File - Robert Gordon`s College

from the Quadrangle June 2012
Pupils ‘go live’ at Brewin Dolphin
To celebrate the forthcoming British
Science Festival in Aberdeen, the
Natural History Centre and the British
Science Festival is offering schools
the chance to win their own ‘science
festival in school for a day’. All S2
pupils are taking part in this exciting
cross-curricular competition with help
from the Science, Art and History
departments. In Science each pupil
chose a Scottish scientist, then used
the library and internet resources
and researched for interesting and
quirky information within the History
department. In Art they are creating a
poster which represents the scientist’s
life and work. All art work will be
submitted and judged as a class entry
in June. Good luck to all of our S2
pupils. We have a history of success
with the ‘Biomimicry’ and ‘Marine
Extreme’ Natural History Centre
competition winners and runners
up from former S1 and S2 pupils.
Miss T Reid
On the 21st March, Brewin Dolphin, one of the UK’s largest independent
private client investment managers, played host to Higher Economics pupils
Adam Hendry, Andrew Howarth, Henry Symons, Aaron McPherson and
Sam Povey. The pupils, all considering careers in financial services, gained a
valuable insight into how a wealth management company operates. Bruce
Angus (Head of Office, Aberdeen) and his team spoke about the different
aspects of the business - Financial Planning, Investment Management and
Risk & Regulation. The pupils also met a recent graduate of Brewin Dolphin’s
Trainee Investment Management programme. The highlight of the trip
was seeing the live markets and watching the news from the budget feed
through to share prices.
Adam Hendry (S5)
Catering wins
“Healthier Scotland
Award”
Entiér and their team at RGC are
celebrating after receiving the
“Healthier Scotland Award” at the
CIS Excellence Awards 2012 held
in Glasgow on 24 May. This is a
tremendous success for Entiér and
acknowledges their commitment and
dedication to provide and support
healthy eating at the College.
Jo Watson, Entiér’s unit manager
at the school, and the team
continuously improve the choice and
variety of food available, allowing
the pupils to make healthier choices
whilst still enjoying the food they
love. They also take part in healthy
eating talks with the children and
actively involve them in the food
choices available as well as working
closely with the pupil council. Mr
Ouston, Head of College said, “This
reinforces the continued success of
Entiér at RGC following the Healthy
Living, Healthy Living Plus and Eat
Safe Awards in recent years. The
school has already been recognised
and visited by various Councils to be
used as an example to improve the
standards of catering at state schools
across Scotland.”
Combined Cadet Force news
Congratulations go to Sqn Ldr Montgomery, Capt Maitland and Lt Paul
who have been awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. This medal,
designed to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s sixty years on the throne is
being awarded to recipients in the Armed Forces, emergency services
and prison service personnel. Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics,
Media and Sport Jeremy Hunt was quoted as saying: “The Queen has
dedicated her life to the service of this country and the Diamond Jubilee
will offer us all the opportunity to celebrate the commitment, loyalty
and faithfulness with which she has led the country across the last sixty
years. It is right that we reward those people who, like The Queen, also
dedicate their lives to public good and who represent the very best of
the British spirit. I hope the official medal will serve as a mark of thanks
to all those who give so much in the name of society and public service
and I extend my congratulations to all the recipients.”
Sqn Ldr Montgomery and Capt Maitland have also received a clasp
(re-award) to their Cadet Forces Medal this year.
Lord Lieutenant’s
Cadet
Bethany Cross (S5) has been
appointed Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet
for the year 2012-13. She stood
out as a young lady of the highest
calibre from her earliest days with
the Army Section of the Combined
Cadet Force. She has rapidly acquired
military skills and knowledge and, as
one of our team of highly effective
cadet instructors who have completed the Method of Instruction course,
relishes the opportunity to pass on her expertise to the younger members
of the section. Bethany will accompany the Lord Lieutenant at a variety
of official functions in the city during her year in this prestigious post.
News from the
Parents Association
Don’t Miss:
Second Hand Book Sale: Monday,
25th June 6 – 7 pm
Well done and thanks to Julie
Forbes and all the May Ball team – it
was, once again a huge success!
A massive ‘thank you’ to all our
sponsors and the pupil-helpers were
brilliant on the night selling raffle
tickets! We organised Sports Day
with a few changes this year and
with Aberdeen boasting 21°C, the
Pimm’s tent and ice cream stand was
a great success.
Our AGM is to be held on Wednesday
12 September from 7-9pm in the
MacRobert Hall. This is an opportunity
to meet other parents, staff and hear
about our work. There are lots of
opportunities to become involved and
there is no pressure to commit lots of
time. We will do our best to make you
feel welcome and it’s a great way get
involved with the school, get to know
staff and meet new people.
Liselotte Osugo & Julie Forbes, RGC
PA Co-Chairs, [email protected]
Pupils benefit from
HR experience
A group of pupils in S4-S6 have been
involved in the employability scheme
aimed at providing them with some
additional guidance in relation to
the writing of CVs, completion of
application forms and performing
well in interviews. The scheme, set
up by Mrs Victoria Reid, HR Executive
for the John Clark Motor Group and
Miss Boyd, Head of Business Studies
& Economics, involved an after-school
session on CVs, application forms
and tips on preparing for/performing
well in an interview. The pupils were
then tasked with preparing a CV
and completing an application form
before undertaking a 20 minute mock
interview. Amy Ether (S5) said “What
we all found beneficial in this process
was the detailed feedback that we were
given. Each pupil received feedback on
the quality of their CV and application
form, as well as, how they performed
in the interview. This allowed us to
identify our strengths and take away
targets for the next time”.
Robert Gordon's College, Schoolhill, Aberdeen AB10 1FE UK
1
Tel: 01224 646346 (Senior School) 01224 646758 (Junior School) Fax: 01224 630301 Email: [email protected]
www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk
www.twitter.com/robertgordons
Copyright © 2012 Robert Gordon’s College. All rights reserved. Robert Gordon’s College is a charity registered in Scotland, No. SC000123
Scotland’s Minds
June 2012
Diverse success
for Gordon’s pupils
Engineering
A team of S6 pupils will jet off
to Orlando at the end of June to
take part in an international ROV
(remotely operated vehicle) design
challenge. Hugo Mayeux, Jonathan
May, Damien Theron, Calum
Ashcroft, Alexander Stevenson
and Marcus Rose won the Scottish
regional finals of the competition,
co-ordinated by RGU in conjunction
with Marine Advanced Technology
Education (MATE). The pupils have
worked on their projects for the
past six months, constructing ROVs
from scratch to meet the brief for
this year’s competition.
