The Gazette 2022-23

ST LEONARDS

2022-2023

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THE KIRKHILL WORKSHOP GREGORY PLACE ST ANDREWS, KY16 9PU 16/11/2023 14:22

News & Events

6

The Primary Years Programme

25

Art and Design

45

From the Music Department

70

On the Stage: Drama

72

Academic Departments

82

International Student Experience

104

Boarding Life

109

Sporting Highlights

118

Celebrating Success

131

Alumni Events

154

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HE AD’ S INTRODUC TION

A WARM WELCOME

There is much to be proud of, whether individual achievements, academic successes, victories on the sports field, or national awards for St Leonards.

We were proud to win not one but two national accolades this year, including Independent School of the Year 2022 for International Student Experience and the BSA Boarding Research Award 2023 - the second year running for excellence in residential education.

In the pages of this edition, you will find news and updates from pupils and staff, departmental reports, feature articles and more.

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Throughout, you will notice a theme of celebrating both our sense of community and our internationality. Through friendships in school and beyond, including within our global alumni network, connections are made for life - all are united in their shared experiences of a St Leonards education, and are prepared for the challenges that lie ahead.

I hope that you enjoy reading this year’s rich and colourful Gazette. My thanks go to all those who have contributed.

Simon Brian Head

Editors: Anna Stephenson & Gemma Adkins

I

t is a pleasure to introduce the 202223 edition of the St Leonards Gazette, celebrating and documenting yet another excellent year for our school community.

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HE ADS INTRODUC TION

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“As I reflect on the past year at St Leonards, it’s truly uplifting to see so much growth and so many achievements. Our school community has navigated the year with resilience, unity, and a steadfast commitment to excellence. Together, we’re creating an environment where positivity thrives, and where every member of the St Leonards family contributes to our shared success. Here’s to the joyous moments, shared accomplishments, and the continuous journey of growth and excellence that defines our remarkable community.”

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News & Events AUGU

Island Launch

ST

At the start of the academic year, our Years 7-13 pupils came together for the Island Launch on Birdcage. There was song, dance and laughter as our pupils gathered in their Islands, their colour represented by a ribbon pinned onto their blazers to wear with pride. The outdoor event ended with a mass ceilidh for all in Mull, Harris, Lewis and Skye to enjoy!

A Warm Welcome Pupils - boarding and day - were welcomed back to school for the start of the 2022-23 academic year with a series of events, from the tailored Boarding Landing Programme to a Back to School BBQ on Birdcage for all our families to mix and mingle.

New boarders enjoyed tours of St Andrews, a scavenger hunt around the school grounds and plenty of team building activities as they acclimatised to their new home away from home and made friends from around the world. They were joined by existing boarders to help show them the ropes - a perfect start to the year.

The Back to School BBQ brought day and boarding families together, from Year 1 to Year 13, for an afternoon of food and drink with friends old and new in our St Leonards Community.

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NEWS & EVENTS

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September

East Lomond Climb Year 7 embarked on their first Outdoor Education trip of the year in the glorious weather, led by Ms Sherwood.

Their adventure began at Falkland Estate, with the students taking it in turns to navigate the route and act as ‘nature detectives’ along the path. The pupils followed the Maspie Burn to the waterfall and continued the steep uphill climb to reach the peak. Well done to Year 7 who worked well together, remaining engaged and enthusiastic throughout!

Sorting Hat Assembly

St Leonards Honey Harvest

Group 4 Action Day

September Splash

In keeping with tradition, our new Year 1 children were sorted into their Islands in true Harry Potter style. The Sorting Hat pondered its decisions before announcing the Island for each child, having thought about their likes and dislikes, hobbies, talents - and siblings! The children were amazed by the magical hat, and were excited to be in the spotlight!

We were delighted to launch our second limited edition batch of our St Leonards School Honey. The honey was carefully removed from the hives and extracted from the combs and wax cap by our Year 5 pupils, before being bottled and labelled.

The jars of honey were very popular with many St Leonards families and staff enjoying the sweet taste.

Well done to Year 9 pupil Rory Maitland who created the label as part of an MYP Design competition!

As part of the IB programme, our Year 12 students took part in the Group 4 Action Day, using a range of interesting materials to build a machine to get a metal ball to drop into a cup after a 30 second delay.

The students’ inventions were marked on four key areas: Accuracy, Teamwork, Elaboration and Innovation, with the winners being awarded a free scoop of Jannettas Gelateria ice cream!

Pupils in Years 1-9 took the plunge for their first dook of the year. Despite the chillier Autumn temperatures, the students were eager to take a dip and, in some cases, a swim in the sea. Joined

by St Leonards staff and cheered on by parents on the shoreline, they thoroughly enjoyed making a splash. It was a great start to Monday morning, leaving everyone feeling refreshed and ready for the week ahead.

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NEWS & EVENTS

October International Day By way of celebration of our 30+ nationalities at St Leonards, the whole school was bright and buzzing as pupils proudly wore their national dress for International Day. The event invited Years 1 to 6 pupils to a special assembly, celebrating different cultures and traditions.

This was followed by Years 7 to 11 coming together in the School Hall to sample cuisines from across the globe as they transformed the space with stalls to celebrate cultures and traditions. The event was a truly global occasion, celebrating our IB ethos and international outlook.

Millport Trip Our Year 12 Biology students had a fantastic time exploring Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae in early October. The weekend was designed to give students practical experience and skills in order to complete their internal assessment (IA) in the summer term. The pupils set off early to gather data along the rocky shore, noting the changes in plant and animal life, sand dune succession and nurdle and plastic analysis.

Upon return, some of the students were inspired to continue their experiments along the beautiful St Andrews coastline.

Skills Scotland The IB Career-Related Programme (IBCP) students attended Skills Scotland, a large-scale skills, career and apprenticeship event, at The SEC Centre in Glasgow. The employment showcase was designed to give pupils exposure to the type of opportunities available to them beyond school. There were representatives from over 30 major companies and organisations presenting professional career advice and pathways into various sectors. The pupils engaged with the company representatives and took part in screen printing, virtual reality demonstrations and skills testing.

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NEWS & EVENTS

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Harp Initiative Year 3 enjoyed learning to play the harp in their newly introduced music initiative. The class worked together to learn about the instrument and how it is played, with many students practising and playing a variety of pieces.

A big thank you to Visiting Music Tutor, Miss Russell for leading these engaging workshops!

Rotary Young Leadership Awards (RYLA) Final year pupil Lily Driscoll and former pupil Robert Thomson, joined members of the The Rotary Club of St Andrews to celebrate their experiences on the Rotary Young Leadership Awards (RYLA) programme. This intensive leadership programme enables young people to discover their potential, make connections and develop the core skills required to become an inspiring leader. Both pupils shared how they thrived in the unfamiliar environment, thanking the Rotary Club for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Junior School Informal Concerts Before the October Half Term, Years 1-6 congregated to perform two superb informal concerts in our Music School Auditorium. Performing to peers, parents and staff members, they played an array of instruments including the violin, piano and clarinet. Fully embodying and embracing the IB Learner Profile Attribute, Risk-taker, the pupils bravely put their names forward to perform their chosen music piece in front of the large audience. A memorable moment was watching George Cheape seamlessly play Flower of Scotland using his great grandfather’s 100 year old bagpipes!

St Leonards Day The pupils of Years 7-13 came together just before the October Half Term holiday for an afternoon of sports and games. The pupils represented their Islands - Mull, Harris, Lewis and Skye - dressed head-to-toe in their colours, competing for ever-important Island points. To determine the overall Island winner, students came forward for the annual inter-Island tug o’ war on Birdcage, set against the backdrop of Bishopshall and St Rule boarding houses. The shouts of support could be heard across the campus, and quite possibly beyond our mediaeval walls. After a hard-fought but fun competition, the winning Island was announced as Lewis for its members’ exceptional skill out on the field.

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NEWS & EVENTS

r e b m e v o N Remembrance Day To commemorate those who gave their lives in service, St Leonards held three assemblies of Remembrance on Armistice Day. The assemblies were followed by a two-minute silence observed by the whole school, on Birdcage, which ended with the sound of the bagpipes.

Our Heads of School, Pablo Gomez-Martin and Niamh Headon, laid a wreath on behalf of all at St Leonards at the war memorial in St Andrews on Remembrance Sunday. They were joined by the Head as they paid their respects, following a service in Holy Trinity Church and a military procession in the town.

“At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.”

Climate Change Conference (COP) 2022 As part of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, the children in Year 6 explored the distribution of the Earth’s natural resources between people and countries. During this topic, they worked in small groups to collate research in an area of concern and confidently presented their findings at the St Leonards Climate Change (COP) Conference 2022.

They were visited by their peers in Years 1 to 5 to raise awareness and explain the impact they are having on people’s lives. The pupils presented solutions to these areas of concern, and were tasked with persuading world leaders of the need for prompt action!

First Women Photographic Portraits Some of our Sixth Form pupils were invited to the Wardlaw Museum, in association with the University of St Andrews, to visit their temporary exhibition entitled First Women. The visit was both informative and inspiring as the students viewed the collection of photographic portraits capturing women in the UK who were first in their field of achievement.

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NEWS & EVENTS

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Autumn Term Concert During the term we enjoyed many musical moments, and a particular highlight was the Autumn Concert which was truly superb so many outstanding performances, both from solo performers and ensembles.

The packed programme featured the St Leonards Orchestra and the St Leonards Ukulele Group, known as the SLUGS, with performers giving renditions of everything from Whitacre to Smetana, Jones, A-ha and more.

Island Ceilidh Our Years 7 and 8 pupils had a wonderful time competing in the Island Ceilidh, dancing with their fellow peers to win points for Mull, Harris, Lewis and Skye. The students participated in three Scottish dances: the Gay Gordons, the Dashing White Sergeant and the unrivalled favourite, Strip the Willow - in celebration of St Andrew’s Day on 30 November.

A fantastic effort from all involved and well done to those who were awarded Island points!

TOK Writers’ Retreat Our Year 13 IB Diploma students ventured to The Burn - a wonderful country house in Angus - for a weekend writers’ retreat. Over the two days, the pupils polished their ToK essays, moving from the draft to final submission stages. The students made use of the quiet location and structured learning environment to make great progress with their work.

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NEWS & EVENTS

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MBE E C E R

Debating Day

Discovery Point in Dundee Year 5 were thrilled to take a trip to Discovery Point in Dundee to learn about Captain Scott and his expedition on The Discovery. The children dressed up in the clothes that explorers 100 years ago would have worn and then compared them to the modern day equivalent. Having explored the ship itself the children looked around the museum absorbing all the information on display. The students finished their visit with a video about Antarctica and how much more there is still to explore. What a wonderful attraction to have right on our doorstep!

A fun-filled day was had at the annual Year 8 Debating Day. Pupils were pushed out of their comfort zones to create motions on mental health in sports. Well done to the winning team Kabir Dhillon, Rory Koenig and Angus Sloan who were recognised for their sophisticated motions. Thank you to the University of St Andrews Debating Society for acting as our judging panel.

Snow White and the Numerous Elves It has become tradition for our Year 4 pupils to rehearse a pantomime in their Drama lessons, to be performed to peers, parents and staff. The children worked exceptionally hard to learn their lines, steps and lyrics in preparation for show day.

Their determination and persistence paid off as they gave an outstanding performance of Snow White and the Numerous Elves to a full audience in our Music School Auditorium.

The show included song and dance, with group and solo performances - it was truly a joy to watch!

Career-related Programme Dinner The Year 12 Career-related Programme (CP) cohort organised a dinner party with entertainment, for a guestlist of current Year 13 CP pupils, their teachers, the Heads of Years and the Head, Mr Brian. The pupils planned the entire event using the skills they have developed throughout their event management lessons. The students transformed the Business Management classroom, decorating it with a Christmas theme and serving food from our on-site Restaurant 1877.

