The Record - Gordonstoun

gordonstounrecordnews and updates for summer 2013in this issueopen day addressstaff farewellssports newscommunity service initiativesixth form lecture programmegordonstoun schoolelgin morayscotland IV30 5RF+44 (0)1343 837837admissions@gordonstoun.org.ukwww.gordonstoun.org.ukfacebook.com/GordonstounSchooltwitter.com/Gordonstounnew!scan thiscodeto readonline

open day 2013

around the boarding housesDuffusBy Mr Andrew Lyall, HousemasterPlewlandsBy Mrs Claire Sapsford, HousemistressIn a year when we have heardthat Duffus is going to move ontocampus, we continue to go fromstrength to strength and remain, inour eyes, a fantastic home awayfrom home tucked away at the endof the drive.This time last year the departingYear 13 students presented theHouse with its own flag and we nowhave a Duffus House Flag Serviceat the beginning and end of everyterm! Below the fluttering flag wehave 14 nationalities that makeup the global family of the Houseand, as is usual for any House atGordonstoun, we have seen successin numerous guises across thespectrum.We have welcomed the firstGordonstoun Fire Scholar, HamiltonBurr, through our doors at thestart of the year. Amongst Fireresponsibilities, Hamilton has alsogone on to be selected for theScottish Rugby U17 squad. DouglasJardine, who leaves us after fiveyears in the House, won the inter-House Cross-country for the fifthconsecutive year (two as a juniorand three as a senior) - a verycommendable achievement anda hard act to follow! Two Duffusboys in the last 12 months havepassed their Private Pilot’s Licenceand were able to fly planes beforethey could drive cars!We say goodbye to not onlydeparting students this term butalso three members of staff. DaveMcCallum leaves to take up afull time post in G-House afterfive years as a tutor; RichardCavaye, after two years as a tutor,moves on to be the Year GroupLeader for Year 9; and finally,Mark Wildman, who has been afantastic AHM, leaves Duffus andGordonstoun for pastures new.They have all been committedto the House and leave with ourthanks and best wishes.Plewlands House has had manysuccesses this year, and every singlemember of the House has manythings to feel proud of. Not onlyhave we fared well in inter-Housecompetitions, but we also stageda huge event which raised moneyfor our House charity, Parkinson’sUK. The event was mastermindedby Colour Bearer and Year 13student Fiona Tattersall, and sawmembers of our household reelingcontinuously for 12 hours in ourCommon Room. Sustained by MissMullan’s never-ending supply ofsnacks, the girls skipped, jigged andspun their way to raising over £1600for this very worthy cause. We had afew casualties - socks worn through,blisters and very weary limbs - buteveryone was elated to get to theend and see our fabulous grandtotal.The philanthropic spirit hascontinued throughout the year too,with many of our Year 12s and 13sraising money to go off on variousprojects across the world in thesummer months. Delicious brownies,cake pops and rocky road havebeen on the menu to buy in theHouse; we have quite a collection ofyoung entrepreneurs!The House tuck shop has beensuccessfully manned by three pairsof Year 12 over the three terms,and they have made a big effort tostock Fair Trade goodies. Indeed,Plewlands girls Fiona Sutherlandand Elizabeth Armstrong (Year 13)have been at the forefront of theschool campaign to gain Fair Tradestatus. They have worked tirelesslywith Mrs Henderson and therefectory to raise awareness of thisimportant issue, and the FairtradeBake-off certainly did this in style.All the Houses were challengedto bake a cake using Fair Tradeingredients and our team whippedDave McCallum Richard Cavaye Mark Wildman6

Around The Boarding HousesWindmill LodgeBy Mrs Amy Chapman, Housemistresshouse expedsenior athletics teamAs I look back on the termI can’t quite believe how much theWindmill girls have fitted in. Therehas been lots of laughter and funmixed with a few tears as we saygoodbye to our wonderful Year13s and some exchange students.There have been many highlights.The House exped was fun andchallenging in equal measure.Watching the girls work togetherto put up tents, something someof them had never done before,demonstrated how well these twoyear groups get on with each other.On the Saturday we took the groupover to Treezone, an adventurecourse with a twist - it’s about 15feet up in the tree tops. JessicaLeete, Year 9 said “It was so, soterrifying! We were harnessed to acord, and then had to go on lots ofdifferent obstacles, it was so hard,until you realised that you couldn’tfall! At the end was a long zipline down to the ground - you feltlike you were flying! I particularlyenjoyed that.” It was a greatweekend and the girls came backfeeling even closer than before.Tears flowed at the WindmillLeavers’ Tea Party where the girlstook the opportunity to thank theYear 13 for all they had done andwish them well for the future. Asis tradition in Windmill, each Year12 writes a poem about a Year 13and their time at Gordonstoun andreads it to the House; there wasn’ta dry eye in the room at the end.Another great highlight for theHouse was the inter-House athleticscompetition on Open Day. Thegirls were able to send out strongteams in both the Junior and Seniorcompetitions. The Juniors narrowlymissed out on the title but, in theSenior competition, Windmill won,which was a lovely way for our Year13s to finish their time here, loyalto their House to the end.On an academic front the girlshave been working hard andgaining many credit slips. In themost recent contract period 50of the 67 girls in the House werecommended at either Gold,Silver or Bronze level. A fantasticachievement and one of which weare very proud. The Windmill girlshave certainly excelled in all areasof Gordonstoun life.Not to be content with takingopportunities during the term, anumber of girls will be taking ona variety of challenges over thesummer holiday, from sailing tothe Arctic on board Ocean Spiritof Moray, taking part in ServiceProjects to Romania and Thailandand accompanying the SamworthSail Training Voyage.8Inter-House CompetitionsThere are an incredible numberof inter-House competitions,many - but not all - of which areof a sporting nature. They are anopportunity for students who likeparticipating in sports, but whoare not at a level to represent theSchool, to enter a competitiveevent during which they will comeup against keen sportsmen of allabilities.Seniors and Juniors have separateteam events in the mainstreamsports as well as in squash,badminton, table-tennis, swimming,golf, basketball, volleyball and tugof-war.Some competitions presentopportunities for individuals tocompete as well, and there arealways a hardy few every year whotake on the triathlon event.Of course, not all inter-Houseevents are sporting ones; this yearsaw the introduction of a keenlycontested Bake-off and Househymn-singing in Chapel to go withthe more cerebral debating andchess competitions.Whatever the event, theparticipants are very competitiveand keen to do the best for theirHouse and the support fromnon-participating House membersis always extremely vocal, goodnaturedand enthusiastic.

