Newsletter 29 - June 2013 - Lochaber High School

News from
Lochaber High School
Newsletter 29 June 2013
New
Faces
One hundred and forty Primary 7 pupils spent a week at Lochaber High School (17 – 21 June) as part of their transition to secondary school.
The pupils, from ten associated primary schools, were ‘buddied’ by senior pupils and followed a full First Year timetable for the week. There
were opportunities to explore the campus, dine in the canteen and get used to school transport. The aim of the transition week – organised
by Mrs Clark, PT Guidance – was to allay fears about the move to secondary before the summer break and to ensure as smooth a start as
possible when the pupils return as First Years in August. An open evening for parents was held on Thursday 20 June.
National
Champions!
Lochaber High School’s Senior
Wind Band achieved a ‘Gold
Plus’ award at the Scottish
Concert Band Festival earlier
this year – the highest score in
their category.
You can read Natalie
Brayshaw’s account of the
band’s trip to Perth inside this
newsletter.
Also in this issue...
Shinty Successes Paris Trip Goodbye Class of ‘13
Important Dates to Note
Thursday 27 June
Early Closure - Staff Meeting (2.00pm)
Friday 28 June
Dress Down Day (no uniform)
School Closes at 12.30pm
(school lunch available by pre-order)
Monday 19 August
Staff Training Day
Tuesday 20 August
School re-opens for pupils
Lochaber High School, Camaghael, Fort William, Inverness-shire, PH33 7ND
Telephone: 01397 702512 Fax: 01397 703667
E-mail: lochaber.high@highland.gov.uk Web: www.lochaber.highland.sch.uk

Goodbye Mr Reynolds
Happy Retirement!
Congratulations to popular Depute Head
Teacher, Mr Paul Reynolds, who has been
appointed to the post of Head Teacher at Ross
High School, Tranent, East Lothian. Mr
Reynolds joined the staff of Lochaber High in
2006 – we wish him good luck in his new post!
Five members of the teaching staff are retiring from Lochaber High School at the end of this
term. We say goodbye and good luck to Mrs Cassidy, Support for Learning; Mr Thomson, Art
& Design; Mrs Cameron, Support for Learning; Mr Watt, Art & Design and Mrs Blair, Biology.
Top Teacher
Mrs Marie Meldrum (left), Principal Teacher of Business Studies at Lochaber High School, was
the winner of this year’s ‘Link Teacher of the Year’ at the ‘Young Enterprise Scotland Awards
2013’, held in the Thistle Hotel, Glasgow on 18 June.
Mrs Meldrum, who has worked with Young Enterprise groups for a number of years, was
nominated for the award by the Highland and Moray Area Board who described her as
“enthusiastic, energetic and positive”. Her nomination read, “Marie has worked with teams
of varying ability and success but her energy and enthusiasm never waivers. She puts the
young people she supports at the centre of everything she does, and encourages them to
achieve the best they can. She gives them the support they need to carry on even when times
get tough…”
In accepting the award, Mrs Meldrum paid tribute to the “fantastic” pupils she has worked
with and thanked local businesses for their support. She particularly praised Elaine Jones,
Development Manager, Highlands and Islands Enterprise who gives freely of her time to
support enterprise activities in the school.
Our two probationer teachers – Mr Masterton, Gaelic and Mr Osborne, Physics have both completed their one-year placement in the school
and will now receive their Certificates of Full Registration from the General Teaching Council Scotland .
Earlier this term two teachers joined the staff: Miss Jemma Calderwood, Mathematics and Mr Jim Shepherd, Technical. Further new members
of staff will join us in August – we’ll introduce them to you in the next newsletter. An Acting Depute Head Teacher post has been advertised
(closing date 27 June); a permanent post will be advertised in the autumn. We will also be advertising for an Assistant Janitor.
All vacancies at the school (teaching and support staff) are advertised through
The Highland Council. Further details can be obtained from The Highland
Council website www.highland.gov.uk or from the national recruitment portal
www.myjobscotland.gov.uk/highland

Lochaber High School
June 2013
Dear Parents/Carers
You might be forgiven for thinking that, as the term draws to a close, we’ll be ‘winding down’ for the holidays. Not a bit of it, in fact,
we’re winding up! Robertson Construction – who have won the contract for Phase 3 of the Lochaber 21 refurbishment and rebuilding
programme—are preparing to carry out major works over the holidays. This work – to be concluded over the next 18 months to 2 years
– will transform our school campus and make a huge difference to the way our school works. Also, as I write, all of our First Years (new
Second Years) are taking part in the Rapid Response Engineering Challenge activity day. This is a culmination of work carried out in
classes earlier this term and is just one of the many activities not reported on in this term’s newsletter… because there isn’t enough
room! You can see that we’ve had a busy term with lots of opportunities for your children to learn and participate in activities beyond
the classroom and beyond the normal school day. A big thank you must go to all the staff who give so freely of their time to enhance our
young people’s learning.
Another aspect of school life not covered in this newsletter is the very productive relationship we’ve had with the Royal Society of
Edinburgh this session through RSE@Lochaber. Recent events organised by RSE include a seabed mapping exercise in collaboration with
the Scottish Association for Marine Science; a ‘Women in Science’ talk by Alison McLure from the Institute of Physics; a lecture on land
management by Professor Maggie Gill and, most recently, a lecture entitled ‘Scotland Rocks’ by Professor Iain Stewart, the well-know
Scottish geologist.
However, as it should be, most of the work of the school goes on in classes, day after day and week after week. For senior pupils, their
efforts will be rewarded when they receive their SQA certificates by first class post on Tuesday 6 August. Those who have registered with
My SQA will receive their results by e-mail and/or text message (also on 6 August). Go to www.mysqa.org.uk and register by 9 July.
Members of staff will be available in school on 6 August should there be any queries about results. Pupils in S1, 2 & 3 have been sent
Merit Certificates, recognising their attainment and effort throughout this session. Well done to all those who have received a
certificate!
It is always good to welcome new people to the school and we had a very successful transition week for Primary 7 pupils last week – I
look forward to getting to know a whole new cohort of young people as they settle-in to our school next session. We’ll also be
welcoming a number of new staff in August who will undoubtedly bring new ideas, interests and opportunities to the school. But the end
of term is also associated with goodbyes. I would like to wish all pupils and staff who are leaving us all the very best for the future and to
thank them for the contribution they’ve made to making Lochaber High the good school it is. A particular “good luck” to my close
colleague, Mr Reynolds, as he moves on to a well-deserved promotion as a Head Teacher. Mr Reynolds was one of my first
appointments after I started in the school and he has been an excellent Depute Head Teacher; hard-working, committed to the school
and popular with pupils and parents. I wish him well as he starts the ‘best job in the business’!
Much of what we do in school these days is enhanced by the use of new technology. However, the use of mobile technology and the
internet brings new dangers. Useful advice on Mobile Phone Safety from The Highland Council and Police Scotland is enclosed with this
newsletter. It is also available on the school website.
With seven weeks of holidays in front of us, the start of next term may be far from your mind.
However, I would ask that – over the summer – you ensure that your children are suitably kitted out
with school uniform for their return to school on 20 August. In particular, I would ask that all pupils
wear plain black shoes (this is an aspect of the uniform that has slipped towards the end of term).
Information on uniform and order forms were sent home earlier this term – please contact the school
if you have any queries or check the school website: www.lochaber.highland.sch.uk
I hope you enjoy reading our newsletter. If you would like to read a more humorous account of our
school year, I can recommend this year’s Sixth Year Yearbook which is on sale in the school library for
only £8.00. A great memento of another momentous year in the life of Lochaber High School.
Have a great summer!
Best wishes,
Jim Sutherland
Head Teacher
Please remember to return last year’s textbooks — other people are needing them now.

