Summer Newsletter
North Berwick High School Summer Newsletter 2013
The Big Cow Project In 2006, the city of Edinburgh took part in the International Cow Parade. The city displayed over 100 cows decorated by local artists, celebrities and members of the community. The cows were then auctioned to raise money for charity. The Faculty of Design & Technology has been offered a chance to recreate one of these cows which has succumbed to the elements. The CDT dept. will strip the cow back to its original fibre glass state ready for the Art department to recreate in their chosen media. You are invited to apply to join the group of artists who will be involved in the design and creation of the new image for the cow. This unique club will take place during lunchtime and after school. The cow will then be reinstated in the courtyard of Baillie Gifford & Co. in Edinburgh. Application forms are available from Ms. Prete in CDT 5
Twelfth Night This June, pupils from North Berwick High School performed one of Shakespeare’s classic comedies, ‘Twelfth Night’. This particular version, however, is not set in the traditional 1600s; it takes place in the groovy 1970s! So audiences need to dust off the old platforms and the bri-nylon tank top and ‘get with’ the early 70s ‘vibe’. The production comes complete with a contemporary soundtrack and genuine flared trousers! 'Twelfth Night' tells the story of twins, Viola and Sebastian, who encounter yellow bell-bottomed trousers, a drunken uncle, a very witty clown and many confusing situations involving love, stricken dukes and daft countesses. The play has been in rehearsals for over six months and the pupils involved have been extremely committed, so it was nice to see all the hard work being put into practice in front of the general public during the final performances. The parts were cast from a whole variety of year groups and the entire cast and the support crew have grown into a little family as the rehearsals have progressed.
The North Berwick High School Shakespeare Company, in association with Inspire Christian Youth Trust, presents William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
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Pupil Support Department Cooperative Farm to Fork Last session some S3/4 pupils underwent the Inspire Me programme run by Enable Scotland and as part of this programme there was a trip to the Cooperative Farm at Hirsel in the Borders. The Coop invited the same group back this term to witness the farm and its environment in a different season.
Riding Therapy – Muirfield, Gullane The Pupil Support Department presented a cheque to the Riding Therapy at Muirfield having held a coffee morning, which raised £60. Pictured above are Susan Law and Shirley Duff from the RT and also Jenny Gray, Craig Lyall and Maya Mason who have all participated in the riding therapy. Young people from the Base once again had the opportunity to participate in a Riding Therapy programme during this last term. Work Experience Week Two of our young people from the Base had a very successful Work Experience Week. Lewis Reid spent the week at Upward Mobility at Meadowbank in Edinburgh and Craig Lyall spent the week down at North Berwick Day Care Centre. Lewis Reid is also attending the Link Course at the Dalkeith Campus of Edinburgh College every Thursday this term. Enterprise Venture The Base has recently started a new Enterprise venture cooking and supplying sausage and egg rolls for staff for a small fee. The activity is led by one of our S5 pupils, Ruaridh Bennett, and it is hoped that this will become a monthly activity. All ingredients are locally sourced, as far as is possible and any modest profit made will be used to buy some new board games for the Base. Partnership Links Edinburgh College Some S4/5/6 visited the Milton Road Campus of Edinburgh College. The group were given a tour around the entire campus seeing the hairdressing salon, beauty area, restaurants. Many of our young people applied to Edinburgh College and are in the process of awaiting a reply or interview. Some have already been successful in securing a place at college in August 2013.
