Issue 16 - Summer 2013

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Another academic year has come and almost gone
and as the machinery of School life begins to wind
down I present this edition of our Newsletter. This
publication does not contain a comprehensive account of all that has taken place in Glenlola Collegiate – no single source can ever hope to provide
that. Its aim is rather to give the reader a flavour of
what life here in School has been like in the
Spring/Summer Term. It has been busy and it has
been demanding just as one might expect in a vibrant grammar school such as ours but it has also
been filled with fun and fulfillment thanks to the
eager participation of both staff and pupils in an
ever-widening range of events and activities as
these pages will show.
The academic year of 2012-13 might justifiably be
remembered by us as the year of the presidents, for
November’s encounter with Bill Clinton was recently trumped when eight pupils took centre stage
seats at the Waterfront Hall to watch President
Obama address the audience prior to attending the
G8 summit in Fermanagh.
In that audience was Mrs. S Beck, our Senior Vice
Principal, who retires after a long and inspirational
teaching career. The lives of countless pupils (and
not a few staff) have been enriched by her presence
at Glenlola Collegiate, their expectations of themselves raised by her example and their sense of
purpose strengthened through her unerring support
and encouragement.
Accompanying her into retirement is Miss Erika
Henry, former Head of PE, who has, during her
time with us, built an exceptionally strong department and played a central role in the numerous
sporting successes that our pupils enjoy year after
year. Also leaving us is Mrs. Anne Graham, fondly
referred to as ‘Mrs. Beck’s PA’. Her positive attitude has made her a pleasure to work with and her
high standards and meticulous eye for detail have
Issue 16
made her an indispensible part of the School’s Administrative team.
Cygnet House, the School’s Preparatory Department, bids farewell to two long serving members
of staff. Mrs. Elaine Ferguson retires as Head of
Cygnet House and in recent years, far from relaxing and ‘coasting in’, she has characteristically
shown her mettle, exhibiting excellent leadership
in rising to each new challenge as it presented itself. She is accompanied by Mrs. Alice McAlister,
from whom so many of our P7 pupils have been
fortunate to receive their education including the
important preparation for the transition to the next
phase of their schooling.
Between them they have given 121 years of their
professional lives to Glenlola Collegiate and for
that we thank them and wish them well in retirement. As they leave us, each leaves behind her own
unique and enduring imprint on this school. They
are of course, and will remain, ‘Friends of Glenlola
Collegiate’ and we look forward to seeing them at
future School and social events.
I would also like once again to thank you as parents for the vital role that you play in your daughter’s academic progress and development. Your
support and assistance to them and to Glenlola
Collegiate are invaluable.
I hope you enjoy this edition of our Newsletter.
Summer 2013
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The School’s Peer Supporters Scheme is aimed at Junior School pupils to nurture a sense of community
and togetherness between the individual pupils in each Form class. It also provides a safe opportunity
for pupils to share concerns and explore their own solutions to a range of difficulties.
The scheme selects and trains girls from Year 14 who work as active listeners and facilitators. We believe it assists and enhances a more effective system of pastoral care and builds on the willingness of our
senior girls to act in a positive, friendly and supportive way towards one another. This scheme has had a
very positive influence on the atmosphere of our school.
Every Thursday morning the peer supporters go to their allocated Form Class Room. The Year 14 girls
organise activities, assist with friendship building, use crafts and help individuals with specific issues
such as finding their way around school, organising their school books, etc.
Some Year 8 pupils explained what they gained from these shared form times this year:
“They helped us get to know each other and to make new friends, and encouraged us to get involved in
school by telling us about different societies and what we could join.”
Katie McCausland described her peer supporters as “fun, caring and helpful”. Gemma Steele said they
were “interactive with the whole class”, and Aimee Keenan described them as “supportive, friendly and
nice.”
Well done Peer Supporters!
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Issue 16
As Head Girl, I have had many different responsibilities throughout the year. These include, speaking at the School Prize Distribution, taking assemblies, assisting at Parents’ Afternoons and helping
to organise events such as the School Formal, Extravaganza and Christmas Dinner. My DeputiesLaurie and Robyn and Games Captain Holly, have
worked very closely with me throughout the year.
Our first task was to decide which charities Senior
School would support this year. We came up with a
list of local and UK charities and gave the Year 13
and 14 form classes an opportunity to pick their
top two. After tallying the votes, the charities we
chose to support were Autism Initiatives UK and
Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke. In total
Senior School raised £1800, donating £900 to each
charity.
effort to make this event a success, and it definitely
paid off. The Extravaganza was greatly enjoyed by
the rest of the school, who paid a £1 entry fee and
the money raised was donated to our Senior School
Charities.
This year Junior School, led by Rebecca, Alice and
Louise, chose to support the Joshua Kyle Trust and
The Perthes Association, while Year 11, led by
Harriet, supported “No More Traffick”. Year 12,
led by Rachael Keys, chose Marie Curie Cancer
Care. Fundraisers were organised for each year
group and a lot of money was raised for these very
worthwhile causes.
Our final day at Glenlola was emotional for everyone, between the presentation of the house shield
and our Leaver’s Assembly, and tears were shed by
more than a few girls. That evening we had our
Leaver’s Dinner in the Marine Court Hotel. It was
by far one of my favourite events of the year, with
speeches, photographs and memories shared; it was
the perfect way to finish the year.
Our first major event in Year 14 was the School
Formal, held in Clandeboye Lodge on the 19 October. This was a highly anticipated event which we
had all been looking forward to. After a lovely
meal, the whole year group performed a song,
(written by a few enthusiastic pupils!) “Glenlola
Days” which was great fun! We had music from
“The Big Band Connection” and then a DJ to finish. It truly was a night we will always remember!
In December, a surge of Christmas spirit descended
upon Year 14, as we decorated the Senior School
Centre with fairy lights, tinsel and even a Christmas tree in preparation for our Christmas Dinner.
Mrs Beggs and the canteen staff prepared a delicious Christmas Dinner for us with all the trimmings! It was a huge success!
I can honestly say this has been the most wonderful
year and I have loved my role as Head Girl. Despite being challenging at times, it has been an extremely rewarding experience and has helped me to
develop new skills and confidence. I would like to
thank my fantastic Senior Official team, Robyn,
Laurie and Holly who have all worked so hard this
year. I honestly could not have done it without
them!! I would also like to thank the Year Prefects
and House Captains, who have supported me in my
role throughout the year. Finally I would like to
say a huge thank you to Mr Montgomery and Mrs
Flannigan, for their encouragement and support
over the past year and for all their help, especially
at the very busy times! I am sad to leave Glenlola
Collegiate, to leave the teachers and the girls who
have given me so many happy memories over the
past seven years. However I am looking forward to
the future, confident that I am now well prepared
for the opportunities and challenges to come my
way.
As we approached our last days in school, the build
- up was extremely busy. We had the Annual Car
Trials which was the very last house competition of
the year! It involves a theory test, various manoeuvres and a bit of map reading, (which proved a very
difficult task for some girls!) It was a really great
evening, enjoyed by everyone who took part. The
winners were an extremely excited Jenny Cameron
(Head of Dufferin House) and Holly Milne, both of
whom were delighted to scrape a few last minute
points for their house!
Our next event was the Year 14 Extravaganza - a
show put on at Christmas by all of the girls in Year
14. Members of staff are always keen to get involved and this year we had a brave male teacher
acting as a “Bond Girl” and another as Superman.
The theme of our show was “Who kidnapped Mr Rachel Courtney
Thompson?” The girls all put in a huge amount of Year 14
Summer 2013
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As the new school year commenced, so too did the
House competition, which was hotly contested
throughout the course of all 19 competitions.
As is traditional, the first points were awarded for
exam results – Weir claimed top spot for GCSE;
Harte for AS and Dufferin for A2. So, when the
Heads of Houses received their first points tally,
Weir and Dufferin were in the lead with 70 points.
The Year 8 Rounders competition was held on a
sunny Friday afternoon in September amidst a mass
of face paints and ribbons. All the girls who took
part were well and truly indoctrinated into the
House system and seemed to really enjoy their first
taste of House competition. When the last ball was
bowled, Harte emerged victorious with Ward a
close second, much to the delight of their respective House officials.
Two events then came in quick succession – the
Senior and Junior General Knowledge quizzes.
Ward secured their first (and last!)victory of the
year, winning the Senior quiz, whilst Clanmorris
came out top in the Junior quiz.
be unbeatable and they secured 1st place with Weir,
once again, finishing second.
After 9 events the standing at Halloween were:
Clanmorris 1st on 185 points, Weir second on 180,
Hamilton 3rd with 165 points, Ward 4th with 150,
Alongside these competitions, all six Houses were Harte 5th with 145 and Dufferin in 6th with 135
preparing for the Dance competition-one of the points.
highlights of the House calendar. There was the
usual flurry of ‘extra’ practices in much secret lo- As soon as the girls were back in school after halfcations and more than one choreographer was term they were straight into rehearsals for the Choheard shouting at their poor unsuspecting Middle ral competition. On the day of the competition,
school pupils, who were sure that they had looked there was quite a selection of musical styles on disto the left when they raised their arms! The day of play – some Houses went for traditional harmonies
the competition finally arrived and there was a while others went for a more ‘humorous’ theme
mixture of excitement and nervousness. It is al- (Kirsten Foerster Year 12, should really get a speways nice to report that all Houses produced cial mention for her wonderful whistling!). Dufdances of a high standard, which only made the job ferin, with their rendition of ‘Fix You’ by Coldmore difficult for the judges. However, there had play, with beautiful harmonies, were the rightful
to be a winner and that was Weir, whose choreog- winners, much to Jenny Cameron’s delight! Weir
raphy was exceptional. Clanmorris finished a close finished behind them in 2nd place with their persecond, sporting some rather fetching moustaches! formance of ‘Lucky’ by Jason Mraz. This was the
The Senior netball competition was a run-away only competition in the run up to the Christmas
success for a very talented Clanmorris team, who holidays and when the points were added, Weir had
were the pre-tournament favourites. Weir finished moved into 1st place on 205 points, closely folin 2nd place to keep the pressure on Clanmorris.
lowed by Clanmorris (200 points). Hamilton maintained 3rd place on 185 points, while Dufferin
The final event before the half-term holidays was moved up to 4th place with 165 points (and so
Senior hockey which was held over two days. started their charge!). Harte and Ward were joint
Hamilton fielded a very strong team who proved to 5th on 155 points.
Summer 2013
February arrived and so did the Public Speaking
competitions, one of the hardest for the girls who
‘volunteer’ to represent their House – being on
stage on your own in front a couple of hundred
girls is daunting to say the least! However, the 12
girls who delivered speeches this year did so with
great aplomb. The competition proved to be a runaway success for Dufferin who won both the Junior
and Senior titles – well done to Lauren Clarke
(Year 8) and Kyra Gourley (Year 12).
Junior Netball was next on the agenda and was a
closely contested competition, with most teams
winning at least one of their matches. When the
points were tallied, Hamilton had done enough to
secure 1st place, with Dufferin finishing second.
The Swimming Gala saw the House Officials, signup sheets in hand, making many visits to classrooms pleading with girls to swim for their House.
They must have done a good job as all year groups
were very well represented on the day, with most
races starting with a girl in each lane. So popular
was our gala this year that we even made it onto the
UTV Live News. The highlight of the gala this
year was most definitely the diving competition –
gone are the days of belly-flops; this year we had
somersaults, forward-facing dives, backwardfacing dives, all of which entertained and, in some
cases, amazed the crowd. When at last the scores
were in, Hamilton were in 1st place with Clanmorris finishing 2nd.
As we moved into the summer term, only 5 competitions remained: Bake-off, Junior hockey, Car Trials, Sainsbury’s vouchers and the Penny Collection. The Bake-Off proved to be a frantic affair,
with all girls involved really feeling the pressure.
The standard of baking and decorating was amazing, with Mr Dorman being heard to remark that
one House’s creations should really be on the front
page of a baking magazine. The judges deliberated
long and hard but finally decided that Dufferin’s
cupcakes were the best, based on taste and creative
flair.
