North Berwick High School
Head Teacher’s Report on Session 2009-2010
Introduction
It gives me great pleasure to write this report on the work of our school in session
2009-2010. It was another year of abundant success in many fields: charities; the arts;
academic attainment; community involvement.
The accomplishments of the school depend entirely on the hard work of all of the
staff, the pupils and the parents: the three-legged stool of success upon which the
school is founded. As the following report shows, we have had another very active
year, reflecting this hard work and commitment from the whole school community.
Our school motto of Aim High came into being and I think I can safely say that the
following report illustrates that we do just that!
Staffing
For the first time in many years, we had relatively few changes in staffing. Mr Paus
joined the languages department and Ms Shields was our School Business Manager,
covering maternity leave. Mr Gaffney joined the history / modern studies department.
Ms Hamilton retired in May, having been in the school as Depute for many years. Her
contribution to the school, especially in the area of pupil support and of health
promotion, was huge and her constant championing of children defined her whole
approach to her work. I wish her a long and happy retirement.
For the eighth year, we had newly qualified teachers joining us as probationers. Ms
Philips in mathematics, Ms Wallace in biology, Mrs Millar in English and Mr Aitken
in PE made a large contribution to the work and life of the school.
Mrs MacLaren won an award for East Lothian Volunteer of the Year, a thoroughly
deserved achievement for her countless years’ service in leading Duke of Edinburgh’s
award groups and various World Challenge expeditions. Mrs Spence ran the New
York Marathon and raised funds for disadvantaged children.
Learning and Teaching
As always, the curriculum, and the teaching and learning which arise from it, is the
core of the work of the school.
We enhanced our international links in a number of ways. The whole school, allied to
our partner schools in our cluster, developed links with Malawi. We had a Malawithemed international week in September, culminating in a wonderful Malawi day in
which the whole school and its VIP guests were treated to displays of work and
magical drumming and dancing, led by visiting Ugandan dancer and musician Sebby
Lubwama, to create a spectacular finale. We collected nearly one thousand back packs
over the course of the year. We also raised the £7000 needed to build and establish a
kitchen in Liwonde School, meaning that, for the first time, students could have a
school lunch every day. Paris Steele very kindly established a Will Aid programme
and £2000 was raised.
North Berwick High School
Session 2009-2010
Head Teacher’s Report
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The links with Malawi were cemented when a musical group from our school visited
our link schools in Katunguwiri and Liwonde, seeing at first hand the effects of our
fundraising and having a life-changing experience in ‘the warm heart of Africa’. They
preceded their trip with a wonderful concert in St Andrew Blackadder Church prior to
departure. It is fitting that our former First Minister, Jack McConnell, referred to our
efforts in his David Livingstone 150th Anniversary Lecture at Strathclyde University.
We have only really begun what I hope and am certain will be a long association with
Malawi.
All of the senior German students went on work experience with Landesrat to Forst,
on the Germany/Poland border, in October.
We held our first French Exchange for many years. A group of students from Nancy
visited us in the autumn. We arranged a full programme for our visitors and treated
them to Scottish culture, with the climax a highly successful ceilidh! A group of S2
students went to Champigneulles in the north east of France in June. They stayed in
the homes of host families and strong bonds and friendships were formed. Our
students paid a number of visits, eg to Strasbourg and the Musee de l’Ecole de Nancy.
The school continued to develop Curriculum for Excellence over the course of the
session, with a focus on learning and teaching and using assessment and feedback to
improve pupils’ learning, together with an exploration of how the curriculum would
be enhanced. We also developed links between areas of learning in the junior school
with interdisciplinary projects in a number of areas.
We continued to develop our school web site and our S3 girls developed a superb
example for the English department.
One group of S4 students took part in the first series of Forest School sessions at
NBHS. It was a great success and we shall be rolling out parts of the course to other
year groups in the future as we develop all aspects of learning outdoors.
Our Health Drop-In Centre continued to go from strength to strength. Run by the
school nurses, it is open for any pupil with any health concern every Wednesday
lunchtime. It has been highly successful and is seen as a model of good practice.
We hosted a group of educators from Finland last session. They were impressed by
our work and were delighted with the warm welcome they received.