Paired Reading The S6 paired reading scheme with S1 and S2 pupils has been a success this year with the young people developing their reading skills. The young people thoroughly enjoy meeting up with their S6 paired readers twice a week which helps to foster a supportive relationship. Thanks to Mrs Lawson and Mrs Barlow for organising the scheme. Morrison Construction The S5/6 Employability Group undertook a 5 week programme run by Morrison Construction who are presently constructing the new GP Clinic at Gullane. The programme covered employability skills, interview skills and culminated in a site visit to the new clinic at Gullane. Green Bowling Mr Hamilton arranged for 6 of our young people to attend some coaching in green bowling at Longniddry Bowling Club. It has been a great experience for our young people. Many thanks to Mr Hamilton for arranging this and Miss Gallagher for transporting and supporting our young people. Fond Farewell We wished all the pupils whom we support the very best of luck and good wishes in their SQA exams. They have all worked so hard and we hope they get the results they deserve in August. Finally, a fond farewell to our sixth year pupils who have been incredibly supportive this year being involved with in class support, paired reading and visiting Law Primary School. We wish them all very best wishes as they move on to the next exciting phase of their life and hope they keep in contact to let us know how they are getting on.
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Holocaust Memorial Day On Friday 18th January, the S4 year group participated in a variety of events to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD). Prior to HMD we were learning about aspects of the Holocaust in History, Modern Studies and RMPS. During our History lesson we received a visit from Ben and Jared from the organisation, ‘From Yesterday For Tomorrow’. They showed us a documentary they had produced while researching the Holocaust. The documentary was very interesting as it contained eyewitness accounts from people who were involved and survived the Holocaust. The documentary was followed by a discussion and thought-provoking session that allowed us to relate prejudice and discrimination to our own experiences. During HMD we participated in various sessions including workshops from The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Society, Hate Crime from the Police, Lessons from Auschwitz by Richard Keatinge and Hanna Burke (S6) who visited Auschwitz four months previously, Holocaust Education Trust and Drama who re-enacted a scene from the Holocaust.
Judy Russell The highlight of the day was conducted after break. All of S4 met in the assembly hall to hear a testimony from Judy Russell who talked to us about her late step father’s experiences during the Holocaust. Judy spoke openly about her step –father, Ernest Levy, who survived the Holocaust thanks to his musical talents.
Ernest Levy He was the youngest of eight and was born into an Orthodox Jewish family in Czechoslovakia. He was sent to Auschwitz to a labour camp, from where, as the Russians closed in, inmates were force-marched to Belsen. Ernest miraculously survived Belsen and typhoid to choose repatriation. Ernest relocated to Scotland in 1960. The talk was very emotional both for Judy to deliver but also for the S4 audience and teachers to listen to the horrendous stories and real life traumas that her step-father endured at the hands of the Nazis. It is the ultimate test of human strength that Ernest and his daughter Judy have committed themselves to educating and enlightening people of events that would otherwise only appear in a history book. Everyone was moved by the impact of HMD and we have learnt lessons for life in the hope that such atrocities will not be repeated. We would like to thank the Humanities Department for organising HMD, a very worthwhile event as the Holocaust must never be forgotten. Steven Selby 4L1, Hamish Barbour 4G2 and Jordan Roderick 4F
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S2 Day Activities The start of the year was a busy one for S2 who were involved in a variety of trips as part of their ‘Activities Week’. On Monday we participated in team building games in the hall with Mrs Brownlee and Mrs Martin. Our challenge was to build the tallest tower which could hold a tin of baked beans for 10 seconds. We were given limited resources yet some of the structures were mind boggling. We then participated in a range of sports organised by the PE department including basketball, football and step up. The afternoon involved making cookies in HE and then some Kanjee, ‘Japanese Art’. The winning ‘Tower-Building Team’! The next day we went to the Omni centre where we ate lots at Pizza Hut and went to see Pitch Perfect or The Impossible. Those who chose Pitch Perfect left the cinema laughing and singing: a stark contrast to the ashen faces of the others who viewed the traumatic Impossible! On Wednesday we had a great day at Dynamic Earth followed by a trip to Edinburgh Zoo on Thursday. We enjoyed the animal handling workshop as we were able to hold snakes, cockroaches, rats and rabbits. We also viewed the pandas that were mainly sleeping. We finished the week off by going to The Space. There were lots of different activities on offer such as African drumming, skate boarding, nail painting, pool and table tennis.
