File - Robert Gordon`s College

Issue 51 I Autumn 2015
Father of the internet
inspires at Schoolhill
FUNBOX entertains
in the new theatre
Pupils collaborate
with international peers
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Colours : March 2015
All pupils are S6 except where otherwise indicated. Year
groups as at March 2015
Cross Country: Morna Holmes (S5) Lise Theron, Amy Fraser
Girls’ Hockey: Alice Jones
Model UN: Aysha Iqbal (S5), Zul Karlberg, Aized Shahbaz
Motorsport: Adam Mackay
Music : Katharine Cook, Katrina Harris (S5). Niall MacRae,
Hannah Stewart (S5)
Pipe Band: Simon Craik (S5), Lewis Maitland (S5)
Swimming: Fiona Macfarlane, Alastair Robertson
Tennis: Connor Welsh
Merit Awards – March 2015 (All S6 as at March 2015)
Art Subject Assistant: Nina Wyganowska.
Badminton: Ross Cooper, Charlotte Edwards, Ben Lyons,
Lise Theron.
Biology Subject Assistant: Fiona Macfarlane, Cara Napier.
Blackfriars: Giac Celentano, Alice Jones, Hayley Mathers,
Tom Merry, Harry Scordis.
Classics Subject Assistant: Conner Morison.
Collyhill: Olivia Attwooll-Keith, Innes Bradford, Amy
Clark, Lucy McLennan, Anya Morrice, Alix Mowatt,
UKMT Junior Kanagaroo (June)
Certificate of Qualification: Robbie Eost (S2) and Kirsty
Oldham (S2)
Certificate of Merit: Nicholas Runcie (S2) and Kathryn
Smith (S2)
Music - ABRSM
Malcolm Tonna ( P3) Grade 1 Piano (Distinction); Tom
Merry (S4) Grade 6 Clarinet (Distinction); Hannah Stewart
( S5) Grade 5 Flute (Merit); Caitlin Boon Von Ochssee (S5)
Grade 7 Clarinet (Merit).
Music - Trinity College (June)
S6: Catriona Soden - Grade 8 Flute (Distinction); Bronagh
Miller - Grade 8 Flute (Distinction); Angus Bidwell - Grade 5
Trumpet (Merit); Mirrhyn Stephen - Grade 8 Viola; Alasdair
McIntyre - Grade 2 Alto Sax (Distinction); Hannah Leeds
- Grade 3 Trumpet (Merit)
S5: Andrew Skidmore Grade 7 Clarinet, Hamish Campbell
Grade 7 Clarinet with Merit
S4: Shivani Kumar - Grade 5 Saz ( Merit); Morven MacFarlane
Colours – June 2015
All pupils are S6 except where otherwise indicated. Year
groups as at June 2015
Athletics: Erin Runcie
Cross Country: Anisha Badial (S4)
Economics: Anton Symons
Golf: Michael Lawrie (S4)
Maths: Yash Nirmal (S5), Luke Travis
Music: Jonny Fitch (S4), Louise Oldham (S5),
Tom Summers, Chloe Trail (S5), Sanjay Vijayan (S4)
Merit Awards – June 2015
(All S6 as at June 2015)
Chamber Choir: Elise Cranfield, Bethany Henderson,
Tim Zhou
Charities Committee: Kimberley Sneddon.
Chemistry Subject Assistant: Freya Oswald, Jessica
Potts, Aized Shahbaz.
Classics Subject Assistant: Alice Jaspars, Anya Morrice.
Eco-Group: Abi Hatcher Davies
Equestrian Activities: Amy Clark
Games Assistant: Megan Shand
Hockey: Karen Thomson
JASPARS: Emily Alexander, Sarah Bell, Katharine
Cook, Paul Dawson, Emma Fraser, Caitlin McKenzie,
Lucy McLennan, Anya Morrice, Leia Rigby, Kimberley
Sneddon, Louise Walker, Hannah Wong.
2
Linda Nixon, Lewis Seaman, Megan Shand, Luke Travis.
Computing Department: Jack Gilmore.
Debating: Daniel Craig, Harriet Foreman, Alice Jaspars,
Linda Nixon.
Dr Who Club: Eleanor Jenkins.
Drama: Leah Aitken, Alana Cowie, Kirsty Gordon, Adam
Mackay, Niall MacRae, Hayley Mathers, Kimberley
Sneddon, Emma Taylor, Sophie Wardle, Chelsea West.
Energy Schools’ Challenge Quiz: Daniel Craig.
Boys’Hockey : Thomas Morrison, Harry Scordis, Aadam
Shah.
Girls’Hockey: Hannah Coldwells, Elise Cranfield, Jessica
Gear, Jessica Potts, Megan Shand, Louise Walker, Alix
Wrighton.
