here - Victoria College Belfast

A Message from
the Headmistress
Welcome to the 2012-13 edition
of The Victorian magazine. At the
College, pupils learn, achieve and
acquire the skills and values which
will prepare them for adult life and
for the world of work. This year’s
magazine offers a record of the year
inside and outside of the classroom
and takes us from south Belfast to the
continents of Europe, North America,
Africa and Asia.
concern for others and generosity
are also expressed in charitable
and community involvement. Our
potential for creativity in music, art
and literature is showcased here in all
its variety.
The magazine begins with a report
of the activities of the Association
of Parents and Teachers which is
always energetic in its support for
the College, and we are very grateful
to parents for their support and
partnership, and likewise to our Board of Governors. Our
Boarding Department, the House system, the contribution
of pupils in the School Council and the visit of President
and Mrs Obama are celebrated in words and pictures.
We have many outstanding academic achievements
to report. All three of our Oxbridge applicants were
successful in obtaining offers. Examination performances
by the A-level 2013 cohort out-performed both 2012’s
A-level results and the previous average over three years,
placing Victoria College in the top ten grammar schools
in the Province this year.
Yet there is so much more to Victoria College than
excellent examination results and outstanding classroom
practice. The school community is grateful to those who
offer so many opportunities to the girls to experience
the world around them. The magazine features the
pupils’ participation in, for example, the thriving Duke
of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, a Senior Choir tour to
Kenya, Habitat for Humanity, Comenius and World
Challenge expeditions. We have secured a Green Flag
for our environmental work and been awarded The
Best Kept School award once more. Our values of
2012-13 was a very special year for
sport in the College as our 1st XI
Hockey Team played in the Schools’
Cup final for the first time in 40 years
and brought us great pride. Sporting
life goes from strength to strength
thanks to teams, individuals and all
those who teach, train and coach to
whom we express our appreciation.
I thank Dr Mitchell-Barrett and the
staff of the Preparatory Department, Pre-School and
Playgroup for all their efforts to give our youngest pupils
such a welcome to the world of learning. I thank also
the Secretary Mrs Betty Kerr and Committee of the Old
Girls’ Association and Victorians Hockey Club for their
record of the lives and achievements of our pupils once
they leave us.
As we go to print, we can report the exciting news that
we have been recognised with the Inclusion Quality
Mark, and these pages fully illustrate the reasons for this
prestigious award. Truly we inspire and challenge every
girl to reach her full potential.
Thank you to Dr Brown, Mrs Turkington, Mr and
Mrs McCullough, Mr Austin and the PR Team for the
combined efforts of all those involved in the production
of The Victorian issue 39. I trust you will enjoy reading it
as much as I have.
Ms Patricia Slevin
International
School Award
2009-2012
1
Editorial
Welcome to
The Victorian
Issue 39
In Ms Slevin’s introduction to the
College on our new website, we
read that “An education in Victoria
College adds value.” The truth of
this statement is apparent on every
page of our magazine. The Overview
of the school year celebrates our
academic and other achievements
and features life in our thriving
Boarding Department. In Teaching
and Learning we focus on the work
of each Department in helping pupils
achieve their full academic potential.
Other sections testify to the many
ways in which each girl rises to the
challenge of being “the best that
she can be” beyond the classroom,
in creativity and performance, in
sport, in the community and in the
wider world. The vibrant life of our
youngest pupils in the Preparatory
Department, Pre-School and
Playgroup is abundantly manifest in
their contribution, and the Old Girls’
Association report demonstrates
the continuing influence of Victoria
College in the lives of former pupils,
many of whom have achieved very
remarkable successes.
As ever, I wish to express my sincere
thanks to all those who have worked
together to produce the magazine.
Staff and pupils past and present
have been so helpful in supplying the
articles and images which brighten
these pages. Particular thanks go
once more to Miss McQuillan and the
staff of the Preparatory Department
for a delightfully full record of their
school year. I remain indebted to
Mrs Betty Kerr, Honorary Secretary
of the Old Girls’ Association, and
to her daughter Dr Julie Kerr for
furnishing the OGA reports. Dr
Kerr’s very attractive and enjoyable
book Victoria College Belfast: The
First 150 Years is available to those
readers and friends of the College
who wish to go further back than one
single year in exploring our rich and
significant history.
2
As Business Manager, Mrs
Turkington has dealt with the
unenviable task of negotiating
the final steps to publication, and
members of the Senior Leadership
Team willingly offered their services
to check and proofread. Many
thanks to Mrs McCullough, Mrs
Porter and the Public Relations
Team for providing access to formal
and informal images. Our newly
revamped website is an invaluable
resource, although I trust that readers
will find that the magazine offers
a different experience. Mr Austin
is indispensable as the guardian of
the images archive and yet again
has had his patience sorely tested
by the editor – many thanks, Ivor!
Miss Mawhinney, Mrs Kirkpatrick
and the office team are an essential
source of information and support.
My most sincere thanks go once
more to Mr Ray McCullough for
his sympathetic approach, patience
and professionalism in bringing the
magazine to print.
May I thank you for your support
for the magazine in its printed form,
which we believe in this digital age
still offers a unique archive of a
school year in Victoria College. As
you pick it up to browse through it or
enjoy a more leisurely read and share
it in turn with a wider circle, I hope
that everyone will gain a sense of
the many ways in which our College
helps its pupils to realise their
full potential. If you wish to share
your news with your wider school
community or to comment on this
year’s issue, please get in touch - we
are already gathering our stories for
Issue 40.
Dr J Brown (Editor 2013)
The
Victorian
Magazine No. 39 2012 - 2013
Contents
Page
Secondary Department
Overview of the Year
6
Teaching and Learning
25
International School
48
Beyond the Classroom
58
Creative Expression
70
In Performance
76
Sport
82
Preparatory Department
Pre-school 102
Playgroup 103
Reports from Prep 1 - Prep 7
104
Artwork
116
Overview of the Year
121
Old Girls’ Association
Victorians including
Statement of Accounts 129
Editor: Dr J Brown
Business Manager: Mrs D Turkington
3
Governors and Staff
Board of Governors
Chairman
Dr B J Gregory BSc PhD CEng MICE MIEI FCIWM FGS
Vice-Chairman
Dame Joan Harbison DBE BA MSc
Ms P Slevin BA MEd PGCE PQH (Headmistress)
Mrs L Beatty BSc
Mr N Brown ACII
Dr B Callender MB MRCGP
Dr R Clarke MB BCh BAO FRCPath
Miss A Curry BA MBA Ced MCMI FSTBE ILTM
Mr J N Finlay BSc CEng FICE FIEI FCIWEM MConsE
Lady Froggatt
Mr J A B Gibson MBE JP BSc DipEd
Professor D R Hadden MD FRCP
Dr A Helmy MBBCh MSc MRCPI
Mrs M-L Morwood LLB LLM (co-opted member)
Mr M H Hunter FCA
Dr M S Johnston MB BCh BAO
Ms F Kane BA (co-opted member)
Mrs H Lavery BA PGCE PGCCEG
Mr C G Maccabe CB LLB LLM FRSA
Mr S McKillop BEng CEng MIEI
Ms C A McKinney OBE BA (Hons) PGCE MBA MEd
Mr A M Robinson BSc PGCE MSc
Mrs E A Robinson
Mr A Sayers BSc
Mr R Telford BSc DIS MRICS MAPM
Mr E Thompson BSc PGCE Dip HE
Mrs G Wells MB BCh BAO MRCGP MFCH
Mr J W Wilson QC
Mr M Yousaf MBBS FRCS FRCS (G: Surgery) MPhil
Full-Time Teaching Staff
Headmistress
Ms P Slevin BA MEd PGCE PQH
Deputy Head
Mrs H Woods BEd BSc AdCertEd
Assistant Principals
DASE PQH
Mrs L Diffin MA PGCE AdCertEd PQH
Miss M McMackin BA PGCE
Mrs D Turkington BA Cert TCS
4
Senior Teachers
Mrs J E Haugh BA PGCE
Mr A M Robinson BSC PGCE MSc
Head of Preparatory Department
Dr R Mitchell-Barrett BA MA PGCE NPQH PhD
Head of Corporate Services
Mr N Ritchie MBA BA
Mr A J Barrett BSc PGCE
Miss A Bothwell BSc PGCE (Temporary)
Dr J Brown BA PhD PGCE
Mrs H Burn BA PGCE
Mrs H Burnett BEd
Miss M Cassidy BA PGCE
Mrs H Clarke BA PGCE AdCertEd
Mrs A L Coulter BSc PGCE
Mr M P Donaghy MEng PGCE BEI
Mrs Y M Dornan BA DipEd
Miss N Du Toit BSc DipEd
Mrs A Edgar BSc PGCE
Mrs R H Elwood BEd
Miss M Faloona BA PGCE
Mrs J A Findlay BA PGCE
Mrs A E Gillian DipMusEd (RSAM) LGSM LTCL MTD
Miss L Hamilton BA (Temporary) BA (QTS)
Mrs K Hogg BSc PGCE
Mr N J Kavanagh BA PGCE
Mrs H Lavery BA PGCE PGCCEG
Miss C Lough BSc PGCE Dip (Temporary)
Mr C P Luney MSSc BA PGCE PGDip PG Cert
Miss C Lynch BSc PGCE
Mr D McCaw BSc PGCE
Dr J A McCormick BSc PGCE PhD
Mr D G McCracken BA PGCE
Mrs Y McCullough BA ATD AdvDip
Mr T McKee MEd BSc DipM
Miss J McKnight BEd
Mrs R A McLuckie BEd
Mrs N McMurray BA PGCE
Miss J McQuillan PGDip BEd ABRSM ALCM
Dr L Meneely BA Dip PGCE PhD
Miss L Montgomery BSc PGCE (Temporary)
Mrs J Morrow BSc PGCE (Career Break)
Mrs M J Murray BMUS PGCE Cert TCS
Mr R A O’Brien BA HDipEd MA
Dr P A Oliver MSc PGCE PhD
Mrs K P O’Neill-Skelly BA MSc PGCE
Mrs J Porter BA PGCE
Miss H Robinson MA PGCE
Mrs P A Robinson BSc PGCE
Miss A L Scott BSc PGCE
Miss J Sheridan BSc PGCE
Mrs M C Soto-Kelly BA PGCE PGCCE DipFrench
Miss P E Stewart BA PGCE
Mr W Taylor BA PGCE (Temporary)
Mr E Thompson BSc PGCE DipHE
Dr R R Thompson MA PGCE PhD (Temporary)
Mrs C Williamson Licence, Maitrise, PGCE
Miss S Wright BA(Ed)
Part-Time Teaching Staff
Mrs J Beaney BA PGCE
Mrs L Best BTh MTh PGCE
Mrs A Fowler MEd BA PGCE
Mrs A S Glover BEd
Mrs C Gray BA PGCE
Mrs C M Hart BSc PGCE MEd
Mrs H Henderson BA CertEd CertRelEd
Mrs R Hughes MA PGCE
Mrs A Loane BA
Dr S A O’Kane BSc PGCE PhD
Miss J Spottiswoode BA PGCE
Mrs L Thomson BA DipEd
Mr M Winning Dip TecEd PGCE
EAL Tutor
Miss A Wray
Learning Mentor
Mrs K Moffett Dip (Hons)
Classroom Assistants
Mrs S Armstrong NVQ 3 (Preparatory Dept)
Playgroup Assistants
Mrs R Taylor BSSE Dip
Playgroup Leader
Mrs C Chambers PSPG Early Years Dip
Administrative Staff
Mrs R Burnett
Mrs D Crockard
Miss L Dickson
Ms F Hughes IATI
Mrs A Kirkpatrick
Mrs F Maguire
Miss J Maguire BA
Miss N A Mawhinney BA
Mrs D McCarthy BA PG Dip
Miss J Reynolds
Boarding Staff
Mrs S M Burns (Head of Boarding)
Ms M McClenaghan (Matron)
Ms A Toms (Matron)
Laboratory Technicians
Mr I Austin
Mrs M Guiney
Mr K Jamison
Mrs J McKnight
Miss H Megahey (part-time)
Mr D Morrow
Miss D Saunders BEd
Mrs J Scott
College Librarian
Mr R McDonald BA PGDip
Mrs P Corish (Senior)
Miss N Eggl BSc BSL (Preparatory Dept)
Ms S Fallon NVQ 3 (Preparatory Dept)
Mrs C Hunter AdvDipIT, DipNEBOSH (Preparatory Dept)
Ms S Khalili NVQ 3 (Preparatory Dept)
Mrs C McCullough NVQ 3 (Senior)
Ms M McDermott BTEC (Senior)
Miss R McMillan (Senior)
Mrs C M O’Neill BA PGCE (Senior)
Ms A Reynolds BSL NVQ (Senior)
Ms D Tener NVQ 3 (Senior)
Miss L Waugh BSc (Preparatory Dept)
Mrs S Welsh BTEC NVQ 3 (Preparatory Dept)
Estates Supervisor
Pre-School Assistants
Mr J Sheppard
Mr R Beattie
Estates Department
Mr F Olaniyi
Mr J Lorimer
Mr R Mateer
Mr C McDonald
Mr J Owen
Mr W D Wilson
Cleaning Supervisor
Mrs H Scott PSPG NVQ 3
Miss A Bari
5
Secondary Department
in Overview
Senior Prize
Distribution
On Thursday 26 September 2013 in
the Assembly Hall of the Cranmore
Campus, we welcomed Professor Dame
Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Visiting Professor
of Astrophysics at the University of
Oxford. As her BBC biography states,
Professor Bell, an alumna of Lurgan
College, is credited with “one of the
most significant scientific discoveries
of the twentieth century”, radio pulsars.
She has received many accolades and
academic fellowships, and “forged her
own path through the male-dominated
world of science”. She was President
of the Royal Astronomical Society
between 2002 and 2004, was made a
Dame of the British Empire in 2008
and a year later became the first female
President of the Institute of Physics.
Professor Bell gave a stirring speech
which also celebrated the achievements
of Annie Maunder, a notable female
pioneer in the field of astronomy and
alumna of the Ladies’ Collegiate School
as Victoria College was formerly
known.
Fermanagh, the unforgettable visit
from President and Mrs Obama in
June and the highly successful World
Police and Fire Games during August.
All of this set against a backdrop of
uncharacteristically brilliant weather
has contributed to 2013 being
remembered as a positive year for our
country, and, as you will hear from
my report, a positive year for Victoria
College.
Examination performances this year
at all Key Stages have been very good
with the A-level 2013 cohort outperforming both last year’s A-level
results and the previous average over
three years. The attainment of our
pupils who are recognised tonight is
indeed impressive. However, I would
like to acknowledge the achievement
of many of our pupils who are not
necessarily named in this report who
have met or exceeded their personal
targets at GCSE and A-level to enable
them to progress to the next level of
their education.
Mr Chairman, Professor Bell Burnell,
ladies and gentlemen and girls - you are
all very welcome to our Senior Prize
Distribution, an opportunity for us to
celebrate the outstanding achievements
of Victoria College pupils both inside
and outside the classroom. Professor
Bell Burnell, I would like to thank
you for taking time out of your busy
schedule to join us in our evening of
celebration. You are an inspiration
to our pupils for the work you have
carried out to increase the number of
women in top positions in universities,
government and industry. You are most
welcome.
At A-level 38.1% of grades achieved
were A* or A compared to the Northern
Ireland average of 30.7% and UK
average of 26.3%. The overall pass
rate was 100% with 92.9% of grades
achieved being A* to C. 19% of pupils
achieved at least three A* or A grades
with Helen Bennett achieving four
A* grades and April Lam obtaining
two A* and three A grades. Cindy Ku
achieved one A* and four A grades,
Rachael Henderson achieved one A*
and three A grades, Uisce Jordan and
Rebekah Milligan achieved two A* and
one A grade, Searca Smyth achieved
one A* and two A grades and Hazel
Wong obtained three grade As and one
B grade. Nine pupils – Lucy Gillespie,
Sophie McCoo, Emily Mills, Sophie
Pollock, Claire Rogers, Livvy Rue,
Ashleigh Russell, Jade Sheppard and
Orlaith Sonner - obtained three A
grades.
2013 was a year in which Northern
Ireland was very much centre-stage
through hosting the G8 summit in
At AS-level the overall pass rate was
98.2% with 81.9% of grades achieved
overall being A to C grades. Emma
In the absence of Ms Slevin, Mrs
Woods the Deputy Headmistress
delivered the annual address.
6
Bickerstaff, Jenny Chui, Megan Hayes,
Aya Helmy, Katie McComb, Jenny
Salmon and Azka Yousaf achieved
four A grades, while Aya also achieved
an A* in A-level Mathematics. Eight
pupils – Amy Cheevers, Megan
D’Arcy, Crystal Ding, Katie Dolaghan,
Victoria McFarland, Basma Salem,
Nicola Wilson and Ceci Yip - achieved
three A grades.
At GCSE Megan Halliday achieved
nine A* and three A grades while
Emma Gilmartin, Rachel Hanley and
Rachel Milligan achieved 11 A* grades
and Erin Skelton achieved 10 A* and
one A grades. Ten girls – Ellen Beattie,
Kathryn Brown, Cara McCabe-O’Neill,
Sophie Stewart, Kathryn Shane, Penny
Grudgings, Emma Johnston, Jordan
Allen, Ella Davis and Petra Wells obtained 11 A* and A grades. In all
97.8% of the year group achieved
five or more A*-C grades and 50%
of results were A* and A grades. Five
girls (Rachel Hanley, Anne Henderson,
Chloe Patterson, Olivia Potter and
Tannaz Sohrabi Zamani) achieved full
marks in Art & Design at GCSE, and
Emily Coyle achieved full marks in her
GCSE Geography course.
In sport pupils from the College
competed at Ulster, Irish, British and
European level. Emma Henderson was
selected as the youngest member of the
Great Britain Team to compete at the
European Lifesaving Championships
held in Riccione, Italy. The
championships, held over three days,
involved athletes competing in the pool,
sea and also on the beach. Emma made
three finals in the pool claiming her
first European medal (a bronze) on day
one of the championships and recorded
the fastest time in her age group.
Emma’s success will hopefully carry
her through to selection for the World
Championships in France in 2014.
All three Athletics Teams were
placed second in the South Antrim
Athletics Championships while in
the Ulster Championships Ella Davis
was crowned Ulster Champion in
the 800m and Emma Henderson was
placed second in the discus. At the Irish
Athletics Championships Emma was
placed seventh in the discus, Ella was
placed sixth in the 800m and Rebecca
Harvey was placed sixth in the 1500m.
Emma also represented Northern
Ireland in the UK Schools’ Games.
Both the Intermediate and Senior
Cross Country Teams were placed first
in the South Antrim Championships.
The Intermediate Team also won the
Ulster Championships and was fifth
in the Irish, while the Senior Team
was third in the Ulster Championships
and eighth in the Irish. All the Cross
Country Teams have been invited to
compete at the inaugural European
Championships. Georgia Dick, Year
12, was selected to represent Northern
Ireland at the London Mini-Marathon
in April. Triathlon Ireland also
confirmed that Esmée Hall, Year 11,
had reached Academy Level, indicating
that she has the potential to compete
for a qualification place in the Youth
Olympics 2014, and Esmée will now
work with Triathlon Ireland coaches for
training going forward.
The Senior Netball Team won the
Belfast League and reached the Belfast
Cup Final and Bronagh McCann was
selected onto the Northern Ireland
Under-17 Netball Squad. The Senior
Tennis Team – Emma Dornan, Emma
Russell, Lauren Russell, Hannah
McFerran and Alix Bell (Reserve) won the Senior Tennis Cup, and the
Table Tennis Team – Megan Halliday,
Hazel Wong, Emma Dornan, Emma
Russell, Lauren Russell, Sophie Hunter,
Yasmin Abdelrahman and Kristina Bell
– won the Ulster Under-19 League and
was placed second in the Ulster Cup.
The 1st XI Hockey Team – Sophie
Pollock, Emily Mills, Rachael
Henderson, Maddy McCavana, Jemma
Hool, Megan Halliday, Azka Yousaf,
Kathryn Shane, Rachel Hanley,
Olivia Blundell, Jessica Bamber,
Rebecca Lobo, Elizabeth Lawther, Eva
McCartan, Kathryn Brown and Georgia
Dick – reached the Senior Schools’
Cup final but lost 1-0 in a nail-biting
match to Lurgan College. The 2nd
A XI reached the quarter-final of the
McDowell Cup. The 1st and 2nd XI
Hockey Teams also went on a trip to
Barcelona in March. Olivia Blundell
was selected for the Ulster Under-18 B
Team and is currently on the A squad.
Rachael Henderson also captained the
Ulster Under-18 B Team. Rebecca
Lobo was selected onto the Under-18
Ulster Development Team and also
played for the Under-16 Ulster Hockey
Team. Furthermore Rebecca and Amy
Edwards (Year 10) were members of
the winning Northern Ireland Hockey
Team at the UK Schools’ Games which
were held earlier this month. Both
Amy and Rebecca have been selected
for Ulster to compete in the InterProvincial Championships next month.
At the Ulster Secondary Schools’
Swimming Gala Emma Henderson
was placed second in the Breaststroke
and Esmée Hall was third in the
Individual Medley. The Relay Team
of Emma, Esmée, Katie Hayes and
Evie Dougan won gold in the Freestyle
and silver in the Medley. At the Ulster
Grammar Schools’ Championships
the Intermediate Team of Esmée Hall,
Katie Hayes, Emma Henderson and
Sophie Hunter won gold in both Relays
and were crowned overall Grammar
Schools’ Champions 2013. Esmée won
gold in the Individual Medley, Emma
won silver in the Breaststroke and
Rachael Henderson won silver in the
Senior Breaststroke. Emma Henderson
was also selected onto the Ulster
swimming squad and was selected to
represent Ulster Schools at the InterProvincial Championships in Dublin
where Ulster were crowned champions
for 2013. Esmée Hall, Evie Dougan,
Katie Hayes and Emma Henderson
qualified to compete in the Irish Long
Course Swimming Championships
in April and Evie and Emma were
selected onto the Ulster Schools’
Swim Team for long course training in
Tenerife.
In Lifesaving Rachael and Emma
Henderson represented the College at
the British Lifesaving Championships.
Rachael won two British titles and
Emma won five British titles, setting
new British records. Both girls were
selected onto the Great Britain Team
and Rachael represented Great Britain
at the European Championships in
Sweden.
The Under-16 Gaelic Football
Team played in the Ulster League,
the Football Team competed in the
Belfast District Cup and the Rugby
team competed in the Regional
Tournament. The College’s Equestrian
Team participated in a number of
competitions and won an event at
Balmoral. Abigail Carlisle was a
member of the winning team in the UK
Intermediate Dressage Competition
held in August.
Many other individual sporting
achievements also deserve recognition.
Rebecca Getty, Year 11, was the winner
of the Badminton England Under-15
Gold tournament and finalised in the
Under-15 East of Scotland and the
Under-17 Irish Championships. She
represented Ulster, Northern Ireland
and Ireland at the English Inter-County
tournaments, the UK Schools’ Games
and the Home Nations Quandrangular
respectively. At the UK Schools’
Games Rebecca won a bronze medal
in the team event with Northern
Ireland and at the individual event
she won a bronze medal in the Girls’
Singles, the best result by a female
Northern Ireland player since the
Games began in 2006. She was also
the winner of the Under-17 Ulster
Championships and is a member of
the Ulster Senior Badminton Squad.
Sophie McCoo, Year 14, won the NI
Women’s Artistic Gymnast of the
Year, the NI Outstanding Gymnast
of the Year and the Irish Outstanding
Gymnast. Rachael Houston, Year 11,
was selected to represent Ireland as part
of the Nations Cup Team at equestrian
events in Belgium and France, during
which the team was placed third, with
Rachael being the only Irish competitor
to win a class. Tanith MacLynn-Hill
and Rebecca Johnson were selected to
represent Northern Ireland in the Sea
Cadet Regatta in London, and Caitriona
Campbell was selected to represent
Ireland in the Junior European Ski
Championships in Andorra. Ciara-Beth
Neale competed in the Great Britain
Irish Dance Championships in England
and Ruth Aicken competed in the Irish
National Senior Cup in water polo.
We are very grateful to our sports
staff and our coaches who provide the
girls with so many opportunities to
participate and to compete.
Our Music Department has delighted
us throughout the year with a huge
array of performances including the
Carol Service, the joint production
of Calamity Jane with RBAI and the
Spring Concert. The Senior Choir
reached the semi-final of the All
Island School Choir Competition
for the third successive year. Pupils
achieved individual successes in the
Associated Board and Trinity College
examinations throughout the year and
7
Year 14 in Fifty Years Time
Lucy Hellawell, Caitlin Diver, Year
12, and Hannah McMurray Year 13,
participated in the Schools’ Proms at the
Royal Albert Hall in November. Emma
Gilmartin and Ellen Beattie, Year 12
are members of the Ulster Youth Choir
who performed concerts throughout
Northern Ireland and collaborated with
the Irish Youth Choir.
GCSE, AS and A2 Drama and
Theatre Studies students participated
in performances and workshops and
benefited from talks from experienced
visiting practitioners. The GCSE
class performed in the Shakespeare
in Schools Festival staged in the MAC
Theatre in October. Directed by Mrs
Helen Burn, the production of As You
Like It was an unforgettable experience
for participants and audience alike.
Trips to productions at the MAC, the
Lyric Theatre and the Opera House
enhanced the pupils’ Drama experience,
as did the Department’s move into the
brand new drama suite at the College.
Pupils’ talents were much in evidence
in the numerous devised performances,
monologues, duologues and showcases
throughout the year. Furthermore,
Languages pupils attended four Onatti
plays in French, German and Spanish
which provided an enjoyable way for
pupils to boost language learning.
The international dimension is a really
8
important feature of school life allowing
girls to experience and develop a global
perspective and understanding. An
increasing number of Senior School
pupils participated in the European
Studies Programme, Comenius project,
Global Schools Partnership and the
Eco Schools Initiative. Their valued
work was recognised by the renewal
of our International Schools Award
and the achievement of the Best Kept
School, the Eco Schools Award and the
awarding of a Green Flag. Pupils from
Years 10 to 13 celebrated the European
Day of Languages and performed a
dynamic drama piece at a cultural
concert at the Belfast City Hall. In
October a select group of Senior pupils
– Basma Salem, Wiktoria Slomkowska
and Katie McComb – joined 27
other schools from across Ireland to
participate in the annual Mock Council
of the European Union held in the
Senate Chamber, Parliament Buildings.
A group of Year 12 pupils participated
in the first EurVoice forum, pupils from
the school’s India Society represented
the College at a ‘Taste of India’ event
and Siva O’Neill and Sarah Blaney,
Year 12, contributed to the online Your
Europe, Your Say Forum. Year 11 and
13 pupils contributed to research into
children and young people’s views
of shared education conducted by the
Office of the NI Commissioner for
Children and Young People which went
on to inform the work of the Ministerial
Advisory Group on advancing shared
education and future Department of
Education policy. The College was
one of six schools chosen to participate
in the European Youth Parliament
Regional Forum. A group of Year 12
pupils interviewed for the Rotary Youth
Leadership programme and Emma
Gilmartin progressed to represent the
College at the regional finals. Laura
Hutchinson, Ellen Beattie, Megan
Halliday and Chloe Haylett were
selected to attend a Youth Leadership
Conference during the summer months.
Pupils participated in a number of
visits and trips throughout the year
including Geography field trips, a
Scripture Union weekend, a Spanish
exchange visit, a Senior Choir trip to
Kenya with Toccata and a Business
Studies trip to Paris. A group of Year
13 pupils along with Miss Cassidy,
Mrs Haugh and Dr Brown participated
in a nine-day Habitat for Humanity
Global Village project in Transylvania
in West Romania building a house for
local families in need. A group of two
members of staff (Mr Robinson and
Miss Faloona) and 18 Year 12 and 13
pupils successfully completed a World
Challenge expedition through the
rainforests of Borneo. The group also
climbed Mount Kinabalu, the highest
mountain in Borneo. This desire to help
others is typical of so many girls in
Victoria who strive to make a difference
and it is wonderful to see the effort
that pupils have invested both inside
and outside school to raise additional
money for our chosen charities Water
Aid and Disability Sports. Pupils
also raised money for Action Cancer
during the APT Craft Fair and Laura
Hutchinson, Year 11, fundraised for
Teenage Cancer Trust.
In these challenging economic times,
expert careers advice and guidance
is more important than ever and the
Careers Department provides assistance
and support through mock interviews,
CAO and Oxbridge seminars and
conferences, Law and Medicine
conferences, attendance at open days
and higher education and careers
conventions along with invaluable oneto-one support. Pupils also attended a
range of lectures and conferences and
the local PSNI Road Safety Office
addressed Sixth Form pupils regarding
road safety, while pupils from Middle
School represented the College at the
Anti-Bullying Ambassadors’ Training
held at Cookstown High School.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
Scheme continues to grow. The
majority of Year 10 pupils started
working towards their Bronze Award.
We were delighted this year when
six girls – Orlaith Sonner, Rebekah
Milligan, Jody McKeown, Rachael
Henderson, Lucy Crossan and Sophie
Pollock - successfully completed their
Gold Award and 14 girls completed
their Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s
Awards. We are indebted to Mrs
Caroline Hart, who co-ordinates the
scheme within the College, and her
team of assistant leaders for their
generosity in giving so freely of their
time and expertise to ensure our pupils
experience the breadth and depth of
challenges and opportunities through
the Award Scheme.
Year 13 and Year 14 Mathematics
pupils took part in the Senior
Mathematics Challenge and one gold,
two silver and eleven bronze certificates
were awarded with April Lam, Year
14, obtaining the gold and Best in
School certificates. Aya Helmy and
Jenny Salmon from Year 13 obtained
the silver certificates. A team of AS
and A2 Mathematics pupils also
took part in the regional final of the
Senior Mathematics Challenge. In the
Intermediate Mathematics Challenge
five silver and 10 bronze certificates
were awarded with Helen Francis being
awarded the Best in School certificate.
Science also left the College in June.
We miss them all and wish them well
and hope that they will maintain their
links with the College in the future.
A team of Year 12 and 13 pupils – Asha
Pandey, Amy McCartney, Hannah Ware
and Meredith Telford – represented the
College at the National Finals of the UK
Aerospace Youth Rocketry Challenge
(UKAYRoC) at Farnborough, after
successfully competing in the regional
finals. The team was ranked in seventh
place and was awarded the prize for
the best static display.
We welcome our new staff – Mr Mark
Gray, teacher of Biology, Mr David
McCluskey, teacher of Mathematics,
Mrs Rebecca Pollock, teacher of Home
Economics, Miss Kate McCaughey,
teacher of Home Economics, Mrs
Lynsey Beattie, temporary teacher of
Home Economics, Miss Ciara Loade,
temporary part-time teacher of Biology
and Science, Mrs Audrey Boyd, Key
Stage 2 Leader and Preparatory teacher,
Miss Elaine Armstrong, temporary PreSchool teacher and Miss Chloe Smith,
Preparatory Secretary.
In November Year 13 pupils Julia
Kennedy, Wiktoria Slomkowska,
Aya Helmy, Cushla Little and Elena
Olmo Campos took part in the
Juvenes Translatores translation
competition, organised by the European
Commission. Their combined efforts
covered five foreign languages –
French, Italian, Spanish, German and
Polish. All girls did extremely well
and Julia Kennedy was singled out
for the quality of her translation, in
which she showed remarkable skill.
Basma Salem, Year 13, was nominated
as one of the Best Speakers in the NI
Debating Competition and was invited
to debate in the Senate Chamber at
Stormont and Maria Doran, Year 14,
participated in Lord Sugar’s Young
Apprentice on BBC TV and did
extremely well, reaching the final
stages of this competition. Shannon
Kincaid, Year 12, was involved in the
Peace III Conference at the Belfast
City Hall which was a part of a special
EU Programmes body. Sarah Murray,
Year 14, was awarded a scholarship
worth £2,000 from Bangor University
towards her degree course in Creative
& Professional Writing.
This academic year we said farewell
to long-serving members of staff,
Mrs Audrey Edgar, teacher of
Science, Mrs Ann Fowler, teacher
of Mathematics and former Head of
Mathematics and Mrs Lyn Coulter,
Deputy Head of the Preparatory
Department. Mrs Edgar, Mrs Fowler
and Mrs Coulter made significant
contributions to the College. Mrs
Kelly O’Neill-Skelly, Head of Home
Economics, and Mr Noel Ritchie, Head
of Corporate Services. Mr Andrew
Barrett, teacher of Technology &
Design, Mrs Lisa Best, teacher of
Religious Education, Dr Lisa Meneely,
teacher of Home Economics and
Miss Laura Montgomery, teacher of
Tonight’s celebrations would not
be possible were it not for the total
commitment of all the staff in the
College and their dedication to the girls.
I think it would be fitting to show them
our appreciation. And I would also like
to pay tribute to our parents without
whose support I would be unable to
present this very impressive report.
Parents who encourage their daughters
to always give their best, who bring
them to and from training, matches and
rehearsals, who support the school’s
policies and who engage in a positive
partnership with staff play a huge part
in the whole educational experience and
their contribution is much appreciated.
I would also like to thank our Chairman
Dr Gregory and the Board of Governors
for the invaluable advice and support
provided to the Principal Ms Slevin, to
myself and to my colleagues in the College.
I would like to finish by asking you
girls to consider how this report reflects
the spirit of Victoria College which is
so dear to many of us. Even with all
of your success, the College stands for
something much more than than an
academic exercise. Staff, parents and
governors endeavour to provide a rich
variety of experiences for each and
every young person so that she may
proceed with confidence to meet the
next challenges of her life’s journey.
However, the great educationalist
Professor Albus Dumbledore summed
it all up when he said “It is our choices,
Harry, that show what we truly are, far
more than our abilities.” Girls, I hope
that Victoria College will always help
you to make the right choices.
Mr Chairman, this concludes my
report for the 2012-13 academic year.
9
Junior Celebration
of Success
The Junior Celebration of Success
took place but in the Assembly
Hall of the Cranmore campus on
the afternoon of Thursday 27 June,
prizewinners from Years 8 and 9
gathered with their families and
staff for the annual Celebration of
Success. We enjoyed the performances
of the Junior Choir and Junior
Chamber Choir, and Dr Bryan Gregory,
Chairman of the Board of Governors,
distributed the prizes, and our Guest of
Honour and speaker was Mrs Deborah
Harris, Public Relations Director of
Belfast International Airport.
Ms Slevin brought the report on the
year in Junior School.
Good afternoon, Mrs Harris, Dr
Gregory, ladies and gentlemen, and
girls.
You are all very welcome to our
Junior Celebration of Success, an
opportunity for us to recognise the
many achievements of the girls in
Years 8, 9 and 10 both inside and
outside of the classroom. Girls have
excelled in music, drama and sports
ranging from swimming, netball,
hockey and tennis to athletics,
badminton, Gaelic and rugby.
Academically the girls have achieved
highly in their internal examinations
while at the same time benefiting
from the wonderful experiences
offered to them through school
trips and visits and extra-curricular
activities.
On the sporting front, the Cross
Country Teams competed in the
Belfast, South Antrim, Ulster and
Irish Championships. At the Belfast
Championships the Year 8 Team was
placed second, the Year 9 and 10
Teams were both placed first and Eve
Corry, Year 9, and Amy Harvey, Year
8, won as individuals in their races.
At the South Antrim Championships
the Year 8 and Year 9 Teams won
and the Year 10 Team was placed
second. All VCB teams qualified for
the Ulster finals and the Junior Team
– Robyn Chambers, Lauren Coulter,
Amy Edwards, Sophie Gormley,
Caitlyn Harvey, Natasha Patterson
- was placed second and qualified
for the Irish Championships. Maeve
Hoyt, Year 9, finished eighth out
10
of 110 competitors and qualified
as an individual for the Irish
Championships. In the Irish Cross
Country Championships the Junior
Team was placed sixth.
In the South Antrim Athletics
Championships all VCB teams were
placed second. In the Ulster Athletics
Championships Sarah Hanley, Year
10, won the Triple Jump, Amy
Edwards, Caitlyn Harvey and Maeve
Hoyt came second in the Javelin,
800m and 1500m respectively. Sarah
Lemon, Year 10, was placed third in
the High Jump.
At the Ulster Athletics Championships
the Junior Team was placed sixth
overall. Amy Edwards was the Ulster
Junior Girls Javelin Champion and
went on to be placed sixth in the
Irish Schools’ Athletics Finals. Amy
was also selected in the Javelin
for the Inter-Provincial Athletics
team while Maeve Hoyt and Erin
Blundell, Year 9, were selected for
the Under-14 Inter-District Athletics
Team in the 800m and the High Jump
respectively.
The Under-14 A XI Hockey Team
played in the Junior Cup and Plate
and reached the quarter-finals, being
beaten by Banbridge Academy who
were the eventual winners. The Year
9 team hosted St Olave’s School from
England and Emma Conlin, Year 9, and
Sophie Hunter, Amy Edwards and
Caitlyn Harvey, Year 10, were selected
onto the Belfast Under-15 Hockey
Team. Amy was also selected onto
the Ulster Under-16 Development
Squad and was awarded the Under-14
player of the year, and has just been
selected on the Northern Ireland
Hockey team for the UK Games to be
held in September.
The Junior Swimming Team won the
overall Grammar Schools’ Swimming
Cup. The Junior Relay Team - Hannah
Beattie, Eve Corry, Maia Dougan and
Sarah Montgomery - won bronze
medals in both the Medley and
Freestyle Relays at the Ulster
Swimming Championships and
Rachael and Caitlin McCormack
(Year 8 and Year 10 respectively)
won the Junior section of the Ulster
Lifesaving Championships. Sophie
Hunter, Year 10, was also a member
of the Intermediate Swimming
Team which won the overall Ulster
Swimming Grammar Schools’ cup.
The Junior Tennis Team - Kristina
Bell, Emma Conlin, Lucy Hamilton
and Sophie Hunter - reached the
quarter-final of the Ulster Junior Cup.
Sophie Hunter and Kristina Bell,
Year 10, were members of the Under
19 Table Tennis Team which won
the Ulster Under-19 league and was
placed second in the Ulster Table
Tennis Cup.
The College’s Football Team
competed in the Belfast District Cup
for the first time and the Year 8 and 9
Team was placed third and the Year
10 and 11 Team was placed fifth. The
Year 10 Rugby Team competed in the
Regional Tournament at Grosvenor
against much older competition and
thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
The College’s Showjumping Team
– Olivia Hughes, Year 8, Jordan
McClements and Tara Murphy, Year
9 and Abi Carlisle, Year 10 - won at
an event in Balmoral.
All Year 8 pupils participated in a
Five Star Sports Session, organised
by Disability Sports NI and a Year
8 squad of two teams participated
in the annual Gaelic Football
Development Blitz while Year 9 and
10 pupils played in the Under-14
Gaelic Football Ulster League.
Players of the Year were Kirsten
Matthews, Eimear Maguire and
Sophie Robinson while Camogie
Players of the Year were Rachael
McCormack, Megan Ingram and
Lauren Henderson.
We are very grateful to the many staff
who support the girls, training, coaching
and accompanying them to events.
Individual pupils also enjoyed success
with Phoebe Hagan being placed third
in the Northern Ireland Youth Climbing
series and Abi Cairns achieving gold in
dancing awards. Sophie Robinson was
a member of the Northern Ireland Pony
Club Mounted Games Team which
competed at the Windsor Horse Show
in May, and Ara McCartan, Year 9, won
the May Fitzgibbon Golf Cup and will
now represent Ulster in the All-Ireland
Under-19 competition in July.
Caitlin Maguire, Year 9, was selected
to play for Ulster in the Under-15
Inter-Provincial Girls’ Squash Team.
This is the third year that Caitlin has
played for Ulster both at Under-13
and Under-15 level. In Year 8, Holly
Beattie was selected by her dance
club Utopia to participate in the
Flamingo Land Dance Festival which
was held in Yorkshire in April and
Niamh Neale, Year 8, was placed
second in the World Irish Dance
Championships held in Boston in the
United States.
Almost all of our Year 10 pupils
started working towards their Duke
of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award. They
undertook training in the Mournes
in October and did their Bronze
expeditions in the Mournes in June.
I would like to take this opportunity
to thank Mrs Caroline Hart, Duke of
Edinburgh’s Award Co-ordinator, for
her work towards this scheme and
for all other staff who volunteer their
free time during the year to support
this work.
In February the College hosted a visit
by the author Nicola Pierce, who spoke
to Years 8 and 9 pupils about her novel,
Spirit of the Titanic. Year 8 pupils
attended the launch of the fourth
annual Northern Ireland Book Award
and a number of Year 8 and 9 pupils
read in excess of one million words
each since September, with Teresa
Chan, Emma Greer and Jessica Welch
reading a total of 36, 39 and 45 books
respectively. Pupils from Year 10 joined
Dr Brown and Mr McCaw early on
Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays for
Greek Club and have already gained
some proficiency in the language, using
interactive games and drills from Eton
College and the Open University.
Junior School welcomed the Gideons
who presented all Year 8 pupils with
a personalised Bible and presented
the College with a Bible in memory
of a former pupil who had been a
member of the Gideons.
The Junior Chamber Choir entertained
parents and guests at the APT Social
Evening in September, along with
special guests the newly formed
male voice choir the Lagan Seahorses
under the direction of Mrs Murray and
Mrs Gillian. The girls also enjoyed
singing in the One Voice concert at the
Waterfront Hall alongside Peter Corry
and Rachael Tucker.
Calamity Jane, our very successful
whole-school production in November,
gave many girls the opportunity to
shine and showcase their talents and at
the Carol Service there were excellent
performances from all choirs and the
orchestra.
A wide range of peripatetic tuition
is offered in the Music Department
and our pupils continue to excel
in their chosen instruments in the
Associated Board and Trinity College
examinations throughout the year.
Special mention should be given to
one of our Year 10 pupils Alexandra
Dick, who recently played one of
the leading roles in The Sound of
Music with the St Agnes Choral
Society. Alex also performed in front
of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber in the
International Youth Production of
Cats in the National Indoor Arena in
Birmingham.
During the Spring Concert, all of our
choirs, the orchestra and our many
vocal and instrumental ensembles
gave outstanding performances
enjoyed by all.
Some girls enjoyed individual
success at the recent Carrickfergus
Music Festival. Janie Kennedy,
Year 9, was awarded second place
in the Under-16 Flute solo while
the Woodwind Ensemble - Kathryn
Kerr, Kristina Bell, Anna Darling,
Emma Conlin, Janie Kennedy, Emily
McQuoid and Georgia Ross - won
the Under-12 Woodwind Ensemble
Class. Hannah Rose Glover was
awarded first place in the Under-12
vocal solo and Sarah Rogers was
selected for the National Youth
Choir of Scotland and for the Ulster
Youth Choir and the Philharmonic
Choir. Sarah and Erin Devlin were
also selected for the National Youth
Choir of Scotland residential training
course which was held in March
while Robyn Chambers, Year 10,
attained a place in the musical theatre
company The Rainbow Factory.
Francesca Drumm, Year 10, is a
member of the Belfast City Council
Youth Forum and Sarah Wilson took
part in the NI Voice Box Competition
Awards and was selected as a finalist to
the Senate Chamber at the NI Assembly
in November. India Atkinson, Year
9, won the Vision Express Star Pupil
competition and won an all-expensespaid trip for her family to Disneyland
Paris. Francesca Eldred, Alexandra
Dick and Emma Connolly, Year 10,
performed in a short drama piece at The
European Day of Languages Concert
at the City Hall, Belfast, and language
pupils also attended and enjoyed
four Onatti plays in French, German
and Spanish. Pupils from Years 8, 9
and 10 participated in the European
Studies programme and were awarded
European Studies Certificates.
Five Year 10 pupils – Gina Gilmartin,
Francesca Drumm, Caitlin McCormack,
Katie Lynn and Kristina Bell –
represented the College at the Stormont
Climate Change Summit organised by
TidyNI and were also involved in the
BEEs project. They were shortlisted
for the Belfast finals and are now the
Belfast Environmentally Efficient
Schools (BEEs) champions. I would
like to thank Mr Winning for his work
with the Eco Team which ensured
success in these events and also helped
the College to win the Best Kept School
competition for the second consecutive
year and to achieve our Eco Schools
Green Flag.
As a Specialist School in Science it was
wonderful to see pupils achieve wideranging success in STEM subjects.
Year 10 pupils Francesca Drumm,
Emily Greer, Francesca Eldred,
Emma Connolly, Sara Gray and
Alexandra Dick were winners of
the Northern Ireland Go For It
programme and Kristina Geddis,
Amy McMorris, Renuka Sharma,
Emily Irvine, Katie Brennan and
Amy Edwards were winners of the
Engineering Crest Silver Award.
A group of 20 Key Stage 3 pupils
took part in the Sentinus Engineering
Solutions Programme and the best
team represented their school at the
celebration day in the Whitla Hall,
QUB. The College’s team - Anna
Darling, Eva Davis, Erin Devlin and
Emma Salmon – won two out of the
five awards available on the day.
Their design was awarded ‘Most
Creative Engineering Solution’ and
an award for Commercial Potential.
All the pupils who took part in the
programme received a Sentinus
certificate and a CREST Silver Award
in recognition of their work.
Fifty-four Year 9 pupils took part in
the Junior Mathematics Challenge in
April and four silver and 10 bronze
certificates were awarded. Sophie
Doran, Sophie Wilson, Emma Hand
and Janie Kennedy obtained the
silver certificates and Sophie Doran
11
was awarded the ‘Best in School’
certificate. Katie Brennan, Amy
Edwards, Katie McConkey and
Teresa Chan also took part in the
Junior Team Mathematics Challenge
which was held in April.
A class of Year 8 pupils and Prep 7
from the Preparatory Department took
part in an Outdoor Classroom Science
Project with Queen’s University Belfast
during which the pupils studied the
natural habitats of Victoria College.
In June, Miss Bothwell and Miss
Wright along with two representatives
from each class were invited to attend a
celebration event at Queen’s University
where they were awarded certificates.
Pupils participated in a number of
trips throughout the year, visiting
Carrickfergus Castle and attending
the Scripture Union Weekend in
Castlewellan Castle. Our Year 8 pupils
have just returned this week from a trip
to Paris during which their itinerary
included visits to Montmartre, a river
cruise, visits to museums and the Parc
Astérix. Year 10 Spanish students
participated in a return visit to Huelva
in Spain in February. Fifty Year 9 pupils
attended an outdoor residential event
at Tollymore in June during which
they did bouldering, orienteering, high
ropes and canoeing. Year 10 Geography
students also enjoyed an overnight
residential at Magilligan Field Centre
where they developed their fieldwork
skills and investigated rivers, coastal
dune eco-systems and the formation
of the Giant’s Causeway.
Well done everyone.
Pupil Voice
During October and November 2012
a selection of Year 11 and Year 13
pupils from the College contributed
to valued research into children and
young people’s views of shared
education. This research was conducted
by the Office of the Northern Ireland
Commissioner for Children and Young
People and informed the work of the
Ministerial Advisory Group on
advancing shared education and future
Department Education policy.
Victoria College places great
importance on listening to pupils and
allowing them to shape the life of the
school. A major forum for this is the
School Council, and you can read an
account of the year’s events in the
Council below.