Music
Issue 38
Athletics
For the first time in the history
of the school RGC girls won
the group B Relay event in the
Scottish Schools Relay and Multi
Event Championships. The team of
Lindsey Young (S5), Emma Caldow
(S4), Charlotte Meil (S4) and Sophie
Clayton (S3) were presented with
The Robert Blair Henry Cup. Further
success came from Bruce Sorbie (S3)
who won the Group C Pentathlon
event. This is an outstanding result
for Bruce who picked up various gold
medals at the recent Scottish District
Championships in Edinburgh. June
saw further success at the Scottish
Schools Athletic Championships
in Grangemouth where our
athletes picked up 9 medals in the
competition. This brought the school
total to 11 Scottish Medals awarded
within 2 weeks (6 were gold) and an
overall total of 14 Scottish medals for
the 2011-2012 academic session.
An outstanding achievement by
the pupils.
The S1/2 Choir took part in the
Aberdeen and North East of Scotland
Music Festival 2012, in the Secondary
Schools Choirs S1 to S3 Class and
won the Innes Rose Bowl. The Choir
sang “Make You Feel My Love”, by
Bob Dylan (and sung by Adele) and
“Where You Lead” by Carole King &
Toni Stern. The judge was impressed
with the Choir’s clear, bright tone
and very good diction and deemed
them to be “Outstanding”, both
artistically and technically.
The P4/5 Choir sang in the Primary
Schools Choirs P3-5 Class and were
awarded the trophy and received an
Oustanding. They sang “Chatter with
the Angels” by Page and “Good
Night” (a Russian song) by Kabalevsky.
The judge was impressed by good
dynamic range and diction, judging
their performance as “extremely
effective”.
The P6/7 choir sang a beautiful
rendition of “The Rose” and the
Infant Glee Club made their debut
performance, both gaining a very Jalaj Khandelwal (S2), Miriam McDonald (S1),Yash Nirmal (S2) and Isobel Green (S1)
good award.
Mathematics
Four RGC Mathematicians are finalists
in the UK Junior Maths Team Challenge
representing North East Scotland in June.
Miriam McDonald (S1), Isobel Green
(S1), Jalaj Khandelwal (S2) and Yash
Nirmal (S2) competed with 10 schools
from Grampian, Highlands and Islands
in the regional heat to win their placing
in the UK final. Mrs Vicky Fletcher,
Head of Mathematics commented, “I
am delighted that our junior team has
done so well. The internal competition
to be a part of this team was fiercely
contested so those who didn’t make it
know they were beaten by the best. It
was lovely to see so many pupils getting
enjoyment from using their brains to
solve puzzles”.
Read about more maths successes on p.2.
from the Quadrangle June 2012
Mr Tim Oughton,
who will be
visiting Head at
RGC from August
to October this
year, will present
the prizes at both
Junior and Senior
Prizegiving ceremonies in the last
week of term. He is an outstanding
educationist who has led schools
and been involved in curriculum
development in New Zealand and
Australia.
I am certain that his
presence at Gordon’s will benefit the
whole community and that we will all
welcome him and his wife Heather
most warmly to Aberdeen.
Hugh Ouston
Head of College
Maths success
Cong Lu (S3) has gained a Certificate of
Distinction, a medal and a book prize
from the 2012 UK Mathematics Trust
Intermediate Mathematical Olympiad.
Cong sat the challenging paper which
consisted of six extended response
questions which had to be completed
within two hours without the use of a
calculator or mathematical instruments
and is pleased to be recognised in the
top 50 mathematicians in this national
competition.
Meanwhile, teams from S4 and S5
have made it through to the national
finals of Mathematiques Sans Frontières,
a cross-curricular competition where
maths and modern languages work
together. 36 schools from throughout
Scotland entered and one team from
S5 and two teams from S4 have been
selected as part of the final ten.
Finally, four RGC pupils who qualified
from the UKMT Intermediate Maths
Challenge to the Pink Kangaroo
round have each gained a Certificate
of Participation: Lewis Seaman (S3),
Emer Cunningham (S3), Steven Cook
(S4) and Peter Craik (S4).
June 2012 from the Quadrangle
National Title for Tomas
Pupils raise money for charity through Dramatic Events
S2 ‘Adventures in Wonderland’
S2 Drama Club raised money for charity through their whimsical production
of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’. Charitable pupils brought a new light
to the classic tale by Lewis Carroll when they performed to guests on 10 May,
raising over £260 for Fighting for Sight who have been funding research into
blindness and eye disease for more than 40 years. Lit in atmospheric lighting,
staged in avenue, the studio was transformed into a fairytale wonderland to
provide the perfect backdrop for the pupils’ performance.
Mrs Michelle Molyneux, Director of the show said “Make up, lighting, and
costume helped us create a completely new world in which the pupils were
allowed to transform themselves for the evening. It has been a great opportunity
for pupils to get involved in costume, set design, backstage work, sound and
lighting as well as acting”.
Grampian Book Awards
Two S1 classes attended the award
ceremony for the Grampian Children’s
Book Award at Aberdeen University
where they were joined by pupils
from schools in Aberdeen city and
Shire and Morayshire. The books
were voted onto the shortlist by
participating schools and after
reading the books, each school
voted for their favourite. The winner
was announced at the ceremony.
Although many of the shortlisted
authors were unable to attend, pupils
were entertained by Cathy MacPhail,
Alexander Gordon Smith, Barry
Hutchison, and Caroline Clough,
(shortlisted author). Competitions
were run in conjunction with the
awards where pupils could design a
film poster or produce a short DVD
presentation. Miriam McDonald
(S1) received a prize for her DVD
presentation.
Mrs E Brazendale
S1 Drama Club
present Macbeth
Dark, mysterious, orbis alia,
ambitious, striving for power, 1930’s
Aberdeen beach promenade and
an army training camp are a few
words that give an insight into S1’s
excellent production of “Macbeth”.