Junior School Assistant: Gwen Greenhalgh, Connor McKay.
Junior School Swimming Assistant: Leah Aitken.
Library: Katharine Cook, Alice Jaspars, Anya Morrice.
Model UN: Tom Rowbotham, Anton Symons.
Modern Languages: Claire Abraham, Daniel Craig, Elise
Cranfield, Jack Gilmore, Alicia Miller, Bronagh Miller,
Lara Smith-Mearns, Mirrhyn Stephen, Finlay Taggart,
Louise Walker, Lauren Watson.
Netball: Emer Cunningham, Jessica Gear, Louise Walker.
Physics Subject Assistant: Tejas Mukerji.
RMPS Department: Kimberley Sneddon.
S6 Dance: Ellen Carroll, Claudia Cross, Megan Shand.
Sillerton: Harris Ahmed, Ross Cooper, Jessica Gear, George
Gibson, Abi Hatcher-Davies, Niall MacRae, Mohsin Mian,
Jessica Potts, Leah Press, Mirrhyn Stephen, Louise Walker.
Stem in the Pipeline: Ross Cooper, Ben Lyons, Alix
Mowatt, Robin Murray, Thomas Rowbotham, Lise Theron.
Straloch: Emer Cunningham, Lauren Lefevre, Bronagh
Miller, Tejas Mukerji, Benjamin Osugo, Jack Phillips,
Catriona Soden, Curtis Stephen, Lise Theron, Hannah
Wong, Alix Wrighton.
- Grade 5 French Horn (Distinction); Sarah Montgomery
- Grade 6 Flute (Distinction); Rhian Cormack - Grade 6
Alto Sax (Merit)
S3: Brodie Nicol - Grade 5 Tuba (Merit); Oliver Bidwell Grade 5 Trumpet (Merit); Thomas A. Craig - Grade 4 Trumpet
(Merit); Friederike Schaper - Grade 4 Violin; Timothy Groves
- Grade 5 Euphonium
S2: Daniel Lowden Grade 5 Trumpet (Merit); Valentina
Reyes Grade 4 Trombone (Merit); Andrew Bain Grade 5
Trumpet (Merit); Frances Sealy Grade 6 Cello (Merit); Euan
Gray Grade 6 Trumpet (Merit); Holly Greenhalgh Grade 3
Trumpet (Merit); Harry Spalding Grade 6 Trombone (Merit);
Annie Redhead Grade 4 Trombone (Merit); Robbie Eost
Grade 6 French Horn (Merit); Katy Johnson Grade 5 Trumpet
(Merit); Christopher Fitch Grade 5 Trumpet (Merit)
S1: Asiya Shrestha - Grade 3 Trumpet (Merit); Szczepan
Stankiewicz - Grade 3 Trumpet (Merit); Lucy George- Grade
3 Clarinet (Distinction)
P7: Angus Hasler - Grade 2 Trombone (Merit)
P6: Elakya Saravanakumar - Grade 1 French Horn (Distinction);
Dorothy Lennox - Grade 1 Trombone (Merit)
Aysha Iqbal (S6) was awarded a Nuffield Research Placement
during summer with the Institute of Medical Science at
Aberdeen University. The placement was a fantastic
opportunity for Aysha who is applying to study Medicine
at Cambridge.
Junior School Scottish Country Dance Club: Caitlin
McKenzie.
Maths Assistant: Emma Fraser, Richa Kamat, Linda
Nixon, Alix Wrighton.
Pupil Council: Megan Shand, Anthony Walsh.
Pupil Council and RRSA Focus Groups: Hayleigh
Mathers.
S1 Buddy: Claire Abraham, Eleanor Jenkins, Anya
Morrice, Thomas Rowbotham.
S6 Charity Auction: Claire Abraham, Daniel Craig,
Bethany Henderson, Alice Jaspars, Eleanor Jenkins,
Niall MacRae, Hayleigh Mathers, Caitlin McKenzie,
Conner Morison, Anya Morrice, Kyle Morris, Euan
Polson, Thomas Rowbotham, Lara Smith-Mearns,
Anthony Walsh.
S6 Yearbook: Leah Aitken, Lauren Chapman, Emer
Cunningham, Jenna Dickie, Andrew Foote, Jessica
Gear, Jack Gilmore, Abi Hatcher Davies, Jamal
Issouquaein, Alicia Miller, Jessica Potts, Rachel Salt,
Megan Shand, Kimberley Sneddon, Catriona Soden,
Alix Wrighton.
School Newspaper: Olivia Attwooll-Keith, Giac
Celentano, Alice Jaspars, Thomas Rowbotham, Anton
Symons, Anthony Walsh.
