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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UNDER-13 FOOTBALL 2009 -2010
Like Fulham FC, KA under-13's have now lost their star management team. With Mr King leaving for Hawick High School and Mr Rowe departing to Carnoustie High, the Killie boys face a tough season ahead at under-14 level.
Throughout season 2009-2010 Mr King has not just been steering the team to success on the park but has also been filing match reports and charting the team's progress. To find out how the team fared in all competitions click here. Special thanks to Mr King and Mr Rowe. |
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KILMARNOCK ACADEMY - TOP 20 BOOK ISSUES 2009/2010
Darren Shan tops the charts again!
The following table shows which books have been the most popular in the library during the last year - quite a surprising winner really, given that Darren hasn't had a new book out for a while.
But wait, I hear you cry - he has a new one due out in September! Yes, he certainly has - and I'm currently reading a pre-publication proof copy so I can write a review of it. It's called "Birth of a Killer", and will be the first of a series of four called "The Saga of Larten Crepsley" - all you fans out there will know who Larten Crepsley is, but this will give you a bit about his early life, and how he became a vampire. There's a really scary BIG spider on the front.....keeping checking the web for more details....
Keep reading those books!
Stephen King, School Librarian |
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Cirque du Freak |
Darren Shan |
Teenage Fiction |
| 2= |
It's OK, I'm wearing really big knickers |
Louise Rennison |
Teenage Fiction |
| 2= |
Your Most Wanted Cheats |
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Non Fiction |
| 4 |
Divided City |
Theresa Breslin |
Teenage Fiction |
| 5 |
Twilight |
Stephenie Meyer |
Senior Fiction |
| 6 |
Fat Boy Swim |
Catherine Forde |
Teenage Fiction |
| 7 |
Furnace: Lockdown |
Alexander Gordon Smith |
Teenage Fiction |
| 8 |
Simpsons Comic Extravaganza |
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Graphic |
| 9= |
Captain Underpants & the Talking Toilets |
Dav Pilkey |
Junior Fiction |
| 9= |
The Book Thief |
Markus Zusak |
Teenage Fiction |
| 9= |
Girls under Pressure |
Jacqueline Wilson |
Teenage Fiction |
| 12 |
Luurve is a many trousered thing |
Louise Rennison |
Teenage Fiction |
| 13= |
The Diary of a Young Girl |
Anne Frank |
Biography |
| 13= |
The Big Book of Bart Simpson |
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Graphic |
| 13= |
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory |
Roald Dahl |
Junior Fiction |
| 13= |
Captain Underpants & the Dinner Ladies |
Dav Pilkey |
Junior Fiction |
| 17= |
Girls in Love |
Jacqueline Wilson |
Teenage Fiction |
| 17= |
Breaking Dawn |
Stephenie Meyer |
Senior Fiction |
| 19= |
George's Marvellous Medicine |
Roald Dahl |
Junior Fiction |
| 19= |
Matilda |
Roald Dahl |
Junior Fiction |
| 19= |
Captain Underpants & the Wicked Wedgie |
Dav Pilkey |
Junior Fiction |
AND THEY'RE OFF ...
The Kilmarnock Academy and St Joseph's Academy trip to Lake Garda set off just after 5am this morning (Thursday). Apart from one boy forgetting his instrument and one girl forgetting her black shoes, everything went well and the trip actually set off a little bit early. |
KA PROM 2010
The Kilmarnock Academy Prom took place on Thursday and was a great success, thanks to the organization and effort of the Prom Committee. Seamill Hydro Hotel played host to the 5th and 6th year pupils who arrived by limousine, adorned in kilts, suits, dresses and - in Rhys Jones’s case - a costume from Miami Vice. The speech was well delivered and received by Head Boy and Head Girl, Fraser Kerr and Rhona Kilpatrick. After a three course meal, the awards of Prom King and Queen were given to Fraser Kerr and Kimberly Dick, who, most would agree, were thoroughly deserving of the title. The night ended with a return to the dance floor and a stroll around the grounds. Many photographs were taken at various stages of the event. |
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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. |
SENIOR PREFECTS APPOINTED
The interviews for Head Boy and Head Girl took place on Friday 18th June. After consulting with Mrs Hollywood and Mrs Hamilton, Mrs Ford made the following appointments:
Head Boy: Stephen McIlwraith
Depute Head Boy: Gregor Keachie
Depute Head Boy: Callum Clark
Head Girl: Gillian Orr
Depute Head Girl: Candice McIntosh
Depute Head Girl: Alison Walkinshaw
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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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CONGRATULATIONS TO CUP FINAL HERO, CRAIG CONWAY!
Congratulations and very well done to former pupil Craig Conway whose two goals and man-of-the-match performance helped Dundee United win the Scottish Cup final on Saturday 15th May at Hampden Park. Craig put in a fantastic performance throughout the match but it was towards the end of the game that he really came into his own and inflicted major damage on opponents Ross County, scoring in the 75th minute and again in the 86th. It's fair to say that his goal celebrations suggested that he was quite pleased.
When the match ended, Craig was the first player from the winning side to offer his commiserations to the defeated and disappointed Ross County players - a gentleman as well as a star! Well done Craig - we are all proud of you and your achievement! (Although we are just a bit relieved that your Scottish Cup triumph wasn't with your last club.......) |
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HOLIDAYS OVER BUT SOME TEACHERS AND PUPILS STILL STRANDED
With pupils returning to school on Tuesday 20th April, some teachers are still stuck overseas and many Scottish pupils, facing vital exams within days, are also stranded. S4 pupils stuck overseas are just 10 days away from their Standard Grade English exams and are missing out on vital revision time because of the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano.
Similar problems are being faced by universities and colleges as many lecturers and students are also stranded abroad with exams looming. |
GREGOR WINS AWARD
Very well done to fifth year pupil Gregor Keachie who has won the first ever ACE award in Ayrshire for demonstrating courage and determination in the face of difficulty. Many congratulations to Gregor.
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U CAN DO IT 2
63 KA pupils attended U Can Do It 2, a careers event organised through Determined to Succeed, on Tuesday 2nd February. During the event each pupil took part in two separate workshops delivered by a variety of companies & training providers. They thoroughly enjoyed the event and it certainly gave them food for thought on what their aspirations may be for the future.
Report and Pictures by Mr Ramsay |
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HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY
Wednesday was the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Holocaust Memorial Day offers us a chance to hear the stories of Holocaust survivors directly from them, before it is too late. The numbers of survivors who have built their lives, communities and families here in the UK are inevitably diminishing, and, as they become frail, their thoughts are turning to future remembrance and the preservation of their memory.
This is where you come in.
We’re asking you to take their messages to your colleagues, to your communities, to your friends and your families. We’re asking you to ask people to become part of the Legacy of Hope. (Click here to read on)
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HAITI EARTHQUAKE APPEAL
You will all be aware of the disastrous earthquake in Haiti and the effect it has had on the lives of the people there. We will be raising money next week to help with the relief effort – start saving now so you can donate as much as possible.
Mrs Ford
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NORTHWEST AMATEUR BOXING CLUB
We recently received the following e-mail with important news from Northwest Amateur Boxing Club:
"Hi,
Thank you very much for including Northwest Amateur Boxing Club on the Health & Fitness page of your web site.
Northwest always welcomes new members. The club is now open 5 nights per week for various classes. Northwest ABC teaches the art of boxing & vigorously promotes self-discipline,self respect, respect for others & general fitness....."
To read on click here.
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UNDER-13 FOOTBALL
KILMARNOCK U13s 11 – 0 INVERCLYDE ACADEMY U13s
Trounced, humiliated, conquered and crushed. Needless to say, Inverclyde were haplessly and emphatically out-played, out-classed and out-muscled by Killie U13s in this whitewash.
