Issue 10 - Summer 2010

It is with pleasure that I write this report as another
academic year draws to a close. The past twelve months,
of which I have been witness to fewer than four, have
been as busy and productive as ever for the School,
offering much to look back on with pride. My arrival as
Headmaster, despite its unusual timing, has been a
positive experience. I have been made to feel at home by
helpful and welcoming pupils and supported in taking up
the helm by a dedicated and committed staff. This year
has seen some significant staffing changes. Mr R Lowry,
Vice Principal retired early in 2010, soon to be followed
by Mr R J Finlay whose contribution as Headmaster over
the past 18 years leaves a legacy of excellence throughout
the School.
The new academic year in August will begin in the
absence of two long serving members of staff as they
embark on what we trust will be long and happy
retirements. Mrs J Bell, a former pupil, has been with us
for 25 years as teacher of Music, Head of Middle School,
Senior Teacher and Acting Vice Principal. Her time here
has been characterised, both in the classroom and as a
School Leader, by her talent and dedication and by the
high regard in which she has been held by both pupils
and colleagues.
Mrs H Cole has been bringing
Mathematics to life in the classroom for some 22 years.
Her excellent skill and commitment as a teacher have
played no small part in helping to make Mathematics
such a successful and popular subject in the School.
Mr Finlay’s secretary, Mrs M Swain retired in May
taking with her a wealth of knowledge and experience
acquired through 22 years of loyal service. The same
month also saw the departure from our non-teaching staff
after 32 years of Mrs A Morrow, whose break-time
scones, always eagerly anticipated, served to help many a
weary teacher through their busy day.
It is always a pleasure to receive happy news of additions
to the families of our staff and we send congratulations to
Mrs J Redpath, Mr I Hamilton and Mrs J Wotherspoon
on the births of their respective daughters and to Mr D
Jones on that of his son. It is reassuring to note that the
female population has been so well represented in this
most recent batch of new arrivals! We also wish Mr G
Proctor well on his forthcoming marriage to Laura in July
and thank him for his valuable contribution to the Music
Department this year.
We are sad to say goodbye to Miss S Ritchie who has
given so willingly and enthusiastically to teaching and to
the extra curricular life of the School. Our loss is Regent
House Physics Department’s gain.
The past year has been punctuated throughout by
successes and special events too numerous to
acknowledge fully in these few paragraphs. In the Spring
term the School was honoured to receive a visit from
Baroness Scotland, Attorney General for England and
Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland.
Subject specific trips to Paris and London ensured that
the girls’ learning experiences extended far beyond the
confines of the classroom and the Ski Trip to New
England, proved to be a great success once again. In
sport and extra curricular activities there has been much
to celebrate with outstanding team and individual
achievements in Hockey, Netball, Athletics, Gymnastics,
Swimming, Trampolining, Tennis, Public Speaking and
Creative Writing to name but a few.
Cygnet House, the School’s Preparatory Department,
enjoyed another successful year and I thank all parents
for the support and spirit they have shown in recent
months.
February saw the reconstitution of our Board of
Governors. Thanks are due to Mrs L Breen, Mrs S
Havlin and Mr D Garland for the service they have given
and we welcome Mr D Gray, Mr B Dunne and Mrs J Bell
in their new roles, confident that the knowledge and
experience they bring from their particular fields will be
of great benefit to the School. I am grateful to our
Governors who give so selflessly and generously of their
time in order to perform such important and demanding
work.
Glenlola Collegiate is a School that prides itself on the
high standards of academic achievement, behaviour and
appearance that are maintained by its pupils. I wish to
thank all parents for their continued support in helping us
to implement our new policy on school uniform and in
particular, skirt length. We believe that, since the
introduction of the new skirt length and other uniform
changes, there is an even stronger sense of pride in the
School. It is through the collective efforts of teachers,
pupils and parents that Glenlola Collegiate is at its best
and we will continue to encourage and build on the strong
culture of cooperation that we
value so highly. For me, the end
of this year is only the beginning
and I look forward to ensuring
that Glenlola Collegiate and the
young people in our care continue
to flourish in the years to come.
W E Thompson
Headmaster
Page 2
This February saw the retirement of Richard
Finlay, Headmaster of Glenlola Collegiate since
1992. Educated at Methodist College, Belfast, Mr
Finlay took a degree in Arts with a postgraduate
diploma in Education at Queen’s University. He
also holds a MSc degree from University of
Ulster. His sporting credentials are impressive; he
played senior hockey and cricket for QUB, being
awarded a University Blue in both, was a member
of the British Universities’ hockey team and won
Ulster and Irish Senior Cups in hockey.
Entering the profession as Geography, Geology
and Politics teacher in his alma mater, Mr Finlay
used his sporting prowess to contribute to extracurricular hockey, cricket and rugby.
In 1979 he was appointed to the South Eastern
Education and Library Board, where he served a
number of different sectors as Education Officer.
One of his particular interests was the devolving
of budgetary control to schools under the Local
Management of Schools system.
During his time at Glenlola Collegiate, Mr Finlay
guided the School through changing educational
currents with a combination of great
organisational and managerial skills, drive and
enthusiasm.
He was instrumental in the
successful application for a Charter Mark in 1997.
Summer 2010
That same year saw the celebration of the
centenary of the founding of Glenlola with a series
of events, culminating in dinner at the Culloden
Hotel.
The project with which he will forever be
associated, however, is the building of the new
school. This long drawn out process finally came
to an end in 2003, when we took possession of a
brand new building with superb ICT facilities and
classrooms – all under the one roof! The official
opening by Prince Andrew was an opportunity to
recognise the immense contribution by Mr Finlay
to the provision of educational facilities for girls
in the Bangor area and beyond.
In addition, Mr Finlay developed partnerships
across the educational community as first
Chairman of the North Down and Ards Learning
Partnership and through his links with local
primary and post-primary schools. He was closely
involved with the Association of Controlled
Grammar Schools and the arrangements which
have arisen out of the new transfer procedure.
We thank him for his long and dedicated service
to the School and wish him a very happy
retirement.
J Bell (Mrs)
Vice Principal
Summer 2010
On matters relating to School uniform, I wish to thank all parents for their
continued support in helping us to implement our new policy on school uniform
and in particular, skirt length. As well as protecting pupils’ modesty and their
personal safety as they travel to and from School, we believe that, since the
introduction of the new skirt length and other uniform changes, there is a stronger
sense of pride in the School which is to be welcomed.
Page 3
Page 4
Full credit must be given this year to the fabulous
teams of House Officials as well as to all those
girls who played their part by entering
competitions, donating pennies or simply
supporting events.
This was one of the most
closely
contested
competitions for many
years with Clanmorris
never further than 15
points behind Hamilton
for the duration of the
events. Caroline Crawford
must be acknowledged for
the spirited way in which
she led Clanmorris
throughout the year.
The year always begins
with points carried over
from the previous year’s
exam results and this time
it also included the
2008/2009 penny tally.
Hamilton set the tone for
their year with 3 excellent
results of 1st in AS results
and 2nd in GCSE closely followed by 3rd place
overall in the A2 results. Ward topped the GCSE
results and Harte came out top in A2.
Clanmorris collected the most pennies and the 30
points for first place, and, as was to be repeated
throughout the year, they were closely followed by
Hamilton in 2nd and Harte in 3rd.
The rounders competition is always the first
competitive event that allows the new Year 8 to
get a feel of what the house system is all about, it
also gives the new House Officials the chance to
show their true colours – the louder and more
coordinated the better. Dufferin Year 8s had the
best fielders and batters on the day and came away
with first place, followed by Hamilton in 2nd and
again Clanmorris in 3rd place.
Much to Mrs Sinnerton’s delight, Weir won their
first competition of the year in the General
Knowledge quiz.
Summer 2010
Harte’s excellent run of form promptly ended in
this event when they came 6th but they would soon
amend this loss of points in the next competition.
Cheerleading is definitely one of the most
prestigious events in the House Calendar. The
amount of time and perseverance
shown by the Year 11 and 12s
involved makes success much
sweeter.
There was no doubt that Harte
stole the show with their routine
winning 1st place, followed by
Hamilton in 2nd place.
As ever, the Choral competition
proved popular with both
participants and supporters. Some
Houses went the extra mile and
made their own props, namely the
winners Clanmorris who sang their
version of “Lollipop” and came on
stage equipped with their own
giant lollipops!
Harte and Clanmorris faired best
overall in the netball competitions
with 2nd and 3rd places in both, however Dufferin
managed to win the Junior and Hamilton won the
Senior.
The logo design linked in with the Comenius
Project gave our more creative girls the chance to
compete for their House.
Each House had to submit designs that conveyed
the message “A Sustainable life” and it was once
again Clanmorris that collected the 30 points for
this competition.
It should be noted that at this point in the year after
11 competitions and a massive 1175 points up for
grabs, there were just 5 points between the top
two. Hamilton was in 1st place on 245 followed by
Clanmorris on 240.
Hamilton, for the 4th consecutive year won the
mobile phone recycling competition with 84
phones followed by Weir in 2nd with 28.