Our S2 and S3 Gaelic pupils took part in a
careers day at Eden Court theatre in Inverness
in March. As well as attending several
workshops throughout the day the pupils got
the chance to get some hands-on experience
of the career choices open to them as bi or
multilingual candidates.
We were visited on 10 June by Donald S.
Murray, the award winning author of The
Guga Hunters. Donald, who currently lives in
Shetland though originally from Ness in Lewis,
delivered a particularly engaging creative
writing workshop to our new third years.
A group of Gaelic pupils took a trip to
Ardnamurchan High School on the beautifully
sunny evening of 7 May to attend a Royal
Society of Edinburgh lecture on the Gaelic
History of Lochaber. Professors Donald Meek
and Hugh Cheape highlighted the political,
cultural and literary significance of Lochaber
and its inhabitants through the ages.
On the 12/13 June we welcomed Sealladh TV
to the department who ran a documentary
filming and editing workshop with the new S3
Gaelic class. Over the course of the two days
the pupils produced, filmed and edited a short
Seafood in Schools
Primary 7 pupils from our associated primary schools
along with our First Years recently took part in
‘Seafood in Schools’. This is an exciting project that
aims to teach children about Scottish Seafood; where
it comes from, how it reaches our plates, and why
eating seafood is good for us. A partnership project
with the Scottish Seafood industry, it encourages
teachers at primary and secondary level to use
seafood as a context for interdisciplinary learning.
The Seafood in Schools project is run by Seafood
Scotland, an organisation that works throughout the
supply chain to promote,
market and develop
responsibly and sustainably
caught Scottish seafood. P7
pupils, Miriam and Donna,
from Banavie PS give their
account of the project:
On 1 May Primary 7 went to
LHS for Fish Tasting. There were
three different workshops and there were different
schools there as well as Banavie Primary. We tasted
all different types of seafood and we all learnt that
we should have seafood at least twice a week. One of
the workshops was telling us about where our seafood
comes from and looking at different tools used in the
industry. They showed us the tools they used to
measure the fish when they catch them. Another
workshop was tasting fish and we had to wash our
hands before eating the fish. The last workshop was
the chef from the Crannog. He cooked some different
dishes for us using seafood. We all found out lots of
facts about fish and overall everyone had a good time
and enjoyed the experience.
www.seafoodinschools.org
Gaelic News
film on the history of Inverlochy Castle.
Air an 19mh den Mhàirt chaidh AS2 ’s AS3 a
dh’Inbhir Nis airson pàirt a ghabhailann an
Latha nan Dreuchdan Ghàidhlig aig taighcluiche
Eden Court. A bharrachdair a bhith a’
dol an sàs ann am buithean-obrach fhuair na
sgoilearan eòlas air nadreuchan agus
cothroman bhios fosgailte dhaibh mar
tagraichean dà, neo iomadh,chànanach.
Air an 10mh den Òg-mhìos thàinig an t-ùghdar
cliùiteach, Niseach, Dòmhnaill Moireach a
sgrìobh The Guga Hunters a thadhal oirnn.
Thug Dòmhnall leasan dhuinn air sgrìobhadh
cruthachail ann an stoidhle air leth
tharraingeach.
B’ ann air feasgar grianach an 9mh den
Chèitean a thug sinn sgrìob a dh’Àrd-Sgoil Àrd
nam Murchain airson òraid Comunn Rìoghail
Dhùn Èideann air eachdraidh na Gàidhlig ann
an sgìre Loch Abair. B’ e na h-ollamhan
Dòmhnall Meek agus Hugh Cheape a thug
saoghal iongantach nan Gàidheal beò dhuinn
’s iad a’ coimhead gu sònraichte air
poileataigs, cultar agus litreachas tro na
linntean.
Air an 12 ‘s an 13mh den Ògmhios, chur sinn
fàilte air Sealladh TV dhan roinn a sheall
dhuinn mar a thèid prògram aithriseach a
dhèanamh. Thar an dà latha bha na sgoilearan
an sàs ann a bhith a’ riochdachadh, a’
filmeadh agus a’ gearradh program mu
Chaisteal Inbhir Lòchaidh.
BBC News School Report
The Gaelic Medium pupils in S1 successfully
made the deadline for the BBC News School
report 2013. They were fortunate to have the
expertise and guidance of Eileen MacDonald
from BBC An Là. The pupils learned about
camera work, news scripting and interview
techniques. Many thanks to all those who
helped on the day, especially Mr Sutherland,
Dr Flanagan and Mr Colman.
Ghabh AS1 pàirt ann an latha na
naidheachdan sgoile a BhBC 2013. Bha iad air
leth fortanach gun robh Eileen NicDhòmhnaill
againn air an latha fhèin gus stùireadh agus
taic a thoirt dhuinn. Dh’ ionnsaich na
sgoilearan an t-uabhas mu obair chamara, a’
sgrìobhadh naidheachdan agus dòighean
eadar-dhealaichte gus agallamh a chumail.
Mòran taing do Mgr Sutherland, An t-òll
Flanagan agus Mgr Colman.
In the Cells
Mr Colman’s Third Year N4 Modern
Studies class went on a trip to the Police
Station in town on Thursday 2 May. The
class had been studying the ‘Crime and
Law’ topic so we were particularly
interested when PC Fraser showed us
around the station, cells and
demonstrated how fingerprints are taken.
A few pupils volunteered and got to
experience what it would be like to be in
custody. PC Fraser also showed us
different types of equipment used by the
police including riot gear. This was a very
enjoyable and interesting trip!
Erin Blackmore, 3RS and Sian Stewart, 3S

