the field of cyber-bullying, was invited to give a talk to Year 10 parents.On Wednesday 15th February
Dr Purdy gave an enlightening presentation to the parents about the forms and characteristics of
cyber-bullying and what parents can do and ways to prevent cyber-bullying. A lively discussion took
place after the presentation on ways to respond to cyber bullying.Thanks to all those parents who
were able to attend the event and a special thanks to Dr Purdy for his very informative presentation
and for the leaflets distributed to those present. If any parent, who was unable to attend, but would
like a copy of the leaflets please contact Mrs Davidson.
‘ODE TO A STICK’
Year 14 pupil Mhairi Braden recently featured
in an article in the Tyrone Herald. As part of
her application to an Art College in Glasgow,
Mhairi made a two minute video entitled ‘Ode
to a Stick’, over a two day period, which was
then uploaded onto You Tube to be viewed by
the Admissions Panel. In total, Mhairi took
1,400 still photographs to create her video
which is set to ‘Plastic Stars’ by Freezepop.
Mhairi was given the remit that her video
could be as weird or as unusual as she wanted.
OXBRIDGE SUCCESS
Two Year 14 pupils are to be congratulated on
receiving conditional offers from Oxbridge.
Grace O’Neill (Head Girl) has received an
offer from Emmanuel College, Cambridge to
read History, and Aaron Hanson, an offer from
Mansfield College, Oxford to read PPE.
TAKE AWAY -MY WAY
COOKERY COMPETITION
Congratulations to Samuel Hunter Year 10
who has reached the All Island Final of the
Take Away My Way cookery competition.
Mrs Davidson’s Year 10 Set 1 entered the
competition and we are all delighted that
Samuel was selected from 1000 entries to
take part in the Final. Samuel will travel to St.
Angela’s College, Co. Sligo later in the month
where he will work
hard to impress the
judges
including
celebrity
chef
Nevin Maguire with
his ‘Hunter Mac
Chicken burger’.
We would all like
to wish Samuel
well in the final
and we are very
proud of Samuel’s
achievements.
YEAR 11 LMC COOKING DEMONSTRATION
On Friday 13th of January and Thursday 26th
January seventy Year 11 and 12 pupils who do
GCSE Home Economics were treated to a very
interesting and practical cookery demonstration
by Margaret Anderson from the Livestock and
Meat Commission. She came to the Academy to
demonstrate a range of meat dishes and provide
information on the Farm Quality Assurance
scheme. The first dish she demonstrated was
Mozzarella Meatballs with tomatoes and bacon
and she showed us step by step what she was doing and told us some interesting facts about the meat
and its nutritional value such as Omega 3, Zinc and Iron. One of the reasons that we all enjoyed this
demonstration was because we weren’t just sitting watching, it was an interactive demonstration and
it will be very useful to us when creating our own meat dishes. She then made a Creamy Peppered
Beef dish which we all enjoyed watching and learning about. We were all very happy at the end to
have the opportunity to taste these dishes. We would like to take the opportunity to thank Margaret
for a very enjoyable demonstration. She gave us all a copy of the current LMC recipe book, Love
Beef, and this will be very useful as it contains lots of healthy recipes to make in school and
new dishes at home! By Keeva McIlwaine 11D
KS4/5 TRIP TO SPAIN
After many months of planning and excited awaiting, 42 students from the Spanish Department
headed of to discover the beauty of Andalucía in Southern Spain. Despite the very early start, we
were raring to go and as soon as we landed in Málaga airport we started the journey up into the Ronda
Mountains.
The weather
was glorious and the journey
very picturesque. Most of us
had our first taste of Spanish
cuisine before crossing the
‘New Bridge’ over a very
deep gorge and exploring
the beauty of the old town.
When we got to our hotel that
evening, we were delighted
with the rooms, the pool, the
buffet dinner and the fact
that we were only a 3 minute
walk from the beach! The
next few days were spent
travelling around Andalucía
and visiting the wonderful
cities of Granada and Sevilla
which we all agreed we
would love to return to again.
The Alhambra Palace, the 3rd
most visited tourist attraction
in the world, was a highlight
for many of us. Its Moorish
architecture and endless
views were something we
will not quickly forget.Our
day in Gibraltar was also an
unforgettable one. We found
the mix of Spanish and English very strange and a little unsettling. However, the cable car up the side
of ‘The Rock’ was incredible, albeit nerve-wrecking for a few! The views over the Mediterranean
were outstanding and we could just about make out the North African coastline. When we got out
at the top we were immediately met by dozens of monkeys curious to see what we had in our bags.