A Primary Seven Enterprise Event took place in February. This was the first
opportunity for all the primary sevens from our partner primaries to meet and was
greatly enjoyed by all. S3 students were facilitators within the groups and pupils
enjoyed working together to complete a project and make a presentation, having as a
brief: ‘Starting a business with a Scottish theme.’
We had a highly successful Business Dynamics conference for the new S6 in June, as
well as two highly successful enterprise projects in S4, selling hampers and Christmas
cards, both earning a healthy profit.
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Session 2009-2010
Head Teacher’s Report
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Supporting our Pupils
We continued to develop our Pupil Support faculty with the development of our Pupil
Support Bases to cater for the needs of children with Additional Support Needs,
including the establishment of our Base Kitchen with the support of the Parent
Teacher Association and North Berwick Rotary Club. This kitchen is a wonderful
addition, allowing us to develop life skills with our most vulnerable students.
We continued to develop individual programmes for students, including support for
SQA awards, extended work experience, the Cool Down Crew with the Fire Service,
links with the local colleges, Girls Allowed and the Royal Highland Show, as well as
continuing support and success through the Bridge Centre and Motor Cycle projects.
Some of our students participated in the Lothian Disabled Cross Country running at
Peffermill, as well as a sporting programme at Moray House with the students there.
We started a new reading scheme Accelerated Reader which involves online quizzes
relating to the books the young people have read. We also put in place enhanced
transition programmes for pupils before they arrived at NBHS and for students as they
were preparing to leave us to go on the next stage of their lives.
The Houses continued to develop as focal points of the school. The House Councils
met regularly and pupil representatives were consulted about the School Development
Plan. We shall develop the role of our pupil councils this year, with democraticallyelected representatives from every year group. Our Houses also continued to ‘adopt’
children in other countries, raising funds through a variety of activities and making
regular contributions to their education.
The Houses were led by the House Captains and Vice Captains, who were:
Craig
Sean Cunningham, Jennifer McMillan, Eniola Oshodi and Stephanie da
Costa
Fidra
Matt Rogers, Hope Cunningham, Calum Morrison and Rosie Gollan
Glen
Katie Salucci, Andrew Turton, Lucy Merriman and Sam Lowe
Law
Daniel Crowe, Naomi Melville, Jamie Lauder and Eve Baillie
The Head Boy and Head Girl and their deputes were able leaders of the school. The
leadership team of Matthew Gibbons, Magdalen Hoyt, Joe Ryan and Jordanne
Griffiths led the school in different activities and were excellent role models for our
pupils.
The twenty senior school leaders formed the Senior School Council. The council met
regularly with Mr Peyton and was a valuable forum for exchange of information and
consultation.
Each House continued to organise events throughout the session. Pride of place goes
to Fidra House, who organised another Christmas Fayre last November. It was a
magical event, with local businesses having stalls of all kinds, including Christmas
decorations made by S3 art students Our senior Fidra students from S5 and S6 took to
it with a will and joined the team of helpers and sellers. The event attracted huge
numbers and was extremely successful, raising £900.
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Session 2009-2010
Head Teacher’s Report
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Our S6 students continued to set an excellent example through various means such as
paired reading both here and at Law Primary, in-class support, peer mentoring,
helping at the sports days in our partner Primaries and the potted sports at the Nursery
School, lunchtime drop-in, organising many committees and fund raising for various
charities.
Rewarding Achievement
We continued to develop our policy of rewarding good behaviour, effort, attitude and
academic excellence. Positive Referrals were awarded to pupils who had completed a
particularly meritorious piece of work or who had made a sustained commitment over
a period of time. Pupils in each class in S1, S2 and S3 were nominated by their class
teachers for Gold, Silver and Bronze Certificates. Each teacher could nominate pupils
on the basis of good effort, behaviour and attitude. The pupils were awarded these
certificates in December and April. A pleasing number of pupils were able to increase
their award, eg from silver to gold, between January and May.
We also developed awards for Citizenship, and 170 citizenship awards were given
over the course of the session for paired reading, supporting other students,
commitment to the school, fair trade, sports coaching and volunteering eg at Riding
for the Disabled.
