Fettes Prep Busy Bee 2017

2016-17

A prep school education should be rigorous and challenging, but it must also be creative, vibrant and above all, fun. At a time when schools so often surrender their individuality in the face of rigid testing and regulation, we feel passionately that each child should be nurtured into a love of learning and a desire to continue education throughout their lives.

The Busy Bee records this individuality, but highlights how, at Fettes Prep School, this is achieved within a strong, safe and generous community.

Adam Edwards Headmaster, Fettes Prep School

A Note from the Editor Welcome to the new look Busy Bee! The Busy Bee gives you a glimpse into the last year in the life of Fettes Prep School. However, this is just a snapshot of the many and varied activities, events and occasions involving our community. For more information and photographs there are plenty of ways of keeping up-to-date.

The best way to stay informed is to look at the website, join us on Twitter and see our pictures on Flickr www.fettes.com/fettes-prep www.twitter.com/fettes_college www.flickr.com/fettes_college

Special Events BBQ and Evening Activities Our party is a great way to end the term. We had a delicious barbeque, plenty of fun on the bouncy castles, wrestling in the ‘sumo’ suits and a fantastic ceilidh and disco.

Bonfire Night Remember, remember… this year Bonfire Night was on the 5th November! The fireworks were spectacular; thank you Mr Hall.

Burns Supper Charlotte and Harvey gave such entertaining speeches, the Burns Supper was enjoyed by all and the ceilidh was really special.

Christmas Dinner Every year the Catering Department produces the most delicious Christmas dinner although the jokes in the crackers don’t get any funnier!

Roald Dahl Day We celebrated Roald Dahl’s birthday by dressing up as just some of the characters in his brilliant books.

Field Day Field Day is the chance for the Prep School to head out and about for fun learning experiences outside the classroom.

Trips

Up, Up and Away

German Christmas Markets Trip Munich, 13th-15th December 2016

Following a tea time landing at Munich our first stop was to the Viktualienmarkt, the oldest regularly functioning market in the town. It was full of Christmas trees and fairy lights, statues, fountains and delicious organic gingerbread smothered in dark chocolate.

Other sights on the walking tour included the famous beer hall, the HĂśfbrauhaus, and the Residenz. Our guide left us at the magnificent Christmas tree at Marienplatz and we were free to explore the market stalls there.

Day two – the BMW Museum. We toured the museum, played on car racing simulators and sat in some impressive modern cars. We then headed for lunch at the Hacker-Pschorr brewery restaurant. Sitting at long beerhall style tables we tried spaetzle: a German form of pasta served with gravy and chicken Schnitzel.

BMW

After lunch we continued to the Bavarian State Opera House, or Bayerische Staatsoper, five floors of gold leaf, pink velvet and beautiful carving. We were also shown into the Central Box, originally built for the King of Bavaria.

Our final activity stop was the Medieval-themed Wittelsbacherplatz market which included a hog roast and fish smoker. We met a teacher and some pupils from our German partner school in Munich, the Theodolinden-Gymnasium, and we all enjoyed trying out our German!

All in all, a very successful mixed College and Prep trip to the Munich Christmas Markets!

Trips

Up, Up and Away

Rome

Tuesday We’ve arrived, found our rooms, had supper at Jimmy’s and celebrated Will’s birthday. We can’t wait to start exploring tomorrow!

Wednesday Today we saw Santa Maria Maggoire and marvelled at the gold leaf ceiling. Our next stop was to Trajan’s column, which has been standing for a mere 1,900 years!

After a delicious lunch of pizza and chips we took a lovely walk along the Tiber River to St Peter’s Square. St Peter’s is in the Vatican City – the smallest country in the world.

Onwards to the Pantheon which was completed by Emperor Hadrian and dedicated around 126AD. The Greek word Pan means ‘‘all’’ and Theos means “god’’.

What better way to round off a day of culture than a delicious gelato!

Thursday After a quick look at the church of San Pietro in Vincoli we went to see the Colosseum. The Colosseum is huge and they would even have water battles in it, though we don’t know how they got the water in! Thumbs up kept the gladiators alive and thumbs down was very bad news indeed.

After another delicious lunch we visited the Roman Forum. We could feel the spirits of the Romans in the remains of the temples.

Our day finished at the Trevi Fountain, one of the oldest water sources in the city, and we rounded our trip off with a gelato!

gelato!