Waterfalls, Lochs, Fairies and Pine Tea on the Ben Project Summer Expeditions 2013
The S2 Ben Project group has been out and
about in the local area all year learning about
the natural environment and how to have fun
in it safely. The end of year expeditions this
year involved everything from putting
together picture stories for a video game
based in Glen Nevis to drinking pine needle
tea and clambering up streams. Water was
often the source of fun with swims in a
mountain stream in Glen Roy and in Loch
Lochy, despite the cold weather.
All the pupils took part with great enthusiasm
and helped each other through the challenges
to make a truly rewarding and memorable
group of expeditions.
Here are some of the pupils’ quotes and
memories of the year:
It was just fun, we got wet, we did things I
had never done before.
We helped each other climb up and over a
tree, through tunnels, up slippery waterfalls.
The pine tea would have been better with
sugar and milk! David Sangster, 2S
You need to walk down steep slopes side
on not face first so you don’t slip and you
need to stay a man’s length from any
drops!
Steven Simpson/Catherine MacInnes, 2S
Jamie Morrison reminds us of one of the most
important reasons for going outdoors in his
quote which is a perfect way to end this
article: When you go up a hill, stop and enjoy
the view there are good ones around here.
Young Enterprise—Highland and Moray Finals
It was an apprehensive group of four S5 pupils - Megan Fraser, Chloe MacDonald, Alicia Yarrick and Lia Nicolson – who headed up to The
Ironworks in Inverness in April for the Young Enterprise Scotland Highland finals. The team had set up and run a business, along with four
S6 pupils, making and selling a variety of glamorous hampers. They won a place in Highland and
Moray Regional Finals and were now facing the "punishment" for their success!
Members of the group were to give a presentation to an audience of over 100 people. Nerves were
running high and hardly a word spoken on the journey there. Speaking of journeys, there had been
quite a hectic one over the previous year - the team spent hours and hours and hours making
hampers; they set up a bank account in town; attended a Dragons’ Den event in November; sold
their products to the general public at a Christmas stall on the High Street in Inverness; kept close
control of their accounts and kept a close eye on sales to ensure they could cover their costs and
still make a profit. Four girls chose to sit the Strathclyde Business Exam which they have to pay for
themselves. Then they prepared a business report on their experiences and, finally, prepared and
rehearsed a presentation to deliver at the finals.
Unfortunately, due to other commitments the more confident Sixth Years weren't able to attend
the finals. This came as quite a shock to our more reticent Fifth Years! However, they decided to
take the plunge and summoned up the courage to deliver the presentation themselves. They had
got this far, they weren't going to let this opportunity pass them by. They said "if we can do this
presentation, it will be the biggest achievement of our lives". Well - the girls went on stage and
shone!
On the way home it was a totally different journey; the girls wouldn't stop talking - despite it
having been a long day and very close to midnight - they were so pleased with their experience
and had every right to be proud of themselves. An e-mail from Mr Hugh Fraser, ECS Director, who
had attended the event emphasised this, he stated how impressed he was at how the team spoke
so excellently and with real enthusiasm about their product and experience. He finished by saying
what a real credit the girls are to Lochaber High School.
On top of learning important skills and developing qualities essential for the workplace, the following four pupils passed the Strathclyde
Business School exam: Lia Nicolson, Alice Holden, Megan Fraser (Credit) and Elise Arnott (Distinction). Elise Arnott's result placed her in
the top three directors of the Highland and Moray Area.
None of these successes would have been possible without the determination and full commitment of all involved. The team would like
to thank their teachers for allowing them out of class as they neared the date for the finals and Elaine Jones, Highlands and Islands
Enterprise, who provided invaluable help, advice and assistance throughout the year.
RECRUITING NEW ENTREPRENEURS If you are in S5 and S6 and think you have what it takes to be a success in business then come
along and see Mrs Meldrum for an application form. The programme requires significant commitment in terms of time. It's important that
you are able to focus on your goal and can see past short-time problems. It is also essential that you are a good team-worker, reliable,
ambitious and have a positive attitude.
Dodge Ball Champions
Seven members of the Sports Coaching and Leadership group attended the Ultimate Dodge Ball tournament at Caol primary school, organised
in aid of The British Heart Foundation. The event was action-packed and the young sports coaches did themselves and the school proud by
being crowned the champions of the tournament… having competed against some top teams!

Iceland Diary by Kerry Wilson & Sammy White 3LN
Day 1
The first day involved a lot of rushing around:
running to breakfast, running to the wrong bus,
running to the right bus. After all this we
eventually set off heading to the Icelandic Rift
Valley but, on the way, Mr Adams saw an extinct
volcano that looked interesting so we stopped and
climbed up. Even though it was small it had a
great view - we could see how the sea had
retreated. We then proceeded to go to Thingvellir
where the plate boundaries meet. There was a
huge crack in the ground which you could step
over. We walked through the rift valley until we
came to a waterfall. It was beautiful and partly
frozen and we were so lucky to have a sunny day
so we could appreciate all the amazing sights. We
then proceeded to go to the place of the world’s
first democracy - it was remarkable to be in such a
historic place.
After all of this we walked along to Gullfoss
waterfall. It was enormous! We then progressed
to my favourite part of the day, the geysers. We
watched them for ages trying to capture on
camera the bubble before the blast. The dome
that built up before the geysers exploded was so
beautiful. We then went to an explosion crater
that holds many open air concerts which took 20
minutes to walk around. That was the night we
saw the northern lights, swirling patterns of green
and purple that filled the sky - it was a sight I will
never forget.
Photo: Ryan Morrison
Photo: Oskar Wineberg
Day 2
We started in Hveragerdi on a hill with boiling
mud pools, fumaroles and hot rocks. When we
walked through a cloud of fumes, there was a
sulphurous, eggy smell – but it was really strange
and exciting, and you couldn’t see your hand in
front of your face. After going into town and
getting lunch, which was entertaining in itself, we
went to a hill called Stora Dimon where we saw
glacial out-wash plains and the huge scale of
destruction volcanic ash can bring. I was
awestruck and terrified at the same time. It was
truly one of the most beautiful things I have ever
seen or will ever see. I got this feeling a lot in
Iceland and I hope to return to this amazing place
one day.
Day 3
First we went to Skogafoss, a curtain waterfall, where we climbed up a lot
of steps to get level with the top. After that we went to Solheimajokull, a
retreating glacier which was black with ash and blue in the ice caves. Then
we went to visit black sand coastal beaches where the waves were
massive! Next we stopped at a small cinema that Thorfalseyri Farm had
set up after a volcano called Eyjafjallajokull erupted in 2010 and covered
the farm in ash.
Day 4
We started off on an ash
road to Reykjavik and we
stopped to look at a
fishing village in
Eyrarbakki, followed by
boiling mud pools in
Krysuvik. After that we
went to The Pearl water
tower which had a CD
store and a geyser in the
middle of it! It also sold
great ice cream! Then
we all went shopping in
Reykjavik. Later we
visited a swimming pool
but it was not as good as
the one back at the hotel.
It was a really fun day
and we were not looking
forward to going home
the next day.

