Trips and Activities

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SECTIONTRIPS AND ACTIVITIES

2022 GEOGRAPHY EXPEDITION TO ICELAND – EXPEDITION TO ICELAND –

MAR 2022 THE REALITIES OF PREPARING FOR AN EXPEDITION DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC!

Every alternate Easter holiday, from 2007 to 2019, the Geography Department has organized an adventurous expedition to Iceland (open to IV Form and Shell pupils), which, no matter what the weather, has always proven a great success. As pupils get just one chance in their School career to participate should they want to, we were particularly sorry that organizing our next such trip for Easter 2021 was impossible because of Covid travel restrictions and border closures.

With pupils and staff alike being delighted to be back in School at the start of the 2021-2022 academic year, I was eager to look into whether we could organise our next Iceland expedition for Easter 2022, this time open to Shell boys and to V Formers as a catch up. At the time of advertising and planning, Iceland’s borders were still closed, vaccination requirements were strict, required quarantine was still in place, and Brexit threw in much more stringent visa requirements for some of our pupils than had ever existed under the very useful, but no longer existing, British Council Group Visa Scheme. My preferred school travel company was delighted at my adventurous spirit and agreed to give it a go, and we were inundated with pupil interest. With extra insurance and extra guarantees from the travel company, we soon had the pupil places filled, and embarked on an anxiety-ridden six months (October – March) of ups and downs, with many uncertainties and changes in borders opening and then closing again, Iceland vaccinations requirements not matching what vaccinations the UK was yet offering our pupils’ age group, etc, etc. I was very grateful for the full support of the School, and Major Ewing (co-organiser) for his unwavering support throughout this time, later joined by Mr McLaughlin (teacher of Chemistry), and Mr Thomson (Head of IT and DofE) to form the staff team for the trip.

To cut a long story short, we continued with all the required preparation through all the ups and downs, and I found it difficult to believe when, at last, on 24 March, all twenty-four pupils (with just one last-minute substitute due to Covid) and four members of staff were taking off on an Icelandair flight from Glasgow to Reykyavik. We were all prepared with masks, vaccination certificates, strict behaviour codes, many, many risk assessments, rules and regulations. We received a very warm welcome from our hosts, as they were waking up from their Covid slumbers to greet us – their first school group since the Covid lockdowns made them impossible to host. Now, over to the pupils to tell us whether or not they thought all our efforts were indeed worthwhile…….

Tanya Bower, Expedition Leader

PUPILS’ REPORT ON JUST SOME OF THEIR MANY ADVENTURES ON THE SHELL AND V FORM GEOGRAPHY EXPEDITION TO ICELAND, 24 – 29 MARCH 2022

Day 1: Instructed to travel with our bathing trunks in our hand luggage, after leaving the airport we went straight to a geothermally-heated outdoor pool in the capital city of Reykyavik, where we experienced Icelandic culture and what we thought at the time was cold wind. After this novel experience, we were ready to re-board the bus and reach our first night’s accommodation, and, hopefully, supper! The Viking Hotel (located on the harbour-front) was visually stunning, and they made us feel very at home with Icelandic fish and chips and Skyr. We were all sharing openplan Scandinavian-style cabins, each containing some six beds, and we soon got used to the hot water smelling strongly of bad eggs (sulphur from the geothermally hot water)! We slept like logs!

Day 2: After an early wake-up and a filling breakfast (which included pickled fish), we drove to the south-east of the island and visited the third largest geothermal power plant in the world, built in 2010 and able to produce up to 3 million watts of power. It can produce up to 50% of Iceland’s electricity, along with another power plant: it was fascinating to see how it worked, and how it also captured carbon in its shafts (working towards mitigating global warming).

We then moved on to the largest glacier in Iceland (around 7,900 km² and covering 8% of the country), but unfortunately it is retreating rapidly because of global warming – our teachers described how every year since the School’s first visit to Iceland in 2007, the walk from the car park to hike on the glacier, has become longer and longer. This was definitely my favourite activity on the trip as we drank straight from the glacier, slid over its surfaces and narrowly missed its many crevasses (despite wearing crampons). Also, we heard it creaking and got to see its amazing ice formations.

We then moved towards the coast and walked along the famous black basalt sand beaches at Vik, where the black sand is caused by volcanoes shooting out hot magma, which then cools when it touches the sea and erodes down to black sand. Walking on this beach was definitely a challenge, as high winds pushed you backwards and flung sand at you with great force. It is not an exaggeration to say we had to lean forward at an angle of 45 degrees to stop being blown over: all had rosy cheeks that evening from being sand-blasted! The basalt column caves (just like the Giant’s Causeway), and spectacular arches, stacks and stumps, being bombarded by large Atlantic waves, were an experience which impacted on us all.

To finish off the day, we went back inland and explored a 60-metre waterfall (falling over a raised cliff some 1km inland due to isostaic uplift of the land relative to the sea). This is so big that it does not even freeze in winter, and the water spray is so large that it can create a double rainbow on a sunny day. It takes 400 steps to get to the top - I would not recommend this if you are scared of heights!

Day 3: We travelled further east, exploring mossy lava fields and more waterfalls en route, until we reached Glacier Lagoon. Although conditions were very windy (a vast understatement!), we took some pretty good pictures of the spectacularly beautiful icebergs, over 1000 years old, which have broken off the glacier snout, ever more rapidly due to climate change. Apart from the almost overwhelming wind, this, for me, was my equal overall favourite part of the trip, due to the vibrancy of the icebergs, the unbelievable scenery surrounding you, and the tranquillity with which these icebergs float out to sea, to be buffeted by and glisten in the waves as some are washed onto the beach further along the shore.

Day 4: We headed for the south coast to take a ferry journey to the Island of Heimaey to climb the Eldfell Volcano, which last erupted in 1973, engulfing half the harbour town. It was very moving to arrive by sea as this is how the islanders were evacuated during the eruption, on the many fishing boats sheltering in harbour due to rough seas. The Eldfell Museum, built over houses half buried by magma, was also fascinating, with many exhibitions explaining the eruption and its impact, and the social history of the resident islanders.