In September we had our annual senior prizegiving ceremony. Simon Smith, recentlyretired head of mathematics, was guest of honour. Speeches and excellent musical
pieces were followed by academic prizes for each subject at Standard Grade,
Intermediate, Higher and Advanced Higher levels. Certificates of Merit were
presented to students for overall achievement in SQA examinations. Quaichs were
presented to former S6 students for Service to the School (Emma Edwards), Service
to the Community (Laura Campbell), Service to Music (Chris McLeish) and Service
to Sport (Kari Spence and Megan Gaffney). Craig House won the Rotary Prize for
being House Champions. The climax of the evening was the awarding of the Dux
Medal to Daniel Crowe.
SQA Results
The school’s results for 2010 continued our strong tradition of academic excellence.
57% of our Fourth Year gained five or more awards at Level 5 (Credit / Int 2). Very
pleasingly, 88% gained five or more at Level 4 (Credit and General / Int 1) and 95%
gained five or more awards at Level 3. This shows that we continue to be an inclusive
school, one which strives constantly to meet the needs of all its pupils and to
maximise potential. In S5, 24% of the original S4 yeargroup gained five Highers. 42%
of the original S4 yeargroup gained three or more Highers - the Higher Education
‘benchmark’ - and a near-record 67% gained at least one Higher. In S6, 33% of the
original S4 cohort gained one or more Advanced Higher pass. Very pleasingly, S6
awards complement S5 awards at Higher level in particular, with 45% of our students
leaving school after S6 with five or more Highers.
These results are the amalgamation of individual results in individual subjects of
individual pupils. They paint a clear picture of strength for which everyone can feel
justifiable pride.
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Session 2009-2010
Head Teacher’s Report
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Activities and Achievements
I now come to a section in which I shall try to indicate the breadth and depth of our
achievements in session 2009-2010.
Competitions and Awards
We enjoyed success in a number of competitions and won many awards.
Megan Thomson was awarded the prize from the Scottish Association of Geography
Teachers for the best Higher result across the whole of Scotland – a wonderful
achievement.
Emma Aitken won the prestigious Alex Elrick Memorial Competition for young
singers, winning a handsome trophy and money towards further musical training.
Rachel Coll’s performance was highly commended.
A number of our pupils took part in the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust
Mathematical challenge. The questions are tricky and test problem solving as well as
mathematical skills. In S1 we won eight Silver awards (Euan Miles, Cory
Szymoszowskyj, Jack Poole, Heather Oberlander, Mhairi Finlayson, James Smith,
Ruben Lancaster, Riccardo Cucchi) and fifteen Bronze. In S2, Maddie Ryan won a
Gold award and Silver went to thirteen students (Chris Ramsay, Jamie Bullen, Ben
Coke, Kelly Kinnear, Gareth Grant, Josie Gibberd, Hamish Law, Fergus McMahon,
Adam Munro, Charles Butler, Fraser Thomson, Ayoola Oshodi, Callum Burns), with
fifteen gaining Bronze. In S3, Calum Finlayson won Gold and Rachel Coll and Henry
Slater Silver, with sixteen gaining Bronze. In S4, Ewan Rycroft, Lisa Oleksy and
Sarah Patrick won Gold, with eight gaining Silver (Dan Ryan, Jack Dunlop, Alex
Edgar, Catherine baker, Elliott Bruce, Rowan Wood, Sophie Armstrong, Patrick
Maher) and nine Bronze. A team competed in the Enterprising Mathematics
competition.
Daniel Crowe and Lizzie Dalley completed a Lessons from Auschwitz project, which
included visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau in September. This was a very moving
experience for the students.
Stephan Johnstone won the Young Volunteer of the Year award, given in recognition
of his work at the Appin Equestrian Centre, North Berwick Day Care Centre and the
Youth Café where we works with the Zap group for children with disabilities. He was
presented with the award by local celebrity Grant Stott.
In January, a team from S2 competed in the Lothian Construction Challenge, doing
very well in their heat.
Adam Mogg and Sarah Nelson completed the Rotary Young Leader Award in the
summer, giving a presentation to Rotarians as part of this award.