Summer 2010
Page 5
If ever there was a point at which Clanmorris
needed to gain momentum on Hamilton they
made sure of that in the public speaking
competitions. They had tremendous success, and
an additional 60 points, by winning the Junior and
tying 1st with Dufferin in the Senior.
That said, it was no surprise that the outcome
would once again be extremely close. Mrs
Hughes’ Clanmorris won the overall competition,
with Hamilton House finishing only 5 points
behind them in 2nd place. Harte finished in 3rd
place followed by their main rivals Weir in 4th.
There was now an overall tie for first place with
Hamilton and Clanmorris on 335 points,
meanwhile another race for 3rd place had begun
between Weir and Harte who, after 13
competitions were just 5 points apart, Harte on
255 and Weir on 250.
The winners of the shield were only confirmed
moments before the shield was to be presented in
the final assembly which really added to the
excitement.
Weir, needing a win to gain points on Harte did
just that in the Hockey winning both Junior and
Senior competitions. Harte was, unbeatable in the
pool and comfortably won the gala, but Weir
didn’t let up and finished in 2nd place.
After seventeen competitions, the House Shield
was unbelievably going to be decided by the final
event, the Year 14 Car Trials. It seemed quite
fitting that after all the hard work by the house
officials throughout the year, it would fall to them
to determine the final result.
The unpredictable nature of the car trials means
that anyone could win it. The girls’ navigational
skills are tested along with their theoretical
knowledge, not to mention their ability to
manoeuvre around some tricky challenges set in
the school grounds.
It was not to be for Clanmorris who fell 15 points
short of victory and finished in 2nd place. The
battle between Weir and Harte ended with them
sharing 3rd place with 320 points each. Ward lifted
the wooden spoon for 6th place with 245 points,
Dufferin finished 5th on 270.
As for Hamilton, 405 points saw us lifting the
House Shield for the second year in row!
I would like to take this opportunity to thanks
Miss Byrne for overseeing the competitions this
year, Mr Hamilton for keeping tally of the points
and to Mrs Hughes Mr Armstrong, Mrs Spence,
Miss Gregg and Mrs Sinnerton for their untiring
enthusiasm in making the House System the
success that it is.
Miss V McAuley
Head of Hamilton
.
Page 6
Summer 2010
On the 1 May 2009, Mr
Finlay announced the Head
Girl and Deputies for the
2009/2010 academic year.
It has been a year of taking
assemblies, meeting and
greeting, the new Honours
Blazer (commonly called
the ‘blue blazer’) and of
course
applying
for
university and doing some
work for my A-levels.
The year officially
began on the 3
September 2009,
when all eighteen
senior
officials
received their ties
and prefect badges
in Assembly.
The first major event in the School Calendar was
Prize Distribution on the 9 September. It is a very
important and public event for the school at which
the girls are honoured for their achievements in the
previous academic year. This year our special
guest was Tina Campbell, of UTV. My first duty
as Head Girl was the Vote of Thanks to Tina. I
was quite nervous as there were lots of people in
the assembly hall but it seemed to go well.
An important part of my role, along with the
deputy head girls and prefects, was raising money
for charity.
The charities were chosen in
September. This year we split the school into
three groups: Junior School raised money for two
African charities – TLC, an orphanage in
Johannesburg and Kiwoko Hospital in Uganda;
Middle School supported cancer charities – Marie
Curie and a MRI scanner for children in Northern
Ireland and Senior School raised money for Tiny
Life, a charity based in Belfast that aids premature
babies in local hospitals. The Junior and Middle
school prefects worked hard to raise money for
their charities, between tea parties, a movie
afternoon and an abseil down Scrabo Tower. I
want to thank them for their hard work.
afternoon in which
Year 14 take to the
stage to perform a
play written and
directed by the year
group. It was a great
afternoon, on the
theme of “A Glenlola
Carol: Tribute to
Finners” in honour of our retiring headmaster, Mr
Finlay. We had teachers dressed up as Scooby
Doo and friends, Irish Dancing and disco dancing
to Abba. Younger pupils and teachers paid to
watch the show and we were delighted to raise
£765 for charity. In February we had a quiz in
Bangor Rugby Club. This was a really fun
evening, with many parents, teachers and senior
school pupils coming along for a competitive
night. Thank you to our quiz master and the many
businesses who donated ballot prizes which all
added to the success of the night with £1000
raised. More recently, fifteen senior pupils ran in
the Belfast Marathon relay to raise money for
Tiny Life, and the Junior School charities. We
had a team of Senior Officials, House Captains
and Junior School Prefects. It was a fun day in
Belfast, with each girl completing her leg of the
race, despite a severe lack of training. I would
like to thank Mrs Patterson for her encouragement
and help as she organises the School’s charity
work. The overall total raised was an impressive
£15,040.
A highlight of the year was the Year 14 Formal,
held on Friday 23 October 2009 in Clandeboye
Lodge. Planning for the night started back in
June, when we chose the band. However things
were really put into gear in September when the
Formal Committee was selected. A group of six
girls, along with the support of Mrs Lowry and
Mrs Flannigan, planned all the details of the
evening. We decided on the menu, made name
cards
and
favours
for
each
place
setting and a
PowerPoint
display of our
Year 8 school
We organised a number of events to raise money photos.
for the Senior School charity. The first was the
Extravaganza, just before Christmas. This is an
Summer 2010
This was kept on loop throughout the meal so there
was no escape. You could see each girl panicking
as her turn came round again…and again! I want to
thank the Formal Committee of Tara Baird, Debra
Dickson, Nicola Henry, Chloe Johnston, Carla
Milne and Rachael Stewart for all their time and
effort, making the formal a great success.
At our formal we said goodbye to our amazing Year
Head, Mr Harding, as he left us to take up his
position as Head of Home Economics. After half
term we welcomed the equally amazing Dr
McBride to the position. I feel very privileged to
have worked with both teachers over the past year.
The next event in the school calendar was the Carol
Service, on the 10 December, in Bangor Parish
Church. It was a lovely candlelit evening of Nine
Lessons and Carols, to lead us into Christmas.
On Friday 26 February, we said farewell to Mr
Finlay, after his eighteen years of service to the
school as Headmaster. We had an assembly at
which we presented him with a Magnolia Tree in a
blue pot, on behalf of all the girls. I wish Mr Finlay
a happy retirement, and welcome Mr Thompson
and wish him well as the new Headmaster.
Within the last few months, I have been preparing
for the Year 14’s last days at Glenlola. A yearbook
was designed, again with the help of a very capable
committee. Hoodies were ordered with the name of
every girl in the year group printed on the back. On
Friday 30 April the yearbook and hoodies arrived
bringing a scene of destruction to the Sixth Form
Centre as many tears were shed while girls
exchanged yearbooks to write each other messages.
We knew our time at Glenlola Collegiate was
coming to an end.
Page 7
On Tuesday 4 May, the Year 14’s descended on
Glenlola for the last time, dressed as ninjas (black
tops, leggings and blue PE pants) and armed with
water guns. However it was mainly the teachers
cars that got wet! The last day was great. We had a
year group photo taken, which I am sure will be
treasured for years to
come
and
two
assemblies, including a
Leavers’ Assembly, at
which the three deputies
and I addressed the
school for the last time.
Of course that was not the end, as we still had the
Leavers’ Dinner to attend that evening at the
Marine Court Hotel. This was the best Year 14
event, with the girls and teachers sitting together
throughout the meal and speeches. These included
a joint speech from our two year heads Mr Harding
and Dr McBride accompanied by a video of
embarrassing photos. There was also a toast to the
school by Head of Senior School Mr Montgomery
and a toast to the girls by our Headmaster Mr
Thompson.
However, the best and most
embarrassing moment was saved to the last. We
had “funny awards”, voted for by the Year 14 girls,
including the “Garnier Award for Dedication to
Makeup” and the “Little Miss Chatterbox” Award.
The night was a great end to our time at Glenlola
Collegiate.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all the
teachers who work so hard to help us develop our
full potential and achieve the best exam grades we
can. I also want to
say a huge thank you
to my three Deputies,
Sheelagh Fox, Ciara
Lucas and Sarah
Mossey, who have
been involved in all of
the activities during
the past year.
As I look back at my
seven years at
Glenlola Collegiate, and especially at the past year
as Head Girl, I have so many good memories. The
year has given me new experiences and skills
which I am sure will be invaluable to me in the
future.
Kerry Adrain (Head Girl)
Page 8
Summer 2010
After the first morning with our instructors we
were glad of a break and headed to the lodge for
lunch. We immediately joined the queue for chips
and. Refuelled and ready to go, we hit the slopes
for another few hours practising our manoeuvres.
Unfortunately the first morning brought with it the
first injury and Courtney Irvine had to be taken to
the local hospital. After an X-ray she returned,
injury-free.
At around 3.30pm our lessons
finished and we all seemed to enjoy our first day
on the slopes. When we arrived back at the hotel
most of us headed straight to the pool to relax and
de-stress our muscles.
