Alumni Newsletter June 2018

Alumni Newsletter June 2018 For more school news and to read The Owl Magazine, The Academy Newsletter, the Old Boys’ Association Newsletter and past copies of the Alumni Newsletter, please visit the school website at belfastroyalacademy.com belfastroyalacademy

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ALUMNI NEWS

CLASS OF 2018

A very warm welcome to the Class of 2018 to the Belfast Royal Academy Alumni!

We wish you all a fulfilling and happy future and hope that you will stay connected with Belfast Royal Academy and your fellow alumni.

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

Form MVI Leavers Lunch, Friday 11th May 2018

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

REUNIONS 2019 ‘Class of’ Anniversaries There are plenty of opportunities for celebrations in the upcoming year!

If you are thinking of planning a formal reunion or just a casual get together for your ‘Class of’ anniversary, please do get in touch. The Alumni Office can help to connect you with former classmates & teachers, promote your event, organise a tour of the school or an event in the school.

2009 2004 1999 1994 1984 1979 1974

10 years!

15 years!

20 years!

25 years!

35 years!

40 years!

45 years!

1969 1964 1959 1954 1949 1944 1939

50 years!

55 years!

60 years!

65 years!

70 years!

75 years!

80 years!

BRA Medallion Shield - Reunion of 1968 squad – 23rd March 2018 On Wednesday 27th March 1968, following wins over Methodist College, R.B.A.I., Bangor Grammar and Ballymena Academy, the B.R.A. Medallion team defeated Coleraine Inst. in the final of the Medallion Shield by 9 pts to 3 pts, at Eaton Park, Ballymena. Fifty years on, the team and their coaches, Mr. David Carruthers and Mr. Michael Rea, got together for the first time since leaving the School.

On Friday 23rd March 2018 all but 4 members of the 23 man squad came from all over the world to assemble in the Heritage Room. Sadly 2 of the squad have passed away, one could not be traced and one was unable to attend due to ill health. Captain Crawford McConkey delivered an excellent welcome speech and the Principal, Mrs. Hilary Woods, provided an excellent resume of recent achievements and some of the current issues within the School.

We had a splendid lunch in the Library, provided by the School’s caterers and there were a number of memories shared which was greatly helped by some very detailed match statistics collated at the time

by Alistair Bill.

A tour of the School was lead by former teacher Eddie McCamley, and those who had not been back to the School for 50 years were amazed with the changes that have occurred to the estate over the years.

On Saturday lunchtime some of the squad attended a Pre–Match Lunch at the Academy Club before watching the Academy v P.S.N.I. league match at the JC Picken playing fields. Academy won a well contested match and we were rather taken aback at how the game has changed since the days of leather rugby balls and footwear in terms of speed and intensity, even at Junior Club level.

In the evening a celebration dinner was held in James Street South restaurant for the squad and coaches and their respective wives/partners.

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

We had hoped to recreate our Team Photograph on the steps in front of the Crombie Building, but the weather conspired against us and we had to use the Library. However, as can be seen from the below photograph, the result was very acceptable.

Our thanks to former 1965 Medallion Shield winner, Philip McKenna, for taking the photographs of the event for us.

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

1968 was an extremely successful year for sport in the School in that, apart from the success of the Medallion team, the 1st XV reached the final of the Schools’ Cup and the 1st XI Girls Hockey team shared Ulster Senior Schools’ Cup with Strathearn School. It was also the year when headmaster, John Darbyshire, retired and the then Vice-Principal, Louis Lord, took over.

All in all, this was a highly successful and enjoyable reunion which enabled old friendships to be renewed. It confirmed how this group of young men had gelled together 50 years ago under the strong direction and leadership of our coaches to win this coveted trophy against the strongest opposition in Schools rugby at that time.

Tim Reid SHARED EXPERIENCE PROGRAMME The Shared Experience Programme is co-ordinated by former teacher, Eddie McCamley, who is very grateful to former pupils who give so generously of their time to encourage ambition and aspiration among our pupils, by sharing their knowledge, experience and expertise. Please contact Eddie at edward.mccamley@googlemail.com if you are interested in participating in the Shared Experience Programme.

“The Academy regards this programme as a vital bridge between the school and its former pupils. We are also very grateful for the encouragement provided by alumni, with experience in many areas of professional, business and academic life, to those still at school. The willingness of many former pupils to give of their time in this way, is deeply appreciated; the motivational impact cannot be overstated”.