Senior Big Band: Joe Anderson, Max Kaufmann,
Hayleigh Mathers, Anya Morrice, Connor Welsh.
Senior Ceilidh Band: Olivia Attwooll-Keith, Bronagh
Miller, Mirrhyn Stephen.
Senior Concert Band: Joe Anderson, Olivia AttwoollKeith, Amy Clark, Emer Cunningham, Niall MacRae,
Hayleigh Mathers, Tom Merry, Bronagh Miller, Anya
Morrice, Jessica Potts, Sam Scott, Catriona Soden,
Mirrhyn Stephen, Tom Summers, Lise Theron, Connor
Welsh.
Senior String Orchestra: Aized Shahbaz, Lara SmithMearns.
Social Justice Club: Katharine Cook, Linda Nixon,
Thomas Rowbotham.
Reid Jessop Debating Competition
The annual Reid Jessop debating competition for
S1-S3 pupils took place last month. The motion was
‘This House Would Arm the Police’ and all the pupils
performed extremely well.
The final result was as follows:
In 4th Place – Colin Chen (S1) and Thomas Hopkinson (S1)
In 3rd Place – Malcolm Cowie (S2) and Joseph Aimard (S2)
In 2nd Place – Callum Adams (S2) and Jack Grugeon (S1)
and in 1st Place – Beth Kelly (S1) and Nivi Aravind (S1)
The school’s annual Reid Jessop Debating Competition
Trophy awarded to Beth Kelly and Nivi Aravind.
Euan Gray (S3) and Stuthi Hedge (S4) played for the U14
Scottish team at the annual Glorney Chess Tournament in
Dublin, which saw teams from England, Wales and Ireland
play over three days in July. Euan said: “It was an exciting
tournament with highlights including beating England and
Stuthi winning the price for best girl in the Scottish team.”
Read more at www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk/news.
Katrina Harris (S5) won the Kathleen Stuart Memorial Trophy
(Under 18s Musical theatre solo singing) at the Aberdeen
Music Festival and has passed Grade 7 Musical Theatre singing
exam with Distinction. She gained a place at a National
Youth Musical Theatre production of ‘Sweat Shop’at Sadler’s
Wells during the summer holidays. Katrina has also danced
her way to Grade 6 (Royal Academy) Tap with Merit, Grade
6 (Imperial) Modern Theatre Dance with Distinction and
Grade 7 Ballet (Royal Academy) with Distinction.
Mathematical Challenge
Congratulations to Cong Lu (S6) who won a Gold
Award in the Mathematical Challenge Senior Division.
Mathematical Challenge
Congratulations to Jalal Khandelwal (S5) who
achieved a Bronze Award and to Yash Nirmal (S5) who
was awarded Gold in the Mathematical Challenge
Senior Division.
Mathematique Sans Frontier
Congratulations to the S4 and S5 teams who
competed in the Mathematique sans frontier and
placed in the top 10 from 45 entries.
From the Quadrangle Autumn 2015
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Editorial: [email protected]
Photography and articles: A big thank you to
everyone who contributed to this edition of From
the Quadrangle.
© Robert Gordon’s College 2015
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Full STEAM ahead
It is with great energy and excitement that we look forward to a
successful year ahead in this new session at Gordon’s. The year is
already in full flight with excellent academic study, vibrant sport,
creative music, art, drama and dance projects all moving ahead. We
look forward to welcoming parents, visitors and Gordonians to an
exciting programme of events in our Year of Celebration (www.rgc.
aberdeen.sch.uk/celebration), in recognition of regaining a historic
wing of the RGC Quadrangle and opening The Wood Foundation
for Science and Technology and The Craig Centre for Performing
Arts. We begin on a high note with full occupation of both new
Centres with all year groups now smoothly transitioned. There
has been early recognition from pupils and staff that we are hugely benefiting from these
world class facilities. Already new projects are underway with the VEX Robotics Club and
the extremely popular STEM Club - both extending the range of Science related learning
to our pupils. Pupils and staff are excited to begin a busy schedule of early rehearsals and
preparation for West side Story, our 2015 Senior School Musical in the fantastic new Craig
Centre Theatre. Thank you to all Gordonians who have helped make this new set of facilities
a reality. We commend the many excellent achievements in the forthcoming issue of the
Quadrangle and I am very proud that Robert Gordon’s College is bursting with enthusiasm
and new ideas which we look forward to sharing with you.