At the start of the Summer Term, a team of Royal Marinescame the School to put potential Marine candidates throughtheir paces, giving them a taste of what to expect if they areaccepted for training. The basic fitness tests were carriedout on the South Lawn where the candidates were subjectedto cries of encouragement, along with some good-naturedheckling, from students who had gathered outside to enjoy arare warm and sunny afternoon.The Gujral AwardsNEWSextrasYear 13 students JacobBunn and Sasha Norrishave become the firstrecipients of the GujralAwards for Footballand Art, donated bythe Gujral Foundation,headed by recent formerparents Mohit and FerozGujral, in recognition oftheir son Armaan anddaughter Alaiia’s careersat Gordonstoun. Jacobreceived a cut glass trophyand will also be attendinga week-long trainingacademy with Manchester United in August as part of theaward and Sasha also received a trophy and a week’s courseat the prestigious St Martin’s Art School in London.Round Square Adventure RaceA group of six Year 9 and 10 students won the Round SquareAdventure Race, held this year in Snowdonia, North Wales.After demonstrating their skills in climbing, mountain biking,night navigation, problem solving, orienteering, camp craft,canoeing and a mountain race between Nant Ffrancon valleyand Llanberis, the three girls - Joanna Monkman, IsabellaMackenzie and Catherine Prendergast - and three boys -Frankie Vetch, Archie Houldsworth and Ed Gledson, pippedtheir closest rivals, Abbotsholme, to the post by a small marginto win the event for the fourth consecutive year.The Porsche ChallengeGordonstoun Year 12 Business students have beenchallenged by Porsche’s Aberdeen Centre to hold an eventto mark the 50th anniversary of the Porsche 911. Usingall of their knowledge of business, as well as their neverendingcreativity, they have come up with a plan to catchthe public’s imagination. Mr Patrick Conway, Principal ofPorsche Aberdeen, recently brought a brand new 911 toschool to help the students understand the ‘product’ part ofthe marketing mix and, while he was here, he watched thestudents’ presentations and chose a winner. The students willnow move ahead with the organisation of the October event.Staff Sporting ChallengesFollowing on from ourThey did it - Al and Kim celebratenews item in the Autumnthe end of their epic cycle.2012 Record, we aredelighted to report thatteachers Simon Burbury,Kim Barton and Al McNeillhave succeeded in theirpersonal challenges tocomplete the Marathondes Sables (Simon) and tocycle a virtual 13,800 kmroute from Gordonstounto Thailand in time for thestart of this year’s WaterProject (Kim and Al). Welldone to all three of them on their remarkable achievements.HMS Edinburgh Farewell TourGordonstoun was one of four schools in the North-East ofScotland to be chosen for a visit from a Lynx helicopter fromHMS Edinburgh, which has been making her farewell touraround the UK, prior to being de-commissioned. The Schoolhas excellent ties with the Royal Navy, presenting severalcandidates every year for consideration, and everyonewas thrilled to watch the Lynx being expertly landed on theSouth Lawn. The helicopter stayed for over an hour, duringwhich time many students, including a group from the JuniorSchool, got the opportunity to sit in the hot seats, before itheaded off to the next school eagerly awaiting its arrival.9

