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Special Features 

by Dr Neil Dickson



Writing by
Hugh McIlvanney

    
              
    
Ali v Foreman - an account of one of the most remarkable bouts in boxing history by former pupil and sports journalist, Hugh McIlvanney.

Best Years of Our Lives - Hugh McIlvanney recalls one of football's legends.
 


                Writing by
       William McIlvanney


              

The Prisoner - a short story by author and former pupil William McIlvanney.

Dreaming Las Vegas - William McIlvanney writes about his trip to the city of shining lights.     

  

 

  Kilmarnock Academy

    Worldwide



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Thanks to Sirius Concepts for hosting our school website.




Kilmarnock Academy School Web Site                            


Welcome to

Kilmarnock Academy's

School Web Site

All images of staff and pupils - copyright of Kilmarnock Academy
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DOCTOR DICKSON HAS LEFT THE BUILDING
Doctor Neil Dickson, the longest-serving member of our English Department, has now left the building and is currently en route to a happy retirement. He joined the staff of Kilmarnock Academy in August 1977 on the day that Elvis died. In his 32 years at Kilmarnock Academy Neil has provided enlightenment and inspiration as well as compassion, understanding and humour (being an Aberdeen supporter, he certainly needed the humour). Throughout his career at KA, he has had his share of 'difficult' classes but always managed to get them on his side.

Special thanks is due to Neil for all of the time, expertise and wisdom he has contributed to the creation and development of the history sections of the school website. His mischievous contribution to KA mythology and the world of fiction was "The Ghost of A Floor" . He will be missed by all those who value decency, integrity and knowledge and, above all, he will be missed by his pupils. We wish Neil a long and happy retirement.

We also wish Mr Maider and Mrs Lyon a long and happy retirement.

 WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR THE WEEKEND
 
 Friday:

 Rather dull and misty around Glasgow at first, otherwise bright or  sunny again. However, there is the risk of a few showers in the  afternoon or evening. Moderate easterly winds. Maximum temperature  22 °C .
 
 Outlook for Saturday to Monday:

 Rather dull and damp at times, especially further east. Generally drier  and brighter towards the west coast. Easterly winds continuing .

 WELL DONE OWEN!
 
 
We are pleased to report that KA pupil Owen Gemmell has been  awarded the Kilmarnock Rugby Clubs S2 Coaches Player of the Year  trophy. Owen takes his rugby seriously and this year his hard work,  dedication and skill have brought rewards and recognition. Owen, who  is a second row forward in the scrum, plays for the S2 every Sunday  and trains with the team every Wednesday night.

 This year Kilmarnocks S2s won their own Tounament, beating Cumnock  RFC , Strathaven RFC and Cartha Queens Park RFC. 

READERS' CUP 2009

One sunny day in June, KA's 2009 Readers Cup team - along with reserves, supporters, Miss Brown, Mr King & Toby the Library Assistant - set off for Auchinleck Academy to compete in the annual S1 & S2 Readers Cup competition.

Well, given that there are nine Secondary Schools in East Ayrshire, coming 7th wasn't too bad! Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and the team (and Mr King!) went away with goody bags to commemorate the event. I don't think any of our supporters managed to win anything in the free-for-all that was the audience quiz - this consisted of shouting out answers as loud and as quick as possible. Our pupils were much too well behaved for that!

Auchinleck Academy won - again - so this time next year we will be travelling down to their school to compete. We'll get our team chosen much earlier - so I can do a bit of coaching....perhaps!

Report by Stephen King, School Librarian


DID YOU SEE REPORTING SCOTLAND AT 6.30PM THURSDAY 11th JUNE?

If you tuned in to Reporting Scotland on Thursday 11th June you would have caught a fleeting glimpse of life at KA. A team from BBC News visited Mrs Dunsmuir's class to film Mrs D teaching and interview her, as well as three pupils, about the present exam system. By the time the footage was transmitted at 6.30pm, other news developments meant that the report had been shortened and, while we did get some colourful footage of Mrs D and her class, the interviews were completely cut from the report - a pity as we always like to hear what Mrs D has to say.