Goodbye to the Class of 2013
The start of Phase 3 of the Lochaber 21 school refurbishment and rebuilding programme meant that this year’s Graduation for Sixth Years had
to be held earlier than usual; just before senior pupils started their study leave and examinations.
On Friday 26 April, 89 Sixth Years, accompanied by proud parents, grandparents, other relatives and friends, arrived at Lochaber High School
for the annual Graduation Ceremony. The evening started with musical entertainment by the LHS Ceilidh Band before Sixth Years were piped
in by Ewen MacQueen and Ruaraidh Shaw. A short résumé was read about each member of the group before they crossed the red carpet on
stage to receive their Graduation certificate from Mr Sutherland.
There was a musical interlude where a group of Sixth Years performed ‘Skyfall’. After the ceremony, the vote of thanks was delivered by
Deborah Degelaen, who thanked all members of staff for the experiences and opportunities she and her classmates had benefited from during
their time at school. On behalf of all the staff of the school, Mr Sutherland wished the group well before they were piped out, ready to move
on to the next stage of their lives.
Earlier this session the Art Club had a visitor who added some kapow to the pupils’ work. Glasgow based comic
artist and workshop tutor, Garry McLaughlin, ran a special one-off workshop giving S1-S6 pupils his knowledge
of comics and how to start comic art. Garry and Miss McCourt ran a survey after the workshop and out of all
pupils who took part, EVERYONE said they’d like to learn more comic art so look out for future events.
Garry said, “I was delighted to be invited up north to do a Comic Art class with Miss McCourt and LHS pupils.
It was a lot of fun and I was really encouraged to see everyone get into it – we tackled some difficult stuff
but everyone got involved and started producing excellent work straight away.”
Ruaridh and Room 13 at the Scottish Parliament
Jean Urquhart, MSP hosted an event in the Scottish
Parliament to highlight the work of Room 13, which
she describes as “one of Scotland’s greatest cultural
exports”. Fourth Year pupil Ruaridh MacInnes, who
was part of the Fort William contingent who
travelled to the Parliament for the event, describes
his experience.
On 23 April, I travelled to the Scottish Parliament with
Richard, Robert, Claire and the rest of the Room 13
troops, including three children from Caol Primary and
three from Lochyside Primary. It was near torture
getting up that early but I must say it was well worth
it. We drove straight into the heart of Edinburgh
where we dropped off our stuff and set off on yet another mini bus
journey with our eyes set on the parliament.
We walked up to this tall, intimidating building of wisdom, through
the impressive revolving doors and finally got in for a mini tour of the
building. I have to admit we didn’t listen much. We were too excited at
what lay ahead. The time had come; I had a badge, “event guest”. I
was special. We walked in to the room which sparkled and gleamed. I
almost felt like a politician as we took our seats around this massive
oak table with seats facing us. I was so happy, as I had a microphone.
We sat down and I had to do the IT and I had all the presentations
down to expert timing! Richard had his talk and so did Fiona and
Lynne. Finally the kids asked questions to the panel. (Me and Robert
Menzies) “What brought us to Room 13, why we stayed and what
makes us love it” All these questions were answered as fast as
possible to attract less attention until the inevitable happened when
Fort William Provost Alan Henderson asked me to read out my antibullying
poem (which, I hadn’t got with me!) I went red and looked
down, I squeaked two seconds and scribbled it down
from memory until finally I leaned in and turned on my
microphone and read it out. The round of applause
made me feel great. As soon as we had finished, I had
an opportunity to meet the legendary artist, Richard
De Marco; I just sat and got the banter with one of the
nicest and best-known artists in Scotland!
I got involved with Room 13 mainly because I loved
the enthusiasm of the group. There was no negativity
and you are always told you can do something and
helped along with your own ideas and never forced.
Shela, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Coordinator
sent me to meet up with Richard the artist in residence
for Caol Primary. He knew my hatred in art, artists and most things in
that general direction so helped me in the sense of enthusiasm which
led me to poetry. I intend to keep on going with the Duke of
Edinburgh’s Award and Room 13 as it’s changed my views and
thoughts on people, actions and life in general.
Your anger and angst lies with me.
Your demeanour I show you hatred.
As you scuttle into the corner to cry.
This is our school life.
When I come home I shall scurry and scuttle.
As I am not your bully at home.
As I am just a scared little boy.
But one day my plea for help will be spoken by me.
The scared little boy.

S2 Science
What is Climate Change
Recently in Science we have been learning
about the effects and causes of Global
Warming. Global warming is the rise in
temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere; this is
mainly caused by greenhouse gases from
things like the burning of fossil fuels. The
effects of the increasing temperature include
a rise in sea levels and extreme weather
events such as heat waves, droughts and
heavy rainfall. Emma Langan, 2R
Climate change happens when the earth
heats up because the carbon dioxide becomes
trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere like a
greenhouse effect. The carbon dioxide is
largely produced by the burning of fossil fuels.
Fossil fuels are fuels such as coal, oil and gas.
They cannot be renewed; it takes millions of
years of heat and pressure to create them.
There is a limited supply. We can prevent all
the terrible things that climate change can
cause by cutting out the amount of fuels that
we burn, like instead of driving to the shops
just walk! Instead of making coal burning
stations use solar energy, wind energy, tidal
energy, bioenergy and lots more. It’s time to
unite, as people on this planet, and make a
difference! Andrew Wink, 2R
Climate change will have an effect on our
environment. This could be the sea level
rising, change in weather such as drought and
more flooding. There might be water and
food shortages. Nicole Cameron, 2R
Fossil Fuels
We burnt fossil fuels
to see what gas they
give off and we found
out it was CO 2. Allix
MacLaren, 2RS
We burnt fossil fuels
and measured the heat energy produced with
a thermometer. It was an interesting topic to
study and we learnt lots! Katrin Murray, 2RS
picture was of a person skiing down a hill
which had no snow on it. You had to write
down what was on the picture, why it was
happening and if we could improve it. We
stuck lots of notes on the picture. I enjoyed
this exercise and the topic. It made our minds
think and I thought it was a very fun and
interesting activity. Marc MacLean, 2R
Wind Turbine
We made and
designed our own
windmills. They were
made out of metal,
cardboard and
sellotape. After we had made it we put a
weight on the end and blow dried it to see
how fast or slow it takes to reach the top. I
really enjoyed it, it was fun to do. My group
was the fastest out of the whole class.
Chanice MacDonald, 2LN
I enjoyed the investigation in to wind power
because it was really interesting finding out
how wind can create electricity. We made
wind turbines
out of coke cans
and cardboard
and tried to see
if they would
spin and pick up
a small weight.
Katie
Mathieson, 2LN
Our aim was to get our windmill to pull up a
10 gram weight. I really liked that bit.
Scott McMillan, 2LN
Intro
Hydropower Trip
We went on a trip to a river. The purpose of it
was to find out if it was a good or bad place to
build a hydropower station. We had to find
out if it would hurt any animals and if it would
produce enough energy. Baiba Sjomkane, 2N
Discussion Boards
Width, Depth and Flow Rate Measurements
We were split into We measured
groups and each the width of
group got a large the river using
wooden board with a a measuring
different picture on it. tape. We
Each picture showed a measured the
different effect of depth of the
climate change. We had to try and figure out river with a
what caused this and how we could help. The meter stick.
picture my group got was of a little boy who We measured
was very skinny and looked tired and hungry. at lots of different points as the bottom of the
We worked out that this was as a result of river is not the same depth all the way across.
crops not growing because of drought. This We worked out the average depth from the
leads to starvation. There is no rain to grow measurements we took when we got back to
crops and people suffer and die. My group class. We measured the flow of the river using
thought about this problem and what could a flow meter which had a turbine on the end
be done to help. Emma Langan, 2R
to measure the speed. We measured the flow
We were put into groups of four and were in three different points and then worked out
handed a picture and some sticky notes. Our an average. Rona Nicolson, 2N
Measuring the Gradient
We measured the angle between where we
were standing and a rock. We did this activity
using a clinometer – we had to measure the
height to our eye beforehand. The purpose of
doing this activity was to calculate how much
power would be generated if we installed a
hydro scheme here. Kira MacDonald, 2L
Kick sampling
We would get a net and hold it near where
we were going to kick
sample. Somebody
would hold the net
and the other person
would kick under the
water to see if we
could catch any living
things. We found a
leech, two baby fish
and lots of insects. Tiree Watson, 2L
Electrofishing
The ladies from the fishery did some
electrofishing. We did this so we could check
what types of fish were in the river because
some are endangered and protected which
means you cannot kill or harm them by
building a hydro power station. We only
found trout. Jessica Addison-Hollas 2LN
Conclusion
The trip helped me to understand how
hydropower works because I found out how
to calculate the power a hydro scheme would
generate by using the height difference, flow
rate and size of the river. I found out whether
it would affect wildlife and we worked out if
the place was suitable. I enjoyed the trip very
much as I learnt a lot about hydropower. I had
a good time looking for small creatures and
measuring the river. I would like to do it
again. Romy Melville, 2N
The trip was good for learning how much
work has to go in before a hydro scheme can
go on. Overall it was a good and full day.
Calum Fraser, 2LN