Back on the mainland, we proceeded along the south coast to explore more towering waterfalls: at one, we all got wet feet climbing through a narrow cave entrance to see the waterfall crashing through the cave’s roof, and a neighbouring one that, quite amazingly, we could fully walk behind – with great care being taken not to slip to what

would have been certain death, and very carefully guided by our teachers. This was a surreal experience, to say the least, and one that was thoroughly enjoyed by the whole group.

Day 5: Already exhausted, not least after enjoying the outdoor geothermally-heated swimming pool with its outdoor hot tubs and water slides until late into the night, our first destination of the day was ‘The Secret Lagoon’ – a natural geothermal lake nestled in an open rocky landscape, used for decades by local farmers as a natural heat source for their greenhouses. We had to take care bathing in this lake, as some springs entering were at least 100 degrees C, the water was milky with natural salts, and the muddy floor was of unpredictable depth! This was an amazingly peaceful place to be.

No visit to Iceland is complete without visiting the main sites of Iceland’s Golden Triangle, which filled the rest of what was, sadly, our last full day. This included exploring the Gullfoss Waterfall: some 32 metres high, the largest waterfall in Europe by volume of water, with an average of 1,400 cubic metres per second. Our patience was tested by trying to photograph the Great Geysir erupting: requiring a patient wait of some 7 to 10 minutes for every eruption, the burst was very easy to miss, due to no indication from the hot springs. Finally came a hike across Thingvellir National Park - the open landscape of spectacular boundary faults at the diverging boundary between the North American and Eurasian Continental Plates that make up the mid-Atlantic Ridge, the rising magma from which has formed the spectacular island we know as Iceland. All members of the party were photographed astride the plate boundary, thus with one foot on the North American plate, the other on the Eurasian. This open landscape is also the site of the world’s longest-running parliament.

It is not an exaggeration to say that we practically sleepwalked to the restaurant for our last supper and the postsupper pupil awards ceremony by the teachers. Everyone slept very soundly back in the pine chalets of the Viking Hotel, and there was silence at the 4.30am breakfast and loud snoring on the coach to the airport and on our flight home!

What an amazing and adventurous trip! A very big “thank you” goes to all four teachers who made this possible: Dr Bower, Head of Geography and leader of the expedition; Major Ewing; our dynamic risk-assessor, Mr McLaughlin; and Mr Thomson. The staff worked tirelessly to make everything an adventurous, challenging and memorable success, both in advance and during the expedition. Thank you again.

SKI TRIP 2022

MAR 2022

In the first week of the Easter holiday, nine members of staff accompanied sixty-four boys on our largest-ever School ski trip, to Solden in Austria. Although, in normal times, this is an annual trip, this was the first one since 2019. It was also the first time in over ten years that we have visited Solden and it did not disappoint.

The boys, from First to Upper Sixth Form, were split into seven mixed-age groups according to ability and experience, and benefited hugely from five hours of lessons every day from specialist British ski instructors. We had a range of abilities on the trip, from complete beginners to advanced, seasoned skiers. The first three days gave us wonderful ‘blue-bird’ conditions, followed by snowfall for two days which, consequently, gave us excellent snow conditions for the rest of the week, enabling the boys to trial their skiing in a range of conditions. They seemed to enjoy the low-visibility days much more than the staff!

The resort was the perfect place to take this large group - Solden has something for everyone. It has 144km of slopes, two glaciers, thirty-one state-of-the-art mountain lifts, three peaks higher than 3000m accessible by lift and slalom, and ‘fun slopes’. Some of the most spectacular winter scenes in the 2015 James Bond film ‘Spectre’ were filmed there, and the boys got to visit some of the sights from it. We took some of them for a hot chocolate in the Ice Q Restaurant at the top of the Glaislachkogl Peak, which housed the famous Hoffler Clinic, and they got to see the Glacier road where the breath-taking mountain chase took place in the film. Some of them also went to the new 007 ELEMENTS cinematic installation, which they could ski to. There, they entered an underground area of galleries, video installations, sound effects, interactive stations and original Bond gadgets - truly engaging for the boys.

In the evenings, the boys enjoyed swimming in the entertaining Freizeit Arena, shopping in town, a pizza evening and a quiz night. The quiz night was a particular highlight of the trip: the boys worked across year groups to answer questions on famous pictures, geography, music and sport, including some fun impression and designing rounds. Delicious breakfasts and dinners were enjoyed in the hotel, and wonderful hot lunches at the Giggijoch mountain restaurant. The boys also enjoyed visiting the local shops with their friends.

Everyone returned home after the week having made great improvements to their skiing or snowboarding, with many new experiences and sights seen, and having made new friends for the term ahead. We very much look forward to seeing some of them again on next year’s ski trip!

Ice Q Restaurant at the top of the Glaislachkogl Peak, which

Hannah Williams, Trip Leader

COMBINED CADET FORCE 2021-22

Apart from a few periods, the academic year 2021-22 has been the first full year the CCF has had the opportunity to train with achievable aims since the Covid pandemic hit. Our first weekly parade was held on Wednesday 15 September, with 44 boys from Shell volunteering to begin CCF, 10 boys returning in V Form, and 14 Upper and Lower VI Formers returning to CCF. The returning numbers from the UVI, LVI and V Forms were rather disappointing: however, with everything that had gone on in the world with the pandemic, the cancellation of the cadet course and no CCF Camp since 2019, it is understandable that we dropped numbers from the returning cadets.

The staff volunteering to train the CCF is at the highest level, certainly in my time as the Contingent Commander. Across both Merchiston and St George’s, we have one Captain, five Lieutenants, five 2nd Lieutenants, one Warrant Officer Class 2 and three Sergeants - all with varying levels of military training and experience from regular service, reserve service, UOTC and cadet adult courses.