Performed in the senior school drama
studio as part of our ‘Shakespeare
Week’, this was a highly memorable
and enjoyable production.
Sports Day
A fantastic day was had at Countesswells on 26 May by the Infants, Juniors
and Seniors. The competitors all had great fun, and the many parents who
gathered to support had the bonus of a seat in the sun with a Pimms and
a burger, courtesy of the RGC Parents Association. The excellent conditions
saw some superb performances, with several school records broken, and the
entertainment from the Pipe Band between the Junior and Senior events
was first class.
The highlight of the day was seeing three new school athletics records
being made by Emma Caldow (S4) in the 200m, 300m and the long jump.
Year Group Winners:
P6 Girls: Kirsty Oldham, P6 Boys: Harry Anderson, P7 Girls: Milly Merry, P7
Boys: Calum McKenzie, S1 Girls: Alannah O’Donnell, S1 Boys: Ben Bowring,
S2 Girls: Sophie Evans, S2 Boys: Jon Hosie, S3 Girls: Erin Runcie and Sophie
Clayton (Equal 1st), S3 Boys: Bruce Sorbie, Senior Girls: Lindsey Young, Senior
Boys: Richard Phonburn
Sports Cup: Blackfriars 295 points (Straloch were closely behind with 272
points then Sillerton at 229 and Collyhill at 218 points).
Andy Dougall Cup: Blackfriars (winners of the senior school relays - S1,2,3)
Tomas Sanders (S4) won the EnglishSpeaking Union’s 2012 Public
Speaking Competition on 18 April in
Edinburgh. The event was sponsored
by the Confucius Institute for Scotland
and Tomas had to speak on the topic,
‘Why China Matters’, competing
with ten other speakers from across
Scotland in this national final.
Tomas qualified from his regional
heat after delivering an excellent speech
on the theme of ‘The Deep Blue Sea”.
On each occasion, Tomas was required
to answer questions on his speech; in
the final, members of the audience, as
well as the judges, were permitted to
cross-examine the speakers.
Tomas’s success means that RGC
has won two of the three national
debating and public speaking trophies
organised by the ESU within a year as
Morag Forbes and Maura Buchanan
(S4) are the current holders of the
ESU Juniors Debating Competition.
Pupils spell success in
national
competition
News in brief
RGC came 2nd in Scotland at the
2012 Times Spelling Bee competition
held at Cineworld, Edinburgh, on 22
May. Fraser Cowie, David Roddy, Owen
Robinson and Jonathan Smith (all S1) competed with schools from throughout
Scotland and were close behind Mary Erskine and Stewart’s Melville of
Edinburgh. The winning team scored 58 points with Gordon’s notching a very
close 54. Mrs Marie Mancellon, Teacher of English said, “The boys trained
hard and had a lot of fun in the process and put their every effort into the
semi-final round. It was a tense moment as they announced the winners in
ascending order and we had come a very close second. The boys should be
incredibly proud of themselves to have gone so far in the competition and
to know that they are so very close to being the best spellers in Scotland!”
Musical pupils from our String
Quartet welcomed The Badke
Quartet to the music suite on
Monday 19 March where pupils
enjoyed a masterclass with the
group who are touring the UK. The
Badke Quartet is widely recognised
as one of Britain’s finest string
quartets.
Further
info:
http://www.
badkequartet.co.uk/
North East Business Week 2012
On 16 April, a group of S5 pupils attended a series of Entrepreneurship
talks at RGU. It was an inspirational evening in which three entrepreneurs
shared their experiences and offered words of wisdom to anyone considering
taking the plunge! Craig Angus from Whaapp Ltd kicked of the evening by
introducing his mobile application, ‘TaxiApp’. Judith Thorpe from Thorpe
Molloy Recruitment then spoke about her journey from new graduate
to co-director of a multi-award winning recruitment company. The final
speaker, Jim Eastwood (aka ‘Jedi Jim’ from Series 7 of The Apprentice) then
entertained the crowd with his ‘7P’s to Success’ presentation.
String Quartet
enjoy Professional
Masterclass
Pupils benefit from
Paull & Williamson
partnership
S5 & S6 pupils from the Higher
Business Management classes
welcomed trainee solicitors Andrew
Knight and Elizabeth Lilley from
Paull & Williamsons to learn
about Employment Law in real life
situations.
Jubilee Celebrations
Farewell from the
School Captains
As we approach the end of term the
weeks seem to pass at an increasingly
quick pace and the fantastic weather
has made our final days in the quad
all the more enjoyable. The May
Ball, Sports Day, S1 Inductions, and
of course Exams have all happened
within a few weeks of each other,
with a number of end of term
programmes just around the corner.
We find ourselves at the end of
another year. The reality of leaving
is beginning to sink in amongst the
Sixth Year as we near our final days
at the College. Gordon’s has been a
place in which friendships have been
forged, skills have been learnt and
memories have been made that will
last for a long time yet. As School
Captains this has been a busy but
thoroughly enjoyable year, and one
we will certainly look back on with
great fondness. All that remains is to
wish pupils and staff a lovely summer
break and the very best for next year.
Kirsty McLeod and Sean Press (S6)
Music to your ears!
Every year the RGC Senior Big Band enjoys a great range of performance
opportunities throughout the school session, including music trips overseas
and playing at great venues. This year was no exception, with the group
playing The Blue Lamp during March as part of the Aberdeen Jazz Festival,
showcasing the College’s musical talent to the general public. The Blue Lamp
is one of Aberdeen’s more recognised music venues and therefore provided
the pupils with a great introduction into the local jazz scene.
Another highlight was the annual Lemon Tree Concert on 25 April, which
saw the Big Band playing in yet another proclaimed musical venue within
the city, along with the College’s Intermediate Big Band and Ceilidh groups.
The night held a great atmosphere between both the performers and the
audience, as well as including a great set of jazz numbers. The set included
swing-era classics such as “Groovin’ High”, Miles Davis’ “Nardis” and finished
off with a loud and lively rendition of “Rock This Town” by Brian Setzer. A
huge thank you goes to our conductor and band leader Mrs Thom for all
her hard work, passion and effort which has helped to keep the band on
top form for all these years, and of course for all the many years to come!