spring and summer term sportsFootballMr Kevin WilliamsGordonstoun’s football team had a very busy and,in terms of their win ratio, an extremely successful2012/13 season. In all competitions they lost only fiveout of twenty four games, scoring an impressive 75goals and conceding a miserly 29.There was disappointment and some bad luck alongthe way, losing out not once but twice in penalty shootouts in Cup competitions.The first was in the Scottish Cup third round againstthe highly rated Cults Academy from Aberdeenshire;the second proved to be even more unfortunate whenthey faced Buckie High in the League Cup Final. Buckiescored in the last minute of normal time and in the lastseconds of extra time to draw 2-2 and go on to win 4-3on penalties. To rub salt into the wounds Buckie werepresented with the League Trophy on the same evening,having held off the season’s challenge of Gordonstounby just three points.Most of the team’s best performances were based onan excellent back four and some solid goalkeeping.Centre back and Captain Jacob Bunn and goalkeeperGeorge Longstaff had impressive seasons and wererewarded for their efforts with Scottish caps whenan Independent Schools’ Select lost 3-2 to theircounterparts in England.Under 15 Boys’ HockeyMr Sam RobertsThree boys - Tuege Neumann, Aiden Humphries andJames Metcalfe - performed well at the inter-DistrictFinals in Edinburgh, playing in an U15 Highland teamthat looked as if it had been playing together formonths despite only having two training sessions priorto the day.There were impressive wins against East, West andNorth but unfortunately a 2-1 loss to Midland meantthat they just missed out on the National title. TheSilver medal was a much deserved reward for theboys efforts.Tuege Neumann garnered attention from the nationalselectors with his performances in goal, keeping threeclean sheets throughout the day, and was invited tojoin the Scottish squad. Unfortunately, he did notqualify for this honour on residency grounds as he’sonly been at the School for a year, but maybe in twoyears’ time...1st XV RugbyMr Steve BrownThis may appear to be a strange time of year to bereporting on rugby but successful runs in two Cupcompetitions resulted in the First XV playing in allthree terms. The finals of the North Schools’ Cup andthe Caledonia Cup were played in the same weekand resulted in two agonisingly close defeats, first by17-13 against Robert Gordon’s College and then by17-10 to Perthshire RFC U18s.Whilst it was disappointing to miss out narrowly intwo finals, it is important not to lose sight of the hugeamount of progress that was made and the successachieved. The First XV played 24 matches - this isalmost certainly more than any other school (andprobably U18 club team) in Scotland, winning 16 ofthem. The largest losing margins were by 12 pointsand 10 points and all of the other losses were by onescore or less.The team won the Grampian Schools’ Plate final andreached the quarter final of the Scottish Schools’Plate (losing 11-8 to the eventual winners) as well asthe North Schools’ Cup final and the Caledonia Cupfinal. They alsofinished second inDivision One of theCaledonia NorthU18 League.First XV Captain, Leo Dalton, rises tothe challengeThe boys deservea huge amountof credit for theirpositive attitude,their determinationand their desire toimprove as rugbyplayers. They wereled superbly byskipper Leo Daltonand were anabsolute pleasureto coach.10

spring and summer term sportsNetballMiss Alix DickinsonThe First team finishedthe Autumn Term stronglyand continued to maintaintheir impressive formthroughout the Springand Summer Terms.The team has sharedmany successes over theyear, including winningthe Highland Leagueand many other fixturesagainst both schools’ andladies’ teams.A high standard of playhas been demonstratedby all players this seasonbut special mention has tobe given to Lutra Warren who has continued to developher play as Goalkeeper throughout the year, whichresulted in her being awarded Player of the Matchin the last game of the season. Hannah Houlistonalso deserves a mention - her strong leadership anddedication as Team Captain have been exemplary.Hannah Houliston, Georgie Irvine, Zoe Johnston, FionaSutherland, Lutra Warren and Hannah Oladugba willbe missed next year and we wish them all the best asthey move on.Girls’ HockeyMiss Sophie LavinThis term of the Girl’s hockey season has beenextremely successful, with the girls continuing on fromtheir great start to the season and securing many wins.The girls were not deterred by the bad weather at thestart of the Spring Term and continued to train withan abundance of commitment and desire to improve.Although they were forced to move inside at times,fitness levels could be maintained.The true reflection of their hard work and dedicationwas shown at the Scottish Schools’ U18 Tournament,which involved an overnight trip to Edinburgh. Theyimproved greatly on previous years’ performances,played extremely well together throughout as a teamand it proved to be a very successful day.The U15 team finished their season off as HighlandChampions, demonstrating an extremely high standardof hockey and teamwork against other local schools.Five girls - Isabella Mackenzie, Catherine Prendergast,The Year 10 team started the season by wavinggoodbye to many team mates who left for exchangeprogrammes. Luckily, we were the recipient of somevery talented incoming players from all over the worldwho happily stepped in to fill empty positions and, withhard work and commitment, the team quickly startedto play as one. As with the Firsts, the Year 10 and Year9 teams have won the Highland League which is afantastic result for netball at Gordonstoun.The exchange programme came to an end at Easterand the usual Gordonstoun team reformed for the startof the Summer Term. It did not take long for the teamto gel again and, in their most recent performance,they dominated and won against Elgin Academy. Threestudents - Annabel Devey, Angela Davidson and AliceSharp - have been selected for the North of Scotlanddevelopment squad and will undertake regular trainingweekends with them next term.The Year 9 team has played extremely well, achievingmany wins throughout the season - a huge well done toJoanna Monkman for her excellent Captaincy this year.As the Year 9 girls progress into Year 10, they shouldbond more closely as a team, while working hard todevelop some excellent set play pieces and maintaintheir winning form.Iona Simpson, Elizabeth Walker and RhiannonHumphries - have also represented the HighlandDistrict Team attending training monthly at Invernessand competing in the Inter-District Tournament inEdinburgh.11