Simon Mills
Corporate Partner Programme
Robert Gordon’s College is working with six partners in its new Corporate Partner Programme
- ScientistsPlus. The companies are partnering with Gordon’s to bring pupils closer to the
industrial expertise of companies providing them with practical experiences that will enhance
their career choices. Laura Presslie, Director of Development, Marketing and Admissions
said: “Our founding partners are working with us to establish a junior science programme
for children under 12 and to provide outreach opportunities to primary school pupils and
teachers across the region. The partners are central to the delivery of our new Celebration
Series of events and we were especially pleased to host Vint Cerf from Google together
with IFB who introduced him to our S4 and S5 Computing Science, Business Management
and Economics pupils.” Read more at www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk/cpp
Vice-President of Google inspires pupils
Be part of the
school history
In the foyer of The Wood Foundation
Centre for Science and Technology an
impressive Periodic Table of Elements will
feature named elements in recognition of
an individual, a family, a year group, in a
company name or in memory of a loved
one. Those interested in naming an element
(£5,000) can contact Adam Hughes in the
Development Office on 01224 656838.
Internet and digital pioneer Vint Cerf,
widely regarded as one of fathers of the
Internet visited Robert Gordon’s College in
June where he spoke to an audience of S4 and
S5 pupils interested in Computing Science
and Business Studies. As Google’s VicePresident and Chief Internet evangelist, Vint
has become well known for his predictions
on how technology will affect future society,
covering areas such as artificial intelligence,
environmentalism, and the transformation
of the television industry and its delivery
model. Pupils Aysha Iqbal and Blair DunbarSmith (now S6) were delighted to have the
opportunity to interview Vint before he
addressed the audience which included
Computing Science pupils from Cults
Academy and a selection of representative
Gordonians.
Autumn 2015 From the Quadrangle
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Scripture Union Trip
The first ever 3:16 weekend away took place
at the Abernethy Centre in September. The
20 pupils and 3 teachers who took part
all enjoyed the friendly environment,
delicious food (especially the brownies) and
challenging activities. As well as looking
at the story of Naaman, and the book of
Galatians, we played some crazy games,
went abseiling and gorge-walking, sped
down the zip wire and swung through the
trees on the king swing. The abseiling
group coped well with the abseil but less
well with the assault by midges which
followed. All returned home tired but
happy (if a bit blotchy because of midge
bites), and plans for the 2016 weekend
were already being made on the bus home.
Mrs Chalmers
From the School
Captains
After an exciting summer, with incredible
school trips on offer, we are enjoying getting
back into school life. Morna was a part of the
successful music tour to Italy, experiencing
the culture of the south and playing at wellreceived concerts. Jamie went to the GAIL
conference in India, where he had a fantastic
time discovering new cultures and meeting
delegates from all over the world.
Having received record-breaking exam
results during the summer, our Sixth Year
medics and Oxbridge hopefuls are well
underway with their UCAS applications.
As term begins, there’s a buzz around
campus as we begin to take advantage of
the state-of-the-art facilities of the Wood
Foundation Centre for Science and Technology
and the Craig Centre for Performing Arts for
school shows and scientific investigations.
Jamie Seedhouse and Morna Holmes (S6)
Benji follows Otaki trail
Ōtaki Scholar Benjamin Osugo (Class of 15)
travelled to New Zealand in July for a five
week tour, visiting nine schools all providing
him with a different perspective on parts
of New Zealand. He visited Chunuk Bair
commemorations, had morning tea with
the British Commissioner, judged a kapa
haka competition and attended a powhiri.
Other highlights includes quad biking, jet
boating, sea kayaking in the Abel Tasman,
meeting up with Sam (The Strowan Scholar)
in Christchurch and going to Canterbury’s
St Andrew’s college formal. He was also
impressed with the vineyards he visited,
despite not being old enough to appreciate
the wine itself.
Pupils put Geography
skills to the test
A team of three Senior pupils came fourth
overall in the final of the Scottish Association
of Geography Teachers (SAGT) World
Wise Quiz in June. After winning the local
heat to secure a place in the final, Miriam
McDonald (now S5), Calum Shepherd (now
S4) and Vaibhav Chetty (now S2) competed
against 11 other teams at Holyrood High
School. Read more at www.rgc.aberdeen.
sch.uk/news.
4
CERN@School
Symposium
Mr Browett - along with Yash Nirmal
(S6), Thomas Santini and Liam Hu
(both S5) - flew down for the CERN@
School Symposium at Queen Mary
University London. This academic
conference showcased numerous
pupil led research projects using the
MX-10 particle detector, which utilises
a chip initially designed for detectors
on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.
With RGC hosting one of only three
of the detectors in Scotland, we are
really looking forward to using it.
During the day we saw presentations
on possible experiment ideas for
our projects in Higher Physics or
investigations in the Advanced Higher
course, as well as collaborations we
may become involved in with other
schools.
Pupils from schools around the
country have already done some
amazing things with the equipment,
such as taking background radiation
readings in Greenland and getting
an advanced five chip detector into
orbit aboard a commercial satellite.