Eddie McCamley If you are interested in offering a one week Work Experience placement to a Lower Sixth pupil, please contact Mr Murphy in the School’s Careers Department at smurphy534@bfsra.belfast.ni.sch.uk.

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

ALUMNI UPDATES Rebecca Delany (nee Cromie) (Pupil 2002 - 2009) Rebecca graduated from Queen’s University with a 1st Class Honours Degree in Biomechanical Research. During this time, she also gained invaluable experience at a Summer Studentship in the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology at Queen’s as well as studying at the University of Nevada for a year working on Gastro-Intestinal research.

Rebecca’s subsequent doctoral research on chronic lung disease in the Centre for Experimental Medicine at Queen’s led to her making presentations based on her work at Germany’s prestigious University of Heidelberg. She then developed her research skills, an accomplishment which was internationally recognised by an award from the European Respiratory Society Lung Science Conference, at Estoril in Portugal.

Rebecca completed her PhD in 2017, and was immediately offered a position at Queen’s. This will enable her to pursue her research interests, as well as gaining managerial experience in the context of a medical laboratory.

Rebecca Cromie met Ryan Delaney when she was required to sit beside him in a Fifth Form maths class in the Academy. Proving that science is no stranger to romance, they are now married, and her husband is completing his PhD. Eddie McCamley The Reverend Dr Laurence Graham

The Reverend Dr Laurence Graham is also a former pupil, now based in Dublin, who came in to School to talk about his career, which began as an Agricultural Scientist. He is now the recently elected leader of the Methodist Church in Ireland.

Both Rebecca Delaney and the Reverend Dr Laurence Graham came into school to speak with pupils as part of the Shared Experience Programme.

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

OLD BOYS’ ASSOCIATION The Annual General Meeting was held on 24th April, 2018 in the BRA Staff Room. Professor Robert McIlhagger was elected President for 2018-2019, and Mr Moore Dickson was elected Senior Vice-President. A plaque was presented to Dr Louis Campbell when he retired after 10 years as BRA OBA Hon. Secretary.

The monthly lunches attract between 40 and 60 members – mostly retired members of the Association. The attached photo is from the May 2018 Lunch at Royal Belfast Golf Club. The June lunch was at Greenisland Golf Club. Robin Reid coordinates these lunches and the Association greatly appreciates his ongoing efforts with this.

There have been four “Business Breakfasts” in the last year, organised by Martin Blake and Michael McDowell. These are aimed at folks who are still working and would like to widen their business contacts. Some BRA pupils have also attended. These have had between 20 and 50 attendees – usually at the Ten Square Hotel, and one was held at BRA. The major BRA OBA event is the Annual Dinner. Last year, the dinner was held on 4th November. Mark Orr QC proposed the toast to the school and Supreme Court Justice, Lord Kerr, and BRA Principal Mrs Hilary Woods replied. This year the dinner will be on Saturday 3rd, November at the Europa Hotel. There is also a Former Pupils’ London dinner – next year it will be on Friday 8th March 2019, and an Edinburgh Dinner usually held in late April.

The annual cricket match between the BRA Old Boys and the BRA 1st XI was held at the Castle Grounds on Friday 22nd Jun, 2018, with a lovely sunny day, a perfect location, an excellent tea, and great fun for all.

The Association holds two golf outings. This year the first outing was on 14th June, 2018 at Malone Golf Club. The second is scheduled for Royal Belfast Golf Club on Friday 14th September 2018. Any Old Boy interested in playing in these competitions should contact Ken Knox at ken@cd-group.com.

Philip McKenna, BRA OBA Hon. Secretary ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

OLD GIRLS’ ASSOCIATION The Old Girls’ Association held our second Annual Dinner on 2nd September 2017 at Ten Square Hotel, Belfast. We are delighted to say that again the night was a huge success and look forward to this year’s dinner in October at a new venue.

The AGM was held in the School Heritage Room on 21st November 2018. It was lovely to see some new faces and get some input into how we can help the school and distribute our funds to help the pupils.

After the success of the first hockey match between the Old Girls XI and 1st XI in 2016, we arranged another match on 29th April 2018 at Roughfort. The Old Girls were sporting their new hockey shirts, but unfortunately these weren’t enough to secure a win. After a hard-fought match, the 1st XI triumphed 1-0.

We had a great afternoon and all money raised from the sale of refreshments will be used towards refurbishment of the girls’ changing rooms at Roughfort.