Enjoying the nail bar at Space! Overall, it was a really fun week and we would like to thank all of the teachers for making it so enjoyable and a special thank you to Mrs Brownlee & Miss Auchnie for organising the week. Charlie Smith, Jade Henderson, Amy Hardiment, Star Lang-Stephens-2L2
MMR Immunisation Catch up Campaign NHS Lothian is running a catch-up campaign for young people aged 10 to 17 years who have not received two doses of MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine. They will be writing to parents and guardians of these children and encouraging them to contact their General Practice to arrange MMR vaccination for their child. Some young people missed out on the MMR vaccination when they were younger. Two doses of the vaccine are required to ensure protection. Visit immunisationscotland.org.uk to find out more, or contact your GP to make an appointment.
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S2 Ski Trip 117 pupils and staff from North Berwick High school left on Saturday 19th January to drive to La Thuile ski resort in Italy. We drove to Dover where we boarded a ferry that took us to France then we drove through the night to the resort. When we arrived we unpacked, got our skis then had dinner and prepared for the first day of skiing. The rooms were divided between groups of 3-6. They had lots of space and a kettle. Each floor also had a room of staff nearby. On the first day we were assessed by our instructors on the nursery slopes and then got the gondola up to the main slopes. We skied for a bit then went in to the café and had lunch. At the beginning of each day we got a menu to choose what we wanted to eat and drink. After skiing we could either ski on for another hour or so or go back down to our rooms and have a shower or get ready for dinner. On the first day most people chose to ski on. On the second day not as many decided to ski on, so that they could explore the area near the hotel. There were lots of restaurants, a games room and a wellstocked supermarket where we could buy snacks. Each night we ate at a different restaurant around the village. As the week went on everyone drastically improved their skiing and snowboarding. Despite the few injuries that occurred during the week, most had a great time, with lots to do, including the evening activities – a disco, pizza evening, karaoke, tubing and presentation night. The ferry back was very rough and school was the morning after but overall the trip was very good fun and well worth the coach journey. George Lansdown, Kieran Brownlee and Nathan Robertson
Careers News Skills Development Scotland www.myworldofwork.co.uk I have continued to offer a range of inputs including one to one interviews, small and larger group sessions and liaising across departments within the school and specifically with the guidance team. Some of the activities I would like to highlight are, the S6 Employability sessions offered to S6 and you can review some of the activities and resources here and I would like to thank Mr Fitzgerald for his invaluable input. I have deliv
ered S4, S5 and S6 sessions and attended the appropriate parents’ evenings. The final S6 presentation to the year group is here and covers most of the post school options and resources available. This term’s work included the second follow up of all school leavers for the School Leaver Destination Report and preparation for those applying to college, looking for employment and training programmes. Careers updates are posted regularly on the careers blog and you can follow via twitter at mickburns2.
Looking beyond this term, I am very pleased to report that we have just secured funding for an online career interest guide called Pathfinder and our intention is to create career profiles for S4/5/6 between now and December 2013. Please fell free to contact me if you require any further advice or information or have suggestions for consideration. Mick Burns Careers Adviser mick.burns@sds.co.uk Twitter: mickburns2
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The Zoo Trip Introduction-14 pupils joined with 7 other schools from around Scotland to take part and enjoy learning about zoos in modern day life. We joined a group with Alloa High School, together called the Samarian Tigers (formerly known as the Serbian tigers but are now extinct in the Serbian wild.) We took part in four completely different tasks, these were: Tiger dating Animal enrichment In situ conservation Why the lower parts of the food chain are important
Finding out about the lower end of the food chain – We learned a lot about how the small types of insect and animal are very important in the wild. One of the examples was a hissing cockroach, which we all got the chance to touch or hold. For all the people who think cockroaches are dirty and can carry diseases. That is not entirely true as only a few different types of cockroach actually carry diseases. They do a lot of the cleaning up after us,we are the dirty ones!!!!!!!