Killie got their noses in front very early in the match when Lewis Route put his head over and laces through the ball to shoot low past the Inverclyde goalie. Rory Connell made the ..... (to read on click here ). |
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SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESS
In recent years, East Ayrshire Council has been working hard to make the town centre an attractive and welcoming environment for residents, businesses and visitors. With pressure on town centre businesses from retail parks, large company chains and internet trade the Council's support is vital. That support received a boost recently with the appointment of Glasgow woman Fiona Nicholson as town centre manager.
As Kilmarnock Academy is situated on the edge of the town centre and KA Web supports the council and local businesses in their efforts to make the town a more pleasant and prosperous place for all of us who live and work here, a new section SPOTLIGHT ON LOCAL BUSINESS has been added to KA Web. The first local business we have put under the spotlight is RGM Music, in Nelson Street . |
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EUROPEAN DAY OF LANGUAGES
On Wednesday 11th and Friday 13th November 2009 (unlucky for some!), Kilmarnock Academy celebrated “European Day of Languages” in style! The Assembly hall was decorated thanks to the efforts of the S6 pupils from the Spanish class with the brightly coloured flags of many European Nations, (made by S1 and S2 classes). S1 and S2 pupils had fun dancing to French and Spanish music, singing a song and playing some musical games such as Corners and Simon Says – in French, of course! (To read on click here.)
Report by Mrs Stables |
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IMPRINT WRITING COMPETITION
Kilmarnock Academy had three winners in the top ten adult writers in this East Ayrshire competition. Very well done to Scott Milloy, Marc Strain and Lomax Allwood. If you think you do not know who Lomax Allwood is that is because he is writing under a pseudonym. Step forward Mr Stephen King, School Librarian. Three out of ten in East Ayrshire's top adult writers – a great result.
Report by C. Ford |
CELEBRATING SUCCESS 2009
On the afternoon of Thursday, 26th November, Kilmarnock Academy staged the Celebrating Success Tea Party. The purpose of the event was to recognize just some of the hard work put in by staff and pupils as well as to highlight some of the success stories from within Kilmarnock Academy. The event was hosted by Mr Kerr and Mrs Ford. As well as being attended by visitors from outwith the school, the event was attended by many members of staff who were attracted by the free (and very successfully baked) scones, cakes, meringues and biscuits.
To view the full list of awards click here. |
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TRASHCAN SINATRAS - SATURDAY 28th NOV. 4pm
The Trashcan Sinatras played an open-air gig at Kilmarnock town centre on Saturday at 4pm. And what an impressive gig it was!
The band were based in Kilmarnock throughout the 1990's although these days three of them are based in Glasgow and three in Los Angeles. In July and August they toured the United States and also played in Japan, promoting new album In The Music. This month they have been touring the UK and the Kilmarnock gig was the final date of the tour.
Despite the fact that the band have produced some of the best music out there, an awful lot of people have never even heard of the band and most people have never listened to their music. If you are one of that deprived majority, click the links to hear Hay Fever, Easy Read, Freetime and new single People - no hype, no Simon Cowell, no Jedward - just glorious music! And visit trashcansinatras.com. |
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ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS
Kilmarnock Academy won the East Ayrshire Entrepreneurial Challenge at Prestwick Airport on Wednesday 25 November. The winning team members were David Don, Fraser Kerr, Erin McKenzie, Suzanne Neville and Graham Sharpe.
Miss Lyndsey Templeton's mentoring and coaching certainly paid off. |
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ART & FASHION SHOW - THURSDAY 26th NOVEMBER
An Art & Fashion Show takes place at Kilmarnock Academy tonight (Thursday). The Creative Stars night runs from 7 - 9pm.
Admission - Free Cafe
Hatwalk - 8pm
Pupil Award Ceremony |
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REMEMBRANCE
SUNDAY
SERVICE
8th NOV. 2009
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The Kilmarnock Remembrance Service was held on 8th November at the War Memorial, just opposite the Dick Institute. Many organisations were represented at the service, including the British Legion, uniformed youth groups, cadet corps and local authority personnel. Each group layed a wreath in memory of the fallen of two world wars and more recent conflicts.
School pupils of East Ayrshire were represented by the Head Boy and Head Girl of Kilmarnock Academy, and a small group of senior pupils from the school. As the oldest secondary school in Kilmarnock, one which lost many pupils and teachers during both world wars, it was appropriate that Kilmarnock Academy pupils should lay the wreath on behalf of all East Ayrshire pupils.
In Kilmarnock Academy there was a Remembrance Service at the school war memorial in the Old Academy building at 11am on the 11th of November. This short service for senior pupils and staff has taken place every year since the end of World War I. This year two second year pupils, Daniel Napier and Robyn Scott, read their competition winning poems on the theme of war at the service.
C. Ford |
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EAST AYRSHIRE BOOK FESTIVAL
The Imprint Festival is now in its third year. For 2009 there is a packed programme full of best-selling authors and poets including Jackie Kay, Liz Lochhead, James Robertson, James Kelman, Caro Ramsey, Scotland on Sunday Literary Editor Stuart Kelly and TV personality and author Neil Oliver. We’re also delighted to welcome Gary Moffat to his home town to discuss his debut novel Daisy Chain. For children we also have a whole variety of events from storytimes and drama workshops to Meet the Author events. Some events are already sold out. To find out what's on and what's still available click here. |
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BITESIZE LINK TO KA ENGLISH
The BBC recently added a link to the English Standard Grade Study Guide on KA Web. The link to the Study Guide makes us the only school in Scotland to have a direct link from Bitesize English. In fact the only other external links from Bitesize English are the SQA site and Sparknotes on Macbeth. The Beeb was attracted to our Study Guide not only by the quality of the content but by its accessibility - "lots of useful information written in a fun style". Well done to Mr McIlvanney for creating the Study Guide - and all in his own time. Click here. Report by Mr McIlvanney's Mum |
S4 PUPILS AT FLAVA DANCE WORKSHOP
Flava, semi - finalists from Britain's Got Talent performed to a group of S4 pupils at Centrestage on Wednesday 21st October. The pupils then took part in a motivational workshop based on street dance. All thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Stephen Connell, 4W held up the side for the guys.
Report and photos by Mr Ramsay |
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COCA COLA OUTING
On the 26 th of August a class of 14 from Kilmarnock Academy visited the Coca Cola bottling and distribution plant in East Kilbride to learn how every thing works - like the bottling, transportation and packaging - but that's a small list. They got on a bus and it was a short journey to East Kilbride . When they arrived you could barely keep them off the bus even though it was raining when they got in they had to wear safety jackets and then sat down to watch a presentation. The presentation told them about the process of making Coca Cola, making bottles, filling bottles, packaging, storage, and transport. Then they got to see the production line which is totally done by machines, although there are some employees to check the machines and discard the mistakes of the machines.
After seeing the machines they had a break and enjoyed a drink and discussed what type of customers would be targeted for that drink. That was the trip to the Coca Cola factory.
Report and photos supplied by Mrs MacInnes |
DON'T BE BORED THIS SUMMER
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Before the school closed for the summer, some of our pupils - who will be in second year next session - came up with some suggestions for places to go and things to do during the summer break. Here are some of their ideas:
• Loudoun Castle • Barrassie Beach • Dean Castle Country Park • The Galleon • Silverburn • Craig Tara • Saltcoats Shows • Lochgoilhead • Loch Ness • Caprington Golf Course • Caprington Jumps • Burns Cottage • Troon Rocks • Kay Park • Heads Of Ayr Farm Park • Dick Institute • Pitlochry • M&D's • Nature Trail • The Garage • Tesco • Science Centre • Kelvingrove Art Gallery • Blair Drummond Safari Park • Hampden • Rugby Park • Ibrox • Edinburgh Zoo • Vikingar • Culzean Castle • Electric Brae • Dunure • Cinema • Theatre • Gailes • Troon beach • Irvine Beach • Transport Museum • Loch Lomond • Edinburgh Museum Of National History • Braehead • Buchanan Galleries • Arran • Millport • Power league • Edinburgh Dungeons • Kelburn Country Park • Largs
To read more suggestions click here.