Trips

Up, Up and Away

Ski Trip

It’s an early start at the airport today but we don’t mind because we’re off to Passo del Tonale in Italy for our ski trip!

The Hotel Dolomiti is right on the slopes and serves the most delicious food.

They even have a brilliant selection of tuck, perfect for afternoon jelly legs.

Sunshine and blue skies every day and great snow conditions – we have been so lucky.

We have all had a chance to ski up at the glacier and our skiing has come on in leaps and bounds, with just a few bumps and the ‘crabbie of shame’ involved!

Our daily routine is ski lessons in the morning and afternoons and fun evening activities; we’ve been sledging in the early evening sunshine, ice skating on the natural ice rink next to the hotel and swimming at the Grand Hotel Miramonti where we have our much anticipated pizza night tonight.

Mr Rathborne’s quiz remains as popular as ever and film night was great fun, too.

Grazie Mille Passo del Tonale; we have had a wonderful time.

Trips

Nearer to Home M Form to the Botanical Gardens M Form took a trip to the Botanical Gardens as a follow up to our ‘Life of Plants’ Science topic this term. We took part in a fantastic workshop where we acted out the process of pollination. We set off with magnifying glasses to inspect various parts of flowers, and investigated types of seed dispersal. It was a wonderful morning out!

M Form to the Pentlands M Form enjoyed a beautifully sunny day out in the Pentlands, learning a little more about the water cycle!

P Form to Hopetoun House P Form went to Hopetoun House to learn more about working life in a Victorian Manor. With so many jobs to do, it was a very full day! We all loved making butter and particularly eating it the next day with scones and jam.

S Form to Nae Limits S Form headed up to Aberfeldy for some white water rafting on the River Tay and learnt about the importance of working together!

T Form Sailing Day T Form headed to Port Edgar in May for a Sailing Extravaganza. They were given extra points for not crashing their boats into the jetty!

1st Form Team Building 1st Form are getting ready to be the school leaders in August so a team building day to Dounans at Aberfoyle was perfect practice for working together to support each other.

1st Form to Stirling Castle We love Stirling Castle and had a brilliant tour. There is so much to see and the tour guide gave us some really gory facts as well as an occasional fright! We learnt about the defence systems for the castle walls and then went into the torture room (also known as the classroom!), where we were told about some gruesome medieval weapons, what they were used for and how battles were structured.

2nd Form Geography Field Trip – Kindrogan In October, the 2nd Form pupils headed to Kindrogan Field Studies Centre in Perthshire for a three-day Geography field trip. We were blessed with dry weather and were able to make the most of learning outside in a beautiful setting.

Helping Others

Charity Runs for the Mango Tree Trust

Important

We dressed fruity and gave it our all for the Mango Tree Trust, raising £6,676 for orphans in Tanzania.

Comic Relief – Own Clothes Day and Bake Sale

We always love the chance to wear home clothes and eat cake!

Doing this for Comic Relief makes it really worthwhile and we raised over £500.

!!!

Macmillan Coffee Afternoon T Form, parents, staff and friends did us proud with all their home baking and fundraising ideas, resulting in a record £2,501 total.

Mango Tree Disco Our disco was Disney themed and we danced till we dropped, raising £521 in the process.

Dress Up and Dance for Macmillan Cancer Care We danced in the playground and raised over £200 for Macmillan Cancer Care.

Parents’ Race Night for The Muir Maxwell Trust Not only was this a brilliant evening but we were thrilled at the generosity of our Prep parents who raised an astonishing £9,464 for the Muir Maxwell Trust.

Fun Learning in School

Fettes Archives The Fettes uniform has changed over the years.

Flodden Assembly We are back in 1513 at 1P’s moving Flodden assembly.

Author Visit – Steve Cole Young James Bond was at school at Fettes, just like us but with a few added twists.

Breakfast French Breakfast Merci beaucoup pour le délicieux petit déjeuner. Pain au chocolat avec Nutella – très bien.

Google Explorer An amazing new world opened up to us – we are always learning at Fettes.

Hatchett outdoor lesson We’ve read the book; how well would we survive?

We went outside to find out.

Learn!

Experiments Whether it’s melting chocolate or making flour volcanoes, we love science.

Mummies Ken and Barbie makeovers – making mummies is cool.