Tiger Dating – We tried to find a suitable mate for the zoo’s alpha male tiger. We were given about eight different female tigers from around the world to choose from, with different hobbies, medical histories and ages. Once we had decided on a mate, we then had to work out a way of transporting her to Edinburgh. Animal enrichment – In this workshop we had to make enrichment items for the chimpanzees using cardboard, socks and straw and hide food (nuts and dried fruit) inside them. Later on that day we threw them into the chimpanzee enclosure (with the keepers) for them to play with and destroy.
In situ conservation – In this workshop we had to think of ways to find out about the lifestyle of giant armadillo in their natural habitat without using the internet! We found out the best way to learn about an animal was to ask the local people. During this task we were shown an armadillo and got to stroke him.
The Panda Viewing! At the end of the day we went to see the pandas. They are called Tian Tian the female and Yang Guang the male. They are kept in two different enclosures but in the mating season they get put in the ‘tunnel of love’. James Chalmers, Thomas O’Brien and Ben McHardy
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Geography Fieldtrip to France On Friday 28th June, 30 Fifth and Sixth Year pupils and 4 members of staff left North Berwick on the Geography Fieldtrip to the French Alps. This year we are staying in Notre Dame de Bellecombe, a pretty Alpine village well known for its winter sports facilities. Our fieldwork programme includes glacial studies on the famous Mer de Glace and on the Trient Glacier in Switzerland. The journey to the Mer de Glace is by the funicular railway to Montenvers and offers fantastic views of the Mont Blanc Massif with its retreating glaciers. We will visit the spectacular Limestone Caves at Seythenex and the Gorges du Fier.
We hope to investigate the importance of tourism to the economy of this area and carry out fieldwork in both Chamonix and Annecy. A Land Use Study and visit to a cheese factory will also feature. Hopefully, we will also have time for some leisure activities, such as (weather permitting!) a visit to the luge run in Chamonix and the pedaloes in Annecy! Mrs Morrison
Vacancies for Parent Council Clerks 5 hours work Rate of pay - £41.55 per meeting Locations; Elphinstone, Pencaitland, St Martin’s, Windygoul and Yester Duties attached, if you would like further information or to be considered please contact parentcouncil@eastlothian.gov.uk If you have any questions please let me know.
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Music Recent Woodwind Exam Results
Lamp House Music
Trinity Exams Results
In the February break I had the chance to go to a song writing workshop at The Lamp House Music Studios.
Bea Booth – Grade 3 - Clarinet – Pass Rhianna Leslie – Grade 3 - Alto Sax – Merit
As first I was a little bit nervous about doing it as I thought I was the only one from North Berwick who was going but I found out that Rachel Eadie was doing it so it was fine. As well as creating a bond with Rachel I also made a lot of new friends from Knox.
Lindsay Hart – Grade 4 – Clarinet – Pass Rosalind Renwick – Grade 4 – Flute – Pass Thomas O’Brien – Grade 4 – Alto Sax - Merit
Songwriting/Band Workshops 10 places were available for a music project funded by ELJAM (East Lothian Youth Music Forum). Taking place over five days in the February break, the project was to incorporate song writing, forming a band, performing the song and finally having the song recorded. There were 8 participants from Knox Academy and 2 from NBHS. Here is an account from one of our pupils who took part , Monique Lerpiniere.
It was interesting to learn a new instrument (the bass) but I seemed to pick it up quite quickly! The bass sounded quite good with all the other instruments playing together. Now that I’ve had an experience of playing a new instrument I’m thinking of actually taking up the bass! I would definitely recommend the workshop to anyone who gets the chance to do it. It is a great opportunity to meet new people and learn a new instrument. Thank you Lamp House Music! Monique Lerpiniere, 2L2
SAMBA! Recently we had Community Musician Pete Vilk visit the school to give 50 S1 - S3 pupils an experience of Samba. Here Christie Barbour tells us about it: (3C).