Daniel F Kemshell (S4)
...
Robert Gordon’s College celebrated
the Queens’ Diamond Jubilee with
a charity slant. Staff, Former Pupils
and Parents enjoyed a typically
British afternoon tea which raised
funds through ticket sales and a
charity raffle for All About Eve,
a charity which researches the
causes and potential cure of ovarian
cancer.
Performance DVDs
for sale
There is limited stock left of the
live performance dvds from various
school shows. Please contact the
Drama department if you would like
to purchase a copy of Treasure Island,
Oklahoma or Wind in the Willows.
Parental access to
RGC website
If you would like a reminder of the
access details to the parent or pupil
secure areas of our website please
contact Mrs Shelley Lee s.lee@rgc.
aberdeen.sch.uk
Class of 2012 Leavers
You can now join iGnite, the online community for former pupils. Please
look at the Mentoring directory which offers free advice from fellow Gordonians all over the world to support
you in your career beyond the classroom. To login go to www.rgc-ignite.com
2
Visit our website for full reports and more photos www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk
3
from the Quadrangle June 2012
June 2012 from the Quadrangle
Nursery news
Chicks!
The Nursery boys and girls were
delighted when Mr Pillai came
into Nursery carrying a very special
box - an incubator containing some
warm eggs. They could hear the
tapping of a little beak and the
cheeping of a little chick trying to
get out - first there was a crack,
then at last there appeared four
baby chicks! The children were very
excited; they drew pictures, painted
portraits of them and even sang
the chick songs they had learnt
in Music! They made a human
bar graph to decide upon the
name for each one - Fluffy, Spiky,
Sunshine and Muffin. Some of
the children were lucky enough to
take the chicks home for a night! P7 boys and girls presented ‘Annie’ to locals from
Angusfield Care Home and Forest Gate Care Homes
as the first of 3 performances. The children delighted
guests with their representation of the 1982 American
musical of a young girl living in a New York City
Orphanage during the Great Depression who attempts
to flee and find her parents.
National Burns
Festival
Four RGC pupils made it through the
Grampian heats to participate in the
National Final of the Burns Festival.
Harry Forbes (P5), Shavena Ballan
(P5), Katy Johnson (P6) and Shreyas
Nirmal (P6) each participated with
schools from throughout Scotland
in the competition hosted at Cults
Academy. Shavena and Katy sang,
Shreyas played recorder and Harry
recited a poem. Harry won a bronze
medal for his verse speaking and
Shreyas was involved in the Grampian
Schools team that won the Overall
Instrumental award. All pupils were
contributors to the Grampian team
that won the Overall Burns Trophy.
P5 residential trip to Alltnacriche
David Walliams reads
to pupils
A fantastic time was had by all. Pupils said…
“I loved the aerial runway, it was so cool.”
“I was so excited to discover two baby newts while pond-dipping.”
“I liked making the fires with twigs and wood even though it took a
long time to get started. The hot juice we made tasted fab!”
“The theme for the visit was friendship and I made lots of new friends.”
P5R
Our Royal Theme
The children chose kings, queens,
princes, princesses, castles and knights
for their topic. They made some
wonderful junk model castles and
walked round the local community
looking for castle features on the
buildings close to RGC. They made
some beautiful jewellery, fantastic
crowns and worked together to
create a Royal frieze. The theme
continued with a garden party to
celebrate the Queen’s Diamond
Jubilee; they made bunting to hang
up and they looked splendid in
their finest clothes. The Royal topic
culminated in a magnificent Royal
Ball; the children looked spectacular
in their ballgowns and robes and
they ate a feast fit for a king!
This Book Belongs To…
Primary 3 Enterprise
Primary 5 pupils enjoyed a live link on the morning of 10 May with multitalented funny man David Walliams. David read extracts to the children
from his new book Gangsta Granny as part of the Authors Live project
targeted at 8 to 12 year olds. David spoke about all the books he took
inspiration from as a child mentioning Roald Dahl. The children were very
pleased to hear that David is currently writing his next book in the series
which will include a Villian… a first for the author! Gangsta Granny tells
the story of Ben and his cabbage soup loving grandma, who also happens
to be an international jewel thief who has spent her whole life plotting to
steal the crown jewels.
Mrs Norma Murray, P5 Teacher said, “The pupils have been reading
Gangsta Granny as part of the reading club in school. The series of books
written by David Walliams are very popular with the group. The children
found the story very funny and enjoyed seeing and listening to the author
live who brought smiles to their faces and laughter to the audience”.
“I have nearly finished reading all the books written by David Walliams. My
favourite is Gangsta Granny because it is funny but I do feel sorry for Granny
sometimes as Ben thinks she is boring, until he realises there is perhaps more
to Granny than he thinks...”. Cameron Sword
4
Pupils samba on the
front lawn
On a lovely sunny day in May,
P5 pupils took part in a Samba
workshop led by Kirsty Robertson
from Bucksburn Academy. The boys
and girls performed various rhythms
and styles on traditional Brazilian
instruments including the Surdo and
Ago-go! P5 pupils have been learning
about different types of world music
as part of their communities project.
Lots of fun was had by all involved –
especially the teachers!
In May we had a visit from
Mr and Mrs Costello who are
representatives of the Scottish
Charity Mary’s Meals. They
told us so much about the
associated Back Pack Project
that it inspired us to launch our
Enterprise of filling 60 packs
to go to Malawi. We have held
assemblies, written to parents,
designed posters and written
to shops with great success.
So many families have been
extremely supportive already
that we have now increased
our target. However, it is
not too late to support our
venture and items can still be
brought to the P3 classrooms.
Visit our website for regular news updates...www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk
P5 visited the new University Library
to learn more about cataloguing
and how very rare books are looked
after. They also had an opportunity
to make their own special bookplate.