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NEWS & EVENTS

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Countdown to Christmas As ever, the countdown to Christmas at St Leonards featured a myriad of magical events. The school community came together for the annual Christmas Mix concert, the Christmas Fair in the Junior School - organised by the Parents Association - parties, socials, a traditional turkey dinner, Inter-Island Singing and more.

Christmas jumpers were worn in support of Save the Children; tinselwrapped hockey sticks graced the Astro for the Festive Hockey Tournament, and carols were sung surrounded by twinkling trees in Holy Trinity Church.

The Inn-Spectors Continuing the festivities, our youngest pupils performed this year’s Nativity Play, The Inn-Spectors to a full audience of parents, peers and family members.

Following the traditional Christmas Story, we had Mary and Joseph, the inn-keepers, angels, shepherds and animals aplenty on stage. The play came with a modern twist as these traditional characters were joined by the Inn-spectors, sent to check the accommodation was up to scratch in Bethlehem. It was wonderful to see our youngest pupils rise to the occasion, singing and performing with gusto. All spectators left with smiles on their faces and humming along to the memorable melodies!

Snow Days The final day of Autumn Term 2022 was marked by a heavy covering of snow in St Andrews and St Leonards looked absolutely glorious - a real winter wonderland! Pupils were out on Birdcage building snow sculptures and throwing snowballs with friends. The perfect end to the term, even if the extreme weather proved challenging for those hoping to attend our Years 1-6 Carol Service.

Those who made it through the wintry conditions were treated to festive sing-song in the Music School Auditorium in place of the full service in Holy Trinity, which whilst not the event we had hoped for, showed a real sense of community spirit all round!

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NEWS & EVENTS

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To kickstart the Spring Term, our Year 1 to 9 pupils took to the water with a refreshing dip in St Andrews Bay. With our younger years paddling and our older pupils going for a swim, or a dunk, there was a great community spirit out on East Sands. The pupils were joined by parents and • • staff, collectively • • braving the cool •• • • temperatures. On the • • • shore, Sam Henderson in • • • ••• Year 11 played the bagpipes to • • • participants into the water. welcome pa What a wonderful w W way to welcome in 2023!

January

Chinese New Year Lunar New Year was celebrated with many Bishophall boarders organising an evening of traditional celebrations. The students wore classical dress and took part in a dumpling-making workshop, learning that the delicacy is a way to bring good luck to the home. In Years 1 to 6, our youngest pupils received red envelopes in keeping with Chinese tradition. Inside their envelope was a small gift and a beautiful red lantern to celebrate the occasion and share the diversity in our student body.

Burns Night In celebration of Scotland’s national poe poet, Robert Burns, pupils and staff wore traditional birthday. Touches of tartan and kilts were all around. For Scottish dress to celebrate his birthda lunch, the children tucked into a traditional Burns’ supper of haggis, neeps and tatties to Scottish bard! commemorate the Scottis

Workshop in a Box The Year 13 IB Chemistry students set about solving a Murder Mystery, using real laboratory equipment loaned by the University of Edinburgh. As part of their chemical analysis unit, the pupils worked in groups to identify six chemical samples. They enjoyed the hands-on experience giving them an insight into future careers in Chemistry.

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NEWS & EVENTS

U R ARY B E F

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East Sands Clean-Up As part of their CAS (Creativity, Activity and Service) project, a Year 12 tutor group organised a clean-up of East Sands beach. Bringing together over 30 Sixth Form students, each was equipped with a grabber and bag to collect any unwanted debris. The pupils managed to collect five bags worth of litter, making the beach a safer place for all who use it. Through their efforts, the pupils reflected on their impact on the environment, striving to become global citizens through their engagement in the local community.

Scotties by the Sea Budding artists jumped at the opportunity to visit the Fraser Gallery in St Andrews for the launch of the Scotties by the Sea design competition, organised by BID St Andrews. The large-scale public art trail is set to come to the North East Fife Coastal Community in September 2023. Pupils, Jamie Pennycook and Arina Young in Year 12, and Cecilia DanielPedersen in Year 9, joined BID St Andrews, Wild in Art and Maggie’s Dundee for the press launch of the competition, where they submitted their first entry to the competition to design a giant Scottie sculpture!

Big Green Poetry Machine Competition The young poets in Year 5 submitted entries to The Big Green Poetry Machine Competition to express their thoughts and feelings about their chosen ecosystem and how it has been affected by climate change. The entries were recognised by the competition as being impactful and creative, with all pupils selected as competition winners and chosen for publication!

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NEWS & EVENTS

Year 7, 8 and 9 Concert The Years 7-9 Concert made for a fabulous evening of performances from our talented MYP musicians. The students performed Bach, Chopin, Brown & Freed and a spot of Einaudi, plus plenty more. The evening was rounded off by the Baby SLUGS (our younger musicians in the St Leonards Ukulele Group)!

Planetarium Years 1 to 6 were delighted to welcome Tayside Planetarium to St Leonards to help them discover the wonders of the night sky. Each class was invited into the planetarium to view the planets in our solar system and the constellations of the zodiac.

Year 6 enjoyed a hands-on experience and furthered their investigation by comparing the planet’s distances, shape and diameters.

Intermediate Maths Challenge Years 10 and 11 took part in the UKMT Intermediate Mathematical Challenge, competing in a 60-minute, multiple-choice challenge which encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency to solve problems. Many excelled in this competition receiving awards for their effort.

A special mention to Alistair Calvert in Year 11 whose score was in the top 25% of the UK and qualified for the follow-on round, the Pink Kangaroo. Alistair was presented his award by the Head, Mr Brian, celebrating this noteworthy achievement.

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Primary Swimming Gala It was wonderful to welcome local primary schools to St Leonards to compete in our Primary Swimming Gala. The pupils competed in a variety of races including Back Crawl, Breaststroke, Butterfly and Relay.

The pupils really excelled, making for a successful day for all involved.

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NEWS & EVENTS

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March World Book Day The school was a hive of storytelling and celebrations of all things related to reading for World Book Day. To share the joy of literature, Years 1 to 13 celebrated the special day by dressing up as their favourite book characters.

Joined by staff, also celebrating their favoured hero or villain, Years 1 to 6 took part in an annual costume parade to show off their spectacular outfits. A whole host of characters were on display including Harry Potter, Dennis the Menace, the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland and an Oompa Loompa from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Maths Day Celebrations Pupils joined millions of students from across the globe to share their love for Mathematics on World Maths Day. The day was kicked off

by Year 3 who practised their 5 times table by singing their own alternate rendition of So What? by Pink. This was accompanied by various problem-solving games and activities.

Pupils also considered what the world would look like without numbers, understanding the importance of mathematics in daily life.

In addition to the fabulous fancy dress on show, further activities were held to encourage a love of literature including author workshops, bookshop visits, storytelling sessions and more. A highlight of these events was the compilation of book recommendations from Years 7-13, formulating a superb list entitled 100 Books to Read Before You Leave St Leonards. These recommendations can be found on page 89.

Rotary Forum Sixth Form students were joined by pupils from Madras College for a stimulating schools forum to reflect on the issues of migration. Organised by The Rotary Club of St Andrews, the pupils heard from Rotarian, Chantal Mrimi, who shared her personal migrant journey. Her captivating and sometimes harrowing tale made for a very thought-provoking and emotional session.

Author Visit It was wonderful to welcome former St Leonards teacher and now published poet, Simon Lamb, back to host author workshops. Mr Lamb shared his journey to becoming an author and introduced his newly published book A Passing On of Shells’ - 50 Fifty-Word Poems. The inspiring workshop initiated plenty of discussion with many of our pupils asking interesting questions to the distinguished author. The event concluded with pupils receiving a signed copy of the book.

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NEWS & EVENTS

Dazzling Debate Cornelia Kallblad in Year 12 and Isla Hutchinson in Year 13 took part in the Edinburgh Schools Debating Competition at Edinburgh Academy.

The pupils competed against over 50 other students from different schools around Scotland.

Despite the strong competition, the girls managed to get through to the final and win the overall competition.

This is a wonderful achievement, especially with it being Cornelia’s second ever competition!

Rotary Quiz

Letter from David Attenborough As part of the Year 6 pupils’ Primary Years Programme Exhibition, Maya Zysman-Colman, Eleanor Henderson and Elena Sciarretta wrote to David Attenborough to ask for information and advice on climate change. They were delighted to receive a handwritten reply back from the national treasure, detailing ways the pupils can take action against climate change.

Following St Leonards’ previous success in the competition, we were delighted to host this year’s Rotary Primary Schools Quiz. Six teams from fellow schools joined us to compete in multiple question rounds ranging from sport, maths, music and more.

It was a closely matched competition, but in the final round, St Leonards led by one point and managed to secure the top spot for a second year running.

Well done to team members Hamish Hume Smith, Harry Turner, Mia Petroaia, Sarah McCormac and reserve Cara Lang.

Easter Bonnet Parade GCSE Concert The GCSE Concert was a wonderful opportunity for our GCSE Music students to perform and record their practised pieces to a full audience of parents, peers and tutors.

Each performance counted towards the pupil’s final grades. Sam Henderson opened the concert brilliantly on the bagpipes, and this was followed by a jam-packed programme including performances on the violin, drums, piano, guitar, flute and tenor sax.

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To wrap up the end of the Spring Term, the pupils in Years 1 to 3 created spectacular Easter bonnets and showcased their creations in our annual Easter Bonnet Parade.

The playground was awash with chicks, eggs and Easter bunnies as the children showed off their imaginative designs, celebrating the start of Easter.

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Corgi Derby

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NEWS & EVENTS

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L I R

Claudia in Year 5 enjoyed a day out at the races with her pet corgi, Paddy, as they took part in the annual Corgi Derby at Musselburgh Racecourse. Paddy is thought to be distantly related to one of the late Queen’s corgis and was crowned winner of the derby the previous year. Despite not having as much luck this year, Claudia enjoyed taking her grandparent’s pooch around the course.

Daring Dookers Our Years 1 to 6 pupils started the first Friday of the Summer Term with a refreshing dook in St Andrews Bay, with our youngest children dipping a toe, and the older pupils braving the waters for a full dip. It was wonderful to see so many of our parents down on the sands supporting the pupils - some even took the plunge themselves!

Easter Holiday Camps

Target Shooting

The campus was alive with activity throughout the Easter holidays, thanks to our popular Multi-Activity Camp and Culinary Club. Pupils from St Leonards and the wider community enjoyed team-building and beach activities, sports, games and more, whilst at the Thomas Franks Scotland Culinary Camp, Catering Manager Darren Tonge and his team trained up a group of budding chefs.

During the Easter break, Lily Driscoll in Year 13 was asked to shoot as Team Reserve in the Scotland Under 21 Target Shooting squad against New Zealand.

Lily travelled to Aberdeen for the competition and proudly represented her country, shooting well and enjoying the experience. On the strength of her success, Lily has been asked to join the national training squad in the Autumn.

The cooks learned plenty of skills in the kitchen, creating delicious dishes from scratch, including a full meal for their parents on the final day!

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NEWS & EVENTS

May At the Botanics Year 2 spent a fascinating day amongst the wonderful and exotic plants at the Botanical Gardens of St Andrews investigating their pond life. Led by enthusiastic ranger Callum, the children learned about all sorts of minibeasts living under the surface of the beautiful pond at the bottom of the gardens.

Quad to Birdcage With the Diploma and Career-related Programme exams complete for the Year 13 students, attention turned to celebrations, starting with the annual ‘Quad to Birdcage’ walk. This traditional procession saw the whole school - staff and pupils from Year 1 to Year 12 - line the paths and pitches to cheer on the Sixth Form leavers as they were piped through the school grounds.