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The last House Assemblies of the year signified the
end of the Penny and Sainsbury’s voucher collection. Once the pennies were counted and the
vouchers weighed it emerged that Dufferin had collected the most money, an amazing total of £674.21
and Weir the most vouchers. As is traditional, the
final event was the Car Trials. At this stage we
hadn’t received a points update since before the
swimming gala, so it was still all to play for. The
girls arrived in their cavalcade of motors, some
sporting House-related adornments and others displaying some not so good driving skills – Niamh
Patton must get a mention for managing to drive
nearly twice the required distance in the road test,
but she made it back, eventually! Hamilton made a
late surge for the Shield, securing 1st place, with
Clanmorris finishing 2nd.
Five long days then ensued before the final Assembly of the school year dawned. Many rumours
were circulating as to who was going to win, with
more than one House being sure it was them. Mr
Hamilton took to the stage and announced the results in reverse order – Ward finished in 6th place
on 270 points and Courtney Rainey was presented
with the Wooden Spoon, much to her delight.
Harte finished 5th and were not presented with the
Wooden Spoon, much to Jayne Russell’s disappointment. Clanmorris were then revealed as finishing in 4th place, so only Dufferin, Hamilton and
Weir were left. When Mr Hamilton announced that
there was a joint 2nd, the 3 remaining House Captains and House Officials all crossed their fingers,
hoping that it wouldn’t be us – it was Dufferin and
Hamilton, leaving WEIR AS WINNERS OF
THE 2013 HOUSE COMPETITION.
All that remains is for me to thank, on behalf of all
6 Heads of Houses, Miss Byrne for all the wonderful work and effort she has put into the House System this year – she is ever patient and enthusiastic.
I would also like to thank Mr Hamilton for keeping
us updated with the points tally. We really do have
a House System to be proud of and all the staff involved make it happen!
Junior Hockey was a competitive affair with all
Houses playing each other on a round-robin basis.
To see the joy on the faces of the goal-scorers, es- Miss K Beggs
pecially those who don’t play for a school team,
was amazing and really epitomises the whole
House experience. Weir proved to have the best
players on the day and won the competition, with
Hamilton finishing 2nd.
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Since our last newsletter, charity fundraising has
continued at pace! As a school we believe it is important to help in whatever way we can and so, our
charity support has branched out from just donating
money.
Bangor Storehouse:
Issue 16
earn a living. The profits would also be invested in
Oxfam’s global work in fighting poverty.
Every girl knows that she owns far too many bras
and that there are ones that lie at the back of the
drawer that they have either forgotten about, outgrown or simply would never use again. We decided to organise our own Glenlola Collegiate Big
Bra Hunt by asking every pupil for her help in supporting such a worthwhile cause. The donated bras
were collected in special “Bra Bins” and we are
delighted to report that 616 bras were kindly donated by both staff and pupils. This is a fantastic
effort and we would both like to thank everyone for
their support.
From the 3 December to the 7 December we held a
food collection for Bangor Storehouse. There was
an overwhelming response with the food spilling
over the trolley onto the floor!! This food is given
to those families in the local community who simply don’t have enough money to buy food for their
family. A very worthy cause and once again, the
pupils of Glenlola demonstrated great generosity.
Jan Montgomery
Anna Wolsey
The Big BRA Hunt:
Year 13
Sport’s Equipment Appeal:
For two weeks after
Easter, pupils and
staff very kindly
donated
sports
equipment and clothes no longer required, to Charlene’s Project for the people in Uganda. During the
summer, a team will be travelling out to Uganda to
work in a number of very deprived communities
and alongside vital medical aid and education programmes a series of sports camps will be running.
Bras might not seem like the most obvious thing to
donate but when we heard that Oxfam were running a Big Bra Hunt both myself and Anna thought
that this was something that would be great for the
pupils of Glenlola Collegiate to support. Oxfam
was simply looking for bras to be donated which
could either be sold in UK shops or sent out to a
social enterprise in Senegal called Frip Ethique. A hockey team from an AmeriHere the bras would be sorted and sold to local
can university has also volunmarket traders thus enabling many local women to
teered to come and facilitate
the sports camps during this
period. None of this would be
possible if it were not for the
kind donations from pupils and
staff at Glenlola, with scores of
hockey sticks, tennis racquets, balls, skipping
ropes, shoes, skirts, hoodies and even a hula hoop
given! All equipment will be brought out to
Uganda this summer and will make a huge impact
on these communities. Thank you so much to all of
Summer 2013
Page 9
those who donated items; it will make such a huge trafficking and help those who are victims of it. In
addition to the annual House Dance Competition,
difference.
the Year 11 pupils also took part in a Zumbathon,
Charlene’s Project was founded by Charlene Barr, organised by Mrs Sinnerton, Head of Year 11.
a young girl with cystic fibrosis who had to leave This was great fun and raised £1246. A final
school due to her illness while awaiting a double cheque was presented to the charity for £2000. A
lung transplant. She had travelled to Uganda in fantastic amount!
2008 with her family and had fallen in love with
the people there and realised how things we took Year 12:
for granted back in Northern Ireland, such as education and clean water, were simply not available Once again, the Year 12 pupils continued to supto many in Uganda. Forced to drop out of school, port Marie Curie Cancer Care. Forty pupils braved
she committed to raising money to build schools in the elements and height and bravely abseiled down
the country she loved. Although Charlene passed Scrabo Tower on Saturday 13th April. Despite all
away in 2010 her vision lives on, with two schools the screaming and “Will I, won’t I?,” the girls
built thus enabling those to receive an education raised a whopping £4500. This is an amazing
amount of money that will provide 225 hours of
who otherwise may not have.
Marie Curie nursing care for terminally ill patients.
However, their fundraising does not end there; the
Junior School:
Year 12 pupils also raised £450 for the Spina Bifida charity ‘SHINE’. Girls, you should be incrediYear 8 Sponsored Silence
bly proud of yourselves!
A presentation was made to both charities at the
In December the Year 8 took
Year 12 final assembly.
Robin Manwaring
part in a sponsored silence – it
(SHINE)
and
Ruth
Hope
(Marie
Curie) were overwas bliss!! All the pupils parwhelmed by the support of the pupils.
ticipated and raised an amazing
£1734. Huge thanks to Mrs
Senior School activities:
McDonald and Rebecca Robinson (Year 8 Prefect) for their hard work.
On Thursday 20 December the Year 14 pupils put
on their Annual Extravaganza. This was a great
Year 9 Party
show and raised £779. The Year 13 pupils also
Year 9 raised a wonderful £256 from having a held a bun sale raising just under £300. Along with
party at Christmas. Great fun was had by all. money raised through non-uniform days, Senior
Many thanks to Mrs Barr and Alice Finlay (Year 9 School donated £900 each to NI Chest, Heart and
Stroke and Autism Initiatives NI. This presentation
Prefect) for their hard work.
was carried out on Monday 29 April to Ashleigh
McCarroll (Chest, Heart and Stroke) and Grainne
Year 10 Trip to the cinema
Close (Autism Initiatives NI) representing their reIn addition to their fantastic balloon release, the spective charities. Well done to all involved – the
Year 10 pupils enjoyed a trip to the cinema on the money will make a great impact for families and
19 December all in aid of charity. They enjoyed individuals in need of the services provided by both
watching Nativity 2 and raised £300. Thanks to charities.
Miss McAuley and Louise Black (Year 10 Prefect)
Toilet Twinning:
for all their support and dedication.
After studying all about water in their Junior Science lessons, 9J decided to help communities
Year 11
around the world who didn’t have clean water or
working toilets. They decided to raise enough
This year, Year 11 decided to support ‘No More
Traffic’; a local charity aiming to prevent human money to “twin a toilet”. This involves paying for a
toilet to be built in a developing country, and you
Middle School:
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receive a picture of such a toilet, which you can
hang in your bathroom. After completing a sponsored outdoor exercise, involving all manner of water related activities, the very generous girls of 9J
had raised enough to build a toilet in Bangladesh,
Asia, and a school block of 4 in Burundi, Africa!
Mr Dorman was very proud of their efforts and
how they looked to bless those less fortunate than
themselves. Our picture frames have arrived and
will be going up shortly so that we can twin our
GCS toilets. Well done 9J, and if you are interested
in Toilet Twinning, speak to one of the girls or
visit: www.toilettwinning.org/
Issue 16
and means that we will also be donating £1400 to
Headlines Craniofacial Support. Headlines is a
charity which offers support to those who suffer
from Craniosynostosis – this is when one or more
of the skull plates fuse together. The condition
means that many have to have ongoing surgery as
well as other medical treatment.
Huge thanks must go to the Heads of Houses who
encourage the girls to give generously each week
and also have the painful duty of counting all those
pennies. Your support and hard work is greatly
appreciated!
Other charity events to take place:
Keep your eyes open for information on the Ulster
Schools’ Derby! Money raised will be going towards Action MS.
It is clear that our charity fundraising is integral to
school life in Glenlola Collegiate and we are lucky
to have pupils who care deeply about others and
want to help in whatever way they can. I would
House Pennies:
like to pass on my sincere thanks to all involved in
charity fundraising, Heads of Year, Heads of SecEvery week during House Assembly pennies are tion, Year Prefects, the pupils, parents and staff.
collected for charity. A donation of £1000 is made Without you, none of this would be possible.
to Segal House and some of the House Officials Thank You for all that you do!
went to hand over the cheque and visit some of the
children who attend Segal House. This was a very Mrs Haslam
humbling experience for all who attended.
(Charity Co-Ordinator)
In total the House Pennies have raised a superb
amount of £2410.13. This has exceeded last year
Summer 2013
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Issue 16
Summer 2013
Page 13
Mr Chris Gibbons, a researcher and lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast visited our AS psychology
class to give a talk about studying psychology at the university. We were very pleased to welcome Mr.
Gibbons as many members of the class are interested in continuing studies in psychology at degree level.
He took us through the options for studying psychology, e.g. most people take a three year degree in
psychology. Many then go on to do a postgraduate course e.g. a masters degree in clinical psychology
or educational psychology. We also discussed the careers that an undergraduate degree may lead to. We
learned that psychology opens up many doors for job opportunities such as social work, teaching, counselling and nursing. An interesting fact we learned was that 80% of undergraduate psychology students
at Queens University achieve at least a 2:1 honours at the end of their degree. The entrance requirements for course entry are ABB + GCSE mathematics.
As well as informing us about studying at Queen’s university, Mr. Gibbons also gave a
brief talk on how our minds work which proved very interesting.
For example, look at the two lines and decide - which line is the longest?
Did you pick the line on the left?
Believe it or not, these lines are in fact the same length. Mr. Gibbons explained to us how
it’s an illusion of the mind. This is called the Muller-Lyer illusion.
Our mind can play tricks on us. We believe the left arrow to be longer because its tails are pointing outwards, causing it to look longer, whereas it has the opposite effect on the right arrow.
Personally as an AS psychology student at the moment, this talk has confirmed my interest in going on
to study psychology in higher education. It was informative and gave me a realistic idea of what to expect on a degree course. It sounds like hard work but also should be very rewarding.
Link to Queen’s Psychology degree information on website: http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/psy/
Anna McKeown
Year 13
This was the first year the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) was introduced to all Year 13
pupils. The ECDL course, offered by the ICT Department, is an internationally recognised IT qualification administered by the British Computer Society (BCS). It is the fastest growing IT qualification in
the world and is now available in over 125 countries. Glenlola Collegiate School is an accredited ECDL
Test Centre.
The two year course is being coordinated by Mrs Heron and taught and administrated by Mrs Adams. ECDL will improve pupils’ understanding of
computers and promote efficient use of software. The course opens up a variety of opportunities through the broad range of skills it provides. The ECDL
qualification is widely recognised by universities and employers as proof of
ability and competence when working with IT.
Once again Glenlola Collegiate is miles ahead of the game, putting pupils
firmly in the driving seat!
Page 14
Issue 16
On Thursday 14 February we arrived at Stormont to give a presentation on the effect of Climate Change
on the agriculture and people of Ghana. We gathered in the Long Gallery with groups of students from
other schools.
Frank Mitchell, from UTV, introduced various people who are working on and researching climate
change, including Ian Humphries, CEO of Tidy NI; David Manning from Airtricity; Professor Sue
Christie from NGO Challenge , and Brid Connelly from FEE, who is the International Eco-Schools coordinator.
Terry A’Hearn, CEO of NI Environment Agency was quizzed with some questions from each of the
schools present. It was good to hear that the NI Assembly are taking Climate Change very seriously and
taking action to reduce its contribution to climate change by using electric cars and reducing waste.