We have some events in place for the near future and it would be great to see some new faces.

- 20th October 2018, Old Girls’ Association Annual Dinner Clayton Hotel, Belfast, 7pm-1am - 15th Nov 2018, Old Girls’ Association AGM 7pm, Crombie Building, Heritage room - 25th January, 2019 Old Girls’ Association Quiz night.

Venue & time TBC - 30th March 2019 Old Girls’ Association Afternoon Tea & Fashion Show Venue & time TBC - May 2019 Old Girls’ Association Car Boot Sale BRA School Carpark Date & time TBC Thanks to everyone for your continued support. We welcome all interaction, so please follow us on Facebook and Twitter, where we will post updates about all upcoming events. You can also email us at BRAOldGirls@outlook.com.

Claire McGovern, Membership Officer FRIENDS OF THE ACADEMY (FOTA) – ANNUAL REVIEW Friends of the Academy have had another successful year supporting our very dedicated staff at various events and also fundraising for the School.

Fundraising Our fundraising activities this academic year have included a Table Quiz, Chinese Banquet and Karaoke and a ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ event. We also held two 'preloved' uniform sales. The uniform sales are becoming increasingly popular with parents. The monies we raise goes directly to School funds and is used at the Principal's discretion.

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

This academic year we funded the installation of fresh drinking water dispensers throughout the School and have committed to their annual upkeep. We purchased extra chess boards for the Chess Club which permitted more pupils to participate. We also contributed to the purchase of the airport-style seating throughout the School. The Merit Scheme is also funded by FOTA. New Form I Parents’ Welcome Breakfast On 29th August 2018 we will be hosting a Welcome Breakfast for new Form I parents/guardians on the first day of school. The Breakfast is a very informal affair aimed at easing, what can be for parents/guardians, a very daunting day. It also affords the parents an opportunity to meet. We do not supply an Ulster fry or bacon butties but what we do offer are tea, tissues (plenty of them) and a lovely continental breakfast.

2018/19 FOTA have planned a very exciting calendar of events for the 2018/19 academic year. Details will be published through the usual channels in September. I really do hope you will be able to come along and support us at the various events.

On behalf of FOTA I hope everyone has a lovely summer break.

Kim Burns MEMBER OF THE ACADEMY – MEMBERSHIP INVITATION Becoming a Member of the Academy offers former pupils the opportunity to contribute to the governance of the School. Members are invited to an Annual Meeting, usually held in November, where they are given a brief overview of the year by the Board of Governors and the Principal.

Members can elect Governors to sit on the Board.

All past pupils aged 18 and over and who have been in attendance for at least three full academic years may be eligible for Membership. Prospective Members are asked to complete a brief application form and return this with a £1 registration fee. All applications are submitted to the Board of Governors for approval. Please email the Bursar’s Office at gboyd707@bfsra.belfast.ni.sch.uk for more information.

SCHOOL ARCHIVES A number of books have been published on the history of Belfast Royal Academy, available to purchase from the school.

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

In each edition of the Alumni Newsletter we will feature an aspect of school history. If there is a theme or an era you would be particularly interested in reading about, please do tell us!

WW1 THERE BUT NOT THERE “There But Not There” is the name of the 2018 Armistice project for the charity ‘Remembered’. The initiative is sponsored, among many others, by Sebastian Faulks, author of ‘Birdsong’, the hugely popular novel about World War One.

The exhibition consists of a series of metal and perspex silhouettes designed by the conceptual photographer, Martin Barraud. A version was hosted by the Academy in May, with each of the perspex outlines representing one of the names of former pupils which appear on Rosamund Praeger’s war memorial in the foyer of the Crombie Building. Each outline is identified by a perspex plaque.

Poignant photograph of the late Vernon Clegg, who before his death had just completed his research into the background of those whose names appear on the Academy’s First World War memorial. He is photographed here with one of the silhouettes associated with the “There But Not There” installation.

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

FORMER PUPIL - JACK McCLEERY

A Television production company arrived at the school on the 20th June this year. They are preparing a documentary film which will feature a former pupil of the Academy who was one of the daring pilots who pioneered take-off and landing on the world’s first aircraft carrier during World War 1. Jack McCleery, who came to the Academy in 1905, was a pilot on HMS Furious.

McCleery’s son, John Orr McCleery (pictured left above), and the latter’s grandson, Jack Oliver McCleery (pictured right above), came to the Academy to record some of the sequences for the documentary, which is a joint venture of BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland.