Mental Health Awareness Week For Mental Health Awareness Week, we aimed to increase awareness of mental health amongst the pupil body, parents and staff. The theme this year was anxiety, sharing tips and techniques which can contribute to positive mental health. Activities included running, wild swimming, crossfit, sourdough baking and mindfulness - it was fantastic to see everyone coming together as a community!

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Informal Concerts It was wonderful to see so many pupils in Years 1-6 performing at our End of Year Informal Concerts, standing up in the Music School Auditorium to play and sing to a full audience. The Years 1-3 occasion coincided with Wear Green for the Eco Team day, raising funds for the pupil-led Wellbeing Trail.

Dook & Beach Clean Joined by members of staff, including the Head, and some of our brave parents, the Years 7 to 9 pupils took the plunge down at the Castle Sands for their termly dook.

The weather wasn’t in our favour that morning, but what’s a little rain when you’re in for a swim!

Those not dooking participated in a beach clean, keeping our sands safe and spotless!

PYP Exhibition Year 6 pupils thoroughly enjoyed hosting their PYP Exhibition, presenting their inquiries based on the central idea of how our passions can make a difference to the lives of others.

There was an amazing variety of topics covered - everything from mental health to construction, Jamaica, healthy eating, the environment and sports.

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NEWS & EVENTS

Give it a Go

June

After its successful introduction last year, the Give it a Go Boarding Programme was back and bigger than ever.

The weeks were packed with activities and memorable moments with friends. From a pool party and beach activities to movie nights, dodgeball matches, and an exhilarating trip to Fox Lake’s Aqua Park in Dundee, the pupils had a jam-packed schedule of fun and adventure.

Sports Day

Lifeguarding Qualification

The end of the academic year was celebrated at our actionpacked Sports Days where remarkable talents emerged on the field, with students earning medals and trophies.

Some even shattered school records with exceptional times and distances. Congratulations to all who participated in the races, and exhibited great determination and sportsmanship.

Well done to those who completed the RLSS National Pool Lifeguard Qualification during the May Half Term.

This course was a first for St Leonards!

Sandcastle Competition Pupils in Years 1 to 6 had a glorious day at the annual Sandcastle Competition on East Sands. With buckets and spades at the ready, the students got to work creating their pre-planned designs. There were some truly impressive sculptures on display, including a mermaid, dolphin, turtle, octopus and shark!

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NEWS & EVENTS

Model United Nations Day Year 9 students kicked off their diplomatic careers during Model United Nations Day, acting as delegates, representing a range of countries from Brazil to Vietnam.

Research topics included corruption in Fifa, immigration laws, and endangered marine life.

Student chairs ran the event, fresh from their trip to the MUN conference in Greece, coordinating the debates and giving their expert advice.

Ridgway Adventure

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Techno Challenge Two teams of Year 6 were joined by eight local schools to compete in our 24th annual Techno Challenge Day. We welcomed teams from Balmerino, Balmullo, Canongate, Castlehill, Craigclowan, Newport, Tayport and Wormit to compete in a range of STEM challenges, followed by an exciting Maths Relay. Congratulations to Newport Primary who were winners of the large school category and to Balmullo Primary and St Leonards who emerged joint winners of the small school category.

Year 6 embarked on their annual residential trip to Ridgway Adventure Centre in Ardmore, marking the School’s fifth visit. Once again, the week proved to be an extraordinary experience, with the children not only learning a great deal about themselves but also discovering their true capabilities. From catching crabs and conquering slopes to camping beneath the starry sky, they engaged in many memorable activities.

BBQ Celebrations Year 11 and Pre-IB had a fabulous time at their BBQ on Birdcage, celebrating the end of another academic year. The sun shone as students enjoyed delicious food, before gathering for a ceilidh on the lawn.

What a wonderful way to conclude the year!

St Leonards Ukulele Group The SLUGS (St Leonards Ukulele Group) took to the stage at the Anstruther Harbour Festival for the second year running. The group sounded fantastic in the open air, sharing the same stage as the Festival headliners, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers.

This gig was followed later in the term by an impromptu concert during lunch in Restaurant 1877, entertaining pupils in Year 7 to 13. A real treat for the final week before the summer holidays!

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E X TRACURRICUL AR AC TIVITIES

Extracurricular Activities YEARS 1-6 Beach Activities We are just a hop, skip and a jump from the sea, and so beach activities are a much-loved staple, be that rockpooling, playing rounders, paddling in the sea or building sandcastles!

Craft Club This year, pupils have enjoyed creating masterpieces with sequins, fabric, natural objects, tissue paper, paint and pens in the Year 1 to 4 Craft Club!

Beekeeping Beekeeping is a great opportunity for pupils to learn about the work and life cycle of bee colonies, as well as to help out with the maintenance of our hives and the harvest of delicious homemade honey!

Construction Club Construction Club involves building, creating and collaborating, whether that’s making a robot out of recycling, or constructing a Lego tower, the students have had lots of fun!

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YEARS 7-13 Debating Club Pupils have been learning the art of Debating, with some competing in national events across Scotland!

We are pleased to offer over 50 different co-curricular activities at St Leonards, spanning both the Junior and Senior School. From beekeeping Rifle Shooting Club to bushcraft, ukulele group to Eco Club, Members of the Rifle Shooting there’s something to suit all interests, as Club have enjoyed after-school well as scope for pupils to put forward coaching sessions at the suggestions for additions to the nearby St Andrews programme! Here are just a handful Rifle Club. of highlights from this year’s Meanwhile, our activities and clubs. boarders were invited to join members of the University of St Andrews’ Rifle Club at the Scottish Clay Shooting Centre to learn the ropes together!

SLUGS (St Leonards Ukulele Group) The SLUGS - members of our St Leonards Ukulele Group - enjoy practising and performing together during breaktime, lunchtime and after school. Their dedication and hard work definitely shows as they perform in a variety of concerts and festivals throughout the year, including the Anstruther Harbour Festival!

Climbing Club Climbing Club is a new activity hosted at A Vertical World in Dundee, giving pupils the opportunity to complete a NICAS climbing qualification and learn how to belay each other on the ropes. Some climbers even competed in the Open Climbing Competition at Morrison’s Academy, achieving some impressive results!

Creative Writing Club Members of the Creative Writing Club have received multiple awards this year. Led by Mrs Johnston, the students in Years 7 to 13 come together each week to share ideas, write, compose, and to let their imaginations run free.

Congratulations to Eva Sampson (Year 8), Cecily Pickles (Year 8), Rebecca Sneddon (Year 8), Daisy-Mae Fairweather (Year 8), Eliza Ylitalo (Year 8), Hung Nguyen (Year 9), Helena Flynn (Year 12), Alexandra McGregor (Year 13), Keyuri Ade (Year 13) and Cameron Adams (Year 13) who all received awards and had their work published this year!

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PYP & the IB Learner Profile The PYP is an inquiry-based educational framework that seeks to develop the whole child. Through IB Learner L arner Lea er Pro Profi rofilee pment pme ment of o all lea learners. arner ers.

Attributes, we recognise the importance of the academic, social, emotional, cultural and physical development Using the IB Learner Profile Attributes, our learning community strives to be role models for our youngg lear learners. arners rs.

September - Risk Takers

November - Knowledgeable

We have confidence when trying new things. We challenge ourselves and stand up for what is right.

We have explored relevant and significant concepts, ts, can n remember what we have learned, and can draw on this knowledge and apply it to new situations. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.

Suggested reading: You Can Do It, Bert! by Ole Könnecke Your child might want to set some short-term goals.

Consider activities that make him/her nervous. What are realistic goals for the week?

Our residential trips in Years 5 and 6 are a real example of Risk Takers.

October - Balanced We are healthy and aware that eating properly and exercising is important in our lives. We understand that to have a balance between the physical and mental aspects of our bodies. We spend time doing many different things.

Suggested reading: Over-Scheduled Andrew by Ashley Spires During less structured time, be aware of the activities your child is participating in - too much time in front of a device or TV is obviously not desirable, but all children need to do a variety of things.

Balanced is our co-curricular activities; from mindfulness to sports, crafts, dancing, art and more.

Suggested reading: The Girl with Big, Big Questions by Britney Winn Lee Explore other language materials from the library or online, and learn some words together.

Ask your child to suggest another language!

Children have the opportunity to become knowledgeable in areas that interest them through our pupil-led ethos.

December - Caring We want people around us to be happy and are sensitive to their needs. We think about the world and work to take care of my community and the environment. We remember to treat others how we want to be treated.

Suggested reading: The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates While reading books with the themes of kindness and acceptance, why not try some of these questions?

• Describe [character’s] caring actions and the consequences?

• In what ways could [character] have been more caring?

• How do caring actions affect [character’s] life?

We promote Caring around Christmas time and encourage the pupils to take part in ‘Do Good December’ which is led by Action for Happiness.

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January - Thinker

April - Principled

We use critical thinking skills to analyse and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.

We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.

Suggested reading: What Do You Do with a Problem?

by Mae Besom and Kobi Yamada Try solving riddles. You can search for child friendly riddles online. Sudoku, Word Searches and Crosswords are also fantastic ways to develop our thinking skills.

The daily life of the PYP is based around thinking skills, including problem solving, all of the above puzzles and giving children the opportunity to solve maths problems.

February - Open-Minded We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others.

We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.

Suggested reading: Norm by Sylvia Liang Introduce literature about various cultures into your home library. Be sure that it is appropriate and reflects the culture in an appropriate way.

We celebrate all kinds of celebrations in school, which include both religious and cultural events.

March - Inquirer We nurture our curiosity by developing skills for inquiry and research. We are lifelong learners who discover new knowledge and chase our questions. We know how to learn independently and with others.

Suggested reading: How to Read a Book by Kwame Alexander Take your child exploring with you even if it is just walking down the street, observing, taking notes and asking questions about everything you observe.

Inquiry is at the heart of all we do in the PYP, asking the ‘W questions’ (What? Why? Where? When? Who?).

Suggested reading: A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon Involve your child in deciding on the rules for a game or activity, and ensure that they stick to the ones that they have decided upon. Don’t change the rules to let your child win. Being a gracious loser is just as important as being a good winner.

Being principled in school is the learning community’s expectations of the pupils. Units of Inquiry explore the concept of responsibility and what it means to be an individual in society.

May - Communicator We express ourselves creatively and confidently in more than one language, and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of individuals and groups.

Suggested reading: Nerdy Birdy Tweets by Aaron Reynolds In this time of technology, why not challenge your child to become pen pals with someone? Writing physical letters is fun but receiving them is even better!

During their Celebration of Learning, pupils communicate what they have learnt during a Unit to adults and children.

June - Reflective We thoughtfully consider our world, and our own ideas and experiences. We work to understand our strengths and developmental areas in order to support our learning and personal development.

Suggested reading: The Great Realisation by Tomos Robert Keep a journal or a diary. Reading over the journal at the end of the week/month/year is a great way to reflect.

Reflecting is a part of the daily routine at St Leonards.

Using reflection journals, we reflect on the Learner Profile Attributes.

Catherine Brannen, PYP Coordinator

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YEAR 1-3:

The Early Years Journey Life is an adventure, an exploration, a journey. Starting school is one of the seminal moments for parents and children alike.

We are privileged in Years 1-3 at St Leonards to be able to provide the foundation for all future learning and to begin to develop the natural propensity for inquiry.

An often repeated quote from my childhood was, ‘life is a journey not a destination’ and I never fully appreciated its meaning until now. We are all on our own journeys. There will be broad similarities within these and yet the nuances and variations will be vast. Education is a journey within a journey. All of our children are ‘educated’, by that I mean they read, write and develop knowledge of numeracy but the route they take to achieve this differs enormously.

This year, as with every other, we have watched our youngest pupils grow and flourish at their own pace, encouraged, supported and stimulated by an amazing and dedicated team of teachers who seek the most inspirational ways in which to deliver their learning and enthuse their pupils. I am so very proud of the education we deliver in the truest sense.

