continued - Belfast High School

Ardilea
The Magazine of Belfast High School
2007 ~ 2008

From the Principal
It gives me great pleasure to write a Foreword to another
impressive Belfast High School magazine.
This has been an extremely eventful and successful year.
The memorable musical production of Grease in October
2007 was a highlight of the school year. In September 2007
there was a formal launch of our Specialist Status for
Language at a celebration event with music, drama and
poetry. This heralded many events such as a Fun, Food &
Foreign Language Day in November attended by 1,000
primary school children. During the year our teachers have
taught French, Spanish and Latin very effectively in our
partner Primary Schools. In June 2008 our Breton Village,
a cross-curricular language event, was held at the University
of Ulster. This was very well attended and was a tremendous
success. In October the Friends of Belfast High School
organised a Fashion Show. Staff and pupils captivated the
audience with their superb outfits and their modelling
talents.
WELCOME
This magazine contains a wide variety of written articles,
stories and poems. It provides, once again, an excellent
showcase for our many gifted writers and our poets. There
are also interesting reports about the numerous school trips
during the year.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our
dedicated and committed staff for the many hours they give,
often voluntarily, to develop the sporting talents and other
skills of our pupils and to enable them to participate in such
a wide range of enjoyable events, trips and clubs outside the
classroom.
As my second full academic year as Principal of this
excellent School draws to a close, I am immensely proud of
our pupils and staff and their achievements. I am also
grateful to our supportive governors and parents who have
undoubtedly contributed to the many successes outlined in
this magazine.
Finally, special thanks to Dr King and his editorial team
for the many hours spent producing this polished and
engaging magazine; it certainly does justice to the pupils’
achievements.
Mrs Lynn Gormley, Principal
The Magazine of Belfast High School 2007-2008
Ardilea 2007/08
Mrs Lynn Gormley, Principal.
In October the
Friends of
Belfast High
School
organised a
Fashion Show.
Staff and pupils
captivated the
audience with
their superb
outfits and
their modelling
talents.
i

Ardilea 2007/08
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Board of Governors
Chairman
Mrs M Gordon, BA, CQSW
Vice-Chairman
Mr T McGrath, CBE, FCII, MInst, Am (Adv Dip)
Governors
Mrs C Adair, MEd, MSc
Mr A Atkinson, BA
Mrs G Beresford, BEd, PGCEm
Mr RB Fleming
Dr J Gaston, BSc, PGCE
Mrs LF Gormley, BA, MA, PGCE, PQH
Rev TD Gribben, BSc, DipTh
Mr WC Hamill, MBIAT
Mrs A Lowry, BA, PGCE
Mr D McBride, BEng
Prof RJ Millar, MA (Cantab), DPhil, CEng, CSci, FBCS, CITP, ILTM
Mr RF Rodgers, LLB
Mr B Roden, BSc, FCA
Mrs V Rossborough
Mr JM Sedgwick, BSc, DBA, FCA
Mrs SR Simpson, SRN, SCM, RGN
Mrs A Wilson, RGN
ii The Magazine of Belfast High School

Staff
Principal
Mrs LF Gormley BA, MA, PGCE, PQH
Assistant Staff
Mrs EC Addis MSc, BEd, CertEd
Dr A Bailie BA, MA, PGCHET, PGCE, ALCM
Mrs EJ Barkley BA, PGCE
Mr R Bleakley BA, MA, PGCE
Mrs I Bredin MA, PGCE
Mrs MA Brown BA, PGCE
Ms ME Butten BA, PGCE
Mr SP Cairns BMus, FTCL, PGCE
Mr I Campbell BSc, MMedSci, PGCE
Mrs H Clarke BSc, PGCE
Mr D Coyles BSc, PGCE
Ms A Cochrane BA, PGCE
Mrs P Cosgrove BA, PGCE
Mrs P Creighton BA, PGCE
Mrs CL Davison BMus, PGCE
Mrs GEA Douglas BSc, PGCE
Mr K Doyle BSc, PGCE
Mr JGR Ewart MA, HDipEd, PGCE
Miss M Fletcher BSc, MSc, PGCE
Miss R Foster BEd
Dr JL Gaston BSc, PGCE
Dr K Gibson BSc, PGCE
Mrs HM Gillespie BA, PGCE
Mrs L Gregory BA, PGCE
Mrs H Harrison CertEd
Miss CP Hayes BA, PGCE
Miss A Herron BA, PGCE
Mrs E Hood BSc, PGCE
Mr CW Jellie BEd
Musical Tuition
Piano Mrs E Staley, Mrs C Cairns
Voice Ms S Greer, Mrs S Campbell
Upper Strings Mrs S Sloan, Miss K Cassidy-Taylor
Lower Strings Miss H Nicholl, Mr S Heron
Flute Mr C Irvine
Clarinet/Saxophone Mrs K Shannon
Oboe/ Clarinet Mr I Shaw
Brass Miss L Ferguson
Guitar Mr G Roberts
Percussion Mr G Cobain
Deputy Principals
Mr DE Muirhead BA, DipEd
Mr JK Currie BA, MEd, PGCE, PQH
Mrs C Weir BA, PGCE, PQH
Dr MW Jordan CChem, MRSC, PGCE, PGCESE
Mrs S Kernohan DipHE
Dr JTC King MA, PGCE
Mrs M Lorimer BEd
Mrs A Lowry BA, PGCE
Mr A McCormick BSc, PGCE
Mrs MF McCormick BA, DipEd
Miss J McElrea BSc, PGCE
Ms G McKeown BA, MPhil, PGCE
Mr G McKinney BSc, PGCE
Mrs D McNeill BEng, PGCE
Mrs C Macpherson BSc, PGCE
Mrs DM Millar BEd
Miss EA Miller BA, PGCE
Miss S Moffett BSc, PGCE
Miss E Montgomery BSc, BDS, PGCE
Mrs JL Moore BEd, PGCE
Mr K Morrison BSc, PGCE, DASE
Mr RJC Nelson BEd, PGCTE
Mrs L Officer BA, PGCE
Mrs G O’Rourke BA, PGCE
Mrs M Patterson BA, PGCE, ALCM
Mr MD Rainey BEd
Mrs KA Sherwin BSc, PGCE
Mrs NJ Thompson BA, PGCE
Miss S Todd BA, PGCE
Miss L Williamson BA, PGCE
Mr D Wilson BSc, PGCE
Mrs EA Young BS
STAFF
Assistant Principal
Mrs AA McNutt BEd
Registrar
Mr T Warke
Assistant Registrar
Mrs M Frampton BSc
Principal’s Secretary
Mrs C Ringland
Office Manager
Mrs V McAllister
Office Staff
Mrs A Magee
Mrs J Lowry
Technical Staff
Mr S Young
Mr G Cooke
Mrs E Gourley
Mr D Garrett BSc, MIEE
Mr G Webb
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Nurse
Mrs L Lamont RSCN, SRN
Librarian
Mrs B McFaul BA, ALA
Study Supervisor
Mrs M Nelson
Sixth Form Centre
Mrs B Stirling
Mrs M Glendinning
Learning Support Assistants
Mrs P Corish
Mrs B Cooke
Caretakers
Mr S Nelson
Mr J Haggan
Groundsmen
Mr D Scott
Mr M Johnston
Canteen
Mrs S Maguire & 5 staff
Cleaning
Mrs E Arneill & 16 staff
Ardilea 2007/08
iii

Ardilea 2007/08
EX CATHEDRA
ex cathedra
The school year 2007-08 was one of the most exhausting
yet exhilarating in recent times. It was the first year of
Specialist Status for Language and this had a profound
impact on all aspects of school life, including a major
investment in infrastructure, especially in computers, in
staff positions, in particular the advent of Pupil Progress
Managers, and above all in the public profile of the school.
In June after massive preparation and planning occurred
the Language Village event which involved all members of
the school and local community, pupils, staff and governors
of Belfast High School, pupils and staff from local primary
and secondary partner schools, as well as representatives
from community partners and educational groups. Held in
the Assembly Hall of the University of Ulster at Jordanstown
and recreating a Breton village, it was a huge undertaking
which was unanimously considered to be hugely successful
and typified the exhausting yet exhilarating theme
introduced at the beginning of this article.
The school also shone on other occasions and in other
areas during the year. The musical production of Grease
iv The Magazine of Belfast High School
attracted much attention in first term and proved to be a
big success, both in terms of pupil involvement and box
office. The senior football team (an entity unheard of in
times past) made significant progress in all competitions
reaching the semi final of the Schools’ Cup. Our pupils
continued to tour the world (or at least Europe) with
expeditions to Greece, France and Germany. Indeed, the
links with Germany continue to prosper with languages,
music and business aspects all being advanced.
This column could not finish without some mention
of another significant change: the retirement of Mr Davy
Muirhead. It is an obvious cliché to call him a big man in
every way, but his physical presence, his personality and
character, his industry and commitment to the school in so
many areas have been defining aspects of Belfast High
School for so long that there is no doubt that he will be
greatly missed. He has always done his best for the pupils of
the school and it was always clear that he cared deeply for the
wellbeing of his colleagues. His departure into retirement
can only be seen as a loss to the school. We wish him well.
Labienus

Contents
CONTENTS
Staff News 2
Prefects 2007-2008 7
Pupils’ Awards & Achievements 8
Congratulations to… 14
News from the Departmental 16
Trips & Outings 28
Clubs & Societies 46
Literary Contributions 71
Sport 82
Past Pupils 128
Acknowledgements 136
Foreign Language Poetry
NOTRE POÈME
Un, deux, trois,
Oui, ça va !
Quatre, cinq, six,
J’aime les filles!
Sept, huit, neuf,
J’aime Franck Le Bœuf!
Dix, onze, douze,
Je suis paresseuse!
Ryan Swain et Adam Wilson
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 1

Ardilea 2007/08
Dr Anne Bailey
Mr Darren Coyles
BELFAST HIGH SCHOOL
Staff News
SALVETE
Dr Anne Bailey
Dr Bailie has been a member of the English Department at
Belfast High School for the past three years; she became a
permanent member of staff in September 2007. Dr Bailie
has been a teacher for many years and taught in France and
Kenya before returning home to Northern Ireland in 2003.
She enjoys working at BHS very much and to be looking
forward to the years ahead.
Mr Darren Coyles
Mr Coyles graduated from QUB in 2003 with a degree in
Computer Science and Business. He trained as teacher in
England and taught there for three years before returning to
Northern Ireland in 2006. Mr Coyles lives in Belfast and
enjoys nothing more than ‘wakeboarding’ and travelling
with good friends.
Congratulations to…
Miss Jane Watters on her engagement to Mr David
Gleaves;
Miss Jill McIlrea on her engagement to Mr Mark
Cosgrove;
Miss Michelle Fletcher on her marriage Mrs Michelle
McFarland;
Mrs Emma Hood on the birth of her son James; and
Ms Aisling McKeown on the birth of her daughter
Caoimhe.
PAGE 2 The Magazine of Belfast High School
VALETE
Mr Davy Muirhead
Davy Muirhead was educated at Larne Grammar and
Queen’s University where he studied Spanish and French.
At the end of his final year he was due to attend an interview
with the Gas Board when Mr.S.Dunlop offered him a
teaching post. Davy then first started in the Belfast High
School in June 1973. After a year he returned to Queen’s to
do a Diploma in Education after which he took a post in
RBAI. September 1978 saw Davy’s return to Belfast High
except for a one year placement in Spain in 1986.
During his time in the High School Davy has taught
both Spanish and French to A level and he even contributed
to Beginners’ German. His first promotion was Head of
Spanish and he was one of the first Year Teachers where he
had responsibility for Sixth Form and was instrumental in
the development of the current Sixth Form Centre. His next
promotion to Senior Teacher led him to take on the role of
Examinations Officer which has become an increasingly
difficult job with so many modules and pupils with special
requirements. Five years ago he became Vice Principal and
then Deputy Head where he has also led the Pastoral Care
Team. Whatever Davy does he approaches with the same
level of conviction and enthusiasm. He does exactly what
he has always encouraged his pupils to do which is to give
of their best and Davy’s best is the best there is.
Mr Muirhead has held many responsibilities at the High
School and you could probably write an entire magazine
about them, in which, one of the biggest sections would be
extra-curricular activities. Davy was a keen rugby player
himself and was active in many local clubs as well as selecting
youth teams. During his years in Belfast High he devoted
many years to the coaching of rugby at all levels but mainly
the First XV and then the Under 14s until just a few years
ago. It was probably with the U14s that he was most
influential as generations of boys were blessed with the
opportunity to be guided by him from such a young age. In
addition to his sporting commitments he also ran a Spanish
club where pupils got to practise their language skills with
the assistant during an “Immersion Lunch”. As well as this,
he has helped with school plays including starring in the
Staff Reviews. Davy has also been a most active member of
the Friends of Belfast High where his good looks have been
exploited as he accompanied many beautiful brides down
the catwalk. Mr Muirhead would want it to be pointed out
that even though he looked young enough to be their
grooms he was in fact playing the role of father of the bride.
Davy is probably one of the most well travelled
members of staff as he has sacrificed much of his free time
for school trips. He has devoted months to arranging
educational visits for many generations of High School
pupils. There have been very successful Spanish exchanges
during one of which I developed my own passion for all

things Spanish. He is also in much demand for the annual
ski trip, shows off his German at the Christmas markets and
is a stalwart of the Form 1 Paris visit. Mr Muirhead came out
of trips for a period of time after the awful tragedy of Helen
Armstrong’s death in 1993. It was with great admiration that
we observed him begin to participate in educational visits
again and hundreds of pupils have benefited from his
selflessness. School trips are most enjoyable when you have
a strong team of “doers” and Davy certainly fits that bill.
You need to be comfortable with sharing a bus seat
(sometimes for 24 hours), a hotel room (often tiny) and
plenty of jokes (good and bad). Davy has taken this sharing
theme far. He has been known to let a member of staff share
his clothes leading them to believe that they had suffered a
sudden weight gain when the jeans didn’t fit. Once again
poor Mr Lyness was the victim as he watched Victor engage
in a very industrious bout of shoe cleaning only to reveal at
the end that the shoes were in fact Davy’s. On the most
recent French trip he entertained teaching and airport staff
alike as the pupils were checking in their luggage. Some
pupils were horrified to see that the scales showed they had
15 kilos excess only to then discover that Mr Muirhead had
placed his foot on the weighing machine.
It is usual during reports such as this to comment on
the member of staff’s teaching prowess. We all know that
Davy really is a fantastic teacher. There can be few people
who retire from a department where three of the current
members of staff were their past pupils. Mrs Creighton was
first taught by him 35 years ago, I began my tutelage in 1982
and Miss Harte brings the total to 70 years! When it comes
to PRSD classroom observations Davy cannot be beaten.
He has a vibrant and unique teaching style which makes
him a most popular and effective teacher. His lessons have
a natural structure and he always teaches grammar in a very
integrated way. In the middle of a class about the theme of
marginalisation in a South American novel he would detour
to a quick lesson on the imperfect subjunctive. Davy has
developed unique ways of remembering key language points
and those whom he taught will always remember such gems
as OPUD, TESSBABY and CAROLINE. One of our
pupils returned from university at Christmas to report,
“They know nothing there. They haven’t even heard of a
1,2,3 and 6 verb”. Other teachers will call such verbs
“Radical Changing” but once you use Davy’s term you never
forget what they actually do.
Teaching is a vocation which extends beyond the
classroom and Mr Muirhead has a child-centered approach
to all school activities. You will often hear him say “But what
about the kids we have to think about what this will mean
for them.” He shows a most caring attitude and deep
concern for pupils which extends beyond their years at
school. Even when I was on PGCE I received phone calls of
encouragement from him as he shared his advice about
BELFAST HIGH SCHOOL
teaching practice with me. Davy combines a firm discipline
with a warm hearted approach and has the proverbial
patience of a saint. Mr Muirhead has spent many years
caring for his pupils through the formal channels and
beyond. I have never known him to tire of listening to their
worries nor lose enthusiasm for helping a wayward pupil to
get back on the right track. His focus is always on helping
the young person. This might involve a young person
learning to listen to the reading in Assembly by getting them
to come up and do the reading there and then if they can’t
manage to be quiet.
Most of all Davy is a great friend. Generous to a fault,
he’s always available with the right words, the name of a
contact who can help or an essential piece of advice.
Sometimes people worry about what to say during a crisis
but Davy knows how to phrase his support instinctively and
will be one of the first to call. He’ll use his humour to help
lift your spirits such as when I failed my driving test (after
much expense) only for Mr Muirhead to shout “Taxi for
Cochrane” through my door at the end of the class. That
was the right thing to do as I was able to laugh at myself –
another lesson from the Master. Humour has to be Davy’s
forte, from the Friday afternoon jokes in class to the jokey
comments that no-one else could get away with, he has
helped us all laugh together and have a lot of fun. His windups
are legendary. The very honest Mrs McCormick had to
ring Mr Sawyer of NIR when she had fallen asleep and
missed the opportunity to pay her fare only to discover that
this employee was of course Mr Muirhead. Mrs Patterson
had a frantic Friday night when she believed she would have
to give an impromptu speech to the Board of Governors
only to discover that the phone call had come from a friend
of Mr Muirhead’s. A few select members of staff were invited
to take part in the “official” testing of the new lift as the
company needed to check its capacity for those who were
overweight and to ensure that the height of the buttons was
appropriate for the vertically challenged. Davy will be very
much missed.
Mr Muirhead embodies the principles of the Belfast
High School family and he and wife Susan will always be
part of that family. He is leaving us now to enable him to
make the most of the next stage of his life. Our loss is Susan’s
gain as she will get to spend more time with him. Linguists
are natural travellers and I know that Davy will make the
most of this new opportunity to see the world. He deserves
his time off, it has been thoroughly well earned.
¡Buen viaje guapo y gracias por todo!
AC
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Mr Davy Muirhead
Ardilea 2007/08
continued ➛
PAGE 3

Ardilea 2007/08
Mrs E Young
Mr C Nelson
Miss Jane Watters
Mrs Louise Officer
BELFAST HIGH SCHOOL
Staff News continued
Mrs E Young
We were very sorry to hear that, after twenty-five years in the
Science Department, Mrs Young had decided to retire.
Liz first arrived in September 1971, fresh from Queen’s,
to teach Maths, Physics and O level Biology. During the
next twelve years she made a valuable contribution to the
Physics and Science departments.
A particular interest was The Wildlife Society and in
1973 she spent a Saturday morning with Mr Ronnie
Robson planting the trees that now form a boundary at the
top hockey pitches. She was also involved with school drama
productions, offering skills that ranged from making
Malvolio’s letter for Twelfth Night to Assistant Producer for
the Importance of Being Ernest.
In February 1983 she took a twelve-year career break to
devote her time to newly arrived Susie and later Fiona.
Then, in September 1995, she returned on a part-time
basis teaching Junior Science, Single Award Science and
Physics. This became a full time post in 1999 and during the
next eleven years she found time to join the Soprano section
of the school choir for numerous public performances.
Liz has always been very precise and meticulous in her
preparation for, and presentation of, lessons. She has
reinforced the importance of Physics to so many aspects of
our everyday lives and has instilled in her pupils a sense of
awe and wonder. As a Form Teacher she was always held in
high regard and her genuine interest in and kindness
towards the pupils was something they remarked on, even
years later. We, as a Science department, have come to rely
on her for her depth of knowledge, particularly with spelling
and punctuation.
Liz, you will be very much missed however we wish you
a long and happy retirement. Your room, GS2 will never be
quite the same and we thank you for 25 years of service to
Belfast High School.
GD
Mr C Nelson
Campbell Nelson came to Belfast High School in September
1992 and settled quickly into the newly built Technology
facilities in the Harte Building. Campbell joined us
following 7 years teaching in Regent House and his
industrial experience in DeLorean and Shorts.
Over the years, Campbell taught both the Systems and
Control and Graphic Products aspects of Design and
Technology. He relished the challenge of coursework and
enjoyed seeing the pride which the pupils had in designing
and making their own products.
Outside the classroom, Campbell has run the school’s
Squash Club virtually single handed for 14 years, leading
them to many Ulster finals. His enthusiasm for the sport
will be sorely missed both by the squash club on a Tuesday
afternoon and the PE staff during senior games.
Since taking over responsibility for sound and lighting
within the school, Campbell has contributed greatly to the
success of many school functions and performances. This
year’s performance of the musical Grease would not have
been possible without his technical abilities. He has always
PAGE 4 The Magazine of Belfast High School
been willing to give up his own time (even Saturday
mornings!) for rehearsals and setting up of equipment to
ensure that “everything is alright on the night”!
His assistance with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
scheme expeditions has been invaluable and he has spent
many weekends supervising and assessing pupils in the
Antrim Hills and the Mournes.
He has also been responsible for mentoring the small
number of pupils who have withdrawn from GCSE
subjects. His monitoring of these pupils is of valuable benefit
to both them and the rest of the staff.
Campbell is seizing the opportunity to try out new
challenges and perhaps take up a few new hobbies and we
wish him every happiness for the future.
DMcN
Miss Jane Watters
Jane joined the English department in 1991, bringing with
her an excellent reputation as an effective classroom teacher
from her previous post in Strabane Grammar School. Her
considerable skills as a classroom teacher and team player
are demonstrated by the significant contribution Jane has
made to the ongoing academic success of pupils in English
Language and Literature in the school at GCSE, AS and A
Level. Jane’s organisational skills and ability to motivate staff
and pupils alike have become apparent in her role as Key
Stage 3 Co-ordinator. Jane has also taught Careers
Education, and since 2006 has been a member of the team
responsible for the delivery of the Citizenship element of
Learning for Life and Work. In 2004, Jane joined the
pastoral care team as Year Teacher for Forms 4 and 5; this has
been a role that suited Jane’s pupil-centred approach to
education perfectly.
Outside the classroom, Jane has been keen to develop
pupils’ love of English Language and Literature in as many
forums as possible, ranging from co-directing school plays,
running the junior drama club, organising theatre trips and
running Belfast High School’s own version of Hard Spell.
Jane has also been a long-time member of the school’s
Scripture Union and, together with Mr Russell, led the
school’s only World Challenge group of students to Peru in
July 2001.
Jane is leaving Belfast High School to start a new life
with her husband David in Malvern. We appreciate the
contribution Jane has made to so many facets of school life,
and to the positive influence she has had on the lives of so
many young people. Our best wishes go to Jane and David
for their wedding day in August 2008 and richest blessings
for their future happiness together.
CW
Mrs Louise Officer
Louise first came to Belfast High not as a teacher in
September 2002 but as an eager first former a number of
years previously! When Miss Miller appointed Louise in
2002 we looked forward to the return of a valued pupil.
Louise has taught in a professional manner and made
good relationships with her classes. She has worked well

within the department, being link person for Special needs
and KS3 co-ordinator 2006-07. She has organised theatre
trips and prepared classes for examinations thoroughly.
Outside the English classroom Louise has made a full
contribution to the wider life of the school. Her personal
interest in fitness has benefited many: from the after school
aerobics club to the members of the Diet and Fitness Club
run by the Friends of BHS; from entering a team into the
Northern Ireland Creative Movement and Dance
Championships to organising a Health Promotion evening
to raise awareness of Breast Cancer. From September 2002
to June 2005 Louise was Secretary of the Friends of BHS
and made a valuable contribution in this area.
We have enjoyed watching Louise and Nigel’s family
grow and understand her desire to spend more time with
the girls, Anna and Julia. We were delighted to hear that she
is going to continue to work, she has taken a three day a
week post in Glengormley High. Our loss is their gain and
we wish Louise continued success in this new appointment
and much fulfilment in her time with the girls.
JW
Miss L Williamson
Lisa came to Belfast High School in September 2003. As a
former pupil of Portadown College and a graduate of the
University of Ulster, she immediately became a dedicated
and valuable member the Home Economics Department.
Lisa clearly enjoys Home Economics and has been
enthusiastic about her subject throughout her time at Belfast
High School. She established an excellent rapport with staff
and pupils alike, who all hold her in very high esteem.
Lisa, not only taught Home Economics, but also
assisted with Employability in Forms One and Two, was a
Form Teacher of Form One and assisted with junior games.
She was always willing to help with extra curricular
activities, including the Form One International Cuisine
Club, and has been responsible for the advertising section of
Ardilea, the School Magazine. All these activities allowed
her to display excellent skills as a team player.
Lisa had many qualities, such as tolerance and patience,
which she was always willing to utilise for the benefit of
those around her. She took up the post of Head of Home
Economics in Fivemiletown High School in April, and our
loss will most definitely be their gain. It has been a privilege
and a pleasure to work with Lisa who has been a most
hardworking and dedicated teacher. She has not only been
a great colleague, but also a loyal and caring friend.
Hopefully her friendship will continue for many years.
We would like to congratulate Lisa on her promotion
and her engagement to Mr Samuel Gault. We wish them all
the best for their forthcoming wedding in August and for
their future together.
ML
BELFAST HIGH SCHOOL
Mr M Winning
Mark Winning joined the Technology department in a part
time capacity in September 2006. His easy going manner
and enthusiasm both inside and outside the classroom
quickly made him popular with both staff and pupils alike.
His experience in stage managing school productions
was put to very good use in this year’s performances of
Grease and he has also helped out with many other school
clubs and activities.
We thank Mark for his contribution to the school over
the last two years and wish him well for the future. We hope
that he doesn’t lose contact with us completely and that he
will continue his association with the school – especially as
he only lives around the corner!
DMcN
Miss R Fisher
Miss Fisher joined us in September 2007 while Mrs Clarke
enjoyed a career break, instantly becoming an integral part
of the Maths department. Her enthusiasm and dedication
were apparent from the first day, as was the adoration from
afar among the sixth form boys. Whether it was at games, on
the CU Weekend, teaching Citizenship or at the Maths
Club, Rachel always threw herself in to the task in hand
without reserve. Her preparation and planning were
excellent, adapting resources to the needs of the pupils and
helping Additional Maths students after school, always with
a friendly and positive attitude.
It has been a pleasure having Rachel as part of the team;
a caring teacher and valued colleague. We wish her every
success as she takes up a permanent post in Lurgan College
in September and we are sure that she will be as much an
asset there as she has been here. She will be remembered
fondly by pupils and staff alike.
KS
Ms Marie Frampton
Marie has worked at Belfast High School for 27 years and
for 17 of those years she has worked with me. Marie was
officially recognised and promoted to the post of Assistant
Registrar 5 years ago but she was undertaking those
responsibilities unofficially long before that.
Marie has always been very popular with her colleagues,
both teaching and non-teaching. She has a meticulous eye
for detail and leaves no stone unturned to resolve any
problem. Totally dependable and reliable, she is also very
determined and will see every task through to a successful
conclusion, and this includes an Open University Degree in
her spare time.
We are all going to miss Marie, both as a colleague and
as a friend, and would wish her a long and happy
retirement.
TW
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Miss L Williamson
Mr M Winning
Miss R Fisher
Ms Marie Frampton
Ardilea 2007/08
continued ➛
PAGE 5

Ardilea 2007/08
Ms L Lamont
Mrs S Sloan
Mrs K Shannon
BELFAST HIGH SCHOOL
Staff News continued
Ms L Lamont
Lorna has been the School’s Nurse for 9 years and has
worked in a quiet, professional, yet unassuming manner,
providing medical support to the pupils, and sometimes the
staff, of the School. She has provided invaluable pastoral care
assistance to the year staff, particularly with the Heartstart
programme and with health talks to the pupils.
We are all going to miss Lorna and wish her good luck
in her new career choice.
TW
Mrs S Sloan
Sheila Sloan’s connections to Belfast High School go back
many years since she is a past pupil and Head Girl of the
school.
Sheila is a graduate of Queen’s University and over the
years has brought her skill as a violin tutor to a number of
local schools.
She has contributed enormously to the musical life of
Belfast High School over the last nine years, not only as a
very committed and highly successful violin teacher, but also
as the director of the Orchestra and Junior Strings, as well as
tutor to the String Quartet. Recently she has also made an
important contribution by holding aural classes for
examination candidates. In addition, the High School has
benefited enormously from the talents of her two children
Deborah and David.
There has hardly been a musical event in school during
in recent times that Sheila has not made a high profile and
important contribution. It would be fair to say that the
Orchestra over the past few years has been playing at the
highest level and has never failed to give a less than excellent
performance. The String Quartet has always made a telling
contribution to prize distributions, concerts and open
nights, as well as giving performances in the wider
community.
Sheila made a crucial contribution to the music tour of
Germany in 2006, when she undertook to organize many
aspects of the fund raising effort, including a car boot sale,
and bag packing at Sainsburys. She also put a major effort
into arranging flights and organizing tour shirts and the
souvenir programme. Without her efforts the tour would
not have been the great success that it was.
The Music Department are very grateful for the
commitment and professionalism that Sheila has brought
to the school and wish her well as she departs to continue
her career elsewhere.
SPC
PAGE 6 The Magazine of Belfast High School
Mrs K Shannon
Karen Shannon began her association with Belfast High
School while still a music student at the University of Ulster.
Following her graduation she has continued as clarinet
tutor to the school over a period of some twenty-three years!
Through Karen’s enthusiasm and skill as a teacher well
over a hundred High School pupils have discovered the
enjoyment of playing the clarinet and saxophone. Many
have continued to play upon leaving school and a number
have gone on to musical careers as a result of her work.
Karen will be long remembered for the various clarinet
groups that she tutored and which made important
contributions to numerous school events and concerts.
In recent years Karen has also had an important input
into the teaching of musical theory within the Music
Department.
Karen’s bright and bubbly personality has contributed
much to the happy working atmosphere within the
department and we all wish her well as she leaves to pursue
her career elsewhere.
SPC
Mr R Botha
Rhys joined BHS in September 2004.His post was a dual
role as Groundsman in the mornings and rugby coach in
the afternoons. A talented South African he coached all age
groups passing on his excellent knowledge to all those who
were fortunate to come under his wing. To further his career
and with great disappointment he left the school this year to
take up a post as Development Officer for Ballymena RFC.
We all wish you good luck in your new career and thank
you for all the great work you did on the rugby pitch.
PS. The grounds have never been the same since you
left!
MDR, DS
It is with regret that we record here the death in August
2007 of Mrs Linda Allen.

Prefects 2007-2008
Head Boy
David Sloan
Deputies
Chris Beattie
Matthew Creighton
Gary Ellison
Head Girl
Catherine Fisher
Deputies
Melissa Gallagher
Sarah McAvoy
Fiona Young
BELFAST HIGH SCHOOL
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
Head Boy, David Sloan,
and Head Girl, Catherine Fisher,
with their deputies.
PAGE 7

Ardilea 2007/08
Mr Simon McDowell, Managing
Director, Kilwaughter Chemical
Company Ltd, with Head Boy,
David Sloan,
and Head Girl, Catherine Fisher.
I started
Belfast High
when the
school was 125
years old in
1979.
BELFAST HIGH SCHOOL
Guest of Honour
Mr Simon McDowell, Managing Director, Kilwaughter
Chemical Company Ltd, and International Rugby
referee, was the Guest of Honour at the Annual Prize
Distribution. Mr McDowell addressed the School as
follows:
Principal, Madam Chairman, Board of Governors,
Teachers, Pupils and Guests, it is an honour to be invited
back to the school I attended. Thank you for asking me to
distribute the prizes. Everyone who has been awarded a prize
tonight should be very proud of his or her achievement.
The Irish rugby team failed at the recent world cup and
South Africa won the prize. To help the professional players
perform to their maximum potential they have an enormous
support team of coaches, physios, managers, analysts and
many others. For all the pupils to attain prizes they also
require a dedicated support group who play an important
role to encourage, inspire and assist or maybe bribe, urge
and prod. In this room its parents and teachers who help
ensure continued success.
I started Belfast High when the school was 125 years
old in 1979. Somerton house was the functioning prep
school, a new language laboratory was opened and Mrs
McNutt joined the staff. I was the second of five McDowell
children to attend. Although this year when my son Robert
completes the transfer test he hopes to be accepted by
another good school Royal Belfast Academical Institution.
In the 1980s we used other adjectives to describe Inst.
I have great memories from school including the
geography field trip, ski trip and rugby tour. I enjoyed the
first sixth form formal to be held outside the school in the
Dunadry Inn. Would you believe I was also a member of
PAGE 8 The Magazine of Belfast High School
the maths club held Tuesday and Thursday lunchtimes in
room 118. You may be interested in an extract from the
maths club1980 report proving how technology has
advanced.
“Attending the club is not like sitting through another
boring maths lesson. We visited the Polytechnic Computer
Centre giving us the opportunity to see how a computer
works and on leaving we were given print outs of our
favourite TV personalities, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and
Paddington. We borrowed the Polytechnics PET micro
computer and using the programmes developed by one of
the sixth form mathematicians we solved homework
problems and played games including snap, lunar landing
and star trek”
A significant Belfast High Event in 1986 was when a
rugby accident confined Michael Scott to a wheel chair. His
recovery and subsequent independent lifestyle is a credit to
Michael an inspiration to us all. I was a teammate of
Michaels and he remains an exceptional friend. He stays
involved with rugby and has even been known to advise me
by text message during international rugby games when I
am the TV ref.
My opportunity in refereeing came in 1990. I played
senior rugby for NIFC when a knee injury ended my
playing career. I took up the whistle in 1992 and progressed
through the ranks. This year I have been fortunate to
officiate at the Heineken cup final, IRB 7s, 6 Nations, Tri
Nations and the Rugby World Cup.
I would like to explain about the world cup from the
referee perspective. It was the biggest sporting event in the
world this year. There were 48 games with 2.4 million

spectators with a TV audience of 4 billion. It cost over 100
million euro to stage and the refs were looked after extremely
well. We started with a team-building trip to the French
Alps, there was plenty of sponsored kit, magnificent training
facilities during the tournament and of course an
exhilarating police escort to and from every game.
I was there for four weeks officiating at seven group
games in five cities. I travelled the whole of France by TGV
train moving hotel eleven times. The World cup was a great
success. The minnows were able to compete with the
traditionally stronger major nations. This is partly because
players from all countries play regular professional rugby
around the world. I ran touch when Fiji beat Wales in one
of the best games of the tournament.
In rugby circles I am now recognised quite often. I was
involved at the England v South Africa game in the pool
stage of the tournament. I walked out onto the pitch at
Stade Francais in Paris before the match. A young supporter
beckoned me over and obviously wanted me to sign his
match programme. As I approached him he said “would you
take this over and ask Johnny Wilkinson for his autograph
please”.
Every new game brings a challenge. The prizewinners
have had success but no matter what your field, music,
academic studies, art, business or sport you must now look
forward to the next challenge. Think now what will it be for
you, next week, next month next year.
My advice in your early years at school is to do as wide
a range of activities as possible. Mr Muirhead suffered my
French for five years or maybe I suffered his. French was not
my favourite subject but it proved to be very valuable when
BELFAST HIGH SCHOOL
working my way around France this year. Subject selection
is inevitable and you will concentrate on those you like. If
you enjoy the topics you will work harder and be successful
giving yourself satisfaction at your efforts. It will not always
be easy to achieve your goals but listening to your parents
will help decision making. My physical training on dark cold
winter nights is not attractive but if the outcome is to
represent Ireland on the International stage then it is very
worthwhile.
With rugby I have travelled to nearly 20 countries in
Europe, Asia, Africa and America. The experiences have
broadened my mind considerable but above all I now
appreciate the education we receive is a privilege. In many
other countries today children do not have any access to any
education.
My full time job is managing Kilwaughter Chemical
Company a manufacturing site in Larne. It has grown since
I started from 30 employees to 140. this gives me the
constant challenge of managing the changes. More
employees, new machinery, different suppliers, researching
products and winning customers. In refereeing I have learnt
communication, consistency and control on the rugby field,
which has definitely helped me, manage the transformation
within the company.
From the principals report you are all commended on
the excellent results. Now everyone here will be involved in
the challenge of managing change ahead at Belfast High
School. I wish you every success with the future education
system and the building of your new facilities.
Thank you
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
Think now what
will it be for
you, next week,
next month next
year.
PAGE 9

Ardilea 2007/08
BELFAST HIGH SCHOOL
Prize List 2007
Special Prizes and Awards
David J Clements Bursary
Alan McCreanor
Scott (Toomebridge) Ltd Bursary
Eldho Paul
Leslie Dyer Bursary
Kelly L Sproule
SDE Bursaries (Presented by S. Eastop) for Academic Excellence
??
SDE Bursaries (Presented by S. Eastop) for Sporting
Achievement
Sally Cao, Jayne McCormack, Deborah P Mitchell, Leanna
Smith, D Neal Gilliland, Amanda J Lloyd
Harry Adair Cup
David P Humphreys
BHS Old Girls’ Cup for Community Service
Karen E Brady
Ronald Brown Memorial Award for Orchestral Endeavour
Sarah J McAvoy
William Cairns Salver for Musical Excellence
David R Sloan
Christie Cup for Geography Fieldwork
Christopher PR Beattie
Special Prize for Achievement In GCSE Science and Associated
Subjects (Presented by Mr J Devine)
Matthew J Burnett
Dunlop Prize for Chemistry
Alan McCreanor
Dunlop Prize for Physics
Alan McCreanor
Samuel G Dyer Memorial Prize for Biology
Leanna Smith
Ferris Cup for Chemistry (Lower Sixth)
David R Sloan
Jonathan Fisher Cup
James A Brown
Glover Cup for French
Laura E McGinnis
Glover Cup for German
Laura E McGinnis
Dr Harte Latin Prize
Sarah J McAvoy
Heaney Geography Prize
Jessica J Barnes
Dr Henry Cup for Religious Education
Deborah P Mitchell
Huxley English Prizes
Ruth E Donaldson, Angela A Neill
Keith Mathematics Prize
Alan McCreanor
Kennedy Home Economics Prize
Stephanie H Butler
Alan Ker Cup for Classics
Sarah J McAvoy
Kirkwood Prize for the pupil with the best overall results in
GCSE
Jemma S Taylor
Lindsay Prize for Classical Civilisation
Ruth E Donaldson
Lindsay Prize for Classical Languages
Elizabeth (Libby) Keatley
Louise Logan Cup
Laura FM Graham
Malcolmson Cup for Public Speaking
Catherine Fisher
Becky McCay Cup
Emma Kirkpatrick, Amy McClenaghan
McKittrick Cup for Government & Politics
Cathy C Smyth
McKittrick Cup for Modern History
Alison J Kiley
PAGE 10 The Magazine of Belfast High School
McNie Music Shield for best GCSE result
Lynsey S Fryers
Audrey Murray Piano Trophy
Sally Cao, Ruth H Marshall
Musgrave String Cup
Victoria D Schmidt
Dawn Nelson Cup
Gemma A Gillespie
Newtownabbey Arts Cup
Patrick J Scullion
O’Neill History Prize
Cathy C Smyth
Marjorie Porter Cup for Art and Design
Laura N Crane
Principal’s Prize
Jessica J Barnes, D Neal Gilliland
The Dunwoody Trophy
Matthew LJ McNutt
The Donaghadee Bowl (Presented by Miss N Carson)
Form 1Q
The Governors’ Trophy
1st XI Cricket Team
The Lila Irwin Salver
Amanda J Lloyd
Thorpe Music Shield
Jonathan S Hutton
Young Enterprise Cup
Mark Rooney
Special Subject Prizes
Business Studies
Emma E Bryson
Design and Technology
Jack DA Courtney
ICT
Peter WJ Scott
Physical Education
Amanda J Lloyd
Spanish
Deborah P Mitchell
Fred Storey Cup
R. Mark Evans
The Lila Irwin Salver
Julie A. Hanvey, Lynn Stephens
The Dunwoody Trophy
Steven R. Drennan
The Donaghadee Bowl (Presented by Miss N. Carson)
Form 1T
The Governor’s Trophy
1st XI Cricket Team
Thorpe Music Shield
Sarah Jameson, Ian A Lee
Young Enterprise Cup
Adele M. English
Special Subject Prizes:
Business Studies
Victoria E. Burns
Design and Technology
Anja Jones
ICT
Melissa A. Crozier
Physical Education
Lynn Stephens
Spanish
Nicola C. Hastings

Key Stage 3 Awards 2008
Guest of Honour
Mrs Shirley Simpson
Third Year Cup
Awarded for academic excellence.
Winner Mollie Brown
The Shield of Merit
Awarded for contributions made outside the classroom
in addition to excellent academic standards.
Winner Lesley-Anne Wilson
The Wilson Shield
Awarded for outstanding academic Endeavour.
Winners Clara McPeak / Janey Spence
The Louise Logan Cup
Awarded for excellence in girls’ junior sport.
Winners Emma Kirkpatrick / Stephanie McBride
10P
Bethany Doig
Nathan Moore
10Q
Christie Van Schalkwyk
Christian Martin
10R
Mollie Brown
Philip Snoddy
10S
Kathryn Douglas
Michael Hayes
10T
Skye Aughey
Ryan Mc Gonigle
Vote of thanks
Patrick Scullion
Clara Chivers
BELFAST HIGH SCHOOL
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
Top: Mrs Shirley Simpson with
Mrs Eileen Addis and KS3
Award Winners.
PAGE 11

Ardilea 2007/08
BELFAST HIGH SCHOOL
Music Practical and Theory
Examination Results
Summer 2007 - Summer 2008
All examinations Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, unless indicated otherwise.
TRS – Trinity Rock School D – Pass with Distinction M – Pass with Merit
Grade I
Ethan Haley (jazz trombone) D, Robbie Fryers (jazz cornet) D, Sarah Smyth (singing) M, Clara McPeak (piano) M,
Nicola Cass (piano) D, Ashleigh Coulter (piano) M, Erin Galbraith (violin), Jessica Gray (clarinet) M,
Gemma Martin (alto saxophone), Katie McAlister (violin) D, Ellan Rankin (flute) Tara Stevenson (singing),
Alice Brolly (piano),Finn Carragher (piano),Rachel Moir (flute), Sian Peoples (Piano)
Grade II
Chloe Trainor (piano) D, Lauren Cosgrove (violin), Christopher Taylor (trombone) M, Jasmin Gooding (violin) M,
Sarah Cooper (violin) D, Gaynor Gordon (flute), Hannah Montgomery (clarinet), Stephanie Smyth (clarinet),
Michelle Ker (guitar) TRS, Owen Heaney (violin) M
Grade III
Lauren Millar (clarinet), Emma Cuthbert (alto saxophone), Rebekah McKinley (singing) D, David Humphreys (piano),
Natasha Dempster (piano) M, Claire Arrell (clarinet), Andrew Eakins (clarinet), Clara McPeak (singing),
Sarah Smyth (singing),Paul McGuckin (clarinet), Emma Montgomery (viola) M
Grade IV
Jacqui Barnes (cello), Jessica Leathem (clarinet) M, Emily Macartney (violin) D, Rebekah McKinley (singing),
Lesley-Anne Wilson (clarinet), Jonathan Johnstone (drums) M TRS, Emma Cuthbert (alto saxophone),
James Loney (baritone) M
Grade V
Ryan Ritchie (violin), Elise Jabaud (cello), Anneke Taylor (tenor saxophone) M, Gemma-Louise Bond (singing),
Fiona Young (singing) M, Megan Joyce (singing), Rachael Doherty (singing), Lauren Brown (violin),
Elvira Schmidt (singing), Emily Kerr (violin) M, Alexander Bell (theory), Jessica Leathem (theory) M,
Fiona Young (theory), Ethan Haley (theory), Christopher Taylor (theory), Emma Eakins (theory),
Clara Chivers (theory), Jacqui Barnes (cello) M, Mark Hetherington (trombone) D, Ying Yu Yao (piano)
Grade VI
Lynsey Fryers (piano), Ethan Haley (trombone) D, Rachel Macartney (flute) D, Lynsey Pritchard (clarinet),
Anneke Taylor (tenor saxophone) D
Grade VII
Sehyeon Kim (piano) M, Cheryl Keel (cello) M, Sarah McCafferty (clarinet) M, Sarah Weir (clarinet)
Grade VIII
Chelsea Pascoe (tenor horn) D, Mark Rooney (guitar) M TRS, Fiona Young (singing) D
PAGE 12 The Magazine of Belfast High School

BELFAST HIGH SCHOOL
Colours & Honours 2007-2008
Athletics
Colours: Kristian Bell, Mollie Brown, Susan Burnett,
Matthew Huntley, Sandy McDermott, Iain Webber
Badminton
Honours: Susan Burnett, Chris Penney
Colours: William Boal, Scott Graham, Debbie McNabb,
Kyle McWhirter, Claire Spiers, Fiona Young
Boys’ Cricket
Honours: Paul Stirling
Girls’ Cricket
Honours: Rachel Brown, Debbie McNabb
Dance
Honours: Cheryl McNeill
Equestrian Team
Colours: Mary Burnett, Susan Burnett, Courtney Ferris,
Cheryl-Anne Herron
Association Football
Honours: Robert Brown, Jonathan Cosgrove,
Andrew Hall
Half Honours: Jonathan Boyd, Matthew Boyd
Colours: Kenny Barclay, Stephen Boyles, Brian Wilson
Golf
Half-honours: Jessica Boal
Colours: Debbie McNabb
Hockey
Honours: Susan Burnett, Claire Flanagan, Gillian Kane
Half-honours: Ellen Beattie, Ciara Bell, Laura Dickson,
Erin McGarry, Emma McKinley, Francesca McKnight,
Jodie Lennox, Debbie McNabb, Fiona Young
Colours: Jessica Crawford, Rebecca Davidson,
Emma Kirkpatrick
Music
Honours: Kristi McKeown, Sarah McCafferty,
Nichola McCarroll, Victoria Schmidt, David Sloan,
Fiona Young
Half-honours: Kathy Hetherington, Chelsea Pascoe,
Sarah Weir
Netball
Colours: Lauren Brown, Leah Gormley, Laura Graham,
Rosa Langhammer, Amy McClenaghan,
Stephanie McBride
Rugby
Honours: Matthew Creighton, Ross Mungavin
Half-honours: Chris Beattie, Adam Boyd, Gary Ellison,
Hal Green, Philip Green, Matthew Hill,
Andrew McCurry, Chris McCurry, Niall McGovern,
Ross Megarry, Stuart Megarry, Andrew Oldfield,
Philip Rea, Ryan Reaney, Darryl Rooney, John Speers,
Ryan Stewart
Colours: Philip Kane
Squash
Honours: Susan Burnett, Ryan Spence
Colours: Daniel Aston, Adam Boyd, Philip Kane,
Gareth Keaveney, Nathan McClenaghan, Kyle McWhirter
Swimming
Honours: Mark Dougla
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 13

Ardilea 2007/08 BELFAST HIGH SCHOOL
Our congratulations to…
Laura McGinnis (U6) was 2nd in ‘A’ Level German.
Alan McCreanor (U6) was joint 2nd in ‘A’ Level
Mathematics.
Sarah McAvoy (U6) was offered a place to read Law at
Merton College, Oxford.
Sally Cao, Jayne McCormack, Deborah Mitchell and
Eldho Paul (U6) each achieved four A grades at A2 Level.
Twenty one L6 pupils, who between them achieved 73 A
grades at AS Level.
Fifteen Year 12 pupils, who between them achieved 97 A*
and 58 A grades at GCSE Level.
Vicki Schmidt (U6) has been selected for the National
Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (violin).
David Sloan (U6), Principal Cello of the National Youth
Orchestra of Great Britain, gained his Music Performance
Diploma (DipABRSM); he is regularly invited play with
the Ulster Orchestra; David won the Catherine Judge
Memorial Award and played live on Sounds Classical
(BBC Radio Ulster).
Fiona Young (U6) was selected to sing in the Ulster Youth
Choir (soprano).
PAGE 14 The Magazine of Belfast High School
Mark Douglas (L6) was selected to train in Cyprus in
preparation for the Ulster Swimming Championships.
Leah Gamble (L6) won the NEELB Secretary of the Year
Competition.
Phil and Hal Green and David Jamison (L6) were
selected to play for the Ulster Schools’ U19 Rugby squad.
Andrew Hall (L6) and Jonathan Cosgrove (Year 11)
represented Northern Ireland at Football.
Paul Stirling (L6) was selected for the Irish U19 team for
the 2008 Cricket World Cup; he was also selected for the
full Ireland cricket squad. Of the 22 chosen, he was the
only schoolboy. The following report appeared in the
national press: ‘Ireland lost by 8 wickets to
Northamptonshire in their 3rd game of the Friends
Provident Trophy… it was 17 year old Cliftonville
batsman Paul Stirling who stole the show, hitting 4 fours
and the same number of sixes in his knock of 70 from just
95 balls. His huge six over mid-wicket off England Test
star Monty Panesar will be one to tell the grandchildren…
A heavy defeat then for Ireland, but Stirling’s fantastic
innings… means there is optimism for the future.’
Erin Taggart (L6) was one of the highest achievers in
Northern Ireland, scoring 100% in her GCSE (Art).