On the Saturday 27 March we left school to travel
to Dublin airport for our flight to Boston, USA.
The flight was expected to take six hours and the
time flew because we were all full of excitement.
Before we knew it the announcement of “Ladies
and gentlemen we are now approaching Boston
Airport” was heard and the excitement began to
grow.
When we arrived at our hotel we headed to our
rooms, ate dinner and had time to explore. We
found the swimming pool and Jacuzzi before
retiring to bed for an early rise the next day, 6am!
Sunday saw our first day skiing. At Loon Ski
Resort we received our boots, skis and helmets.
Finally, we were all kitted out and ready to hit
the slopes. The sun was shining and the snow
was glistening, what a perfect day to start skiing.
Having had a few hours to relax we all headed to
Wal-Mart. Even though it’s our equivalent to
Tesco, we were so excited as it was so big and full
of sweets.
On the third evening we took a trip to the local
cinema in Lincoln. Most of the girls opted to see
“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” which was extremely
unusual, but highly entertaining.
A further, very memorable activity was the night
we went bowling. All of the girls were throwing
the bowling balls as straight as they could.
You could hear the teachers on the other side
getting increasingly competitive with Mr
McMillan and Miss McAuley fighting it down to
the last strike.
Summer 2010
For many, the most enjoyable part of the trip was
when it rained solidly for two days. Not wanting
to waste any of our valuable ski time we dressed
ourselves ready for the slopes. Loon Mountain
was a washout but we used the empty slopes to
our advantage. By the time we stopped for lunch
we were all totally drenched.
Page 9
Of course, 45 people cramming into
Abercrombie was a tight squeeze but it was
worth it to get those all-important purchases.
A fantastic time was had by all.
Many
memorable falls were had and many friendships
formed. For all of us, I can safely say that
everyone had a most amazing time and we are
really grateful to have had the opportunity to be
part of such a great experience.
Tara Lawson
Year 12
However, our spirits were not dampened and with
a choice of going back to the hotel or return to the
gruelling slopes, we all chose the slopes.
Even though we were all ‘numb’ at the end of the
day, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and were
proud that we skied through the rain.
After two days skiing at Loon Mountain, we then
moved onto another resort – Waterville Valley.
After a day of skiing at Waterville Valley we
quickly changed, boarded a big yellow American
school bus and headed to Steeplegate shopping
mall and the allimportant Abercrombie and Fitch
store.
Page 10
From 22 - 24 February 2010, thirty three AS
Geography students were based at Magilligan
Field Centre, Co Londonderry, where they
carried out fieldwork for their AS course.
Divided into two groups, over three days, they
worked with the centre staff to collect essential
data. Both groups were studying the sand dune
ecosystems at Umbra Nature Reserve, part of
Magilligan Strand.
The aim was to investigate changes found in this
sand dune ecosystem. Pupils worked along a
transect from the youngest dunes nearest the
beach to the oldest dunes several hundred metres
inland. They wanted to find out what was
happening to the soil, vegetation species and
microclimate.
In order to do this, they were reminded of the
various fieldwork techniques and each group
gained experience in:
• using a quadrant to record vegetation
species,
• measuring the gradient of the dune system,
• recording wind speed, wind direction and
amount of light,
• taking soil samples.
Summer 2010
When all the data had been collected, the
students returned to the field centre at Bellarena.
After a lovely dinner and having thawed out,
they returned to the classroom where they were
all able to use the data to help achieve their
aims.
Opportunity was provided to use equipment
which allowed them to measure the organic and
moisture content of the soil. They also used
statistical methods to compare the relationship
between the moisture content of the soil and
how it changed with increasing distance from
the shoreline.
The visit was extremely beneficial as it has
allowed the students to prepare thoroughly for
the fieldwork question in their AS examination
in the summer term.
N Sinnerton (Mrs)
Summer 2010
Page 11
Page 12
Summer 2010
Year 14 Geography pupils visited W5 in January
as part of a series of lectures being held by the
Royal Society. Professor Iain Stewart addressed
the topic of volcanoes which is an important part
of the A2 Geography curriculum.
During his lecture, Professor Stewart looked at
some of the Earth’s most volatile volcanoes
including Erta Ale in Ethiopia and Mount St
Helens. He also looked at how they can be
valuable windows providing an insight into how
the world works.
Professor Stewart, from the University of
Plymouth, is a geologist and broadcaster. His
interests on the social impacts of geological
hazards have led to several BBC science series,
most notably Earth; The Power of The Planet.
The talk was supported by Geological Survey of
Northern Ireland.
N Sinnerton (Mrs)
Summer 2010
On Saturday 27 March 2010, three pupils
attended the Belfast Royal Academy Ulster
Schools’ Show Jumping competition, held at
Knockaghview Equestrian Centre in
Greenisland. Gina Black (Year 10) was first into
the ring riding Hektor, followed by Zara
Mulholland (Year 8) on Star and Messina
Harvey (Year 9) on Princess Peaches. All three
went clear around the course and went through
to the jump off to decide the winner. Again all
three went clear and had very fast times.
Messina was the fastest of the three and was
placed 5th overall. Gina had a steady, yet speedy
round and finished 7th whilst Zara also went
clear and was placed 8th. Well done to all three
girls who rode extremely well and worked hard
to make sure their ponies were clean and ready
to go. Thanks must go to their parents and
helpers who gave them support and
encouragement.
Page 13
Throughout the season several other pupils
participated in this show jumping league. They
include:
Leah Jackson (Year 8) on
My Black and White Dream
Gemma McIlwaine (Year 9) on
Burrenbridge
Rebecca Hendrickse (Year 9) on
PJ
Holly Hayes (Year 13) on
Lulu
Alexandra Ryan (Year 8) on
Hanmere Gold Soverign
All of these girls also took part in training days,
run by Mrs Sinnerton, at Gransha Equestrian
Centre. We are grateful to Adrienne Stuart for
the use of her facilities.
Next year’s league will be one to look forward
to because there is plenty of potential in all of
the girls who took part in events this year.
N Sinnerton (Mrs)
Page 14
Summer 2010
On the 25 November, our
class went to the STEM
project in the King’s Hall,
Belfast.
The presenter showed us his favourite shapes and
some were really wacky, like a circle, that you
could cut in half. Instead of it falling into two
pieces, it became two circles!
STEM stands for Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics and stalls were set
up all around the King’s Hall were stalls, which
included experiments involving all four subjects.
Our whole class was really excited to go and we
enjoyed it very much.
One of my favourite experiments was the
mathematics one.
We also visited a stall that enabled us to find out
what kind of finger print we had and let us
conduct an investigation for substances to find out
which substance was pure gluten!
Sophie Hipson
Year 9k
Visit us at
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Find information on subjects,
extracurricular activities,
current news and events
and much more!
Summer 2010
Page 15
Sarah Thompson, Year 13 GCSE—Art and
Design Award Winning coursework on display
at the True Colours exhibition at CEA, Belfast
on Tuesday, 2 February 2010.
R Hawkins
In November 2009 a class of Year 10 pupils took
part in an RSPB survey to investigate the invasive
species present on the rocky shore at Ballyholme,
Bangor. These non-native plants and animals have
an effect on native species, often out-competing
them for resources. Many also have an impact on
the environment in which they live, destroying
specialised habitats and collectively these factors
place native species in danger of local extinction.
The study of invasive species in Northern Ireland
is part of the Year 10 Biology Ecology unit.
The survey was part of a much larger UK study,
the aim of which is to gather data from different
shore habitats to create a National Invasive
Species database. Regular surveys of the selected
areas will allow scientists to monitor the spread of
these species with the possibility of intervening at
an early stage to control their effect.
Some of the invasive species, such as the
Snakelock anemone, found at Ballyholme, may be
used as indicators of global warming and may
help to explain the change in species diversity
which is evident in many shore habitats.
Page 16
Summer 2010
On 23 April, the CCF had their Biennial
Inspection. The inspecting officer was Rear
Admiral Martin Alabaster who is Flag Officer
Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland
(FOSNNI) and Flag Officer Reserves. He spent
time in the morning watching and talking to the
cadets as they carried out training exercises at
Donaghadee and Palace Barracks.
In the
afternoon we had our parade at Bangor Grammar
school.
As this is the 150th Anniversary of the cadet
movement, we invited parents and staff to attend
the parade and this gave the cadets an added
incentive to look smart and do their best. It was
very impressive to see nearly 200 cadets on parade
and the Admiral expressed his delight at being
able to share this special occasion with us.
D Spence (Mrs)
On Thursday 4 February, several budding
engineers from Year 13 had the opportunity to
attend an Engineering conference in the Whitla
Hall at Methodist College. The conference
provided an opportunity for us to get a better
understanding of what engineering is and the
many different types of engineering that exist
today.
Throughout the morning we heard from various
people involved in engineering and from recently
qualified Engineering Graduates. One particular
speaker Dr Peter Hughes, Director of Scottish
Engineering, spoke about his career as an
engineer and frequently asked us questions about
engineering, rewarding anyone who answered
with a £5 note!