At our heart we deliver comprehensive literacy and numeracy to enable our pupils to inquire, but at our core we seek to learn about the individuals and embrace the often varied educational journey that they are on. They may be on the equivalent of the M6 toll road, racing through with very few stops at the services; they may be taking many pit-stops on the same route (who doesn’t enjoy the chance to peoplewatch with cake and a coffee at the services from time to time); they may prefer the scenic A roads, taking in history, geography and culture en route; or indeed have signed up to the full tourist experience. Either way, whatever route and despite any hazards they may encounter on the way, with the right attitude from the adults around them, with a positive setting, and with an awareness and appreciation of all their differences they will all reach their own destination.

The journeys this year have been no less fascinating or diverse. A brief flick through the pages of this Gazette will offer only the smallest snapshot of the exhilarating journey our pupils have experienced over the course of the year.

I marvel once more at the diversity of the experiences our children have had. The learning extends well beyond the classroom and encompasses all aspects of life Peter Hyman reminds us that what matters most in the workplaces of today are ‘agility, initiative, curiosity, problem solving, collaboration and emotional intelligence’. How fortunate, then, that we at St Leonards agree.

Claire Boissiere Head of Years 1-3

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Year 1C S is for Swimming, having lots of fun in the pool, as well as learning plenty of other Skills in our PE Lessons.

T is for Tadpoles, the children enjoyed watching their frogspawn grow from tadpoles, to froglets, to frogs.

L is for Learning, what a lot of learning has happened this past year! Maths, letters, reading and writing, to name just a few.

E is for Excursions, a trip to Fife Zoo led to learning about

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different animals from around the world. The children loved talking about the lemurs and watching them be fed, as well as seeing the zebras, porcupines, meerkats and more!

We also had fun at Cambo Gardens in Kingsbarn, taking part in the activities set up by the helpers and exploring with our friends.

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O is for Occasions, we celebrated many occasions this year

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N is for Nature, where we made bird feeders, planted seeds and harvested sunflowers.

whilst working on our Unit of Inquiry, Celebrations; including Diwali, Hanukkah, Thanksgiving and the Chinese New Year. The children were also visited by Rev. Beebee to learn all about Christmas and Easter.

A is for Art, where we have loved to be

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creative and express ourselves through our drawing, painting, cutting and sticking.

R is for Reading, we love to read and share stories with our friends and Mr Brian.

D is for Delicious Baking with Miss Barclay. Throughout the year we have made bear and owl toast, apple crumbles, Coronation Crown biscuits, Christmas puddings, chocolate crispies and many, many more delicious treats.

S is for Special Friends, without our new friends to help and support us, it would not have made this year so special.

Ailsa Beebee Year 1C Class Teacher

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Year 1P The children of 1P have certainly had a wonderful year of learning and growing in our Learner Profile Attributes. As we embarked on our learning journey together, 1P demonstrated wonderful risk-taking, trying out new learning with joyful enthusiasm and resilience. The pupils’ ability to keep trying has been inspiring as has their ability to ask wonderful questions.

1P have proven themselves to be expert inquirers as we began our inquiry into How the World Works - Materials. The pupils wondered why we had different materials and where materials came from. They were even interested in how materials were made. We had fantastic discussions about what materials to use for different projects including umbrellas and shelters. The pupils used the attribute of Reflective to ponder why certain materials were better for certain jobs. Through this Inquiry pupils were able to develop their thinking skills to select appropriate materials for their designs.

in their learning by comparing and contrasting games from around the world to ones they knew. Pupils are often still wanting to play games from different countries, developing their international mindedness and appreciating the different cultures around the world.

“I liked when we tested our waterpr f designs by pouring water over them to s if the teddy would get wet!” - Anya

Our final Inquiry into Sharing the Planet: Lifecycles was an opportunity for the pupils to develop their curiosity into the animal world, exploring different lifecycles and comparing them to our own lifecycle. The pupils were fascinated at how quickly a lifecycle could repeat i.e. flies and how long they last i.e. giant tortoises. The pupils demonstrated wonderful research skills and communication by presenting their learning to both the school and their parents.

When undertaking our Inquiry into Who We Are: Celebrations the pupils were able to develop their social skills exploring Diwali through role play of the Ramayana. The classroom was a hive of activity as pupils happily retold the story and then were inspired to create stories of their own by creating their own characters and sharing the story through role play. This was enhanced by our visit to the Pantomime where the pupils loved the crowd interaction and brought this back into the classroom, encouraging their peers to boo and cheer at the appropriate moment in their show.

“I loved when the parents came to visit to talk to us about different celebrations.” - Bertie As we moved into our next Inquiry the pupils were fantastic at making connections using their materials knowledge to explain the history of Toys. Our Unit of Inquiry focused on How We Express Ourselves through toys and games.

The pupils loved finding out why toys were different in the past and how they have changed until now. One standout moment from our Inquiry was exploring games from around the world. The pupils were again able to show connections

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“My favourite games was the one from Italy, the fruit eating wolf, because it was a li le bit like tig.” - Emerson

“I like making the dioramas of a lifecycle because I got to work with other people and share ideas.” - Una One particular trait of 1P this year has been their caring for one another. At the start of the year we read the book Our Class is a Family by Shannon Ohlsen which compared how our class is just like a family to each other, showing kindness, compassion, patience and caring towards each other. 1P have made this a reality by supporting one another, advocating for each other and demonstrating wonderful kindness to their friends.

To quote Dr Seuss: “Congratulations! Today is your day.

You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!”

Lauren Clements, Year 1P Class Teacher

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Year 2 launched the year with an inquiry into Jobs in the Community, looking at the skill set and knowledge required to carry out different jobs. We found out about people who help us in our school, such as the cleaners, janitors, secretaries and catering team. Visits from parents enabled us to learn about jobs in the creative industry, the medical profession and conservation work. Trips to the harbour enabled us to talk to local people, such as the harbourmaster, lobster fishermen and the local café owner, exploring the connections between their jobs.

“My mum came and told us about her job. She works for the Scottish Government.” Patrick T-I “We went to see my dad and mum at the boarding house.

We saw the playroom and the kitchen.” - Sofia “As they grow up and get older, they go to their bedrooms at different times [in the boarding house].” - Reuben

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“He told us that one year ago, when the moon was in reach with the sun, it made the water go higher. Also, my dad came in and told us about how germs are spread around.”

- Reuben “Shreya’s mum came in and brought in lots of medical equipment for us to see, like stethoscopes and a light to shine in your ears. She’s a GP.” - Alec

“When we went to the harbour we met the harbourmaster, and he was opening the bridge up and down to let people get across.

And when boats come through on the water to go to the sea, he has to open the metal bars on the gates and it opens the bridge up for the boats to go through.” - Owen

Investigating family histories, each child found out about their own family history, writing their own lines of inquiry, conducting research independently at home and presenting their findings. Each child unveiled fascinating facts about their own story and gathered artefacts to show the class. Setting up a Family Museum at the end of this Unit allowed us to share our knowledge with a wider audience of families and the rest of the school community.

“The harbourmaster told us that there was a big flood one year.” - Hudson

“I loved when we got to show our learning about our family.” - Flossy

“We spoke to Irene the cleaner and she taught us how to clean the windows.” - Imogen

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“I liked when we dressed up like it was in the olden days.

We pretended it was the olden days in the play corner.” Luna

“I liked when we made our own cars with only two straws and polo mints, and a piece of paper and some sticks and Blu Tack.” - Kendrick

“I liked when we showed our family presentations to everyone.” - Meena

“I liked working with Alec and Kendrick to make this amazing ramp, and we were able to get a mouse to run up it.” - Alfie

“I really liked listening to other people’s family histories - learning about their aunties and grannies and grandfathers. I liked hearing about them.” - Patrick M “We made a museum and we set up our stalls and laid out fabric over them and then put out old-fashioned things and our work, and the school came and our mums and dads and families.” - Harriet “I liked when we dressed up in costumes and took photos of us in our olden days costumes.” Owen The new year brought a new inquiry into Simple Machines and the impact they have on our everyday lives. The children researched six simple machines, designing and creating their own models. Children had the opportunity to see these simple machines in action in our local environment.

“We made it out of board and boxes.” - Kendrick “I liked making a really steep ramp out of cardboard rolls and card, and I sent cars down it.” - Patrick M “I liked doing the sawing with Mr Hunter. We did drilling and screwing and hammering.

He showed us what to do safely.” - Luna The latter part of the spring term was spent exploring stories from around the world and how they make sense of the world we live in. Tuning into this unit, we shared stories around the campfire, playing games to show how stories change from generation to generation as they are passed on by word of mouth. Children from different cultures informed the stories that we chose to

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share, allowing children to celebrate their traditions.

The children expressed their response to stories through artwork; puppetry; drama; oral storytelling and creating their own stories, culminating in writing and performing their own theatrical production to the school community.

“I liked making puppets. We made some out of socks, and we also made fabric puppets.

We used them in the puppet theatre.” - Agnes “I liked doing the assembly! I was the Prince! And there was Cinderella, Minions, Sleeping Beauty, Mr Wolf…” - Hunter “I liked painting the scenery.”

- Alfie “I was Rapunzel. And my hair fell off!” - Arya Our final unit took us outside into the great outdoors as we examined the relationship between plants and minibeasts and our social responsibility to care for our environment.

Our inquiry was brought alive through visits to Kellie Castle, where we learned about the minibeasts living in the house and grounds, St Andrews Botanics where everyone had a go at pond dipping and we learned about animal tracking through the gardens, and Cambo Estate for a school

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forest day, playing in the woods, exploring the walled gardens and learning how to make prints from leaves, gathered in the woods.

The connection between plants and minibeasts was further highlighted through visits to our school beehives, where we saw pollination in action and nectar collection, before extracting the honey from the frames for our breakfast tables. Each day the children have taken responsibility for planting, caring for and harvesting produce and plants that encourage pollinators into the school gardens.

“I like playing with the minibeasts in the play corner.”

- Sofia “I liked making the clay minibeasts.” - Harriet “I loved doing the contest to see who could grow the biggest bean. Hunter won.” Kendrick “I liked making the 3D minibeasts out of newspaper.”

- Imogen “Kellie Castle was great because there were lots of flowers to see.” - David “My favourite thing was Cambo! It was exciting and there were lots of places to make dens. I liked everything!

Especially being in Crow Wood.” - Luna

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Looking at the Solar System through the key concept of form inspired a lot of questions and it was a real treat to welcome Matt from Tayside Planetarium into school, who set up a big dome in St Katharines Hall and showed us vast parts of the universe. This gave us many answers to the questions we had been wondering about.

Continuing our inquiry, the children were open-minded and reflective in our conversations about different faiths and perspectives on the creation of the world.

Climate change is a pertinent issue in our world, and this year the children in Year 3 thought about how extreme weather affects people’s lives around the world. Closer to home we discussed ways in which we can play a part; turning off lights and devices when we don’t use them, cycling more and eating local produce. We invited volunteers from the St Andrews Eco Hub to talk to the class about Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, and made bug boxes with recycled materials to place around the school grounds. The discussions sparked off many creative ways in which the children want to reuse items they would normally throw away and so help our planet survive a little longer.

“I really liked Year 3. I liked the Unit of Inquiry and was sad about Frieda and Alberto moving abroad.” - Ellen “I like PE and Art and the teachers.” - Roddy “I have improved my art. I will mi my friends when I move to Qatar.” - Elhanoof “I loved playing with my friends and doing Maths and learning new ways to do things.” - Ellie

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“Year 3 was really nice, I like the teachers and my friends and I have improved on quite a lot of things.” - Flora “I liked each day in Year 3. I love playing with my friends at breaktime.” - Isobel “I really liked this year. I learned new things in Maths. I improved my handwriting and art.” - Julia “I loved this year because the art was amazing. I loved drawing the different houses.