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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 |
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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. |
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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 |
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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 |
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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. |
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SOME RECENT S1 ACTIVITIES
S1 Pupils Visit Lochgoilhead
KA first year pupils visited Lochgoilhead from 11th to 15th May.
S1 Trip to Glasgow Science Centre
This was scheduled to take place on Wed 6th May.
Health Day For S1
This was a big event organized by Mr Howie and took place on 25th March. |
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WELL DONE CLAIRE-LOUISE!
Former pupil Claire-Louise Fergus recently made it through to the final of this year's Miss Scotland contest, staged on the 14th May. Aged just 17, Claire-Louise was the youngest of the ten finalists. She is studying childcare at college and hopes to qualify as a nursery nurse and would also love to become a successful model. At school, Claire was a perfect pupil and we think she'd have been a worthy winner.
(And congratulations to Mr Reid who recently won the Coatbridge heats of the Fray Bentos International Search for a Real Man contest.) |
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S4 MOCK INTERVIEW PROGRAMME
All S4 pupils followed the mock interview programme and had a mock interview in school during January. In February, pupils applied for jobs supplied by local businesses in competition with pupils at Grange, James Hamilton and Stewarton Academies. 23 Kilmarnock Academy pupils were selected for interviews in March, but only one was successful. This was Stephen McIlwraith of 4B who was "appointed" to the job at The Jefferson Hotel.
Report by Mrs Hamilton |
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SQA EXAMS
Very best of luck with your examinations. Study leave begins on Thursday but you are welcome to come into school to work or ask questions. If you are returning to school the new timetable begins on Monday 1 st June unless you have remaining examinations to sit. Keep working hard – it will be worth it. Good luck!
SQA Timetable 2009 |
May 2009
SQA EXAMS
Make sure
• You know the details of all your exam times
• You have your candidate number in a safe place
• You are working hard in school and at home so that you do as well as possible in the exams. |
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GOOD OLD-FASHIONED HEROIC TALES
"From time to time, I get e-mails from publishers highlighting new books being produced. When I heard that Neil Oliver (the long-haired Historian from the BBC TV "Coast" programme) had a new book out, I just had to get a copy - and I'm glad I did. Oliver has taken the dramatic, sad and ultimately futile story of Captain Robert Falcon Scott (of the Antarctic) and woven around it other tales of good old-fashioned, mainly British "stiff upper lips" - from Trafalgar,the Charge of the Light Brigade, the Battle of Britain, the South African Zulu Wars, and the SAS. In case he's accused of concentrating solely on the British breed of "manly men", he includes the fateful Apollo 13 story and the Demons of Camerone as well (no, I didn't know about this one either - but it sounds as it would make a good spaghetti western with Mel Gibson in the starring role, as long as his French accent is better than his Scottish one!)." To read on click here.
Review by Stephen King, School Librarian (and Nottingham lad) |
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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. Recently 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 |
S1 TRIP TO BURNS COTTAGE - MARCH 2009
One bright and blustery day in March, 40 or so eager S1 pupils piled into a bus to visit Burns' birthplace. Mrs Dunsmuir and the rest of the staff counted them all into The Tam o' Shanter experience - and 20 minutes later counted them all out again with "life and mettle in their heels".
A quick trip to Alloway's auld haunted kirk was followed by a brisk walk up the road - no problem for these "plump and strapping teens" - to pay homage to the great man's first home. Our "honest men and bonny lasses" were suitably impressed with the thatched cottage, and all wondered how the whole family slept in the one box-bed.
And so back onto the bus, where "mirth and fun grew fast and furious" on the trip back to KA.
A successful and enjoyable trip - especially as no one was found "deep drown'd in Doon"!
Report by Stephen King, School Librarian
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YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS....
Well, actually, we were not being serious. The two items below appeared on KA Web at around 12.30 am on April 1st and were intended to be a bit of fun, in the spirit and traditions of April 1st.
Having said that, there is no doubt that each of the spoof initiatives outlined below does sound quite interesting and appealing. Indeed, some days at KA it seems that one aspect of the Tropical Room idea (ie tropical temperature) is already being piloted in most rooms and corridors in the school. |
New School Minibus for a New Age?
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KA - THE PEACEFUL PLACE
From the beginning of April, Kilmarnock Academy is to introduce a new initiative to develop and enhance our pupils' learning environment. Among the measures to be piloted in this innovative experiment will be: the introduction of exotic plants in corridors and classrooms; soothing sixties music to be played in corridors and the playground at interval, lunch and period changes; a new Tropical Room where pupils will be able to relax and immerse themselves in nature; and the PE Department will be introducing Yoga classes for disaffected S3 & S4 pupils. Good pupils will be awarded butterfly badges instead of Triple P certificates and portions of broccoli will replace punishment exercises. While Flower Power came a decade too late for Mrs Ford and - being a fan of Perry Como and early Sir Cliff - she was never really one of the cool kids, she does remember the way it changed people's attitudes. She hopes that these new measures will usher in a new age of peace and harmony for our school. |
A pupil makes the most of his own learning space with one of the new, individual concentration zones. Plans are afoot to introduce Dual Concentration Zones for pupils working in pairs.
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ENGLISH DEPARTMENT PILOTS PORTABLE CONCENTRATION PACKS
In a bid to assist pupils who lack focus and who have difficulty concentrating with other pupils around them, KA English Department has come up with an innovative solution. The individual "Concentration Zones" come flat-packed, for easy storage, and can be easily constructed to give pupils their own space, free of distractions.
"The product is still in development," said Miss Templeton, " but we have some great refinements in mind. Pupils will be able to produce better quality work and finish it more quickly. With the additional learning time this creates, pupils will be able to individualise their own zone and they can even colour it in - an essential part of any English project. We also have plans to get scented zones to stimulate creativity and enhance mood - for example I recently used Autumn Breeze (available at Tesco's) when my class was writing an essay on autumn and, when the pupils read out their work, I could almost see the leaves falling."
You can find out more about this and other exciting, new ideas in the Ideas in Action section - coming soon to KA Web. |
SKI TRIP TO ITALY
On a damp Wednesday in March, at an ungodly time in the morning, an intrepid group of 39 pupils (sorry Fraser!) and six staff set off for Edinburgh and an Easy-Jet flight to Malpensa in Italy.
Their mission was to spend three days in Pila, in the Aosta valley, ski-ing and snowboarding.
For some, this was their first attempt at the sport, for others, more experienced, their first time ski-ing abroad.
A pristine, new Holiday Inn Express provided our spacious and comfortable accommodation, with stunning views of the mountains from our huge picture windows. (To read on and view photos click here.)
By our International Reporter, Mrs L Hogg
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SOME SNAPSHOTS OF LIFE AT KA |
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KILMARNOCK ACADEMY INDUSTRIAL AWARENESS DAY 2009
This annual event for all S3 pupils was held on Thursday 5th March. Pupils were split into groups and given tasks to do.
Each group had two advisers. The Ayrshire Chamber supplied the advisers along with classroom assistants and students currently working in the school.
The first task was to create a poster explaining what they understood by the question “What is Industry?”(To read more and view photos of the event click here.) |
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JASPER COOPER VISITS K.A.
Last week we had a really interesting visit from author Jasper Cooper. Now Jasper's not just your ordinary author - not only did he used to be a tennis professional, he illustrates his own books, publishes them himself, and travels everywhere with a cuddly albatross called Neville!
Jasper spent the whole day at KA, working with a variety of English classes including the Junior Book Group, and also with the Senior Media Studies course. (To read more click here.)
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WE HAVE A WINNER.....
Does anyone remember visiting the Edinburgh Book Festival?
Does anyone remember entering a competition to win a signed book by MG Harris?
Well, young Master R. McCulloch (2P1) does - because he's won it!
The picture shows our winner looking incredibly smug, with his prize, an
uncorrected proof copy of the 2nd part of The Joshua Files series, "Ice
Shock" - signed by the author. This means that he will be able to read it before anyone else, as it hasn't actually been published yet.