After the speeches there was a small fair in the
Whitla Hall which gave us the opportunity to
meet with representatives from universities
throughout the UK and enquire about different
engineering courses on offer at the universities.
In the afternoon we were taken on a site visit of
our choice. We were given the opportunity to
visit various different types of engineering
companies and we chose to go to the System
Operator for Northern Ireland (SONI) Ltd and
experience electrical engineering.
At SONI we were taken on a guided tour of the
building as well as seeing the control room where
all the electricity is distributed to various parts of
Northern Ireland. The staff at SONI then gave
short presentations on what their job as an
electrical engineer involves and how they came to
work for SONI.
Engineering our Future was a really beneficial
conference and helped us to gain a better
understanding of the different types of
engineering and the wide range of career
prospects that engineering can bring. It also gave
us an indication of the types of engineering
courses available at different universities
throughout the UK.
Suzanne Hamilton
Krissy Payne
Year 13
Summer 2010
Page 17
IMC is a very challenging competition for all schools in the UK. Congratulations to all the
award winning Year 11 pupils who took part in IMC, on Thursday 4 February 2010.
Toni Miskimmon, who is the top award winner this year received a Gold certificate.
The following four girls obtained Silver certificates
Holli Burgon
Robyn Christy
Megan Parsons
Jayne Russell
The following fifteen girls obtained Bronze certificates.
Louise Black
Rachel Courtney
Sophie Deaney
Sarah Gamble
Hanna Geary
Naomi Hanlon
Katie Kerr
Tara Martin
Sara Matthews
Holly Milne
Catherine Moore
Thatsani McCoo
Laurie McVeigh
Rebecca Robinson
Jessica Ross
Page 18
Following the visit of a number of Year 14 girls
to Kiwoko Hospital in Uganda in the summer of
2009, they proposed the hospital as one of the
Junior School nominated charities. The hospital
was founded by Ian Clarke from Bangor
originally, and his niece is a past pupil. There is
an income generating programme at the hospital
to support women and children with HIV/Aids.
Glenlola Collegiate School placed an order for
1,000 hand-made bracelets, which was a
tremendous boost for the women.
Girls were then given the opportunity to buy
bracelets in school, each with a label telling the
name of the person who had made the bracelet.
By doing this, rather than just sending money,
the girls are affirming the work and efforts of the
women as well as supporting them financially.
The idea of teenagers in Northern Ireland buying
and wearing their work as a fashion accessory
was a wonderfully exciting and positive message
for the women.
Well done Junior School!
Summer 2010
Summer 2010
On May Day this year, fifteen senior pupils
happily spent a day away from their studies to
run in the Belfast City Marathon 2010 for our
school charities. There were three teams made
up as follows:
The Senior Officials
Kerry Adrain, Sarah Mossey, Ciara Lucas,
Sheelagh Fox and Laura Jackson.
The House Captains
Sophie Clements, Hannah Beattie, Caroline
Crawford, Melissa Doherty and Genevieve
Keane.
The Prefects
Elaine McVeigh, Claire Strachan, Marti
Dines, Aimee McCoubrey and Ellen
Warwick.
There were plenty of nerves on the train on the
way up to Belfast but the day turned out to be an
enormous success.
Page 19
There were countless brilliant outfits, many
superb athletes and over 18,000 competitors
running in aid of various, well-deserving
charities. Undoubtedly, some of the Glenlola
‘athletes’ found it tougher than others but
everyone fought it out to the end of their leg,
many losing the use of their legs on the way!
Over £1100 was raised and this will be divided
between the three school charities: Tiny Life,
Kiwoko Hospital and TLC Orphanage.
We would like to say a big thank-you for all the
donations received and also to all the support
from Mrs Patterson, our very own personal
photographer/cheerleader.
It was a most
enjoyable and interesting day out.
Sheelagh Fox
Year 14
Page 20
On 31 January 2010, twenty one Year 14 Business
Studies pupils took a trip to Paris. We left late on
Sunday night and were incredibly excited to meet
Minnie and Mickie on our arrival at Disneyland
Paris. We were greeted at the hotel Cheyenne in
the Disney resort by a Study Experience
representative.
Summer 2010
and was encouraging families to visit Euro
Disney more than once a year.
We learned how the Disney logo was decided and
how the shooting star was made to represent the
journey made from home to Disneyland Paris
itself and why the word ‘resort’ was in the shape
of a smile.
We learned that 85% of Disney’s
visitors are staying at one of Disney’s
seven hotels, which we found very
interesting. We made notes during
the talk to make us more aware and
expand our knowledge on the ‘fours
P’s’.
A coach then picked us up and took
us to the centre of Paris where we did
some sightseeing - visiting the ‘Arc
de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur, Champs
Elysees and Notre Dame.
The hotel was themed like the wild west and was
very animated. We headed towards our rooms
which seemed slightly surreal with cowboy boots
as tables lamps and horseshoe wallpaper for a
comfortable night’s sleep.
The next morning we gathered for
breakfast where we chose from fresh
French croissants or Mickie Mouse shaped
cereal. We ate breakfast in a large room
where at least ten different other schools
joined us. We wrapped up well for a short
walk to the Disney village where our study
experience talk was held. Glenlola and
other schools including Victoria College
and Wallace High School sat in the lecture
room where we were taught about how
Disney’s Marketing Department worked.
We were told how Disney’s current
marketing strategy was ‘Under 7’s go for
free’ which was working well for Disney
We climbed the Eiffel Tower which
gave us a fantastic view of the city. It
snowed slightly on us while we walked around.
Afterwards we had lunch in a typical French
restaurant which expanded our appetites for
French food.
Summer 2010
After a cold day in Paris we travelled back to the
Disney village for a lecture on the financial side
of Disney. We learned that they had a revenue
last year of 1,080m euros. This was actually a
loss compared to 2008 and was due to the
economic climate.
We learned how profit was divided into cost
centres throughout the park and how they are
opening a new toy story attraction in the park.
We enjoyed the rest of the night shopping in the
Disney village.
The next day, we travelled back to the lecture
room to hear about Disney’s customer service and
how it reacts positively to complaints. It is used
to improve their customer service and develop
cast members skills.
The talk told us about Disney’s different types of
complainers. Meek, for example are complainers
who don’t expect anything to be done about their
complaint.
Page 21
The talk also included information on human
resources - how HR deals with job satisfaction
and communication.
We spent the rest of the day exploring Disneyland
eating lunch in Hakuna Matata’s restaurant and
some of us overcoming our rollercoaster fears.
We had dinner together in the Rainforest Café
which was a real jungle adventure.
On our last day, we visited the MGM studios for
some more time with the Disney characters. After
lunch, in the High School Musical canteen, we
started our journey home.
We all agree that it was a fantastic trip and we
have learned so many interesting facts about the
Disney company.
It was a once in a lifetime opportunity getting to
visit Disneyland, and we loved it!
Rachael Stewart
Year 14
Page 22
Summer 2010
On Thursday 10 December, the clear treble voice
of Year 8 pupil Bronte Cromie ushered in the
School’s annual Festival of Nine Lessons and
Carols with the opening verse of Once in Royal
David’s City.
The Chamber Choir sang a lyrical two part setting
of Dona Nobis Pacem. Members of the Senior
Choir then joined them in Noel, Noel, a clever
arrangement which incorporated elements of the
melody of the preceding carol.
After a Bidding to Prayer led by Reverend
Parker, the first musical item was performed by
the massed ranks of the Junior Choir, who sang a
lovely version of When a Child is Born, arranged
by Mr Proctor. Anna Aitken was the soloist in
the first verse and a clarinet obbligato was played
by Erin Magee.
After the congregation sang O Come all ye
Faithful, all remained standing as the Headmaster
read the Christmas gospel from John I verses 1 –
14. One of the most popular Christmas pieces, O
Holy Night, was sung by the Senior Choir
accompanied by the String Orchestra in an
arrangement by Mrs Johnson.
The choir finished their contribution to the service
with the uplifting piece by Linda Spevacek, A
Festive Gloria. The final congregational hymn,
Hark the Herald Angels Sing was followed by the
Band, who provided The Ultimate Christmas
Singalong.
The next item was Away in a Manger, sensitively
sung by the Staff Choir. After a congregational
carol, O Little town of Bethlehem, Cygnet House
Choir sang with their customary enthusiasm,
Where’s the Boy?
During the Christmas
Collection, the proceeds of
which this year went to support
the work of the Salvation Army,
a flute ensemble played
variations on well known
Christmas carols.
The Junior Choir returned to
perform an up-beat, catchy
piece called African Alleluia,
after which the congregation
again joined in the service with
gusto in a rendition of God Rest
Ye Merry, Gentlemen.
Thanks go to the Music Department staff, former
pupils and guest players for their contribution to
the success of the evening. Thanks also are due to
the Rector and members of Bangor Parish Church
for their customary welcome; the tranquil
atmosphere and candlelit surroundings provide a
wonderful setting for our carol service.