This session all S2 pupils participated in a year-long, cross-curricular project
entitled Global Citizenship. The project finished with a two-day Food and Drink
Challenge with a global theme. Each class competed in a bid to win a day trip
to M+Ds amusement park. The Food and Drink Challenge has now run for five
years and each year we invite members of the community to judge the cooking
element. A big thanks go to this year’s judges: Kevin Fraser and Kenny Gaittens
(Highland Council), Suzie Read (Big Ridge Chocolates), Brian Hume (Alexandra
Hotel) and Peter Cass (currently visiting from South Africa). Liam Gillanders, 2LN
has outlined his experience of the project.
The Food and Drink Challenge is a fun activity for Second Years. It starts as soon as
you go into Second Year with a class named Global Citizenship. Teachers from
different departments take part, they all teach your class about a country they
know a lot about. For instance I was taught by Mrs Hume first, who is from South
Africa so she taught us about South Africa. You then spend about 4 to 5 weeks
learning before rotating around to another teacher. This continues for most of the
year until the last month when you return to your first teacher to prepare for the
‘Challenge’.
In Mrs Hume's class there were a lot of fun activities to take part in – there was
making flags for bunting, making posters, some organised costumes but one of the
best tasks my class did was to build a life size Rhino! I helped in this by building
the frame of the rhino with chicken-wire and clips, then some other classmates
filled the rhino with bubble wrap. Eventually we covered the Rhino in grey
coloured bags and for a final touch built two rhino horns one to attach and one
for display. Our goal was to raise awareness of Rhino poaching in Africa. For
costumes we dressed up as poachers in camouflage and used face paint and fake
guns to look even more the part.
On the final two days of the ‘Challenge’ you go ‘off time-table’. On the first day
each class participates in different workshops to try and rack up points, all of these
workshops were enjoyable and each had a lesson. For instance in one workshop
you go to the Support for Learning base to learn how difficult it is to live with a
disability. You are split into groups of four, one person is blind folded, one has ear
muffs to deafen them, one is in a wheelchair and the other has no disabilities. Your
objective is to get around the obstacles to try and reach your bus in time. The
whole class found this extremely enjoyable along with the other workshops. On
the last day you set up a stall about your country. We had a whole display
about Rhino hunting in Africa and how poachers can become millionaires from
it. Judges are brought in from out of school to go around each stall and learn
about each country. I am happy to say my class, 2A – South Africa, were the
eventual winners! Overall I think the Food and Drink challenge was a good
experience for me and enjoyed it a lot. I hope it's continued in the future.
Literary Larks
On the penultimate day of term, the Advanced Higher English students and teachers were
invited to a Charles Dickens and Tennessee Williams study tea party. In attendance were
(from top left) Oliver Twist; Magwitch, recently escaped from the prison ship and still
bearing the marks of the shackles around his ankles; Mrs Joe Gargery with “tickler” and tar
water; the young gentleman Mr Pip Pirrip; Mrs Jarley and her celebrated waxworks; Miss
Blanche Dubois; Miss Heavenly Finley and the eccentric Miss Havisham. However, many of
the guests had never met before, some hailing from the 1940s in the Deep South, and
others from Essex in the early 19 th century. There was great mirth and hilarity all round.
With a plentiful supply of tea and much cake, we had such larks! Kate Polley, 6R
Global Campaign for Education:
Send My Sister to School
First Year Modern Studies pupils have joined
up with the Campaign for Global Education
in an effort to encourage governments and
world leaders to tackle the issue of the lack
of teachers in developing countries,
particularly in the African continent,
estimated to be 1.7 million. The pupils
created paper characters (Ideal Teachers)
and these will be sent, along with a
message, to local MP Charles Kennedy who
will be asked to forward them to Prime
Minister David Cameron.
Lab in a Lorry
On 15/16 May, we enjoyed a range of activities from
the Lab in a Lorry. Each class participating was divided
into three groups, and each group got the chance to do
two different experiments. In the camera experiment
the groups built a pinhole camera and learned about
pixels. In the renewable energy section the groups learned
how to save energy and about different types of energy. The
final experiment was the sound one, where the groups
explored resonance and used wine glasses to make music.
Though everyone enjoyed all the sections, the electricity and
renewable energy experiments were the favourites. We’d like
to thank the Lab in a Lorry team for such a fantastic time! Maddie Lennon/Aimee MacKay, 1LN

SPORTS NEWS
Senior Football
The seniors’ mixed season continued right up
until the final fixture. They were narrowly
beaten by Alness 3-2, having been 2-0 up at
half time, and somehow only came away with
a 2-2 draw against a determined Golspie side
who were reduced to 9 men!
The final game of the season came against
Kingussie on a very windy evening after
school. Determined to finish with a win, the
boys dominated the first half but failed to
score. The opener came mid-way through the
second half with Jordan MacPhee heading in
from a corner. The Kingussie boys rallied and
equalised through a great set piece from 25
yards. The points looked destined to be
shared between the teams, until, with the
last kick of the game, Martin Munro secured
the 3 points for LHS from close range.
The win meant the boys finished mid-table. A
positive season and a strong base to build on
for next year.
Rashid School for Boys – Dubai
A group of pupils from Rashid School for
Boys in United Arab Emirates were in the
area recently on an educational trip and
contacted us asking to play a friendly football
match, which we were more than happy to
do. So on a cold and windy afternoon in early
May Mr Beagent’s U-14s played a roundrobin
tournament against the lads from
Dubai. The games were all very close and the
tournament ended in a draw between LHS A
and Rashid B. After the game, Rashid School
presented all of our players with beautiful
participation medals and a spectacular
trophy, then treated all 21 players to a
McDonald’s meal! It was a really great
experience for all involved and many thanks
for the generosity shown by Rashid School for
Boys.
Rugby
S1 and S2 pupils were invited to a ‘Tag’ rugby
tournament organised by the local club in
May. All the local secondary schools put at
least one team in for the event and each
team competed in a league. The winners of
the two leagues played for the tournament
trophy in the final. Unfortunately the LHS
team did not come home with the spoils but
a great afternoon was had by all and well
done to all the pupils involved.
X-Country
At the Leanachan X-Country challenge in
March, LHS pupils continued their
dominance. The results were as follows:-
U-13: Robyn Blackhall – 1 st , Abbie Blackhall – 3 rd .
U-15: Innes Blackhall – 1 st , Bruce Maclean – 2 nd , Lee
Kennedy – 3 rd , Rachel MacPherson – 1 st , Eilidh
Moynihan – 2 nd .
Seniors: Calum Fraser – 1 st , Joesph Tangney – 2 nd ,
Craig Maclean - 3 rd , Isla Mackay – 1 st .
Another excellent year, well done to all
involved.
Bridge Building Competition
Chloe, Laura and I went to take part in a bridge building
competition at West Highland College UHI. Our goal was
to build a sturdy bridge that could withstand weights of
up to 100kg. We started with a large piece of paper on
which we were to draw our bridge design. We used
triangles to create the strongest possible bridge with a
minimum length of 1100mm and width of 150mm. We
only had half-an-hour to design our bridge.
We then got about three hours to build our bridge. We had to buy the bits of wood we
needed from the shop at the end of the workshop. Our work bench was in the corner of the
room which meant we could not see what was happening in the rest of the workshop. We
had all the tools we would need at our bench including a glue gun. We had gone for a long,
thick bridge with two large triangles over it for strength. We had to make a large blue bar fit
over the bridge or it would be disqualified.
At the testing we got our photo with our bridge before they put weights on it. We decided to
start with a 10kg weight and the bridge snapped straight away! This meant our bridge did
not qualify. However, at the awards, we did get a prize for the best bridge design out of the
eight groups that came to the competition. We got our photo with our trophy before
returning to school. I really enjoyed taking part in this competition and wish I could do it
again.
Sarah Hamilton, 2R
Let’s Colour
The former Camaghael Hostel, now a Music and Arts Centre,
has had a colourful makeover thanks to a donation of over
200 litres of paint from Dulux through its nationwide “Let’s
Colour” project. Dulux is the official sponsor of the Deloitte
Ride Across Britain and the company is funding a number of
art projects across the cycle route.
When over 100 Dulux riders taking part in the nine-day ride
from John O’Groats to Land’s End arrived at the school, a
commemorative plaque was presented to Mrs MacKenzie,
DHT.
Pupils designed the colourful mural while working with
visiting artist Joyce MacFarlane and Art teacher, Mr
Thomson. Inspiration for the design came from local
scenery and heritage and has certainly brightened up the
ageing building!
Scottish Schools Indoor Freestyle Ski and Snowboard Championships
A group of eight boys and two girls went down to Xscape
in Glasgow for the SSC Freestyle Championships in April
along with Miss Kirkaldy and Mr McIntyre. We entered
two teams of five which were a mixture of skiers and
boarders.
It was a very enjoyable day. We got an hour and a half of
coaching from the snowzone on how to do the course. The
course was a variety of boxes, jumps and a roller. You could
choose what level of each you wanted to do. Before we started the
competition some of us were nervous as we had seen other
competitors doing risky tricks such as flips. But our school did well
over all. Our Team A came in 3 rd overall in Scotland! They were Jay
MacLeod, Innes Blackhall, Grant Disher, Ben MacLeod and Ian
MacIntyre. Our B team was Kirsten Smith, Ryan Higginson, Ryan
Gunn, Donald MacRae and Bethany Fair who also did well. Bethany Fair
was 3 rd overall girl in the individual competition.
Everybody had really good fun and no-one got hurt. After the competition
we were allowed to spend some time in Xscape before getting the
minibus back up to Fort William. Even though we all got up very early the
boys seemed able to stay awake and be noisy!
It was a good day where we all learned new things about freestyle skiing and boarding and
were proud to bring back some medals.
Bethany Fair and Kirsten Smith, 3R