However, because it's an uncorrected proof copy, there may be some
speeling errors in it - so it won't help him with his homework!
Well done, young man!
Report by Stephen King, School Librarian
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WANT TO FIND OUT MORE?
If you have ever wondered what Mr King gets up to all day in the Library, then you can find out by checking his blogspot at http://kalibrary.blogspot.com.
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GIRLS' HEALTH & FITNESS
The time has arrived for all of you KA girls to get fit for life. Mrs Miller has made it easy for you - just attend the following clubs and you'll begin to feel the difference!
S1 - S6 GIRLS
Monday nights 3.30 – 4.30 Girls Club in PE Department, netball, rounders, basketball, volleyball – you decide.
S4,5 & 6 LUNCHTIME BASKETBALL
Open to all in upper school. You must be in PE Department by 1.05 pm.
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Mrs Ford at her School Valentine Tea Dance |
VALENTINE DISCO
This year's Valentine Disco will take place on Thursday 12th February. You will only be able to purchase a ticket if you have qualified for a bronze, silver or gold award in the recent PPP block.
Tickets, priced £2, will be sold by the prefects between 1.15-1.35 in the reception area starting on Monday 2nd Feb. This will be a themed event and in keeping with the forthcoming school show the theme will be the 70’s. Prizes will be awarded to the best dressed individuals!
Mr Ramsay
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BURNS' SUPPER 2009
This year’s Burns’ Supper took place on Thursday 29th January and, as this is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, this year's event was a bit special. Those in attendance enjoyed a three course dinner (choice of steak pie, haggis or a vegetarian option), entertaining speeches, recitals and a ceilidh.
The evening was organized by Miss Templeton, Mrs Dunsmuir and their very able and dynamic band of sixth year helpers - special thanks to them for making the event such a success.
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TRIP TO PARIS - NOVEMBER 23rd & 24th 2008
21 pupils studying Higher, Advanced Higher and Intermediate 2 French went to Paris for two days accompanied by three teachers and our French Assistant, Geneviève. Mrs Stables organised the trip with the help of Mrs Nicolson and Mr Kirkland from the technical department also came along to help out.
We packed plenty of sightseeing into our two days and visited L’arc de triomphe, walked down the Champs Élysées (in the snow and sleet!), saw the Mona Lisa in the Louvre and also marvelled at the inverted pyramid. We heard mass sung in Notre Dame and enjoyed a fantastic meal in a typical French bistro. The second day, the weather was much better and we had a perfect day! (To read on and view more photos, click here.)
Report by Mrs Stables
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"What's the funny green thingy?" |
"They're really good ... watch me.." |
"Should've got the chips'n'cheese..." |
2P3 - THINKING ABOUT HOLIDAYS
As the Christmas season approaches, some of our second year English pupils have been expressing their thoughts on Holidays. To find out what they think, click here.
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Holidays |
Winter: the Festive Season |
The Festive Season |
One of the best holidays kids love is Halloween because of the bright, shining pumpkin lanterns glowing on the window sills. One of the best bits about Halloween for kids is going out to the shops and buying their scary costumes. The main event the kids look forward to in Halloween is trick or treating, this is where the costumes come in handy because the kids go out scaring old ladies and telling them jokes to get their toffee apples and chocolate bars...
(Read more)
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Every Year we enjoy a good holiday. We love an excuse to get off of school or work and enjoy a relaxing holiday. There’s Easter, Halloween and the big summer break, but the one we all love is the warm winter fire of December. The shimmering gold, the glistening lights and the sweet smell of frankincense and myrrh we all call Christmas.
As the end of the year draws near, children all around the world anticipate....
(Read more)
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We all love the count down to Christmas especially the 1st of December where the children get to open the first doors of their advent calendars, some children get chocolate others may get sweets. Through out the month of December many children will write their mile long letters to Santa, while some parents might even take their children to see him, in his crimson red suit with his white fluffy beard and jet-black boots glistening in the light.....
(Read more)
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Aaron Ng |
Cameron Tasker |
Katie Fenwick |
Christmas |
Christmas |
Events in the Year |
It’s that time of the year again that many children enjoy…and many parents dread. The excitement is understandable as Christmas only comes once a year. However, the downside to all of this excitement is that many children become competitive and greedy about toys and therefore forget what Christmas is really all about. They also put their parents under immense pressure because the prices are high, especially for toys that are scarce. (Read more)
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Everyone loves Christmas, it’s official - from the depressed workers, run off their feet, in Lidl to the “well-to-do” who simply can’t be seen there. Each little detail adds up to that special day: putting up the Christmas tree, wrapping the presents, having to get a better Advent Calendar than everyone else - all these little things make that 24 hour day seem much bigger than it actually is. So enjoy it while you can because soon enough it will be Boxing Day... (Read more)
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We all should love most of the events in the year even though we don’t know some of them but we love most of the ones we do know. Kids love their birthdays, Easter for the chocolate eggs and Christmas for the presents while the adults enjoy the Summer for the kids to run outside and they get some peace for once in the year if the sun actually comes out for once but the events we all love are Halloween and New year.
(Read more)
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Ryan Love |
Rachel McIlvanney |
Calum Cameron |
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NUTZ TAKES CHARGE
With Mrs Ford being out of school some days in connection with her Head Teachers Association duties, it's good to see that a very able stand-in has been found. Nutz, who has a Saturday job at Rugby Park - home of Kilmarnock FC - is delighted at having been selected from a very competitive short leet that included a wooden owl and a life-size cardboard cut-out of Barack Obama.
Nutz commented: "I am used to handling pressure and hostility - every time there's an Old Firm game at Rugby Park - so this will be fun." |
KA WRITERS' WINDOW COMING SOON
A new section, KA WRITERS' WINDOW, will be added to KA Web soon. This section will feature the creative writing of pupils - although submissions from parents, staff and former pupils will also be welcome. To get a taste of what's to come, you can click on the pieces of writing below. The pupils - who produced the work in class - had to write a short piece about a special place and try to bring it to life for the reader. The pieces were written last year by members of 1P3 (now 2P3). To view more writing, click here.
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KILMARNOCK ACADEMY'S GOT TALENT
As part of the programme for Children in Need, Miss Templeton arranged an afternoon of fine entertainment and what a good job she made of it! The judges for the event - Mrs Mckenzie, Mrs Dunsmuir and Mr Reid - were well impressed by the acts on show although some of Mr Reid's comments and views attracted a hostile response - something he's used to, being a Rangers supporter living in Coatbridge. To view more photos of the event click here.
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Some winning contestants |
Hughie Walsh & Granni Minogue |
More talented contestants |
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FRIDAY - CHILDREN IN NEED
Friday was the big day – and everyone dug deep in their pockets for Children in Need!
- It was a non-uniform day – pay £1 at registration to wear what you like!
- Kilmarnock Academy’s got Talent, Friday periods 5 and 6.
- Pudsey Stickers were on sale in the foyer at interval and lunch – only 10p each.
- Pudsey Cakes were on sale in the foyer.
- Guess Pudsey’s Birthday to win Pudsey – 20p a go!
Remember this was all for a very good cause, and thanks for giving generously! We raised an amazing £1,733.79.
Miss Templeton |
BAG-PACKING AT ASDA
Over 130 pupils and staff took part in the recent bag-packing event at Asda in Kilmarnock and they came in fancy dress because it was Hallowe’en. They did us proud and were complimented on their appearance and attitude. (To view more photos of the event click here.)