Judging by the number of photos that were taken that day, they
definitely proved a big hit! From a teacher’s perspective, it was great
to hear pupils talking in Spanish and learning new vocabulary from
the outset. We were very proud of their efforts and involvement in
everything we did, including participating in our Flamenco dancing
classes at which some excelled, and trying all sorts of seafood from
the delicious paella laid on by the chefs at our hotel!
I have no doubt that this has been a very worthwhile trip for all
concerned and one that will stay with us all for many years to come.
¡VIVA ESPAÑA!
AS GERMAN FILM DAY AT
QFT
When our teacher suggested visiting the
Queen’s Film Theatre [QFT] to watch ‘Das
Wunder von Bern’ [The Miracle of Bern] we
all thought the visit would prove to be really
beneficial, exciting and enjoyable and, sure
enough, the trip lived up to our expectations.
It was great to see so many pupils there with
the same goals in mind [mind the pun], i.e.
to watch the underdogs, Germany, score
3-2 against the formidable Hungarian team
in the 1954 FIFA World championship.
But even more than that, we were all there
to learn German and a great deal about
Germany’s history, culture and economical
depressed condition in the 1950s. The day
began with an introduction in German to the
film and ended with a number of workshops,
all led by Wolfgang Winkler, director of the
Goethe Institut, Manchester, whom we just
loved! He was easy to understand, funny,
interesting and we learned a lot. Indeed,
Mark was so taken by him that he wants to
call his son ‘Wolfgang’.
.
The film itself was in German of course, with
German sub-titles to promote understanding.
The main story line is about a father-son
relationship. Richard Lubanski, a traumatized,
bitter POW, returns home from Russia, but life
has changed – he does not recognise his wife, is
unable to return to work as a miner and shows
disdain for Fußball, the passion of his son,
Matthias. However, as the film progresses, and
as the German team draws nearer to the World
Cup final, Matthias, through his passion for
football and his fighting spirit, rekindles a love
of life in his dad’s heart. At the end the young
boy is taken by his dad to Bern, where he
provides his idol, Helmut Rahn, with the
inspiration for the winning goal. All events
combine to give a sense of the euphoria and
pride experienced by the German nation, as it
emerges from its depressed state.
We thank CILT and the Goethe Institut for a
most memorable day and we are already looking
forward to what they have in store for us for next
year.
YEAR 9 G.I.S. WORKSHOP
On Monday 6th February, two representatives from the Derrygonnelly Centre paid Omagh Academy’s
Geography Department a visit. My class, 9B was the lucky class chosen for this workshop.
The instructors introduced that G.I.S. stood for Geographic Information System and told us what
it was. We discovered that Google Maps and Google Earth were forms of G.I.S. Throughout the
lesson we were shown how maps could have data added to them and how it could point out useful
information when making certain decisions. The best thing about the lesson, was definitely when
we got to have a go at using Google Earth. It looked very complicated at first but with the guidance
of Miss Maybin and the two representatives, the whole class was successful in the tasks. After the
session, I (like many other students) went straight home, downloaded Google Earth and put into
practice what I had learned that day. So now I will always be able to add nametags, mark rivers, insert
layers, make areas 3-D and complete many more tasks. These are all skills which will be useful now
and in the future.
Rachel Montgomery 9B
YEAR 14 PHYSICS PUPILS ATTEND
MASTER CLASS IN PARTICLE
PHYSICS
Muons, pions, mesons, hadrons and bosons- what are
they and how do they behave? This and much more was
the basis of a very intriguing master class on particle
Physics held at Queen’s University on the 13th January.
Year 14 Physics students from Omagh Academy were
able to join with other schools to find out about the
research being carried out at the frontiers of particle
physics and to analyse data from the Large Hadron
Collider (LHC) for themselves.
The first lecture, given by Dr Alan Barr (Oxford
University), introduced pupils to quark theory and
Has Michael found the Higgs
force carriers called bosons. He explained why it was
Boson????
necessary to accelerate protons to very high speeds
before collisions in the Large Hadron Collider and
how the debris from “a fruit cocktail” of collisions was analysed. The figures were impressive:
voltages of 40 billion volts, photographs taken at a rate of 40 million per second with resolutions
better than a hair width! Then it was our turn to examine these photographs. We were all assigned
a set of data from the LHC and started to work looking for evidence of bosons. The exercise gave
us experience in handling real data from the collider and allowed us to appreciate the patience and
expertise needed to gain evidence for any new theory. In contrast to the “smaller than microscopic”
scale in the first talk the second lecture, “Revealing the dark side of the universe”, by Dr Pete
Edwards (Durham University) looked at the immense size and complexity of our universe. We
were told to “hold up a grain of sand at arms length towards the sky and appreciate that behind that
grain lies 10,000 galaxies”. We can see light from galaxies at distances of 13 billion light years yet
all we see only comprises 4 % of what is out there. With 96% of the universe comprised of dark
matter and dark energy, neither of which are understood, the future for Physics is as challenging
and exciting as its past.