All of the above have allowed us to broaden the training of our cadets from the basic level of drill, weapon handling and fieldcraft, to the higher level of junior leadership and management. We have acquired paint ball rifles to enhance the training and the cadets have used these in both a static range scenario and practising Fire Control Orders. A movement range was also set up, which allowed the cadets the experience of command and control of firing and movement in pairs, whilst maintaining the momentum of the advance. The majority of cadets have also passed the Weapon Handling Test on the Cadet General Purpose rifle and, indeed, attended and shot at a live firing range period at Dreghorn Barracks.

The CCF also provided the Guard of Honour on Remembrance Sunday. It is worth noting that the cadets who were not involved in the guard had asked if CCF uniform could be worn for the Remembrance service. Hopefully, this is a tradition in the making, allowing the cadets to show the pride they have in the CCF and to pay their respects to those who have gone before.

In the first week of July, we will be attending CCF Camp at Barry Buddon: in total, we have 56 cadets attending across both Schools and the preparation for this continues over the coming weeks towards the end of academic year.

Maj Alan Ewing, Contingent Commander

REBADGING PARADE

On 1 December 2021, the 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland was disbanded and reformed as The Ranger Regiment, thus breaking an affiliation with our Cadet Force dating back to 1884. This event gave us, as a CCF, an opportunity to return to our own School badge and still retain links with our new affiliated Regiment, the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

With support from the Headmaster, research began into the badge we should wear, and permission was requested and granted from the military. We, the Merchiston Castle School CCF (Merchiston & St George’s) would revert to the cap badge first worn and sanctioned by the War Office in 1886. We would also retain the Tam O’ Shanter and Tartan of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, maintaining and celebrating the historical links back to the formation of the Cadet Corps at Merchiston in 1884.

At 1700hrs on Wednesday 8 June 2022, the CCF and the Pipes and Drums formed up for the Rebadging Parade. In typical Scottish weather, the format was altered slightly, and we moved into the main School building. It was noted by Rev Blair that greater powers may well have been at work, as we now found ourselves in front of the memorials to the Merchistonians who made the ultimate sacrifice for King and Country.

Six cadets represented Merchiston, St George’s and the Pipes and Drums in the parade and received the new cap badge. Rev Blair delivered a short service and blessings, the Headmaster spoke of the history and achievements of the CCF, and Major Ewing (Contingent Commander) recited the new CCF Citation, a copy of which can be seen following

this article.

As we move forward now as a CCF, each cadet will earn the right to wear the cap badge by completing a drill test. On passing, the cadet will, forever, be able to wear the unique CCF badge earned. The citation will become a presentation piece to all cadets who serve in the CCF for the full four years’ voluntary service.

Researching the history of our CCF has been memorable for many different reasons. The one unanswered question remains: “when did the CCF change from the school cap badge to that of the antecedent Regiments of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland?” Hopefully this article and the citation will answer any questions to our successors in decades to come, as to when we reverted to our own badge.

Maj Alan Ewing, Contingent Commander

REBADGING PARADE FORMAT

TIME EVENT STAFF RESPONSIBILTY WORDS OF COMMAND

1630 CCF Parade in front of CCF Office Maj Ewing & CCF Staff 1630 Pipes and Drums will form up on the drive at Pringle Centre. Lt Campbell & WO2 Alexander 1635 Contingent will be sized into 2 Company’s. (McMillan Company & Neilson Company) Maj Ewing & CCF Staff

1650 McMillan & Neilson Coy will march to front of school Company Officer. When in position Contingent will be stood at ease. REMARKS

Capt T McMillan being the first Contingent Commander in 1884. Lt W Neilson being the first Section Lieutenant in 1884. McMillan Coy from Rogerson side Neilson Coy from Chalmers side

1700 Parade will start

Pipes and Drums will march onto parade Maj Ewing Contingent, Contingent Shun. WO2 Alexander will take this as cue to March Ps & Ds onto parade

WO2 Alexander Ps & Ds will play Scotland the Brave and Rowantree as they march up the drive.

1705 Form Drumhead Pile WO2 Alexander Drummers will form the Drumhead Pile, Drummers Quick March

Stand at Ease

Prayer Maj Ewing

Rev Blair Contingent & Pipes and Drums Stand at Ease Stand Easy

Headmaster’s Address Mr Anderson Rebadging Party will form up WO2 Alexander Rebadging Party, Rebadging Party Shun Rebadging Party Quick March

Drumhead Pile will be built by WO2 Alexander, On handing over the drum the drummer will march back to his place in the band, at the position of Attention.

From the Right 2 x Merchiston Cadets (Cpl R Still & LCpl R Tuke) 2 X St George’s Cadets (Sgt I Pearce Menzies & Cdt J Crane) 2 x Pipes & Drums (P/M W Nugent & Piper C Robertson)

Citation Reading Maj Ewing Rebadging Ceremony Maj Ewing, Capt McEwen & Lt Campbell

Rebadging Party return to Ranks WO2 Alexander Rebadging Party will return to ranks Quick March

Blessing Rev Blair Recovery of Drumhead Pile WO2 Alexander Drummers, Drummers Shu Drummers will recover the Drumhead Pilen Quick March

Hand Over Contingent to respective Officers Maj Ewing Contingent, Contingent & Pipes and Drums Shun Contingent Officers, March your Companies from Parade

Company’s return to CCF Office Remove Old Headdress and replace with New. Cadets to salute Officer on receipt of new headdress. Return to place in Ranks and stand at ease, stand easy

Drummers are given respective drums

Ps & Ds last to leave parade and will Teribus High Road to Gairloch Mairi’s Wedding Prince Charles’ welcome to Lochaber

Pipes and Drums march from parade.

DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD SCHEME

Bronze Groups before setting off

Whilst the DofE Programme continued to run over the past two years, the modifications and restrictions in place have made it a very different experience for participants. Skills, Physical, and Volunteering sections were often split between multiple options, depending on whether or not the country was in lockdown at any given time! I am grateful to all family members and friends who helped to keep the boys ticking along with their sections.

It will come as no surprise that we are delighted to get back to “full” DofE expeditions, instead of the slightly odd combination of walking through the day, then bussing back to School to camp, which we had to do in 2020/21. Obviously, these adjustments were designed with maximum individual safety in mind, but it was a radical departure from the rough and ready wild camping that our boys are more usually exposed to!