The presentations began at 11.30am; it was interesting to learn about the contribution that different
countries have on Climate Change and how they have both local and global effects. Presentations from
other schools included Tanzania, USA, Australia and Spain. We were very anxious about presenting our
Prezi, especially as we were the youngest pupils presenting on the day.
Following lunch, we entered a competition for one of two YRE hoodies. Erin was really surprised when
her name was announced as a winner; she had correctly identified that 53 countries are currently running
ECO-Schools programmes.
Goodie bags were placed on our seats during lunch, containing leaflets, stationery, a memory stick, a tshirt and a windmill. Finally, following very interesting talks by HSBC Climate Initiative, Trocaire and
Climate NI, each school was presented with a certificate for participating in the event.
Further information on the event and Eco-schools can be found at www.eco-schoolsni.org
Jessica Courtney, Amber Cummins, Erin Osborne, Emiko Seawright Year 9
Summer 2013
Page 15
Pupils from Year 10 learned the secrets to creating a positive employment future for themselves during
the Young Enterprise Digital Entrepreneurship Masterclass on 11 February 2013.
The programme is designed help students to think about opening their own business as a viable and exciting career option.
The pupils received the opportunity to learn more about business opportunities in this key growth sector.
They developed an App concept and a Twitter Message and drew up a detailed Business Plan.
During the event, they learned how to develop the key entrepreneurial skills required to start their own
company, including communication, team work, marketing and developing a unique business proposition.
Local entrepreneur Matt Johnston from Digital Circle passed on some of his entrepreneurial wisdom to a
captive audience, who then had the opportunity to hone their new business skills.
Jonathan Twinem, Development Manager of Young Enterprise Northern Ireland’s South East Region,
was impressed with the enthusiasm and entrepreneurial potential displayed by the students.
“We are delighted with the success of the Digital Entrepreneurship Masterclass. It is fantastic to see students from so many different schools throughout the region working together in teams to develop innovative business proposals. Young Enterprise aims to deliver programmes which are up-to-date and reflective of current business trends; therefore, this year, we decided that the Masterclasses should focus
on one of our key growth industries: Digital Media. Entrepreneurship education is a vital contribution to
this region’s economic output, and the talent on display today certainly bodes well for our future prosperity.”
Page 16
Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot
from the photograph”-Matt Hardy
This quote, we believe, sums up our objective
within the Snapping Swans Photography Club;
finding something invisible, understated and capturing it, showing its true potential and devalued
beauty. Simple things, like the bud of a flower
about to bloom, can be captured and displayed, for
example on our club notice board or in the club
gallery within the School website. This gives each
pupil an opportunity to show her favourite moments and share with others what she has achieved.
Photography is all about sharing a moment’s insight with others and that is why we all come together each Friday afternoon - junior and senior
pupils; everyone is welcome no matter whether a
beginner or an experienced photographer.
At our first week of photography in September we
met our guru of all things camera related, Mr Fran
Duff. Fran talked us through the basics of using our
cameras and explained how to get the best out of
our photos. He showed us some examples of his
own work which, needless to say, were incredible.
Seeing his wonderful photographs inspired us to
develop our own unique style of capturing the
world around us.
Throughout the first term of photography Fran
helped us to develop our skills with regard to the
macro setting on our cameras, enabling us to take
detailed and up-close shots. We practised these
skills by taking pictures around the grounds of the
school including the school garden getting some
wonderful shots. At this time we all really started
to understand our cameras, learning how each setting change or camera angle can influence how an
object may be captured and appreciated. We each
received constructive criticism from Head Snapping Swan, Fran, and most importantly each other,
with the result that the quality of our photographs
continued to improve. After Halloween, Fran
taught us about the effects of changing the shutter
speed on our cameras. For example, if we increased
our shutter speeds and waved lights in front of our
cameras, after pressing the shutter button the results were breathtaking. Our cameras captured the
movement of the lights and resulted in some stunning images. Using this method we were able to
Issue 16
draw pictures in the air
using torch light and
some of us even managed to write our
name!
During the run up to
the end of the first term
we concentrated on
producing Christmas themed photographs. The
School was most keen that Snapping Swans Photography could produce an image which could be
used for the production of the official School
Christmas card. There were lots of very good photographs taken but eventually six of the best were
selected by staff with one by Daisy Pollock selected as the official Christmas Card for 2012. In
order to support the School’s charities, the six photographs were also used to create packs of cards
which club members sold to staff, friends and family, resulting in £150 raised for charity.
At the end of the Christmas term we all joined together to celebrate the success of the club’s formation by having a great party. We ate lots of food
and Fran showed us another slideshow of his photos which inspired us even more.
At the beginning of our second term we were given
several missions. The first was to photograph and
create a unique A to Z gallery of objects beginning
with each letter of the alphabet. Our goal was to
make something that was shockingly ordinary into
something edgy and interesting. Many of us are
still working on this task but hopefully at the end of
the term we will combine all our best photos and
create the most unique A to Z gallery ever.
In addition, the club has had a number of photography fieldtrips. So far, we have been to take photographs in both the Bangor Castle Leisure Centre
and the new Aurora Swimming and Leisure Complex. We aimed to create contrasting images of old
and modern in its keenest form, black and white
versus colour. Thankfully, we weren’t hindered by
the cold snowy weather and got some very interesting shots which can be viewed on the school website. These images may also form a display which
might well be featured in the Aurora Complex in
the near future! On the 26th of April we also visited
the Walled Garden in Castle Park and even some of
the teachers took photos!
Summer 2013
As we edge towards our summer examinations we
will all continue to take photos and are eager to improve our skills still further. We hope to see more
people take an interest in the club and be inspired
to join us next year. Hopefully, trips will continue
to different places and with some heavy persuasion,
perhaps even the zoo!
The Snapping Swans Photography club has been a
great addition to the many after school activities
that Glenlola Collegiate already offers. The club
was set up by Mrs Beck supported by a number of
Page 17
very dedicated enthusiastic staff and we would like
to thank them all – Mrs Aiken, Mrs Monroe, Miss
Hunter, Miss McAuley and Dr Larmour. Of course,
really big thanks must go to Fran who also gives up
his Friday afternoons to come and teach us. Thank
you Fran, from all of us.
Jade Dunlop
Jade Cullen
Year 11
Page 18
Issue 16
Summer 2013
Page 19
Page 20
Issue 16
Year 13 Geography students completed their residential fieldwork at Magilligan in February. They were
studying the changes to the coastal sand dunes in the Umbra Nature Reserve near Benone. The fieldwork
took place on a bright but extremely cold day and the students were delighted to get back to the warm
classroom at the field centre. They worked extremely hard to complete the necessary elements for their
AS examinations.
Glenlola was one of 3000 schools to take part in this challenging national competition, held on Thursday
7 Feb 2013. Congratulations to all the award winning Year 11 pupils who took part in IMC and particularly to Shannon Vose who is the top award winner this year.
Out of the 40 pupils who competed, 18 girls obtained IMC certificates.
Amy Bloomfield
Victoria Dougan
Steffi McCormick
Sophie Oliver
Bethany Steele
Shannon Vose
Jade Cullen
Lucy Houston
Zara Mulholland
Emily Osborne
Shannon Thompson
Rhiannon Wells
Tamsyn Cummins
Dearbhail McCloskey
Shannon Murdock
Abbie Petticrew
Emilie Vose
Kirsten O'Donnell-Weatherup
Summer 2013
Page 21
On the 18 December 2012, Dr Erin Halliday, not only a lecturer from Queen’s University in Belfast but
also a former pupil of Glenlola, visited the Creative Writers’ Group and offered some guidance on how
to write poems and on the writing process in general. As a published writer, Dr Halliday was in a position to give advice from a firsthand perspective.
“She was very intriguing and her poems were written in a manner that inspired the imagination through
her metaphors and imagery.” – Anna Wolsey.
Dr Halliday won the Templar Poetry Pamphlet and Collection Award for 2012 from which she was able
to publish her first short collection: “Chrysalis”. She donated a copy of her book to our library so that
we could easily access her poetry. She has just returned from opening the prestigious Derwent Poetry
Festival in Bath where her own poetry collection was launched.
During her talk she asked the group what poetry was and she quickly added that there was no right or
wrong answer to this question. It was without doubt a difficult question and I, like most of the other
English students in the room, wanted to give her a clever answer but that wasn’t what she was looking
for.
She explained that poetry is about projecting an image in the mind of the reader through effective imagery and analogy. She explained that a poem can be a narrative or an abstract concept that the writer is
trying portray to the reader and that less can be more.
“Her talk was inspirational and I loved the imagery in her poems.” – Eve Bryans.
One of the most striking things about Dr Halliday is that she is a former pupil of Glenlola.
“It’s brilliant to see someone who has been where we are and has achieved what she has achieved, it is
very motivational. Her talk was warm, insightful and extremely enjoyable.” – Jenna Simpson.
She made the idea of being a writer professionally more accessible to us. Especially as some of the
older students are considering university courses and which paths to take after school, it was inspiring
and reassuring at the same time.
“It was nice to see that it really is possible to make it in the tough world of literature.” – Natasha Corken.
Hannah Eves
Year 13
Page 22
Issue 16
On Thursday 7 February six girls from Glenlola (Jan Montgomery, Naomi Moore, Katie Lawther, Chloe
Brown, Rachael Shortt and Tori Browne) all attended the ‘Engineering Our Future XI’ conference at
Methodist College Belfast.
The conference lasted all day and all the girls would agree that it was a day well spent. In the morning
we heard from Professor David Nash from the University of Strathclyde. This talk was very inspirational
and gave us a realistic and honest insight into the world of engineering. Professor Nash had three miniquizzes interspersed amongst his presentation, and Katie Lawther managed to win a £20 voucher!
After a short tea break we heard from three engineering graduates, two from Queen’s and one from University of Ulster. Hearing from these three young people gave us prospective students a view of what our
lives as engineering graduates could be in a few years time. I must admit their lifestyle seemed appealing, with each of them either having jobs offers before graduating or being given grants to continue
studying.
We then got a chance to see an interviewing session with various University representatives from Universities such as: University College Dublin, University of Edinburgh and University of Leeds to name
but a few. Each representative was asked about various aspects of their engineering departments, this
gave us a great insight into what the different universities had to offer.
After a rather enjoyable lunch break we set off to various site visits. Our site visit was to the University
of Ulster, here are the FireSERT; a facility built for engineering research and technology with regard to
fire. We were shown around by Professor Faris Ali. This gave us the opportunity to see the practical
side of an engineering degree, which was very different to what any of us had imagined.
Overall the day was an excellent source of information with regard to studying engineering at University
and also being in the engineering profession. I would recommend the day to any girl who is seriously
considering engineering as a career.
Tori Browne
Year 13
Congratulations to Jessica Galway (Year 13) on being awarded first place in the Northern Ireland final
of the Soroptimists’ Public Speaking Competition on Saturday 23 February 2013, at the Magee Campus,
University of Ulster, Londonderry.
Jessica competed against twelve other competitors and delivered a 5 minute speech entitled ‘Books : are
they a thing of the past?’. Then she was allowed five minutes to prepare a 2 minute extempore speech on
the title ‘I have a Dream….’.
Following the adjudication, Jessica was presented with the Soroptimists’ Youth Award Salver to be held
for one year and a replica of the salver. A Bursary Award of £250 is to be used by Jessica for educational purposes and she is to be given hospitality at the Burrendale Hotel Newcastle in May from 17 to
19, on the weekend of the North/South Conference. She will be asked to address the Joint Conference
on her chosen topic. Glenlola Collegiate was awarded book tokens to the value of £150. All the competitors were given a £50 gift from the Progressive Building Society, upon opening a savings account.
Thank you to the Soroptimists’ International N.I. for providing our pupil with this splendid opportunity
and for the generous prizes. Once again, well done to Jessica on her achievement and I would like to
express my gratitude to the Galway family for all their interest and support.
L McCombe
Summer 2013
Page 23
On Wednesday 13 February, Year 14 Physics students attended “Power the Future: The Physics of Fusion” lecture by
Dr. Melanie Windridge at Queen’s University.
The lecture concentrated on the importance of fusion with our
ever-growing population, technology and energy demands. As
our fossil fuels are running out, so are our energy sources, and
we are rushed to find a solution.
The lecturer explained that fusion is a reaction in which two
nuclei collide at very high speeds and join to form a larger
atomic nucleus and this joining releases energy . For example,
the energy emitted by the Sun (which is more than imaginable) into space is produced by nuclear reactions that happen
in its core. Here the collision of hydrogen nuclei results in the
formation of helium. This in-turn produces a lot of energy.