After filming at KA, the news team - Kevin Jackson and cameraman, Pete Cole - also had reports on Setanta and on Swine Flu to film, edit and have ready for the news at 6.30. Now that's pressure!
'TIMES ED' AT KA

While the BBC were filming Mrs Dunsmuir's class, upstairs in Home Economics Miss Lamont was the focus of attention. Chris, photographer for the Times Ed, was taking some shots of Miss Lamont in action to accompany a follow-up piece on probationer teachers for an upcoming edition of the Times Ed.

A FURTHER GLIMPSE OF LIFE AT KA

Just in case you missed Reporting Scotland or you don't have a TV, here are some snapshots of life at the great Citadel of Learning.

 ANNUAL PRIZEGIVING
 
 Kilmarnock Academy's Annual Prizegiving ceremony will take place on  Monday 15th June. As always, there will be a range of quality musical  items and speeches in addition to the presentation of prizes.

 In case you're wondering how it all works, our academic awards are  not based on the old-fashioned system of aggregating raw scores from  all subjects and ranking the pupils with the highest average scores.  Instead, each department nominates a set number of 'top pupils' and  those pupils with the most nominations get certificates of distinction.  To find out who will be receiving prizes click here.

 GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS
 
 A group of S3 Business Managers - John Routh, Holly Jarvie, Michael  Glover, Leigh McMaster - visited the Mitchell Library in Glasgow for an  exciting day of trading on a computer-simulated stock exchange.  The  group competed against another 24 schools to see who could make  the most money. Groups were given a set amount of money to buy  stocks and shares, with the ultimate aim of their money growing, in  order to make a profit. Sounds simple - but the pupils found it an  exciting and stressful day when share and stock prices rose and fell  constantly. Pupils had a great day and learnt a great deal about the  stock exchange.

 Report by L MacInnes  







REMINDERS.....

S6 London Trip (Mr Ramsay)
If you are interested in this see Mr Ramsay for details asap.

Summer Activities (Mr Ramsay)
These will be taking place on Thursday 25 th June. Money can still be paid at the reception this week. There are still places available on the following:
•  Loudoun Castle - £10
•  Strathclyde Park - £13
•  Power League – price to be confirmed but approx £10
Activity money will be collect at lunchtimes this week and next.

S5 Pupils - UCAS applications next session (Mrs Hamilton)
Pupils who applying to college or university next session may wish to consider doing work experience or work shadowing during the summer holidays in order to include it in their personal statement. I cannot organise this for you but I can give you contacts. See me if you are interested.


For more details and events click here.


 THANKING LOCAL BUSINESSES

 Stephen McIlwraith and Gregor Keachie, both 4B, accompanied by Mrs  Hamilton, attended an event in the Park Hotel on Tuesday 2nd June.  The purpose of this event was for schools to thank local businesses for  any help given during the session.

 Pupils in KA have had the benefit of many business people this year -  in the work experience programme and mock interviews mainly. We are  always grateful to local companies, local authority personnel, not to  mention the Ayrshire Chamber for help...(click to read on)
 Report by L Hamilton

 SCOTTISH YOUTH THEATRE - ROADSHOW 2009

 The Scottish Youth Theatre is planning a range of events and  activities over the coming months. If you are interested in finding out  how to develop your interest in drama and theatre then click here to  find out what is on offer.

 MOST POPULAR BOOKS

 In a recent survey of books borrowed from the Library Resource Centre,  New Moon by Stephenie Meyer came out on top. Here is the list of  most popular books:

 1. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
 2. Run Zan Run by Catherine MacPhail
 3. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
 4. It's OK, Im wearing really big knickers by Louise Rennison
 5. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
 6. Roxy's Baby by Catherine MacPhail
 7. The Beast Within by Catherine MacPhail
 8. Cirque du Freak by Darran Shan
 9= Clone Wars Adventures (Graphic Novel)
 9= Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
 9= Simpsons Comics Extravaganza
 9= The Escape by Robert Muchamore
 9= Your Most Wanted Cheats by Cath Birch

 Information supplied by Stephen King, School Librarian.

 AND THERE'S MORE.....

 In case you have missed any of our front page news, we have archived  it so you can browse at your leisure. The news archive is split into  school years or sessions:

 Session 2008 - 2009

 Session 2007 - 2008

 Session 2006 - 2007



 READ ALL ABOUT IT !
 