We participated in the East Lothian Outdoor Challenges for various year groups. All
of our teams did well with great enthusiasm.
A team from S3 had a highly enjoyable experience taking part in the Stock Market
Challenge.
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Session 2009-2010
Head Teacher’s Report
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Katie Wauchope won the competition to create a sculpture of St Baldred for display in
St Baldred’s Church in North Berwick. Katie was given a prize and the art department
received a donation from the church, recognising the effort that all the pupils had
made on the project. The statue was presented to representatives of the church and
now sits proudly in the sanctuary.
Sophie Allinson represented the school in the Young Ambassador programme, set up
to prepare for the London Olympics in 2012. Sophie, assisted by Ewan Rycroft,
Lindsay Hume and Jack Francis was selected to inspire others, no matter their ability,
to take part in sport and activity.
Clubs and Groups
The school continues to run an impressive series of clubs and societies, such as
sailing, table tennis, mixed hockey, netball, rugby, football, basketball, hockey,
mountain biking, scripture union, badminton, drama, kung fu, rock climbing,
animation, fair trade, ukulele, biology, running, film club, debating, kayaking, school
newspaper, jewellery, chess, surfing, knitting and crochet, homework, languages,
science and young engineers.
The Citizenship Group had another successful year. They organised a range of events,
including a Crime Conference.
Visits and events
As well as our long-established termly newsletters, the school continued its
newspaper last session, published entirely by students.
Many months of hard work and preparation came to fruition when we held our school
show Fiddler on the Roof in the spring. This long and challenging show, under Mrs
Hood’s direction, really had everything as we were magically transported to Tsarist
Russia in 1905, with a cast from every year group in the school. Who could ever
forget the Sabbath Prayer and the incredibly poignant ending?
We had an excellent St Andrew’s Day celebration in the school, with a catered ceilidh
being organised by PE, music, PSE and home economics, with beautiful decorations
of thistles from the art department.
Miriam Woolf and Catherine Fischer attended the Edinburgh College of Art Summer
School.
Our magnificent school Christmas Card was designed by Lucie Rae S2 and reflected
the Scottish Homecoming theme, featuring a thistle in the design.
Art students took part in a retro clothing day in Edinburgh, looking at fashion and the
influence of different eras on style.
A group of S2 English students (also known as Platinum Pages Publication
Promotions) worked with author Linda Strachan on a new book – Dead Boy Talking –
and the book launch took place in the school in June.
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Session 2009-2010
Head Teacher’s Report
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S5 went to a performance of Othello in the Brunton Theatre.
James Hooper, the well-known motivational speaker, visited us in May and gave an
inspirational talk to our students in S3.
Dayna McAlpine had articles published for End of Term magazine, aimed at young
people in Scotland and with a circulation of over two million copies!
Several senior students learned about mountain safety in snowy conditions in March
in the Cairngorms. They are now looking forward to the innovative SOAP programme
(Senior Outdoor Activities Programme).
Students from the English department worked in collaboration with professional film
makers and with members of the English department to produce a film portraying the
transition from P7 to S1. This film was presented through a combination of animation
and live action. It was shown to the P7s on their induction days.
Higher business management and geography students visited the Royal Bank of
Scotland headquarters at Gogarburn.
The music department led a trip to see We Will Rock You at the Edinburgh Playhouse.
Our local MP, Iain Gray, visited the school twice last year, firstly for Malawi Day and
then to take part in a lively Question and Answer session on the current political
scene.
We were privileged to have the composer John Harris working with Higher and
Advanced Higher pupils throughout the year, giving them fresh insights into the world
of composition.
Paul Herward of the UK Defence Academy spoke to S4 Modern Studies students
about the changing role of the NATO military alliance.
The S4 German class attended a reading skills workshop at the Goethe Institut in
January, followed by the senior group who focused on modern Germany.
Our vegetable garden continues to flourish and produced potatoes, onions, garlic and
much, much more. Produce from the garden was used in our lunch hall and was also
gifted to nursing homes in the town. A small group of S1 were part of the Fidra
Nursing Home Gardening Club, helping the residents every week with the garden and
being excellent company for the elderly.