The Friday quiz was new to me at the start of the year and the questions were pre y tricky.”

- Alvin

“I enj ed Year 3 because I got a new Art teacher and did lots of fun stuff such as drawing and bu erfly making and s ing videos about famous artists.” - Ray “I enj ed this year because I learned new things each day. I enj ed Art.” - Aliya “I loved the art.” - Bertie

Our visit to Culross Village helped the children to dive deeper into what historical houses looked like. The key concept of causation helped them think about why it is as it is. Why did the house of the owner of the coal mine survive but not of the workers? Because this was made out of stones. Why is his house yellow and the other ones in the town aren’t? It’s because he wanted to show off! The children learned what life was like for rich and poor people in the 17th century and decided they are happy to live in the present age!

Marije Sneddon Year 3 Class Teacher

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“In Year 4, I loved the timers and the Sco ish History unit.”

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“Dynamic Earth….we had a blast there! There was a time machine and we got to go inside.”

Marisa

Serena

“We did a pantomime - I was an owl!”

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Year 4

“Walking to Craigtoun was tiring but worth it!”

From pantomime performances to creating our very own living museum, every day has been an adventure...

Year 4 have thrived and embraced each new challenge with such impressive spirit this year, it has been a pleasure to have been part of their 22/23 journey.

Nicola Arkwright, Year 4 Class Teacher

“The Living Museum was fun!- I was Robert the Bruce.”

Mairi

Grace

“My memory of Year 4 is going on the walk to Craigtoun Park and going to Dynamic Earth.”

Hayder

“I remember doing the easy Maths and now I’m doing the hard Maths.”

Niamh

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“In Year 4, me and Niamh started LAMDA and had fun and became friends.”

“In Year 4, we learned about light, history and the environment.”

Johnnie

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“I really liked the pantomime.

I liked it, it was funny.”

Layla

“The pantomime was great. I was the mirror so I was the first one on stage.”

“We went to Craigtoun. It was great. We saw Vikings fight and we learned what they ate, drank, played with and used to fight. We also played rounders.”

Rei Ka

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“I loved everything we did in Year 4 - it was amazing!’

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“I loved Dynamic Earth.

The scariest part was my favourite, when the ground sh k.”

“Year 4 has b n great and I have done exciting stuff like a trip to Dynamic Earth, Craigtoun Park, a Snow White panto, to the Byre to write poems, to a play by the Year 6s, had a party for half term, made some friends and found out how much I love sports!”

Raphi

“At the start of the year we built a rocket… from paper!”

Freddie

Albert

“I enj ed the panto- we got to dre up and everything!”

Lucia

“I loved when the fl r moved in the volcano r m [at Dynamic Earth].”

“Always share with people and try to make friends.”

Ivy

Islay

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Year 5

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Over the course of the year the Year 5 class have shown great commitment towards their learning.

Through the questions they have asked they have demonstrated curiosity and enthusiasm in their Units of Inquiry which has made investigations more pertinent and beneficial. As the weeks have progressed we have seen the confidence of the children increase, which has had an impact on independent inquiry. There have been many memorable moments this year, including our trips to the RRS Discovery, St Andrews Aquarium, our fantastic residential at PGL Dalguise and culminating in the Year 5 Summer Fair.

The cooperation between this group of pupils is fantastic, they are encouraging towards one another and are always keen to celebrate each others’ achievements.

Georgie Majcher Year 5 Class Teacher

“I am proud of myself because I played in a concert.” George

“I really enj ed the visit to the Aquarium.

Did you know that axolotls can grow their limbs back after injury?” Ella

“Going to the Aquarium was amazing because you got to s animals, lizards, fish, birds and amphibious creatures up close. I’m so glad I went, it was so much fun.” Jos

“Art can calm you down wherever you are with one touch of a pencil.” Maryam

“I’m so glad I went to Dalguise, it was the best!” Abdulla

“Throughout the year I thoroughly enj ed everything! It was all fun and amazing and will be a big memory in life.” Magnus

“I liked the Discovery because we got to wear explorers’ clothes.”

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Bethany

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“Doing the d ks is so refreshing and makes me f l alive.” Thea “My favourite UOI was doing the Summer Fair stall. All I can say is that I’m proud of myself, I’m pre y sure this was my favourite year of sch l.” Elin “Art is amazing, it’s the best le on. You can imagine your own world and it is relaxing.”

Amber

“Reading in the sunshine is all you n d to make ha ine . It ignites the imagination and you enter a whole new world just by l king at a b k.” Bella “I loved going to the Aquarium. It takes you to the sea and I had never s n some of the animals before, especially the axolotl - so small and colourful.” Dylan “Art takes you on a journey full of pictures, drawings and colour, all you n d is a piece of paper and a pencil.” Priya “The first day f ls like yesterday.” Michelle “This year is one of the best, it was magical. Try your best and the fun will never end.” Claudia “I love everything! St Leonards is the best thing ever!” Louise

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T H E P R I M A RY Y E A R S P RO G R A M M E

Year 6 Year 6 has had a fantastic year, packed full of challenging, fun, and rewarding opportunities.

Thinking back to the Units of Inquiry, Year 6 delved into fascinating research and developed their public presentation skills.

The Year 6 Exhibition was an excellent example of the Year 6s pushing themselves in not only their research skills, or time management, but also in their confidence. They presented their stalls professionally to the pupils and teachers of St Leonards.

This year, too, a great number of pupils took part in LAMDA, led by Mrs Swankie, who ably prepared our budding performers for acting examinations. During our Celebration Assembly, so many of the year group were awarded certificates for their dedication to LAMDA. Putting these excellent dramatic skills into practice, Year 6 staged a marvellous performance of Olivia in the Music School Auditorium.

The audience was hooked from the start, enjoying the characters, the excellent performance skills and the hilarious script.

Our grounds at St Leonards have been looking lovely this year thanks to the hard work of the Year 6 Eco Team, who have industriously planted up the Wellbeing Trail outside the Junior School. The Eco Team weeded, raked and planted to create a beautiful area of colourful plants that not only benefit us but also our local wildlife and insects. One of our Eco Team members even came in during their holiday with a digger!

Taking a slightly more adventurous turn, Year 6 travelled to the north of Scotland for their truly memorable Ridgway Adventure. Whilst there, they swam in the sea loch, kayaked, built rafts, climbed Arkle, camped and even stayed overnight on Survival Island, creating shelters and cooking for themselves.

The list of amazing things that Year 6 has accomplished this year is endless. We all wish them the best of luck as they move up to the Senior School and continue their learning journey.

Hannah Anderson Year 6 Class Teacher

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MEMORIES MADE Some of our Year 6 pupils have shared their fondest memories and proudest achievements from their time in St Leonards Junior School.

“I have become more confident in Year 6.” Rose

“I really liked it when I first arrived at St Rule and met all my new r mmates.” - Caitlin “The Summer Fair in Year 5 was so much fun.” - Ewan “I remember when Annie and I won the girls’ Year 5 sport award.” - Phoebe “I was really ha y when I got my Pen Licence in Year 6.” - Rose

“The Year 6 play, Olivia, was a great and fun experience.” - Phoebe “I remember when I was so cold after one of the d ks and Mi Brannen lent me her body warmer and I was instantly warmer.” - Max “I remember bringing in the di er for the exhibition, and showing all the younger ones how to work it.” - Robby “I remember when I first joined St Leonards and I arrived at St Rule and I thought it was so c l.” Thibault

“I love Games, it’s so much fun. My most favourite sport is hockey because I love pa ing the ball, tackling and communicating with my team. I enj playing against other sch ls.” - Milla “The Year 6 Exhibition was so much fun! One of the best experiences of my sch l life, we learned so much about our topic and about responsibility.” - Eleanor “I loved acting in the Olivia play because I had so much fun playing grumpy Scr ge.” - Adam “The PYP Exhibition felt like a huge achievement and it couldn’t have finished the PYP in a be er way.” - Theo

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OUR SCHOOL COMMUNIT Y

Making a Difference All pupils at St Leonards are encouraged to contribute to our school community, the town of St Andrews and beyond, making a meaningful difference to society and our planet. This year, pupils have participated in fundraising initiatives for local and global charities, have volunteered in the community, and have developed their own projects to drive change in a field that matters to them.

Here is just a selection of the fantastic projects that have been completed by St Leonards pupils in the 2022-23 academic year.

It was wonderful to see the community come together for the St Andrews Storehouse initiative, organised by Year 5.

The aim was to collect and donate food items to the charity, supporting those in the local area who might otherwise go without. An incredible number of donations were received, with families going above and beyond to support the drive.

Off the back of the St Andrews Storehouse initiative, the Years 1-6 pupils dressed as pets during their annual Charity Fun Run, racing around the grounds in their colourful costumes whilst collecting pet food donations for the organisation.

Years 1 to 6 worked collaboratively to raise money for Jeans for Genes Day on Friday, 23 September by wearing their jeans to school and donating £2 to the charity. A grand total of £267.22 was raised for Jeans for Genes, supporting those living with a genetic condition.

At the end of September, the school hosted a superb Macmillan Coffee Morning, welcoming food and prize donations from the local and school community for a bake sale and raffle. The raffle was drawn by special guest Wendy Chamberlain, MP for North East Fife. The event was a huge success raising £2066.18 for Macmillan Cancer Support!

Our thanks to Deborah Stanfield, Head of Finance and St Leonards parent, for coordinating our whole school efforts.

To celebrate the University of St Andrews’ Green Week 2023, we welcomed university staff and Transition volunteers to St Leonards to plant 100 trees. With gloves, spades and shovels at the ready, our Pupil Leadership Team partnered up with our Year 4 pupils to help plant the young ‘whips’ along the grassy strip. With 100m length to fill, the students got to work, planting a tree every metre.

A species mix of downy birch, silver birch, rowan, crabapple and dogwood was laid. The entire treeline fills the east border of the campus, which will grow into a beautifully bushy and leafy patch of land. A big thank you to the University of St Andrews and the Transition team for this opportunity.

Our pupils are excited to watch their trees grow and look back in years to come!

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A Year 12 tutor group organised a Book Drive as part of their CAS project.

Pupils donated unwanted books to support the chosen charity Books Abroad, an initiative that aspires to support education in developing countries. An incredible £323.50 was raised for Books Abroad as well as over 200 books donated.

Our Sixth Form students organised a Toy Drive in December to collect new, unwanted and unopened presents from the school community. The pupils shared their collections with local charities who were delighted by their generosity, donating presents to those who may otherwise not have received a gift on Christmas Day. To show support for Anti-Bullying Week in November, the pupils wore odd socks to celebrate what makes them unique!

Serena König (Year 4), Ella Moan (Year 5) and Maryam Al-Saowaf (Year 5) organised a dress-down day in aid of the Earthquake Appeal, encouraging Years 1-6 to wear the colours of the Turkish and Syrian flags. Pupils were also asked to bring in their favourite toys into school and donate £2 to the appeal, raising much-needed funds for the countries that were so badly affected by the earthquake this year.

In tribute to His Majesty The King’s public service, pupils in Year 7 to 9 took part in the Big Help Out initiative, heading down to Castle Sands to participate in a beach clean, keeping our sands safe and spotless!

Pupils sported fabulously colourful Christmas Jumpers in support of Save the Children, donating £2 to the charity, which works to improve the lives of children and young people worldwide. In anticipation of the day, the pupils created advertisements and posters to promote the event and raise awareness.

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PA R E N T S A S S O C I AT I O N

Parents Association The Parents Association (PA) is open to all parents and carers of St Leonards’ pupils and is here to support the school community beyond the classroom and boarding experience.