Ready Steady Cook How good are vegetables! Two delicious dishes, five a day made super tasty.

Gobblefunk!

Roald Dahl Birthday We love Roald Dahl and his brilliant creations.

SAFETY! Scottish Fire Service Lights, sirens and water – the best way to learn is to do!

Perspective Solar System It’s so big, so we need to get perspective – guess which one is Mars!

Waterproofing boats Wax crayons make boats float – they’re magic.

Music

Sing

Our Gallery Choir is over 80 members strong and brand new ensembles, including the folk group, trumpet ensemble and guitar ensemble, have added to the vast array of groups for children at various different levels on their musical journey.

Concert The end of term Concerts have been a real showcase for all of our groups and it was a delight once again to hold our Spring Concert in the beautiful Stockbridge Church.

Practice The Piano, Instrumental and Singing Competitions have seen an increasing standard of excellence in all categories which has thoroughly impressed our visiting adjudicators.

The Gallery Choir won the Under 13 Primary Choirs’ Trophy at the Edinburgh Music Competition Festival.

They then had the honour of being invited to sing at the Festival Highlights Concert in the Queen’s Hall.

Their performances were full of energy and they communicated with superb diction and beautiful tone; we are immensely proud of their achievements!

The Gallery Choir had a brilliant tour to the South of France, leaving just after the end of the Summer Term.

They were based in Avignon and, in between two stunning concerts at the Eglise St Didier and the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur d’Aix-enProvence, they had the opportunity to see some of this beautiful Roman town, the centre of which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As well as a tour of Avignon, the group took a boat trip down the Rhone and visited the Aqualand Waterpark. They also went swimming near the beautiful Pont du Gard and learnt a little more about this magnificent Roman structure at the Visitor Centre.

Choir

Drama

Pinocchio

Over ninety 1st and 2nd Form children were involved in this year’s extraordinary production of Pinocchio.

The messages of bravery, truthfulness and unselfishness contained in the tale resonated with all the pupils and they learnt a great deal through taking part in this unique theatrical experience.

Lies

Having such a large cast permanently on stage in the form of a reactive ensemble provided an immense challenge and demanded considerable levels of commitment and courage.

FANTASTIC

Bravery Through their collective efforts and dedication, the pupils achieved a truly remarkable result and we were delighted by the extremely complimentary responses of our appreciative audience!

Truth

Drama

The Happy Prince

This year M and P Forms presented The Happy Prince, a poignant story of a prince who appears as a benevolent statue and a little swallow who is inspired by the prince’s compassion. The service and loyalty of the sparrow leads to a heart-rending sacrifice.

Rehearse

As well as employing some sophisticated theatrical techniques for such a young age group, the learning also came from the play’s content, as like the original story, it is infused with wisdom and morality.

Acting The cast gave an entertaining and beguiling performance, receiving a host of wonderful accolades, which was testimony to the enthusiasm which shone through testing rehearsals.

Art

S Form reflected on the work of George Seurat, creating paintings using his famous pointillist techniques. We also learned about the way cultures have depicted mythical creatures and designed some of our own.

1st Form took inspiration from Van Gogh’s clay pieces, mandalas in Buddhist and Hindu traditions, Pablo Picasso, and Cubism, then extended this to a focus on synthetic cubism.

The Impressionists showed M and P Forms how to add light to our work, Van Gogh inspired our floral artworks and Michelangelo’s frescos were painted on the ceiling… so we explored what that would be like!

We have utilised a wide variety of artistic mediums this year, creating beautiful and unique pieces of art.

We have also observed and reflected on famous works of art.

2nd Form used pastels and glue to create a stained-glass window effect on construction paper, incorporating Fettes themes. They also studied, designed and created their own masks and created large paintings depicting a meaningful experience from their final year at Fettes Prep.

T Form were inspired by the Anglo Saxons, Vikings and Romans, creating Anglo-Saxon shields and jewellery, Viking ship collages, mosaic tiles and Roman inspired coins.

Boarding Beach Outing

Chinese New Year

Our first outing of the year; it’s hard to beat playing with friends in the sunshine on Gullane Beach; a stop at the ice cream van was the icing on the cake of a lovely day.

Chinese New Year Meal We can have fun inside as well as outside. Here we are enjoying a delicious meal to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Edinburgh Christmas Market We hit the market, looking for imaginative Secret Santa present for our friends. We also demolished waffles and pancakes with lashings of Nutella.

