Minerva Spring 2014

M I N E R VA

T H E N E W S L E T T E R O F K E LV I N S I D E A C A D E M Y

Spring 2014

“Oh my ears and whiskers!”

MINERVA As we roll out wi-fi across the campus, we are preparing for 1-to-1 devices in the Senior School this August. The Head of Digital Learning and Frog champions in each Faculty have been leading training sessions. We shall write to Senior School parents with more information about ‘Bring Your Own Device’ during the course of the term.

Senior School I am also pleased to tell you about changes to staff structures in the Senior School, in particular to arrangements for pastoral care and guidance.

From August, responsibility for the academic progress and emotional well-being of pupils from S1 to S6 will come under the remit of Heads of Year.

A Head of Year will have overall responsibility for the pupils in one year group and will lead the team of Form Teachers. This system will tighten up academic scrutiny and give parents a ‘go-to’ teacher for both academic and guidance issues, helping to ensure that every pupil performs to his or her best – in and out of the classroom.

Dear Parents I write to keep you up to date with developments at the school and to inform you about some of the exciting changes planned for next session.

Places at our new Nursery on the Balgray campus are in high demand and we have recruited new members of staff as we approach full capacity. This year, we also saw a marked increase in applications for S1, so in August we will move from 3 to 4 sets in that cohort. Our S6 students have risen to the challenges of the new leadership programme and the pre-university experience provided by the fantastic facilities in Mackenzie House.

E - Learning The introduction of Frog, our superb Virtual Learning Environment, is transforming learning and teaching. Teachers have created hundreds of new websites and resources for this classroom in the cloud; as more content is added and assignments set and submitted online, the possibilities for research, collaboration and independent learning become more exciting. The Frog parent portal will be up and running in the very near future.

Teachers and pupils in the Junior School have been using personal devices as part of day to day learning in the classroom and at home. I have observed a number of imaginative lessons on numeracy, science, history and creative writing in which tablets and laptops made a noticeable difference to the level of thinking and vocabulary of the pupils.

2

Head of Year will stay with his or her year group from S1 to S4, teach PSE and meet pupils on an individual basis for guidance interviews. In this way, we will maintain continuity, knowledge of the individual pupil and the relationship with the family that are genuine strengths of the present vertical system of guidance.

The House Competition will continue to promote participation in the life of the school, inclusion, achievement and leadership.

There will also be changes to the structure of the school day. This will begin at 8.50am with an in-class registration at the start of Period 1.

From Monday to Thursday, the slot for the tutor period or assembly will move to 12.35 pm at the end of Period 5. On Fridays, there will be a slightly shorter lunch break and an extended tutor period will run from 3.15 to 3.45 pm. The purpose of these changes is to give more structured and effective space for tutorial support; pupils will use this time for personal reflection and quiet reading, reviewing the week and planning the next.

I shall write in more detail about these changes in due course. I also look forward to telling you more about other new initiatives at Prize Giving in The Bute Hall on Tuesday 24 June.

Robert Karling MA MBA Rector

SPRING 2014

Nursery Nursery pupils have enjoyed a wide array of learning experiences this term including explorations of water, the Titanic story, floating and sinking, space and dinosaurs.

Calendar festivities have included celebrations of Burns Day, Chinese New Year, Pancake Day and St Patrick’s Day.

Planting the new Eco Garden.

Mr Karling making a difficult decision.

The new Nursery Eco Garden is now finished. This was made possible by a kind donation from current parent Mr Graeme Henderson (1990) for all the topsoil and gravel and also for providing a joiner to make up the raised beds. Dobbies kindly gave us all the plants, bulbs and seeds and B&Q donated the wood, gravel and compost (which we needed lots of!) A big thank you to all the parents who gave up their weekends to do the necessary digging and planting. The Junior 1 class and nursery children will benefit hugely from this new resource.

Enjoyment of nature has become close up and personal as the nursery children are now proud owners of two female stick insects and a bearded dragon. These have been donated by senior school teacher Mr Nicholson and the children are taking their caring responsibilities very seriously.

The Easter Eggstravaganza Competition received an amazing response as children and parents worked hard to decorate their eggs. There were some very creative designs, so much so that the Rector found it very difficult to judge a winner!

Making new Stick Insect friends.

We welcomed new teacher Miss Barlow to cover Miss Argue’s maternity leave. Ava Grace was born on 19 February and caused quite a stir when she visited the nursery to meet everyone!

3

MINERVA

Junior School Alice the musical The Junior 6 production this year was Alice the musical, an adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale of one young girl’s bizarre journey to a world where very little makes sense. The show was an opportunity for a year group with considerable talent in the area of drama to show what they could do - and they did not disappoint.

Alice was played by two actors with a change of hair colour during the interval! Emily Milne sang solo after solo as she relentlessly changed size while thinking aloud about the weird sights that kept confronting her. She carried the story forward with real gusto - a considerable feat of memory and composure. Brianna Taylor took over for the second half, as Alice encountered more worrying characters, notably the Queen of Hearts with her repeated cry of “Off with her head!” Brianna’s performance was marked by a sure grasp of expression and attention to detail.

Other stand-out performances came from Lily Evans Haggerty as the Queen, imperious to the last - even the Rector came close to losing his head at her command! Blair Ferguson’s White Rabbit was nervously effective as he scurried to and fro, always in a rush but managing to sing flawlessly in the process. Isla Maclean pulled off a wellobserved cameo as the mouse and Ben Stevenson really convinced us all that he was mad as he strutted his stuff in the Hatter’s Tea Party – who could forget those wild eyes? Olivia Carroll, as the Mock Turtle, brought the house down with her spirited ‘mock’ operatic singing during the catchy number, ‘Beautiful Soup’. Throughout the play, Joseph Sen and Juthik Ghosal provided suave and clear narration in the role of Lewis Carroll himself.

However, it was not all about individuals. The group scenes and the songs, when the whole cast joined together to move the story forward, were delivered

4

with confidence and enthusiasm, a credit both to the memory of the children and to the hard work of music teacher Sheena Crichton. Other important team contributors were the dancers, who brought colour and style to many of the songs and the stage hands who coped admirably with the challenge of frequent scene changes.

Behind the scenes, on the night itself, every member of the Junior School staff made a contribution, but the main staff members working over a number of weeks to bring the whole production together were Neil Armet (sound and lighting), senior teacher Anne Gallie (props), Alison McAllister (props, song and dance), Sheelagh Paterson (costumes, song and dance) and Andrew Dickenson (casting and direction).

The most effective team of all was the Junior 6 children. They thought up costume designs (Hannah Aaron and Nicholas Chew made a significant contribution), made and painted numerous props and willingly put up with the tedium of stop-start rehearsals as we progressed towards the goal of a successful night’s entertainment. They will never forget the experience and will no doubt find themselves singing, humming and whistling the song tunes for years to come!