NORTH WEST DRAMA FESTIVAL FOR SCHOOLS
On the 12th and 13th of March, Omagh Academy Drama Club participated in the North West Drama
Festival for Schools at the Alley Theatre in Strabane. This festival was a great success and was enjoyed
by the performers and audience alike. The North West Schools Drama Festival has come to the Alley
for the third year running and high quality drama was on the menu. The Schools which participated
this year included Holy Cross College performing a scene from ‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller, Royal
and Prior Comprehensive
performing ‘Hamlet’, St
Cecilia’s College performing
‘The Shakers’. Coleraine
Academical
Institution
performed a comedy entitled
‘Wired’, Thornhill College
with their own adaptation
of
‘The Shakers’ and
Ballygawley’s St Ciaran’s
College. Each participating
school performed a 20 minute
sketch in front of a packed
auditorium and the festival
judge was celebrated actor
Dan Gordon. There were some
great acting talents among
the different schools; each
bringing their own presence
to the stage. This competition
was a wonderful opportunity
for our fantastic drama
enthusiasts to showcase their
talents. We have been working
on an adaptation of ‘The Terrible Fate of Humpty Dumpty’ by David Calcutt, since September. This
involved auditioning for parts, adapting the script, organising scenes, costumes and props. The class
have worked very hard to finalise and perfect their scenes. As the youngest competitors, the students
did remarkably well. Three students Hannah Jones, Rachel Montgomery and Rebekah Mc Keown
achieved Highly Commended for Best Supporting Actress. A fantastic achievement!
OMAGH ACADEMY – LORETO GRAMMAR
YEAR 8 LINK UP
Both the Academy and Loreto Grammar
School have signed up to and taken part in the
WELB’s “Promoting Reconciliation through a
Shared Curriculum Experience” programme.
The programme has been carried out to help
our young people from different backgrounds
get to know each other better and have a better
understanding of other people’s culture. As part
of this programme, Mr Geoff Bingham from
Omagh Academy and Mr John Quinn from
Loreto Grammar took part in a training course
with many other teachers last October. At the
course the teachers took part in workshops and
were given resources that they could use in the
upcoming lessons.Over the last five months
twelve lessons were delivered to the pupils
– some separately at each school and other
lessons together. We had two joint lessons at
Omagh Academy and one at Loreto Grammar.
At these joint lessons Mr Bingham and Mr
Quinn and a year 8 class from both schools
have met together and taken part in activities
that explore differences in our communities
in N Ireland. We have discussed peace walls,
uniforms and emblems, flags, suggested ways
of reconciling our communities, carried out
role plays and, last but not least, simply made
friends with boys and girls from our own area.
Researchers from Queen’s University have
been involved in the programme. They have
an interest in investigating how pupil attitudes
and understanding of other cultures might
change due to a programme such as this. All
the research is anonymous. It has been a very
enjoyable year and it is planned that these
lessons and meet-ups will resume next year.
Pupils from Loreto and
Omagh Academy enjoying
themselves!!
SUCCESS FOR THE BADMINTON TEAMS
The Junior Girls badminton team qualified for the Ulster
Schools League finals this year. They won all their league
games beating Banbridge Academy 5-1, Hunterhouse
6-0, Bloomfield collegiate 5-1 and Ballyclare HS 6-0.
Unfortunately at the finals in Lisburn on the 9th March they
were very narrowly beaten by Bloomfield Collegiate, 4-2.
The end result depended on the very last game on the court.
The team was Claire Watson playing as number 1, Gemma
Armstrong playing as number 2, Laura Kennedy number 3
and Jodie Hood number 4. The Junior cup team qualified
for the semi-finals of the Ulster Schools Cup. They had a
very tough draw against a strong Sullivan Upper team but
came out the winners on points. They then played a very
strong Wallace team in the semi-final and were beaten 6-0.
Wallace went on to win the final. This team was number 1
Jessica Sproule, number 2 Erin Ballantine, number 3 Claire
Watson and number 4 Gemma Armstrong.
THE SHOW JUMPING TEAMS DO IT AGAIN!