School Council
We were selected to be part of the
School Council this year. The selection
process required application forms to be
filled out by pupils who were interested
in becoming either class Councillor
or Vice-councillor, and members of
Senior Staff then read the application
forms, interviewed the candidates, and
decided on individuals who would be
suited to the positions. The selected
Councillors and Vice-councillors
were required to act as role models for
the other pupils and take on leading
responsibilities within their form
classes. Any issues put forward by
members of the form classes were
then discussed at the monthly
Council meetings and solutions were
formulated. For example, one of the
issues raised this year was the lack of
variety of the canteen food at break and
lunch time. To resolve this problem,
a organisation called SNAG (School
Nutrition Action Group) was created
so that the pupils could be actively
involved in the food choices available
in the canteen. This has been an
absolute success, as now more pupils
enjoy the wider variety of healthy food
offered in the canteen. A lot of the girls
requested a day of joint education with
RBAI, so, after some discussion at the
council meetings, the staff offered the
Year 11 girls the opportunity to go to
RBAI for a Young Enterprise event.
This was met with great enthusiasm
and the day was a great success. Some
pupils also wanted to get new vending
machines and lockers. These issues
were taken on board and discussed
in the meetings, but unfortunately
were not possible, and the pupils were
offered explanations as to why this
was so. Overall, the School Council
has been very effective in resolving
pupil issues and implementing new
schemes throughout the year, and we
have both very much enjoyed being a
part of it.
You always know that when you are
warned to wear comfortable footwear
and bring waterproof clothing that
anything can happen! After Fred and
the Clearsky leaders met the group
outside at Richmond and introduced
their team, they organised ice-breakers
and split the pupils into five teams for
a carousel of five tasks to be completed
in rotation. Form teachers accompanied
each group to help with supervision but
fortunately did not get roped in! The
five terrifying tasks were the Climbing
Tower, Archery, Toss the Wellie and
Go-Kart Racing, Poisonous Yoghurt
and Sheep and Shepherd and lastly,
Group Skiis and Human Photocopier.
Debbie Heatley and Eve Bannon,
Year 11
Year 8 Induction Day
This year at the very start of their
school career at Victoria College, under
the leadership of Head of Year Mrs
Lavery, Year 8 enjoyed a fantastic day
of teambuilding and fun with Clearsky
Adventure. Clearsky made it their aim
that the girls would have an enjoyable
time, get to meet their peers and break
down barriers. The focus was on
keeping high energy levels – certainly
there was little time to stand around and
surrender to those natural start-of-term
nerves!
12
This was a fantastic opportunity which
got the year off to a great start.
Mrs H Lavery
Prefects 2012 - 2013
Head Girl
Rebekah Milligan
Deputy Head Girl (Cranmore)
Rachael Henderson
Deputy Head Girl (Richmond)
Orlaith Sonner
Junior School Prefects (Year 8)
Ellie Alcorn
Olivia McMullen
Laura Bell
Sarah-Louise Morrow
Evie Crockard
Shannon Neale
Carrie Lane
Claire Rogers
Kathryn Lynas
Nicole Shields
Junior School Prefects (Year 9)
Holly Cox
Olivia Rue
Ruth Finlay
Searca Smyth
Kirsty Higginson
Junior School Prefects (Year 10)
Helen Bennett
Niamh Nixon
Eden Dinsmore
Gemma Thompson
Cushla Little
Junior School Prefects (Year 11)
Lucy Gillespie
Rebecca Mercer
Cindy Ku
Ashleigh Russell
Sarah McClelland
Debra Wray
Middle School Prefects (Year 12)
Alison Chan
Madeline McCavana
Charlotte Hillan
Sarah Murray
Janine Luk
Naomi Sharratt
Charity Prefects
Lucy Crossan
Katie Martin
Eco Prefects
Jade Sheppard
Chelsea Goodwin
Mentoring Co-ordinator
Joanne Stranaghan
Prep Department
Emma Dornan
Shannon Duke
Sixth Form Prefect
Sophie Pollock
Sports Prefects
Emily Mills
Sophie McCoo
Careers Prefect
Jody McKeown
Head Girls Team (l-r) Dep Head Girl Orlaith Sonner, Head Girl Rebekah Milligan, Dep Head Girl Rachael Henderson
13
The Visit of
President Obama
and Mrs Obama to
the Waterfront Hall,
Belfast
17 June 2013 was a day which will
never be forgotten by the people of
Northern Ireland and more particularly
by those pupils of Victoria College
who had the honour of being chosen to
meet the President and First Lady of the
United States on their occasion of their
visit to Belfast. The name of Mrs Burn
was also drawn at random from a list of
staff to be present when the President
and Mrs Obama made their speeches,
and we thank her for providing the
image used. We were not at all jealous,
of course! Our own Rebecca Johnston,
representing her youth group rather than
school on this occasion, made it on to
the television news with her excited and
touching report of her warm personal
exchange with the First Lady.
We include here some excerpts from
the speeches delivered on the happy
occasion, as released by the White
House Press Office. First, some
inspirational words from Mrs Obama,
then a speech of encouragement from
the President.
Mrs Obama:
“It is such a pleasure to be here in
Belfast. And as you might imagine,
whenever we travel to places like this or
anywhere else in the world, we’ve got a
pretty packed schedule... But wherever
we go, no matter what’s on our plate,
we always do our best to meet with
young people just like all of you. In
fact, you all might just very well be
some of the most important people that
we talk to during our visits, because in
just a couple of decades, you will be the
ones in charge. Yes, indeed. You’ll be
the ones shaping our shared future with
your passion and energy and ideas. So
when I look around this room, I don’t
just see a bunch of teenagers. I see the
people who will be moving our world
forward in the years ahead. And that’s
why we wanted to be here today…
“Barack and I refused to let other
people define us. Instead, we held
tight to those values we were raised
with - things like honesty, hard work,
a commitment to our education... We
did our best to be open to others; to
14
Francesca Drumm listens to President Obama (BBC image)
give everyone we met a fair shake, no
matter who they were or where they
came from. And we soon realized that
the more we lived by those values,
the more we’d see them from other
people in return. We saw that when we
reached out and listened to somebody
else’s perspective, that person was more
likely to listen to us. If we treated a
classmate with respect, they’d treat us
well in return. And that’s sort of how
we became who we are today. That’s
how we learned what leadership really
means. It’s about stepping outside
of your comfort zone to explore new
ideas. It’s about rising above old
divisions. It’s about treating people the
way you want to be treated in return. “And as young people, you all are in a
very powerful position to make some
of those same choices yourselves. You have the freedom of an open
mind. You have a fresh perspective that
can help you find solutions to age-old
problems. And with today’s technology,
you can connect with other young
people from all over Northern Ireland
and all around the world. So right now,
you’ve got a choice to make. You’ve
got to decide how you’re going to use
those advantages and opportunities to
build the lives you dream of. Because
that decision will determine not only
the kinds of people you’ll become,
but also the kinds of communities
you’ll live in, the kind of world we’ll
all share together. And standing here
with all of you today, I have never
felt more optimistic, let me tell you.
Because time and again, I have seen
young people like all of you choosing
to work together, choosing to lift each
other up, choosing to leave behind the
conflicts and prejudices of the past
and create a bright future for us all.
That’s what’s so powerful about your
generation. And again, that’s why we’re
here today - because we want you to
know that we believe in each and every
one of you. That is exactly why we’re
here. We believe that you all have the
ability to make a mark on this world
that will last for generations to come.
We are so proud of you. We expect
great things.”
President Obama:
“You now know why it’s so difficult
to speak after Michelle - she’s better
than me... We wanted to come here,
to Northern Ireland, a place of
remarkable beauty and extraordinary
history; part of an island with which
tens of millions of Americans share
an eternal relationship. America’s
story, in part, began right outside the
doors of this gleaming hall. Three
hundred and twenty-five years ago,
a ship set sail from the River Lagan
for the Chesapeake Bay, filled with
men and women who dreamed of
building a new life in a new land. They,
followed by hundreds of thousands
more, helped America write those
early chapters. They helped us win
our independence. They helped us draft
our Constitution. Soon after, America
returned to Belfast, opening one of our
very first consulates here in 1796, when
George Washington was still President.
Today, names familiar to many of you
are etched on schools and courthouses
and solemn memorials of war across
reality... And when peace was achieved
here, it gave the entire world hope...
The First Lady addresses the Waterfront Hall
the United States - names like Wilson
and Kelly, Campbell and O’Neill. So
many of the qualities that we Americans
hold dear we imported from this land perseverance, faith, an unbending belief
that we make our own destiny, and an
unshakable dream that if we work hard
and we live responsibly, something
better lies just around the bend. So our
histories are bound by blood and belief,
by culture and by commerce. And our
futures are equally, inextricably linked.
And that’s why I’ve come to Belfast
today - to talk about the future we can
build together.
“Your generation, a young generation,
has come of age in a world with fewer
walls. You’ve been educated in an era
of instant information. You’ve been
tempered by some very difficult times
around the globe. And as I travel, what
I’ve seen of young people like you around the world, they show me these
currents have conspired to make you a
generation possessed by both a cleareyed realism, but also an optimistic
idealism; a generation keenly aware
of the world as it is, but eager to forge
the world as it should be. And when it
comes to the future we share, that fills
me with hope. Young people fill me
with hope.
“Here, in Northern Ireland, this
generation has known even more rapid
change than many young people have
seen around the world. And while
you have unique challenges of your
own, you also have unique reasons
to be hopeful. For you are the first
generation in this land to inherit more
than just the hardened attitudes and
the bitter prejudices of the past. You’re
an inheritor of a just and hard-earned
peace. You now live in a thoroughly
modern Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland is hosting the World
Police and Fire Games later this year
which Dame Mary Peters is helping to
organize. Golf fans like me had to wait
a long six decades for the Irish Open
to return to the North last year. I am
unhappy that I will not get a few rounds
in while I’m here. I did meet Rory
McIlroy last year, and Rory offered to
get my swing “sorted”, which was a
polite way of saying, “Mr. President,
you need help.” None of that would
have been imaginable a generation
ago...
“And these daily moments of life in a
bustling city and a changing country,
it may seem ordinary to many of
you - and that’s what makes it so
extraordinary. That’s what your parents
and grandparents dreamt for all of
you... Because of their effort, because
of their courage that day has come. Because of their work, those dreams
they had for you became the most
incredible thing of all - they became a
“From the start, no one was naïve
enough to believe that peace would
be anything but a long journey. Yeats
once wrote “Peace comes dropping
slow.” But that doesn’t mean our efforts
to forge a real and lasting peace should
come dropping slow. This work is as
urgent now as it has ever been, because
there’s more to lose now than there has
ever been…
“We need you to get this right. And
what’s more, you set an example for
those who seek a peace of their own...
Ultimately, peace is just not about
politics. It’s about attitudes; about
a sense of empathy; about breaking
down the divisions that we create
for ourselves in our own minds and
our own hearts that don’t exist in any
objective reality, but that we carry with
us generation after generation. So as
your leaders step forward to address
your challenges through talks by all
parties, they’ll need you young people
to keep pushing them, to create a space
for them, to change attitudes. Because
ultimately, whether your communities
deal with the past and face the future
united together isn’t something you
have to wait for somebody else to
do - that’s a choice you have to make
right now. The terms of peace may be
negotiated by political leaders, but the
fate of peace is up to each of us.
“And you should know that so long
as you are moving forward, America
will always stand by you as you do...
You must remind us of the existence of
peace - the possibility of peace. You
have to remind us of hope again and
again and again. Despite resistance,
despite setbacks, despite hardship,
despite tragedy, you have to remind
us of the future again and again and
again… I have confidence you will
choose that path; you will embrace
that task. And to those who choose
the path of peace, I promise you the
United States of America will support
you every step of the way. We will
always be a wind at your back. And as
I said when I visited two years ago, I
am convinced that this little island that
inspires the biggest of things - this little
island, its best days are yet ahead.
“Good luck. God bless you. And
God bless all the people of Northern
Ireland. Thank you.”
15
The House System at
Victoria College
The Victoria College House System
exists to promote a spirit of competition
and teamwork. We have six Houses
– Crescent (green, Head of House Mr
McCracken), Howard (blue, Head
of House Mrs Loane), Marlborough
(red, Head of House Dr Thompson),
Pakenham (purple, Head of House Mrs
McMurray), Richmond (white, Head of
House Miss Faloona), and Wellington
(yellow, Head of House Dr Brown).
Many people ask where the names of
the houses came from. Their origins are
strongly connected with our College’s
roots in the city of Belfast.
Richmond and Marlborough Houses
were added.
Using the Virtual Learning
Environment to encourage applications,
we appointed Year 14 pupils from
worthy candidates without a prefect
role, and deputies from Year 13. Their
efforts are much appreciated. Particular
thanks go to Miss du Toit, who is very
familiar with the House system which
is strong in her native South Africa.
We have missed her greatly in the past
year and have felt her absence in coordinating House events. It is very good
to have her back.
Pupils are encouraged to develop their
talents by participating in a range
of competitions including football
(Association and Gaelic), hockey,
cross-country running, spelling
bees, performance and design. These
competitions also allow the girls to
improve the relationships they have
with other members of their House
across the year groups. The House
Christmas card competition was as
popular as in the previous year, as was
the Christmas entertainment. We would
like to encourage more participation in
the Middle and Senior School – your
House needs you!
In the spring of 1859 encouraged by
the advice of some of her friends, our
founder Mrs Margaret Byers moved
to Belfast, where at 13 Wellington
Place and later in Howard Street she
established ‘The Ladies Collegiate
School, Belfast’. Accommodation
soon proving inadequate, Mrs Byers
decided to have a house built to her
requirements and a double-fronted
house, 74-76 Pakenham Place, was
opened in 1867. In 1874 the dream of
her life was realised, when the now
familiar stone buildings in the Crescent
rose in their impressive dignity. In
1997, following the amalgamation of
Richmond Lodge School with Victoria
College at Marlborough Park South, the
Inter-House Football Competition
The House points table stood as follows at the end of the school year
2012-13:
Place
House
Points
1st
Howard
310
Crescent
275
2nd
3rd
Richmond
250
4th
Wellington
230
5th
Marlborough
175
6th
Pakenham
155
Congratulations to Howard who will receive the House Cup on Senior
Prize Day.
Christmas Card Competition
16
Association of
Parents and Teachers
The Association is an essential
element of the school’s vision of
collaboration between school, parents
and the community. We are very
grateful for the support and direction
of experienced members, including the
Teacher Representatives. In particular
the Committee is grateful for the
ongoing support and help provided by
Assistant Principal Mrs Turkington
who spends so much time promoting
the APT in so many ways. Ms Slevin’s
enthusiastic support is also much
appreciated by all.
Christmas Craft Fair
On Saturday 8 December 2012 the
biggest event of the APT year took
place in the Cranmore Assembly
Hall and Canteen. Local artists and
crafters, many of them with a personal
association with the school, came
together for the Christmas Fair. All
your Christmas gift dilemmas could
be resolved at a stroke! It was also
lovely to see a number of members
of staff displaying their talents and
creativity – Mrs Clarke sold her
jewellery and accessories, Mr Winning
his stunning photographs, and Mr
McCaw his pencil drawings. Many
enterprising pupils booked stalls to
offer goods and services, competing
intensely for shoppers’ attention. The
Craft Fair teaches the girls valuable
entrepreneurial skills and concern for
others, as a proportion of their takings
go towards the school and other
good causes. The canteen offered the
usual very welcome treats and snack
lunches, and gave the more reluctant
shoppers the chance to mingle. Mrs
Dot Crockard who spends so much
time and effort organising the Craft
Fair Organiser was very pleased to
report that we could present school with
several thousand pounds.
APT Executive Committee Membership 2012-2013
Ms Patricia Slevin (Headmistress)
Ex official member
Mrs Carmel Francis
Chairperson
Mrs Patricia Maguire
Honorary Secretary
Mr Ian Crossan
Honorary Treasurer
Mrs Deirdre Turkington
Senior Staff Representative
Mrs Robena Elwood
Miss Maureen Faloona
Teacher Representatives
(Senior School)
Mrs Ide Scullin
Mrs Noreen Heatley
Parent Representatives
(Senior School)
Miss Sarah Wright
Miss Louise Hamilton
Teacher Representatives
(Preparatory Department)
Krafty Kids for Action Cancer
Mrs Pauline Cosgrove
Parent Representative
(Preparatory Department)
Mr McCaw’s drawings prove a hit
17
Big Business
Mrs Clarke and Mrs Gilchrist
Uniform Sale
As ever, we held our popular
uniform sale at the end of June.
Everyone benefits from this event –
space is made in school and in cluttered
wardrobes at home, money is raised for
school and money is saved by parents.
The APT welcomes parents of Year 8
pupils and of all new girls to join them
in raising funds for your daughter’s
new school. Over the years the
fundraising efforts of the Committee,
with the support of new and ‘not-sonew’ parents, has enhanced the school
experience of Victoria College pupils.
APT fundraising has purchased a
school minibus, ICT, sporting and
other classroom equipment, new
canteen furniture and equipment, a laser
cutter for the Technology & Design
Department, and many other resources.
We are always interested in new ideas
for events and schemes for fundraising.
We would be delighted to hear from
you if you are willing to help in any
way or have any suggestions for future
APT events. Please contact us via the
Cranmore office.
18
Annual General
Meeting
During the year 2012-13, the APT
held a number of enjoyable events.
This year’s Annual General Meeting
took place on 26 September 2012. As
well as the usual busy agenda, the APT
was treated to An Evening of Light
Entertainment with the Junior Choir
and also the newly formed Lagan
Seahorses. This male voice choir is
an opportunity for Old Boys of RBAI to
sing together under the direction of Mrs
Murray, and their performance of popular
classics was much enjoyed by all.
Young Entrepreneurs
Flower Arranging
On the evening of Thursday 11
March, we held another Flower
Arranging Demonstration in the
Cranmore Assembly Hall to the
accompaniment of light refreshments –
just in time for Mothers’ Day!
Fine Dining in
Valentine’s Quiz Night Deane’s At Queen’s
Who needs a romantic meal out on
Valentine’s Night? The real thrills
were to be had at the Quiz Night in the
Cranmore Assembly Hall. Pupils, staff
and parents gathered in very carefully
chosen teams for an amusing and
challenging evening testing our general
knowledge. Everyone enjoyed the spot
prizes and picture rounds, even if some
of the music rounds were a bit beyond
the older generation. [Editor’s note:
justice was done as the right team won
without even cheating once.]
In the past two years we have enjoyed a
black-tie Spring Ball in the Wellington
Park Hotel. This year the Committee
organised an evening of Fine Dining in
the justly famous Deane’s At Queen’s
which took place on a lovely late
spring evening, Friday 17 May. There
was a distinctly glamorous ‘after six’
atmosphere and after a memorable
meal there was dancing till late. This
excellent evening was well attended
and profitable; our thanks to the staff
of Deane’s.
Boarding Department
Drumglass House is back in action
and 2012-13 was a big year for the
Boarding Department with the
introduction of two new Matrons, new
chefs and of course, this year’s new
students and boarding mistresses. We
can boast a multi-cultural house with
staff and students from a range of
diverse places such as Ireland, Great
Britain, Hong Kong, China, Swaziland,
Egypt, Spain and Germany.
The boarding house went through a lot
of renovation in the summer of 2013
and has been left with stylish kitchen
units, a fashionable staff room and
modern washing machines. Mrs Burns
showed us photos depicting Boarding in
the 1950s and we all agree that we are
very glad to be living here now rather
than back then. Furthermore the Senior
girls can now enjoy the availability
of a snack area for making a wee cup
of tea and toast and all boarders can
enjoy the use of our new WiFi system
which makes it easier to contact family
and friends, which is very important
to those who live thousands of miles
away. Another exciting development in
the Boarding Department is our very
own new Boarding-specific website and
we look forward to updating it regularly
and sharing our wonderful events
with you. See for yourselves!
www.victoriacollegeboarding.org.uk.
Routine is a key part of Drumglass
House and we assure you there is
time for all the school work to be
done. However, we also recognise the
importance of extra-curricular activities
with our girls participating in sports
such as Gaelic football, Camogie,
ballet, hockey, table tennis and tennis.
We also have girls who are enthusiastic
about music, attend the choir and
orchestra and participate in the annual
collaborative production with RBAI
attending numerous rehearsals which
displays the drive and determination
which is encouraged within the house.
Boarders’ Council is an integral part
of the Boarding Department. It is
led by our current Head of Boarding
Mrs Sharon Burns and is attended by
the Head and Deputy Head Boarders
alongside a boarder from each year
group which ensures that every view
is represented. Within this body, we
bond as a team and deal with any
issues which arise helping us to ensure
a constant happy and comfortable
environment.
Anna’s Got Talent!
Each year, we celebrate the MidAutumn Moon Festival and St
Nicholas’ Day which assists us in
sharing our different cultures. At
Halloween we host an annual party
which includes fancy dress, games and
a scary movie. When the cold weather
sets in, we welcome our annual group
Your Emcee for the Evening, Collette
trip to Belfast City Centre where we
buy gifts for our Boarding Secret Santas
which are distributed by Santa at our
Christmas Party. This festive night
includes Christmas dinner, followed
by ‘Drumglass House Has Got Talent’,
a traditional dance contest and a play
performed by our boarding mistresses.
Summer days
Social activities in Drumglass House
are an important aspect of the lives
of all our boarders. Regular trips are
organised and these have included visits
to Belfast Zoo, Dundonald Ice Bowl
and Aunt Sandra’s Candy Factory along
with visits to the cinema and Cave Hill.
More relaxing activities at the weekend
include arts and crafts, games, movie
nights and boarders baking plenty of
tasty treats. This year has also seen the
introduction of the ‘Terrific Tuesday
19
Tournament’ – a weekly football game
for the Junior girls which helps to bring
out some healthy competition.
As with the end of each year, there was
an air of sadness throughout Boarding
for the departure of temporary members
of staff and Year 14 students. In June,
we said goodbye to Miss Megan Porter
and Miss Maria Grumley and wished
them the best of luck as they headed off
to begin their teaching careers. We also
said goodbye to our German assistant
Miss Kezi Ozen as she returned to
Turkey and to our Year 14 leavers who
celebrated their time with us through
a short presentation, cake and flowers.
However, in the words of Winston
Churchill, “To improve is to change;
to be perfect is to change often.” And
therefore, with the end of each year, we
welcome another with fresh staff and
students and look forward to sharing
our stories with you.
Collette McAllister,
Head Boarder 2013-14
Come Dine With Me
On the Exceptional Closure Day
which followed the Year 14 Leavers’
Formal Dinner, staff were treated to a
deliciously different lunchtime thanks
to the hard work of the Geography
Department. Everyone agreed that
it was a lovely opportunity to spend
a more relaxed period chatting with
colleagues we often did not have the
chance to meet, even if it presented
quite a technical challenge to cater
for and serve all the staff in Cranmore
staffroom. Mrs Haugh in particular
received many plaudits for her
homemade curry and wheaten bread.
The magnificent choce of desserts
tempted even the most disciplined away
from the diet. Staff covered costs with
donations and any surplus was donated
to the school charities. We think this
is an excellent idea which should be
repeated regularly!
Miss Hannah
Megahey
Halloween frights
Fancy dress for Halloween
Dressed for dinner
20
Christmas Dinner
Congratulations to our reprographics
technician Miss Megahey, who has
been awarded a Highly Commended
Essential Skills Award certificate. This
very prestigious award was presented
to her at Hillsborough Castle on
Wednesday 13 March. Miss Megahey
was nominated by her tutor Lorna
Lundy and chosen from applicants from
all colleges and training organisations
throughout the province. Miss Megahey
was a Business Management student
in a Programme-Led Apprenticeship at
Lisburn College, where she completed
her Level 2 Essential Skills in
Communication. As the press release
noted, the Essential Skills Awards
are a fitting acknowledgement of the
enormous commitment to learning
by adults of all ages and from all
backgrounds. This is an outstanding
achievement by Miss Megahey.
News from the Staffroom
Congratulations to Dr Oliver on
his marriage to Dr Andrea Rainey
at Christmas 2012, Miss Bothwell
on her marriage in the summer of
2013 to Mr Kevin O’Riordan, and
to Miss Walker of the Finance
Office who becomes Mrs Paul
Kelly and takes to farming life!
Miss Maguire of the Cranmore
Office became Mrs McCune in the
summer on her marriage to James.
Every future happiness to these
couples.
We are delighted to announce
the birth of Elkie Bea, a first
child to Dr Mitchell-Barrett and
Mr Barrett. Congratulations to
Mrs O’Neill-Skelly and husband
Declan on the birth of Joshua,
their first child also. We welcome
also baby Mabel, second daughter
of Mrs Julie-Ann Findlay and
her husband. Many staff know
Samantha who works in the
staffroom and were very happy
to hear of the safe arrival of baby
Jack. Belated congratulations to
Mrs McCullough and her husband
who have become grandparents to
Ewan.
It is good to welcome back Mrs
Morrow to teaching after her
Mr Andrew Barrett
We say a sad farewell to Mr Barrett
who was with the Technology &
Design Department for twelve short
months. Mr Barrett had a very varied
timetable, as he also contributed
to various other subjects such as
Physical Education, Home Economics
and the Year 9 L2L (Learning 2 Learn)
programme.
Although he was at Victoria College
for such a short space of time, he
enjoyed excellent relationships with
staff and students and has left a
lasting impression. Mr Barrett was an
enthusiastic and energic teacher who
Mrs Lisa Best
Lisa joined the Religious Education
Department in 2011 to replace Mrs
Margery Irwin. She came to us as
Miss Dodds, only to become Mrs Best
after the October half-term break, after
marrying Matthew. This caused a great
deal of confusion for pupils and staff,
so much so that she remained Miss
Dodds on the C2K computer system
until the Summer Term. She also
learnt to answer to both names with
graciousness. She was very active not
only in the RE Department but also
through her help with Scripture Union,
Cross Country Club and with the Duke
of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme which
has grown from strength to strength
career break following the births of
Chloe and Lucy, twin sisters to Ben,
and likewise to have Mrs Beaney
and Mrs Gray back in the English
Department, albeit on a part-time
basis. With baby Adam and baby
Ruby respectively, their time is
fully accounted for.
Our thanks as always go to the
hard working but usually unseen
Staffroom Committee who provide
refreshments on special days,
arrange social events for staff
and organise the gifts presented on
happy occasions such as those
celebrated here.
was appreciated by all his classes
and he will be missed by the pupils
he taught. Dr Brown also appreciated
his tolerance of the Classics when for
a few mornings each week he was
forced to vacate the computer in the
Department to facilitate early morning
Greek classes.
We wish him well in his new role as
Head of Technology & Design in St
Patrick’s Academy in Lisburn. Of
course he will maintain his links with
the College through the Preparatory
Department and we hope to see him at
future events.
Mr D McCaw
under the leadership of Mrs Hart. Lisa
was employed in a job-share capacity,
and she and Mrs Thomson were a
great team for two years until her
move to bigger things at Carrickfergus
Grammar School. We congratulate
her on her appointment as Head of
Department and we know that she will
bring glamour, efficiency and a strong
work ethic to her new post. We still
try to keep in contact – she misses the
female company of our Department, as
she now works with male colleagues,
which will be quite a change! And of
course, there aren’t as many coffee
shops in Carrick where she can hold her
Department meetings!
Mrs R Elwood
21
dedicated, hard-working member of the
Science team and Biology Department
who loved her teaching and had great
relationships with staff and pupils.
Our girls really respected her nononsense approach and her 17 years in
Newtownbreda High School allowed
her to develop classroom management
skills that were greatly to be admired!
Mrs Audrey Edgar
Audrey Edgar taught junior school
Science and Biology up to GCSE for
the last 19 years at Victoria College
Belfast and will be sadly missed
following her retirement. She was a
Mrs Ann Fowler
Ann started her teaching career in
September 1982 with her first job – at
Victoria College – and she remained
here ever since. She has been through
many changes in her 30 years here
including the amalgamation of the
school with Richmond Lodge.
It was only five years after joining
Victoria that Ann became Head of the
Audrey’s pastoral skills were put to
great use in her service as Head of
Year for Years 8 and 9 in turn for 14
years, seeing two full generations of
pupils through the secondary school.
She worked along with Mrs Carolyn
Watson and they were a formidable
team on the Junior campus. Mrs Edgar
always had the girls’ best interests at
heart and her experience, hard work and
common-sense approach made her a
fantastic pastoral leader.
Her experience, kindness and razorsharp wit will be missed by all in
Science and Biology. We wish her a
long, healthy and happy retirement in
the company of her family.
Dr J McCormick
Mathematics Department. She held this
post for 18 years until she made the
decision in 2005 to change from fulltime to part-time teaching.
extra-curricular activities including
Badminton Club and the Duke of
Edinburgh’s Award Scheme as well as
being involved in many school trips.
Ann has been a dedicated teacher
whether in her first year of teaching,
when she had exam classes in O-level
Maths, Additional Maths, A-level
Maths and Further Maths or, in the last
couple of years, with the classes who
have those ‘hard to motivate’ pupils
who struggle with the subject. Her
knowledge and skill in the classroom
are going to be missed both by all her
pupils and by the rest of the Maths
Department. None of us in the Maths
Department have ever known a time
when Ann hasn’t been there so we are
all unsure what may happen without her.
I would just like to thank her for
everything she has done for the
school in your time at Victoria and
for everything that she has done for
me personally – for being so easy to
work with, first of all as my Head of
Department when I joined the school
and then over the past number of
years when our roles were reversed. I
really have valued her experience and
friendship during this time.
Ann has been involved in many and
varied aspects of school life. She
was a Boarding Mistress for a time,
and worked with the girls in many
Miss Ruth McMillan
Ruth and her twin sister Rachael
together with their older sister Hannah
spent their secondary years as pupils at
Victoria College, where they immersed
themselves in sport, particularly
hockey. Such was Ruth’s loyalty to
her alma mater that she returned to
spend two years offering invaluable
help as a classroom assistant on the
Senior campus. She formed a close and
positive bond with those she worked
with and brought her deep but fresh
knowledge of school life to bear on
22
Audrey was also a brilliant Biology
teacher and her GCSE results reflect her
dedication and talent. She always gave
the girls the best classroom experience
and was involved in developing new
materials and resources. She ran a very
popular Botany Club where the Year
8 and 9 girls could produce flower
arrangements and hanging baskets.
Audrey loved her plants, as can still be
seen by the flora in the Biology labs!
I know that the decision to leave was
not an easy one but we know that
the friendships that Ann has made at
Victoria will continue. We wish her
every happiness for whatever lies ahead
in the years to come.
Miss L Scott
her work. Ruth has maintained her
strong ties to Victorians Ladies’ Hockey
Club and she and Rachael shared
the role of Club Secretary. As a vital
part of this role was sharing annual
reports and images with the Editor of
The Victorian, Ruth has my gratitude
for the cheerful efficiency she showed
in executing this task. Ruth now works
for Queen’s Sport combining many of
her skills, talents and enthusiasm, and
we expect to hear of her achieving
great things!
Dr J Brown
within the Consumer Studies degree
programme. This experience coupled
with a doctorate in Consumer Studies
provided Lisa with an excellent
understanding of the Home Economics
curriculum and she proved to be an
outstanding teacher who demonstrated
a genuine passion in her chosen subject.
Dr Lisa Meneely
Lisa began Victoria College in
September 2011 as a newly qualified
teacher of Home Economics. Lisa
came into the teaching profession
following a period of time when she
worked as a part-time lecturer in the
University of Ulster to deliver modules
Lisa was able to demonstrate flexibility
in the delivery of the curriculum
by assisting in the teaching of
A-level Health & Social Care and
her professionalism and meticulous
attention to detail was of great benefit
both to her pupils and to the Head of
Department, Mrs Aine Loane.
When the post of teacher of Home
Economics came up in St Joseph’s
Grammar School, Donaghmore, the
advantage of teaching in a school
close to home was obvious. Lisa had
previously completed her teaching
practice in St Joseph’s and the Principal
clearly recognised her potential then, so
it was no surprise that she was appointed
in June 2013. Lisa is a creative,
dynamic and conscientious teacher
and we are very sorry to see her
leave.
Lisa has further change on the horizon
as we have recently heard that she has
become engaged to Martin Daly.
During Mrs O’Neill-Skelly’s maternity
leave, Lisa undertook the role of Head
of Home Economics and executed this
role with her customary dedication.
She dealt with budgets, requisitions,
managing staff, reviewing assessments,
tracking pupil progress and planning
resources.
On behalf of all the staff and pupils, I
would like to wish Lisa every success
in her new teaching position and much
joy and happiness as she embarks on
married life.
Miss Laura
Montgomery
in Year 13, and the overflowing
hampers are a testament to her skills
of organisation and encouragement.
Having trained at John Moore’s
University in Liverpool, Laura has
never been frightened of seeking
wider horizons, and she left us at
the end of her two years to take up
a one-year post at Thames Christian
College in London. This has proved
to be such a success that her contract
has been extended. We wish her an
exciting and fulfilling career in the
city and hope that she will keep in
touch.
Miss Montgomery joined us in 2010
on a temporary basis as a teacher
of Biology. However, she quickly
became involved in many aspects of
school life such as Scripture Union
and this certainly helped her develop
warm relationships with the girls she
taught. She may be remembered best
for her knitting club which thrived
at lunchtimes as a cosy venue for
creativity and chat. Her concern for
others showed itself in involvement
with the Voluntary Services group
Mrs Kelly
O’Neill-Skelly
Successful completion of Early
Professional Development,
engagement, marriage, moving
house, appointment as Head of Home
Economics Department, new baby
– Kelly certainly packed a lot into
the four years that she was with the
College!
Kelly was appointed to the position
of teacher of Home Economics
on 1 September 2009 and quickly
established her mark on the Department
Mrs H Woods
Dr J Brown
with her enthusiastic attitude and
willingness to embrace change. Her
qualifications, including a Masters
degree in Human Nutrition, equipped
her with an excellent knowledge and
expertise to deliver the subject. Kelly
had a genuine interest in promoting
a healthy school and in her first year
of teaching she ran a Healthy Eating
Group, set up a School Nutrition Action
Group (SNAG) and persuaded top chef
Paul Rankin to compete in a Ready
Steady Cook competition in the Home
Economics room on Cranmore – not
quite the type of cooking environment
he was used to! Following the
retirement of Miss Kathleen Wood,
23
Kelly successfully applied for the
position of Head of Home Economics
and took up this role in September
2011. One of the most visible signs of
change under her leadership was the
removal of the ancient ovens located
in the Home Economics room on the
Richmond campus which were then
replaced with modern cookers which
did not require the oven door to be
secured with sellotape and took less
than one hour to heat to the required
temperature.
Kelly also embraced the extracurricular aspect of school life. She
assisted with Duke of Edinburgh
training and accompanied pupils on
the ski trip and Politics trips to the US
and London. She also delivered the
survival cookery classes for Sixth Form
in order to prepare the girls for fending
for themselves while at university and
extend their cooking repertoire beyond
Pot Noodles.
As a form teacher, Kelly formed
positive relationships with the pupils
in her form class and was able to help
motivate pupils and deal with pastoral
issues.
In her personal life, Kelly had much
to celebrate. She married Dr Brendan
Skelly in July 2011 and, much to our
chagrin did not adopt the name Kelly
Skelly. In January 2013 she gave birth
to a beautiful baby son Joshua James.
When the opportunity of a teaching
post became available closer to her
Mr Noel Ritchie
We say a sad farewell to Mr Noel
Ritchie who has retired from the
College on the grounds of ill health.
Noel joined the staff of Victoria
College as Head of Corporate
Services in March 2009. He was
an active member of the Senior
Leadership Team and was responsible
for leading and managing the nonteaching staff in the College, liaising
with the Department of Education
and the Education and Library Board.
Noel worked closely with the Finance
team and with the Estates and
administration teams in the College
and his energy and enthusiasm were
notable. He enjoyed hard work but
Mr Warren Taylor
Mr Taylor joined the ICT
Department in September 2010. He
demonstrated his dedication to all the
students that he taught throughout
the school from the very first lesson.
Mr Taylor brought the best out of all
the students that he taught, with his
classes achieving results that the ICT
Department are very proud of. Mr
Taylor was also a key member of the
men’s corner in the staffroom with his
ability with tricky crossword clues and
up-to-date fashion sense. That classic
tweed jacket with the leather elbow
patches will be sorely missed.
Mr Taylor was heavily involved in the
extra-curricular life at the College. He
24
home in Rainey Endowed, Magherafelt,
Kelly deliberated for a long time before
applying. However, the difference
between a journey to work lasting five
minutes as opposed to one of over an
hour was a strong factor in helping her
to make the decision to apply.
I would like to take the opportunity to
wish Kelly every success in her new
post as teacher of Home Economics in
Rainey Endowed School, Magherafelt
and hope that she continues to have
much contentment and happiness in her
personal life.
Mrs H Woods
also enjoyed social events with staff
members and entertained us all with
his impersonations of Elvis at end of
term functions! Noel is also a parent
in the College and we look forward
to continued contact with him in
this role. We wish Noel well in his
retirement.
Ms P Slevin
coached the Soccer Team after school
on Tuesdays along with Mr Donaghy
and Dr Oliver, and gave generously of
his time with the Duke of Edinburgh
team, spending many weekends in the
Mourne mountains. He also facilitated
the Young Enterprise scheme in school,
which allowed Year 13 students to
develop their business acumen. Mr
Taylor will certainly be missed by his
colleagues and students alike. Perhaps
his move back west of the Bann to a
full-time teaching position will give
him more opportunity to pursue his
fascination with the salmon.
Mr N Kavanagh
Teaching and Learning
Art & Design
It has been a most successful year
in the Art & Design Department, with
many girls receiving top grades and
high accolades. The highly experienced
and well qualified teachers, led by
Head of Department Mrs McCullough,
demand the very best from the pupils,
expecting them to aim high and to
reach an understanding of the material
in hand. The intention of the Art
Department is that all pupils studying
Business Studies
The Department continues to offer
AQA Business Studies at GCSE and
Advanced Levels to all students. We
also promote the Young Enterprise
programme and Level 3 examination
to AS students in Year 13 to enable all
pupils who wish to learn entrepreneurial
skills have the chance to do so. Clearly
we are having an effect – you can read
in our Beyond the Classroom section
of the success of Maria Doran, our very
own Young Apprentice finalist.
During 2012-13 the Department
Art and Design complete a broad
and balanced course. Throughout the
Key Stages there is a clear focus on
developing a range of skills including
imagination and creativity, expression,
visual thinking and observation. Mrs
Porter is once more at the helm of the
school website. We continue to rely
on technical assistance from Mr Keith
Jamison.
We can see the results of the girls’
achievements all around the school.
Visitors are particularly drawn to the
organised a number of extra-curricular
activities, including a February trip
for AS and A2 students to Paris to
investigate the huge business concern
that is Disneyland Paris, and a Year 14
student’s perspective features below.
You are never too old for a themed
hotel and a ride on Thunder Mountain!
However there is a serious agenda: the
girls attend business seminars tailored
to the needs of the A-level curriculum,
and learn about the business side
of Disney directly from a Disney
representative. They learn about the
history of Disneyland Paris including
how and why the Park was built and
stunning paper wedding dress creations
which appear early in the year before
the mannequins are required for the
GCSE textile work!
Our congratulations to the five girls
who achieved full marks in Art &
Design at GCSE. Well done to Rachel
Hanley, Anne Henderson, Chloe
Patterson, Olivia Potter and Tannaz
Sohrabi Zamani.
Mrs Y McCullough
how it has developed since its opening.
The seminar also focuses on the
Disney brand, marketing and corporate
structure. Task booklets are completed
during their day in the Park.
Once again we hosted a Business
Conference in October 2012 for all
the Year 13 students, whether they
were studying business or not. Using
simulations and real products which
they created themselves, they learned
about the world of business from the
bottom up in a refreshing and busy day.
Enterprise starts early at Victoria
College. Francesca Drumm will tell us
in her own words in the Beyond the
Classroom section about the Year 10’s
triumph for the College in the Step N
Zones competition. Year 10 were also
able to attend an Enterprise day in the
lovely surroundings of the Christchurch
Library at RBAI when they learned
how to generate ideas, anticipate
problems, provide solutions and make
their pitch in real-life exercises such as
planning a festival.
Mr E Thompson
Business Studies
Trip to Paris
Year 10 explore enterprise at RBAI
In my last year at Victoria College, I
thought that going to Disneyland Paris
with my school friends would be a
good way to finish my school days. I
had never been to Paris before and I
25
was really looking forward to the trip.
We arrived late at night and settled into
our rooms. The hotel was amazing and
actually looked like a cowboy village!
We were all very excited! Going to
breakfast in the morning we ran into
Minnie Mouse and got a photograph
with her – the highlight of our day!
We attended a number of lectures on
the marketing and financing of the Park.
On Day Two we took a bus into the
centre of Paris and visited many sights,
including Notre Dame, the Louvre and
the Eiffel Tower. On Days Three and
Four we had time to try out all the rides
in both theme parks. Due to the fact
that it was a quiet season for the park,
we were able to access all the rides
very quickly – no queues and no need
for Fast Pass! We rode the Tower of
Terror as a group which was definitely
the highlight of the trip for me. Going
around the Park we got to meet all the
Disney characters which made us all feel
like we were about five years old again!
Overall the trip was definitely the
highlight of my final year at Victoria
College. I had great fun with my friends
and got to see an amazing city. To
anyone thinking of going on this trip,
I highly recommend that you do. You
won’t regret it!
Beth Nolan Year 14
Careers
The new year began with a bang
as usual once the A-Level, AS-Level
and GCSE results were published.
After welcoming back our students
who attended the summer residential
schemes at Corpus Christi, Cambridge
and Eton College in England, Careers
staff were busy helping students
to finalise their subject choices.
Simultaneously the staff were in great
demand assisting the leavers with
their university places and guiding
some applicants through the Clearing
and Adjustment processes. We were
delighted again with the success of our
girls, with most applicants gaining a
place on their first preference course.
The girls opted for a wide variety of
courses and universities. Many students
opted for places locally at Queen’s,
Ulster, Stranmillis and St Mary’s
University College. Notable successes
included Sophie Jackson (European
Law at the University of Groningen),
Sorcha Foster (Physics at Imperial
College, London), Chloe MacAuley
(Medicine at Trinity College, Dublin)
and Molly Gilmartin (Medicine
at Queen’s College, Oxford). We
enjoyed great success with our other
Medicine applicants who gained places
at Queen’s, St Andrew’s, Dundee,
Manchester, Aberdeen and Leicester.
Our Dentistry applicants were also
successful: Rachel McKinney and
Dara Murphy departed for Bristol
whilst Alice Nicholl secured her
place at Newcastle. Both of these
universities were very popular choices
again this year, along with Durham,
Leeds, Manchester and other Russell
Group universities. Stella McLachlan
journeyed to Bristol to read Veterinary
Science. Our successful Pharmacy
applicants included Jane Cunningham
(Queen’s), Tori Kerr (Manchester),
Alison Mallon (Bath) and Maram Omar
(Ulster).
26
Careers Year 8
Sixth Form pupils attended the Queen’s
open day and individual pupils attended
open days of their choice including
events at Stranmillis and St Mary’s
University Colleges. Staff were also
involved in interviewing applicants to
St Mary’s, providing us with a unique
insight into the process. Pupils were
afforded the opportunity to attend
the Medicine, Law and Engineering
seminars at Methodist College and
the Dentistry open day at Queen’s.
Potential Oxbridge applicants attended
the Oxbridge conference at Lisburn and
we were delighted to host an Oxbridge
seminar for all of our partner schools in
south Belfast. Wiktoria Slomkowska,
Aya Helmy and Azka Yousaf attended
a fascinating Cambridge University
residential summer school with Miss
Robinson in June. Pupils in Years 12 to
14 attended the biennial Victoria College
Belfast Higher and Further Education
Fair. The event, which was very well
attended, proved to be another great
success with over 60 exhibitors from
across Ireland and Britain representing
universities, FE colleges, employers
and other stakeholders. Of course,
representatives from many universities
and FE colleges visited the school
during the year, providing our pupils
with ample opportunity to research their
options. Year 13 pupils and their parents
or guardians attended a UCAS/CAO
Information Evening where we outlined
the university application process
in some detail and Mr Thompson
explained how student finance works.
All Year 14 students sat a mock
interview and we are very grateful to
all the parents and friends of the school
who gave up their time to assist the
students. Careers Information, Advice
and Guidance is delivered to the Sixth
Form through timetabled sessions.
Pupils learn about the application
processes, student finance and other
issues they may face at university.
Visitors to the school included the
for Employability lessons where they
engage in activities and research
aimed at developing their awareness of
enterprise and entrepreneurship, work
in the local and global economy and
career management. This programme
is supplemented by visiting speakers
and stand-alone events including a
Year 8 STEM workshop and the annual
Experience of the Workplace days.
This year the Year 10 girls visited
workplaces at Armagh Planetarium,
the Laganside Courts, Allstate and
the BBC. Many pupils also attended
a Sentinus Employability workshop.
Careers Year 8 STEM event
BELB (Student Finance), St Mary’s
University College, Queen’s University,
SE Regional College, the Scottish
Universities, University College
Dublin, NUI Galway, Newcastle and
Northumbria Universities and Oxford
University.
As part of their Learning for Life
and Work programme, pupils at Key
Stage 3 attend timetabled Education
At Key Stage 4 pupils have timetabled
lessons for the delivery of Education for
Employability and Careers Information,
Advice and Guidance (CEIAG).
All pupils passed the AQA Level 2
Certificate in Preparation for Working
Life. Making subject choices at the end
of Years 10 and 12 is a vitally important
process. Pupils and parents attended
Subject Information Evenings where
the Careers Department briefed them
on the process and the implications of
their choices. As in KS3, the emphasis
is on self-evaluation and all pupils
are required to audit their extracurricular activities in relation to skill
development on an annual basis. Pupils
are also involved in evaluating the
When we were finished in the news
studio Eamonn escorted us to the
gallery where all the TV screens were.
In the gallery he explained the different
roles of the people who worked there
and the skills and attributes that are
Mr R O’Brien
and how long it takes him. Someone
asked him “What happens if you make
a mistake?” He responded, “Because
I’m live there’s not much I can do
about it!” It was really funny when he
switched to the politics show and a
man was standing behind with a protest
sign. He looked really funny and we all
laughed, including Mr Thompson and
Mr Luney.
Experience of the
Workplace Day 2013
In May the Year 10 pupils visited
a variety of workplaces as part of
the Education for Employability
programme. My group was allocated
to the BBC Studios in Belfast. Upon
arrival we were greeted by Eamonn,
our tour guide for the morning. He
informed us that we would be touring
the various studios - if they weren’t on
air! The first studio that we visited was
the news studio. It was much smaller
than we had expected. Eamonn showed
us all the ways the news reporter knows
what to say and how they are informed
of breaking news by the director in
the box through a small earpiece.
Caoimhe and Olivia read from the
screen from the daily news.
school’s delivery of LLW and CEIAG.
At Victoria College Belfast we adopt
a cross-curricular approach to the
delivery of Careers Information,
Advice and Guidance and Learning
for Life and Work. For example,
the Business Studies Department
organises a range of Young Enterprise
and Sentinus events developing
pupils’ employability skills. In their
curriculum they study selection and
recruitment, employment legislation
and the impact of new technology on
business In English, pupils in Years 8
and 9 complete a unit on ‘My Ideal Job.’
In Religious Studies pupils consider
the importance of human rights and
freedoms alongside responsibility. In
Geography they consider the impact
of globalisation and multi-national
corporations on the workplace. In Latin
and Classical Civilisation they research
changing employment patterns and
develop the analytical and evaluative
skills necessary for Law, Medicine
and software development. In History
and Modern Foreign Languages their
literacy and communication skills are
nurtured. All subject areas make a
valuable contribution.
Sarah Hanley Year 10 at the controls
necessary for the tasks they face every
day. The assistant director came in so
we had to depart quickly.