The opening of the georOn Thursday 21 March 2013 we were delighted towelcome back our two OG Olympic medallists fromLondon 2012, Zara Tindall (née Phillips) and HeatherStanning to open two fantastic new facilities on thecampus. The first was the Aberlour House Courts,kindly donated by former Aberlour parents Alasdairand Kathy Locke. This surface, which can be used fortennis, netball, football and any number of other sports,is situated right next to Aberlour House and has alreadyproved a god-send when the grass is too wet to playon. It will see many thousands of pairs of small feetusing it in the years to come!Following lunch, Zara and Heather moved to Plewlandsto present Georgie Souter with a bouquet of flowersto mark her retirement after a remarkable 38 yearsteaching at Gordonstoun (Georgie was Housemistressto both Zara and Heather). It was then on to theGeorge Welsh Sports Centre for the formal openingof this wonderful sporting facility, which now housesa state-of-the-art fitness suite, fitness testing room,classrooms, minor sports hall and much improvedchanging facilities. George joined them throughout theday and was clearly very proud that the Centre bearinghis name is now open.12

ge welsh sports centreA grim Future beckons13

spring and summer term sportsSquashMr Graham BroadTwo words come to mind: enthusiasm and skill.For over thirty years Chris Barton’s enthusiasm hasbeen infectious and his skill has been passed on tocountless boys and girls. Now that his hips have forcedhim to retire from premier league squash, he is going tobe sorely missed in matches all over the Moray Firth buthis skill will remain.The enthusiasm of John Georgeson has done so muchto bring more boys and girls to the courts. His skill hashelped players of all abilities and it augurs well that wehave such promising players in Magnus Green, OmarKhalil and Jack Congdon.At the beginning of the Summer Term John resurrectedthe Scottish Schools’ Squash Competition, bringingit to Gordonstoun where our girls’ team, captainedby Rachel Simpson, came second and the boysninth. However, it was John’s enthusiasm to take aGordonstoun team to represent the Highland Regionin the Inter-Regional tournament in the newly openedCommonwealth Squash venue in Scotstoun, Glasgow,which has probably been the highlight of the season.The enthusiasm and skill of three key players reallystand out. Fergus Richards has reached a greatstandard of squash, representing Scotland in manyinternationals and becoming a leading junior in GreatBritain; Dougal MacEwan and Matthew Gordon haveboth been absolute stalwarts and excellent captains.It has not been an easy season with the building of thefinal stage of the Sports Hall all around us andI am grateful to staff members Richard Devey, AngusMacEwan and Derek Dunlop for their enthusiasm andskill. Without them many boys and girls would not haveimproved so rapidly and we would not have been ableto compete in the Premier Division and field three otherteams in the Highlands and Islands’ leagues.The new season is nearly upon us and we are eager forpre-season training, a tour to England, a Junior Leagueand being part of the new George Welsh SportsCentre, which has given us all such a boost.This coming year Gordonstoun squashteams will be the fittest ever!CricketMr Ryan DenyerThe 2013 season has been incredibly successful interms of giving our junior cricketers opportunities toplay leading roles in the 1st XI. The senior side’s topfour batsmen have all been 15 years of age and havecomfortably met the challenge of holding their own andsupporting the rest of the team. Archie Houldsworthhas had a successful trial with Scotland U15s and isnow waiting for an opportunity to represent his country,in addition to the appearances he has made for theCaledonian Academy.The School won through to the final stages of theScottish Schools’ T20 Cup but were unsuccessful thistime in their bid to bring the trophy back to the north,succumbing away to Dollar Academy.The early part of the season was slightly affected byrain; however, the addition of the George Welsh SportsCentre has allowed the boys to continue to work hardin any conditions and explore the same preparationsthat any elite athlete would go through with regards tostrength and condition courtesy of our new Fitness Suite.We have been extremely well supported by twoexchange students this term. Haydn Knight has come toplay cricket from Victoria, Australia and, with his arrival,has come another bowling option and some reliablemiddle order batting. Joining Haydn was RicardoVasconcelos who, in addition to being a fantasticyoung cricketer, has helped the young players in theside understand more about a strong training ethic andhow the correct preparations for a match will benefiteveryone. Both boys have been extremely valuable tothe team as much off the pitch as on it.The School will now look forward to preparing fornext season with the use of our completed facilitiesand optimism that the best is still to come from such ayoung side.14