This year, all of our S3 pupils took part in an
exciting new project - the Youth &
Philanthropy Initiative (YPI), learning about
social issues and how local charities in the
Lochaber area are trying to tackle these
issues. Our pupils, working in groups, then
had to choose a charity that they wished to
support and, in November, we invited
representatives from fifteen different
charities into the school so that pupils could
conduct interviews to find out what the
charities do and why they do it.
The next stage was to produce a presentation
showcasing the work done by a chosen
charity which could then be presented again
at our YPI Final. It was quite a task getting 40
presentations down to 6!
On Thursday 28 March we had our YPI Final.
The pupils gave incredible performances and
it was clear how much time, effort and
passion had been put into making the presentations for our final. Our panel of Judges deemed that the group supporting Crossroads Lochaber
had the most passionate presentation and the YPI committee have awarded a huge grant of £3000 to Crossroads. The initiative will be running
again next year and we look forward to seeing what our pupils can produce!
The Youth and Philanthropy Initiative is a one-of-a-kind experience that engages young people in social change and empowers them to
participate in the growing of compassionate communities. For more information: www.goypi.org
UK Mathematical Trust—Junior Challenge Competition
On 25 April, fifty pupils from S1 and S2 competed in the annual UK Junior
Mathematical Challenge, organised by the University of Leeds and sponsored by
The Actuarial Profession. Lochaber High pupils did very well to solve a wide ranging
set of problems and puzzles, with 8 pupils receiving Silver awards, and a further 15
receiving Bronze awards.
Silver Award: Olivia Johnston, S2; Carys Bilton, S1; Ciaran Brady, S2; Ruaridh Shaw,
S2; Jack McCallum, S2; Jack Matheson, S2; Carly Smith, S1; Caitrin Edmond, S1.
Bronze Award: Heather McAdam, S2; Sarah Hamilton, S2; Sam MacNeil, S2; Erin
Davie, S2; Kirsti Clark, S2; Kayleigh MacMillan, S2; Kira MacDonald, S2; Rhona
MacKintosh, S2; Freya MacDonald, S1; Siobhan Lawrie, S1; Dawn MacIntosh, S1;
Heather Millar, S1; Ryan Henderson, S1; Corran Wineberg, S1.
A special mention goes to Carys Bilton and Olivia Johnston for winning the Best In
Year Award for S1 and S2 respectively. Each of the girls received £50 prize money,
Photo: Oban Times
Olivia Johnston and Carys Bilton receive their prizes from
Blair Allan, Chief Executive, Lochaber Housing Association
donated by Lochaber Housing Association. We are delighted that Lochaber Housing Association has chosen to mark its 25 th anniversary with
this annual sponsorship of £100 prize money and a trophy, to be awarded to the pupil with the highest overall score.
Olivia Johnston will be the first pupil to receive the LOCHABER HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL MATHS CHALLENGE AWARD. Well done to Olivia, Carys
and all our other mathemagicians!
I have been taking part in my Duke of Edinburgh’s Award over the last few months. I am doing my expedition on horseback
with a group of girls who go to the same pony club as me. We are training very hard and have been fundraising too. Our
involvement is part of a bigger project with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, which has helped with funding.
We took part in a bothy trip with Abernethy Ardgour as well as an art workshop with Room13 at Caol Youth centre. We had
real horses that we used as models and then for pony rides to raise more money. We did orienteering on horseback and we
all got lost! Soon we will be going on a day of training in the Black Glen on Morvern with six
ponies and six experienced adults who will show us some of the skills we will require when we
are out on our own.
We are camping in Achnaha near Lochaline when we finish our practice expedition and we’ll
be taking part in a big community day with members of the public and the Morvern Woodland
Trust on 1 August. We are building a driftwood horse on the shores there as a legacy of our
adventures. I am really enjoying doing my award and will be going on to the Silver award
when I am old enough. I will be taking lots of photos and will write more about my adventures
next term!
Karen Lawrie, 2LN