SPRING 2014

J5 Residential Trip J5 spent two nights away from home at the fantastic Abernethy Residential Centre in Ardeonaig on the side of Loch Tay. The children enjoyed outdoor pursuits including hillwalking, ropes adventure course, archery, challenge team building and gorge adventure. They also took the tasks of keeping their rooms tidy and making their own lunch very seriously. It was probably the first time most of them had done their own unpacking and repacking but all were extremely well behaved and thrived on the experience of being more independent.

Euroquiz Success A team of four J6 pupils competed at the Glasgow round of the annual Euroquiz competition. This was the first time that a team from Kelvinside Academy had competed and a total of 16 schools took part in the event designed for Junior 6 pupils. There were questions about the European Union, geography, history, culture and European languages as well as some political questions. After the first 4 rounds the top two teams were put through an additional round of questioning. KA had the top mark and went into the final round but after a very closely fought question battle we lost 6-5. The team worked hard and second place was an amazing achievement.

Glasgow Primary Schools Cross Country Championships 24 brave J6 and SP pupils ventured to Nether Pollok to take part in the annual Glasgow Cross Country Championships. With over 1000 entrants and a very muddy course, all the athletes were a little apprehensive before the start. The first race was the J6 girls and it was the perfect start for the team as Lily Evans Haggerty won the race by more than 200m! What a run. Next up were the J6 boys. Matthew Webb had a clear race plan and executed it perfectly and was rewarded with a win. Two first places!

The SP boys and girls races followed but by this time the course was well and truly churned up. Iona Paget was the first SP girl back in 11th place and Ewan McManus, who was still recovering from illness, finished a respectable 17th.

Scottish Champion - Building on her Glasgow success Lily Evans Haggerty (J6) went on to deliver a fantastic win at the Scottish Cross Country Championships in Kirkcaldy, leading from the front for the whole 1500m race.

Poppy Graham, Olivia Carroll, Nicholas Chew, Gio Holmes

Swimming Congratulations to Lily Evans Haggerty (J6) who won bronze medals for the U11 Front Crawl and U11 Breast Stroke at the Glasgow Primary Schools Swimming Gala.

Lily Evans Haggerty (J6)

5

MINERVA

1-to-1 Devices - Our Learning Journey

All Junior School pupils started this term with their own 1-to-1 devices. The use of these devices in class has transformed their learning, giving them access to a vast array of tools to help support, stretch and personalise their learning journey.

The devices are being used daily and the impact on learning and teaching has been very exciting, for example:

• Junior 2 have been creating movies

• Junior 3, as part of writing a report on nocturnal animals, found the devices helped with research and personalisation.

Their teacher commented that the children were reading text far in advance of their years comfortably and enthusiastically

• Junior 4 pupils were researching the origins of their own family name and designing a modern day tartan

• Junior 5 were using the devices to research Scottish Castles and then locating them on interactive 3D maps

The devices have been well received by students and staff and are already having a positive impact on teaching and learning which, in time, will be reflected in achievement and attainment.

We are now looking forward to the launch of 1-to-1 devices in the Senior School this coming August.

6

Here are some personal reflections from pupils and teachers: I like the devices because I found lots of information about the polar regions. I thought the polar regions were all white in winter and summer but I was wrong. Holly Hailstone (J4) The thing I liked most about the devices is that when you are working with a partner you can work at your own pace not your partner’s. The other thing is that you can use paint sparkle.

Libby Armstrong (J3) I have enjoyed having the 1-to-1 devices in the classroom because they give you information quicker than books. They also give you more options when you look for something that you want to find out. James McDowall (J3) I think the devices are helpful because they can give you information quickly. You can go at your own pace and it does not matter if your partner has done more than you. They give you more options than books. Alex Angelidis (J3) I think the devices have helped us learn a lot because in piano my teacher records the songs and it saves lots of time not having to go down to the ICT room. It also helped us do our J5 play because Bonnie could do the song at the same time as making the dance. We can also do homework like question of the week where you can share your answer with the whole class.

Christie Burns (J5)

SPRING 2014 not found in an ordinary dictionary or thesaurus e.g. lists of rhyming words or alliterative words.

The A – Z of animals was particularly useful and provoked a good deal of stimulating discussion when the children were writing alphabetic poems. June Rynn (SP teacher) We have used iPads for the Titanic facts. It helps me get better at learning. On Frog I can make my own page using text and pictures. Lucas Codona (J3)

I like having the responsibility of keeping my device safe! We know the rules and responsibilities of having them in class and we’re all pretty good at keeping to them. I treat it like a text book like my teachers tell me to do. Ana Martin (J6) I think that having devices in class has affected our learning in a very good way. We have used ours to: write notes, go onto Education City and carry out research on explorers and other things.

All the people that helped to do this should be very proud of themselves. Calum McDowall (J3) We have been using our iPads for research, Frog and Education City. I love using our iPads. It makes school much more fun. Nathan Morwood J3B We like the iPad in class and Frog is good as well.

We use it for Education City and emails – like I am doing right now. I have been sending emails to my dad which is great when he is working in different countries. Cameron Reid (J3) I have been using my iPad in topic and have been researching about someone called Robert Peary.

He was the first person to reach the Arctic and in science we made a page on Frog about magnets.

Jack Dalziel (J3)

I have really enjoyed using the devices in the classroom. They have made many parts of the curriculum more accessible to all the pupils in my class and I believe that they find their work very engaging since the introduction of the devices. I can see scope for a lot more work to be done in the future using the devices.

Neil Armet (J2 teacher) I like using the device to go on Show Me because you can use it to help with telling the time in Maths. Charlie Byers (J2) We used our device to read the Katie Morag stories. We looked at maps of Struay and Coll.

Daisy Dalziel (J2) I like using my device to learn because you get to go on Education City and practice sums. I like finding and saving photos as well.

Yasmeen Boutaleb (J2) Using the devices with Junior 3 has been a steep learning curve for teachers and pupils but one of the great things about it is that we are learning together. I have been amazed at how quickly the children have picked up complicated instructions to set up pages on Frog and log on to the new email system and send messages to each other.

Their enthusiasm for using the devices in class

Our task in English was to analyse the poem ‘ A Wanderer’s Song’ by John Masefield. Using our devices we were able to search for definitions of nautical works such as foresail and yawls. We also were able to look up pictures of a capstan to help us understand what it was. Tess Pirrie (SP) Since we have been writing our own poetry following certain conventions, I have found the devices really useful. The web is a wonderful source of interesting vocabulary set out in ways 7

MINERVA is super. The class really enjoy researching topic work and are reading text far more advanced than their reading age. This term the homework challenged the children to create their own page of facts and pictures about our science topic on Magnets. Discussions between pupils and the way they share information with each other has been remarkable. Lynne Hill (J3 teacher) I like using my device to learn because I like to go on Google and research and look at old toys, to help me learn about my topic. Adam McManus (J2) I like using my device to learn because it is exciting. We go on Frog and learn new things. We play games to help us with sums on Education City and we look at photos from the olden days.