A group of S1 also helped the North Berwick Transition Group by supporting the
Gardenshare project.
The S6 beekeeping group had a successful second year, with two hives being tended
and honey harvested.
Jamie Ann Arthur took part in the Girlguiding Scotland centenary launch, parading
with ninety-nine other girls along the Royal Mile in September.
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Session 2009-2010
Head Teacher’s Report
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S3 geographers collaborated with Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, looking at
applications of Global Imaging Systems and other new technologies in geography.
Grant Cowe was selected to attend the Air Training Corps national Band Camp in
Hampshire in October.
Riding for the Disabled celebrated its 40th birthday with the World’s Biggest Riding
Lesson. Olivia Lochhead, Rachel Coll, Kirsty White, Ellen Gray, Katie Wauchope,
Amy White, Harriet Nicholls and Megan Lott took part in this very special event,
allowing fifty-seven disabled riders to participate.
We held a Good Food day in October, at which we had a Farmers’ Market with
numerous local producers in the school hall. This was very successful and was also
open to the public.
Our Advanced Higher modern studies class again visited Shotts Prison as part of their
studies and, again, all of them thankfully returned to school!
Rachel Nelson, Alison Williams and Hannah Hunter Hill hosted a weekly programme
on a new radio station – Coast Radio 87.7.
Students, parents and staff turned out in foul weather in early December to participate
in the Breathing Places world record tree planting attempt at the Law. Two hundred
trees were planted in forty-five minutes, which was a splendid return.
Kari Spence and Isabelle Ives returned to Rwanda to continue their work from the
previous year.
A touring Christian band (Taste) visited the school in January, giving concerts at
lunchtime and taking different activities in various classes, inspiring us with their
song writing skills and dynamic performances.
Matthew Gibbons and Maddie Hoyt, together with twenty-one children from Law
Primary, entertained North Berwick Rotary Club at their Burns’ Supper.
I had the great honour, at the East Lothian Head Teachers’ conference in March, to be
part of the audience while Mr Coady’s Guitar Group, led in song by Zoe Moskal Guy,
entertained everyone in superb style. The theme of the conference was Wider
Achievement and nothing illustrated it better than our students.
Whilst the rest of S2 explored the ski slopes in January, the remainder took part in
celebrations of Robert Burns, including a full Burns’ Supper, organised by the English
department.
A former pupil of NBHS, Geoff Clark QC, spoke to S1 modern studies students about
his work to a spellbound audience.
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Session 2009-2010
Head Teacher’s Report
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S2 also commemorated the Holocaust in January by taking part in activities on the
Holocaust and on prejudice. These were provided by outside agencies as well as the
Higher psychology class outlining issues related to mental health. We were privileged
also to have over 100 pupils listen to Harry Bibring talk about his experiences of the
Holocaust. He was sent away on the kindertransport when he was a young boy and
never saw his parents again. Pupils and staff found Harry’s visit both informative and
very moving. He embodied the theme for remembrance: The Legacy of Hope. He also
spoke to a small group of history students, showing them artefacts from his childhood.
George Elderfield attended an international folk festival in Germany as part of the
North Berwick Pipe Band.
In June, we held a SAFE Week (Substance Awareness for Everyone) in the school,
which involved various events for students and parents, led by the school and
community groups.
James Leslie, Polly Waters, Bess MacArthur and Fraser Fulton accompanied Zoe
Moskal Guy as she sang at the opening of the 18th Commonwealth Forestry
Conference at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. Emma Aitken also
sang a selection of Burns songs to delegates at an evening dinner.
Several of our students took part in the Red Flame Dance production in Haddington in
December.
As well as organising Fairtrade tuck shops throughout the year to promote ethical
trading issues, the Fairtrade group took up the rice challenge organised by Just
Trading Scotland. Selling 180 kg of rice from Malawi, we ‘ate’ two people out of
poverty, providing the income for two children to attend school in Malawi. The profit
generated (£140) was donated to Mary’s Meals. The group also served ‘lost Malawi’
tea in the staffroom. The Good Food day raised awareness of Fairtrade issues.