Possibly the most special part about
the symposium was that we have
the opportunity to participate in
nationwide collaborative research
that actually helps us to understand
the world around us.
Yash Nirmal (S6), Thomas Santini (S5)
& Liam Hu (S5)
The Magician’s Nephew
S2 drama club flew into the exciting new
Craig Centre for Performing Arts and
produced an excellent performance of ‘The
Magician’s Nephew’, the prequel to the iconic
‘Chronicles of Narnia’ series. The tale saw two
friends Polly, played by Katy Johnson, and
Digory, Euan Seaman, go on a real adventure
to the ‘Wood Between The Worlds’ and
eventually to the creation of Narnia. On their
adventure, set on by Digory’s crazy Uncle
Andrew, played by Harrison Collie-Dugiud,
they meet the evil Queen Jadis known to us
as ‘The White Witch’ – was played by Kirsty
Angus, Aslan the Lion, Malcom Cowie, and all
the animals and people of Charn. The whole
cast worked incredibly hard and gave an
entertaining performance filled with laughs
and drama throughout. Big well done to all
those involved.
Olivia Attwool-Keith and Connor McKay (S6
2014-2015)
From the Quadrangle Autumn 2015
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From the Parents’
Association
Astrophysics at Aberdeen
Early in September the College hosted a series of lectures and workshops with Dr Paul
Roche a renowned Astrophysicist from Cardiff University. Dr Roche is the UK National
Schools’ Astronomer, Director of the Faulkes Telescopes Project, and the European
Space Agency’s “Space Ambassador” for Wales.
Dr Roche arrived in time to deliver the afternoon workshop and to have an interesting
astronomical discussion with the class. In the evening Mr Browett gave an informal talk
while the public had a chance to handle some very interesting meteorites. This was an
excellent introduction to Dr Roche’s talk on the evidence and effects of massive impacts
in the Solar System, as meteorites played a crucial role.
The next day Dr Roche also squeezed in a lecture for pupils on the life cycle of stars,
where we were joined by pupils from Banchory Academy.
James Ross (S6)
Youth Philanthropy Initiative 2015 winners raised £3,890 for Abuse Support Aberdeen to set up a project involving previous rape survivors sharing
stories. Pupil Anisha Badial (now S5) said: “I was overwhelmed to hear from Aberdeen Asset who confirmed Abuse Support Aberdeen would receive
our total raised of £3,980 in addition to the YPI grant of £3,000. This is a huge achievement for our charity and our team who applied for the grant.”
Scottish Space School
I had an extremely rewarding experience taking part in the Scottish Space School. One
hundred students from schools across Scotland were selected to come to Glasgow to
take part in the residential week full of engaging activities related to space Science
and Engineering.
Each activity we took part in was related to a branch of engineering - building and
launching rockets, making heart rate detectors and constructing a strut. In addition
to the range of hands-on activities, we learned about orbital mechanics and were
given two projects to work on during the week. We got to meet and ask questions to
Tom Marshburn, a NASA astronaut who had also successfully carried out spacewalks
on the ISS.
The highlight had to be the ‘Mars Rover’ challenge, where we were all assigned a task
like piloting a mini rover, a drone, a blimp, a crane and a transport vehicle all under
timed conditions. Read more at www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk/news.
Yash Nirmal (S6)
Welcome back to another year at RGC and
a warm welcome to all the new families
joining the school. The PA play a busy role
in supporting the school and fundraising
to enhance the experience of the children
of RGC. This cannot be done without the
support of the school and our families.
We have already been busy with coffee
mornings for new S1 parents which provide
an opportunity for parents to meet each
other and SMT whilst their children settle into
the senior school. Marisa Dougal is leading
the volunteers providing refreshments at
Countesswells on Saturdays and we are
always on the lookout for additional helpers.
In Junior school we have started selling
Spree books, soon opening to senior school.
The books offer great savings whilst raising
funds for our children. The Christmas fair
takes place on 22nd November. Save the
date for a fun family day and a chance
to start your Christmas shopping in style.
Second hand uniform is available to buy
every Thursday lunch time in the dining hall.
We also handle the school’s lost property
service. Shuna Jenkins has valiantly taken
responsibility for this service for the last 14
years but now retires from the committee.
Donna Ryan takes over. Lastly, Co-chair Steve
Kemp has retired from the committee with
Fiona Chambers stepping up alongside Jo
Hardie. Jo and Fiona can be contacted at
[email protected].
Mandarin at Schoolhill
At the beginning of this session, the Modern
Languages Department launched Mandarin
Club. This is an exciting new opportunity
for pupils of all ages to begin learning
a language spoken by over 950 million
people. During the club pupils have been
learning how to speak basic Mandarin as
well as how to write Chinese calligraphy
and are also gaining an insight into Chinese
culture. The club runs weekly on Monday
and Friday after school and has received an
excellent response from both pupils and
staff throughout the school, with over 70
pupils attending.