Logan Scrimgeour (J2) In Maths it can be great fun to use online mathematical tools instead of the more traditional methods. One example of this was playing a game involving throwing dice. We quickly found an app which gave us an instant dice. We were able to use this app to great advantage here and the children really enjoyed the activity. It saved us searching for lots of actual dice and allowed everyone in the class to quickly play their game. Another great advantage of using our devices is found when doing research tasks. We are currently exploring Space and the devices have been a wonderful

8

tool for the children. They can get immediate access to live websites such as NASA and can even get in touch with astronauts in space from their own desk!� Alison McAllister (J6 teacher)

SPRING 2014

Senior School Senior 6 pupils take to the catwalk An entertaining evening of fashion, food and fun graced The Gilchrist Theatre and The Kennedy Mall on Friday 21 March. While the S6 models and their dressers frantically prepared for the feast of fashion, over 100 academicals, parents and friends of Kelvinside Academy enjoyed a champagne reception in The Mall before taking their seats in The Gilchrist Theatre.

First up was a fantastic selection of trendy and practical sportswear supplied by former pupil Rennie Keith (1989) of PSL Team Sports.

This was followed with the Spring and Summer collection from the Captain Tortue Range (supplied by Sabrina Campbell) and a fine selection of scottish wear from former pupil Brian Halley (1987) of Slanj Kilts. Thank you to all our suppliers along with Byers and Birrell for hair and makeup. The evening came to a close with everyone enjoying a fantastic supper by former parent Gill Cowan and Supper in the Suburbs.

Karis Sutcliffe (S6) and Lyndsay Johnston (S6)

Scott Cummings (S6) Hope Thomson (S6) and Rowan MacAskill (S6)

Bad Idea Success Congratulations to Sasha Nakhaei (S2) who was placed third overall in the Bad Idea Enterprise Competition. More than 500 Glasgow pupils aged between 13 and 17 took part, and the best five ideas were chosen by an expert panel of business people, marketing experts and public figures. The programme, which challenges pupils to take their ideas from an ‘elevator pitch’ to a fully costed business proposition, is formally accredited by Glasgow University’s School of Education. Sasha’s idea was for ‘Sun Cream Booths’ - a portable machine that sprays sun cream. Everyone knows how annoying it is to put on sun cream so she invented a machine to solve this problem and prevent people on holiday being burned, which could potentially be life saving! The winners were announced at a ceremony at the SECC in March. Sasha was highly commended for presenting her idea confidently, demonstrating good business knowledge and entrepreneurial spark.

Cambridge Bound Many congratulations to Shayan Iranipour (S6), who has been offered a place to read Natural Sciences at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. Shayan is studying Advanced Highers in Chemistry, Maths and Physics as well as an Open University module in Astronomy. Academical Dennis Harrison (2012) is in the second year of the Natural Sciences course at Cambridge and was involved in helping Shayan prepare for the exam and interview.

9

MINERVA

Academicals Rugby and Hockey Matches

his second try in the final quarter to give the Academicals a (barely) well-deserved win 24-22.

A fantastic morning was enjoyed by everyone at the Academical Hockey and Rugby Matches in March. As always there was strong support from academicals, current parents and pupils. The hockey match was a thrilling game, closely fought, and it ended with a 3-2 win to the School.

So it was that Graeme Bryden (2013) collected the trophy from Mr Karling, who was full of praise for this year’s side for their entertaining style of rugby and never-say-die attitude, particularly in the early part of the season.

A slightly different Academicals rugby match was played as a result of an SRU ruling on male under 18s playing adult rugby. It was a ‘scrag’ touch game and was the final appearance for some of the boys at Balgray. Ross Cowan (2013) scored

And so we bid farewell to the players who have contributed so much. We can only hope that the majority continue to play rugby and hockey wherever they may find themselves, for they will discover new friendships and camaraderie at clubs across the world.

Commonwealth Baton Bearers Congratulations to Fiona Kennedy (SP teacher) and Scott Cummings (S6) on being selected to be baton bearers on the Queen’s Baton Relay. They will have the honour of carrying the Queen’s Baton as it travels to its final destination at the Opening Ceremony of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. By the time it arrives in Scotland, the baton will have been on an epic 248 day journey around all the nations and territories of the Commonwealth.

10

SPRING 2014

Iceland Trip During the February break a party of 32 pupils and staff spent a wonderful three days in Iceland.

Eyjafjallajokull, Skogafoss, Solheimajokull, Reynishverfi, Gullfoss, Strokkur, Thingvellir, Hveragerdi, Hellisheidi... the visits to these raw landscapes of volcanic scenery, waterfalls, glaciers, geothermal activity, coastal landforms and parting plates lived up to the magic that their names conjured up. The hot springs swim in the Blue Lagoon was enjoyed in beautiful weather conditions and our luck held when we witnessed the amazing sight of the Aurora Borealis whilst in Reykjavik.

Memories of this trip will linger for a long time as some of the most dynamic topics of the geography classroom were brought to life.

Tess MacGeachy (S6) and Fara Sringfellow (S6)

Ewan MacKenzie (S4) and Craig Sharp (S4) 11

MINERVA Winter Mountain Foundation During the February week Gordon Stewart (S6) and I travelled up to Aviemore to attend a Winter Mountain Foundation course. The course is run by an organisation called Cadet Centre for Adventurous Training (CCAT). When we arrived at Aviemore train station we were driven to Feshie Bridge Lodge, where we met our instructors and fellow course members. You can only be in awe of the instructors we had, the list of experience and qualifications was endless; each instructor had at least 15 years of experience, some around 40, we had 3 MICs (for anyone who knows about mountaineering qualifications), ex Mountain and Arctic Warfare Instructors, winter mountain leaders and expert climbers. The first night was calm, spent signing out the gear we would need and getting to know the rest of the group. For all those kit junkies out there it was a good night! Due to the winter element a lot of specific gear was required: ice axes, crampons, avalanche receivers, shovels (one of which I broke while building our snow hole) emergency blizzard jackets etc. The next day we went out to the mountains.

It was slightly disconcerting that the ski slopes were closed due to a storm warning but we had lots of warm gear. We made our way up the mountain and stopped at the top of a steep slope where we were informed that we would be sliding down from here. It was great fun sliding several hundred feet just on your back and front. Like most things on this course it was good fun but had a more serious purpose. This was the first of several lessons which were designed to show us how to stop if we tripped and slid while on steep slopes. The methods got more complex, culminating in using your ice axe to stop yourself! This is an important skill that was required several times during the week. From there we moved up the mountain to learn about identifying avalanche snow. One of the most satisfying elements of the course was constantly learning interesting and useful things about the mountains and how to do things correctly. When around people of this level of experience nearly everything they say was useful, interesting or

Conor Boyle (S6) and Gordon Stewart (S6) hysterically funny. Some nights we had informative lectures about the mountains, safety, navigation and the briefing of the weather for the next day.

The next couple of days were similar, great days out on the mountain, learning new elements to our navigation and mountain skills. The weather at times was a bit windy (occasional whiteout) but with the staff and course members it was always safe. I swear that there is a direct correlation between the increasing severity of the weather and the number of jokes made. It was great putting into practice what we had learned in the earlier days.