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
We had another busy year. Former pupils Dan Barber and Duncan Robertson obtained
their Silver Award and Emma Girot, Dan Barber, James Gibbons and Rachel Nelson
obtained their Gold award. Both Dan and Rachel were presented with their Gold
award at Holyrood Palace in July and met the Duke of Edinburgh himself.
We set up two Silver groups, who have successfully completed their expeditions in
June (Callum Cruickshank, George Elderfield, Fraser Stevenson, Ruaridh Donaldson,
Kathryn Corrie, Sarah Nelson, Lewis Bennett, Hamish Orr, Molly Smith, Kirsty
Stephenson, Clementine Cattenach and Hannah Milne).
Music
Emma Aitken, Alexander Casson, Matt Rogers and Joanna Casson played alongside
Royal Scottish National Orchestra musicians at a concert in the Usher Hall in
September. They played Mars from the Planet Suite by Holst to a packed hall,
including a large number of our own students.
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Session 2009-2010
Head Teacher’s Report
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Zoe Moskal Guy performed at the Saltire Homecoming Events in Haddington in
November, sharing the bill with Dougie MacLean, Phil Cunningham, Karen Matheson
and Alex Salmond. She was accompanied by Mr Coady. Her singing was so beautiful
that all the ‘stars’ fell silent when she began to sing at the sound check.
Our chorale group sang Christmas carols at the RBS headquarters in Gogarburn,
performing to great acclaim in the ‘Street’ in the very heart of the complex.
In grade examinations, particularly notable were Johanna Bradley (double bass)
gained Grade 7 with distinction, with Mhairi Cousland gaining Grade 8 in alto sax.
Johanna Bradley, Emma Aitken, Alexander Casson and Joanna Casson were members
of the Edinburgh Youth Orchestra, Emma Aitken was in the National Youth Choir of
Scotland and Rachel Woods the National Girls Choir of Scotland.
In October, Zoe Moskal-Guy and Tal Ramsay performed alongside the Dunbar and
District Choral Society to raise money for the Lifeboat Association and Christian Aid
We hold a number of musical clubs and ensembles, including our brass band, chorale,
guitar ensemble, guitar group, jazz band, junior choir, orchestra, piano ensembles,
percussion ensembles, staff/senior choir, string ensemble and woodwind ensemble,
whose results are all seen to magnificent effect at our concerts.
We purchased a set of African drums and christened them very well when the
percussionist Dougie Hudson led a series of drumming workshops for around 60
students from S1 and S2.
Our concerts continue to set new standards of excellence. The Christmas concerts
were their usual success, with a variety and scale of performance illustrating
graphically the depth of talent and ethos of achievement within the department and
indeed the school. Our Spring Concert featured two debuts – the ukulele orchestra and
African drumming! We also purchased a magnificent new grand piano, funded by our
concerts and also a very generous donation from the grandmother of Matt de Busk.
Sport
We had a number of sporting highlights, both in teams and individually. We are also
delighted that Paris Steel and Housecallcare continue to sponsor strips for our sporting
teams.
We won the County Sports for S1 and S2 for the second year in a row, competing in
basketball, football, badminton, rugby and hockey.
Pride of place goes to basketball. Two of our three teams reached the Scottish Cup
finals, with both the Under 14 and Under 18 boys’ teams playing very well with a
huge support urging on their every move. Unfortunately, both teams were beaten on
the day, but they did themselves and the school proud. The Under 14 girls’ team
narrowly lost their quarter final match. Niall Mackle and Grant Mackay played for
Scotland at Under 18 and Sean Mackle and Gregor Gray at Under 15. Grant was
chosen by Basketballscotland to join their ‘Elite Sportsman Programme’. This is a
development programme to support athletes with Olympic potential and Grant was the
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Session 2009-2010
Head Teacher’s Report
Page 10 of 14
youngest person to be selected. Former pupil Alistair Mackay was offered a full
basketball scholarship to Davidson College in North Carolina.
In hockey Fern Mitchell and Amy Nicholson represented Scotland at Under 16,
winning their first caps in the summer against England, Ireland, Belgium and
Germany. Our S2 team won the East Lothian Schools tournament. Amy White was
selected for the Under 14 East District squad.
In football, we had a slightly less successful season after the giddy heights of 2009.