Windridge illustrated the importance of fusion: it
takes 1000 windmills to produce the energy of one
powerstation, but if we are successful 1kg of fusion
will equal 10 million fossil fuelled power stations.
This is why scientists are trying to make fusion occur on Earth. It is vital for our future to be able to
find a new source of energy as even renewable energy will not be able to supply the needs of the increasing population.
Nuclear fusion. Credit: Lancaster University
You may ask why not fusion then? Dr. Windridge
discussed the obstacles to fusion that physics research is currently trying to overcome: to produce more thermal energy than the energy they put in, to
maintain the plasma in a “steady state” and to develop the technology and processes needed for a fusion power plant.
Large scale researcher projects are ongoing, such as JET (fusion reactor)in England and ETA is currently being built in Europe and will be the largest experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor. These
projects could provide a breakthrough that changes the world and we are hopefully the generation to
witness the successes and rewards if physicists achieve their goals. The lecture definitely opened my
eyes to the present research and to what the future might hold.
Ciara Tang
Year 14
Members of the Junior STEM club made their own natural
lip balm this week, using beeswax and coconut oil. A
chocolate version has proved very popular with pupils and
staff!
Page 24
Issue 16
On Friday 8 March, Mrs Sinnerton travelled with Kaitlyn Coffey and
Alice McKay (9C) to the Millennium Forum in Derry for the Junk
Kouture semi-finals. This is an all-Ireland fashion design competition
where students are asked to create outfits from recycled material.
The day started with registration at 12.30pm and a rehearsal, on stage
at 2pm. Seventy-eight outfits were show-cased at the event which began at 7pm and Kaitlyn did an amazing job in front of a full
house. She had 90 seconds to show off her outift and had prepared her
routine to a very high standard.
The judges had a really difficult job and although Kaitlyn’s outfit wasn’t one of the twenty selected to go through to the finals in Dublin, it
was a real achievement to reach the semi-finals. Out of 2000 outfits
entered, only 328 were selected for the four regional semi-finals so to
get to the semi-finals was amazing. It is also worth noting that Kaitlyn
was the youngest competitor at the event, most of the models and designers were aged 17-18.
Kaitlyn spent over ten hours preparing the material for her dress and
knitting it together.
It was an extremely long, but enjoyable day, which saw us arriving back in Bangor at 1.00am.
Bank of Ireland sponsored the event and Kaitlyn’s outfit will now be displayed in their Bangor branch.
Many thanks to all who voted for Kaitlyn’s outfit.
Mrs Sinnerton
Summer 2013
On Wednesday 13 February, eight Glenlola Year
13 prospective Medicine students were lucky
enough to be able to attend the 2013 Queens University Medical Symposium. We started the day
with a talk from the Admissions Dean for Medicine, where we learnt about all the necessary entry
criteria for Queen’s University and some interesting facts about studying Medicine in general - one
of which being that there is a numbers increase in
female applicants than male applicants, something
that was a little reassuring for us girls!
Next we learnt about some of the different career
pathways you can take if you study Medicine and
got to hear about what life is actually like when
working as a Forensic Pathologist. In this lecture
we learnt about the investigative work that it entails and how that it’s not a job that’s just related
with homicide victims but also alcoholism, trauma
and more! It was really interesting, especially as
we got to see some images of different wounds
and injuries!
After that first talk,
we got to visit the
Anatomy lab. Here
we got to look at different specimens of
organs and other
body parts that had
been affected by all
sorts of illnesses and
diseases.
We also
were able to view
several
different
scans and samples of blood, skin and many other
things. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take
any photographs of Neurofibromatosis of the
hand, but some of us were able to get a picture
taken with the new friend we made.
When we were first told of our visit, we didn’t
really expect that we’d get to inflict pain upon
each other and laugh as we watch one of our
friends twitch and jump as they received an electric shock to the arm as we got to perform an Electromyography on them … but that is exactly what
we did in our visit to the Physiology lab. Although it was fun to have a good laugh at our
classmate’s expense, we learnt the difference in
electrical activity of the skeletal muscles when the
person themselves is moving their pinkie finger,
and the contrast when someone moves it for them.
We also got to take part in another practical activ-
Page 25
ity in the Physiology lab called a Vitalograph
which
measures the lung
capacity. This
practical once
again involved
the slight humiliation
of
fellow
classmates as they
were told to
take a deep breath before blowing as hard as they
could into a tube which produces the results on a
graph. As you can expect, there were quite a few
red faces after that one!
All of the excitement left us ready for lunch and
after a very informative question and answer session, we got to have a break before returning to
the lecture theatre to hear about what life is like in
some of the other careers allied to Medical.
Firstly, we had a talk from a GP where we found
out that the job doesn’t just involve the stereotypical doctor we visit when we’re feeling unwell but
that it’s a field of medicine which has many different and complex areas! Next we got to hear about
the challenging opportunities if you decide to
work in Medical Research. In this talk we learnt
about the different phases of clinical trials and
some of the current research going on into different chemotherapy drugs. We also got to hear of a
happy story about a dog named “Lancelot” who
was genetically born completely blind, but as a
result of medical research, was able to receive a
treatment that enabled him to see shadows! It was
really great to see how hard work and dedicated
research can pay off. We then got to hear what
two current students thought about studying Medicine at Queen’s University. Our final two talks
were from an obstetrician and a surgeon where we
told of some of the more ethical situations which
currently cause controversy, such as designer babies and quality of life versus survival. We also
learnt about the importance of teamwork if you are
considering a career in Medicine.
We all really enjoyed our day out and found it not
only really interesting but useful to hear about
some of the amazing opportunities there are if you
decide to study Medicine or Biomedical Science!
It has really challenged us.
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Issue 16
Summer 2013
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Issue 16
Year 11 pupils from Glenlola Collegiate
identified ‘No More Traffik’ as their chosen
charity for fund-raising this year. No More
Traffik are a charity that raises awareness of
the issues of human trafficking. They are a
Belfast-based charity who want the public to
know that although human trafficking is a
worldwide epidemic, it has found a home in
Northern Ireland. There are many people in
this country who are forced into labour, sexual exploitation or domestic servitude.
Pupils at Glenlola Collegiate raised a total of
£2000 which was presented to Cheryl Jenkins, from No More Traffik, at a recent assembly in the
School. A large majority of the money was
raised through a sponsored Zumbathon
which was held on Friday 15 February. Special thanks must go to Lisa for her support in
this event. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the
Zumbathon and thanks must go to Lisa Darragh who gave of her time to take the pupils
through their paces. Casey Moody raised the
most money and 11E were the top fundraising form class. Money was also raised
through the School’s annual House Dance
competition and a non-uniform day.
9k Science class
took part in a beach
clean with North
Down
Borough
Council on Thursday 21 March. It
was sponsored by
McDonalds.
Summer 2013
Page 29
In March 2013 World Book Day was celebrated in the Library with a wide range of activities including
book trailers, competitions and interactive displays to promote reading in school. Two new competitions
were launched, a Creative Writing Competition for three different age ranges and a “Design a bookmark” Competition.
Also that month the annual Scholastic Book Fair raised £456.52. Pupils were able to visit the sale on the
mezzanine floor of the Library at break and lunch time where their World Book day token could be
spent against a range of books, stationery and a variety of merchandise. The School receives 40% of the
proceeds in new stock for the Library and we have been able to add further titles to our wide range of
teen fiction.
At the end of term members of the Junior Library Club joined pupils from other local schools for the
Grand Finale of the Northern Ireland Book Awards. The event was hosted this year by Bangor Grammar
School in their magnificent new building. Our own very committed group of pupils worked extremely
hard to produce a book trailer for the winning title “Wonder” by R J Palacio. Local author Debbie
McCune entertained pupils by reading extracts from her new novel, Death and Co which has recently
been published.
The Library has welcomed many visitors this year, among them, Dr Carol Baranuik and Dr Kathryn
White from the University of Ulster who visited twice. In March they gave a special lecture on the
United Irishmen to Year 13 History class, while in April the Creative Writers’ Group were treated to a
taste of Ulster Scots poetry.
Competitions continue to thrive and many of our pupils have been successful in having their poetry published by “Young Writers”. In addition there have been many creative writing, photographic and art and
design competitions. Competitions are advertised on the Competitions Board in the entrance to the Library.
Junior Library Club continues to meet weekly where a group of enthusiastic pupils delve into the works
of different authors. We are currently reading through the titles which were short listed for the Carnegie
Book Awards and the pupils will be giving their verdict on their favourite.
Recently the Library has acquired a new display unit which has been invaluable as a promotion tool for
new titles or selected authors. We also look forward to acquiring new shelving beneath the spiral staircase in the near future.
With the departure of our most senior pupils for Study Leave at the beginning of May the Library welcomed a new group of Year 11 pupil Librarians who are already applying their skills and enthusiasm to
the effective running of the Library. These pupils will be helping to run the Library between now and the
end of June and we are fortunate to have such a talented and enthusiastic group of students on board.
As the School year draws to a close over the next few weeks, we reflect on a busy and productive year
for the Library as the heart of learning in Glenlola Collegiate School.
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Issue 16
A conference aimed at A level students was held
at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) in March.
The conference organised by the Association for
Psychology Teachers was attended by a very high
profile guest, principal examiner for AQA Psychology examinations – Julia Willerton. This was
an opportunity not to be missed. Ten A2 students
were keen to attend and hear directly from the person who writes some of their psychology examinations and mark schemes. The programme of the
day included presentations on:
•
•
•
Psychopathology [Unit 4] Julia Willerton
Development of Thinking - Piaget and Vygotsky and Applications to Education [Unit 3] Chris
Gibbons.
Attachment and Relationships [unit 1 and 3] Julia Willerton
There were also some interesting practical demonstrations and even some spot prizes on the day. After
the event, attendees felt very well informed about how to tackle their revision and were clear on examination technique. As an added benefit, the presentations were made available to students to utilise
as part of their own revision.
On the first Tuesday afternoon of the new term, the Creative Writers welcomed back the familiar face
of Dr Baranuik, former teacher and now lecturer at the University of Ulster. She was accompanied by
Dr Kathryn White also from the University of Ulster. Both ladies entertained the pupils by reading
from the poetry of Ulster Scots rebel – James Orr.
After a short, but fascinating, summary of the historical context of the poem and the provision of a useful glossary of Ulster Scots vocabulary,
the pupils were able to translate into modern familiar language a dramatic tale of
subterfuge, rebellion and romance, revealed through Orr’s poem, “The Wanderer.”
As befits a creative writing group, the
pupils have been challenged to use their
newly developed skills by entering a new
competition which is based on the Ulster
Scots poem. The competition is being run
by the University of Ulster and there is a
small cash prize for the winning entry.
Summer 2013
Page 31
At the start of the year, we decided to look at a vision for Junior SU under the heading of “Change the
Atmosphere”. Our hope was that the girls should start to understand their part in this and gain the confidence to begin changing the atmosphere around them, for God’s glory. By looking at Prayer, The
Word, and Identity we hope that they have been encouraged in this.
Christmas brought the traditional quiz from Mrs Aiken, laden with the usual Narnia references, as well
as some quality “smore” making in Mr Shanks’ Chemistry lab. Throughout the year we have had the
privilege of hosting a range of youth workers from various Bangor churches who have shared games,
quizzes and music with us, as well as bringing challenges and encouragements. In April we also had a
visit from Sam Smith of the Leprosy Mission NI.
Complementing our theme, every second week the Year 13/14s led Junior SU, something which was
been greatly appreciated by staff and pupils alike. Leanne Dunlop (SUNI Bangor Schools Worker) has
been excellent in coordinating and guiding this small group of dedicated Senior School pupils. Their
participation in our “Grill a Christian” week, provided a really useful opportunity for the Junior girls to
quiz the older ones about growing up through school as a Christian.
As the end of the term fast approaches, Junior SU is drawing to a close but we will, as usual, round the
year off with an action packed weekend at Killyleagh Outdoor Education Centre in June. Last year’s
highlights included spectacular banana boat posing and jetty jumping. Excitement is building as we
prepare to look at and learn from, the parable of the prodigal son together (Luke 15:11-32).