RGC pupil named in
Schools’ Brightest
Business Brain top ten
The finals of Britain’s Brightest Business Brain took place in the headquarters of
the Royal Bank of Scotland in London, where 60 students from schools across
the UK fought it out to be crowned overall champion and win the first prize
of £500. Aaron McPherson (S5) secured his place in the final after scoring
highly on the online exercises designed to assess the kind of competencies,
traits and aptitudes associated with successful business people. During the
finals Aaron’s abilities were tested further through a series of group exercises:
building a tower out of straws, debating the benefits and disadvantages
of going to university and designing and discussing the creation of a new
rollercoaster for a theme park.
Aaron said “The experience was tremendous and presented a great
networking opportunity. The information given and the skills gained will prove
to be of great long-term value. I look forward to competing again next year”.
It’s a Knockout
On Friday 4 May, the Class of 2012
participated in 'It's a Knockout',
an array of different activities from
assault courses to foam pits up at
Countesswells. We split into groups
and set off, most of us clad in onesies
and wellies, wetsuits and flippers,
swims shorts and wizard costumes.
The day could not have been better.
Everyone had an excellent time,
covering themselves and others in
foam, getting absolutely soaking
wet. Lunch was laid on by the Entier
and did not disappoint. With only a
few minor injuries, the day was a
complete success! Our thanks go to
Mr Elder for organising the day and
to the other teachers to volunteered
to help out, to ABC events for
providing the inflatables, and to
Entier for laying on a fantastic lunch
for all. I hope you all enjoyed the day
as much as we did.
Kathryn Scott (S6)
From the Archives
Charitable pupils get creative with knitting
Pupils have produced 40 baby sized jumpers for babies in Africa. A joint
venture between the school Charities Committee and Knitting Club saw a
flurry of activity with the young knitters. Charity ANCHOR, who work with
premature babies are leading the campaign for these children living in poor
conditions who are otherwise wrapped in newspaper as their only protection
against cold evenings. Mrs Vicky Fletcher, Head of Mathematics and leader
of the Charities Committee, said, “Pupils, both boys and girls, along with
staff and even some grandparents have knitted jumpers. For some pupils it
was the first time they had ever knitted a garment and they were pleased
that they made something useful and attractive!”
Photo: Paul Dawson (S3) left of the Knitting Club and Kara Abrahams (S1)
of the Charities Committee
To mark the Diamond Jubilee a
display was mounted in the two
glass cabinets just inside the main
door of the Auld Hoose. It is on the
subject of “Gordon’s 60 years ago”
and consists of photos and other
items from the Archives illustrating
life in the College in the 1950s. The
exhibition will run until the end of
September so it is hoped that many
parents and pupils will have a chance
to see it. This was a time when there
were only 1059 pupils, all boys, and
fees were £12 per annum (with an
additional 10 shillings for games).
Perhaps former pupils will be able to
relive memories of the Bun Queue,
dancing lessons with Mme Murray,
camping with RGC Scouts and still
wearing short trousers in S2.
Mrs P Hartley
Junior School successes
On 12 May Callum Adams and Innes Reid traveled to Birmingham to to
take part in the British Club Development Grades Championship. We had
been chosen to represent Scotland and to compete against others gymnasts
from around Britain. This was a great learning experience as we saw lots of
other great gymnasts. We were competing in all six apparatus - floor, vault,
parallel bars, high bar, rings and pommel. My (Innes) favourite piece was
"rings" bacause "I nailed my landing and I got a good score!" My (Callum)
favourite piece was parallel bars because "P bars are normally my favourite
piece and I had a fun routine to perform!" This wonderful experience has
inspired us to train even harder so hopefully we will be chosen to represent
Scotland at the Championships next year.
Callum Adams P6A and Innes Reid P5M
On 5 July Miss Susan Jamieson will be the first Primary teacher to be
awarded a MEd with distinction in Pastoral Care, Guidance and Pupil
Support from the University of Aberdeen. Susan has been working
on this for over 3 years studying topics such as Loss and Bereavement
and Managing Pastoral Care. Susan’s final thesis was an investigation
into the perceived impact, teachers qualified in Pastoral Care, may
have on a Primary school environment, set within an international
context. In undertaking this research Susan visited Malta observing
pastoral care in their Primary schools, attending lectures at The
University of Malta and met Maude Muscat, the Commissioner for
the Promotion of Equality.
Follow us on twitter... www.twitter.com/robertgordons
5
from the Quadrangle June 2012
Olympic Torch
Athlete Yasmin Milne (S6) participated
in the Olympic Torch relay. Yasmin
was nominated, rather secretly, by her
dad for her willpower, natural ability,
enthusiasm and an unshakeable belief
which drove her through endless
hours of training, diet, and all manner
of competitive events to become a
Scottish Sprint Hurdle Champion and
sustain it. Yasmin carried the torch on
the Banchory section of the route on
Monday 11 June.
UK School Games
The following pupils participated in the
Sainsbury’s 2012 School Games at the
Olympic stadium in London during May:
Robyn Dunbar-Smith, Maria Jaramillo
(both S4), Donald Clark (S6): Volleyball;
Emma Caldow (S4): 200m and the 4 x
100m Relay, Lindsey Young (S5): 100m
and 4 x 100m Relay.
The relay consisted of 4 runners, 2
of which were RGC pupils.
The pupils had a brilliant time
and Robyn was made Captain
for the games against Wales (lost)
and Northern Ireland (win). Further
information on the games can be
found at www.2012schoolgames.com
Tennis
RGC pupils excelled at the North East
Schools Tennis Tournament held at
Ruthrieston from 20 - 26 May, winning
the overall team event. Individual winners
were Harrsha Pradeep Kumar (P4) in
the U8 & U9 Singles, Angus Edward
(P5) in the U10 Singles, Ross Martin
(P7) in the U14 Singles and Connor
McMahon (P6) in the U14 Doubles.
Tennis mad brothers, Cameron
Edward (P7) and Angus Edward (P5)
have been selected to represent the
North County at The County Cup
Tennis Tournament in June, where they
will play against all other counties in
the UK. The county covers 4 districts:
(Central, Tayside, Grampian and
Highlands), and 4 players from each
county were chosen to go forward.
Angus is representing the U10 category
in Carlisle at the beginning of June and
Cameron is representing the U12s in
Sunderland at the end of June.
Athletics
AAC Spring Open Meeting: Emma
Caldow won the U18s 200m in
26.8sec at the AAC Spring Open
Meeting in March.