L. Hamilton
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Mrs McFarlane - the happy witch |
Mrs Hamilton's Fenwick night out! |
Mrs Ford poses as an academic... |
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KILMARNOCK ACADEMY WAR MEMORIAL
This time last year, we added the K.A. War Memorial to our website. While former pupils of K.A. will be familiar with the War Memorial in the Old Academy Hall, most probably were not aware of the fact that, after each world war the staff and pupils at K.A. compiled a booklet of "Short Biographical Notices of the Old Boys that fell" during the conflicts. These tributes were scanned by Dr Neil Dickson and uploaded to our website by myself. Our Memorial also contains work by pupils and photographs of Mr Reid's school trip to visit the trenches. If you have not yet viewed this section of our website, you should do so.
Neil McIlvanney |
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FINANCE WEEK
Kilmarnock Academy held a Finance Week at the end of October. The aim was to focus on money matters, not only because of the current “credit crunch”, but to increase awareness of how much things cost. Pupils were made aware of how much more things cost when borrowing was involved.
Every pupil in the school was given a “cash tracker” to keep for the week. This was a money diary ... (to read more click here) |
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HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW?
It's firework time again and, of course, we all know what we're doing - so did the 69 UK fireworks casualties in Oct/ Nov 2006. If you think you know the score, then try to guess the other rules in the Fireworks Code (there are another 9 of them). Click the picture (left) to see if you were correct. |
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HALLOWEEN......
Friday October 31st has now passed and it meant that, this year, Kilmarnock celebrated Halloween on the same night as the rest of the country (it is tradition in Kilmarnock that Halloween is celebrated on the last Friday of the month - we do like our weekends in these parts).
Those who dared to go out reported that there were even more scary characters abroad than on the usual Friday night in Killie.
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COMPETITION TIME
The Herald newspaper group is running a competition to find the best description of where to have fun in Scotland. You can win £1000 for yourself and £5000 for the school. You simply have to write a short description (a paragraph or two at the most) of a good place to visit or spend time (eg Mr Fyffe's class, the Burns Mall, the Smokey Mountains).
To enter go to www.s1play.com/inspire |
S4 WORK EXPERIENCE
S4 pupils have had the opportunity to go on work experience during the last fortnight. The placements ranged from a residential week with the army to a single day out with a school's music instructor. Pupils who did not go on work experience had the chance to do an Employability course with Careers Scotland.
Report & pictures by Lesley Hamilton
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Alan, after posting his letter to Santa. |
Siobhan: "Check my blue nails!" |
Lewis - "Alan can't help it..."
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Concentration, as Alan chair-dances. |
Ms Fullerton does the Hokey Cokey. |
You work - and we'll watch. |
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TECHNICAL EDUCATION SECTION REVAMPED
The Technical Education section of KA Web has been completely revamped and now features a whole range of activities to keep you occupied during the long winter that lies ahead. As well as a wide range of homework and research activities, you will find many pictures of pupils and their creations.
Special thanks is due to Mr Campbell who spent a lot of hours fixing up the existing pages and adding new materials. Well done that man! Start exploring the world of Technical Education by clicking here. |
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ENERGY PLAY TOWN CENTRE GIG
Local band Energy played an open air gig at Kilmarnock town centre on Saturday 6th. The band (S5 pupils Ross Leighton, Marc Strain and Greg Walkinshaw) provided locals with a welcome diversion from the usual Saturday routine and they went down really well. You can find out more about the band at:
Energy at myspace.com and
http://www.myspace.com/rossleightonmusic |
Alan writes his letter to Santa |
Adele gets Charlie in a headlock |
Dangerous? Not on a football pitch
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PAINTING PEOPLE
Even though school was out for summer, it was business as usual for some keen young artists recently.
Twenty teenagers from schools across East Ayrshire attended Art & Design Summer School in Kilmarnock Academy, where they improved their drawing and painting skills. Classes were led by acclaimed portrait painter Andrew Ratcliffe, from Appleby, Cumbria.
The young East Ayrshire artists enjoyed working alongside a professional artist and learned a lot about painting from life, using a model, rather than from photographs. This intensive course will help the students with future work in their Higher or Advanced Higher Art & Design courses.
Andrew Ratcliffe has painted portraits of members of the royal family, including Prince Charles and Princes William and Harry; he has also painted other well-known people such as Neil Kinnock and Ken Dodd and his paintings hang in galleries in the UK, USA, Australia and Europe.
His commissioned work is represented in The Royal Collection, National Portrait Gallery, National Museums & Galleries on Merseyside, House of Commons, Private Collection of the Prince of Wales and private collections in the UK and abroad.
The artwork produced during this summer school will be exhibited in the Schools Art & Design Exhibition in January 2009 in the Young People’s Gallery in The Dick, Kilmarnock.
Report by Elaine Scott |
WHAT A SHOW!
This year's school show was performed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of last week, starting at 7.30pm each night. All of the preparation and hard work put in by the cast, the production team, the technical support team and the band paid of as the show was a colourful and spectacular success.
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EAST AYRSHIRE READERS' CUP
On Monday the 9th of June, the final of the East Ayrshire Readers' Cup was held at Cumnock Academy. This competition was established by East Ayrshire school librarians to promote reading. It is now in its fourth year. The quiz consists of five rounds of ten questions each and this year's themes were Lucky Dip, Fantasy, Philip Pullman, Books as Films and Book Covers. At the end of the Fourth Round, we were in second place but, alas, Book covers were too difficult and Cumnock Academy just pipped us by half a mark. The end result was that we were fourth as we have been for each year of this competition. This year, the winners were Auchinleck Academy with a resounding 45 out of 50 marks and they will host the competition next year.
Report by Dr Neilson
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MSP WILLIE COFFEY ANSWERS QUESTIONS - S1 MODERN STUDIES - FRIDAY 3rd MAY
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The Awards Ceremony
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WELL DONE, CASEY!
Casey McDaid of 3S2 has scooped a national poetry prize for her poem highlighting the evils of racism.
The competition, organised by Show Racism the Red Card and the Educational Institute of Scotland, is an annual event open to all schools in Scotland and Casey's poem has won the Secondary section.
She has netted £750 worth of prizes for the school and a football- related prize for herself, to be awarded at a grand prize-giving ceremony at Hampden on Wednesday, 19 th March. As well as having the chance to meet football stars, she and her invited guests will be given a tour of Hampden prior to the ceremony.
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YOUNG ARTISTS BRIGHTEN UP THE GALLERY
Local art pupils were recently given the chance to display their work to a wider audience.
Councillor Iain Linton, Spokesperson for Lifelong Learning, formally opened East Ayrshire Schools ' Art and Design Exhibition in the Dick on February 1.
He praised the quality of the artwork and the creativity of the young artists from schools across the authority: Kilmarnock , Grange, James Hamilton, St Joseph 's, Loudoun, Stewarton, Cumnock, Auchinleck and Doon Academies and Park School .
He also highlighted the work done by pupils who attended art and design summer school in Kilmarnock Academy and who created the theatrical masks and head-dresses on display.
The young artists and parents attended the opening. Invited guests also included MSP Willie Coffey, Depute Provost John Campbell, Leader of the Council Douglas Reid, Cllr Jim Roberts, Clllr Kathy Morrice and Cllr Jim Todd. Also present were Executive Director of Education Graham Short, Head of Schools (Acting) Kenneth McKinlay and Creative Links Officer John Wilson.
The exhibition was co-ordinated by Cultural Co-ordinator Elaine Scott (Creative Minds).
Excellent paintings, ceramics and head-dresses created by the young people will remain on display in the Young People's Gallery in the Dick until May 2008.
Thanks to Elaine Scott for report & pictures
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EAST AYRSHIRE SCHOOL LIBRARIES' BOOK FESTIVAL - SPRING READ
The second author to visit local schools as part of this year's Spring Read Festival was Cathy Cassidy from Dumfries and Galloway. Seventeen S1 pupils, who had all read Cathy Cassidy, went to hear her on Thursday March the 6th, World Book Day, at Stewarton Academy with Dr. Neilson and Mrs. Thomson. Pupils from Cumnock, Loudon, St. Joseph's and Stewarton Academies were also present.