Secret Remembrance Walk

House

On a steely grey Sunday, we went to Tyninghame Beach to look at tank traps and bunkers and remember those who fought and were lost in World War Two.

Hailes Castle This castle was founded before 1300, making it one of the oldest buildings of its kind in Scotland. We loved exploring the ruins, including the tower and vaulted cellar.

Survival Skills Everyone needs to know how to build a den and apply first aid. We learnt a little about both these skills and had team stretcher races which left us breathless!

Surf’s up!

Surfing at Belhaven Beach Surfing is tricky but we all gave it a good go on Belhaven Beach. Fuelled by Matron’s barbeque and guided by our instructors, some of us found ourselves upright on the boards!

Boarding

Arran House

Autumn Challenge We headed south to the Scottish Borders for our Autumn Arran Challenge.

Camping under starlit skies, toasting marshmallows around the fire pit and some serious mountain biking challenges were the highlights of our weekend.

Bike

Enjoy

Fun filled activities closer to home included Trampolining, Laser Quest, ice skating, ten pin bowling and a fabulous countryside ramble in the Ochils.

We love Matron’s birthday cakes and really enjoy the chance to cook in our kitchen!

Bake!

Spring Challenge

Challenge!

Our Spring Term Challenge was built around supporting the Polar Academy trip to Greenland and our aim was an unofficial Guinness World Record for towing eight tyres for eight hours. Some of us even pulled the two tonne Polar Academy truck. We also got our aprons on and baked cakes to help with fundraising.

Summer Challenge The Summer Term Arran Challenge saw us visiting Mull for a wonderful weekend of exploration. We took a trip to a mussel farm and headed out to sea to view the mussel ropes. We cleared Grasspoint Beach and joined the Mull and Iona Ranger Service to look for White Tailed Sea Eagles in the Tiroran Community Forest.

Boarding

Iona House Autumn Camping Weekend We had a brilliant time at Ruberslaw Campsite, Fatlips Castle, Vogrie Country Park and the National Mining Museum of Scotland. Our weekend included sleeping under canvas, a treasure hunt, baked bananas and melted Mars bars, starry skies, beautiful countryside, an adventure playground and a visit to a mine engine room!

Little Princess Spring Challenge Our Spring Term Challenge was to support the Little Princess Trust who provide real hair wigs to children who have been unfortunate enough to lose their hair. We also enjoyed supporting Arran House for the tyre pull challenge.

Summer Adventure Our Summer Adventure took us to the Galloway Activity Centre via the Crawick Multiverse land restoration and art project and Drumlanrig Castle. We took part in climbing, kayaking, bubble football and we had lots of turns on a giant waterslide!

Boarding

A Day in the Life

It’s time for breakfast

We talk about all the details of the day at our House meeting

Teeth brushing before heading off to the first lesson of the day

In Latin today we are finishing off our board games

I love drama and today we are reading and acting out scenes from Chicken!

The mighty under 13 C team are playing at home today, it’s great to be out in the sunshine

After prep, tea, play time and snack, it’s now time for reading and bed!

This afternoon’s dress rehearsal has gone well – I can’t wait for our first performance of Pinocchio

Boarding

Closer to Home To infinity and beyond at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh

Sharing stories and singing carols with the residents of Murrayfield Care Home It’s Christmas craft day – our bags are looking very festive

Marbling paper right on our doorstep in the William House art room

Craft

Letting off steam at the Time Capsule

Birthdays are special

We love flying around the Murrayfield ice rink

Clip and climb at Ratho – I’m getting a head for heights

Climb!

Exploring our creative side at Honeypot Ceramics

Creative Writing Rainbow

As part of our studies on Myths and Legends, MK read the Indian myth, The Birth of a Rainbow.

This myth explains how rainbows first came into existence. Comparisons are beautifully used to describe the colours of the rainbow. We used this idea to come up with our own fantastic descriptions. Here are a few:

Rainbow The first stripe was violet like the colour of my brand new wallpaper.

The second stripe was indigo like the colour of a ripe blueberry.

The third stripe was blue like the shiny sea.

The fourth stripe was green like my clean car.

The fifth stripe was yellow like my snuggly t-shirt.

The sixth stripe was orange like the sunset.

The seventh and last stripe was red like a ruby jewel attached to a ring.