The workshop that I signed up for in school was for a half hour taster session of samba music....we really enjoyed it and walked away having learnt about different South American samba instrumnets and also different rhythms to play on them. When everyone started to get into it, the samba music was really lifted around the school hall and made me get goose bumps. I think everyone walked away with a smile on their face even if they were unsure about signing up.....brilliant fun and a great idea bringing a different style of music into the school. I would definitely recommend giving it a go! Pete Vilk will be teaching a Samba course in Sept/Oct. More details available from Pete - petevilk@mac.com
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Battle of the Bands This year saw the debut of NBHS’s “Battle of the Bands”. Many students auditioned from S1-6 and five bands were picked to play for the live final. Each band were to play one cover song as well as one original that they had written themselves. Whilst the musical styles differed, each band performed brilliantly. The standard was so high that our judges from The Academy of Music & Sound promptly offered a secondary prize as well as a prize for the winners. Our runners-up on the night were “The Heist”, A S2 band who will be taking part in the Academy’s “Rock School” over the summer holidays. Winning the top prize of a recording session were “Chocolate Fireguard”, an S6 band who will be recording their own EP in the studio this month.
Football News S1 The S1 team have taken part in a number of friendlies during the summer term against local opposition. As part of their high school transition, some of the P7 footballers from the cluster primaries have been playing with the S1s in these games and performing really well with their new school mates. S2 The S2 team finished 7th in the East and Midlothian Schools Under 14 league. They recorded victories against Ross High, Preston Lodge and Musselburgh. S3 The S3s recently finished 5th out of 7 teams in the annual east and Midlothian tournament at Dalkeith Campus. S3 coach Mr McGeever is leaving North Berwick High School and the squad got together to buy him a football and sign it as his leaving gift. The boys would like to thank Mr McGeever for all of his hard work and words of encouragement throughout the season. S5/6 The senior football team enjoyed a successful season in their first season in the Lothians Schools League. They finished 3rd in Division 2, which was an excellent achievement considering most of the squad were S5 playing against other S6 teams. The boys finished their season with a thrilling victory against Preston Lodge High School in the East Lothian Cup final. After defeating Ross High, Knox Academy and Dunbar Grammar on their way to the final, they played superbly to win 4-3 on penalties after extra time. Special mention goes to Josh Cunningham, who saved three penalties in the shoot-out, and it was a great effort by the entire squad. This year’s inaugural Senior Player of the Year award goes to Kayde Reynolds, as voted for by his teammates. Thank you to all of the departing S6 players for all of their hard work throughout the season and throughout their time at the school. Adult Helpers Any parents who would like to help with coaching or transport for one of the football teams from August, please get in touch with Mr Docherty at the school. Any help, however small, will be gratefully received and will allow as many youngsters as possible to continue playing football for the school. Mr Docherty is also planning to offer senior players the chance to enrol on coaching and refereeing courses. If any S5 or S6 pupil is interested, please see Mr Docherty before the end of term.
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Football Results Results The various teams have been busy playing a number of fixtures over the last few months. S1 – Scottish Plate, 1st round Taylor High School 7 North Berwick 0 S2 – East and Midlothian League North Berwick 4 Ross High 3 Dalkeith HS 8 North Berwick 1 S3 Friendly Ross High 2 North Berwick 3 Seniors (S5/6) Ross High 3 North Berwick 6 North Berwick 0 Preston Lodge 1 Knox Academy 3 North Berwick 5 Further S2 and senior league results can be found on the LSFA website at www.lsfa.co.uk
NBHS Football Club are delighted to announce that Donald Mackay, founder of new North Berwick business Firemac, has made a substantial donation towards the cost of new strips and rain jackets for the senior football team. This kit will be used this season and next in the Lothians Schools League. North Berwick are currently 3rd in Division 2, with three games of the season still to play. All of the players and management team would like to thank Donald for his support.
