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Some Feedback
"I never knew this web site existed until today - fantastic." Colin Wilson "Your website is worth its weight in gold." Tony Lord "I only just came across this web-site thanks to facebook...i've been having a good laugh at some of the pictures and stories..." John Findlay "Great things in this site. Congratulations to you & all involved." Robert Ireland "Irish" "Just had to say that I think the website is fantastic!" Malcolm Fulton "Just been checking out your website. How wonderful! Brought back some lovely memories." Lauren Logan |
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by Dr Neil Dickson |
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Kilmarnock Academy |
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| Kilmarnock Academy School Web Site |
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KILMARNOCK EDITION FESTIVAL - THIS WEEKEND - DON'T MISS IT! This weekend provides the perfect answer to those negative people who moan that nothing much ever happens in Kilmarnock. The Kilmarnock Edition Festival 2010, from 3rd to 5th September, will see three packed days of music with over 20 class acts appearing at three great venues. The highlights include The Feeling, Eddi Reader, Roddy Woomble, Wooden Box with a Fistful of Fivers and, on the dance stage, Basshunter & guests. To find out more, click here. |
SATURDAY 4th SEPTEMBER |
SUNDAY 5th SEPTEMBER FREE Stage Dean Castle 2pm-4.30pm FREE ENTRY The Fortunate Sons The Cliftons Naomi Chapman |
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WEATHER FOR KILMARNOCK EDITION FESTIVAL WEEKEND Friday 3rd September: Mist, fog and low cloud will disperse through the morning to leave some long spells of warm sunshine, especially towards Ayr and Oban. Light southeasterly winds. Maximum temperature 21 °C . Outlook for Saturday 4th to Monday 6th September: Most places will stay dry with some sunshine. West Argyll and the Clyde Coast will be cloudier at times with a little rain. Strengthening southeasterly winds, especially towards west coast. |
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LOCAL MSP TO VISIT KILMARNOCK ACADEMY On Monday 13 September, the local constituency MSP Willie Coffey will be visiting the school to speak to Modern Studies pupils. The visit has been organised by Mr Cowan of our Modern Studies Department. S3 pupils will attend a Question/Answer session during period one on that day and S4 pupils will have their chance to put questions to Mr Coffey during period two. One topic pupils are likely to ask Mr Coffey about is the Make it Kilmarnock initiative, as he is a member of the advisory board intent on bringing economic recovery and growth to Kilmarnock in the wake of Johnnie Walker's withdrawal from the town. |
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MRS WALKER OVERSEES ACCESS TO SUCCESS We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new Depute Head Teacher, Mrs Walker, who joined us at the beginning of term. As one of a Senior Management Team of only four, Mrs Walker has had a busy start to her time at K.A. and is currently overseeing the introduction of Scholar, for S5 and S6 students. Mrs Walker explains: "Scholar is an online resource which students can access to give them further support in their learning and study. Their individual login will provide them with access to the subjects, provided by scholar, which they are studying at school." |
TRIP TO EDINBURGH BOOK FESTIVAL – 27th AUGUST 2010 Under the watchful eyes of Mr King, Ms Fullerton & Ms McLeish, twenty S2 and five S3 pupils set off to investigate the delights of the capital on a bright and sunny morning (the weather having been specially ordered for the day). The coach driver certainly seemed to know Edinburgh well (unlike last year) and we arrived in good time to chill out in the sun before attending the first author event of the day, Lauren St John, who enthralled us with tales of pet giraffes, angry warthogs, and dead men’s coves. The Q & A session proved a great success, with Hannah Mains winning a special prize of one of Lauren’s books on CD. Shame we can’t remember what the question was!A swift book-signing session and lunch was followed by a scary session with author Gillian Philip, who pulled no punches when explaining to us how medieval torture instruments actually worked – and how much they costed - and why you should never chop down any rowan trees you might find in your garden. (I was really confused by this, because I thought she kept on saying Rowntrees, and was thinking about chopping down tubes of smarties). More frantic book purchasing and signings followed, and then we all slept on the bus on the way home (apart from Emma Strain and Shaun Finlay, who made enough noise for all of us combined). Thanks to all the pupils, who were a credit both to themselves and to the school, and to Ms Fullerton & Ms McLeish, who both had a really easy Friday! |
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DR NEILSON CERTAINLY KNOWS HER ONIONS!