Balmoral Run: Rebecca Eggeling won
the 2012 Primary Girls
The track and field season has got
off to a flying start. The Junior School
started the medal roll in April when
they competed in the Scottish Primary
Schools X-Country Championships in
6
June 2012 from the Quadrangle
Sport at RGC
Kirkcaldy. The P6 girls’ team won the
silver team medal and Rebecca Eggeling
won the P7 girls race. The Athletic team
started their track campaign on Monday
14 May at the Aberdeen Secondary
Schools Track and Field Championships
at Aberdeen Sports Village. RGC had
over 60 S1 – S3 pupils participating
and were hugely successful winning
both the girls’ and boys’ competitions
and the overall competition. The most
impressive display was from the Relay
teams, with RGC winning all 6 races.
Further success came two days later
when the teams competed at the
Albyn yearly invitational meet. This year
is the first year that boys have been
invited to the event. RGC girls won the
Jenkins and Marr trophy and the RGC
boys won the equivalent boys event.
Junior School pupils ended off a very
successful week of athletics in May
when they competed in the Aberdeen
Primary Schools Athletic meeting.
Gold medal success came from:
Harvey Dunbar-Smith (P7 Boys: Shot
put), Rebecca Eggeling (P7 : 800m),
Hannah Lawrie (P5: 100m & 800m),
Robbie Farquhar (P7: Long Jump),
Silver Medal: Calum McKenzie (P7:
100m), Robbie Farquhar (P7: Shot Put
& Long Jump), Milly Merry (P7: Long
Jump), Kirsty Oldham (P6: 100m),
Bronze Medal: Robbie Farquhar (P7:
100m), Harvey Dunbar-Smith (P7: Long
Jump), Lucy Aitchison (P6: 100m),
Lucy George (P5: 800m)
Rugby
The U15 team won their semi final
match v Kirkwall Grammar School
on Thursday 24 May. Superb effort
from the boys!
Mr C Allan
RGC had an excellent day at the
Lathallan Rugby 7s. The Primary 7
boys, comprising Calum McKenzie
(captain) Leo Masson, John Summers,
Rory Watson, Cameron Edward, Ben
Miller, Magnus Ferris, Guy Broadhurst,
Adam Morrison and Harvey DunbarSmith, won their competition beating
the hosts (Lathallan) in the final 5 – 1.
The one try in the final was the only try
that they conceded in the whole day.
The U18s also won their competition
beating Howe of Fife in the final.
RGC were the defending champions
having won the inaugural tournament
last year. Team consisted of: Peter
Johnston (captain), Cameron Turner,
Alex Beveridge, Will Yates, Adam
Ouston, Rory Laing, Duncan Campbell,
Daniel Findlay, Cian O’Donnell, Lewis
Cheyne and Luke Earle-Wright (who
also played for Scotland U17s against
England in March).
U18 European Championships
Cameron Turner and Duncan Campbell
spent 10 days over the Easter holidays
at the U18 European Championships
in Madrid. Cameron captained the
matches against France and Georgia
whilst finding time to fit in some
coaching to Spanish children as
part of a legacy program. The boys
did exceptionally well and Scotland
came 5th overall playing three games:
France, Portugal and Georgia.
Cricket
Jamie Richards (S1) scored 112 runs
at the match vs Lathallan on 22
May. This is quite an achievement
for someone so young.
RGC cricketers are benefitting from
practice sessions in their new and
improved nets at Countesswells.
Equestrian
Jade Ritchie (S2) is one of two
Scottish horse riders that have
competed for Great Britain in the
12 – 16 age group. Jade competed
in her third international dressage
event this year in Moorsele, Belgium
where she came 9th, 10th and 15th
and was the highest placed rider
for Great Britain. The overall team
came fourth.
Kilgraston Scottish Schools
Equestrian Championships
Class 1: Caitlin Duguid, Lorena
Duguid, Sadie Stephen and Lucy
Matheson (P7) came 3rd overall
and 3rd for their Show jumping at
at the end of April. Sadie received
an individual 3rd for both dressage
and Show jumping. Class 3: Charlotte
Meil, Sara Meil, Katie Cumming and
Andrew Manson came 6th overall
with Andrew Manson winning second
place for his individual dressage.
Pupil Achievements
National Children’s Orchestra of
Scotland
Freya Hall has been selected to lead
the National Children’s Orchestra of
Scotland and is joined by fellow pupils
Catriona Soden, Emer Cunningham,
Mirrhyn Stephen, Bronagh Miller and
Amy McLean (all S3).
Dance School of Scotland
Congratulations to Sophie Adam
(S2) who has gained a place at the
Dance School of Scotland.
London College of Music
Charlotte Edwards (S3) passed her Grade
5 Piano exam with Merit.
Associated Board Music Exams
P6: Kirsty Forbes – Grade 1 Violin; Alexander Hounsome – Grade 1 Violin with
Distinction; Priyanka Ram – Grade 1 Cello
with Distinction.
P7: Katie Berg – Grade 2 Violin with
Merit; Emily Merit – Grade 3 Piano with
Merit; Adam Morrison – Grade 2 Violin
with Merit.
S1: Ewan Bruce – Grade 2 Bassoon; Rebecca Bygrave – Grade 1 Oboe with Merit;
Rhian Cormack – Grade 2 Piano with Merit;
Fraser Cowie – Grade 4 Violin with Merit;
Dexter Fawcett – Grade 5 Theory with
Merit; Edward Gamba – Grade 1 Oboe;
Hannah Milne – Grade 3 Cello with Merit;
Katrina O’Donovan – Grade 2 Clarinet
with Merit; Shona Sutherland – Grade 2
Flute with Merit; Sanjay Vijayan – Grade
4 Theory with Merit.
S2: Sophie Adams – Grade 4 Violin;
Hamish Campbell – Grade 4 Clarinet;
Lucy Cowling – Grade 3 Flute with Merit;
Katy Gordon – Grade 4 Clarinet; Rachel
Lowden – Grade 5 Clarinet with Merit;
Chloe Trail – Grade 4 Clarinet.