Gillian Kane (Year 12) represented Ulster at Hockey.
Ross Megarry (Year 12) was selected to play for the Ulster
Schools’ U16 Rugby squad.
Chris Penney (Year 12), the Irish Laser (Sailing)
Champion and overall Irish Helmsman Champion,
represented Ireland at the Laser Radial Youth World
Championships in New Zealand. Having come 2nd (out
of 87) in the first race, Chris finished a creditable 13th
overall.
Adam Beattie (Year 11) won the Stewart Shield, the St
John’s Ambulance Award for First Aid.
Natasha Dempster (Year 11) passed with merit her Grade
V Royal Academy of Dance (Classical Ballet).
Cheryl-Ann Heron (Year 11) and Bush the Timekeeper
qualified to compete at the National Horseriding
Championships (Dressage).
Kathy Hetherington (Year 11) won the silver medal
(Shot) in the Northern Ireland Senior Women’s Indoor
Athletic Championships. She was selected for the 2012
Elite Training Squad.
BELFAST HIGH SCHOOL
Scott Wilson (Year 11) won the Northern Ireland finals of
the ‘Crossing the Fence’ writing competition. His winning
entry is printed elsewhere in this edition of Ardilea.
Alan Hunter (Year 10) represented Northern Ireland at
ATC Athletics.
Andrew Reid (Year 10) was Ulster Motocross Champion.
He was placed 6th in the British Championship.
Chloe Trainor (Year 10) continues to win gold medals at
national level (figure-skating).
Iain Webber (Year 10) captained the winning team at the
RDS Youth Games (Hockey).
Bradley Bates (Year 9) won gold medals in Shot and
Javelin at the Northern Ireland Athletics Federation
Championships.
Emma Fitzgerald (Year 9) won the silver medal at the
Ulster Irish Dancing Championships.
Emma Montgomery (Year 9) passed with distinction her
Grade IV Royal Academy of Dance (Classical Ballet).
Kristian Bell (Year 8) represented Northern Ireland in the
London mini marathon, following his success in the
Ulster cross-country championships.
Kirsty King (Year 8) achieved a black belt in Ju-Jitsu.
Emma Law (Year 8) represented Ireland at ‘Syncro’ and
‘Double Mini’ at the Trampolining World Championships
in Canada.
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 15

Ardilea 2007/08
DEPARTMENTAL NEWS
Business Studies
The Business Studies department enjoyed another busy
and successful year. Twelve pupils from Year 11 were
involved in a six day Social Enterprise Event.
This was an opportunity for students to explore the
concept of Social Enterprise and work in a team
environment while planning and developing their own
social business. During the five preparation days the students
were involved in enterprise training, toured real social
businesses and received advice from local social
entrepreneurs. The final day was held in Stormont when
pupils presented their idea to an audience and panel of
judges. Amy Garrett, Jordan Humphreys and Peter Rea were
selected to go to London on an all expenses paid trip.
In November twelve pupils from U6th Business Studies
participated in the ‘Make Your Make Challenge’. The
challenge was designed to improve students' enterprise
capability, general communication and planning skills. In
2007, 856 FE colleges and schools entered - making it the
largest simultaneous, one day enterprise competition!
This year students involved in Make Your Mark
Challenge were to design a business idea to ‘make it pay in
a globalocal way’. They came up with innovative ideas to
make a local impact on a global issue. The winning ideas
were really innovative and really impressed the judges.
Belfast High School was successful and two teams made it
through to the next stage. We congratulate them on their
success.
PAGE 16 The Magazine of Belfast High School
On Monday 25th February, fifteen pupils from Year 11
Business Studies attended an Enterprise Awareness Day, in
the PEC at Queen’s University. This involved pupils being
split up into different zones which engaged them in various
business tasks. Pupils were able to experience business in its
many forms and some were successful in winning prizes on
the day.
Pupils from Key Stage 4 Business Studies volunteered
to enter a Consumer Council Quiz. Adam Downey,
Matthew McAteer, Ross McGarry and Shannon White were
successful and received individual prizes and £50 for the
school. Congratulations to all.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all
pupils on their successes and to thank Ms Cochrane and
Miss Foster for their continuous enthusiasm for the subject
and for all their tremendous efforts throughout the year.
DM

Classics
To quote Sarah McAvoy referring to the Classics
Department, ‘Miss, you’re never dull!’ I hope this does
indeed sum up the varied activities we sponsored this
past year.
The highlight of the year was undoubtedly the trip to
Greece at Hallowe’en. Forty pupils along with Mr Currie,
Mrs McCormick, Mr Jellie and me, spent a week touring
the major ancient sites of Greece in a brand-new mauvecoloured
coach. The agonizing 2 a.m. start was in fact an
advantage as we were able to add an extra day of sightseeing
onto our schedule. The UK postal strike added further
excitement because our free pass to the museums and sites
did not arrive in time, necessitating an early morning dash
to the government archaeological ministry which quickly
produced another copy. Finally, we could relax, and our
week’s activities began with a brief coach tour of the centre
of Athens, followed by the only way to see ancient heart of
Athens: from the main entrance of the agora, then climbing
up the Panathenaic Way to the Areopagus and onto the
Acropolis itself, with its wonderful views of Athens, and the
Parthenon, which pupils found far more impressive than
they had anticipated. Fortunately, tourist numbers were
fairly low for that time of the year, and we were able to
explore without too many extra bodies filling up the spaces.
As for the rest of the trip, Ashleigh Bloomfield and Libby
Keatley have written their own account elsewhere in the
magazine; I would only like to add that the pupils were great
and the hotels likewise: there were far too many enjoyable
moments to include in such a short report as this. However,
I am pleased to announce that I now know the difference
between a tortoise and a turtle.
In September Dr King rehearsed Colin Taplin, Sophie
Blaney, and Nichola Coghlan of the L6th Latin class in a
very witty staged performance of Parasitus (after Plautus),
for the launch of the High School’s Specialist School status.
They received enthusiastic applause for their very
accomplished performance.
DEPARTMENTAL NEWS
After the flurry of excitement over the inspection, we
settled down to offering activities for many of the year
groups in our department. In February, the U6th Classical
Civilisation pupils attended a lecture on Sophocles’ Oedipus
the King at Queen’s University, given by Simon Goldhill of
King’s College, Cambridge. Everyone found the talk
accessible and useful for their A-level module. In March,
over fifty 3rd Form Classical Civilisation pupils attended a
performance of a comedy inspired by the 5th century BC
Athenian comic writer Aristophanes, called
Cloudcuckooland, sponsored by the Greek Onassis
foundation, which promotes Athenian drama. With ancient
references replaced by modern ones, although the basic plot
was retained, everyone enjoyed the show immensely, and we
all came away with a true understanding of what the
experience of watching Greek comedy at Athens must have
been like the first time round. Our ribs were well and truly
tickled!
In May, Kirsty Boyd and I travelled to Cambridge for an
Open Day on studying Classics at Oxbridge, which we
found very interesting: it was very un-Belfast High to spend
lunch discussing Virgil’s Aeneid while bow-tie clad waiters
served us our meal.
In June, Year 8 Latin pupils performed a bilingual play
written by Dr King, called cena Romanorum et Gallorum,
in both French and Latin, for the Language Village event.
The cast consisted of three Roman soldiers, three Gauls, two
slaves, a cat named Maximus and a mouse named Minimus.
Despite the Roman conquest of Gaul, the Latin-speaking
soldiers and the French-speaking Gauls found that they
could in fact communicate, at least when it came to eating
dinner! Appropriate costumes were bought, devised and
sewn, and the scenery was inspired by the Asterix series of
books. Colourful theatre masks made by Year 8 pupils
decorated the entrance to the theatrum Romanum, and a
good time was had by all.
The final event of the year was a Classics Day to which
we invited Year 8 pupils of Shimna College in Newcastle
and their teacher. We entertained them with another
performance of our play and then formed teams for a quiz
based on the Cambridge Latin Course. Like the Romans
and the Gauls, we enjoyed sharing our knowledge, and
found that we had much in common from our studies.
Perhaps the most exciting development for our
department to come from Specialist School Status is the
promotion of Latin teaching in the primary schools. In June,
Mrs. Michelle Brown and I travelled to London for a
training day in the Minimus Primary School Latin Project.
One Carrickfergus primary school, led by Mrs. Brown, has
already used the course and thoroughly enjoyed it. We hope
to continue promoting it this coming year. Expect to see
more of that mouse about the school!
IB
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 17

Ardilea 2007/08
DEPARTMENTAL NEWS
English
The English Department seems to have been dogged by
ill-health this year with both Dr Bailie and Miss Miller
being off for extended periods. We were delighted to
welcome Dr Bailie back and look forward to the return
of Miss Miller.
We are very grateful to the contribution made to the
department by Miss Going and Miss Doherty as they
covered these absences. We would also like to thank Miss
Ireland for her valuable work during Mrs Officer’s maternity
Foreign Language Poetry
LA POMME ET LA GOMME
J’adore les pommes
Et j’aime ma gomme.
A la Bataille de la Somme
Je m’appelle Tom,
Que je suis automone!
Je suis un petit bonhomme
Quand je suis avec ma pomme.
J’ai perdu ma gomme.
Oh! Ma pauvre gomme!
Andrew Hamilton et Conal Brown
PAGE 18 The Magazine of Belfast High School
leave. Mrs Officer has decided to leave work to concentrate
on looking after Anna, and we wish her much joy in this
new venture.
Despite all these changes the English Department has
continued to run the normal range of activities and outings.
As usual the Junior classes made a magnificent effort and
during the ‘Read On’ week raised an amazing £3002.70 for
the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children.
JW

Home Economics
The Home Economics Department has had another
busy year. In September Mrs Valerie Nicholson, from the
NEELB Library Service, visited the school to speak to
the Year 12 students of Child Development about the
importance of books in the development of a young
child.
The Home Economics Department offered one of the
activities for the Fun, Food and Foreign Language day, when
hundreds of primary school children visited the school. A
healthy smoothie was the order of the day.
Mrs Maureen Walker, from the Foetal Alcohol
Spectrum Support Group returned to the Department to
speak to the Year 11 and 12 Child Development students,
about the dangers of alcohol consumption during
pregnancy.
February and March were very busy months for the
Home Economics Department in that the Form Five
students completed the practical activity for the their
coursework task. They should be congratulated for
producing some excellent results.
The Upper Sixth class visited Loughry College at
Cookstown in February, in order to take part in an A2
revision course.
In April the Year 12 Child Development Class visited
Jollytots Day Nursery in Carrickfergus. As part of their
coursework activity the students had to design and make a
book suitable for a young child. As most of the students had
chosen to make a book for a pre-school child, this gave them
the opportunity to assess the toddlers’ responses to the
books. This proved to be a very successful and enjoyable
activity and we would like to thank the children and staff of
Jollytots Nursery for their hospitality and for allowing us
this opportunity.
The Form Three Home Economics classes have had an
eventful year. As part of their programme of study they
completed a module of work on International Cuisine. This
year, as part of our Specialist Language School status, we
had the pleasure to work with Miss Petra Zikova, a teacher
from the Czech Republic. Petra spoke to the classes about
the food culture of the Czech Republic. The students then
DEPARTMENTAL NEWS
had the opportunity to make a traditional dish of
Bramboraky – potato pancakes.
Petra also assisted the Form Four Home economics
students when they made a traditional Apfel Strudel.
During the summer term the Year 10 students were
asked to take part in a research project for a student at the
UUJ. They have had to complete questionnaires on the
topic of ‘Changing Attitudes to Breastfeeding: the
Evaluation of an Evidence Based Intervention with
Adolescents in Northern Ireland’. Their help in this research
has been greatly appreciated by all involved.
On the 16th May, the Year 10 students visited the Tayto
Factory, at Tandragee. A great day was had by all – especially
when they got to meet Pat Tayto in person and showed him
the way to Amarillo!
On the 12th June, fourteen Year 11 pupils travelled to
the NEC in Birmingham, in order to attend the BBC Good
Food Summer Festival. This proved to be an enjoyable day,
which gave the students the opportunity to see and meet
celebrities from the world of food and television, namely,
Gordon Ramsay, Simon Rimmer and Ben Fogle.
A number of Home Economics students took part in
our Breton village event at the University of Ulster at
Jordanstown. They manned the crêperie and served
hundreds of crêpes to our visiting primary school children.
A special thanks to all who took part.
ML
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 19

Ardilea 2007/08
DEPARTMENTAL NEWS
ICT
Once again the ICT Department has been focused on
improving the standard of technology and software
within the school and on training staff for its
implementation. In October further training was offered
on using the Interactive Whiteboard in the classroom.
October also saw the arrival of two Computers for
whole school use. These were presented to the school by the
Tesco Computers for Schools Scheme. Mrs Addis and her
team would like to thank all those who collected the
vouchers and supported the scheme.
As a result of the efforts of the ICT Department the
upgrading of equipment within the school has been
ongoing. More data projectors have been installed and a
number of new interactive whiteboards are now in use. Both
the staff and pupils are appreciative of the hard work carried
out by Mrs Addis as material can now be presented in a
manner which is more interesting and motivating.
PAGE 20 The Magazine of Belfast High School
Videoconferencing equipment was also purchased
through our Specialist School funding in December and has
been used successfully used to collaborate with pupils in
Glengormley High School involving Mrs Patterson and a
Year 8 class working on a PenPal Project.
Below are some photographs showing the pupils using
the video conferencing equipment.
EA

Maths
Our pupils took part in the UKMT Mathematical
Challenge which had over 200,000 entries this year. The
Senior Challenge was held on 8th November and the
excellent results are summarised below:
Silver Award
Matthew Young, David Sloan, Tony Keers
Bronze award
Freddie Jackson, Matthew Boyd, Ian Whan, Jonathan Boyd
The Intermediate Challenge took place on 7th February
with the following impressive results:
Gold Award
Connor Allen, Lisa Craig
Silver Award
Kathryn Ker, Rosa Longhammer, Lorna Jackson,
Hollie Sloan, Laura Stewart, Matthew Hutchinson,
Andrew Evans, Andrew Cass, Zoe McBride, Aimee Hull
Bronze Award
David Humphries, Aimee Douglas, Egemen Tezcan,
Alex Bell, Kurtis Irwin, Frazer McCormack,
Matthew Kernoghan, Chris Penny
Congratulations to all award winners!
On the 21st May, we entered a team in the NEELB Mental
Maths Competition. This included a puzzle round, a relay,
and a sudoku. The team consisted of two pupils from Year
9 and two from Year 10, namely Adam White, Amy
McWhirter, Andrew Kingston and Clara McPeak. They
managed to be placed 5th out of 17 teams and represented
the school with confidence.
KS
DEPARTMENTAL NEWS
Foreign Language Poetry
LE…
Le soleil ressemble à une boule de laine jaune.
La lune ressemble à un boomerang.
Les nuages ressemblent à de la barbe à papa.
Les étoiles ressemblent à des bougies allumées dans le
ciel.
Le monde ressemblent à une boule couverte de tâches
vertes et bleues.
Emma et Anna
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 21

Ardilea 2007/08
DEPARTMENTAL NEWS
Modern Languages
This has been an eventful and busy Year for the Modern
Languages Department as we commenced our work as a
Specialist School for Language.
We welcomed several new members of staff. Miss
Rosmund Harte joined the department as a teacher of
French and German, Petra Zikova from the Czech Republic
came to work as our Comenuis Assistant and Elodie
Bonnefon took over the role of our French Assistant.
Our new status was celebrated at a launch event in early
September where our pupils demonstrated their talents as
linguists. Since then the momentum has increased with both
staff and pupils participating in projects with local primary,
post-primary and community partners. Below is a list of our
key activities.
September
European Day of Languages was celebrated on 26th
September.
Visitors from Brandenburg were welcomed and a
contract was signed with their school for further
business and cultural links.
October
The Czech Language Club was started.
The Language Club (TLC) held storytelling and singing
sessions for Junior Forms.
Our Mentoring Programme co-ordinated by Mrs
Thompson and taken by Sixth Form was launched.
Students of Sixth Form French attended a French play
by Molière.
November
Eight students from our partner school, the Carlo
Schmid Oberschule, from Berlin, were hosted by their
exchange partners and completed their work experience
in local primary schools.
PAGE 22 The Magazine of Belfast High School
The Fun Food and Languages Day was held where local
primary schools and their teachers were invited to
participate.
TLC organised a crêpe sale to raise funds.
Two students from the German Department
accompanied representatives of our Young Enterprise
Company to a trade fair in Berlin where they acted as
interpreters.
The German department participated in Videoconferencing
with Colaiste Feirste.
January/February
Eight students of AS German travelled to Berlin were
they completed their work experience in German
primary schools.

Ten students of GCSE German travelled to Aachen to
complete their exchange.
March/April
Students of Sixth Form French attended a course at the
University of Ulster in Coleraine.
May/June
Year 11 students of German hosted their exchange
partners from Berlin.
Our annual Year 8 trip to Paris took place from 13th -
18th June and was once again a great success. 82 pupils
and 10 staff had a wonderful time in the French capital.
Mrs Lorimer from our Home Economics Department
and Mr Muirhead from Modern Languages organised a
cross-curricular project. Year 8 pupils studied the origins
of the French crêpe and were then taught how to
prepare these on a crêpière.
Our ‘Breton Language Village’ was held in the UUJ on
20th June.
Our report ends on a very sad note as we say farewell to a
much esteemed member of the Modern Languages
Department, Mr David Muirhead. He will be greatly missed
by us all and we wish him a happy retirement.
MP
Spanish
We started the year by welcoming Miss Harte, who is a
former pupil, and our new Spanish assistant Belén Castro
González from Galicia. We also held our Catalan workshop
and Spanish pupils and staff were involved in the various
activities on the European Day of Languages including our
Specialist School Launch event. The provision of Spanish
was extended in Year 9 where pupils now study the subject
for two periods a week for half the year.
DEPARTMENTAL NEWS
At the start of October we welcomed Petra Zhikova, our
Spanish speaking Czech cultural assistant, who helped with
a number of classes and especially with Upper Sixth
Literature. Mrs Thompson started a mentoring programme
which involved pupils from all languages. Some Sixth Form
pupils travelled to Whiteabbey Primary School, where they
acted as interpreters for the school’s Spanish visitors as part
of their Comenius project.
In December Belén joined junior classes where she gave
a presentation about Christmas and New Year traditions in
her region. (If you want to travel next year, leave a suitcase
at your door on New Year’s Eve!) We liaised with Business
Studies to organise a ‘Dragon’s Den’ project where pupils
prepared a pitch for their product in both English and
Spanish or French. Belén helped us to judge the inventions
as she is also fluent in French. When our pupils were
involved in exams Belén taught Spanish in Silverstream
Primary School.
After the inspection in January Miss Harte, assisted by
Mr Muirhead, started Spanish classes for the
Newtownabbey 50+ Club. These were a great success and
the feedback was most positive. Belén’s other skills were put
to good use as she taught Salsa dancing during a PE class.
In February Mr Campbell filmed Ms Cochrane
teaching Year 10 as part of a coaching project. We don’t
think he cottoned on to what La biología es fatal meant (we
didn’t really mean it though!) Spanish classes were started in
the Primary Schools led by Mrs Creighton who was assisted
by our pupils.
Pupils from Lower Sixth travelled to Barcelona with Mr
Muirhead just before Easter, and Upper Sixth attended a
Spanish revision day at the University of Ulster in Coleraine.
In April we had the Spanish Immersion weekend which
involved Grosvenor Grammar School and St Malachy’s
College as well.
As the year drew to a close we managed to fit in a
Spanish play and Belén spent a day teaching in Rosstulla.
In May we received a visit from some Chilean Principals.
Our pupils led a Spanish assembly and some classes were
observed. Los directores chilenos were most impressed by
the pupils in our school, not only for their Spanish but also
for their appearance which was described as muy formal
which would translate as ‘very smart’.
This summer’s break has been well earned and I would
like to thank the all staff and pupils who have made all the
events possible. We are very sad to be losing Mr Muirhead
and we would like to wish him a long and happy retirement.
AC
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 23

Ardilea 2007/08
DEPARTMENTAL NEWS
Music
It would be fair to say that the Music Department ‘hit
the ground running’ at the start of this academic year,
with the first musical performance occurring before the
end of September. This was the evening to mark the
Specialist School launch.
The Senior Choir were involved, performing Fauré’s
Cantique de Jean Racine. This was also a good opportunity
for the cast of Grease to make a first public appearance, with
one of the choruses from the show, We Go Together.
It was then only a month before the four-night run of
Grease took place, with outstanding performances from the
principals, including Tony Keers as Danny and Catherine
Fisher as Sandy, the chorus and the very talented band of
Mark Rooney (guitar), Sarah McCafferty (tenor sax) and
Philip Adair (drums), along with guests, recent past pupils
David Bishop (guitar) and Grace Irwin (bass). The
outstanding cast soon discovered that it was actually possible
to sing and dance at the same time!
It was then immediately into the preparation of music
for Prize Distribution. As usual the Orchestra and Senior
Choir performed, along with the String Quartet. Nichola
McCarroll was the tenor horn soloist in Demelza by Hugh
Nash.
At the beginning of December the wind band were
delighted to have the benefit of working with visiting
musicians from the Royal Marines Band Service. One of
their bandmasters gave a presentation to all of our music
students about the life of a musician in the Royal Marines
and this was followed by a performance given by a brass
quintet of players from the Royal Marines School of Music.
The band then worked with one of the visiting musicians
conducting, while the remaining members of the quintet sat
in with our players.
It was only just over a week to the next public
performance, which was the appearance the Senior Choir at
the University of Ulster Carol Service. This once again
proved to be a very enjoyable event for the choir, who gave
an excellent account of themselves in both the
congregational carols and their own featured carols.
The following week brought our own carol service, and
we were delighted that we were once again able to use
Whiteabbey Presbyterian Church. The music was provided
by the Senior and Junior Choirs as well as the Orchestra,
PAGE 24 The Magazine of Belfast High School
with Mrs Staley providing sterling support at the organ. The
Junior Choir, under the direction of Mrs Davison, included
one of the most enjoyable items this year. In A Very
Ordinary Stable was particularly effective, including a flute
solo by Rachel Macartney. Their performance proved that
the future of choral singing in the High School should have
a secure future. It was particularly pleasing to see a group of
Form 1 boys making an important contribution.
The New Year brought the participation of David Sloan
in the CCEA Score Concert, held at the Waterfront Hall.
This was a fitting recognition of David’s talent as a cellist,
since we had also learned that he had been appointed as
Principal Cello of the National Youth Orchestra of Great
Britain for this year.
The end of January saw the contribution of several
groups to the annual Open Nights. These included the
Wind Band, who entertained in the Assembly Hall prior to
the Principal’s address and the String Quartet and Jazz Band,
who along with several excellent soloists help to create a
suitable ambiance for the evenings.
It was towards the end of February that we received a
visit from one of China’s leading exponents of the dulcimer,
who gave the members of our examination classes a good
insight into both this instrument and the music of this part
of the world. Several pupils had the opportunity to try the
dulcimer at the end of the session.
The dulcimer also featured in the next event in which
the Senior Choir participated. This was the ‘Young Voices of
Ulster’ day at Carrickfergus Grammar School. We had been
invited to participate in this day by the Head of Music at the
Grammar School, Edward Craig. Choirs from Carrickfergus
Grammar School, Belfast High School and Dominican
College, Fortwilliam took part. In addition to singing as part
of the combined choir, under the direction of Mr Craig, our
singers also enjoyed workshops to illustrate the diversity of
folk music from both Scotland and Ulster. Here they were
treated to demonstrations of the bagpipes, the Lambeg
drum, fiddles and the dulcimer.
In the evening there was a concert featuring the
combined choir, the musicians who had given the
workshops and each individual school choir. Our choir gave
a very good account of themselves in Shenandoah and You
Raise Me Up. Two of our girls were featured as soloists with

the combined choir, Shannon White in Song for Ireland and
Gemma-Louise Bond in A Good Heart.
Due to Easter falling so early this year, it was decided to
hold our annual Spring Concert in the summer term. This
again proved to be an excellent showcase for the diversity of
music-making which is currently taking place within the
Music Department. Outstanding contributions came from
the Orchestra, the Junior Strings, the Senior and Junior
Choirs, Jazz Band, String Quartet, Wind Quintet, and a
talented and popular rock band made up of Form 5 pupils,
performing music by Iron Maiden. This was excellent
preparation for these pupils who were due to sit their GCSE
practical examinations the following week. Piano soloist
David Humphries contributed Music of the Night by
Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The Senior Choir performed once more some of the
programme form the Young Voices of Ulster concert,
including Salley Gardens ,while the Orchestra and Wind
Band provided highly entertaining items including an
ABBA Selection and Pirates of the Carribean respectively.
The Spring Concert provided a final opportunity to
hear some of our most talented senior pupils before they
departed for third level education. Nichola McCarroll and
Chelsea Pascoe were featured in a horn duet, Au fond du
Temple Saint from The Pearl Fishers with the Orchestra.
Chelsea’s arranging skills were also featured by the Wind
Band when they performed her version of Cruella deVille
(Leven). Fiona Young sang The Gartan Mother’s Lullaby,
while leader of the Orchestra, Victoria Schmidt played a
violin solo, Romance (Svensden), accompanied by Mrs
Staley. This has been very successful year for Victoria since
along with David Sloan she has been a member of the
National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. She was also
featured twice during this year as a violin soloist with the
City of Belfast Youth Orchestra, most notably in Bach’s
Double Violin Concerto in St. George’s Church, Belfast.
David Sloan was the final soloist of the evening, giving
a superb performance of the Intermezzo from Goyescas by
Granados, accompanied by Mrs Sloan.
It was only a short time later that David was to achieve
his most notable success when he took part in and won the
Catherine Judge memorial Award. In this competition he
gained success over nine other very talented young musicians
to win the £5000 prize.
Not one to sit back after this achievement, David was
only a short time later featured as soloist in the 1st
movement of the Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the Belfast
Youth Orchestra. At this same concert he was awarded the
Leslie McCarrison Prize.
DEPARTMENTAL NEWS
We are very proud of David and what he has achieved
and also very grateful to him for the outstanding
contribution he has made to the musical life of the school.
The summer term brought yet more musical
involvement, with contributions from the Junior Strings and
soloists Clara Chivers (flute) and Chloe Trainor (violin) to
the annual Third Form Awards.
Finally, the Breton Village event at the University of
Ulster saw the inclusion of music and dance from the junior
school.
It is with some sadness that we bid farewell to two of
our most long serving instrumental tutors.
Karen Shannon has been teaching clarinet and
saxophone at the High School for some 23 years. She will be
fondly remembered by the very many pupils she tutored and
memories of her work with the clarinet group will remain
for many years.
The contribution of Sheila Sloan has been enormous.
Not only has she been a very successful violin tutor but also
her work with the Junior Strings, the String Quartet, and
most especially with the Orchestra has been outstanding.
There has hardly been a musical event over the past number
of years in which Sheila has not had a considerable and
crucial input. Her contribution to the success of our tour to
Germany was outstanding.
We will greatly miss them both, and wish them well as
they continue their careers elsewhere.
I think it can be clearly appreciated from this report that
2007-2008 has been a vintage year for the Music
Department, with many successes along the way, proving
the vibrant and progressive nature of the various activities
taking place.
Many thanks to all the staff and tutors who have
contributed so much throughout the year, most especially to
Mrs Davison, and also to all of the pupils who have given so
freely of their time and talent.
SPC
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 25

Ardilea 2007/08
DEPARTMENTAL NEWS
Religious Studies
There were many highlights during the past year; I can
only single out a few to illustrate the varied work of the
department.
The annual LIFE Conference in October was an
informative and challenging event for Year 12 GCSE; this
helped them to really think for themselves in the morality
aspects of their course.
Sister Brigid Mc Court visited some Year 8 pupils when
they were studying the life and work of Mother Teresa and
the Sisters of Charity. She provoked some lively discussion
on being a nun especially on the vow of celibacy!
Other interesting events included the visits to Year 9 by
Mary McGinn, the Sustainability Officer with
Newtownabbey Council. The Council is an important link
for us as we work on the environment projects.
David Thomas of Christian Aid gave a presentation to
Year 11 on current environmental issues and the work being
done by Christian Aid.
Emma Speers, a first year student from Stranmillis,
joined us for a month. She was happy to talk about her work
in Romania, especially what she had been doing in the
orphanages there. This was a valuable link to work they were
doing.
The Year 14 class attended the important Constantine
Day School at the School of Byzantine Studies at QUB. This
topic subsequently came up on the A2 paper.
As part of the research for the A2 Synoptic paper U6
had a series of presentations. The first was by Rev Carole
Harvey, who talked to us about the joys and difficulties she
experienced as a woman in leadership. She was very down to
earth and did not shirk the theological issues. Then Rev
Nigel Baylor gave a presentation based on his experiences of
sectarianism and prejudice. This was quite a wide-ranging
talk and especially significant was his heartfelt plea for the
acceptance of others. The highlight for the HOD was the
lecture given by Alf McCreary, Religion correspondent for
the Belfast Telegraph and prolific author. He gave us a fact
filled, succinct talk on faith and the media. He was
somewhat intimidating but extremely passionate about his
work. We especially enjoyed his story of how he had slipped
past the Vatican security to get right up beside the corpse of
John-Paul II during the Pope’s funeral. He was able to gaze
on the lying in state of the Pope due to his Ulster craftiness!
He had also been very much impressed by Nelson Mandela
PAGE 26 The Magazine of Belfast High School
and Gordon Wilson and had just come from interviewing
Franklin Graham.
RS students have to look at the social Gospel and for
that we were privileged to have the Christian Aid Director
for Asia to speak to us about her experiences of the Tsunami
at which she was present. Ramani shared with our pupils
stories of individuals now rebuilding their lives, and some
sad stories too; she was a very positive and informative
speaker. She emphasised the inclusiveness of the Gospel and
stressed how the different faith groups were working
together.
To discuss modern evangelism and social responsibility,
two members of Operation Mobilisation presented their
work around the world on the ships Doulos and Logos.
They emphasised the health and medical aspects of their
work. Des Harper and Rodney Orr were inspiring and
funny and we look forward to the visit of the new ship to
Belfast in October. The pupils enjoyed what they heard. As
we dealt with the topic of persecution and prejudice we
asked Norman McLaughlin of Open Doors to come back
and give us an update on the situation for persecuted
Christians in several areas of the world especially North
Korea. We were silenced by some of the scenes of suffering
we saw. This was a good link to the persecution in the
Roman Empire.
In Year 9 pupils produced some truly stunning work for
their independent study and project on the environment,
completed by the end of February. It was astonishing to see
such a variety of beautiful work – several pieces of work
gaining the full 100%.
Individual responses include baking, video, CD Roms,
visits, a mini-garden, artwork of all kinds, murals and lots of
interaction with the community. The Year 8 Independent
Learning focus was to produce a leaflet for P.7 children on
Hinduism; these leaflets were then sent to Whitehead
Primary School for P.7 pupils to appraise. The Independent
Learning focus of Judaism in Year 9 uncovered many family
links with the religion and especially with the Second World
War. Alan McCarley appears to have struck up a friendship
with Cyril Rosenberg of the Belfast synagogue (and also with
Arlene Foster, for his environment project!)
These are some of the things our pupils have been part
of in our department this year.
JB

Science
W5 Trip
About forty pupils from year 11 attended a Fast Physics
Workshop at W5 in November. This involved a series of
experiments using model roller coasters where the pupils
measured and analysed forces and considered acceleration,
velocity and G-force in the design of roller coasters. There
was also time to view the exhibits at W5.
Foreign Language Poetry
LA PLAGE
J’adore la plage …
J’adore la glace à la fraise …
Quand je suis à la plage …
Je reste assise sur ma chaise!
Shannon et Siân
DEPARTMENTAL NEWS
Insight into Engineering
In December David Douglas, from the L6 Physics class,
gained one of only fifty places on the Sentinus Insight into
Engineering Programme. Two days were spent attending
talks and tours at Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster
University at Jordanstown, providing good insight into the
engineering courses and opportunities available. Two further
days were a placement with a local engineering company,
Farrans, which provided valuable experience of Civil
Engineering.
GD
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 27

Ardilea 2007/08 TRIPS & OUTINGS
… our
assignment was
to create a
social
enterprise
business which
is basically a
business that
helps the
people in our
community.
Social Enterprise Programme
This year 12 pupils from Year 11 were chosen to attend a
6-day course and competition provided by Young
Enterprise Northern Ireland.
On our first day we headed for The Mount Conference
centre. We were given a talk about what a Social Enterprise
was and what we could do to help our community. We then
split up into our different schools, met our mentor Orla and
started work on a presentation we were going to present to
the other schools. Our assignment was about OHYEAH
Music Company and we had to think of a way of promoting
the company. Our idea was to get the people in Belfast
together for a 2-day concert. We presented our idea to the
groups but unfortunately we were beaten.
We all went for lunch and then we came back and
started to work on the Business Plan. None of us was quite
sure exactly what we were doing but when we found out we
got quite excited: our assignment was to create a social
enterprise business which is basically a business that helps
the people in our community. The ideas were flowing out of
us but one stood out in particular. The idea of an under-
18’s disco for teenagers was perfect because being teenagers
ourselves we knew what teenagers want and need. As soon
as we had this idea we decided on team roles. Sammy our
Managing Director, Peter, Matt, Shannon and Hayleigh
were on the Marketing team. Amy, Danielle, Adam and
Ross were on the Public Relations team and Laura G, Jordan
and Laura C were on the Business Plan team. We were all
really pleased with our roles on the team and quickly started
work on our under 18’s disco. Before we knew it, it was time
to go home.
Our second day on the course was held in the
Waterfront Hall. We had the opportunity to also visit social
enterprise businesses. The first business we visited was
Common Grounds Café. We then headed back on the bus
for the OHYEAH music company building. Then we
headed to the Waterfront for lunch. After lunch we got back
into our groups and started work on our aims and objectives
of the business. In the end we completely changed our
business idea. We thought that there are a lot of things out
there for teenagers to do but what about the complete
opposite of teenagers? The elderly. That was it, this idea was
going to get us first place. We then decided on a name, and
came up with T.E.A, The Elderly Association. Some of the
PAGE 28 The Magazine of Belfast High School
group weren’t at all happy with the idea but eventually we
persuaded them.
Our third day we returned to The Mount, and went
straight into our groups to work on the business. We decided
on our business aims and objectives and came up with our
actual events and services we were going to introduce. Our
main event was Bingo, we chose this because it is a great way
to get the elderly together, win prizes and even just come for
the chat.
Our fourth day was a bit more difficult. We had to start
all our market research and finance areas of the business.
Once we had these underway our Public Relations team
started work on the presentations. The presentation was the
main way of selling our business to the judges so the
presentation was very important.
The last day of the presentation had arrived. We were all
running like mad to get things finished and organised. We
finally got things together and realised we were further ahead
than we thought. When the end of the day came we were
confident we were going to get first prize.
Then the day we all had been looking forward to
arrived. Our presentation at Stormont. After a few practices
after school, we got everything in order. Our business plan,
our presentation and our display. Everything was going to
plan. We were one of the last schools to present our idea and
we thought we were in for a good chance when we heard
some of the other school’s ideas. Our presentation went
perfectly. We were all quite nervous but were confident in
ourselves and our idea. Then it was crunch time, we waited
to hear the results. With Ballyclare coming in second we
thought we were going to do it but unfortunately we lost to
Newtownabbey Community School and their idea of
‘Recycle Rathcoole’. We were disappointed but we did get
the award for ‘Most understanding of Social Enterprise’,
which we were happy with.
In conclusion, the Social Enterprise programme was a
great achievement not only for the team but for the school.
It was a great experience and I hope it keeps running so
pupils next year get the chance to experience the
programme. Of course it wouldn’t have been possible
without the help and effort made by Miss Foster, Mrs Millar,
Mr Coyles, our mentor Orla and of course, the TEA Team.
Amy Garrett