Showcase: Intermediate II Drama
Three very different short plays showcased the acting and backstage skills of our very talented S5 & S6 pupils. The “Production Unit” at
Intermediate II allows pupils a choice of either acting or carrying out one of the Theatre Arts (lighting, sound, costume, props, make-up and set
design) for their assessment. Apart from two exceptions this year, everyone chose to do acting. This is why three different plays were on offer.
The first play performed was “Eclipse” by Simon Armitage. The scene is a beach in Cornwall during the total eclipse of the sun in 1999. A group
of friends meet a newcomer who is not really welcomed by them because she points out all their faults and shortcomings. At the end of the
play Lucy Lime has disappeared and the friends Klondike, Glue Boy, Midnight, Polly, Jane and Tulip are being questioned by the police about
her disappearance. For this production one student chose to design costumes and a number of S4 pupils filled parts too. They also acted as
lighting and sound technicians.
The second play, “Be my Baby” by Amanda Whittington, is set in 1964 and takes place in North England. The play explores the issue of teenage
pregnancy at the time and the stigma attached to unmarried mothers. This was a challenging play for the pupils concerned as they had to
practise accents as well as sing pop songs from the era. S4 pupils once again provided lighting and sound for the play.
The third play was the bitter sweet comedy “My Narrator” by Norm Foster. This deals with the trials and tribulations of an unsuccessful
salesman called Miles and an equally unsuccessful artist called Lacy. They have both made so many wrong decisions in their lives that they
begin to rely on a narrator inside their heads giving them advice before they make any more big mistakes. One of the pupils chose to provide
props for this production and the S4 pupils helped out with sound and lighting.
Pupils were assessed by a visiting SQA assessor and had to give a presentation of their design concepts or character profiles before performing
to an invited audience. The plays were well received and greatly enjoyed by the audience. Many of the pupils will be studying Higher Drama
next session and this will have been a good introduction to what will be expected of them. It was amazing to see the variety of characters
portrayed on stage as well as the great work done behind the scenes too.
Visiting Tyne Cot and The Menin Gate

A group of 97 pupils and staff have just
returned from a one-week trip to Paris. After
travelling on the overnight ferry from Hull to
Zeebrugge, the group stopped to visit First
World War sites in Belgium en route for Paris.
There was a guided tour of the Tyne Cot
cemetery followed by a visit to the Menin
Gate in Ieper (Ypres) which remembers more
than 55,000 soldiers who have no known
grave. Mr Reynolds played ‘The Last Post’ on
trumpet, Aly Weir played ‘The Flowers of the
Forest’ on the bagpipes and Lia Nicolson laid a
wreath on behalf of the school.
A hectic few days in Paris followed with visits
to the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral,
Arc de Triomphe, Stade de France, Musée de
l'Orangerie, Chateau Fontainebleau and the
Montparnasse Tower. There was also an
evening cruise on the Seine and time to visit
the shops and cafes of Montmartre. The last
day in Paris was spent at Disneyland. On the
way home there was time for a half-day visit
to the picturesque city of Bruges where shops
selling Belgian chocolates must have seen
their profits rise!

Udachi Tovarish!
(Good luck comrade!)
or (товарищ удачи!)
Members of Lochaber High School’s Russian
Club were delighted and very proud to find
out that Sixth Year pupil and founder member
of the club Katrina Bell is heading off, after
the summer, to the University of Glasgow to
study French and Russian. She is the first
‘graduate’ of the Russian Club to undertake
further studies in the language.
The Russian club has been running for three
years now, meeting up once a week to study
the language as well as engage in some
heated cultural debate. Welcome additions in
recent months have been Latvian pupils
Ruslan Katkovskis, Raivis Rutka and Raitis
Guza. It has been a great opportunity for
them to mix with Scottish pupils; Ruslan in
particular has been very ‘helpful’ in correcting
Mr Carruthers’ grammar and pronunciation.
Other Sixth Year pupils to be moving on from
the club are Michael Johnson, Holly Fraser,
Deborah Degelaen and Callum Brownrigg
(who picked up an impressive amount of the
language despite only being with us for a few
months). Thanks for your efforts and for the
good times. You will be missed.
But the final words should be about Katrina.
As a lone Fourth Year pupil she braved a
group of boisterous Sixth Years picking up the
language faster than anyone. On the final day
of the club for the year, she was presented
with a very large Russian dictionary to assist
her in her studies. It is so big and heavy that
even if she wants to forget about the club she
will not be able to. Katrina commented that
after the Sixth Year graduation she was asked
a number of times: “Why on earth go and
study French and Russian” An appropriate
motto for the Russian Club might be: “Why on
earth not”
Good luck Katrina!
Mr Carruthers
Gold Plus Musicians
Natalie Brayshaw (4RS) gives her account of the Senior Wind Band’s trip to the Scottish
Concert Band Festival in Perth earlier this year.
On Saturday 23 March, thirty two slightly grumpy – it was very early! – but excited members
of the Senior Wind Band arrived at the school, ready to set off for the final of the Scottish
Concert Band Festival in Perth. We had been put forward to this competition after being
awarded Gold Plus for our performance in the regional competition in November. For four
months we had been working hard to perfect our pieces, using the feedback from the
judges. Today would be the day where we saw if our work had paid off. Unfortunately it was
snowing.
The plan had been to leave the school at seven o’clock but, as the closely monitored
weather reports grew worse and worse, it was looking more and more unlikely that the trip
would not go ahead at all. We were then told that we would wait for one hour to see if
conditions improved and a decision would be made then. Fingers crossed, we chatted,
snoozed, and waited until half past eight when Mr Reynolds announced that we were going
to Perth. Our spirits lifted, we grabbed our instruments, clambered onto the bus and set off.
After a nerve-wracking journey, we finally arrived. Carrying various pieces of percussion
instruments, we made our way to the warm-up room. We practised all of our pieces, wished
each other luck and prepared to go on stage. As we walked on, instruments and music in
hand, we saw the hall for the very first time. It was huge, and had hundreds of seats which
were tiered; a much bigger space than where we were used to
performing! About ten rows back from the stage sat the two
adjudicators, looking ominous with pieces of paper spread out on
the desk before them. One of the adjudicators was the founder of
a band that went on to win Scottish, British and European
championships, and perform in cities all over the world, as well as
being a leading flute player. As well as this, a very well-known
composer whose pieces we often play was in the audience. No
pressure then! Our pieces were announced and it was time for us
to perform. It was difficult to play in unfamiliar surroundings for
the first time – we were all used to the acoustics of our normal
rehearsal room back at home but, by the time we reached our last
piece, we were all more comfortable.
The adjudication was not until the afternoon so, after our performance, we had lunch and
listened to some of the other bands perform. One band played a piece which some of us had
once played in Lochaber’s Junior Band and it was really good to hear it again. We also saw a
phenomenal performance from Glasgow Wind Band, who had video footage to play
alongside their piece, which was about Godzilla. Each drumbeat had to be in exact time with
the video and they used their instruments in a variety of ways – for example, the flute was
used to impersonate a missile. They were absolutely outstanding!
After this, it was time for the adjudication. We all sat nervously on the edges of our seats as
the five bands before us were presented their awards. The adjudicator commented briefly
on our performance but it felt like an eternity. Finally, he made the announcement: “We
have decided to present Lochaber High School Wind Band with a Gold Plus award.” In the
minutes before they moved on to the next band, we went a little crazy. The award meant a
lot to us, especially to the Sixth Years, as it was the last competition they would ever
compete in with our band. Despite the weather’s best attempts to thwart us, everybody
agreed: it had been a very successful day!