And so, to this 2021-22 session… Our expedition season kicked off last September with a LVI Silver group undertaking a walking expedition on the Corrour Estate, near Dalwhinnie. Very challenging weather conditions presented themselves to the boys, both in terms of rain and wind. The boys remained in good spirits and completed the expedition in good form. However, all were glad to see the Merchiston minibuses at the end of the route!

That same weekend, conditions were such that we reluctantly took the decision to postpone an UVI Gold expedition – they had a higher, more exposed, and longer route than the Silver boys, and it was simply deemed not safe to proceed. These boys finally managed to complete their expedition in the Glenshee area in March this year – much to the relief of all.

They say that variety is the spice of life, so we have been trying a slightly different offering for the current LVI Gold boys. A canoeing practice expedition took place on the River Tweed in May, and a practice for mountain biking also happened the same weekend in the Aviemore area. Despite glorious conditions during the day, an unexpected squall rolled over the boys on the first night, with the tents being flattened and emergency shelter being sought in Ryvoan Bothy! Repairs were carried out the following day and the expedition continued undeterred. The LVI boys are hoping to complete their qualifying expeditions in the final week of the Summer Term, with the canoe boys heading to the Spey, and the bikers setting out for a huge loop

around the Fort William area. These expeditions should have completed by the time of The Merchistonian’s publication, so watch out for a report in next year’s edition!

The Bronze level boys (IV Form and Shell) completed their expedition in May. We had a lovely time in the Trossachs, near Lochearnhead, with six groups of boys taking on different routes simultaneously. It was great to get back to the traditional Bronze “stomping ground” after having run the previous two years in the much tamer Pentland Hills. If you ever get the chance to visit the Lochearnhead area, you will see why it is so much enjoyed by the boys – an absolutely stunning location! The boys were all very successful and will now be busy completing their other sections over the course of the Shell year. For the first time in 2022/23, they will have a new initiative whereby the House Prefect team will help to keep an eye on their progress. Hopefully this will encourage a completion rate close to 100%.

Away from the expeditions, there remains a huge range of activities and interests amongst the boys for their other sections. Alongside the usual football and rugby, we have some doing farm labouring, others perfecting their home cooking, still others learning how to play bridge, etc, etc…! There are also boys doing volunteering in Departments, for charities local and global, and even undertaking activism on behalf of Amnesty International. It is truly wonderful to see the range of passions represented through the programme.

I am, of course, very grateful to all the staff and volunteers who help to facilitate these other activities, as well as to the team that helps with the expeditions and training. Without them, DofE at Merchiston simply could not be the wonderful and diverse programme that it currently is. They support nearly 150 boys who are involved in DofE presently - we are definitely “punching above our weight” in numbers! This is a great testament to the staff, and to our boys for seizing the opportunities they are presented with on their journey to becoming the balanced, compassionate, and responsible “Young Men of Integrity” that we seek for them to be.

David Thomson, DofE Award Manager

Bronze Group Packing up at Lochearnhead Village Hall

LVI Gold Bikers setting up camp at the head of Glen Feshie

Ryvoan Bothy

INTERNATIONAL WEEK, 1 – 5 NOVEMBER 2021

Merchiston’s annual International Week got off to a flying start: Houses were decorated, international flags were displayed on walls and pupils celebrated by flying the flag of their own country.

A number of our international students stepped up and supported International Week by proudly presenting their nations and cultures in sectional assemblies. Here are a few examples of some of the things we learned: Nigeria is home to over 200 million people, which makes it the seventh highest populated country in the world. 1 in every 5 Africans is a Nigerian. Serbia is the world biggest exporter of raspberries. South Korean men are required to serve in the military for about two years, between the ages of 18 and 28. Swiss wrestling is known as ‘Schwingen’ and is a style of folk wrestling native to Switzerland. Germany has no speed limit for vehicles on its roads. Denmark has the oldest flag in the world.

International Week would not be International Week without the exciting lunches provided by our Chartwells catering team. A big round of applause to them! This year’s lunches tied in with worldwide celebrations taking place during the week, and provided an opportunity for everyone to sample something new. This year, the menus came from Greece, Japan, Mexico (Day of the Dead), India (Diwali), and to celebrate 5 November and Bonfire Night traditions, we had an original Medieval English menu. Such a variety of flavours!

A number of in-house activities took place, organised by the House prefect teams. Competitive Middle Years’ quiz nights, Shell Scottish night, Laidlaw international beer tasting, Danish pastries for break, Laidlaw South ‘chilli cook off’, Kaffee und Kuchen with the German pupils, and American football with Laidlaw North all brought an internationalism to the School.

Subject teachers and the Spawforth Library also got into the swing of things with an international book display and research projects on favourite international designs in Design & Technology.

This was such a fun and busy week celebrating Merchiston’s multiculturalism.

Jingpu W and Hinata T, International Prefects 2021-22

Pringle Quiz

Evans Quiz Rogerson Quiz

Pringle Assembly - speakers from Spain International Prefects 2021-22

Middle Years Assembly

NEWS FROM MERCHISTON INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 2021-22

Merchiston International School comes to the end of its fourth academic year and it is hard to believe where the time has gone. This year, we have celebrated many events and achievements, and feel truly blessed that that we had little disruption to learning, with only a short period of online learning.

Summer Results 2021

Our 2021 Year 13 leavers achieved 42% A*, 67% A*-A and 100% A*-D pass rate at A Level. Our AS Level grades were good: a handful of students have continued on to four A2 courses after particularly strong AS results, with a healthy majority choosing to continue to A2 in their three strongest AS courses. At IGCSE Level, the students' dedication and hard work paid off with some very pleasing grades: 78% A*-C, with 41% A*-A.

Back to school August 2021

We welcomed many new faces and welcomed back our current students on 24 August 2021.

MIS Clans

This year, we introduced a new Clan. To balance Edinburgh, Lomond and Nevis, Balmoral joined the team.

Merchiston Day October 2021

Another year, another birthday. We enjoyed celebrating our fourth birthday with all our students, staff and wider community.