Who remembers our ex-librarian, Dr Neilson? Here she is, winning a prize for the "Best Spring Onions in Show" at the Fenwick Church Garden Club Annual Show. We never knew that she had such green fingers - maybe that explains what those funny marks are on some of our library books! |
| ANY OLD PHOTOS? While researching some family history I came across the Kilmarnock Academy website. I have thoroughly enjoyed browsing through it, athough I do not have any connections with Kilmarnock Academy. Much to my surprise I found my relative Annie C MacLarty immortalised in Stewart Conn's poem 'School Motto'!
If by any chance there are any photographs in the school archives which might include Annie MacLarty, I would be very grateful for a copy of one. Of course, I would pay any costs involved.
Catriona McInnes |
| SOME KA WEB HIGHLIGHTS With over 800 pages on our site, it is easy to miss some of the best features and content. Over the next few months we'll be highlighting some of those items you may not have come across yet. The Old Haunts and the View from the Roof, featured below, should be of particular interest to former pupils no longer living in Kilmarnock. |
 Old Haunts |
 K.A.Gallery |
 View from the Roof |
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REMINDERS.....
There will be another fire drill shortly but no further warning will be given. Please ensure pupils know where to line up. Extra Curricular Activities – Music – (Mr Ramsay) |
EXPLORING THE PAST
Click on the maps below to see what Kilmarnock was like in days gone by. |
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THE HUMAN COST OF KNIFE CRIME Some time ago I worked on pages for this website commemorating former pupils who died in the two world wars. At the time I stated that the real emotional impact of that memorial derived from the fact that the individual stories and tributes succeeded in humanising the statistics, giving a real sense of the lives behind the names and conveying an overwhelming sense of loss. A while back I came across a web page that did the same thing for young victims of another tragic war - on the streets of modern Britain. Anyone who thinks that it's cool to be "tooled up" should click here. N. McIlvanney |
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UNIVERSITY OPEN DAYS Mr King has compiled a list of the university open days for this session and they have already started. If you are in S5/S6 you should be giving the matter some serious thought now, if you have not done so already. If you need some help or advice in deciding which career to choose then ask your guidance teacher to arrange an interview for you. You can also get a lot of really useful help and advice on how to decide on the right course for you at the Careers Scotland website. To view the list of university open days click here. |
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MR KING'S WORD OF THE WEEK Tues, 31 August 2010
recalcitrant
History: 19th century: via French, from Latin recalcitrare, from RE + calcitrare, to kick, originally from calx, heel Example: Mrs Ford: “It’s one thing having to put up with recalcitrant pupils – but now some of the teachers are showing the same tendencies!” |
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THE CLASS OF 43! |
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BE PREPARED |
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A RAINY NIGHT IN EDINBURGH On a wet and grey Monday night, Mr McIlvanney took up the invitation of an old friend, Martin Waugh, and headed for the HMV Picturehouse in Lothian Road in Edinburgh. The occasion was the final UK date of Mika's tour and Martin - who used to play guitar with Sophie Ellis Bexter, Lily Allen...oh, and Mr Mac - was playing guitar with Mika. The gig itself was a celebration of melody and a festival of vibrant colour - no dark pretentious brooding or angst for these guys... just a lot of fun and a lot of music. Former pupil, Blair McMillan, put in a good performance on drums with the support band, Pearl & the Puppets. |
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GOOD LUCK MR KING AND MR ROWE! Mr King, who left our English Department at the end of June, started his new job in the English Department at Hawick High School on Friday 20th August. When he was with us, Mr King brought a real freshness, spark and enthusiasm to our English Department - this year that is being supplied by Mr Reid and Mr McIlvanney. Mr King was also the tactical mastermind and motivational expert behind the under-13 football team's success last year. (Mr Rowe washed the strips.) We wish Mr King and Mr Rowe good luck and success at their new schools. |