From there we went to see the BBC2
voiceover person. He was really
friendly and let us all have a go at
speaking into the microphone. He
showed us all of the things he has to do
When we left BBC2 we went to the
BBC Radio Ulster studio where we met
the presenter Hugo Duncan. He was
really funny and told us if we wanted to
be something to go for it and not hold
back. This was my favourite part of the
tour because he was really encouraging
and amusing.
That night when the news was
broadcast I was yelling at the TV “I
sat there!” I knew what the studio
really looked like and how everything
happened. I really like the BBC studios
and would definitely consider working
there in the future.
Beth McGardle Year 10
27
Classics
Once again we started the year with
good news of former pupils, this time
that our former A-level Classical
Civilisation student Ruth Ware has
taken up a place to read History at St
Andrew’s University in Fife after an
exciting year in South Africa. Jane
Maxwell is now well through doctoral
research in Mediaeval Literature
including Latin at King’s College,
London.
At Key Stage 3 the new interactive
white board in G5 is put to
exceptionally heavy use in accessing
the Cambridge Latin Course online.
Pupils love the drag-and-drop exercises,
the vocabulary drills and the multimedia resources provided by this site.
As well as these new techniques, we
continue to learn in the old-fashioned
style – amo, amas, amat still reigns
supreme. My warmest thanks are due
to the ever-versatile Mr Winning who
stepped in to take a Year 8 class for a
portion of the year while I assisted the
English Department. Mr Winning’s
pupils greatly enjoyed his classes and
he has left a lasting legacy in the amo,
amas, amat song featured on YouTube,
aptly described by pupils as ‘random’
but requested weekly as a lesson finale.
Mr Winning himself road-tested the
Year 8 explore the theme of slavery
28
e-learning DVD which accompanies
the course and offers exceptional
opportunities for inter-active, selfdirected learning. Who knows how I
can put his skills to use in the future!
We continue to offer Latin to GCSE
using the new OCR specification which
dovetails well with the Cambridge
Latin Course. The inventiveness of
pupils in learning grammatical tables
and principal parts knows no bounds,
and the study of Latin literature proves
to have an uncanny link to modern life.
At A-level we can offer Latin or
Classical Civilisation according to
student interest. We are delighted to
maintain our links with RBAI and
welcome some male input into our
world – even when that heats up the
debate about the role of women in
Homer’s Odyssey. Congratulations
to Sarah Murray who achieved an
excellent grade A at AS in Year 14
after taking the Odyssey paper in the
Enrichment module last year and
revising for this largely independently.
We hope that her studies of the rhetoric
of Cicero along with her Latin GCSE
stand her in good stead in her studies
of Creative & Professional Writing at
Bangor University in Wales. Next year,
we anticipate a welcome and refreshing
return to A-level Latin.
It has been a bleary-eyed pleasure to
offer classical Greek in the mornings to
several pupils and the very enthusiastic
Mr McCaw, who has offered us the
luxurious space of the Technology
Room for classes. Using Greek To
GCSE and online resources from the
Open University and Eton College, we
have pursued a fairly serious course
in the language. We are delighted that
Francesca Drumm was able to use
her Greek classes towards her Skills
portfolio for her Duke of Edinburgh’s
Award at Bronze level.
In March I had an unexpected
opportunity to bring our work to a
wider audience when I was contacted
by the Wendy Austin show on
BBC Radio Ulster to discuss the
announcement in Latin of the election
of the new Pope Francis. Clearly a
number of Victoria College parents
and grandparents were listening and I
am glad that Wendy set this nervous
participant very much at her ease! If
an announcement in Latin from the
Vatican can reach many millions,
maybe millions more will be inspired
to study this beautiful language and
culture. The Department remains
convinced that the study of the ancient
world and its ancient languages has a
great deal to offer to the modern world.
Dr J Brown
Drama
The Drama Department has had a
busy and successful year, with a
plethora of performances and trips,
workshops and visiting practitioners.
We began in October with our
performance of As You Like It as part
of the Shakespeare for Schools festival
in the brand new MAC theatre in
Belfast. This was a very exciting and
enjoyable experience for Year 12 pupils
not least for the collaboration between
the Drama and English Departments.
Several Drama students were heavily
involved in the bi-annual musical,
which this year was Calamity Jane. You
can read an account of this in our In
Performance section.
Autumn also saw a trip to the Lyric
Theatre to watch Lynne Parker’s
vision of Macbeth preceded by a
workshop from the actors involved in
the production. November saw a trip
to the MAC to watch Bruiser Theatre
Company’s performance of Lady
Windermere’s Fan. All the A-level
girls enjoyed this and had the privilege
of inviting the director Lisa May to
come into school to give a talk and
facilitate a workshop. November also
saw a talk from Paula McFeteridge
from Kaboosh Theatre Group, a unique
opportunity and most enlightening
experience, arranged as the group
wanted to research Drumglass House.
English
The academic year 2012-13 proved
a successful one for the English
Department. The year began with a
pleasing set of examination results,
especially at A-level where a 100%
pass rate at grades A* to C was
achieved by all students, a testament to
the dedication of staff and pupils alike.
The Muriel McGregor Poetry
Competition again highlighted the
depth of creative talent the College is
blessed with. As you will be able to see
elsewhere in this publication this year’s
theme of ‘Dreams’ allowed our writers
to experiment with many different
forms and voices. Almost 150 students
entered this year’s competition with a
variety of forms. The hard work and
enthusiasm of our creative writers is
much in evidence. We hope you enjoy
reading some of the fruits of their
labours. Particular mention must go to
Drama students enjoy their new space
December saw the production of two
A-level devised pieces, Anonymous
and Judgement.
After Christmas we were into rehearsals
for our AS monologues and duologues,
as well as the GCSE scripted work.
Six plays were performed, and 20
pupils took part in monologues and
duologues. All of this was showcased
for parents and friends. After Easter we
also showcased four plays by our AS
Drama groups and took a trip to see the
Northern Ballet’s version of The Great
Gatsby in the Grand Opera House.
The Department also moved into our
brand new Drama Suite, situated in the
Cranmore car park, and this has been
of great help to all the students, both for
Sophie Thompson of Year 13 who has
produced some enigmatic and haunting
work over the years.
World Book Day gave us another
chance to enjoy reading and writing
with lessons on related themes and
Library visits. With activities ranging
from graffiti walls to prizes for volume
of books read as well as presentations
and reviews given by students, the
experience proved stimulating and
worthwhile.
Senior pupils had the opportunity to
avail themselves of a series of high
quality lectures on AS and A2 texts
delivered at local universities. Year 14
attended day-long courses on the works
of Geoffrey Chaucer at the University
of Ulster in November and Queen’s
University Belfast in March. Year 13
AS students gained valuable insights
into F Scott Fitzgerald and his novel
The Great Gatsby at a day-long course
teaching and learning and rehearsing
purposes. We held an opening coffee
afternoon and the picture attached to
this article shows how much pupils
already feel at home.
We greatly missed Mrs Dornan who
was absent for a part of the year,
and would like to thank Miss Louise
Doherty for stepping in and teaching
the classes. Congratulations also to her
on the publication of her novel The
Hidden, a tale of family secrets set in
her native Belfast.
We look forward to as busy and
successful a time next year.
Mrs H Burn and Mrs Y Dornan
hosted by the University of Ulster,
Jordanstown in October and on Frost
and Thomas in December. These events
have become a worthwhile part of the
calendar in the Senior School. A-level
students benefit from the academic and
analytical rigour these events offer as
well as from the differing perspectives
gained on A-level texts.
Dr Brown’s creative writing society
Shakespeare’s Sisters continues to be
a well supported and valuable addition
to English at VCB. Again you can see
some of the best of their work elsewhere
in this publication. Dr Brown’s energy
and commitment to this club is much
appreciated by the English Department.
We welcomed her into the teaching of
A-level English Literature during the
academic year and I thank her for the
considerable verve, enthusiasm and
expertise she brought to the teaching
of Twentieth Century Drama during
Mrs Gray’s maternity leave.
29
Another society that continues to go
from strength to strength in the English
Department is the Debating Society.
At times lunch-time debates have
had triple figure audiences on both
the Junior and Senior campuses. Our
teams continue entered a number of
prestigious competitions. This year
has been our best year ever in terms
of competitive success with victories
over RBAI, Thornhill College and
Rathmore Grammar School to name
but a few. Ellen Beattie and Basma
Salem represented the College with
aplomb this year, with Basma reaching
the National Final at Stormont as a top
runner-up. Alix Bell, Emma Gilmartin
and Alexandra Doran have also
contributed notably to the success of
the society.
Geography
Year 11 Geographers completed the
collection of their fieldwork data along
the River Burn. We enjoyed glorious
weather, instead of precipitation. This
was the second year in which all Year
11 Geography students were entered
for their external GCSE module in
June. Thank you to all the students
who attended the additional revision
surgeries and gave of their best. The
results were amazing!
Year 13 Geographers visited Magilligan
Field Centre, for the annual two-night
residential. Students returned to Victoria
exhausted after collecting and sampling
river, urban and coastal data and
learning many fieldwork and statistical
techniques.
Year 14 Geographers visited Newcastle
to investigate the potential impact of
a National Park in the Mournes. This
gave students an opportunity to study
river and coastal management case
studies. They also developed their
sampling skills and a enjoyed a well
deserved hot chocolate in Maud’s.
2012-13 has also seen the development
of the Geography Department’s Virtual
30
Mr D McCracken
Year 9 Geography
Trip to Tollymore
2013 was another busy year for the
Department. As ever, the Department
found itself actively involved with trips
and residentials throughout the year.
Fifty Year 9 students enjoyed a onenight residential trip to Tollymore
Outdoor Adventure Centre. Students
experienced bouldering, abseiling,
rock climbing, orienteering and the
adrenalin-raising leap of faith on the
high ropes course. An exciting and
exhilarating time was had by both staff
and students. Year 10 Geographers
enjoyed a one-night residential on the
Antrim coast in which they visited
the Giant’s Causeway to investigate
weathering and erosion, and completed
a river study to collect fieldwork data.
The English Department welcomed
back two very experienced members
of staff in June. Mrs Beaney and Mrs
Gray return to the fold having added
to their respective families. We now
look forward to another busy and
rewarding year.
Fifty Year 9 girls got the opportunity
to go to Tollymore Outdoor Adventure
Centre for a Geography field trip.
Alys Jarden on the riverside
We got the bus from school and it was
an hour’s journey, give or take. When
we got there we were all very excited.
We got our room keys and went up to
the lounge room, which was very big.
After lunch and after we had settled
in, we went bouldering. It was great
fun and we all got completely soaked,
including Miss Lynch. We all came
back covered in mud, water and bruises.
Measuring up
Learning Environment. Students can
now access a wide range of revision
and support materials at home or in
school. Past examination questions,
model answers, revision notes, revision
lists, revision timetables and podcasts
are amongst the wide range of materials
available for pupils to browse and
download.
Congratulations to all students. Once
again, the Department’s examination
results were higher than the national
average for girls’ grammar schools
at GCSE and A-level. Special
congratulations must be given to Emily
Coyle who achieved the top candidate
ranking in Northern Ireland for GCSE
Geography and Megan Halliday who
was placed fourth.
Year 9 dressed for anything
Year 9 on the ropes!
Thank you to all members of the
Department and pupils who have made
this an enjoyable year!
Mrs J Haugh
Year 9 try the mud mask treatment
We got dried off and had dinner.
The food was lovely and many of us
had second helpings. At about seven
o’clock we went orienteering. After
everyone was back we got changed into
our pyjamas and went into the lounge
to play a few games before bed. Mrs
Haugh was playing the cardboard box
game with us. It was very funny. There
was very little sleep that night!
The next morning everyone was
struggling to get up for breakfast.
Everyone was a little nervous because
it was high ropes that day. We did the
climbing wall and abseiling first. It was
really fun because most of us had never
abseiled before. Then it was time for
the high ropes. The first thing we had
to do was climb up all of these moving
logs and net. The hardest part was at
the top. We had to climb up rotating
tyres. After everyone had done that – or
everyone who wanted to – it was time
for the leap of death. Almost everyone
tried but many failed. We had to climb a
pole that was almost 30 feet tall, and the
steps moved. Then at the top there was
a plank of wood that we had to jump
off. We had to try and grab a trapeze
bar once we had jumped. Everyone
gave it a good go but no-one could get
the trapeze. Miss Lynch made a gallant
effort but could only reach halfway.
Mrs Haugh completed the challenge.
After lunch we were all very sad to
leave. We said thank you to the leaders
and made our way to the coach. It was
so much fun and we would all love to
go back.
Erin Blundell Year 9
Health & Social Care
This year 15 girls studied A2 Health
& Social Care very successfully
and many of the girls have pursued
careers in this area: Kirsty Higginson
in midwifery, Katie McCullough in
general nursing, Uisce Jordan in social
work, Megan O’Neill in radiotherapy,
and Olivia Rue in primary teaching to
mention only a few. The Psychology
unit Understanding Human Behaviour
suited these girls who were planning
a caring career; this examination
unit was completed in January. This
allowed the girls time in the second
term to complete two portfolios in
Care Practice and Provision and finally
Child Development. The girls loved the
Child Development unit, as an essential
Year 13 Magilligan Field Trip
The AS Geography classes
participated in a residential field trip
to Magilligan Field Centre at the end
of February. The Magilligan Field
Centre is located a few miles outside
of Limavady and near Magilligan
Point and Downhill Beach.
We arrived at Magilligan on 28
February by bus from school and after
we had packed away our luggage, we
were briefed by the Centre organisers.
We had to investigate the downstream
changes in the River Curly Burn and
write an investigation. The discharge
was high at this time of year and
resulted in water in our wellies! We
were saturated. The following day, we
visited an Area of Special Scientific
Interest (ASSI) nearby called Umbra
where we investigated the plant
succession from sand dunes to oak
forest. We also ran into a herd of cows.
The evenings were spent completing
part of the course was to design a
learning aid for a particular girl. After
consultation with the Prep 3 and 4
teachers, each student was assigned
a Prep girl to trial their designs, in
order to develop the pupil’s fine motor
skills and intellectual development in
a specific topic studied.
The Health & Social Care pupils have
many links with the Prep Department
and in Year 13 the girls volunteer
for one period a week in assisting in
Playgroup and Pre-school. The H&SC
Department tries to facilitate as many
voluntary experiences as possible: this
year we linked up with Disability NI
and the girls assisted in their many
events. One in particular was Kurling,
where children and adults with physical
Year 13 made it to the top
fieldwork questions in the recreation
room (and there was much complaining
about that) and writing up a fieldwork
report in the small computer room.
After that, a movie was produced,
as was a sickeningly large mound of
sweets and chocolate. Our last day was
spent in Coleraine so that we could
complete a shopping survey there and
a Nearest Neighbour statistical test.
Afterwards Coleraine’s Starbucks was
stormed en masse.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable trip and
it helped us understand our Geography
course, especially when it came to sand
dunes and river. It also meant we didn’t
have homework for a few days, so no
complaints there.
Naomi Skilling Year 14
disabilities compete in this sport,
which involves trying to get a puck as
close as possible to a target mat. In the
accompanying photograph you can see
Tara Hallworth and Emma Blair assist
a wheelchair user to get the puck on
target.
In total, 23 girls studied AS Health
& Social Care; similar to the A2 girls
they completed two portfolios and one
examination. Promoting Good Health
is one of the portfolio units and as part
of this unit the girls devised a Health
Promotion campaign. Some of the
campaigns focused on promoting selfesteem and healthy eating and on issues
around binge-drinking. The group
which chose healthy eating promoted
this campaign to the Year 8s during
31
Festival time. Communications in Care
Setting is the second portfolio where the
girls spend time with Primary 1 and 2
classes, observing good communication
and recording their own communication
skills. The examination unit for AS-level
is completed in the June series.
This year, we introduced GCSE Health
& Social Care. This also has practical
elements to the course, where the girls
spend time in an Early Years setting one
period a fortnight. We had girls placed
in different daycare facilities such as
Victoria Pre-school and Playgroup,
Over the Rainbow at Deramore and
Eglantine, Little Hands Little Feet,
Buddies, Stranmillis Nursery and
Inchmarlo Nursery. This is essential
experience for the girls in writing their
portfolio work. This group will take
an examination unit in June to complete
this course.
We also introduced a Double Award
qualification at A-level, which is
equivalent to two A-levels. This course
is suitable for girls who are planning
a career in Health & Social Care. Four
girls are studying this A-level, and
they spent time this year in an Early
Years setting and in residential care
at Bethany Care Home and Redlands
Residential to gain experience of
working with different groups.
Mrs A Loane
Kurling for
Disability NI
On Thursday 8 November, a group
of 12 Sixth Formers associated with
the Heath & Social Care programme
travelled to Antrim Forum. In this large
leisure centre we assisted our local
charity this school year, Disability NI,
by helping to referee a dry kurling
competition. Dry or New Age kurling
is like the traditional Scottish sport of
winter curling which takes place on
ice with brushes, except that there is
no ice and no brushes and you play
on a dry surface. You play the game
by pushing stones (made of bearings)
along the surface of the playing area,
the idea being to get more of your
stones closer to the centre of the target
than your opposing team. Within each
game we had three rounds. Each team
had four kurling stones or kurlers
which were either red or blue. The
winner of each round was the team
who had the most kurlers on the mat,
which looked like a big archery target
on the ground. The beauty of this sport
is that disabled people can compete
on completely equal terms with the
able-bodied, hence the promotion
by Disability NI. The competitions
included lots of teams from schools for
children who had a disability, and each
school had at least one team. Each team
had a chance to play the other teams;
History
The History Department has
focused very intensely on improving
teaching and learning and has been
rewarded with great success in public
examinations. At A2 all History
candidates achieved grades A* to C.
Congratulations to Emma Donnan on
achieving her A* in addition to her
tennis triumph. At GCSE level, the
Department achieved an outstanding
proportion of 31% candidates at A*
with 47% securing either an A* or an A
grade. No fewer than 9 girls achieved
full marks (200/200) in Paper One!
We welcomed another PGCE student to
the Department this year. Our student
from last year, Mr Michael Brown, has
had a very successful year in Bolton
School, England. Kathryn Chowder
was an exchange student from the
University of Virginia who was based
at Stranmillis University College, and
she joined us for eight weeks. Thrown
32
Group at Carrick Castle
the winning team from each section
then advanced to the finals to play the
winners of their sections. We learnt
many things from helping Disability
NI: first and foremost, we leant how
to kurl, which many including myself
had never played before. We learnt
how to referee and score the kurling.
We gained experience in working with
other adults and also working with
children who are disabled. The whole
day was very beneficial because, apart
from the learning, we also got to see
the children’s passion for the sport of
kurling.
Holly Cairns Year 13
Kurling for Disability NI
in very much at the deep end not only
in a new school but in a new school
system, she found herself conquering
the topic of the Normans with Year 8.
She left with a much greater grounding
in mediaeval and early modern Irish
history which we hope she can use on
her return to the eastern United States!
A hard worker who quickly formed
happy and productive relationships with
her pupils and got thoroughly immersed
in the extra-curricular life of the school,
she left a very positive impression on
our staff and girls. She too spoke very
warmly of her time at Victoria College.
Her words must have taken effect in
Virginia, as 2013-14 will see another
student from the University in the
former colony join our Department.
Look up there
Once more Year 8 stormed
Carrickfergus Castle in March,
accompanied by several teachers from
within and outside the Department. The
images which accompany the article
show some of the fun we had, and
you can read some of the comments
from Year 8 below. I thank all our
staff in the Department for their hard
work not least in administering and
marking Controlled Assessment. We
look forward to another successful and
rewarding year in 2013-14.
Mrs N McMurray
In the dark
Enjoying the tour
Danielle Mackle:
When I went to Carrickfergus Castle
for a class trip, I had an amazing time
and I think everyone else did as well.
Firstly when we were walking to the
banqueting hall I saw cannons! They
were huge but I think they had been
made safe. We went up many stairs to
the keep where the king would have
lived, and we all got to stand on the seethrough cover of a well which was very
deep. The water in the well is what the
soldiers survived on when they were
under siege. They also ate the guard
dogs! We know this because the bones
of a large dog were found. When the
Normans tried to invade the English
killed some of them and ate them! We
all found these interesting facts out by
going into a small room and watching
an animated video clip about it.
Next we went upstairs to a room with
all the armour the soldiers wore, such
as chain mail and about three hats! The
chain mail was extremely heavy and I
could barely hold it. To get down to the
main room with the well we went down
a narrow passageway of stairs. It was
33
Emily attacks
Annalese in a straight jacket
Nice helmet, Jessica
Playing the box game
Heidi attacks the photographer
Alexandra Luke:
It was fascinating how they were able
to recreate the actual size of a dog by
using its skeleton.
marks on the walls.
Karla makes a new friend
really scary and I got dizzy.
Next we went to see the different types
of catapults outside. One of them would
send things far and low and the other
sent things less far but high. These
would have been best for shooting
rocks up to the top of the castle, and it
would crush people. Flint was the best
rock as it would break off and kill
more people!
It was a very interesting trip.
Catherine McIlhone:
Castlefergus Castle was the most
enjoyable trip. We learnt about the
weapons they brought with them to
war and the clothes they wore. The
scariest bit was walking down the spiral
staircase. It was such a squeeze!
Ava McIlhone:
I got to hold a real bow and arrow. I
really enjoyed it. It was also very cool
to see what they wore.
34
Sophie Lockhart:
Looking down the hole into the well
was magic. It is beside salt water and
isn’t linked at all to any nearby rivers
(Queen’s University has tested) but it is
fresh drinking water... Dead cows that
had been in the sun for three days and
had maggots over them were catapulted
over the castle walls then bits of dead
cow would go over everyone and give
all those in the castle diseases so they
would die.
Lara McFerran:
I liked the banquet hall... It shows that
human emotions are the same as there
were carvings and tally marks that the
guards made when they were bored. It
is fascinating to see the scars of spear
Anna O’Hara:
It is amazing to think the castle is
over 900 years old and still in great
condition.
Orlaith Mulholland:
When I put on the chain mail it was
so heavy. There is a well in the castle
which is in the ground. The castle is
absolutely freezing!
Dasha Kresnodembskaya:
I thought it was very interesting to learn
about the place where the castle was
built, and also learning what the knights
used as weapons to protect the castle.
Eva Mulligan:
I loved playing the hand-in-the-box
game.
Home Economics
This year has seen the departure
very late in the year both of our Head
of Department Mrs O’Neill-Skelly
and of Dr Lisa Meneely who acted up
as Head of Department during Mrs
O’Neill-Skelly’s maternity leave. Both
ladies have left us for posts much
nearer their roots; you can read their
farewells earlier in the magazine. In the
light of so much change, the reliable
support provided by our technicians
Mrs McKnight (Cranmore Campus)
and Mrs Guiney (Richmond) is more
valuable than ever and offers a sense of
permanence and continuity.
The new CCEA GCSE specification is
now well embedded. The management
of Controlled Assessment is particularly
complicated and time-consuming, as
practical sessions must be timetabled
within the school day with the cooperation of other teaching staff.
However, as you can see from the
delicious meals set out in the images
here, it was all worth it and reflected
in the excellent results. It was rightly
described by those who should know
as “restaurant quality food” presented
at restaurant level. Healthy eating and
personal care are still very much to the
fore in our Health-Promoting School,
and we have a beautiful new display
board which reflects our emphases
on these issues. Year 8 study food
ingredients and hygiene in a Key Stage
Information &
Communication
Technology
This year we were rewarded with
excellent results at all levels, not least
because of the sterling efforts of Mr
Taylor who has now left us and whose
farewell you can read in the opening
section of the magazine. We will
miss him.
The revised GCSE ICT course is now
in full swing, and pupils continue to
enjoy the Games Development module
which asks them to design and create
a game using Game Maker software.
Year 10 pupils have also enjoyed a
taster of the software, which offers
them a glimpse into the highly lucrative
world of games development which
has brought so much success to the UK
computer industry.
GCSE Fine Dining
In the GCSE kitchen
3 module imaginatively entitled Aliens
in Our Food. The Department again
entered Year 13 candidates for early AS
units in Nutrition for Optimal Health.
Last year’s visit to the famous Mourne
Seafood Restaurant and Bar in
December and February for Years 12
The AS and A2 programmes require
extensive coursework which accounts
for up to 60% of the final mark.
Pupils produce excellent multimedia portfolios which include
web development to a demanding
specification, including custom banners,
logos using Photoshop, animation
using Flash, video and voiceover with
full accessibility to able-bodied and
disabled users. Clearly the ICT courses
produce students who are well equipped
to meet the challenges of the modern
financial and business world.
There were major changes to the C2K
network at the start of the academic
year, and staff in particular are to
be congratulated on coping without
too much panic with the relocation
or removal of resources which were
occupying considerable space on
the network. We moved to a Cloudbased network offering virtual
storage and therefore much increased
and 13 Home Economics candidates
was such a success that it was repeated.
The Belfast Cookery School based in
central Belfast is the city’s first cookery
school. Sixteen professionally equipped
cookery stations inspire the girls to
improve their kitchen skills. Northern
Ireland is justly famous for its fish
and sourcing, preparing and serving a
variety of fish was a special focus of
the short course. Mrs McKnight got to
participate too, and particularly enjoyed
the tasting! Throughout the year the
ethics of food sourcing has been a
major emphasis.
Cookery Club, both Junior and
Senior, remains a very popular afterschool option which is heavily oversubscribed. The mini carrot cakes and
Malteaser cheesecakes were especially
popular - perhaps not so healthy,
though!
With thanks to Mrs McKnight
capacity. Wireless provision increased
dramatically with Drumglass House
and Richmond acquiring much speedier
and more reliable connections. After
involving the pupils in an online
discussion and questionnaire on
our Virtual Learning Environment,
we have acquired a set of iPads for
classroom use which can be ‘booked’
and are already being heavily used.
Throughout the year staff and pupils
provided feedback on their impact
on teaching and learning. Almost all
classrooms now benefit from interactive whiteboards to allow media-rich
experiences in the classroom.
Internet safety has been promoted at
every level in the school, with outside
speakers including representatives of
the PSNI addressing the issues of safe
networking and use of social media and
the dangers of cyber-bullying.
Mr N Kavanagh
35
Library
Another busy year in the Library
with various events, author visits
and thousands of books read and
borrowed! The Library also moved
into the 21st Century by installing a
new interactive Library Management
System allowing pupils, staff and
parents to access resources from
anywhere via our new website at
https://u015224.microlibrarian.net/
or even on the app for your mobile or
tablet! Visit
http://www.microlib.co.uk/home/
imls.aspx
for details or search for the iMLS app
on Apple or Android.
At Bangor Grammar School
Robert Muchamore
We started the year on a high in
September as we were delighted to
host author Robert Muchamore who
spent several hours entertaining Years
8, 9 and 10. Robert was on a tour of the
UK and Ireland and we were one of
only three schools he agreed to visit in
Northern Ireland, which was a real coup
for the College.
Most teenagers are already fans of his
work - Robert is currently one of the
most high-profile authors of teenage
books and has sold over 3.5 million
copies in the UK and Ireland alone.
This is reflected in our own pupils
and for several years his books have
been amongst the most popular in the
College Library. Many pupils at the
College have wanted to meet him for
several years and were delighted that
he finally had time to visit.
Robert’s books are based around the
CHERUB organisation – a secret
government organisation that trains
teenagers to work undercover against
enemy agents. He has now published
nearly 20 titles including the latest in
the series Guardian Angel. The Cherub
series has won numerous awards.
Cherub: The Recruit won the Red
House Children’s Book Award in 2005
and in 2007 it was the 11+ category
winner in Richard & Judy’s Children’s
Book Club. Cherub: The Sleepwalker
was awarded the Independent
Booksellers’ Book Prize 2008.
After a lively talk to the pupils, Robert
answered questions before signing
copies of his books for jubilant pupils.
36
Robert Muchamore and VCB make the Telegraph!
Royal Society Young
People’s Book Prize
Our first book award of the year
saw pupils help judge the Royal
Society Young People’s Book Prize
which “celebrates the best books that
communicate science to young people.”
The Royal Society has awarded a junior
book prize since 1988 with the aim of
encouraging the writing, publishing and
reading of good and accessible books
that communicate science to young
people.
Victoria College was one of only a
handful of schools participating in the
award in Northern Ireland. Pupils from
Years 8 to 12 were selected as a judging
panel and, over the course of several
weeks, had to read through each of the
books on the shortlist.
Royal Society Book Award
These were:
•How the Weather Works
by Christiane Dorion
•Out of this World:
All the Cool Bits about Space
by Clive Gifford
•Plagues Pox and Pestilence
by Richard Platt
•Science Experiments
by Robert Winston
•See Inside: Inventions
by Alex Frith
Royal Society Book Award - difficult choices
•The Magic of Reality
by Richard Dawkins,
illustrated by Dave McKean
After careful consideration and a lively
debate votes were cast for our favourite
book – as we were an official judging
panel this was fed back to the Royal
Society to help decide the overall
winner.
We chose The Magic of Reality as our
favourite but the winner overall was
Science Experiments. This was the
second year we have been involved
in this book award but it is proving
to be very popular and is now an
annual event in the Library. See http://
royalsociety.org/awards/young-people/
for further information.
Royal Society Book Award Shortlist
Kids Lit Quiz
Once again this year the College
entered the annual Kids Lit Quiz at
Wellington College Belfast. This
literature based quiz is held every year
and schools from across the province
are invited to enter teams of pupils from
Years 8 and 9. Although we did not win
the overall competition, we came away
with a number of prizes.
Congratulations to Methodist College.
See http://www.kidslitquiz.com/ for
more information.
37
The Northern
Ireland Book Award
Our second book award of the year
was The Northern Ireland Book Award.
This is a local award and participation
is limited to pupils in schools in
Northern Ireland. This year a group of
pupils travelled to RBAI for the launch
ceremony where we met the author
Joe Craig and received our pack of
nominated titles:
•Twelve Minutes To Midnight
by Christopher Edge
•Small Change for Stuart
by Lissa Evans
•Wonder by RJ Palacio
•Itch by Simon Mayo
•All Fall Down by Sally Nicholls
•The Case of the Good Looking
Corpse by Caroline Lawrence
•The Adjusters by Andrew Taylor
•Oliver Twisted by JD Sharp
Nicola Pierce
In February we were delighted to
host the author Nicola Pierce. A local
author, Nicola splits her life between
Drogheda and Belfast.
Speaking in the Richmond Assembly
Hall, Nicola gave a lively and
interesting talk to Years 8 and 9 about
her novel Spirit of the Titanic. The
NI Book Awards Launch with author Joe Craig
After the launch every pupil was invited
to read as many books as possible on
the shortlist. Over the next we few
months we had many enthusiastic
pupils eagerly trying to read every book
and add their thoughts onto the official
website at http://www.nibookaward.
org.uk/. We then took votes on our
favourite books and fed this back to the
organisers.
In March a selection of pupils travelled
to Bangor Grammar School for the
grand finale of the event. There we
got to meet the excellent author
DJ McCune and saw a number of
presentations before the overall
winner was announced – Wonder by
RJ Palacio, which was an extremely
popular choice.
novel is a work of fiction but based
on real life individuals and events.
The central character is fifteen-yearold Samuel Scott who died while
building the Titanic. After the ship is
launched and sailing to her doom, his
ghost moves restlessly alongside the
passengers and crew: Frederick Fleet,
the young look-out who spotted the
iceberg and who survived in a life-boat
with (the unsinkable) Molly Brown;
Howard Hartley Wallace, the heroic
band-leader who played ragtime music
as the freezing waters lapped at his feet;
Harold Bride, the junior radio operator
whose messages echoed on, long after
the ship had disappeared to its icy
grave!
Following her talk Nicola answered
questions from an excited audience
before signing copies of her books for
pupils and staff.
Book Fairs
This year we held two book fairs in
school, one in October and one in
March. The fairs gives pupils the
chance to purchase some great books
at reduced rates and the school also
benefits as we receive a number of free
books for the Library as commission
from all of the money raised. This year
we were delighted to receive over £400
worth of free books, so many thanks to
all those pupils who participated.
Nicola Pierce visits VCB
38
The Carnegie
Book Award
Our last book award of the year
was the prestigious Carnegie Medal
which is awarded annually to the
writer of an outstanding book for
children. It was established by in 1936,
in memory of the great Scottish-born
philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie
(1835-1919).
The award is decided by a select panel
each year but schools are invited to
shadow this process and pupils are
encouraged to evaluate the nominated
books themselves. This year the short
listed titles were:
•The Weight of Water
by Sarah Crossan
•A Greyhound of a Girl
by Roddy Doyle
•Maggot Moon
by Sally Gardner
•In Darkness
by Nick Lake
•Wonder
by R.J. Palacio
•Midwinterblood
by Marcus Sedgwick
•A Boy and a Bear in a Boat
by Dave Shelton
•Code Name Verity
by Elizabeth Wein
The winner, Maggot Moon, was
announced at the end of June and
Sally Gardner became the 74th
recipient of the medal.
Mr R McDonald
Mathematics
Pupils from a number of year groups
have taken part in the UK Mathematical
Trust Maths Challenges that are
organised by the University of Leeds
throughout the year.
In November 2012 Year 13 and Year
14 Mathematics pupils took part in
the Senior Maths Challenge. There
were one gold certificate, two silver
certificates and 11 bronze certificates
awarded. April Lam from Year 14
obtained the gold certificate and she
was also awarded the ‘Best in School’
certificate. Aya Helmy and Jenny
Salmon from Year 13 obtained the
silver certificates.
Also in November 2012 a team of
four AS and A2 Mathematics pupils
took part in the regional final of the
Senior Team Maths Challenge at
Rockport School. This is a demanding
mathematical competition and the team
of Helen Bennett and April Lam from
Year 14 and Aya Helmy and Ceci Yip
from Year 13 enjoyed an afternoon
of working on and solving a range of
challenging maths problems.
Sixty-seven pupils from Year 11
took part in the Intermediate Maths
Challenge in February 2013. There
were five silver certificates and 10
bronze certificates awarded. Helen
Francis, Anna Johnston, Jessica
Carter, Bronagh McCann and Nikita
McColgan obtained the silver
certificates with Helen also being
awarded the ‘Best in School’ certificate.
Fifty-four pupils from Year 9 took
part in the Junior Maths Challenge
in April 2013. There were four silver
certificates and 10 bronze certificates
awarded. Sophie Doran, Sophie Wilson,
Emma Hand and Janie Kennedy
obtained the silver certificates with
Sophie Doran also being awarded the
‘Best in School’ certificate.
A team of Year 9 and Year 10 pupils
took part in the regional final of the
Junior Team Maths Challenge at
Rockport School in April 2013. Katie
Brennan and Amy Edwards from Year
10 and Katie McConkey and Teresa
Chan from Year 9 formed the team
and they had an enjoyable day at the
challenge working on and completing
the variety of puzzles and problems that
were set.
Our sincere congratulations to Sophie
Stewart, who achieved the firist place
in CCEA GCSE Mathematics – as well
as coming second in CCEA Biology
and third in Chemistry. What an
astonishing achievement!
Miss L Scott
Modern Languages
German Newsreading
Competition
Towards the end of the Summer
Term seven enthusiastic pupils from
the Year 10 German class gathered in
L3 to read the latest news for German
television. This was a nationwide
competition called “Digital Days”
run by the Goethe Institut in London
to promote German as a European
language. It proved to be a very popular
competition, attracting entries from
over one hundred schools across the
UK. Prior to sitting in front of the
camera the girls had carefully honed
their accents and got their tongues
around the deliberately difficult tongue
twisters in news items which covered
politics, culture and sport. The greatest
fun, however, was the dressing up to
look the part! The digital recording
was then sent to London where it was
judged as highly commended, with
the winning place going to a school
in Somerset.
Well done to Gina Gilmartin, Sophie
Hunter, Erin Burnett, Emma Connolly,
Frankie Eldred, Robyn Chambers, and
Katie Lynn!
Miss H Robinson
39
European Day of
Languages
Budding linguists from Years 10 to
13 performed a dynamic piece of
drama at a cultural concert to celebrate
EDL at the end of September 2012.
The Modern Languages enthusiasts
participated in an exhibition featuring
the tastes and sounds of Europe
and beyond, as schools from across
Northern Ireland joined together to
celebrate and highlight their creative
and linguistic talents. Here is a
summary from our participants:
On 26 September we participated in
a concert to celebrate European Day
of Languages at the City Hall Belfast.
After rehearsals following school and
collecting all our props together into
our group’s travel case we scheduled
a dress rehearsal in front of the Senior
School assembly. In the morning prior
to our performance we practised our
sketches and perfected our make-up.
Once there we were provided with
refreshments before entering the Great
Hall. We enjoyed nine other schools’
performances which included singing,
drama and dances before getting up to
show off all our hard work. After our
eye-catching and pleasing performance
and once the last school participated
in the event, we were given a packed
lunch full of tasty surprises and had our
photographs taken, then we made our
way to the bus. We really enjoyed our
day out.
Alexandra Dick, Frankie Eldred,
Emma Connolly Year 10
Juvenes Translatores
For the second year in a row, Mrs
Soto-Kelly registered Victoria College
for the annual translation competition
organised by the European Commission
open to pupils born in a given year
(1995 this time). Again we were
selected to enter the contest, and you
can read Julia Kennedy’s very positive
account of her experience below. Thank
you very much to Mrs Soto-Kelly for
organising the event.
Julia writes:
On 27 November 2012, Elena Olmo
Campos, Cushla Little, Wiktoria
Slomkowska, Aya Helmy and myself
40
were asked to represent Victoria
College in the competition run on
an annual basis by the European
Commission known as Juvenes
Translatores (‘Young Translators’ in
Latin) in which each candidate had to
translate from one European language
to another. Respectively, we worked
in Italian, French, Polish, German and
Spanish.
This year, only students who were born
in 1995 were allowed to participate
in the competition. We all translated
from a foreign language in which we
excelled, or a language in which we
were fluent as the source language, into
our target language, which was English.
Victoria College was one of the 73
schools representing the UK. There
can only be one winner from each EU
country represented and although a boy
in London won the UK competition,
translating from English into German,
all of the Victoria College participants
received a certificate acknowledging
their participation and in my case, I
received a special citation from the
European Commission congratulating
me on the quality of my translation,
which my parents have framed.
It was a great honour, in this, my first
year as a pupil at Victoria College, to
have been asked by both the French and
Spanish Departments of the College
to represent them. Furthermore, given
my trilingual background and my good
fortune to have been able to acquire
a high level of French (having been
born close to the French frontier) I
have to say that – quite apart from the
honour to have been chosen in the first
place – it was a great pleasure for me
to have been able to participate in the
competition.
All in all, it was an experience that
I would highly recommend to all
at Victoria College, not only for
the experience itself, but for the
recognition, honour and especially
the prestige our collective efforts have
added to our school’s outstanding
reputation for academic achievement.
My visit to
Victoria College
From 10-11 October 2012, we had
the pleasure of hosting a European
colleague, Frau Ulrike Wiek. Ulrike
came to us from the Friedrich-SchillerGymnasium in Königs-Wusterhausen
in Brandenburg state in Germany. As
a teacher of German and English, she
hoped to see something of the school
programme in a Northern Ireland
grammar school to compare it to her
own academically selective but mixed
school. She enjoyed hospitality from
Miss McMackin, Miss Robinson and
Dr Brown and made a two-day visit to
school and to Belfast. As you can tell
from her comments below, the visit was
a success!
Belfast, 11 October 2012
As a teacher in a grammar school in
Germany (Land Brandenburg) I have
Onatti Plays
Between October 2012 and April
2013, the Onatti theatre company
visited VCB on four occasions, to
perform plays in French (Ecris-moi
for Key Stage 3 on 13 December and
Les Filles for KS4 on 22 November),
Spanish (En el campaneo on 22
October) and German (Nichts zum
anziehen on 8 April). Pupils and
teachers alike enjoyed exciting
performances, made even better by
audience participation. We look forward
to inviting the Onatti Theatre Company
back to Victoria College in the future.
French Film Nights
Year 13 and 14 French students
enjoyed two evenings at the cinema
to watch excellent films in French or
relating to France: Intouchables, at
QFT, and Les Misérables at the Movie
House. Both shows gave pupils the
opportunity to expand their knowledge
and enjoyment of the language and
created opportunities for discussion on
contemporary issues as well as cultural
and historical aspects of France.
Watching films together is a very
relaxing way to experience languages
outside the classroom!
enjoyed being at your College very
much. Miss McMackin gave me such
a warm welcome and provided me
with such a very varied and interesting
programme that I felt fine from the
very first moment. As your College is a
single-sex school, the overall presence
of only girls was new to me. Nice girls,
very polite, in their school uniforms
– what a beautiful sight! I guess the
boys of my school would like to attend
all lessons here! By the way, I was
overwhelmed to see how much the girls
are interested in communicating with
students from Germany to apply and
extend their German language skills.
Assembly topic: International Day of
the Girl. Yes, we should never take
anything for granted. So congratulations
on what you have achieved!
I enjoyed all the classes I could see,
such as German, English, Drama,
Biology, Mathematics and Geography.
On the other hand, I think teachers
as well as students are much under
pressure because of the hard assessment
scheme. We have to do a lot of testing
too, but your assessment pressure
seems to be much higher. I liked your
I’d like to thank Ms Slevin, Principal of
the College, for giving me the chance of
visiting her College.
Well, tomorrow when the girls of
Biology 2 will be checking the results
of their osmosis experiment, I will be
in the Titanic Museum. There is so
much to see and experience in Belfast. I
would like to stay here much longer, but
have to be back at school on Monday
morning. I will take home many
precious memories of Victoria College,
its nice and co-operative teachers as
well as its nice and active girls.
Best wishes and much success!
Ulrike Wiek
Italian
Italian remains a popular choice of
language for upils in Victoria College.
I am happy to report that numbers
studying GCSE and A-level Italian
have increased. For the second year I
was delighted to work with Mrs Silvia
Ballocchi, Italian language assistant.
Silvia has written a short piece in
Italian, of course, about herself and her
career to date.
Grazie mille, Silvia!
Mrs L Diffin
Com’è stato bello ed interessante
parlare in italiano con le ragazze di Mrs.
41
Diffin per i loro studi a livello A/AS!
Ogni settimana mi sembrava di essere a
Milano e discutere in italiano.
Tutto questo è stato possibile perché
alcuni anni fa io e la mia famiglia ci
siamo trasferiti dalla Lombardia (in
Nord Italia), alla contea di Down (in
Nord Irlanda).
Per me, che sono appassionata di lingue
straniere (infatti parlo inglese, tedesco
e francese) è stata un’esperienza
entusiasmante fin dall’inizio. Io
desideravo migliorare il mio inglese,
ma tanta gente desiderava imparare
meglio l’italiano.
Per aiutare gli altri a comprendere
meglio l’italiano ho studiato con
l’Università per Stranieri di Siena;
in seguito ho fatto esperienze
di insegnamento a Newcastle,
Downpatrick ed anche, come sapete,
al Victoria College di Belfast come
“Language Assistant” di Mrs Diffin.
loro italiano, ma anche perché hanno
imparato a conoscere meglio una
diversa cultura. Infatti, la conoscenza
di una lingua straniera non solo aiuta
a comprendere la storia e l’evoluzione
della lingua stessa nei secoli, ma
apre anche nuove porte in ambiti
professionali.
A presto.
Silvia Ballocchi
Mi è piaciuto parlare con le ragazze:
non solo perché hanno migliorato il
Year 8 Paris Trip
On Tuesday 18 June, 42 pupils and
five teachers left VCB on their way to
Paris, followed on the Wednesday by
another 39 pupils and four teachers.
Both groups reached their destination
in the early afternoon and started in the
sunshine with a boat trip on the Seine,
which allowed them to take in the main
landmarks of the city. Then came a
visit to Montmartre and a meal before
transferring to the hotel.
Another day was spent exploring
various places in Paris: the Tour
Montparnasse, with breathtaking views
of the city, the Museum d’Histoire
Naturelle and its beautiful Grande
Galerie de l’Evolution, Notre Dame
(group 2), the Musée d’Orsay (group
1), an amazing building which is
home to world class art (we saw some
original Van Gogh paintings) enjoyed
by visitors and French primary school
children who come here for Art classes.
We also enjoyed a picnic in the Jardin
des Plantes next to the Natural History
Museum. The Musée de la Poupée was
a little disappointing for some after the
fantastic places we had seen earlier that
day but many enjoyed the great display
of dolls from around the world.
At the Park
Parisian skyline
Both groups were together for two
evenings and, more importantly, for the
full day in Parc Astérix, a theme park
with a very definite French flavour; it
was a most enjoyable expedition from
which we all returned tired and hungry,
ready for a good meal at the hotel.
To round off a very successful trip,
Group 1 called at the Cité des Sciences
et de l’Industrie on their way to the
airport. A slight delay meant that we
only had time for the magnificent
Leonardo exhibition, which focused on
42
On the rides
Montmartre
Da Vinci as an inventor and engineer...
Mrs Madden was in technology
heaven! Group 2’s schedule was
slightly different, and their stay ended
with a little retail therapy in Disney
Village.
After an uneventful return trip from
Charles de Gaulle airport to VCB via
Dublin, everybody was glad to be
reunited with their families and happy
to have experienced an action-packed
few days in Paris.
You can read some of the pupils’
impressions below.
Mme C Williamson
Lara McFerran:
I think Paris is the best city ever... The best bit was Parc Astérix, and there are
dolphins there that flipped a girl up into the air.
Miss Faloona, Mrs McKnight and Miss
Stewart with a few friends
Sophie Lockhart:
My favourite part is Parc Astérix. It had lots of fun and scary rides, one
roller coaster with four loops and two vertical drops.
Anonymous comments:
We learned everything about the teachers in Paris.
We loved... the teachers acting and dressing different.
The teachers aren’t themselves out of school.
The best trip ever! Wish I was there. Teachers were so much fun. Thanks!
Time to relax
Spanish Exchange
In February 2013, a group of 12
pupils with Miss Robinson and Mrs
Soto-Kelly travelled to Huelva,
Southern Spain to return the visit of
our exchange partner school La Rábida
to Victoria College in June 2012. We
landed on Portuguese territory in Faro
airport and were welcomed by midday
scorching sun. We crossed the border
into Spain after only 60 minutes driving
along fields full of strawberries and
oranges.
As part of our visit to the Instituto
La Rábida, we attended some master
classes on the uses of Spanish in the
southern area of Spain and also on the
history and British legacy of Huelva.
We had time to share information about
Victoria College with some pupils and
teachers in the Spanish school.
During our stay in this area we shared
two wonderful days in the company
of our Spanish friends visiting the old
mines of Riotinto, playing volleyball
while we sunbathed in El Portil
beach and touring through Doñana
Natural Reserve Park. We also spent
a lot of time socialising with our
Spanish friends from Huelva and
walking around the town. We had
the opportunity to taste lovely tapas
and had evening meals in different
43
restaurants every night. We could not
have survived without some retail
therapy, and Mrs Soto-Kelly took us to
a shopping centre where we had time
to prepare our outfits for the disco we
attended with our Spanish friends on
Friday evening.
On Saturday, we visited Seville, one
of the largest and most beautiful cities
in Spain. We climbed to the top of La
Giralda, a cathedral tower, from which
we enjoyed stunning views of the city.
We also went to Los Reales Alcazares
and La Plaza de España, outstanding
buildings famous for their architecture
and artistic value.
All in all, this was a unique and
complete immersion in the Spanish
culture thoroughly enjoyed by pupils
and teachers alike.