St Andrew’s Day Scottish Ceilidh, November 2021

This is one of our favourite events of the year. The ceilidh brings our community together with dancing, music, and haggis, of course.

Winter Christmas Market 2021

Whilst the temperature rarely drops below 18 degrees in Shenzhen, the staff and students like to don their favourite Christmas jumpers and celebrate Christmas together.

Chinese New Year 2022

We said goodbye to the Ox and welcomed the Year of the Tiger.

Juniors Book Day, June 2022

Read, read, and read some more. The Juniors students and staff enjoyed a day dedicated to the world of books!

Boarding House Fun

Our boarding community has grown over the years and this year we introduced friendly house competitions. Ultimate Frisbee seems to be a favourite this year.

Year 13 Graduation Ceremony, June 2022

We said goodbye to our eldest students on Thursday 16 June. An official ceremony in the Castle Hall was followed by the After Party in Napier, where the graduates got a chance to let their hair down. These amazing young ladies and gentlemen now begin their next journey as they go to universities all over the world. Well done!

THE PREFECT APPLICATION PROCESS AT MERCHISTON

Over the years, the role of Prefect at Merchiston has changed considerably. For some time, there has been a detailed application and interview process, which takes place during the Lent Term, so that Lower Sixth Form Prefects can take over most of the duties during the Summer Term A Level examination period.

Mackenzie B, Captain of School 2021-22, describes the Prefect selection process:

“In the course of the first two terms of the Lower Sixth Form, boys take part in the Lower Sixth Helper Scheme, which gives them experience of working with younger year groups, which is especially important for those who have joined Merchiston in the Sixth Form. In the Lent Term of the Lower Sixth, we are invited to submit an application for Prefectship, in the form of a personal statement (which is good preparation for the UCAS application process), stating which House or year group we would prefer to be a Prefect in, and covering our experiences across our School career. This can cover academic, sporting and other co-curricular achievements, and any other personal achievement. Although some boys have only been at Merchiston for a short time, their achievements and willingness to throw themselves whole-heartedly into life here do not go unnoticed. Small things such as helping a boy in a younger year group and coaching sport are good starting points, and I cannot stress enough how important they are. “Doing the little things right” develops boys into the sort of leaders that the School is looking for. An essential tip which I would give to future applicants is to speak to current Senior Prefects: their knowledge of the process, and what to write in an excellent application will be invaluable to them. They should also speak with the Housemasters and integrate well with the younger boys when participating in the Lower Sixth Helper Scheme. After numerous discussions, various House and Departmental Prefects are selected, whilst a few will go on to have individual interviews for Head of House and Triumvirate (Captain of School and the two Vice Captains of School) positions. Just before Easter, appointments are announced, so that they can take over the duties whilst the Upper Sixth Formers sit their examinations.

In my application, I focused on what a leadership position would mean to me, and what I believed should be the qualities of someone in such positions. A motto with which I have grown up and have worked on throughout my School career is: “Proper preparation prevents poor performance”. I wrote and talked about my various achievements at Merchiston, sporting, academic and musical, and gave numerous examples of Prefects who had been a positive influence on my life here. My main advice to future applicants is to approach the process confidently, knowing that their achievements and contributions will be recognised. These positive attributes will show them at their best, and will demonstrate why they will make a strong contribution to the pupil leadership team when their time comes”.

INTERVIEW WITH THE 2021-22 CAPTAIN OF SCHOOL

Mackenzie B, Captain of School 2021-22, was interviewed by Lower Sixth former Ptolemy R in March 2022, about his role in his final year at Merchiston.

Why did you want to become Captain of School at Merchiston? Since I joined Merchiston in the First Form in 2014, I have known many excellent Prefects, as a result of which I have always wanted to hold such a position within the School. Over the past two years, it has been my ambition to be appointed Captain of School, and this became increasingly important to me during my Lower Sixth year.

What qualities / strengths do you possess which make you good at what you are having to do this year? I would say that the key qualities are being confident in public speaking, which is an important aspect of my role, and being very sociable.

What are your main duties as Captain of School? I often have to attend meetings with the Headmaster and other senior members of staff. In addition, I speak at Whole School Assemblies, organise events, and visit the Houses to get to know the younger boys. I feel that it is important for them to know the Captain of School as well as my own year group.

Has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted on your role? Yes – largely with regard to the more largescale “public” occasions. There have been fewer

Whole School events to speak at, although assemblies have been restarted this academic year. There have also been no Whole School Services with parents attending to play a role in, at least in the Autumn and Lent Terms. We have also not been able to host any in-person Information Mornings for prospective parents, although I will be speaking at the first to be held in the School since the pandemic hit before the end of the Lent Term.

What have you learnt about the School through your role this year? I have learnt that there are many aspects of the School, which are not normally seen by the pupils in their day-today life here, and how much effort goes into ensuring that everything runs smoothly. I have also come to appreciate how open the teachers are in their work with the pupils: their advice and help are always available, and it often takes just one conversation to open new doors.

What have you gained personally from being Captain of School? The position has given me the opportunity to work alongside my closest friends in different ways, for example when organising and leading the Chapel Service led by the Senior Prefects this term. It has helped me with my university application and has established connections for me outside the School.

What have been your most significant achievements here at School? I would say that they have been being appointed Captain of School, playing in the winning team of the Under 16 and Under 18 Scottish Schools Cups, and working within the School on a major charity event with a close friend.

If you could relive your career at Merchiston, what would you change? I think that I would answer this by saying that I would focus on things that would improve my overall performance here: doing that extra bit of revision or going to the gym an extra time to help with my sport. I would also try not to take any of the opportunities open to us at Merchiston for granted.

Talk about a time when you have had to work closely with someone whose personality was very different to yours. I think that this would be working alongside my close friend, James S, to organise the charity event which I have already referred to. Although our personalities are very different, we worked very well together, which made our bond even closer. At Merchiston, I have learnt that you can work very effectively with others and develop a stronger relationship with them through such shared projects.