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FAMOUS FORMER PUPIL UPDATES Our special thanks goes to Dr Dickson who has managed to create some time in his busy retirement schedule to produce more famous former pupil profiles for the school website. These include Dundee United's 2010 Scottish Cup hero, Craig Conway, and Sir William Muir (1819-1905) Imperial Administrator & Orientalist. To find out about their achievements (and, let's be honest, to find out exactly what an Imperial Administrator & Orientalist actually is) click here. Thanks again to Dr Dickson for all his hard work. |
| IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK! The long summer holiday is now over. Staff returned to school on Monday 16th August and the pupils returned on Tuesday 17th August. As you can see from the pictures below, some pupils were rather happy to be back in school. We would like to offer a special welcome to our new pupils at K.A. and wish all of our pupils - new and old - good luck in the coming session. You should however bear in mind that success is more to do with having a positive attitude and a healthy workrate than it is to do with luck. At present the work on the steps up to the main entrance has not been completed but all the actual building entrances are clear and accessible. |
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| THINGS ARE LOOKING GOOD! The latest local landmark to be restored to its former glory (and colour) is the statue of James Shaw, next to the War Memorial on Dick Road. The statue, by James Fillans, was originally unveiled on 4th August 1848, five years after Shaw's death. Along with the previous restoration and cleaning work on the Dick Institute and the War Memorial, the new-look statue has brightened up a very picturesque corner of Kilmarnock. Well done to the local Council - not only for restoring these landmarks but also for restoring a bit of pride in our local heritage. Click on the pictures below to view full size. To find out more about James Shaw click here. |
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| CLASS OF 1980 REUNION 90 pupils from the 1980 intake enjoyed the reunion party last night, 7th August. Some travelled from Norway, Iraq, Germany, England, Wales, Falkirk and Irvine! The organisers would like to thank everyone for making it a great night, for donations of raffle prizes and for buying tickets. £150 was raised and donated to Help 4 Heroes and the Ayrshire Huntington's Disease service. Thanks to Mr McIlvanney and Mr King at Kilmarnock Academy for their help in making the reunion such a success. Best wishes, Eileen Meek (Gilmour) . |
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READING AND RELAXATION Recent findings have confirmed what we have always suspected - that reading reduces stress. There was a girl I taught who once told me that her favourite place to read was in the car. "But don't you feel sick if you read in the car?" I enquired. "Not when it is sitting in the driveway," was her reply. Her house was a noisy and lively place with young children, so the car was her reading refuge. If you don't have a quiet place to read then perhaps you should find one. We all know that reading improves your performance in school but now you know it can also make you chilled, relaxed, stress-free and cool. N.McIlvanney |
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HELP IS JUST A PHONE CALL AWAY For those who didn't get the results they had been hoping for on 5th August, help is at hand in the form of a call to the Skills Development Scotland Exam Results Helpline on 0808 100 8000. The line is open from 9am until 6pm weekdays and 9am until 5pm weekends until 28 August. SDS's Chief Executive Damien Yeates said: "The message is that if people don't get the results they were hoping to get they shouldn't panic. They should call the helpline and speak to our advisers who can give the information, advice and assistance that they need." "This can be a difficult time not only for students but for their parents too, especially in the current economic climate. Parents sometimes call on behalf of their sons and daughters as they can be too upset to make the call themselves. Making a call to the helpline is that important first step in finding out what their options are," said Damien. Almost 80 advisers will be on hand to give the latest information on UCAS course vacancies at colleges and universities across the UK, clearing, advice about employment, training opportunities, exam re-sits and the Scottish Government's Step Forward Scotland £6.5m support package for summer leavers. (source: SDS website) |
| LOUDOUN HILL Local photographer Eric Gordon, who supplied me with the deer pictures further down the page, took these pictures of Loudon Hill and Spirit of Scotland. Click on the small pictures below to view larger versions. |