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

FUND FOR SPORTING EXCELLENCE The School has a fundraising campaign, led by Iain Knox (Pupil 1982 – 1996), to develop the sporting prowess of our pupils.

This fund is to enable us to provide the first class rugby coaching services of Brian McLaughlin to our pupils and to improve sports facilities, including the construction of the new Weights and Conditioning Suite. We would also like to be able to provide funds for hockey and other sports in the school.

We are very appreciative of alumni who have already made or pledged donations. If you would like to be part of this ambitious development, please contact Iain Knox (iainknox@cd-group.com | 07590 734 061). And don’t forget, with Gift Aid the value of your donation is increased by 25% at no extra cost to you.

We look forward to your support!

THE OWL

THE ACADEMY NEWSLETTER ‘The Owl’ is published each December and ‘The Academy Newsletter’ each June.

Both publications are available on the School website under ‘Our School’.

The Owl can be purchased from the School Office for £5.00. It can also be posted and the total cost including postal charge is currently £8.50 for United Kingdom addresses; other charges apply to ROI, Europe and overseas. If you would like to receive a postal copy of The Owl, please contact the Alumni Office.

CURRENT SCHOOL NEWS

AQE REGISTRATION DAY AND OPEN MORNING Despite a number of conflicting events, not least the glorious weather, the school held a very successful open morning on Saturday 19th May. Numbers were not significantly reduced from previous years and Mr Patterson reported that only 10 fewer candidates had registered for the AQE test in comparison with May 2017.

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

FORM I ADMISSIONS

The school received 312 applications for 200 places. The school ranks all applications in terms of AQE score and admits in accordance with rank order of the score. The final placed score this year was 100 and there were more candidates with this score than there were available places. Therefore, the school applied other criteria (as outlined in the school’s Admission to Form I policy) to this qualifying group to determine priority. A number of additional pupils, who have a Statement of Educational Needs, were allocated a place by the Education Authority.

BELFAST BUILDINGS TRUST

The Principal, Mr Paul Martin and two M6 pupils, Caitlin Warke and Conor McBride were invited to attend a celebration event for Belfast Buildings Trust in Carlisle Memorial Church on Tuesday 12 June. The guest of honour was Prince Charles. The venue will be used as the location for the Ulster Orchestra and the event was to launch the next phase of the fundraising project required to finish off the refurbishment project.

BEN MADIGAN This has been an exceptionally busy and productive term. Looking forward to 2018/19 there are 18 pupils joining P1 in September 2018 and a further 6 pupils joining other classes throughout the school.

Mr Timothy Wilson has left the school. The Board of Governors has taken the decision to appoint an Acting Principal with immediate effect in order to provide leadership and continue with the school improvement programme. The Acting Principal of Ben Madigan will be Mrs Pamela Jones and she will also teach the Prep 4 class.

Mrs Jones is a current teacher and member of the Senior Leadership Team in Knockmore Primary School and has previously held the post of Acting Principal and Acting Vice Principal. The Governors of Knockmore Primary School have granted her a temporary secondment to assist during this transition period and we are very fortunate to have her expertise as both a classroom teacher and a Senior Leader over the next few months. The Governors of Belfast Royal Academy are extremely grateful to the Governors of Knockmore Primary School for approving this request.

The Prep 6 class will be taught by Mrs Janine Chapman. Mrs Chapman is currently a teacher in Regent House Preparatory Department and comes highly recommended as a classroom teacher with 21 years’ experience teaching KS2. She will continue with the AQE preparation work for the Prep 6 pupils in this very important year.

Hilary Woods

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

BELFAST ROYAL ACADEMY HOSTS MINIVERSITY SUMMER CAMP Belfast Royal Academy will be hosting a careers-themed Miniversity Computer Club for primary school children from Monday 2nd – Friday 6th July 2018. The camp runs from 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. with early drop off at 8.30 a.m. to 9.30 a.m. and extended hours 3.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. available. The cost is £22 per day or £100 per week; sibling discounts are available when booking the full week.

Monday 2nd July Tuesday 3rd July Wednesday 4th July Thursday 5th July Friday 6th July

Illustrator & Author (Art & English) Nutritionist (Science) Coder (ICT) TV Presenter (EduFun) Minecraft Madness (EduFun)

Availability is limited so please contact Miniversity now to register your place.