One of the notable things was building emergency snow shelters, digging into the snow drifts to make a hasty house to keep warm.

On the Thursday we made our final preparation to go for our night out. Our plan was to stay in a snow hole south west of Cairngorm. The weather on our walk up was pretty grim, 55 miles per hour with gusts, a bad day to weigh 11 stone. It was relatively short so we were there after about 2 hours being wind slapped. A word of advice, buff and snow goggles, no matter how bad the weather is, put them on and you are in a little world of your own.

Once there, we set about building our home for the night. It was definitely an experience to remember, sleeping in a snow hole. Regardless of the 70 miles per hour wind outside it was silent inside our little house for four. I liked the fact you could customise your new home by building little shelves for your equipment. So we spent the remainder of the night in our snow hole laughing and eating, apart from having to dig out our entrance at 2:30am which was very unpleasant. It was a memorable night.

I cannot stress highly enough how much I enjoyed my week. No matter who you are you need to give this course a try. A few years back I was a stay indoors kid who would rather do anything than go up a stupid mountain. How times change. I really have found what I enjoy most. The only thing that I regret is not going on all the courses sooner. I hope next year to be away to Norway ice climbing or something similar. A week away with great people doing astounding stuff, there is nothing better.

Conor Boyle (S6)

12

SPRING 2014

Senior School Sport Rugby Congratulations to Andrew Davidson (S5) who has represented the Scotland U18 rugby squad several times recently. Andrew played in Poland in the FIRA-AER European Championships. In January he was invited to train with Glasgow Warriors and the Scotland National team. In March he was then selected to play against the Scottish Districts and then against England.

Well done to Jack Calder (S5) and Oscar Welch (S5) who played in the Glasgow U17 team against Borders. The final score was Glasgow 27 Borders 17.

Andrew Davidson (S5)

Oscar Welch (S5) and Jack Calder (S5)

Congratulations to Scott Cummings (S6) who is the only U18 player named in the Scotland U20 squad for the first of three training camps at Murrayfield in preparation for the IRB Junior World Championship in New Zealand this June.

Warriors prop coaches at Balgray Scott Cummings (S6)

Jerry Yanuyanutawa, Glasgow Warriors Prop, was a surprise coach for the S2 boys in January. The boys relished the session with the Fijian International who has 10 caps.

Hockey

Match Report

Senior Prep Tournament Success

Kelvinside 1st XI vs Glasgow Academy 1st XI

Congratulations to the Senior Prep Hockey team which won the Lomond Festival. They played some excellent hockey, scoring lots of goals and only conceding one throughout the round robin completions. Results were as follows: KA 0 - 0 St Columba’s; KA 2 - 1 St Aloysius; KA 4 - 0 Glasgow Academy; KA 2 - 0 George Watson’s

This was a thrilling match, Kelvinside Academy deservedly emerging the winners through goals from Elise Miller (S4), Catriona Weir (S6) and Lauren Hay (S6). The second goal was perhaps the pick of them, Catriona being perfectly positioned on the far post to slot home from Makenzie Brown’s (S5) superb drive into the D and pinpoint pass.

Congratulations to the four S2 pupils who have been selected for the West District U14 training squad: Lucy Rankin, Colette Elliot, Ellie Kemsley and Sasha Nakhaei.

Glasgow Academy made this a closely contested match, responding positively when they fell behind and always threatening to turn the tide. Alison Westwood (S4) had a magnificent game in goal, as did the Kelvinside defence. The midfield, too, ran their hearts out and had kept possession with the same intelligent interplay we saw against St Aloysius. Good use of the rolling sub ensured that the game went at a fast pace. The athleticism, speed and stamina of the home side was one of the key factors; those Monday fitness sessions work!

The third goal was Lauren Hay’s first for the 1st XI. She’s a defender who knows her way around a goalmouth scramble but on this occasion she was gamekeeper turned poacher as she took her opportunity at the other end of the pitch to secure victory for Kelvinside.

Successful SP hockey squad.

13

MINERVA Handball Scottish U-14 Champions The S1/S2 girls Handball team are Scottish Schools Champions and the boys finished 3rd in their age group. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams qualified for the Scottish Handball Finals after successful regional rounds in November. Captained by Colette Elliot (S2) the S1/S2 team fielded a strong squad with all 10 girls playing their part. Captained by Alexander Geddes (S2) the boys faced tough opposition and were placed 3rd after winning their playoff.

Scottish Primary Schools Champions A team of 13 SP pupils entered the recent Scottish Primary Handball Championships, with 11 schools from across Scotland competing for the title.

The final was against Troon Primary who were also undefeated. We kept our cool and ended up seizing victory 3-1. Top scorers were Marcus Macaulay (SP) and James Kemp (SP).

Cross Country Kelvinside Academy senior school cross country teams had a successful trip to the Glasgow Schools Cross Country Competition this year with two year groups coming away with team medals. The school had 66 students competing at the event.

The S3 boys were 3rd overall in the team event and the senior girls also finished in 3rd place.

There were a number of notable individual performances. Tess MacGeachy (S6) was 4th overall in the senior girls with Melanie Chiswell (S5) finishing 8th. Guy Evans Haggerty (S3) was 6th overall in the S3 boys event, Lucy Findlay (S3) was 7th in the S3 girls race and Douglas Gibb (S4) finished 13th in the Senior Boys event.

Colette Elliott, Cameron Faulds, Scarlett Green, Lucy Rankin, Hannah McGregor, Monica Sloan and Ellie Kemsley Scotland Selection Congratulations to the seven S2 girls who were selected to play in the U14 Scotland Handball team against Denmark Konegae Handbodlklub on 15 April at the Scottish National Sports Centre, Largs.

Rowing Clydesdale fours and eights Head of the River The Clydesdale fours and eights Head of the River took place over a 4,000m course from Dalmarnock to Glasgow Green.

Kirsty Gilchrist (S5) won her first race coxing a Glasgow Schools 4+ in a time of 15.36 over 4000m beating Heriot’s, Clyde Rowing Club, Clydesdale Rowing Club, Glasgow Rowing Club and Dundee University Boat Club.

Rachael Scott (S6) coxed the boys 8+ to a win in the first division in a time of 12.39 beating Clydesdale Rowing Club, Strathclyde University, Glasgow Rowing Club, Heriot’s, Glasgow University and George Watson’s.

Rachael then coxed the Glasgow Schools boys 4+, winning the second division.

Swimming Congratulations to Guy Evans Haggerty (S3) who competed in the finals of the National Open Swimming Championships held at Tollcross Pool. Guy qualified for both the 100m and 200m breast stroke finals and it was a huge accomplishment and honour to qualify for such a prestigious senior event. It was the Commonwealth Games selection meeting and one of his opponents was a certain Michael Jamieson - the current Olympic Silver medalist!

14

Captain of rowing Rachael Scott (S6)

SPRING 2014

Business Breakfast Series Next Business Breakfast Monday 23 June 2014 Gareth Gaston (1992)

PC Brown - Kicking and Self-belief In February 70 parents, academicals and S6 pupils enjoyed a hearty Balgray breakfast at the 5th Kelvinside Academy Business Breakfast.