Dr J Neilson
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EAST AYRSHIRE SCHOOL LIBRARIES' BOOK FESTIVAL - SPRING READ
This year is the Second Spring Read festival set up by the secondary school librarians of East Ayrshire in order to promote reading and to celebrate the World Book Day. The librarians secured funding to allow four Scottish authors to visit our schools. From our school, some S3 pupils went to the Grange Academy on the 4 th of March to hear Janet Paisley deliver her dramatic monologues, present her poems and talk about her writing.
Report by Dr J Neilson
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READERS' CUP SECOND ROUND FOR S1
The school librarians of East Ayrshire established the East Ayrshire Readers' Cup in 2005 in order to promote reading by means of a children's' literary quiz. Each participating school sends a team of 4 pupils drawn from S1 and S2 with a mixture of boys and girls. The school teams are chosen after a series of rounds held in each school. The First Round was held around Christmas time when each S1 and S2 pupil took part in a literary quiz of twenty questions. The best four of each class formed the team for the Second Round.
On Tuesday March the 4th the Second Round was held in the Assembly Hall amongst S1 pupils. Each class had a team of four pupils who had to answer ten questions on four themes. This year, the themes were Comics/Superheroes, Roald Dahl, Sports and Lucky Dip. 1P3 won after leading from the beginning. The quiz mistress was the school librarian who asked the questions. Whilst S6 pupils marked each round, children's' literary questions were put to the audience for spot prizes. On Friday March the 6 th , the Second Round was held amongst the S2 pupils. Their themes were Crime/Detective Stories, Scottish Connections, Darren Shan and Lucky Dip.
Report by Dr J Neilson
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S4 PARENTS' NIGHT -6TH FEBRUARY 2008
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2007 TRENCHES TRIP
You can now discover the secrets of the 2007 Trenches Trip on the Kilmarnock Academy website. You can read first hand accounts of the journey, activities and the fun experienced by all concerned. Photos submitted by the participants are also included. To check it all out just click here.
Thanks to Amy Bromley (S6) for organising this article.
Mr Reid |
ENTERPRISE - FIFTH GEAR
Fifth Gear involved the whole of S5 in an enterprise event. The aim was to design car templates in such a way that the buyers would purchase your company's product rather than the other 11 companies. The company who made the most money was the winner. The S6 Events Working Group also took part and in fact raised the most money but since it was a S5 competition.......... they got the glory, See picture of S6. The competition for S5 was tied and the winning group was decided by Brian Chapman beating Mark Rodger to the winning post by collecting the most group letters. ( To read on and for more photos click here)
Report by Lesley Hamilton |
MAKING THEIR MARK
S4 pupils - Erin McKenzie, Lyndsey Templeton, Lauren Conway, Fraser Kerr, David Don and Lewis Campbell took part in the national enterprise competition "Make Your Mark", They did very well and were the only Ayrshire representatives at the regional final at Hampden Park, Glasgow, where they made their presentation . Thanks to Miss Templeton in the English dept for preparing the pupils and travelling to Glasgow with them.
S5 girls - Ola Smith, Lauren Eyre. Claire Wilson, Ashleigh Lindsay and Laura Mack took part in the East Ayrshire enterprise challenge. They were runners up despite making the most money. Well done girls! Mr McGougan and Miss Christie travelled to Prestwick with the team.
Report by Lesley Hamilton
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AUTHOR ZOE STRACHAN LEADS THE WAY
Recently local author Zoe Strachan ran a couple of creative writing workshops at the Dick Institute in Kilmarnock. Zoe has written two novels, Negative Space and Spin Cycle (both are available at www.amazon.co.uk ), and she teaches on the Glasgow University creative writing MLitt course. She is a former pupil of Grange Academy – well, nobody's perfect! The Kilmarnock Academy Advanced Higher English class attended and found the afternoon stimulating and enjoyable. Zoe got the class to choose a work in the Dick exhibition by the graphic artist Robert Brownjohn and to use that as inspiration of a piece of creative writing of their own. Here you can see the how total the absorption of the pupils was in their work. They even forgot the other talents that were on show!
Report by Dr Neil Dickson |
AUTHOR KEITH GRAY VISITS KILMARNOCK
On Friday the 9th of November, Ms Fullerton's S3 English class, Ms Fullerton and Dr Neilson were invited over to the Dick Institute for an Imprint session - part of the first East Ayrshire Book Festival. Our students were very lucky as the author in session was Keith Gray -who is very difficult to book - and because K.A. was the only school present at that session.
Keith Gray kept the class completely enthralled for three quarters of an hour with tales of his writing, his inspiration and the qualities needed to be able to write - mainly inspiration and experience. His talk was followed by a successful question and answer session. On the way back, the pupils were talking about him keenly.
Report by Dr J Neilson |
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GEOGRAPHY CLUB STARTS UP
Thursday lunchtime from 1.00 to 1.30 in H2.
The Geography club will be starting up on Thursday lunch times for all S1 and S2 pupils! The club will involve Geography challenges, world Geography news, Craft time and a chance to find out what geography is all about! This will also be a chance to do Geography homework with the help of a Geography teacher.
Any questions come and ask Mr Lang. |
BONJOUR!, ¡HOLA!, GUTEN TAG!, BUONGIORNO!
On Tuesday 25 September and Wednesday 26 September, Kilmarnock Academy celebrated “European Day of Languages” in style! The Assembly hall was decked out in the flags of all the European Nations and First and Second year pupils has loads of fun dancing to French and Spanish music, singing one or two songs and playing some musical games such as Corners and Simon Says – in French, of course! Necole, Alice and Ryan from 1B all did very well singing two different versions of the alphabet song! The third and fourth year pupils enjoyed a Euroquiz with great prizes provided by East Ayrshire Council.
(To read on and view more pictures, click here.)
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CHESS CLUB STARTS UP AGAIN
K.A. Chess Club has started up again for the new session. The club is one of the longest-running extra- curricular activities at Kilmarnock Academy and is run by one of our longest-serving and most popular members of staff, Mr McCormick of the Physics Department.
The club meets in C3 at 1.10 pm on Wednesdays (for S3 to S6) and at 1.10pm on Thursdays (for S1 and S2). Go along and check it out. The trials for this year's house teams have just started. |
JAZZ BAND PLAY AT CAMERON HOUSE
The school jazz band played at Cameron House Hotel on Saturday night for a business event. They were talent spotted when they played at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow.
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CALL OF THE WILD
Mr Reid's S3 English class - who have been reading the Jack London classic, "Call of the Wild" - had a special visitor on the afternoon of Tuesday, 11th September: Reno, a six-year-old Siberian Husky.
While being given a talk on the Klondyke Gold Rush, Siberians and sled dog racing, the class took notes and asked questions. They were also directed to read Footprints in the Snow, a history of the Siberian Husky, prior to writing a report on sled dogs.
Read The Call of the Wild online.
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ART & DESIGN SUMMER SCHOOL
Thirteen senior art & design students were selected from schools across East Ayrshire to participate in this creative summer school led by artist Jeanette Sendler (see www.sendler.co.uk ) and assisted by teacher Kirsty McKee. Themes were Ancient Goddesses and Mythical Creatures. Each student researched the god/goddess of her choice, made clay heads, made latex masks and then created headdresses to go with them.
Their creations will go on display in the Schools Art & Design Exhibition in the Dick at the end of Jan 2008, along with other artwork from schools.
Report & Pictures - Elaine Scott, Cultural Co-ordinator, East Ayrshire Council.
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God of Wine
by Louise Mitchell |
Goddess of Love
by Steph d'Andrea |
Goddess of the Sea
by Collette Donnelly |
Goddess of Love
by Ashleigh Lindsay |
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL
Dr. Neilson, Ms. Fullerton, Mr. McGougan and Mrs. Rodger took a party of nearly 50 pupils to the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Tuesday the 21 st of August. In spite of the rain and the bus arriving late and getting lost, we arrived in time for our first author event, P.R. [ Pearl ] Morrison. The author comes from the Orkney Islands and her books reflect the Orkney weather and mystery. She showed her audience a series of photographs of fantastic creatures and ran a quiz about fantastic facts. Then, she produced a giant paper clip and asked the pupils to use their imagination as to what this artefact could be transformed into to give a person strength. Some unusual ideas emerged including one from our own pupil, Vanessa Wilson of 2S who thought that the clip could be bent into a map to enable a person to go where they wished. The session ended with a reading of the first chapter of her book The Wind Tamer. Some of our pupils were inspired to buy her book and get it signed.