S3: Olivia Attwooll-Keith – Grade 5 Violin;
Freya Hall – Grade 7 Piano with Distinction; Max Kaufmann – Grade 5 Theory
with Merit; Tom Merry – Grade 4 Clarinet
with Distinction; Jessica Potts – Grade 5
Theory with Merit; Tom Summers – Grade
4 Flute with Merit.
S4: Jenny Paterson – Grade 5 Clarinet;
Sarah Cowie – Grade 5 Theory with Distinction; Katie Hibbert – Grade 5 Theory
with Distinction.
S5: Timothy Marple – Grade 5 Violin;
Caitlin Rees – Grade 7 Flute.
S6: Mariella Baxter – Grade 6 Violin; Nils
Kaufmann – Grade 6 Clarinet
COLOURS AND MERIT AWARDS: MARCH 2012
Cameron Turner and
Duncan Campbell
Yasmin Milne
Skiing
Ella Still (3S) competed at
Easter in France in the Scottish
and British Championships and
became Scottish U16 champion.
She crashed out at the last gate
of the British Super G but in all
other races made top 10 British
finishes. In May, Ella took up the
opportunity to train for 5 days on
the Hintertux glacier, Austria with
the GB U16 squad. Aleysha Rattray (S4) attended
a Parliamentary Seminar hosted
by Dave Thompson MSP on 25
April showcasing Scottish Ski
Racing to MSPs and celebrating
recent successes. Aleysha said,
“I was honoured to be invited
to the Scottish Parliament for
a celebration of the successes
of Scottish skiing in the past
season. This year has brought
mixed results for me; however
the main highlight of the season
was when I won the silver medal
at the Scottish National Slalom
Championships in France”.
Congratulations to George Watson
who received SRU’s Spirit of Rugby
Award at a Murrayfield
Karate
In July, Matthew Munt (S2) and Elizabeth
Ruszka (P6) will be travelling to Lithuania
to compete in the 2012 Karate World
Championships. Both have reached
the level of 1st Dan black belt and
are students of the National Karate
Federation (NKF) of Scotland karate
academy whose president, 8th Dan
karate Master Ronnie Watt OBE, also
teaches karate after school at RGC.
Football
The S1 football team went on a trip
to Dingwall for the North of Scotland
seven a side Finals. This was the furthest
a Gordon’s team had ever gone in this
competition. RGC were in a group with
two other teams and beat Fraserburgh
2-0 and Golspie by four goals. RGC
progressed to the final with Inverurie
Academy. The team played well but
unfortunately lost 4-1 despite a great
goal from Laurie Cunningham. Mr Craig
had a surprise for the boys though when
Ross County player Scott Morrison, a
former pupil of RGC, gave them a
tour around the Ross County stadium.
COLOURS (all pupils S6 except where otherwise indicated)
ATHLETICS - Yasmin Milne (re-award), Lindsey Young (S5)
CCF - Aidan Collinson, Alex Hunter, Rory Laing, Hugo Mayeux, Matthew
Milne, Andrew Morgan, Alexander Stevenson.
DEBATING - Katie Wood FREESTYLE SKIING - Grant Donald (S5) GOLF - Ross Green
LACROSSE - Corrie Bruce
MATHEMATICS - Peter Leith (re-award)
MUSIC - Ewan Harry-Thomas, Caitlin Rees, Joel Ingram, Katy Johnston, Heather
Watson, Katie Wood (all S5), Niall Kennedy, Ailie Ormston, Kathryn Scott
NETBALL - Megan Cunningham (S5), Christy Welsh (re-award) ORIENTEERING - Jack Gomersall (S5)
PUBLIC SPEAKING - Sean Press
ROCK CLIMBING - Jack Gomersall (S5)
SWIMMING - Timothy McGovern, Caitlin Rees (both S5)
VOLLEYBALL - Donald Clark
MERIT AWARDS
3:16 - Elspeth Hayes, Kirsty McLeod
ARCHIVES - Calum Whyte
BOYS’ HOCKEY - Ross MacDonald, Douglas Soden, Fraser Proud
CCF ARMY - Ollie Banks, Tabby Smith-Lawrence
DEBATING - Sean Press
JUNIOR SCHOOL ASSISTANT - Katie McCracken, Hayley Monteith
RUGBY - Hamish Brown, Duncan Campbell, Daniel Findlay, James Gray,
Matthew Johnston, Rory Laing, Hugo Mayeux, Matthew Milne, Cian
O’Donnell, Euan Robertson, Blair Sorbie
SHOGI CHESS - Andrew Morgan
SUBJECT ASSISTANT: BIOLOGY - Corrie Bruce, William Donovan, Matthew
Milne, Alastair Paterson
SUBJECT ASSISTANT: CHEMISTRY - Scott Coates, Taylor Manson, Sasha
Murdoch, Aran Nanthakumar
SUBJECT ASSISTANT: GAMES - Cameron Gray, Chloe Gray, James Gray, Peter
Johnston, David Mann, Louise Robertson, William Yates
SUBJECT ASSISTANT: HISTORY - Kirsty McLeod
SUBJECT ASSISTANT: ICT - Jessica Borwell, Nishad Mathur
SUBJECT ASSISTANT: LATIN - Emma Fisher, Mitchell Skilling
SUBJECT ASSISTANT: MATHS - James Dalley, Ailsa Ferguson, Mark Lockhead,
Ross MacDonald, Mary McDonald, Lauren Polson, Amy White
SUBJECT ASSISTANT: MODERN LANGUAGES - Nicole Lefevre
SUBJECT ASSISTANT: PE - Donald Clark, Caitlin Donald, Nicole Lefevre,
Yasmin Milne
SUBJECT ASSISTANT: RMPS - Kirsty Cowie
SUBJECT ASSISTANT: PHYSICS - Robert Fairhurst, Fraser Proud Trinity College Music Examinations
P7: Oliver Bidwell – Grade 1 Trumpet with
Merit; Thomas Craig – Grade 1 Trumpet with Merit; Magnus Ferris – Grade 2
Trombone with Merit; Holly Hay – Grade
2 French Horn with Distinction.
S1: Brodie Barker – Grade 2 French Horn
with Merit; Rhian Cormack – Grade 3
Saxophone with Merit; Dexter Fawcett
– Grade 3 Saxophone with Distinction;