Former Scotland rugby captain PC Brown was insightful, passionate and highly entertaining as he shared many stories about his time in a Scotland jersey. Peter gave an articulate account of how his father (who played football for Scotland) installed in him an invaluable self-belief from a very early age, which he believes has been the secret to so much of his rugby and business success.

With the help of some very precious old rugby jerseys and an impressive juggling demonstration, Peter interwove some great tales of inspirational team talks in the Scotland dressing room with experiences from his 30 years as a chartered accountant in the Scottish Borders. Through funny anecdotes he gave some unique insight into the rewards and challenges of public speaking – emphasising to our S6 pupils how important it was to be able to introduce yourself confidently. They were also encouraged to learn some poetry! Video footage of Peter’s famous conversion kick to beat England 16-15 at Twickenham (1971) raised a resounding cheer from the breakfast audience.

Please come and support the next Business Breakfast when we will be joined by former pupil Gareth Gaston.

Joining us from San Francisco, Gareth is Executive Vice President, Virtual Banking of U.S Bank. He leads the bank’s mobile, internet and 24-hour banking division – a huge role as more customers seek alternative channels for their banking needs.

Gareth has 20 years of eCommerce and digital marketing experience, primarily gained in the travel and hospitality industry, with worldwide brands including Hilton, and most recently, the Wyndham Hotel Group, where he was Senior Vice President for global e-commerce.

Whilst studying for a degree in marketing at The University of the West of Scotland, he entered the British Territorial Army and became a Platoon Commander in the Scottish Infantry after gaining the Queen’s Commission at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1995.

Following an internship in a hotel company, Gareth started working in the online sector as the Internet was beginning to emerge.

In the last 14 years, Gareth has worked all over the world including Los Angeles, London, New Jersey and Tokyo.

It will be fascinating to hear from a highly experienced senior executive leader in multichannel, digital and eCommerce areas and someone who has taken a lead in managing business change through difficult human resource and IT challenges.

Please contact Elaine Solman on 0141 357 3376 or elaine.solman@kelvinsideacademy. org.uk to book your tickets (£10 per ticket).

15

MINERVA

Expressive Arts Poetry Jamie Campbell (S1) gained recognition in the Inspired?Get Writing! 2014 National Galleries of Scotland competition. Jamie was awarded ‘Special Merit’ in 12-14 category for his poem Banking at 4000 Feet.

Banking at 4000 Feet We droned over enemy lines, almost deafened by the engine.

The pilot shouted ‘Prepare to drop’.

The bomb was heavy in my hands I hoisted it onto my lap; the plane began to dive.

I let the bomb go it whistled as it dropped.

I heard a loud crash,

‘Direct hit’-we whooped for joy but as I peered over the side the smoke had cleared.

Men were screaming in agony others lay motionless on muddy ground; and suddenly I’m back, I stare at my knarled hands clutching the armchair.

Slowly, I regain my mind, and remember.

David Shanks (S4) has written a dramatic monologue from the perspective of a soldier in the First World War fighting in the trenches.

Britain Shall Not Burn I was always the fun one.

Now driving through a dead town; The town hall, the ruined school And the sound of the church choir singing told me It was a Sunday.

The skeletal remains of homes Greeted me as we moved toward the trenches.

I had arrived: Britain shall not burn A short ladder delivered me into a World of loss and despondency.

I was simply given a gun and a job: To retrieve the fallen.

We started walking away from the relative safety Of our preserved circle of peace And civilisation.

As the posters always told us we were fighting For Queen and country: Britain shall not burn.

No man’s land.

The corpses are not corpses, They are Roberts and Freds and Michaels and Martins.

16

The one with the girl, the one who made us laugh And the one who was never late.

They slept on a bed of churned up mud, The destroyed remains of a grassy meadow Like those in our “green and pleasant land” back home.

They said we couldn’t take them all back.

The roar of the enemy’s weapon The others ran but I couldn’t leave my cold friends.

I froze: Britain shall not burn.

I had to bring back at least one.

At least one friend, comrade, acquaintance.

Another volley of shots; the sound echoed in my head.

A warm sensation spread across my back Like the warm rain back at home in June It was so soothing in the cold dry air.

I must lie down and rest a while Memories of my soft, dry bed in My warm, safe house.

No. I must get back; Britain shall not burn.

I mustn’t die here; Britain shall not burn.

I can’t save even myself.

SPRING 2014 Expressive Arts Evening On Wednesday 5th February pupils entertained parents and friends at the Expressive Arts Evening.

An extravaganza of music, drama and art unfolded. The event was opened by Liz Knox, a local artist.

The artwork exhibited was a selection of work, both design and expressive, created by pupils from Senior Prep to Senior 6.

The Drama Department showcased Senior 2 performing a shortened version of ‘The Tempest’. The pupils wore masks that they had made and they also composed music for the production.

The audience were treated to Senior 3 ‘buskers’ who performed throughout the exhibition.

Performances were given by the winners of the Intermediate Music Competition, Maliha Shoaib (S2) and Lewis Merrylees (S3), to sustained applause from an appreciative audience.

‘Self portrait after Chuck Close’ by Matthew Trainer (2013)

Alexander Milne (S2) and Victoria Ash (S2)

‘Afterwards’ by Maisie Morris (2013) 17

MINERVA Music Glasgow Music Festival is an annual festival of music, speech, drama and dance first held in 1911. Each year around 7,000 performers take part in the two week festival. There are events for groups of almost any size and description in addition to an extensive programme for solo performance. There are also classes for speech and drama. A number of Kelvinside pupils gave outstanding performances at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

1st Place - 6 Hands One Piano, Pierre Samy-Eteiba (SP), Lewis Ip (SP) and Navraj Dhillon (SP); 1st Place - Chamber Music C - Katie Coubrough (SP), Pierre-Samy Eteiba (SP) and Amy Williams (S1); 2nd Place – Chamber Music B - Reuben Mercer (S5), Jordan Chan (S4) and David Shanks (S4) ; 3rd Place – Chamber Music B - Archie Ross (S4), Charlotte Mathews (S4) and Niall Mullan (S4); 3rd Place – Music Making - String Orchestra; 2nd Place – Junior Choir in the P7 & under class ; 1st Place - Intermediate Choir in the Secondary School Choirs S3 & under class; 1st Place - Junior 4/5 Choir in the P5 & under class; 3rd Place - Senior Choir.

Alex Angelidis (J3) 2nd in age 7 Sight Reading, 2nd in age 7 Prepared Reading and 3rd in age 7 Solo Verse; Priya Dhillon (J3) 3rd in age 7 Prepared Reading and 2nd in age 7 Solo Verse ; Louise Kemp (J3) 2nd in age 7 Solo Verse; Brianna Taylor (J6) / Lily Evans Haggerty (J6) 2nd in Duologues (11 and under) ; Lily Evans Haggerty (J6) 1st in age 10 Sight Reading, 1st in age 10 Prepared Reading and 2nd in Monologues (11 and under).