Sophie

Rainbow The first stripe he painted violet like the feathers of the Violet- crowned woodnymph.

The second stripe he painted indigo like the Alpine flowers of Switzerland.

The third stripe he painted blue like the feet of the Booby bird.

The fourth stripe he painted green like ripe apples.

The fifth stripe he painted yellow like a fully bloomed sunflower.

The sixth stripe he painted orange like a beautiful sunset.

The seventh and last stripe he painted red like the petals of a poppy.

Alice

Rainbow The first stripe was violet like the precious gem from a cave.

The second stripe was indigo like coral deep, deep under the sea.

The third stripe was blue like the ocean in the Maldives.

The fourth stripe was green like a leaf falling slowly down.

The fifth stripe was yellow like the sand on the beach.

The sixth stripe was orange like the big, hot sun.

The seventh and last stripe was red like the sparks from a firework.

Gordei

Tutankhamun

THE FETTES PRESS TUTANKHAMUN’S TOMB FOUND AT LAST!

Yesterday, Howard Carter and Lord Carnavon discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings. The entrance of the tomb had hieroglyphics on it. In the ante-chamber there were thousands and thousands of precious artefacts!

When Howard Carter finally discovered Tutankhamun’s most prized possession, it was a magnificent, golden death mask! On his heart there was a scarab beetle.

The mask was covered in gold and blue lapis stripes. This is the find of the century!

Archie

Christopher Columbus Explorer Eerie waves looming above the boat Exploding waves pounding at the side of the ship Pulverising waves and unbeatable seas Leaning waves about to fall Octopus like sea monsters to the sailors Rearing waves nearly vanquishing the boat Endangered people in the boat Roaring lightning flashing across.

Alexander

Christopher Columbus Christopher sailed the pleasant seas.

Open oceans he travelled.

Many people disagreed with him.

Perseverance and courage he had.

An amazing Spanish King and Queen gave him enough money.

So, he found cool ground.

Sailed back to tell his people what he had found.

Catherine

Christopher Columbus sailed the Magnificent Atlantic Ominous seas rocking and rolling the boat, good thing she stayed afloat!

Land Ahoy! Was shouted aft ‘round. Yay! Cried the sailors, crowding round.

Uglyfish being sighted, ew! Ew! Everyone was frightened!

The fish food was passed around, however, everyone was seasick on their rounds!

Mast and stern still standing, that deserves a good clapping!

Brave Columbus came to America, the confused man thought he was in India!

United with land once again, everyone was happy, right friend?

Slimy Columbus, such a meanie! The enslaved people will break your fleetee!

Tom

Sea Lord Strange unexplained sea monsters Enormous fat boats sailing into the harbour meeting Awkward, scary people Lurking in the darkness people can see Odd, cool looking fish. Then they set off on a Relaxing voyage that was strangely cold. Then it was Dark and scary and they could see the big storm coming.

Finlay

Christopher writing the ship’s log Overlooking the calm turquoise sea Looming charcoal clouds in the sky above Underneath suddenly the ghastly sea is churning Massive waves slashing on the Bow of the boat as it sways this way and that.

United every time we see a piece of land in the distance.

Sea creatures lurking in the deep dangerous sea.

Chloe

T Form Roald Dahl Ridiculous Rhymes Goldilocks

Alice in Wonderland

Goldilocks woke up and then she threw up.

It made a big mess all over her brand new dress.

She tried to clean it up with a mop, Instead she ran down stairs in a strop.

She ran and sat down on a chair that was brown.

The porridge was hot, She said “it tastes like snot!”

She landed in dog hair And broke her chair.

She went to the doctor, He said “You must watcha, Rest your head, And go to bed”.

She moved to Planet Porridge, Where she could forage, And eat all the porridge, She could ever find.

Alice was a girl, She was eating a very tasty Twirl.

She was listening to her sister Who was screaming about her blister.

Then she saw a bunny and thought of something very funny.

She followed the bunny down a hole And met a very interesting mole.

There she saw a small door.

With a huge effort and motion She drank some horrid potion Ending up in the ocean.

She swam and swam on her tummy Following the big brown bunny.

She saw the Queen of Hearts With her precious tarts.

Alice ran on through the big woods Taking a breath whenever she could.

Then with her feet wide apart She let out the greatest parp.