sixth form lecture programmeThe Sixth Form Lecture programme runs throughout theAutumn and Spring terms of the academic year. Overa two year period we try to expose our students to arange of people from all walks of life with inspirationalstories to inspire our students to seek out furtherchallenge beyond the school gates. We hope thelecture programme allows our students to talk about avariety of topics and ideas that they may not have comeacross in the mainstream curriculum. They also love tohear about how our OG’s found their time here andwhere their journeys have taken them.OG Heather Stanning started this year’s lectureprogramme with a whole-school lecture at the AutumnTerm Flag Service. Her message of being good toyourself and the people around you and taking everyopportunity offered to you proved to be an inspirationto staff and students alike.There followed an unlikely lecture on Wild Camels and,according to Jolly Gosnold, who later reported on thelecture for the School website, “Whilst at first glance,a lecture on Wild Camels might not perhaps soundmassively exciting or inspirational, Mr Hare managedto prove to us that, as a topic being told through hispersonal experience, it can be engaging and indeedintriguing. Throughout the lecture there was an ongoingsubtext, a message for us all to take away: Seeopportunities and take them, do not be afraid to trysomething new and see where it takes you. That iswhat John Hare did and, at an age when most wouldbe retiring, he is travelling the world and riding camelsthrough the desert”.There were lectures by Stephen Venables, the first Britonto summit Everest without the aid of supplementaryoxygen, one by Adam Karmer on extreme kayakingcalled “Below and Beyond Mount Kenya”, and one byformer Gordonstoun teacher, Mr David Monteith, whois a Mountain Instructor and who runs his own outdooreducation company, East of Eden. These lectures, andmany others in the Sixth Form Lecture programmewere all about seizing the opportunities that presentthemselves, making the most of them and finding outthat there really is more in you. As one student reportedafterwards “What could be interpreted as a rathercheesy ending - but wasn’t! - went along the lines ofhim saying that the way to live our lives is right underour noses: using the well-known Gordonstoun motto,Plus Est En Vous.”OG Mr John Barton, Chairman of Next and EasyJet,returned to School after a gap of 50 years to speakto the students about the importance of people skills;Sophie Elwes and Daniel Gouk came back for theSixth Form Careers Day and spoke to the Year 12 and13 students aboutwhat they had beendoing since theyleft school - twovery different pathsbut both ultimatelydiscoveringwhat they feelpassionately aboutand pursuing it intosatisfying careers;and, finally, formerPlewlands girlSophie Morgan, who was paralysed from the chestdown and confined to a wheelchair following a caraccident shortly after leaving School, spoke to thestudents about a recent documentary she had donefor the BBC - Licence to Kill - about young people anddriving. With many students either learning to drive orhaving just passed their tests, this was a lecture thatparticularly hit home as they were able to see and hearfirst-hand about the consequences of inexperienceddriving combined with the feeling of youthfulinvincibility.Sixth Form hosts Amy Gamman and Sophia Andrews with Daniel and SophieOther lectures in the series were about how to copewith moving on to life after school, HIV awareness,body image, how to achieve your personal goals and avery interesting and engaging discussion on the Britishpolitical system and Scottish Independence from ourlocal MP Angus Robertson. Add to this two lectures onScottish life and culture by Sixth Form Lecture firsttimersfrom the Gordonstoun staff - Mr Richard Cavayewho shared his love of Scottish comedy and comediansand Mr John Buchanan who told the students aboutfellow Dundonian William Topaz McGonagall, knownas the country’s worst poet - and the 2012-13 lectureseason fulfilled its aim of entertaining, thrilling, inspiringand informing.Photo: Next plc15

a partnership with kestrel houseDuring the Spring Term, a number of Gordonstoun students took part in a pilot scheme with students from KestrelHouse, part of Elgin High School which educates boys and girls with learning difficulties - some of them quitesevere. Each Gordonstoun student partnered up with a student from Kestrel House and, over the course of thenine-week programme, they formed a strong bond as the Kestrel House students grew in confidence in a, forsome, difficult social situation whilst learning new skills and experiencing a number of different activities whichreflected various aspects of the Gordonstoun education.Everyone learned something from the time they spent together and here the Gordonstoun ‘buddies’ reflect on whatit has meant for them:My buddy was Peter, he is highly autistic and has extreme OCD which meantthat he noticed the littlest things... I found the cooking lessons difficult as I amnot a great chef and my idea of cooking is opening a take-away carton butPeter knew what he was doing. He seemed pretty upset when I nearly burnedhis chicken but luckily we had a laugh about it afterwards. He also showed mehow to chop vegetables properly and told me off for licking my fingers whenscraping the cake mix out of the bowl! Louise KalverkampHelping my buddy James up the climbing steps in the Coastguard’s WatchTower was the most demanding task as he has difficulty walking and speaking.The amazing thing was that he always got stuck into activities no matter howdifficult he found them - he is a top bloke! Joe HunterI was partnered up with a boy called Al, who has Down’s syndrome. He wassuch a happy person and made me laugh right from the first moment I met him... We also carried out many experiments in Chemistry, which Al loved to do,scared at first but loving the outcome, especially making the green slime, whichhe had great fun throwing all over me! Emma PrendergastI had already been to Kestrel House before this project started so had an ideaof what to expect in terms of the characters involved and what their limitationsmight be. During the course of the sessions I worked with all the students andwas not assigned a specific buddy which was a very interesting experience asit meant I had to adapt to their individual learning difficulties and their varyingpersonalities. Dougal MacEwanGrant... suffered from Asperger’s and Autism. He found it very difficult tocommunicate with people and seemed to wander off a lot. But by the end ofthe project I felt that we had a connection and that I had broken some barriersand could have genuine conversations with him. Hannah OladugbaWhen I was introduced to my buddy Kieran, I found out that he was a selectivemute which meant he didn’t speak to hardly anyone. Initially this made thingsa little awkward but over the weeks I learnt to read his body language andfound other ways to communicate… which involved a lot of fooling around andlaughing (and this suited me fine). Artemiy Alekseev16

outHermione Drummond Moray, Year 13Thea McDowall, Year 13Georgia Whittle, Year 13Lella Soper, Year 13ofEvangeline House Year 12Sasha Norris, Year 13Sophia Andrews, Year 13Tobia Fletcher, Year 10thisworldTony Le, Year 12Brook Robertson, Year 10Eilidh Carruthers, Year 12ART EXHIBITION2013