D Johnston (Mrs)
Summer 2010
Page 23
This year the Music Department embarked on a
series of Lunchtime Concerts during the first two
weeks of the Summer term. These took place in
the Music Department and were performed by
pupils preparing for GCSE and A Level practical
examinations.
The line up was a
varied one, with
performances
ranging
from
piano solos to
violin duets and
recorder sonatas with the odd
saxophone and
clarinet thrown in
as well! While it
was a daunting
task to play in
front of teachers
and fellow pupils,
the girls rose to
the
occasion
magnificently and the enthusiastic audiences
appreciated their obvious talent.
On the evening of the 21 April, a number of music
students from Glenlola ranging from Junior
school, through to GCSE and AS level, were
provided with the unique chance to accompany
Mrs Bell and Mr Proctor to enjoy the famous
opera, ‘The Marriage of Figaro’.
The opera itself is a comic opera in four acts. It
recalls a single day in the palace of the Count
Almaviva near Seville in Spain. The Count has
married his love Rosine but their marriage has
gone sour due to his philandering. Figaro, the
Count’s major-domo, is engaged to Suzanne, who
is Countess Rosine's maid and the Count's
intended conquest. Old Bartholo is back to seek
revenge on Figaro for taking Rosine away from
him, with the help of the slimy music-master, Don
Bazile. Adding to the fun, are an amorous
teenager, a scheming old maid, a drunken
gardener, and a silly young girl. Much happens on
a single "folle journée" - a crazy day.
The atmosphere on the bus was one of excitement
and anticipation as we made our way to the Grand
Opera House in Belfast to experience one of the
most exciting operas composed by Mozart. On
arrival, we made our way into the foyer, where
there was an excited buzz as people were
beginning to make their way into the main theatre.
As a group, we had the opportunity to experience
the opera from a height. We had the chance to sit
in the ‘Gods’ seating area on the top floor,
providing perfect viewing of the orchestra below
the stage, along with a good view of the main
stage itself. Once seated, the orchestra began to
tune and the excited murmur of the audience was
quickly hushed by the lively overture to the
Marriage of Figaro. This piece is especially
famous as a concert piece and I was particularly
looking forward to the overture of this opera as I
had the chance to play it in my orchestra. I also
found it interesting to experience a much more
humorous side to Mozart’s work as we are
currently studying his more complex ‘Symphony
No 40’ at AS level.
Although the opera itself lasted three hours, it was
lively and exhilarating from beginning to end. The
staging was outstanding and the costumes were
dramatic yet elegant. We were treated to a
wonderful evening of music and the standard of
orchestral playing along with acting and singing
was incredible. It was a brilliant experience for
the younger music students, as they had the chance
to enjoy Mozart and become familiar with his
music. Overall it was a fantastic evening, enjoyed
by all. I would certainly recommend this opera to
everyone and hope that we get the chance to visit
an opera with the Music Department again in the
near future.
Megan Wilson Year 13
Page 24
Summer 2010
In January the YELLOW Club ran the mobile
phone recycling competition. A total of 181
mobile phones were donated during this
competition. YELLOW Club members registered
each of these phones with the online company
‘Envirofone’ and a total of £824.99 was raised and
donated to the school’s chosen charities.
YELLOW Club members had another busy year
with new pupils and teachers joining. Meeting
each Monday from 3.30-4.30pm the girls worked
on many different things throughout the year. The
girls continued to help Mrs McGuigan with the
maintenance of the flower pots on display outside
reception.
They also worked at producing an energy survey
for the school. This involved the girls visiting
each classroom after 3.30pm and checking to see
if teachers had turned off the lights, computers
and projectors. They hoped to ‘name’ those
teachers who turned electrical equipment off at
the end of the school day and ‘shame’ those who
left equipment on. After two weeks the girls
identified that Dr Baraniuck, Mrs Spence and
Miss Hawkins were good at switching their
electrical equipment off but that some teachers in
the Basement Area, were not so diligent.
YELLOW Club member Rae O’Dowd (Year 8)
along with Bethan Edge (Year 9) represented the
school at this year’s Environmental Youth Speak
local heats held at the new Recycling Centre at
Balloo. The girls had to write a speech entitled
“Back to the future! Learning from the past to
reduce waste” and both did an excellent job
researching the issue. Rae was the overall winner
for North Down and went on to represent the
school at the Northern Ireland finals in
Magherafelt on 29 April.
Summer 2010
Page 25
The final was compered by Frank Mitchell, and
was attended by the Environment minister, Edwin
Poots. Although Rae was not successful in the
final, she had an enjoyable day. Well done to both
girls.
The girls also made a visit to the Recycling centre
and wind turbine on Monday 17 May. They were
given a talk by the new recycling officer Emma
Adair explaining how the recycling centre worked
and what they use the turbine energy for.
All in all we had an enjoyable and successful year
and look forward to another year of YELLOW
Club starting in September.
N Sinnerton (Mrs)
A week after the devastating earthquake in Haiti,
a special collection was taken up at House
Assemblies for victims of the disaster and a total
of £1,177 was raised.
It was decided to send £1,000 to HABITAT FOR
HUMANITY to help with the rebuilding of some
of the devastated areas.
Habitat for Humanity has been active in Haiti for
twenty six years and will be working in
partnership with local people and other
humanitarian organisations to multiply the
effectiveness of the response.
Joanne Magee received a cheque on behalf of
Habitat for Humanity from the six House
Officials, Sophie Clements, Caroline
Crawford, Melissa Doherty, Lucy
Galvin, Genevieve Keane, Joanne
Magee, and Jenna McClements.
Money was also sent to the Rotary
Club of Bangor for the purchase of an
emergency relief box costing £490.
This SHELTERBOX contains a tent,
cooking utensils and emergency
supplies for 10 people.
E Patterson (Mrs)
Summer 2010
Page 26
Term Dates and Holidays 2010/2011
The Year 13 Sentinus R & D team of Ciara
Beattie, Linzi Craig, Suzanne Hamilton and Jenny
Whiteside presented their project ' Azonic B52
Linkage Design Optimisation' at the 'Young
Engineers' event in the Odyssey Arena yesterday.
FIRST TERM
2010
Thursday 26 August—Year 8 & Cygnet House
commence (morning only)
Friday 27 August (Years 9 to 14 commence)
*August Bank Holiday Monday 30 August 2010
*Half Term Monday 25 October - Friday 29 October
(incl)
Term ends Tuesday 21 December
78 days
SECOND TERM
2011
Term starts Monday 4 January
They won the "Innovation in Transport" Award,
which is sponsored by the Road Service. The girls
were presented with a trophy and £125.
They were also nominated for the Mathematics,
Women Engineers and the overall Best
Engineering Project.
Well done girls!"
J Milligan (Mrs)
*Half Term 14—18 February (incl)
Term ends Friday 15 April
69 days
THIRD TERM
2011
Term starts Monday 3 May
May Day Holiday Monday 2 May
Term ends Thursday 30 June
43 days
190 days
Baker Days - GCS and Cygnet House - 23, 24, 25
August 2010, 14 February 2011, 29 April 2011
S D Days (for Curriculum Training) - GCS and Cygnet
House—5 days to be announced
Page 27
Our School is working towards an ‘Eco-School’
accreditation. As part of this, we have elected
representatives of each Year Group onto an EcoCouncil. Each Year Group is also working on a
different aspect
of ‘sustainability’
to
help
our
School become
m
o
r
e
environmentally
friendly.
We are Year 8
pupils and we
decided to look
at how we can
reduce our use of
water. We tried
to
think
of
something simple
that would be
easy for everyone
to do. In our class, we compared our use of water
when we clean our teeth (a) with the tap running
and (b) with the tap turned off.
Summer 2010
Then we cleaned our teeth again but this time just
wetting the toothbrush, then turning the tap off.
We turned the tap on again to rinse teeth and
caught all the water
in a large beaker,
measuring it as
before.
Our results showed
that each person
would save 1452ml
water, on average,
every time they
turned the tap OFF
when
cleaning
their teeth. This
means that they
would save 2 x
1452 = 2904ml
every day, since
we usually clean
our teeth twice a day. We can round this figure
up to about 3000ml or 3 litres water saved every
day by every person.
This would be easy for everyone to do at home,
and some girls took a measuring cylinder home to
carry out the
investigation
there. Then we
d i d
a n
experiment
in
the laboratory in
school so that we
could measure
the volumes of
water used by
each girl. In this
way we were
able to obtain a
more
reliable
result
because
we had lots of
repeats.
In our ICT classes we have been learning about
spreadsheets. We used the information from the
class results to work
out how much water
would be saved
every year if girls
from
Glenlola
Collegiate School
TURNED
OFF
THE TAP.
We
worked out that
every year we
would save over 1
MILLION litres of
water, if we turned
the tap off when we
cleaned our teeth.
First of all we cleaned our teeth with water
running. We caught all water in a large beaker
and measured the volume using a measuring
cylinder. We recorded the results in a table on the
computer.