National Success Congratulations to Alexander Milne (S2), Angus McNeish (SP) and Jamie Gray (SP) who were selected to attend the National Boys’ Choir residential week during the Easter break.

Congratulations are also in order for David Shanks (S4) who was selected to join the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland (NYOS).

Christmas and Spring Concerts The Senior School Christmas Concert and whole School Spring Concert were undoubtedly two of the best ever at Kelvinside Academy. Both were compered by Deputy Rector Allan Gilliland in his own inimitable style and showcased the talents of 150 of our pupils.

At the Christmas Concert both Intermediate and Senior Choirs sang an impressive variety of songs and carols, the highlight of which was the senior choir’s moving performance of ‘Wherever You Are’.

The audience was treated to performances from The String Orchestra, Flute Group, String Ensemble and Wind Band demonstrating the fantastic depth of musical ability. Special mention must be made of the Saxophone Ensemble’s accomplished performance of The Simpsons Theme.

The Spring Concert’s War theme recognised the anniversary of World War One. The musical performances were interspersed with readings and themed poetry notably from David Shanks (S4) reading his own poem ‘Britain Shall Not Burn’.

Memorable performances came from the Infant Choir Penguins, Junior Orchestra and wonderful soloists Karis Sutcliffe (S6), Rachel Cunningham (S6), Lauren Hay (S6), Rachel Fleming (S5) and Sophia Wallace (SP).

It was an emotional farewell for the fantastic S6 pupils who have contributed to these concerts for many years and who gave their final performances: Rachel Cunningham, Lauren Hay, Connor Davidson, Tess MacGeachy, Andrew Dickson and Karis Sutcliffe. They were all outstanding and have been an inspiration to our other young musicians. Well done to teachers Jenny Cunningham, Fenella Whittle and Sheena Crichton for presenting such wonderful events.

18

SPRING 2014

Rachel Cunningham (S6)

Tom Graham (SP) and Matthew Bryce (S1)

Ross McNeil (S5) Connor Davidson (S6)

Junior Choir

Campbell Burns (S6)

Senior Choir

Sophia Wallace (SP)

Jack Graham (S3)

Struan McCall (SP) 19

MINERVA

CCF

Mess Dinner Kelvinside Academy CCF held its first Mess Dinner on Saturday 1 February. S6 cadets from Navy, Army and RAF sections joined with the officers, a selection of former cadets and a number of staff who help to support the work of the CCF for a formal dinner at the Miller Drummond Suite, Balgray.

Cpl Hamilton brought formal proceedings to a start with a selection of tunes on the pipes followed by Sgt Holloway’s reading of the ‘Selkirk Grace’ and the first of the five toasts of the evening, “To the Queen”. Speeches and toasts from the current cadet RSM Austyn McKenzie, Contingent Commander Major Fischbacher and former RSM Stuart Dougal all served to highlight the contribution of cadets and staff and the values at the heart of the CCF. Captain MacLeod was the final speaker of the evening, giving a history of the CCF at Kelvinside, its formation in 1893, the award of VC to former cadet Trooper Henderson, the changes in name and affiliation and the growth in numbers and development of training.

One thing that is evident is the emphasis on service, leadership and high standards of training throughout its history. The final toast from Captain MacLeod was to all our cadets but in particular to those who gave their lives in the service of their country, whose names are recorded on our war memorials in school.

It is hoped that the evening will become an annual event.

Scott Cummings (S6) Cpt Simpson, Robbie McNaughton (S6)

North Region Mess Band Congratulations to Cdt David Shanks (S4) who was selected to attend the North Region Mess Band Development Weekend at Holcombe Training Camp. Cadets spent the weekend exploring new repertoire and developing core musicianship skills, particularly aural and sight-reading competencies, in preparation for a number of high-profile engagements during 2014. This is quite an achievement as David is the only member of the CCF to be invited with all other cadets being members the ATC (Air Training Corps). David has combined his passion for music and CCF by playing with the North Region Marching Band during its visit to Belgium in November 2013 and the Air Cadet National Concert Band during February 2014.

Congratulations too to Jordan Chan (S4) who attended the Air Cadet National Concert Band camp.

20

SPRING 2014

Infantry Training Garelochhead According to locals, Garelochhead hasn’t had a dry day since October! It certainly didn’t break that pattern over the half-term. 53 cadets headed there expecting, perhaps even relishing, the challenge of arduous training. The grand McAlister plan was largely implemented by senior cadets leading the activities and training throughout Saturday and Sunday. Skills were built up throughout the weekend from basic field-craft like camouflage and concealment, through patrolling and field signal, right up to section and platoon attacks with blank ammunition. The conditions were unforgiving but there was not a single complaint in spite of rain soaking down backs and up sleeves. Cdt Georgia Murdoch (S3) just kept pronouncing everything to be ‘fantastic’ so all was well.

Night Exercises involved a Close Target Reconnaissance and platoon ambushes, both in pretty wild weather as well as pitch darkness, which was both amusing and tough. Once again the RSM’s boldness led to his capture by Sgt McAlister!

The weather did have a few casualties. The Obstacle Course had to be missed as it was saturated but cadets threw themselves into the drill exercise to finish the competition. The winning section was commanded by Cpl Trainer and Cpl Kerr. Top S3 Male was Cdt S Johnstone, top S3 female was Cdt P MacGeachy and top S4 cadet was LCpl N Sadiq.

A big thank you to the S6 cadets for running so much of the training, to Cheryl McIntyre (2006) for assisting and for the three OTC personnel, including Nicky Klemm (2013), for adding so much to the weekend.

Expedition Skills Day S3 pupils escaped classes for a day in March to go to Mugdock Country Park for an expedition skills day run by CCF staff and Senior NCOs. Most of the year group is working towards the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award so the day provided an ideal introduction to some of the basic skills - navigation, camp craft and cooking.

Senior Cadets took S3 groups for a practical orienteering lesson in the morning before giving them lessons on pitching and packing tents and basic cooking, including safe use of the gas stoves. Part of the lesson was to cook a basic pasta dish. Judging by the amount of sauce smeered around most faces, it would appear the results were successful.

In the afternoon small groups were let loose in the country park to get round as many points as possible on the orienteering course. A big thank you to the 12 senior cadets who came to instruct for the day.

21

MINERVA

The 112th Kelvinside Academical Dinner

One hundred and fifty Academicals and friends gathered in the Kennedy Mall on Friday 7 March to attend the 112th Academical Club Annual Dinner. With numbers growing over the last three years the dinner was moved to the Sports Hall at the school. With the help of David Rowand (1986) and others, the hall was given a makeover and when ready to receive guests, really looked the part.

Hamish MacLeod (1973) piped the guests and top table into dinner and after a moment’s silence to remember those that lost their lives in the Great War, and Grace from John Murdoch (1972), dinner was served.

After dinner, President, Colin Neill (1972) introduced his Top Table guests from the kindred clubs and there was a brief interval before the speeches.

The President led the toast to the school, recalling the many achievements of former pupils and highlighting many more from the present pupils. The Rector, Robert Karling, replied and toasted the Academical Club.