Nathan Evans was selected to go on the Youth Level 4 coaching course. Coll
Donaldson played for the East and Midlothian football team at Under 15. The S2 team
had a successful league season, finishing in second place. The team lost on penalties
in the Scottish Cup.
In rugby, we continued to have a large number of teams at all levels. Brewin Dolphin
chose North Berwick as their location in which to launch the Scottish Cups, in
recognition of our continued and consistent strength. Both of our teams lost narrowly
in their competitions. The Under 15 team won the Stewart’s Melville Sevens
tournament – a superb achievement against the best schools in Scotland. Jamie Lauder
was a member of the Edinburgh Under 18 squad. Angus Elder was in the Edinburgh
District Under 16 squad, and Angus and Sean Mackle, Ruarish Smith, Henry Slater
and Scott Burnside were in the Ease Lothian Falcons Under 16 Squad.
In volleyball, Jamie McHardy represented Scotland at Under 21 level, no mean feat
for someone still at school. He was awarded Best Attacker at the UK School Games
Championships. Jamie and former pupil Emma Girot represented Volleyball at the
launch of the Scottish Sports Alliance event in the Scottish Parliament.
In the East Lothian Cross Country, Mac Jerome won the S1 Boys event and Isla
Wightman won the S1 girls event.
In golf, Euan Bowden and Calum Hill represented Scotland at Under 14 against
England. Clara Young, Calum and Euan were involved in a press release for
sportscotland, along with Alex Salmond and former pupil and Open Champion
Catriona Mathew. Clara played in the East Lothian Ladies County team and also
represented East Lothian in the Scottish Schools Golf Championships. Christopher
Algeo and Sarah Dunlop played in the US Kids Open at Gullane.
In sailing, the school competed in the annual Brown Cup, an inter-schools
competition held at Loch Earn. All participants gained great experience competing
with members of the national squad. The school sailing club continued to go from
strength to strength, building close links with the local yacht club.
In judo, Marc Girot won a bronze medal in the British Judo Championship. In the
Scottish championships, Marc won Gold and Elizabeth Musgrove, Sam Hobbis and
Lizzie Dalley won silver.
In karate Murdo Lunn represented Scotland in the Junior European Championships in
Prague.
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Head Teacher’s Report
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In badminton, James Chapman represented East and Midlothian at a competition on
the Isle of Man, being part of the winning team.
In swimming, Dan Wallace won Gold in the Scottish National Swimming
Championships in the 200m breast stroke and 200m individual medley. Cameron
Smith won Silver in the 400m freestyle and Bronze in the 200m freestyle. Murray
Lawrence and Amber Whitelaw also participated in the championships. Dan
represented Scotland in the home nations tournament, being voted as captain by his
peers. He took Gold in the 200m individual medley, Bronze in the 400m freestyle and
was part of the 4X100 freestyle relay team which took Silver. Amber Whitelaw, Jo
Whitelaw and Finlay Williamson were selected to compete at Scotland’s
Commonwealth trials.
In shore fishing, Annie Burns was chosen to represent Scotland at the Home
International Junior Shore Fishing Championships.
End of Term Events
Our end of term events again were highlights of the year.
The festive season got under way as we held our Senior Citizens’ Concert and
Afternoon Tea. A large number of senior citizens had entertainment from our young
musicians and then a lovely afternoon tea.
The art department designed and made the hall and stage decorations for Christmas,
which, as always, transformed these key parts of the school.
Our musicians took their festive pieces out into the community to various venues
including local nursing homes, day care centre and Tesco.
The Christmas Dances were a huge success, with the dances taking place over five
evenings. The hall was filled with young people every night as they performed their
Scottish Country dances with great aplomb under the PE department’s direction.
We ended the Christmas term again with an Christmas Bazaar and Panto. The
majority of S6 was involved in acting, make-up and costume, set design and painting
and in running stalls. The whole school was able to watch the performances
throughout the day and we were still able to have a short sing-a-long at the end!
The end of session in June was marked by a star performance of Cheryl Cole’s Fight
for this Love. Staff rehearsed for six weeks after school under the strict instruction of
Mrs Watson, who choreographed the routine. The staff received a standing ovation at
the end of the performance and enjoyed themselves so much that they gave a second
performance. They also raised £176 to start off the 2010-2011 charity year.