 In case you didn't make it to the  newsagents' this morning, you can  catch up on all the news and  headlines here on KA Web. Click  the picture on the left to access  everything from the Daily Record  to the Guardian.

 If you have time, you should also  check out the MAGAZINE RACK  (right) where you will be sure to  find something to appeal to - or  develop - your interests.

Former Pupils

    Worldwide

We have recently heard from Peter Holt (Portugal), Gerry Greensmith in Brighton and Janie Henstock in South Africa who visited Kilmarnock in July 2006. She sent us some pictures and her thoughts on her visit.
GET IN TOUCH WITH K.A.

We have already heard from
Billy Lennon (Derby), Daryn Bolland (Canada), Linda Sewell (Kentucky, USA), Jamie Ross (Weston, Florida, USA), David McGaw (Hamilton), Kara Lou Ross (Kilmarnock), Julie Clemmy (Kilmarnock), Winifred Holland (Ontario), Heather Farrell Andolsen (New Jersey), Laura Hastings (Cape Cod), Russell Dowson (Boston), Alison Macmillan (London), Janet Smith (Auckland), Gordon Mutch (Ontario), Ed Wilson (Arkansas), Lesley Anne Campbell (Glasgow), Iain Brown (Kilmarnock), Jane Henstock (Johannesburg), Angela Brown (New York), Elaine McCulloch (Chicago), Roy McClymont (Atlanta), Craig Hanlon (Paris),Kirsteen Wright (Tokyo), Clifford McMillan (Korea), Elinor Kerr (Kilmarnock) and Scott Bell (Norway).



K.A. WORLDWIDE

Is anybody out there?

Over the past year we have received a number of e-mails from former pupils living abroad (check out the list on the left). These are being posted on the Former Pupils' Notice Board.

If you are a former pupil living abroad, then e-mail us and let us know what you've been up to lately.

As you can see from our list, we also welcome e-mails from former pupils who are still living locally.

So, what are you waiting for? Contact us at:

formerpupils@kilmarnockacademy.co.uk

            
                
K.A. Promoting Reading and Access to Knowledge

   Read all about it! Access all the UK national daily and Sunday papers at the click of a button.
     
     Here you can get reading lists, advice, book reviews, the latest reads and competitions.


   No matter what your interests, you should find something to suit you here.

   Here you can find out what's going on from L.A. to Moscow, at the click of a button.

K.A. Web - Credits

The creation and maintenance of this site has taken place (and continues to do so) outwith school time during evenings and weekends. It consumes serious amounts of time for which the creators receive no payment whatsoever. Neil Dickson and Neil Mcilvanney are both full-time English teachers with full timetables. Eric Gordon works full-time in I.T. for South Ayrshire Council.


Alistair and Stuart Livingston
The idea to upgrade our school website came originally from Alistair Livingston, (a former KA Maths teacher
and member of our school board) and his son Stuart.


Thanks to Sirius Concepts for hosting our school website.
The Pupils of K.A.
Enthusiastic contributions to many areas of the site - especially reviews of Books, Films Games and CDs. Keep those contributions coming.


Former Pupils of K.A.
Contributions from across the world to Former Pupils' Notice Board, K.A. Worldwide, Feedback & Requests. Your contributions are gratefully received - keep sending them in!


Neil McIlvanney
Creating and uploading all (700+) pages; site layout; all ideas for site content; all photos (except Art); researching links; updating content; developing additional features and content to be uploaded soon; design, layout and uploading of subject content pages (an additional 200+ pages coming soon).


Eric Gordon
Site menu system; many, many hours of invaluable technical support and advice; making up initial country pages for K.A. Worldwide.


Dr Neil Dickson
Content in History , Famous Former Pupils, Former Rectors.


Individual Subject Departments
Subject Content; Art Dept. - Art & Fashion photographs.

Carole Ford
Content for What's on This Month, the Weekly Bulletin and the Term Newsletters; arranging 5 days for Neil McIlvanney to work on the School Handbook Section; sanctioning finance for the creation of the site menu system.

Hugh & William McIlvanney
For giving permission to include their work on our school website.