Morgan Semple, Emma Kane,
Harley Semple and Georgia
Waterson
Two of our show jumping teams made the
long journey to Portmore Equestrian Centre at
Aghalee on 19th March to compete in an InterSchools Competition The number of entries
was huge and it turned out to be a long day as
the show jumping started at 9am with primary
schools and didn’t finish until 11.15pm! The
Omagh Academy Junior Team of Hannah
Leonard on Mandy and Blue Moon, Connie
Gibson on Minstrel and Gemma Elkin on
Tucker performed very well but were out of the
prizes. Our Senior Team of Harley Semple on
Beech hall, Emma Kane on Babbling Brook
Rocky, Morgan Semple on Brook Park Trixi
and Georgia Waterson on Lenamore Lena was
in scintillating form against stiff opposition
and won the competition by 30 seconds, a wide
margin in show jumping terms. The girls also
performed well individually – Harley Semple
won the competition with Georgia Waterson 4th
and Emma Kane 5th.The competition ran on very
late for our senior team but our success made it
all worthwhile.
Thank you to all the parents for their unending
support, we could not do it without you.
OMAGH ACADEMY 1ST XV – NORTHERN BANK
SCHOOLS TROPHY WINNERS 2012
With the rugby season now finished at School we can reflect on a season of mixed emotions. The
senior squad enjoyed a fun filled tour to Edinburgh only to return to Northern Ireland and be eliminated
from the Schools Cup by Banbridge in the 2nd Rd. This put the 1st XV into the Schools Trophy
competition. With convincing wins over Lurgan College and Portora we progressed to a Schools
Trophy final for the second successive year. The 1st XV squad beat Larne Grammar 9-5 in a thrilling
Final at Stevenson Park. Our performance did not match the Quarter or Semi Final. However,
we did what was required on a nervous afternoon at Stevenson Park. The 2nd XV progressed to the
Quarter Final on the 2nd XV Plate competition only to be defeated by Strabane Grammar. The squad
went into this game a little complacent after excellent wins against two touring English teams and
Carrickfergus Grammar School. We have entertained five touring schools in Omagh this season. The
U13 and U14 squads enjoyed wins over King Henry VII of Wales, Chellaston Academy of England
and Royal Grammar School, Newcastle England. We entered two teams into this year Ulster Schools
7’s tournament held at Campbell College. The senior squad were in the most difficult of groups,
playing BRA, Down High and Campbell College along the way. The Medallion Squad missed out on
qualifying for the Quarter finals when they lost narrowly to Wellington College (eventual finalists) in
their final pool game. The House Rugby is always the finale to the rugby season.
This year’s winners were:Junior – Drumragh
Intermediate – Drumragh
Senior - Camowen
Finally, all the players at the school would like to thank their sponsor TC Autos and all those who have
supported any of the teams during the season.
COOKSTOWN HS 0 : OMAGH ACADEMY 1
On Friday 16th March, Omagh Academy 1stXI again played Cookstown HS in a bid to lift the
West of Ulster League title for a record 12th year in a row. For the Year 14 pupils Alex McKinley,
Alice Logan, Kathryn Graham,
Emma Harper and Julie Parke,
this game was to be their last
in Omagh Academy colours,
as they will soon embark on a
new journey at university. From
the first whistle, Omagh set
out with a clear purpose. Their
link up passing on both sides of
the pitch was immaculate, and
Chelsey Sawyers moved into
central defence to allow Irish
U16 trialist and Ulster U16
player Laura Kennedy to shine
in centre midfield. Both players
showed their vision by threading
many balls through to the forward line aided by the movement of Rebecca McKeown. Her link up
play with top goal scorer Laura White terrorised the defence, but despite efforts on goal, no one was
at hand to force the ball into the net. After the break, aright sided break from Alice Logan released
Rebecca McKeown who crossed the ball to Laura White whose shot was saved by the keeper but
the rebound slotted home by Rebecca McKeown. With the score at 1 nil, Cookstown began to show
determination in attack, but any danger was dealt with by the patient defence, and of course the
increasingly confident keeper Rachel Armstrong. Julie Parke, Emma Harper and Roslyn Graham
provided fresh legs for the tense final 10 minutes. However, the final whistle sounded, and Alex
McKinley lifted the trophy and spoke with emotion to thank her team, the opposition, umpires and
coaches. The squad and coaching staff would like to thank Mr Arbuthnot and Norman Purdy for
umpiring throughout the season as well as all the support from parents and sponsors. Best wishes
and thanks also go to the players who leave school this year to university.