Charities
The school continues its proud tradition of supporting those less fortunate than
ourselves. We had various events, including walk-a-mile, slave auction, dress down
days and bake sales. These raised £3422 which was split among Mary’s Meals
(£1000), Leuchie (£1000), Children in Need (£550), Haiti (£632) and MacMillan
Coffee Morning (£240).
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Session 2009-2010
Head Teacher’s Report
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Six of our students also took part in two concerts with students from other schools,
raising £1500 for MacMillan Cancer Support.
Zoe Moskal Guy produced a CD for RNIB celebrating Louis Braille.
Outdoor Activities and Excursions
Our annual Activities Week continues to grow and involves all pupils from S1 to S3
in a variety of events and activities. During that week, we had inter-house sports, S1
events, the S2 coastal walk, a variety of day activities for S3, a trip to Belgium,
canoeing in the Ardeche, a trip to London, a golf trip to Devon, and camping and
hiking in Assynt.
Our S2 had another excellent week of skiing in Italy in January, when a party of over
a hundred pupils and staff spent a particularly pleasant and successful trip, both on the
ski slopes and off them! This annual event is a tradition in the school and is eagerly
anticipated by every new S2 group.
We ended the session with two amazing trips, one to Malawi and the other to China.
The students had undertaken a study of modern day China as part of their modern
studies course and the visit cemented their knowledge. The students had a wonderful
time in Beijing and visited the Great Wall and the Peking Opera.
Parental Involvement
Parental involvement continues to be a major strength of the school. Events such as
Consultation or Information Evenings are extremely well supported and the Parent
Council continued to play a prominent role in the school. We held two excellent
information evenings for parents on substance awareness and on driving and we hope
to build on these in future years.
The school implemented a new Management Information System, holding accurate
information on all of our pupils and staff. We hope to develop email links with
parents, making full use of our system and greatly improving our communication with
parents.
The PTA continues to support the school by holding fund raising events such as the
Quiz Night. Last year, £3000 was given to the school, which allowed us to purchase
our high quality homework diaries and other essential equipment for departments. The
PTA also funded a kitchen area for one of our Support Bases, which will be
invaluable as we develop coffee mornings and other events designed to prepare our
most vulnerable youngsters for wider life after school.
A major event, as always, was the school PTA Burns’ Supper and Ceilidh, with
excellent contributions from the main speakers - our student leadership team. Zoe
Moskal-Guy and members of Mr Coady’s Guitar Ensemble gave a memorable and
moving performance, with George Elderfield piping in the haggis in considerable
style.
The North Berwick Burns Club’s Anniversary Dinner, held in a packed Marine Hotel,
had as usual a major input from the school. The quality of the performances was
North Berwick High School
Session 2009-2010
Head Teacher’s Report
Page 13 of 14
remarked upon by all who were present, with Matthew and Maddie repeating their
toasts of the previous evening in the school to great acclaim. Rachel Coll’s singing
and Emma Aitken’s violin playing were also highlights of the evening.
I would also like to thank the parents who support the many events in the school,
allowing money to be raised for school funds. These funds give us the ability to
support outings and events for all children, including in particular those most needy
members of our school community.
Conclusion
Out of such bounty, what was the highlight? We had so much – Fiddler on the Roof,
the singing at the head teachers’ conference, the sporting activities, the concerts to
name but a few.
For me, however, the highlight was Malawi. It summed up what the school is all
about in terms of Aiming High in all that we do and developing our four Rs. We
showed respect to our fellow human beings, took responsibility for raising goods and
funds, showed resilience to continue through good times and bad and developed
relationships with our cluster in a very firm way. I shall never forget seeing for the
first time that wonderful photograph of our tour party outside Liwonde and the sign
which says ‘Donated by North Berwick Cluster Schools.’ How wonderful and how
very moving !
In conclusion, I commend this report to its readers and look forward to another
successful year.
C T Sutherland
Head Teacher
7th September 2010
North Berwick High School
Session 2009-2010
Head Teacher’s Report
Page 14 of 14