Mrs C Soto-Kelly
44
Music
From their first days at the College,
pupils are encouraged to participate in a
wide range of musical activities. In Key
Stage 3 classes they learn the basics of
performing, composing and listening
skills, and are able to audition for
the Junior Choir and Junior Chamber
Choir. At GCSE there is an exciting
emphasis on composition. Pupils are
required to produce a portfolio of two
compositions of between three and
six minutes. One is related to another
area of study. The compositions of
Emma Gilmartin and Ellen Beattie
were performed at the Carol Service
Physical Education
What a wonderfully successful year
it was. Unbelievably, we won five
Ulster titles in five different sports
in a matter of a few months. The
Senior Tennis Team won the Senior
Ulster Schools’ Championships, and
the VCB swimmers maintained their
high standard winning the Ulster
Grammar Schools’ title. The Tabletennis Team won the Under-19 Ulster
League again. The Intermediate
Cross Country Team won the Ulster
Cross Country Championships for
the second year running and the 1st
Government &
Politics
Government & Politics at A-level
continues to present a new opportunity
to students entering Sixth Form who
want to try a contemporary and highly
relevant subject which will challenge
preconceptions and stimulate thinking
about the political systems which
shape our lives in Northern Ireland
and beyond. While government policy
has allowed, we have continued to
offer an early A2 examination unit on
Religious Studies
In my last report I highlighted the
curricular changes we introduced in
relation to GCSE. I am now pleased
to report that the students really
did themselves justice in the early
module with a truly wonderful set
of results: 93% A*-C (120 students).
Whilst many students have been
challenged with the deep philosophical
questions they have had to deal with,
they have risen to these academic
challenges and enjoyed the mature
nature of such existential questions.
this year; Emma played at the piano
for her own piece and Ellen’s sister
Hannah sang the solo part, and the
live recordings were submitted as part
of their portfolio. GCSE moderators
used Ellen’s portfolio as an example
of work of an exceptionally high
standard. At A-level, Naomi Sharratt,
an experienced and accomplished
guitarist and singer-songwriter,
played John Dowland’s Come Again
Sweet Love, also covered by Sting,
for the performance element of her
examination.
The Choirs, Orchestra and smaller
ensembles are a permanent feature
XI Hockey Team received the Shield.
It’s not always about the winning,
but the cheering on and the
participating. Victoria College pupils
had a fabulous day out at the Belfast
Telegraph Senior Schools’ Hockey
Cup final supporting their peers, and
the Senior Netball Team competed in
the Belfast Cup Final. Rebecca Getty
was runner-up in the prestigious
Champion of Champions Badminton
competition.
In addition to these elite events,
many more pupils enjoyed
recreational activities, Sports Day,
Comparative Government (focusing on
the United Kingdom and United States)
in January. This has quite certainly
relieved pressure on the summer
sessions for a number of students.
In the past year the focus has been on
teaching and learning in the classroom
and anticipation of future trips. At
AS-level, we study the complexities
of the government and politics of
Northern Ireland and the British
political process. Hence our students
are better equipped than many to take
Our A2 results have also been
noteworthy. Out of a class of 16
students, 14 achieved either A or
A* (four achieved an A*) and the
remaining two students achieved a
B grade. We are absolutely delighted
for them and hope that their RE study
will be useful in providing skills which
can be employed in their future career
paths.
Nothing ever stays the same in
this Department. Only last year, I
mentioned that Mrs Beaney was
going on maternity leave and thus
of school life and are excellent
ambassadors for the College at city
and community events. We also have
a whole-school Flute Group and, this
year, a Brass Group which perform
to a very high standard. You can read
all about their contributions in the In
Performance section.
My thanks once more to Mrs Murray
and all the members of the peripatetic
staff who make such a contribution to
the Department and to school.
Mrs A Gillian
Inter-House sports competitions and
a swimming gala.
The GCSE PE class was invited
to officiate for Disability Northern
Ireland at the Boccia Championships.
They also officiated at the Belfast
Cross Country finals and completed
an athletics officiating course, which
they put to very good use at Sports
Day. The Year 12 pupils completed a
course in Sports Leadership, teaching
the Preparatory pupils and the
nursery class.
Miss P Stewart
their place among the electorate and
play a part in the democratic process.
As well as a synoptic paper on the
UK and USA, we study theories of
political power, such as Marxism,
liberalism, pluralism and feminism
– very enlightening for many of our
students! You may imagine that there
is often lively debate in class, as some
learn for the first time that it is possible
to be a male and a liberal and a feminist
all at the same time!
Mr C Luney
would no longer be teaching in Junior
school; this year, I have to report that
Mrs Best (who was working in a jobshare capacity with Mrs Thomson)
has also left us. Mrs Best had been
given confirmation of permanency
in the job-share post when she was
offered a Head of Subject position
at Carrickfergus Grammar School.
We are truly delighted for her but
obviously sad that she is moving on.
Mrs Best contributed a great deal to the
RE Department in Victoria College and
also her support to the Scripture Union
was most encouraging. Her preparation,
45
attentiveness to the individual needs
of students, work ethic and team spirit
made her an invaluable member of our
very small team. Needless to say, Mrs
Thomson is without her ‘partner in
crime’ so to speak. We look forward
to conducting some ‘Departmental
catch up’ meetings in Café Mauds
on the Lisburn Road during the next
academic year.
Science
Chemistry
out a variety of forensic techniques
in order to analyse the evidence so
that they could solve the crime. The
evidence ranged from tyre tracks,
fingerprints and fibre analysis to blood
grouping and DNA profiling. Students
absolutely loved the experience and
have gained practical insight into the
world of forensic science.
Physics
We got the chance to become a dead
victim in a body bag and were also
able to strut our stuff in the forensic
jumpsuits. We got to use real forensic
equipment to solve the crime, for
example the ultra violet light to detect
blood and fibres on different types of
clothing. Another piece of technology
we used was the magnifying camera
connected to the computer. This
allowed us to search for brick dust and
gunshot residue (GSR).
Results continue to be excellent as
we reap the benefit of our Specialist
School status even some years after
this came to an end. The Year 14
A-level cohort out-performed both
last year’s A-level results in general
and the previous three-year average.
46% of these Year 14 students took at
least one STEM subject to A2 level.
Congratulations to those scientists who
have done spectacularly well at GCSE
and A-level.
You can read tributes to those staff who
have left us in 2013 in the Overview
section of the magazine. Our colleagues
will be greatly missed by pupils and
staff alike.
Dr J McCormick (Biology),
Mrs K Hogg (Chemistry) and
Mr M Robinson (Physics)
Biology
A class of Year 8 and Prep 7 pupils
took part in an Outdoor Classroom
Science Project organised by Queen’s
University, Belfast. The project was
led by Miss Bothwell (now Mrs
O’Riordan – our congratulations!) and
Miss Wright, who attended workshops
at QUB before jointly organising the
two-day event for their classes. The
pupils studied the habitats of Victoria
College by looking at leaf litter, the
wetland pond and the trees in the school
grounds. In June at the invitation of the
university, Mrs O’Riordan and Miss
Wright took two representatives of each
class to a celebration event with the
other schools involved in the project.
Pupils and teachers presented their
projects and were awarded certificates
for their participation.
Congratulations to Sophie Stewart
once more, who in addition to her
second place in Biology was placed
third in CCEA GCSE Chemistry. In the
Old Girls’ Association section at the end
of the magazine, you can read about the
continuing success of Amy Hogg.
Helen Bennett achieved four A*
grades at A2 level which included
all three scientific subjects and
mathematics, and was awarded a
2013 All Ireland Scholarship for
third-level education. We wish her all
the best for her study of Physics at
Manchester.
A Case Of Identity
Once more in the Autumn Term,
the Science Department under the
leadership of Dr McCormick organised
a very successful visit for the Year
11 students which built on the huge
interest in forensic science generated
by the Crime Scene Investigation
television franchise. This year the big
question facing our ‘detectives’ was Who murdered Dean Johnson?
Year 11 students were faced with a
murder crime scene to solve. The
students had the opportunity to carry
Congratulations to Aya Helmy who
came first in CCEA GCSE Biology in
2012 and joint first in Mathematics. She
attended an awards ceremony in the
Island Arts Centre, Lisburn on Tuesday
5 March.
In the most recent session, Sophie
Stewart came second in CCEA GCSE
Biology which brings great pride to the
Department.
46
Lab work
Mrs R Elwood
What did we learn? To sum up:
• evidence is key
• there are many different types of
evidence
• we must think logically
• we must not to jump to conclusions
• forensics is a puzzle – a bit like
Latin sentences*
Eve Bannon, Rachael Hewitt,
Rebecca Lobo, Olivia Pattison,
Anna Wylie
(* Year 11 Latin students)
search for the stars and other bodies
which we were assigned to locate, for
example Ursa Major and Minor. We
used the App GoSkyWatch which could
also link with Facebook to allow us
to share our experiences. Due to the
time of year, we were lucky enough to
spot Jupiter’s moons and some satellites.
Astronomy
Although there was no opportunity
to offer GCSE Astronomy as an
extra-curricular qualification in the past
year, the Physics Department with the
assistance of the ‘prime mover’ and
stargazer-in-chief Dr Oliver initiated
two Astronomy events which proved
fascinating and enjoyable for pupils and
teachers alike. Laura, an experienced
amateur astronomer who benefits from
clear skies in the countryside, writes
for us:
In 2012-13, Mr Donaghy and Dr
Oliver offered pupils in Years 8 to 12
the opportunity to ‘star-gaze’ on the
hockey pitches – Northern Ireland
weather conditions permitting. Our
evening began with dressing in warmer
clothes, as a clear night meant a drop
in temperatures. The teachers brought
their own telescopes and set them up for
It was a great experience and something
I would happily do again (even though
the ‘dark forest’ beside the pitch freaked
out everybody there!).
Laura Devine Year 11
Stargazers Anonymous
us after school, which took considerable
time and effort. On the pitches we were
also able to use the school’s iPads to
Technology & Design
It has been a successful year for the
Technology & Design Department with
excellent pupil achievement both inside
and outside the classroom.
GCSE and A-level projects continue to
impress with pupils demonstrating high
standards of creativity and innovation
in the design and manufacture of
quality products. Pupils at Key Stage 3
have enjoyed designing and making a
number of projects each year including
pull-along toys, mobile phone holders,
trinket boxes and animated coat hooks.
The standard of completed projects
has been exceptional with every
pupil taking home well-finished and
well-presented products. Projects at
GCSE focused around the themes of
improving literacy and numeracy in
young children as well as products
associated with entertainment and
promoting tourism. At A-level products
ranged from Giant’s Causeway-themed
coffee tables to space-saving bookcases.
There has also been considerable
World Education Games
From 5-7 March 2013 pupils in
Years 8 and 9 participated in the World
Education Games, an annual global
online challenge split over three days
and focusing on literacy, mathematics
and science. For each event pupils
are matched in real time with other
Donegall Road Primary School enjoying
Technology
success outside of the classroom with
the Rocketry Team qualifying for
the national finals of UKAYRoC and
finishing seventh overall with their
rocket reaching an altitude of 697
feet with subsequent safe recovery.
Twenty pupils took part in the Sentinus
Engineering Solutions programme over
an eight-week period with each pupil
receiving a CREST Silver award. The
best team went forward to a celebration
day at Queen’s University to compete
against other schools and won two
awards on the day. You can read more
about both these ventures in Beyond the
Classroom.
students of similar age and ability from
anywhere in the world and compete
in live challenges. Pupils earn points
for correct answers, with their own
personal tally growing as they complete
the challenges. The highest-ranked
pupils in Years 8 and 9 for World Maths
Day and World Literacy Day were:
Editor’s note: this was a thrilling experience
which opened up a new world for me also. I
had the best ever view of the moon’s surface
and became more aware of the continuous
need to adjust the telescope for the movement
of heavenly bodies. I was also very aware of
my freezing feet and very glad of the Physics
Department’s hot chocolate mid-way through
the evening. Thank you to all involved.
Here’s to more ‘clear skies’!
This year, Victoria College and Royal
Belfast Academical Institution worked
in partnership to create a technology
workshop to support students from
local primary schools in the transition
from primary education to post-primary.
Twelve girls from Blythefield, Donegall
Road Primary school and Fane Street
Primary visited Victoria College over a
period of three weeks. During this time
the students had the opportunity to use
Computer Aided Design software and
Computer Aided Machinery and work
with a variety of tools and equipment
in the workshop. Students used their
newly obtained technological skills to
manufacture a mobile phone holder
inspired by the Harland and Wolff
cranes in Belfast.
The Department would like to wish
Mr Barrett well in the future as he
will be leaving us this year for a Head
of Department role in St Patrick’s,
Lisburn. We thank him for the hard
work that he has put in this year in
teaching Technology.
Mr D McCaw
World Maths Day
Anna Stewart (Year 8)
Teresa Chan (Year 9)
World Literacy Day
Amy McKillen (Year 8)
Yasmin Ullah (Year 9)
Dr P Oliver
47
The International
Dimension
In a concerted effort to build the
school’s capacity to achieve the ELOS
goals we promote staff competence
and development. Staff were delighted
to be invited to attend the Promoting
Professional Development and School
Improvement through International
ELOS – International
Education Stretching
Borders
Victoria College Belfast is proud to
be an active and dynamic member of
the ELOS community. At the College,
European and international orientations
pulsate through the veins of the
curriculum and beyond. Students and
staff are committed to developing and
maintaining links, curriculum delivery
and opportunities with educational and
professional institutions on a local,
national and global level.
Ongoing work has ensured that the
school has proudly retained its third
prestigious International School Award
(ISA) and achieved a wealth of other
whole-school accolades, including
ELOS status, the Investors in People
Award and most recently the coveted
Eco-Schools Green Flag and Best Kept
School Award.
European and international
collaborative work permeates the
curriculum and extracurricular
programmes at the College. A plethora
of fruitful global partnerships is
valued and promoted. Participation
in the European Studies Programme,
a Global Schools Partnership, is
Connecting Classrooms Project and
Comenius continue to be strong
vehicles for promoting the European
and international dimensions in the
education and experiences offered at
Victoria. Pupils continue to access a
range of technologies to collaborate
with our partner schools, sharing,
reflecting, comparing and learning from
education systems across Europe and
further afield.
European Studies is an ongoing
programme delivered in the College
to an increasing number of pupils,
developing European competence,
curiosity and a wide range of personal
skills and capabilities. The programme
links schools from Northern Ireland
48
Victoria College - international school
with partners across Europe, through
sustained collaborative projects
furthering tolerance, mutual understanding and appreciation of other
cultures. During the course of this
academic year, pupils communicated
and shared project work with our
partner schools from across Europe
by uploading their work onto a
collaborative communication platform.
Through their participation in the
programme pupils have the opportunity
to heighten their cultural awareness,
while developing and enhancing
many transferable skills, such as ICT,
communication, independent learning,
research and presentation. As a result of
their work and commitment many girls
have achieved their European Studies
Certificates.
International enthusiasts also participate
in events such as the Tastes and Sounds
of Europe and Beyond, e-Twinning,
educational visits, exchanges, the
Juvenes Translatores project, EurVoice,
European Youth Parliament, Youth
City Forums, and the Mock Council
of the European Union, to name but
a few. Such participation provides
students with innovative opportunities
to gain first-hand experience of
other cultures and the cut and thrust
of alternative politics, policies and
agendas. Our recognised development
of ELOS activities across the College
has provided students with a range of
enriching opportunities.
Links programme, during which our
excellent practice in this field was shared
with educationalists. Selected members
of staff were also selected to attend
funded study visits to New Orleans and
China. Such continuous professional
development opportunities are supported
and their contributions valued in
informing whole-school development
and strategic planning with both
European and international flavours.
International links and co-operation
both in and outside the curriculum
continue to strengthen. During this
academic year we warmly welcomed
visitors from across the globe, offering
visiting teachers and pupils the
opportunity to observe and discuss
cultural and educational trends. Once
again, visitor feedback reports a diverse,
inclusive and supportive learning
environment and there was much that
impressed our visitors. The College
continues to support a wide range of
educational visits and recognises the
benefits such opportunities offer to the
pupils on a personal, academic also and
professional level.
Evidently, an international ethos is
embedded throughout the school and
celebrated across the curriculum.
Fostering a European and international
dimension in the curriculum is at the
heart of the College, as we continue
to strive to embed the ELOS goals in
our school curriculum and policy to
ensure coherence and sustainability,
so that young people gain the cultural
understanding and skills they need to
live and work as European and global
citizens.
Miss M McMackin
Comenius
Seminar Vienna
In August 2013 I was fortunate to
join a group of 26 teachers of German
made up of 18 different nationalities
who met for two weeks in Vienna. We
were there to take part in a language
conference and our aim was to update
our German language skills by
participating in activities which allowed
us to examine cultural, educational and
economic developments in Germanspeaking Europe.
As the only German teacher from the
UK, I worked alongside delegates
from countries as diverse as Egypt,
Albania, Poland, Russia, Georgia, Italy,
Finland, China, Mongolia and the USA.
It was refreshing to hear from them
that German is still taught, and indeed,
flourishing in schools and universities
as far away as Mongolia and Siberia,
even though it and other European
languages seem to be suffering a slow
but steady decline in popularity in the
UK.
From 9.00 to 12.30 daily we had
lectures from prominent experts on
various topical themes relating to
Austria and Europe. Then from 2.30
to 6.00 in the afternoon, we took part
in workshops where the emphasis was
on promoting independent learning and
self-evaluation in the classroom. One
of our assignments was to produce and
record a short programme for Austrian
radio based on interviews with local
authors and educationalists. This turned
out to be an enjoyable and worthwhile
lesson in teamwork.
Undoubtedly, a much greater challenge
than communicating constantly in
German was working indoors in
very hot conditions as a result of an
extended heatwave which produced
unprecedented temperatures in the
city. Our conference rooms and
accommodation were in a Christian
Retreat Centre which was heavily
carpeted and had neither fans nor air
conditioning of any kind! In fact, on 8
August 2013 temperatures stayed above
40 degrees Celsius for the first time
ever, and therefore, I can testify that
I have experienced and survived the
hottest day of all time in the city!
During the second week our highlight
was a visit to the slightly cooler
Budapest! We examined the enduring
Hard at work in the intense heat
Schoenbrunn Palace
Making our radio programme
Latvians, Armenians, Siberians, Chinese
and Northern Irish on a fact-finding
mission in Budapest
legacy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
and then looked at the influence
of the current strong economies of
neighbouring Germany and Austria
on Hungary as it struggles to develop
a market economy in the post-Cold
War era. We had the opportunity to
visit places of historical significance
in the city as well as a bi-lingual
secondary school. These schools are
becoming popular in Hungary as the
core curriculum is delivered in two
European languages in order to equip
students with the necessary linguistic
skills to work in a global environment.
I wonder what VCB pupils would
think about doing all their GCSE
examinations in French, German or
Spanish?
It was a privilege to be a student again
and to have the opportunity to live and
study in the centre of Europe. In such a
beautiful city in a central geographical
location I could not help but feel
European and a true global citizen.
Everyone I came in contact with, both
young and old, oozed enthusiasm for
learning languages and using them. It
is this enthusiasm which I brought back
from the conference. For a long time
we in Northern Ireland have used our
geographical isolation on the periphery
of Europe as an excuse for linguistic
lethargy. However, I am now even more
intent on convincing my pupils that
such an excuse is no longer valid in our
increasingly interconnected world of
the 21st century!
Miss H Robinson
49
European Union
Youth Parliament
EurVoice
On Monday 8 October, a group of
Year 12 pupils participated in the
first EurVoice forum to be organised
in Northern Ireland by the European
Youth Parliament. The event was held
in the Great Hall of the City Hall and
was hosted in partnership with the City
Council. Appropriately enough, the
first vote was on whether the voting
age should be lowered. Perhaps not
surprisingly, the motion was passed.
There were opening speeches from
the Lord Mayor Gavin Robinson and
from Alastair Payne, Communications
Advisor to the European Youth
Parliament of the UK (EYPUK). A quiz
followed, then opinions were sought
on issues facing young people. Group
workshops were formed on many
topics such as alcohol and the legal age
for drinking, mental health and youth
unemployment. A distinguished and
diverse panel faced questions shaped
in these workshops. Most of those
attending felt that they now had more
knowledge of the political process and a
greater interest in political matters.
Following this dynamic event many
pupils became involved in the Belfast
Youth City Forum and their valued
International
Dimension – not just
for pupils!
Mock Council of the European Union
contributions to this group gained
them the inspirational opportunity of
attending President Obama’s address at
the Waterfront Hall during his visit to
Belfast. Year 12 pupils also contributed
to the online discussion forum ‘Your
Europe, Your Say’.
Miss M McMackin
Links’ programme, during which our
excellent practice in this field was once
again shared with educationalists.
During November 2012, Ms Slevin
and Miss McMackin were delighted
to be invited to attend the ‘Promoting
Professional Development and School
Improvement through International
In January 2013, Miss McMackin was
selected to attend a funded study visit
to New Orleans as a participant in the
Aspiring Leaders Study Visit, facilitated
by the British Council. Ms Slevin
and Mrs Woods were also invited to
European Studies
full and thorough understanding of it.
European Studies is for Junior and
Senior pupils. In this club you get
the opportunity to communicate with
other schools across Europe.
Throughout this great experience you
gain lots of skills, qualities and you
learn many interesting languages,
cultures, traditions and fun facts
about Europe. I have been part of the
European Studies Club since I first
came to Victoria College and have a
50
There are three tasks that must be
completed before a certain deadline.
Each task gets sent out to other students
in Europe and therefore the tasks are
designed to show our lifestyle and also
to reflect our personality. If all of the
tasks are completed before the deadline
you are awarded a certificate.
Miss McMackin sends and receives
the information and Mr Winning
co-ordinates the club. In Year 11 and
EYPUK Regional
Forum
During March 2013, we were one of
six schools chosen to participate in the
European Youth Parliament Regional
Forum in the Titanic Quarter. A
group of nine Year 13 pupils prepared
Committee resolutions and debated
current topics on the agenda across EU
member states and indeed globally.
participate in study visits to China. Such
continuous professional development
opportunities are supported and their
contributions valued in informing
whole-school development and
strategic planning.
Miss M McMackin
12 you get the chance to receive the
information from other people in
Europe and maybe eventually get to
meet those people!
I would definitely recommend this Club
as I have thoroughly enjoyed this year’s
work and hope to continue to do this
work in many more years to come.
Divya Puri Year 11
Habitat for
Humanity Northern
Ireland
Global Village Accelerated Build,
Beius Romania July 2013
Habitat for Humanity‘s mission: as their
website states, Habitat for Humanity
believes that every man, woman and
child should have a decent, safe and
affordable place to live. Habitat builds
and repairs houses all over the world
using volunteer labour and donations. Habitat In Beius
Partner families purchase these houses
through no-profit, no-interest mortgage
loans or innovative financing methods. In past years individuals have formed
part of a Habitat Team and have made
visits to Romania. However this year
for the first time Victoria College
formed its own ‘closed’ work party
of 12 Year 13 students and three staff
(Mrs Haugh, aka ‘Big Jules’ and Dr
Brown aka ‘JoBro’, ably led by Miss
Cassidy, aka ‘Wee Marcy’). There was
no relaxation at the end of term for the
Year 13s: they had only just finished
their AS-levels when it was time to
pack up and head off on 1 July for a
week of building in the hot Romanian
sun. Our journey out took us through
five countries in one day: Belfast
to Dublin, Dublin to Dusseldorf in
Germany, Dusseldorf to Budapest in
Hungary, Budapest to Beius, a small
town in Transylvania – yes, it is a real
place, but we didn’t see Count Dracula.
We swapped our high heels for
workboots with steel toe-caps, and
our straighteners for hard hats, in
preparation for five and a half days of
tough physical labour on the building
site just on the edge of town. As a
Classics teacher, I was delighted to see
that our road was called Trajan Street,
as Trajan was the Roman emperor who
brought Dacia (as the Romans called
the country) into the Empire. Our
mission was a so-called ‘accelerated
build’, that is, the completion of the
shell of a basic family home in just
one week. Of course we were not
building alone: we were joined by an
enthusiastic multi-lingual group of
the same age from the International
School of Stuttgart in Germany. We
were ably led by a very, very patient
team of skilled builders from the local
area, easily identifiable on site by their
yellow hats in contrast to our white
Big Jules
Site Foreman
Hard hats on
The Ladies of the College
ones. The proud recipients of the new
home, Dana and her husband Marian,
also worked alongside us after their
regular working hours, as part of the
Habitat ‘deal’ involves the new owners
of the home contributing 600 hours
of ‘sweat-equity’ labour on their own
home and those of their immediate
neighbours. Habitat builds not just
individual dwellings but communities.
Their friendly presence was highly
motivating, and it was indeed deeply
moving to get to know the family
whose lives were to be transformed
by this new home. We all learned new
skills such as measuring and precision
51
cutting, hammering and plastering,
and many of us pushed ourselves to
the limit to clamber onto scaffolding
or shift substantial loads. Once the
Stuttgart group departed, the ladies of
the College plastered three sides of the
house in one long morning. Perhaps the
boys were a distraction? We certainly
taught them some Ulster phrases and
songs as we passed roof tile after roof
tile along in a chain gang.
It was all worth it to see the fruits of
our labours. No-one will ever forget the
ceremony of dedication at the end of the
week conducted by local Habitat staff,
and we are proud to have left a plaque
celebrating our collaboration. We all
agreed that the experience fully justified
the year of fund-raising and preparation
and that we had been changed forever
by the trip. Comfort zones were left
far behind; teachers and students
worked side by side on equal terms in a
challenging environment; a little corner
of Europe has a new home where
a family can begin a new life. Our
welcome from the locals was extremely
positive: we were interviewed on local
television (as can be seen on YouTube
and Facebook via Habitat Beius) and
met a local supermarket security guard
who spoke warmly of the difference
that his Habitat home made to his life
eight years ago. As First Aider, I was
extremely relieved not to have to deal
with anything worse than splinters
and Rachael Stewart’s badly blistered
heels. Next time, break your boots in,
Rachael! It must mean something that
I decided to bring my boots home with
me rather than donate them, as I did
many of my working clothes. Maybe I
could be talked into doing this again...
Of course, it wasn’t all work. We were
very comfortably accommodated in a
large house owned by a local family
and rented to Habitat, and we ate – all
too well - with the Stuttgart team at
La Principessa restaurant in town. We
can also recommend the pizza parlour,
although in Romania in general it
seems that you need to get used to
eating your meal when it arrives, and
not waiting for everyone at the table to
be served. Our local co-ordinators the
ever-cheerful Emil Barna and Jeremy
(who is from Bristol, but has made his
home in Beius to work for Habitat) also
enabled us to visit two inspirational
group homes and enjoy meals with the
children and carers living there. Our
visit to Caminul Felix (the ‘Happy
Home’) was a real privilege and taught
52
With Dana and Marian
By the Danube in Budapest
At the presentation
Barbecue at Caminul Felix
us all what a simple vision can achieve;
not only is there a large children’s
home with an excellent play area, but
a working farm and textile workshop
which sells its beautiful products to
raise funds. Everyone was up and
dancing at the Romanian folk music
evening – but we got our own back
by teaching them a few steps of Irish
dancing. We took a refreshing trip
to the famous and quite astonishing
Bear Caves system in the hills, and
explored the beautiful countryside with
its wooden Orthodox churches whose
zinc-topped roofs glint in the sun for
miles around. Good fortune brought
us into a quaint but highly informative
museum of local agricultural work and
local tradition, a mini Cultra as it were,
which preserves a way of life which
is fast disappearing. We were able to
pamper ourselves after our hard work
with a day’s shopping at a modern
mall in Oradea and a chance to ‘take
the waters’ at a thermal baths complex.
Our last afternoon was spent along the
Bear Caves
Danube in spectacular Budapest, and
our last meal was taken at the same
place as our first – McDonald’s!
We are very grateful to all those who
helped us raise funds for our venture.
All the girls worked very hard and
displayed great imagination. Some
packed bags at supermarkets; some
baked buns or made healthy treats;
there was an excellent Quiz Night
too. Special thanks to the staff who
supported the staff room Come Dine
With Me fundraising lunch at Easter
– particularly to the indomitable Mrs
Haugh who took the lion’s share of the
cooking.
We can all wholeheartedly recommend
the HFH experience. Why not visit their
website and see what you can build in
the coming year?
Dr J Brown
Reflections on our Global School Partnership visit to Victoria College
Our visit to Victoria College, Belfast,
was an insightful experience- both for
me as well as for the three students
from Himjyoti School, Dehradun, India.
We entered a place full of warmth,
sunshine and hope. The very first day
we were introduced by Ms Slevin and
Miss McMackin to the students and
since then we felt as if we were a part
of the school. The girls of the school
were friendly and welcoming. Our
cookery demo class with Mrs O’NeillSkelly and Dr Meneely was fun and
we enjoyed cooking Indian food. The
girls from Victoria College took great
interest and helped us in making it
a success. The best part of our first
day was the visit to the Preparatory
Art Cub and Senior Choir group - I
am grateful to Mrs Welsh and Mrs
Murray for this wonderful opportunity.
I can still recall the sweet voice of the
music teacher who sang for us. Our
first day concluded with dinner at Miss
Cassidy’s place, where we felt quite
at home and greatly appreciated her
efforts to prepare a special vegetarian
meal for us.
Our Himjyoti girls conducted
assemblies in Preparatory, Junior and
Senior sections and also a ‘show and
tell’ presentation on Incredible India,
which helped us share our country
and culture with the students of the
Victoria College. I am also thankful
to Dr Mitchell-Barrett for her support
and co-operation. In the evening, we
had the good fortune of spending time
with Ms Slevin and Miss McMackin at
the Ramada Plaza. The dinner at Mrs
Loane’s place was another reason that
made our day special.
The next day, we visited the City Hall
for the event of the European Day of
Languages with Miss McMackin and
Miss Lynch. It was an enlightening
experience for us since we realised
the unity underlying the diversity in
languages. In the evening we enjoyed
the Association of Parents and Teachers
music programme held in school. We
got a chance to interact with the parents
of the students and were very impressed
by their interest in their wards’
performance.
The visit to Ashfield Girls’ High school
was another enriching experience.
There, the Himjyoti students got a
chance to participate in Biology, Music,
Value Education and English classes. I
At City Hall
At the Giant’s Causeway
Welcome to Northern Ireland!
can never thank Mr Winning and Miss
McMackin enough for the interest they
showed in taking us all to the beauty
and serenity of the north coast of
Ireland.
I must thank God for giving me a
chance to meet two wonderful people
with golden hearts - Ms Slevin and
Miss McMackin. I get speechless
when I try to fathom the warmth,
love and care that they showered on
us. It is something that I will cherish
throughout my life. I see the Creator’s
beautiful handiwork in them both.
I am grateful to all in the Boarding
Department - Matron Marina and Mrs
Burns, and even those whose names
might have slipped my mind but whose
goodness doubtless stays in my heart,
for making our stay comfortable.
On the North Coast
This note would be incomplete without
expressing my love and extending
my prayers for Daragh Bannon and
The India Society who strove hard to
arrange for the funds for Himjyoti. She
is a real gem of a girl. I also recollect
spending great time with Apoorva,
Asha and Carolina and can never forget
their thoughtful gestures in bringing
home-made Indian delicacies and also
their initiative to go shopping with
us and also accompanying us for the
Titanic visit.
We were accepted by the staff and the
students of Victoria College as if we
were one among their people - this
openly reveals the richness of their
hearts and their inherent value systems.
I salute to you all and your country.
Rina Bakshi
(Teacher from Himjyoti)
53
Senior Choir Toccata trip to Kenya
On Thursday 25 October 2012, I
woke up only to start getting ready like
the majority of the girls. Today was the
day, All the rehearsals, all the concerts
we had already performed in, all the
work we had done to raise funds had
paid off. As for today, we were going
somewhere we had never dreamed of
in our lives: Kenya.
We arrived at the airport, hauling bags
stuffed to the brim with clothes and
medication, each of us wearing a bottle
green hoodie with the words ‘Kenya
2012’ emblazoned on the back. After a
short flight from Belfast International
to Heathrow, and then spending hours
lumbering aimlessly around World
Duty Free stalls, we boarded what
was to be a seven-hour flight to our
wondrous destination.
Before we arrived, we were awoken
by a stunning sunrise that engulfed the
African sky. However, as we walked
out of the astronomically large airport,
our eyes were afflicted by the brilliant
sunlight illuminating the buildings.
While driving through Nairobi, a city
infamous for its poverty, our eyes fell
upon young children waving at us as
though we were the Queen, to which
we responded by waving back to them.
Our hotel, however, was beautiful, but
it was our first reminder of how the
Kenyans’ lives contrast drastically with
ours. At about lunchtime, after settling
down into what would be our rooms
for the next week, we headed off to
Mamlaka Hill Chapel, the chapel which
accommodated us during our trip.The
parishioners of the chapel supplied us
with a lovely lunch, which, much to our
pleasure, we would be receiving every
day of our stay.
Later that week, the 17 members of
the Choir along with Mrs Gillian, Miss
Faloona, and two parents set off for
Nairobi National Park, a short distance
54
from the hotel, although the journey
turned into a slow, long drive. However,
once we arrived at the park, we yanked
out our cameras to capture the moment
a gazelle bounded gracefully through
the savannah, or to try and spot the
silhouette of a lion through the mass of
African grass. Soon, it was time for us
to return to our accommodation.
The next day was, in my opinion, the
most eye-opening of them all. This
was the day we were going to visit the
orphans. Upon arrival at the slums, we
could only look on in sheer pity: litter
plastered the streets, with the addition
of dust and dirt. Family homes only
consisted of pieces of corrugated iron
piled together, and the people living
there gazed up in pure agony, almost
pleading with us for help. As we
descended from the bus, I felt a small
hand clutch mine. I looked down to
find a little boy of around the age of
four or five looking straight back up at
me. This little boy’s name was Robelle,
and despite his quiet nature, he really
brightened my day. Every girl in the
choir had one child to look after, their
ages ranging from three to roughly 18.
The children were immensely happy
to see us, and despite the devastating
conditions, these children thrive. Later
that day, we headed to Mamlaka Hill
Chapel for lunch and to rehearse for a
concert the following night.
On Sunday we attended two church
services at Mamlaka. What surprised
me most was the amount of time the
people spent singing and how much
they worshipped God - another stark
contrast between their country and
ours. That night, we performed our
first concert, followed by a rousing
reception. For around 10 minutes after
the concert, the girls spent time with
all the children from the orphanage,
where the other girls and I allowed the
children to play about with our cameras.
It made me realise how we often take
basic technology for granted; these
children were absolutely fascinated
with these cameras, however we would
look at them and only think of them
as just cameras. It showed us that we
should be extremely grateful for what
we have, even if it isn’t the right CD,
or the perfect top. Compared to what
we have, these children have nearly
nothing. Another little boy I met while
in Kenya was called Ibraham, an eightyear-old who lived at the orphanage and
sang in the children’s choir. We formed
a great friendship while we were there,
and every time he smiled when he saw
me, every time he ran and threw his
arms around me, it never failed to bring
a smile to my face.
On Monday, we attended another
rehearsal at Mamlaka. After that,
we jumped on our buses and rattled
on to the giraffe orphanage, located
just outside Nairobi. As we ascended
the steps onto the balcony, graceful,
lean necks rested on the balcony
with long, slender faces attached on
top. We started feeding the giraffes
their daily supply of grain pellets,
one head nuzzling into our chests for
more. Following a brief lecture on
the giraffes, we headed to the Black
Mamba Park, not too far away from the
giraffe orphanage. We firstly came to
the crocodile enclosure, where many
scaly faces grinned at us, baring a fence
of razor-sharp teeth. One of the zookeepers began prodding the dangerous
predators with a bamboo cane, much
to their displeasure, at which they
responded by snapping their fearsome
jaws and slithering into the murky
water. We then moved on to a turtle,
roughly aged 50 years. While we took
turns holding the ancient reptile, a tiny,
timid head came out of its shell, and
soon retracted back in. While walking
around the park, we were shown a
man-made lake structured in the shape
of Africa, one of the park’s main
highlights. After a quick visit to the
ostrich sanctuary, and spending a hour
at a curio shop bartering for the African
ornaments we craved, we had to head
back to the hotel, for we all knew what
was in store for us the next day.
On that day, it was another early start
for Toccata. As we waited outside
the hotel, we were greeted by four
large army carriers. These would be
our transport that would take us to
Amboseli, a region at the foot of
Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro.
After what was a six-hour journey,
we finally arrived at the Amboseli
Sopa Lodges, which were run by the
Maasai tribe who live nearby. It was
absolutely stunning there: the resort
resembled a maze, where people had
to wander through in order to find
their hut where they were staying.
Monkeys were perched on our
windowsills and porches, and the
occasional mongoose would waddle
across the path, grunting huffily. The
rooms themselves were supplied with
mosquito nets, as Amboseli is a place
where the mosquitoes do carry malaria.
However, the staff there were extremely
kind and supplied us with all the correct
equipment to accommodate us. We
could not stop and lie down on the
other hand, as we were heading off to
the Amboseli Game reserve, where we
spent the next two days on safari.
It was amazing seeing all the animals in
their natural environment, rather than
in a cage at a zoo. We spotted a giant
herd of elephants spread out over the
savannah, like giant pieces of cement.
We gawked at hippopotami which
could be seen snorkelling in and out
of the water from time to time. Our
jaws dropped when we discovered a
lioness bathing in the sun, with two
of her cubs playfully tackling each
other. This experience, for us, was
completely out of this world, and
the addition of Mount Kilimanjaro
painted in the background added to the
African paradise. Antelope bounded
gracefully over the many roads
dotted throughout the game reserve.
55
Wildebeest would pummel each other
with their dangerous horns, snorting
so intensely that the very dust on the
ground would spin violently in the air.
Zebras whinnied occasionally, shaking
their two-toned mane. An ostrich would
ruffle its matted feathers in an attempt
to cool itself down in the blistering heat.
After spending the next morning for
the last time on safari, we headed back
to the lodges, where we were allowed
the free time to detox beside the green
pool. Later on, some of us decided to
visit the village of the Maasai tribe.
From a personal experience, I found the
visit extremely interesting, as I learnt
that these people could do so much
without using modern technology.
They could build a fire by using just
two sticks of wood; they could make
fabulous medicines just by using the
bark of a tree; they could fit a family
of four into a house the size of a small
car. It was also another reminder of
how we underestimate so much that we
have. Finally, after the extraordinary
visit, we headed back to the beloved
Laico Regency. The next day included
a rehearsal of all the songs we had
practised, followed by a trip to the
British High Commisioner’s house,
which really caught our attention. We
were offered tea, Devonshire cream
scones and divine pieces of lemon
drizzle cake in a beautiful mansion,
while not even two minutes down the
road, children were begging for food.
It reminded us of the human rights
here in Kenya; they are a huge point
of comparison to those back home.
A concert followed the afternoon tea,
which left the audience dancing out of
their seats and begging for more.
The next day was the day we dreaded
the most: our final day. As the choir
split up, some decided to go to the
African market, while those interested
in the medical profession visited the
Kenyatta National Hospital. Some girls
visited the ante-natal clinic, while I
was one of the lucky girls who would
be visiting the paediatrics ward. The
conditions these children were being
treated in were devastating; some
children were just left to lie on hospital
beds, covered in drips and needles.
Dirt and grime was seen oozing out of
the walls. There were a few children,
however, who seemed extremely
happy that we had come to visit them,
probably because they never really
receive this attention before from their
parents. Yet again, this reminded us of
how we really should be thankful for
56
whatever we have, no matter if it is a
mobile phone or even food, as these
children have nearly next to nothing.
We headed back to the auditorium
for one final rehearsal, followed by
the chance to get ready and to say
goodbye to those who we had bonded
with during our time spent in Kenya.
During our concert, we all began to get
emotional, as this would be the last time
we would belt out The Circle of Life or
harmonise with the soloists in Puff the
Magic Dragon. We gave the audience
our final encore of Dancing Queen,
encouraging them to get out of their
seats and dance with us to which they
responded with happily. As the closing
chords sounded, I ran to gave the
members of Toccata and little Ibraham
my last goodbye, before fleeing to the
bus and bursting into tears, as I felt I
couldn’t leave one of my best friends
behind.
That was it. Our breath-taking trip
was finally over for good. After
spending hours on the plane to London
Heathrow, we finally flew from London
back to our hometown of Belfast,
where we returned to the safety of our
families, bursting to tell them about the
trip that had changed our lives.
It was definitely the trip of a lifetime,
and big thanks must go to Mrs Gillian
and Miss Faloona for giving up their
half-term break to accompany us to
Kenya, and Ms Slevin for allowing
us all to travel there. Toccata are now
planning a trip next year, in which we
will hopefully take the children from
the choir at the orphanage on a concert
tour of the UK and of the United States.
If anyone is going, it will definitely be
me. The experience has changed my
life and view on things completely, so I
won’t want to let that opportunity go
to waste!
Helen Francis Year 11
World Challenge
Borneo
World Challenge offers educational
experiences in the developing world
which teach life skills and expand
minds outside the classroom. Those
who make it through the selection
process have to raise a considerable
amount in sponsorship to pay for
their travels and make a donation to
the community project undertaken in
the country visited.
In July of this summer a team of 18
girls and two teachers (the ever-intrepid
Mr Robinson and adventure-hungry
Miss Faloona) went with a leader from
World Challenge on an expedition to
Borneo for a month. For many of us,
this was the furthest we had ever been
away from home and I can assure you
that the culture and way of life could
not have been any further from our
reality.
The expedition mainly consisted of
jungle and mountain trekking and
voluntary work, with a considerable
period of time at the beginning of the
trip being valuably spent acclimatising
to the 80% humidity of dense jungle
forests. A month away from the
comforts of home was definitely a
steep learning curve for every pupil
on the trip, but undoubtedly made us
more independent and highlighted
how difficult it is to maintain the selfsufficient life that the native Borneans
lead. We spent a sizeable amount of our
expedition in the jungle, working in a
community to help improve the village
drainage system and drinking water
supply, followed by a five-day trek
even deeper into the jungle. This part
of the trip was rigorous and hard work
but this made it all the more rewarding
at the end when we saw the difference
our efforts would impact on daily life
for the village and also could say that
we slept in hammocks for five nights
as well!
As well as making a noticeable
contribution to the local community,
other highlights of the trip included
seeing orang-utans in the flesh and
island-hopping off the shores of the
main city Kuching. Not to mention
reaching the summit of the highest peak
in South East Asia, Mount Kinabalu
(4095m) in horrendous weather
conditions in a remarkably quick
time. The views from the peak were
definitely worth the two days of pain
it took to reach the top, as the whole
of the island lay beneath us and you
definitely felt as if you were on top of
the world.
All in all, our expedition was
unforgettable. Not only were we lucky
to experience the intricacies of the
Bornean culture but also to discover
different aspects of ourselves that we
previously had never known existed.
It truly was a trip of a lifetime.
Rachel Hanley Year 13
Beyond the Classroom
Bar National Mock
Trial Competition
In the Belfast heats of the Bar
National Mock Trial Competition
on Saturday 24 November 2012 our
girls took on the roles of barristers
and witnesses and presented their case
against teams from other schools. First
they had to become familiar with the
case. Then they had to battle it out in
real courtrooms in the Royal Courts of
Justice, in front of real judges. Although
the girls didn’t make it through to the
final round they did extremely well
and were excellent ambassadors for
the College. You can see our learned
friends Petra Wells (left) and Emma
Gilmartin (right).
Classics Club
Classics Club met in the cosy
surroundings of G5 on Thursdays at
lunchtime. This club attracts a group
of Year 8 and 9 pupils who want to
explore the Greek and Roman world
and make links with our own. It helps
when we can choose a soundtrack and
enjoy a Tangfastic too!
Film is always popular. We enjoy
watching clips from the Roman
Mysteries series and from the Percy
Jackson movies. While we may not be
old enough to watch Hunger Games,
we can certainly trace themes in the
books to the myths of Theseus and
the Minotaur in ancient Crete and to
the gladiatorial arena.
We also love marking special occasions
such as Christmas (or is that the
Saturnalia?) and dies Sancti Valentini.
Anyone can give a Valentine’s card
– but a Valentine’s scroll with sweet
nothings written in Latin and sealed
with wax Roman-style has much more
panache.
This club is a relaxed and informal
space for learning, making, drawing,
tasting, and watching. Look on the
58
Our learned friends Petra Wells and Emma Gilmartin
Virtual Learning Environment for some
samples of our activities, and why
not join us?
Dr Brown
Our Charities
Our Charity Prefects have the
responsibility of guiding the school
body towards the charities of choice
for the school year and devising ways
to raise money. After our assembly
presentation in September, pupils
chose their favourite two charities
(one local, one global) for the year
from a list posted on the Virtual
Learning Environment. This year,
after the magnificent efforts and
achievements of Northern Ireland
athletes in the Paralympic Games, we
chose Disability Sports NI who came
to school and delivered an excellent
presentation to us. Disability Sports
NI is Northern Ireland’s main disability
sports organisation responsible or the
development of sport and physical
recreation opportunities for people
with physical, sensory and learning
disabilities in Northern Ireland. Here
in Victoria we believe everyone should
have access to these opportunities no
matter what. As our international cause,
we chose Water Aid, appropriately
after our VCB Water initiative which
raised funds for the India Society to pay
for a visit from our Himjyoti friends.
WaterAid is an international charity
that works with local partners, decision-
makers and charities around the world,
transforming lives by improving access
to water, hygiene and sanitation. We
felt that this was a very meaningful
way to invest in the future of those less
fortunate than ourselves.
In November we held our customary
post-formal fashion show featuring
the stunning gowns worn at the Year
14 Dinner and Dance in October as
modelled by Year 14 – maybe without
quite as much preparation in the
hair and make-up department! The
Junior School pupils love to see us
in Richmond Assembly Hall during
Festival period. We successfully
raised around £400 from this event by
charging £2 admission.
GCSE PE class help Disability Sports NI
Fancy Hats
Christmas Dinner on Fancy Hat Day
In December, we raised nearly £1000
from entry fees to the Christmas talent
show on the last days of term and got
a big boost from our share of the table
hire fees from pupils at the Craft Fair.
The Carol Service was also another
great opportunity to raise money;
people kindly gave donations in the
hundreds of pounds, and all proceedings
went to the school charities.
Our big events are not the only
charitable involvement at VCB.
Many individuals make substantial
contributions to the community through
work for charities which are not ‘on
our list’. Once again, Mr McCracken
raised money for charity from growing
his beard during ‘Movember’, and
this went towards research into men’s
cancers which can sometimes be
overlooked. You can read about Mr
Kavanagh’s fundraising for Marie Curie
Toilet twinned! Leah (l) and Laura
(r) Hutchinson
59
Shoebox and
Hamper Appeals
As is now traditional, VCB girls got
behind the Blytheswood appeal for
shoeboxes for needy children and
elderly in the middle of the Autumn
Term. It seems early in the year, but
Blytheswood need to process and
deliver these shoeboxes filled with toys,
treats and even basic necessities all over
Europe well before Christmas.
Laura Hutchinson raising funds for the
Teenage Cancer Trust
Cancer Care through Run-A-Muck
below. Likewise you can see 11Brown’s
celebration of their twinned toilet!
Laura Hutchinson of Year 11 was so
moved and impressed by an assembly
presentation from the Teenage Cancer
Trust that she gave up a Saturday to
sell cupcakes (which she had made
herself) and stationery on their behalf
at Homebase on the Boucher Road in
Belfast.