We ate our picnic lunch in the Square whilst sheltering from the showers of rain and had time to browse in the wonderful Children's Book Tent. After lunch, we went to hear Graham Joyce. He was quite a provocative speaker asking the pupils many questions such as what is the greatest fear for a teenage girl? The answer is to be in a car which is driven by their boyfriend. Again, there was just time for book signing before returning to the bus for the journey home.
Report by J. Neilson, Librarian. |
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SUMMER'S GONE... BACK TO SCHOOL!
The holidays are over. Pupils returned to school on Wednesday 15th August and the pictures below show some of our new faces (and a couple of old ones).
We would like to offer a special welcome to all our new pupils at K.A. and wish all of our pupils - new and old -good luck in the coming session. (Although you should remember that success is more to do with having a positive attitude and a healthy workrate than it is to do with luck). |
JUNIOR SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIPS - UPDATE 11th JUNE
Stephen Connell was 3rd in the S1 Boys Championships; Cameron Blair and Gary Robertson were 2nd and 3rd in the S3 Boys Championships. Thomas Rankin was the champion but is missing from the photo below. The S3 Girls Championship was shared by Alana Blackwood and Sophie O'Neill. Jade McWilliams and Kerry McAllister were 2nd and 3rd. Josh Reilly was the S2 Boys champion, while Ross Menzies was 2nd and Gareth Ellis and Kevin Howie shared 3rd place.
Lesley Hamilton |
JUNIOR SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIPS - FRIDAY 1st JUNE
1st, 2nd and 3rd year sports championships were held last Friday at the field. The weather was glorious and the competition was very keen. The day finished in the Games Hall at P6 after the High Jump competition. Mr Howie rigged up a podium and the first three ahletes in each championship were awarded medals. The winners will receive their trophies at the Prize Giving on Monday 18th June. Here are the S1 boys and girls medalists along with the S2 girls. Full list of winners to follow. Next week it will be the turn of the senior school to compete for the Eric Clark Cup (girls) and the Copland Cup (boys)
Report by Lesley Hamilton |
GOOD GIG!
Sat 10th March the KA Jazz Band were invited to play in the foyer of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall before and between performances of Children's Classic Concerts. The Concerts were attended by around 4000 people. Feedback was very positive with a letter from John Wilson Links Officer in the Arts and Education and an email from Emily McGregor - Education Officer with the RSNO. Pupils enjoyed the occasion very much.
Report by D. Ramsay |
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A CULINARY SUCCESS
A number of Kilmarnock Academy pupils recently attended a culinary skills course at Kilmarnock College on 8 Monday afternoons.
The course was funded by Determined to Succeed and the climax of the course came on Monday 16 th April when the pupils produced a first class 3 course meal for college lecturers , school staff and parents. The quality of the food and the presentation was absolutely first class and the school are very keen to use this college service for future social events.
Special mention should be made of Alistair Curry of class 3W1 for his contribution to the course. We look forward to Alistair 's restaurant opening and celebrity chef programme in years to come.
Report by G. Kerr |
The winning team from 2D2
Dr Neilson sings "My Way" |
EAST AYRSHIRE READERS' CUP
Two years ago, the school librarians of East Ayrshire established a Readers' Cup in order to promote reading. Various rounds are held within each school amongst S1 and S2 pupils before the grand final in May. Pupils have to answer questions on different literary themes.
On Thursday, the second round was held in the Assembly Hall for S2 pupils. Each class fielded a team of 4 who had been the individual winners of the first round.
The whole of second year was present as Mrs Dunsmuir asked the questions. In each round there were ten questions asked on a particular theme - Witches and Wizards, Philip Pullman, Classics and Lucky Dip. Whilst various S6 volunteers marked each round, spot questions were targeted at the rest of the S2 with instant prizes. The results were very close but, in the end, 2D2 won by half a mark over 2B.
The full results can be viewed by clicking here. You can view more pictures of the event by clicking here.
June Neilson -Librarian
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PRIMARY 7 PARENTS' NIGHT
On the evening of 20th March, parents of pupils starting at K.A. in August were given a guided tour of all subject departments. They also had the opportunity to view displays by our feeder primaries and sample some fine home baking. To view pictures of the event click here.
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EAST AYRSHIRE SPRING READ
On the morning of 20th March, we received a visit from the Edinburgh-based author Jonathan Meres who spoke to S2 pupils from KA, James Hamilton and St. Joseph 's Academies. Jonathan gave an energetic and deliciously unpredictable performance which had his young audience captivated throughout. Graham Short, Executive Director of Educational and Social Services, was in attendance and expressed his enthusiasm and support for the event.
The visit was arranged as part of the East Ayrshire Spring Read book festival, an initiative by East Ayrshire school librarians to celebrate World Book Day. Jonathan also visited Grange and Cumnock Academies. S1 and S2 pupils have already visited St. Joseph 's and James Hamilton Academies to hear Cathy Cassidy and the storyteller, Michael Kerins.
To get a flavour of what Jonathan Meres is all about, you really should visit his website by clicking here.
To see more pictures of Jonathan in action at K.A. click here.
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Pat Standen, Jonathan Meres, Graham Short &
Dr Neilson |
The cool guys from K.A.
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The nice bunch from James Hamilton Academy
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The well-behaved party from St Joseph's Academy
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RED NOSE DAY - 16th March
Miss Templeton (right) & Mrs James (left) arranged a number of activities for Red Nose Day, including a staff karaoke. Mrs Ford did not take part as "they didn't have any Vera Lynn numbers". Mr Monachan was intending to sing but withdrew, in the interests of music. |
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EAST AYRSHIRE SCHOOLS - ART & DESIGN EXHIBITION 2006-2007
East Ayrshire's Art & Design Exhibition was launched at the Dick Institute last Friday and features art & design work by pupils from all nine secondary schools in the division. The exhibition runs until the end of February and is open, Tuesday till Saturday, from 11am till 5pm.
The Cultural Co-ordinator responsible for organising this event is Elaine Scott, a former pupil of K.A. as well as a former member of our English Department. Elaine commented: "We would like to congratulate all participating pupils for their excellent artwork and thank the Art and Design teachers for their continued support and enthusiasm. Also, we are grateful to visiting artists Elspeth Lamb and Laura Murray whose contribution to the success of Summer Schools 2006 is much appreciated."
K.A. pupils, Scott Howie and Louise Mitchell, have work featured. |
BURNS' SUPPER & CEILIDH - 25th January 2007
A whopping 120 staff and senior pupils celebrated Burns' Birthday this year at the school's annual Burns' Supper. This is an important event in the life of the school.
The Immortal Memory was presented by Dr. Dickson whose speech set out to “dish the dirt on Burns!” Head boy, Graeme Sharpe toasted the lasses by humorously linking different senior girls to alcoholic drinks; while Lyndsay Weadon, Head girl, wittily compared the ladies to cars. Nicola Browning has waited six years to propose the toast to the staff but Mrs MacKenzie of the Modern Languages department got her own back in the reply.
Entertainment for the night was provided by the senior vocal ensemble, the senior choir and Dr. Dickson who narrated the story of ‘The Ghaist of ‘A' Flair' by spooky candlelight.
With the formal part of the evening over it was time to push back the tables and enjoy dancing to the ceilidh band …
Hoots – help ma boab … roll on next year!