Ryan Morrice – Grade 5 Euphonium
with Distinction; Holly Oswald – Grade
5 Trumpet with Merit.
S2: Sae Jang – Grade 1 Drum Kit with
Distinction; Maitland Mackie – Grade 1
Drum Kit with Distinction; Calum Murdoch – Grade 3 Trombone with Merit;
Yash Nirmal – Grade 3 Euphonium with
Merit; Juliet Mary Elizabeth Smith – Grade
3 Cello with Merit.
S3: Connor Welsh – Grade 5 Saxophone
with Merit; Hayleigh Mathers – Grade 6
Trumpet with merit; Anya Morrice – Grade
6 Saxophone with Distinction.
S4: Scott Chisholm – Grade 6 Trumpet
with Merit; Sarah Cowie – Grade 6 Saxophone with Distinction; Morag Forbes
– Grade 6 Recorder with Merit; Peter
Leslie – Grade 7 Drum Kit with Distinction; Claire MacKenzie – Grade 7 French
Horn with Distinction; Joseph Marple –
Grade 5 French Horn with Merit; Kirsty
Trail – Grade 6 Flute with Merit; Laura
Tulloch – Grade 4 Trombone with Merit.
S5: Ewan Harry-Thomas – Grade 7 Trumpet
with Merit; Edward Harwood – Grade 6
Viola with Merit; Daniel Tootill – Grade
6 Trombone; Heather Watson – Grade
7 Singing with Merit.
S6: Niall Kennedy – Grade 8 Clarinet
with Distinction; Allie Ormston – Grade
7 Trombone with Distinction.
Junior UK Maths Challenge
Congratulations to the following achievements in the maths challenge. Yash Nirmal
(S2) was awarded ‘Best in his Year’ and
also ‘Best in School’, Fraser Cowie was
awarded ‘Best in S1’.
Gold: Emily Robinson, Thomas Miskelly,
Fraser Cowie (S1), Yash Nirmal, Jalaj Khandelwal, Carragh Rabbitte, Matthew Fossett,
Aisha Sinclair, Andrew Webb, Jon Hosie,
Harry Simpson, Lewis Needle (all S2).
Silver: Nick Cameron, Matthew Duff,
Andrew George, Sanjay Vijayan, Victoria Cockburn (S1), Lewis Tulleth, Ruaridh
Hall, Aysha Iqbal, Kirsty Harkness, Sophie
Adams, Monica Higgins, Rachel Smith,
Ben Kemp, Luke Stuart (all S2).
Bronze: Tobi Omotowa, David Peacock,
Anna Riley, David Roddy, Rafsan Chowdhury, Isobel Green (all S1), Sarah Johnson,
Danny Anderson, James Ross, Callum
Angus, Harry Craik, Scott Thomson, Emily
Cope, William Inglis (all S2).
The Scottish Mathematical Council
Mathematical Challenge 2011 -2012
Junior Section: Gold: Yash Nirmal; Bronze:
Fraser Cowie
Middle Section: Gold: Cong Lu; Bronze:
Alice Jaspars, Stephen Anderson
Senior Section: Gold: Katie Wood
Analytical Chemistry
Twelve S4 pupils carried out the analysis
of ethanoic acid in a brand of vinegar.
After carrying out lots of titrations and
completing a report the winning team
was Kingsley et al., who were Kinsley
Baxter, Han Gao, Eugene Lassinski and
Stephen Anderson, with team HAHA!
in second place.
Fifteen S5 pupils were determining the
mass of aspirin in an aspirin tablet. After
hydrolysing the aspirin they too carried out
many titrations and completed a report
of their work. The winning team was The
Pedantic Perfectionists, Caitlin Rees and
Frankie Christie in first place and Team
Avogadro in second place.
Chemistry Olympiad
This year 11 RGC pupils entered the first
round of the Royal Society of Chemistry
International Chemistry Olympiad.
Nils Kaufmann and Sadman Chowdhury
won Silver awards, Marcus Rose and Alexander Stevenson won Bronze. Amy White,
Calum Ashcroft (S6) and Lalit Maganti
(S5) received a Commendation and Ben
Cullen, Daniel Tootill, Elyas Mohammed,
and Salih Osman also participated.
Physics Challenge Competition
Nine S4 pupils took part in the British
Physics Olympiad’s Physics Challenge competition in March this year. Our pupils
asked to take part in the competition and
volunteered to give up their own time to
prepare themselves to learn some of the
extra material not covered in the Scottish
curriculum. They sat an exam set by the
British Physics Olympiad, based at Oxford
University. Scripts were marked internally
and then anyone gaining enough marks
for the Gold Award had their script sent
off for verification.
Congratulations go to the following:
Gold Certificate & book: Hamish Atkins
Silver Certificate: Stephen Anderson, Peter
Craik, Conor Keir, Michael Mays
Bronze Certificate: Kingsley Baxter, Magnus
Crerar, Eugene Iassinski, Scott Stevenson
‘Heritage Hero’
School Captain Sean Press (S6) was
awarded ‘Heritage Hero’ Young Scot
Award at the 2012 Sunday Mail Young
Scot Awards ceremony in Glasgow.
Scottish Schools Climbing Competition
The Scottish Schools Climbing Competition Final took place at Glasgow Climbing
Centre on Saturday 21 April with finalists
from all across Scotland taking part. Having qualified through the regional heats
phase which took place earlier in the year,
Amy Ryan (S1) did very well coming 2nd
in Category C after being very narrowly
beaten in the final.
National Final for Warhammer team
A group of S1-S4 pupils participated in
the Games Workshop Regional Heat
for the schools league. The 40k team
came second against players who were
older. The Lord of the Rings Strategy
Battle Game (Lotr SBG) and Warhammer teams progressed through to the
Scotland Finals in Glasgow on April 21.
Warhammer made it through the Scottish
Nationals. Congratulations to Stephen
Anderson (S4), Danny Anderson (S2), Iain
Hainsworth (S3), Robert Marsden (S3),
Rhys Inglis (S2), Mark Tootill (S2), Scott
Gray (S3), Kingsley Baxter (S4) who are
heading to the UK Final at Warhammer
World in Nottingham at the end of June.
7