We put on events to help the school, run the Second-Hand Uniform Shop, and raise funds for the PA-Heads Wishlist and nominated charities.

It has been marvelous to return to in-person events and there have been many highlights this year. We’ve chosen a small selection below, to give you a flavour of our activities.

The Pumpkin Party, Christmas Fair, Great St Leonards Egg Hunt and Sports Day PA Tea Tents have anchored our programme. The children (and parents) had so much fun, ate lots and lots of cake, strawberries and marshmallows, and parents got to socialise and strengthen our community.

Thank you for all your imagination, baking, serving teas, clean-up, fundraising and generally getting stuck in – we could not pull off these events without your amazing support.

The Student Emporium at the Christmas Fair deserves a huge shout out for raising a spectacular £1100 for charity.

To help keep everyone up to date, we launched the PA Newsletter in January. With three issues sent out, we have had positive feedback and will keep this going next year. It is a one-page information sheet with news, upcoming events, pictures from past events, Second-Hand Uniform Shop opening times and much more.

Your contributions (raising £1675) have helped several charities this year including the Anstruther RNLI, Children’s Hospices Around Scotland (CHAS), and the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity on behalf of the Dalton Family. You also contributed to the Guide Dogs for the Blind and the St Andrews Men’s Shed by shopping at their stalls.

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Everyone loves to be thanked for the work they do, and the new Staff Appreciation Day in May did just that.

From teachers to Estates staff, IT to Marketing we thanked them all for their support of the PA and more importantly for making our children’s school years inspiring, fun and successful.

This year, the PA was able to double the average amount spent on the PA-Head’s Wishlist due to a lower spend during COVID and a healthy bank balance.

The aim of the Wishlist is to purchase items that enhance the overall school experience for as many pupils as possible and to provide an ongoing experience.

A bumper payout of £6,240, funding nine applications, is being distributed now. The Junior School will have more outdoor education resources and beach equipment, the Senior School will have science books to inspire them and a GoPro camera and microphone for those dazzling performances. The whole school will enjoy the new BBQs, outdoor table tennis table and updated Wellness Trail.

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Other great news is that the Second-Hand Uniform Shop is back on-site (opposite St Rule Boarding House). The shop, which is run by a great team of volunteers, stocks uniforms, sports kit and sports equipment; rugby boots, hockey shoes and sticks. Come along and have a look or donate any out-grown items.

The sales contribute significantly to the PA fundraising, so please support the shop and reduce, reuse, recycle. (And, if your second-hand items are labelled, you also get a portion of the sales credited to your school account.)

A huge thank you to all our Year Group Social Reps and the Social Rep coordinator. The WhatsApp groups are an important resource to share news and knowledge, organise social events and ask about lost jumpers, shoes, etc. If you would like to volunteer to be a Year Group Social Rep (or even share the role), please let us know!

The St Leonards Parents Association is a fun group to be part of and provides great opportunities for you to meet new people and be involved with the school. Come along to our meetings next year with your ideas and enthusiasm.

We will have three meetings per term; two in person, one morning and one evening, plus one via Zoom, so everyone has a chance to participate. We would love to involve as many parents and carers as possible - if you would like to join the PA Committee, please let us know at PA@stleonards-fife.org.

We are helping to organise the Back to School BBQ and will be there with the PA Tea Tent, information table, and lots of games. We look forward to seeing you there!

The PA Committee

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A RT & D E S I G N

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THE ARTS “If we can, we will” As I retire from my role as Head of Art, I hold many special memories of St Leonards School, and the artwork generated over the last 27 years. There have been so many interesting ideas, so many exhibitions highlighting the accomplishments of so many talented students - and staff. Large-scale paintings of charging African elephants, life-size cast sculptures, cupboards taken over for immersive, entrancing installations, indoor rain, unwearable dresses hanging from the rafters, videos that brought you to tears, magical photographs from far-away places, budding young architects revealing their vision for the future, and prints that I didn’t even know were possible!

“If we can, we will” was frequently voiced in the department, which admittedly made it challenging at times, but fun, and always rewarding. It has been an honour and a privilege to share my passion for art with you these past 27 years, to have inspired you to explore your own creativity, and to have learned from you. I would like to thank you all, students and staff alike, for being part of this incredible journey with me and wish you every success in the future. I hope you continue to share your vision with the world.

Yours sincerely, Donna Rae Head of Art (1996-2023)

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A RT & D E S I G N

YEAR 3 This year, Year 3 drew jungles inspired by Henris Rousseau, butterfly hearts like Damien Hirst’s, abstract Miro designs, space pictures, and cog inventions in the style of Leonardo Da Vinci. A very artistic class - all the pupils have their own distinctive styles and love expressing themselves through their art. My favourite project this year was superhero art in a comic book style!

Bertie Pennycook

Flora Logan

Theodore Lawson

Julia Montgomery

Elhanoof Al Ajami

Ellie MacIvor

Adele Neave PYP Teacher of Art

DAMIEN HIRST BUTTERFLIES

HUNDERTWASSER WINDOWS

As part of Year 3’s inquiry into homes, the pupils explored architecture designs from Hundertwasser and Zaha Hadid, and murals by Jen Stark. They used one of Hadid’s techniques of drawing a scrunched piece of paper and from this image developed house designs.

Adele Neave, PYP Teacher of Art

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YEAR 4 Year 4 explored the different ways in which people use The Arts to express their thoughts, feelings, opinions and beliefs. As part of this inquiry, the children were inspired by Pablo Picasso’s portraits, Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Pop Art-style fruit, creating their own versions of these well-known works. The pupils also drew train windows and tables as part of their Transport Unit, learning shading techniques to describe the light. Finally, to link with their Unit on Scottish History, the pupils learned simple sewing stitches and made Binca mats with their chosen Scottish motifs.

Agnes Raven

Raphael Klengel

Olivia Andrew

Albert Zhou

Adele Neave PYP Teacher of Art

Pop Art Fruit and Veg

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Scottish Sewing

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A RT & D E S I G N

YEAR 5 This year, Year 5 produced prints of images developed from graffiti sketches, using symbolism to describe various Human Rights. Then they focused on still life and landscape in the second term, developing their drawing and painting ability.

Isabella Hawkins

Elin Tausch

Martha Kavanagh

Abdulla Al Ajami

Priya Myles

Michelle Chernin

Adele Neave PYP Teacher of Art

Magnus Dalton Dowey

Graffiti Sketches

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YEAR 6 Year 6 made wonderful models and display board illustrations for their own Exhibitions. They have created some sophisticated symbolism to describe the themes of Poverty and Wealth and the journey of refugees in shaded drawings, shoe models and illustrative symbolic pictures.

Adele Neave PYP Teacher of Art Thea Jacobsen

Juliane Klengel

Padraig Kavanagh

Adam Gardner

Max Mery

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Rose Montgomery

Milla Mery

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A RT & D E S I G N

YEAR 7 Whilst considering the concept of ‘How We Express Our Identity’, the Year 7 pupils created some fantastic mixed media paintings.

They also developed their observational drawing skills producing tonal still life compositions.

In Design, the pupils learned machine and hand sewing techniques then designed and made fabric organisers that were useful to them.

In the second unit, the main objective was to design and create something from plastic bottles and junk that we throw away. The pupils used unwanted rubbish to create packaging designs for their own products, pitching their final products to a client.

Mia Petroaia

Willow Williams

Sarah McCormac

Kevin Chung Hei Ng

Mia Petroaia

Ellen Stevenson

Adele Neave PYP Teacher of Art

Patrick Rhatigan

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A RT & D E S I G N

Polina Kovdia

Hayfaa Al Ajami

Cara Lang

Polina Kovdia

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Charlie Steven

Sewing Projects

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A RT & D E S I G N

YEAR 8 COLOUR ME HAPPY! Colour Me Happy! is a still-life painting project designed to teach Year 8 pupils about colour mixing and how to apply paint. In order to better understand colour, these pupils learned Colour Theory by completing a colour wheel, a series of tonal exercises using complimentary colour, and by creating their own colours through experimentation. As they progressed, the pupils were asked to keep a record of what colours they had used to generate a particular colour. These colour ‘recipes’ came in very handy, and helped to create these colourful characters!

Donna Rae Head of Art and Design

Ben Looseley

Rose Howison

Daisy-Mae Fairweather

Alex Forgues-Puccio

Fergus Fyfe

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A RT & D E S I G N

Edith Griffin

Eliza Ylitalo

Lily Mackenzie

Tristan Cox

Hana Ferguson

George Crook

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A RT & D E S I G N

YEAR 9 VISUAL ART FACING THE TRUTH Facing the Truth is a sculpture project based on endangered animals. Year 9 began their project by completing research into their chosen endangered species. They were then shown how to cast their own face which was used as the foundation for the constructions which followed. The creation of these pieces involved using different modelling, casting, construction and surface treatment techniques, and a variety of different sculpture materials such as clay, plaster-coated bandage, aluminium armature wire, steel wire, wire mesh, foam-core and hot-glue.

ZOLA MCINTEE, Puffer Fish

Well done Year 9 for highlighting the plight of these beautiful creatures.

Donna Rae Head of Art and Design

RIYA BHASKAR, Gazelle

HAMISH FLEMING, Rhinoceros

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NIKITAH RAY, Elephant

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YEAR 9 VISUAL ART A NOVEL IDEA For A Novel Idea, the Year 9 Visual Arts students were asked to create a collage based on their favourite book. This unit was a bit different and involved the use of AI: rather than drawing the imagery for their visual story, they told Dalle2 what they wanted and let the computer do it - it was great fun! These students also spent a considerable amount of time learning about abstract composition before preparing the backgrounds with newspaper and acrylic paint. Once the images were in place, time was spent experimenting with different surface treatments such as coffee, wax and graphite before bringing their collages to an exciting conclusion.

Well done, Year 9!

JACK HUGHES, Scythe

ANGUS PARKIN, Wonder

ZOLA MCINTEE, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

MANUEL BARBOSA, Fight Club

PILIRANI MAKUNGANYA, The Secret Life of Bees

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G C S E A RT & D E S I G N

GCSE ART AND DESIGN GCSE Art consists of a two-year Fine Art skills-based course that culminates in an exhibition of the work created. In addition to the images seen here, which are just a small sample of some of the pupils’ individual responses to each of the different skills workshops, sustained projects and externally set assignments, the students also keep sketchbooks documenting the processes and techniques learnt, alongside their engagement with relevant artists and designers. This broad course allows students to be exposed to a wide range of media and is also a strong foundation for continuation in the subject at IB level and beyond.

Winsome Hardie Teacher of Art

ELLIE COLE-HAMILTON, Mixed media - collage/painting

MAGGIE VANDYKE, Digital manipulation

ANNA BLACK, Boxed assemblage

MOLLY DONALDSON, Digital manipulation

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MOLLY DONALDSON, Mixed media - collage/painting

SARAH LAWRENCE, Boxed assemblage

ARCHIE SAMPSON, Mixed media - collage/painting

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G C S E A RT & D E S I G N

ANNA BLACK, Mixed media collage

CHRISPOPE ABHITEACHAPAN, Drawing - chalk

SAM HENDERSON, Drawing - charcoal

MADELEINE FLEETHAM, Drawings - chalk and Sculpture - nylon, paint, wire, wood

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MAGGIE VANDYKE, Mixed media - collage/painting

MAGGIE VANDYKE, Mixed media - drypoint (oil rig) on plant print

CHRISPOPE ABHITEACHAPAN, Drawing - charcoal

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G C S E A RT & D E S I G N

ELLIE COLE-HAMILTON, Print - chine collé drypoint

SAM HENDERSON, Print - chine collé drypoint

CLAUDIA DENHOLM, Mixed media - collage/painting

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YEE KI NG, Mixed media - collage/painting

ELLIE COLE-HAMILTON, Digital manipulation

SAM HENDERSON, Cast in plaster

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ARCHIE SAMPSON, Layered drawing - pen

MADELEINE FLEETHAM, Print - chine collé drypoint

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I B V I S U A L A RT S

NIEVE GREENER, Resolution, Charcoal Drawings

IB VISUAL ARTS Over the course of the last two years, the IB Visual Arts students worked through several different units, each exploring a wide variety of materials, techniques and ideas to create yet another fantastic exhibition. This sample of work from our talented students includes: drawing and painting; digital and polaroid photography; cyanotypes; collagraph printing; etching and monoprints; cast and constructed sculpture; ceramics and an architectural model. The IB course is challenging and includes a combination of written and practical work culminating in an exhibition curated by the students. They should all be very proud of what they have accomplished.