Report by Mrs Dunsmuir & Miss Templeton |
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PUPILS ATTEND SHIP LAUNCH
On the 23rd January, 37 pupils from the technology and physics and 4 staff attended the launch of HMS Dauntless at BAE Naval Dockyard at Govan.
HMS Dauntless is a new type destroyer built with the latest technolgy for the Royal Navy for the 21st century.
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LINDSAY McKENZIE
Former Head Girl, Lindsay McKenzie, has recently starred as Princess Erina in the children's BBC production "Raven - The Island" over the summer holidays. The programme ran for twenty episodes and is to have a new series next spring.
Lindsay has always dreamed of being an actress since primary school and eventually realised her ambition when she auditioned for LIPA, The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, and successfully secured one of twenty places to study there. This institution was co-founded by Paul McCartney and offers first class facilities, such as theatres and recording studios, for undergraduates.
Lindsay graduated with a BA (Hon's) in Acting and is currently teaching in Kilmarnock's Centre Stage for performing arts, before embarking upon the next "Raven - The Island".
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CLASS ACTION AT THE PARLIAMENT!
In November, twenty intrepid pupils from Kilmarnock Academy set off to Edinburgh to explore new horizons and expand their minds! Accompanied by their enthusiastic Modern Studies teachers, they were given VIP tours of the body politic at Holyrood.
Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, met the pupils at the Scottish Parliament and took them on a whistle stop tour. After getting comfortable in the seats in one of the committee rooms, they moved on to explore the Parliamentary chamber and even had the chance to pull up a chair on the front bench. It's now entirely possible that Kilmarnock Academy might just give Scotland a future First Minister!
After a tour of the chamber, Kilmarnock Academy 's finest got down to the nitty-gritty of Scottish politics and got a taste of the daily work of an MSP. The façade of plush offices and ‘think pods' the MSPs enjoy hide a frantic working lifestyle. Our pupils were no slouches and instantly felt at home among the piles of paperwork and masses of meetings.
After a good walk around the capital, it was time for our explorers to troop their way back home. A great day was had by all and everyone left having learnt something – even the teachers!
Report by Mr McDougall, Modern Studies
MODERN STUDIES & GEOGRAPHY PAGES ADDED TO KA WEB
Thanks to Mr McDougall who has kicked off the Modern Studies section of the school website which you can visit by clicking here. Thanks also to Mrs Lyon who is busy compiling material for the Geography section of KA web.
So that leaves the History Department..... Now let's see: promoting your subject; access to worldwide resources in your subject; more effective communication with parents; effective use of technology; motivating pupils & displaying pupils' work; reduction in consumption of paper resources (and departmental budget)...........
Come on, you guys! You're supposed to be teaching about the past - not living in it! |
Pupil Successes November 2006
Football (Mr Bryden)
Congratulations to Callum Shepherd, 4S and Mark Gilmour, 4W who have been chosen to play for Scotland in the under 16's Boys Club Squad. Callum has been selected to play and Mark is in the reserve squad.
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National Junior Debating Competition (Mr McDougall)
Well done Charly White, Lauren Paini, Erin McKenzie and Marc Strain of S3 who all took part in a tough debating tie at St Columbas School in Kilmacolm on Monday. Your hard work and effort is greatly appreciated and you are a credit to the school.
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Congratulations to S6 mini trialists
Well done to Lana McKenna, Danielle Rankin, Sylvia Matheson, Heather Welsh, Alison Cochrane, Amanda McGuffog, Kirsty McLardy, Louise Boyd, Lesley Duffy and Stacey Young who won both cases at Saturday's annual mini trials event. The best oscar goes to Lana for convincing a jury of her peers that she was innocent of a drugs offence. Thanks also to those S5/6 pupils who participated as jurors. Mr Des Browne, MP and Minister for Defence has written to congratulate us on the excellent performance.
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Reading for Gold Scheme (Dr. Neilson)
Congratulations to Lauren Rodger of 1B1 who is the first S1 pupil this year to reach the Reading for Gold Bronze Award. She receives a certificate and some goodies for reading and reporting on five books. So, come on S1 pupils, read and you will receive!
The Reading Game (Dr. Neilson)
Congratulations to Ross Sharpe of 2W who is the first S2 pupil this year to reach the First Level of The Reading Game. He receives a certificate and a Simpsons stationery set for reading and reporting on five books. Come on S2 pupils! Read and you will receive!
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Pupil Successes October 2006
Congratulations
Very well done to Ailie McKnight of 1P2 who has won the East Ayrshire Christmas Card competition. This means her design will be used by all the staff at East Ayrshire Council. Congratulations to Ailie.
Outward Bound
Congratulations to Ryan Gilmour and Grant Taylor for their participation in the course at Loch Eil. They are both looking forward to working with the other group members from our neighbouring schools.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Lesley Roy, S5 who worked at the SETT conference in Glasgow creating podcasts. The podcasts will be published on the LT Scotland website.
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Pupil Achievements - September
Enterprising Maths Competition (Miss Cairns)
Congratulations to Dawn Carroll, Scott Crawford, Scott Jenkinson and Casey McDaid for winning the S1/2 East Ayrshire Maths Competition at Grange Academy. Look out for the winners in the Kilmarnock Standard. Well done again!
Tennis
Congratulations to Sophie O'Neill who finished second in the Prestwick ratings tennis tournament.
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Sporting Success (May 2006)
Congratulations to Sophie O'Neill, 2S who represented the county at the recent Tennis County Championships in Solihull . Well done.
Congratulations to Fraser Kerr, S2 who has been chosen to play for the U14 Ayrshire squad in golf and also is a member of the Scottish Golf Academy U16 squad.
Congratulations are also due to Lewis Gallacher in S2 who plays in U15 Ayrshire and U15 Scotland squads in badminton.
Congratulations to Stuart Gallacher who has been chosen to play in the U16 Scottish Basketball squad and is going to Andorra at the end of July and Barcelona in June to play in the U16's Promotions Cup. Well done to all.
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Reading for Gold Scheme (May 2006)
Congratulations to Carlo Facchini, Alexander Gibson and Misha Reid of 1S1, and Craig Love of 1S2 who have gained their Bronze Awards of the Reading for Gold Scheme. Well done!
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Music Success (May 2006)
Congratulations to Fiona Grant (S5) who gained 3rd Place in the Vocal Section of the World Burns Federation National Competition. This is a superb achievement. Well done to Fiona for representing Kilmarnock Academy and Ayrshire at this event.
Congratulations to Gregor Keachie for gaining 1st place as part of the duet that won the Brass Duets competition at the Ayrshire Music Festival and for third place in the Trumpet/Cornet/Flugel Horn Div. B class at the same festival.
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Scottish Music Centre -Recent Success
Congratulations go to Ross Mackie who has had a Musi-
cal Composition accepted by the above Centre based
now at the City Halls, Candleriggs. The panel were very
impressed with Ross's work and this has been posted on
their website. Members of the general public are invited
to vote on a number of Compositions. You can hear it
and vote by visiting www.scottishmusiccentre.com at
this link. Well Done Ross and good luck with your
future compositions.
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Pupil Success
Congratulations to clarinettists Graeme Sharpe and Iain Hendry who have both successfully got through auditions and been offered places in the West of Scotland Schools Concert Band.
Congratulations to Fiona Grant and Ross Leighton who have been offered places on violin and double bass in the West of Scotland Schools Orchestra.
All Four will attend a trial day followed by a weeks residential course where they will receive tuition from some of Scotland 's top musicians. They will perform concerts in New Lanark, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Congratulations also go to Blair McMillan who has been invited to join the prestigious Strathclyde Youth Jazz Orchestra.
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Congratulations
Congratulations to Amanda Conway who represented the school in 60m hurdles at the Scottish Schools Indoor Championships and finished in silver medal position. This is an excellent achievement. Well done Amanda.
Congratulations is also due to Guy O'Neill and Rachael Miller who represented the South West District last weekend at the inter-district tennis competition at U18 level.
Sophie O'Neill in S2 also represented the county in the U14 squad.
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