Thanks go to all staff, Year 13/14 helpers and outside individuals who have supported Junior SU this
year. Thanks also go to the many Year 8-10 pupils who faithfully attend each Wednesday afternoon,
helping to make the year so memorable. As we look forward to a new influx of Year 8 girls next year,
we also bid farewell to our Year 10s and send them on their way to Senior SU in the hope that they
will continue to learn and grow in their faith. We thank God for all He has provided this year and look
forward to what He will do next year with Junior SU.
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Issue 16
On Thursday 25 April Year 9 pupils took part in UKJMC which is a prestigious national competition,
testing pupils’ problem-solving skills. The top achievers are presented with gold, silver and bronze certificates.
Special congratulations to Judith Moore who was the top achiever and to all the award winners listed
below (in alphabetical order)
Gold - 3
Holly Huddleston
Erin Osborne
Judith Moore
Silver – 10
Jaclyn Brackenridge
Georgia O’Reilly
Bethany Scullion
Lydia Sibley
Kristin Wilkinson
Laura Neill
Emily Burrows
Hannah Collins
Emily Johnston
Emily Keenan
Bronze – 35
Rhian Brow
Anna Carberry
Sarah Davidson
Samantha Doherty
Zara Dunlop
Amber Gowdy
Alex Hoy
Ruby Johnston
Eden McRoberts
Chioma Onyekwelu
Anna McWatters
Taylor Rainey
Megan Reddy
Jordan Rosborough
Anna Shortt
Sophie Smyth
Rubi Walton
Mirren Yeates
Aleisha Bullar
Zara Cosh
Katie Doherty
Rebecca Drysdale
Jenna Ferguson
Jade Heron
Amy Irvine
Nicole Lowans
Emma Murdock
Anna McDowell
Beth Noble
Claire Rankin
Caitlin Roberts
Rebecca Rowan
Natalie Smyth
Sian Walton
Shannon Williamson
Monday 18 March saw teams of four senior girls competing in the Great House Bake Off. Each team
was required to bake twelve cupcakes, six of which were plain vanilla with an Easter Theme and the others could be any flavour and theme. The cupcakes were judged on flavour, bake, consistency and artistic
flair. The competition was fierce and of an extremely high standard. The judges, Mr Shanks (a well
known baker!) and Mr Falls (our American visitor) were very impressed with the quality and had a hard
time coming to a decision.
The results were:-
1st Dufferin
2nd Harte
th
4 =
Ward and Clanmorris
3rd Hamilton
6th Weir
Congratulations to all the teams on their fantastic efforts. Paul and Mary would have been very impressed!
Summer 2013
Page 33
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Issue 16
Laura Caldwell came to talk to us about her role as a weather forecaster in London. She outlined her
education and career to date, before discussing her current role as a trainee forecaster for a private company that provides weather forecasts for Channel 4 news and, even our own, Belfast Telegraph. Laura
gave the pupils an opportunity to look at the data she receives throughout each day, before writing her
forecast. Laura is the daughter of Mrs Coates, Mr Thompson’s PA, so it was lovely to hear from a local
girl who studied Geography at Queen’s University.
On Monday 15 April, A2 Geography students
went to Belfast City Centre to complete their
fieldwork. They were looking into people’s attitudes to Air pollution. Although it was relatively
quiet, the girls were able to complete their data.
They will now use the collated information for the
A2 examinations in May.
Summer 2013
Page 35
This year has been another active year for the PTA with many events being organised. The autumn term
saw a car boot sale take place, with the PTA manning a tea and coffee stall to help revive chilly shoppers. The ever popular autumn craft fair was a great success and the PTA were essential in the smooth
running of this event; helping to take money at the door and serve Fairtrade teas and coffees in the dining room.
Alongside fundraising events, the PTA ran a Year 8 disco, just before Christmas and a Year 9 disco, in
February, in conjunction with Bangor Grammar School PTA. The pupils really enjoyed these events
which took place in the Main Hall in South Eastern Regional College. Senior pupils from both schools
came along to help get the party started and made the evenings really good fun for all.
In February the PTA held a Family Health and Wellbeing night. A range of exhibitors came along to
help de-stress and inform everyone who attended. The students form SERC Health and Beauty proved
really popular, providing the opportunity for everyone to have their nails painted and head and neck
massagesd. At other stalls you could indulge in aromatherapy, non-surgical facials or have your blood
pressure taken. In addition, the ladies of the PTA served Fairtrade refreshments, healthy and ethical.
Robert Neill of Neill Wines, Groomsport, hosted our wine tasting
evening, which proved to be one of our most successful events. Almost 50 friends enjoyed the wines and champagne on offer and,
along with raffle prizes, this helped to raise over £300 for the PTA’s
good causes.
In the final part of the year, the PTA hopes to enhance the School
Sports Day by cooking hotdogs and burgers on the BBQ. In addition, a Unicycle event is scheduled for the last week of term. Parents have been encouraged to send in
pieces of uniform which no longer fit but which are in good condition. It is intended to sell these at low
cost in a pop-up shop helping recycle uniforms which would otherwise go to waste.
So far the PTA has been able to provide pupils with an outdoor recreational space for use at break and
lunch times, Kindles for literacy support and hard landscaping for the School garden. We are very much
looking forward to building on this year and developing our programme for 2013-14.
Page 36
Issue 16
During work experience week I had the amazing
opportunity to work in the laboratories 10 metres
under the buildings of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) in America. Princeton is
well known in the Physics community, as the
place in America that Einstein taught lectures and
where he carried out his later research. With Professor Charles Gentile of as my mentor, I was
guided through the different wonders of Physics
from “Putting a Star in a Jar” with the nuclear fusion reactor (NSTX) to plasma powered spacecraft
(HTX) … there was no end to the future possibilities that these technologies could behold.
On arrival, I was given a tour of the facilities
which were absolutely vast. Long underground
tunnels guided us to experiments such as the Paul
Trap Simulator which can simulate different magnetic configurations by varying the oscillating
fields and can be used to help predict the effect
magnetic fields will have on particle accelerators
such as the one in CERN and lasers designed to
cut through metals and other materials, made dangerous by the fact that they are completely invisible beams.
The experiment I was most heavily involved in
however was the PTOLEMY experiment, as seen
in the picture.
This experiment involves extremely strong magnets which are 6000 times stronger than the earth’s
magnetic field and are powered by high temperature superconductors which are cooled using a
mixture of liquid nitrogen and liquid helium. I
only started learning about superconductors in my
AS Physics this year and it was really useful to see
them operating in a practical environment.
While I was there, preparations for the experiment
were being made. The arrival of the vacuum
which would be used, was vital and there was
great excitement when it arrived on site. When
turned on it will create a vacuum with a pressure
of 10-6 tor. The beta decay from the tritium will
then produce neutrinos from which data will be
collected and this will hopefully produce information that will help explain why the universe appears to not only be growing but accelerating. I
was the photographer of the progress of the project
While I was there and was also taught how to map
(Photo inside the PPPL labs)
the fields that the magnets where producing. This
was really interesting as we were able to predict
the results and then confirm these predictions by
carrying out the tests. This was really fascinating
as it gave a really good flavour of what science is
like in action and the excitement of having the
first glimpses of projects that could change our
way of thinking.
It wasn’t all just experiments though. There were
plenty of meetings about health and safety, funding and co-ordination of the various projects. Although these weren’t just as exciting, they are a
vital part of working in a research facility to help
ensure everyone’s safety and the smooth running
of all the many experiments going on. Most interesting of these meetings was the brainstorming of
the Stationary Flowing Liquid Lithium System
(FLiLi). It gave a really excellent insight into the
problem solving and imaginative ideas for improvements. It was great seeing the teamwork of
all the colleagues combining all their knowledge
of their different areas of expertise to come up
with the best solutions to the many challenges
faced.
It was an absolutely amazing experience and I
learnt so much over the week that I was there. The
team were all extremely friendly and I was received with great enthusiasm that has really inspired me to continue on the path to Physics at
university.
Gina Black
Year 13
Summer 2013
Page 37
Last week Glenlola Collegiate teachers accepted the daunting challenge to “Live Below the Line” for
five days surviving on what they can buy for just £1 a day!
The teachers joined forces with thousands of people across the World to raise awareness of extreme
poverty to help people in the poorest countries lift themselves out of poverty.
Every day more than 1 billion people do not have enough food to eat, many surviving on the equivalent
of £1 a day. By taking part in ‘Live Below the Line’ week the teachers at Glenlola were able to experience life below the line at first hand.
Brian Montgomery, Head of Senior School said “The healthy items on my usual food list were the first
ones to go because they were simply too expensive” and Head of Biology, Lorna Monroe, added “Fresh
fruit and vegetables are really expensive and protein is really a luxury.”
Chemistry teacher, Michael Shanks, stated “It certainly makes you think twice before picking up anything in the supermarket. Suddenly things you thought of as essentials are too expensive and have become unattainable luxuries!” Biology teacher Keith Dorman found own brand goods a good substitute
for his usual purchases and wondered “Is it worth it to spend so much more on brand names?”
‘Taking part in Live Below the Line has been a real eye-opening experience to the difficulties many individuals in extreme poverty face. To try and buy products that would sustain a balanced and healthy diet
was extremely difficult’, History teacher Linda Moody said.
The teachers challenged themselves to buy ingredients and to cook interesting and tasty food. Some of
the highlights are shown below.
Home Baked Bread
Brie and Lardon pasta
Blueberry Scones
The winner of the best meal, as judged by Marc Harding, Head of Home Economics, received a prize
from the Co-op.
Carolyn Larmour, Vice Principal, summed up the week by saying “While the challenge is tough, I am
able go back to my usual diet at the end of the week - the 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty in
the World cannot”
The Glenlola Collegiate Staff hope that by taking part they can encourage people to become better informed and to take action against extreme poverty and hunger.
Live Below the Line is the initiative of the Global Poverty Project, an education campaigning
organisation.
Page 38
As always, the Music Department rarely rests for
long and this term has not been any different.
Straight back after Easter and rehearsals were underway for not only our Spring Concert, but also
GCSE, AS and A2 practicals, which were going
on at the same time!
Issue 16
Lion King. Cygnet House, Junior Choir and senior
choirs were joined by two pianos, a harp, two
drum kits, two Congo drums and two recorders. It
is safe to say, the roof was lifted twice.
Through the concert, Amy Dawson and Jenny
Cameron, both Year 14 Music and Drama stuThe Spring Concert again was an immense suc- dents, compered the evening effortlessly.
cess thanks to the girls’ and music staff for their
continued hard work and dedication. There was The evening was a resounding success, thanks to
not one single performance that was not perfect the team of staff, supportive parents and pupils
and the standing ovation at the end spoke louder and the diversity and quality of talent of our
than any words ever could. I would like to men- Glenlola girls.
tion just a few items that have been remarked
However, this was not the end. The following
upon to me many times.
morning over 100 Primary 6 pupils from local and
The School Concert Band opened the concert with not so local schools came to watch a scaled down
Sousa’s rousing march Stars and Stripes Forever, version of the concert. Despite adrenalin not flowwhich for the first time I can remember, had audi- ing as much and tiredness from the previous night,
I think some performances surpassed themselves
ence participation with their clapping along!
and certainly impressed the audience.
The Junior Choir’s rendition of Adele’s Someone
Like You under Mrs. Martin’s direction, was
strong, yet sympathetic to the composer’s senti- GCSE, AS and A2 practicals were immediately
upon us, as well as the Year 14 Leavers’ Assemments, a quality rarely found in a young choir.
bly, where a small group of senior choir sang The
From the Junior Choir, a new group was formed in Prayer to a tearful Year 14 as school wished them
September; the Junior Chamber Choir had the hall well on the next stage in their lives. How Alice
completely captivated during their songs. They are Hamilton (Year 14) stayed composed enough to
a choir to watch out for in the future. Miss play a flute solo in the middle of the song I will
Flanagan has worked extremely hard with them never know!
and with the Jazz Band, which has gone from
strength to strength since being formed in Septem- At this point I would like to welcome Mr. Richard
Douglas to our team of peripatetic tutors. Richard
ber.
takes over from Mr. Houston as a flute tutor.