Have you learnt to cope with disappointment during your time at Merchiston? I have learnt that there is a positive gain in every situation. I try not to take things too personally: even though an issue may seem big at the time, you have the rest of your life ahead of you. Reflecting on my eight-year career at Merchiston, any slight disappointment in the past has really been insignificant. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here, and am now focusing on making the most of the time I have left.

Has this been a challenging year for you? This year has been challenging because of the various Covid restrictions which have prevented me from carrying out certain tasks. However, the uncertainty of the situation has helped my year group to bond even more closely – they aren’t just peers, they are my brothers.

What are your plans on leaving Merchiston? I am hoping to go the University of St Andrews to study Management. However, before that, having missed out on some opportunities because of the pandemic, I plan to take a gap year to gain some experience in the working world.

What advice would you give to your successor as Captain of School? My main advice would be to try to do as much as possible in the time that you have available and to make the most of every opportunity – I have been amazed how quickly my final year here is passing, and now want to make the most of the Summer Term ahead. I would also advise not to take the position for granted: you have been given it for a reason and should do your utmost to repay the trust that has been put in you.

What achievement has meant the most to you as Captain of School? My greatest achievement, I think, has been the organisation of the Senior Prefects’ Chapel Service. It allowed me to get closer to my peers and to lead an important School event, whilst conveying a strong message to the boys in the School.

RIGHTS RESPECTING SCHOOL AWARD

STUDENTS’ FORUM 2021-22

As a Rights Respecting School, we are teaching about rights, through rights and for rights: the adults in our Merchiston community are the duty bearers and our pupils are the rights holders.

From the UNICEF Rights Respecting website:

“The Rights Respecting Schools Award puts children’s rights at the heart of schools in the UK.

The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) works with schools in the UK to create safe and inspiring places to learn, where children are respected, their talents are nurtured and they are able to thrive. Our Rights Respecting Schools Award embeds these values in daily school life and gives children the best chance to lead happy, healthy lives and to be responsible, active citizens.

Using the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as our guide, we are working with more UK schools than almost any other organisation. Over 1.6 million children in the UK go to a Rights Respecting School and nearly 5,000 schools up and down the country are working through the Award. Schools work with us on a journey to become fully Rights Respecting.

The Award recognises a school’s achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into practice within the school and beyond.”

For more information – please visit: https://www.unicef.org.uk/rights-respecting-schools/

On Tuesday 8 March 2022, a virtual accreditation visit was held online, with Merchiston staff, pupils and parents all helping to explain how the Merchiston community has been working towards Silver Accreditation. Further to the virtual visit, Merchiston has been Awarded Silver Accreditation as a Rights Respecting School.

Some of the work that has been carried out by the Merchiston Pupil Rights Respecting Steering Committee includes: • Presenting about the UNCRC, in assemblies, including World Book Day, Black History Month, and Human Rights Day; • Linking our School Values and School Pupil Charter to the UNCRC; • Creating a specific RRSA display area (next to the Students’ Forum area, so the link between Students’ Forum and Rights, is clearly emphasised); • Auditing our Students’ Forum, using the Lundy Model of Child Participation. This has resulted in suggestion boxes being introduced in boarding houses.

We will now be setting our sights on the Gold Accreditation – please watch this space for more information on how you can support the School in this journey.

Will Ogilvie-Jones, Rights Respecting Schools Award Co-ordinator

The Students’ Forum has evolved in recent years into the central forum for the School, with other committees feeding into it and sharing ideas with it. This has proved more effective and efficient, particularly in the case of the Food Forum, where pupils’ suggestions are co-ordinated by the leaders, who meet with catering staff each term. This has seen real improvements in the variety and quality of the food and the boys would like to thank the staff for this. From September 2021, Will, Hugh and Oliver have stepped up to lead the Students’ Forum. They, alongside representatives from each of the boarding houses, were able to canvas the School community and establish what issues pupils wanted addressing. Our meetings this year have had a renewed focus on food in the dining hall. However, the emphasis has very much switched to reducing food waste. In addition, representatives have been able to raise points relating to the use of laptops in School. Finally, there have been opportunities for discussion regarding the move away from the 8-day timetable.

I would like to thank all of the representatives for their excellent contributions to this important aspect of School life. Once again, it was excellent to see the pupil voice alive and well within the School.

THE SPAWFORTH LIBRARY, 2021-22

The academic year of 2021-22 has brought with it a fresh and exciting start, with welcome changes and a gradual return to our usual way of life in the Library.

We began our Autumn Term with the great news that we were once again able to hold author events in School, and in November we were delighted to host bestselling and award-winning author Jonathan Meres in the Spawforth Library. Jonathan is the writer of many children’s books, including the muchloved Norm series – which continue to be some of our most borrowed books in the Library some thirteen years since the publication of book one! We were entertained with hilarious stories, songs and anecdotes and had the opportunity to ask lots of questions and have our books signed too. Conor J in J5 commented that ‘he was a very funny man!’.

Later in the year, we also had the immense privilege of author Vivian French MBE visiting us to speak to our Juniors and special guests from Colinton and St Mark’s RC primary schools. Vivian has written over four hundred books, including some of our Library favourites, and was happy to tell us all about her writing career, stories from her days as a member of a theatre company, and about the inspiration for her stories and how they come to be illustrated. We had lots of questions and the boys and staff all chose books to have signed!