performing arts updateDramaDrama continues to be a busy and vibrant departmentwithin the school and with lots going on up at theOgstoun Theatre from early in the morning until longinto the night.Last term saw Theatre trips to both Edinburgh andGlasgow. Year 13 students enjoyed a dark andmysterious production of Shakespeare’s comedy AMidsummer Night’s Dream at the Cottiers Theatre aspart of their A-Level course work and GCSE Studentsvisited the Edinburgh Dungeons, took a ghost tourof the Vaults beneath the city and then saw a superbproduction of J B Priestley’s Time and the Conways atThe Lyceum.In March our Year 12 students presented their AS grouppractical work, examination pieces for which the studentswere marked on their acting. Mrs Parker directed BlueRemembered Hills by Dennis Potter and Find Me byOlwen Wymark while Mr Hoskins directed The Trial bySteven Berkoff and Lord of the Flies by William Golding.Students and staff put an enormous amount of work intothe plays and the productions were extremely successful.The work was performed to full house audiences ofparents, guests and students over two nights at theOgstoun Theatre.The Year 13 students held a presentation evening toshowcase some of their performance work. The first partof the evening was dedicated to the play Woyzeck byGeorg Büchner, with extracts performed to an invitedaudience, and during the second part of the eveninga much larger number of students arrived, filling thetheatre, to see a condensed production of A MidsummerNight’s Dream, presented as it might have been seen atThe Globe Theatre in the 16th and 17th Century.The Year 11 students presented their five excellentpieces of exam work to a packed house at Ogstoun andfollowed this by presenting their work to the examinerthe next day. The plays were all based on the stimulus‘Theatre should make the audience watch and think’and the students were certainly successful in doing thiswith their devised work. Subject matter chosen by thestudents included selective mutism, the effects of mercuryon factory workers in the 19th Century, bullying andrevenge, what happens when people go missing and thestory of Guy Fawkes.All in all, it’s been a fantastic year of Drama and we’veall enjoyed the great opportunities we’ve had. It’s beenwonderful working together, creating, developing,shaping and performing such fantastic pieces of theatre.DanceThroughout the year the Dance Department has takenpart in a variety of trips, activities and shows but thehighlight of the year has to be the Dance Company’samazing tour to South Africa along with the MusicDepartment at the beginning of February. It is anexperience the students will not forget in a hurry,especially having the opportunity to share work with TheHappy Feet Dance Company in the Langa Township inCape Town.Shortly after our return from South Africa the dancecompany was invited to perform in a National Showcaseof Youth Dance at the MacRobert Centre, Stirling. Thiswas a prestigious event for the dancers; they performeda piece choreographed by student Jolley Gosnold whichreceived a fantastic response.

February continued with Let’s Dance, our annualshowcase at Ogstoun Theatre; this year over 60 studentstook part in a very diverse programme that includedwork from Year 9 and 10, as well as GCSE and ASDancers and of course GY Dance. Styles ranged fromContemporary to Ballroom, Street Dance and Lindy Hop.Yet again the students excelled, there were many standoutmoments; the Year 12 boys nearly stole the show, butthe main thing was the standard of the work which justseems to get better and better every year.In April GCSE and AS students took part in aChoreography Performance that showcased theirown exam work. Dancers have also been involved inperformances for GA Day and Open Day, so all in all ithas been a very busy and eventful year!MusicOur main event of the 2012-13 academic year was ourtour to South Africa. Joined by the Dance Company,the chamber choir and chamber orchestra embarkedon a 10 day tour to Cape Town. We visited threeRound Square schools to share our music and danceperformances with unbelievably enthusiastic audiences.We also performed at Baxter’s Concert Hall, a hugevenue which we managed to fill with local residents,OGs and friends that we made along the way. We alsoperformed for the Caledonian Society of Cape Town attheir annual Burns’ Supper and also for the British HighCommission who happened to be celebrating with a‘Music is GREAT Britain’ campaign whilst we were there.The students got to try their hand at African Drumming,Gum Boot Dancing and traditional marimba percussionas well as experience the sights, sounds and smellsof Cape Town. From Table Mountain and CapePoint National Park to Robben Island and the LangaTownship the whole trip was full of wonderful culturaland educational experiences as well as adventure andfun. We met some amazing people - from the childrenof Langa to our fantastic bus driver - and departed withsome extremely fond memories of South Africa. It wastruly a fantastic tour.To this can be added the annual Jazz and Rock concertin February; the first Schools’ Pipe Band Championshipsin Edinburgh in which the Gordonstoun Pipe Bandcame fifth (a fantastic achievement for their first evercompetition); a truly spectacular Summer Concert givenby the musicians and singers in Aberlour House, whilstthe Gordonstoun students gave a fun-packed OpenDay Performing Arts display in Ogstoun theatre; a jointperformance with musicians from around the Highlandsand Islands; and a wonderful day of string music,workshops and concerts which culminated in a jointperformance by our string players and Gizzenbriggs, anoutstanding youth traditional music group from the TainRoyal Academy.There have, of course, been many other successes,performances and musical outings. We’ve enjoyedvisiting musicians, bands and artists through theGordonstoun Concerts Society, many smaller lunch timerecitals, examination recitals and chapel performances,studio recordings and community concerts. The studentshave often been very impressive in how they have risento some of these musical challenges. It haas been afun-packed, exceptionally busy musical calendar and welook forward to even more exciting musical ventures nextyear.