Squad:
Rachel Armstrong, Alex McKinley, Kathryn Graham, Laura Kennedy, Carol Fleming, Alice Logan, Chelsey
Sawyers, Lauren McCollum, Rebecca McKeown, Laura white, Honour Nethery, Emma Harper, Julie Parke,
Roslyn Graham and Jade Allerton.
Congratulations to the Omagh Academy
players who are representing the
Western Board in the Area Board
tournaments:
U17 – Laura White, Lauren McCollum,
Carol Fleming, Chelsey Sawyers, Roslyn
Graham, Sarah Graham
U15 – Chloe Frazer, Claire McFarland,
Cari McKinley, Megan Swann, Jenny
Hemphill
2BXI CUP FINAL
OMAGH ACADEMY 2 : RAINEY 1
Omagh Academy’s 2BXI have clinched the
Gibson Cup for the second year in succession after
beating Rainey Endowed in a thriller at Royal
School Dungannon. Holly Nelson’s young team,
comprising of mostly Year 11s has only suffered 2
defeats this season and after beating Ballyclare High
in the semi final, the squad approached the final in a
confident mood, but faced an unknown quantity in
Rainey Endowed.
Both teams took a while to settle into the game, as
it appeared that nerves were taking hold. Mid way
through the first half, Rainey had a break down their
left, and with a burst into the circle saw the first
penalty corner of the game. After a first time shot
was blocked by Danielle Catterson in goals, Rainey
were first to the rebound ball and slotted the ball
home to make the score 1:0. Omagh responded well
from the restart with a hunger to level the score.
This led to numerous breaks including a threaded ball from Sarah Graham to the substitute Julie
Parke put her clear, and her goal bound shot found its way to the back of the net. After the break,
constant attacks through midfield from Kirsten Duncan, Sarah Graham and Megan Swann brought
many chances on goal, but the Rainey keeper was superb to ensure the score remained level. It
took a goal line scramble to put Omagh ahead, when after a penalty corner was saved, Claire
McFarland and Jodie Hood combined to force the ball across the line. Similar chances followed,
with Omagh determined to put the game beyond doubt. The constant pressure led to the inevitable
counter attack from Rainey, who to their credit never gave up, and spent the last 10 minutes of the
game forcing the Omagh defence back into their circle. However, the final whistle sounded and
Captain Holly Nelson was presented the cup by an Ulster hockey representative to a huge applause
and cheer from the excellent supporters, and her squad proudly accepted their medals. This was a
tremendous achievement for the squad, as a second successive victory in any Ulster competition
is a rare occurrence.
2BXI 2012 Squad:
EVERY SCHOOL A GOOD SCHOOL: The Way Forward for
Special Educational Needs [SEN] and inclusion
[Message from the Department of Education]
The Department of Education has asked that parents be informed that the Education Minister,
John O’Dowd, has published the Summary Report of Responses to the formal consultation
on the Review of Special Educational Needs and inclusion. This Report provides a factual
summary and analysis of the responses to the high level policy proposals contained in
the consultation document “Every School a Good School: The Way forward for Special
Educational Needs [SEN] and Inclusion’ and the associated Equality Impact Assessment. The
Minister’s foreward provides an indication of the way the proposals may be taken forward.
Copies of the consultation Summary Report and its associated Appendices can be viewed
and downloaded from the Departments website at http://www.deni.gov.uk/index/7special educational needs pg/review of special educational needs and inclusion.htm
Printed copies are available for individuals who do not have access to the internet. These
can be obtained by contacting the Department of Education:
By telephone: 02891279762
By email: [email protected]
By writing: Review of SEN and Inclusion Team, Room G18, Department of Education,
Rathgael House, 43 Balloo Road, Bangor, Co Down, BT19 7PR
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Murley Silver Band in concert with Omagh Academy Brass Band in
the Assembly Hall Friday, 27 April @ 7.30 pm
AUTUMN TERM DATES:
Year 8 Commence
Year 13 Commence
All other pupils commence
Prize Day
Half Term
Thursday, 30 August 2012
Friday, 31 August 2012
Monday, 3 September 2012
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
Monday 29 October - Friday 2 November
MORE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE SUCCESSFUL CONCERT
Members of Back Beat
Percussion Ensemble
perform “Peter Gunn”
by Henry Mancini.
Year 12 student
Honour Nethery
performs “Star of
the County Down”
with Senior Choir
The Music Department would
like to thank all those who
contributed to this year’s
Concert. Over £1000 will be
forwarded to Northern Ireland
Music Therapy Trust.
GCSE and A-level
Music Students perform
“An-Ta” with the
African Drumming
Ensemble