Our third author visit this year caused a huge buzz at Merchiston as we were the first school in Scotland to host record-breaking debut author A.F. Steadman in an event which we held in conjunction with The Edinburgh Bookshop. Skandar and the Unicorn Thief is a magical fantasy book and the first in a five-part series which

has become a publishing sensation and global phenomenon. With incredible pre-sales, a simultaneous release in twenty-three languages and movie rights already snapped up by Sony Pictures, we were incredibly privileged to be among the first to hear Annabel read from her book and to speak to us and our guests from Bonaly, Colinton and St Mark’s RC primary schools about her new career. We learnt about the original idea for the book and about the cover design process too, and Annabel kindly stayed to sign and dedicated our special editions. Much chat followed regarding sky battles, clashing unicorns and shadow villains, and David D and William B in III Form remarked that ‘A.F. Steadman was so inspirational and made us want to be authors too!’ The Junior Book Group was unanimous in its vote to read Skandar for our next group read, and in our meetings we have already been making exciting predictions for book 2. The Book Groups continue to be popular across all year groups, and over tea and cake, our discussions range from the stories and characters we have read to the often very author Vivian French MBE visiting us to speak to our Juniors topical issues raised in them. and special guests from Colinton ‘We read a variety of books in and St Mark’s RC primary schools. Book Group that I wouldn’t Vivian has written over four normally read. We have had lots hundred books, including some of interesting books like Bastien of our Library favourites, and was Bon Livre’, about a boy in Paris happy to tell us all about her determined to finish his parents’ writing career, stories from her story. Book Group is a great chance to meet up, read and days as a member of a theatre eat cake.’ company, and about the Hamish H, III Form. inspiration for her stories and how they come to be The V and VI Form Book Group always opts to read very varied titles, and among genres including mythology,

Our third author visit this year caused a huge buzz at literary fiction and fantasy, a particularly popular choice this year was psychological horror ‘The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward. Finlay C in V Form has reviewed it: Book Group book review – ‘The Last House on Needless Street’ “I found ‘The Last House on Needless Street’ a great read, with a gripping storyline and lots of heart-warming as well as serious bits. I really liked the way the entire book is based on mental health, with Ted clearly suffering from DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder), due to past trauma. It shows

snapped up by Sony Pictures, we were incredibly privileged to be among the first to hear Annabel read from her book and to speak to us and our guests from Bonaly, Colinton and St Mark’s RC primary schools about her new career. We learnt about the original idea for the book and about the cover design process too, and Annabel kindly stayed to sign groups, and over tea and cake, our discussions range from story. Book Group is a great chance to meet up, read and

a clear and uncut view of what the effect can really be in some of the worst situations in childhood, as we learn through his childhood experiences being told. I felt the way the author did not reveal the complete truth of what was happening until the very end, whilst still keeping the story going and dropping clues now and again, was a wise decision and one that gave the story great effect. I felt the suspense created in the various scenarios of the novel was also a great feature, such as when Dee moved into her new house next to Ted and she was often on edge. Although it was sad that she felt this way and the reader felt for her, it helped to add to the dynamic of the tension in the story and keep the tale going. The different viewpoints in the novel also helped to add detail and structure to this story, with the reader being shown the characters’ past experiences as well as their current ones. Overall, I felt ‘The Last House on Needless Street’ was a gripping novel with good features and that was well laid out. It had characters you could really feel for and sometimes relate to, as well as details that kept you guessing what would happen next. I’d strongly recommend this book for reading but would only recommend those aged 12 and over give it a try, as some parts can be upsetting.”

In addition to our usual Book Groups this year, I launched our Manga & Graphic Novel Group for IV Form and over. This had been requested by a number of boys and has proved to be a great idea. Bringing together boys from across the year groups, all with a shared interest, has allowed for lots of lively discussion. In response to this, our Library now has a much bigger and well used area for manga and graphic novels, which supports the reality that graphic novels are a credible reading resource, which not only fuels reading for pleasure, but fosters creative and critical thinking too. The boys have been very forthcoming with ideas and popular titles for the collection.

This year in the Library, we have also taken part in some national book awards: both the Scottish Book Trust and the Yoto Carnegie Book Awards required dedicated teams of readers to read and assess the shortlisted titles and cast our votes along with hundreds of other schools. During this process, we discovered new favourite authors and genres, and we are looking forward to taking part again in future awards.

Significant and historical dates this year have been celebrated in the Spawforth Library. HM The Queen was honoured with a display on our balcony, featuring the most significant and best-selling books from each decade of her seventy-year reign - a wonderful trip down memory lane. Later in June, we recognised fifty years of Pride, with rainbow displays and featuring some of the best of today’s fiction from award-winning and debut authors. We have also recognised important annual events, including International Women’s Day, Black History Month and Refugee Week, with displays featuring books by and about trailblazers and icons, and with stories of hope and inspiration from the past and present.

The Library is always a popular place to be, and especially in the Summer Term this year, when we have been full but silent with VI Form boys studying for their first-ever public exams due to the Covid years. We wish them all the best for results day.

Since then, and during classes, the Library has been, as summer tradition has it, a centre of travel and inspiration as our juniors have ‘flown’ around the world with the Summer Passport Reading Challenge. Thousands (!) of pages have been read and so many fascinating destination facts have been researched: congratulations go to Xander in III Form, Lewis in II Form, Stepan in I Form, and exceptional runner-up Sikai in III Form, for landing in every continent and producing incredibly detailed passports along the way.

This year we have also launched the Library ‘bookstagram’ account on Instagram: be sure to follow @merchilibrary to keep up to date with all the news.

It has been another busy year in the Spawforth Library, with lots going on: none of it would have been possible without the support of the English and IT Departments and also the Library Committee for their ideas.

SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE REPORT FOR 2021-2022

Our working definition of ‘Sustainability’ is - meeting the needs of the current generation without jeopardising the ability of future generations to have their needs met also. This is an important aspiration for every pupil, citizen, community, business, school, council, government, and international body, and is increasingly supported by many social media and real-life influencers. It is very easy for every one of these levels of ‘global citizens’ to be more interested in satisfying their immediate needs and allowing the future to take care of itself. In more subjects than just Geography, the pupils learn the science of how and in what way achieving sustainability is increasingly urgent, prior to thresholds being exceeded. The complexities of mitigation and adaptation measures to try to manage the extent to which ‘enhanced global warming’ (that brought about by human activities accelerating since the industrial revolution) have already been brought about; as well as the winners and losers of geopolitical interventions that meeting sustainability targets involves.

The School’s Sustainability Committee is generally overseen by the Geography Department, but input is welcome from all areas of the School, including staff from all academic departments, and much valued input from the support sections of the School. The aims of this committee are twofold: - To educate / inform the wider School community about all aspects of sustainability, and the need for it; - To review practice in all areas of the School and help identify and suggest ways they can be made more sustainable.