Robert reminded those present that the bond between the School and Academicals was key to the future and continued success of

22

Kelvinside Academy.

Colin Neill then thanked the Senior 6 pupils who had helped out on the night, Elaine Solman for her unstinting work and organisation of the dinner and everyone for attending. A prize draw raised ÂŁ1,300 towards the creation of a display of Academical and School International memorabilia which is hoped will be housed at the Balgray Campus in the future.

The evening ended with the election of the first two honorary Academicals. In recognition of their outstanding commitment and contribution to the school and the relationship between the school and the Academical Club, Colin Neill conferred the honour on current Chairman of Governors Norrie Fyfe and Rector Robert Karling.

Although this ended the formal proceedings, the evening continued late into the evening as friends and classmates caught up with each other and reminisced over a beer or two.

A special thank you to John Geddes (1986) of Stevenson Flags for producing our first Kelvinside Academical Club Flag.

SPRING 2014

Academicals Welcome to the Former Pupil Section of Minerva.

Our Academicals are always welcome to pop in for a chat, look around the school or attend many of the events taking place throughout the year. You can now connect with the Academical Club on Facebook, Twitter (@KACGlasgow) or Linkedin.

just outside New York City, called Rivertown.

I loved my years at Kelvinside. There was a teacher called Buster Watts (I think) who always managed to get my attention and another favourite teacher was the French Master, Mr Wise” Craig Hunter (1995) was awarded a BAFTA in 2012 for Best Documentary for Terry Pratchett and has joined the BBC as Executive Producer.

On 11 October we will be holding the inaugural dinner for the Kelvinside Academical Club American Section in New York. This event will be for Academicals and their partners based in America to meet and be part of the Kelvinside family. The Rector will be hosting a drinks reception prior to the dinner and is looking forward to meeting our stateside Academicals.

Please contact Development Manager, Elaine Solman, for further information and to note your interest in attending.

Rugby Sled for the school Following the very successful rugby lunch at Balgray in December, the Academical Club has been able to provide a Rugby Sled to the school with over a £1,000 raised during the course of the lunch and a very generous donation from Rory Kennedy. This is an opportunity to thank all attendees, and especially Rory, for their generosity. The rugby lunch will be held again in the Autumn of 2014.

Andrew Martin (1985) Congratulations to Andrew and his wife Nichola on the birth of James MacKenzie Gray Martin, (weighing in at 7lb 10oz) on 15 September, 2013.

UPDATES Philip Bunton (1961) has rekindled his links with Kelvinside and provided us with the following information about his career. He wrote “I left Kelvinside Academy when I was 16 (in 1960). I had always wanted to be a newspaperman, and I had an opportunity at the Glasgow Bulletin.

In fact, the Bulletin had once printed a photo of me and my brother Graham (1969), in our school uniforms walking through the Botanical Gardens to school. After the Bulletin went out of business I worked for the Glasgow Herald and later the Daily Mirror and The Sun in London. In 1973, when Rupert Murdoch started publishing in America, I went over to New York to join his team. I was an editor at the New York Post, Boston Herald, National Enquirer and Star magazine. Now I publish a monthly magazine

Ross Mushet (1999) Congratulations to Ross and his wife Nadine on the birth of their second child, Hayden Andrew Mushet, (weighing in at 6lb 8oz) on 20 March, 2014.

Insert Photograph – copy attached – on disc

23

MINERVA Amanda Pooley (2010) graduated from Caledonian University (Bachelor of Nursing) and has now secured a Staff Nurse post at the Golden Jubilee Hospital.

Ken Cowan (1990)

Joanna Warwick (2012) is a Young Scot Youth Legacy Ambassador for the Commonwealth Games and on Monday 10 March she was chosen to be a Scottish representative at the Royal Commonwealth Society Commonwealth Observance Day at Westminster Abbey. This year the theme of the annual service was Team Commonwealth.

Ken was with the Royal Marines for 12 years from the age of 23 to 35 and served on tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He left the military after injury prevented him returning to the frontline. He had difficulty adjusting to civilian life with just three months for the transition.

Suddenly he was forced to leave his family (the Marines) and find a new job. He realised that, while there are plenty of re-training opportunities for ex-military personnel, it is much harder to find a job. That’s what gave him the idea for this business.

Through her role as a Youth Legacy Ambassador she is working to promote the legacy of the forthcoming Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Joanna will be involved in a number of community projects over a period of two years in Aberdeen.

Joanna said “I was extremely privileged to be selected to attend the largest multi faith service in the UK which the Queen, a number of athletes and other dignitaries also attended. The other Youth Legacy Ambassadors and I were invited to the service and spent the day in London, wearing outfits which incorporated the Commonwealth tartan.

The service was made up of speeches (by the Queen, Lord Coe and Baroness Thompson), music and dance.

The Great War Centenary Saturday 22 March marked the centenary anniversary of the last rugby weekend of 1914.

It was 100 years ago that Scotland’s club rugby players took part in their last matches of that season. They said their goodbyes to their teammates at the close of play and drifted into the sunset, under the impression they would all meet up again the following Autumn.

For hundreds of these young men there would be no reunion. At the Glasgow Hawks v Aberdeen G.S.F.P. match of 22 March 2014 the rugby clubs held a minute’s silence to honour WWI and those who never returned. Some 1,132 former pupils associated with Glasgow High, Glasgow Academy, Kelvinside Academy and Aberdeen G.S. made that ultimate sacrifice.

24

Ken, a former Major with the Royal Marines, is setting up a property maintenance business to provide jobs for ex-military men and women.

Ken who now has a full-time job in financial services, has spent over two years planning “Ex Mil Trades” in his spare time. It will offer a multi skilled property maintenance and handyman service.

He said “When you leave the forces you can suffer in varying degrees. It’s a very different world out there from behind the wire. Also, the severity of the conflicts that our most recent servicemen and women have endured makes it hard for them to talk about their experience with people outside the service community.”

“It’s easier to work with colleagues who have shared your experiences and you can relate to. It helps you work through issues instead of being put in an alien environment where you feel it’s best to keep quiet.”

“Ex Mil Trades will hopefully provide emotional support. It gives veterans that first step into civilian life, allowing then to bring their fresh skills, honesty, integrity and ‘can do’ attitude to the job”.

Ken can be emailed at kenneth.cowan@exmiltrades.co.uk.

SPRING 2014 who was big enough to bear the base drum, and though his surname was mentioned in the obituary column, his first name did not appear in the Gwendoline Black obituary. Wonder if he is still around? Another star in the band photo was the late Billy Adamson who in his later years as an accountant became the school Bursar. He was the Pipe Major at the time, and is shown at the far right of picture, a brilliant academic as well as being a good sportsman. Others I recognise are Montgomery (Monty) next to Dougie, the late Bruce Leeming, who was the Drum Major, and in the front row, Robin Shearer and Bell.

Ian Nairn has sadly departed I see from the above mentioned column. A star wicket-keeper was “Ginger”, apart from being the unheralded “headers” champion, a game we used to play at lunch and break behind the gym! (Nairn’s Oatcakes was his family’s business at the time.)

