The Record - Gordonstoun

More documents

Recommendations

Info

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
Page 1 and 2: gordonstounrecordnews and updates f
Page 8: around the boarding housesDuffusBy
Page 11 and 12: At the start of the Summer Term, a
Page 13 and 14: spring and summer term sportsNetbal
Page 15: ge welsh sports centreA grim Future
Page 19 and 20: outHermione Drummond Moray, Year 13
Page 21 and 22: February continued with Let’s Dan
Page 23 and 24: Campaign newsMr Richard DeveyWith t
Page 25 and 26: the junior highland games23
Page 27 and 28: outYear 5Year 6Year 4Year 7Year 8of

The Record - Gordonstoun

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?