As always, Cygnet House joined us and it was a
delight to listen to their Thank You For the Music. One new event that we are running this June is
GLENLOLA’S GOT RHYTHM. A take on BritPerhaps the most talked about secret of the Music ain’s Got Talent, it is a talent competition open to
Department is Year 11 GCSE music student Mere- all years from 8 to 11, soloists and groups. We
dith Barnett. Meredith played the ukulele and sang hope to stage a winner’s concert for the school in
Coldplay’s Fix You. A very talented and versatile the final week of term.
musician, Meredith qualified and competed in the
Once again the pupils in our Department are provfinal of The Strand Star Talent Show.
ing their enthusiasm to support events, as on FriThe light relief of the night was provided by the day 7th June the Junior chamber Choir and Year 11
Year 14s singing It’s Raining Men……..we will GCSE music class will provide background music
leave it there perhaps!
for the Friends of Glenlola Dinner, as they arrive
and mingle before their meal.
This year’s finale was The Circle of Life from The
Summer 2013
Our students often audition for national groups,
and I congratulate Bethany Hill on gaining a place •
in the Ulster Youth Choir.
Page 39
distinction in her Grade 7 trombone.
Ada Szymanska, Year 13, was awarded a
merit in her Grade 8 flute.
• Bethan Edge, Year 12, was awarded the
Finally, I cannot possibly allow this opportunity to
prestigious and much sought after distinction
pass without mentioning our ABRSM exam rein her Grade 8 flutes.
sults from the March session. There were so many
great results, but some girls deserve to be specifi- Thank you to everyone who has made this year so
cally singled out:
great and memorable. I would like to wish the outgoing Year 14 girls all the best in the new chapter
• Ceri Watters, Year 8, was awarded a
of their lives which is just about to open and thank
them for everything they have given to the Music
distinction in her Grade 3 oboe.
Department over the past seven years.
• Ellen Atiken, Year 11, was awarded a
distinction in her Grade 5 trombone.
D Johnson
• Emma Allen, Year 12, was awarded a
Page 40
On Saturday 23rd of March to Saturday 30th of
March 2013, girls from Year 10 to Year 14 went
away on the annual ski trip. This year’s trip took
the girls to the other side of Europe to Chalet Hotel
Sapinière in the small town of Chamonix, MontBlanc in France. After an eight hour delay, in Belfast, we were all pretty glad to finally arrive! Hotel
Sapinière is arguably the best located hotel in
Chamonix, with the Savoy nursery slopes literally
at the front door of the reception and easily accessible gondolas to whisk you up to one of the best intermediate areas in the resort.
Issue 16
night, a Paret Soirée night and a night to explore
the small town of Chamonix.
I felt that the ski trip was a great way to bring all
of the girls, from different year groups together and
it was also a great chance to see the teachers in a
different light and also have the chance to get to
know each other a lot better I know myself that I
will never ever forget my first Glenlola ski trip and
I look forward to going again in the upcoming
years.
To accompany Miss McAuley and the fifty one
girls who went on the trip was the fabulous teachers, Mrs Lewis, Mrs Loder, Miss Robinson and
Mrs Sinnerton. All fifty six of us skied down the
beautiful slopes of Chamonix for six days in total
Well, I was being a bit general when I said all. Unfortunately there was a nasty stomach bug around
which left a few of our travellers sick in bed at the
start of the holiday. Nevertheless, all girls were
back to their normal cheery selves again by the end
of the week and no one missed out on the opportunity to ski in the beautiful resort!
I think it's safe to say that none of us came home
feeling hungry! Our five course meal at dinner and
the buffet breakfast each morning certainly prepared us for a long days skiing. Aside from the skiing, we all experienced a truly unforgettable night
at the Paret and Wilderness Soirée evening. This
event included taking the last cable car, high up
into the mountains and skiing down with what I can
only describe as a small, wooden item, also known
as a paret. To most people this sounds relaxing and
calm but when you are at the top of a mountain
with no other way down than to sledge yourself
down with this wooden paret, your heart really
starts to beat fast! Forty five minutes of pure
adrenalin, forty three minutes of the time screaming and laughing at yourself and others falling Courteney Rainey
around you! When we reached the bottom and our Year 10
heart rates were back to normal, we all sat down to
a traditional Savoyard meal set in the forest, in a
Mongolian Yourt. It really was a unique experience
that you most definitely can't do at home!
If skiing wasn't enough, the evenings were jam
packed as well! In the evenings we had a movie
Summer 2013
Page 41
Page 42
Issue 16
A combined group of army and navy cadets travelled to Halton
Training Camp on Wednesday 24 March. After the usual early start at
BGS at 5:45 am, a ferry and bus trip we arrived at a very windy and
snowy camp in the coldest March for over hundred years!
The group was divided into three divisions and a three day rotating program of activities was enjoyed. For my group…
Day 1
This was a day canoe journey along the Lancaster Canal. The only
problem was that, due to the extremely cold weather, the canal was frozen in places! Paddles had to be used to crack the ice before we could
paddle through. A strong head-wind also made the going tough. An inter-division quiz was enjoyed in the evening.
Day 2
The whole day was spent in an outdoor pursuits centre called Bothwick
Hall. The day was spent honing leadership skills on the various challenges set. The tasks were tricky, requiring a lot of thought, but our cadets succeeded at each one. In particular – The Colditz Wall! This was
the only group for years to get the whole team over the complete wall.
The ’Leap of Faith’ was also enjoyed - that’s Harrit Gillespie jumping
off the top of a telegraph pole to reach the suspended buoy!
This was the hike day. Not surprisingly the route had to be changed from the high peaks of the Lake
District to the lower levels of the Forest of Bowland which proved challenging enough given the blizzard conditions. There was even enough wind to blow over a large chemistry teacher! The group all
made it to the top of Clougha at 450m and all learned the importance of respecting the conditions.
We enjoyed our last night at a
bowling alley in Morcambe. All
too soon it was time for thirty
three weary cadets to travel home
on Sunday 24th March. A good
time was certainly had by all.
R Spence
Summer 2013
Page 43
When we visited the Belfast Synagogue, we got the opportunity to see where Jews worship today and
also learn lots of very interesting and useful information about what the Jewish religion actually involves. We had not yet covered anything on the topic of Judaism, so everything the Rabbi told us was
new.
I think that the trip was very beneficial because it helped us learn even more about Judaism and what it
is like from the Rabbi’s perspective. It was also quite useful because we could see and experience all
of the objects and rooms in the synagogue. We learnt about the Torah, the religious clothing that male
Jews wear and the synagogue itself.
We are very grateful to Mr Black and Rabbi Singer for agreeing to our visit and making us so welcome. I would recommend that other pupils learning about Judaism should visit the synagogue, as it
expands your knowledge to a whole new level and helps you to understand the topic a lot better.
Emma Sims
Year 8
Year 8 pupils participated in the development of a new theatre performance called ‘Katie’s Birthday Party’
devised and performed by MaryFrances Doherty. The performance
has been in development with support
from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland for over 12 months, including
research and development work with
primary and secondary schools in
Bangor, Ballymena and Belfast.
Page 44
Issue 16
The 2nd Ulster Schools’ Derby, organised by Several companies and individuals provided sponGlenlola Collegiate School, was held on Tuesday sorship for this event. Their support was greatly
11 June 2013 at Gransha Equestrian Centre, Kerrs appreciated:
Road Bangor. Ninety-three riders from schools, all
Glenlola Collegiate School for providing
over Northern Ireland attended the event which was
the
winning trophies
being held to raise money for MS Society. With
the previous week seeing Northern Ireland basking
Jim Devonport Butchers, Donaghadee who
in sunshine, organisers Judith Hughes and Nikki
provided the rosettes
Sinnerton, both teachers at Glenlola Collegiate, had
Nash’s (Six Road Ends) who provided
their fingers crossed for similar weather. UnfortuStonebridge horse feed
nately the rain decided to make an appearance but
it didn’t dampen any spirits and the event was a
Botanica Ireland who donated hampers for
great success.
the Open class winners
Charlotte Harding representing Loanends Primary,
won the Primary School class riding her pony
Safety First. Charlotte was also awarded the Tack
and Turnout prize and it was clear to see why,
when Gwyneth Wilkinson (Tack and Turnout inspector) commented on her immaculate presentation.
The Novice class was the largest of the day and
was won by Claire Ireland riding Mission Ambition. Claire, who represented Glastry College rode
a lovely clear round and finished the show-jumping
phase with a time of 22.89 seconds. Bloomfield
Collegiate won the Novice Team competition and
Olivia Hughes from Victoria College was awarded
the Tack and Turnout Prize. Sponsor, Nathan Nash
of Nash’s, Six Road Ends, was in attendance to
award bags of Stonebridge Feed to the teams and
individuals.
The final class of the day was the Open competition sponsored by Botanica. The Individual champion was Holly Boal, who represented Regent
House School in Newtownards. Riding Classic
Bawn Jack she finished with a show-jumping time
of 20.78 seconds. The Open Team champions for
2013 were Banbridge Academy’s ‘Bridles’ team
whilst Leah Jackson from Glenlola Collegiate was
awarded the Tack and Turnout prize riding Cardy
Spring.
John Gibson from Sporting Images for providing plaques for the winning riders
O2, Main Street Bangor who donated a
mobile phone for the Top Fundraiser
Doagh Farm Feeds
Old Mill Saddlery
We would also like to take this opportunity to
thank a number of people for the invaluable support. Thanks to Adrienne Stuart from Gransha
Equestrian Centre who designed, built and maintained the fantastic derby course. Thanks must also
go to our judge, Paul Johnston, who gave of his
time so freely. To John Wilkinson and Ciaran Sinnerton for allowing the event to run smoothly, in
making sure competitors were ready to start on
time. Thanks also go to Gwyneth Wilkinson who
judged the Tack and Turnout and to her scribe,
Lesley Robinson. We’d also like to thank the paramedic from Ambutran, who was in attendance
throughout the event and to John Gibson from
Sporting Images NI who took photographs of each
of the competitors. Thanks must also go to the
many staff from Glenlola Collegiate who helped at
the event (Linda Ace, Sarah-Jane Flannigan, Beverly Haslam, Alison Simpson and Donna Spence)
and to those teachers who provided treats for the
cake stall. Finally we must thank all those competitors, parents, teachers and helpers from the
many different schools who were in attendance.
Without their support the event would not run.
As the event was a fundraiser for MS Society, the
O2 shop (Main Street Bangor) kindly donated a
Galaxy Young mobile phone for this year’s top
fundraiser. This was awarded to Claire Ireland
Results can be viewed on the School’s website.
from Glastry College.
Summer 2013
Page 45
Page 46
1st XI Team
Caris Agnew (GK)
Lucy Yourston
Robyn Christy
Sophie Boyd
Molly Bret
Ellen Robinson
Jessica Ross (Capt)
Rebecca McClelland
Holly Fair
Katherine Polly
Rebekah Rutherford
Harriet Bradford
Helen Hooks
Issue 16
The 2nd XI Team also had quite a successful season. They played 10 games. Won 4, drew 2 and lost
4. All season the girls attended practice faithfully
and this resulted in some good performances on the
pitch. The team had a very successful McDowell
Cup campaign reaching the semi-finals. Probably
their best performance came in the quarter final
when the defeated Portadown College 2-0. They
were unlucky to lose in the semi-final to Regent
House 1-0. The player of the season was Claudia
Davis. As captain she led by example, working
hard in every match and improving her skills as the
season progressed.
Year 8 Hockey
The 1stXI team had a fairly successful season despite getting knocked out of schools cup in the first
round. They were Schools Plate semi-finalists, losing 2-0 to Omagh Academy. They played 10
games, won 4, drew 2 and lost 4. Some of the highlights of the season included a very entertaining
game against BRA which ended 3-3. Earlier in the
season we had played the same opposition and lost
3-0. This game summed up the progression made
by the team throughout the year. They trained faithfully 3 times a week (including a fitness session
before school on Tuesdays) and were always keen
to learn. Player of the season was Jessica Ross. Jessica led by example as captain, she was top goal
scorer and gave 100% effort in every game.
The Year 8 hockey season began after Christmas.
Over thirty girls attended practices weekly to prepare for upcoming fixtures. The A and B teams
played four friendly matches and for many, this
was their first experience of playing an official
match. Both teams improved immensely over this
period and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the games.
Finally, a selected squad played in the highly anticipated Grosvenor Tournament. The team played
with confidence and managed to draw 3 games and
were narrowly defeated in 1. Goal Keeper Brooke
Stewart made a number of superb saves and defender Yasmin Gordon defended solidly at the
back. Abbie King & Lauren Clarke created a number of goal scoring opportunities. The Year 8s
have made an excellent start to their hockey season
and we look to their continued progress next season.