Pupil membership is open to all, from as young as Pringle, right up to the UVI Form. After Covid interruption over the past two years, it was great to have this committee functioning fully again. The activities and focus of the committee come from the pupils, simply overseen and facilitated by the staff. There is always enthusiasm, many goals, some of which prove unrealistic, and occasionally, a real breakthrough!

This year started with a focus on researching and informing the School about Glasgow Cop26 – the 26th meeting of the international committee of nations to consolidate and develop international agreement on how best to mitigate climate change (such as agreements by all nations to reduce carbon emissions, to reduce deforestation, etc.). Research was undertaken into ‘who, what, why, where, when, and so what’! Posters were made and displayed around the School and presentations were given in assembly, so that when when the conference started, few would be ignorant of the potential significance of this event being held only one hour’s drive from School. A highlight was seeing the pupils’ reactions in morning assembly to the moving address given by 95-year-old David Attenborough at the opening of the conference.

The committee’s next main initiative was on food waste in the Dining Hall. To investigate ‘what’ and ‘why’, primary research involving ‘participant observation’ of pupil behaviour was undertaken, and interviews with kitchen staff were conducted. Probable causes of the level of pupil food waste were identified, and posters were made to target strategies to mitigate this. Improvements have been made, and further strategies are being devised for next year.

The committee was excited to welcome the School’s new Operations Manager, Mr Bryson, to give us a talk: he has a keen enthusiasm for and past experience in supporting a wide range of sustainability measures prior to his appointment with us. The Committee members are very excited at so many possible new initiatives that came out of his talk - if only we could click our fingers and have them all implemented at once! Rather than spoil what will undoubtedly be the focus of future years’ sustainability report, the committee is very excited and enthusiastic about its list of targets for future years, from rewilding the boundaries of the campus, to making and erecting owl boxes around the School, and many more.

Meanwhile, Mr Bryson, encouraged by the committee’s research into its third main focus of the year, improving the recycling of the School’s waste, has recently implemented a big change that should improve this significantly. With

the aim of much more effective recycling of waste than has been achieved in the past, Mr Bryson has changed our waste contractor to a more local family firm – Hamilton Waste & Recycling. Eight members of the committee were privileged to be given a tour by the company’s Director, and from the moment we arrived, were all flabbergasted! As a farm diversification activity, Mr Hamilton has researched, adapted and devised machinery in very large warehouses on his land, to reprocess both recyclable and general waste (as diverse as building rubble, mattresses, recyclable plastic, paper, and cardboard), into materials that can be sold on to input into further manufacturing. With research developments that the company is also helping to finance, it is possible that future new housing developments will be made up of 30% recycled materials. Even the general waste is significantly processed to become a combustible fuel sold on to industry. It was fascinating that, rather than just using landfill, this type of ‘giving waste a new life’ is both possible and an increasingly cost-effective business model. Mr Hamilton was fascinating about all aspects of his business: our visit gave an impacting experience of the real meaning of enterprise, entrepreneurship, cutting-edge engineering, and every aspect of business development. All pupils on the trip learnt so much to take forward into their future lives: their task now is to now spread the word of what is possible, and to ensure that every member of the School knows all the procedures to ensure efficient and effective recycling. The more we can do this, following all the correct procedures, will enable our School to contribute to a more sustainable future.

Some committee members now leave the School, others remain with us, and new ones will join - further exciting initiatives are still to be discovered by future generations of the committee. Roll on next year for another opportunity to achieve even more!

Tanya Bower, Chair of Sustainability Committee & Head of Geography

YOUNG FARMERS

Each week, the boys head out into the beautiful Pentland Hills for Young Farmers. For the last few years, John and Mary-Jane have welcomed us at Carsewell Farm on the Penicuik Estate. The estate consists of 7500 acres, with 1400 acres in hand (300 acres of arable, 100 acres of forage rape and kale, and 750 acres of woodland). There are always plenty of jobs for the boys: they help with the livestock, machinery and land management. We are lucky enough to be sponsored by HRN Tractors, in Perth, which provides the boys with all the kit they need to be safe, comfortable and warm.

There is nothing more exciting than jumping in the back of a pick-up or on a quad to go and help with the sheep. The boys help move them, set up the pens and help with management, such as foot dipping. Other jobs include bedding the cows, tinkering with the farm machinery, power hosing, building fences, potato harvesting, planting hedgerows and helping to feed the lambs in the Spring. We even brought a few lambs back to Merchiston this year and bottle fed them in the Junior School. A few of our older boys now have their tractor licenses, which comes in handy. John, our host, often organises industry professionals to meet the boys at the farm and talk about crop rotation, for example. One of the favourite visitors to the farm is the vet: the boys get to watch him working with the cows in the crush and gain an invaluable insight into life as a farm vet.

Getting out onto the hills, being practical and working with animals is a highlight of the week for many of our Young Farmer boys. As one of them, from a farming background, commented recently, “It’s like spending an afternoon at home”. For other boys, who perhaps do not have backgrounds in farming, we have seen this activity promote confidence, independence, resilience, empathy and teamwork. It is no wonder that boys in the VI Form have been coming every year since they were in Shell, and they are now teaching the ropes to our younger boys coming through.

Our thanks go to Mary-Jane and John for hosting us and making this a highlight of the week, not only for the boys, but also for the members of staff involved.

MASTERCHEF 2021-22

This has been a very positive and productive year for the boys in Masterchef. Throughout the pandemic, and specifically during lockdown, many people have turned their hand to cooking and baking, and have found it a wonderful way to express creativity and maintain their mental health and wellbeing. This same sense of wellbeing has been evident here at Merchiston, as the boys cook together and come up with something which not only looks great, but also tastes good too. It is wonderful to see their smiling faces when they sit down to eat their creations and enjoy the chat in the Masterchef dining room. The hope is always that this positive experience will stand them in good stead for life after Merchiston and that they will continue to see cooking as an enjoyable and sociable experience.

Mairi Lucas, Masterchef Co-ordinator