The Gordonstoun AssociationMr Steve BrownThe GA is an increasingly vibrant organisation andrelations between School and its alumni continue to bevery positive and to gather momentum. It is excellentthat former students wish to keep in touch both witheach other and with the school. In fact, since the turnof the year, around 1000 members have been in touchwith the GA office to update their contact details and topass on information. We are also delighted that the GAfacebook page now has in excess of 1000 members.In addition to using this to disseminate news andinformation, we also try to keep the GA section of theGordonstoun Website up to date and we are particularlykeen to make better use of the Announcements sectionto pass on news of births, marriages, graduations soplease pass on any ‘intel’ to us!The make-up of the GA committee continues to evolveand now fully reflects the co-educational nature of theschool. It is currently made up of eight OGs – fourof whom are female and four male. The Committeemeets approximately five times each year. It now hasan established pattern of meeting prior to the LondonDinner (March), GA Day (May), the Edinburgh Dinner(August) and the London Carols (December). A further‘floating’ meeting is held in October to allow flexibilityfor events in various parts of the country. Last year thiswas in Windsor (before that Newcastle and before thatBristol). This year the plan is to hold it in the North Westof England. The idea is that an individual or small groupof OGs will suggest a location to us./venue.Upcoming Events23 August Arts and Literature Society,National Gallery, Edinburgh23 August Edinburgh (New Club|) Dinner22 September OG Golf v Old Fettesians3 October Tate Liverpool1 November GA Careers DayThe GA events are very popular and we had around100 people ‘drop in’ at some stage over CalcuttaCup weekend in London in February and almost 60attended the splendid London Dinner in March. It wasabsolutely wonderful to welcome so many folk back toGordonstoun for GA Weekend. From golf on Thursdayand Friday through GA Day on Saturday to Chapeland lunch on Sunday, there were so many stories toshare and so many old friends with whom to becomereacquainted. On GA Day itself there were close to200 folk through the course of the day and around180 at the excellent dinner in the evening. I know thatthose returning were enthralled by the various studentpresentations and it was terrific to see so many OGsplaying hockey, cricket, netball, tennis and five-a-sidesoccer. The school campus was looking splendid andthere was a real ‘buzz’ in the air.Leading the way - some of Gordonstoun’s first girls - Alison, Christina,Franziska and Ghislaine returned to School for GA DayThis year Gordonstoun celebrates 40 years as a coeducationalschool and it was a particular delight towelcome back some of the ‘original’ girls (from as farafield as Canada and Germany) as well as the various‘satellite’ reunions - Round Square 1980s, Class of ’93and class of ‘98 - which all added to the occasion. Wewere also fortunate to have John Ray, a former memberof staff, conduct Saturday morning chapel and SophieMorgan, OG, to give a powerful Sixth Form lecture. Itwas wonderful that our returning guests enjoyed theirvisit and found the school on good form, but it was alsoexcellent that the current students, and in particular theYear 13s, were so fully involved.6 December Edinburgh Carol Service16 December London Carol Service8 February 2014 Calcutta Cup Weekend, Edinburgh14 March 2014 London Dinner, Finos2 May 2014 Forres (Altyre) 1953-58Reunion Dinner, Elgin3 May 2014 GA DayContact us:Steve Brown / Niki PargeterGA OfficeGordonstoun SchoolElgin, Moray, IV30 5RFT: +44 (0)1343 837922E: ga@gordonstoun.org.uk20

Campaign newsMr Richard DeveyWith the George Welsh Sports Centre now open andalready proving its worth to the School and localcommunity, our plans now move to the next stageof developments as outlined by the Principal in hisletter of April 2012 to OGs and current parents.This will see a major overhaul of both boarding andacademic provision over the next few years, and we aredelighted that this process has already begun with thefoundations currently being dug for the extension to theTheatre which will then house all the Drama and Danceteaching facilities.helping us to call over a thousand OGs during thefirst fortnight in July with a view to finding out moreabout their time since they left, getting their views onpublications and events they may have attended andalso raising awareness and funds for several smallerprojects taking place around the campus this year.Although it is likely that, by the time this edition ofThe Record is published, the calling will already havehappened, if you were one of those lucky enough toreceive a call I do hope you enjoyed the experience.Feedback is always appreciated!This new building, which is to cost £560,000, shouldbe completed by October 2013, and will then allowwork to commence on the current drama and danceclassrooms in Ogstoun to convert them into a boardinghouse to eventually house the boys from Round Square.Further down the line will come the conversion ofRound Square into an academic hub for the School anda focal point for Kurt Hahn’s teachings more globally;a full refurbishment to Cumming House and a newbuild for Duffus, just inside the West gate. Excitingtimes indeed and a lot of work to do for all of thoseassociated with the Campaign.For the fourth time in six years we are also embarkingon a telephone campaign at the start of the summerholidays. Twelve recent or current students will beFinally, an urgent call to everyone reading thisfor information to help in the development of aGordonstoun and Aberlour sporting archive for thenew George Welsh Sports Centre! We are very keento have on display in our viewing area over the poolan archive of sporting success over the 80 years thatthe School has been in existence. We are particularlykeen to learn of former students who gained any of thefollowing honours, for any country:• Olympic medals or selection - including country,sport and year• World Championship medals or selection, asabove• International caps/selection, as abovePlease do let us know by sending this information toRichard Devey at the Campaign Office - contact detailsbelow. If you can provide evidence of this informationthat would also be extremely helpful. I look forward tohearing from you!Taking part in the previous Telephone appealContact us:Richard Devey / Debbie HendersonCampaign OfficeGordonstoun SchoolElgin, Moray, IV30 5RF+44 (0)1343 837922campaign@gordonstoun.org.uk21