0771 204 2222 / study@miniversity.com / www.miniversity.com

SUMMER SERENADE On Thursday 15th June, pupils from Form I-IV presented their annual Summer Serenade. Various soloists performed on the evening and the Flute, Saxophone and Clarinet Groups all performed admirably. The Junior Chamber Choir, Junior Trad, Junior Choir, Junior Strings and Junior Wind Band were the backbone of the Concert with solos from 2 pupils in each year-group.

Well done to all involved. It was a lovely evening of music and a perfect way to round off the academic year!!

Mary McMullan

ART EXHIBITION

The BRA Teaching and Non-teaching staff preview of the Art Exhibition 2018 took place on Thursday 21st June during tea break. We thank you for the generous donations for Save the Children Fund that raised £135. This does not include the sale of students’ art work. Our total sales to date are £651.00.

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

Thank you also for those who attended the Annual Art Exhibition on Saturday 23rd June in the Pollin building that showcased the Arabic Form 1 project work. A further £72.58 was raised.

Pat Kerr

ART DEPARTMENT QFI (Qatar Foundation International) VISIT On Monday 25th June we had a field visit to BRA Art Department by three members of the QFI (Qatar Foundation International) Connor Seidenschwarz, Rana Abdul-Aziz and Denise Dobson. They viewed videos of the oral and written work, as well as artwork of this year’s Form I Arabic and Art and Design programme of study, now in its fourth year of development.

The QFI team had the opportunity to meet with some of our Form I pupils to evaluate the programme of study. Our aim this year was to give pupils knowledge of the Arabic language, alphabet and Arabic numeracy with Ashgan Essa, our Arabic Language teacher. The pupils applied Islamic pattern inspired by the internet, focusing on the David Collection, Copenhagen Museum, the Beattie Museum, Dublin and British Museum artefacts.

Small teacher led workshops allowed all Form I pupils to experiment and create various art pieces based on their research of Arabic Culture and Islamic artwork. Each class had the opportunity to explore printmaking, ceramics, textiles, silk painting, foil embossing and Photoshop. The final group workshop outcomes have been put together to create three large wall panels, lanterns, cushions and black out blinds for the Sensory Room in the Learning Support Centre.

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Belfast Royal Academy

We hope the success of the project will provide us with a fifth year of funding.

Pat Kerr EUROPEAN HERITAGE OPEN DAY

Along with about three hundred other historic buildings in Northern Ireland, the Crombie Building will be open to the public on the mornings of Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th September.

SPORTING NEWS GOLF Tom McKibbin (Form IV) was invited to play in the Shot Clock Masters in Austria, signalling his European Tour debut.

Tom has also been selected to represent Ireland at the biennial Junior Open Championship, being held at St. Andrews in July.

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

ULSTER HOCKEY Well done to Emma Uprichard (Form III) and Olivia Thompson (Form IV) who have been selected to play for Ulster U16 in a 3-match series v Scotland U16 in Glasgow on 15th – 17th June.

Harriet Dougan (Form LVI) has been selected to play for the Ulster U18 squad v Wales U18 in Wrexham 22nd – 24th June.

Congratulations to all 3 players!

SHOWJUMPING Congratulations to Rocco Quinn (Form IV) who represented Ireland at Tattersalls International Horse Trials last week in the Pony 2* Competition. Rocco was competing in all 3 disciplines – Dressage, Cross Country & Show Jumping.

IRISH SCHOOLS’ ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS Well done to the 9 Academy pupils who competed at the Irish Championships on Saturday 2nd June.

Junior  

1st Pole Vault – Abbie O’Neill 3rd Shot – Reuben McCrea Intermediate  4th Pole Vault – Leah Doran  6th Pole Vault – Monica Del Castillo  6th 200m – Erin McMahon Senior  3rd Hammer – Erin Moffett  5th 3000m – Rioghnach Catney  7th Javelin – Jack MacNeill  7th Javelin – Ellie Bradley