2nd XI Team
Year 8 A Team List
Jaye Tate
Esther Lau
Rachel Hamilton
Claudia Davis (Capt)
Claire Morrison
Harriet Bradford
Helen Hooks
Jessica Bush
Courtenay Patterson
Sophie Carlisle
Daina Walton
Emily Ferris
Elleana Hull
Brooke Stewart
Cara Thompson
Mollie Brown
Jemma Steele
Megan McCan
Zara Dowds
Jodie Moore
Aimee Johnston
Abbie King
Lauren Clarke
Ella Ross
Kelsie Long
Yasmin Gordon
Summer 2013
Year 8 B Team List
Emma Graham
Emily Fawthrop
Ellen Gough
Aimee Keenan
Erin Stewart
Erin Campbell
Hannah Patterson
Lucy Black
Olivia Vaughan
Erin Brown
Megan Jackson
Hannah Graham
Niamh Mason
Jessica Dempster
Page 47
The team lost 8 matches, drew 3 matches against
Sullivan, Grosvenor & Down High and convincingly beat Bloomfield Collegiate 3 nil. Sarah
Davidson captained the team and controlled her
team excellently in the mid field. Alex Hoy took
up the position as goal keeper this season and did
an excellent job. Other notable performance came
from Georgia Ferguson, Mirren Yates & Emily
Burrows.
U13 B Team List
Alex Hoy
Georgia Ferguson
Erin Osborne
Sarah Davidson
Katie Doherty
Emily Burrows
U13 Hockey Report
Sophie O’Neill
The U13 hockey teams began training twice Anna McDowell
weekly in September. There was an excellent turn Anna Carberry
out with over 30 girls attending training on a regu- Rebecca Bailey
lar basis.
Mirren Yates
Alana Rutherford
Competitive matches began on Saturday the 8th
September & finish Saturday 9th February. U14 Squad
Throughout the season the U13 A’s played 14 competitive matches against other grammar schools. Katie McKee
They were narrowly defeated in 12 of these games Ruth Cox
and successfully drew 1 all against Belfast High Emelia Morrow
and beat Bloomfield Collegiate 2 nil. Megan Inglis Samantha Dornan
captained the team and successfully motivated & Rachel Kennedy
organised the girls. All players progressed im- Charlotte Turpitt
mensely through out the season with notable indi- Anna Morwood
vidual performances from Hannah Collins, Katie Joy Eadie
Robinson, Shoshannah Hull & goal keeper Rachel Kirsty O’Neill
Williamson.
Anna Campbell
Katherine Neill
Rachel Williamson
Saskia Freer
Georgia Denny
Clare Scott
Laura McMaw
Shoshannah Hull
U14 B Squad
Sian Walton
Emma Carlisle
Rachel Dornan
Megan Inglis
Brooke Morrison
Emily Johnston
Caitlin McNamara
Hannah Collins
Ally Keys
Katie Robinson
Jasmine Lorimer
Emelia McCartney
Niamh Henderson
Eve Kennedy
Zoe Henderson
Lucy Canning
The U13 B team played a total of 12 competitive Lauren Dorman
matches. Similar to the A team, the score lines do Katie Lyall
not reflect the effort & ability of all girls involved.
Page 48
Lauren Brooks
Terri-A Pinkney
Annie Doherty
Chelsea Speers
The energy, enthusiasm and commitment of the
girls in both the A and B teams have been excellent
this year. On average 35 girls attended practice
twice a week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. These
sessions concentrated on basic technical skills and
fitness which undoubtedly improved immensely
over the season.
‘A’ SQUAD
The ‘A’ squad performed well this year. After a
slow start results began to reflect better play and
wins against Bloomfield, Sullivan, Hunterhouse,
Down High and Methody followed.
Kirsty O’Neill (captain) was particularly strong up
the right wing and was involved with most of our
attacking plays. The defence, including Emelia,
Samantha and Rachel worked very well together
and proved essential in tough games. By half term
in November the girls started to gel really well and
began to work more as a team. The girls’ attendance was impressive, they always turned up to
training with a great big smile – even when the
rain, sleet and snow were upon us!
‘B’ SQUAD
The ‘B’ team were unlucky in many of their
matches this year as despite their good play and
quality possession they failed to convert many opportunities to score. Numerous matches were 0-0
draws where both teams failed to capitalise on very
good approach play. Rachel Dornan (captain) performed really well in goals and played a key role in
supporting the team. Caitlin McNamara, Ally Keys
and Jasmine Lorimer were of great help in defence.
Wins against Hunterhouse and Down High reflected the growing confidence amongst the team
members.
The girls’ attendance was particularly impressive
as with such a large squad there was plenty of rotation but the girls still regularly made it to both
training sessions each week.
Issue 16
The Junior Team
Emelia Morrow
Anna Morwood
Samantha Dornan
Kathyrn Simpson
Sarah Walker
The Junior team played Victoria College, Grosvenor Grammar and Regent House. The girls played
some wonderful tennis and won their matches
against Grosvenor and Regent but lost narrowly to
VCB. The 2 matches won were 6-0 defeats, the
girls played with commitment and determination
and are now through to the plate. Congratulations
to all involved, we look forward to next season.
The Intermediate Team
Elleana Hull
Daisy Lu
Shannon McMullan
Leah K Montgomery
Shannon Vose
The Intermediate team had difficult opposition in
this section. Strathearn was the first encounter and
unfortunately the girls had a heavy defeat, although
with their spirits still admirably high they had Sullivan B team in the next round, but again due to
unforeseen circumstances Sullivan had to concede
the points and so the inters got through.
The Senior Team
Robyn Christy
Hanna Geary
Natasha Ferguson
Jayne Russell
Sarah Walker
The senior team performed well even though they
only had 3 matches! The girls played Bloomfield
and Victoria in their first matches; unfortunately
they were narrowly defeated but they won against
Hunterhouse the following week in an exciting encounter.
I thoroughly enjoyed taking this group of girls –
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the
they are great fun and I look forward to watching
above girls for giving their time and indeed comtheir progress in the years to come. Thanks also
mitment to playing these matches. It was difficult
must go to Miss Henry, who helped coach the girls with exams playing havoc with training etc so well
on Tuesdays.
done to all involved!
Summer 2013
Page 49
U19 Groups
‘A’ team= 1st place and N.I. Champions
Gymnastics in Glenlola continues to go from
strength to strength, with 60 girls being registered
as members of the club for the 2012-2013 school
year. A record number of girls (40 from years 814) were entered in the Northern Ireland Schools’
Sports Acro Championships, where a total of 38
medals were won.
Ciara McCullough
Sarah Connolly
Rebecca Hendrickse
Sophie Oliver
Katie Lyall
Nicole Meier
‘B’ teams=2nd place
Northern Ireland Schools’ Results
Alex Gibney
Bobbi McCullough
Emma Cairnduff
Nicole Meier and Alice McDowell = 1st place and Anisa McConnell
Hannah Reid
N.I. Champions.
Emily McMullan
rd
Katie Lyall and Kirstie Oliver = 3 place.
Ruby Cave and Amber Cummins = 4th place
U19 Novice Pairs
U14 Pairs
Katie McCullough and Emily McMullan = 6th Leah Montgomery and Phoebe Preston– 1st Place
and N.I. Novice Champions.
place.
Jade Cullen and Tamsyn Cummins 2nd Place.
U14 Novice Pairs
Charlotte Turpitt and Jordan Rosborough = 1st
place and N.I. Novice Champions.
British Schools’ Sports Acro Finals
Kathryn Morrison and Megan Ogle = 2nd place
Anna Leeburn and Amy McCullagh = 3rd place
Atlanta Emberson and Rachel Totten = 4th place
Anna Shortt and Keeley Kneale = 5th place
U14 Groups
‘A’ team = 2nd place –
‘B’ team = 3rd place -
As winners of their respective Northern Ireland titles, the pair of Nicole Meier and Alice McDowell
and the U19 ‘A’ team qualified to represent
Glenlola and Northern Ireland at the British
Schools’ Sports Acro Finals. These were held on
the weekend of 11th – 12th May in Stoke-on-Trent.
Nicole and Alice took to the floor early on Saturday morning and performed a polished routine, but
Rebecca Drysdale,
the format was slightly different this year with no
Nicole Lowans, Rescores being held up. This meant that the girls had
becca Gilbert, Chloe
to wait until the lunchtime presentation to find out
Maxwell, Caitlin Meier their score – it was 8.30 and 4th place, a fantastic
and Kirstie Oliver.
achievement.
Lauren Fair, Katie
McCullough, Alice
McDowell, Katie
Montgomery, Julia
Shannon and Ceri
Watters.
The U19 group had to wait until 5.30pm for their
competition (valuable revision time for some!), but
when the time came, the girls performed a beautiful
routine – it was by far the best I had ever seen it.
Again, no scores were shown and the girls were
convinced that they had finished somewhere near
the bottom due to the very high standard of competition. However, much to their shock and delight,
Page 50
Issue 16
they scored 7.85 which secured them 4th place.
Usually people say that 4th place is the worst position to finish in, but not this time – the cheers and
shrieks said it all; to finish so high up against some
of the best young Acro gymnasts in the UK is a tremendous achievement and one which the girls and
I are very proud of.
the club without them. As they both move on to
new challenges, I would like to express my sincere
gratitude and wish them good luck for what lies
ahead for both of them.
Nicole Meier and Alice McDowell travelled to
Stoke-on-Trent to compete in the British Schools’
Sports Acro Gymnastics Finals on Saturday 12th
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Zahra May. The girls qualified for the finals having won
Prentice and Rebecca Nixon for all their hard work the U13 girls pairs event at the Northern Ireland
this year. They have worked as assistant coaches Championships in March.
in the gym and have both made a massive contribution to the club. Their enthusiasm for gymnastics The girls competed against 11 other pairs from
and Glenlola cannot be faulted and the pride they throughout the UK and performed a beautiful routake in our girls is a joy to see. I know that the tine, which scored 8.8 out of a maximum 10. This
girls have learned a lot from Zahra and Rebecca’s was enough to secure 3rd place and the girls
expertise this year and I could not have operated claimed the bronze medals.
U19’A’ Team 1
U19 ‘A’ Group Balance
Leah and Phoebe
Nicole and Alice
Charlotte and Jordan
U19 ‘B’ Team 1
Summer 2013
Page 51
Inters
Netball, both competitive and recreational, has continued to be enjoyed by a great many Glenlola girls
this year. Teams from all year groups have been
involved in various leagues, playing teams from
schools throughout Northern Ireland. We have also
been very lucky to secure the coaching services of
Mrs. Maureen Caughers, a netball coach with many
years experience at the top levels of netball in N.
Seniors
Ireland. The girls have definitely benefitted from
her wisdom and there has been a noticeable improvement in the standard of the play this year.
The Minor A, Junior A, Intermediate and Senior
teams all played in the Solsports Grammar League,
facing opposition from Regent House, Rockport,
Strathearn and Sullivan Upper. The girls also
played in the Northern Ireland Cup and Plate competitions.
Helen Hooks (Captain)
Brooke Angus
Sarah Mawhinney
Sophie Boyd
Molly Bret
Beth Emerson
Anna Henry
Esther Lau
Meredith Barnett
Bethan Edge
Rebecca McClelland
Clare Pollock
Robyn Christy
Courtney Rainey
Amy Dawson
Emma Matchett
Rebekah McLeer
Lucy Stewart
Rhianna Hennessey
Shannon Patterson
The Junior and Intermediate teams both reached the
finals of the Solsports Grammar League – the Intermediates drew with Regent House, becoming joint
League Champions. The Juniors will play Strathearn in their final, which will be played in June.
The Year 8‘A’ and ‘B’, Minor ‘B’, Junior ‘B’,
Year 11 and Year 12 teams have all played in the
TAGSA North Down League, playing teams from
Bangor Academy, Dundonald High, Glastry College, Nendrum College, Regent House and Strangford College.
The Junior team also had a very good run in the NI
Plate competition - they beat Lagan College in the
first round, Lismore Comprehensive in the second
round, before losing to the eventual Plate champions, a very talented team from Aquinas, in the
quarter-final.
The Year 8 ’A’ and ‘B’ teams were both undefeated in their respective sections and have qualified for the League semi-finals. The Year 10’B’
and Year 11 teams have also qualified for the
League semi-finals, which will be played in June.