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S3 Highland Trip On the Monday we took a bus to Pitlochry and had a chippie. We then continued the journey to a place called Glenuig inn. We stayed the night in buildings outside the inn and had dinner and breakfast in the inn. On Tuesday morning we split up into 2 groups. One group was going to go walking and the other group was going canoeing down Loch Shiel. The group that were walking climbed up a 475m mountain called Beinn Ώ Chaosainn and then walked back down the other side towards the campsite beside Loch Shiel. The group that were canoeing started at the end of the loch and canoed down to our camping area around the middle of the loch where they joined the other group. Our campsite was an isolated area about 5 miles away from any signs of human life. Camping was fun but it was quite difficult to make our own meals using only a trangia stove. Once we had finished our meal and put our tent up we walked away from the camp site to a beach where we made a campfire. We then made smores – digestive biscuits with chocolate spread and melted marshmallows. The next morning we had to pack up quickly even though we were very tired from camping and the day before. Once everything was packed up and the campsite was clear we split into our two groups again, then both groups swapped activities and made their way down the Loch. We canoed and walked down the rest of the loch until we got to Glenfinnan. We then got a bus from Glenfinnan to the Glen Nevis youth hostel where we would be staying our next two nights. After two days of activities we got to sleep quite quickly on Wednesday night. On Thursday we split into two groups again. One group were going to climb up Ben Nevis as far as they could go while the other group walked along a valley and climbed the summit of another mountain at the end. Both groups found it tiring but also really enjoyed it. On Thursday evening everyone was playing Perudo and cards in one of the rooms in the Hostel. On Friday morning we split into 2 groups for the last time. One group went mountain biking which was great fun and the other group went on a Segway tour which was a brilliant experience. In the afternoon everyone went ice climbing and on an aerial assault course. We spent our last night in a lodge by ourselves. We had a presentation that summed up the week, just before we went to bed on Friday night. On Saturday we made our journey home while stopping off at Glentress GO APE. The group really gelled and got to know each other well. We learned to appreciate our different strengths and, generally, we just had a really good laugh and learned new skills along the way. It helped that the weather was awesome! Ewan Jardine (4F2), Ewan Thomson (4C1)
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Little Cook Big Cook 2013 On 8th May NBHS hosted our cluster heats for Little Cook Big Cook 2013. This exciting culinary challenge, now in its 7th year, aims to link secondary and primary pupils and to raise awareness of the healthy eating message in a fun, practical way. We had a great response from our cluster primary schools and two P6 pupils from each participating Primary (Law, Athelstaneford, Aberlady, Dirleton) were grouped with an NBHS S3 Hospitality pupil who worked with and supported the younger pupils. Each team was challenged to prepare, cook and present a two course healthy meal in an hour and a half. The quality of both the team work and culinary skills on display were impressive and made the job of the judging panel very difficult. Hannah Wood (NBHS) , Hannah Salt (Aberlady) and Eve Smart (Aberlady) were selected to represent the North Berwick cluster at the final held at Knox Academy on 23rd May. Our team demonstrated their skills under the scrutiny of a panel of judges from the hospitality industry and cooked Stir Fried Vegetables with Noodles followed by Chocolate Fruit Pizza. The judges complemented the team on the wonderful flavours in their food. Knox Academy cluster were worthy winners of the Little Cook Big Cook title for 2013. Thanks to all the pupils who took part in this enjoyable event. Law - Sarah Potter, Chrissie Acton, Charlotte Livesy, Andrew Entwhistle Athelstaneford - Bethan Scobie, Callum Paton, Toby Mustard, Jasmine Coppinger Aberlady - Joe Donnelly, Luke Verral, Hannah Salt, Eve Smart Dirleton - Aaron Galloway, Lewis Sharp, Ellie Robertson, Holly Walkingshaw NBHS – Hannah Wood, Daniel Algeo, Rory Armatage, Emily Cook, Lucy Patrick, Nicholas Allan, Fraser Scott, Calum Ward
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Normandy 2013 On Sunday 12th May 2013 suitcases were being checked and people were running around trying to make sure they didn’t forget anything. It felt like 8pm took forever to arrive. Finally, it was time to leave North Berwick and everyone clambered onto the waiting bus, waving to family and chattering excitedly to the people sitting beside them. After so much planning, we were finally leaving. For an hour or two, everyone was very excited, talking about everything we’d be doing once we reached Normandy. Before long, however, people started to settle down for the 10 hour bus journey to Portsmouth. Not many of us got much sleep, as most people were still wide awake on arrival at the port at 5am. Once we were on the ferry we were shown into the cafeteria and told to return in a couple of hours. We were allowed to roam around, looking around the shops, the cinema and the deck. When we went out onto the deck we could see the coastline of England disappearing slowly into the horizon and we had the feeling that our trip had begun. After lunch we were close to arriving in Caen. The sun began to shine and we could tell we were a long way from rainy Scotland. It was just a short drive to our hotel, the Chateaux du Baffy. We lugged our suitcases up the gravel path and saw for the first time where we would be staying for the next week. We were given time to settle in and explore the grounds before dinner.