Octogenarian Waffle and Tributes by Colin Sutcliffe (1951) It may seem a bit odd, but having left K.A. some 64 years ago in 1951, and having lived in South Africa for the last 58 of them, I feel that if I do not make my comments now and I drop off the perch shortly, then I will have no further opportunity to make them. So here goes!

In the last Minerva, which I received some days ago, there was mention of several names which I knew well in those years, one of which was Robert Muirie our Rector. He used to take us for maths in the small schoolroom next to his office. Being immediately after the war we were obviously short of teachers and dear old Murie used to ‘fill in’. He was best known for directing whatever he had in his hand at the head of the boy who was not concentrating in class, which was usually a piece of chalk, and for his oft uttered phrase from the early morning prayers podium on the hall platform, “Put another nickel in, it’s later than you think “, a play on the then popular song ‘Put another nickel in - in the nickel odeon ‘!

Then there was Dougie Drysdale’s photo of the Pipe Band. He and I are standing to the picture’s left of Scott Black, the fellow who beat the big base drum. Scott was the only pupil at school

You also mention Calum John. Obviously a misprint, as he is Calum (M.C.) Johnston, who was again a “star” 1st XV hooker for his last two years at school! He came to see me in Cape Town Waterfront many years ago (about 20 or so) when I owned a yacht charter business sailing around the Cape. I have been in touch with him since by e-mail, and he varies his place of residence between Bermuda and his vessel, which could be anywhere right now.

Let’s not forget the intrepid and dear Mrs Young, Headmistress of what we called the Junior School. She would play the piano at the morning prayers, situated to the bottom left of the platform on which stood Mr Murie. As an adjunct to her duties, she would take the “singing classes” every Thursday afternoon for the senior classes immediately after lunch. It was during these classes that we learned just about every song which has been echoing through my mind for the past half century or so, including “Scot’s Whae Hae”, “The Ash Grove”, “Allan Water”, all from the song books which she would distribute at the beginning of class. What an impact these songs all had on my life-span after spending seven years of it at K.A. She deserves a really big, although somewhat belated, tribute!

And lastly, having been involved in the acting, TV, and general production business all my life, may I pay a big tribute to the school Dramatic section for the incredible productions which they now put on. Would have been unheard of in my time!

Well done, K.A! 25

MINERVA Colin Neill (1972)

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

At the conclusion of the Cricket Scotland AGM in March, Jack Kerr handed the Presidential Chain of Office to Colin Neill (1972), the incoming President. Colin has been involved in Scottish club cricket since 1972. For seventeen years he played, captained and was President of Kelvinside Academical Cricket Club. He joined Helensburgh Cricket Club in 1989 after moving to the area and went on to captain the team in 1992.

Class of 1964 Andy Goodearl and Don McPherson have organised a reunion for the Class of 1964. They are still trying to make contact with the following former pupils, (or anyone else they have omitted to contact.) : Arthur Bogie, Robert Boyd, David Davidson, John Donaldson, David Eynon, John Fairweather, Dugald Ferguson, Graham Henderson, Douglas Holm, Garth Moore, Andrew Agnew, Chris Ness, Jeremy Preston, Fraser Sanderson and Peter Thomson.

Please contact Andy at andygoodearl@hotmail. co.uk if you wish to come along to the Reunion on Friday 13 June or if you have any information on the above Academicals.

1964 1st XV

CLASS OF 1983 enjoyed their 30 year reunion earlier this year with a tour of the school and lunch at Balgray.

26

SPRING 2014 Class of 1961 The Class of 1961 enjoyed a full Reunion in September 2011 with a tour of the school and lunch at Balgray. There was a second event in September 2013 for those who missed the Reunion in 2011.

Class of 1961 September 2013 Class of 1974 and 1979

1974 Rugby tour to France

There is a joint reunion on Friday 5 September and both year groups are looking forward to a very lively event. There are still Academicals on the missing list and we would be grateful if you could contact Elaine Solman (elaine.solman@ kelvinsideacademy.org.uk) if you have any details regarding the whereabouts of the following Academicals. Please also contact Elaine if you would like to confirm your attendance on Friday 5 September.

Missing from 1974 Peter R Barnes, John Benson, Robert Binning, Michael J Browning, Iain G Clark, Stuart A Clark, John M Christison, William M Crone, Jonathan G Douglas, Iain C Duncan, Graham B Fraser, D R Hamilton, A R Hay, Peter Holmes, Graeme S Hutchison, Richard Jackson, Iain M Lauder, Kenny W McDonald, Alistair Mackinnon, Jamie McLaughlin, Douglas Montgomery, Alexander M Murray, John Radford, Alan Riddell, David Scott, Mark Shepherd, Alan Stewart, Stuart Webster, Charles Wright, Gordon Wright, Robert White, J C Whyte

1974 Rugby tour to France Missing from 1979 Paul Barnwell, Alistair Brown, John Crichton, Alan Gregg, Alastair Hardie, John Laing, Stephen Laing, George MacAuley, Grant MacFarlane, Calumn MacCowan, Mark Paterson, Roger Paterson, John Quaill, Neil Robertson, Gary Smith, Alastair Thomson, Simon Watson, David Whyte.

1979 1st XV 27

MINERVA

DEATHS We record with regret the deaths of the following Academicals. The School and Club send their condolences to their families.

James Annan (1961) died on 11 December, 2013 after a long period of serious health problems which he handled with great courage.

Allan Couperthwaite Macreath (1969) died on 27 June, 2013 after a long and courageous battle with Leukemia.

G Peter M Cuthbertson (1942, Class of 1946), died on 27 November, 2013 aged 86.

Alan Winter Ewart (1971) passed away on Thursday 10 October, 2013 aged 60.

Michael McCaig (1967) died on 23 December, 2013 aged 64 after a long illness bravely borne.

Kenneth W W McLellan (1926) died on 17 July, 2013

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY The following events will be held throughout the forthcoming year and amendments will appear on the School Website, Academical Facebook Page (Kelvinside Academical Club), Twitter Feed (KACGlasgow) and also be published in the next Minerva. If you wish any additional information please contact Development Manager, Elaine Solman (elaine. solman@kelvinsideacademy.org.uk).

Reunions Friday 6 June, 2014 Class of 1988 Reunion Friday 13 June, 2014 Class of 1964 Reunion Friday 5 September, 2014 Class of 1974 Reunion Friday 5 September, 2014 Class of 1979 Reunion Friday 12 September, 2014 Class of 1994 Reunion Ian Sinclair is coordinating this reunion (sinky3@btinternet.com) Friday 19 September, 2014 Class of 1989 Reunion Friday 3 October, 2014 Class of 1981 Reunion Friday 3 October, 2014 Class of 1982 Reunion Friday 3 October, 2014 Class of 1984 Reunion Events Monday 23 June, 2014 Thursday 20 November, 2014 To be Confirmed To be Confirmed 28

Business Breakfast London Section Dinner Rugby Lunch St. Andrews Event