Inspiring Author
On Friday 10 May, in the Drama Studio, two
English classes from Second Year had the
privilege of getting to meet the renowned
author Cathy MacPhail. Cathy is a rather well
known Scottish writer from Greenock and is
best known for her books aimed at the young
teenage group. She previously wrote a
number of books for adults but, when her
daughter Katie went through horrific bullying
at school, they felt that there was no one
there to help them. This is where her
inspiration for her first children’s book came
from. Her book is called ‘Run Zan Run’ and
tells a story of a young girl, like her daughter,
suffering from the daily struggle of bullying.
Cathy wrote about someone who helped the
girl being bullied as she wished someone had
helped her daughter. This was her first book
aimed at children and it was a huge success.
Because of this she began to write more books
for children and has since become an award
winning children’s author. When she came to
visit the school, she spoke to us about some of
her books and kindly read out some fantastic
extracts that made a lot of us excited to read
some of her many novels. There was also a
chance to ask her some questions.
MacPherson Cup—Lucky 13
Some people consider the number 13 to be unlucky but for Lochaber High School’s Under 14
Shinty team the number 13 proved to be very lucky as they won the MacPherson Cup for a
record 13 years in a row. The competition, played at An Aird, attracted teams from Portree
High, Charleston Academy, Dingwall Academy and Lochgilphead High School and was played
on a league basis with points totals deciding the winner. The defending champions suffered
a real scare in the first match when, having been given an early lead by Findlay MacDonald,
Lochgilphead forced an equaliser and threatened to force a winner with only a last gasp
Dean Williamson tackle saving the day for Lochaber. In the dying seconds, Zoe Smith, turned
the Lochgilphead defence and fired a tremendous shot which just missed the target to leave
the scores level at 1-1 at the end. Lochaber continued to struggle in their second match
against Dingwall Academy before Findlay MacDonald again fired Lochaber into the lead but
still Dingwall looked threatening until captain, Gregor Cameron, picked up the ball in his
own half and raced past three defenders before slipping the ball under the goalkeeper to
make the game safe at 2-0. This piece of individual skill seemed to galvanise the whole team
and confidence seemed to return after a disappointing result in the first game. Lochaber’s
next match, against Portree High, was a thrilling contest between two strong teams. Robbie
Hall produced an excellent save to keep Lochaber level while the Lochaber centre line of
Gregor Cameron, Lorne Ross and David Rodgers began to dominate the contest. Full
forward, Kyle Michie, caused the Skye defence all sorts of difficulties and MacDonald again
provided the cutting edge by firing Lochaber to a 1-0 win. This win set up a thrilling end to
the tournament with three teams in with a chance of winning the cup. Lochgilphead High
had drawn with Charleston Academy before defeating Dingwall and Portree, gaining a total
of six points and putting them top of the league with only one match to play. The last match,
between Lochaber and Charleston would decide the tournament. A win for Lochaber would
ensure victory but a Charleston win would set up a play-off against Lochgilphead for the cup.
Lochaber opted to go with a more mobile forward line in the final game with Grant Disher
coming in to the team and Seumas Gall starting at full forward rather than on the wing. This
change paid off fairly quickly when Disher fired home a Rodgers cross to put the home side 1
-0 up. Charleston stormed onto the attack but Calum MacDonald, Calum MacDougall, Philip
Fyfe and Dean Williamson in the Lochaber defence showed their ability by giving away few
chances and securing their third shut-out in a row. Anything that made its way through the
defence was well dealt with by Hall in the Lochaber goal. When ace marksman, MacDonald,
thundered a powerful shot into the corner of the net, to make it 2-0, Iain McIntyre was
brought on to provide fresh energy in midfield as Lochaber looked to close out the game.
There was no further scoring and Lochaber retained the cup with Lochgilphead High a close
second. Many thanks to Graham Cameron, Euan McMurdo and Laura Gallacher for
refereeing the tournament which was played in a very sporting manner. Jock Sneddon from
Fort William Shinty Club presented the MacPherson cup to Lochaber captain, Gregor
Cameron, at the end of an exciting tournament which featured ten matches, all of which
were very close, with no team winning by more than two goals in any game.
As well as all of this, she got us involved in
some creative exercises to help come up with
new ideas. In one of these, she asked us to
imagine that, “Someone has forgotten their
mobile phone in the drama studio. They go
back to find it but realise that they are alone”.
She then asked us to think of the most
frightening thing that could happen to them.
Ideas ranged from Johnny Depp flying out
from a poster (Cathy certainly wasn’t too
afraid of this idea!) to seeing their reflection in
the mirror…but the reflection moving on its
own. This was the basis for one of her earlier
books that is soon being premiered as a movie
later this year at the Toronto Film Festival. The book is called ‘Another Me’ but Cathy tells us that the movie will be called ‘Panda Eyes’ so
watch out for new releases in the cinema this year! She also told us about her brand new book out just the day before she came, called
‘Mosi’s War’. The book sounded fantastic and Cathy was just as excited about it as we were. We felt that Cathy’s visit was very interesting
and it got us really excited about reading her many books. It was really inspiring and it has given us so many ideas about writing and she was a
pleasure to listen to. It was a very inspiring visit and we admire Cathy for putting so much effort into writing such amazing books. It was a
fantastic opportunity to meet her and we are all very grateful that she took the time to come and speak to us. It was inspirational and we
can’t wait to read her books, some of which are now available in the school library.
Heather McAdam 2N and Rhona MacKintosh 2L

Term Dates
2013/14
Term 1 Tue 20th Aug 2013 – Fri 4th Oct 2013
Term 2 *Tue 22nd Oct 2013 – Fri 20th Dec 2013
Term 3 Mon 6th Jan 2014 – Fri 4th Apr 2014
Term 4 Tue 22 nd Apr 2014 – Thu 3 July 2014
February Break
May Holiday Mon 5th May 2014
Staff Training
**Mon 17th Feb – Fri 21st Feb 2014 (inclusive)
Mon 19th Aug 2013
*Mon 21st Oct 2013
**Wed, Thurs & Fri 19th, 20th & 21st Feb 2014
2014/15
Staff Commence Mon 18th Aug 2014
Pupils Commence Tue 19th Aug 2014
Robertson Cup
Lochaber High produced some excellent
shinty to win the Robertson Cup at
Drumnadrochit. This year’s competition was
played as a League with the seven teams
meeting each of their opponents. Lochaber
were given a tough task in the first game,
facing Charleston Academy, but an early goal
from Findlay MacDonald gave them the edge
and MacDonald added a second to seal a fine
win. Two outstanding saves from the
goalkeeper thwarted Lochaber in the next
match as they were held to a 0-0 draw by a
strong Portree High team who would emerge
as runners-up in the tournament. Having
dropped two precious points, the games did
not get any easier and Lochaber faced
Kingussie in the next match. The Badenoch
boys struck the bar and the post but were
defeated 1-0 when Findlay MacDonald made
no mistake in hitting the target to give
Lochaber a vital win. The team really clicked
into top gear by disposing of Glenurquhart B
7-0, courtesy of hat-tricks from Gregor
Cameron and Seumas Gall. They followed
this up with a 4-2 victory over Glenurquhart
A, with the Glen having the distinction of
being the only team to score against an
otherwise excellent Lochaber defence of
Robbie Hall, Calum MacDougall and team
captain, Calum MacDonald. In the last match,
Lochaber needed a win to take the cup and
Kyle Michie provided them with an early lead
before Cameron, MacDonald and Gall completed a 4-0 victory.
Strong play in midfield by Lorne Ross and Gregor Cameron saw
Lochaber dominate most of the games so it was no surprise
when Cameron received the player of the tournament award.
Team captain, Calum MacDonald received the Robertson Cup
from Mr Paul Milton, Head Teacher at Glenurquhart High School
at the end of a very enjoyable day. All teams thanked Alan
MacLeod for his organisational skills and refereeing duties which
were fundamental to the success of the tournament.
Lochaber High School
Camaghael, Fort William, PH33 7ND
Telephone: 01397 702512 Fax: 01397 703667
E-mail: lochaber.high@highland.gov.uk
Web: www.lochaber.highland.sch.uk