This year’s opening night was particularly special and one that I will not forget as it was my last as Head of Art at St Leonards School. It has been a great honour to spend nearly three decades doing something that I love in such a fantastic place surrounded by such talented people. I wish all our students, my friends and colleagues, and the School every success in the future.

Donna Rae Head of Art and Design St Leonards School 1996-2023

FAITH MACKENZIE-PAGE, Sleat Seascape, Acrylic Painting

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I B V I S U A L A RT S

TEIGHAN BONETT, Industrial Abstraction, Monoprint II

JAKI VAVASSORI, Presence, Plaster Cast

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JAKI VAVASSORI, Facing Doors, Mixed-media Sculpture

TEIGHAN BONETT, Industrial Blocks, Plaster Cast

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I B V I S U A L A RT S

IONA TURNER, Ruby, Oil Painting

IONA TURNER, Annie, Oil Painting MILLA GRAHAM, Deconstructed City 2b, Etching (Detail)

EMILIA PETERS, Anthesis, Polaroid Photographs JAKI VAVASSORI, I am Here, Acrylic Painting

NIEVE GREENER, Under the Microscope, Digital Photography

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TEIGHAN BONETT, White Relief, Foamcore Construction

IONA TURNER, Precious Cargo, Acrylic Painting

TEIGHAN BONETT, Tonal Shift, Collagraph

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I B V I S U A L A RT S

ELLA SAUNDERS, Point of View, Foam-core and Papier-mache Construction

MILLA GRAHAM, Openings, Digital Photography

FAITH MACKENZIE-PAGE, Drying Deer Foetus II, Digital Photography

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MILLA GRAHAM, Doorways, Cyanotype

MILLA GRAHAM, Paris Energy, Digital Photography

JAKI VAVASSORI, Coexistence, Lino Prints

ANDREI MOKLOKOV, Art Building Design, Foam-core Model

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ELLA SAUNDERS, Beautiful Bones, Bone & Barbed-wire Necklace

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I B V I S U A L A RT S

NIEVE GREENER, Urban Texture, Digital Photography EMILIA PETERS, Schmetterling, Cello-tape and Paper

ANDREI MOKLOKOV, They died for us to live, Plaster Cast

MILLA GRAHAM, Deconstructed City 1a, Etching (detail)

ANDREI MOKLOKOV, Between Flags, Digital Photography

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EMILIA PETERS, Purity and Beauty, Wire, tights and acrylic

IONA TURNER, Wild Things, Painted Ceramic

FAITH MACKENZIE-PAGE, Boneman, Bone Sculpture

FAITH MACKENZIE-PAGE, Beached, Mixed-media Drawings

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MUSIC

It has been another Christmas Mix exciting and packed year of musical events - our programme of concerts remains busy and varied throughout with pupils eager to take part and regularly displaying a very high standard of performance.

MUSIC

This year we say goodbye to Music Scholar, Ben Clark. Ben joined us in Year 8 and has been an invaluable contributor to the musical life of the School since then. While studying for his GCSE Music and IB Music he also had time to gain his Grade 8 Cello with distinction two years ago and has been a stalwart member of the Daemon Barbers, Show Choir, St Leonards Chamber Orchestra, and St Leonards Choir throughout all six years with us - he will be much missed!

During the year we have welcomed two new members of staff - Mr Derek Pinkham who teaches all things guitar and Ms Katherine Nagl who teaches Bassoon and other reed instruments. Both teachers have already made their mark in the department and we look forward to continued collaboration with them both for years to come.

Holy Trinity Carol Service Spring Concert

Eva & Maddy - our erstwhile Music Monitor and Head Chorister - will shed light on the year from their perspectives, but for my part I would like to thank all of the students, from Year 1 to Year 13, who have taken part in a musical activity or event this year and also extend a massive thank you to all of the Music School staff for their, at times gargantuan hard work and commitment to the pupils and the School. I hope that all members of the School community have appreciated the music making this year - it has certainly been a pleasure to produce.

Fiona Love Director of Music

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From our Music Monitor This year I have had the privilege of being Music Monitor. I have always loved music at St Leonards and the collaboration and inclusivity that comes with it.

This year has been no exception.

GCSE Concert

Year 4 to 6 Informal Concert

As usual we have had a very busy musical year with some amazing performances from both ensembles and soloists in school concerts and plays, which I have thoroughly enjoyed both watching and taking part in.

In addition to school concerts, we enjoyed other events such as the Carol Service in Holy Trinity Church which is always a beautiful service and a very important time for us to come together as a school to sing and celebrate.

A personal highlight has been watching the new Year 7s embrace our vigorous musical life in the Senior School and getting involved as much as possible.

This meant, for me, another group of Year 7s to teach the Baby SLUGS to (our youngest St Leonards Ukulele Group). Working with this new group this year has been a joy. I have watched them grow and learn how to play a new instrument, which they have done very successfully with lots of enthusiasm!

Encouraging younger years to get involved with the music we offer at St Leonards is very important to me as music is something I have thoroughly enjoyed over the years and I hope that they will go on to enjoy it as much as I do.

Eva Smeddle From our Head Chorister This year I have had the honour of being Head Chorister and have witnessed the vast array of vocal talent on display from pupils across Years 1-13.

It has been a delight to watch so many students develop their vocal ability throughout the year and display their talent in our evening concerts.

Year 1 to 3 Informal Concert

Year 7, 8 & 9 Concert

This year, I took on the challenge of creating a Year 1-13 singing ensemble.

I really wanted to create a performance showing a culmination of all the wonderful voices we have. It was a great opportunity for all year groups to work together and create new sounds. That is the most exciting part of singing here at St Leonards, the opportunity to collaborate with a common love of singing.

Ev a a n d Lastly, I would like to congratulate Ma d dy everyone for their involvement this year and for creating such spectacular performances.

Of course, all this would not be possible without the support of our amazing singing teachers to whom I send my greatest thanks and of course our amazing music teachers who have led our choir practice every week.

Maddy Wallard

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DRAMA

A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF...

ea nd Several Elves

Junior Drama ma It has been a very exciting year in Junior School Drama, kicking off with a Year 4 pantomime Snow White and Several Elves. Mrs Stewart and Mrs Shiells were ready to embrace Christmas with this hilarious and energetic pantomime and Year 4 rose to the occasion beautifully. They entertained the School and parents with singing, dancing and - oh yes - those pantomime jokes! Oh no they didn’t! Oh yes they did!

it h Snow W

The next week, the dream team of Stewart and Shiells went straight into their nativity bubble for the first ‘live’ performance in three years. Following two nativity movies which were filmed on location around school and the beach nearby, it was a totally different experience for our young students to be on stage with a very large audience! There were nerves, there were confusions but in the end there were two wonderful performances of ‘The Inn-Spectors’ and all involved should be congratulated. We followed the journey of Mary, Joseph and that troublesome donkey to Bethlehem to find a suitable inn for Mary to have her baby.

Meanwhile, an organised group of Inn-Spectors had arrived in Bethlehem and were appalled to find a baby had been born in a stable and was surrounded by shepherds, sheep, Kings and camels until they realised what a special baby it was!

Well done to Years 1-3 for starting our Festive Season with a cracker!

The

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e p ctor s S n

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Olivia The end of the Spring Term brought our Year 6 musical, ‘Olivia’, directed by Mrs Stewart and Musical Director Ms Love. This was a full chorus production and Year 6 did it justice, bringing us some of the best singing to be heard in a Junior School production. Solos were spectacular as the play told the story of an orphan named Olivia who runs away to seek her fortune in London and finds amazing characters who help her on her way: Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, Eliza Doolittle and Ebeneezer Scrooge to name but a few. In the end, Olivia is reunited with her mother and there is a wonderfully happy finale with the Fat Lady making one more final appearance! Huge congratulations to Year 6 for making this such a fabulous show, one to remember!

Laura Stewart Junior Drama Teacher

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DRAMA

SENIOR DRAMA When Worlds Collide

By Nickie McQuade-Powell The St Leonards Players (SLP) - our most talented thespians - opened the Drama calendar for this academic year with an original production of ‘When Worlds Collide’, written by our Director of Drama, Nickie McQuade-Powell. This was a ‘timeslip’ love story that explored the relationship of two people from very different backgrounds. SLP worked together to create magic and stretched themselves as performers. The piece demanded stylised movement; dancing and singing combined with moments of intense drama.

The ensemble were immensely happy that the piece was received positively by the audience and went on to take it to the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2023.

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“Taking our play (When World Worlds Collide) to The Edinburgh Fringe was one of the best experiences I have had the privilege of being a part of. Our venue was The Forest Theatre (@Greenside) which literally buzzed with excitement - the atmosphere was electric. It was so amazing to be a part of such a creative project and surrounded by other performers from a variety of theatrical backgrounds; amateurs and professionals alike. It was an exceptionally creative environment and those around us from the Greenside Community were so friendly and supportive, ensuring we had the opportunity to present our play to the best of our ability.

The experience was challenging and we had to work closely as an ensemble to succeed it definitely brought us closer together as a cast.”

Martim Barbosa (Year 13)

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DRAMA

Smith

By Leon Garfield (adapted by N. McQuade-Powell) Not to be outdone by the older drama students, Years 9 and 10 performed their play ‘Smith’ at The Byre Theatre in May. This was a minimal piece that relied on projection and lighting for dramatic effect.

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The ensemble were also introduced to the concept of ‘physical theatre’, finding themselves creating London streets, doorways, horses, carriages and forests using movement and gesture only. Though a slightly new concept for the pupils,

they thoroughly embraced it and produced a great performance.

For the final two performances, the pupils of Year 9 took over the show as Year 10 departed for their History trip to

the battlefields of Belgium and, supported by the gentle leadership of Sophie Lawrence and Finn Moan, took over the lead roles.

Year 9 truly proved that we have amazing talent at St Leonards and can really call our students ‘risk-takers’.

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An Unusual Prince At the end of the last academic year (2021-22), Years 7 and 8 performed an original piece of theatre called ‘An Unusual Princess’. It was a fairy story that challenged gender stereotypes but also introduced the young cast to different ways of working in theatre. There was some amazing singing; Ben Smeddle sang a beautiful solo, in the role of a melancholic king, and Arabella Hayes rocked the theatre as Lola, a characterful witch refusing to grow old gracefully.

The ‘Stars’ created a memorable dance influenced by 80s electro funk and the ensemble added harmony and depth to all the musical numbers. The cast experienced what it was like working in a Traverse theatre space (where the audience sit on two sides and create a walkway) and quickly got used to a style of acting that took in the whole audience, even though they were split.

The Years 7 and 8 production is a fun experience for all involved but also teaches the performance skills necessary as they move up through the School and create more challenging pieces of drama.

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DRAMA

Romeo and Juliet

By William Shakespeare In March, Years 11 - 13 took to the stage of The Byre Theatre to present their interpretation of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. The design of the production was influenced by ‘Steampunk’ which is both a romantic and aggressive style. The concept of ‘time passing’ was also reflected in the set by the addition of clocks and cogs; it is true to say that the play was visually exciting.