Not long before Christmas, the
Voluntary Services group ably led by
Mrs Thomson motivates the school to
gather up seasonal goodies for local
needy folk. The team uses acres of
Christmas wrapping paper to cover the
empty photocopying paper boxes which
office staff have been saving all term,
and then fill them with the groceries
and treats kindly donated by pupils and
staff in their form groups. It is always
a sign of Christmas to see the van draw
up to be loaded with beautiful hampers.
Let’s all get involved and do our bit.
Lucy Crossan and Katie Martin
Year 14
Victoria College in training for leadership
were selected to attend a Youth
Rotary International and
Leadership Conference during the
Also during October, a select group
of Year 12 pupils, Ellen Beattie, Cara
McCabe-O’Neill, Megan Halliday,
Emma Gilmartin, Olivia Anderson and
Alexandra Doran interviewed for the
Rotary Youth Leadership programme
and Emma Gilmartin progressed to
represent the College at the regional
finals.
Albert Schweitzer’s
Leadership for Life
Youth Leadership
Conference
In May 2013 four Key Stage 4 pupils,
Laura Hutchinson, Ellen Beattie,
Megan Halliday and Chloe Haylett
submitted successful applications
60
summer months.
Ellen and Megan reflected on their
experience in terms of their personal
development and how they would
seek to make an impact on their school
community.
What motivated you to attend the
ASLFL programme?
Ellen
Some girls I know who had attended
the course previously highly
recommended it to me. I also wanted
to develop my skills further and I knew
this course would assist me to do so.
Megan
My desire to improve my leadership
skills coupled with a love of people
led to my decision to apply for the
2013 programme. In the long term, I
envision using these skills to improve
my community.
What are the key things you have
learned during ASLFL that you wish
to share?
Ellen
I learnt how to communicate more
effectively with other people, but
this was a skill that was directly
affected by how much my confidence
developed. However the most
important thing I learnt was how to be a
more effective leader through applying
the skills I had learnt and displaying the
correct traits a leader should.
Megan
I learnt to fully appreciate the
importance of teamwork in order to
achieve a goal or succeed at the task
in hand. I discovered how to create an
effective balance between using others’
ideas and my own, and also the art
of listening by taking part in many
enjoyable team tasks.
How has ASLFL helped to develop
your personal and leadership skills?
Ellen
I have improved my leadership skills
by improving my communication
techniques and confidence through
completing the various tasks and also
by singing a solo at the culture talent
night. By working within our groups
to complete tasks we had to use our
leadership skills to ensure each task was
successfully completed and also during
activities like the Novelty Olympic
Games our leadership skills were
challenged and improved.
Megan
Time management – we had to
ensure we were at workshops on
time! I also became more confident as I
gained awareness of my own strengths
and weaknesses and improved my
people skills. I learnt what is required
to be a good leader and also became
better at motivating and engaging those
around me. I now fully understand that
an assertive leader is best, not passive
or aggressive.
What leadership skills have you
Mr Kavanagh
Runs Amuck!
It had to happen…
Runamuck is Ireland’s “original
and most popular” (if you are that way
inclined) off-road fun and run challenge
for joggers and runners of all abilities.
In 2012 it took place in the grounds of
Clonkeeran House near Johnstown
Bridge in County Kildare. It is a 5km
cross country event over a course best
described as “wet and mucky” with
many man-made and natural obstacles
like bale jumps, net scrambles, super
slides, Tarzan swings, bridges, ditches,
streams, tyres and tunnels. It’s a real
test of mental and physical strength, but
as Mr Kavanagh showed, all obstacles
are surpassable when you put 100%
into it. Mr Kavanagh achieved a very
commendable time of 49 minutes and
52 seconds, but more importantly he
and a friend raised £900 for Marie
Curie Cancer Care.
engaged in since the ASLFL
programme?
Ellen
Debating Club, Senior Choir and
Chamber Choir; in the community I
have helped at ballet and volunteer in
my local charity shop. I am involved
in the Ulster Youth Choir and Youth
Forum meetings.
On track to Bronze
Award: the Year 10
experience
Megan
Although the opportunity has not
yet arisen, I intend to put myself
forward to be a school prefect. I am
a member of the Hockey, Tennis and
Table-tennis Teams, and became a
member of the Victorians Ladies 1st XI
Team. I intend to complete my Duke of
Edinburgh Gold Award and maintain a
leadership role.
What do you hope to do when you
finish school?
Ellen
I hope to study Medicine at university
and go on to become a doctor which
would require me to use these skills
daily.
Megan
I’m undecided: I am considering
Classics or a career in the healthcare
sector, such as Medicine.
The next challenge takes place on
Saturday 1 March 2014. There is talk
of bringing a VCB team down to raise
money for school charities. Let’s see
what we’re made of!
Dr J Brown
Mr Kavanagh Runs Amuck
Bronze Award may be begun once a
pupil turns 14. In the school year 201213, Mrs Hart realised her vision for
Year 10 and encouraged a great number
on their way to Bronze. There are four
sections to the award: Volunteering,
Physical, Skills, and Expedition. Each
of the first three sections requires at
least three months of activity. Some
girls offer their services to a charity,
train in their favourite sport or dance in
or outside school, and learn a new skill
– Francesca Drumm even came to early
morning Greek lessons!
Under Mrs Hart’s inspirational
leadership, and with the loyal support
of Head of Year Dr Thompson and his
team of form teachers, 97 Year 10s
(which was the great majority of the
year group) participated in a training
walk in the Mourne Mountains in
late October, which proved to be a
refreshing and bonding experience.
In the supposedly warmer spring
weather, they completed an overnight
expedition in the Mournes once more
as part of the Bronze Award. This
was a great opportunity to explore the
countryside, visit locations unknown
to many and to learn how to survive
with very little equipment. Day 1 was
an adventure through the mountains
up via Fofanny Dam with an overnight
stay at Meelmore campsite. Day 2
involved a journey through Tollymore
Forest Park across into Donard Park to
complete the expedition. The whole experience was good
fun, and along the way friendships
were enhanced and memories were
61
made. Sophie O’Neill came to the
attention of staff for her determination,
sense of comradeship and good cheer
during the hike. She wrote something of
her experiences for The Victorian.
“For me, the Duke of Edinburgh’s
Award Scheme was a good and
enjoyable experience. The main
aim was to work as a team and help
to navigate around the Mourne
Mountains. It was a lot of fun working
in teams of six with your classmates
and sharing a tent. The equipment was
all very light and basic to carry in your
rucksack. At points for everyone you
felt like giving up, but the support and
effort from your team helped you carry
on. The teachers were very helpful and
supportive helping us to finish. At the
end we felt we had achieved a lot. Duke
of Ed gave me a lot of independence
and a good insight into living and
camping outdoors. I would persuade
more people to consider and take on the
challenge. I would like to thank Mrs
Hart and the other staff for giving us the
opportunity to experience the Duke of
Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.”
Crossing the rapids
Silver Award
Congratulations go to Ellen Beattie,
Sarah Blaney and Megan Halliday who
attended the Northern Ireland Duke
of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme Silver
Presentation on 30 April 2013 at the
Civic Centre, Craigavon.
This was the culmination of several
years of effort and service. The Silver
expedition took place at the end of Year
11 for the majority of the group, and
the awardees have happy memories
of three days and two nights under
canvas in Tollymore Forest Park in the
Mournes. Certainly the trip challenged
the group’s fitness but also brought the
satisfaction of a goal achieved, closer
bonding with their peers and staff,
and the discipline of perseverance.
Thanks to those who kept everyone’s
spirits high with the singing! Special
mention goes to Sophie Elliot, who
will remember celebrating her birthday
with a cake and of course a rendition of
Happy Birthday!
Year 10 on the loose
Staying cheerful!
62
Time for lunch!
Participants developed their physical
skills through hockey, ballet and dance.
However, non-physical skills such as
piano and drama were also assessed,
as was the important Service element.
Gold Award
Megan, Sarah and Ellen
Most volunteered in community
activities, for example by helping out at
tennis clubs coaching younger children,
or by working in a charity shop.
Warm thanks go to Mrs Hart, Miss
Bothwell, Miss Sheridan and Mr
Robinson for all their help in reaching
this goal. Now forwards to Gold!
Megan Halliday Year 12
Mourne Mountain
Adventure
On 27-28 April of this year, with
the support of OFMDFM and the
kind permission of the Mourne
Mountain Trustees, Newry and Mourne
Council held the second Mourne
Mountain Adventure as part of their
Olympics Legacy Initiative. This was
aimed at those aged between 13 and 18,
and over 500 young people from across
the Province took part, so there was
a strong cross-community element to
the programme. The PSNI, NI Fire and
Rescue Service, Ministry of Defence
and other public bodies were a major
part of the programme which was also
designed to strengthen the ties between
young people, the community and our
natural environmental heritage.
This year the Expedition phase of
the Mourne Mountain Challenge
started in Kilbroney Park. The full
programme featured a hike in the
Mourne Mountains, Dundrum Bay RIB
(Rigid Inflatable Boats) crossing and
a ferocious challenge at Ballykinler
Training Centre as well as overnight
camping in Kilbroney Forest Park and
Tollymore Forest Park. It’s a good thing
then that Specialist Rescue Teams were
on hand in case of need.
The first phase of the Adventure
and Expedition levels departed from
It is a matter of great pride to the
College that six Sixth Form girls –
Orlaith Sonner, Rebekah Milligan,
Jody McKeown, Rachael Henderson,
Lucy Crossan and Sophie Pollock
- successfully completed their
Gold Award and were received at
Hillsborough Castle on Thursday
28 February 2013. This requires a
whole year of activity in the sections
completed for Bronze and Silver levels,
whether this is developing previous
skills or learning new ones. There is
also a challenging Residential section,
staying away from home for five days
and four nights doing a shared activity
with people from outside your circle
of friends altogether.
The Expedition section is much more
demanding than Bronze or Silver – four
days and three nights away in ‘wild
country’. This time, the expeditions
took place in the undoubtedly wild
if not exotic country of the Mourne
Mountains at the end of June, with the
help of Mrs Hart of course, and also
Mr Robinson, Mrs O’Riordan (Miss
Bothwell), Miss Sheridan and Mrs
Morrow.
Eco Matters
BEEs Competition
Success
Mourne Mountain Adventure
Tollymore Forest Park and Kilbroney
Forest Park respectively. The teams
had to find their way without assistance
along a prescribed route through the
forest parks and complete challenging
tasks. Whether they were on the
Adventure track or the Expedition
track, all teams finished at Dundrum
Bay for their RIB crossing to
Ballykinler Beach and the final phase, a
series of team tasks which proved both
physically and mentally challenging,
culminating in an attempt at the
assault course!
Emma Blair Aya Helmy, Katie
McComb, Jenny Salmon, Sophie
Thompson, and Head Girl elect Azka
Yousaf represented Victoria College
- and survived to tell the tale.
Mrs C Hart
Six schools reached the final of
the BEEs competition (Belfast
Environmentally Efficient Schools).
Through the BEEs competition,
supported by Belfast City Council and
the Department of the Environment’s
Rethink Waste Initiative, pupils
were encouraged to collaborate and
communicate an imaginative and
innovative environmental development
plan for their school.
Eco-Committee pupils from St Mary’s
Star of the Sea PS, Holy Cross Boys’
School, St Joseph’s PS, St Louise’s
Comprehensive College, the Belfast
Model School for Girls and Victoria
College competed in the finals of
the BEEs competition by delivering
a presentation on an environmental
development project plan for their
school. St Joseph’s won first place
prize in the primary section of the
competition and Victoria College
63
Translink Eco-Schools
Travel Challenge
BEES competition - VCB are champions
won the post-primary section with
each school winning more than £3,000
worth of specialist consultancy from
leading environmental firm, Mabbett.
The winning pupils were also rewarded
with a £150 eco-voucher to develop their
Eco-Schools Programme and a class
trip to visit W5, a Belfast City Council
recycling plant, and a wind turbine.
This year the College participated
in the Translink Eco-Schools Travel
Challenge run in partnership by TIDY
Northern Ireland and Translink. Pupils
were asked to take part in this challenge
over a four-week period. We explored
what transport pupils currently used to
get to and from school and encouraged
them to try and make sustainable
improvements during this period and
beyond. For example: taking the bus,
train, walking or cycling – even once
a week can make a big difference. We
asked them to consider car sharing,
where possible.
This was a fantastic opportunity for
the College to work towards becoming
Eco-Schools
Green Flag
Victoria College has been awarded
a prestigious Eco-Schools Green Flag
by the environmental charity TIDY
Northern Ireland. The Eco-Schools
Programme is the world’s largest
environmental education programme
and aims to make environmental
awareness and action an intrinsic part
of the life and ethos of a school.
In Northern Ireland Eco-Schools
is sponsored by Airtricity and its
participatory approach and combination
of learning and action makes it an ideal
way for schools to begin improving
the environments of schools and their
local communities. Eco-Schools work
through a simple seven-step approach
resulting in the programme becoming
central to the school’s ethos. Schools
can choose from ten eco-topics
ranging from litter and waste to
energy, biodiversity and transport
to name a few. Eco-Schools work
towards achieving awards - bronze,
silver and the prestigious green flag.
The internationally recognised Green
Flag is this highest award given to
Eco-Schools and symbolises excellence
in the field of environmental activity.
Work covered the ten eco-topics but
focused on recycling, energy and school
grounds. The Eco-Committee worked
very hard throughout the year to ensure
all the criteria was met and were
delighted with their Green Flag success.
Translink Eco Schools
Mr M Winning Celebrating our Green Flag
64
more environmentally sustainable by
reducing carbon emissions caused by
car traffic and we used the challenge
as a means to achieving the prestigious
Eco-Schools Green Flag award. It was
also a positive step towards reducing
any car congestion near our College.
Joining the Eco-Schools Translink
Challenge was free for the school and
there was a special awards ceremony in
Belfast Central Station to present prizes
to the top participants from across
Northern Ireland. We were delighted
that Rebecca Furphy from Year 12
was one of the major prizewinners and
can now take her family anywhere in
Northern Ireland for a day out courtesy
of Translink. Elizabeth Lawther also
collected a prize awarded to the College
for the best use of sustainable transport.
Eco-Schools Airtricity
Global Wind Award
Victoria College are winners of the
Eco Schools Airtricity Global Wind
Award. We were successful in the
category of ‘Best Eco-Committee of
the Year’ award.
The awards ceremony was held in the
Everglades Hotel, Londonderry and
was presented by U105 host Frank
Mitchell. The day commenced with a
speech proposed by TIDY Northern
And in conclusion Victoria College is
Belfast’s Best Kept
School – again!
It’s becoming something of a habit
for us, and when you have read the
reports above, is there any wonder?
Eco-hero Mr Winning and his dedicated
team played a substantial role in
securing first place in the prestigious
Belfast Education and Library Board
area final of the Supervalu-sponsored
competition organised by the Northern
Ireland Amenity Council. The NIAC
was established to promote, for the
Ireland Eco-Schools Co-ordinator
Carmel Fyfe. This address supplied
us with further knowledge of the
Eco-Schools and Green Flag process.
We then heard two informative
speeches from one primary and one
secondary school about the targets
and problems addressed within their
school community. Later in the day,
the Mayor of Derry City Council gave
a presentation to the winners of each
category. We were selected as earlier
in the school year we had participated
in the BEEs project and the Climate
benefit of the public, the protection,
preservation and improvement of the
physical environment in Northern
Ireland. Professor Arthur Muskett
pioneered the ‘Best Kept’ initiatives
in the 1950s, and his ideas have been
taken up across the United Kingdom.
Today, Miss Doreen Muskett MBE,
an Old Girl of Victoria College, is
President of the NIAC Board.
In the Schools category, the judges
visit the campus to assess it for the
absence of litter and general tidiness
and cleanliness. They also look for
environmental enhancement, and
Victoria impressed with its flowerbeds,
bird feeders, wetland and beautiful
Change Summit at Stormont, which
played a major part in the College being
awarded the Green Flag.
Climate Change Summit at Stormont
grounds. Very important also is
evidence of whole-school engagement,
and in their visit in May, the judges
took note of our recycling initiatives
and commitment to reducing waste and
emissions in travelling to school.
As well as a cash prize which will
be spent to the benefit of the school
environment, the school receives a
unique plaque and a perpetual crystal
trophy. Congratulations to Mr Winning
and his team – but the third time’s the
charm, so here’s to victory in 2014.
Dr J Brown
Experiencing
Cambridge
In July 2013 Aska Yousaf, Aya
Helmy, Wiktoria Slomkowska and
Miss Robinson ventured over the
sea to Cambridge to take part in the
Corpus Christi Summer School. This
involved three days of working with
pupils from other schools in Northern
Ireland and also current students at
the University.
There were several subject sessions
to participate in: Biology, Physics,
Medicine or Law. As we arrived
early, we decided to walk around the
town and see the different Colleges.
At our College, Corpus Christi, we
had the opportunity to spend three
days in the College’s accommodation
and act as though we were actual
students at the University. This meant
we were able to enjoy their food
and relax in the common rooms in
the evening. In the evening of the
first day, the current students of the
college organised a quiz, which was
In Old Court outside Christopher Marlowe’s room
65
a great ice-breaker for the students
coming from different schools.
The Medicine session, which Azka
took part in, was based around
neuroscience with a particular focus
on Parkinson’s Disease. This was
very informative as she learned about
the cause, symptoms, and potential
treatments of the disease. She had to
use the College Library to research
a certain aspect of the disease and
possible surgical treatments. This
highlighted the importance that the
University places on independent
work.
Aya, on the other hand, participated
in the Physics subject session, which
was challenging yet very intriguing.
The subject session was on Special
Relativity, with topics including
time dilation, length contraction and
Galilean relativity. The tutorials were
presented by a current PhD student
at Cambridge and were an intensified
version of one of the modules studied
in first-year Physics at the University.
A Punt on the Cam
On the final day, each subject’s
participants had to prepare a
presentation which would be shown
to their fellow students and the
Directors of Studies of the College.
After all this intense work, a good
way to end the trip was by punting
down the River Cam, which is
definitely easier said than done. In
fact, we never progressed more than
100 metres down the river, during
which distance Miss Robinson’s
face was in a permanent state of
fear, in spite of having filled out
all the necessary risk assessments
beforehand!
All in all we highly recommend
the three-day Summer School for
offering a unique insight into the
authentic Cambridge University
experience. By the end of the three
days it is clear from the excellent
teaching why places at this
prestigious education establishment
are so sought after by students from
all over the world.
Aska Yousaf, Aya Helmy,
Wiktoria Slomkowska Year 13
Touring the Colleges
66
Our ‘Search for a
Star Pupil’ is over!
Year 9 gymnast India Atkinson was
named the winner of Vision Express’s
‘Search for a Star Pupil’ competition.
Vision Express and charity partner
Childhood Eye Cancer Trust aimed to
raise awareness of the importance of
child eye tests.
Across the UK, 400 children were
auditioned in Vision Express stores to
find a student with ‘an eye for style’.
India had to demonstrate her love for
eyewear and strike a pose wearing a
pair of frames.
India Atkinson
The judges said “India is a shining
example of what this initiative stands
for; not only is she an exemplary
The image of India is taken from www.
optometry.co.uk from 5 February 2013.
new hair product, sell items at a music
festival, and create a new sports brand.
She saw the inside of the dreaded
boardroom more than once – but held
her own each time.
Maria Doran, Young
Apprentice finalist!
Our congratulations go to Maria
Doran of Year 14, who made it all the
way to the prime-time final of the BBC
series Young Apprentice and into the
national press. All this took place in the
highest secrecy (well, except for one
or two favoured members of staff) in
the summer after a year spent studying
for A-levels in Business Studies (of
course), Drama and Government &
Politics. Maria’s stage experience was
put to very good use when she needed
to summon up all her courage to voice
her ideas and defend her approach to
Lord Sugar in front of the cameras
in the tough environment of the
competition. “The biggest mistake you
could make is to underestimate me,”
said Maria the “lioness” in advance
of the show. There was no chance of
that! Alternating at Lord Sugar’s whim
between Team Platinum and Team
Odyssey, Maria had to sell second-hand
pupil at school but she has a positive
attitude to life, contributing to her
local community and following her
dreams of becoming a gymnast. She’s
a very worthy winner,” commented
Mr Lawson, CEO of Vision Express.
India’s prize includes a family trip
to Disneyland Paris and a pair of
designer glasses. She said, “When I
found out I had won, I couldn’t believe
it as I haven’t really won anything
before. Everyone else I saw who were
competing were amazing and I’m just
honoured that I was chosen.”
Maria Doran Young Apprentice
clothing, design and pitch a cookery
book, purchase props for the Coliseum
Theatre in London’s West End, run
an afternoon tea business, create a
children’s club, devise and market a
Maria is now a Young Ambassador for
Enterprise NI and describes herself as
passionate about all things business.
She has featured in the Best Dressed list
for the Belfast Times and is continuing
to appear in local theatre. Maria has put
her high profile and burgeoning list of
contacts to good use in serving many
charitable causes locally – all while she
is studying Law at Queen’s University.
Yes, our very own self-styled ‘legally
blonde’ Young Apprentice also excelled
academically with an A*, A and B
grades. No doubt we will be hearing
more of her! We are proud of her and
send our very best wishes for her future.
Dr J Brown
Scripture Union
Scripture Union meets weekly, with
a separate programme for Juniors on
Richmond and Seniors on Cranmore
campus. Mrs Elwood leads the latter
group, and the Juniors are led by an
able and devoted band of Year 14
students. One of these leaders Evie
Crockard has written for us.
I have really enjoyed being a leader
of Senior Scripture Union this past
year and last year a leader of Junior
Scripture Union. SU is a place of
fellowship together where we join in
fun games and quizzes while focusing
At the weekend
67
on a message given by one of the
leaders. We also have times of worship
and prayer where the girls get to praise
God and become closer to him through
prayer. It has been a great experience
getting to know the younger girls and
their faith and teaching them about
God’s Word. I have loved watching
them grow over the year and the
highlight of this was at our annual SU
weekend that was held in Castlewellan
Castle in November. The girls really
enjoyed what we had planned for them
and we all had great fun along with our
speaker, Moore Holmes a student from
Belfast Bible College.
We also held an inter-schools event
called Shine where we invited other
Last Junior SU of the year
schools to join us in a night of worship
where we had the Word of God brought
to us by our speaker Moore who we
invited back after the weekend.
This year has been a great success with
the help of the teachers involved and
our team of leaders and on behalf of the
Sentinus Engineering
Solutions Programme
A group of 20 students from Key
Stage 3 took part in the Sentinus
Engineering Solutions Programme
sponsored by the Royal Academy of
Engineering. The girls worked with two
PhD students from Queen’s University,
Belfast to complete, in groups of four
other leaders I would like to thank the
teachers for their support and dedication
to SU this year. I wish everyone
involved will carry on in their walk
with God in the future and to the girls
coming up to be leaders in the next few
years, I wish great success.
Evie Crockard Year 14
or five, an eight-week programme
based on the theme of ‘futuristic
technologies’. The girls planned,
designed, prepared and presented
their own unique idea for a futuristic
engineering solution. Ideas ranged
from solar glazing to smart fridges and
shower doors. Each team had to think
carefully about how their design would
be manufactured and how it would
work before finally presenting their idea
In the Castle Cafe in our onesies!
Castlewellan Castle
68
Sentinus Award winners Emma, Erin, Anna and Eva
to a panel of judges within school. On
one of the weeks the girls listened to
a presentation by the current Director
of the Northern Ireland Technology
Centre, Tom Edgar, who spoke about
his career and the kind of work he
was involved in. He also provided
valuable suggestions and support to
each of the teams as they worked on
developing their project ideas. The
best team represented their school at
the celebration day in the Whitla Hall,
QUB on 6 June, which was a very
enjoyable experience. The girls won
two out of the five awards available
on the day. Their design was awarded
‘Most Creative Engineering Solution’
and received an award for ‘Commercial
Potential’. The winning team members
were Anna Darling, Eva Davis, Erin
Devlin and Emma Salmon. All the
pupils who took part in the programme
received a Sentinus certificate and a
CREST Silver Award in recognition
of their work. Special thanks must
be given to our link engineers, PhD
students Rebecca Lutton and Ciara
Tighe (Queen’s University) for
their hard work, enthusiasm and
encouragement that was vital to the
success of the girls in this programme.
UKAYRoC National
Finals 2013
proved to be a tremendous success
over recent years and this year has
been no exception. The College is
extremely proud of the achievements
of Asha Pandey, Amy McCartney,
Hannah Ware, Meredith Telford
and Laura Doran and acknowledges
the impeccable way in which they
represented their school at Farnborough
in May 2013. It is our aim to be back in
the competition next year with an even
better design and greater ambition to
climb further up the ranking to Number
One spot and becoming UK champions
for the first time.
Aiming to improve on last year’s
impressive performance at the National
Finals of the UK Aerospace Youth
Rocketry Challenge (UKAYRoC), the
2013 team travelled to Queen’s Parade,
Farnborough to take part on Tuesday
7 May in what has now become one
of engineering’s most prestigious
educational competitions. The aim of
the competition is “to encourage school
children to enter the world of aerospace
and science”.
Mr D McCaw
The VCB Rocketry Club is greatly
indebted to New Breed Logistics for
their support again this year.
More information about the challenge
(including those all-important
flight statistics) can be found on the
UKAYRoC website at
www.ukayroc.co.uk.
Mr D McCaw
A total of 69 teams from all over the
UK had battled for a place within
the top 20 who would travel to the
national event. The VCB team had
not disappointed in the regional finals
at Langford Lodge, Crumlin, as their
performance saw them progress easily
into the next round to represent their
school and country.
Their task was to design and build
a rocket that would fly safely to an
altitude of 750 feet with a flight
duration of between 48 and 50 seconds.
The rocket design was also to allow
the transportation of a fragile payload
(in this case one raw medium-sized
hen’s egg) and see it return to earth in
an undamaged state. The payload had
to travel perpendicular to the direction
of travel and have a safe return to
earth using a 15-inch parachute.
Furthermore, gross lift-off weight had
to be no more than 650 grammes. In
tricky weather conditions the team
reached an altitude of 697 feet with
an unbroken egg and flight duration
of 44 seconds. This ranked the girls in
seventh place, an improvement on last
year’s performance. For the second year
in a row the girls were awarded a prize
for the best static display, which was
presented by former Concorde pilot
Christopher Orlebar.
Participation in UKAYRoC has
Asha, Amy and Hannah
Farnborough, we have lift-off!
69
Creative Expression
A-Level AS-Level
and GCSE Art
Rachael Andrews
A-Level
Hazel Wong
A-Level
Bethan Maguire A-Level
Shannon Neale A-Level
Kirsty Higginson
A-Level
Jemma Hool
A-Level
70
Victoria McFarland AS-Level
Sarah Dickey AS-Level
Rachel Carson AS-Level
Nicole Gilmour AS-Level
Stephanie Gibson AS-Level
Julia Kennedy AS-Level
71
Sophie Elliott GCSE
Sarah Livingstone GCSE
Emma Johnston GCSE
Claire Windrum GCSE
Anne Henderson GCSE
Anna Henderson GCSE
72
Emma Johnston GCSE
Shakespeare’s
Sisters
Our sisterhood continues to expand
and flourish. We meet at lunchtime
every Wednesday (more or less) until
we lose the Year 12s, 13s and 14s to
study leave. Over a working lunch,
we discuss our work, experiment
with new techniques and argue
intensely about the relative merits of
fictional worlds.
We tend more to prose than to poetry
(despite Dr Brown’s best efforts to
encourage experimentation with
metre) and to fiction rather than fact.
This year we were thrilled to have
M.E.
I walk in the room,
A slap on my back.
“Another,” you say,
“Can you get me a match?”
The body is cold,
yet not as cold as the air.
“Liver temp’s in the thirties,”
“She has been dead since real early.”
Who shot her dead?
Who smashed the bottle all over her
head?
Firebirds:
a work in progress
There gardens surround a palace all
of glass;
There Firebirds sing by night
And peck at golden fruit.
A Winter’s Journey, Yakov Polonsky
(1844)
Pitching Sentence:
The first mission of the exclusive
group of child spies in which they
must recover a stolen hard-drive
containing identities of undercover
operatives and information that their
agency does not want to get out.
Pitching Paragraph:
A third-person narrative that takes
the reader through the events of
the Firebirds’ first ever mission.
The novel takes place in a variety
as a guest of honour our very own
temporary member of the Drama
Department, Miss Louise Doherty,
author of The Hidden, a powerful
tale of the rediscovery of identity
set in contemporary Belfast. She
discussed the creative process and
took questions from a very discerning
audience.
It is so encouraging that pupils offer
up their own work in an atmosphere
of mutual support and healthy
criticism. Christine McCullough took
us through the Snowflake method
of composition, and you can gain an
insight into her creative process from
the excerpt from her ongoing project
Firebirds printed in this section.
Bethany Fisher’s poem M.E. explores
mortality through the eyes of a
forensic pathologist. These pupils
are an example and inspiration to me
also to get back to the keyboard and
practise what I preach!
Who cut her throat?
Who slipped her the pill?
These are the boxes you ask me to
fill.
“Was she an emo, still finding her
way?
Was she a peddler, just taking day by
day?
Was she so drunk she didn’t even see
The man with the gun asking to
meet?”
“Who was she?” you ask,
A tear in your eye.
“What were her dreams, her means?
Had she found love, or was she just
playing the scene?
Was she a good girl, a bad girl, a
hussy?
Or was she just doing it all for the
money?”
of familiar and exotic locations
including Montenegro where the
hard-drive is retrieved, and the
National Gallery. The Firebirds are
first introduced on a play-through
mission in Scotland. They are sent
to a trap in New York where they
are attacked after learning they had
been set up; upon defeating their
attacker they learn from his case that
his next directive was to go to the
Reichenbach Falls Hotel and Casino.
There they bug the thieves’ rooms.
The Firebirds succeed in retrieving
the hard-drive and return to London
to the National Gallery where they
are instructed to complete a dropoff after hours. The drop-off goes
wrong and the hard-drive is stolen by
the original thieves working on the
orders of an adversary...
Expansion Paragraph One:
The Firebirds’ first ever mission
(“Operation Hermes”) takes place
Mention must be made of two
notable founder-members, Naomi
Skilling and Sarah Murray. Naomi
has maintained her contributions
to fan fiction online throughout her
A-levels, and Sarah, whose dream
is a career in writing for the media,
has tasted her first success with an
Exhibition at the commencement of
her Journalism course in Wales. Keep
writing ladies!
Dr J Brown
The girl is long dead, her body stone
cold.
Who knows what for?
That’s you floor.
But you always ask me for more.
Bethany Fisher Year 12
in their first year of education in
espionage and as such, they are
novices. The Firebirds are led
by their youngest team member
(Elizabeth Wayles) who is
inexperienced but wants to prove her
worth. Following a hundred days of
training which ends with a combat
exercise in Scotland, the team
are called to the office of Knight
Commander Wayles who assigns to
them their first mission to retrieve a
stolen hard-drive. The night before
they are due to fly out, Alexander
angrily confronts Elizabeth outside
The Old Rectory after failing to
gain entry to the Seymour common
room, to entreat her to withdraw their
acceptance, which she declines.
To be continued – watch this space!
Christine McCullough Year 13
73
The Muriel McGregor
Poetry Prize 2013
Muriel McGregor was a student at Victoria College.
She loved the College dearly, and when she passed
away on 19 April 2006 she left a large sum of money
to encourage her passions of drama and poetry in the
students of today. Each year her son Mr John Paynter
receives our winning poems in the knowledge that his
mother’s wishes are being fulfilled.
The young man hands me a bundle
In the immaculate white room,
A silver-cross pram parked in the corner.
Somehow in seconds I have gained years of wisdom and
refinement.
The baby’s shrill cries carry me into a world of sapphire.
I meet creatures of black and yellow, my lengthy tail
fluttering behind.
With a soft word everything fades
But through hours of scribbling, screaming and skipping,
My little dreams grow, mature and flourish,
Eager to take me to my next nightly adventure.
Sarah Bell Year 13
Runner-up, Senior School
Elementary
What things make creatures such as we
If we are the fabric of dreams?
Those fickle glittering beacons
To which we flit like lacy moths
Between stars, a blurred mirage
Which crumbles at our earthly touch?
What makes Man
Man?
Was he drawn up steaming, reddened
From the deepest chasms of the Earth
Or pulled down from the angels’ beds?
Are we here fallen with a bump,
Our wings plucked by Hands as petals
From the daisies we will push up?
Were we belched up from the sulphurous
Hollows, left worn and warped, unclean
Still smouldering in our savagery?
Are we as aimless, worthless
As any lost lover’s whispered
Wish? Just as starved as lips of a kiss?
Are we simply a casket
Of fizzing irons, rough elements
Christened with our intellect?
Those clunking, clinical names or
Are we more than we can know
Fathom
Label
Explain?
Are we to carry on here
Where we are what we see, nought more?
Where man is Man, nothing better,
Nothing worse
And a dream is but a dream?
Sophie Thompson Year 13
Winner, Senior School
Once Upon A Dream
I crawl into comfort
Submerged by darkness and warmth
Surrounded by friends
Lost in freedom, joy, achievement.
Twirling, twirling, twirling
123 123 123
My vision is obscured by the light’s glitter
Endless supplies of cosmetics and embraces.
Now, buoyed upon embellished furnishings I wear streams
Of Indian tapestries. My skin like a Da Vinci sketch.
74
Crying Wolf
Simple thoughts – I think not – formed in sinking sleep
Yet in my head it resolutely keeps submerged
Like the sinful sunshine bleeding out behind
The covering clouds at the back of my mind.
Swallowing the shallow depths, yet still too deep;
Plenty to forcibly maintain myself to
Myself and myself buried deep,
Destined only to be doubting duals in distant sleep.
Smothered under Lucifer’s layers of white,
Silent screaming against the vacant night
Whose single short noiseless echo
Is still and silent. My head now just empty enough
To be safe. And still my heart unsettled
The real night seems to sound in snarls.
Alex Cooper Year 13
Runner-up, Senior School
The Unspoken School
There’s a girl in a village a thousand miles from here
With a voice so small you can hardly hear.
She has seen such horrors I can never understand
And endured these hardships in a dry and barren land.
My dreams carry hope and a promise so clear
Her dreams are heavy with sadness and fear.
The future is shrouded, her destiny unclear
As she marks in the sand the passing of the year.
I have freedom to dream of red bricked spires
And sweet daily singing in lunch time choirs.
She gathers wood for a clay-bricked fire
Dreaming of a day without barbed wire.
If she had the freedom to dream like me
What would she choose – Books? ABC?
A future for girls: the message clear.
One day – perhaps – her voice we will hear.
Francesca Drumm Year 10
Winner, Middle School
Dreams
I look down over my perfect
kingdom
Peaceful and quiet.
Nothing disturbed
I begin towards the centre, towards a
crowd.
Sounds grow and liven up.
Colours brighten and grow.
Hustle and bustle starts
Things whirring past. Caught in the
chaos
Strong and vibrant and clear
And fragile as blown glass.
Eerily perfect, like the water’s surface,
A sudden ripple begins to fade
And disappear before my eyes.
Reality sets in harsh and cold.
The only comfort is knowledge.
My perfect kingdom
Rebuilding bit by bit
Waiting to be enjoyed again.
Caitlin McCormack Year 10
Runner-up, Middle School
The beast opens its enormous mouth:
The victim is gone.
No mortal sword can kill it.
Only one can; forged
In a dragon’s breath
Destroyed by the immortal beast.
Georgina Lobo Prep 6
Winner, Key Stage 2
The Dark Night
The deserted house,
Circled by crows.
Smashed windows; shattered glass.
Creaking floorboards; mouldy, damp
Hallway. Gloomy wallpaper pulled
off.
Like someone clinging for dear life
Bloody prints smeared on the walls.
Rain beats down splashless.
Silent screams echo.
Opening the door I see.
Shannon Frazer Prep 6
Runner-up, Key Stage 2
Mars Dream
Dreams
Little drifting clouds in your head;
Never knowing what one could hold.
Castles, tall, powerful;
Forests beholding mythical creatures
Swooping, soaring in the sky
High. Dreams.
Fantasy Masterpieces.
Imagination dancing.
Little magic movies in your head;
Anything can happen.
Sleep little one.
Dream.
Georgia Heatherley Year 8
Winner, Junior School
The Beast
Waiting on Neptune
The beast is there…
Controlling meteorites,
Knocking out its prey;
Living in volcanoes
Hardly there
Always hunting
Never stopping
It hides in craters,
Breathing out sulphuric acid.
Zooming in my rocket
No control, going to crash
Speeding past shooting stars
A meteorite collides with a
resounding thump.
The red and dusty planet is in sight.
The scorching heat is overwhelming.
Blinded by the blazing sun
Bracing myself for the crash
Death is imminent.
Utterly terrified I awake.
Ellie Ruddell Prep 6
Runner-up, Key Stage 2
For Children
Dreaming of Summer
Dreaming of my birthday
Its almost here.
Come and join the party.
Give a little cheer.
Into the car and off down the road
Straight to the holiday house
And un-pack our load.
Down to the seashore
The sand is so hot.
Ice cold water
The scene has changed a lot.
Hear the seagulls squawking,
Explore the secret paths.
Eat tons of ice-cream
And have salty sea-water baths.
Right now it’s bedtime –
Begin the midnight feast.
Chewing on sweet loveliness
I couldn’t be sad in the least.
Waking in the morning I realise
That I needn’t be upset.
Another summer approaches
After one I’ll not forget.
Anna McPherson Prep 4
Runner-up, Key Stage 1
Winter Dreams
Hard white grit;
Hot chocolate steaming;
Snow as cold as ice cream.
Warm hotdogs with ketchup;
Fluffy onesies and
Icicles on the steps.
Hot soup and stew.
Charlotte Roberts Prep 3
Runner-up, Key Stage 1
Food for every child
Healthy and fresh;
Clean water
Cold and clear;
School for every child;
A kind teacher;
A house
Warm and cosy;
A warm bed
Clean and snug.
Olivia Shaw Prep 3
Winner, Key Stage 1
75
In Performance
A2 Drama in
performance
On Monday 17 December 2012, the
Assembly Hall on the Cranmore
campus was transformed by two
electric pieces of theatre as the A2 class
brought us their Devised Performances.
Incredibly, these two dramas are the
work of the students themselves based
on ideas generated and sources studied
in class, and they represented enormous
commitment, creativity and effort.
Judgement was a searing study of one
of our most pressing contemporary
issues. Its authors write: It is a play
about society’s views of the vulnerable.
Women of the night are respected in
some cultures and in others, isolated. In
this play we address this issue wanting
to leave you with the question: Are
these women sluts, or slaves? Maria
Doran was Fantine, Taylor Hamill
Sayuri, Maurice and Jasmine, Oonagh
Lavery Phillipé and Zoey, and Olivia
McMullen Mameha.
Drama A2 Judgement.
Anonymous was a tense thriller in
the noir style. The authors write: The
murder of an Alcoholics Anonymous
counsellor has occurred and Detective
Christopher Benson is determined to
solve the case. Going undercover with
his partner Richard Parker, Detective
Benson exposes the suspects’ sordid
secrets in his quest to discover who
murdered Emily Shepherd. The play
was an excellent exploration of the
themes of truth, reality, dependency and
secrecy, and kept us guessing until the
last moments. Kirsty Bingham played
Dorothy Briggs; Rose Griffiths was
Hayley Grimshaw, Rebecca Mercer
was the Detective, Sarah Murray Nicole
MacAvoy, Naomi Sharratt Richard
Parker, and Madeline McCavana
Stephanie Allen.
Alexandra takes
to the stage
AS Drama in
performance
Year 10 student Alexandra Dick
recently performed in the centre-stage
cast in a 25th anniversary production of
Cats with Stagecoach Theatre Arts by
arrangement with Lord Lloyd Webber’s
The Really Useful Group Ltd at the
National Indoor Arena in Birmingham,
showcasing young talent from ten
countries around the world. Alexandra
was selected by St Agnes’ Music
Society to play the role of Liesl in The
Sound of Music at the Grand Opera
House, Belfast in April.
On 10 May this year the AS Drama
class had our scripted performances,
consisting of four plays: My Mother
Said I Never Should, Teechers, More
Light and Twelfth Night. We were all
very nervous for the performances
but eager to showcase our efforts
after a year’s hard work. The rehearsal
process was demanding but the whole
class were dedicated to their work,
especially the three boys who joined
us from RBAI who had to travel up
to class each time.
Everyone’s hard work paid off as all
the pieces went as planned, if not better,
and everyone pulled out all the stops
to give their best performances to date.
The audience – made up of parents,
teachers, friends and the examiner
of course – were fantastic and really
made a difference to the delivery of the
plays, giving the performances the final
burst of energy needed to really make
them special. Just before the examiner
arrived we all gathered in the canteen;
this was when the nerves really set in.
Yet the nerves actually brought us back
together as a class, as in rehearsals we
had been divided into our groups and
practised separately. Pre-show jitters
76
Whilst this was an evening to enjoy, it
was also bittersweet to say farewell to
some stellar actresses who have learned
their craft over seven years of study and
performance at Victoria College, and
we hope that they have many future
opportunities to perform.
brooding performance from Alanah
Gorman as the grieving Valerie in
Conor McPherson’s The Weir. Willy
Russell provided the next two scenes.
Blood Brothers is always popular, and
Leah Cunningham and Ryan Walker
made an excellent mother-and-son duo
Linda and Mickey Johnstone. Next but
in a more upbeat mood, Amy Dawson
owned the stage as Shirley Valentine.
united us as we gave each other the
confidence needed to put on a good
show.
All in all I feel the performances went
well and that the finished product
was a true reflection of our constant
hard work throughout the year. The
performances were challenging because
we pushed ourselves as performers
but they were also a labour of love.
We had great fun exploring the plays
themselves, our own capabilities as
actors and the joy to be had from
working with old friends and finding
new ones.
Sarah Patterson Year 13
My Mother Said I Never Should by
Charlotte Keatley is an exploration
of the relationships between mothers
and daughters. The play spans four
generations over a period of time from
1942 to 1987 but also shows all the
generations meeting and playing as
children.
Teechers by John Godber is a comic
exploration of the profound effect of
school life as seen through the eyes of
a drama class.
More Light by Bryony Lavery tells
the story of four concubines of the
mighty Chinese emperor mewed up
in his tomb, who refuse to remain
confined and make surprising
discoveries about the nature of
freedom.
Drama AS Lady Bracknell
M’Lynn and Rosa O’Farrell as Shelby
in a moving scene. In Split Down the
Middle by David Compton, Madeline
Magee played Josie and Rebecca
Miskelly was Fran in a cautionary tale
about confessing your misdeeds to a
friend. Sarah Patterson was a powerful
figure as the abandoned Rosaline
Capulet in Sharman McDonald’s After
Juliet, a reworking of Shakespeare’s
tragedy. Enter a gentleman from RBAI,
Rory Douglas-Smith as Ernest
Worthing, and Hannah Gibson as Lady
Bracknell in a deliciously comic
scene from Oscar Wilde’s The
Importance of Being Ernest. The
mood darkened considerably with a
Holly Cairns skilfully played grieving
but conflicted Penny in Because of
Beth by Elana Gartner. The next choice
went back to the very beginnings
of drama, with an ambitious and
powerful scene between sisters at
war Ismene (Aine Gordon) and the
eponymous Antigone (Rachael Stewart)
in Sophocles’ tragedy. In a complete
change of pace, Charis McRoberts
brought LM Montgomery’s Anne of
Green Gables to perfect life – even the
hair colour was right! Classic drama
continued with Maccah Thompson as
Louka and Gavin Murphy as Sergius
in George Bernhard Shaw’s Arms and
the Man. We returned for one final
performance to Oscar Wilde, with
Caitlin Mellon as Cecily Cardew and
Emma Russell as Gwendolen Fairfax.
Once again the Drama Department
expresses its appreciation to everyone
who made the showcase possible.
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
explores the crises caused by falling
in love with the wrong person at the
wrong time in a romping comedy. This
one featured a Madame Tori Belch,
memorably played to the hilt by Caitlin
Mellon!
AS Drama Monologues
& Duologues
In March 2013, the AS Drama class
showcased their monologues and
duologues in the Maxwell Drama
Studio to a select but appreciative
audience, ensuring that this compact
space was well filled.
Aoife McDonnell was a memorably
eccentric and florid Madame Arcati
in Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit. There
was a reprise of Steel Magnolias by
Robert Harling, with Angela Gibb as
Drama AS Antigone
77
Calamity Jane
For three days in November 2012,
Cranmore Hall was filled to capacity
for a pistol-packing, whip-cracking
performance of Calamity Jane, our
joint performance with RBAI.
Ms Slevin’s foreword to the souvenir
programme promised the audience that
they would go home humming all the
familiar tunes from the show – The
Deadwood Stage, Windy City, and
Secret Love. Calamity, she explained,
is a tomboy who is certainly capable
of embellishing stories of her heroic
exploits and lands herself in some
trouble when she brings Katie the maid,
and not the top star she boasted of, back
to Deadwood. Katie falls for Danny, for
whom Calamity has a soft spot herself,
but in true romantic style all ends
happily when Calamity herself declares
her Secret Love for Wild Bill Hickock.
Rehearsals and preparations took
several months, beginning in the
Summer Term of the previous academic
year. The RBAI boys joined the VCB
girls for rehearsals after school and
at weekends, and the energy and
commitment of the entire cast and
the staff involved was infectious.
Ms Slevin expressed her gratitude
to Miss Williamson and the staff for
their support, in particular to Mr David
Newell whose musical assistance was
much appreciated. Mr Newell is well
known and greatly missed in Victoria
College, where he taught German
for a short period before moving to a
permanent position in RBAI. We will
forgive him because of his contribution
to the show!
As Ms Slevin noted, we were indebted
to Mrs Murray who worked tirelessly
to direct, choreograph and produce
the show. Mrs Woods ensured that
everything was organised through her
constant liaison with the backstage
and front-of-house teams. Mrs Gillian
our musical director and Mr Winning
our stage manager were simply
indispensable. Putting on a show is a
real team effort, and the team can
be assured that all their efforts were
worth it.
Our own Charis McRoberts was a
magnificently convincing Calamity,
a hard-bitten, gun-totin’ heroine
according to her brief. A seasoned
performer and singer, Charis is a
member of Youth Lyric and has
78
Calamity Jane!
appeared in a variety of productions.
She would like to continue her passion
for drama after leaving VCB and
wishes to study performance at drama
school. Her professionalism, energy and
ability to motivate the rest of the cast
were much in evidence throughout the
months leading up to the show. Charis
bounced around the stage and drew all
eyes to her with her spirited interaction
with Wild Bill. Matthew Blaney proved
the perfect foil, with his superficial
daredevil swagger and genuine love
for our heroine. The eventual happy
ending was utterly persuasive and had
the audience misty-eyed. Matthew has
acted in several performances in RBAI
also appears with the Belvoir Players
and Youth Lyric. He aims to enter the
business on leaving school but has other
interests, such as choreography and
music. This was his last opportunity to
appear with VCB and we wish him the
very best for his future.