Greece 2007
Two o’clock in the morning is never a good time for
anyone but it just wouldn’t be a school trip without
ridiculous flight times and everyone hopped up on the
excitement of going away; the Classics trip to Greece was
no exception.
It took a bus journey and two flights to get to Greece,
not that anyone minded because it meant there was an
opportunity to stock up on Milka in Frankfurt airport.
Despite the journey we all somehow still managed to get up
on Thursday morning (surprisingly awake) for our first day
of sightseeing in Athens.
No trip to Greece would be complete without going to
the Acropolis (or ‘the highest point of the city’) of Athens,
and this was our first stop on Thursday. We started at agora
which was an open space for the assembly to meet in
Ancient Athens. There we saw one of the few ancient
temples which are still preserved, the Temple of Hephaistos.
The reason it is still so well preserved is because it was
converted into a Greek Orthodox Church in the 7th century
AD. It really was a wondrous sight because it was so well
preserved. We also went to the museum at the agora and
this was our first experience of the ‘whistlers’, so-called
because they whistle and shout if you do anything your not
suppose to do. Ancient sites and museums are as sacred to
Greeks as their churches, a lesson we learnt quickly. The
museum itself was beautiful, outside there are ancient statues
and it was also a place to get some shade from the sun which
most of us, with are pale and sensitive Irish skin, weren’t
custom to. We then made our way up to the Acropolis,
which felt long and steep (and this was only the start of these
walks on the trip) but we managed it. The views from the
Acropolis were amazing! After the Acropolis we went for
lunch in the National Gardens and then on to the Temple
of Zeus. Although we were at this ancient site, I’m afraid
that there are some things which always distract people like
the tortoises roaming about at the Temple. They were cute
though. Eventually we managed to tear ourselves away from
the tortoises and go to our last stop of the day, the Theatre
of Dionysos, which was built at the foot of the Acropolis.
Friday was just as packed with things to see. In the
morning we went to the Museum which filled with many
unique and stunning artifacts, such as the Mask of
Agamemnon, which was very exciting to see as we had only
TRIPS & OUTINGS
read about this in books. It was great to see these things in
real life as it brought Ancient Greece to life and showed a
few of the pupils that the classics are just as relevant today
as any other subject. Also in the museum we had a chance
to take amusing photographs.
After the museum we went back towards the Acropolis
for lunch and a spectacular view. When we had all eaten our
packed lunches, we visited a Greek Orthodox Church in
Athens. Some of us lit candles, although others enjoyed the
square outside, until we were harassed by a woman selling
‘beautiful hand-made tablecloths’, the perfect gift for your
mother, apparently. Afterwards we went on a much
appreciated shopping trip to the Plaka, the oldest street in
Greece. There we filled our bags up with cheap souvenirs,
and some people even bought ‘authentic’ ancient helmets.
As we walked to the Necropolis, we passed a few dodgy
looking bars, and Mr Jellie was told he was a very lucky man
with all his ‘white ladies’ to which he replied ‘Yes, they are
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
No trip to
Greece would
be complete
without going
to the
Acropolis…
continued ➛
PAGE 29

Ardilea 2007/08 TRIPS & OUTINGS
Greece was an
absolutely
amazing trip and
one that we are
always going to
remember
especially as it
was our last
trip with
Belfast High.
Greece 2007 continued
my harem.’ But eventually we did make it to the Necropolis,
without being invited into any seedy looking bars, and there
we saw the foundations of Ancient Athens. And a tortoise.
After a long and arduous day, we came across a McDonald’s,
and no-one has ever been so happy for a strawberry shake.
On Saturday, we had to endure a long bus journey to
Delphi, which was broken up by a few stops along our way,
and sing-alongs on the bus. Emma Zachoropoulou’s grandparents
were kind enough to supply us with a homemade
Greek lunch, complete with some fantastic cake! Although
the only bad point of the journey was the severe lack of toilet
facilities on our coach, resulting in groups of pupils raiding
small village’s hotels, with a few even being shooed out, and
a few incidents of pretending to be paying customers/stupid
tourists. Eventually we made it to Delphi, where we met our
tour guide, who took us around the museum and the site.
She told us a lot about the site and a few points that Mr
Currie disagreed with, about the Oracle simply being ‘high
on methane.’ After the museum, we walked up to the top
of the site, where there was a stadium. Those who were fit
enough (5 Year 11 boys + Mr Jellie) had a race, while the
rest of us panted in the corner. After a trip down the site
again, Mr Currie took a few of us to see a ‘spring’ and we
were under the impression we might be able to cool off, but
upon reaching the so-called ‘spring’ we discovered that we
could not in fact cool off. That night after dinner we went
shopping again and some of us were lucky enough not only
to find a half price shop but also get some free stuff!
We all had to get up early on Sunday morning for another
very long bus journey to Olympia, the ancient site of the
Olympic Games. There Mrs Bredin wanted us to have
another race but Mr Currie advised against it because of the
heat. Fainting students on a school trip are never fun. That
didn’t stop some people though and they even had a piggy
back race, although they only made it a few metres before
deciding to enjoy the scenery instead. In the temple Of Zeus
PAGE 30 The Magazine of Belfast High School
at Olympia there was a reconstruction of one of the columns
which really gave the visitors to the site an idea of how big
and impressive this temple was, although so far they have only
reconstructed one of the columns as there is a debate going on
as to whether the temple should be restored or not. We were
all in favour of them reconstructing as much as they could, as
it would be an absolutely fantastic sight as one should expect
for one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
En route to Athens on Monday, we stopped by the
ancient cities of Mycene and Corinth. First stop was
Mycene, the supposed home of Agamemnon. The most
memorable part of this ancient city was the trip down to the
cistern, which despite all the fuss about health and safety
nowadays, lacked any form of lighting form of lighting
whatsoever. So, led by Mr Jellie and the light from a mobile
phone, we made our way down and got a shock when Mr
Jellie thought it was funny to turn the lights out and scream.
Thankfully someone suggested that we should go back up.
We also went to see the ‘tholos’ or bee hive tomb of
Agamemnon. It was huge and I thought quite creepy. After
lunch we stopped at ancient Corinth were we walked down
the ancient equivalent to our main shopping street as Mrs
Bredin tried to get us to visualise what it would have been
like.
Although we were flying back on Tuesday we still
managed to squeeze in a few last stops to the Temple of
Poseidon and The Temple of Artemis. The Temple of
Artemis was a summer camp for little girls and there we also
saw the grave of Iphigenia, the daughter of Agamemnon
who was supposed to be sacrificed in order to ensure a safe
journey to Troy.
Greece was an absolutely amazing trip and one that we
are always going to remember especially as it was our last
trip with Belfast High. Thank you to all the teachers for
making it such a good one.
Libby Keatley and Ashleigh Bloomfield

Pre-trip Expectations
Before we arrived in Germany many of us expected it to be
very exciting and fun. But more to the point we were hoping
to experience how the business world works in different
countries and to see how big a language barrier was in a
foreign country. We all also hoped to sell a lot of our
products to the customers in Germany and bring quality to
their market. We also wanted to learn how to work better as
a team and communicate more efficiently. Overall we
wanted to enjoy ourselves and bring a smile to all our
customers and have a lot of fun.
Activities
We arrived in Germany on Thursday 15th November and
arrived at our hotel (Schonefeld Airport Hotel) at around
20:30 that night. We woke up the next morning at about
6:30am and began our car journey to the FEZ centre where
we would set up our stall and sell our products. We arrived
at the FEZ centre at around 8:30am and proceeded to our
stall and started the preparation for the day. Throughout the
day we sold steadily and as a team took shifts to be in charge
of the stall while the others eat lunch or break. At around
13:30 we prepared a stage presentation which attracted
many customers and let them know more about our
company and our aims. By the end of the day everyone was
very tired and was looking forward to going home, so at this
we took a group photo and headed on our way.
That night we took a train to Berlin and took a tour of
the city and found out some very interesting facts and I
think everyone benefited greatly. We got something to eat in
a nice restaurant and headed back to the hotel were we went
to bed as we were very tired. On Saturday we went straight
to Berlin and had a very fun time shopping and socialising
with each other. The teachers were very nice as they let us do
our own thing and treated us like adults. After a very actionpacked
day we decided to come home around 20:00 and
TRIPS & OUTINGS
Young Enterprise Trip to Germany
have a stroll around the local town as a group.
The final day was Sunday and we went straight to the
airport at around 12:00 and got our flight home and arrived
in Belfast at around 16:00.
Throughout the trip we ad the chance to talk a lot of
German to our customers etc and we learnt some very
helpful phrases.
General Impressions
We all found Germany very beneficial and really enjoyed
ourselves and would love to do it again. When in Berlin we
found all the shop assistants very helpful as they spoke
English and on a general note we found the German people
very pleasant and tolerable of us.
Ideas/Hopes for Future Contact
We hope to keep contact with all our friends in Germany
and support each other with product transfers and deals. We
exchanged e-mail addresses and phone numbers and this
meant we could contact each other when needed. We have
exchanged products with each other and are looking to find
a market for these. Also we are currently looking into the
idea of buying more products off our German partner
school. We also talked to many of the other schools there
and found out many helpful tips on companies. We also
found out how they managed their companies.
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 31

Ardilea 2007/08
The hotel staff
were amazing
but I’m sure they
were happy to
see the end of
our stay as the
evenings were
not quiet in the
slightest.
TRIPS & OUTINGS
Ski Trip
I think it’s fair to say that all of the 107 staff and pupils
who went on the ski trip to Folgaria had an excellent
time. The early mornings and late nights had everyone
exhausted by the end of the week but I’m sure everyone
would agree that it was worth it.
The first day was an early start, we boarded the flight to
Verona, got the bus to Folgaria and once there we checked
into our lovely hotel and found our rooms. After we got
unpacked we got our ski boots and skis fitted and then had
a nosey round the town.
The village we stayed in was small and quiet but the
people were friendly and some had quite good English,
although many of us tried to speak a little Italian.
The hotel staff were amazing but I’m sure they were
happy to see the end of our stay as the evenings were not
quiet in the slightest. The teachers had planned plenty of
things for the pupils, from ice-skating to games nights and
quizzes. They also planned for us to go to a disco with
another school, and the general feeling among the pupils for
this was ‘Oh great, won’t this be fun. Not.’ But everyone
had a fantastic time and wanted to go back. On the last
evening we had a 60’s/70’s disco at the hotel, which had
some excellent costumes and hair styles. Some of the winners
were: Chris Colwell (best dressed boy); Amy Rolloos, Laura
Haveron and Zoe McBride (best dressed girls); and the
Lowry family winning the prize for the best dressed family.
On the early winter morning of the 18th of December
2007 19 L6th politics students along with Miss Hayes
and Mrs Weir arrived at Belfast International Airport for
a short trip to London. Everyone was very excited and
the fact that we got 2 days off school was even better!
We arrived in London and got a train to Liverpool
Street Station hauling all our luggage with us and through
the Underground until we got to our hotel in Russell Square.
After checking in we heading out for a spot of sightseeing.
We went on the London Eye and the Thames River Cruise
which were a lot of fun with spectacular views. The sun was
just setting as we were on the cruise and it was lovely to see
the centre of London and Westminster all lit up in the night
sky.
We then went out for dinner to TGI Friday in Leicester
Square where everyone got free Santa hats and it was a really
fun night. We then stopped off in the Tesco round the
corner from the hotel to get some snacks to keep us satisfied
during the night!
The next day we visited Parliament at Westminster. We
got the chance to watch debates in the House of Commons
and the House of Lords, and to design our own bill and
PAGE 32 The Magazine of Belfast High School
Each lunch time we had a hot meal in a restaurant
beside the slopes. A lot of us bought the pizzas which kept
us happy and kept the Italians very busy. The food in the
hotel was lovely with excellent breakfasts and evening meals.
The ski trip was also an opportunity for the students
and the PE teachers to mark their GCSE pupils on their
navigation technique and skiing ability. Every GCSE PE
student was well above standard.
Another great opportunity for the students was the ‘freeskiing’
with the staff, after the normal ski lessons with the
instructors had finished at 3pm. This gave the students the
chance to show the teachers what they had learnt and brush
up on their skills.
On the last day of skiing the pupils and staff
participated in a slalom race, in which the staff were very
competitive amongst themselves, however it was Jodie
Lennox who proved herself to be the fastest on the slopes.
There was a presentation in the evening with the pupils
receiving certificates and a bronze, silver or gold award for
their weeks skiing.
All in all I think it is safe to say that our ski trip to
Folgaria in March was a fantastic opportunity for all and
was well worth the exhaustion.
Hollie McKeeman and Sarah McTeggart
Government & Politics Trip to London
persuade people to back it. We also took the opportunity to
play spot the famous face!
We had an early start the next morning for a visit to the
Cabinet War Rooms under the Houses of Parliament which
gave us a very interesting insight into life in Britain during
World War Two. We all got our own individual headset to
listen to on the way round so you could do it in your own
time. After doing that we went to Harrod’s for a look
around. We got lost several times but that was half the fun
figuring out what department you were in and realising how
rich some people actually are!
Billy Elliot in the West End was on the agenda for that
evening. It was fantastic, even enjoyed by the boys who did
a lot of moaning before hand!
On our last morning with all the culture and Politics
exhausted we finally got to hit the shops! The highlight was
definitely Top Shop on Oxford Street!
In the evening we had – sadly – to make our way to the
airport to go home.
No-one wanted to go home as we all had had so much
fun! I would definitely recommend it to anyone studying
Government and Politics next year.
Rebecca Neill

Three pupils from our school were chosen to go to
London courtesy of Young Enterprise. Amy Garrett,
Jordan Humphreys and Peter Rea all met Miss Foster
and the other schools at the George Best City Airport at
8:45am.
We had a short wait until 10:20am when we boarded
our flight to London Gatwick. Once we arrived at London
TRIPS & OUTINGS
Business Studies Trip to London
Taller de Catalá Laura
As part of their A2 course our A level students of Spanish
have to study ‘linguistic diversity’. We learn Castillian
Spanish but this is not the only language of Spain and
we were fortunate to have the opportunity to participate
in a workshop about Catalan which is spoken mainly on
the East Coast of the peninsula.
The workshop was held at Belfast High and we invited
Grosvenor Grammar, St Malachy’s College and Ballyclare
High School as well. Mr Roger Marshall, who is a friend of
Mr Currie’s, agreed to lead the workshop as he is fluent in
Catalan having lived in Barcelona for a number of years. He
was also joined by his daughter Laura who has Catalan as her
first language.
At the start of the workshop we listened and watched as
Roger and his daughter chatted in Catalan. It was interesting
to note that, as speakers of French and Spanish, we could
pick up the gist of the conversation but it was equally
frustrating to be understanding a little but not quite enough.
Roger continued with a presentation about the origins and
future of Catalan. We discovered more about the Catalan
culture and lifestyle including the recent festival from which
Gatwick Airport, we boarded the Gatwick express train to
London, which took around 30 minutes. Once we arrived
at London Victoria train station, we got a quick bite to eat,
and then met the Head of Young Enterprise Valerie Ingram.
Once we met up with Valerie, we walked over to a tour
bus area, and boarded an open-top tour bus. We drove all
around London until we reached our destination, the
London Eye. We all ran off the bus eager to get onto the
Eye. We all hopped onto a pod and slowly reached the top.
It was an eye opening experience. Once back on the ground,
we divided up into our different schools and each got a black
cab to TGI Friday, were we all had dinner. It was a quick
run to get the bus back to the train station, but we missed
it and had to get another black cab to the train station. We
boarded the Gatwick express, and arrived in London
Gatwick. Another short wait and we were on the plane back
to Belfast.
Amy Garrett
had just returned.
We then had a break which gave the staff and pupils
from the different schools an opportunity to get to know
each other. Now it was our turn to talk – in Catalan! We
were taught some basic Catalan phrases which we practised
in pairs and one of the St Malachy’s pupils managed a good
conversation with Roger where he explained having five
brothers and sisters with Soc irlandès. It was impressive to
see the pupils using words from the first part of the
presentation and it was surprising how much we had
managed to learn in a few hours. To finish the workshop we
listened and then sang along to a well known Catalan song.
The staff were also given further articles in both Castillian
and Catalan to follow on with in class.
Such was the success of the day that one of the U6
pupils decided to research Catalan for her A2 presentation.
It is extremely beneficial for pupils to learn in many different
ways from a variety of people and we are thoroughly grateful
to Roger and his daughter for leading the workshop. Moltes
graciès.
AC
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 33

Ardilea 2007/08 TRIPS & OUTINGS
We all set off
on the train to
Cologne for the
day – a
beautiful city,
famous for its
huge Cathedral
and less wellknown
for its
Chocolate
Factory which
most people
managed to visit
and sample.
Aachen Exchange
An exchange with a Grammar School (Gymnasium) in
Herzogenrath near Aachen in Germany started in 2005
and has now become a tradition in Belfast High School.
In June 2007, ten German students and two teachers
spent the hottest week of the summer with us here at Belfast
High. The students stayed with 10 members of the Year 11
German class and had a very enjoyable week doing various
activities and sightseeing around Northern Ireland.
In February this year it was our turn to go over to
Germany and it was with much trepidation that Rachel
Snoddy, Orla Pundyke, Rosa Langhammer, Lauren Dalton,
Gemma Davidson, Kiera Lawthers, Sarah McCafferty, Paul
Grant, James Donnelly and Bebhinn Browne headed off
with Mrs Creighton and Mrs Brown on the aircoach to
Dublin.
The adventure started in Drogheda where the coach
was stopped, the passengers asked to get off and sniffer dogs
were made to search everyone for drugs! Fortunately we
were allowed to continue and we made it to Charleroi
airport in Brussels where we were picked up by some of the
families and two of the teachers from the school. All very
tired and extremely nervous, we drove the two hours to
Aachen where everyone said goodnight and went home with
the respective families – very daunting!
Next morning the teachers were glad to see everyone
arrive in one piece at the train station in Aachen – no-one
seemed to be terribly homesick and most were starting to
feel more at ease with their families. We all set off on the
train to Cologne for the day – a beautiful city, famous for its
huge Cathedral and less well-known for its Chocolate
Factory which most people managed to visit and sample.
That evening there was an 18th birthday party to which
all our pupils went along and by all accounts thoroughly
enjoyed!
The Sunday was spent with the families, sightseeing and
speaking a little German. That evening the teachers and
parents had organised a soirée in the school with food and
music and an opportunity to get to know each other better.
On the Monday morning our pupils learnt to appreciate
the school routine in Northern Ireland as they had to get up
PAGE 34 The Magazine of Belfast High School
at 6am in order to come into school with their partners for
8am – the time German schools start. They went along to
class with their partners and got to experience the very
different type of schooling on offer – no uniforms, teachers
in jeans, very informal classes etc. This was an invaluable
experience for our pupils and one they will never forget.
The Monday afternoon was spent exploring the historic
and beautiful city of Aachen and fitting in a little shopping!
This was also a novelty as schools in Germany finish at
1pm. On Monday evening we all went bowling in a nearby
town.
Tuesday was spent again in school and then back to the
families for lunch. We then set off on the homeward journey
to Belfast.
I feel that the ten pupils gained much from this
experience. An exchange is a fairly frightening prospect,
especially as the Germans are so competent at English and
our pupils are not at all confident in their own ability.
However they all said that they felt really proud of
themselves for having done the exchange and survived! It
has given them more confidence and provided them with
contacts and friends in a beautiful part of Germany, which
will hopefully endure. They were a pleasure to take away
and were a credit to both themselves and the school. These
exchanges would not happen without the help and cooperation
of the parents and we would also like to thank
them also for the hospitality they showed the German pupils
when they visited us.
PC

Enterprise Awareness Day
On Monday 25th February, fifteen pupils from Year 11
Business Studies attended an Enterprise Awareness Day,
in the PEC at Queen’s University.
When we arrived, we received a talk from a Belfast music
company called “OhYeah”. Their aim is to help new music
artists and other people within the music industry get started.
This was very interesting and something none of us had
heard of. They assisted Snow Patrol in their road to success.
“OhYeah” then held a competition. They asked
everyone to look under their seat to see if anything was there.
Jess Gray from our school found a blue envelope. When she
opened it she found she had won 2 tickets to go and see
Avril Lavigne in the Odyssey! After this a new band called
General Fiasco played some of their music. They were really
good and everyone said they were hoping their music would
come out soon!
After the talk, everyone was given a different coloured
badge. Each colour represented a different group. We were
mixed up into groups with different schools. At first I didn’t
TRIPS & OUTINGS
really like the idea, but once the activities started it was good
to chat and work with pupils outside of our own school.
The first zone the yellow group visited was Zone 4. This
was led by an organisation called Advantage. The first thing
we had to do at this zone was to shout out all the Mars
products we could think of. If we were able to name the
product they were thinking of, they gave us this product to
eat! After this, they asked us to invent a new Mars product.
We had to have a product name, a poster and marketing
slogan. Sophie and I joined up with three boys from RBAI
and made a product called ‘Mars Allsorts.’ Unfortunately
another group had a better idea and won an iPod. We did
however, really enjoy this activity.
We then went to zone 3 led by Young Enterprise NI.
Here we were given a bag with different materials inside it,
for example a kitchen role tube, card, wire mesh, plastic
tubes and a few other things. We were challenged to design
and make a new product using these items. The members of
the team who won this task were all given £10 HMV
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
… once the
activities
started it was
good to chat
and work with
pupils outside
of our own
school.
continued ➛
PAGE 35

Ardilea 2007/08
TRIPS & OUTINGS
Enterprise Awareness Day continued
vouchers. Sammy Jones from our school won a voucher.
At the next zone we heard a short speech from a man
called Douglas Stoddard who teaches first aid. He taught us
some vital first aid, which everyone thought was most
beneficial.
The last activity zone was another short speech, this
time it was given by a boy called Matthew Brown. He had
set up an organisation called MASIF (Movement Against
Sectarianism in Football) to try and make football fun for
everyone, regardless of their religion or ethnic background.
Everyone found it really interesting as he was only about a
year older than us.
PAGE 36 The Magazine of Belfast High School
The last zone we went to was a motivational guru, Billy
Dixon who taught us how to look more confident, increase
self esteem and how to impress in interviews. He was really
funny and his speech was very good. He also works with
many famous people including Premier League footballers,
prime ministers and presidents and gave us many of their
‘secret’ tips!
This Enterprise Awareness Day was a really good trip. It
was good fun and very valuable to our studies. I would like
to thank Mrs Millar for organising this very worthwhile day.
Sarah Clarke

In the diverse and ever changing world we live in today,
it’s important to know about all the different cultures,
places and faces we are ever more likely to encounter as
we grow up – especially in my generation. Therefore
when my year (Year 11) was given the opportunity to
take part in the citizenship focus day organised by Miss
Hayes, we were all eager to see what this new experience
would have in store for us.
We were glad to find that this day wouldn’t be full of
lectures on foreign politics and a lot of staring at the clock,
willing lunchtime to come quicker. We found ourselves
dancing with our friends to Colombian music as soon as we
got in the door, and having fun laughing at each other as we
tried to keep up.
The room was laid out into different stations, a station
per culture. For example, at one table there was Lithuanian
craft, while at another there was African drumming. After
TRIPS & OUTINGS
Year 11 Citizenship Focus Day
we finished a rendition of the ‘Cha Cha Slide’ we got into
groups and each of our groups headed off to a different
station. My group began with the privilege of learning about
a Colombian woman’s life, and she painted a very different
picture of Colombia than what I had expected. In the same
way that even our own country has been known mainly for
its violent past, the only thoughts of Colombia that we had
previously had were of guerrillas and danger. This woman
painted a picture of the Colombia she knew, full of luscious
green fields and friendly neighbours.
After a short time all the groups changed stations and
my group moved to find out all about China. We created
artwork through Chinese origami and had our names
written out for us in Chinese.
Next we headed to Lithuanian territory and created
paper art and learnt about the beauty of Lithuania.
Throughout the rest of the afternoon we were able to taste
a little of Japan, India and Zimbabwe. We noisily beat out
tunes on authentic African drums and we even had the
opportunity to have a henna tattoo carefully painted on our
arms. Everyone in the room enjoyed themselves thoroughly,
and when the bell rang we walked out with our artwork,
information and with smiles on our faces. However, most
importantly, we walked out of the Assembly hall with a
widened and in some cases completely different perspective
and an awareness of the different cultures in our world
today.
Jennifer Fisher
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 37

Ardilea 2007/08
TRIPS & OUTINGS
L6 Spanish Trip to Barcelona
This trip was of a small party but with excellent
memories. Most of Lower 6th Spanish headed off on
their ‘educational’ trip to Barcelona on 13th March
accompanied by Señor ‘calvo’ Muirhead and his lovely
wife, Señora Muirhead.
The first day was a slow one and consisted mostly of us
arriving in Barcelona, finding our quaint but pleasant hotel
in the heart the Ramblas and heading out for a light lunch
which was enjoyed by some and not by others (apparently
vegetable soup is quite different in Barcelona).
The next day we began our two day trip on the opentop
tourist bus that took us all around Barcelona. The first
day we saw a lot of the city’s architecture, mostly focusing on
Antonio Gaudí’s work. Later that day we took a trip on a
cable car over-looking Barcelona, Mr Muirhead later said
that to be his favourite part of the whole trip.
Day Three was a trip to the Sagrada Familia which I am
told was fantastic and then later on to the "Poble Espanol",
a quaint Spanish town where a bit of shopping was done
and everyone enjoyed it. That night was a memory of home
Foreign Language Poetry
TOUT LE MONDE EST DIFFÉRENT
Certaines personnes ont les cheveux blonds,
Certaines personnes ont les cheveux bruns,
Certaines personnes aiment la campagne,
Certaines personnes aiment la ville,
Certaines personnes ont les yeux bleus,
Certaines personnes ont les yeux verts,
Certaines personnes aiment être discrètes,
Ceraines personnes aiment êtres vues,
Tout le monde est différent!
PAGE 38 The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ciára et Rachel
with a dinner out to Pizza Hut; Mr Muirhead wasn’t too
pleased but it was much appreciated!
The fourth day was one of the best days I have ever
experienced! It was of course the long promised trip to Port
Aventura. Lots of rides, lots of sweets, hot weather,
rollercoasters, water rides and a wet David Muirhead later,
we were all exhausted and headed back to the hotel where we
found a McDonald’s.
Our final day in Barcelona was also St Patrick’s day so,
in respect of where we came from, we wore our Ireland shirts
and headed out to hit the Ramblas for some well needed
shopping all day and then we got home for a quick change
of clothes and went to a fantastic restaurant at the top of the
Ramblas where we all enjoyed interesting tapas (I ate squid!).
This was where we met Mr Muirhead’s friend who lived
there and he had led us to believe he was a well cultured
Spanish man, little did we know he was actually from
Dublin but had been living in Barcelona for a long time!
Overall though, everyone had a great time and would
love to come back.
Rachael Scott

TRIPS & OUTINGS
Lessons from Auschwitz Project
On Wednesday 9th April at 4.30am we set off for the
international airport, for the first stage of our journey to
Auschwitz. Here we were met by the rest of our group,
Group 7, and our group leader Mike Levey. Our flight
left at 9am and took around two hours to reach Krakow
airport.
The journey to Auschwitz from Krakow took around
an hour and a half, this gave us time to eat whilst taking in
the beautiful Polish scenery. Our first stop was Oswiecim
where we visited a Jewish memorial garden. This was filled
with grave stones, many were smashed and not in their
original places.
The next stop on our trip was Auschwitz I. This was the
location of the main barracks. We were escorted around the
camp by a Polish tour guide and she told us of many of the
horrors that occurred here. In several of the barracks there
were many displays which helped to conjure up an idea of
what life was actually like for the prisoners. In some of these
displays there were shoes, clothing, suitcases and even hair
of the prisoners! Many of the barracks contained cells that
were no bigger than a phone box. One of our stops was the
Death Wall, located between were experiments were carried
out on young girls and were many prisoners waited to die.
The wall had been destroyed but was rebuilt by people who
wanted to commemorate those who had died here.
We toured Auschwitz I for 2 hours, and after this it was
back to the coach for a short 10 minute drive to Auschwitz
II (Birkenau), the main extermination camp. It is here were
you can find the most famous feature of Auschwitz, the
railway track, and it was clear on arrival that this camp was
on a much larger scale than the previous one. Again we
visited many of the barracks, which were much older and
less well preserved. We were able to see the three storey high
bunks that prisoners were forced to sleep in. The most
striking thing about these barracks was that even though it
was 20° outside it was freezing inside. We were shown the
death barrack which were women were stripped of their
clothing and forced to wait with their small children to die.
We then proceeded down the 2 mile long railway track,
reliving the journey that the prisoners made on the way to
the gas chambers. At the end of the railway line were the
remnants of the gas chambers which were destroyed shortly
before the end of the war, in an attempt by the Nazis to
cover up what they had done. Then end stages of our tour
where probably the most memorable, due to the fact they
were the most hard hitting. We visited one final room which
was filled with pictures of the victims and their lives before
the Holocaust. This showed us that it is important to
remember that these people were not just victims of Nazi
cruelty but they were once just like us with jobs, families
and friends. After around an hour and a half of touring this
camp we attended a memorial service headed by Rabbi
Marcus. For both of us this was the most moving part of the
day, as along with the 240 others that were on the trip, we
listened to some readings and a prayer. Each individual was
then given a candle to light and place somewhere along the
railway track, everyone did so in silence. This walk was very
significant as all of us who visited Auschwitz that day were
able to leave freely whereas 60 years ago millions were not so
fortunate.
Chelsea Harwood and Jade Armstrong
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 39

Ardilea 2007/08
On Saturday
afternoon we
were given a
‘Dragon’s Den’
task in which we
had to sell a
product.
TRIPS & OUTINGS
Fin de semana español
From the 18th-20th April, we travelled once again to the
Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra for a
Spanish-filled weekend.
Just seven pupils from both L6 and U6 took part in the
trip, however we were determined that, despite being a small
group, we would not be defeated by the almighty whistle
(punishment for speaking English on the trip.) Apart from
a few mumbles here and there, and the occasional use of
Spanglish, we all thankfully managed to avoid the
humiliation of being made to say a Spanish tongue twister
on the spot.
Throughout the weekend, we took part in a number of
classes and had the opportunity to learn about the culture in
Latin America. To their surprise, even the language assistants
were given a taste of a different culture by seeing live Irish
Dancing from one of our very animated and enthusiastic
pupils, who shall of course remain anonymous. On Saturday
afternoon we were given a ‘Dragon’s Den’ task in which we
PAGE 40 The Magazine of Belfast High School
had to sell a product. The challenge proved more difficult for
some groups than others, but somehow even the inflatable
toilet pulled through victoriously.
On Saturday night, our language assistants led a Salsa
class, which was by no stretch easy, especially for the notso-coordinated,
however even Ms Cochrane had the moves
down to a tee in the end (though it may have been one year
later …!) The Salsa class also provided an opportunity for
getting to know the other pupils. A few pupils were far from
disappointed when they discovered that they had to dance
with the boys from St Malachy’s! We also were able to watch
two Spanish films during the weekend. Thankfully
Almodovar had moved on from his ‘shocking’ stage with
this year’s movies.
All of us would agree that the Spanish weekend this year
was fantastic and highly beneficial. We returned back home
saying Sí and Gracias to everything, worried we’d still get
reprimanded for speaking English!
Melissa Gallagher

Tayto Castle
Our trip began early in the morning, 9.15 to be precise.
We got on the bus ready to head to our destination, The
Tayto Factory in Tandragee. The bus journey was an
hour long, but this was not a bad thing, as we were
enjoying each other’s company.
We arrived at our destination and the first thing we saw
was a fairytale like castle. We entered through the gates and
went to sit down in the reception area. We heard a safety
talk from one of the tour guides. We got dressed into a blue
apron and hairnet. We were told a bit about the history of
Tayto. We listened carefully so that we could answer
TRIPS & OUTINGS
questions at the end of the tour and hopefully win some
bags of crisps.
Mr Tayto himself later joined us. Some pupils were
brave enough to get up and dance (while singing beautifully
– ‘Amarillo’) with Mr Tayto. After this we were sorted into
three groups and were each given a tour guide. One group
at a time, we entered into the unknown. We were greeted by
the smell of “country air” which we all loved so dearly! We
soon found out that this smell was just the potatoes and
water in the washing and sorting machine. This reassured
us all. Our tour guide showed us how the machines worked
and told us where they got the potatoes. We got the chance
to taste spiral crisps when they were just cooked. They were
warm and had an intense flavour.
We then moved on to where they were packaged. We all
won six packets of crisps each. We had to answer questions
about what we had seen and heard during our tour. At this
point we were all hyperactive until we got outside when we
found out that our bus had broken down. We had to wait
for two hours for a replacement bus to arrive. We sang to
entertain ourselves. When the bus finally arrived we got on
and ran to the back seats. We started up the music and had
a ‘rave’. Stuart Campbell (conductor), Rebecca Nelson
(drums), Rebecca Davidson, Stephanie McBride and Chloe
Smyth (ravers), Robyn Gallaher and Amy Kernaghan (lead
vocals). Laura Garland, Matthew Kelso and Hollie Lavery
provided the beats. Amy McClenaghan and Ryan Elliott
spent their journey listening to the Cheetah Girls, with some
of the most extraordinary dance moves known to man. All
in all this was a great trip and we would all like to thank Mrs
Lorimer and Mrs Anderson.
Robyn Gallaher, Rebecca Nelson and Amy Kernaghan
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
… we were all
hyperactive
until we got
outside when we
found out that
our bus had
broken down.
PAGE 41

Ardilea 2007/08
TRIPS & OUTINGS
Tollymore Mountain Centre
When the Year 9 hockey and netball teams went to
Tollymore for a weekend, it was one of the best
weekends of fun I have ever had, even though I was on
crutches!
23 girls and two teachers headed off in May for an
activity weekend in Tollymore Mountain Centre, Newcastle.
This being the school’s 7th visit here we were well aware of
the cosy log cabin style accommodation that we were going
to be staying in.
The teachers decided, as usual, that it was going to be
self catering, as working together in the kitchen adds to the
whole team building experience. We split up into groups
and served some delicious food – and always with a smile!
Friday night activities included a night trail through the
PAGE 42 The Magazine of Belfast High School
forest were some mean teachers soaked the pupils! Miss
Todd and Mrs Cosgrove! After many midnight feasts, girly
giggles and DVD watching we headed of to our bedrooms
for long chats into the wee small hours.
The best thing about going to Tollymore was canoeing.
My favourite part of the canoeing was doing the emergency
push off, it was really scary but when it was over you wanted
to do it again and again. I wasn’t able to do the bouldering
but it looked really good fun. There was so much to do, and
I would love to do it again.
On behalf of all the girls I would like to thank Mrs
Cosgrove, Miss Todd and the staff at Tollymore for a
fantastic experience, one we will never forget.
Amber McDonnell

On the 12th June, we got up excessively early (4.45am),
to fly to Birmingham, to attend the BBC Summer Good
Food Festival. We arrived at the airport at 7.00am and
waited anxiously for our teachers to arrive. Everyone was
excited.
We checked in and then made our way to get breakfast.
Our flight was called around 8.10am and we boarded the
plane with great excitement. One hour later we arrived in
Birmingham International Airport.
We arrived at the NEC by Monorail and got our day
passes for the Show. There was so much to eat, do and see.
The first taster was Carte D’Or ice cream. – yum yum! We
then separated into smaller groups to explore a wide variety
of exotic exhibitions. We tasted exquisite flavours and we
enjoyed experiencing different cultures and nationalities. We
tried a wide range of food and drink, from 100% pain hot
chilli sauce to a luxurious slice of chocolate pizza.
TRIPS & OUTINGS
BBC Summer Good Food Festival
We were also able to visit the Good Homes Exhibition
were we could see many products for the home, such as
beanbags and plants. There were also a variety of luxurious
mobile homes and garden sheds. Although we aren’t old
enough to purchase a mobile home we still had fun
exploring them.
While we were in Birmingham we bumped into a few
well-known faces, including Levi Roots (better know as the
Reggae Sauce Man from Dragon’s Den; Matt Kennard from
Doctors and not forgetting Gordon Ramsay).
After a long and eventful day we made our way back to
the airport (via monorail). Over dinner at Burger King we
shared stories with our class- mates about all we had seen
and done.
We all arrived home safely buzzing with too much
excitement to go to bed. We will never forget the moment
we met Gordon Ramsay.
Kelly Forsythe and Michelle Ker
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 43

Ardilea 2007/08 TRIPS & OUTINGS
Paris 2008
On the infamous date of Friday 13th June, ten brave
teachers and 82 Year 8 students jetted off to Paris for five
days. We gathered in the bus park at 5.30am on the
Friday morning where we boarded two coaches and
drove to Dublin airport where we boarded a Ryanair
flight to Beauvais, near Paris.
When we arrived in the French capital we were given a
guided tour of the city, seeing sights most of us had only
seen on television, such as the Eiffel Tower, the River Seine
and Notre Dame. We then travelled to a restaurant called
Flunch and received €8 vouchers in order to purchase a
lovely dinner. Afterwards we boarded a boat and enjoyed a
twilight cruise on the River Seine (how romantic.)
Exhausted after the travelling we headed to our hotel,
Campanile Chaville, and everyone one of us went straight to
sleep!
PAGE 44 The Magazine of Belfast High School
Breakfast was at 8:30am and there was a choice of
croissants, fruit, baguettes and much more! When our
stomachs were full we boarded the coaches and headed to
the Art de Triumph – it was huge! Then we walked down
the Champs Elysées and looked in many interesting shops.
We ate our lunch in the Tuileries Gardens and then had a
tour of the Stade de France, where all 82 of us got the chance
to run out the world famous tunnel. We then went shopping
in the Decathlon Sports store and saw some great things at
great prices. We dined at Flunch again and then went to the
Eiffel Tower. We took the lift to the second floor and then
got another lift to the top. The views were outstanding but
they made one boy sick! The sunset from the third floor
was beautiful and was admired by teachers and pupils
(especially Miss Moffet.) Then it was back to the hotel for
a good night’s sleep.
Breakfast was earlier than usual as we had to go to
Disneyland. It was really fun as there was lots of upside
down amazing rides. The best ride was Space Mountain as
you could get a fast pass so you didn’t have to queue.
Disneyland looked really pretty as it was all done up. My
favourite part was Fantasy land as it was all princesses and it
was pink. We had our dinner in a really fancy restaurant and
didn’t get home to 10:00pm. We were all very tired and went
up to bed and fell straight to sleep again!
The next day we visited the Val de Europe shopping
centre and almost everyone bought something. But the
highlight of the day had to be Aqua Boulevard, a large water
park with indoor and outdoor slides. Everyone enjoyed their
time there!
On the last day we went to Parc Astérix and this was
superb. The seven loop roller coaster was very popular with
the teachers and they managed to go on it an impressive
twelve times (of course they weren’t lying!)
The whole trip was excéllente and we owe a huge thankyou
to all the teachers who took us!
Chloe Carlin and Rachel Cooke

Breton Village Event
On Friday 20th June pupils and staff at Belfast High
School and in addition a large number of invited guests
had the opportunity to participate in our Breton Village
event. The village, which was our signature event to
mark the end of our first year as a Specialist School for
Languages, was indeed a huge success and was enjoyed
by all who attended.
Staff from various departments throughout the school
collaborated with members of the Modern Languages
Department to design the activities for the Primary School
children. Pupils from Belfast High School also worked hard
to prepare for the event and on the day ensured that all
TRIPS & OUTINGS
activities were carried out in the French language, as they
guided the primary pupils around the various areas of the
village. Visitors gained access to the village on production
of their Breton Village passport, and after some careful
questioning in French by the passport control officials
«Comment t’appelles-tu?» «Quel âge as-tu? » etc., visitors
had the opportunity to visit many typical tourist attractions
such as the bank, where they were able to change their
money to Euros and where on occasion they had to be
careful that they were not duped by bank officials.
Visitors would then visit the tourist office and request
information on Brittany; an art gallery, where they enjoyed
an art demonstration and had the opportunity to discover
their own work which was displayed on the wall; a café
where crêpes were in abundance; a Roman theatre, to enjoy
a polyglottal drama; and for those with a little energy to
spare, the town square was a must with Breton singing and
dancing for all to enjoy and experience for themselves.
Primary School pupils from eight of our partner
Primary Schools attended the event and were delighted to
have the opportunity to use the French which they had been
taught over the previous six weeks by visiting teachers from
Belfast High School.
The event was the culmination of a lot of hard work by
all involved and was indeed an event that we were all proud
to have taken part in. We are now looking forward in
anticipation to next year’s ‘encore’.
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 45

Ardilea 2007/08
CLUBS & SOCIETIES
Book Club (Year 8)
This is the second year the first form book club has been
running and it has been quite successful. The group
meets on Wednesday at lunchtime to read and discuss
the chosen novels. This year we have read two books,
which were called There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom by
Louis Sachar and Hold On by Alan Gibbons.
Book Club (Year 9)
Members: Lauren Burns, Lauren Cosgrove, Alex Costley,
Rachel Clyde, Leah Crooks, Catherine Fisher,
Melissa Gallagher, and Robyn Millar.
This year we read four books: The Secret Diary of Adrian
Mole Aged 13¾ by Sue Townsend; Stargirl by Jerry
Spinelli; Midnight by Jacqueline Wilson; Just In Case by
Meg Rosoff.
Our little group of eight meets every Monday
lunchtime in the Library to have lunch, read a bit of the
book, and have a chat as well!
After we finish reading each book, we discuss it, and
write a small review. Then we give the book a score. The
highest scoring book this year was Adrian Mole, with four
PAGE 46 The Magazine of Belfast High School
The group enjoyed the books and had a great time
competing against each other in quizzes and puzzles.
Thank you to everyone involved and we hope to see you
again next year.
Emma O’Neill, Laura Smyth and Shona Mulholland
stars out of five.
We enjoyed reading Adrian Mole, mostly because it gave
us an interesting insight into the mind of a teenage boy! (At
the moment our group consists of only girls, boys would be
very welcome!). We also liked the comedic way in which the
book was written. The fact that it is written in a diary form
means that you feel like Adrian is really talking to you.
The other books we read covered various other teenagerelated
themes. However the books discussed these themes
in very different ways, so we didn’t get bored!
We’ve really enjoyed our year as the Year 9 Book Club,
it has given us the chance to read some books we wouldn’t
have otherwise have read.