In our free time many of us chose to do different things. Most of the guys went to play football on the Chateaux’s tennis court and many balls were kicked into the river! The girls mostly sat on the large grass lawn in front of the Chateaux eating ice creams and talking. When dinner came around at 6.15 we were all still tired from the journey and ready to go to bed. Soon after dinner we all went up to our rooms, excited to experience Normandy first hand. The next morning the alarms started ringing much too early for most of us as we got dressed and groggily dragged ourselves downstairs for breakfast. Off we went to Arromanches for a full day of Mrs Brownlee’s History lectures! The first stop of the day was the 360 degree cinema which was showing a film called “100 jours de Normandie” about the lead up to the D-day landings. There were 9 screens surrounding us trying to give us an accurate representation of the horror the soldiers felt so long ago – it really was an emotional experience and many had tears in their eyes. We walked down to the D-day museum, where we watched a Pathe newsreel of footage showing the construction of the Mulberry Harbours. Then we were given free time to explore the town including the Mulberry Harbours themselves. In our time exploring the town many of us had our first crêpe of the week! From Arromanches we went to the surrounding cliffs to look at the German gun posts and no-one could believe the size of them. We visited Omaha Beach cemetery where we found the graves of the Niland brothers (Saving Private Ryan was based on their story) and the grave of Theodore Roosevelt! The final stop was the German cemetery, a real contrast to the white and gold of the American one as many of the Germans were buried in mass graves and granite is used for headstones making it seem very dark in comparison. With heavy hearts we headed back to the Chateau, nonetheless the mood was soon lifted by ‘degustation’ as we got to sample the local delicacy of Escargot and Frogs Legs. That evening we had a History quiz and some challenges to fulfil. These culminated in an open air disco on the lawn and Miss Auchnie was in charge of the music! The next few days took us all over Normandy and we experienced so much, including a stop at the medieval town of Bayeux to see the British war cemetery where we laid a poppy wreath. We viewed first-hand the Bayeux Tapestry made to commemorate the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, and then we had a look at the Cathedral. We also had the opportunity to work on our French speaking skills at a local market. Mont St Michel and Alligator Bay were visited the following day and in the evening it was a trip to the Ten Pin Bowling. Thursday took us to Paris Disneyland where we embraced the speed of Space Mountain! On the last evening we had a disco at the Chateau and everyone had the opportunity to show off their dancing skills including Mr Maxwell! By Katherine Frost and Eilidh McSherry
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S6 Senior Positions Warm congratulations to the following pupils who have been appointed to senior roles in school: Head Girl Depute Head Girl
Amy Ireland Libby Sampey
Head Boy Depute Head Boy
Neil Wilson Gareth Grant
Craig House Captains Amy White Fraser Thomson
Craig House Vice Captains Maddie Ryan Harriet Nicholls Cameron Hunter Adam Munro
Fidra House Captains Jessica Thomson Callum Baptie
Fidra House Vice Captains Shannon Haughey Georgiana Hudson Jonathan Andrews Jack Hall
Glen House Captains Anya Telfer Finlay Pratt
Glen House Vice Captains Megan Fletcher Adam Corrie
Law House Captains Julia McMillan Ethan Roulstone
Law House Vice Captains Kirsten Dewar Finlay Williamson
All staff and pupils at North Berwick High School hope you have a fantastic Summer Break
Pupils return to school on Wednesday 21st August