Lola

Little Red Riding Hood Once there was a girl called Little Red Riding Hood Who decided to go for a walk in the woods.

Off she went, in her bright red cape, To pick up some apples and some grapes.

After she got further into the deep, dark wood, She decided to pick up her bright red hood.

Once she had picked up her nanny, She went out to visit her Granny.

“Sniff, sniff”, said Red Riding Hood, “I smell something a bit good!”

All of a sudden, out of the blue, A big bad wolf jumped out, and cried “Boo!” “Aaaagh” she said, And off she ran all the way back to granny’s bed!

“Knock, knock, knock!” pounded wolf on the door.

“Stop it!” shouted granny, “No more, no more!”

Suddenly, he smashed the door down, And ate granny up, in her dressing gown.

“Tasty”, Wolf said…

Meanwhile, Red Riding Hood was still in bed.

“Yum, yum, yum!” he said, licking his thumb.

But then, granny popped out, of his tum, tum, tum!

Skye

Iona

2nd Form Creative Writing Childhood Rebellion I had absolutely no remorse, no shame and no sense of right or wrong when I was four. When I was told not to do something, it instantly intrigued me. If I didn’t do it, I would be curious for the rest of my life; well, anyway, that’s what I thought back then.

And so, of course, I was told not to touch the shaving blade, because it was my dad’s one and I could hurt myself.

I remember snickering as I climbed on a chair to steal the oh-so-dangerous tool. I tool it by the handle, the blades were glistening in the lamplight, and I didn’t even see their edges they were so thin.

And so I was gliding it against my soft hand in one direction, and I smiled until I slid it back in the other direction, I winced in pain, careful not to make a sound or my mum would hear.

I went to the living room and hid behind the sofa.

I had cut my hands and it felt deadly painful but I loved the red liquid it produced. I adored how it was standing out against my white skin and I remember even tasting it, oh yes, even back then I had no common sense. It was dripping from my hand all over the sofa and I laughed. I felt a bit weary but it didn’t change the fact that I had discovered something new and was excited.

Suddenly, I heard my mum’s footsteps; thump, thump, thump on the stairs. I panicked silently and hid myself as carefully as I could. I couldn’t let her discover what I’d done or she would forbid me sweets. But, she found me with my hands covered in blood.

After that, all items in the house that had a blade were hidden away from my sight. My hands of course were treated, but, I didn’t feel ashamed or sorry for what I had done. After all, it wasn’t my fault that the blade was put somewhere I could see it, right?

That’s what I thought back then when I was four.

Kate

Rebellion

Messenger Pigeon Again I soar free above the great plains of dirt and blood, the paper of the message flapping against my talons.

Guns cry. Shells whistle. Men charge.

Amidst all the chaos still I fly.

Bullets fizz past me like angry bees charging at their enrager, I see my allies’ heads peeping up out of their trench like timid meerkats and dive down towards them.

I am a great Spitfire roaring back to its base.

But stay I will not.

For once I have landed; once my message has been delivered; once yet another piece of paper has been attached to my leg; then I will have to soar back across those plains of dirt and blood and deliver another message.

Louis

Messages I am: I’m a poster stuck up on a tree, a twitter message for all to see, a diary entry for only me, a radio broadcast across the sea.

I’m a book written by candle light, the single word that sparked a flight, a whisper muttered out of sight, a newspaper printed in black and white.

I’m a letter written on paper with ink, a moving speech that made us think, graffiti written on the sink, a subtle, crafty, nasty wink.

Marcus

Last Gasp

Last Gasp A gasp escaped my lips. I turned and my eyes widened in surprise, I couldn’t believe it was her.

It was an early Sunday morning, The newly-risen sun peeled round the side of my thin white curtains. I had been awake for a long time but tried to force myself back to sleep. Today was the day.

Today was the day I’d been dreading; putting off for the past two months. Now it was here.

I rolled out of bed and felt my feet touch the cold, wooden floor boards underneath. I wanted nothing more than to curl back into bed and forget I even existed; I couldn’t though, she wouldn’t have wanted it. I slipped on my black dress and shows and willed myself not to cry, I was thinking of ways I could get out of this monstrous day when my train of thought was interrupted.

“Get downstairs now. We’re going to be late!” my mum screamed at me.

“Coming!” I shouted back although the tremble in my voice made me sound as if I wasn’t certain.