Book Club (Sixth Form)
Whether you do English or not I really recommend you
join the Book Club, especially if you are like me and
don’t have a chance to do English anymore, but miss it.
You get a month to read the assigned book. Finished or
not, we meet up and in a relaxed environment discuss it, no
scrutiny, no judgement. You say what you feel.
The Book Club is an exceptional way to read books you
never knew you would have enjoyed. You expand your
knowledge with books and authors, but most of all you just
have fun hanging out with your friends, talking, getting to
see other peoples’ perspective of a passage, and finding
hidden depths you yourself might never have realised.
Most of the time it’s just us pupils talking, with Mr.
Bleakley helping us expand what we say, and even if you
have nothing to say that’s fine too as you get to listen to some
great opinions.
Overall you get to read some excellent books (if you
think the book’s rubbish feel free to harass Mr. Bleakley!),
relax and just have a laugh.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt is simply a fantastic
book. While you would think a murder mystery where you
know the murderers would be pointless.
You’re instantly grabbed by the inner sanctum of classics
students our protagonist is trying to assimilate himself into,
while seeming so together they are actually on the verge of
collapse.
While telling us this story, Tartt successfully integrates
themes such as society’s transition through time and whether
it is possible or even moral to maintain the ideals of the past.
Tartt also gets us to wonder if our personal justice can
take precedence over society’s justice.
A satisfying read, while appearing to be a simple murder
mystery, The Secret History becomes a modern tragedy, a
classic and psychological thriller.
Stefan Pauley
During Book Club this year, I found myself reading
novels that I never would have chosen to read before. I
suddenly expanding my range of literature and exploring
the writings and imaginations of authors that I probably
would not have picked up and read before.
I enjoyed reading all the books that were set and found
it difficult to choose my favourite one. My first thought was
Jane Eyre (Brontë) an instant classic, however I have decided
between two books as my favourite; The Secret History by
Donna Tartt and Special Topics in Calamity Physics, by
Marisha Pessl. I have chosen these two for the simple reason
that they are quite unlike any books that I have ever read
before.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt surprised me by how
much I liked it. The story of university students studying
Greek, with knowledge of the ancient world so unusual,
ends up in a catastrophic series of events involving murder,
CLUBS & SOCIETIES
betrayal and a lot of secrets. When I had finished the book,
it left me with a lingering sense of unease, and I was unsure
as to why this was. It was a highly original storyline with
many twists and turns and I enjoyed reading it.
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl, I
found was also incredibly different, not just in the storyline
but also in the writing style itself. The main plot is about
‘Blue Von Meer,’ who travels constantly with her father (a
university lecturer) who stumbles upon one of her teachers
hanging dead by an electrical chord. Dedicating herself to
solving this mysterious suicide, she unravels many
astounding truths. What I particularly liked about this book
was the level of intellectuality with which Pessl wrote. She
clearly has a wide knowledge which is impressive and adds
a certain unique element to the book which no other author
can claim.
I would recommend both these titles to anyone looking
for the proverbial ‘Good read’!
Lynsey Fryers
I couldn’t choose one book to report on, because I really
enjoyed all of them, because I could relate to most of the
books, apart from Hannibal, obviously.
I like reading classic novels, so starting off with Jane Eyre
was great, and rather romantic and bitter at the same time.
I was able to understand why On the Road was a cult classic
and Hannibal was truly terrifying, yet it was still incredibly
enjoyable to read.
I’m still undecided about which book was my favourite,
but it must be a choice between The Secret History and The
Perks of Being a Wallflower. Both were about students dealing
with life in slightly different ways from the normal student.
Each chapter in The Secret History was so enjoyable, and this
helps keep you reading into the small hours of the morning.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower teaches you that being
observant can be a good thing and a bad thing, and it was a
very charming and touching book.
Hannah Williamson
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 47

Ardilea 2007/08
CLUBS & SOCIETIES
Animal House
Being a member of the Animal House is not all about sweeping the floor, cleaning out cages and emptying litter trays,
it is also about caring for the animals.
At lunchtimes we play with the animals inside or outside and in the holidays we sometimes have the opportunity to take
them home. We have a giant rabbit called Danny, a dwarf hamster named Chip, two guinea pigs called Chocolate and
Toffee and the Year 8 pupils have renamed the two degus Butters and Charlie.
Danny gets pleasure from being taken outside on his lead, though he does not like direct sunlight so he usually finds a
shaded place to sit down. The degus are extremely mobile and you must make sure you do not let them outside as they would
be out of your hands in a flash! Chocolate are Toffee are always together and they, along with Chip, are really cute.
Sarah Jane Gourley, Helen Haliday and Anna Haley
Astrogazers
We meet in Room 4 during the Winter and Spring terms
at lunchtime on a Monday. We play online games,
especially the ones on the NASA kids’ site.
Sometimes we even learn about planets, stars and
constellations! There are lots of useful websites to use, where
we get information about the night skies and news. We
entered the Space Experiment competition at the British
National Space Centre but we don’t know how we did yet.
We had to think up experiments and reasons for
experiments in space. Here’s what some of out members
suggested for the competition:
Do fabrics deteriorate in space? Astronauts wear
clothing for different amounts of time and compare
with the same on earth (Philip Nesbitt)
Chess Club
The year began with an influx of many, very enthusiastic
members of Year 8. The mention of House Point
rewards increased the number of members.
Three years after the inauguration of the Club, it was
limited to Year 8 only due to the vast numbers. We met once
a week, every Tuesday in the warm comfort of the Library.
The excitement and enthusiasm increased at the mention
of a Chess Tournament involving 16 players.
After a number of days’ hard graft and organisation, the
draw-sheet was drawn at random and play began in the
Library, spanning more than a week. The matches were
closely watched by the eagle-eyes of myself, Mr Beattie and
Brian Ewing. Tears and frustration occurred a number of
times amongst some players en route to the final. The
matches were very exciting and resulted in Johnston
Crothers being pitted against Owen Heaney in the Final.
A number of people attended during the course of the
match and a moment of shock arose on hearing the end of
lunch bell! However, thanks to the decision of Mrs
PAGE 48 The Magazine of Belfast High School
Can food be microwaved in space? (Paul McGuckin)
Can you get dirty in space? (Samuel McNair)
How long would lightbulbs last in space? (Owen
Heaney)
Are pain levels any different in space? (Connor Reid)
Do oil and water mix in space? (Jonathan Greer)
Astrogazers is good for meeting like minded people. It’s good
to play together on the interactive whiteboard. Sarah Cooper
and Jonathan Greer are pretty expert at the Dr Who games.
If you are Year 8 or 9 you are welcome to our club.
Astrogazers’ Committee
Gormley, the match was allowed to be continued until the
end. The two very determined players continued until the
fatal Checkmate came from Johnston who had seen Owen
off. All players were rewarded with a certificate, sweets,
House Points and a badge. Johnston was rewarded with a
book token, and Owen, an Easter egg.
‘I felt absolutely shocked! I thought Owen would beat
me, as he was annihilating me throughout the entire game,
and during Club meetings!’ commented Johnston.
Sadly after the Tournament, numbers deteriorated
partly due to the good weather returning (part-time of
course).
Chess Club this year has been a great success and I hope
it will continue to be a success in the future.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs
McFaul, Mrs Lowry, Mr Beattie, Brian Ewing and Jourdan
McManus for their continued help, support and hard work
throughout the course of the year.
Colin Taplin

Community Service
Last year’s total: £15,000
We started our first meeting of this school year with the
annual elections of the Committee Members and Year
Representatives. We had a large turn out this year with a
range of members from Year 8 to U6. The results were as
follows:
Chairperson: Jenny Ruddy
Deputy Chairpersons: Emily Beever
Rachel Brown
Secretary: Christy Hunter
Assistant Secretaries: Jordan Wilson
Joanna Callender
Treasurers: Fiona Young
Claire Ferguson
Publicity Officers: Cheryl McNeill
Leah Gamble
CLUBS & SOCIETIES
The Community Services Group had a great turnout this
year, with over 100 pupils from Year 8 to U6 wanting to be
involved with the group and the charities which we support.
In the first month the committee decided which
charities we would support over the coming year, with
money being collected at bi-monthly Year Assemblies.
Although we chose to continue to support charities from
last year such as Macmillan Cancer Support and Breast
Cancer Awareness, we also chose to support some more local
charities, including Abaana, a charity based in Bangor.
Our first event on our calendar was the Wings Appeal.
This generates the vital funds needed to facilitate Welfare
Support for those members of RAF Families in need.
October was a busy month for the Community Services
group. A meeting was held for all members to promote the
Shoebox Appeal for Samaritan’s Purse and the Fast for
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
continued ➛
PAGE 49

Ardilea 2007/08 CLUBS & SOCIETIES
Community Service continued
Concern in Africa. We were pleased to see a great turnout
of members and enthusiasm shown towards these causes.
Operation Christmas Child is the world's largest
children’s Christmas project. Since 1990 the project has
brought the joy of Christmas to more than 47 million boys
and girls throughout the world. Last year 1.24 million shoe
boxes were sent from the UK to children in hospitals,
orphanages, Internally Displaced Persons camps, homeless
shelters and impoverished neighbourhoods. As in previous
years, some pupils contributed time and money in to
making shoeboxes. Well done to 9P who, alone, made 29
shoeboxes with the help of their form teacher Miss Todd
and prefects Linzi Cosgrove and Claire Ferguson. The
Community Services Group was glad to see more senior
pupils get involved with this project than in previous years.
Thank you to everyone who has helped in some way with
this great cause.
We also held our annual Jeans for Genes day. Pupils
were allowed to pay £1 to wear their jeans with school wear
on top on 5th October. Jeans for Genes raises funds for
research into serious genetic disorders affecting thousands
of children such as cystic fibrosis, hemophilia and sickle cell.
Funds also provide laboratory equipment and facilities, as
well as valuable advice and support for families. The school
raised £830 and hopefully we can improve upon this next
year!
The Community Services group would like to say well
done to Mathias Law in Year 10 for raising £50 for
Macmillan Cancer by getting his hair cut and donating his
hair to making a wig.
October was also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and
we raised money in a number of ways. The Community
Services group provided tea and coffee at our school
production of Grease, where members of the committee,
sixth form and pupils of Year 11 dressed up as ‘pink ladies’
to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness. A total of
£400.17 was raised. Painting of one nail also took place at
the Grease show and during lunch at school to represent the
fact that 1 in 10 women has breast cancer, and a total of
£88.77 was raised from this.
On 16th November we held our annual Charity day.
As in previous years, pupils were generous and raised a total
of £2,414.25 through a number of events during the day.
Pupils paid £1.50 to wear non-uniform, this proved to be
very successful raising £1,350.42 alone. Tickets to the
School Talent Show were sold for £1 which raised £952.52.
A Battle of the Bands competition also took place, raising
£952.52. From the money raised £1000 was sent to
Children In Need. The rest of the money contributed to
other charity events throughout the year. A big Thanks to
all teachers and pupils who took part, organised and donated
towards the day.
Also in November, members of the community services
group and the Committee took part in the Fast for Concern.
This involved fasting for 24 hours and members pledged
to raise a minimum of £20. Thank you to all who took part
and donated. We raised a total of £1063.18
PAGE 50 The Magazine of Belfast High School
In December, our collection for hampers began. Many
pupils gave £1 towards the hampers and many luxurious
items were bought with their donation to make great
Christmas Gifts for some of the elderly in Greenisland,
Carrickfergus, Newtownabbey and Jordanstown. Pupils
from Year 8 and U6 generously helped the committee
members to pack the hampers with items such as Christmas
crackers and Christmas puddings. During the last week of
term, committee members were given the chance to deliver
the hampers to the elderly. The grateful chats and numerous
offers of cups of tea were the highlights of the day, and the
abundance of thank-you cards we received from recipients
was amazing and shows their absolute appreciation of this
gesture.
On 11th February pupils took part in a Sponsored
Hush, 35 minutes of silence for MacMillan Cancer support.
We raised £1555.50. During this month Year 8 also took
part in the sponsored hip-hop session raising £462.90 for
Childline. Well done!
On May Day many pupils took part in the Belfast
Marathon. 28 pupils participated in the Fun Run as well as
4 relay teams from U6 and L6, and 4 pupils walked the
whole marathon. Five adults also took part in the half
marathon walk, including Mr Warke and Mrs Nelson. The
school did this in aid of Macmillan Cancer support and we
hope that we can raise a lot of money for this great cause,
£1326.60 has been raised so far.
The Community Services also sponsored Iain Galbraith
in Year 14 for climbing Ben Nevis in aid of the Ulster
Cancer foundation, a donation of £300 was made to this
great cause.
Monies Raised 2007-08
Opening Balance 516.29
Macmillan Cancer 5136.50
Jeans for Genes 830.00
Breast Cancer Awareness 500.00
Children in Need 1000.00
Hampers for Elderly 843.82
Concern (Fast) 1063.18
NSPCC (Hip-Hip from 1) 462.90
Downs Syndrome Association 50.00
Ulster Cancer Foundation 500.00
Age Concern 200.00
N.I. Childrens’ Hospice 200.00
Motor Neurone Disease 200.00
Action Cancer 200.00
MS Action Group 200.00
NIMBA 200.00
Save the Children 200.00
Mark Chuungwe 477.93
Shoeboxes 532.00
Marathon Entry Fee 680.00
Total amount donated 2007/08 13,467.33
Jenny Ruddy and Rachel Brown

Sun, Marsh and Blisters
It all started on an average morning, cold but not too
cold, sunny but not warm. I remember thinking it was
not raining but then remember that in Northern Ireland
that meant it was going to rain later. As we sped though
the windy roads of the Antrim hills, the bus’s
speedometer was maxed out at an incredible 40mph
which feels like warp five in a tin lunch box with wheels,
but we arrived on time with only minimal injuries.
When we reached our start point we departed on a
tough 3-day trek through the bog lands of the Antrim Hills
while the teachers departed to their beautiful all expenses
paid B&B situated in the beautiful Antrim hills with the
lush forest land as the back drop. Spa and leisure facilities
were all included. Sounds too good to be true, and they say
being a teacher is a hard job!
As the two groups set off in different directions spirits
were high and our particular group began to sing such
walking classics as “I would walk 500 miles” and “Take these
broken wings” all of which are available on a special two disc
DVD set entitled “Belfast High Sing the Hits” featuring
commentary from the musical director, David Sloan. But as
we began to go up hill many voices pattered out leaving only
me singing power ballads to myself in, may I add a terrible
singing voice. Birds were dropping out of the sky as they
flew past me, lambs were jumping off cliffs, trees were
withering up and dying all because I have such as angelic
voice. Ironically our project was on Man’s Effect on Nature
and we quickly found out what my effect was. But we kept
plodding on and after a quick stop at the forest park
souvenir shop we headed off on the last leg of our first day.
When we arrived we were the first gold group to get to
camp. The other group arrived slightly later (slightly later in
this case meaning one hour later). Both groups felt very tired
and proceeded to cook something and go to bed. I
remember the water from the nearby river was of the highest
quality with a very appealing green tinge. We all agreed for
CLUBS & SOCIETIES
the sake of wanting to remain alive for the rest the walk that
we should not drink the lovely water but only drink small
sips of our clean stuff. In regards to sleeping we all slept well
except that the area of exposed skin around my mouth
(which was uncovered by the sleeping bag for breathing
purposes) was very cold all night but that didn’t stop me
from getting a solid 7 hours.
In the morning we left half an hour early as one large
group as our routes were the same for half the day. When the
group split we made good time and arrived at our lunch stop
early. The rest of my group had lots of nice food for lunch
while I resorted to eating a bag of the blandest, coldest,
boiled rice ever with cold Tesco Value pasta sauce over it. It’s
not a lunch I will easily forget. We continued on and the
other group caught us up and we then proceeded to descent
a near vertical mountainside covered in trees which didn’t
happen to be on our map. Our second camp site was at the
bottom of this face so that spurred us on, blisters and all, to
get to our campsite. Needless to say everybody slept very
well and, by this point, we were all looking forward to our
own beds at home.
The final day was, please excuse the pun, a ‘walk in the
park’. We followed a concrete track all the way from our
campsite to the main road, where we were picked up by the
Belfast High lunch box and taken home. Spirits were again
high on the bus and the banter from two highly spirited
individuals began to amuse at first but then annoy the other
pupils.
All in all this account makes it out that Duke of
Edinburgh is a terrible experience full of pain, cold and bad
food. But the truth is that that is exactly true but we would
not miss it for anything. At the time you feel tired and ready
for home, but when you get home you want to go back. I
would definitely recommend that any younger pupils
seriously consider doing the Award as there is so much to
gain from it.
Ryan Spence
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
Duke of
Edinburgh
Gold
PAGE 51

Ardilea 2007/08 CLUBS & SOCIETIES
Duke of
Edinburgh
Gold
Going for Gold
One cloudy Wednesday, a little group of five met outside
the Outside Gym at the crack of dawn, rucksacks
packed, boots on and ready to set off on what promised
to be a challenging four days… they had no idea! In our
group we had Robert Brown, Gareth Ritchie, Mandy
Wright, Nikki Robinson, and Iain Galbraith. We all got
on the minibus, and spirits were high as we set off
towards the misty Mournes. Ahead of us lay four days in
the hills, walking a route of around 85km over and
around anything that lay in our way! All was good until
we came to the conclusion that Bobby had forgotten his
sleeping mat! At the thought of listening to four days of
moaning about sleeping on rocks (only joking), we
organized a detour, and minutes later we were on our
way. Again.
We arrived at the Donard car park only a little late, and
met up with our external assessor, a Mr Anderson.
Unfortunately, although he was wearing glasses this Mr
Anderson was not the one from the matrix, much to Bobby’s
disappointment! We had to be awkward straight away, and
asked if we could cut out a little of our route, as we had
planned to climb Slieve Donard, and while this was a great
idea at the time in a nice warm class room, when we though
about a 3000ft climb at 9 in the morning, it wasn’t such a
great idea! He was very nice, and actually suggested that we
cut it out! At 9.30am we set off on our merry way! Morale
was high and we made good progress! Today was only a tiny
23km, the same as a normal Bronze expedition, which
would normally take two days!
Half way up to the “saddle” at the side of Donard, a nice
man in a red coat stopped us for a chat, and told us some
very… useful… information about a pipe coming out the
side of a mountain 25miles away, and if we needed water,
that was the place to go. With that in mind, we carried on!
Gareth then made the discovery of a lifetime, finding a large
stick, which would become his beloved companion for the
next few days, even to the extent of him waking up in the
middle of the night and bringing it into his tent incase some
one stole it! The next few hours’ walking passed without
any incident, until, when looking out over the beautiful June
Northern Irish countryside, we saw rain of apocalyptic
proportions heading our way, we decided maybe it was time
for waterproofs. At around 11am, it rained… lots. We
headed on down then out of the mountains, and into the
edge of civilization, with this section of the route being
described as ‘follow lane and take first track on right’. We
did, and instead of the first track on the right leading to a
nice road, it took us off into a field, about 500m too far
downhill of where the path should have been! Eventually we
decided that the ‘first track on the right’ was on the map,
but wasn’t there in real life. So we started the satisfying task
of going to where we knew the road would be. This involved
climbing about 9ft high stone walls, and a handful of gates.
PAGE 52 The Magazine of Belfast High School
Which was made even more fun by the rain, soggy grass,
and having to carry everything we needed to keep us alive for
the next four days on our backs! Eventually we made it to
the road, and carried on, a brief dander through a forest,
and back out again, along a never ending road, and we were
at our ‘campsite’. On paper it was a nice flat area beside a
lovely flowing river. In practice, the flowing river was nearly
dry, and was at the bottom of a 30ft drop, and the flat
ground was scattered with rocks, holes, bushes and some
other stuff, provided by the sheep! Eventually we found a
nice, flattish area to camp, and although there was no river
to wash dishes and get drinking water out of, we were forced
to set up camp. By this stage it was nearly 8pm, and ten and
a half hours of walking, eight of which had been in the rain
had taken their toll on morale, and we all headed for a early
night, mine and Nikki’s being interrupted by sleeping on
rather uncomfortable rocks!
The next day, Thursday, we woke to sunshine, and after
drying our wet stuff on the wall, we headed off an hour early
with the promise of ice cream and sweets in the shop at
Silent Valley reservoir. We arrived soon after to find that the
shop only opened at weekends, and there would be no
sweets for us! Gareth was in pieces. We then found the
toilets were open in the Visitor Centre and managed to wash
dishes, and dry out some stuff using the hand dryers! We
talked to the security guards who let us into the restricted
area of the buildings to fill up our water bottles, at, wait for
it, a proper sink and tap! Soon after we set off, and thought
Next time we’re here, we’ll be finished! We made good
progress, and met up with the teachers and assessor on the
road at the other side of Silent Valley. We showed them
where we were off to next, and the assessor was very excited
about Gareth’s lovely map. We later discovered he had the
same one. So, our plan was now to walk down a road, up a
track and over a hill to our next camp. All went well until we
got to the track, where a farmer was moving around some
cow excrement with his rusty tractor. After walking through
the gate to the track the farmer stopped his tractor, opened
the door, and told us (with certain words removed for the
younger audiences) to “Get off his land, you have no
business being there, go away.” So we did, and after a quick
call to the teachers and a visit form the assessor, we decided
on a new route up a road, and over a new, slightly higher
mountain! This nice little detour added in about an hour’s
extra walking, and all because a farmer wouldn’t let us walk
five minutes up a track! The long slog up the road took its
toll on energy, feet, and morale, with Mandy having a very
large blister burst on her foot! Gathering up every ounce of
strength we had we carried on. Gareth however was immune
to blisters, and tiredness, a quality which we later decided
had to do with the mystical powers that the stick he had
seemed to have! A few hours later we had made it over
pigeon rock, and were on the home stretch to the camp site.

We arrived at 8.30pm, after only eleven and a half hours’
walking that day! We were soon approached by a
photographer who wanted to take a photo of our tents and
us for a leaflet. This camp site was much more comfortable,
and after our photo shoot, we were quickly settled in and off
to bed by 11pm.
The next day was Friday, and knowing now that we
were over half way through, with our shortest day ahead,
and the sun still shining, morale was high and we covered
the ground quickly. We went back up over the last half of
our route form the previous day and over pigeon rock the
other way to the road, then along the road to a track. Here
we stopped for a break, where after some light-hearted
banter Bobby threw Gareth’s stick away. Gareth cried for
days, but eventually he walked the ten feet and got it back!
With stick in hand and lunch in stomachs we carried on,
and soon were at Trassey track and on our way to the
campsite for the third night! We arrived around 6.30pm at
Meelmore Lodge, a proper campsite with toilets, taps,
showers, the Bronze group from BHS and even a shop that
promised to be open the next day! We were very comfortable
here, and after a visit from the teacher and the assessor we
settled down to be eaten by midges. We talked to Mr
Anderson about the next day and asked if we could again
shorten our route slightly as Mandy was had to be finished
by 5pm to go for a flight to England to watch the Moto GP.
We decided on cutting quite a large section, and he admitted
we had had a very tough walk already, and with the
throbbing of countless blisters, aching joints and sunburn,
we were all inclined to agree! We talked on for a while, and
after a little snack we headed off to bed early.
The next day we were woken rudely at 4.30am to a
cloudy sky by a flock of crows that had decided that they
would all start to craw in unison as soon as the sun came
up! We had another few hours’ unsettled sleep, and got up
at 6.30am. We packed up camp, and headed off at 8am.
Gareth was again inconsolable as the shop at Meelmore
didn’t open until 9am! We set off early and made very good
time. An hour after leaving camp, the rain started, and did
it start! Our route today took us up a ridge called Hare’s
Gap and then down into the top of Ben Crom reservoir,
which led to our finish at Silent Valley. Hare’s Gap is a tough
climb at the best of times, but in what we guess were nearly
50mph winds and horizontal rain, this was on the verge of
impossible, but we made it, somehow, and sheltered behind
the wall at the top to rest and get back a little energy. We
eventually got up and pressed on. The wind on the
unsheltered side made it hard to even stand, but it was easier
to go on than go back, and so we did. We made very fast
progress, as there was no incentive to stop for breaks to get
cold and soaked, and before we knew it we were at the top
of Ben Crom reservoir, where we met a group of Scottish
walkers, who were convinced it was a nice enough day for a
CLUBS & SOCIETIES
nice recreational walk! After a brief stop to eat what food we
had left, we carried on down the road and quickly made
Silent Valley, arriving at 1pm, instead of the expected 3pm!
Here we found the shop was open, and all welcomed a nice
warm sausage roll! We met up in the car park with Mr
Anderson who congratulated us on finishing the expedition,
and wished us well. The teachers had just left Silent Valley
as we had arrived to go and see off the Bronze in Newcastle,
so we had to wait in the rain for their return! They came
around 3.30pm, and we gladly got in the mini bus. After
four days of hard walking getting our feet onto the step into
the bus was easier said than done! We then headed into
Newcastle where we welcomed fish and chips with lashings
of salt and vinegar, with open arms! We then headed back
into the mountains and picked up the other Gold group,
who after starting two days after us had chosen to pull out
due the terrible weather conditions that day, and that were
expected for the next few! After an hour or so we were back
into school and on our way home to a warm bath!
The Gold Duke of Edinburgh is a great experience, but
is definitely not for the faint of heart. I am sitting writing
this, listening to the rain hammering outside, my feet are
still bandaged, and my joints are all still sore, but, if you gave
me the choice I would do it again, just give me a week or
three to recover from this one! It tested all of us to our
physical and mental limits, and I’m glad to say I’m back in
one piece! I would definitely recommend Duke of
Edinburgh to anyone in the junior school who is thinking
about doing it, and even if you only go to Bronze level, I
guarantee you will learn so much when you do it, and you
will get so many happy memories that you can carry with
you for the rest of your life! It is a great example that
sometimes, it’s the experiences, not the achievements that
really make you who you are. Doing Duke of Edinburgh is
definitely one of the best experiences of my life, and I would
gladly go back and do it all again!
Iain Galbraith
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 53

Ardilea 2007/08 CLUBS & SOCIETIES
Duke of
Edinburgh
Silver
Duke of Edinburgh (Silver) Expedition
So there we were: 10 o’clock on a Sunday morning when
we should all be in bed, sitting at the back of the coach,
asking around for matchsticks with which to prop open
our eyelids. And we need not mention Aimée’s eyelids,
covered in silver eyeliner … for a trip in the Antrim
hills?! Well, it did look most attractive teamed with her
Fred Perry jumper.
After the usual ‘You’re representing the school; no drink;
no smoking; single sex tents only; waterfalls are not water
rides; come back alive etc.,’ we set off along the Shore Road,
starting up the cheesy music which everyone loves, whether
openly or not. After an hour’s journey and a less-thanbeautiful
rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody, we arrived at a
nice little Y-junction in the middle of, well, nowhere. We
got chucked off the bus, along with our rucksacks. And next
thing we knew, the coach was a tiny speck upon the horizon.
So off we went!
Having split up with the other groups, we were now on
our own. One hour and several marshes later, we were at the
top of Slievenanee! Out came the sausages, chocolate, sweets
and crisps, which we munched on merrily, while trying to
avoid being swept off into yonder countryside by the fierce
wind. It was now time to put our map skills to the test.
Daniel and Kathryn led the trusting group down what was
supposedly the south east side of Slievenanee. A while longer
walking, and lo and behold! A sheep stuck in a ditch! It
appeared to have been there for quite some time, so much
so that its wool had become ‘one with the vegetation’ around
it. How easy it would have been to go along our merry way
and forget the sheep in the ditch but Emma and Gillian
were adamant that it should not be left to die.
After a short debate, the exciting prospect of mutton for
dinner and joined in with ‘Mission: Rescue Sheep’. It must
be said, Orla’s idea was most promising: she lifted a stick
and put it in the sheep’s mouth, hoping to pull the other
end of the stick, hence freeing the sheep. Needless to say this
did not work! So Gillian grabbed one of its horns, Orla
grabbed the other, and they pulled, while the other girls
went into hysterics, and Daniel began to sing to the sheep.
I’m sure it greatly appreciated his graceful voice as he sang
Stuck in the Middle with You. It was hopeless (probably
because Gillian and Orla were pulling the sheep apart, as
opposed to upwards…) So we were forced to leave ‘Rosie’
behind.
But Emma had a plan! Several phone calls later and she
was chatting to the sheep’s farmer, but not having a notion
PAGE 54 The Magazine of Belfast High School
what he was saying. So Gillian took over and tried to convey
to the farmer the whereabouts of his dear sheep – difficult,
considering we barely knew we were. So, with Orla having
put her foot down and having told the farmer we were ‘on
a tight schedule’ and ‘simply could not go all the way back
up the mountain in order to show him where his sheep was’,
we were on our way once again and had soon skirted round
the next hill (which we were supposed to go over…)
And the rest of the trip went without a hitch!
The End!…
I wish! Poor Gillian wrecked a muscle and was incapable
of carrying her bag. The ideal, of course, would have been
to call a teacher and get them to come and whisk the injured
one away. But alas! The downfall of the wonderful
invention of the mobile communication device: no signal
in Glenariff Forest Park. However, fear not! For, with our
amazing teamwork skills, we made it! Taking turns carrying
two bags and running ahead with Gillian’s bag before
coming back for our own, yes, we made it! For the final
stretch approaching the campsite and the other groups,
Daniel carried Gillian’s rucksack and his own, refusing the
help of any other team member, wanting to appear macho
and manly and strong upon arriving at the campsite. There
was nothing for it but to just let him delude himself!
We had a wonderful evening, falling into rivers (Orla),
eating Supernoodles with essence of camping stove fuel
(Kathryn) and keeping everyone awake with High School
Musical songs (Daniel). After a sleepless night we were ready
to set off at 8.30 on the dot, as planned… albeit shivering
and still half asleep. Well, all of us except Daniel (he had to
make sure his hair was sitting just right!) and Gillian, who
was nowhere to be found when we went over to her tent in
the morning. We think she may have been eaten by a
werewolf, or possibly by Emma (oh yes, or else she was just
too injured to go on… but that doesn’t add to the story in
quite the same way.)
So anyway, the second day wasn’t too crazy, bar the
occasional twisted ankle and fall into a knee-high marsh.
(Both these things happened to each of us. Several times.)
We walked the final couple of miles with Aimée singing her
all-time favourite: George Michael; and with Daniel
‘shooting’ everyone with his ‘gun’ – it’s amazing the fun you
can have with a branch of a tree when you’re sleep deprived
and feel as though your legs are about to fall off…
And we all lived to tell the tale! Rather impressive, if I
do say so myself!
Kathryn, Orla, Gillian, Emma, Aimee, Daniel

CLUBS & SOCIETIES
Dramatic Society – Grease 2007
Excitement and nerves.
Those are the two main feelings I remember as I walked
into the school foyer on a sunny day in June. Those of us
who were in senior school had just finished our GCSEs or
AS Levels, our holidays had just begun, and on any other
day we would certainly not have been in school … So why
were we there? Well, as I said, I felt nervous and excited.
Excited, because I was being given the opportunity to play
every girl’s dream role, Sandy, in Grease (if you say it’s not, I
know you’re lying), and nervous because today was our first
read-through!
After a few nervous attempts at an American accent,
many fluffed lines, and a lot of laughing, we got down to
business and started really practising for the show. This was
the first of many practices and with only 9 school weeks
before opening night, we were all feeling the pressure!
Learning dance steps, lines, cues, getting comic timing
right, working with props (Tony + Greased Lightnin’/the
lawnmower = not a good combination!), sorting out
costumes, learning to sing and dance at the same time … all
of these things were totally new to all of us as a cast, and so
we had a big challenge ahead of us. And it can’t be denied
that there were evenings when we went home after a long
practice, feeling totally disheartened and wondering “Are we
going to actually pull this off?” But as the weeks went on,
we found ourselves improving and really getting into our
roles. With plenty of encouragement and direction from
several brilliant members of staff (Dr Bailie, Miss Watters,
Mrs Davison, Mr Cairns, Mrs Cosgrove, and Mrs McFaul),
we started to feel ready for the big show.
With practices at least 3 days a week, and on Saturdays,
it was easy to start feeling a bit “Grease-d out”, but I think
it really started to get exciting for us a couple of weeks before
the show when everything really started to come together.
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
continued ➛
PAGE 55

Ardilea 2007/08 CLUBS & SOCIETIES
Grease 2007 continued
The costumes were ready, the props were in place, the stage
was set, the programmes were printed, we knew our script
and our steps inside out and back to front- we were raring
to go!
Sure enough, the big night rolled around very quickly.
We’d hopefully got rid of any first show jitters during the
primary school performance, and all we could do now was
hope, and do our best… And we did it! All three nights were
a success, not one cast member put a foot wrong, the lines
were perfect (mostly!) and we welcomed deafening applause
in the finale every night. After many, many weeks’ hard
PAGE 56 The Magazine of Belfast High School

CLUBS & SOCIETIES
work, we could all sit back, look at what we’d done and feel
very, very proud.
Looking back on it now, I can honestly say that I am so
glad that I swallowed my nerves on audition day in March
and got up on that stage, because if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be
sitting here now, telling you about how being in Grease was
probably the best thing I did in my whole school career.
Catherine Fisher
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 57

Ardilea 2007/08 CLUBS & SOCIETIES
Library News
We have had an eventful year in the Library starting in
November with our annual Book Fair. This coincided
with a visit from Eleanor Updale – the author of the
Montmorency books. Eleanor spoke to Year 9 pupils
about her books and then answered questions from the
audience. She finished the session by autographing
copies of her books. For many pupils this was their first
meeting with a real live author and everyone enjoyed the
experience. Thanks to Scholastic Book Fairs for
sponsoring this event.
In February we welcomed Valerie Nicholson from
NEELB who held a Manga workshop in the Library for 10P.
Despite moans from pupils about not being able to draw,
each comic produced was of a very high standard.
In March Chelley McLear, a performance poet, visited
school and held workshops with Year10 pupils. Chelley
talked about and performed some of her own poetry. Then
the pupils in small groups composed and performed their
poetry. Such a variety of subjects! It was great to see pupils
so enthusiastic about poetry.
At various times throughout the year we have had
storytelling sessions in the Library in German, French and
Spanish. These have been organised by U6 pupils. Junior
pupils have enjoyed these sessions and not just because they
get a sticker!
PAGE 58 The Magazine of Belfast High School
The Library Reading Groups have continued this year
with everyone reading a wide variety of books. Thanks to
Catherine Fisher, Melissa Gallagher, Shona Mulholland,
Laura Smyth and Emma O’Neill, who organise the Year 8
and Year 9 groups.
A Year 8 Chess Club meets in the Library on Tuesday
lunchtimes. This has proved very popular. Thanks to Colin
Taplin (L6) who runs the club.
The One Book writing competition was devised to
encourage people to write an original short story based on
the themes in John Boyne’s book The Boy In The Striped
Pyjamas. Amy Gooding (8Q) received a Highly
Commended mark in the Under 14 age group in the
NEELB heat. Scott Wilson won the 14-18 years category
in this same heat and then went on to become the overall
Northern Ireland winner. Both pupils received signed copies
of John Boyne’s book. Scott attended a special presentation
to receive his prize of £100 of Book Tokens. The judges
described Scott’s story as an exceptional piece of writing.
The winning entries will be published in full in Verbal
magazine.
Finally I would like to thank all pupil librarians who
have been of great assistance to me throughout the year and
I send my best wishes to those who are taking exams.
BMcF
Librarians
Claire Arrell
Lynsey Berry
Ashleigh Bloomfield
Rachel Brown
Joanna Callender
Nichola Coglan
Sarah Cooper
Leah Crooks
Rachael Doherty
Bethany Doig
Brian Ewing
Catherine Fisher
Melissa Gallagher
Elizabeth Keatley
Choeun Kim
Sarah McAvoy
Nichola McCarroll
Kristi McKeown
Clara McPeak
Lindsay Meaklim
Nicola Montgomery
Suzanne Mullan
Cindy Pang
Laura Patton
Nicola Robinson
Rachael Scott
Erin Taggart
Colin Taplin
Natasha Walker
Ian Whan
Shannon White
Karen Whiteside
Jordan Wilson
Fiona Young

Rugby 1st XV 2007/08.
… in action!
SPORT
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 59

Ardilea 2007/08 SPORT
Hockey 1st XI 2007/08.
… in action!
PAGE 60 The Magazine of Belfast High School

Hockey Under 13 A XI 2007/08.
Soccer 1st XI 2007/08.
SPORT
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 61

Ardilea 2007/08 MUSIC
Senior Choir.
Orchestra.
PAGE 62 The Magazine of Belfast High School

Model United Nations
On 24th October 2007 three L6 pupils represented
Belfast High School at the Model United Nations
General Assembly (MUNGA). This event was held in
the Spires Centre in Belfast and drew pupils from all
parts of the island of Ireland.
Prior to this event three pupils, Jade Armstrong,
Jonathan Fitzsimons and Neill Irvine, attended meetings
along with those from other schools to establish the country
they were to represent: Australia, and the workings of the
United Nations. The topic for discussion was ‘Asylum
seekers and Terrorism’.
CLUBS & SOCIETIES
There was close co-operation with representatives from
New Zealand and USA and a lot of lobbying took place.
Speeches were prepared and delivered at the assembly.
Voting took place on various resolutions.
The main hall looked very impressive and some of the
delegates dressed in national costume. All in all it was
worthwhile and stimulating day out and we enjoyed the
experience of being part of a Model United Nations
Assembly.
Neill Irvine
The Carnegie Shadowing Group
The Carnegie Medal was established in 1936 by The
Library Association to encourage the publication of
quality books for children and young people.
The Shadowing Scheme was initiated in 1994. Children
and young people in schools and reading groups are invited
to ‘shadow’ the judging process, reading all the titles
shortlisted for the Medal and deciding on their favourites.
We have really enjoyed taking part in this scheme. Our
favourite book last year was My Swordhand is Singing by
Marcus Sedgwick. Unfortunately it did not win the medal.
The winner was Just In Case by Meg Rosoff. This year we
The Knitting Club
have read and enjoyed many of the nominated titles. Our
favourite has been Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
but we were disappointed when it did not get shortlisted.
We are now busy reading the shortlisted titles and will
shortly be posting our reviews on the Carnegie website. The
overall winner will be announced on 21st June and it is great
to think that we have been involved in this process.
Bethany Doig, Lynsey Berry, Clara McPeak,
Laura Patten, Lindsay Meaklim, Rachel Ireland,
Ben Keatley and Mrs McFaul
The Knitting Club was formed three years ago and is still going strong.
We spend enjoyable Monday lunchtimes in the Library having fun, eating lunch and of course knitting. Since last year
a few new members have joined. We have now finished our Teddies. They are all different colours and have turned out
very well. Mrs McFaul (our knitting Guru) is very pleased with our progress and hard work. Four people have even offered
to buy a bear! Bethany had another reason to celebrate when she finished her scarf (only started it in Year 8). We have a
lot of fun but at the same time manage to put a lot of effort into our knitting. It’s a great way to meet new people, have a
laugh and learn to knit. Anyone is welcome to join – bring your own needles!
Laura Patten 10R
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 67

Ardilea 2007/08 CLUBS & SOCIETIES
The Language Club (TLC)
TLC was started last year and was inspired by the
principles of the Young Enterprise Company, where
pupils learn by doing. We had a great team again this
time as most of the members had followed through from
last year’s L6.
It was a very busy year and the pupils worked really hard
to achieve their goals. We organised a variety of activities as
detailed below:
TLC members helped serve and addressed the audience
in foreign languages at the Specialist School launch on
the European Day of Languages;
There were three plays ( French, German and Spanish)
written by our members which were performed along
with songs and worksheets;
A Christmas competition was held where pupils learned
about Christmas traditions across the world;
A sale of crêpes was organised to help raise funds.
PAGE 68 The Magazine of Belfast High School
One of our most innovative activities was invented by
Niamh Spurle. The term media naranja (‘half orange’) is
used in Spanish to describe your ideal partner (‘other half’).
Niamh came up with the idea that we could organise a
delivery service of half oranges for Valentine’s Day which
would be wrapped up prettily and would come with a
message in a foreign language. All members pulled together
and helped devise an ordering system, a display stand and
possible messages. We then had a very frantic morning as
we wrapped the oranges and delivered them. There was
certainly a sense of pride as the packages looked brilliant and
we managed to deliver over eighty half oranges (or forty
oranges, if you prefer!)
The aim of TLC is to cover costs through fundraising
activities but once again we managed a small profit which
was then donated to the Mark Chuungwe fund. I am very
grateful to all the members of the club for their dedication
and I hope we will see lots of new faces next term.
AC

School Council
The School Council met once again in September for a
brand new year of tackling School issues!
For the first term, the group consisted of the same
members who were voted onto the Council last year, as we
have decided that the annual elections should be held every
January, primarily to allow Year 8 to establish themselves in
the school before they have to elect a representative from
their year group onto the council. Therefore, there were no
Year 8 representatives in the Council for the first term. We
also welcomed Robert Brown of U6 onto the council, to fill
the place vacated by Catherine Fisher, who took on the role
of co-chair with Head Boy David Sloan.
The Council set out this year, once again, to provide a
link between pupils and staff, to provide a voice for pupils
to raise issues important to them, and primarily to improve
the everyday life of Belfast High School’s pupils.
We discussed several key issues this year, all suggested
by pupils and brought to the Council’s attention by year
representatives through the suggestion slip system or
through a direct approach. One main issue this year was the
Year 8 locker area. The Year 8 representatives felt that their
locker area was difficult to access because of the many bags
which litter the floor. We have followed this up by spending
quite a bit of time discussing practical methods to improve
this situation.
Another School Council initiative, following the
‘Respect the School’ campaign of last year, is a recycling
scheme, run by Deputy Head Girls Sarah McAvoy and
Melissa Gallagher. The scheme has been piloted this year
among Year 9 pupils, with a view to widening the scheme to
other year groups in the next few years.
CLUBS & SOCIETIES
The School Council has had in place over the months
several different sub-committees. A bus committee was in
place, to try to solve the problem of congestion on the buses,
primarily on the Kilroot and Brambles routes. This issue was
raised with senior management, who in turn continually
lobbied Translink; as a result we have finally been given a
double-decker bus, with seatbelts, for the Kilroot and
Whitehead routes. Therefore, we have been able to leave the
bus committee to one side.
Once again in January, we held our second ever schoolwide
election for new year representatives. To our delight,
once again, every single year group turned out in force to
vote for their peers! The newly appointed School Council
had its first meeting in February.
A junior sub-committee is also in place, with help from
L6 representative Colin Taplin. This group focuses on things
that the junior school find to be a problem. A major success
of the junior sub-committee this year is the installation of a
junior walking club.
The School Council has also been consulted on the
installation of new ‘healthy eating’ vending machines and
very much look forward to the forthcoming ‘taste tests’!
I have been on the School Council since its very
beginning, and it has been a privilege for me to see it grow
and change. Working with other pupils from other year
groups has been a really interesting experience, and this year
in particular has been a real learning curve for me, in
learning how to chair a formal meeting. I wish the School
Council every success in the future and I hope that they
continue to succeed in making the school a better place for
everyone.
Catherine Fisher
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 69