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WERE YOU EXPECTING A DELIVERY? On Thursday, 5th August 2010 all those pupils who opted for the traditional brown envelope through the door found out how they fared in the 2010 SQA exams. We hope they did well. Of course, many pupils found out their results a day earlier as they opted to be notified by more hi-tech methods. A number of KA pupils have done really well (eg Lucy G., Alison W., Stephen McI., Abbie M.). Well done and congratulations to them - and to all of those who gained awards. |
| DEER COUNTRY Local photographer Eric Gordon supplied me with these pictures. The funny thing is that they were not taken in some highland glen but were actually taken locally, in a pretty surprising location. If you want to work out exactly where the deer were taking a drink, the top left picture holds all the clues. In case you can't work out the location, go to the picture at the top of the page. There is a road in the centre of the picture (High Street) running under the railway arches. If you go two arches to the right of the road then you will be at the river running through the Kay Park. The top left picture shows the deer under that second arch - right across from the car park and Kilmarnock Bus Station! |
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| THE TRENCHES TRIP 2010 "Mr Cowan counted forty three. I counted forty three. All present and correct. The time was 08.30, Sunday 20th of June 2010 and the order was given for departure. The Kilmarnock Academy Expeditionary Group was on its way to Flanders. The bus driver, Alex, started the engine. The party roared in anticipation of the journey ahead. Happy shouts from the students; joyous waves from the parents, as the wheels of the bus slowly turned and the trip was under way.The initial route taken was through the Irvine Valley to pick Mr & Mrs Stables up at Strathaven along with Mr Campbell. The journey south had begun in earnest. Seven hours later, after a couple of stops, we arrived in the port of Hull. Once aboard the P&O Ferry, the cabins having been allocated, the group had dinner- excellent choices- and settled down to life on the sea. All went to plan apart from the first casualties of the campaign who succumbed to sea sickness. Although only a few, they adopted the stiff upper lip and dealt with the situation in a typical Killie way: they went to bed and wept.(I have since been informed that this is the response that Kilmarnock FC supporters employ when they experience defeat. A lot of wet pillows last season?) They survived to tell the tale. After breakfast next morning -excellent choices- we arrived at the Belgian town of Zeebrugge." (To read the rest of Jaque van Beefenburger's report and view more photos of the trip click here) |
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FOOD & DIET EXPERT, LORNA , CONTRIBUTES TO KA WEB Nutritional expert and former pupil, Lorna Willock, has agreed to contribute to her old school's website. So how did this come about? Simple - we asked her. We already have links pages for Food & Diet as well as Health & Fitness but we don't really have much on-site content. Lorna has agreed to put that right. Her first contribution is a piece on Weight Loss . To read it, click here. Lorna is now consulting in Kilmarnock for part of the week. If you have any questions about the Weight Loss piece (or anything else) you can e-mail lorna@foods4life.co.uk or call her on 01644 470218. |
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INTERNET BUYING V HIGH STREET I heard about a notice on display at RGM Music in Nelson Street and, as it makes some very interesting points, I thought I would include it here for the perusal of you web surfers. One of the problems every High Street trader faces is when a customer says, "But I can get it cheaper on the net...". RGM have an interesting response to this claim. Ian Mortimer - who has owned RGM since 1983 - says, "We're just helping people to make an informed choice. Price is obviously a big consideration but it's certainly not the only one - especially if you are buying an instrument such as a guitar. Anyway, it doesn't always work out cheaper in the long run." To find out why, click here. |
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AND THERE'S MORE..... |
| 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. |
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Former Pupils  Worldwide
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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? |
K.A. Promoting Reading and Access to Knowledge |
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| 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.
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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. |