I ran downstairs and out of the door, just as the long, black car arrived with the empty coffin inside ready to pick us up.

I remember the night so clearly, Sophie, my cousin was staying at our house for a few days. There was a vicious snowstorm outside, snarling and clawing at the window like a wild animal. I had insisted she didn’t go out but she wouldn’t listen.

“Please don’t go! Who knows what will happen out there?” I pleaded.

“I’ll be fine. Just lock the door behind me, ok?”

Sophie had replied, looking at me as if I had just said the most stupid thing in the world. And with that, she left.

I waited and waited until she had been gone for two hours. I called my parents and they called the police. They never found her.

The church was cold as we walked down the aisle to the seats at the front. Listening to the eerie music coming from the organ, I tried to remember all the times Sophie and I had had together. Strangely, I could hardly remember any.

Suddenly there were three loud bangs at the church door. Everyone whipped their heads round to see just as the towering doors opened. There were gasps from the people behind us as a tall, thin figure wearing a large black coat and hat approached us. I turned back around to see my parents’ faces when I heard a voice, from behind me, “Hello Jules.”

A gasp escaped my lips. I turned and my eyes widened in surprise, I couldn’t believe it was her.

Isolde

A Postcard to the Past for Remembrance Day R. H. Knight - O.F. I have sent to you the memories of Fettes I cannot tell which ones you hold dear was it the sport? The cold and wet the mud and blood of defeat Or did you enjoy the lessons? the winding stairs and strict tutors singing in the vast open Chapel I do not know how this letter shall find you So know that we will not forget and we will not regret your sacrifice.

Marcus

Activities

Art Club

Cookery Club Golf

Cricket

Judo

Touch Rugby

Multisports Stopmogo

Riding

Shooting

and many more!

Sailing

Climbing

Sport

Athletics

The Fettes Prep team won 32 individual events, came second in sixteen events and eight of the team were placed third at the Scottish IAPS Athletics.

They also claimed five new records including the under 12 boys 4 x 100m relay, the girls 150m, the under 13 long jump, the boys under 14 long jump and the open discus.

Many congratulations to Brodie, Dara, James, Zac, Moira, Marissa, Jack and Clara.

Kate won the cup for the top performing girl athlete and Harry was joint winner of the cup for the top performing boy. The relay teams also won the Savills Relay Cup.

Cross country Prep pupils took part in four major events over the season.

Runners competed well in the Compass and Merchiston cross country events and the Edinburgh Primary Schools competition.

The main event of the season was the IAPS Cross Country at John Muir Country Park.

All runners ran well but notable mentions to Dashka who came 2nd in the Under 10 girls and Kate who won the Under 14 girls. Both the Under 14 girls and boys took 2nd place in the team events.

Keep on running

Boys Hockey

The 1st XI played 6, won 4, lost 2, scored 21 goals, conceded just 6, missed a few opportunities and have plenty of strength for next season.

The 2nd XI played 6 and won 6 with 29 goals scored and just 2 conceded – wonderful attacking hockey played.

The 3rd XI played 6 and won 4 in a season of fun and flair with great improvement shown.

The U11 A team played 7 fixtures and won 3, tactics and technique improved throughout the season.

The Under 11 B team had an unbeaten season and provided fantastic squad competition for the A team.

The Under 9’s A and B teams won 7 and drew 2 of 14 games. They learnt about spacing and position with their stick skills improving all the time.

Girls Hockey

Win! The Under 13 girls came second at the IAPS Regional Finals securing a place in the National Finals, taking 11/12 place overall.

We won the Fettes U13 Tournament after a 22-year drought.

The team were unbeaten all season and 7 of our players represented the Dandylions.

The Under 13 Bs also had an unbeaten season – 8 out of 8 wins.

The Under 13 C and D teams took part in more matches this season and showed great team spirit.

The Under 11 teams had a good number of wins and draws and learnt from the occasional loss.

The Under 11 A team enjoyed their tour to York and performed well.

The Under 9 A, B and C teams played lots of hockey, met new friends and enjoyed yummy match teas.

Boys Cricket

The 1st XI had a brilliant season, winning all nine of their matches with exciting victories off the last ball of the game against Belhaven Hill and Loretto. An outstanding group of players.

The 2nd XI had an unbeaten season winning 8 matches. The performance of the season was against Merchiston, in which they won by nine runs.