Ryan Gillian has also appeared in
joint productions of Guys and Dolls
and Hello Dolly! with VCB and has
performed with Fusion Theatre. With
the surname Gillian, it is no surprise
that he proved a very talented musical
performer. He was a lovable Danny,
an excellent partner to Maccah
Thompson’s Katie. Anyone watching
the poised comedy of Maccah would
have been very surprised to learn that
this was her debut performance, but she
is a student of Drama at A-level and her
excellent training showed itself. Jordan
Muxlow gave us a suitably nervous and
erratic Henry Miller; Petra Wells was
a flirtatious and winsome Susan; Jacob
Baird captured the always-amusing
role of the song-and-dance man and
reluctant female inpersonator Francis
Fryer - or should that be Frances? Amy
Dawson put years of experience to use
as a very memorable Adelaide Adams,
the vaudeville show pony. Rattlesnake
the bewhiskered old fossil (so say the
notes) was delivered with gusto by
Jack Leckey; the rather overworked
Deadwood doctor-cum-undertaker
Doc Pierce was Adam McDonald, Joe
the bartender was Tom Meharg, Hank
was Shaun Morris and Pete was Luke
Murray. Filling the stage with life and
colour were the saucy Saloon Girls, the
feisty Cowgirls and Cowboys, and the
Chorus who gave us a beautiful candlelit processional version of Black Hills
of Dakota, a favourite of the reviewer.
We have already thanked some of the
team who did not appear on stage,
but the list is considerably longer.
Mr Winning as stage manager was
assisted by Holly Cox. A superb set was
contructed by Mr Barrett, Mrs Clarke,
Mr McCaw, Mr Gareth Turkington
and Mr Rory Slevin. VCB students
Carolyn Chan, Laura Doran, Sophie
Gordon, Rose Griffith, Cushla Little,
Kelly Maxwell, Niamh Nixon, Bethan
O’Donnell, Basma Salem and Aska
Yousaf were indispensable in support.
Miss Faloona and Miss Cassidy were
challenged as wardrobe mistresses but
rose, of course, to the task. Makeup and hair were the domain of Mrs
Loane and Miss Lynch. Photographer
Mr Austin reigned supreme in Sound
and Lighting with the team of Anna
Bennett, Roisin Crossen, Ruth Finlay,
Calamity Jane Black Hills of Dakota
Charlotte Hillan, Rebecca Mercer
and Perrie McMahon-McKeever.
Dr Thompson and Mr Barrett were
props managers. Miss Scott performed
the unseen but very necessary role
of selling tickets, and as ever Miss
Baine led the catering team. Thanks
also to our caretakers Mr Beattie and
Mr Lorimer who had some very late
evenings.
Here’s to the next show at RBAI –
Little Shop of Horrors!
GCSE Drama
Showcase
was well portrayed by Amba Taylor,
and Saskia Colgan as Chris and Jenna
Thompson as Maggie completed this
ensemble of many moods. In The
Exam, Shannan Kincaid’s experience
in multi-roling was obvious in her
performance as the Dad in The Teacher
and the Ghost; Emely BjörkmanLoney played Andrew, Niamh Dougal
Miss Baxendale, the ‘ex’ and Mrs B;
Rebecca Furphy was Bea, and Aimee
Putt was an amusingly convincing
Chas. There was good interplay
between all the characters. Heidi
Robinson attracted many laughs for
her portrayal of a naughty Grandma
Alma in Here Comes the Bride. Sarah
Craig as Emily likewise proved a
big presence, but Rebekah Gillian as
Millie, Julie Murray as Georgia and
Kelly Wilson as Carolyn were very
supportive in their roles. The Odd
Couple has proved a very popular
showcase piece in the past, and this
performance used Spanish language
to great comic effect with Agueda
Sanchez as Manolo and Rowanne AlHalabi as Jesús; these actresses also
delivered the roles of Vera and Mickey
respectively. Connie Dalton as Olive
and Sinead Leyden as Florence were
the eponymous couple, and Sinead in
particular displayed great vocal range.
Bringing the evening to a conclusion,
the satirical Government Inspector
was given an up-to-date topical
adaptation. This slick performance was
full of energy and made brilliant use
of music and props. Every performer
had real stage presence: Grace Elwood
as a Councillor, Jane Matthews as the
Mayor, Connie Nicholl as a Councillor
and Meredith Telford as a Councillor
and Con Man – two distinct roles, we
hasten to add.
This is always a very enjoyable
opportunity for the GCSE Drama class
to perform their work to a receptive
audience of parents, staff and friends.
This year Cranmore Assembly Hall
hosted the performance on 21 March
2013.
First up was Steel Magnolias, a
favourite for the chance to show off
accents from the Southern States of
America, excellent use of freezeframe and strong female roles. Even
in a heavily edited script, distinct
personalities emerged clearly: Caitlin
Diver as Clairee, Alicia Haydock
as Annelle, Ciara Parkhill as Truvy,
Meghan Hoey as M’Lynn, Yemaya
Moffett as Ouiser, and Petra Wells as
the central character the brave and
tragic Shelby. Dancing At Lughnasa
followed, and particular credit goes to
Rose Kane for multi-roling as Rose
and Gerry. Kate’s suffering and despair
Dr J Brown
Mrs Burn was presented with a bouquet
at the conclusion of the performances.
On behalf of the Drama Department
and students, Mrs Burn and Mrs
Donnan would like to take the
opportunity to thank everyone who
helped and gave their support,
especially Mr Austin who recorded
the performances.
79
Shakespeare
in Schools
“All the world’s a stage, and all the
men and women are merely players.”
This, the most famous line from
William Shakespeare’s As You Like
It, formed the motif for the 2012
Victoria production of the play. The
girls’ performance was part of the
Shakespeare in Schools Festival and
they joined over 700 primary and
secondary schools and thousands of
young people as part of the festival.
This was a chance for them to perform
in front of a big audience in the MAC
Theatre, one of Northern Ireland’s most
prestigious venues.
The plot centres around a young girl
named Rosalind and her best friend
Celia who are outcast by the new, evil
duke who has already exiled Rosalind’s
father. The two set off into the forest,
accompanied by Touchstone the jester,
in disguise. Celia becomes the poor
Aliena and Rosalind pretends to be
a young man to protect them from
thieves. On their journey they encounter
some unlikely allies such as the lovesick farmer Silvius, a grumpy official
called Jaques and Rosalind’s own
father. Rosalind even falls in love with
a brave young man named Orlando and
tricks him into loving her, despite being
disguised as a boy. Much like all of the
Bard’s famous love stories, this one is
twisted and very, very confusing.
The journey has been long for the
budding young actresses who have
been rehearsing since May to produce
the wonderful show, but the results
were clearly worth it. Before they even
began acting they had to familiarise
themselves with the language of
Shakespeare which can be baffling at
the best of times, let alone when you’re
trying to perform with it. As the girls
worked with tutors and members of the
English Department their understanding
of their lines grew and so did their
confidence. It was amazing to see the
transformation from nervous students
struggling with their lines to dukes,
nobles, farmers and wrestlers strutting
across the stage. A trip to the Black Box
to work with a professional director
also helped the cast to get a real insight
into the world of theatre and was a
particular treat.
On the day of the performance,
the entire cast and a few Year 14
technicians arrived at the MAC to
warm up and run through a couple of
rehearsals. Already, it was looking good
and the organisers there really enjoyed
their performance. They provided some
last-minute feedback and noted that
our opening scene was the best of the
day. So out of the three schools who
were performing that night, we were
up first. A break for lunch and a little
relaxation time meant that we were
back and ready to go by six. Victoria
College provided a little pre-show
entertainment, dancing to the tracks
from the performance like Rihanna’s
We Found Love and Combine
Harvester by The Wurzels. Even the
other schools got involved and with a
little help from the organisers everyone
was excited and ready to go.
As we took our places, last-minute
nerves were setting in but this was
the kind of pressure that was about to
produce theatrical gold. The actresses
fought off the butterflies and performed
spectacularly the piece which Mrs Burn
had created. There were moments of
pure hilarity supported by the skilful
use of accents which the girls used to
liven up the entire show. There was
also variety in the performance which
used dynamic effects to create powerful
and dramatic scenes to compliment the
comedic ones. The performance went
smoothly with the perfect balance of
realism and fairy tale to showcase every
aspect of the actresses’ talents. They
truly started the show with a bang and
it was yet another amazing production
directed by Mrs Burn. Everyone
involved had an amazing experience
and will never forget the Shakespeare in
Schools Festival. Here’s to many more!
Jade Sheppard Year 14
Carol Service
Fisherwick Presbyterian Church,
beautifully decorated for Christmas,
hosted the traditional service of Nine
Lessons and Carols on Sunday 16
December. Staff, parents, pupils and
guests filled this lovely building. Once
again Mr McCaw provided an inspiring
cover to the Order of Service with his
pen-and-ink drawing of Drumglass
House in the snow, which you can
see here.
After a new arrangement of Ding
Dong Merrily on High, Alex Cooper
as soloist led the processional carol
of Once In Royal David’s City. The
service followed the traditional pattern
of nine lessons and carols. The readers
were Abby Palmer (Prep 7), Emily
Thompson (Year 8), Melanie Wilson
(Year 9), Kristina Bell (Year 10), Emma
Henderson (Year 11), Ellen Beattie
(Year 12), Alex Cooper (Year 13),
Rebekah Milligan (Head Girl, Year
80
Drumglass House by Mr McCaw
14) and Dr Callendar of the Board of
Governors.
The Preparatory Department Choir has
established itself as one of the most
eagerly anticipated contributions to
the Carol Service, and they performed
Sleep, Little Child with Cara Morwood
and Abby Palmer on flutes, and a
delightful Calypso Carol.
The Junior Choir performed Tonight
in Bethlehem by Ellen Beattie, whose
sister Hannah performed the solo,
and Rutter’s Star Carol. The Junior
Chamber Choir performed Emma
Gilmartin’s composition Sing Lullaby
and another beloved Rutter item, the
Shepherd’s Pipe Carol. Amy Dawson
took the lead in the stunning Senior
Choir rendition of the challenging
and stirring Hodie by Gardner which
the Choir had taken to the All-Island
Choral Competition Finals, and another
of his pieces, The Holly and the Ivy.
The Chamber Choir sang the spiritual
Sweet Little Jesus Child (soloists
Ellen Beattie, Petra Wells and Maccah
Thompson) arranged by Neaum and the
traditional French carol Sing We Now
of Christmas.
The College Orchestra concluded
the service after the prayers and
benedictions with a seasonal medley
of Holiday Greetings arranged by
Swearingen. At the end of the service
there was a retiring collection, the
proceeds of which were donated to
our two school charities for the year,
WaterAid and Disability Sports NI.
Choral singing in
Victoria College
through to the final round which
was hosted in Londonderry and we
came in second place, as we reported
in last year’s magazine. This was a
great opportunity for Victoria girls to
represent not only the Choir but the
school itself.
Ballymena on Monday 15 October.
Victoria College Choir sang Hodie by
John Leavitt and Gwyn Arch’s acapella
arrangement of Down by the Sally
Gardens. The other competitors were
Methodist College Belfast, Ballyclare
High School, St Michael’s, Lurgan and
St Mary’s Londonderry. It was a very
exciting competition and while we were
disappointed not to go through to the
All-Island final, we learned a great deal
from the experience.
The Junior and Senior Choirs consist
of girls from Year 8 to 14 and are a
great opportunity for young girls who
love to sing to take part in Choir and
Chamber Choir competitions. During
the last two years the choirs have
entered a number of competitions
including the All-Island Choral
Competition which is hosted by
RTE. During the second year of the
competition the Senior Choir got
Show Stoppers
and more
The Music Department put on its
annual and eagerly anticipated Spring
Term concert entitle Show Stoppers and
More on Tuesday 12 March in a wellfilled Cranmore Assembly Hall.
The Junior Chamber Choir can always
be relied on to open a show in style,
and the dreamy harmonies of the
classic Somewhere Over The Rainbow
was just the ticket. The choir showed
excellent discipline, breath control and
diction. Led by Emma Gilmartin, the
College Orchestra followed with the
jaunty Cartoon Capers underpinned
by a solid percussion section, and the
very popular Can You Feel The Love
Tonight? with a sweet brass sound
from Rebecca Johnson. We returned
to vocal performance with Petra
Wells’ confident and believable O Mio
Babbio Caro by Puccini which suited
her admirably. Kirsty Carruthers, Emily
Coyle and Jennifer Salmon showed
perfect synchronisation in Handel’s La
Rejouissance. A well balanced Senior
Choir gave us Adiemus and a strikingly
syncopated Make You Feel My Love,
with lush blues chords creating
harmonies very different from Dylan’s
This year the Choir entered the
competition for the third time. We
were selected to compete in one of
four all-island regional finals of the
Competition which is run by Cooperation Ireland. The competition
was held in the Braid Arts Centre,
original and Adele’s cover version.
Emma Gilmartin took to the piano to
play Sibelius’s Romance with passion.
She was joined by Rebecca Guirov,
Lucy Hellawell and Petra to perform
a very strong setting of Ubi Caritas
by Gjelo with demanding timing and
harmonies which gave the plainsong
real warmth. The Junior Choir brought
the first part of the evening to a rousing
conclusion with a delightful Disney
medley which had the young and not so
young tapping their feet and humming
along – or perhaps that was just the
Editor, who has a soft spot for Aladdin,
The Little Mermaid and Beauty and
the Beast. Shamia Quinn distinguished
herself in her crystal-clear solo.
Everyone enjoyed refreshments in
the canteen provided by Miss Baine
and her team. Then the Junior Chamber
Choir opened the second half of the
concert with The Hills Are Alive and
Singing In The Rain. The beautifully
pitched key changes put a smile on all
our faces. Ellen Beattie sang Mozart’s
Voi Che Sapete with assurance, and
Jenny Chiu’s Polonaise in C# Minor
by Chopin was full of feeling. Unity
of tone marked the Senior Chamber
Choir’s lyrical, enigmatic I Am Not
Yours (Childs) and When Daisies
Pied (Rutter), and we all enjoyed the
Many people worked hard to create this
very special service. Our thanks to the
piano accompanists Emma Gilmartin,
Jenny Chiu and Mrs Guthrie, to the
Fisherwick Presbyterian Church Mrs V
Ireland, and of course to our conductors
Mrs Murray, Mrs Gillian, and Mrs
Guthrie. A special word of thanks and
encouragement to our Year 12 GCSE
Music students whose carols were
performed this evening.
Rebekah Gillian Year 12
antiphonal ‘Cuckoos’. Caitlin Diver
created a warm, expressive sound in a
setting for trumpet of Gabriel’s Oboe
by Morricone. The Senior Choir gave
us May It Be by Ryan and a very well
received setting of Coldplay’s Fix You
both of which showed off their warm,
beautiful tones in the lower voice range.
One of the highlights of the evening
was Lucy Hellawell’s cello solo,
Faure’s Élégie. She was heard with rapt
attention and granted warm applause
for her centred, moving performance.
The Junior Choir were our closing
act, and delighted us with a medley
from Sister Act, featuring ‘Sister’
Amy Dawson, clear as a bell and with
suitable tongue-in-cheek solemnity.
Accompanying were Jenny Chiu, Beth
Garrett and Emma Gilmartin, with
Declan Rice and Corey-Jayde Scott on
percussion. What an enjoyable evening
it was. Congratulations to Mrs Gillian
and Mrs Murray.
Thanks from the Music Department
go as always to the music tutors and
to those who provided technical and
practical assistance, notably Mr Barrett,
Mr Austin, Miss Baine and CoreyJayde Scott.
Dr J Brown
81
Sport
Cross Country
This year was the coldest on record
for our hardy cross country runners.
The club began in October and the
girls competed in the District, Ulster
and Irish finals for the fifth year in
succession. There were also
competitions run by Belfast City
Council for Years 8, 9, 10 and Prep. The
GCSE PE class officiated and received
certificates and thanks at the City Hall
reception with the Lord Mayor.
The District Championships were held
at Ormeau Park in February. Team
results were outstanding. The Prep
Team, Minis (Year 8), Intermediates
and Seniors all took first place. The
Minors and Juniors took second
place. Individual results were also
highly gratifying. Maeve Hoyt took
first place in the Minor Girls, Georgia
Dick third and Harriet Gilmore fourth
in the Intermediate Girls, and Rebecca
Harvey second and Rebecca Getty
third in the Senior Girls.
Cross Country Team
As usual the Ulster Finals were held
at Mallusk and as usual it was cold
and “muck to the eyeballs”. There
is a wonderful photograph of an
exhausted Harriet Gilmore lying in
the mud after her race, but I promised
her I wouldn’t put it in the school
magazine! It’s a pity, as it summed up
the day - our girls gave their all, and
did us proud in horrible conditions.
Results were as follows. The Minis
took 12th place and the Minors
seventh, with the best placed Victoria
College pupil Rebecca Warnock who
finished 27 out of 115 competitors.
The Juniors took second place, and
impressively Caitlyn Harvey was
second in a race with 100 competitors.
Amy Edwards was 26th, and also
on the team were Robyn Chambers,
Natasha Patterson and Lauren Coulter.
The Intermediates were Ulster
Champions once again! Georgia Dick
was fifth, Harriet Gilmore 11th, Esmee
Hall 13th, and Ella Davis 16th. The
82
Cross Country Intermediates are Ulster Champions again!
Seniors won third place, with Rebecca
Harvey 11th, and Rebecca Getty
coming in 22nd. Well done to all our
competitors. All of Victoria College’s
teams qualified for the Irish Finals.
This year, thankfully, the competition
was held at the University of Ulster
at Jordanstown. This meant we didn’t
have a long journey to get to the event
but the race itself must have been the
longest, most arduous the girls had ever
experienced.
There was sleet and a biting wind with
a wind chill factor of minus 3. Miss
Stewart was at Jordanstown all day. At
9 am she had umpired the 2Bs hockey
match and then stayed on for the cross-
country in the afternoon. Even though
she was wrapped up, she declared it
was the coldest day of her teaching
career! She had such sympathy for the
runners in their vests and shorts. Poor
Harriet Gilmore stepped off the course
during the run, as although Harriet is an
experienced runner, she couldn’t stick
the cold. Rebecca Harvey’s grimace on
her face as she ploughed through the
mud will be ever remembered.
How fantastically well the girls did that
day. The standard in Ireland is high.
The Intermediate Team was the highest
placed Ulster school in Ireland and was
placed fifth. The Senior Team was
eighth, the Juniors sixth and Maeve
Hoyt was the highest placed Minor in
32nd place.
Ella Davis
held at the Antrim Forum on 20 May
2013. Unfortunately the weather was
horrendous with torrential rain all
day. By 6 pm Miss Stewart had run
out of dry clothes having changed
three times during the day. Having
wrung out her third pair of socks she
ended up barefoot. How the athletes
even competed was unbelievable.
It was declared the worst ever
conditions for the competition.
Athletics Club
A large number of girls come to
Athletics Club throughout the Summer
Term. The jumpers, throwers and
runners work hard to improve their
techniques and times.
District Finals
The District Athletics Team was
selected after trials and they attended
the Antrim Forum on Friday 17
and Saturday 18 May. Twenty-two
schools competed in the District B
Championships. Rachael Henderson
took the victor’s palm in the Senior
Girls’ 200m, and Rebecca Harvey
won the 1500m and took second
place in the 3000m, a testament to
her fitness. Emma McAllister won
the Intermediate 200m, with Bronagh
McCann taking sixth place in the same
race. Jane Matthews and Emma took
first and second in the Intermediate
300m, and Ella Davis crossed the
line first in the 800m with teammate
Harriet Gilmore in third. Esmée Hall
showed her endurance taking sixth
in the Intermediate 1500m. Kelly
Maxwell took fourth place in the 300m
hurdles, and the Intermediate Relay
Team came third overall. Zoe Jane
Dickson came third in the long jump,
and Bronagh McCann fourth in shot.
Emma Henderson threw best in discus,
and Kelly Maxwell came fourth in
javelin. It is good to see younger talent
coming through with some promising
performances in the Junior section.
Robyn Chambers took fifth place
in Junior 800m. Maeve Hoyt came
second in 1500m, Sophie Gormley fifth
Rebecca Harvey
Emma Henderson at the Irish
Championships
in 75m hurdles, and the Relay Team
took the third spot overall. Lauren Rea
came fourth in shot, and Amy Edwards
fifth in discus and second in javelin.
Representing our youngest athletes,
Rebecca Warnock ran sixth in the
Minor 800m, and Natasha Donnelly
took fifth in Minor shot, with the Minor
Relay Team coming fourth overall.
Ulster Championships
All of these girls qualified for the
Ulster final which was, as usual,
However the results held plenty of
sunshine for Victoria College, notably
for Ella Davis the Ulster Intermediate
Girls’ Champion in the 800m, Amy
Edwards the Ulster Junior Girls’
Champion in javelin, and Emma
Henderson, Silver Medallist in the
Intermediate Girls’ discus. Emma
McAllister was sixth in the Intermediate
Girls’ 200m and eighth in the 300m,
and Jane Matthews fifth in the 300m.
Sarah Lemon was third in the high
jump. Harriet Gilmore was seventh in
the Intermediate 800m, and Zoe Jane
Dickson claimed sixth place in the
Intermediate long jump with 4.81m.
There were excellent performances
from Rebecca Harvey, fourth in Senior
1500m and fifth in 3000m, and from
Rachael Henderson, fifth in the Senior
200m. The Junior and Intermediate
Relay Teams were placed sixth and
joint sixth overall respectively.
Irish Championships
The Aviva Irish Schools’ Track and
Fields Championships were held on 1
June in Tullamore Harriers Stadium, Co
Offaly, and the top two Track and top
three Field qualified for this event. Amy
83
was Laura McLaughlin. Year 8
champion over 800m was Rebecca
Warnock, with Maeve Hoyt taking
first place in Year 9 and Caitlyn
Harvey in Year 10. No surprise that
these ladies also appear in the list of
successful cross country runners. The
Year 8 Form Relay Race was won by
8Elwood; in Year 9 9Murray won,
and in Year 10 10Thompson reigned
supreme.
Edwards placed seventh in the Junior
javelin with a throw of 22.96m. Ella
Davis came sixth in the Intermediate
800m. Emma Henderson came seventh
in Intermediate discus with a throw
of 23.23m. Well done to those who
represented our school so creditably.
Sports Day
Sports Day was held on Friday 19
April and once again it was well
supported by our pupils who were
not faced with external examinations.
Indeed in total 136 girls participated.
Competitions were held in 100m,
200m, 800m, Relay (always hotly
contested), shot put, long jump, and
high jump. Again the GCSE pupils
were excellent officials after their
training course.
Badminton:
Rebecca Getty
Rebecca Getty of Year 11 achieved
her first cap for the Ulster Senior
Badminton Team on 13 April in the
English County Championships in
Cambridge against the home county.
Ulster won both matches played at
12-3 and 14-1, becoming Division
champions. This means that they
will be promoted! Rebecca, whose
playing has recently been described
as “brilliant”, won her singles
matches and enjoyed the whole
experience. Our congratulations to
Rebecca on what we hope is the first
of very many caps for the Province!
Rebecca Getty
84
Kelly Maxwell at the Ulster Schools
Championships
Results were as follows:
The 100m Year 8 winner was
Aimee Crawford, with Charlotte
Hill winning in Year 9 and Natasha
Patterson in Year 10. Year 10 alone
competed at 200m, and the winner
On the field, Amy Harvey was the
Year 8 winner of the long jump. In
Year 9, Sarah Montgomery narrowly
pipped Ella Flanaghan to first place,
and in Year 10 Amy Edwards and
Natasha Patterson could not be
separated. There were similar stories
in other field events. Saffron Kargbo
and Georgia Heatherley of Year 8
tied for first place in shot put; Lucy
Hamilton took first place in Year
9 and Lauren Rea was undisputed
champion in Year 10. Three winners
cleared the same height in Year 8
high jump: Amy Harvey, Catherine
McCreesh and Georgia Ross. Erin
Blundell won in Year 9, and Sarah
Lemon took first prize in Year 10.
With thanks to Chloe Ashe
Dance
Diamond Dance
Teenage kicks at
the Ulster Hall
Diamond Dance is a dance group
held in Stranmillis Primary School hall
by Paula. We have our dance classes on
a Friday night. The group is privately
run but involves many pupils from
Victoria College. We do a mixture of
aerobic exercise and contemporary
dances. There are different age groups,
and I am in the Juniors which is for
Years 8 to 10. We practise lots during
the year and at the end of it all we do
a show in May in a local theatre. We
usually use the Stranmillis College
theatre, but this year we held it in the
Lisburn Island Arts Theatre as the
College theatre wasn’t big enough!
During the year we also participate in
a competition called NICMAC. We are
always trying to impress Paula as she
picks the team for NICMAC. If you
are good enough to get into the team,
then you have to go to practices on
Thursday as well as Friday. I enjoy it so
much as it is a good place to catch up
with friends, get exercise and meet new
people.
Teenage Kicks is a dance mentoring
programme bringing schools and
community groups together from
across Belfast. With high-impact
dance routines led by Energy Fitness
guru Freddy Kinnersley aka “Fitness
Freddy”, the young people take
part in six weeks of tuition with the
teenagers becoming the mentors
and leading the younger children
through their dance moves. Victoria
College performed in two dance
routines which involved 25 pupils,
12 from Year 8 and 13 from Year
10. This roof-raising finale gave the
children the opportunity to show off
their moves and demonstrate their
increased confidence, self-esteem and
self-belief.
Grace Bannon Year 8
Equestrian Team
Congratulations to Abi Carlisle and
Morgan Hirst, both of Killultagh Pony
Club, who continue to enjoy success
in showjumping on Keltroy and in
Intermediate Dressage. In February
2013 at the Meadows Equestrian
Centre, Morgan jumped a double
clear round at 80cm on Heaven Sent,
and Abi achieved the same result at
90cm on Grace after achieving 85cm
and fifth place in her class in the Two
Phase event at Tyrella in March. At
the Home Championships in August,
Morgan and her horse Gay Gordon
were part of the Killultagh Diamonds
team which came in second place in
their class. After taking part in the
area finals, Abi travelled in August
to Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire
for the prestigious National Pony
Club Championships as part of
the Intermediate Dressage Team.
Although at 14 she was one of the
youngest in her group, she took
second place in Arena C on Tanino
de Permanca.
Under 12 Camogie Squad
narrowly lost their first match 4-5
despite scores from Rachael
McCormack (two), Kirsten Matthews
and Charlotte Little. Goals from Cate
Blaney and Darcey Smyth for our Blue
team were sufficient to earn them a 2-1
win in their initial outing. The Maroon
team drew their second match 2-2 with
scores from Rachael McCormack and
Charlotte Little while the Blue team
also drew their second match by the
same scoreline. The final match of the
day saw us put out our best combined
team against St Dominic’s best. Megan
Rea and Natasha Donnelly defended
bravely but despite excellent goals
from Hannah MacLaren and a brace
from Kirsten Matthews, we lost 3-5.
Charlotte Little was chosen as player
of the day!
Mrs J Haugh
Camogie
Year 8
The Year 8 girls trained diligently
every week throughout the academic
year. Many of the players were new to
camogie and had to learn the basic
skills and even the rules of the game.
And so in late November we made our
way to our first competitive outing at
a freezing cold Woodlands more in
hope than expectation. There was no
room for sentiment, however, as our
first fixture saw us come up against
one of the strongest teams Belfast has
to offer – St Genevieve’s. The game
exploded into raw physicality as the
VCB girls simply pulled up their socks
and tore into the opposition. Cate
Blaney and Rachael McCormack were
immense in midfield, as hungry as if
they hadn’t been fed for two weeks.
There was a telling moment in the
first half that summed them up. Cate
Blaney had the ball in midfield and
she glanced up to see where she might
deliver it. She noticed, not for the first
time, that there were no options open
to her. So she opted to pull hard and
the sliothar sailed between the posts.
St Genevieve’s equalised. Kirsten
Matthews worked very hard in the
half-forward lines and was a spritelike presence everywhere. Goalkeeper
Nicole Savage pulled off some great
saves and Megan Rea proved to be a
very effective centre half-back. This
game could have swung either way;
it was always going to be decided by
a piece of opportunism. As the match
drew to a close the pressure increased
like a machine rattling, with every rivet,
bolt, clasp and staple popping, and great
gasps of steam issuing forth. There was
indeed one great opportunist strike but
it went in favour of the opposition. Our
second fixture saw us play Fortwilliam,
a chance to regroup. Miss Faloona’s
enthusiastic encouragement from the
sideline coaxed a bravura performance
from the girls. Goals from Cate Blaney
and Rachael McCormack secured a
Year 8 Emma and Cate stretch for the
Sliothar
well-deserved victory 2-0. Our final
fixture saw us defeat Slemish College
by the same scoreline, with the scores
coming from Rachael McCormack
and Kirsten Matthews. An excellent
day for the squad!
In December we entered two Year
8 teams in an Under-12 indoor
development blitz. The Maroon team
In May the Year 8 girls put on a great
performance over on the Ravenhill
Road against Aquinas, one of the top
camogie schools in Belfast, if not
further afield. Áine Ni Nia-Meggitt
did a fine job in goal, behind a very
strong defence admirably led by
Hannah MacLaren and Georgia
Heatherley. In midfield Georgia Ross
proved to be outstanding on her debut,
laying down a firm marker for a place
on the school team. Alongside her
Rachael McCormack caused all sorts
of problems for the opposition while up
front Harriet Bedi and Rebecca Bunn
constantly threatened their opponents’
85
goal. Well-taken scores from Cate
Blaney (1-1), Alexandra Luke (1-0) and
Charlotte Little (1-0) meant we were in
a strong position to win the match and
in the dying seconds we almost did so
but the ball went agonisingly wide by
a few centimetres. Nevertheless this
was a very impressive performance by
a talented group of camόgs. Their final
outing of the year involved a trip to
Woodlands to participate in the annual
summer Blitz. Kirsten Matthews scored
all three goals as we beat St Dominic’s
3-0 in the first encounter. Our second
match saw us win 2-0 thanks to a brace
of goals from Hannah Sproule. In our
final match, goals from Charlotte Little
and Hannah MacLaren were enough
to secure a 2-1 win over Fortwilliam.
Georgia Ross in midfield and Hannah
Sproule up front were outstanding
while Mia Magee made an impressive
debut. We were the only school to enter
a B team and they also competed very
well, Anna Brennan and Jill Cardwell
catching the eye in particular. This
proved to be a very successful day and
a great way to finish the season.
Under 12 Camogie Squad:
Rebecca Bunn
Georgia Ross
Harriet Bedi
Georgia Heatherley
Megan Rea
Cate Blaney
Darcey Smyth
Charlotte Little
Emilia Cutrona
Anna Brennan
Aimee Crawford
Rachael McCormack
Hannah MacLaren
Kirsten Matthews
Alice Kennedy
Áine Ni Nia-Meggitt
Nicole Savage
Natasha Donnelly
Andrea Reilly
Sarah Hand
Nina Fitzpatrick
Lucia Rice
Hannah Sproule
Alexandra Luke
Emma Antal
Jill Cardwell
Orlaith Mulholland
Katy Kerr
Olivia Duffy
Aisha Mulholland Morales
Eimear McGarvey
Rebecca Warnock
Ellie Hanley
86
Year 9
The Year 9 camogie squad trained
tenaciously throughout the Autumn
Term in an effort to prepare themselves
adequately to compete against some
of the best schools in the county. Our
first match saw us draw with Slemish
College thanks to a splendid goal
from Captain Emma Cruikshank. In
our second fixture a brace of scores
from midfielder Catherine Lavery and
defender Ella Flanagan was enough to
secure victory against Fortwilliam. Our
third fixture was our toughest challenge
to date, against St Patrick’s, Ballymena,
a veritable hotbed of skilled camόgs. St
Pat’s clattered into their opponents
from the start to give notice that
nothing would be easily won. Despite
Catherine Lavery scoring the goal of
the match with a superb individual
effort, we lost to the better team on the
day. Our final fixture saw us come face-
Under-14 Camogie Squad
Under-14s in action against Aquinas
to-face with local rivals, St Dominic’s
from the Falls. This proved to be a hard
fought and physical encounter. VCB
ruthlessly punished their opponents’ shortcomings and as they picked up the
rhythm their performance soared. Every
player on the pitch had to fight their
own personal battle in order for us to
retain possession. Like orchard workers
in the autumn, Catherine Lavery and
Emma Cruikshank plucked down as
much as they could grab and tossed it
back up to the forwards, who were now
displaying a feral hunger. Goals from
Emma O’Prey, Catherine Lavery and
an own goal proved sufficient to gain a
deserved if unlikely 3-1 victory. These
spring-heeled players have made
tremendous progress, none more so
than centre half-back Megan Horner
who played a sweeping role in most
matches, effectively shutting down
any attacks. Well done to all the squad
members.
Year 9 Squad:
Ellen Ritchie
Nicole Zheng
Bethany Acton
Georgia McMahon
Takota Kirk
Catherine Lavery
Tiarna Press
Aoife Mooney
Sian Mulligan
Emma Cruikshank
Megan Horner
Ara McCartan
Emma O’Prey
Eimear Maguire
Erin Donnelly
Ella Flanagan
Under-14s
In May the Under-14 camόgs travelled
to play Aquinas Grammar School, one
of the top camogie schools not only
in Belfast but perhaps in the north
of Ireland. Packed with experienced
players from Bredagh GAC, Aquinas
proved to be formidable opposition and
our girls struggled to keep up in the
opening third of the match. Mercifully,
as the sun broke through in the second
third, we grew in confidence and began
to move the sliothar around the beautiful
3G pitch with greater conviction.
Lauren Henderson, Diana Walmsley
and Cate Blaney began to win more
of the midfield battles, thus ensuring
more supply to the forward lines.
Caroline Hannon and Amy Edwards
both registered fine scores. Excellent
defending by Megan Ingram and some
superb goalkeeping from Sarah Hanley
kept the opposition at bay. The Year
8 girls did themselves proud against
the bigger and older Aquinas players;
this bodes well for the future.
Under-14 Squad:
Caroline Hannon
Diana Walmsley
Gina Gilmartin
Lauren Henderson
Sarah Hanley
Phoebe Hagan
Amy Edwards
Orla Flanagan
Megan Rea
Cate Blaney
Darcey Smyth
Rachael McCormack
Hannah MacLaren
Megan Ingram
Kirsten Matthews
Gaelic Athletic Club
Prizewinners 2013
Camogie
Year 8
Player of the Year:
Rachael McCormack
Most Improved Player:
Hannah MacLaren
Blitz Most Valuable Player:
Hannah Sproule
Blitz Most
Impressive Debutant:
Mia Magee
Indoor Blitz
Most Valuable Player:
Charlotte Little
Aquinas Match Player
of the Match:
Georgia Ross
Year 9
Player of the Year:
Megan Ingram
Year 10
Player of the Year:
Lauren Henderson
Gaelic Athletic Club
Prizewinners 2013
Gaelic Football
Year 8
Player of the Year:
Kirsten Matthews
Most Improved Player:
Darcey Smyth
Blitz Most Valuable Player
A Team:
Cate Blayney
Blitz Most Valuable Player
B Team:
Catherine Minford
Year 9
Player of the Year:
Eimear Maguire
Year 10
Player of the Year:
Diana Walmsley
Most Improved Player:
Sophie Robinson
Gaelic Football
Year 8
In June we sent a Year 8 squad of
two teams to the annual Development
Blitz at Cherryvale. Both teams
performed very well against very
tough opposition. The A team faced
St Patrick’s, Keady, St Mark’s,
Warrenpoint and St Mary’s,
Magherafelt. The highlight of the day
was a hard-fought victory against
Assumption, Ballynahinch. Cate
Blayney and Darcy Smyth were
outstanding in midfield but the most
valuable contribution came from
Hannah Sproule who was hugely
valuable as a sweeper, keeping all
opposition at bay and fielding with
great assurance. Catherine Minford
and Molly Porter stood out for the B
team in their matches against St Pius,
Magherafelt and Sacred Heart, Newry.
Year 8 Development Squad:
Kirsten Matthews (Captain)
Darcey Smyth
Megan Rea
Cate Blayney
Aine Ni Nia Meggitt
Andrea Reilly
Eimear McGarvey
Hannah Sproule
Emma Antal
Lucia Rice
Sarah Hand
Anna O’Hara
Molly Porter
Hannah-Rose Glover
Heidi Russell
Catherine Minford
Under-14s
The Under-14 squad commenced the
new Ulster League season with a
difficult fixture against St Colmcille’s,
Crossgar. Our defence laboured
diligently to contain the Crossgar
forwards. Lauren Henderson and
Sarah Hanley used their pace and
strength to cause all sorts of problems
for the opposition in the middle of the
park. Diana Walmsley’s tackling and
Gina Gilmartin’s physicality made an
effective impact also. But it was the
younger girls, Cate Blaney and Year 8
Player of the Year Kirsten Matthews,
who impressed most as they ran at
the opposition, winning every tackle
87
Under-14 Gaelic Football Squad
and soloing with confidence. They say
football is a game of two halves; we won
the first and Crossgar won the second
due to their superior fitness. The final
score: VCB 3-1, St Colmcille’s 7-5.
Our next fixture involved a tricky
away fixture in Downpatrick against
St Mary’s High School. St Brigid’s
Day, heralding the arrival of spring,
had barely passed but there was no sign
of green shoots on a bitterly cold day
in the lee of the Mournes. In a match
where VCB were the more coherent
and effective side, we nevertheless
conceded too much room through the
spine of the defence in the first half. The
upshot was that we coughed up four
goals and would have leaked a couple
more were it not for Lauren Henderson
pulling off several fine saves. Whatever
changes, Lauren’s dependability
between the posts won’t. The accuracy
of her kick-outs were reminiscent of a
young Cluxton. In front of her, VCB
motored well and most pleasing of all
was the fact that our youngest players
were amongst our best performers.
Cate Blaney and Kirsten Matthews,
both Year 8 girls, laboured tirelessly
and caused endless problems for the St
Mary’s half-back line. Year 9 Player of
the Year and Captain Eimear Maguire
was effective throughout, constantly
harrying her marker. Megan Ingram’s
rise continues apace at wing-back and
there were eye-catching displays from
Sian Mulligan in the half-forwards
and Sarah Hanley in midfield. Sarah
is now a little beyond the stage of
youthful promise but her leadership and
cool head was crucial in winning the
midfield battle. With VCB dominating
in the middle of the park, copious ball
was supplied to the inside forwards
around the square who duly obliged
with plenty of accurate shooting.
Emma Cruickshank and Catherine
Lavery were afforded all the acres they
needed and they took full advantage.
Between them they were responsible
for seven goals and three points. With
further points from Sian Mulligan,
Gina Gilmartin and Eimear Maguire,
victory was assured. The Player of the
Match award went to Diana Walmsley;
nobody worked harder than her to
achieve this win. The final score was St
Mary’s, Downpatrick 4-5 (17), Victoria
College Belfast 7-6 (27).
Our final league fixture was always
going to be a tough challenge – away
to Assumption, Ballynahinch. Our
girls acquitted themselves admirably
and kicked some fine scores, including
three goals. Sophie Robinson and
Niamh Heaney-Creen were jointly
awarded the Player of the Match award
for their tenacious displays but Emma
Cruickshank and Darcey Smyth also
caught the eye. Assumption won by
5-8 to 3-2.
Under-14 Gaelic Football St Genevieve’s Shield Finalists
88
Under-14 Squad:
Eimear Maguire (Joint-Captain)
Sarah Hanley (Joint-Captain)
Niamh Heaney Creen
Catherine Macallister
Phoebe Hagan
Caroline Hannon
Laura McLaughlin
Sophie Robinson
Lauren Henderson
Gina Gilmartin
Maddie Robinson
Sarah Rogers
Tiva Mackin-Brown
Diana Walmsley
Abigail O’Sullivan-Duffy
Orla Flanagan
Ella Flanagan
Emma Cruikshank
Charlotte Mulholland
Megan Ingram
Aoife Mooney
Tiarna Press
Sian Mulligan
Catherine Lavery
Cate Blaney
Kirsten Matthews
Darcey Smyth
Emma Antal
Rachael McCormack
Under-14 Gaelic Football:
St. Genevieve’s Shield
The Year 8 and 9 Gaelic Footballers
participated again in this annual Shield
competition, but this year we were
without some of our best players
who were on a school trip to Paris.
Exceptional fielding and kicking from
Hannah Sproule in the half-back line
and solid defending from Teri Johnston
compensated to some degree. We
worked hard and qualified from our
group for the quarter-finals where we
beat St Paul’s, Claudy from Co Derry
with something to spare. In the semifinal we convincingly beat St Louis’
Grammar School, Ballymena. The final
itself was played on a much bigger
pitch and the opposition, Our Lady’s
Grammar School, Newry, exploited
the wide-open spaces more effectively,
fully deserving their victory. Our girls
were nevertheless proud to come away
with runners-up medals. Maybe next
year when our squad is not depleted
we might bring the Shield back, as we
did two years ago.
Mr R O’Brien
Under-16s
The Under-16 girls kicked off their
2012-13 Ulster League season with
a home fixture against St Patrick’s,
Lisburn. Our girls were slow out
of the blocks and found themselves
several points behind by half-time. Our
second-half performance was much
improved and despite an impressive
player-of-the-match performance from
Eimear Maguire of St Gall’s (only
Year 9), we missed too many glorious
opportunities to put scores on the board
and time eventually ran out for us.
Our second fixture involved a long
journey to Creggan Kickhams GAC
on the shores of Lough Neagh where
St Benedict’s, Randalstown provided
the opposition on the 3G pitch. This
was an very eventful match indeed.
Our star half-forward, St Gall’s and
Under-16 Gaelic Football Squad
county player Maria McPolin, was
carried off after only 15 minutes and
had to be taken to hospital. Maria had
already scored 1-1 and looked set
to do serious damage. Deprived of
her scoring potential, half-back and
Captain Grace McEvoy (St Gall’s and
Antrim) had to multi-task, sweeping
at the back and raiding forward when
opportunities arose. Aided by the
player of the match, Ella Davis, she
managed to bag three goals. Eimear
Maguire was magnificent in midfield
and Tanith Maclynn-Hill laboured
solidly in defence in the second half.
St Benedict’s eventually won by 7-5
to 5-1.
Our final fixture saw us pitched against
a very strong and fast team from St
Patrick’s, Banbridge. Due to ongoing
GCSE assessments and injuries, we
Grace McEvoy and Maria McPolin County
Antrim representatives
were not in a position to field our
normal team. The many Under-14 girls
who stepped up to the plate did very
well but were outgunned by the greater
experience and pace of the older girls.
Nevertheless the performances of
Diana Walmsley in the half-forward
line, Sian Mulligan (St Brigid’s) and
Sarah Hanley in midfield were a cause
for optimism for the future.
Under-16 Gaelic Football Squad:
Grace McEvoy (Captain)
Sophie Shenton
Alexandra Doran
Jessica McIntyre
Meredith Telford
Maria McPolin
Ruth Aicken
Ella Davis
Rebecca Patterson
Rachel Armstrong
Anastasia Edwards
Tanith Maclynn-Hill
Niamh Monaghan
Tess Lysk
Niamh Heaney-Creen
Lauren Henderson
Sarah Hanley
Gina Gilmartin
Diana Walmsley
Maddie Robinson
Orla Flanagan
Sarah Rogers
Sian Mulligan
Eimear Maguire
Catherine Lavery
Mr R O’Brien
89
Gymnastics
Sophie McCoo
Sophie trains at Abbey Gymnastics
Club with her coach Alison McMullan
in Belfast. On 21 September 2012
Gymnastics Ireland announced its
Women’s Artistic Gymnastics
Delegation for the Northern European
Championships, a competition which
last year attracted gymnasts from 10
nations: Denmark, the Faroe Islands,
Golf
Victoria College Ladies in Full
Swing!
2012-2013 was a very successful
year for the VCB Golf Team. In the
Northern Ireland Schools Competition,
the Junior Team finished third and
the Senior Team fourth. The teams
consisted of Jemma Hool, Jessica
Bamber, Eva McCartan, Tyne Magee,
Susie Rankin and Ara McCartan.
Well done, girls!
The ladies also enjoyed a residential
golf and spa break. Concra Wood
proved to be a formidable course and
the wet conditions led to a difficult
drive in our golf buggies. After having
Hockey
Hockey is a tradition in Victoria that
dates back many decades and if you
don’t play (why not?) you are missing
out. The game has changed in many
ways and those who watched it in the
Olympics must have been impressed.
Of course it is not for the faint-hearted.
Do you remember the GB captain
playing four days after a terrible
facial injury?
Our pupils began pre-season training
in August. Mr Patrick Grimes resumed
his duties in charge of the 1st XI, Mrs
Loane took the 2As and Miss McMillan
coached the 2Bs and 3rds. They honed
their skills at Queen’s in all weathers
and competed in three cups. The 2nd
As defeated Carrickfergus College
and Friends’ School, Lisburn, but lost
to Lurgan College. The 2nd Bs won
against Wellington but lost to Dromore
High School and Sullivan Upper. Miss
Lough inherited the Under-14s who
went out of the Junior Cup after an
extra-time defeat by Larne Grammar
School. In the Junior Plate, they
90
Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway,
Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sweden
and Wales. Sophie was named to the
delegation as the current Irish National
All Around Senior Champion.
With Sophie enjoying such success on
the beam, it is no surprise that balance
is a very important part of her life. You
can read an interview conducted in
September 2012 with Sophie in which
she discusses her disciplined routine of
schoolwork and training in the online
publication Full Twist at http://
fulltwist.net/10-minutes-with-sophiemccoo/.
In the course of the past year Sophie
was named Northern Ireland Artistic
Gymnast of the Year, NI Outstanding
Gymnast of the Year, Irish Outstanding
Gymnast, and Newtownabbey Sports
Personality of the Year. Our warmest
congratulations!
pushed out carts to freedom, we were
covered in mud from head to toe.
Members of Junior School attended
golf lessons at Belvoir Golf Club.
They are stars of the future.
Mrs J Haugh
Ladies driving off at Concra
Laura, Caitlin and Emily enjoying training
defeated Glenlola Collegiate, but
unfortunately met their match in
Banbridge Academy. Miss Du Toit
coached the Under-13s. Miss Stewart
couldn’t juggle the coaching of hockey
with the coaching of all the Netball
Teams but by November she had
umpired or watched all 11 Hockey
Teams in school.
Amy Edwards and Rebecca Lobo capped
for Ulster Under-16s, at the Interprovincials in Cork, October
The Under-12s worked hard and
competed in the Schools’ Tournament
at Grosvenor. They did very well in the
group section and were unfortunate not
to make it through to the semi-final.
All the teams practised hard and played
many matches but this year belonged
to the 1st XI. After defeating Foyle &
Rachael Henderson, capped for Ulster
Under-18 Team
1st XI with Ms Slevin
Londonderry College and the Royal
School, Dungannon, they defeated
Regent House in the quarter-finals. By
this time, morale was high and reached
fever pitch when they put Ballyclare
High School out of the semi-finals
on penalty strokes, thanks to Azka’s
magnificent performance in goals. Not
only did they reach the Senior Schools’
Cup final but they played exceptionally
well and gave the whole school a
great ‘feel-good factor’.
It was marvellous to welcome back
the 1st XI players who competed for
Victoria College in the Cup finals in
the 1970s. Their enthusiasm for the
game has never waned and they were
inspirational to our present team.
With the newspaper and television
coverage there was a real buzz about
school for weeks. The final itself was
a wonderful experience for all involved.
The scoresheet may not have declared
Victoria the winner but the compliments
which were given to the girls on their
play, determination, conduct and the
support from our school, were not to
be matched.
On the day of the final there was great
excitement. In school the girls were
busy making very professional posters
to support the team. Others brought
their musical instruments to make
plenty of noise. There was a long queue
for the face painting. Meanwhile the 1st
XI had some quiet time and a team talk
away from all the buzz.
By lunchtime the team was despatched
to Lisnagarvey Hockey Club and
Ulsterbus descended on BT9 as the
mass evacuation of pupils began. It
was lovely to see so many people with
Victoria connections at the ground past pupils, parents, former teachers,
past players including the previous
VCB Cup-winning team and members
of Victorians Hockey Club.