Miss Clark
Autumn 2015 From the Quadrangle
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News from our Junior School
Wrap Around Care
The Wrap Around Care provided at
RGC consists of Breakfast, After School
and Holiday Club. A team of qualified
playworkers and thirteen S6 students look
after the pupils to ensure their safety and
wellbeing.
During the summer holidays Junior
School pupils spent an action packed time at
Countesswells. There were themes of “Out of
the Sea”, “China” and “Circus” which involved
both children and parents dressing up with
lots of team games, sport and arts and crafts
taking place. There was also a well attended
cricket camp run by coaches (including
some former pupils) for Junior and Senior
school pupils. Further information on out
of school clubs is available at www.rgc.
aberdeen.sch.uk/wraparoundcare.
Mrs S Baxter
“Have you ever, ever seen a parrot fencing with a carrot?”
FUNBOX entertains in
new theatre
Pupils from Nursery, Primary 1 and 2 were treated to a special performance of FUNBOX
in September. The event took place as part of The Craig Celebration Series to mark the
opening of the new Craig Centre for Performing Arts and was supported by two principal
donors within the Gordonian community. Former pupil Kevin Macleod Class of 87 founded
FUNBOX with some of his former ‘Singing Kettle’ stars.
Teacher completes
amazing cycle
challenge
At the start of September, Mr Northcroft
cycled from Glasgow Central through the
Scottish centres of Edinburgh, Dundee,
Aberdeen and Inverness to complete the
challenge in 24 hours. Raising money for his
upcoming Orphanage Building Trip to Kenya
in October and for a boy called MJ, who lives
with quadriplegic cerebral palsy, he would
like to thank the Gordon’s Community who
have been a great support contributing
towards an overall total raised of around
£12,000. Primary Football
Primary 4 pupils finished an energetic
season where they played friendly league
matches with other primary schools in
Aberdeen. Training weekly at Counteswells
in preparation for Saturday matches the
children developed greatly throughout the
season and enjoyed their time on the pitch.
This year Primary 3 through to 6 are running
football teams with thanks to our parent
community.
6
Junior Masterchef
Morag and Penny
Pupils snap their way to
success
Morag Shepherd and Penny Winton (now
S1) saw success in The Scottish Civic Trust
My Place Photography Competition. Morag’s
photo ‘Moving Sands of Time’ won Highly
Commended and ‘Reflection on the Past’
by Penny won Commended in the Primary
School Category. Both girls attended the
awards ceremony at The Lighthouse,
Scotland’s Centre for Design and Architecture
where prizes were presented by Marco Biagi,
MSP, Minister for Local Government and
Community Empowerment. Their photos
can be seen at www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk/
news.
The final of the Junior Masterchef took place
in June in MacRobert Hall. Once again, this
popular event for pupils in P5 to P7, run
by the Junior School Sustainability Club
with support from Entier Catering. Two
guest judges who had the very difficult
job of choosing the top three (Chef George
McIvor and Dr Alex Johnston from the
Rowett Institute). Third place went to
Lewis Gambles (now P7) for his Raspberry
and Summer Fruit Crumble with Chantilly
Cream, second place went to Olivia Tait
(now P6) for her Raspberry Cheesecake, and
first place, and the overall winner, went to
Olivia Mair (now S1) for her mouth-watering
Rainbow Salad. One of the finalists, Lewis
Forbes (now P6), said: “I loved being part of
Masterchef 2015 – it has been so much fun! I really enjoyed making my Lamb Tagine
and learning new skills in the kitchen. I am
looking forward to taking part next year.”
Junior School Sustainability Club
From the Quadrangle Autumn 2015
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Expanding Global
Connections
Robert Gordon’s College were pleased to host a group of 11 Grade
8 (S2) pupils from Lancaster Country Day School, Pennsylvania,
USA in June. Pupils and staff stayed with Robert Gordon’s College
families during their visit to Aberdeen and then continued a tour
of the UK. Spending a morning in school, the pupils then enjoyed
an afternoon at Dunnottar Castle. Mr Mills said: “Robert Gordon’s
College remains highly committed to expanding global connections
and links in the knowledge that these experiences will be vital for
our pupils both now and in the future.”