Ardilea 2007/08 CLUBS & SOCIETIES
Young Enterprise
Young Enterprise is an inspiring programme for students
in Year 13 to practise real life business situations. This
year’s Young Enterprise group was called ‘Aspire’. Their
products included decorated candles and a children’s
Disney book for boys and girls.
Learning the skills required to run a business is not easy;
acquiring the skills to perform in front of judges is a harder
task again. They went to two trade fairs, one in Ballymena
and one in the Abbey Centre. Here they sold their products
while under the eyes of many judges. The group did
extremely well and came away with a few awards. They
included:
Best use of ICT
Best Customer Service
Best Senior Company
These awards motivated the group to overcome their final
hurdle which was the Regional Final. Here they had to
compete against other schools in their region by writing a
ten page report and presenting their year’s work. The group
again came away with an award: Leah Gamble won NEELB
Company Secretary of the year. This award took Leah into
the Northern Ireland finals. Unfortunately she did not win
the finals but she did extremely well to get this far. A very
successful year. Well done to the entire group.
PAGE 70 The Magazine of Belfast High School
Social Enterprise Award
Congralutaions to Amy Garret, Peter Rea and Jordan
Humpherys who have won an award to go to London to see
Jamie Oliver’s restaurant.
Consumer Council Quiz
Congratulations to Ross McGarry, Shannon White,
Matthew McAteer and Adam Downey who came third in
the quiz.
RF

LITERARY CONTRIBUTIONS
Ardilea 2007/08
The One Book Writing Competition
The One Book Writing Competition was devised to encourage people to write an original short story based on the
themes in John Boyne’s book The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
Entrants were told that while they could use the characters from the story, their story should not be merely a retelling
of the original. Entries ranged from those that used the background of the Holocaust to those with more contemporary
settings, but all celebrated the book which was the focus of a six month community reading project.
The winning entry in the 14-18 year old category, which we are proud to reproduce below, was by Scott Wilson. Scott’s
writing was deemed by the judging panel to be ‘extraordinary’.
Crossing the Fence: A short story based on the Belfast bombings of 1972
‘Twenty-two bombs planted,’ said the voice on ma’s old
radio. ‘Nine dead and countless wounded.’ Ma said I
couldn’t play outside today, she said the ‘taigs’ were at it
again. She must have gone through about thirteen cigarettes,
and she even went through Da’s secret stash and smoked his
old Cuban cigars.
Ma was sitting on the wicker stool pulled up to the
radio, with grey looking coffee and her ashtray. ‘Eric, are
you still in here?’
‘Aye, I am ma.’
Then the radio gave the latest bulletin. ‘The bombings
by the IRA are being thought by many as an attack against
economic and political targets in Belfast.’
‘Eric!’ This time her voice sounded worried. ‘Lord ave
mercy on us. Da’s right in the peak.’ She took the last draw
of her cigarette, and stubbed the butt. She kneeled to me
trying to keep her handbag on her shoulder. ‘Da might be
in some bother, Eric, the people in this land’ve gone plain
mad, I’m telling you. We don’t want Da stuck in the middle
of Belfast today now, do we?’ I didn’t answer. ‘Aye we don’t.’
She always answers for me. She ripped the TV cord from
the back of the set, and buried it in her handbag. ‘I don’t
want you getting any ideas.’ She winked. ‘Now you be a
good little soldier.’ She slammed into her high heels at the
front door. The ruby coloured ones auntie Shevonne bought
her last Christmas. ‘God’s with us now you hear, on our side,
nothing to fear with Him, Eric.’ With that I heard the key
being turned in the lock, and our Ford curving the driveway.
From the start I was one of them, categorized from
conception. You can’t live in the city of Belfast without
knowing where you stand. Although I’m just a young boy,
I knew the separation there was in Belfast. I knew I was
Protestant, and never really questioned Ma about it. Da was
always going to meetings dressed up nice, and just told me
he was away ‘killing a few pesticides,’ and I knew it was
something to do with the Catholics. They were the other
race, so clearly defined in the city. I knew the fence near our
house was something to do with it as well, and what the
radio man was saying. He started talking again. ‘Numerous
hoax warnings this morning about explosive devices on
Oxford Street added to the chaos in the streets this
afternoon.’ I didn’t want to hear any more. I went to the
kitchen and drank down some orange drink, staring out the
bay window. Smoke wasn’t an uncommon thing to see. The
rooftops of City Centre smoking like steam-trains; a few
walls stained in graffiti and protest posters; then there was
suburbia. The Catholics on one side of the rusted trek,
then’us’ on the other.
That fence had been there forever, way before I was
born anyway. Ma said it was to keep the baddies back. I
knew the people weren’t baddies like all the adults say; they
were normal people like us. Why couldn’t grown-ups see
sense? The fence was at least two miles long, stained orange
with attempts of touch-up paint splattered all over. The
criss-cross pattern was trapped between about fifty large
metal posts, sharpened at the ends. A mesh of barbed wire
ran along the top frame. Every so often along the fence there
were rips torn through the metal. Men would sometimes
run, causing dry-dust fog and force themselves through the
gaps in the fence. Then other men would come and shoot
the scrambling prisoner. I once watched from my attic
window, and watched one man look into my eyes, wishing
I could do something. The blood stains on the fence remain
there. The paramedics couldn’t scrape them off. There goes
my orange drink off the edge of the counter, trickling
crystals over the floor. ‘Bend down and pick it up Eric,’ said
a voice inside. I got up and looked out the bay window once
more. Fire, smoke, rubble and the sounds of faded sirens in
the distance. The fence was blowing in the wind, and a
young boy about my age was running out of a house on
Boundary Avenue. He must have been one of them. He was
crying and had a burnt face. I could help him.
The boy paused before the fence. He was trained not to
cross, and looked timid and hurt. The fence was the barrier.
It was the line in the division of things. He feel to his knees,
dust around him, dripping tears and red. Houses were
flaming in the background. I threw the wicker stool out the
bay window; it smashed instantly, shattering jewels. By now
the sirens were louder and the air was fresher. The man on
the radio was still talking. I ran, through glass, towards a
lonely soul, just like me. I left the familiarity of my home
and of my garden, into the dusty land before the fence. He
stood like me, only less able. I squeezed through the hole in
the fence, this time stained with new blood, and bent down
towards a being I was taught to hate. ‘Aren’t you the baddies?
Ma said so, why would you bomb yourselves?’ I said.
The boy looked confused. ‘Well, my mum said that you
were the trouble in Belfast, she left me alone for a while to
get my dad from work, and look what’s happened.’
I felt connected with this boy, we were both at odds.
‘Did your house get bombed?’
‘Aye, mate, that it did. So you’re a Prod, huh?’
‘I’m different.’ That’s all I said. He whimpered under
me; dust blowing and fire raging from his house. He looked
scared about crossing the fence to my house. I mean I would
be too; we were the monsters after all …
Scott Wilson
The Magazine of Belfast High School
PAGE 71

Ardilea 2007/08 LITERARY CONTRIBUTIONS
A Special Time
We set off along the twisting country lanes, not the
usual, continuous route home from an exhausting day at
school, now gradually moving on from the topic of
school to what flavour of ice-cream we would have.
The small red motor was now picking up speed with its
window wide open, my Granda’s arm drooping out. I could
now feel a gentle breeze of fresh air soothing my skin.
‘Suzy, do you want sprinkles too?’ There was a long
pause until Janey, my older sister, broke in and added,
‘You’re not in a huff are you, I got to sit in the front fair and
square’ and she smiled cheekily. ‘No,’ I said. ‘I do want
sprinkles, just a daydream, and I get to sit in the front on the
way back,’ and I stuck out my tongue. ‘Nearly there,’ my
Granda said happily, ‘and you two stop fighting!’
After we had parked the car we walked slowly across the
cobbled pavement into the upstairs of Maud’s ice-cream
parlour. We dandered out with three delicious ice-creams. A
large banana with chocolate sprinkles. My favourite!
We began to walk up the country lane, licking our icecreams.
My Granda kept taking mine and licking it around
the edges so that it wouldn’t drip. When we got to a rather
rusty fence, although there was a pathway, I climbed
PAGE 72 The Magazine of Belfast High School
clumsily over it. We continued to walk up towards the forest,
past the green summer meadows, under the clear blue sky,
with the brief whiff of daffodils and daisies. Every footstep
we took along the bulky stones I could hear, every view of
the green land I could see. I felt free. I felt happy.
We were now in the forest: blue birds singing, the
sunlight glistening through the trees and the sound, the
sound of rushing water. Then I saw, I saw a river, and then
the Glenoe waterfall. A long, sleek ribbon flowing endlessly
down. Magic. We were standing on the bent wooden bridge,
throwing sticks in for races, running from one side to the
other to see where they were. For some time we watched as
the waterfall rushed down. We were standing close together
on the bridge. I was happy. Not a care in the world, with two
people I loved.
Now, standing by his grave, memories float in my brain,
the waterfall, the ice cream, his laugh, the pleasant splashes
as the waterfall hit the surface. I remember we went to the
top. I felt like I was on top of the world. He cared so much.
He said he brought us there because it was good for my
asthma. I shall treasure this peaceful memory for ever.
Suzy Spence

LITERARY CONTRIBUTIONS
Heaven On Our Doorstep
In our culture today it seems that in order to enjoy
ourselves, we must jet half-way around the world. But
why should we? Here in Northern Ireland we have
breathtaking scenery, fantastic sporting opportunities
and, of course, wonderful shops. So I think we should
make the most of it.
I’m sure you all have visited the Giant’s Causeway, it is
the top tourist attraction in Northern Ireland and hundreds
of thousands of people visit each year. But have any of you
explored the area surrounding it? If you have I’m sure you’re
aware of the spectacular beaches and rolling hills it is nestled
between. The closest village, Bushmills, is where I shall be
writing about.
As I have family in the area, I have very early memories
of playing on the beaches and dining out in the luscious
restaurants in that part of the country, and they are some of
my happiest memories. But as you all know, as young people
we are more interested in cooler holiday destinations such as
Spain with its sun, sea and shopping. So with the news of a
family holiday home in dreary Bushmills you can guess that
I was unimpressed to say the least. In asking what there was
to do up there, I was presented with the worst possible
answer: ‘Lots of walking.’ Great! I could just imagine it,
family expeditions into the hills in the rain. I could
practically taste the soggy sandwiches!
We went up for the first time and went for the first (of
many) long walks on the beach. It was a cloudy day so I
pulled up my hood and stuck in my iPod earphones – quite
the stereotypical teenager!
But suddenly, as we walked down to the beach, the
clouds parted and the sun came bursting through. The scene
was dramatically changed; the hills around us basked in this
unexpected sunshine and the sea sparkled as the waves
lapped at our feet. It was the most amazing sight! We
finished the walk in silence: we were all too awe-struck to
speak.
But no matter how much amazing scenery there is, we
all get bored of putting one foot in front of the other. We
need something to entertain, and this is where the big
surprise comes in – we talked to our parents! And not just
the monosyllabic conversations about what’s for tea; there
were proper, stimulating debates and opinion-sharing. We
have spent many nights in the front room or beside the fire
of the local bar (not that I was allowed to drink, of course!)
looking out at the rain while laughing with good food and
even better company.
You see, in our world today we are surrounded by
pressures, and, thanks to technology, we are just a click away
when someone wants to talk to us. So it is wonderful to
escape and be in a calm, carefree environment. Doesn’t that
just sound like heaven? Well that’s exactly what Bushmills
is: a little piece of heaven.
Now for those of you who still aren’t convinced and
would prefer your 21st Century amusements, Bushmills can
cater for you too. Five minutes’ drive away we have
Coleraine, a compact little shopping haven. It has all the
main high street stores centred around the town square. And
for the odd adrenaline fix, there’s always Barry’s
Amusements.
I’ve brought friends up with me on several occasions,
one of whom has been to at least one country on every
continent in the world, as she proudly told us on the way
there. How were we going to entertain her in a measly
cottage on the Antrim coast?! But as she left she informed us
that it was one of her ‘favourite holidays ever’, high praise
indeed for modest Bushmills.
This, however, is the beauty of Bushmills. It is simply a
blank canvas upon which you can paint your own perfect
holiday. Whatever you want to do, it is just there waiting
for you, from days out with friends, to hilarious family gettogethers
around the barbeque. And all this without ever
lifting your passport!
Kathryn McGinnis
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 73

Ardilea 2007/08
LITERARY CONTRIBUTIONS
Sherna in the Silence
It was midnight in the Halls of Rathernas, and it was
silent.
The Silence was growing, spreading into every corner
of the once magnificent house. In one of these corners, a
boy named Sherna Garloi stood petrified Holding only a
small hunting knife, he was trapped by the Silence. His only
light came from a stout candle on the table, slowly becoming
shorter. This candle was his only light source and indeed his
only protection from the creatures that lurked in the
darkness. He had only stumbled across these forgotten halls
by accident, and foolishly decided to venture inside. Now as
he crouched, cornered in the dining room, the silent
creatures approaching without a whisper, he took the candle
from the table and held it out in front of him. This seemed
to hold the creatures back, but it would not be long until the
candle burned out, and Sherna would be left to his doom.
One of the creatures came forth too quickly for the
Silence. Its cold, featureless face terrified Sherna. He let out
a cry and dropped his knife, but he could hear nothing, as
the Silence surrounding the creatures consumed all traces of
sound. Just when he thought he was as good as dead, Sherna
leaned back on the wall behind him. He felt the wall struggle
to hold his weight. It was so old and dry that it simply could
not take any pressure. As the wall caved in, he saw an
opening. He could distantly hear sound from deep inside
the tunnel, so the Silence had obviously not found it yet.
Clutching the candle tightly, he bolted through, followed
closely by the creatures and the surrounding Silence. As he
ran further into the tunnel, the candle was extinguished by
a rush of air and he could almost hear the Silence getting
closer. The end of the tunnel never seemed to arrive. Sherna
was tiring now and he did not know how much longer he
could go on for.
Suddenly, a drum beat echoed far ahead of him the
tunnel. The sound passed Sherna, who heard it clearly, but
was instantly muffled by the Silence which was rushing ever
closer to him. Another beat followed, but this time, it was
much quieter as the Silence was closer still. Firelight flickered
into view. Sherna used his last ounce of energy to sprint to
the end of the tunnel. To the foresters’ surprise, he charged
through the the fiery bushes and burst out onto the plain.
PAGE 74 The Magazine of Belfast High School
He realised his cloak was burning, but his weary body was
too weak to respond. He collapsed and lost consciousness
as several concerned men carried him towards the lake.
Sherna struggled to open his eyes. When they finally
found the energy to stay open, his eyes stared at the orange
sky. He sat up and looked around trying desperately to find
familiar scenery. He found it almost instantly in the form
of Lake Silvieta. Its sparkling waters glistened in the evening
sun as the fish leaped in and out of the crystal clear water.
Sherna gazed at the silver waters and delved deep into his
memories of childhood. He remembered himself running
around the lake with Thoain and Leah. They splashed each
other with its ever sparkling water. They played hide and
seek in the long, green grass that circled the lake. They
chased the ducks as they waddled along the banks. They lay
on the grass as they watched the golden evening clouds go
by. He held Leah’s hand and she whispered to him. ‘I…’
Sherna was suddenly hauled out of his childhood
memories by his father, Bor. He was a tall, well-built man
who hunted for the family and, along with the other family
heads, hunted for the village as well. He had his elm bow
and arrows on his back and was returning to the village,
when he noticed his son sitting beside the lake in a burnt
cloak staring at the sky. He strode toward the banks and
gently shook his son’s shoulders. A startled Sherna looked
quizzically at him. ‘Are you all right, Sherna?’ asked Bor,
worriedly. ‘When you did not return to the village last night,
we sent out a search party to find you! I assumed that you
had been killed and was on my way back to spread the bad
news, but I have found you alive and well!’ Bor pulled
Sherna to his feet and gestured towards his village. ‘Come.
Tell me what happened last night.’
Sherna told his father how he had stumbled upon the
ancient Halls and how he had discovered the Silence with
the creatures in them. Bor listened intently as Sherna spoke
of his lucky escape, how he had jumped through flames to
get away from the Silence. ‘The last thing I remember is
falling to the ground with my cloak alight. I woke up beside
the lake.’
His father shook his head. ‘You have been warned many
a time about the dangers of Rathernas, especially the halls!

For a young boy of fifteen years you have had many
mischievous adventures! What possessed you to go into
Rathernas at that hour?’
Sherna shrugged his shoulders. ‘I don’t know what I was
thinking. It’s that sense of adventure. I just can’t stop myself!’
Sherna had a notorious record of mishaps and was always
getting lost. None of his antics, however, were as serious or
indeed as dangerous as this.
‘Everyone has grown worried about you, Sherna’ said
Bor. ‘Let us go and spread the good news.’
When the pair reached the quiet village of Lanthas, only
Thoain was to be seen, finishing his work in the fields. He
saw Sherna and Bor and his eyes widened. ‘Brother!’ he
cried. ‘I was so worried about you! Where did you go last
night?’ He picked up his pack and ran to greet them.
‘Sherna lost his way in Rathernas last night. He was in
the Halls.’
‘Rathernas? What where you thinking to go into a place
such as that?’ said Thoain. ‘Don’t tell me your adventurous
side led you there!’
‘I suppose so!’ replied Sherna. ‘But at least I am home
safely.’
‘Yes,’ said Thoain, ‘I suppose I should be thankful for
that. Oh, but I must go and tell the others!’ With that,
Thoain rang the bell on the platform and announced,
‘Sherna has returned alive and well! Bor has brought him
home safely!’
Not five seconds passed before the villagers dashed out
of their houses to greet Sherna. The farmers were the first to
come rushing out of the barn. Since Thoain worked on the
farm, he knew these men well. As more people came out
into the street, he began to tell his story. They listened to his
tale, somewhat unbelievable to some, but when they saw his
burnt cloak, they began to accept his story. ‘When I awoke
I was sitting by the lake. I was…’ Sherna trailed off as he
realised that there was one person missing from the crowd
of concerned faces. He turned to his father and asked,
‘Where’s Leah? Is she not here to welcome me back?’
Bor thought for a moment and then answered him. ‘Oh
yes!’ he said. ‘Leah was feeling miserable about something,
but she would not reveal to us what was troubling her. She
LITERARY CONTRIBUTIONS
set off to the bay before I left the village this morning, so
she may still be there.’
Sherna turned to the eager crowd and feigned a yawn.
He said to the crowd, ‘I am feeling weary, so I shall finish my
story in the morning. Good night!’ He stole away from the
crowd and made his way to the bay where Leah had gone.
When he climbed over the hill, Sherna found her sitting
on the grass overlooking the Great Sea. ‘Leah!’ he called.
Surprised, she immediately leaped up from the grass and
turned around to find the love of her life beaming at her
from the hill.
‘Sherna!’ she yelled. ‘You’re alive!’ Sherna loved Leah,
and had loved her from the day she arrived in the village.
While on a hunt, Thoain and Bor found a girl with
chestnut-brown hair lying at the side of a track in the
countryside wearing nothing but a dirty rag and carrying
nothing but a plain purse. Nobody knew where she came
from or how she ended up in the country. Everyone, that is,
except Sherna. He and Leah had been friends ever since that
fateful day. That friendship grew over the years until one
day, Sherna confessed his love for Leah. From then on, they
could scarcely be seen apart from one another.
Sherna hurried down the slope towards his love and they
leapt into each others arms. He held Leah close for what
seemed like eternity. She looked at him and said ‘What on
earth happened to you? I was lying awake all night
worrying!’
Sherna smiled and said, ‘It’s a long story, but I am
perfectly fine now. You have nothing to worry about
darling!’ She gave a long dreamy sigh and fell back into his
embrace.
She whispered in his ear, ‘I never want to be apart from
you again.’ Sherna said nothing in reply, but he held Leah
even closer. Unknown to them both, a small, Silent shadow
in Sherna’s burnt cloak stirred. The leech-like darkness
wriggled into the open air and crept into Leah’s purse
without a sound.
‘Come,’ said Sherna. ‘Let’s go back to Lanthas and see
how everybody is doing.’ The pair made their way to the
village, with the piece of the Silence, having completed its
task, following their every step…
Ethan Haley
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
Not five
seconds passed
before the
villagers
dashed out of
their houses to
greet Sherna.
PAGE 75

Ardilea 2007/08
LITERARY CONTRIBUTIONS
Poetry
HOPE
Hope is such a beautiful word,
It’s like a song come from a beautiful bird.
The word has a certain ring to it,
But the meaning is built up bit by bit.
People often wonder what this word actually means,
To me it’s a word which has many seams.
It’s a beautiful word filled with faith and belief,
It takes away some people’s grief.
Some believe it can raise people’s spirits,
No one can ever really fear it.
It keeps up their faith in times of need,
Like continuing to water an old planted seed.
To me this word means being optimistic and dreaming,
Like a lit candle in the dark, gleaming.
Overall this word sounds like it fell from Heaven above,
Filled with faith, dreams and someone’s love.
Laura Patten
MOONLIGHT
It shone among the dewy grass,
Oh what a star struck sight it imprinted upon my mind.
It looked just like a picture within my grasp,
I would set it in my subconscious mind.
Wait, what was that among the shadows?
A movement which was out of view.
A creature from the secret meadows,
Which nightly becomes covered in dew.
A wretched little animal appeared,
With an onion shaped head and little pointy ears.
At first he looked vulnerable, but then, my vision
cleared.
Cruelty showed upon his face, measured in years.
All his clothes were in tatters,
Which were shown among the moonlight glow.
I was too scared to worry about other matters.
He disappeared as I glanced away to see the river flow.
Clara McPeak
PAGE 76 The Magazine of Belfast High School
ODE TO A SHEEP
An ode to a sheep, all fluffy and white
He just cannot moo, try as he might
His friends all tell him he isn’t a cow
But never say never, isn’t that right now
He hangs out with daisy and all her cow friends
And listens to them moo-ing, which pleases him no
ends
He followed the crowd, as all good sheep do
But yet he is still unable to moo
His mate Porky the pig came out of his barn
He’s quite annoying, but Shaun fancied a yarn
They talked and they talked ‘bout the old farmyard crew
And Shaun also found out that porky can’t moo
Shaun danced and he played with his bacon-filled friend
They hated that baa-ing was out of the trend
The new trend was moo-ing to daisy’s delight
So Shaun grew angry and ready to fight
That crazy look came over his eyes
Of a sheep that would moo, if that meant he dies
Berty the badger came wandering in
A man made of muscle and smelling of gin
He watched the fight, and cheered the sheep on
He was the badger, the leader, the Don
Shaun ripped out daisy’s voice box, and everyone knew
That he was a sheep, and he would moo
With some badger surgery, and a trip to the loo
Shaun was now able to openly moo
Along came a chicken, with a click and a cluck
His name was Cecil and he looked like a duck
Cecil Said to Shaun la-la-la-la-la
Everyone now wishes that they could baa
Oh, Shaun the sheep how he did try
To sound like a cow if it meant he would die
But he finally did what he wanted to do
To be the first sheep that was able to moo
Now he was gone as a triumphant winner
Laid on my table, for a family dinner
Jonathan Ferguson

THE SHOP
The careful debating:
‘There are so many colours!’
The clashing of customers:
‘Get out of my way!’
‘I was there first!’
The tinging of tills:
‘I can’t believe I paid that!’
‘You’ve charged me too much!’
The cashiers in their still-waking sleep
Mumble, ‘That’ll be ten pounds …’
The boisterous boys:
‘I’ll race you to the end!’
The gaggling grannies:
‘Have you heard about so and so?’
These are just a few sounds of our shop.
Keziah Anderson
THE SWEET SHOP
One day my mother said to me,
‘Young girl go get some sweets.’
She handed me a 50p
And said, ‘Now buy some treats.’
I ran down our little lane
And passed the village fair
I really hoped it wouldn’t rain
In fact I said a prayer.
I reached the nearby sweetie shop
And thought, ‘What can I pick?’
Some bubblegum that goes pop
Or a tiny chocolate chick.
Then I chose some Pick ’n’ Mix,
And brought it to the till.
I also bought a yummy Twix
And paid the little bill.
Out of the shop I ran,
I saw my house and my Mum;
And I slipped past a van,
My Mum yelled to me ‘Come!’
I went home and saw my Mummy,
I gave her a wee sweet;
She said that it was yummy,
So I thanked her for this treat.
Debbie Houston
LITERARY CONTRIBUTIONS
THE BUTTERFLY
It is the middle of August,
The sun is in the sky,
A young girl sits in her garden,
She is watching as the clouds go by.
She will remember today forever,
A beautiful memory,
The things that she will see today,
Her favourite imagery.
Something hanging on the tree,
But that is not a leaf,
Suddenly an explosion,
Something is released.
The girl looks on in wonder,
And yet she stares in fear,
She doesn’t know what she’s looking at,
To her it looks so queer.
She’s never seen anything like it,
The thing that flutters by,
And she will never forget it,
The beautiful butterfly.
Lauren Donnelly
WHISPERS
I listened and I listened.
The sea was so near,
It was whispering to me.
The whisper sounded like a melody,
A melody beckoning me to dance.
The waves crashed against the rocks.
Its anger was becoming more intense.
I knew what it wanted.
The sea wanted to dance,
A never ending dance.
Soon I wanted to agree,
A glorious dance made for two.
Then I awoke, longing for the whisper.
Unfortunately, it was gone.
Rebekah Shaw
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 77

Ardilea 2007/08
LITERARY CONTRIBUTIONS
French Poetry
LA NOURRITURE
Nourriture est importante,
Œufs sont bons.
Une tranche de pizza, s’il vous plaît,
Rarement je mange les carottes.
Robbie aime le riz,
Il déteste le jus de tomate;
Thon, c’est dégôutant,
Un sac de pommes de terre.
Raphael mange un ananas,
Epinards sont pour Popeye.
Aaron Beasant and Chris Beck
MES LOISIRS
Quand il fait beau
j’aime le chocolat chaud.
J’ai aussi une télé
que j’aime regarder.
J’adore écouter la musique,
à mon avis c’est fantastique.
Sarah McKnight and Christina Watson
MES ANIMAUX
Ma souris s’appelle Sandrine,
Mon chien s’appelle Delphine ;
Delphine aime les croissants,
Sandrine aime le poisson ;
Sandrine est cool,
Delphine est nulle ;
Mon père adore Sandrine,
Ma mère déteste Delphine;
Sandrine aime la musique disco,
Delphine aime la musique techno.
Robyn Gallaher, Laura Garland and Matthew Kelso
JUILLET
J’adore le soleil,
Une glace à la fraise,
Il fait de la planche à voile.
La fille joue au tennis,
L’après-midi on va en ville
Et on fait de la natation,
Toujours on s’amuse
Elizabeth Glenfield and Jasmin Gooding
PAGE 78 The Magazine of Belfast High School
MA FAMILLE
Carry est ma mère,
Barry est mon père,
J’ai aussi une sœur
(Elle aime le beurre),
Mais je n’ai pas de frère.
IL ET ELLE
Il joue au hockey sur gazon,
Elle joue au hockey sur glace.
Il aime faire de l’équitation,
Elle aime faire du vélo.
Il déteste le golf,
Elle déteste le tennis.
Grant Heron
Mais ils s’aiment tous les deux.
Olivia Cooke and Emme Fitzgerald
MESURES MÉLANGÉES
Un kilo de coca
Une tranche de jus d’orange
Une boîte de pizza
Une bouteille de crudités
Un sac de jus de fruits
Une canette de beurre
Un morceau d’œuf
Un paquet d’eau minérale.
Stewart Gillespie and Peter Hughes

German Poetry MUSIK
MEINE FREIZEIT
Am Montag spiele ich Hockey,
Am Dienstag gehe ich schwimmen,
Am Mittwoch fahre ich Rad,
Am Donnerstag spiele ich Fu ball,
Am Freitag spiele ich Tennis,
Am Samstag mache ich Gymnastik,
Am Sonntag bleibe ich im Bett,
Ich bin soooo müde!
Chloe Trainor, Sarah Smyth and Gigi Lee
MEINE TIERE
Ich habe ein Schwein,
Es ist klein.
Ich habe ein Pferd,
Es heißt Gerdt.
Ich habe einen Fisch,
Er ist musikalisch.
Ich habe einen Hund,
Er ist rund.
Ich habe eine Maus,
Sie wohnt in meinem Haus.
Und ich habe einen Frosch,
Er heißt Josh.
Megan Stevenson
LITERARY CONTRIBUTIONS
Ich habe ein Problem :
Ich höre Eminem.
Mein Freund heißt Roy,
Er hört Soulja boy.
Meine Schwester wohnt in Kent,
Sie hört 50 cent,
Nach dem Kino höre ich Ne-yo
MEINE FAMILIE
Mein Name ist Clara,
Ich habe braune Haare.
Meine Schwester heißt Claire,
Sie sagt «danke sehr.»
Ich habe einen Hund,
Er ist bunt.
Meine Mutter ist nett,
Sie ist auch leider fett.
Mein Vater ist sportlich,
Aber nicht sehr freundlich.
Das ist meine Familie.
Ryan Spiers
Janey Spence, Sarah Stewart
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 79

Ardilea 2007/08
LITERARY CONTRIBUTIONS
Spanish Poetry MEGUSTAS
ESTA NOCHE BAILAMOS
Esta noche bailamos,
Como si no llegara la mañana.
Queremos celebrar la fiesta.
La música mece,
Y bailamos, y bailamos,
Las luces destellan.
Las personas cantan.
Somos muy felices.
¡Cuánto te quiero!
LA MÚSICA
Me gusta la música;
No es aburrida
Y lo que más me gusta
Es tocar la guitarra eléctrica.
Mi grupo es muy grande;
Tocamos muchos instrumentos.
Algunos son enormes,
Otros son pequeños.
La música es buena;
Es divertida de escuchar.
Hay tantos géneros
Y es interesante de tocar.
LAS COSAS QUE ME HACEN FELIZ
Me encanta estar al sol
Cuando juego al fútbol.
Me encanta comer una manzana
Como nueve por semana.
Me gusta hacer la compra
Voy a comprar mucha ropa.
Sonrío bailando en la calle
Sonrío visitando el valle.
Leah Gormley
Sarah Clyde y Zöe Benson
Me gusta usar mi lápiz
Y eso me hace feliz.
Me encanta viajar en coche
Lo hago cada noche.
Kelly Forsythe, Hayleigh Crowe y Leonie Heron
LO QUE ME GUSTA
Me gusta el fútbol,
Pero sólo cuando hace sol.
Me gusta el rojo,
Pero no en el ojo.
Me gusta una manzana,
Pero no por la mañana.
¿Difícil – yo?
¡Que no!
Michael Coates
PAGE 80 The Magazine of Belfast High School
Me gustan tus ojos
Me gusta tu boca
Me gustan tus manos
Me gustan tus pies
Me gusta tu nombre
Me gusta tu cara
Me gusta tu personalidad
Me gusta tu pelo
Me gusta tu voz
¿Te gusto?
Sarah Clarke y Sophie Dougan
MI COLOR PREFERIDO
Me encanta el azul,
Me gusta el naranja,
No me gusta el rojo,
Y detesto el negro.
¿Mi color preferido?
Es el amarillo.
Lesley-Anne Wilson
NUESTRA LISTA DE MALETA
Mis calcetines, mis camisetas,
Mis gafas de sol son muy bonitas.
Mis vaqueros para por la noche,
Vamos a ir a la playa en el coche.
Mi maquillaje es muy importante,
Y mis sandalias son hechas de ante.
Mis faldas, mis pantalones,
Y mis blusas para mis vacaciones.
Mi billete de avión y mis amigas,
¡Mi lista está lista!
Danielle McDowell y Ashley Cherry
¿QUÉ SOY YO?
Me llamo Pepa.
Soy baja.
Tengo el pelo rojo.
Tengo los ojos marrones.
Soy extrovertida y antipática.
Me gustan los peces.
Odio los perros.
Me gusta la leche con un ratón
¿Qué soy yo?
Un gato.
Emma Houston y Gaynor Gordon

Performance Poetry
PERFORMING POETRY
It’s my turn to step up,
A weight falls upon my chest,
My knees start to tremble
As I stand up from my desk.
I walk upon the stage,
My heart plays an unusual beat,
My legs feel like jelly,
I can’t even feel my feet.
There’s a flutter in my stomach
Of a million butterflies.
I slowly raise my head
And feel the gaze of my classmates’ eyes.
I begin to read my poem,
My eyes turn the words blurry.
Am I reading way too slow?
Or as if I’m in a hurry?
What if I have messed this up?
My face begins to beam …
Suddenly they’re all applauding,
Things aren’t as bad as they seem!
I step down from the stage,
The weight has lifted from my chest.
At least I gave it a shot,
Now I can sink back behind my desk.
Chloe Trainor, Megan Stevenson
and Megan McDowell
HOCKEY
Hockey is my favourite team sport
And at matches people come and support;
When the whistle blows and the match begins,
Everyone aims to win.
As the ball goes speeding past
All the players run really fast;
As the time goes passing by,
We want to win so we really try.
Hockey is played on all different types of grounds
And different hits make different sounds;
When the whistle blows to end the game,
That’s another win that we have gained.
Mollie Brown Kathryn Ives and Jenna Dickson
LITERARY CONTRIBUTIONS
WAR!
At the break of dawn, the silence is broken
By the shout of the artillery as they announce
themselves:
The metal monsters tear the ground apart as they
advance.
These men, they try to take over the world,
But into the air they are messily hurled.
As you run on the battlefield, bombs go off, your friends
explode.
The enemy lies sneakily ahead,
They will not charge, it’s trenches instead.
Row after row we hit the deck, fallen, some, for the last
time.
Suddenly I open my eyes, see the death and begin to
cry:
When you rest, splattered by blood,
You remember your fallen comrades.
I would not go and fight
But rather stay, play games and laugh.
I'm afraid if I fight I’ll get blown in half.
Back to their homes they wish to be
With a sensible mind
Just like me.
Christian Martin, Mattias Law, Matthew King
and Jonathan Cameron
MY PLAY
Once I was given a demanding task,
A task which involved wearing ridiculous masks:
With these we made an unusual play,
A rhyming joke that would last all day.
Every line of black ink
Could take a different shape:
A battleship or aeroplane
About a pony that’s turned insane.
It started with the Kings and Queens,
Then turned into a poem about magic beans,
Then into a cave that’s full of bats,
Or why not cats with funny hats?
Whatever the play would be about,
Even if it’s as weird as a terrible drought,
Hopefully everyone would surely see
The effort that’s been put into this play by me.
ClaraMcPeak, Laura Patton,Lindsay Meaklim
and Rebekah Shaw
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 81

Ardilea 2007/08
SPORT ~ RUGBY
1st XV
Captain Ross Mungavin
Vice Captain Andrew McCurry
Secretary Gary Ellison
Played: 23 Won: 11 Lost: 12
With a large contingent of U6 players making up the
Senior Rugby squad this year, it was with considerable
optimism that we set about the challenges that the rugby
season would bring. It soon became obvious that
experience did not equate to physical size as time and
time again we came up against bigger teams who just
strangled us out of games.
Early season results were up and down mainly due to
defensive frailties coupled with a bad run of injuries forcing
players into positions they were unfamiliar with. A huge
positive to come out of this unfortunate run of injuries was
the enforced ‘blooding’ of younger players.
A very successful tour to Barcelona in November helped
the squad develop and bond, and was followed on our
return with an excellent win over Schools’ Cup semi-finalists
Ballyclare High. Preparation for the Schools’ Cup was
hampered due to poor weather conditions and the loss of
two Saturday fixtures in January. A Third Round tie at
Grosvenor proved too big a hurdle as the High School
struggled against a bigger pack. As the weather conditions
worsened, Grosvenor got a strangle hold on the game and
ground out a 16-3 win.
PAGE 82 The Magazine of Belfast High School
Defensive weaknesses, which had been a problem in
early season, came back to haunt us again in the Bowl
quarter-final game at home to Carrick Grammar. The
Carrick backline made the most of the space that they were
allowed and ran out comfortable winners 31-13. The season
finished on a positive note with two convincing victories
over touring opposition, firstly a 26-0 win against English
visitors Thornberry RFC and a 41-21 win over our old
friends from Canada, Hugh McRoberts. The most pleasing
aspect of both these performances, was that the team played
the style of rugby of which we all knew they were capable
and it was an appropriate send off to our U6 players.
Leavers’ Profiles
Chris Beattie (Out-half)
During this season he developed into an effective director of
operations on the pitch. His judgement of when the ball
should go wide, or stay tight, improved with every game. As
he became more comfortable with the demands of the
position Chris’s confidence also grew which brought out the
best in both him and the team. He has an eye for a gap and
an attacking flair which draws defenders and creates space
for others.
Matthew Creighton (Scrum-half)
Matthew was the most consistent player over the season,
proving himself to be a vital link between the forwards and
backs. Small in stature, big in heart, Matthew never took a

ackward step when faced with opposition players who had
obviously underestimated the High School Number 9.
Matthew worked tirelessly on his game and got his reward
as his fitness, passing and kicking all improved which has
served to strengthen his all-round game.
Gary Ellison (Hooker)
Gary is an honest player whose versatility in the front row
became an asset when he was asked to deputise at prop on
a number of occasions. This allowed us to keep a solid
platform up front, as well as added mobility in getting to
the breakdown. His enthusiasm and dedication to rugby in
Belfast High School was demonstrated in the way he went
about his job as Club Secretary this year.
Andrew McCurry (Centre) (Vice Captain)
Andrew is a hard running centre who was able to pick
intelligent running lines in order to break the gain-line. His
strength as a strike runner and his ability to keep ball in
contact gave the forwards a target to work off. Sound
defensively, Andrew’s experience and sound knowledge of
the game allowed him to form a solid partnership with
Adam Boyd, both in attack and defence.
Chris McCurry (Back row/Second row)
Chris is a whole-hearted player who always gives 100%. He
is competitive at the breakdown and carries out a lot of good
work in the tight that tends to go unnoticed. Unfortunately,
SPORT ~ RUGBY
an injury in training limited his participation during the
latter part of the season.
Niall McGovern (Full-back)
Niall got his reward this season for his commitment to rugby
at Belfast High and proved himself to be a solid last line of
defence and always reliable under the high ball. A very good
kicker out of hand, he has the ability to clear the ball when
under pressure. Niall led from the back and never shied away
from supporting his wings when counter-attacking from
deep. He thoroughly deserved his ‘player of the tour’ award
in November and was a consistent performer throughout
the season.
Stuart Megarry (Second row)
Stuart is a solid player with two years’ experience of playing
at 1st XV level. He was a strong asset in the lineout, and as
his fitness developed, he became more focused and more
effective in loose play.
Ross Mungavin (Prop) (Captain)
Ross is a committed and dedicated prop whose strong set
piece work was complemented by a willingness to carry ball
into heavy traffic and retain possession. A player who
thoroughly enjoys the contact aspect of the sport, his
workmanlike attitude is undoubtedly the reason why his
peers nominated him as Captain.
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
continued ➛
PAGE 83

Ardilea 2007/08 SPORT ~ RUGBY
1st XV continued
Andrew Oldfield (Centre/Wing)
A whole-hearted player whose determination and
commitment in attack, and particularly in defence, was a
great example to the younger members of the squad.
Andrew’s strength is in the contact area, an aspect of the
game he clearly enjoys.
Phil Rea (Back row)
Phil was an important squad member throughout the
season. Although physically not the biggest player in this
very competitive position, his ability to get to the breakdown
quickly regularly allowed him the opportunity to turnover
ball. Phil was a very effective option at the front of the
lineout.
Daryl Rooney (No 8)
Following a long awaited return from injury in November,
it didn’t take long to appreciate just how key Daryl was to
us this year. His ability to carry ball hard and straight allowed
him to break the gainline and put opposition teams on the
back foot. His control and knowledge at the base of the
scrum, as the season went on, became a very effective
attacking option. Daryl clearly reaped the rewards of putting
a lot of time and effort into conditioning and as a result was
a real handful for opposing players.
John Speers (Wing)
Arguably the side’s most improved player this season, John
enjoyed the increased confidence he gained from regularly
playing 1st XV rugby. His major attribute is undoubtedly his
speed, but this year he got due reward for working hard on
his all-round game.
PAGE 84 The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ryan Stewart (Wing)
A dedicated player, Ryan worked with enthusiasm and a
willingness to learn. Punching above his weight on many
occasions, he was always committed in the contact situation.
As the season progressed he developed an excellent
understanding with the other members of the back three
unit.
David Sloan (Second row)
Although David was unavailable to play on Saturdays due to
his musical commitments, he deserves a special mention for
his efforts and his contribution to rugby at Belfast High.
Whenever possible David trained and made himself
available to play in midweek games. He possesses many of
the attributes required of a talented rugby player.