When the warm-up was finished, Miss
Stewart went upstairs to watch the
game. All the neutrals seemed to be
backing Victoria and it was lovely to
hear so many positive comments about
our girls, their support and the standard
of hockey played by both Lurgan and
Victoria.
Although Lurgan dominated long
periods of play, Victoria defended
strongly and Azka Yousef pulled off
some fantastic saves in goal. Having
so much attack and not scoring seemed
to frustrate Lurgan, and by half-time
it was still nil all. It was only with just
eight minutes left that the only goal of
the game was scored, when a break and
run from midfield resulted in a goal
for Lurgan.
Although disappointed to lose the
game, the Victoria girls were delighted
to have equipped themselves so well in
front of the largest crowd at a final. The
Schools’ Hockey President presented
the Victoria girls with their Shield
and then both teams and their parents
were invited for refreshments and the
cutting of the Cup Final cake.
Thank you to everyone who supported
the girls this year and to their coach
Mr Paddy Grimes. The excitement
generated about hockey this year has
had a wonderful impact in school and
it is hoped the younger generation
will be inspired.
The 1st XI and their parents enjoyed an
evening out, and a week after the Cup
final the 1st XI squad went on tour to
Barcelona.
Miss P Stewart
With thanks to Daragh Bannon Year
12 for additional images of supporters
Senior Schools’ Cup final
91
Hockey tour
After their amazing season, the 1st
XI deserved their tour to Barcelona
from 16-19 March, which coincided
with the school half-term. Mrs Loane,
Ruth McMillan and our coach Paddy
Grimes accompanied the team. Straight
off the plane from Dublin and unused to
the hot, sunny spring weather, we went
to our first match, playing against a
local girls’ team who were very skilled
as hockey is very popular in Spain. We
held them well and although they came
at us with the first goal, we pushed on
and at the end of the half it was 3-1.
The next group of girls came on for
the second half, a fresh set of legs, but
we pushed the Spanish girls to only
a 4-2 win, which was well fought on
our behalf. After our first match we
headed straight to the hotel in a small
town called Santa Susanna just outside
Barcelona, splitting off into rooms of
two and three. Senior Schools’ Cup final
92
On the second day we went down for
breakfast which was great, then went to
take part in a Dragon Boating activity.
We split into two different boats ready
to race on the river, and some girls
braved shorts despite the cold wind.
Very soon we all went out onto the
boats, with Jemma and Emma shouting
from the front and hitting the drums.
However, then a sudden wind came,
which caught everyone off guard and
shook both of the boats, not what the
girls expected. So as it got worse and
we continued to float downstream, the
instructors brought us to the river bank,
which is when Azka jumped out of
the boat like she had never seen land
before. After huddling in a small corner
to protect us from the wind and several
attempts at jumping over fences we
finally got a key and went back to the
boathouse. We ended up jumping into
the pool for a swim. After the swim
we all had our first hot meal. That was
needed after an interesting packed lunch
the night before. We went back to the
hotel before going to our next hockey
match. We ended up getting lost which
was quite a regular occurrence with our
bus driver. First the 2nd XI played their
match against the Under-16 Team, and
they ended up with a convincing win.
Then the 1st XI went onto the pitch.
They fought hard and ended up with a
win of 4-3. After the match we headed
back to the hotel for the night. Sadly we
had to watch England defeating Ireland
at rugby – and on St Patrick’s Day, too.
On the third day we went for a walk
off to look around. After a successful
day in Barcelona we headed back to the
hotel for our final meal. After dinner
we dressed up within the theme of a ‘T
party’: we had everything from Tomato
Ketchup and Tellytubbies to Tiger Woods. The next morning was our last day of
tour. It arrived a little quickly for the
girls as we were having such a good
time. Tour was a brilliant end to a
great season for Victoria hockey. After
reaching the Schools’ Cup final we
were in high spirits so the tour added to
our year. The Year 14 girls especially
looked forward to the tour all season
as it was our last. It was a great way
to end our past seven years of school
hockey on a high. Enjoying the match in Barcelona
Sophie Pollock Year 13
Battle of the Vic Chicks
On 6 March Victoria College reached
the Schools’ Cup Hockey final for the
first time in 40 years after a terrific
match against Ballyclare High School
in the semi-final. The hockey success
had a cohesive effect on the school,
and the atmosphere was electric with
almost the entire school transported to
Lisnagarvey Playing Fields to watch us
and cheer us on. We were up against an
army dressed in black and red. Tensions
were running high as the supporters
filed in. As the whistle sounded the
battle began!
Straight to the match!
Taking on the Barcelona Boys!
around Santa Susanna, we walked from
the hotel to the beach and stopped off
in some shops on the way. When we
were at the beach we ‘chilled’ for a little
before heading back to a restaurant for
lunch. In the afternoon we had a master
class with two coaches from a club
outside Barcelona. It was a fun if very
demanding final training session held
by a national coach now living in Spain,
which focused on drills, with even Mrs
Loane and Ruth McMillan joining in.
Then we had a match against the men’s
team from the club. We knew it would
be a difficult match, and it was also an
unusual one to play for the Year 14s
Emily, Rachael, Maddy, Jemma, Sophie
and Sophie. The opposition came at
us fast despite having a three-touch
rule. It was a defensive game the whole
time; not reaching our attacking circle
once meant Jemma and Jessica spent
their time talking to the opposition’s
goalie. After one half the score was 7-0
- possibly more as we lost count. That
evening we headed back to the hotel
for dinner and went out around Santa
Susanna. The next day, our last full day on
tour, we got a train to the centre of
Barcelona. After getting on the wrong
train initially, we switched and were
on our way to Barcelona. Once in
Barcelona we went for lunch in the
Hard Rock Cafe then walked down
Las Ramblas and the famous Gaudí
cathedral of Sagrada Familia. Some
girls started their initiations with Maddy
and Alex, both taking tantrums in the
shopping centre and on the main bridge.
The group met up again and found
ourselves surrounding Cody Simpson
even though not many of us know who
he was. Unfortunately his ‘super fan’
Megan Halliday walked straight past
him! We then took a cultural visit to a
church in the centre, and we then split
For Victoria, Azka Yousef had an
amazing performance in goals and
earned the praise of many spectators. In
defence, Sophie Pollock who received
the Player of the Match Award was at
the back with Kathryn Shane, Emily
Mills, Maddy McCavana and Megan
Halliday. Midfield was made up of
Rachel Hanley, Olivia Blundell, Lizzie
Lawther, and Rachael Henderson.
Ahead were the forwards Jemma
Hool, Jessica Bamber, Kathryn Brown,
Georgia Dick and Eva McCartan.
Lurgan came out fighting and we found
our defence had to pull out all the stops.
Unfortunately Lurgan scored in the
final ten minutes and Victoria could
give no more.
The experience has encouraged us
to keep fighting and perhaps our
determination will see us in the final
this year.
Olivia Blundell Year 13
93
Inspiration from 1973
In March of this year, just a few days
before the Schools’ Cup Final when
the anticipation was already rising, the
team had the privilege of meeting the
ladies of the 1973 1st XI Hockey Team,
winners of the Schools’ Cup.
We were able to hear about their many
inspirational experiences, allowing us
to prepare for the big day. As well as
enjoying tea and coffee we thoroughly
relished the motivational comments of
the ladies and support they had shown
to us by returning to the school to meet
us that day. By the end of the afternoon,
we were ready to play the match of
our lives!
Georgia Dick Year 12
Hockey 1st XI Team of 1973 cheer us on
1st XI Biographies
Jemma Hool Centre forward
Sports interests/achievements:
Malone Golf Club, school Golf
Team, handicap of 9.
Possible Career Path: Law
Comments on reaching the final:
So proud of our team. It is a dream to
reach the final of the Schools Cup and
in my final year we have done it!
Jessica Bamber Right forward
Sports interests/achievements:
school Golf Team and Tennis Team.
Possible Career Path: finance and
accountancy at Edinburgh University.
Comments on reaching the final:
Shocked, excited and ready to take on
Lurgan.
Olivia Blundell Right mid-field
Sports interests/achievements:
represented Ulster, Under-16 As and
Under-18 Bs; rowing; school Tennis.
Comments on reaching the final:
Shocked, excited and ecstatic.
1st XI Hockey Team
Megan Halliday Right back
Sports interests/achievements: school
Tennis Team, Table-tennis Team (Irish
champions); swimming, third in Irish
long-course championships; Cross
Country, second in Ireland with school
Team.
Comments on reaching the final:
Over the moon!
Rebecca Lobo Left mid-field
Sports interests/achievements:
Holland tour June 2012 Under-15
A Ulster squad; Belfast Harlequins
Hockey Club.
94
2nd A Hockey Team
Possible Career Path: Medicine
Comments on reaching the final:
It is like a dream come true, it is the
ultimate goal for any young hockey
player in Northern Ireland.
Lizzy Lawther Left mid-field/forward
Sports interests/achievements:
playing for Ulster Under-15s and
Belfast Harlequins 2nds.
Comments on reaching the final:
Over the moon!
Kathryn Shane Back
Sports interests/achievements: netball
and hockey for Belfast Under-17s.
Comments on reaching the final:
Over the moon, best feeling ever.
Azka Yousaf Goalkeeper
Sports interests/achievements:
hockey for Belfast Under-17,
badminton, table tennis and squash
Possible Career Path: Medicine
Comments on reaching the final: It is
an amazing achievement and it really
reflects our commitment to the sport.
2nd B Hockey Team
3rd Hockey Team
Sophie Pollock Sweeper
Sports interests/achievements:
Netball Team, Belfast Under-17 hockey
Possible Career Path: Accountancy
at Queen’s University Belfast.
Comments on reaching the final:
Exciting and unbelievable: it is
everyone’s dream to reach the final of
the Schools’ Cup!
Rachel Hanley Centre mid-field
Sports interests/achievements: second
year on 1st XI, Belfast Under-17s,
Victorians Ladies Hockey 2nds.
Possible Career Path: Engineering
with French
Comments on reaching the final:
I’m so excited to have reached the
final. I have dreamt of this day for
a very long time. We have been the
underdogs for the entire competition.
Eva McCartan Forward
Sports interests/achievements:
Golf; Victorians
Possible Career Path: Business
Comments on reaching the final:
Amazing, still has not sunk in.
Kathryn Brown Forward
Sports interests/achievements:
RDA netball, Belfast squad, golf and
Victorians
Possible Career Path: Physiotherapy/
dentistry
Comments on reaching the final:
An amazing achievement after
putting in so much hard work.
Georgia Dick Forward/winger
Sports interests/achievements:
Northern Ireland Cross Country Team;
swimming lifesaving, 800m track
Possible Career Path: Business
Comments on reaching the final: So
excited to be playing for the school in
the final for the first time in 40 years.
Rachael Henderson Centre mid-field Sports interests/achievements: Ulster
Under-16s and Under-18s hockey; in
athletics I have represented Northern
Ireland at UK Schools Games Possible Career Path: Medicine
Comments on reaching the final:
I have played on the 1st XI for four
seasons so making the final in my last
year is very special. I have several
good friends on the Lurgan team
through Ulster Hockey. I believe with
hard work we can rise to the occasion
and do ourselves proud. I have played
both Under-16 and Under-18 Ulster
hockey but this is the highlight of my
hockey career to date.
Emily Mills Left back
Sports interests/achievements:
Hockey, gymnastics (also at QUB),
netball and Victorians hockey.
Possible Career Path: Physiotherapist Comments on reaching the final:
Shocked!
Madeline (Maddy) McCavana,
Centre back
Sports interests/achievements:
athletics, Ulster Cross Country
Districts; represented Victoria
College at international sailing
championships
Possible Career Path: Physiotherapy
Comments on reaching the final: I
am absolutely ecstatic that our team
has come this far. Being in the Schools’
Cup final is something I have dreamed
of my entire school career - now it is
a reality. I am looking forward to a
tough competition - everybody loves the
underdogs.
95
Inter-House
competitions
The absence of Miss Du Toit for
part of the year was keenly felt by all
the sport lovers in the various Houses,
but nevertheless a good programme
of competition took place. Once more
those Houses which fielded teams as
large as possible reaped the rewards
in terms of points.
On a cool December afternoon, Dr
Oliver and Mr Donaghy oversaw
the House Soccer competion; far
be it from the Editor and Head of
Wellington House to question their
utter impartiality as referees. After a
full afternoon of play in which some
loyal House members turned out more
than once to make up places, Richmond
won with Howard taking the runnersup spot. It must be observed that these
were the full-strength teams where
each match started with fresh legs Wellington, take note!
The Netball competition which took
place in the Spring Term saw Crescent
victorious on the Junior campus, with
Howard taking the victors’ palms on
the Cranmore campus.
Netball
It was a difficult decision, but one
that had to be made in May at the
AGM. The cost of playing in the Belfast
League for Victoria College not only
involved the affiliation fee and the cost
per team but also the cost per match.
Having no ‘home’ matches is expensive
as the League must be played in a
Sports Hall. Transport costs and hire of
halls were proving too expensive for
the small number of pupils involved
per match, so it was decided to forego
the Junior League matches in favour of
‘friendlies’. More pupils could compete,
a full busload could be taken to away
matches, and no hall fee was needed.
Only the Intermediate and Senior
Teams were entered in the League.
The players practised hard throughout
September and October. We were
fortunate to go to Methodist College,
Belfast for three weeks running and to
Wellington College twice for practice
matches. The League matches began
in November. Both Intermediate and
Senior Teams fared well but it became
impossible to get fixtures for the
younger pupils. Other schools were
struggling to fit in friendlies with
their League matches and other
school events.
In November we received an email
stating that the Australian Senior
Netball coach would be in the
Province and asking if any schools
were interested in inviting her to lead
a session. Victoria was successful at
being first in the queue! Miss Stewart
collected the coach and took her to
Queen’s. We think she was frozen
in Northern Ireland and was missing
the Australian summer, as she never
took her coat off throughout the whole
96
Intermediate Netball Team
Junior Netball Team
New this year was a six-a-side Camogie
competition held in the fortnight
beginning 13 May on the Junior
campus. Each House strove to recruit
as many players as possible from Years
8 and 9 to have lots of much needed
substitutes and to give everybody game
time. After a hard (some would say
viciously) fought final, Marlborough
were 2013 Inter-House champions,
thanks to Captain Megan Rea and
team members Georgia McMahon,
Nina Fitzpatrick, Beth Walker, Emma
Antal, Aisha Mulholland Morales,
Harriet Bedi, Eimear McGarvey and
Megan Cochrane.
Senior Netball Team
practice the Australian coach’s drills
with a few of our ex-pupils.
Miss Stewart had recruited Lisa
McCaffrey who is currently on the
Northern Ireland Team to help coach
while she was away umpiring the
League matches. Thanks are offered to
her for her expertise and enthusiasm.
Unfortunately Miss Stewart’s
consultant declared that her foot injury
required six weeks in plaster and,
unable to coach, her season with the
Team finished prematurely. Thankfully
she had already umpired all the matches
and was delighted the Senior Team had
reached the Division Two final.
Minor Netball Team
afternoon. I think we have a bit of
catching up to do on our skills and
it seems that not even our top club
teams in Northern Ireland impressed
her! Australia are the current World
Champions and I suppose she is not
used to lesser mortals! Nevertheless, the
girls worked hard in training and on her
key component of fitness, agility. Miss
Stewart attended two other coaching
sessions and was reassured that, apart
from a few new drills, nothing was
particularly new.
It is important that the girls who love
netball get involved with the club scene.
Apart from the extra practice they
get, it is a chance to compete with
more girls their age and also seniors.
Miss Stewart went to Our Lady and St
Patrick’s College one evening to watch
Belfast Ladies’ club and assess Kelly
Maxwell for her GCSE examination.
The players had swapped the netball
for a medicine ball and were firing it
up and down the hall at speed. When
it reached the goal it was delivered out
for the shot to be taken with a netball
and then swiftly replaced again. It was
fascinating. The speed and dexterity
of their ball handling skills would give
Andrew Trimble and Tommy Bowe a
run for their money! Meanwhile back
at Queen’s, graduates were putting into
In January the Senior squad met
Sullivan in the Cup final at Lisburn
Racquets Club. There was a walk-on
for all eight Senior and Intermediate
Teams and they were congratulated
on reaching the various finals by the
Schools’ committee. The Minor and
Junior A and B finals had already been
played earlier in the day. The Victoria
girls were a bit nervous, but played well
considering their lack of practice and
the recent examinations. Sullivan were
fast and strong and converted more
chances than Victoria, so although the
game demonstrated good skills from
both sides, Sullivan edged ahead and
eventually won 25-15. A presentation
of trophies ended an enjoyable day and
busy season.
Miss P Stewart
97
Swimming
2012-2013 has been a very successful
season for Victoria College swimmers
at all age groups.
October saw the Ulster Secondary
Schools Swimming Championships
take place in Ballymena. The Intermediate Relay Team of Evie Dougan,
Esmée Hall, Katie Hayes and Emma
Henderson won gold in the 200m
Freestyle Relay and silver in the 200m
Medley Relay. Emma won silver in the
100m Breaststroke and Esmee Hall
won bronze in the 200m Individual
Medley.
The Ulster Minor Swimming
Championships were held in Ballymena
in January. A strong team of Catherine
Minford, Darcey Smyth, Rachael
McCormack, Maia Dougan, Eve Corry,
Sarah Montgomery and Hannah Beattie
had some excellent swims setting
personal bests throughout the day.
The Age Group 5 Relay Team of Maia,
Eve, Sarah and Hannah won a bronze
medal in both the Medley and Freestyle
Relays. Hannah had great individual
success by winning silver in the 50m
Freestyle and was placed fourth in
the 100m Individual Medley.
At the Ulster Grammar Schools
Championships in the Junior section
both Maia Dougan and Hannah
Beattie had some excellent swims.
The Intermediate Relay Team of
Katie Hayes, Esmée Hall, Emma
Henderson and Sophie Hunter won
gold in both the Medley and Freestyle
Relays. Individual success came to
both Esmée Hall (winning gold in the
100m Individual Medley and bronze
in the 50m Butterfly) and Emma
Henderson winning silver in the 100m
Individual Medley and bronze in the
50m Freestyle. In the Senior section
Rachael Henderson won silver in the
50m Breaststroke and was placed fifth
in the 50m Freestyle. After a long hard
day’ competition,Victoria College was
crowned the overall Ulster Grammar
Schools Champions 2012-2013, a huge
achievement.
Intermediate Relay Team
Junior Relay Team (1)
Special congratulations go to Emma
Henderson who was selected on
to the Ulster Swim Squad and also
represented Ulster in the Interprovincial Championships where Ulster
were crowned Champions.
Mrs H Henderson
98
Junior Relay Team (2)
Emma Henderson
2012-2013 was a very busy but
exciting and successful year for me
representing Ulster, Great Britain
and Northern Ireland in swimming,
lifesaving and athletics respectively.
As a result of my success at the
Ulster Schools Swimming Galas I
was selected onto the Ulster Schools
Swim Team and travelled to Tenerife
to follow a week-long intensive
course training programme. This
was a fabulous experience. I was
also selected to represent Ulster
Schools in the Inter-provincial
Championships held in Dublin in
May. Ulster were crowned Interprovincial Champions 2013 and I
was honoured to be a part of the
winning team. At the Ulster Agegroup Championships I gained my
Ulster squad time and took up my
place on the Ulster squad in March.
Lifesaving continues to keep me
travelling as part of the Great Britain
Emma Henderson
Team. I defended my British titles and
records at the British Championships
in Millfield in April and was selected to
represent Great Britain in the European
Championships in Italy in September
2013.
Senior Swimming Team
Winning gold in discus at both
the District and Ulster Schools
Championships resulted in my selection
to represent Northern Ireland Athletics
in the Inter-provincial championships.
These were held in Tullamore, Ireland
in June and Ulster were placed second
behind Leinster. I was also selected to
represent Northern Ireland Athletics
in the UK Schools Games to be held
in Sheffield in September.
I look forward with anticipation to
both the European Championships
and the UK Schools Games and
continue to train hard towards these.
Emma Henderson Year 11
Junior Swimming Team
99
European Lifesaving
Championships
Following success at the British
Pool Championships and British Surf
Championships I was selected to
represent Great Britain at the European
Championships held in Sweden in
September 2012.
Lifesaving Team, with Captain Rachael Henderson centre
Prior to the Championships I flew out to
London to join the team for three days
of intensive training and preparation.
Teams from Italy, Germany, Spain,
Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark,
Norway, the Czech Republic, Ireland,
France, Netherlands and Great Britain
all came together to compete over
three days in the pool and also on
the beach and lake. The opening
ceremony was fascinating where
we entertained by an Olympic
Synchronised Swimming Team. I had
personal success making finals both
in the pool and on the beach. I was
narrowly touched out into fourth place
in my two beach events; however,
every point was vital in going towards
overall placings. I was honoured when
the Great Britain team won overall gold
on the beach and bronze in the pool.
2012 was the first time Great Britain
had hit medal placings in the overall
results. The championships concluded
with a gala dinner and a closing
ceremony.
Sweden was a great experience for me,
one which left me motivated, inspired
and hungry for more international
sporting opportunities. It was also
good to further develop friendships
I had made the previous year at the
Commonwealth Championships in
Australia.
Emma Henderson for the Ulster Schools Team at the Inter-provincials
100
Rachael Henderson Year 14
Table-Tennis
It was always going to be a challenge
to match, never mind top, last year’s
triumph, when Victoria College
took home the girls’ trophy in the
All-Ireland Secondary Schools’
Championship. After a season’s practice
in PE and outside the school day
using the facilities in the Great Hall,
our Under-19 Team won the Ulster
Schools’ League. The two finalists were
both from South Belfast, as Victoria
took the prize over Malone College.
This success is even more notable given
that the League matches take place
around the examination season when
with the best will in the world, some
Senior players such as our Captain
Hazel Wong are unavailable to play and
less experienced players must raise their
game. Despite this, Hazel’s specialist
coaching in China paid dividends once
again, as she mentored her squad of
Kristina Bell, Megan Halliday, Sophie
Hunter, Emma and Lauren Russell
to their victory. The picture shows
Table-tennis Team, Ulster Schools League winners
Mr Winning with (from left to right)
Kristina Bell, Lauren Russell, Sophie
Hunter and Yasmin Abdelrahman at
Malone College. In the centre of the
photograph is Na Liu, who played for
Team GB in the 2012 Olympics, a real
celebrity of the table-tennis world.
Tennis Ulster Champions
I’d like to thank all of the members of
staff at Victoria College who have made
my time at the school so enjoyable.
Congratulations to the girls on another
very successful year.
Mr M Winning
Tennis
I started playing for the Tennis Team
when I joined Victoria College in Year
11. Although I may have joined Victoria
College late it did not stop me from
putting my heart into the school and
especially tennis.
In my Year 12 (2011) we won the
Ulster Schools’ Cup against our biggest
rivals Sullivan Upper. It was a very
close match which was played on a
Saturday and was watched by many
spectators included our principal Ms
Slevin alongside the ever-present and
fabulous PE and sporting staff like Miss
Stewart and Miss McKnight. We won
4-2 in matches. I won my singles 6-3,
6-4 and doubles 6-2, 6-4.
I have captained our school’s Tennis A
Team for the last two years and have
been fortunate enough to play with
brilliant players which helped us come
runners-up in the Ulster Schools’ Cup
in 2012 and win it in 2013. We played
Belfast Royal Academy in the final
and won 5-1 in matches. Our Team
consisted of myself as Captain, sisters
Emma and Lauren Russell and Hannah
McFerran. The support on the sidelines
was brilliant and really helped us
through. Winning the Ulster Schools’
Cup this year was one of my greatest
ever sporting achievements as it was
my last year in school. I could not
imagine a better way to round up my
school life at Victoria.
On top of this the Tennis Team has won
the Templeton Cup for Senior Tennis
and the Natalie Moffett Cup for the
most successful Senior Team at our
school prize-giving.
Tennis in Victoria College has given me
memories I will never forget. I am so
grateful that I was given the privilege
to represent Victoria - it was fantastic!
I wish every success to the future
Tennis Teams.
Emma Dornan Year 14
101
Preparatory Department
including Playgroup and
Pre-School
Playgroup
Playgroup began its 26th year in
September 2012. The 16 new children
settled quickly and soon became
involved in many new experiences
and learning new skills.
In December for the first time
Playgroup joined with Pre-School to
produce a fantastic Nativity play, My
Gift, directed by Mrs Murray which
the parents enjoyed at our Christmas
celebration. The Christmas term
ended with a special outing to W5
where the children participated in a
Christmas workshop and train ride to
see Santa.
During the Spring Term we enjoyed
Friday music sessions with Mrs
Murray and we finished the term with
a Jumping Clay Easter workshop
where children had the opportunity to
make some chick magnets.
Playgroup at Streamvale Farm
The Summer Term flew by with the
children practising new races for the
Pre-School and Playgroup Sports
Day which was enjoyed by everyone.
We concluded our year with a visit
to Streamvale Farm and Maud’s ice
cream shop which we all loved.
In conclusion I would like to thank
Mrs Murray for all her help teaching
Playgroup music. We have all had a
great time. Finally grateful thanks go
to Mrs Taylor and Mrs Khalili whose
help has been invaluable.
We are sorry Mrs Khalili will not be
with us at playgroup next year but we
wish her happiness in the future.
Mrs C Chambers
Playgroup Leader
Playgroup at Maud’s Ice Cream Shop
102
Pre-School
In September 2012, 21 girls began
Pre-School and settled in well during
the Autumn Term. During the first term
the girls enjoyed exploring their new
environment and getting to know
one another as firm friendships were
developed. At Christmas we joined
with Playgroup to act out the story of
the Nativity and each child dressed
up as a character from the Christmas
story. Pre-School also enjoyed going
on a trip with Playgroup to W5, where
the girls enjoyed some free play in
Start, an exciting sensory environment,
before going on the Magical Christmas
Express. This was a festive train ride
through the North Pole before departing
to meet Santa Claus for a Christmas
story and craft activity.
Spring Term was busy and packed with
lots of fun-filled events. In February,
we celebrated Chinese New Year by
learning songs and participating in craft
activities. The girls enjoyed a food
tasting morning by bringing in Chinese
food to share for a special break. For
World Book Day, the girls loved
dressing up as a character from their
favourite story and shared their stories
with Prep 1. Jump, Jiggle & Jive was a
weekly favourite with the girls as they
got to dance to lots of songs, whilst
using a range of colourful props.
The final term in Pre-School held a
number of exciting events. We had
our Sports Day with Playgroup, with
each girl participating in a jumping race
and a spider race. We ended the PreSchool year with a special Celebration
Assembly where the girls sang songs
for their parents and watched a slide
show of all the activities we had taken
part in throughout the year. Each girl
was also presented with a certificate
as an acknowledgement of their effort
throughout their time in Pre-School.
We finished off the year with a trip to
Drumglass Park, followed by an icecream as a reward for all our hard work.
Pre-school enjoying the spring sunshine
Dressing up for Halloween
Miss Hamilton, Mrs Scott & Miss Bari
Anna and Eleanor looking for numbers
Sabrina and Chloe having fun baking
Pre-school meeting Santa at W5
103
Prep 1
India enjoyed looking at the giraffes
Measuring an elephant’s trunk using feet
Wrapped up and enjoying a winter walkI wonder what Sophia could see
We got to use the hose on our trip to
Lisburn Road Fire Station
Florence enjoyed the pancakes we made
104
Prep 1 carried out an ice investigation and
explored different ways of making it melt
Prep 2
Sarah Armstrong having fun at the toy
workshop
Prep 2 walked to the Post Office to post a letter to special family members
Jenna Houston designing and making a
toy puppet
Anna and her mum milking Millie the
cow at Streamvale Farm
Sarah Armstrong Farm Fact File
Prep 2 enjoying a trip to Little Wing on the Lisburn Road
Jessica Byrne Farm Fact File
Prep 2 enjoyed a walk around the local area
105
Prep 3
Our trip to Exploris
The Prep 3 class had a brilliant
time at Exploris. Some of the class
held the sea urchin. I did not touch
it because I thought it would prick
me. I felt the dogfish. It felt a little
prickly. I held the mermaid’s purse. I
saw a funny string on the mermaid’s
purse. I held the clam. I felt really
bumpy inside me!
Beatrice Toogood
Dreams for Children
Food for every child
Healthy and fresh.
Clean water
Cold and fresh.
School for every child
A kind teacher.
A nice house
Warm and cosy.
A warm bed
Clean and snuggly.
Prep 3 pupils taste a variety of foods
Olivia Shaw
Winner of the Key Stage 1 Muriel
McGregor Prize for Poetry
My Perfect Dream
A big mansion
With a swimming pool.
Go to London
And meet One Direction.
Be a model on stage
And have a shiny dress.
A big limo
With sparkles and glitter.
Louis from One Direction
My amazing husband.
Our popcorn was delicious!
Engineers of the future - I hope their
bridge holds up!
Caroline McMichael
Winter
Hard white grit
Hot chocolate steaming
Snow as cold as ice cream
Warm hotdogs with ketchup
Fluffy onesies
Icicles on the steps
Hot soup and stew.
Charlotte Roberts
Prep 3 enjoyed practical maths - measuring in the school grounds
106
Prep 4
Prep 4 girls enjoy tasting crisps at
Tayto Castle
On Thursday 23 May Prep 4 went to
Tayto Castle. It was great fun meeting
Mr Pat Tayto and tasting crisps! We
got to taste Bikers and Onion Rings
and they were delicious! We dressed
up at the start in hairnets and plastic
aprons and they looked really weird
on us! Tayto Castle was awesome!
We can’t wait to go again soon!
Tamzin McMullan
and Beth Thompson
Ulster Folk and Transport Museum
On Tuesday 13 November, Prep 4
went to Cultra to see the houses from
the past. First we were split into two
groups. The blue group went to make
soda bread and the red group went
to Tea Lane to find out about houses
from the past and then we swapped
over. The soda bread tasted lovely!
Last of all, we all went to the sweet
shop and the gift shop. It was great
fun.
Mr Tayto poses for a photograph at Tayto Castle
Sophie Luke and Emma Harrison
Dreams of Summer
Excitement and cheer,
Summer must be here,
Joy and fun,
I love the roasting sun.
Hot powdery sand,
Swimming in the sea,
Ahh, it’s as cold as ice.
But then I see the sun
My holiday has come!
Amy Fogarty
Dreaming of Summer
Dreaming of my birthday,
It’s almost here,
Come and join the party,
Give a little cheer!
Into the car and off on the road,
Straight to the holiday house,
To unpack our load.
Down to the seashore,
The sand is so hot,
The water is as cold as ice,
It sure has changed a lot.
Prep 4 find out about the country of France on European Day of Languages and enjoy
a European break
Hear the seagulls squawking,
Explore the secret paths,
Eat tons of ice cream,
And have salty seawater baths.
Right now it’s bedtime,
Time for a midnight feast,
Yum, these sweets are lovely,
I’m not sad in the least!
I wake up in the morning and realise,
That I needn’t be upset,
Summer is almost here.
Anna McPherson
The Blitz
Screaming sirens!
Run to the shelter!
A tasty snack
I am crying,
The dog is barking.
I see explosions
Stuff destroyed.
Big black bombs
I am shaking.
The Blitz
Aoife Mallon
107
Prep 4 Evacuees Travel to
Castle Ward
On 14 February 2013, Prep 4 girls
dressed up as World War II evacuees
and travelled to Castle Ward to
experience life in a wartime situation.
Activities included singing songs,
planting beans, packing suitcases,
weighing out sweet rations and reading
old newspapers. The girls really
enjoyed their trip but were very happy
to be returning home to their own
families at the end of a busy day!
Mrs H Burnett
Prep 4 girls prepare to leave school for their journey to Castle Ward
Prep 5
My Class
Anna Caldwell laughing... Loudly
Holly Campbell thinking... Silently
Molly writing... Quickly
Samantha writing... Nicely
Grace working... Quietly
Anna McCoy reading... Carefully
Billi checking... Happily
Beth working... Quickly
India smiling... Comically
Natalie thinking... Slowly
Amber standing... Cautiously
Ella listening... Well
Eliza drawing... Merrily
Clara standing... Still
Honor talking... Quickly
Claudia working... Loudly
Holly McCloy talking... Slowly
Lucy singing... Beautifully
Phoebe thinking... Quickly
Elise talking... Proudly
Ellie painting... Quietly!
Lauren Patterson
Sports Day Diamond Poem
Sports Day
Speedily, carefully
Screaming, waving, yelling
Prizes, medals, certificates, trophies
Nervewracking, sweaty, joyful, sunny
Victoria College Prep Belfast
Jumping, throwing, smiling
Carefully, steadily
Sports Day
Beth Thompson, Aoife Mallon and Sophie Luke have fun dressing up in wartime uniforms
Holly Campbell
Prep 5 took part in an Art workshop at
the Ulster Museum
Eight evacuees arrive at Castle Ward to escape the dangers of the city
108
Ella with Coco
Billi with Shakira
Holly with Rocky and George
Amber with Randy
Lauren with Danny
Eliza with Dora
Ellie with Chloe
Holly with Daisy
Bring Your Pet to School Week!
Anna with Wilbur
Elise with Murphy
Beth with Fred
Samantha with Bella
Clara with Jimmy
Lucy with Maisie
Everybody was very excited when they went into school
on Monday 29 March... It was bring your pet to school week!
Billi brought in her snake Shakira that day and also Ella
brought in her rabbit Coco. Miss McQuillan said that you can
only touch Shakira if you haven’t touched any other animal.
Holly McCloy brought in her cousins’ pet goats, Rocky and
George. George had a little accident on the floor but Miss
McQuillan didn’t seem to mind! We all fed them and it was
great fun and we went home telling our parents all about it.
Next day Amber brought in her aunt’s dog Randy! He is a
golden Cavalier King Charles spaniel. He was so cute and
also Lauren brought in her Shih Tzu Danny. He barked at the
treat Lauren was about to give him because he didn’t know
that it was for training. Eliza brought in her dog Dora. Eliza
told her to roll over but she wouldn’t do it! On Wednesday
Ellie brought in her Yorkie Chloe, and I brought in my
dog Wilbur. Holly Campbell also brought in her chocolate
Labrador Daisy. Chloe was very calm and content, she didn’t
mind getting picked up. Wilbur was not similar! He pulled
on the lead and I could hardly stand up without him dragging
me along the floor. Nobody had a chance to stroke him!
Daisy did loads of tricks for us and obviously, she was given
a treat. She was amazing! On Thursday Elise brought in her
dog Murphy, Beth brought in her aunt’s dog Fred, Samantha
brought in her black lab Bella, and Clara brought in Jimmy
her Bichon Frise. Jimmy was so fluffy and Fred was really
shy. Bella was very cute and Murphy was so happy. Fred
stood with his tail between his legs and Bella sniffed around
the room to see what it smelt of. Jimmy was really excited
to see everybody - he didn’t mind what the classroom smelt
like or nor did he feel shy either! On Friday Miss McQuillan
wished us a happy Easter and we went out and enjoyed the
snow! I bet Wilbur is now thinking, “When will I see those
girls again?”
Anna Caldwell
109
Trip to the BBC
On Tuesday 11 March 2013 Prep 5
went to the BBC. We went there to
learn about journalism because we were
going to record a news report about
Wilbur from Charlotte’s Web. We
all walked excitedly to the Lisburn
Road and waited for ages for a bus.
Eventually a pink double-decker
arrived. Everyone jumped on board,
clambering up the stairs with great
haste, trying to get to the front seats.
When we arrived at the BBC we were
met at reception by a lady called Carol
who took us into the studio. Waiting
for us there was Tara Mills, one of the
journalists and TV presenters. Tara
told us about the cameras and how
they work. She also told us about the
autocue and what it is for. Tara then
explained to us about the green screen
that is used for the weather. Everyone
got to have a go in front of it pretending
that we were TV presenters! Carol then
took us up to the gallery where we saw
all the news crew and the director - who
is my daddy! The gallery was very dark
except for the lights on all the machines
and lot and lots of TV screens.
Prep 5 on their Autumn walk
110
Prep 5 with Victoria College Old Girl
Tara Mills at the BBC
Our trip finished with a visit upstairs to
see Hugo Duncan in the Radio Ulster
studio. He played a track for us and we
all danced to it in his studio. Finally
Carol gave us a quiz that Ellie and Elise
won. They were given a BBC torch
each. Everyone in Prep 5 really enjoyed
the day. We had the best time ever!
Anna McCoy
The Day I’ll Never Forget!
On Monday 17 June 2013, I had the
most amazing day. It was the day I
got to see the President of the United
States of America, Barack Obama!
It all started when we had to meet
at school at 7am to get a taxi to the
Belfast Waterfront. There were three
very lucky Prep girls who got to go myself, Kerry from Prep 6 and Trudie
from Prep 7, and also some Senior
girls. Kerry and I got a taxi with Ms
Slevin and the others went with Mrs
Burn. When we all arrived, we queued
up. It was a long wait but we were so
excited! Before we went inside we
had to go through security.
When we went inside we couldn’t
believe we got seated in the third
and fourth rows on the ground floor
from the front – we were so close
to the stage! A while later, DJ Pete
Snodden came on stage and talked to
us to keep us entertained. After that
someone started a Mexican wave and
it continued right round the room!
We had to sit for a very long time but
eventually Hannah Nelson, a 16-yearold girl from Methody, came on stage,
made a speech and introduced the First
Lady of the United States of America,
Michelle Obama! She was very pretty
and had a lovely pearl necklace on.
I loved her speech as she made a
joke about letting her husband travel
with her from time to time! Then, the
President Barack Obama came on
stage and we all stood up, clapped
and cheered! His speech was very
interesting and inspiring and it was
hard to believe it was actually him we
were listening to! He was taller than
I thought he was from seeing him on
TV. He shook hands with everyone on
stage and then waved goodbye to us
all. Finally, we got a taxi back to school
and Ms Slevin got us some treats to eat!
Holly McCloy
Stone Age Workshop
Yesterday the whole class took part
in a Stone Age Workshop in the
mobile. Firstly we all had to match
the pieces of flint to the description.
The pieces were things like arrow
heads, fish hooks and other weapons.
Next we were back into groups. In my
group there was Anna, Holly, Amber,
Claudia and Natalie. The first activity
we did was weaving. Thirdly we made
a wattle wall by weaving thin sticks
around larger ones. After that we had
to try and make flour by grinding a
large stone called a quern stone. It was
hard work and you had to be very
strong to do it. After break we had
to make tombs out of stones. Anna
Caldwell and I made a wedge tomb
and a passage tomb before moving
on to making a necklace. There were
shells, feathers, clay berries and clay
teeth. Then we went back to our tables
with the pieces of flint and wrote about
them. The last activity was rock
rubbings. My favourite rubbing was the
one I did of the deer antler. Then we all
made pretend axes. I loved putting on
the fake blood!
Phoebe McFadden
Prep 6
Animal Allsorts Visit
On Thursday 2 May 2013, Catherine
from Animal Allsorts came to show
us some of the animals that live in
the rainforests.
First, she brought out a Tegu lizard.
He was enormous! He had beady
skin and a forked tongue like a snake.
He also had sharp claws to hunt for
eggs. To find them, he has to stick out
his tongue and play ‘hot and cold’,
sensing his environment.
Then, out came a bearded dragon
lizard. Emily’s eyes lit up! She loves
bearded dragons. He had huge spikes
for protection against other animals
and a skin which feels like sandpaper.
He eats locusts, crickets and worms.
Yuck!
After that, Catherine brought out a
really cute tree frog. It was sleek and
black and very slimy. The frog was
my favourite animal because of the
suckers on its feet which help it to
grip on to the branches of trees. In
the wild they can spend all their lives
in trees.
When Catherine announced that she
was bringing out a snake, everyone
went wild! But, the one she brought
out first was tiny and quite cute. He
was a hog-nosed snake called Jasper.
He was very fragile, so we had to
touch his head very carefully. The
other snake was a large python. It
looked scaly, but felt a lot like beaded
silk when I got to touch him.
Next, was a tarantula, which is a
large spider with hairy legs. It was
a bit scary, but I felt one of its legs.
Tarantulas do not harm people but
they will eat small birds. Another
invertebrate was a scorpion and
because its sting is poisonous, it
remained in its glass box, sitting on
a log. We discovered that the most
venomous scorpions are the small
ones and they can kill a person.
We were sad when the animals had to
leave. It was such an awesome day.
Isabel Toogood
Prep 6 Halla meets a rainforest lizard!
Rainforest
Heavy rain trickles quickly,
Pattering,
Pounding,
Pelting,
Sliding across the glossy leaves
below,
Vibrant flowers brighten the forest,
A harpy eagle soars through the air
elegantly,
Its evil eye observing closely,
Awaiting its afternoon meal,
The strong eagle grasps the monkey
tightly in sharp talons
And soars effortlessly through the air.
It’s hot and humid among
The amazing life cycle of the
rainforest.
Anna Hill
The Busy Town
A stranger came this morning,
Dressed all in black and grey,
Put every sound into a bag
And carried them away.
The screeching of brakes,
The roaring of a car,
The pattering of rain
Gurgling down the city drain.
The yapping of the dogs,
The rustling of leaves,
Tired people trudging with
Shopping bags to heave.
The crying of the baby,
The hoot of the horn,
The murmuring on the phone
As people start to moan.
A stranger came this morning,
He didn’t leave his name,
Left us only silence,
Life will never be the same.
Rosie Fogarty
Snow
Cheeks are frozen,
Noses blue,
Hands in gloves, should be too!
Finger tips red,
Tingling thumbs,
Toes really quite numb,
Children playing,
Having fun.
Snow keeps falling,
What to do?
Let’s make a snowman
That’s what we should do!
It’s getting chilly,
Let’s go inside,
Mum has made a really warm pie,
The fire is burning,
Warming us up,
Now, for hot chocolate in a really big
cup.
Katie Dick
111
My Amazing Viking Day
Wouldn’t you like to be a Viking for
a day? Well we were. On Friday
12 October, when Prep 6 went into
the hall, it was transformed into a
Viking workshop. As we watched a
programme introducing the Vikings,
a man came roaring in and we were all
surprised. He was dressed as a Viking
warrior. We learnt that a Viking’s
weapons were a sword, axe and spear.
He wore a chain mail shirt to protect
him in battle and carried a shield.
During one activity we got to grind
wheat to make flour. To do this you
turn a large stone called a quern stone
and it was hard work. We also dressed
up in Viking clothes. I dressed as a
Viking woman and made bracelets from
wool using a lucet which is a tool for
braiding. Lastly, we made a wattle wall
from branches. The wood had been
soaked in water to make it easy to
bend. We wove the branches between
upright sticks.
Prep 7
We had a good day and discovered
what it was like to be a Viking.
On Wednesday 23 January, Prep 7
went to the Titanic Museum. Everyone
was very excited and a bit concerned
that we wouldn’t get to go because of
the weather, though luckily we all did.
The bus eventually arrived at school
and we all piled out and onto the bus.
We finally got there and we all strode
off the bus and paraded into the centre
where we met our guide. He told us all
about the centre and that it is actually
the same height as the Titanic was.
Rachel Donnelly
Viking fabric design by Rachel Lyster
The Titanic Museum
We marched up the stairs and made our
way into Gallery One. It had lots of
screens with fake shadows of people
walking from 1912. There were lots of
interactive activities to do in this gallery
and they were very interesting. We
walked through a part of scaffolding,
(though it was just a copy of the
Titanic’s real scaffolding), yet it was
about 20 feet high.
Following this we went up in a lift
to the next floor which led us to the
ride. It was so good that each group
just had to go on it again! Next we
watched a little clip that a diver had
taken of the shipwreck of the Titanic
and it was amazing what they found.
Clay Face by Halla Dobbin
Clay Face by Rachel Donnelly
Afterwards we went downstairs and
played on the interactive machines.
Following this we went in to do a work
shop about modes of communication
from the Titanic. We tried using
semaphore, the Morse code and
signalling flags. We looked out at the
beautiful views from our room and
there was our bus driver waiting. A
great day was had by all.
Holly Brow
Prep 6 are Vikings for the day
112
Chloe and Cara enjoying The Titanic Centre
Titanic Personification Poems
On 10th April 1912
The luxurious Titanic set sail
She strode powerfully as a vessel
Magnificent.
The silent, icy murderer loomed ahead
Screeching her gleaming body
Cries of chaos surround
Her peaceful reign over.
Her disastrous fate had been decided
The Titanic was sinking, fast
To the damp, dark, depths
She now rests
Forever
Kathryn Polson
Prep 7 Buddies
The greatest ocean liner of its time
Most luxurious boat ever seen
Powerful, magnificent, gleaming
through the sea
Powerfully gliding along
Her voice calling loudly as waves
pass her by
A huge iceberg looms towards her
A crash and a bang as it rips her skin
Halted and sliced in half
People shouting, crying and shrieking
for help
The icy depths getting closer
As the lifeboats lower themselves down
Children crying, wailing for help
The ship plummeting to the bottom
Disappearing
Lydia Spollen
An excerpt from The Monster
Prep 7 visit Edinburgh Castle
With fear and dread, I crept
cautiously down the dark, damp tunnel.
Suddenly an evil odour invaded my
nostrils. There in the beam of my
flashlight, I finally saw it...
It had ugly, dark, red eyes and had a
distinctly rotten smell and I coughed as
the odour went up my nostrils.
The monster growled and the sound
echoed far away. I started to panic but
then it realised that perhaps I could out
smart it by playing dead. It approached
me sluggishly and came nose to nose
with me. I tried not to breathe but it
was hard given the terrifying nature
of the beast before me. What should I
do now?
Prep 7 and Year 8 enjoy a Shared Learning Science experience
Trudie McCoosh
113
Memories of Prep
One of my favourite memories was
making lots of new friends when I
joined Prep in Prep 6. I also loved
going to Edinburgh and visiting Camera
Obscura. However my best memory
was meeting Miss Wright in Prep 7.
Tegan Welch
I liked the Edinburgh trip because
we got to share a room with a friend.
I also liked doing our stop motion
animation artwork with the class.
Attiyyah Rahman
My first memory of Prep was the
very first day of Prep 4 and on World
Book Day when I dressed up as a
princess. I also enjoyed Mrs Coulter
reading us stories like Kesnuke’s
Kingdom, The Demon Headmaster
and Harry Potter. However my
favourite memory of Prep was going
to Edinburgh with all my friends and
teachers and sharing a room with Holly
Brow.
Prep 7 visit Armagh Planetarium
My favourite memory I have had
in Victoria Prep was coming to the
Prep. I was very shy when I came but
I had lots of friends to play with and
talk to. The teachers are very kind
and helpful and everyone made me
feel so welcome.
Veena Sivakumar
My first favourite memories of Prep
were the Prep 7 Edinburgh trip because
we had lots of fun at the places we went
to and we got to share a room with a
friend. My second favourite memory in
Prep was making fruit kebabs because
we got to cut all the fruit that the
rainforests have.
Molly Colgan
Prep 7 make ‘Moon landers’
Kelly Tang
Phoebe Parker
My first day in Prep 7 was great
because everyone was so kind
and welcoming. I also enjoyed
making new friends as they are all
extraordinary people.
My first favourite memory was the
first day of school, because I found
my first friend as Talia came over
and brought me over to play with the
Lego with her. My second favourite
memory was Edinburgh and being a
server, because I got to spend time
away with my friends and visit great
tourist attractions and I love little
ones and have been looking forward
to being a server since Prep 4.
Jade Buckley
My favourite moments in Prep are
meeting new people, making great
new friendships, having a lovely
trip to Edinburgh and having an
AMAZING teacher.