Ellen Aitken, Beth Anderson, Bronte Cromie,
Olivia Curlett, Tamsyn Cummins, Elleana Hull,
Charlotte Hamilton, Anna Henry
(Year 8)
Page 28
Summer 2010
As part of our effort
to become an Ecoschool and promote
healthy living, we
held a ‘Walk to
School Day’ on
Tuesday 18 May.
This was part of the
National Walk to
School Week in NI
organised by the Department of Regional
Development through Travelwise NI.
Over the last twenty years the number of children
being driven to School in Northern Ireland has
more than doubled.
This has negative consequences in terms of
health, the environment, congestion and
safety. Research suggests that children who
walk to school arrive brighter and more ready
than those driven by car.
The ‘Walk to School Day’ was our way of
encouraging pupils and staff to walk, cycle or
take public transport to School. We hope that
through this event, more people will think twice
about travelling to school by car and adopt a more
healthy lifestyle as well as reducing their carbon
footprint.
Many congratulations go to all those took part,
we hope you enjoyed it. Special mention must go
to Mr Dorman and Mr Shanks who cycled all the
way from Dundonald.
N Sinnerton (Mrs)
Summer 2010
Page 29
Page 30
Summer 2010
Netball has continued to be popular in Glenlola, with ten teams, encompassing all year groups, playing
regular fixtures. The Year 8 ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams, Year 9’B’ team, Year 10 ‘B’ team, Year 11 team and
Year 12 have all played in the TAGSA North Down League against schools such as Bangor Academy,
Glastry College, Nendrum College, Regent House, St Columbanus and Strangford College. The Year 9
‘A’ team, Year 10 ‘A’ team, Intermediate team and Senior team have all played in the Northern Ireland
League, against teams from Assumption Grammar, Friends, Our Lady and St. Patrick’s College, Regent
House, St Malachy’s and Wallace. The Year 9, Year 10 and Intermediate teams have also played in a
local Grammar Schools League against teams from Regent House, Rockport and Strathearn.
Year 8 ‘A’ team
-
Winners of the TAGSA tournament
Runners-up in the TAGSA League
Year 9 ‘A’ team
-
Runners-up in the Grammar Schools League
Year 10 ‘A’ team
-
Runners-up in the Grammar Schools League
Year 11 team
-
Winners of the TAGSA League,
winning every match this season
Year 8 ‘A’ Team
Year 8 ‘B’ Team
Brooke Angus (Capt)
Sarah Mawhinney
Rachel Hamilton
Leah K Montgomery
Rebecca Glasgow
Esther Lau
Anna Henry
Chloe Campbell (Capt)
Sorcha Troupe
Erin Watts
Laura Dickson
Lana McWilliams
Sarah Wong
Faye Bower
Summer 2010
Page 31
Year 9 ‘A’ Team
Beth Emerson (Capt)
Aimee Crawford
Sara Johnston
Helen Hooks
Samantha Andrews
Sophie Boyd
Sarah Leary
Bethan Edge
Intermediate Team
L-J Watson (Capt)
Kathleen Dunseath
Olivia Lucas
Shauna Wood
Melissa Gaffney
Jenny Montgomery
Rachel Waugh
Rebecca McClelland
Year 9 ‘B’ Team
Katie Stewart (Capt)
Courtney Bull
Jessica Clegg
Daisy Lu
Michelle Lee
Jessica Keenan
Sarah Montgomery
Charlotte Sloan
Molly Bret
Year 11 Team
Clare Pollock (Capt)
Alice Hamilton
Rebecca McClelland
Amy Dawson
Robyn Christy
Hanna Geary
Amy McMullan
Courtney Rainey
Jessica Ross
Year 10’A’ Team
Sara Parkinson (Capt)
Emma Matchett
Becky McLeer
Bronte Porter
Sophie Ferris
Shannon Patterson
Lauren Boyd
Rhianna Hennessey
Year 10’B’ Team
Sarah Armstrong
Sarah McQuillan
Rhianna Hennessey
Jessica Rodgers
Lucy Stewart
Lucy Farrell
Taylor Sloan
Louise Mailey
Claire Dunne
Emma Bell
Senior Team:
Year 12 Team:
Rachel Waugh (Capt)
Annabel O’Fee
Brooke Hopley
Nicole Keizer
Shannon Atchison
Liza Millen
Louise Dunne
Sara Sinnerton
Laura Jackson (Capt)
Ali Fair
Philippa Watson
Marti Dines
Emma Boyd
Jenna McClements
Ciara Beattie
Marley Ryan
Bryony Gray
K Beggs (Miss)
Year 9 ‘A’ Team
Year 10 ‘A’ Team
Year 9 ‘B’ Team
Year 10 ‘B’ Team
Page 32
Summer 2010
Year 11 Team
Intermediate Team
Senior team
On Saturday 6 March 2010 a group of gymnasts
from Glenlola competed in this prestigious
competition. Once again our girls achieved
excellent results.
The U19 team performed an excellent routine and
was placed a deserved 1st. This means that the
team will now represent the school and Northern
Ireland at the British Schools’ Finals in Stoke-onTrent.
Rachel Mooney and Sophie Stevenson competed
in the U19 pairs section and, in what was there
first competition together, were placed 4th.
The U13’A’ team finished in 2nd place, while the
‘B team’ finished in 3rd.
This was a great performance, especially
considering that all the girls are in Year 8 and
some of them have only been introduced to
gymnastics this year. We have high hopes for
them in the future.
Gymnasts involved:
U19’s -
Kimberly Ellis
Kerry Wilson
Amy Howell
Ciara McCullough
Portia Preston
Sarah Connolly
Summer 2010
Page 33
U13’A’ -
Jade Cullen
Chloe Emberson
Bobbi McCullough
Sophie Oliver
Phoebe Preston
Daina Walton
U13’B’ -
Laura Dickson
Sophie Stewart
Megan Wilson
Zoë McGowan
Leah I Montgomery
Emily Stevenson
Hayley Halligan
Having won the Northern Ireland Schools’ Acro
Gymnastics Championships in March, the U19
gymnastics team assembled at Belfast City Airport
on Friday 7 May, leotards packed and ready to fly
to East Midlands Airport. We arrived safely,
boarded our minibus and travelled to Stoke-onTrent, where the competition was to take place.
We made the first of our four trips to New Look in
the evening and then settled down for an early
night in preparation for competition day.
Under 13 Gymnasts
Nerves eased a little in the warm-up hall when we
heard other coaches rating our team as ‘ones to
watch’; it’s always nice to cause a little fear in the
opposition!
When the time came, the Glenlola girls took to the
floor, looking relaxed but determined. The routine
was completed without a hitch and the team was
rewarded with a score of 8.40, which put us in 2nd
place at that stage. The eventual winners then took
to the floor, scoring a mammoth 8.70. This left us
in 3rd place with 6 schools left to compete.
After a nail-biting thirty minutes, the last team
(also the reigning champions) took to the floor and
performed a lovely routine.
When their score came up it was 8.25, which
meant Glenlola Collegiate secured 3rd place in
Britain winning the Bronze medal.
Much cheering and hugging followed whilst we
prepared to march out for the presentation where
we were presented with their medals and flowers.
On Saturday, we headed for Fenton Manor Sports
Complex for the competition. Everyone was
remarkably relaxed at this stage. We watched
some of our fellow competitors until it was time to
warm-up.
We headed back to the hotel, amid many excited
phone calls and text messages home, before going
out for a celebratory dinner. Page 34
Summer 2010
It was such a joy to watch the girls perform and to
see all their hard work pay off. They have been
practising since September, preparing for the
Northern Ireland Championships and then the
British Finals.
Throughout the year, the girls have demonstrated
determination, hard work and a real desire to
succeed.
I am so proud of them and the sporting attitude
they have displayed to their fellow competitors;
they really are a credit to Glenlola Collegiate.
Team members:
Sarah Connolly (Year 9)
Kimberly Ellis (Year 13)
Amy Howell (Year 12)
Ciara McCullough (Year 11)
Portia Preston (Year 11)
Kerry Wilson (Year 12 and Team Captain)
K Beggs (Miss)
On Sunday 17 January, eight girls travelled to Hull to compete in the Zonal Schools’ Trampoline
Championships. The girls qualified for this event having finished 1st, 2nd or 3rd at the Northern Ireland
Finals in November.
Results:
U15 Individual
-
9th Place: Erin McNamara
Competition
U15 Team
Competition
U15 Elite Individual
Competition
8th Place: Ashleigh Reid
-
5th Place: Glenlola ‘A’ Team
Tori Browne
Ciara McCullough
Erin McNamara
Ashleigh Reid
-
7th Place: Glenlola ‘B’ Team
Sophie Hegan
Lauren McManus
Jessica Rodgers
-
9th Place: Jessica Bush
I would like to thank Claire Thompson for all the great work
she did helping the girls prepare for the competition and for
her invaluable assistance on the trip.
Summer 2010
The popularity of Dance amongst the girls of
Glenlola seems to be increasing every year, with
record numbers auditioning for the Junior and
Senior teams. Upon completion of the audition
process in September, 12 girls were chosen for
the Junior team and 12 for the Senior team.