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

ULSTER SCHOOLS’ ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS Girls – Mini 6th in Relay heat – (Madeleine Morwood, Etta Choi, Evie Caldwell, Maebh McAtamney) Boys – Mini 8th Relay – (Ryan Cowden, Josh Manson, Hugo Reilly-Stewart, Jay Gilmore) Girls – Minor 6th 800m – Anna Saunders, 8th High Jump – Sophie Doran, 8th Relay – (Olivia Beattie, Ellen Loane, Sophie Doran, Anna Saunders) Boys – Minor 8th High Jump – Christopher Sayers Girls – Junior 1st Pole Vault – Abbie O’Neill, 5th Hammer – Rachel Ramsey, 6th Hammer – Sarah Saunders, 6th Javelin – Caitlin Hennessey, 6th in Relay heat – (Abbie O’Neill, Shannon McBride, Beth Hillis, Rebecca Dwyer),7th 75mH – Abbie O’Neill Boys – Junior 2nd Shot Putt – Rueben McCrea & 8th Discus, 8th 1500m – Jay Nicholson, 8th 800m – David Monahan Girls – Intermediate 1st Pole Vault – Leah Doran, 3rd Pole Vault – Monica Del Castillo, 3rd 200m – Erin McMahon, 3rd 300mH – Erin McMahon, 3rd Relay – (Erin McMahon, Leah Doran, Ellie Collins, Olivia Snoddy), 4th 1500m – Steeplechase, 5th Hammer – Eve Henderson, 6th Hammer – Hannah Hill, 6th 1500m Steeplechase – Bryanna Catney, 4th 200m heat – Ellie Collin

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

Boys – Intermediate 9th 800m – Michael Harvey, 9th Long Jump – John Gamble Girls – Senior 2nd Hammer – Erin Moffett, 2nd 3000m – Rioghnach Catney, 3rd Javelin – Ellie Bradley, 3rd 1500m – Rioghnach Catney Boys – Senior 1st Pole Vault – Shane Martin, 7th 400m & 9th High Jump – Daniel Logan, 2nd Javelin – Jack MacNeil

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACHIEVEMENTS ABP ANGUS YOUTH CHALLENGE SUCCESS

We are delighted to announce that our team has been successful in the ABP Angus Youth Challenge and received five Angus calves at the Balmoral Show in May. They will have to rear these calves and sell them to ABP at a net profit which can be shared amongst their group. Quite against the odds, and certainly in a brilliant performance in the final round, they won over the judges with the concept of Cityfarming to bring home the calves.

BRIDGE CLUB The Bridge Club travelled to the Irish Schools’ Bridge Championships between 20 and 22 April in Galway. Three teams of students took part. The senior team finished 3rd in the Gold Final and the other two teams finished 1st and 2nd in the Silver Final.

Six of our students represented the Northern Ireland team in the Home International U18 competition in February and two of them are going to Croatia in the summer for a European Youth bridge competition so it has provided them with opportunities beyond school level.

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

SCHOOL & PUPIL COUNCIL CHARITY PRESENTATION

The Head Boy and Head Girl delivered their report on the work of the School & Pupil Council at Assemblies on Tuesday 17th April. This included reporting on the allocation of the money raised by the school’s non-uniform day last October. The Council’s decision was to divide the £2500 worth of funds raised between three charities: DePaul, who support people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, Lighthouse, who offer support and help for people affected by suicide and bereaved families and Alzheimer’s UK, the UK’s leading dementia support and research charity.

50% of the money raised was assigned to DePaul and the remaining 50% was split between Lighthouse and Alzheimer’s UK. We were pleased to welcome a representative from DePaul, Mr Philip Kee, to the Assembly to receive a cheque for £1250.

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy

KEEPING IN TOUCH The aim of the Alumni Office is to engage with our past pupils. We can help you to remain connected to the School and to your former classmates. We can help to put you back in touch with old school friends and to assist with the organisation of reunions, visits to the School and other events. The Alumni Office also administers the Old Girls’ and Old Boys’ Associations membership and email communications. An Alumni Calendar of Events is available in the Alumni section of the school website.

Your contribution, feedback and suggestions to this Newsletter are always welcomed. If you have a piece of news that you think others would be interested in, please email us with an accompanying photo. The Alumni Newsletter is published 3 times a year in December, March/April and June.

We appreciate your help to ensure that your contact details are up to date and to actively encourage friends, colleagues, siblings and other family members who were pupils at Belfast Royal Academy to join the Alumni register. An online sign up form is available in the Alumni section of the school website; alternatively please use the email address given below. All alumni data is held securely in the School in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The Alumni Office will be closed from Friday 29th June to mid-September.

Thank you for your continued interest in and support of Belfast Royal Academy; we wish you a lovely summer!

Alumni Office Belfast Royal Academy 3 – 17 Cliftonville Road BELFAST BT14 6JL 028 9074 0423 cmorris572@bfsra.belfast.ni.sch.uk

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER – June 2018

Belfast Royal Academy