Team members:
Minors
Juniors
Emily Glasgow (Captain)
Erin Callaghan
Cherie Bull
Leah Henderson
Hannah Clarke
Taylor Irwin
Jessica Courtney
Kasha Caldwell
Cherie Bull
Kathryn Simpson (Captain)
Katie Magee
Ruth Cox
Rachel Kennedy
Emilia Morrow
Samantha Dornan.
Hayley Walsh
Team members
Year 8‘A’
Hannah Graham (Captain)
Megan Ferguson
Katie McCausland
Anna Leeburn
Lydia Weir
Ashleigh Colgan
Jessica Dempster
Year 8’B’
Ellen Egan (Captain)
Olivia Vaughan
Kirstie Oliver
Emily Doherty
Anna Lindsay
Zara Dowds
Rachael Hinds
Kathryn Morrison
Megan Ogle
Brooke Stewart
Page 52
Minor ’B’
Junior ‘B’
Issue 16
Jordan Rosborough (Captain)
Morgan Finlay
Tara Millar
Ruby Cave
Sophie Ledlie
Zara Cosh
Katie Doherty
Megan Boyle
Molly McLarnon
Amber Cummins
Annie Doherty (Captain)
Leah Hamilton
Anna Morwood
Courteney Rainey
Bethany Conlon
Terri-anna Pinkney
Antonia Bennett
Year 11
Aimee Lennie (Captain)
Sarah Box
Laura Dickson
Rebecca Glasgow
Leah K. Montgomery
Faye Bower
Maana Chipawa
Rachel Hamilton
Year 12
Charlotte Sloan
Aimee Crawford
Daisy Lu
Lauren Wilkinson
Katie Stewart
Sarah Montgomery
Nicole Marchini
Jessica Keenan
letes moved to Ballykillare Sportsplex in order to
use their excellent track and field facilities. At this
point the athletics club went to three sessions a
week –Mondays, Thursdays and Saturday mornings.
With such large numbers at the track and so many
different events to coach, we were very fortunate to
be able to bring on board specialist coaches. Our
thanks go to Tom Reynolds, Paddy Mc Grattan,
Eugene Meleon and Wendy Phillips for their expertise and time.
These coaches alongside Miss Henry, Miss
Vaughan, Mrs Chambers and Miss Elliott ensured
that each group of girls received individual group
coaching and kept up a very high standard of health
and safety.
On Saturday 20 April our athletes had the first of
two competitions. The first one was with Strathearn, Hunterhouse and Methody at Ballykillare.
We also hosted the second competition on Saturday
27th April with Belfast Royal Academy, Sullivan,
Bloomfield and Strathearn. The idea behind these
matches was to give our athletes an opportunity to
compete in a competitive situation and to compete
in as many different events as they liked.
They also help greatly with team selection for the
District Championships.
We also had two Saturday sessions at the newly
revamped Mary Peters Track as both of our District
Championships were being held there.
The Senior and Intermediate District Championships took place on Wednesday 1 May. Unfortunately we had no Senior team due to pressure of
exams.
The Athletics Club started on Thursday 8 Novem- Intermediate Team
ber 2012 when thirty six girls began their training
in preparation for the forthcoming season.
Ellen Robinson– 100m & 80m Hurdles
Molly Bret – 100m
This year the club was opened up from the start of Elleana Hull – 200m & Javelin
training to any girl who was interested in joining.
Sarah Hatch – 200m
Over the next 4 months weekly tough physical ses- Orla Menzies – 800m
sions took place at Ward Park with Miss Henry. Zara Mulholland 1500m
Numbers peaked at forty three but there was never Sarah Connolly – High Jump & 80m Hurdles
less than thirty five athletes. Some of the ‘new’ Rebekah Rutherford – High Jump & Long Jump
girls found it too hard and dropped out after a few Daina Walton –Long Jump
weeks.
Esther Lau – Shot & Hammer
From the end of February 2013, this group of ath- Emma Stockton - Javelin
Summer 2013
Relay Team
Elleana Hull
Molly Bret
Sarah Connolly
Ellen Robinson
Page 53
Megan Inglis – Triple Jump
Anna Campbell – Discus & Hammer
Joy Eadie – Shot & Javelin
Terri-Anna Pinkey - Shot
Relay
Imogen Coulter
Olivia Cumming
Kirsty O’Neill
Saskia Greer.
The Junior team performed very well –
Saskia Greer – 1st in 100m & 2nd in 200m
Olivia Cumming – 1st in 200m & 1st in Long Jump
Kirsty O’Neill – 1st in High Jump
Joy Eadie – 3rd in Javelin
The Relay Team were 2nd
The Intermediate girls performed very well –
Ellen Robinson - 3rd in 100m & 3rd in 80m Hurdles
Elleana Hull - 1st in 200m & 3rd in Javelin
Zara Mulholland – 3rd in 1500m
Sarah Connolly – 1st in High Jump & 2nd in 80m
Hurdles
Rebekah Rutherford – 1st in Long Jump & 3rd in
High Jump
Daina Walton – 3rd in Long Jump
Esther Lau – 3rd in Hammer
All of these girls qualified for the Ulster Schools
Finals.
Overall the Junior team won their section and so
Glenlola Collegiate retained the Junior District
Shield.
Minor Team
Olivia Vaughan – 100m & Long Jump
Anna Forsythe – 100m
Mollie Brown – 800m
Jasmine Doherty – 800m
Hannah Graham – Long Jump
Zara Dowds – High Jump
Anna Campbell – Shot
The Relay team were 1ST in a new District record
Relay
of 50.86 secs.
Mollie Brown
Olivia Vaughan
Hannah Graham
The Minor & Junior Districts took place at Mary
Anna Forsythe.
th
Peters Track on Friday 10 May 2013.
inter athletics 2013
The Minor results were slightly disappointing with
only two individuals getting through to the Ulster
Junior Team
Finals
All of these girls qualified for the Ulster Finals.
Saskia Greer – 100m & 200m
Olivia Cumming – 200m & Long Jump
Kirsty O’ Neill - 100m & High Jump
Emily Johnston -800m
Hannah Reid -800m
Anna Mc Kee – 1500m
Sian Walton – Long Jump
Olivia Vaughan -3rd in 100m & 3rd in Long Jump
Mollie Brown – 2nd in 800m
The Relay team won their semi-final by the proverbial mile, but were correctly disqualified for a
changeover infringement. If lessons are learned
from this, the relay has very good potential.
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Issue 16
13.20secs and 4th in the 200m with a run of
27.89secs.
The Ulster Schools Finals are the last hurdle before Joy Eadie was 8th in the Javelin with a throw of
the Irish Finals, so the pressure to perform on the 18.11m.
day is immense especially when you have to finish
in the top two in sprints or top three in races over The Relay team of Olivia Vaughan, Olivia Cum400m and all field events.
ming, Kirsty O’Neill and Saskia Greer were a disappointing 5th in the final.
The weather at Antrim Forum on the day was the
worst anyone could ever remember; it rained heav- Minor Results
ily from 9.00am and was still raining when we
were leaving at 6.30pm. All the athletes deserve Olivia Vaughan was 8th in the 100m in a time of
great credit for producing excellent performances 14.50secs and was 7th in the Long Jump with a
in horrendous conditions.
jump of 3.81m(well below her best)
Ulster Finals
Intermediate Results
Ellen Robinson was 5th in a very fast 100m in a
time of 13.32secs and 5th in the 80m hurdles
in14.08secs.
Elleana Hull was 2nd in the 200m in 26.81secs and
came 2nd in the Javelin with a throw of 26.48m.
This meant that Elleana was through to the Irish
Schools Finals in both events.
Sarah Connolly was 2nd in the High Jump with a
jump of 1.56m and she was 4th in the 80m hurdles
in 12.29secs.
Rebekah Rutherford was 3rd in the High Jump with
a jump of 1.53m.
Daina Walton was 6th in the Long Jump with a
jump of 4.55m.
Zara Mulholland was 8th in the 1500m in a time of
5mins31.17secs
Mollie Brown was 7th in the 800m in a time of
2mins 33.8secs
Irish Schools Finals—Tullamore
As a result of the Ulster Finals we had 7 girls, including the Intermediate relay, through to the Irish
Finals at Tullamore on Saturday 1 June.
The Irish Finals is a very long day with events
starting at 9.00am and finishing after 6.00pm.
Our first two events were at 11.00am with Elleana
Hull in the Intermediate Javelin and Olivia Cumming in the Junior Long Jump.
Elleana came 5th with a new personal best of
27.81m, while Olivia finished 8th equalling her personal best with a jump of 4.73m.
Olivia was back in action at 2.30pm in the Junior
200m. In a very fast race she finished 6th setting a
The Relay team ran a brilliant race to finish 2nd in a new personal best of 26.97secs.
time of 50.9secs
Ten minutes later Elleana was running in the Intermediate 200m. The standard of this race was inJunior Results
credible with the first four athletes all finishing in
under 25secs. Elleana finished in 8th place in a new
personal best time of 26.39secs.
The Intermediate High Jump was next on our
agenda with Sarah Connolly and Rebekah Rutherford competing.
Sarah jumped brilliantly to win a bronze medal
with a new personal best of 1.65m.
Rebekah was disappointed to finish joint 5th with a
Olivia Cumming was 1st in the 200m in a time of jump of 1.50m but what she must remember is that,
27.19secs and was 3rd in the Long Jump with a like Elleana, she has another year at intermediate
level.
jump of 4.34m.
Saskia Greer was 4th in the 100m in a time of
The final six events of the day are the relays which
Summer 2013
are always eagerly anticipated. Our quartet of
Elleana Hull, Molly Bret, Sarah Connolly and Ellen
Robinson ran really well to finish 2nd in a time of
50.57secs. Winning silver medals was the perfect
end to a long successful day. This relay team have
equalled the best ever result by a Glenlola relay
team at Irish Schools Finals. They have also set a
new record time for any Glenlola Collegiate relay
team.
Page 55
Minor Results
Olivia Vaughan - 3rd in 100m and 3rd in Long Jump
Mollie Brown – 2nd in 800m
All these girls have qualified for the Ulster Schools
Finals at Antrim Forum Track on 17 & 18 May.
Many congratulations to all our athletes this season
for their hard work, commitment and dedication it On Saturday 17 November a number of girls from
proves that hard work will pay off.
Glenlola Collegiate competed in the Northern Ireland Schools Trampolining championships and enMany thanks to Miss Vaughan, Miss Elliott and joyed considerable success. The results were as folMrs Chambers for all their help with coaching from lows:
February right through to the Irish Finals at the
start of June. Their input has been invaluable and I In the U13 Novice Individual section Emily Doknow that all the athletes have appreciated it.
herty finished 1st. In the U13 Elite Individual section Bethany Hughes finished 1st.
Intermediate District Athletics Championships
The U13 Novice Team of Emily Doherty, Zara
Ellen Robinson – 3rd in 100m & 3rd in 80m
Cosh, Amy Zissler and Ruby Cave finished in 2nd
Hurdles
position.
Elleana Hull -1st in 200m & 3rd in Javelin
Zara Mulholland -3rd in 1500m
In the U19 Novice Individual section Jessica RodSarah Connolly – 1st in High Jump & 2nd in 80m
gers was 1st and Rebecca Hendrickse was 3rd.
Hurdles
Rebekah Rutherford – 1st in Long Jump & 3rd in
In the U19 Elite Individual competition Jessica
Bush finished in 3rd position.
High Jump
Daina Walton – 3rd in Long Jump
Esther Lau - 3rd in Hammar
The U19 Novice Team of Tori Brown, Rebecca
Hendrickse, Michelle Lee and Jessica Rodgers also
The Intermediate Relay Team of Elleana Hull,
finished in 1st position.
Molly Bret, Sarah Connolly and Ellen Robinson
were 1st in a time of 50.86 secs - setting a new
district record.
All these girls have qualifies for the Ulster Schools
Finals at Antrim Forum Track on 17 & 18 May.
Results from Minor and Junior
District Athletics
Junior Results
Saskia Greer – 1st in 100m and 2nd 200m
Olivia Cumming – 1st in 200m and 1st Long Jump
Kirsty O’Neill – 1st in High Jump
Joy Eadie – 3rd in Javelin
4x100m Relay team 2nd – Kirsty O’Neill, Imogen
Coulter, Olivia Cumming, Saskia Greer
Page 56
Issue 16
GCSE GCSE ART WORK