This year the theme for the Junior team was
“Girls Hust Wanna Have Fun”, whilst the Senior
team chose a “Catch Me if you Can, cops and
Robbers” theme. Both dances were expertly
choreographed by Becky Mercer (Year 12), with
the senior dance especially showing a cleverness
and power that came across really well.
The Northern Ireland Creative Movement and
Aerobics Championships were held in March and
once again, there was a large number of entries in
the Schools’ section.
Having gone with high hopes the previous three
years and not being placed, we really did not
know what to expect. Both teams performed out
of their skins, gaining many an admiring look
from competitors and spectators
alike.
Page 35
Senior Team:
Becky Mercer
Rebecca White
Stephanie McVeigh
Loren Warden
Kerry Baird
Harriet Gillespie
Sara Matthews
Junior Team:
Katharine Canning
Colleen Aspinall
Sarah Connolly
Nikki Faulkner
Aimee Lennon
Phoebe Preston
Joanne Canning
Brooke Mansfield
Portia Preston
Sophie Deaney
Amber Davis
Laura Dorman
Harriet Bradford
Aimee-May Dornan
Kiri Sampson
Rhiannon Osborne
Jaye Tate
Once again, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to
Becky Mercer for all her work with both teams;
she has so many fabulous ideas and conveys these
to the girls really well. I know they all value her
leadership and would agree when I say that she is
an inspiration to them.
K Beggs (Miss)
When it came to the presentation
of awards, we all crossed our
fingers, hoping to hear our name.
Finally, after four years of hard
work and determination, we got
our reward: the Senior team were
placed 2nd! The first reaction was
screaming, closely followed by
tears!
It was a wonderful sight to see as
all the girls jumped about madly,
including the Juniors, who
although disappointed at not being
placed,
showed
great
sportsmanship and team spirit
through their delight for the older
girls.
“Catch me if you can”
Page 36
Summer 2010
The energy, enthusiasm and commitment of the girls in both the A and B teams have been excellent this
year. On average thirty girls attended practice twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These sessions
concentrated on basic technical skills and fitness which undoubtedly improved over the season.
Lynice Cathcart
Sara Parkinson
Courtenay Patterson
Emily Ferris
Sophie Ferris
Jessica Bush
Lois Nelson
Claudia Davis
Lauren Boyd
Emma Taylor
Catherine Boal
Hannah Crymble
Katherine Polly
The A squad started the year off well with a 1-0
win over Strathearn School, the first time a
Glenlola team had beaten them for some years!
This convincing win motivated the girls and wins
against Bloomfield Collegiate and BRA
followed. There were several draws, notably
Methodist College, Victoria and Hunterhouse.
The team was led by Sophie Ferris and Katherine
Polly.
Support from Claudia Davis, Sara Parkinson and
Jessica Bush was fundamental to the team’s
success. The defence held together well with
Lauren Boyd proving invaluable at centre back.
As the season progressed, the girls began to have
an air of confidence and had an excellent start to
the Junior Cup. The first cup match was played
on home ground against Cambridge House and
the girls won 1-0, thanks to a goal from Jessica
Bush.
The girls were extremely nervous and began
very cautiously but by half time they had really
got into the match and were starting to really
enjoy it.
In the next cup match the girls faced Victoria
College away and won 3-1 – Courtenay Patterson
was crucial up front. Unfortunately the girls had
very strong opposition in the next round, Larne
Grammar – but they put up a good fight and lost
1-0. A good season for all involved.
Abbie Henderson
Jan Montgomery
Sarah Walker
Bronte Porter
Jessica Rodgers
Lucy Montgomery
Lauren McManus
Sarah McQuillan
Naomi Moore
Emma Cameron
Katie Lawther
Anna Aiken
Caitlin Bodhanya
Laura Dorman
Charlotte Blair
Alana Lowry
Holly Dowd
Evie Williamson
Lucy Blair
Summer 2010
Page 37
The ‘B’ squad was unlucky in many of its
matches this year as poor weather conditions and
lack of facilities hindered play. However the
majority of matches were played and there were
wins/draws against Hunterhouse, Strathearn,
BRA, Victoria College and Sullivan.
The girls really played as a unit and several key
players shone, including Katie Lawther, Bronte
Porter and Jan Montgomery.
With such a big squad substitutions were
constantly used which added some inconsistency
to the team but the girls coped well and adapted
to the conditions. Abbie Henderson was super in
goals and Sarah Walker and Lauren McManus
central to the defensive play.
From the beginning of the season the U13 Squad
was very enthusiastic with over thirty girls
coming regularly to practice every week.
It was a fairly successful season for the U13 ‘A’
Squad. The recorded four wins, five draws and
four defeats. This team has made amazing
progress this season and I have no doubt it will be
even better next year. The player of the season
for the ‘A’ squad was Lucy Yourston. Lucy was
captain of the team and worked extremely hard in
every game.
Caris Agnew
Lucy Yourston
Connie Gray
Harriet Bradford
Zoe Cooke
Chloe Noble
Sophie Carlisle
Molly Bret
Sophie Boyd
Claire Morrison
Helen Hooks
Jan Morrow
Bethan Edge
The girls’ attendance was particularly impressive
and their enthusiasm even in the rain, sleet and
snow was admirable.
I have thoroughly enjoyed taking this group of
girls for this last year and I look forward to
seeing how they develop and integrate into the
relevant senior hockey teams next year. There is
a lot of potential in this young squad of girls and
I hope it continues in the future.
S Herron (Miss)
The U13 ‘B’ squad was an enthusiastic group of
players. The had a mixed season in terms of
results but skills were improved every week and I
hope enjoyed themselves too!
Player of the season for the ‘B’ team was Kyra
Gourley. Kyra has improved throughout the
season, she has worked hard and always gives
100% in every game.
Well done.
Becky Orr
Hannah Fleming
Neve Hodgen
Lauren Christy
Grace Hammond
Jena Sloan
Georgia Parkinson
Joanna Watterson
Colleen Aspinall
Michelle Lee
Sarah Hatch
Lucy Burrows
Victoria Craig
Page 38
The 1st XI this season were a very experienced
team with the majority of the squad being from
Year 14. This showed in some of the more
physical matches where we were able to compete
better than in previous years.
The season started well with good performances
from the very start, but we knew that all these
matches where just warm ups for the School’s
Cup matches approaching fast. We drew Foyle
and Londonderry College in the first round who
were the reigning champions, so we knew it was
going to be a very tough start to the competition.
There were a few nerves before the game, the
coaches included, but the girls produced a
magnificent display and won the match on penalty
stokes.
This put us into the next round against Lurgan
College. Lurgan proved too strong for us on the
day but the girls competed very well and produced
a strong performance.
At the start of any season you set targets for your
teams although you may or may not tell them. It
might be as straight forward as hoping you win
more matches than you lose or it might be to score
more goals than last year. However I could never
have imagined or hoped for the success that the 2B
XI would have throughout the season.
Selection for the Senior teams, particularly the 2B
XI and 3rd XI takes many weeks before you can
claim to have settled teams. This is because these
two teams have to wait until the 1st & 2nd XI
squads are finalised and only then can you start the
serious work of moulding together girls from four
year groups.
The season started fairly innocuously with a 21win over Belfast High, followed by a 1-0 win
over Strathearn.
We then drew 0-0 with
Bloomfield in a game where we spent the entire
match encamped in their half but never looked like
scoring! We then beat B.R.A (2-1) and Sullivan
(3-1) in consecutive weeks and whilst the team
showed flashes of brilliant play, they lacked
consistency.
Summer 2010
This defeat meant that we went on to play in the
Senior Shield competition where we were drawn
to play Dalriada. This again was another exciting
game with goals being scored at both ends of the
pitch, resulting in yet another penalty competition.
Unfortunately we didn’t win this one, but the girls
had nothing to be disappointed about as this was
the best performance they produced in the last two
years.
Special mention must go to Naomi McKnight who
had another outstanding season in goals and who
has a very bright future ahead of her. Genevieve
Keane is another who had an excellent season, in
fact I can’t remember her having a bad game.
I would like to thank all the Year 14 girls who
have gave a lot of commitment to hockey in their
school careers, they have been excellent role
models for the girls coming behind them. I hope
that they all continue to play hockey at university.
I Hamilton (Mr)
Now, into October the group matches for the
Neville Gibson Cup started.
We played
Bloomfield on the 13 October and thankfully
remembered how to score, winning 3-0.
A week later we faced B.R.A. and despite playing
poorly we won 2-0. (The girls will remember
this match as the one where Miss Henry was
rather annoyed at half-time!) On the Saturday
between these two cup matches we beat Victoria
College 3-0.
After half-term we played Hunter-House and beat
them 3-0 playing some great hockey. Grosvenor
Grammar were the 2B XI next victims winning 50.
The following Saturday we travelled to Down
High and, in atrocious conditions beat them 4-0.