Special Achievements
Congratulations to:
Matthew Creighton, Ulster Schools’ U18 Squad
Ross Megarry, Ulster Schools’ U17 Squad
A Special Thank You…
To Davy Scott for his continued hard work and dedication
to rugby in Belfast High School. The ability of the forwards
to compete against much bigger units week in, week out, is
a credit to the coaching they received;
To Mr Ewart who once again worked with enthusiasm
in his role as teacher in charge of the 2nd XV. His job was
made all the more difficult this year due to so many injuries
being experienced by the 1st XV. Mr Ewart also deserves
acknowledgement for organising the hosting of Hugh
McRoberts during their stay;
To all the parents who kindly acted as hosts for boys
from Hugh McRoberts and helped to organise the
refreshments after the matches when they visited us in
March. This was very much appreciated by both the school
and our visitors;
To Mr Beattie, Tim Lowry and the Ulster Branch
Referees who helped us throughout the season;
To Belfast High School Former Pupils’ RFC for their
hospitality after the Schools’ Cup and for the hosting of the
game against Thornberry RFC. We appreciate the efforts
the club make in maintaining the strong tradition between
the school and the club;
To JP Corry Ltd. who kindly agreed to renew the
sponsorship of the 1st XV jerseys and training tops;
To the Ulster Bank’s Community Programme for their
contribution to the fundraising efforts for the Barcelona
Tour;
SPORT ~ RUGBY
To all the rugby boys leaving this year. Good luck in
your exams and your chosen path after school. You deserve
much credit for the commitment you have given to school
rugby over the last seven years. Your efforts are very much
appreciated by all who had the pleasure to coach you at
Belfast High School.
KD
Secretary’s Report
Belfast High started the 2007-08 season with a fixture at
home against Limavady Grammar School. It was a slightly
unsteady start to the season, as it was the first time many of
the boys played together, but they showed some good
passages of play, and were particularly good going forward.
The side lost narrowly by three points in the closing
moments of the game. The usual weakness of defence was
highlighted but this gave the coaches, and the squad, plenty
to work on in order to progress, and if the numbers and
commitment were anything to go by it looked hopeful for
the season to come.
Early season injuries and players unavailability led to a
big reshuffle for the following two games, with some players
playing in positions that were totally new to them. These
proved to be two very tough games for the squad, which
helped build character and highlighted players who had not
been considered before. As a result the side lost heavily to
both Carrick Grammar School and Portadown College,
with defence being the major concern in both defeats.
In late September the team was faced with Bangor
Grammar School as their next fixture. Match preparations
started out very positively with a great warm up, and with
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
continued ➛
PAGE 85

Ardilea 2007/08 SPORT ~ RUGBY
1st XV continued
certain key players being back in influential positions, there
was a certain confidence in the camp. The game opened
with a converted penalty from out-half Chris Beattie, which
set the tone for the game. A solid team performance allowed
the High School to totally control the game. The High
School defence showed a marked improvement, with the
scramble defence proving to be a huge asset to the side. The
game ended 23-5.
October brought some local derbies, starting with
Ballyclare High School in an away fixture. Ballyclare opened
the scoring with two penalties as a result of ill-discipline
from the High School. Belfast fought back with a great piece
of ingenuity from out-half Chris Beattie, sending Ryan
Stewart in for a try. Ballyclare continued to kick well putting
them back into the lead, but the High School were
determined not to lose. Andrew McCurry opened the
second half with a score and at this point the two teams
looked fairly even. Ballyclare took the lead after capitalising
on High School mistakes and converted two further
penalties. The game was put beyond the reach of Belfast
when in the closing moments of the game Ballyclare scored
a try. This was an unfair reflection of the team effort, but
showed that they had progressed and should look forward to
the return fixture in December.
Larne Grammar School was the second of the two local
derbies with the High School at home. The game was
another good performance and the boys were unlucky not
PAGE 86 The Magazine of Belfast High School
to get the victory as they conceded a try in the last play, as a
result of a missed tackle. The final score was 17-16, and
made the team even more determined to get a victory in the
following weeks. This came in the game against Friends’
School the following Saturday, when both the 1st and the
2nd XV won. The 1st XV scored 27 points against Friends’,
whilst they only conceded one try. Continuing their good
form they put in a performance that showed the potential
the team had for creating scoring opportunities. It was the
first away win of the season and it kept the confidence high
in the camp. The last match in October was a home game
against Dalriada High School. Although another victory was
recorded against a useful Dalriada side, the Ballymoney team
made the most of some complacency displayed by the High
School. The game ended 11 points to 5 and the High
School boys could enjoy their well earned half-term break.
November then started a run of tough matches, starting
with an away fixture to Banbridge Academy. With the High
School’s current form away from home, this was going to
be a hard fought encounter. Banbridge’s very physical pack,
and strong runners through the middle of the park, made
the most of the High School’s lack of aggression in the
tackle. In the second half, a change of tactics and a much
harder work rate from the forwards made the High School
side harder to deal with, and they were unlucky not to gain
a score from a much improved period of play.
This game led on to another away fixture, against one

of the strong favourites for the Schools’ Cup, Ballymena
Academy. The task was made all the more difficult due to a
mounting injury list. The High School side began strongly
and defended well, particularly in the centre, forcing the
home team back inside where they were able to contain
SPORT ~ RUGBY
Ballymena for large parts of the first half. The second half
proved an uphill struggle when the Ballymena out-half
began to exploit the space created out wide. With
Ballymena’s handling improving, the home team began to
capitalise on their opportunities as the High School boys
tired. BHS showed some good periods of play, but
unfortunately lacked strength in certain areas to make the
most of the chances they created.
In the middle of this run of tough games came a tour to
Barcelona. This was a much anticipated event, for both
coaches and players alike. The squad left Dublin airport on
Thursday morning destined for Barcelona. The first game
was scheduled for Friday evening, in the town where we
were based, Sitges. The High School boys were most
definitely up for the game, which was evident when the
team took the park. A touring mentality of playing for each
other had already developed amongst the squad and this was
reflected in the performance. This generated some
magnificent individual displays and ultimately a very good
team performance. In particular, back row man Fionntan
Arkins, who put in a bone crunching tackle in the first
minute of the game which set the tone for the rest of the
tour, along with the half-back partnership of Matthew
Creighton and Niall McGovern, all put in notable
performances. The game ended 43-0 to Belfast High and
the team was well catered for after the game.
The second, and final, game of the tour was against
Poble Nou ‘Engineers’, who proved to be a side that was of
The Magazine of Belfast High School
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Ardilea 2007/08 SPORT ~ RUGBY
1st XV continued
bigger physical stature than Sitges, but lacked mobility about
the park. The game saw more big tackles and some
improved performances, especially Daryl Rooney, who was
just back from injury, and over both games proved to be a
vital part of the squad and team. The game allowed more
players to experience different positions, especially in the
backs. It was an excellent performance from the pack, who
dictated the set pieces and provided the backs with good
first phase ball. The game ended 46-0 and once again the
team was hosted well in the Club House afterwards.
Both games were played in a good spirit and the
experience was very beneficial to the touring squad. It was
good for the side to get some strong wins under their belt
and provide them with some much deserved confidence.
There were some younger players highlighted and certain
players also played very well in new positions that they were
not used to playing. The Senior Rugby squad, as a whole,
was stronger as a result of this tour, due a greater
competition for places and players showing that they could
adapt and play in different positions if required. Niall
McGovern was awarded ‘Player of the Tour,’ Chris Beattie
scored the most points and Gary Stevens was named ‘Rookie
of the Tour.’
On returning home the team received a wake up call
when they played Regent House. The game continued a
poor run of results away from home and this inability to
win on the road was a real concern in the run up to the Cup.
The game started with Regent playing a high tempo game
which was met by a resolute High School defence. Regent’s
scores came against the run of play, which the High School
took encouragement from and gave them heart going into
PAGE 88 The Magazine of Belfast High School
the second-half. This determination led to a score from
Daryl Rooney who was continuing to enjoy good form as he
was getting closer to full match fitness. The result of the
game went Regent’s way but on the whole did not fairly
reflect the quality of rugby BHS played.
The return fixture against Ballyclare High School was
the next scheduled match in December, and is always a good
indicator of how the team has progressed from the earlier
fixture in October. The game was played in truly awful
conditions, which dictated that it be a very forward
orientated game. Belfast used their forwards to their strength
and got stuck into the game from the very start. The first
half started fiercely with both sides defending well, running
hard, and playing a very tight game. The conditions played
a big factor making handling very difficult and this resulted
in a number of knock-ons by both sides. The first half ended
0-0. Belfast had the wind in the second half which allowed
them to kick more effectively, gaining ground on many
occasions. Belfast defended very well which was a credit to
the side, as Ballyclare found it very difficult to break through
the line. David Jamison made his return from injury and
had a great game, providing another dimension to the team
at inside centre. Belfast’s hard graft and determination paid
off as they converted a penalty towards the end of the second
half, scored by Chris Beattie. The game ended 3-0 which
was a well deserved victory for the Belfast High boys which
continued their recent run of good form.
Limavady Grammar School gave the side a chance to
settle another score, as they had suffered a defeat earlier in
the season to Limavady, losing in the last minutes of the
game. The High School played with little organisation in

the first half and this was coupled with ill-discipline which
let the side down in the first half. The second half brought
about a much improved performance with line-outs and
scrums working well and eventually the continuous pressure
resulted in a score by Chris Beattie, making it 6-5. The High
School continued to build on this and didn’t allow Limavady
back into the game. Hal Green scored a late try to end the
game 10-6. Two very valuable physical encounters against
Rainey and Portora over the Christmas break allowed match
fitness to be maintained over the holiday period.
After Christmas came preparation for the Schools’ Cup.
Training was intense and the team was focused on the task
in hand. There was a good feeling in the camp and the
players were determined to perform well. After our
scheduled fixture was cancelled, a game with Wellington
College was arranged which was very physical and very
beneficial in giving the squad much needed match practice.
We won the game 41-15, which was crucial for the side as
it kept spirits high and allowed for some fine tuning,
especially as it was the last match before the Cup.
The following week brought the game that the squad
had waited all season for, the Schools’ Cup Third Round
fixture against Grosvenor Grammar School. The High
School had to travel to play the fixture, something which
had proved to be troublesome all season. They turned up
with a determined attitude to win, and with the hype
surrounding the Grosvenor pack, going in as underdogs
suited them well. The opening stages of the game saw both
teams struggle to come to terms with the difficult conditions
but it was the High School team who took the lead when
out half Chris Beattie kicked a penalty after five minutes
following a Grosvenor player straying offside. The Belfast
High forwards showed commitment as they met a very big
physical forward unit head on. BHS lost flanker Phil Green
a short time into the first half, which gave Fionntan Arkins
an opportunity to play in a Schools Cup game. The home
side responded on twenty two minutes when they equalised
the score with a well struck penalty. Just before half time
Grosvenor took the lead for the first time when they scored
an unconverted try, following good work from their scrumhalf
and backrow linking with the blindside wing. At the
end of the half Belfast High were still in the game, with only
a score separating the teams. At the beginning of the second
half Grosvenor lifted their game and began to dominate
with the wind at their backs and their efforts were rewarded
when they increased their lead to 11-3 with another penalty
after 44 minutes. This scored spurred the High School into
a period of pressure which resulted in a try being disallowed,
held up over the line. Grosvenor turned over the ball and
counter attacked and secured the victory 16-3.
The High School were pitted against local rivals Carrick
Grammar School in the Quarter-Final of the Bowl. This
gave the side an opportunity to show their true colours
against a side that had beaten them earlier in the season. The
game started well, with no quarter given by either side,
proving that both sides were up for the game. There was a
big turn out of fans to cheer on the teams which spurred the
High School team on even more. As the first half progressed
SPORT ~ RUGBY
Carrick began to look more dangerous, especially behind
the scrum and particularly when they moved the ball out
wide into space. Disappointingly for the High School scores
were leaked as a result of poor defence and this was hard to
come back from. However, the second half opened well with
a score for the High School after some good all-round play
by the team and at this stage the game was evenly balanced.
Belfast High started to cross the gain line and offloaded the
ball quickly and effectively which kept the visiting side on
the back foot. The team played to their strengths and
challenged the Carrick forwards in the set piece. In the end,
however, the visitor’s strength out wide proved too strong
when both outside centre and wing scored, which killed off
the High School challenge late in the second-half.
The season finished with two very good wins against
touring sides. The first game was played at the BHSFP
Rugby Club against a visiting side from Thornberry Rugby
Club, near Gloucester. This provided the High School with
an opportunity to play a free flowing, open and expansive
game with the forwards providing excellent ball for the backs
to exploit. The game was won 26-0 with all the scores
coming in the first half.
The second touring fixture and the last of the season,
was against Hugh McRoberts Rugby Club from Canada.
The High School started the game as they had left the
previous one with the pack showing great aggression and
dominance over the visiting side. This early ascendancy
resulted in a score from No 8, Daryl Rooney and then
further scores from Gary Ellison and Ross Megarry. Hugh
McRoberts looked to be suffering the effects of their long
journey from Armagh, which told on their game. The High
School continued to play some very good attacking rugby,
with Niall McGovern scoring a good try in the corner which
was a great way to end the half. Belfast High had put
themselves in a strong position and at the start of the second
half, substitute Phil Green extended the home sides lead
with an intercept try. Chris Beattie and Andrew McCurry
then consolidated this lead with two tries from well worked
back moves. The visitors to their credit did finish strongly,
managing to score three converted tries.
These two games provided an excellent end to the
season and demonstrated how on their day, the High School
could play an excellent brand of free-flowing rugby.
Forwards and backs inter-linked with ease and displayed
confidence in each others ability to make the correct
decisions in order to achieve the desired result.
Gary Ellison, Honorary Secretary
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 89

Ardilea 2007/08
SPORT ~ RUGBY
2nd XV
The phrase ‘2007-08 season’ is something of a misnomer
as the season witnessed a full programme of fixtures
before Christmas but a very much reduced programme
afterwards. The truncated season was in large measure
due to the cancellation of fixtures by away teams as a
result of poor pitch conditions and the demands of both
1st and 2nd XV cup competitions.
The team was sustained by a nucleus of dedicated
trainers and a group of others more keen on ‘social’ rugby.
On paper, the numbers opting to play in the senior squad at
the start of the season appeared encouraging and there was
a faint hope that this might allow for some 3rd XV games
being played. The reality proved somewhat different as
injuries, especially to 1st XV players, and external
commitments reduced the numbers available on any given
Saturday. This had a knock-on effect as the movement of
players to the 1st XV impacted adversely on team cohesion
and playing positions.
During the Christmas term 12 matches were played in
the regular fixture list, out of which the team won two and
lost ten. After Christmas only four matches were played,
one of which was drawn. However in tour matches 2nd XV
Foreign Language Poetry
LES ANIMAUX
Le cochon d’Inde est petit,
Le lapin a de grandes oreilles,
Le serpent est mince,
Le cochon est gros.
L’araignée a huit pattes,
La tortue a une carapace,
La souris a de petites oreilles,
La vache a des pis.
Le poulet a des ailes,
Le dauphin a des nageoires,
Le canard a un bec jaune,
Et le cheval est rapide!
Cameron, Mark et Jake
PAGE 90 The Magazine of Belfast High School
players had more success sharing in the combined 1st/2nd
XV victories against Spanish sides, Sitges and Poble Nou,
during the tour to Barcelona in November, and in the U16
match against Hugh McRoberts from Vancouver on St
Patrick’s Day.
The team was drawn against Coleraine Academical
Institution in the 2nd XV Cup, securing a home advantage.
This was an exciting contest in which the team displayed
real ability before CAI ran out eventual winners. A stiffer
challenge followed in the draw for the Subsidiary
competition when the team was drawn away to Portora, a
game which might have been won if the same qualities
present in the CAI match had been demonstrated.
In part the disappointing results may be attributable to
the youthfulness of the team, most of whom were Year12
pupils. However should they continue playing on the 2nd
XV in the coming season then it is to be hoped that their
greater experience and fitness can lead to better results.
In conclusion, I would like to thank team members for
their commitment, parents and friends for their vocal
support and BHSFP RFC for the use of facilities and
hospitality throughout the year.
RE

Medallion Rugby Report
Won: 13
Lost: 5
Points for: 299
Points against: 137
Tries Scored: 47
In a perfect start to the season with a 27-0 victory over
local rivals Carrick Grammar, the team played very well
and controlled for the main duration of the game, on the
whole an excellent performance after the summer off!
Another match against a relatively strong Portadown
college side saw us win again without conceding any
points.
Our first loss of the season came against Bangor
Grammar (away). With the scores being level at half time
we were guilty of a few missed chances which cost the team
in the second half when Bangor finished off 3 well worked
back moves. The team bounced back quickly with 4 wins in
a row, with the forwards finding some unstoppable form,
especially in the back row.
With the next match of the season against rivals
Banbridge Academy (whom we had never beaten before) it
was going to be tough and definitely the biggest match of
the season so far. We found ourselves playing into a strong
breeze in the first half. A brilliantly controlled performance
by the forwards kept the score to 5-5 at half time, which the
team got a real buzz from. The game was beginning to edge
towards our favour with each minute that was passing until
finally we were rewarded with a simple 3 points which put
us to 8-5 with 12 minutes to go. With 5 minutes left we
managed to get ourselves into the opposition 22 with a lineout.
The forwards kept it simple and won the ball safely, the
ball was whipped out quickly by Chris Cooke and we
managed to finish a perfectly worked back move to put
Banbridge out of reach. The game finished 13-5 and was
arguably the performance of the season!
The next three games were against three of the best
SPORT ~ RUGBY
teams in Ulster. We lost narrowly to Ballymena and Armagh
which was quite disappointing as the team played well and
kept doing so throughout both games. The loss to Regent
House was our biggest of the season but at only 21-0 wasn’t
too shameful against the medallion shield finalists.
The team as usual bounced back very well with three
dominating wins against Limavady, Portora and Friends’,
with Jake Toan scoring 6 tries in these three games! The
performance against friends was exceptional, with
outstanding performances from Matt Huntley, Nathan
Dougan, Ryan Neill and Jonnie Greenlees. It was a perfect
performance which came at a perfect time, one week before
the medallion shield game against Wallace High School.
Medallion Shield
Medallion Squad at Wallace
With high hopes of success the team went into the biggest
game of the year well drilled and prepared. A closely fought
first half finished up with us being 7-5 in the lead, and really
should have been more. A poor Wallace pass was pounced
on by Robbie Fryers who kicked ahead and chased, the ball
bounced awkwardly allowing Wallace to recover and stop
what would have been a great score. The second half began
and Wallace scored a good try which put them back into
the lead. We came back well but too many knock-ons and
unforced errors prevented us from getting the result we
deserved. It was just one of those days and the match
finished 15-10 to Wallace.
With the disappointment from the Shield it was going
to be hard to pick up the spirits to play rugby the way the
team had been playing for the last four years, but thanks to
Mr Wilson and our forwards coach Johnny we managed to
pull the team together for our medallion bowl fixtures. We
played Grosvenor in the quarter finals and went through
quite comfortably. Rainey in the Semis (away) was always
going to be tough, with their large pack and quick backs,
but the team held out and put in a solid performance
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
continued ➛
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Ardilea 2007/08
SPORT ~ RUGBY
Medallion Rugby Report continued
earning our place in the final. It was to be Banbridge
Academy in the final. The team were confident after the
earlier win in the season. We got off to a bad start allowing
them to go 10-0 up. We came back well and made it 10-8,
but Banbridge broke away and put the game out of reach.
This was hugely disappointing for the team but we shouldn’t
be too disappointed after a very successful season.
On behalf of myself and the team I would like to thank
all the coaches Mr Wilson, Johnny, Mr Beattie, Davy Scott,
Mr Doyle and Mr Rainey for giving up the time to coach
our team. A big thanks also to Mr McCormick and Mr
Martin who taught the team many tricks and tips
throughout Years 9 and 10.
A special thanks to Mr Wilson and Johnny who took us
for every session and made the season successful and
enjoyable for all of us. A big thanks to Mr Beattie who
brilliantly refereed every home match we played. Finally
thanks to all the players for their commitment, efforts and
banter throughout the season.
Robbie Fryers, Captain
This year’s Medallion team were a talented bunch with some
classy players in key positions. It is difficult to mention any
one player as the squads’ team spirit and commitment for
each other was simply magic to be involved with.
Time after time the pack laid the foundations with
awesome determination and commitment in the contact
PAGE 92 The Magazine of Belfast High School
area setting the backs up with plenty of opportunities to
exploit the space created. Adam Reid epitomises the spirit of
the pack, he would tackle a bison if he had to. The props
Adam Gibney, Jordan Irwin and Steven Godfrey had the
strength to make the gain line and turnover ball. The second
row varied between Conor McIlwaine, Rauri Langhammer,
Jourdan Hopwell and Ryan McKay. All played their part
throughout the season, with Ryan McKay becoming the
most improved player in the team. Jourdan played an
inspired game against Dalriada and although we were
missing several key players, he won the game in the last
minute dragging several opposition players over with him
over for the winning try.
The back row were simply outstanding, Nathan
Dougan was the most consistent player, but all were

continually tackling, hitting ruck after ruck ensuring we
were always in every match. Jake Toan is a strong runner
who improved with straighter running and was rewarded
with some great tries. On the blindside Joe Whitley was
continually bullish in both defence and attack. The backs
had some slick players and were able to finish off with some
excellent team tries. Chris Cooke is an elusive scrum-half
who was beginning to make better timed breaks and will be
one to watch in the future if he continues to work hard on
his passing. Robbie Fryers did an excellent job in inspiring
his team as captain and making good decisions under
pressure and time after time he was able to score some
superb individual solo tries to win games. The centre
partnership of Ryan Neill and Jonny Greenlees worked well,
Ryan is a very strong player who not only stopped the
opposition in the tackle but was able to consistently steal
the ball as well. In the wings and full back we had three very
good attacking players. Jordan Cunningham was a quick
strong runner who could time his angle and pace on the ball
really well which saw him cut through to score some fine
tries. Matt Boyd has played every position in the backs and
continually showed some real class as did Matthew Huntley
SPORT ~ RUGBY
at full back.
The team changed regularly due to good competition
from other players and injuries. In the backs Michael
Montgomery always showed a good turn of speed and
commitment in his games, the most notable being his try
against Friends’. Jonny Rea had some great breaks and was
unlucky not to play at the end. Dale Lennox and Conor
McIlwaine were both unlucky with injuries and illness
respectively. Jordan Hope came late into the season and is
improving all the time. The other main squad members
included Bradley Armstrong, Robbie Gallagher and Gareth
Evans. All played at least one game and were unlucky not to
be more regular players. Gareth Evans was one of the most
committed players in training, never missing fitness or
training sessions.
The most memorable game for me was the Friends’
match where the team just clicked and did everything as
near as perfect can be. A well worked try came from a
delayed loop move involving Robbie and Jonny Greenlees.
Following a kick off the forwards quickly set up two rucks
and the ball was swiftly moved wide and good linking saw
Matt Huntley sprint through for the score. Further scores
followed from Michael Montgomery to finally win with an
unanswered 27-0, awesome to watch.
I felt the team were unlucky in the shield match against
Wallace and that had they had another 5 minutes would
have made it through. The Bowl final game saw our worst
start in a game all season but it’s a credit to the squad that
they always played total rugby right to the final whistle
whether they were winning or losing. I would like to thank
Robbie for being an excellent captain and all the squad for
their commitment and enthusiasm in training. Thanks also
to Mr Beattie for his coaching and referring; forward coach
Jonny Morgan and all other coaching staff Mr Rainey, Mr
Scott, Mr Doyle and Mike McKeever for their support. To
the parents a great thanks for supporting the players in such
a positive way. Finally good luck to all the players for next
year, as many have the talent to make a big impact in the
senior squad over the next number of seasons. DW
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 93

Ardilea 2007/08 SPORT ~ RUGBY
Under 14 XV
This team showed much potential at U13 level and
hoped to continue that into the new season. We started
with an impressive 43-0 victory over Carrick Grammar
School.
Andrew Kingston in particular showed his talent from
full-back. Our team’s first defeat of the season came in a tight
match at Bangor when we fell to a 15-10 defeat. We felt
hard done by and knew we had not played as well as we
could have. The team reacted well though and produced a
fine display to overcome the tough opposition of Ballyclare
High School by a comfortable 27 points to 10. Great work
by Aaron Blair, Henry Atkinson and Conal Browne in the
tight allowed our backs to make the most of possession, with
Philip Snoddy scoring a super try.
PAGE 94 The Magazine of Belfast High School
The winning ways continued with a good win against
Larne Grammar School, with captain Ryan Elliott scoring
three tries in the second half! A mid-week training injury to
our talented out-half Michael Hayes meant Iain Webber had
to move from scrum-half to out-half and Guy Bell moved
from second row to scrum half. The new combination
worked well and we had high scoring wins against Friends’
School and Banbridge Academy.
The side then suffered a bruising defeat to an excellent
Ballymena Academy side. We did however score a
consolation try from Andrew Kingston which consisted of
full pitch run and a silky side step to beat the cover defence.
Although we lost the match, we did play some of our best
rugby of the season.
A stop start match against Limavady Grammar School
showed encouraging signs, but in a scrappy affair we didn't
really get going. We were happy with the win. Next up was
an away trip to Friends’. The back row of Matt Neill, Jack
Balmer and Ryan McGonigle had their best game as a unit
making themselves available off the shoulder of out-half Iain
Webber to make telling runs at the Friends’ defence. We ran
out easy winners with a score line of 35-0. In horrendous
conditions against Dalriada Grammar School we won with
a score 19-5. The conditions did not favour our open style
of play, so we were restricted to simple back moves.
An English touring team who had put a lot into their
game provided extremely tough opposition. We started well
with a quick try from captain Ryan Elliott which set the
tone for a fantastic match. It was to and fro throughout the
game, with each team matching each other all the way. At
the start of the second half, arguably the try of the season was
scored by second row Steven Lewis, with a dazzling 80m
run from deep inside his own 22. With the team tiring due
to the sweltering heat the opposition proved too much as

they scored a late try and drop goal to seal the match. This
match showed what we could really do and it must have
been a stunning match to watch with the final score coming
out at 32-28. We had great support from the crowd and it
was very encouraging to see so many people out in numbers
to cheer us on.
We beat Larne convincingly in a strong performance
with tries from Ryan Elliott, Steven Lewis and Ross White.
BRA provided a stern test of character. We started
poorly, conceding an early try but responded with a superb
team try of our own. BRA scored a late first half try to
dampen our spirits at the break but we showed great belief
in the second half to give BRA a run for their money. We fell
short at the final hurdle but this match prepared us well for
what was to come in the O'Kane tournament at Ballymena
Academy.
The O’Kane tournament was going to be a big test as
we were drawn in the same group as Rainey Endowed
School and Ballymena Academy. Against Ballymena we had
a poor first half conceding a disappointing two tries but the
second half was a much more exciting affair with the team
coming out a lot stronger and producing a fine display.
SPORT ~ RUGBY
Winger Danny DeBecker scored a wonder try that Shane
Williams would have been proud of. We drew level but with
the depth of the Ballymena squad they came back strong to
control the game. Next against Rainey was a lot more
comfortable but the only try of the game came from a back
move involving forwards which was finished off well by
Steven Lewis. We progressed to the semi-finals and were
disappointed on a horrible pitch which made backs moves
next to impossible. We slipped to a 5-0 defeat despite
controlling most of the match.
We feel the team has improved greatly and hope we shall
continue to improve in the coming seasons.
We would like to thank all the boys for their
commitment and hard work throughout the season. We
would like to thank the coaches Mr McCormick, Mr
Bleakley, Davy Scott, Mike McKeever and also Mr
Campbell for his refereeing throughout the season.
S Lewis, R Elliott, P Snoddy
On behalf of all the coaching staff of the U14 rugby squad,
I would like to thank all the players for your dedication and
enthusiasm throughout the year. You have made it a
thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding year for all involved
and we wish you the best and continued success in blue and
yellow.
Also, a Thank you to the parents for your support in
attending the games, whatever the weather. Finally, a Thank
you to Ryan Elliott who has been an excellent captain and
has led by example from start to finish.
AMcC
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 95

Ardilea 2007/08 SPORT ~ RUGBY
Under 13 XV
Squad
J Allison, B Bates, C Beck, J Boyle, A Campbell,
M Connolly, P Courtney, J Crymble, N Davidson,
A Dyer, A Douglas, R Fenton, S Fraser, P Gillanders,
J Haggan, D Jameison, P King, L Livingston, B Love,
J McBroom, A McCarley, A McClelland, T McConkey,
S McFarland, A McManus, J Montgomery, A Pattison,
P Robinson, R Sempey, S Spoule, J Steenson, D Walls,
A White
This year’s U13 XV had a fairly successful season
winning 7 matches out of 15 games played.
There was healthy competition for places with 25-30
boys regularly turning out for Wednesday practices and
circuit training on Thursday lunch-times. As a result, each
player improved in all four areas of the game over the season:
skill technique, tactical awareness, fitness and psychology.
Before Christmas good wins against Carrick Grammar
School, Ballyclare High School, Larne Grammar School,
Friends’ School and Banbridge Academy were gained by
hard work in training and honest endeavour in matches.
After Christmas only three games were played with an away
victory at Friends’ and a win against Dalriada Grammar
School which was a reversal of an earlier result. We lost the
last game of the season to BRA who were probably the best
team we played, although we didn’t help ourselves with some
very weak tackling. On this point to ensure this team
continues to develop and reach its full potential improved
tackling technique and organisation is crucial to compliment
the teams natural attacking flair.
Forwards
The forwards were a mobile unit which complimented the
expansive game that the backs liked to play. As a unit their
tight skills improved as the season progressed.
Front Row
Jack Boyle is aggressive in the loose and as the season
progressed and his confidence grew he put his speed to good
use by making some strong runs in open play to add to the
teams attacking threat. Ryan Fenton began the season as
first choice but came under pressure from Dean Jameison
who made great progress after Christmas. In the end there
was little to choose between them. Both worked hard in
developing their technique in the scrum to compliment
their work in the loose. Tom McConkey complemented the
looseness of the props by performing the tight skills well.
He showed his bravery on many occasions by putting his
‘body on the line’.
Second Row
Perry Gillanders and Andrew McManus were the regular
first choice in the engine room with Bradley Bates and
PAGE 96 The Magazine of Belfast High School
Daniel Walls coming off the bench as impact players in the
latter stage of the season. Perry’s tight skills off cleaning up
line-out ball and setting rucks were excellent (one tackle as
a ‘guard’ in Wednesday training was one of my personal
highlights of the season. Yes it was really that good!).
Andrew enjoyed supporting the backs and getting the ball
into his hands. He often used his height advantage by off
loading the ball well out of contact to support players. Both
Bradley and Daniel have the potential to get more game
time in the future as they are both big units who can carry
the ball with intent. Keep working hard and you will get
your rewards!
Back Row
The back-row were very good in attack if lacking a little
nous in defence.
Ben Love had an excellent season and was the team’s
‘Player of the Year’ as voted by the coaches. He has a great
engine, is aggressive in attack and is always close to the
action. Ethan Boal carried the ball well in attack and in the
latter stages of the season his hunger in defence became a
feature of his game. Andrew McClelland is the quiet man
getting on with his work effectively and being a real team
man. Aaron Pattison and Peter Robinson played a number
of games during the season. Both made positive
contributions with Peter’s direct running a feature of his
game late on in the season.
Backs
The backs were the stronger of the two units with a greater
ability to attack than to defend.
Half-Backs
Scott McFarland had a very good season in the key role of
scrum-half. He is a chirpy little general who gets the ball
away quickly and is tenacious in defence. With
development of other key positional skills he has the basics
to become a very good player in the future. Adam White
also had a very good season at out-half. He is a talented
footballer whose consistently performs well. His core skills
of passing, kicking and tackling are generally of a high level
and as the season progressed his decision making and
organisational skills improved.
In the Centre
Jack Steenson is a very keen rugby player who likes to
practice his goal kicking! He enjoys having the ball in hand
and running at the opposition defence to get across the gain
line. As the season developed his understanding of defensive
strategies improved. Matthew Connolly captained the side
on many occasions reflecting his enthusiasm and ability to
encourage the team to up its performance at the right
moments with the right words. He is an elusive runner and

his work in defence improved as the season progressed.
Back three
Stuart Fraser (wing) was the team’s most lethal weapon (and
top try scorer). He is fast and when given half a chance
regularly took the opportunity by scoring a try in the corner.
Jordan Haggan (wing) was the team’s strongest ball carrier
and tackler. He often used his strength to shrug off
defenders to score tries and when opponents ran at him
without taking evasive action he would simply nail them in
their tracks. Jamie Montgomery (full back) was the team’s
Under 12 XV
Coaching for the U12s on Saturday mornings started
early in September with 25-35 boys attending on a
regular basis.
Matches were organised from November onwards
taking place on Friday afternoons. These matches were 10a-side
games with A, B, C and Ds getting regular run-outs.
The A team represented the school at the NEELB Year
8 competition, loosing in the Plate Final.
The annual triangular tournament between BHS,
Carrick GS and Larne GS was held in March.
Congratulations to BHS A team who regained the Stephen
Hilditch Cup, beating both Carrick GS and Larne GS A
teams.
The B, C and D teams also performed well, with each
SPORT ~ RUGBY
most exciting open field runner, always willing to attack
from anywhere in the field of play. As his decision-making
develops he has the ability to create many scoring
opportunities for his wings in the future. Andrew Dyer
(wing) joined the squad late having not really committed
himself to rugby at U12 level. He is strong and fast and
with increased confidence to take his man on the outside he
will be a real threat in attack next season.
Good luck next season and remember the old proverb: ‘The
harder you practise, the luckier you get.’
MDR
team unbeaten; BHS subsequently won the Shield for the
school that had most points in the B, C and D matches.
All the teams had a very encouraging season, making
obvious progress over the season under the expert guidance
of Mike McKeever and his coaching squad of Richard Best,
Michael Lavery, Gareth McManus, Matthew McNutt, Andy
Morrison and Peter Taylor.
With continued hard work and commitment, this
group of players had the ability to enjoy a very successful
2007-08 season.
Finally, many thanks to Friday period 7 teachers who
excused their ‘little dears’ on a very regular basis. Your
understanding and support was very much appreciated.
MDR
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 97

Ardilea 2007/08 SPORT ~ HOCKEY
Girls’ Hockey Club
Captain Claire Flanagan
Vice Captain Susie Burnett
Secretary Ciara Bell
Committee Debbie McNabb & Francesca McKnight
The year 2007-08 brought its successes and excitement
on the hockey pitch and inevitably one or two
disappointments but the overall performance of the club
gave much satisfaction.
The club fielded 12 teams on a regular basis with over
150 girls from Year 8 to U6 involved. Practices were held
twice weekly with competitive matches being played on
Saturday mornings throughout the season. The use of both
Astro-Turf pitches at UUJ has definitely enhanced the skill
level of our girls and has allowed them to develop their
game.
There is a lot to be pleased about this season, but still
much to learn. We must continue to develop our players
and implement the new initiatives being passed through the
modern game and extend the skills of our talented young
players.
PAGE 98 The Magazine of Belfast High School
I would like to pay tribute to the large number of staff
who give up their time to assist with the coaching of our
many teams. Without the help of Mrs A McNutt, Mrs A
Lowry, Mrs P Cosgrove, Mrs P Creighton, Mrs J Moore,
Mrs E Hood and Mr C Jellie, the school could not run 12
teams. Thank you also to Julie Hanvey, Stuart, Amanda
Lloyd, Karen Brady and Katherine Elkin, all of whom
stepped in to offer their expertise to our girls and to coach
and umpire. Last but by no means least thank-you to
Greenisland Ladies’ Hockey Club for running a very
successful mini hockey programme on Saturday mornings
for the local Primary Schools and our Junior pupils.
Congratulations to Gillian Kane on her selection to
Ulster U16 B squad; to Jessica Crawford, Rebecca Davidson
and Emma Kirpatrick for their inclusion in the North
Eastern U15 squad and the Regional Development Squad;
and also to Stephanie McBride who was also involved with
RDS.
Well done also to our junior players, Amy McWhirter,
Jade Gardiner, Leah Crooks and Megan Sexton, who were
part of the successful Sport North East Team.

1st XI
Captain Claire Flanagan
Vice Captain Susan Burnett
The Team
E McGarry, E McKinley, D McNabb, F McKnight,
E Beattie, J Lennox, L Dickson, G Kane, F Young,
S Burnett, C Bell, C Flanagan
The 1st XI Hockey team had another very enjoyable
season this year. With few players remaining from the
previous season a lot of hard work was needed from each
player for us to start adapting as a team.
Everyone committed themselves fully, being dedicated
and enthusiastic in training and matches. This then meant
that within the first few weeks we were able to function
strongly as a motivated team, leading to success through the
first few matches of the season. We were unbeaten for the
first 7 matches, beating strong opponents including; Antrim
Grammar School, Larne Grammar School and Methodist
College, and even drawing against tough rivals Belfast Royal
Academy.
Following this fantastic start to the season came the
Schools’ Cup. Spirits and confidence were therefore high
following the teams previous success, however nervousness
rose due to the opposition being drawn as Belfast High’s
number one rivals, Carrick Grammar School. Carrick
Grammar are always a school that we have had competitive
and enjoyable matches with. We knew that the match was
going to be tough, especially since Carrick Grammar had
gained a good reputation from the start of the season. The
match proved to be fast, competitive and entertaining, often
nail-biting at points. Carrick came out with a huge amount
of determination, though we fought back strongly. We lost
SPORT ~ HOCKEY
5-0, but everyone agreed that the score line did not represent
play. The match was very close, play constantly moved
around the pitch with opportunities to score for both teams.
Although at the end of the day Carrick Grammar had the
goals for the win. The team walked away from this match
disappointed and with a knocked confidence.
Following their cup-match defeat, the team’s fortunes
during mid-season were not so successful and a couple of
losses resulted, though often the score lines were never too
extravagant. Matches were lost with unlucky goals or narrow
defeats, even in spite of the team playing exceptionally well
and being closely competitive with some of the top school
teams.
Even though the mid-season play wasn’t as successful as
the girls had hoped, our enthusiasm kept spirits high and
everyone was consistent in their efforts during training and
matches. However it was true that for a while it seemed that
we suffered defeat after defeat, this caused a slight drop in
motivation levels and even frustration at times. However it
wasn’t before long that we fought back strongly and beat this
with a huge amount of dedication and determination. Once
the team beat their downfall they were playing at their top
level of competitive hockey once again, working with one
another in defence and attack and delivering hugely
competitive matches that strongly intimidated opposition
when we reached the circle.
We finished our season on a high, feeling that we had
played to our best abilities and had thoroughly enjoyed the
whole season. Even in spite of not having success in the
Schools’ Cup or Plate, we had every bit of success and truly
won in terms of our dedication, commitment and most of
all enjoyment. I have learnt through playing in Belfast High
School Hockey for many years that enjoyment is one of the
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
continued ➛
PAGE 99

Ardilea 2007/08 SPORT ~ HOCKEY
1st XI continued
most important qualities that is promoted with both
matches and training. Obviously a big amount of hard work
and dedication is also enforced, however the teachers never
lose sight of one thing, that they want the pupils to enjoy
playing. I feel that this sets apart Belfast High’s Hockey
teams from many other school teams.
This year we played with a Squad of 12, every person
contributed fully to the team and with many players who
were multi-talented on various areas of the pitch, positions
could then be swapped about. There was a larger portion of
younger ages on the 1st XI this year, all who have a very high
level of talent. I have every confidence that the 1st XI will
become an even stronger side next year, and I offer them the
best of luck in achieving success.
Erin McGarry, our goalkeeper, had an excellent season
this year. She coped tremendously well under the pressure of
the highly skilled teams who had both tactical and powerful
shots at goals. Erin has been of huge importance to the team,
she has saved goals at times that have prevented defeats and
has made vital saves to boost the whole team’s confidence.
She has contributed well in both her skill level and also her
determination in goals.
Emma McKinley played mainly as our sweeper,
however she was often switched to other defensive positions.
One of Emma’s main strengths is her ability to commit to
one strong tackle after another. Her strong defensive skills
have been reflected all throughout the season. She is able to
cope under pressure and deal successfully with 2 vs 1
situations and is a very valuable player to the team with her
tackling, interceptions and hitting out of the defensive circle.
Debbie McNabb has played in the defensive back
positions throughout the season. She has played for the 1st
XI for a couple of years and has always been of huge
importance to the team. She is highly accurate in her hit
outs and has the power to quickly change our play from
defence to attack. Debbie is a highly competitive player
where her will 0to succeed often wins the tackle. The team
values how she is able to distribute the ball effectively out of
defence and even dribble up-field herself. Debbie is also
PAGE 100 The Magazine of Belfast High School
often a part of attacking penalty corners and has even been
moved to midfield positions, as well as being a great
character to have on the pitch.
Francesca McKnight is another one of the defensive
players. She is a determined player who fights for winning
the ball in all situations. Often her motivation to win the
ball can raise other team mates spirits, and they to fight for
those 50/50 tackles. Francesca is quick and efficient in
defence and distributes the ball up-field successfully and
quickly to get full advantage of attacking play. She has been
a rock in our defence and she has contributed also to team
play, providing passing opportunities out wide or square.
Ellen Beattie plays mainly in the position of left back.
One of her strongest skills is her tackling, in particular her
reverse-stick tackle. This becomes a huge strength on the left
side of the pitch. Ellen stops opposition breaking through
our defence and she carries out quick and efficient tackles
that often take the opposition by surprise, making them a
success. Ellen is another rock in defence and her ability to
carryout a quick tackle and then distribute it to a team mate
helps boost how well the team works together. Her skill
coupled with her motivation to defend goals has saved us
from defeats many times this year.
Jodie Lennox plays various positions on the pitch; she
has superb skills in both attack and defence. Jodie is a great
competitor and works tremendously hard to play her best in
both attack and defence. She links the team up well through
providing quick and accurate passing, as well as taking the
ball on herself on the attack. She has helped to combine the
team together and is consistent when working hard and
playing to her best ability. As one of the youngest players
I’m sure she may be a very influential player in the team over
the next few seasons.
Laura Dickson has played right link and wing positions
on the team. Her strengths contribute tremendously to the
teams play through providing passing options to other team
mates and working with the link on the attack. She also has
the agility, skill and speed to break away from opposing
defenders on the wings, and reach the attacking circle. She

has helped to provide many shooting opportunities at goals
that have helped to concede many goals. She is an excellent
team player with a high skill level and has helped to make a
strong right attack on our team.
Gillian Kane is another very skilled player; she mainly
has a centre position on the pitch, ranging from link to
forward. She has an admiring confidence and courage to
take the ball on herself and to dodge around defenders.
When she breaks through she also works with the team,
often linking up with other links and wings. Her team play
has helped to combine the team together more during the
year; she is a good motivator of other players and has helped
raise spirits and motivation during matches. She is a
dedicated and committed player to the hockey team.
Fiona Young has played in both defence and attack, she
is very strong at tackling and closing down opposing players,
especially when they are quick and trying to break down the
wing. Her hard work both at training and on the pitch
reflects both her enjoyment and dedication to her hockey. A
particular strength in her attack has been her ability to win
and score goals for the team; she has an accurate and
powerful shot at goals and has done well to score so many
this season.
SPORT ~ HOCKEY
Ciara Bell plays as either a wing or centre forward, she
is a quick player that can often break away from the
defenders and reach the edge of the circle. She has also a
good ability to break away from her defender, and finds
herself in a position for passing and linking up team play.
Ciara is a determined player when in the circle, having the
primary aim to score a goal, were often she has succeeded
and done well for the team. Her enthusiasm helped to boost
confidence when our team has been on the attack.
Claire Flanagan was the 1st XI’s captain for this year.
She has shown a great determination and commitment to
the team. Motivating us when we have become frustrated,
and keeping us alert when we are doing well. She works hard
in all areas of the pitch and her commitment on the attack
has aided success against opposition. Claire has a
determination to achieve and this can be admired by other
players and boost team spirits. I’d like to thank her for her
commitment to the team and success in making it a very
enjoyable hockey year.
I would also like to say a special Thank you to other
members of BHS Hockey Club, many 2nd XI players had
substituted and reserved for us all throughout the year, some
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
continued ➛
PAGE 101