Pau Exchange
School Captain Morna Holmes will launch our new French exchange
programme when she visits the Lycée Saint-Cricq in Pau during the
October holidays. Situated in the south-west of France near the
Pyrenees, the Lycée Saint-Cricq specialises in science and technology,
and some lessons are taught in English or German. The returning
group of French pupils will be hosted by RGC families in the first week
of November. We are delighted to be able to establish a link with a
French lycée and hope that many more S5 and S6 pupils will take
advantage of this opportunity in 2016. We are still looking for one
or two more places for the visiting French pupils, so please contact
Mrs Chalmers in the Modern Languages Department if you would
be interested in hosting. News from the Archives
Robert Gordon’s College, like all schools, has its own peculiar
vocabulary. Until a couple of years ago, end of year examinations in
S1-S4 were referred to as Divisionals, deriving from the word Division,
the old word for describing a school year group. Our shorthand
method of referring to our College is RGC but it was not always thus:
after 1881, when the College became a day school, the pupils called
it RO-GO-CO and prior to that date it was referred to as RO-GO-HO
– shorthand for Robert Gordon’s Hospital. The June 1939 edition of
The Gordonian carries an interesting article by William Ross about
the language and terms used by the “Sillerton Loons”. Read more
at www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk/news.
Mr Cummings and Mrs Hartley
International Week
At the start of the week pupils were briefed on the aims of
International Week and divided into designated country groups to
research throughout the week. Carrying out all of the fun educational
activities, pupils produced a display board and presentation as
part of a team according to their designated country. This allowed
them to learn about each country’s national identity and also about
cultural differences that exist between each. Read more about the
useful and transferable skills pupils learnt during the week at www.
rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk/news.
Mackenzie Anderson (now S6)
Pupils collaborate with
international peers
During Summer a selection of S5 pupils travelled to India for the
second Global Alliance for Innovative Learning (GAIL) Convention
which was this year hosted by Woodstock School, Mussoorie. The
Convention elaborated on key environmental issues within a global
context and pupils from the GAIL schools experienced some of the
Himalayan Outdoor Education on which Woodstock prides itself.
Mr Primrose said: “In this melting pot of cultures we have been
entertained by no less than two countries a night. Everyone seemed
to love the Ceilidh. Aside from the conference and Himalayan Trek,
pupils learnt about Islam from a teacher at the local mosque and
taught local school children.”
Read more on the trip blog: https://rgcindia.wordpress.com/
Fifth year Higher success makes
history at Gordon’s
Exam success at Robert Gordon’s College has set a new record this
year with 93.5% pass rate at Higher in Fifth Year. Furthermore, this
is the fifth consecutive year in which more than 50 S5 pupils have
achieved five straight A’s in their examinations and a further 23
pupils achieved four A’s and a B. In addition, 63 pupils in Fourth
year achieved eight straight A passes in their National 5 and
Intermediate 2 examinations, with 70% A passes overall, and 88%
of all grades being either at A or B. The excellent SQA examination
results enabled a high level of success from the S6 candidates
applying for university entry to a very wide variety of courses and
institutions. Read more at www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk/news.
Science Lectures: Window into
future research
The Science in the Quad series is a Cafe Scientifique style lecture on
current and often cutting edge research delivered by experts in their
field of science. I particularly enjoyed the talks on solar storms and
the mathematics of epidemics. After deepening my understanding
of what is known they often move to exploring the fringes of the
unknowns still to be explored which is my favourite part and gives
us a window into future research.
Aberdeen Astronomical Society also hosts regular meetings at the
College and through our partnership pupils are able to attend their
lectures. The truth is, astronomy the only science that is almost purely
observational, meaning that doing research has to be 100% hands
on, and I encourage anyone interested in science to come along
as it is possibly one of the best extracurricular activities out there.
Thomas Santini (S5)
Autumn 2015 From the Quadrangle
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Scottish Schools Relay
Championships
Six teams competed at Hutchison’s Grammar
on 5 June with podium spots on four out of
the six. RGC returned with a trophy dating
back to 1986. Group D boys won the national
title (pictured right). RGC won the final in a
time of 50.61. Team: Theo Abebiyi (now S3),
Ryan Milne (now S3), Reece Mercer (now S2)
and Aidan Parkinson (now S3). Silver medals
to Group C girls and Group B girls. Group
C girls: Ciara Stenhouse (now S4), Nicoletta
Gambro (now S4), Millie Skidmore (now S4) and
Frances Sealy (now S3). Group B girls: Georgia
Summers (now S5), Rhia Badial (now S4), Milly
Merry (now S4), Iona White (now S4). Bronze
medal Group C Boys. Team: Robert Gillespie
(now S3), Robbie Farquhar (now S4), Albert
Ibekwe (now S4) and John Gamba (now S3).
Anisha Nadial
National Trail
Championships
Anisha Nadial returned with a gold medal from
the Scottish National Mid-Trail Championships in
Fife after coming first girl for Under 17 women.
Swimming
Scottish Schools Swimming Team
Championships
Note: All yeargroups as at June 2015.