The 3rd XI played five matches, winning four. It was a hugely successful season with noticeable improvement made by all. The 4th XI played two and won two!

The Under 11 teams had a season full of improvement. They worked hard and got better in each training session and game.

The Under 9A team had a great season winning five out of the six games played. The highlight of the season was the match against Cargilfield.

The U9B team had two fixtures and won one and lost one.

match

Netball

Fifty one matches were played in total thanks to the indoor court facilities at Westwoods.

The Under 13 A and B teams both had unbeaten seasons and won against Sedburgh for the first time in many years.

The Under 13 C and D teams had super seasons, losing just 2 matches between them.

The Under 11 A had a frustrating season with several draws and narrow defeats. They reached the semi-finals of the Ardvreck Tournament.

The Under 11 B and C teams lost just one each and enjoyed their netball.

The Under 9s came on in leaps and bounds with all girls playing in the weekly fixtures.

Tournament

Season

The whole A team were selected for the Dandylions squad. However, unfortunately a spot at the IAPS National Finals eluded the team this year.

The Under 13 A and B had unbeaten seasons. The Under 13 A won the Kilgraston tournament and 7 girls represented the winning Dandylions.

The Under 13 Cs played some super matches and occasionally had to lend members of the team to the opposition to boost numbers.

The Under 11 As had won all their matches but fell at the last hurdle and lost their last game.

They displayed some very slick fielding.

The Under 11 Bs and Cs had a mixed season but there was always a great noise of cheering and enjoyment form their pitches.

The Under 9 As enjoyed an unbeaten season, along with the Under 9 Bs and Cs they had some brilliant matches and their batting significantly improved over the term.

Rounders

Rugby

The 1st XV were unbeaten last season. Their team spirit, willingness to work for each other and exemplary captain were inspiring.

Well done to Dandylions players, Benedict, Harry and Elliot. Congratulations went to Harry and Elliot who were selected for the Scottish Prep Schools XV. The 2nd XV finished the season unbeaten with their courageous win against a strong Merchiston side their personal highlight.

The Under 11s played stylish running rugby.

Their highlight of the season was the thrilling extra time 7s final where they were runners up having given their all.

Season

The Under 9s enjoyed two fantastic festivals and were particularly pleased with wins against Cargilfield and St Mary’s.

Sporting Success

This group of under 13 girls have been unbeaten on the Scottish Prep School circuit in hockey, netball and rounders for the last year and have all been Dandylions in hockey, netball and rounders.

They won the Fettes Hockey Tournament, the Kilgraston Rounders Tournament, came 2nd in the East of England IAPS Hockey Tournament and 2nd in the North IAPS Netball tournament.

1st XI Cricket 1st XV Rugby Congratulations to 1st XV Rugby team and the 1st XI Cricket team who were both unbeaten this season.

skiing We had to look away from home this season, as sadly the Scottish snow did not materialise.

Hillend provided plenty of fun though with our skiers gaining experience in the dual slalom series and the young team enjoyed their first racing outing.

IAPS Championships

After race training at the Snowdome in Glasgow and at Hillend, the top eight racers headed for the IAPS Ski Championships at Passo del Tonale.

The sun shone and the snow melted but the U13 team weathered the conditions to claim a place in the main competition and take bronze in the mixed category. The Under 11 team competed in the plate competition, narrowly missing the medals with a 4th place finish.

The SSSA primary ski races at the Snowdome completed our season and we were thrilled with an impressive 7th place in the team event.

Slalom

Golf

This hasn’t been a vintage year for golf but we have all enjoyed ourselves immensely, competing against each other in the Entwistle Cup and at the IAPS Golf Championships at Lytham and St Annes.

We also had an outing in very testing conditions to the Loretto tournament and a great match against the parents and staff at Gifford Golf Club.

Our junior and senior golfers have had the opportunity to experience professional coaching at the prestigious Archerfield Golf Club which will benefit their game for the seasons ahead.

tee off

Leavers Thank you for everything 2nd Form and good luck for the next stage of your Fettes journey.

Kind

Talented

Memories

Fun

All Together We’ve had a wonderful year of working, playing and learning together.

Thank you to the pupils and staff for all their help in compiling this issue of The Busy Bee. If you have any comments or suggestions, we would love to hear from you, so please email us at busybee@fettes.com

The Fettes Trust (Fettes College) is a registered Scottish charity No: SC017489