Ardilea 2007/08 SPORT ~ HOCKEY
1st XI continued
have even played twice on Saturday Mornings. They have
contributed well for us this season, also reserving and playing
in nerve wrecking cup matches.
Once of the biggest parts of 1st XI Hockey is the
coaching, training and umpiring we receive. Without the
commitment, enthusiasm, hard training and guidance from
Mrs McNutt, Mrs Creighton and Miss Moffett the team
would not have been as successful, nor would it have been
as enjoyable. I would therefore like to say a special thanks on
behalf of the whole team.
There is also the commitment and help that we receive
from Stuart and his umpiring. We are grateful for his
support and dedication over the past year, it is very much
appreciated.
Mrs Creighton has also contributed to the 1st XI, not
only through lending us players from the 2nd XI, but also
in her motivating and support during matches and training.
Miss Moffett has had a fantastic influence on our team
this year, it has been a delight to have her really motivating
us from the sidelines during matches. She is a great coach to
have when we are losing badly and becoming frustrated, as
she can really turn around the attitude of a whole team.
Mrs McNutt has been a great coach, giving very
valuable team and individual talks about skills, ultimately
boosting motivation. She has been a great coach in terms of
both her support and coaching, and I hope she enjoyed the
season just as much as the team did. She is a busy teacher
who manages to dedicate her time to the team, and for this
reason the whole team is really grateful.
The 1st XI team have had an enjoyable season. I would
like to thank everyone for all the hard work, dedication and
early Saturday mornings that they have woken up for! I have
really enjoyed the last year of school hockey and I will miss
everyone. For those players leaving this year, all the best and
I hope you try to keep up the hockey wherever you go. For
PAGE 102 The Magazine of Belfast High School
the other players the best of luck for the next season, I have
every confidence that it will be a successful one. Finally I
would like to just say thanks once again and I hope you
enjoy the rest of Belfast High Hockey as much as I did, as it
goes quickly!
Susan Burnett, Vice Captain
Thank-you to Susie for the team report, the only thing
missing was a few lines on herself. Not only is Susie a very
talented hockey player she is a very talented all round sports
person. Throughout her time at Belfast High she has
represented the school in Netball, Athletics, Cross-country,
Squash and Tennis. As a midfield player Susie was not afraid
to ‘get stuck in’, her work rate and skill level was second to
none and she was a great asset to the team. She always
approaches tasks with enthusiasm and dedication and was a
great motivator for those around her. Off the pitch she
proved herself to be an excellent organiser and leader.
Results this year did not always go in our favour but the
girls continued to work hard at practice and maintained
their sense of fun. It was very much a transitional year with
many young players being called onto the 1st XI. Playing
the squad system many of the girls had the opportunity to
play in a variety of positions and the balance was starting to
come towards the end of the season.
Unfortunately we have to say goodbye to Susie, Ciara,
Fiona and Claire this year as they leave to go to University.
The girls have been great servants of Hockey at Belfast High
School and we wish them all the best for the future.
Thank you to the girls for their hard work and
commitment through-out the year. There is a lot of potential
in hockey players with Belfast High School and if we can
maintain our efforts and our willingness to learn we will be
on that big yellow bus in the near future.
AMcN, SM

2A XI
Captain V Hassard
Vice Captain L Pritchard
Player of the year K Humpries
Top goal scorer M Crean
Most improved L Dalton
Team
C.Harwood, J.McIntyre, L.Pritchard, R.Mcfarland,
R.Spence, L.Dalton, V.Hassard, J.Crawford, K.Humpries,
C.O’Neill, M.Crean, E.McClean
Won: 7 Drew: 10 Lost: 2
This season I feel we did quite well as we only lost two
matches.
From the back we had a consistent goal keeper, Chelsea,
who saved us on many occasions with crucial saves. Our
defence consisted of Rachel, Rebekah, Jemma and Lynsey
who were consistent in their tackling and were able to
distribute the ball very nicely up to midfield. The midfield
consisted of Lauren, Vicky and Jessica who were a very
talented and effective team, working well together, dodging
and passing creating many chances for both themselves and
the forward line. The midfield scored many goals, as did the
forward line of Keri, Emily, Megan and Chloe. On many
occasions they were in the perfect position to successfully
put the ball in the back of the net.
We really enjoyed our season as practices were
entertaining due to the friendships and camaraderie we had
in our team. Fortunately there are no girls leaving this year
so hopefully next year we can come back and enjoy another
successful year together.
Lastly on behalf of the team I would like to thank
Mrs.Creighton for her time and efforts in coaching us and
putting up with us for the whole year.
V Hassard
SPORT ~ HOCKEY
This year the season was rather mixed. The team had, I
felt, much talent and ability but in some matches it took
the girls a little too long to waken up and often we were
a goal or two down going into the 2nd half of matches,
resulting in an uphill battle.
Quite often the girls turned on the type of talent and
skill I knew they were capable of, getting a goal or two back,
but as a result, many matches ended in a draw.
Vicky was an excellent Captain and I would like to
thank her for all her hard work and leadership on the pitch.
Every single girl played well during the course of the season,
but I feel that Jessica, Lauren and Keri deserve a special
mention as their drive, skill and determination frequently
turned games around, encouraging the other girls to up their
games at the same time.
The season was certainly very enjoyable – never a dull
moment! It made getting up on cold, dark Saturday
mornings very worthwhile and I would like to thank all the
girls for their commitment – it is never taken for granted!
PC
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 103

Ardilea 2007/08 SPORT ~ HOCKEY
2B XI
Team
K-J Harwood, S Gibson, R Field, L Stewart, E Boyd,
T Evans, N Smyth, H Crowe, V Maginnis, S Weir (Capt),
S Hanvey, J McAllister, R Ramsay, L Graham
Won: 6 Drew: 4 Lost: 6
This season we played really well but didn’t win as many
matches as we would have liked to. As a team we all
progressed really well and learned early how to gel
together and work as a unit.
Our Goal Keeper this season was Katie-Jo who never
gave up and worked very hard throughout every match.
Laura, Sarah, Rebecca and Emma all worked extremely well
to keep the ball from reaching our circle. They are very
strong players who kept focussed throughout matches
regardless of the score.
The Midfield players this year proved themselves to be
very talented and an asset to the team. They pushed
themselves to support the attack and when needed recovered
quickly to get back and help the defence. Tamsin, Natasha,
Hayleigh and Victoria rotated in all positions during the
season, their vision and determination produced some
excellent passes for the forwards to run onto.
Jenna, Sophie, Rachel, Laura and Sarah shared the
Forwards’ roles working hard to create space and get the vital
touch necessary to score goals.
In the McDowell Cup this year we had some mixed
results and eventually narrowly missed out on qualification
from the group stage to Carrick Grammar School 2A XI.
The whole team gave 100% effort every time we played
and never gave up hope in any match. It has been a
thoroughly enjoyable season for all our players and our skills
have improved greatly throughout the season.
I would like to thank Miss Moffett for her time and
dedication in coaching us and for her encouragement
throughout all our matches.
Sarah Weir, Captain
PAGE 104 The Magazine of Belfast High School
A very good friend of mine once said ‘It is difficult to
define what makes up a successful team, there is no
magic formula but one thing remains true and that is,
that the players want to play for each other.’
This was certainly true of the 2B XI this year. Working
not as an XI but as a squad the girls showed great
commitment and tremendous team spirit throughout the
year. They worked hard during training and their skills and
game awareness improved significantly as the season went
on. The girls continually approached new challenges with a
sense of fun and positive outlook and offered me a nice
reminder of why I am involved in the game. I have no doubt
that if these girls continue to show the same effort and
commitment the will go on to play on higher teams.
SM

3rd XI
Team
C McClusky, S McConkey, H McKeeman, L Humphreys,
B Brown, H Sloan, J Wilson, P Cahill, H Williamson,
R Brown, S Morrell, L Heron, S McCafferty, S English
Won: 4 Drew: 2 Lost: 4
Under 15 XI
Team
Jennifer Harper, Anneke Taylor, Amy Garrett,
Jennifer Fisher (captain), Kathy Hetherington,
Sarah Clarke (vice captain), Jess Leathem, Lauren Brown,
Danielle McDowell, Emma Zachropoulou,
Rachel McCartney, Sarah Simms
Won: 5 Drew: 3 Lost: 7
The 2007-08 hockey season has been thoroughly
enjoyed by all members of our U15 team, because of its
challenge and because of all the fun that we’ve had along
the way. The hard work, commitment and enthusiasm
shown throughout the course of the season by our coach,
the girls as individuals and most importantly, the team as
a whole has resulted in lots of fantastic matches, and well
deserved wins and draws.
Not only has the team progressed in their levels of skill
and confidence over the year, but the team spirit has also
grown, due to the encouragement all the girls have given to
each other.
The U15A team were given the opportunity to play in
the NEBSA league against some local secondary schools and
we were also joined by three members of other teams in
these matches: Sarah Gibson, Lucinda Humphries and
Leonie Heron. These matches were extremely memorable,
SPORT ~ HOCKEY
This year 3rd XI were very ably captained by Hannah
Williamson, who did an excellent job of motivating her
team.
Quite often there were a number of changes to her
original team list. The team was a mixture of young and old
and the players showed a willingness to work hard at all
aspects of their game. There was always a good attendance
at practice and results were generally good. Difficulties arise
when other schools are not able to provide opposition at this
level. The most pleasing factor was that the morale of the
players remained high throughout the season and the girls
benefited greatly from training on the astro with the 2nd XI
teams.
Thank you to all the girls for their efforts this season. I
hope to see them all back ready to start a new season and
new challenges in September.
SM
and helped us to improve greatly.
I would like to congratulate Sarah Simms (left wing),
as she has been our top goal scorer this season, and I believe
this achievement is well deserved as she has improved greatly
throughout the entire year, especially in her accuracy skills.
The most improved player award went to Jess Leathem,
and personally I think that her constant commitment,
stamina and determination to get the ball off the opposing
team shows just how much she deserves this award. The
player of the year award went to Kathy Hetherington, and
any member of the team could tell you why she deserves this
award, in my opinion it is her ability to keep up her fitness
and energy levels until the very last seconds of the match.
I would like to thank each and every one of the team
members for their hard work and for making this season so
enjoyable, and I would also like to thank Mrs Moore for her
constant support and commitment to the team.
Jennifer Fisher, Captain
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 105

Ardilea 2007/08 SPORT ~ HOCKEY
Under 14A XI
Captain Rebecca Davidson
Top Goal Scorer Chloe Smyth
Player of the Season Lesley Anne Wilson
Most Improved Player Sarah Smyth
Team
Jessica Boal, Emma Kirkpatrick, Sarah Stewart,
Kathryn Douglas, Stephanie McBride,
Lesley Anne Wilson, Chloe Smyth, Rebecca Allen,
Chelsey Lenaghan, Sarah Smyth, Gemma Gray
The U14 As had a good season: in the 17 matches we
played this year we won 10, lost 3 and drew 4. During
those matches every player put 100% in and performed
to a very high standard.
We started the season very well with great wins against
BRA and Glenlola Collegiate, but unfortunately our form
dipped with a run of bad results ending with the team being
knocked out of the cup by Sullivan Upper School in a very
closely contested match. We picked ourselves up and had a
great run through the plate reaching the semi-finals with
wins against Antrim Grammar School and Foyle and
Londonderry College.
Under 14B XI
Team
Mollie Brown, Sophie Johnston, Jenna Dickson,
Kathryn Ives, Jessica Lynas, Anna Lancaster,
Stephanie Lewis, Rebecca McKinley, Gigi Lee,
Laura McCurry, Lindsey Meaklim, Rebecca Nelson,
Lara Gray
Won: 4 Drew: 4 Lost: 6
This year we had quite a successful season winning most
of the matches but also losing quite a lot at the same
time. We didn’t get playing as many matches as usual
due to weather conditions but we still enjoyed every one
of them just the same.
We were very privileged to be the first hockey team at
Belfast High School to have Mr Jellie as a coach. Mr Jellie
made hockey practice and matches fun and he even dressed
up in a Scoobydoo costume for us on Wednesday after
school practice because we had won our previous match.
We had quite a strong team this year with Rebecca in
PAGE 106 The Magazine of Belfast High School
I would like to thank all of the players who played on
the team this year. They put maximum effort into playing
and developing their skills. Their teamwork and dedication
really showed when they played together and a feel that they
did a fantastic job this year.
And lastly on behalf of all of the players I would like to
thank Mrs Lowry for putting up with the team for the last
3 years because without her it wouldn’t have been possible.
It has been a pleasure having her as our coach.
Rebecca Davidson
This team has been a delight to coach. They have all
shown a marked improvement in their skill level and
attitude.
They have all been extremely enthusiastic about Hockey
and I hope this will continue next year when they play in the
senior teams. A special mention must go to Rebecca
Davidson who has been an inspirational captain. She has
led the team admirably and from her position as goalkeeper
has continually encouraged her team. She has on occasions
even volunteered to take over the role of goal scoring!
I wish all the girls every success, I’ll miss you!
AL
goals we rarely saw a ball get past her. Lindsey who played
as sweeper, Rebecca Nelson as right back and Stephanie
Lewis as left back also contributed to not very many goals
being scored against us. Lara Gray, Gigi Lee, Sophie
Johnston, Jessica Lynas, Kathryn Ives and Laura McCurry as
links were able to feed the ball successfully from one end of
the pitch to the other. On the wings were Anna Lancaster
and Jenna Dickson who were able to use their fast running
to get the ball up the pitch and score some goals. Then in
centre forward half the year was Sophie Johnston and Mollie
Brown and they switched from links to centre forward every
so often.
We thank Mr Jellie and also Karen for their good
coaching techniques and they improved the team quite a
lot. We thank them for the time they gave up on Saturdays,
Wednesdays and Thursdays to take us. We also thank the
rest of the team for turning up to most practices and
matches. The U14 B team look forward to next year’s
hockey.
Jenna Dickson and Mollie Brown

Under 13A XI
Top Goal Scorer Megan Sexton
Most Improved Player Vicci Addis
Players of the Season Jacqui Barnes and Leah Crooks
Team
L Crooks, J Barnes, B Sloan, T Hall, S Hassard,
J Gooding, C Wilson, V Addis, L Kirker, R Reid,
M Sexton, A McDonnell, S Calvert
Won: 3 Drew: 5 Lost: 8
The U13As had a mixed start to their season. During the
first five games there were a few draws and two wins,
one against Antrim Grammar School and another
against BRA.
This form sadly didn’t continue into the middle of our
season, when we suffered many defeats. Despite these loses,
all the girls were very determined and kept a smile on their
faces at all times.
During the last few matches of the season the team
really did pick up the pace and we all played really well
together. This allowed us to have another win against
Wellington College and a number of draws.
During the season all the girls improved greatly and
tried very hard. This was due to the hard work and good
attendance on Monday and Wednesday practices. The spirit
SPORT ~ HOCKEY
and enthusiasm of the U13A team remained high during
the season.
This season the defence had to work very hard. Jacqui,
Bethany, Tatum and Shannon tackled with confidence and
blocked many shots. They were very reliable and this kept
me from having save too many shots.
The midfield also played very well. They too had to
work hard, taking up a more defensive role in many of our
matches. Jasmin, Vicci and Carolynne also supplied some
good balls to our forwards.
Although the forwards, Lauren, Rachel and Megan,
didn’t get to take as many shots as we would have liked, they
worked well together and took all the chances that they were
given.
We also had two substitutes this season. They were
Sammi and Amber. They proved to be vital when someone
was injured and they were very adaptable, playing well in
most positions. In many games the girls came on after halftime,
when things weren’t going our way and they were the
extra boost of energy that we needed.
On behalf of the team, I would like to thank both Mrs
Cosgrove and Miss Moffett. Mrs Cosgrove was with us
during the opening matches of the season and then Miss
Moffett took over. They have both been great and the
U13As would like to thank them for all their hard work and
for putting up with us!
Leah Crooks
Foreign Language Poetry
MACARONIC
Hola!
Je m’appelle Gemma
Ich bin sehr klein
I like chocolate
Isauk?
Soy pelirroja
J’habite à Islandmagee
Das ist ein Dorf
It is boring
Tengo un perro
Er heißt Shep
J’adore mon chien
Ich fliege gern
Ciao!
Gemma Gray
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 107

Ardilea 2007/08 SPORT ~ HOCKEY
Under 13B XI
Captain Amy McWhirter
Vice Captain Jasmin Gooding
Top Goal Scorer Kerry Eccles
Player of the Season Jasmin Gooding
Most Improved Player Amber McDonnell
Team
Amber McDonnell, Hannah Whiteside, Lauren McCord,
Kerry Eccles, Jenna Potter, Olivia Field, Nikki Johnston,
Amy McWhirter, Shannon Lofthouse, Samantha Calvert,
Kelsi Hoy, Jasmin Gooding, Eimear McClenaghan,
Beth Johnston, Helena Stacey, Elvira Schmidt,
Rachel Spencely, Abbie McGarrity, Alex Costley,
Nicola Cass, Bobbi Murtagh
Won: 5 Drew: 5 Lost: 4
The U13Bs had a mixed start to their season with a
combination of wins, draws and some regrettable losses.
We never knew what the finishing result would be, but
we played every minute of every game with
determination.
I would just like to thank all the players for their
dedication and commitment on Saturday mornings and
Wednesday afternoons.
We improved greatly and gelled as a team. I’m pleased
that everyone who wanted to play, helped out in the team
and added a bit of variety into the team.
Everyone’s enthusiasm, strength and courage remained
high throughout the year and we all really developed more
talent and skill to help us out in future matches.
On behalf of the team, we would like to thank Mrs
Cosgrove for all her support and help in training and
matches.
Amy McWhirter and Jasmin Gooding
PAGE 108 The Magazine of Belfast High School
I would like to thank all the girls who played for the
U13 teams this year and for their loyalty, enthusiasm
and commitment.
We had great fun playing on Saturday mornings and
kept a smile on our faces even on the days we didn’t win. A
special Thankyou to a very dependable and organised
captain Amy McWhirter, who I would hire as my personal
PA anytime. I am looking forward to next year’s season
already.
PC

Cricket
SPORT ~ CRICKET
This season saw the awesome and talented cricketer Paul Stirling break into the full Ireland cricket squad. Paul, a L6
pupil, has represented Ireland at all levels, was playing in the U19 world cup in Malaysia when he was called up for
the Bangladesh Tour.
Since then he has played for Ireland in the Friends Provident Trophy with one his highlights being against Northampton
where he smashed England player Monty Panesar for six over midwicket into the car-park; he made a superb 70 off 50 balls.
He has since been named captain of Ireland U19 in the forthcoming match against MCC.
The season so far has been a tremendous achievement for Paul, he is an excellent role model, a modest person who has
a great passion for cricket and we all wish him every success in the rest of his season playing for Cliftonville and Ireland.
Paul Stirling
1st XI
Captain Paul Stirling
Vice Captain Ross Spence
Committee Daniel Pearson and Matthew English
Scorers
Hannah Williamson; Jordan Wilson; Laura McAuley;
Erin Megarry, Susan Barnes; Rebecca Campbell;
Gemma Gray; Amy McClenaghan; Stephanie McBride,
Chantelle Workman, Bethany Sloan
Team of the year
Junior Colts XI (Captain: Michael Hayes)
Batsman of the year
Paul Stirling 1st XI (McKillen Cup)
Bowler of the year
Harun Asad 1st XI (McKillen Cup)
Players of the Year
Year 8 Paul T Aston
Year 9 Scott McFarland
Year 10 Iain Webber
Year 11 Philip Mulholland
Senior Paul Stirling
Ulster Bank Schools’ Cup
The first round draw was away against Coleraine AI.
Coleraine batted first, scoring 109 for 7 in 40 overs, with
Paul Stirling taking 4 for 18, Ross Spence 1 for 12,
Daniel Pearson 1 for 18 and Harun Asad 1 for 19.
The match was won in the 32nd over by two wickets,
with early scores of 24 by Paul Stirling and 32 from Luke
Orr, leaving Daniel Pearson and Ross Spence with a
partnership of 22 to win the match.
The next round, at home, was against Lurgan College
who attained a low score of 62 in 20 overs. The pick of the
bowlers were Harun Asad with 4-18;, Daniel Pearson (3-
18), Paul Stirling (2-9) and Ross Spence (1-15).
Unfortunately the pressure was on with the loss of two early
wickets both for ducks. Paul Stirling had the best of the
batting with a total of 19 before being caught out. Ross
Spence and Philip Kane kept the score going to leave James
McManus and Matt English to get the final four runs to
win by 4 wickets.
The quarter-final looked to be a good prospect with a
home tie against Sullivan Upper School. Sullivan batted first,
making a total of 162 in 28 overs with the loss 6 wickets.
Paul Stirling was the best of the bowlers with 3 for 39 and
Ross Spence took 2 for 41. The team was immediately put
under pressure with the loss of three wickets in the first 4
overs. Paul Stirling did well under pressure to make 30 but
the run rate fell well behind and we were eventually all out
for 81. It was just not our day however, this is a young team
who are improving all the time and next season should give
them a better chance in the cup.
1st XI Friendlies
The first game was a new fixture, away to Ballymena
Academy. The match saw the emergence of a new
bowling star with Harun Asad taking 3 for 14 which was
an excellent hat-trick.
The bowling was helped along with 3 maidens from
Luke Orr and 2 wickets each for Paul Stirling and Philip
Mulholland. The team won by 11 runs with Paul Stirling
once again leading the batting with a total of 34.
The next game was away to Wallace High School who
batted first making a total of 140 off 20 overs. The wickets
came from Ross Spence taking 4 for 33 and Andrew
McCurry 2 for 18. In the batting we were all out for 121 but
the tail end batsmen James McManus and Alex Bell did very
well with totals of 28 and 22 respectively.
In a close game at home to Friends’ School, we lost by
2 runs but this was a good effort as many players were
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
continued ➛
PAGE 109

Ardilea 2007/08 SPORT ~ CRICKET
Harun Asad in action against
Ballyclare H.S.
1st XI continued
unavailable. The best of the bowlers was Philip Mulholland
with 2 for 18 and in the batting Daniel Pearson had a great
45 which included five fours and a six.
A youthful team played in the fixture against Sullivan
Upper School and put up a reasonable performance only to
lose by 46 runs. With a varied bowling line up James
McManus and Daniel Aston were the best, taking two
wickets each. In the batting, Philip Kane battled through
with a steady 32 which included 2 fours and a six.
The last game of the season saw us reverse an earlier loss
to Ballyclare High School by winning with one ball to spare.
In the bowling both Harun Asad and Paul Brown were close
to a hat-trick each and eventually Harun finished with 4
PAGE 110 The Magazine of Belfast High School
wickets and Paul finished with 3. The batting saw tail end
players Harun and Paul then battle through to win the
match with 16 and 12 not out respectively.
This 1st XI season compared to last year’s was a little
disappointing however, it started well with a good win over
Ballymena and we still made it through to the quarter-final
of the Schools’ Cup. The Saturday team saw the
development of the younger team members who have all
improved in their technique and belief. Next season I still
believe that they have the potential to go as far as in 2007.
I would like to thank all the staff, players and scorers for all
their support this year.
DAW

Senior Colts XI Philip
Captain Adam Gibney
This season was a difficult one due to the loss of vital
players on key occasions throughout the season. The
most emphatic victories were recorded against Larne
Grammar School and Ballyclare High School.
A good bowling performance restricted Larne Grammar
School to a low score and Philip Mulholland scored an
excellent 52 taking to us well deserved 9 wicket win. This
match was followed by a 10 wicket win over Ballyclare with
Under 14 XI
Continuing from last season, the boys again proved that
while progress is slow and steady with cricket, and
perhaps not as obvious as with rugby, improvements are
always being made. A more committed and enthusiastic
approach was evident from the start of the season, with
many of the boys attending extra practice on Wednesday
afternoons. Also clear was the training and competing
that several team members were involving themselves in
outside school, sometimes to the extent of playing senior
cricket at local clubs. Without doubt, this level of
commitment will pay off in the long term.
Matches were played weekly against some extremely stiff
competition, with the boys coping with a variety of weather
conditions. Week after week, the team seemed to improve,
not only individually but as a team unit. Our bane of last
year, extras, proved our gain of this year. Bowling really was
a high point of the season, with both pace and spin
improving consistently.
Concerning batsmen, there was a level of consistency
SPORT ~ CRICKET
Mulholland again scoring well with 64 and he was
well backed up by Sam Flanagan who scored 34. In the
rematch we lost however, the best scores came from Adam
Gibney (38) and Sam Flanagan (26).
I would like to thank all the players for their
commitment to training after school and in our Saturday
fixtures. I feel that everyone has improved their batting and
that several players have shown enough talent to break
through into the 1st XI next season.
A Gibney
which had not been evident last season. Webber, Hayes,
Elliott, Lewis, Bell and White all showed well, and proved
the bedrock on which the team was secured. Each match
brought run counts over 100, with each and every team
member contributing. Wallace and McGonigle in particular
gave a depth to the team which had not been present before.
Those singles which are so important in tight games, were
ably provided by the likes of McGill and Neill, and although
not really given much face time with the bat, Harte was
always a keen and most dependable fielder and a true team
player.
It is the mark of a team when they can bounce back after
defeats, and learn from mistakes made. The U14 cricket
squad improved with each match, and their performance in
the first match of the season against Grosvenor Grammar
School and that against Ballyclare High School at the end of
the season bear no comparison. The close-fought victory
over Ballyclare was a fitting conclusion to a most
encouraging season.
RB
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 111

Ardilea 2007/08 SPORT ~ CRICKET
Under 13 XI
From the outset of the season, the U13 team was marked
by its strong nucleus of enthusiastic players, some of
whom exhibited much natural talent which can certainly
be nurtured in future seasons. However, there were some
quite skilful players who simply did not have the attitude
and commitment necessary to make the season a success.
These boys will need to reconsider how they approach
the game if they are ever to reach their full potential.
Training on Wednesday afternoons was well attended
and the boys began showing the early signs of improvement.
They started the season well, with strong performances
against stiff, well drilled opponents such as Sullivan Upper
School and Larne Grammar School. Through these narrow
losses, the boys developed their skills, as well as honing a
Under12 XI
Captain Paul T Aston
In the Miles Cup Semi- Final against Downshire, the
team bowled well with Paul T Aston and Adam Wilson
both taking two wickets each.
A wicket was also taken by a superb run-out due to an
excellent field and throw from Jake Hutchinson. Another
wicket was taken by a good catch from Jake Greer and this
gave the team a great chance of victory. In the batting,
Cameron Macauley made the best total of the day giving us
the win through to the final.
The final against Carrick Grammar School turned out
to be full of drama and excitement. An excellent start to the
batting was made by a great partnership between Niall
PAGE 112 The Magazine of Belfast High School
much better attitude to and understanding of the game
itself.
White captained well throughout the season, and was
ably backed up by the strong and reliable wicket keeping of
Fraser and some very solid batting from the likes McFarland,
Boal and Fenton. In fielding, McConkey’s hands were secure
even at awkward angles, and no team member shied away
from chasing a ball down hard on the boundaries. One area
that will certainly need attention in future will be bowling
accuracy, as extras can be crippling in close games.
This is clearly a team with good potential, and the
willingness to learn. Cricket takes much time and effort to
develop, and these boys have started well.
RB
Greenlees and Paul T Aston. Some great shots for four and
great running up of single runs gave them a combined total
of 44. This was a great start which left Carrick Grammar
needing a total of 63 to win off 12 overs. The bowling was
going well but with four overs to go it poured heavily and we
were unable to finish the match at Carrick Cricket Club.
We had to switch venue down the road to Carrick Grammar
and this gave Carrick an advantage with a different
boundary. It ended up with Carrick batting well and they
held on to the end getting the winning run off the last ball
to win an excitingly close match. The team should
congratulate themselves on playing some excellent cricket
and can look forward to a good season next year.
Paul T Aston

Athletics
Sportsday
Sportsday was held on Wednesday 30th April. The
weather was cool and thankfully the rain stayed away.
The events were well contested with a number of new
school records being set:
New Records
Minor Boys
Scott Shaw High Jump 1.49m
Junior Girls
Emma Kirkpatrick 200m 28.20 secs
Lauren Kirker 300m 50.46 secs
Stephanie McBride Javelin 20.38m
Inter. Girls
Kathy Hetherington Discus 24.50m
Joanna Donaldson 300m 51.93 secs
Challenge Cups and Medal Winners
Boys’ Challenge Cup (Presented by the late Dr RH Harte),
awarded to the House scoring most points in all events (last
year’s winners: Pyper):
1st Boyd (133)
2nd Pyper (129)
3rd Storey (121)
4th Watson (107)
Girls’ Challenge Cup (Presented by the late Mrs RH Harte),
awarded to the House scoring most points in all events (last
year’s winners: Storey):
1st Pyper (125.5)
2nd Watson (106)
3rd Storey (73)
4th Boyd (69.5)
The Halligan Cup (Presented by the Halligan family),
awarded to the House scoring most points in the Inter-
House relays (last year’s winners: Pyper)
=1st Boyd + Pyper (42)
3rd Watson (36)
4th Storey (34)
The Alan John Huss Cup (Presented by Mr & Mrs PD
Huss), awarded to the winner of the Senior Boys’ 200
metres: John Speers
The Jack Willis Cup (Presented by Mr J Willis), awarded to
the winner of the Senior Boys’ 400 metres:
Chris Beattie
The David McKibben Cup (Presented by Mr D
McKibben), awarded to the winner of the Senior Boys’ 800
metres:
Jonathan Luke
SPORT ~ ATHLETICS
The 1500 metres Cup, awarded to the winner of the Senior
Boys’ 1500 metres:
Adam Boyd
The Dr Robert Taylor Cup (Presented by the late Dr R
Taylor), awarded to the winner of the Senior Girls’ 200
metres:
Susan Burnett
The Age Group Challenge Cups
Awarded to the competitor scoring the most points in each
age group.
The Senior Boys’ Challenge Cup (Presented by the late Dr
S McCombe):
Chris Beattie (Runner up: Adam Boyd)
The Senior Girls’ Challenge Cup (Presented by the late Mrs
RH Harte):
Susan Burnett (Runner up: Rachel Brown)
The Intermediate Boys’ Challenge Cup (Presented by the
late Mr NV Little):
Simon Curtis & Chris Colwell
The Intermediate Girls’ Challenge Cup (Presented by the
late the Very Rev Dr Watson):
Emma Zacharopoulou (Runners up: Kathy Hetherington
& Joanna Donaldson)
The Junior Boys’ Challenge Cup (Presented by Mr J
Walsh):
Andrew Kingston & Jamie Montgomery
The Junior Girls’ Challenge Cup (Presented by the Old
Girls’ Association):
Emma Kirkpatrick (Runners up: Amy McClenaghan &
Stephanie McBride)
The Scott Challenge Cup for Minor Boys:
Scott Shaw (Runner up: Kristian Bell)
The Gordon Challenge Cup for Minor Girls:
Chloe Carlin & Emily Macartney
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
continued ➛
PAGE 113

Ardilea 2007/08
SPORT ~ ATHLETICS
Athletics continued
Ulster Schools’ Championships
District Heats
78 individual athletes and 6 relay teams represented BHS at
the South Antrim District Championships. Good
performances resulted in 15 individual athletes and two relay
teams qualifying for the Ulster finals.
Qualifiers for the Ulster Schools’ Finals
Senior Boys
Chris Beattie Triple Jump 1st place
Long Jump 2nd place
Adam Boyd Triple Jump 2nd place
Daryl Rooney Shot 1st place
A.Boyd, C.Beattie, Relay 2nd place
S.Kim, C.Hinton
Senior Girls
Susan Burnett Long Jump 2nd place
Rachel Robinson Shot 2nd place
Rachel Brown Discus 3rd place
Fiona Young 400m 3rd place
Intermediate Boys
Chris Colwell Javelin 2nd place
High Jump 2nd place
Intermediate Girls
Emma Zacharopoulou 200m 2nd place
Kathy Hetherington Discus 1st place
Shot 2nd place
Jodie Lennox Discus 2nd place
Junior Girls
Stephanie McBride 75m hurdles 1st place
Amy McClenaghan High Jump 2nd place
Shot 3rd place
Minor Boys
Scott Shaw High Jump 1st place
100m 2nd place
K Bell, J Garford, Relay 3rd place
R Neill, S Shaw
Minor Girls
Jayne Anderson Shot 1st place
Ulster Schools’ Finals: Results
At the Ulster finals BHS athletes won two medals, and
qualified for the Irish Finals:
Senior Boys
Daryl Rooney Shot Silver Medal
Intermediate Girls
Kathy Hetherington Discus Ulster Champion
PAGE 114 The Magazine of Belfast High School
Irish Schools Finals
Daryl Rooney Shot 5th Place
Daryl in his final year again qualified for the Irish finals. In
a very close contest for the Bronze medal he just lost out.
Thank you for all your efforts over the seven years you
represented the school. Your efforts are appreciated by all
involved in athletics at Belfast High School.
Kathy Hetherington Discus 7th place
Kathy threw a Personal Best of 28.50m in the Ulster finals
to qualify for the Irish Schools’ Finals as Ulster Champion.
In a very strong field she finished a very creditable 7th place
in her first year as an Intermediate athlete in a new event.
Well done on another very good Schools’ Athletics season.
Ulster Schools’ Athletics Team
Congratulations and good luck to Kathy Hetherington, who
has been selected for the Ulster Schools’ Athletics Team to
compete for Ulster in the Interprovincial Championships in
June.
NI Athletics Regional Development
Squad (Year 8)
Congratulations to the following pupils, who after excellent
performances in school competitions have been selected for
the NI Regional Development Squad:
Scott Shaw High Jump + Sprints
Kristen Bell 800m
Mark Bishop Shot
Anna Smyth 100m
Chloe Carlin 100m
Samantha Cox 800m
Rachel Cooke High Jump
Kirsty King High Jump
Jayne Anderson Shot
Lauren McBride Shot
In conclusion
Thanks to the following people:
Mr Bleakley, Gemma Campbell, Mrs Cosgrove, Amy Davis,
Mr Doyle, Mrs Lowry, Miss Moffett, Davy Scott and
Donna and Kathryn (UUJ students) who gave up freely of
their time to help coach, organise, officiate and generally
encourage all our athletes;
To all the staff who help to officiate at Sportsday. Your
help is greatly appreciated;
Dr Jordan for taking many excellent photographs at
Sportsday.
MDR, AL

Boys’ Tennis
Senior Boys
Paul Brown, Andrew Hall, Luke Orr, Adam Boyd,
Ross Early, Scott Graham
Unfortunately Methody withdrew from the competition
leaving just Sullivan Upper School and Grosvenor
Grammar School in the group. The first match against
Sullivan was lost to a better team on the day. It was a
difficult fixture as many of the players were unable to
play or practise due to exam commitments. It is
commendable that they still declared their availability to
play whenever needed over the last number of seasons.
Exam commitments from both sides led to the
Grosvenor match being cancelled and I hope next season an
earlier start will enable the fixtures to be completed.
Intermediate Boys
Robbie Fryers, Matthew Boyd, Adam Downey,
Jonny Greenlees
The match at home to Rockport saw us win the tie
convincingly 5-1. In the singles Robbie narrowly lost 8-6
while Matthew won 8-1; Adam won 8-0 and Jonny won
8-0. In the doubles Robbie and Matthew won 8-4 with
Adam and Jonny winning 8-0.
In the match against RBAI the wet weather made it
difficult and we lost all our matches however, in the singles
Adam came the closest losing narrowly in a tie break. There
was also close match in the doubles with Adam and Jonny
losing out 8-6.
SPORT ~ TENNIS
The Intermediate tournament was won by Adam
Downey who beat Matthew Boyd in the final. Adam has
continued to practise and improve with his playing at
Jordanstown Tennis Club at the University of Ulster. It just
shows you what you can do with regular practice and this
should see Adam favourite for number one next year.
Next season the intermediate team will be stronger as
the current players have another season and this years Junior
players will all be competing for a team place. There is also
a strong nucleus of players who were not involved in the
team this year, who have been practising hard and
improving, so competition will be doubly hard.
Junior Boys
Iain Webber, Andrew Kingston, Ryan Speirs,
Grant Heron, Neil Thompson
The Junior boys yet again came up against the same
Sullivan side as last year within their group. They were
well beaten but it was a difficult task as Sullivan had
both an Ulster and Irish player.
The match against Ballyclare started with wins in the
singles for Andrew Kingston, 6-4; Ryan Speirs 6-1 and Neil
Thompson 6-0. With a 3-1 lead it looked like the doubles
would be a formality however, Neil and Ryan amazingly lost
6-3, and Iain and Andrew losing narrowly in a tie break 6-
5. The number of games won clinched the tie giving us a
well deserved win.
Against Bangor Grammar School it was even in the
singles at 2-2, with Andrew and Ryan winning 6-5 and 6-1
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
Andrew Kingston serving against
Ballyclare.
continued ➛
PAGE 115

Ardilea 2007/08 SPORT ~ TENNIS
Ryan Speirs double handed
backhand return in the final.
James Loney serves an ace.
Boys’ Tennis continued
respectively. Andrew and Iain then lost their doubles leaving
the last doubles the decider. In a close tense match Ryan and
Neil won through in another tie-break. This team over the
last 3 years has continued to win regular matches showing
they have good mental toughness and strength to win games
when it counts. If they continue to practice they will have a
good chance to break through straight into the intermediate
team next season.
In the Junior tournament Andrew Kingston won
through beating Ryan Speirs in the final.
Minor Boys
James Loney, Jake Hutchinson, Jonathan Crooks,
Conor Sherwin
Reserve: N Greenlees
Another excellent turnout saw twenty five Year 8 boys
compete for the school tennis team. The competition
was tough and I am sure next year we will see some
players who narrowly missed out this year break through
next season.
Within the group were Belfast Royal Academy, RBAI
and Wallace High School. BRA pulled out of the
competition which left us with two matches to play. In the
first match away to Wallace, Number 1 (James) and
Number 2 (Jake) both won their single matches, while
Jonathan and Conor both lost with Jonathan losing
narrowly 6-5. With the singles balanced even at 2 all, the
doubles were all important. A shock loss by James and Jake
left Conor and Jonathan needing to win their match to
ensure the chance of a win. A close game finally ended with
them both winning the tie break to win 6-5 which gave the
team the vital win which saw us take the overall match on
number of games won.
PAGE 116 The Magazine of Belfast High School
The match against RBAI at home was a difficult one
and Jake was the only player to narrowly lose 6-4. The Year
8 players have all shown some good potential and if they
continue playing over the summer at a club should be able
to avenge their only defeat next season.
In the first form tournament Jonny Crooks won
through beating James Loney and Conor Sherwin to win.
There is great enthusiasm for tennis within the school and
I hope all those who missed out in the trials keep playing
and join a club. I am sure there are many players who have
the talent to make the team with some extra hard work and
practice. I look forward to seeing who breaks through next
season and wish all the players’ good luck in their tennis over
the summer.
DW

Girls’ Tennis
Senior Team
Ciara Bell, Susi Burnett, Debbie McNabb,
Vicki Hassard
Intermediate Team
Ellen Beattie, Gillian Kane, Lucinda Humphries,
Laura Graham, Sarah Gibson, Hannah Gray
Junior Team
Olivia Rice, Emma Kirkpatrick, Chelsea Lenaghan,
Rebecca Davidson
The matches this year once again proved to be a real
challenge as we were grouped against some very strong
tennis schools, in which there were many representative
players. It has to be said that once again our players
acquitted themselves in an extremely impressive way,
improving with every game and taking much enjoyment
from the matches.
The Junior Team played against Victoria College and
Strathearn School ‘A’, losing both matches but playing very
well in very close fought games. They then played
Hunterhouse College ‘B’ and Dominican College, beating
Hunterhouse and drawing with Dominican. The girls had
visibly improved in both skill level and confidence by then
and played some lovely tennis.
The Intermediate Team also had very tough opposition
in the form of Victoria College, Grosvenor Grammar School
and BRA. This team consists of a very strong and talented
group of girls and despite the strong opposition, including
several representative players, they played beautiful tennis,
forcing most games to duice and most matches to
tiebreakers. They should be proud of their abilities and skills
and also the friendly manner in which they play, always
appearing to enjoy every moment!
The Senior team played against MCB, Foyle and
Londonderry College and Bloomfield Collegiate. These girls
Gymnastics
SPORT ~ TENNIS/GYMNASTICS
should be commended for the enthusiasm with which they
played in the midst of exam preparation. Their skill levels
were excellent and they fought every point to the death,
improving with each game and always showing great
enjoyment of the sport.
We would like to thank all the girls who played for
teams, for their commitment, enthusiasm and positive
attitude and we would continue to encourage them to join
outside clubs to help progress their skill levels as the tennis
season in school is so short.
There were also a couple of friendly matches played this
year to include girls who had not played for the teams. Year
8 played a very competitive match against BRA gaining
valuable experience and the Years 9 and 10 played a friendly
against Victoria College which also proved very successful.
The Girls’ Tournaments were also very competitive and
enjoyable. The Senior Girls’ Tournament was won by
Debbie McNabb who beat Gillian Kane in a very exciting
match.
The Junior tournament was won by Lucinda
Humphries who beat Sarah Gibson in a match which
epitomised all that is good about sport in Belfast High
School.
The Year 8 tournament was won by Emily Macartney
who beat Chloe Carlin in another enjoyable encounter.
AMcN, PC
This year the Gymnastics Club met every Wednesday lunchtime and was open to all pupils regardless of their ability.
Under the supervision of coach Lydia Rusk a number of girls in the Junior school were able to work through the British
Gymnastics Award Scheme developing existing Floor and Vault skills and gaining the confidence to perform in front of
others. The Year 8 girls showed particular enthusiasm for Gymnastics this year and put their own stamp on things with some
very original and musical warm-up ideas.
Thank you to Lydia for her commitment through-out the year and to all the girls for their continued efforts.
SM
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 117

Ardilea 2007/08
SPORT ~ BADMINGTON/SQUASH
Badminton
This has been another busy season for the Badminton
Club. At the beginning of the year approximately 100
pupils from Year 8 through to U6 came along to try out
for places on the various teams, or to wind down after a
busy week with a little social badminton on Friday
afternoons.
This season, teams were entered in seven of the eight
cup competitions and all six Division 2 league competitions.
Once again, there was a slight change to the format of
the matches, with a match now consisting of the best of
three games played to fifteen points. Players found this new
system an improvement several matches going as far as two
games all and finishing fifteen points to fourteen.
Once again a number of our best players competed in
the annual ‘Champion of Champions’ tournament against
the very best players from other schools. Our pupils greatly
enjoyed the challenge to play against a number of Ulster and
Irish representatives.
Squash
Joint Captains Susan Burnett and Ryan Spence
U13 Team
Gareth Moore, Paul-Thomas Aston, Jamie Burnett
U17 Team
Gareth Keavenly, Kyle McWhirter, Daniel Aston
Reserve: Sophie Blaney
U19 Team
Philip Kane, Ryan Spence, Nathan McClenaghan
Reserve: Susan Burnett
Squash this year was enjoyed at U13, U15, U17, and
U19 level. The sessions in the University of Ulster take
place on Monday afternoons, during senior games and
the club itself takes place every Tuesday afternoon from
4.00-5.30pm. Mr Campbell also coaches some of our
more talented players on Wednesday evenings, also at the
UUJ.
Two major competitions took place this year, although
unfortunately because of a shortage of U15 players this age
group was not represented.
PAGE 118 The Magazine of Belfast High School
The cup and league matches mainly took place between
November and February. In general, most of our teams
competed with enthusiasm, if not a great deal of success,
however all teams showed improvement over the season.
Congratulations must go to all those who played as part of
any of our teams during the year. The friendliness and
sportsmanship of all was commented on frequently by
visiting staff from other schools.
Part of the big success of our club is that everyone is
welcome on Friday afternoons. Some come for a very
competitive game with other like-minded friends whilst
others come for a more relaxed knock about.
I would like to thank all of our club members for
making very late Fridays every week not seem to be a chore.
I would also like to thank all of those members of staff who
helped out over the season by taking pupils to away matches
in all parts of the province and assisting on Friday
afternoons.
DMcN
Ulster Schools’ Novice Cup
We entered three teams in a Novice Cup competition
held at Lisburn Racquets Club in mid-March. This
competition was strictly for non Ulster Schools’ players.
The U13 team battled bravely but were unlucky not to
fare better. They lost 6-1 and 6-3 to Methody’s As and Bs,
and 6-1 to Newbridge. However this was invaluable match
play experience and Gareth Moore was the outstanding U13
player, he only lost 1 game overall, well done.
The U17 & U19 teams, after some very stiff
competition, both finished up runners up in their respective
competitions.
The U17 team won 5-2, and 6-1 against Down High
School’s As and Bs, and 5-2 against Campbell College’s B
team. They unfortunately lost 6-0 to a very strong Campbell
College A team. All three players played magnificently and
this result was well deserved.
Finally the U19 team 4-3 against Down High’s B team
and 4-2 against Bangor Grammar only to lose 6-1 to a very
strong Down High A team. Outstanding match play and
again a very well deserved result.
Sweat bands were awarded to both the U17 and U19
teams for finishing runners up.