The big down side to this victory was that during
the match Joanna Aicken got hit with a stick on
her chin and was split. She was taken to hospital
by one of the Down High staff and while we
waited on her return our teams (all 4 of them) were
given free soup, hot chocolate, tea or coffee.
Summer 2010
This gesture by Down High was one of the
kindest I have ever come across and was very
much appreciated by our bedraggled and damp
pupils. When Joanna finally appeared, she had
four stitches in her chin covered with a huge
plaster. The following Monday we played the
second group match in the cup.
The girls were a different class to Belfast High
School 4th XI, and ran out 10-0 winners. A very
impatient Joanna watched this match from the
sidelines as it was too soon for her to play after
her injury.
What this victory meant was that the group
winners was now between ourselves and
Methodist College. On 2 December we played
Methodist College at home (there was no way
Joanna was going to miss this game, stitches or
not) in a winner take all game. In front of a great
crowd of supporters the girls played in a thrilling
match which could have gone either way. We
won 3-2 after a game that left coaches and
supporters jubilant. This meant that after four
group matches, we were now through to the
knock-out stages of the Cup!
Page 39
With two buses of supporters and in glorious
weather the girls beat Omagh 2-1 in a thrilling
game where we went 1-0 down but came back to
score the winner with less than a minute left in the
match. Jessica Ross was the team’s heroine,
scoring both goals.
The final was against Ballyclare High School and
was played at CIYMS in Belfast on 17 March. As
with so many finals it was a disappointing game
with neither side playing to their full potential.
Both teams had chances but neither side could
manage to score the solitary goal that would have
undoubtedly won the Cup.
So the after extra time the game finished in a nil
all draw and both teams shared the trophy.
To pick out any individuals from the 2B XI would
be an injustice to the others on the team. It was a
collective effort that produced the finest season
from any hockey team in all my years at Glenlola.
The season was a phenomenal one. To remain
unbeaten though a complete season and to win an
Ulster trophy is the stuff dreams are made of. The
2B XI played 21 matches, winning 17, drawing 4
and losing NONE!!
Christmas holidays came and went and then we
were back into thinking about hockey again. Bad
weather disrupted fixtures for about a week, so it
was the 16 January 2010 before the girls played
again.
Congratulations to all the squad, you were an
absolute pleasure to work with throughout the
season.
They played Portadown College, who had also
won their section in the Neville Gibson Cup, so it
would be an interesting match-up. The girls
played brilliantly and won 3-0. Next was a
midweek match against Wallace High School
which we won 1-0.
Amy Dawson
Hannah Bulmer
Robyn Christy
Caroline Chamber
Rebecca Mc Clelland
Jessica Ross
Natalie Cameron
Sarah Gamble
Joanna Aicken
Clare Pollock
Holly Fair
Amy Mc Mullan
Harriet Gillespie
Sophie Deaney
Heather Campbell (Vice-captain)
Then a game against Regent House, another
section winner, where another great performance
ensured another 3-0 win.
E Henry (Miss)
On 11 February 11 we played Slemish College in
the quarter final of the Cup. In front of another
brilliant crowd of supporters (girls and staff) the 2
B XI played tremendous hockey to win 4-0. In
the build up to the semi-final they played Sullivan
(1-1 draw) and Strathearn (0-0 draw).
The semi-final was on neutral ground at
Portadown against Omagh Academy (Miss
Vaughan’s old school).
Page 40
Summer 2010
I
ntermediate Relay Team
This year athletics club started on Thursday 12
November 2009 when over 30 girls started hard
physical training in preparation for the
forthcoming season.
The idea behind the earlier than usual start came
from the girls themselves who felt that they could
improve on last years successes if they began their
training earlier. For the first time, Year 8 girls
were included in this training group.
From the start of March, this group of athletes
moved to Ballykillare track on Mondays and
Saturdays to make use of the excellent track and
field facilities.
After Easter, general athletics club took place on
Thursdays at ward park and anyone who showed
potential was added to the top squad.
On Saturday 24 April we took part in a schools
athletics match with Strathearn, Bloomfield
Collegiate and Sullivan Upper at Ballykillare.
This was a great opportunity for our athletes to
have proper competitive practice in their events,
particularly the Year 8 girls. It also helps with
team selection for the upcoming
district
championships.
The Senior and Intermediate district
championships took place at Mary Peters track,
Belfast on Thursday 6 May. Unfortunately our 4
Senior athletes decided not to compete this year as
they were doing their A2 exams.
Intermediate Team:
Jessica Ross
Yasmin Patterson
Joanne Canning
Holly Fair
Laura– Jane Watson Jenny Montgomery Jenny Cameron
Kerry Wilson
Amy McMullan
Sarah Gamble
Relay team:
Clare Pollock
Joanne Canning
100m
100m & 200m
200m & long jump
800m & 1500m
800m
high jump & shot
high jump
long jump
shot
javelin & discus
Jessica Ross
Yasmin Patterson
The intermediate girls performed really well –
Jessica won the 100m, Yasmin won the 200m and
was 2nd in the 200m, Joanne was 3rd in the 200m
and Sarah was 2nd in the javelin. The relay team
were 1st by quite a distance! All of these girls
qualified for the Ulster finals.
The Junior & Minor districts took place at Bangor
sportsplex on Wednesday 12 May.
Junior Team:
Emma Tumblety
Shannon Patterson Anna Brown
Orla Menzies
Courtenay Patterson Hannah Crymble
Taylor Sloan
Chloe Brown
Emily Ferris
Emma Stockton
Sara Parkinson
Relay
Hannah Crymble
Sarah Connolly
100m & 200m
100m & 200m.
800m
800m
75m hurdles & long jump
75m hurdles
long jump
high jump
shot & discus
shot
javelin & discus
Emma Stockton
Shannon Patterson
The Junior results were disappointing with only
two individuals and the relay qualifying for the
Ulster finals. Emma was 3rd in the 200m,
Courtenay was 2nd in the 75m hurdles and the relay
team were 2nd.
Summer 2010
Minor Team:
Elleana Hull
Ellen Robinson
Rebekah Rutherford
Daina Walton
Esther Lau
Niamh Cummings
Relay
Daina Walton
Niamh Cummings
Page 41
-
100m & long jump
100m
800m & high jump
long jump
shot
shot
Ellen Robinson
Eleana Hull
The minor girls team won the Co Down minor
girls cup which is awarded to the school with the
most points. An excellent achievement which
augers well for the future.
Ulster Finals - Saturday 22 May
With 10 individuals and three relay teams
competing, we were hopeful for results which
would lead to qualification for the Irish Schools
Finals. (You have to finish in the top 2 places in
track events and in the top 3 in field events to
qualify for the Irish Schools Finals).
Minors do not qualify for the Irish schools as they
are deemed to be too young to compete at this
level. Pride of place at the Ulster schools must go
to the intermediate relay team who won their relay
with an excellent time of 51.89secs, and Rebekah
Rutherford who won the minor girls high jump
clearing 1.46m.
The Minor relay team ran a brilliant time of
55.0secs in their heat and went into the final as
the clear favourites. Disaster struck at the first
change-over in the final where the baton was
dropped. Despite this, they picked it up and ran
on but finished out of the medals.
Irish Schools Finals: Tullamore, Co Offaly.
The Intermediate team’s preparation for the Irish
Schools Finals were totally disrupted when one
of the team and the reserve runner pulled out.
Emma Tumblety was then brought into the team
but she missed 2 practices due to illness. At least
all four runners made the final practice!
Four excited athletes, Miss Henry and Miss
Herron set off for the long journey to Tollamore
at 10.30am on Saturday 5 June. Considering the
build-up, they ran brilliantly to finish 4th, missing
out on 3rd place narrowly on the line.
So close yet so far! The girls were extremely
disappointed to miss out on bronze medals by
such a small margin. However they soon began to
realise what they had achieved and started to chat
about making the finals again next year.
Many congratulations to all our athletes on
another
very
successful season.
The intermediate sprinters all made their finals
with Yasmin Patterson achieving the best result 6th in the 200m. None of the Junior athletes
including the relay team made their finals.
Many thanks to Miss
Herron and Miss
Vaughan for their
help with all the
coaching that took
place this season.
The Minors again did very well. Ellen Robinson
was 5th in the 100m final, Elleana Hull was 6th in
the 100m and an excellent 4th in the long jump.
E Henry (Miss)
Year 9 Athletics Team
This year the Year 9 team had a fantastic season.
They qualified second from the Co Down District
to go and compete at the Ulster Championships.
On the day the girls competed magnificently,
attaining four personal best performances and
winning Bronze medals. The personal bests were
as follows:
Athletics Year 8 Minor Team
Sarah Connolly - jumped 1.49m in the High Jump
Lydia Daniels - jumped 4.25m in the Long Jump
Catherine Taylor - threw 21m in the Javelin
Orla Menzies - ran 2.49mins in the 800m
The team consisted of Katie Stewart, Oral
Menzies, Lydia Daniels, Catherine Taylor,
Nicole Watterson, Sarah Connolly and Lucy
Yourston
Page 42
Summer 2010
Summer 2010
Page 43
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Summer 2010