Newsfrom the Junior SchoolHead’s Introduction Music ArtThe Junior Highland GamesHeadmaster’s IntroductionMr Robert McVeanSince the last edition of The Record we have enjoyedmany visiting speakers coming to school to inspire thechildren with their talks and activities. The Bear GryllsSurvival Academy came to talk about setting up theirventure in Scotland; The Arbroath Smokies visitedAberlour House to show the children the ancient art ofsmoking fish and did a great deal to encourage healthyeating - as all the fish were devoured with relish!More moving was the talk given by John Norgrovewho described how his charity - The Linda NorgroveFoundation – was founded out of a tragic situationand which now gives help and hope to so many inAfghanistan.As I write this introduction there are many children aboutto embark on their expeditions to wild and beautifulplaces in Scotland. This is a challenging time for allour year groups with some departing for adventurousactivities in the Cairngorms and others canoeing/camping on the shores of Loch Ness. Our Year 8leavers probably do the most challenging adventureof all by wild camping for a week in the remote CapeWrath area of the North west of Scotland.Before they go, however, they will be intellectuallychallenged in their end of year examinations and giventhe chance to shine in their many subject areas as wellas on the sports field, cliff face, stage and art display.Earlier this year we were very proud of all those whochallenged themselves in scholarship assessments totheir senior school and nine Aberlour House pupilsearned scholarships to Gordonstoun: two Academic, sixAll Round and one Music.Our parents deserve particular congratulations this termfor the huge success of the Junior Highland Games.Some twenty teams took part, many from the localschools and one from as far away as Edinburgh. Thesun shone and the atmosphere was warm and full offriendly competition. A bumper attendance has meantthis year’s chosen charities, Give Them a SportingChance and the Moray Beekeepers’ Association, willeach receive £3,000. These two charities make a realdifference to people’s lives and support a threatenedarea of our environment. In addition donations of £250each will be made to Elgin Street Pastors and DuffusBrownies. The net proceeds of the charity auction ofHeather Stanning’s Olympic rowing vest, £1,450, will beused to the long-term benefit of the Games’ charities.The following pages are a celebration of our events andsuccess of the children, parents and staff of AberlourHouse.22

the junior highland games23

the opening of the new courtssped onto the courts for some netball tuition from theirsports coaches. The whole event was witnessed bythe school and the many parents who came along tocelebrate the happy occasion. This was the beginningof what has proved to be a highly successful additionto the facilities around Aberlour House and a sportingasset highly valued by the children. Now the childrenstart playing tennis before school and it is in use untilbedtime. We were all thrilled by the occasion and weare delighted with our wonderful new courts to beenjoyed for many generations to come.Thursday 21 March was a very special day for us aswe welcomed Zara Phillips MBE and Heather StanningMBE to the school to open the new Aberlour HouseCourts. This fabulous new facility was kindly donated tothe school by the Locke family and we were honouredto welcome Alasdair Locke for the day. Heather gavean inspiring speech to our youngsters before she andZara unveiled the plaque. A large pair of scissors waspresented to Alasdair who then ceremoniously cut theribbon to officially open the courts (see centre pages).It was a terrific moment as the eagerly waiting childrenmusical interludesMr Geraint WatkinsMusic at Aberlour House has continued to thrivethroughout the year. There are now eleven officialMusic ensembles in the School, including three choirs,the Pipe Band, several Wind ensembles, a Junior Brassband, Guitar and Recorder groups, the Rock Band anda String group. All of these ensembles rehearse on aweekly basis in designated rehearsal. In addition, 95out of the 110 pupils at Aberlour House have beenattending instrumental music lessons this year, allowingcareful preparation for Associated Board examinationsand various solo performance opportunities.This Summer term has been one of the busiest inmany years. It was wonderful to be invited to performat Dornoch Cathedral in the early stages of the term.The Chamber Choir, Wind Band and Brass groupsall travelled up to Dornoch to be greeted by fabuloussunshine, and performed in a close to capacityDornoch Cathedral. This was good preparation for theend of year showcase which is the Summer concert.Every member of Aberlour House took part in theSummer Concert this year, demonstrating the significanttalents that the pupils have.We are fortunate at Aberlour House to have the useof the fabulous facilities of the Music School and tobe supported by such inspiring instrumental staff. Thechildren thrive as a result of the work that is put in bythe staff and the high quality of the performances thatwe see is testament to this. This year we say goodbyeto Mr Moore Colyer who has been such a wonderfulMusician-in-Residence for the children to look up to,and we are glad that Miss Lewis will remain in thedepartment to continue the good work that she hasdone throughout this year.24

outYear 5Year 6Year 4Year 7Year 8ofYear 6Year 7Amongst a huge array of work on display at this year’s Out ofthis World Art Exhibition it could be seen that, whilst Year 4 hadproduced beautiful clay tablets of imprinted natural forms, Year5 revealed their painting skills with lovely images producedfollowing a trip to the local village, Hopeman, and its harbour;in Year 6 the students had experimented with decorative silkpaintings influenced by the style of Gustav Klimt and deliciousclocks based on sweet designs; then onto Year 7 whose linearlandscapes displayed wonderful use of colour and texture and,finally, the Year 8 whose stunning explorations of the conceptof Cubism and abstract art was a highlight of the show. All thisclearly demonstrated that in Art the Junior School students trulyare all Out of this World!worldthisYear 6Year 7Year 8junior school art

Altyre House hopeman House bruce Houseleavers 2013cumming house plewlands House duffus Housegordonstoun House windmill lodge round square