The RGC Swim Team travelled to the Tollcross
International Swimming Centre in Glasgow
on 17 June to compete in the 2015 Scottish
Schools Swimming Team Championships.
Congratulations to all of our swimmers who
took part where the S3/4 boys team were
gold medallists in the 200m Freestyle Relay
8
(Louis Houette, Guy Broadhurst, Craig Smith
and Murray Coueslant).
S1: Archie Coueslant, Calum Robertson,
Cameron Morrison, Innes Middleton, Toni
Dawson, Samantha McEwan, Rachel Lyon
and Lucy George
S3: Louis Houette, Calum Young, Sam Evans,
Guy Broadhurst and Nina Hounsome
S4: Murray Coueslant, Craig Smith, Alannah
O’Donnell, Hannah Morrison and Fiona Stewart
S6 and swim team captains: Alistair Robertson
and Fiona Macfarlane.
UK School Games
Murray Coueslant (now S5) had a great
experience at the UK School Games in
Manchester at the start of September
winning a bronze in the individual 200
freestyle (view online https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=BOXF0dW80PQ from 8:50). He
saw further success with the Scottish 4 x 200
freestyle relay team where all of the swimmers
in the team were Aberdeen based. They set
a new Scottish National and District Record
and finished in silver medal position.
National Tennis
Championships
A team of four (Jamie Connel -S1, Ross
Martin - S4, Connor McMahon - S3, Angus
Edward - S2) played at the Scottish Final of
the Year 10 National Tennis Championships
in September. The boys saw success with
wins against Stewart Melville, Madras and
George Heriot’s in the group stages before
summer then High School of Glasgow in the
semis. Losing to Merchiston (National Tennis
Academy School) in the final the team gave
the wins a good test. Cameron Edward played
all stages however missed the final due to a
back injury.
Mrs Roberts captains Scotland Hockey Team
Hockey Coach and Teacher of PE – Mrs
Roberts had the honour of captaining the
Over 40s Scotland Hockey Team at the 2015
European Masters Championships. This was
a new team that had never played together
before. Mrs Roberts said: “Our group was with
The Netherlands and Ireland. We lost on our
first day to the Dutch 6-0. The last two goals
in the game were conceded in the final two
minutes. This cost us the opportunity to play in
the semi- final against England who we drew
with at home nations. The next day we drew
1-1 with the Irish. The Irish had superior goal
difference only losing 6-1 to the Dutch so they
went on to play the semi- finals. This meant
that the highest position we could be was 5th,
and we easily secured this with a convincing
5-0 v Italy and a 4-0 v Wales. I scored twice
against the Italians at short corners.”
CCF News
Pipe Band - National Piping Centre Visit
Senior members of the Pipe Band took
time out at the end of the late summer
holidays to travel down to Glasgow and
visit the National Piping Centre. Here
they visited the Museum of Piping which
tells the story of the bagpipes, its history
and its diversity in Europe. They were
also given an informal presentation on
the Piping and Drumming Qualifications
Board (PDQB) in which qualifications
are currently available for both Piping
and Pipe Band Drumming.
In other news, Lewis Maitland (S6)
passed the Highland Bagpipes SCQF
Level 6 course over the summer holidays
at the Piping Centre Glasgow. Lewis
is the first pupil from RGC to sit the
course although his brother Fraser,
former Pipe Major of the CCF Pipe
Band, completed the PDQA Advanced
Piper examination, forerunner of this
qualification in 2005. Lewis will sit
the Piping & Drumming Tutors course
during the October holidays.
CCF Army - Cadet Leadership Course
Congratulations to CSM Murdoch, CSgt
Hewitt and CSgt Sprague in attending
and successfully completing the Cadet
Leadership Course during the summer
holidays. The Cadet Leadership Course
is a demanding course both mentally
and physically. Cadets only apply to
undertake this course if they are fit to do
so, and are committed to contributing
significantly to their CCF in their sixth
year. The purpose of the course is to
develop military skills in the cadet as
well as fostering leadership skills.
Mr Sumner
For more school stories visit
www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk/news.
Robert Gordon’s College is a charity registered in Scotland, No. SC000123a
Scottish Schools Sports Association
Championships 2015
Travelling to Grangemouth with a strong
squad of 18 pupils who competed over Friday
12 and Saturday 13 June the pupils saw some
great results. Mrs Smith, Teacher of PE said:
“We won eight medals in total which is one
more than last year. Within these fantastic
results was a Gold medal from Erin Runcie
in the Over 17 Girls Discus.”
Robert Gordon’s College, Schoolhill, Aberdeen AB10 1FE UK Tel: 01224 646346 (Senior School) 01224 646758 (Junior School)
Athletics
From the Quadrangle Autumn 2015
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