Squash continued
Ulster Schools’ Cup
We entered two teams in the Schools’ Cup competition
held at Lisburn Racquets Club in mid-April.
The U17 & U19 teams after some very stiff
competition unfortunately both finished up last in their
respective sections.
The U17 team battled bravely but were unlucky not to
fare better. They lost 6-0 against Methodist College and 6-
1 against Rainey Endowed School. This was invaluable
match play experience and Kyle was the outstanding U17
player. However due to the lateness in the afternoon we
could not stay for the play-off in the other section, six
schools were represented at this level overall.
The U19 team lost 6-0 against Down High and 6-0
against Methodist College. All three players played very well
with Ryan being the most consistent of the three. Again due
to the lateness in the afternoon we could not stay for the
play-off in the other section, six schools were represented at
this level also.
These collective results do not reflect the commitment
and competitive spirit of our players as most games were
very closely fought and could have gone either way.
The colours committee this year:
Awarded Honours to Susan Burnett for contribution
to the club and member of the U19 school team which
were runners up in the Ulster Schools’ Novice Cup and
club captain;
Awarded Honours to Ryan Spence for contribution to
the club and member of the U19 school team which
took part in the Ulster Schools’ Cup and club captain.
Re-awarded Colours to Philip Kane and Nathan
McClenaghan for contribution to the club and
members of the U19 school team which was runner up
in the Ulster Schools’ Novice Cup and for taking part in
the Ulster Schools’ Cup.
Re-awarded Colours to Gareth Keaveney, Kyle
McWhirter and awarded Colours to Daniel Aston for
contribution to the club and members of the U17
school team which were runners up in the Ulster
Schools’ Novice Cup and for taking part in the Ulster
Schools’ Cup.
Awarded Colours to Adam Boyd for contribution to
the club and for being a member of the U17 school
team which were runners up in the Ulster Schools’
Novice Cup.
Awarded Colours to Gareth Moore, Paul-Thomas
Aston and Jamie Burnett for being members of the
U13 school team which took part in the Ulster Schools’
Novice Cup competition and contribution to the club.
SPORT ~ SQUASH
At the end of another year I would like to again thank Mr
Campbell for coaching some of our more talented players
regularly on Wednesday evenings, his support is again very
much appreciated. Unfortunately he was left with fewer
players than usual who wanted to take advantage of this
option. For the Squash Club to continue successfully we
could benefit from a bigger turnout and commitment,
especially from our U13 and U15 pupils.
Congratulations to all members who had success at
various levels and competitions, especially to our U17
players Gareth, Kyle, Adam and Daniel for being runners
up in the Ulster Schools’ Novice cup and our U19 players
Philip, Nathan and Susan for also being runners up in the
Ulster Schools’ Novice cup. It seems we weren’t destined to
win anything this year.
As some of you are aware I am retiring this year and I’m
going to miss our practices on a Monday and Tuesday
afternoons and the Ulster competitions at various venues.
Finally I wish to encourage all our members to keep
practising and to those others who are leaving us, I would
like to wish them every success in the future.
CN
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 119

Ardilea 2007/08
SPORT ~ SOCCER
Association Football
The first season where the team entered into several
competitions proved to be quite successful. The team
had to excellent cup runs in the Belfast League Cup and
also the Carnegie Schools’ Cup where we reached the
semi-final and quarter-finals respectively.
In the league despite a few mixed performances the
team ended up finishing second, missing out on the title by
a mere point. I would like to take this opportunity to thank
Mr Morrison for arranging all our games, Daniel Watson
for helping out on the coaching side and anyone who came
and watched us this year particularly in the semi-final of the
cup. The squad even got the chance to meet the Northern
Ireland team, which proved to be a great experience. A very
successful second season for the team and hopefully the
players brought in next year can build on this.
Match Reports
vs St Colm’s (League)
Our first ever league game was against St Colm’s, which was
a tough tie as they were a very physical side. Despite a
relatively new team especially in defence the squad seemed
to settle well within the opening minutes. Unfortunately St
Colm’s opened the scoring; a mistimed tackle by Kenny
Barclay led to us conceding a penalty but thankfully the St
Colm’s player missed it. We seemed to find our feet after
this and began to play some good football. Andrew Hall
capitalized on some slack defending to give us an equaliser
and we were back in the game. We began to dominate the
game but failed to convert our chances until just before half
time Matthew Boyd scored a header to give us a 2-1
advantage at half time.
In the second half things were pretty even between the
two sides however St Colm’s equalised through one of their
players who dodged two tackles before placing the ball in
the top corner. Colin Hinton missed a good chance late on
to put us back infront and we were made to pay when with
only a minute to go St Colm’s grabbed a goal to win the tie.
Despite a late effort from Andrew Hall that hit the crossbar
we were unable to draw the game. A decent enough
performance by the team who deserved at least a point from
the game.
Final Score: Belfast High 2 St Colm’s 3
Team: K Barclay, B Wilson, RBrown (C), J Luke,
P Brown, S Boyles, A Gray, M Boyd, M Young, A Hall,
J Boyd, R McMurty, S Graham, L Orr, C Hinton
vs Corpus Christi College (League)
Our second league game of the season didn’t go too well. A
changed back four from our last game due to injury
problems saw CCC take an early lead after confusion and
hesitation with a clinical finish past Kenny. The team
seemed nervous all round and were generally lacking that
bit of fight to take the game to CCC. And the team went 2-
PAGE 120 The Magazine of Belfast High School
nil down when again poor defending cost us badly and the
CCC striker finished well. This seemed to spark a comeback
and in the second half we pulled a goal back through
Stephen Boyles. He then had a decent opportunity to score
after a good cross from Luke Orr but it just flashed wide.
After that it was pretty much end-to-end stuff but
unfortunately bad defending yet again from a throw in saw
us throw away our hope of getting a draw from the game. In
the last minute a goal keeping error allowing CCC to grab
a fourth goal which was an unfair score line on the team
who although didn’t perform well, didn’t perform that badly.
Final Score: Corpus Christi College 4 Belfast High 1
Team: K Barclay, B Wilson, RBrown (C), P Brown,
S Graham, R Early, A Gray, M Boyd, M Young, A Hall,
J Boyd, R McMurty, S Boyles, L Orr, C Hinton
vs Orangefield (League)
The team’s third game of the season led to the first win of the
year. However things didn’t start well as an Orangefield freekick
inside the first five minute wrong-footed Kenny in goal
and they scored. But we rallied back and almost immediately
from a corner Jonny Luke equalised with a header. Belfast
High then began to dominate the game and finally we took
the leader from another Jonny Luke header from another
corner. Again we were creating a chances and Andy Hall
gave us a two goal advantage before half time. In the second
half we again created a bucket load of chances but were
unable to convert. Orangefield got back into the game after
a decent finish by their forward. This led to a nervy finish
where tensions rose and a few disagreements broke out
however we held on to claim our first win of the year.
Final Score: Orangefield 2 Belfast High 3
Team: K Barclay, B Wilson, RBrown (C), J Luke,
P Brown, R Early, A Gray, M Boyd, M Young, A Hall,
J Boyd, R McMurty, L Orr, C Hinton, S Boyles
vs Banbridge (Carnegie Schools’ Cup first Round)
Our first ever cup game turned into quite an exciting match.
Banbridge took an early lead following a freekick with their
striker making use of some slack defending. However this
seemed to wake us up and we soon equalised after some slick
passing through Ross Early. We began to dominate the game
again and soon took the lead again from Ross Early. Right
from the kick-off of the second half Andrew Hall scored to
give us a 3-1 lead over Banbridge. Despite a bucketload of
chances, we were unable to convert any of them and were
soon made to pay when Banbridge scored after a well placed
shot from outside the area after the ball was half cleared away
by the defence. Then a controversial decision saw a penalty
awarded to Banbridge however the referee after speaking to
the linesman overturned his decision. Although a few
minutes later he did infact give a controversial penalty
against Jonny Luke. However Kenny Barclay in nets

managed to make the save. But from the resulting corner a
mistake by Kenny saw Banbridge equalise in the last minute.
The match went to extra time and soon we began to re-assert
ourselves with Andrew Hall scoring a further three goals to
give us the win.
Final Score: Belfast High 6 Banbridge 3
Team: K Barclay, B Wilson, RBrown (c), J Luke, P Brown,
R Early, A Gray, M Boyd, M Young, A Hall, J Boyd,
R McMurty, L Orr, C Hinton, S Boyles
vs Bangor Tech (Carnegie Schools’ Cup second Round)
Our second game in the competition got off to a bad start
with injuries to Matt Young and Colin Hinton limiting the
side to having only 2 subsitutes. In a scrappy first ten
minutes things looked to be pretty even between the two
sides however Bangor took the lead with a well taken strike
from inside the area. This seemed to wake the Belfast High
team up and we began to dominate possession without any
real attempts on goal from either side. We came out for the
second half determined to stage a comeback and for the rest
of the second half we fought hard to try and get one with
several decent chances not being taken by Jonny or Andy.
We had a good shout for a penalty but the referee waved
played on. However just when it was beginning to look like
we would be making a exit from the competition, Jonny
Boyd made up for his earlier misses by giving us a deserved
equaliser in the last minute of normal time. For the second
game in a row our match went to extra time, the defence
absorbed any pressure from Bangor and immediately set up
counter attacks however another goal looked unlikely until
late in the second half of injury time when Andy Hall scored
from a delightful effort after good work by Ross Early.
Despite some late pressure by Bangor, the team held out for
their second win in the Carnegie Cup. This was the team’s
best performance so far this year, with some great attacking
play being complimented by a solid defence. Things look
good for the future.
Final Score: Belfast High 2 Bangor Tech 1
Team: K Barclay, B Wilson, R Brown (c), J Luke,
P Brown, R Early, A Gray, M Boyd, L Orr, A Hall,
J Boyd, R McMurtry, S Boyles
vs Corpus Christi College (League Cup)
In the second cup we are entered for this year we drew CCC
who had previously beaten us 4-1 in the league and with the
loss of Jonny Luke and Ainsley Gray from the squad plus a
series of players struggling with injury it wasn’t a good start.
The first half turned out to be very disappointing from both
sides, with both teams trying to play a lot of long balls with
passes going astray. However after a CCC free-kick deflected
off the wall the rebound was turned in by CCC to give them
a lead at half time. The second half didn’t start well either
with CCC doubling their lead with a sweet strike from
SPORT ~ SOCCER
outside the area. This seemed to waken us up with Andy
Hall pulling a goal back for us. We began to dominate the
play with several good flowing moves resulting in a series of
corners. From one of the resulting corners Paul Brown rose
to head the equaliser in the last minute of normal time. For
the 3rd match in a row our game went to extra time,
however the inspired subsitution of Stephen Boyles led to
us gaining the lead, after Stephen slotted home. In the
second half of injury time Stephen scored yet again after
some good play by Jonny Boyd and he could have had a hattrick
only for his shot to be flicked onto the post. A good
victory for the team who despite being kicked around the
pitch managed to win and progress to the quarter finals of
the cup.
Final Score: Corpus Christi College 2 Belfast High 4
Team: K Barclay, B Wilson, R Brown (c), P Brown,
R Early, M Boyd, L Orr, A Hall, J Boyd, R McMurtry,
C Hinton, S Boyles
vs Ashfield (Carnegie School’s Cup 3rd Round)
In the 3rd round of the Carnegie Cup we were left
managerless due to Mr Morrison being unavailable.
However Mrs Barclay travelled to support the team while
Danny Watson took over responsibility for managing the
team. The return of Jonny Luke, Ainsley Gray and Matthew
Young boosted the side back to full strength. The game was
played on Ashfield’s state-of-the-art, artificial grass pitch
which the team took some getting used to. Belfast High
struggled in the opening exchanges of the game with
Ashfield having the upper hand especially when it came to
long balls over the top due to the strong winds. However a
resilient defensive performance kept them at bay. The
turning point in the game came half way through the first
half when Ashfield hit the cross bar with a shot from
distance however the team recovered. We won a free-kick
on the edge of their box, which Ross Early floated into the
box for Andy Hall to head in to give us the lead. Despite
more pressure from Ashfield the team held out till half time
with a 1-nil advantage.
The second half playing without the strong winds
helped us to begin to take charge of the game. Some good
pressure by the team led to the ball bouncing loose in the
box which Luke Orr drilled into the corner of the net to
double our lead. With Ashfield struggling to create chances
we pressurised them and after good play by Andy Hall and
Jonny Boyd, Luke Orr was set up again to score his second
of the game. Some good goalkeeping allowed us to tie the
game up with Kenny throwing the ball out to Stephen
Boyles who proceeded to finish in style with his shot going
in off the post. Despite some late pressure from Ashfield
they failed to create any chances and we got the victory. An
excellent performance by the team both defensively and in
the final third on the day has put us on our way to the
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
continued ➛
PAGE 121

Ardilea 2007/08
SPORT ~ SOCCER
Association Football continued
quarter finals of the Cup.
Final Score: Ashfield 0 Belfast High 4
Team: K Barclay, B Wilson, R Brown (c), J Luke,
P Brown, R Early, A Gray, M Boyd, M Young, A Hall,
J Boyd, S Boyles, L Orr, C Hinton
vs RBAI (Belfast League Cup Quarter Final)
In the quarter final of the Belfast Cup, the team travelled to
the Blanchflower playing fields. Despite bad weather the
pitches were in reasonable condition. A hard fought opening
spell led to Belfast High taking the lead after Jonny Boyd
opened the scoring with a shot played across the keeper’s
goal after an assist by Andrew Hall. However a poor throw
in, in our own half led to Inst getting a sight at goal and
their striker smashed the ball past Kenny to equalise just
before half time.
The second half started with a small altercation between
Luke Orr and one of the Inst players after a challenge by
Robert Brown. Luke Orr was subsituted for Ainsley Gray
who came on and with his first touch scored from 25 yards
with his shot flying into the top corner. Neither team were
seemingly able to get an advantage over the other until a
defensive mix-up between Kenny and Brian led to the Inst
striker tapping into an empty goal. However Kenny made
up for it with a fantastic reaction save later on. With only a
few minutes remaining Jonny Boyd received the ball and
smashed it into the top corner to give us the win after an
extremely hard fought game. Now on the semi-finals!
Final Score: Belfast High 3 RBAI 2
Team: K Barclay, B Wilson, RBrown (c), J Luke, P Brown,
R Early, L Orr, M Boyd, M Young, A Hall, J Boyd,
R McMurtry, S Boyles, A Gray, M Burnett
vs St. Mary’s (Maghrafelt) (Carnegie School’s Cup
Quarter Final)
Despite having travelled up to Maghrafelt in the cramped
school mini-bus the team were optimistic that they could
progress to the next round. Things looked good with the
team taking the lead early in the first half through a well
taken shot by Jonny Boyd. However less than ten minutes
later, a silly tackle by Robert Brown gave St. Mary’s a penalty
which they scored from and then to make matters worse
they then took the lead again after some poor defending
from the High School.
In the second half we immediately pulled a goal back
through Andrew Hall and we were starting to play slightly
better however things were not to be as St. Mary’s scored a
further two goals, one from a cross-shot which was very
lucky and the other a tap in. The final blow was when
Aynsley Gray was sent off by the referee for back chat.
Despite the defeat and elimination from the
competition the team were delighted to have gotten this far
in the first year properly entering competitive competitions
PAGE 122 The Magazine of Belfast High School
and know that with a bit more luck they could have
progressed even further.
Final Score: St. Mary’s (Maghrafelt) 4 Belfast High 2
Team: K Barclay, B Wilson, RBrown (c), J Luke, P Brown,
R Early, L Orr, M Boyd, M Young, A Hall, J Boyd,
R McMurtry, S Boyles, A Gray
vs Boys’ Model (League)
After the disappointing elimination from the Carnegie Cup,
the team were looking to get back on track with a victory in
the league. Things did not start well with the Boys’ Model
opening the scoring with a curling effort from outside the
box. However the team began to respond and put heavy
pressure on their defence, however were unable to equalise
before half time.
In the second half we continued our dominance of the
game and equalised through Luke Orr whose shot went
underneath their keeper. Minutes later we then took the lead
through a stunning effort from Matthew Young, whose shot
went in off the far post. Then a free kick on the half way
line from Matthew Boyd gave us our third goal which was
very much deserved. The match then descended into a
kicking match and after being on the receiving end of a
deliberate two foot lunge Robert Brown had to be taken to
hospital. The team however carried on and won the match
which was an excellent result.
Final Score: Belfast High 3 Boy’s Model 1
Team: K Barclay, B Wilson, RBrown (c), J Luke, P Brown,
R Early, L Orr, M Boyd, M Young, M Burnett, J Boyd,
R McMurtry, S Boyles
vs BRA (League)
A reshuffle in the defence due to injury to Robert Brown as
well as changes in midfield due to absences by Ross Early
and Luke Orr. In what was a very poor first half, the only
real event took place when Andy Hall opened the scoring.
Before the end of the half however he had to be taken off
injured. In the second half the game was reasonably better,
with some decent play by both sides. Some decent saves by
Kenny in nets proved to be the decisive factor as Jonny Boyd
and Matthew Boyd went onto to score two late goals to give
the team another win in the league.
Final Score: Belfast High 3 BRA 0
Team: K Barclay, A Gray, B Wilson, J Luke, P Brown,
M Boyd, A Hall (c), M Young, J Boyd, R McMurtry,
S Boyles, C Hinton, A Cunningham
vs St Gabriel’s (League)
The team, already weakened due to the absence through
injury of Robert Brown and Andrew Hall, were dealt a
further blow with Kenny Barclay being ruled out with a
punctured lung. The opening nerves of the team were settled
when Jonny Boyd opened the scoring for the High School

however St Gabriel’s got an equaliser soon after capitalising
on an error by stand-in keeper Gary Ellison. Colin Hinton
then finished well to once again give the team another lead,
but once again they through the lead away after gave away
a penalty which the St. Gabriel’s player scored from. After
half time the game was finished off with a further four goals
from Colin Hinton and a brilliant 20 yard effort from
Stephen Boyles which went in off the underside of the bar.
St Gabriel’s did have chances however Gary Ellison made
up for his earlier error with a couple of fine saves to deny
them any consolation.
Final Score: Belfast High 7 St Gabriel’s 2
Team: G Ellison, L Orr, B Wilson, J Luke, P Brown,
R Earley, M Boyd, M Young, S Boyles, J Boyd (c),
C Hinton, R McMurtry
vs Grosevnor (League)
In the final league game of the season a win would have left
the High School in a good position to win the league. Yet
again the team was hit by long term injuries. In a pretty
closely fought game, the High School defence were caught
off guard with a long ball over the top and William Boal the
stand in goal keeper was only able to bring their striker down
giving away a penalty which he converted. After some good
play the High School equalised with Jonny Boyd crossing for
Stephen Boyles to smash into the net. However more slack
defending from a corner once again gifted Grosevnor the
lead before half time. In the second half the High School
dominated, with Ross Earley going closs several times from
long distance but they were unable to grab an equaliser and
were unfortunately defeated in their final league game.
Final Score: Belfast High 1 Grosevnor 2
Team: W Boal, C Hinton, B Wilson, J Luke, M Young,
R Earley, M Boyd, A Gray, A Hall (c), S Boyles, J Boyd,
L Orr, R McMurtry, A Cunningham, F Jackson
vs CBS (League Cup Semi-Final)
The team were extremely fired up by the prospect of being
only one game away from playing in the final and had even
managed to persuade a few supporters to come along and
watch at a very wind swept Mallusk. An injury to Matthew
Boyd ruled him out of the game however after four weeks
out through injury Robert Brown returned to the side but
the team was still without Andrew Hall and Kenny Barclay.
A closely fought opening period between the two sides
resulted in few chances for either side with a few feisty
challenges being put in by either side. High School worked
well together as a team and defended together to make sure
that CBS were unable to create any decent chances.
In the second half the High School had to play against
the wind which proved troublesome particularly for the back
four however they coped well considering the conditions.
Jonny Boyd had a half chance after cutting in from the right
SPORT ~ SOCCER
wing but was unable to trouble the keeper. With CBS
putting more and more pressure on the team, Brian Wilson
capitalised on a counter attack and put in a superb cross
which Colin Hinton narrowly headed over the bar in what
would have been the winner. And with time running out
the High School were hit with a sucker punch as CBS scored
a late goal to win the tie. The goal looked to be well offside
however the referee wasn’t willing to listen to any protests
and gave the goal must to the despair of all the High School
players and fans. Tired from the tough game and shocked by
CBS’s goal the team were unable to push on and equalise
with only a few minutes to go, unfortunately ending their
hope of reaching the final. It was an excellent performance
by the team as a whole and they were extremely unlucky not
to at least draw if not win the game to get to the final but it
just wasn’t to be.
Final Score: CBS 1 Belfast High 0
Team: G Ellison, B Wilson, R Brown (c), J Luke,
P Brown, R Earley, L Orr, A Gray, M Young, J Boyd,
S Boyles, R McMurtry, C Beattie, M Burnett, C Hinton
vs Glengormley (Friendly)
An extremely weakened side was picked to face Glengormley
purely to repay them for giving us a friendly when no-one
else would last year. A poor opening half saw the High
School concede three very poor goals as they struggled to
cope with strong wind and rain. The rest of the half saw the
team struggle to get out of their own half however they
managed not to conceed again. Second half was a
completely different story with the High School completely
dominating the game but unable to make the most of their
chances. Jonny Boyd threatened several times with the
Glengormley keeper reacting well each time and Colin
Hinton was unable to capitalise on a through ball over the
top though he proved a constant thorn in the side of the
Glengormley defence with his running. With only a few
minutes to go the High School grabbed a consolation goal
after Johnny Luke’s shot was turned in by Colin Hinton. A
disappointing result for the team in their last game although
the game was marred by terrible weather conditions.
Final Score: Belfast High 1 Glengormley 3
Team: W Boal, B Wilson, R Brown, J Luke, F Jackson,
A Cunningham, M Burnett, A Gray, P Brown, J Boyd,
C Hinton, S Boyles, R Earley
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 123

Ardilea 2007/08
SPORT ~ CROSS-COUNTRY
Cross-Country Qualifiers
The competitive season began with the School Cross-
Country Championships which were run just before the
Christmas break. All pupils in Years 8-11 competed,
barring injury or illness, with the best placed finishers
qualifying for the District Championships and also
winning points for their Houses. Well done to all those
competitors who took part and especially to those listed
below who won points for their Houses.
Year 8 Boys Year 8 Girls
1. Kristian Bell (P) 1. Anna Haley (P)
2. Jamie Beckinsale (W) 2. Samm Cox (W)
3. Glen Cleland (S) 3. Kayleigh Earle (S)
Year 9 Boys Year 9 Girls
1. Jamie Montgomery (B) 1. Nicola Cass (S)
2. Sandy McDermott (B) 2. Vicki Addis (P)
3. Ben Love (W) 3. Taryn Luney (P)
Year 10 Boys Year 10 Girls
1. Andrew Beckinsale (W) 1. Mollie Brown (P)
2. Andrew Hamilton (W) 2. Sarah Stewart (S)
3. Iain Webber (P) 3. Jenna Dickson (B)
Year 11 Boys Year 11 Girls
1. Matthew Huntley (W) 1. Jennifer Fisher (W)
2. Robbie Fryers (P) 2. Sarah Clarke (W)
3. Nathan Dougan (S) 3. Jess Leathem (P) /
Michelle Kerr (P)
The overall House results were as follows:
1st Watson (110 points)
2nd Pyper (83)
3rd Storey (67)
4th Boyd (51)
Ulster Schools’ Championships
District Heats
The District Championships were held at the ‘Dub’ this
year, with the underfoot conditions causing havoc, especially
at the steeper sections of the course. Forty five pupils
represented the High School, at the various age groups, and
excellent performances on the day resulted in five pupils
qualifying for the Ulster Finals. The Intermediate Boys and
Intermediate Girls teams just missed out on qualification,
both teams finishing in 5th position.
PAGE 124 The Magazine of Belfast High School
For The
Ulster Schools’ Finals
Minor Boys
Kristian Bell 6th Place
Junior Boys
Sandy McDermott 9th Place
Junior Girls
Mollie Brown 11th Place
Intermediate Boys
Matthew Huntley 8th Place
Senior Girls
Susan Burnett 8th Place
Ulster Schools’ Finals
The Ulster Schools’ Finals were run at Mallusk, on
Wednesday 20th February. All five High School runners give
it their all on the day, showing grit and determination in
trying to achieve the best place possible. Susan Burnett, a
great servant to the Cross Country Club all the way through
her school career, left nothing in reserve and as always, put
her heart and soul into a performance of which she should
be proud. Kristian Bell followed on from his performance in
the Districts by finishing a fantastic 6th again out of a field
of 125 runners. This result would have taken him to the
Irish Finals in any of the older age groups. Kristian has
already demonstrated that, with continued dedication, he
has the potential to go on and excel in this sport. Sandy
McDermott, Mollie Brown and Matthew Huntley will all
return stronger from the experience and should remain
positive in the knowledge that they qualified for the Ulster
finals. Having competed well, they must now challenge
themselves to push for Irish qualification next year.
Special Achievements
Congratulations to…
Kristian Bell, who represented Northern Ireland in the
London Mini Marathon, following his success in the Ulster
Cross-Country finals.
Thank You
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Jellie and
Miss Gemma Campbell for their help on a Tuesday
afternoon and for officiating at the District Championships.
The club is fortunate to benefit from such enthusiastic and
committed staff who are willing to give up freely of their
time in order to bring out the best in all our athletes.
KD

Swimming
We had a very enjoyable year with some success despite
problems with access to pools. Students were very good
and trained on their own, with their clubs and with
parents. I thank them for all the effort put in this year.
In term 1 a small group of boys from Years 12 and 13
attended the Valley Leisure Centre on Monday afternoons
to February half term. This was mainly to improve skills and
to gain badges. Helping me with the coaching was Mark
Douglas of Year 13, a talented swimmer himself.
The following pupils gained ASA Awards:
Honours: Matthew Kernaghan and Ryan Ritchie
Gold: Kyle Fraser
Silver: Lewis Fitzgerald
Bronze: Matthew Hutchinson
I would especially like to thank Mr Rainey for arranging this
valuable swimming time – it was very worthwhile and we all
enjoyed it.
In October, Year 8 and 9 pupils represented the school
in the ISSA Minor Swimming Championships: Kirsty
King, Paul King, Rebecca Curran, Emma Heron and
James McBroom.
All did well and for some it was their first gala. Well
done! This is a very long day for competitors and their
families.
Also in October, Mark and Kathryn Douglas won
places at a Swim camp in Cyprus, in preparation for the
Ulster Championships. This turned out to be extremely
rigorous, with a lot of land-based training as well as pool.
Over that week Mark completed 90,000m training lengths
and Kathryn 65,000m. They had a wonderful time and
were well prepared for competitions back home.
In November, three of our pupils took part in the Ulster
Grammar Schools’ Competition. The results were as follows:
Mark Douglas Front crawl 8th place (26.00)
Back crawl 5th (33.8)
Matthew Kernoghan Front crawl (36.6)
Kathryn Douglas Front crawl 10th (31.6)
Back crawl (38.00)
SPORT ~ SWIMMING
Mark and Kathryn went on to do well at the Potential
Olympians in November.
Both pupils took part in the Ulster Swimming
Championships in December at the Grove. Both qualified
for the Irish Swimming Championships, Divisions 1 and 2.
Kathryn swam a very good 31.3 in the 50m Freestyle and
achieved some PBs. Mark also swam well and achieved a
very good 26.3 in the 50m Freestyle.
Next came the Secondary Schools’ Championships,
held in January at the Grove. Mark qualified for the Irish
Schools’ Senior Championships in Galway in February.
Despite some personal bests, Kathryn failed to qualify by a
fraction of a second in two of her swims. 88 swimmers
competed in the first of these and 48 in the second. They
both achieved PB’s.
At the Irish Schools’ Senior Championships in Galway
Mark achieved 1.13.87 in the 100m Back crawl and 59.31
in the 100m Freestyle, both great times.
Both competed in the Potential Olympians in February.
The next challenge for Mark was the Irish Long Course
Championship in May. This was held in the National
Aquatic Centre in Dublin. Here he swam good times, being
one second away from his Ulster Squad time in the 50m
Freestyle – something he wants to achieve soon. Now he is
training for Assistant Teacher in coaching.
The Ulster Branch of Swim Ireland released the Top
Twenty Short Course performers for the season.
I am delighted to say that Kathryn Douglas was placed
6th in 1500m Freestyle (a fantastic achievement) and Mark
7th in the 800m Freestyle, 17th in 400m Free 14th in the
1500m Free and 20th in the 50m Freestyle – a wonderful
achievement.
I would like to mention our younger swimmers from
Year 8 who were so enthusiastic and worked so hard in the
very short time available. They made the very most of their
time in the pool. Many thanks to Mrs Cosgrove who not
only organised this for us, taught the Improvers but also
drove the mini-bus to and from the Valley.
It was a pleasure to work with swimming this year and
I am looking forward to another successful year.
JB
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 125

Ardilea 2007/08
Cheryl Ann Heron on Bush the
Timekeeper (3rd Round – Ulster
Schools’ Show Jumping
Championship).
SPORT ~ EQUESTRIANISM
Equestrianism
The BHS Equestrian Team is one of the more newly
formed clubs of the school. We started competing in
competitions during the school year 2006-2007 but it
was only during this school year that we became more
recognised. This has been achieved by a combination of
the team’s success over the season and with more
organisation through the school. With the help of our
chief d’equipe, Miss Todd, regular result announcements
in assembly, and the introduction of a notice board into
one of the school corridors, more pupils became aware of
the teams presence.
The members of the team are Courtney Ferris, Cheryl
Ann Heron, Mary Burnett and myself, Susan Burnett. Over
the year we competed in the Ulster Schools’ Show-Jumping
League, organised by Belfast Royal Academy. The league was
comprised of monthly competitions starting in October and
culminating in the final in March, at Knockaview
Equestrian Centre in Greenisland. Each month, on average,
20 to 27 teams competed. Teams had two or four members
who each jumped two rounds. The best overall six rounds
made up the team’s final score, and the top teams then went
against the clock to get overall placing. Points were awarded
at each competition on the placing of the team. The
standard of the jumping was always very high and extremely
competitive, as how a team did in one competition would
influence their final position in the league table.
The team’s performance was very good this year; at each
competition we managed to be placed between 4th and 7th,
and considering the amount of entries and high standard of
competition this was highly pleasing. Most of the league
PAGE 126 The Magazine of Belfast High School
competitions went into speed rounds, where the top teams
of the 1st round of jumps competed again whilst being
timed. BHS usually managed to qualify for this Speed
Round and all the competitors took part in this over the
weeks.
When it came to the final of the Ulster Schools’ League
all team members completed their rounds to a high standard
allowing us to be placed sixth in the competition. This was
an excellent place to finish, beating some of the more serious
school teams who regard Show Jumping as a major school
sport. The team also finished seventh in the overall league,
and considering we missed two of the six competitions this
was a very respectable result and a fantastic finish to the
season with our school being ranked so highly amongst
other big schools.
I would like to thank the whole team for all their
dedication and competitiveness and achieving success over
the year, and our great ponies – Dillon, Bush the
Timekeeper and Little Dougie who all did so well. There is
a great amount of work involved in preparing a pony for a
competition and I thank our team for their dedication in
doing this to represent the school so well. I would also like
to thank the team for spreading the word about the show
jumping throughout the school. I wish them all the best of
luck for next year in achieving more success at upcoming
competitions and also, hopefully, with recruiting new team
members to represent the school. Also thanks must go to
our parents, without whom we could not get to these
competitions with our ponies.
The team could not have been as successful without the

help of Miss Todd, to whom the whole team would like to
say a big thank you. Miss Todd is a huge credit to us and has
supported the progression of the team to become a
distinguished sporting activity of Belfast High School. She
represents the team as our chief d’equipe, and has been
fantastic with organising, managing and committing a lot of
her time to the team. She has also been the main contributor
to raising the profile of the team in the school, through
organising the notice board and working towards receiving
funding. She has also successfully obtained sponsorship from
the Friends of Belfast High School for saddlery equipment
in our school colours for us to compete with next year. All
SPORT ~ EQUESTRIANISM
the other major teams compete in school colours, with
matching accessories for their ponies, and it will be great for
the team to have these numnahs, brow bands etc next year.
We would like to thank the Friends very much for this
support.
I will miss the show jumping team next year and am
sorry that we really only got established in my latter years at
Belfast High School. I wish Courtney, Cheryl Ann and
Mary every success next year and hope that they are
successful in gaining new members for the club. I am sure
that I will be there to support them in the league next year
whenever I get an opportunity to do so.
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
Top: Courtney Ferris on Little
Dougie (3rd Round – Ulster
Schools’ Show Jumping
Championship).
Bottom: Mary Burnett on Dillon
(3rd Round – Ulster Schools’ Show
Jumping Championship).
PAGE 127

Ardilea 2007/08
PAST PUPILS
BHS Old Girls’ Society
The year began with the Autumn Meeting on Thursday
25th October 2007. First of all, twenty one ladies met in
Randalph’s Bistro in Whiteabbey village for an early tea.
They then met up with approximately eleven others at
Belfast High School to attend the School’s interpretation
of the musical Grease. This was a very professional
performance and a most enjoyable experience.
Congratulations to all involved, both on stage and
behind the scenes.
Our Spring Meeting was held in the Sixth Form Centre
on Wednesday, 22nd March 2008 when we were to be
‘beautified’ by Carol, a Holistic Health & Beauty Therapist,
but due to unforeseen circumstances, Carol had to return
to Canada for family reasons. However, we were so very
lucky to secure the services of two wonderful girls from the
Virgin Vie Cosmetics Company, who not only ‘beautified us
– Lillian Smyth was the victim for the make-over and Mrs
Gormley benefited from a hand massage – but also gave us
a talk on the benefits of healthy eating. They brought with
them an amazing selection of fruit, beautifully set out for us
to try, and also different fruit juices, pointing out their
‘beautifying within’ attributes. After which, to our shame,
we gorged on sandwiches & tray bakes! C’est la Vie! The
weather was atrocious and fewer ladies than usual braved
the elements – about twenty nine of us enjoyed the comfort
Foreign Language Poetry
J’AIME
J’aime le chocolat,
J’aime les chats,
J’aime le cinéma,
J’aime le Fanta,
J’aime la télé,
J’aime le rugby,
J’aime le musée,
J’aime la batterie,
Et toi?
Qu’est-ce que tu aimes?
Tarick Osman et James Wilson
PAGE 128 The Magazine of Belfast High School
of the Sixth Form Centre.
The AGM & Dinner was held, once again, in the
Templeton Hotel and was attended by thirty eight ladies.
We agreed upon one Charity donation this year (Diabetes
UK) and the School received a sum of money from the Old
Girls. Sadly, since last year’s AGM, we have we lost one of
our dearest, long-standing members, Margaret Gregg, and I
would like to thank Myra Henry for her lovely tribute. We
have also welcomed two new members with, possibly, one
more ‘in the pipeline’! Total membership is now eighty, but
it must be stressed that more members, especially the more
youthful among us, are always very welcome.
The Autumn Meeting in mid-September will take the
form of a visit to Sentry Hill which is a beautiful house,
situated locally, with great character, a fascinating history
and a lovely garden. Light refreshments will be available for
our members.
I conclude by thanking Mrs Gormley for her continued
support of everything we do. We all greatly appreciate her
continued interest in the Old Girls. I also bid ‘farewell’ to
my post of Honorary Secretary, after nine years, and hand
over the reins to a very able colleague, Barbara Megarry (née
Fraser). I know that Barbara will have all the help and
support from the new President, Barbara Nicol (née
Kernohan) and a very efficient Committee!
Pamela A McAllister, Honorary Secretary

News from Past Pupils
Mr Tom McGrath, Vice-Chairman of our Board of
Governors, was elected President of the Belfast Insurance
Institute; Paul McIlreavy was elected Deputy President.
Both are former pupils of Belfast High School. The Belfast
Institute celebrates its Centenary this year.
Andrew Neill (U6 1982) was profiled in Islandinfo
Magazine (January 2008). Below appears a short extact:
‘Andy Neill works as a consultant for a Finnish
Consultancy Group. Assigned to Mauritius since January
2006, Andy provides advice and technical support to the
Government to manage and implement a large, EC
supported intervention, known as the Decentralised
Cooperation Programme (DCP), the objective of which is
to alleviate poverty, largely through building the capacity
of non-state actors, such as NGOs and other civil
organizations. The DCP offers grants to local NGOs in
their combat against poverty. It also focuses on the
development of Small and Medium Enterprises, in order
to generate employment; the promotion of good
governance; and more sustainable management of
natural resources on the island of Rodrigues. lt is a diverse
and complex portfolio involving many other actors …’
Nigel Hart (Everest Expedition)
Jonathan Lloyd was placed 3rd in the World Car Spraying
Championships (Japan).
Julie Dalzell married Alan Bell (both U6 1996-1997) in
December 2007. We wish them both every happiness.
Sarah Ruddy headed up a team of six as manager of BTW
Shiells’ new branch on Belfast’s Cavehill Road.
Graham Wills (U6 and Head Boy 2004-2005) has been
awarded a 1st Class honours degree in Architecture from
QUB.
PAST PUPILS
It is with deep regret that we record here the death of
Raymond Piper, artist and botanist, who attended BHS
1936-1941.
Mark Mumbi Chuungwe
It was with a sense of total
disbelief that our school
community heard of the sudden
and unexpected death in June of
Mark, a former pupil of the
school.
Mark joined our Year 8 in 2002 and made an
immediate impact with his zest for life and happy,
uncomplicated personality. His good manners and
amiability were obvious from the start. As Mark went
through the school he grew up into a lovely young man with
so much potential. He loved his friends and enjoyed to the
full all the opportunities for fun and socialising the school
offered in the Duke of Edinburgh scheme, sport, especially
rugby, and of course the talent shows. Mark won the Talent
Show in 2007 with his exuberant dancing – something that
showed his joy for life. He then went on to enjoy to the full
a year of AS education at Edmund Rice College.
Mark visited Belfast High School regularly and just
before he died he called in to see all his teachers for a chat.
He was looking forward so much to a bright future having
done well in his AS mocks. How sad that this bright light
has gone out.
His impact on the school community will be felt for a
long time and he will be remembered in the hearts of all
those who knew and loved him.
In the words of the old song
Farther along we’ll know all about it
Farther along we’ll understand why
So cheer up my brothers
Live in the sunshine
We’ll understand it
All by and by
JB
The Magazine of Belfast High School
Ardilea 2007/08
PAGE 129

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Antrim Grammar
Ballyclare High School
Ballyclare Secondary
Belfast High School
Belfast Royal Academy
Dominican College
Edmund Rice College
Glengormley High School
Monkstown Community High School
R.B.A.I.
St. Malachy’s College
St. Patrick’s College Bearnageeha
PRIMARY SCHOOLS
Ashgrove Primary
Ballyhenry Primary
Ben Madigan Primary
Carnmoney Primary
Glengormley Primary
Mossgrove Primary
Mossley Primary
Park Lodge Primary
St. Bernards
St. Mary’s on the Hill
Whiteabbey Primary
10%
OFF SCHOOLWEAR
During the Months of June & July
(Purchases of £50 or more)
BLOUSE & SHIRT
PROMOTION
1 ⁄2 PRICE
(ONE TWIN PACK PER UNIFORM • JUNE & JULY ONLY)
A deposit will secure your purchase
TEL: (028) 9083 2892
CUSTOMER CAR PARK • OPEN 6 DAYS
New Opening Hours: 9.30am-5.00pm Lunch 1.00-1.30pm
When purchasing your uniform
present this advert and buy your
Shirts and Blouses at:

S O L I C I T O R S
(Est 1978)
Partners:
Michael Glover and Zara King
For ALL Your Legal Work Including:
• Purchases & Sale of Property •
• Landlord & Tenant •
• Wills & Estates •
• Personal Injury Claims – Road Traffic & Industrial •
• Family Law – Separation & Divorce •
• Employment & Industrial Relations •
8 Joymount, Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim BT38 7DN
Tel: 028 9336 7025 Fax: 028 9336 0320
Appointments also available at:
40A The Square, Ballyclare and 3 Victoria Road, Larne

ECHO
hairdressing
691 Shore Road, Whiteabbey BT37 0ST
Tel: 028 9086 8906
A. KINNEAR & SONS
ANDY’S STORES
Heated Storage
Furniture Removals – Local & Cross Channel
Hardware & Builders Suppliers
122 Monkstown Road, Newtownabbey BT37 0LE
Tel: 028 9086 2165 / 028 9086 9708 Fax: 028 9036 5070 Email: andy’sstores@hotmail.com
Partners: C. Kinnear, M. Kinnear, E. Kinnear
Acknowledgements
The editor would like to thank Dr Maurice Jordan & Tempest Photography; Mr Jonathan Ridgway & Mr Jake Campbell;
Mrs Christine Ringland; Mrs Michelle Brown & Ms Andrea Cochrane; Mrs Barbara McFaul and all staff and pupils who
contributed to Ardilea in ways too numerous to mention. Thank you.
JK
PAGE 136 The Magazine of Belfast High School