Lydia Spollen
Talisha Welch
I remember the first day I joined
VCB in Prep 5. I also loved getting
to go to Edinburgh and going to the
Cookie Box in Prep 7.
Tara Campbell
114
In Prep 1 when I was going to the
toilet the floor was wet, so I slipped
and fell flat on my face like a starfish
on the floor, and when Mrs Glover
came out of the classroom and looked
at me and said, “Is that Phoebe lying
down there?” and I started crying.
I remember being in playgroup when
we were reading and then someone
bit me!
Molly and Tara enjoy our Outdoor
Science Project
Abby Palmer
One of my favourite memories is in
Prep 2 when we went to Streamvale
Farm and I got to hold a rabbit. Another
one of my favourite memories is in
Prep 7 when we made a stop motion
animation about outer space.
Chloe Fitzpatrick
My most memorable moments of
Prep include representing our school
in the Showjumping Team, finally
ending transfer with a special trip to
The Cookie Box and also first joining
Prep on 14 September in 2012.
Trudie McCoosh
In Prep 4 when Mrs Cupitt was
retiring there was a giant fun event:
there was a bouncy castle, a nail
painting parlour and you could buy
cupcakes. We also did the YMCA
Dance! I also loved the teddy bears
picnic in Prep 2 when Mrs Breene
was retiring as we brought in our
teddies and wrote special teddy
bear poems. We all cried when Mrs
Breene left.
loved looking through some of my
old school work and my Prep 1
information which said that I was
afraid to go to the toilet.
My favourite memory of Prep was in
Prep 7 when we went to Edinburgh
and I shared a room with Cara but she
dropped her toothbrush down the toilet.
Shona Polly
Holly Brow
My best memory from Prep 2 was the
novel reading afternoon with Prep 3.
I also loved visiting Tayto Castle in
Prep 4, doing the pet project in Prep
5, the rainforest art in Prep 6 and the
wonderful trip to Edinburgh when
my mood ring got stuck on my finger
and Miss Wright had to cut it off with
pliers!
My best memories of Prep are on
the first day of Prep 1 when I played
Lego with Lydia. I also enjoyed Prep
5 when Shona and I laughed for 45
minutes straight without stopping.
My last, but definitely not least, best
memory of Prep was in Prep 7 when
we went to Edinburgh. I especially
loved Camera Obscura.
Holly Irwin
Cara Morwood
Kathryn Polson
I loved the first day of school in Prep
3 when I played with the baby dolls
with Cara. I also vividly remember
having to miss Troy Story because I
had fallen and had to go to hospital. I
also loved Edinburgh when Talia put
a lizard on me!
Bree Moffett
I loved all the Edinburgh experiences
such as Edinburgh Castle, Deep Sea
World and the cinema. I also loved
being the Dancing Crow in The
Button Box.
Prep 7 European Day of Languages - Learning about China
Anna Patterson
My favourite memory of VCB was
when I was in playgroup and Kathryn
and I used to ask to go the bathroom.
We would have long conversations
and pass food and toys between the
gaps in the toilets.
Talia Anderson
My favourite memory of Prep was
the Tayto Castle visit in Prep 4
when we got to meet Mr Tayto and
got lots of free crisps. I also loved
when Holly Irwin joined our class
as we had the same name. I also
Prep 7 enjoying a Christmas treat at The Cookie Box
115
Prep 1 - Prep 7 and
Pre-School Art
My Favourite Christmas Present
by Molly Young Prep 2
Glass Window
by Chole Fitzpatrick Prep 7
Lost
by Anna Kennedy Prep 2
Autumn Forest
by Sophie Johnston Prep 3
Farmer Jack Acrostic Poem by Anna McCaldin Prep 2
116
Ice Cream
by Oliva Shaw Prep 3
Titanic Fashion
by Phoebe Parker Prep 7
Sand Paint by Lucia Anderson Prep 3
Duck
by Caroline McMichael Prep 3
Puppy Tangram
by Amy McMurrough Prep 4
Fireworks
by Clara Wilson Prep 3
Pastel by Evie McGale Prep 4
Candle Tangram
by Olivia Byrne Prep 4
Snow Scene
by Kate Donnelly Prep 3
Pastel with People
by Sarah Frazer Prep 4
117
Bamboo
by Attiyyah Rahman Prep 7
118
Mother’s Helper
by Holly Campbell Prep 5
Titanic
by Cara Morwood Prep 7
Starry Night
by Kelly Tang Prep 7
African Sunset
by Molly McGuire Prep 5
Perspective Drawing
by Ella Ross Prep 5
Tutankhamen
by Lucy McQuoid Prep 5
Robot
by Emilia Azuara-Lois Prep 5
Fabric Person
by Chloe Murphy Prep 1
Flamingo
by Hannah Cheevers Prep 1
Blossom Tree
by Eppie Hughes Prep 1
Flower Patterns
by Emily Wilson Pre-School
Peacock
by Sarah Mellon Prep 1
Blow Painting
by Anna Sempey Pre-School
119
Animal Prints Pre-School
Indian Mandala Patterns
by Ana Garcia Kehoe Pre-School
Poppies
by Erin GlennPrep 2
Shapes by Lois Lyttle Prep 6
Threadwork
by Cate MacAllister Prep 6
Aboriginal Painting
by Jemma Houston Prep 2
Woman by Anna Hill Prep 6
Sailor by Anna Shearer Prep 6
Winter Scene by Tory Kikpatrick Prep 4
Threadwork by Charlotte Houston Prep 6
120
Aboriginal Painting by Annie Irvine Prep 2
Under the Sea by Aliza Tareen Prep 2
the general waste bins from
Eco Action
Team Report
Our Eco Action Team has had
another very busy and successful
year. On Friday 10 May we were
awarded our Green Flag, an amazing
achievement and we should all be very
proud of each other. Like our motto
says, “We all have to play our part.
Come on and let’s make a new start!”
This year our Eco Action Team chose to
consolidate on issues begun in previous
years, focusing primarily on transport,
and reducing and recycling our waste.
After a successful Walk to School event
last year we wanted to encourage more
of our pupils to use sustainable methods
of transport in their journeys to and
from school.
The Eco Action Team developed four
objectives:
•
•
•
•
to increase the number of pupils
walking, cycling or taking public
transport to school;
to reduce congestion and traffic
danger around the school gates;
to increase pupil awareness of
road safety and the environment;
to increase pupil awareness of
travel choices and issues through
the curriculum.
To help us achieve our target we created
a ‘WOW’ event - Walk Once a Week to
school. This ran throughout the summer
term with the support of staff and
Friends of Prep representatives and was
enjoyed by many pupils. Pupils were
able to learn about sustainable transport
and road safety during a weeklong
transport-themed week. Pupils from
Eco Action Team with the Green Flag
Prep 1 to 7 were involved in thinking
about their journeys to school. Local
speakers were invited into school to
help us deliver our sustainable transport
message. Each class participated in
a special activity about transport,
whether it was designing sustainable
transportation for the future or looking
at pollution in our local area. The Eco
Action Team also carried out some
important research and using our
savings from the past three years the
team purchased a colourful minipod
which holds eight bikes and eight
scooters.
The Eco Action Team decided to
build upon our ‘no bin day’ by having
a ‘no bin week’ running from 19-23
November 2012 in school. The Eco
Action Team representatives removed
each classroom bin leaving only paper
bins and compost bins for recycling.
Our aim in this was to encourage
pupils to reduce their waste for a week
and then to think about how they could
continue to reduce waste in school in
the future.
We have found that an increasing
number of pupils are bringing their
snack in Tupperware containers rather
than being wrapped in cling film or foil.
We have continued with our recycling
of paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, fruit
skins and textiles.
Finally we were successful in our
application for the Green Flag. We
received our award formally at the
Belfast City Hall. A great achievement
for our school and certainly a day we
can all be very proud of.
121
Retirement of
Mrs Coulter
Young Enterprise Centre of Excellence
This year, Dr Mitchell-Barrett
and Prep pupils accepted an award
recognising the Preparatory
Department as a centre of excellence.
We were only one of three Belfast
schools to receive this wonderful
award.
Friends of Prep
We would like to thank Friends of
Prep for all their hard work this year.
Several very successful fundraising
events were organised throughout
the year and over £7,000 was raised
for Prep funds. Special thanks to Mrs
Cosgrove who will be stepping down
from her role as Chairperson/Secretary.
Thanks also to Mrs MacAllister, Mrs
Palmer and Mrs Byrne, founding
members of the Friends of Prep, for all
their vision and enthusiasm. We would
Ormeau Park Fun Day
On 28 September Prep 4 and 5
went to Ormeau Park. We went for
a sponsored walk to raise money for
the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for
Children. First of all, we went for a
long walk and then we had some fun
at the amusements on the grass. The
Cancer Fund provided a Freddo bar
and a bottle of water for us. They
122
like to welcome the new Chairperson
Mrs Cheevers, the new Secretary Mrs
Murray, and new members Mrs Meyer
and Mrs McGuire.
Any parents wishing to join Friends
of Prep should contact Mrs Cheevers
on 075 1574 6790. Please note that
membership of Friends of Prep is for
a period of three years.
Dr R Mitchell-Barrett
also gave us t-shirts to wear. First we
had a look at the emergency vehicles
and we also had the opportunity to
play the African drums. We had a
fantastic time and helped to raise lots
of money.
Anna McPherson, Prep 4
Mrs Lyn Coulter joined Richmond
Lodge School in 1975 as a Geography
teacher and in September 1979 she
was promoted to Head of Department.
After a career break, during which
she raised her twin boys, she returned
to Richmond Lodge in January 1986.
Following the amalgamation of
Richmond Lodge and Victoria College
in 1987, she taught Prep 5 and 6, and in
2005 was appointed to Deputy Head of
the Preparatory Department.
Mrs Coulter gained over thirty years
of teaching experience; her expertise
and knowledge were highly valued
by all of the Preparatory Department
staff. As Deputy Head, she helped
to lead the school through many
educational changes, initiatives and
challenges, always providing support
to her colleagues. Her reputation as
a highly skilled practitioner was well
established amongst pupils, parents and
staff. Mrs Coulter taught many of the
current pupils’ mothers and aunts. Her
classroom was an oasis of calm and
her teaching style was encouraging and
enabling. She established a positive
relationship with all of her students,
and indeed their families.
The Preparatory Department are grateful
to Mrs Coulter for her dedication and
long, loyal service. The pupils, parents
and staff will hold fond memories of
Mrs Coulter and she will be greatly
missed by all. We wish her a very happy
retirement, enjoying long walks along
the seafront with her husband, travel
abroad to visit her son and special
times with her family and granddaughter.
Happy retirement, Mrs Coulter!
Dr R Mitchell-Barrett
Preparatory Department Prize Winners 2013
Prep 1
Hannah Cheevers
Matilda Gibson
Claudia Green
Eppie Hughes-Jennett
Aimee Jackson
Niamh Kelly
Ruby Lennon
Imogen Magee
Sarah Mallon
Raine Martin
Isabella McDowell
Erin McGuire
Ella McKenna
Stephanie McMichael
Sophia Mills
Connie Morrow
Chloe Murphy
Orla Murray
Florence O’Brien
Annabelle O’Flaherty
Clara O’Kane
Philippa O’Sullivan
Sara Sierra Paniagua
India Steen
Ruby Young
Sophia Young
Prep 2
Lola Armstrong
Sarah Armstrong
Jessica Byrne
Sybil Corscadden
Ali Crawford-McCann
Isabella Doran
Eleanor Fogarty
Erin Glenn
Aimee Hilman
Jenna Houston
Annabel Hunter
Annie Irvine
Anna McCaldin
Anna Kennedy
Maya Mullen
Aliza Tareen
Molly Young
Prep 3
Lucia Anderson
Emma Brow
Rachel Cheevers
Sophia Colgan
Madelene Crawford-McCann
Katherine Donnelly
Katherine Irvine
Sophie Johnston
Bridget Kennedy
Olivia Little
Emma McCloy
Caroline McMichael
Grace Murphy
Libby Nesbitt
Charlotte Roberts
Olivia Shaw
Beatrice Toogood
Clara Wilson
Muriel McGregor Prize
for Poetry Key Stage One
Olivia Shaw
Prep 4
Alex Boal
Olivia Byrne
Amber Fisher
Amy Fogarty
Sarah Frazer
Emma Harrison
Mary-Kate Kennedy
Tory Kirkpatrick
Sophie Luke
Aoife Mallon
Evie McGale
Amelia McGuigan
Lily McGuire
Tamzin McMullan
Amy McMurrough
Anna McPherson
Isabella O’Brien
Beth Thompson
Award for Contribution to Choir
Anna McCoy, Beth Roberts
Award for Contribution to Orchestra
Anna Caldwell, Lucy McQuoid
Award for Contribution to Hockey
Lauren Patterson
Award for Contribution
to Gymnastics
Anna McCoy
Award for Contribution to Athletics
Emilia Azuara-Lois
Award for Contribution
to Swimming
Ella Ross, Clara Hamilton
Award for Contribution to Drama
Billi Henry, Holly Campbell,
Ellie Ritchie
Prep 6 Class Prizes
Kerri Fry
Georgina Lobo
Rachel Lyster
Molly Macallister
Ellie Ruddell
Anna Shearer
The Taggart Cup for English
Anna McPherson
Miss Minnis Award for
Persistent Effort & Progress
Eva Wilson
Prep 5 Class Prizes
The MacLaughlin Cup for English
Ellie Ruddell
Emilia Azuara-Lois
Anna Caldwell
Molly McGuire
Lucy McQuoid
Lauren Patterson
Miss Minnis Award
for Persistent Effort
Grace Corscadden
Clare Dickson Rose Bowl for English
Anna Caldwell, Phoebe McFadden
Award for Mathematics
Emilia Azuara-Lois
Award for Progress in ICT
Honor McCullough, Holly McCloy,
India Meyer, Eliza Neville-Forrest
Award for Progress in French
Amber Young
Award for Helpfulness
and Consideration
Elise Donnelly, Samantha McAlister,
Natalie Medhurst, Claudia Murphy
Award for Contribution
in Music Class
Molly McGuire, Lauren Patterson
The McCormick Cup for
Mathematics
Ellie Ruddell, Anna Shearer
Paterson Trophy for Art
Rachel Donnelly, Halla Dobbin
Award for Progress in ICT
Erin Cameron, Katie Dick,
Rosie Fogarty
Award for Progress in French
Sophie Delap, Isabel Toogood
Award for Contribution
to World Around Us
Cate MacAllister
Award for Contribution in Music
Class Halla Dobbin, Katie Pallin
Award for Contribution to Choir
Emily Darling and Molly Macallister
Award for Contribution
to Orchestra
Rachel Donnelly, Isabel Toogood
Award for Helpfulness
and Consideration
Shannon Frazer, Eva Spollen
123
Award for Contribution to Hockey
Charlotte Houston
Cup for French
Lydia Spollen
Jemma Hool Cup for Attendance
Talia Anderson
Award for Excellence in Hockey
Anna Hill
Bible Study Award
Kathryn Polson
Award for Contribution
to Swimming
Molly Macallister
Balmer Cup for Drama
Abby Palmer
Norah Watts Trophy for
Helpfulness and Consideration
Molly Colgan
Award for Excellence in Swimming
Anna Hill and Lois Lyttle
Award for Contribution
to Gymnastics
Victoria Cosgrove
Award for Contribution to Athletics
Sarah Cosgrove and Zahra Lowry
Angela Scott Trophy for Art
Attiyyah Rahman
Emma James Trophy
for Art and Craft
Kelly Tang
Smith Cup for Music
Abbey Palmer
Award for Contribution to Drama
Emily Darling and Sophie Delap
Currie Cup for Chorister
of the Year
Kathryn Polson
Muriel McGregor Prize
for Poetry Key Stage 2
Georgina Lobo
Kirsty Carruthers Cup
for Contribution to Orchestra
Chloe Fitzpatrick
Prep 7 Class Prizes
Talia Anderson
Holly Brow
Chloe Fitzpatrick
Cara Morwood
Miss Minnis Award
for Persistent Effort
Chloe Fitzpatrick
Cathy Dickson Award for English
Cara Morwood
Corkin Cup for Mathematics
Cara Morwood
Hastings Trophy for ability
and interest in English
Talia Anderson
Music Shield for
Contribution to Class Activities
Holly Brow and Cara Morwood
Johnston Cup for Pupil Voice
Anna Patterson
Head of Prep Cup
for Exceptional Progress
Tara Campbell
Preparatory Prize for
Perseverance and Diligence
Lydia Spollen
Preparatory Prize for
Consistent Endeavour
Talisha Welch
Amelia Rose Cup for
Prep 7 Ambassador
Shona Polly, Bree Moffett
Ross Cup for Spirit of Prep
Holly Irwin
Claire Bell Cup for Hockey
Bree Moffett, Abby Palmer
Louise McGuigan Shield
for All Round Prep 7 Girl
Cara Morwood
The Louise McKibbin Cup for
Contribution to Prep 7 Hockey
Talia Anderson, Holly Irwin
After calculation of the total points
from the Prep Galas and Sports
Days, the overall House placings are:
Alexander & Weir Cup for
the Most Promising Athlete
Bree Moffett
The Victor Ludorum for most
points from the Gala and Sports Day
Bree Moffett
1stHoward
2nd Marlborough
3rd Pakenham
Cara Lewis Mathematics Cup
Tegan Welch
Thornhill Cup for Science
Phoebe Parker
McAllister Perpetual Science Cup
Veena Sivakumar
Preparatory Shield
for Excellence in ICT
Holly Brow
Preparatory Shield
for Progress in ICT
Trudie McCoosh
Sturgeon Trophy
for interest in History
Shona Polly
World Around Us
Geography Shield
Jade Buckley
The Preparatory Department
124
Isabel, Chloe, Katie, Abby, Kathryn, Phoebe and Cara won the Under-12 Flute
Ensemble Class at Carrickfergus Festival
Swimming
Prep Swimming Team had a very
busy and successful year with many
girls competing in their first ever Ulster
Schools Gala. At the Ulster Minor
Championships, individual success
came to Lauren Patterson who was
placed fourth in 50m Backstroke,
Lois Lyttle who won bronze in 50m
Backstroke and Anna Hill who was
placed fourth in 50m Breaststroke and
fifth in 100m Individual Medley. The
team of Lauren Patterson, Lois Lyttle,
Anna Hill, Ella Ross, Molly Maguire,
Lucy McQuoid, Sophie Delap, Emily
Darling, Sarah Cosgrove, Victoria
Cosgrove, Rosie Fogarty, Charlotte
Houston and Molly Macallister swam
very well throughout the day, with
many girls setting personal bests. Well
done to all.
Prep Swimming Team
Belfast Cross Country Finals
Cross Country
Prep 6 and Prep 7 sent a very strong
team under the captaincy of Cara
Morwood to compete in the South
Belfast Area heats at Musgrave Park.
The girls were placed second overall
and qualified for the Belfast finals to be
held in March at Ormeau Park. Extra
training was put in place and a wellprepared competitive team took on the
challenge in the finals. As we walked
around the course during our warm-up,
several feet disappeared in very flooded
underground conditions but despite
this all shoelaces were tied tight and
nothing was going to stop us. Anna Hill
had an outstanding race to take silver
along with Charlotte Houston, Sarah
Cosgrove and Lois Lyttle who were
placed in the top 12. All girls competed
with great determination and Victoria
College Prep won the overall Belfast
cup for the first time ever. The team
represented Belfast in the Northern
Ireland final which was a huge
achievement. Once again Anna Hill had
an excellent individual race. Thanks go
to the parents who gave great support
and encouragement to all runners.
Mrs H Henderson
Northern Ireland Cross Country final winners
125
Charity Report
Thanks to the continued generous
support and enthusiastic participation
of the children, we have been able to
contribute to a number of charities
again this year, raising almost £2,000
for a wide range of good causes.
We had a very busy Autumn Term
which started with a sponsored walk
for Prep 4 and Prep 5 in the Ormeau
Park. These two classes raised an
amazing sum for the Northern Ireland
Cancer Fund for Children – over
£600! Well done to all involved! Our
annual Harvest Sale was great fun and
we raised almost £400. All the girls,
especially Prep 1, enjoyed shopping
and playing games. We were delighted
to welcome Alistair Bennett of the
Stand by Me charity to assembly to
collect a cheque. This will be used to
resource a school in Bekoiji, Ethiopia.
At harvest time, we also arranged a
collection of food and toiletries in
aid of the local homeless charity, the
Simon Community. The representatives
from the Simon Community were
overwhelmed by the number of tins
and packets collected by Prep – many
thanks to everyone who contributed.
Prep 1 angels
Caroline as Shepherd Little
Aliza as a Prep 2 centurion
126
Three Wise Men - Libby, Emma and Maddie
We have enjoyed two non-uniform
days this year for charitable causes. In
November we raised almost £400 for
the ever-popular Children in Need,
and in March a further £200 for
Comic Relief.
I’m sure you will agree we have had
another most successful year and may
I take this opportunity to thank all the
children, parents, friends and staff for
their continued support and generosity.
Mrs A Glover
Victoria College Prep
School Council
The School Council has had another
busy year fundraising and meeting
together to discuss ideas and
suggestions from pupils. We realised
we needed to update our playground
equipment as most of our toys were
broken. As a team, we decided we were
going to do a fundraiser. In May, we did
‘Pound a Job Week’. This is where you
do chores at home for the family. All
the pupils participated in this event. We
raised nearly £500! Now all our toys
are up to date and we all love them.
Our highlight of the year as school
councillors was our trip to Stormont in
June. We are very thankful to Mr and
Mrs O’Brien. They helped us make an
amazing DVD of our tour in Stormont.
We all have a different job in this DVD
like cameraman or director. We all
enjoyed our time on School Council and
hope next year’s School Councillors
have a great year like we did!
Shona Polly and Veena Sivakumar
Prep 7 Councillors
School Nutrition
Advisory Group
Our very enthusiastic SNAG girls
had a busy year. After doing their
research with questionnaires to
parents, we started up a Breakfast
Club offering a selection of cereals,
Council girls in the Great Hall at Stormont
Shona Polly reporting from Stormont
Council Question and Answer time during
the tour at Stormont
Lunch at Stormont was delicious!
fruit, juice and toast. After a trial
however, our club ceased to run as
numbers using it were too small.
Undaunted however, the team planned
an end of year celebration picnic in the
school grounds. By delegating various
jobs to other Action Groups, we were
able to have a special celebration for
Mrs Coulter’s retirement. Canteen
provided great picnic food and our
CAG girls composed a great celebration
song, especially for the occasion. Thank
you to everyone who helped us during
the year in Canteen, at Breakfast Club
and at the picnic!
Mrs R McLuckie
Thank you to Mrs Fallon and our Breakfast Club Supporters - I do miss the lovely warm toast
127
The Welcome Team
Hi, I’m in the Welcome Team. The
Welcome Team is an action group
which helps new pupils to settle into
our school. There have been lots of new
people joining our school this year
and I think the Welcome Team has
really helped. This year our aim was
to create a DVD within the Welcome
Team and this goal was reached and
completed on 20 June 2013. We hope
this DVD will be a success and will
help new pupils. In the DVD we
included all the team and had lots of
different scenes so we all got to be
famous! We set the scenes all around
the school and it was fun to learn the
lines from the script and get to be in
the excellent DVD. The DVD will be
given to new pupils to watch and
they will hopefully feel more welcome
in our school after watching it. The
whole team was willing to practise for
the DVD and we were all up for the
challenge. We were all very hopeful
that the DVD would be finished before
we broke up for the summer and we
could chill, sit back and enjoy our
DVD. We had a few attempts for it to
be perfect but I think it was worth it.
Prep Welcome Team
The Button Box
The Welcome Team is only two years
old and to be in the Welcome Team on
its second year and also my last year
was very pleasing. I would like to thank
Miss McQuillan for helping us to make
the DVD and to put it all together. I
hope the DVD will be a hit for the
school and I also hope the Welcome
Team will continue to be a successful
action group for the school.
Holly Brow Prep 7
Anna as the Dancing Crow
128
Talia and Abby as Grandad and Grandma
Shona and Holly as Tom and Emily
Phoebe and Holly as Uncle Ted and
Aunt Wendy
Molly, Talisha, Tegan, Kelly and Veena as
the Chinese story-tellers
Old Girls’ Association
Hannah Willis
(née Irvine)
Congratulations to former pupil
Hannah Willis (née Irvine) who
gained her 50th cap for Northern
Ireland when she captained the team
in the International Netball Series
played at the Antrim Forum in the
Autumn of 2013. Hannah played
against St Lucia, Barbados and
Botswana and the Northern Ireland
team won all of its matches. Hannah
will compete in the Commonwealth
Games next year.
Amy Hogg
We are delighted to report that in
September 2012 Amy Hogg, former
pupil (class of 2012) and daughter of
Mrs Hogg our Head of Chemistry,
was awarded a QUEST Undergraduate
Scholarship from the Institution of
Civil Engineers through the company
Enterprise-Mouchel. She spent eight
weeks on a summer placement with
them in Penrith. Furthermore, at the end
of her first year of studies in Civil and
Structural Engineering at Newcastleupon-Tyne, she has been awarded one
of only two M A Burnip Scholarships.
These Scholarships were established
with funds from the will of the late
Graduations,
Queen’s University Belfast 2012
Congratulations to the following Old Girls.
All degrees are at Honours level.
BSc Archaeology,
Palaeoecology & Geography
Laura Mallon
BSc Business Information
Technology
Ashleigh Hornsby
BSc Business IT including
Professional Experience
Ashleigh Magee, Laura Townsend
BSc Biomedical Science
Gillian Gillespie, Sarah McKeown
BEng Computer Science
including Professional Experience
Victoria Ismay, Clare Johnston
BA English & Modern History
Angela Gibney, Chantal Moore
BA English
RachelMiller
BSc Environmental Planning
NadineMoody
BA Film Studies
Wei Yun Chung
BA History & Social Anthropology
Lynsey Stewart
LLB Law & Politics
Eve Wallace
LLB Law
Katie Major
MPharm Pharmacy
Suzanne Campbell, Sophie Kidd
BSc Psychology
Natasha Sloan
BSW Social Work
Laura Allen
Dip Educational Multimedia
Natalie Chambers
BSc Economics & Management
Sara Wright
MB Medicine
Catherine O’Hare, Hannah Tumelty
PhD Medicine
Kiera Dollin
BA Politics
Alana Beattie
Dip Politics
Deborah-Ann Lavery
BSW Social Work
Jenny Lilburn
Mabel Annie Burnip in memory of
Dr Ethel Williams, suffragette. Up
to two Scholarships are normally
awarded each year to undergraduate
women students in Engineering by the
University Exhibitions and Engineering
Scholarship Committee on behalf of the
Senate, on the recommendation of the
Head of an Engineering School. The
Scholarship is tenable for the whole of
Amy’s undergraduate degree course.
Lisa Barros D’Sa
Lisa Barros D’Sa, Old Girl, is a
director and producer of independent
motion pictures. Lisa started her career
in London after completing an MA in
Screenwriting but returned to Northern
Ireland, starting out as a script reader
and editor in feature film development.
It was through writing and developing
her own scripts that she progressed
to directing. Until this year she was
perhaps known chiefly for her feature
Cherrybomb (2009). However, in
the last year she has become known
internationally for co-directing with
Glenn Leyburn the sensationally
received film Good Vibrations (2012).
This film, written by local writers
Colin Carberry and Glenn Patterson,
chronicles the colourful and creative
life of Terri Hooley, owner of the Good
Vibrations record store which was
a landmark in Great Victoria Street.
Hooley was instrumental in developing
a troubled Belfast’s punk-rock scene
and bringing the Undertones to the
attention of John Peel and Radio
One. The film was particularly well
received at the British Film festival in
Australia, and described as uplifting;
the soundtrack was released by
Ace Records and chosen as Rough
Trade’s compilation of the year.
Glenn Leyburn, Lisa Barros D’Sa and
David Holmes have formed their own
production company, Canderblinks
Film & Music. As their website says,
“We aim to create film projects with
international scope, fusing great stories
with fantastic music and a distinctive
cinematic vision.”
129
Lucy Chambers
Lucy Chambers, former Head Girl of
Victoria College, graduated with First
Class honours from Downing College,
Cambridge in June 2013. She expresses
her thanks for the support she received
during her time at VCB, without which,
she says, she would not have been able
to succeed at Cambridge.
Lucy writes:
It is hard for me to believe that my
three years at Downing College have
come to an end, but I have thoroughly
enjoyed my time here and have taken
full advantage of all the opportunities
Cambridge has presented. Next week I
will be graduating with a Double First
in Law, having achieved First Class
honours in all three years of the
Tripos and received several Faculty
prizes including for contract law and
constitutional law. In my optional
papers, I have been focusing mainly on
private law (commercial law, contract
law and international commercial
disputes) along with an international
comparative element (studying French
and German contract and tort law).
The teaching and supervision system
has been all I have ever wanted from
academic study, and much more.
Outside Law, I have played in our
College jazz band, been a member of
the Cambridge University Law Society
committee, including mooting (legal
debating) on behalf of the University
represented the University on the
archery team (earning University
Colours) and enjoyed attending the
Union debates and the ceilidh band.
Overall it has been a really hectic, at
times stressful, but absolutely fantastic
three years, and it has been wonderful
to share it with so many like-minded
friends.
Next year I will be going to Harvard
University to study for a Masters in
Law, focusing on Law and Economics
and researching the interaction between
situational economics and contract
law. I will be spending the year in
the USA as a Scholar of the US-UK
Fulbright Commission, of which I
am truly proud. I am very excited to
be experiencing the US Law School
teaching and research community, and
I hope to be able to publish some of my
work during my year, and hopefully
bring a lot of the Law and Economics
scholarship back to the UK.
130
Congratulations to graduand Gina
Flannery, Old Girl, who was named
by Strathclyde University as the best
student in International Business and
Modern Languages for the academic
year 2012-13 and was presented with
the Professor Anthony Clunies Ross
Quaich for her achievement. Gina
was also awarded a distinction in
spoken Spanish.
Following my year in the USA, I
will be returning to the UK (but
unfortunately not to Northern Ireland!)
to take up my Training Contract
with the commercial solicitors’ firm
Slaughter and May, in London. I hope
to qualify with the firm, and also have
the opportunity to work abroad with
them, before perhaps moving back into
academic teaching.
Lucy takes with us our warmest
congratulations and best wishes for her
exciting future.
Gina Flannery
Molly Gilmartin
Past pupil and former Head Girl of
the class of 2011 Molly Gilmartin
was successful in the HSBC Student
Bursary Competition to win £10,000.
Molly endeavoured to “make her
mark on the world” and won this
fabulous bursary by creating a
video to ‘Find the Cures for Cancer’
in association with the Northern
Ireland Cancer Centre. You can
watch her winning entry and find
out more at http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=pxaKJBTmDOs. We
wish Molly continued success in
reading Medicine at Queen’s College,
Oxford. We are delighted to see that
she is enjoying life there and playing
a full part in College life, including
vocal giving recitals in Chapel for the
Eglesfield Music Society.
Gina Flannery
Molly Gilmartin’s winning entry on You Tube
Sorcha Foster
Sorcha Foster, a former pupil of
Victoria College, has been awarded
the Queen’s University Foundation
Scholarship for the best student
Sorcha Foster
in Economics Level 1. Sorcha is
shown receiving her award from Dr
Subhadip Chakrabarti of the Queen’s
University Management School at
their Prize-Giving Ceremony on 2
July 2013.
Nicola Beirne
Warmest congratulations to Old
Girl and stalwart of the Victorians
Ladies’ Hockey Club, Nicola (Nicky)
Beirne, who has won two bronze
medals at the Commonwealth
Lifesaving Championships in
Australia. Her fellow Victorians are
very proud of her achievement.
Nicky is also fondly remembered
by many boarders as their lifeguard
for Tuesday evening swimming
sessions.
Nicola (Nicky) Beirne
5 Lockview Road Belfast BT9 5FH T: 028 9066 1001 E: [email protected] www.rebelhair.com
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131
Victorians Ladies
Hockey Club 2012-2013 Season
www.pitchero.com/clubs/
victoriansladieshockeyclub/ Office Bearers: Honorary Life Member:
Moira McKelvey
President:
Ann Rosa Vice Presidents:
Jennifer Best
Nicky du Toit
Margaret Harvey
Raymond Irvine
June Kirk
Daphne McNamee
Rosemary McWhinney
Anne Molloy Ann Morrison
Crawford McCully Ruth Walker
Danielle Hamilton (VCB Old Girls) and
Sophie Pollock (VCB 1st XI) in action
Hon Secretaries:
Ruth & Rachael McMillan Club Captain:
Nicky Beirne Junior Development:
Crawford McCully
1st XI Victorians 1st XI v Ballymoney
The season commenced with us
losing some players and gaining some
new ones. The first half did not go
as well as planned, but the effort at
training and attendance of the 1st XI
were fantastic and showed the players’
enthusiasm to improve. The second half
of the season was much better and it
seemed that matches were lost by just
the odd goal. An improvement from
the previous season was seen due to
the increased number of points gained.
Unfortunately the 1sts were not able to
hold their place in the Premier League
and the drive for next year will be to
compete for that place again. Thanks
again to Club Coach Andy Edwards for
his tireless enthusiasm and dedication.
132
We congratulate Olivia Blundell on
her selection for the Ulster Under-18 B
team and Rebecca Lutton who reached
the final trials for the Ulster Juniors. Veterans
Treasurer:
Jennifer Best Match Secretary:
Andy Edwards Achievements:
Victorians 1st XI v Ballymoney
2nd XI The objective of this season was to
stay in Junior 1, which was achieved.
They played 18 games, and won
five, drew four and lost nine. The
beginning of the season was hard for
some not accustomed to this level of
play. However a few wins and draws
increased confidence, knowing we
could achieve results. We survived
a tough league. It was a team with a
mixture of experienced and young
players. Many thanks to Coach Chris
Bloor and team captain Nicky Beirne
for another very encouraging season.
3rd XI A young team was fielded by the 3rd
XI in Junior 4 which they managed to
stay in this season. They played well
and showed great promise for the
future. Kathy Campfield captained and
managed the team and many thanks go
to her for all her effort as she has been
fantastic with the younger girls. It was great to see the Veterans
playing four league matches during the
season with much success and doing so
well in the tournament at Deramore in
May. Our thanks go to Caroline Fusco,
who, although still too young to play,
organised the team very efficiently.
Junior Hockey
The Club would like to acknowledge
and thank Crawford McCully for all his
drive and hard work with this Junior
section of the Club. Our thanks also go
to Robert Johnston for an amazing job
this season as he moves on next season.
His expert coaching is irreplaceable.
Thanks also to those who helped out
on Tuesdays and Sundays coaching.
There were 40 juniors registered this
season and attendance has been good
throughout. The Under-15s fought well
at tournaments in Randalstown and
came joint first. Twelve of these players
are now moving up to Senior hockey
and will be warmly welcomed, as we
try to attract and encourage them next
season. The Under-13 squad this season
has shown much talent and got into four
of the finals in different tournaments.
Emma Conlin also made Under-16
Ulster trials as well as playing for
Belfast Under-15s.
Mini Hockey
Fifty girls registered with Victorians
Mini Hockey. With only two Prep 7
girls we used Prep 6s and a Prep 5
to play in the Under-11 fixtures. The
girls played extremely well and won
many of their games and this will be
a great foundation for next year. We
welcomed David and Robert Cumins
as our two new coaches to coach with
Rachael McMillan. They worked really
well and proved popular with the girls. Our thanks go to Anne Molloy for coordinating the Mini Section of the Club.
Fundraising
Boxing Day
Tournament Every year after a Christmas day full
of rest and lots of food the Victoria
College Old Girls don the VCB
checked shirts for the Annual Boxing
Day Tournament. It is held at Strathearn
School and involves Victoria College
Old Girls, Strathearn Old Girls, VCB
1st XI and Strathearn 1st XI. This year
the VCB Old Girls’ Team came away
as winners after a really great morning’s
hockey.
This year’s fundraising saw
numerous activities take place. A table
quiz was organised by Nicky Beirne in
November at Fortwilliam Golf Club.
This was a great success with some
tough questions and the competitive
edge came out in everyone. Some great
prizes were organised and altogether it
was a fun and enjoyable night. In March we also held a Western
Dance Night in Newforge Country
Club which was great fun and a good
success. Thank you to Raymond and
Helen Irvine for organising this event.
It certainly was a night to remember.
Watch out Strictly Come Dancing!
Helen Irvine showing us what steps to do
Raymond Irvine calling out the steps
Jenny Evans Charity
Bike Ride
Congratulations also to Jenny Evans,
who survived the 324 miles on her
bike from London to Amsterdam!
Thank you everyone for your support.
All the money raised is going towards
building classrooms for street children
in Manila, Philippines.
Charlotte Elliott
Coaches and Umpires
The club would like to thank to
all who have given their time and
commitment to coach our teams
throughout the season. Thank you to
Club Coach Andy Edwards, Chris
Bloor, Kathy Campfield, Crawford
McCully, Robert Johnston, Billy
Pollock, Nicky du Toit, Anne Molloy,
Rachael McMillan, David Cumins
and Robert Cumins. Many thanks
also to our umpires Ruth Walker, Ian
Farris Crawford McCully, Nicky du
Toit, Andy Edwards, Billy Pollock
and Jimmy Lutton. Without their
support we could not play our games.
Sadly for us this year Chris Bloor has
decided to return to rugby coaching
next season and we are really going
to miss him. We all have benefited so
much from his four years at the Club.
He always joked that he is a rugby
coach and not a hockey coach but he
soon mastered the skills and tactics
needed for our game. We wish him
every success in the future.
Annual Awards
Dinner
The Annual Awards Dinner,
organised by Chris Bloor, was held in
Newforge Country Club on 26 April
2012. It was another successful
occasion and a table of former
players who are now playing for
the Veterans team were made very
welcome. The main awards went to:
1st XI Player of the Year:
Ashleigh Irvine
2nd XI Player of the Year:
Kelsey O’Donnell
3rd XI Player of the Year:
Chloe Marks
Ashleigh Irvine, 1st XI player of the year
Club Player of the Year:
Nicky Beirne
Nicky Beirne receiving her award from
Vice-President June Kirk
133
The Victoria
College Old Girls’
Association
Miss Amy Greene BSc
Miss Heather Manley
Miss Judi Manley
To unite Victorians in a common
bond, to keep them in touch with
their Alma Mater, and to provide
opportunities for social intercourse.
Secretary’s Report
Aims of the Association
Life Membership £100
£50 for girls who join during the first
year after leaving school
Annual membership £20
Office Bearers for 2012-13
President
Mrs Margaret Andrews OBE, BSc,
PGDICE
Vice-Presidents
Mrs Jennifer Breene TD (Stranmillis)
Dr Barbara Callender MB, MRCGP
Mrs Jennifer Mussen MA, Dip Ed.
Honorary Secretary
Mrs Betty Kerr BA
1 Malone View Park, Belfast BT9 5PN
Tel: 028 9061 4637
Email: [email protected]
Honorary Assistant Secretary
Mrs Dorothy Walsh BA
115 Osborne Park, Belfast BT9 6JQ
Tel: 028 9066 8584
Honorary Treasurer
Mrs Barbara Farris BSc, DipDomSc
Bracken Bank, 10 Greenvale,
Drumbeg, Belfast BT17 9LR
Tel: 028 9060 5388
Honorary School Publicity Officer
Miss Heather Montgomery BSc, PGCE
Honorary Magazine Secretary for
Delivery
Mrs Patricia Hagan
Honorary Recorder
Miss Ashleigh Keatings BSc
General Committee
Mrs Linda Diffin MA, PGCE, MAdCertEd, PQH
Mrs Dorothy Smyth SRN
Miss Kerry Burns
Mrs Carolyn Lewis ACII, ADE, CFE
Mrs Sharon Henderson ACA, MCLIP
Miss Tori Watson
Mrs Florence Allen
134
Ex Officio Member
Ms Patricia Slevin BA, MEd, PGCE, PQH
The Autumn Reunion was held
on Thursday 4 October 2012. Top
nutritionist Jayne McClenaghan
talked to us on Vital Nutrition for
Optimum Health.
The Annual General Meeting, on
Wednesday 10 October 2012, was
held in Drumglass House and chaired
by our then Vice President, Mrs
Florence Allen. Once again, a lovely
supper was provided by the staff of
Drumglass.
The Annual Dinner was held on
Thursday 2 May 2013 and was
attended by over fifty members.
Our guests were Mrs Patricia Shane
and Mrs Mary Lee Jackson of the
Arellians, and the Head Girl and
two Deputy Head Girls of Victoria
College. Randals catered for the
occasion and as usual provided a
wonderful meal.
Sadly we have several deaths
to report this year. We send our
deepest sympathy to the families
of our former members, Miss Mary
Boucher, Mrs Bannie Bamford
(Scarlett), Lady Silvia McConnell
(Agnew), Mrs Margaret Stewart
(McCready), Mrs H Burrows (Joan
Cooper), Mrs Betty Magowan
(Sherrie), Mrs Barbara Spence
(McKibben).
We are most grateful to so many of
the staff in Victoria College for their
help and support during the year and
would like to thank in particular Ms
Patricia Slevin, Mrs Hilary Woods,
Mrs Linda Diffin and Mrs Deirdre
Turkington. The office staff are so
obliging and we are indebted to
Mrs Ann Kirkpatrick, Miss Nicola
Mawhinney, Mrs Linda Dickson and
Mrs Jennifer McCune. Miss Debi
Bain in the canteen is a tremendous
help to us at reunions and the staff at
Drumglass always extends a warm
welcome. We are very grateful to Mr
Richard Beattie and Mr John Lorimer
for their help with security and with
so much more, and to our ‘sound
man’, Mr Ivor Austin.
The organisation is dependent on its
committee and we are fortunate to have
so many enthusiastic and reliable
members who willingly give of their
time to help deliver copies of the
magazine and provide delicious
suppers. I would like to extend a
special word of thanks to Mrs Patricia
Hagan, Miss Heather Montgomery and
Mrs Ashleigh Keatings-Hunter for all
the extra tasks they so freely undertake,
to Mrs Dorothy Walsh for her
invaluable assistance and to Mrs
Barbara Farris for the superb control
of the finances. Finally we must
acknowledge the tremendous support
of our president Mrs Margaret Andrews,
whose help and encouragement is so
greatly valued.
Please continue to send all your
news and any changes of address to
the Honorary Secretary, or, if you
prefer email any items of interest
and changes of address to juliekerr@
blueyonder.co.uk. If you would like
your email address to be added to the
Association’s database, please email
this to [email protected].
Betty Kerr (Hon Secretary)
Births
BAMPTON (20 November 2012) to
Claire (Callender) and Ed Bampton,
a daughter
BROWN (March 2013) to Susie
(Carson) and Patrick Brown, a son
FOLEY (9 April 2013) to Heather
(Wilson) and Mr Foley, twins (son
and daughter)
KEATINGS-HUNTER (23 August
2013) to Ashleigh and Mark, a boy.
Marriages
LAMING-McCAUSLAND (2 June
2012) Clare Diana McCausland to
Mr Sten Richard Laming
Deaths
BAMFORD (22 January 2013) Mrs
Bannie Bamford (Scarlett), widow
of Mr Francis Bamford, The Leaves,
107 Tullygard Road, Drumbo
BOUCHER (12 May 2013) Miss
Mary Boucher, former Vice Principal
of Victoria College
BURROWS (2011) Mrs H Burrows
(Joan Cooper), 1a Baylands, First
Avenue, Bangor
FOELLMER (18 December 2013)
Mrs Thelma (Beacom) in Vancouver,
wife of Horst Foellmer
LAW (28 December 2013) Mrs Joan
(Hunniford), 27 Prentonfarm Road,
Preston, Birkenhead CH43 3BN
McCONNELL (January 2013) Lady
Silvia McConnell (Agnew)
McKITTRICK (2013) Miss Stella,
Seagoe, Portadown aged 100 years
MAGOWAN (date not given) Mrs
Betty Magowan (Sherrie), 19 Abbey
Road, Knock
SPENCE (3 January 2013) Mrs
Barbara Spence (McKibben)
STEWART (27 April 2013) Mrs
Margaret Stewart (McCready), 9
Newforge Lane, Belfast
News of Old Girls
Dot Adams (Greer) received a Master
of Law for the University of Leicester
on 12 July 2013. She is currently
continuing her studies at Queen’s
University to read for a Masters of
Social Sciences in Criminology.
Claire Bain is still working in Romania.
This summer she ran five-day Bible
clubs in 79 locations attended by
over 3,800 children.
Opening Hours
Monday - Saturday
9am - 5:30pm
791 - 792 Lisburn Rd
Belfast BT9 7GX
Tel: 028 9038 1828
Fax: 028 9066 2783
[email protected]
Helen Davis (Emerson) is working
part time as a civil engineer for a large
multi-disciplinary consultancy. She
specialises in the design and project
management of river flood defence
schemes.
Nicola Kinnaird, who founded SPACE
NK in Covent Garden almost twenty
years ago, has turned this into a national
chain with sixty outlets. She has now
expanded the business into the USA.
Claire Laming (McCausland) received
a MSc in Strategic Public Relations
and Communication Management
form the University of Stirling. She is
currently living in Portugal but will
return to Paris in the New Year.
Heather Lloyd (Anderson) has
translated two novels by the French
writer Françoise Sagen, Bonjour
Tristesse and A Certain Smile for the
series Penguin Modern Classics 2013.
Emma Morton has lived in London
since graduating from Lancaster
University in 2008 and now works
for the Commercial Department at
the AELTC Championships. She is
getting married in Wales next July.
Vilma Patterson has been appointed
by the Minister of Justice to be
Chairman of the Probation Board
for Northern Ireland. She is the first
female chair of that organisation.
Graduations: Heriot-Watt University
Caroline Bannon has graduated MA
in Management with Marketing.
Kimberley Fryers has graduated
MA in Accountancy & Business Law.
Natalie Hunter has graduated with
a BSc in Mathematical, Statistical &
Actuarial Science.
Lucinda Macmillan has graduated
with a 2:1 BA (Hons) in Modern
Languages & European Studies
(French and Spanish) from the
University of Bath.
Discounts
available
during June,
July and
August
Official suppliers of
Victoria College Belfast
School Uniforms
135
Victoria College Old Girl’s Association
Statement of Accounts for Year Ending 30 June 2013
Receipts
£
Balance in Bank as at 30 June 2012
5566.55
Subscriptions350.00
Spring Reunion (including ballot)
453.60
Autumn Reunion
924.00
Transfer from Dr McLernon Fund
100.00
Magazine Fund
430.00
Donation67.23
£7939.38
Payments
£
Postage - Autumn Postage
354.98
- Spring Reunion
342.93
- School Magazine
97.26
Dr McLernon Prize
100.00
Bank Fees
35.13
Balance in Bank as at 30 June 2013
7,939.38
£9623.83
Deposit Account (Ulster Bank) (1)
£
Opening Balance as at 30 June 2012
1.27
Closing Balance as at 30 June 2013
1.27
Investment Account (National Savings Bank) (2)
£
Opening balance as at 30 June 2012
2,148.25
Interest11.56
Closing Balance as at 30 June 2013
2,159.81
Dr McLernon’s Memorial Fund (National Savings Bank) (3)
£
Opening balance as at 30 June 2012
753.22
Withdrawal100.00
653.22
Interest3.91
Closing Balance as at 30 June 2013
657.13
I certify that proper books of account have been kept and the above statement is a true and accurate
presentation of the Association’s financial transactions for the year ended 30 June 2013
Dated: 15th Sept 2013
136
Signed:
Robert Kerr