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The cast worked incredibly hard to learn an abundance of lines in order to bring their characters to life and there were some outstanding performances. Although, at St Leonards, we focus on the ensemble and not individual performances, a special mention must go to the following: Faye Thomson/Honor Fraser (Juliet); Martim Barbosa (Romeo) and Sam Gosmore

(Mercutio). They kept the audience mesmerized and performed well beyond their years.

Shakespeare is always a challenge as it takes time to learn and understand in order to act it successfully.

With that in mind it was fantastic to see some of our international students treading the boards and working in their second

language; Timofey Medvedev’s ‘fiery Tybalt’ will never be forgotten!

Our thanks also to former pupil Ines HaywardDaventry (Day, 2007-17), who returned to the Art Department at St Leonards ulous set. to design the fabulous

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EQUALIT Y & DIVER SIT Y

St Leonards Association of Girls The St Leonards Association of Girls was formed in 2020 by former Head of School, Grace Adams, along with Isla Thomson and Francesca Farah. Grace and her peers wanted to form a group where young women could come together to discuss topical issues, support one another through teenage years and provide a safe space to share experiences.

The group has continued to grow since its inception and each year new student leaders take the reins and lead the sessions under the supervision of Ms McQuade-Powell; this year Honor Fraser and Louisa Sherret have taken the lead.

“We can all truly embrace equity. equity It’s not just something we say. It’s not just something we write about. It’s something we n d to think about, know, and embrace. It’s what we believe in, unconditionally. Equity means creating an inclusive world.”

The Association has been very popular with our older students and is now encouraging younger students to drop in, too, and get involved in the discussions. The highlight of the year is International Women’s Day, when the group leads the celebrations and encourages the entirety of the School to get involved and dance for change.

On a Tuesday lunchtime, Pride Group meets in the Drama Yurt at St Leonards. It is a vibrant mix of students from Years 7-13 and all are welcome. The group was started by Cameron Adams in 2021, who graduated from St Leonards at the end of this academic year, and each year new student leaders take over, supported and facilitated by Ms McQuade-Powell.

The group prides itself in being a safe space where students can come and talk; share experiences and gain support from a kind, caring, supportive group of young people. The highlight of the year is the Pride Concert in June (Pride month) where students and staff come together to celebrate diversity at St Leonards.

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BEHIND THE SCENES

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Behind the Scenes

INES HAYWARD-DAVENTRY (DAY, 2007-2017) As rehearsals were well underway for the Years 11 to 13 production of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, St Leonards Senior Ines HaywardDaventry (Day, 2007-2017) was busily working away in the Art Department designing the set for the stage.

Having just graduated from King’s College London, Ines was looking to extend her experience in the Arts, and reached out to Miss Donna Rae, Head of Art, for opportunities here at St Leonards. Miss Rae welcomed Ines with open arms and explained the requirements for the upcoming production, which would see the Shakespearian tragedy performed at the neighbouring Byre Theatre with a Steampunk twist. Naturally, Ines jumped straight into brainstorming ideas for the set.

The Years 11 to 13 production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ showed the traditional tale in a modern light. With this in mind, Ines created a collection of handmade Steampunk clocks, cogs and masks which crossed retrofuturistic with Victorian influence.

“This o ortunity opened the d r for me, I now know which direction I want my car r to take.”

- Ines Hayward-Daventry (2007-2017)

This collection was in addition to a colourful and dramatic backdrop, painted by Ines, making connotations to dusk, an in-between period that blurs the lines between night and day, foreshadowing the Shakespearean tale.

The painting was sized and stretched onto a large canvas, filling the Byre with a powerful and distinctive atmosphere.

Commenting on Ines’ work, Donna Rae said: “Ines has been disciplined, brave and perceptive, I cannot fault her work and ethic. We have been very lucky to collaborate with Ines in this way.”

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THE MIDDLE YE AR S PROGRAMME

The Middle Years Programme

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THE MIDDLE YE AR S PROGRAMME

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The three Year 7-9 concerts this year have featured performances of the very highest standard. In addition to the many exceptional solo performances, the MYP pupils have taken full advantage of the many musical ensembles on offer to them including Choir, Show Choir and Baby SLUGs! It was also great to see so many students involved in the play ‘Rebels of Gas Street’.

The Middle Years Programme (MYP) covers all aspects of life in Years 7-9. Pupils go from having a main class teacher delivering the curriculum with a handful of specialists, to being taught by over 15 different specialist teachers in a broad curriculum.

In addition to the usual subjects including Maths, Science and Languages, pupils have lessons in Outdoor Education, Approaches to Learning Skills, Service and PSHE. Away from their studies, pupils engage in cocurricular activities as part of the Service component, learner profile activities and Island events.

The MYP section at St Leonards has had another busy, fun-filled year with excursions, exhibitions, island events and concerts. Taking advantage of our location, the Outdoor Education programme has continued to develop. Year 7 have enjoyed hikes in the Lomonds, climbing sessions and hot chocolate warmed on the fire pit.

Year 8 enjoyed an action-packed week in the Highland sunshine. Their trip to Newtonmore included kayaking down the Spey, climbing up (and abseiling down) rock faces, stand up paddleboarding, campfires and epic games of manhunt. Year 9 celebrated reaching the end of the MYP with a beach day with Blown Away.

Service learning is a key element in the International Baccalaureate programmes, ranging from projects focused on improvising life in the Coach House (our Year 7 Hub) to volunteering with community groups.

In May, the Year 9 pupils put together a fantastic Community Project Showcase. Projects this year included arranging for old sewing machines to be sent to developing countries; creating a library in a Mumbai slum; entertaining residents of local care homes, and helping multiple charities.

The pupils were able to talk confidently about their projects to teachers and parents - clearly many valuable lessons have been learned in addition to helping those in need.

On the academic side, as part of our ongoing evaluation by the International Baccalaureate Organisation, we submitted a large body of work including samples of student work, unit plans and handbooks to be reviewed. The Building Quality Curriculum process scrutinizes our curriculum, assessments, service opportunities and pupil reflections across the whole of the Middle Years Programme. We were delighted with the feedback which highlighted excellence in a number of areas including Approaches to Learning skills and Reflective practices to inform teaching. We now look forward to the follow up visit in November when they will visit classes and speak with members of the School community.

Kate McGregor, MYP Coordinator (on behalf of the MYP Team)

Co-curricular activities are a fantastic way to spend time with friends outside of lessons whilst developing new skills. The programme is very varied from sports, drama and music to crime club, rifle shooting and Model United Nations.

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GCSE & PRE-IB

GCSE Overview

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GCSE & PRE-IB

Years 10, 11 and Pre-IB at St Leonards are all about developing responsibility and growing as independent learners, building upon the foundations laid during the Primary and Middle Years Programmes, or a stage when some new students join us from other schools with different curricula.

It is an exciting but often daunting time as pupils face their first diet of national examinations, and signals a real step up in preparation for life in the Sixth Form.

At the heart of it, though, is encouragement and support - we are proud of this culture throughout our School community. We encourage our GCSE learners to be proactive, to reflect upon themselves, their learning and their surroundings, and have a say on what can be done to improve any areas required. So often, this period signals the transition from children into young adults.

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the Model United Nations trip to Greece.

As Head of this section, I am so incredibly proud of all that these pupils have achieved over the course of the year. They have tackled every challenge, and I am certain that their efforts will be rewarded. They can be very, very proud of themselves.

David Blair Head of Years 10, 11 & Pre-IB

The exams are viewed as a challenge - a mountain to be conquered resulting in a sense of pride and achievement, not something to be feared. Equipped with the skill set for successful learning, and the attributes developed by every IB learner, the “summit” of examinations is most certainly within reach.

In Year 11, we start to look at potential career pathways through the use of UniFrog, and students complete various tests to determine their strengths and attributes before considering the professions and routes they might be most suited to. Working together on this, and with the support of the staff at St Leonards, this always makes for a fascinating journey of discovery.

Highlights this year included a day trip to Fife College and the Careers Fair that took place here at St Leonards.

Years 10, 11 and Pre-IB have participated fully in drama productions, concerts, and on the sports field. Pupils loved the Battlefields trip led by Mr Kell, embarked upon The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expeditions, spent a day in the water at Elie Watersports, and jetted off on

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THE SIXTH FORM

The St Leonards Sixth Form

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THE SIXTH FORM

We had an excellent start to the year with the Sixth Form induction, including team-building and bushcraft. Years 12 and 13 were in their tutor groups and spent the day getting to know one another and their new tutors.

Reflecting upon the year that was, highlights included our Steps to Sixth Form programme, which kicked off for the Year 11 and Pre-IB students in November with a seminar held at Hotel du Vin in St Andrews, looking in more detail at the two pathways - IBCP and IBDP - available to pupils in Years 12 and 13. The group heard from key members of staff, as well as current Sixth Formers and former pupils about their experiences of the two global courses.

The Year 12 and Year 13 cohort travelled to Glasgow in November to visit the Skills Scotland event - this is designed to show students the many different career pathways available to them, from a huge variety of employers including: the RNLI, Armed Forces, Coca Cola, BAE Systems, Morgan Stanley and SubSea 7.

In December, the Sixth Form Social in the School Hall provided a well-earned opportunity to dress up in formalwear - complete with plenty of tinsel for a touch of sparkle - and dance the night away.

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A group of pupils visited the Wardlaw Museum to see a photographic exhibition named UK Women’s Firsts. This was an empowering and fascinating journey to see the achievements of British women and led to some thought provoking discussions within tutor groups and TOK. The Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Exhibition in March was excellent, and those considering further study in Medicine or at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge enjoyed participating in the respective afterschool societies by way of preparation for applications and entrance examinations.

Wonderfully, three pupils in Year 13 received offers for Oxbridge this year, with Isla Hutchinson accepting a place to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford in September.

Ben Seymour, Aileen Rees & Jill White Sixth Form Team

For the Group 4 Project, pupils were challenged to create a marble run assault course that dropped a metal ball into a cup after 30 seconds. Prizes were awarded for the accuracy of the ball run, elaboration and innovation. The activity not only allowed the Year 12 cohort to mix, but also allowed the pupils to see the planning and preparation required to plan experiments in their chosen subjects.

Also memorable were the St Andrews Day Debate and the selection of three St Leonards pupils - Sam Carrett, Costanza Guelfi and Helena Flynn - by the Rotary Club of St Andrews to attend their annual RYLA camp. This is an amazing opportunity for young people to challenge themselves and learn new leadership skills.

It was wonderful to welcome Graeme Hawley, the Director of General Collections at the National Library of Scotland, to St Leonards to give a lecture to our Year 12 students entitled ‘The Joy of Shapes’. Graeme presented a whistle-stop tour of the fascinating collections of the National Library of Scotland - what a captivating experience!

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ENGLISH

Diploma The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is credited with Programme – Years the idea that the only constant in life is change; this 12 and 13 rings true for many teachers, but especially those Our Sixth Form Students have in the English department, where we constantly showcased their inquiring minds via strive for innovation and adaptability in our all of their work, but especially in their practice. Some noteworthy examples of Individual Oral presentations and Higher this are below, showcasing this year’s Level Essays. These self-directed studies achievements from each IB always yield enthusiastic and thoughtProgramme. provoking explorations of concepts such as equality and cultural identity, and this year was no exception.

ENGLISH Middle Year Programme – Years 7, 8 and 9 Year 7 teaching goes from strength to strength, consolidating our delivery of exciting new contemporary text types including graphic novels. Year 8 once again, in partnership with the Debating Society at the University of St Andrews, demonstrated what effective communicators they are. In Year 9, we continue to build on the successful introduction of MUN Day, where students demonstrated their open-mindedness by debating through various international perspectives.

IGCSE and PreIB – Years 10 and 11 After returning to external examinations post-Covid, our IGCSE students achieved an excellent set of results; we look forward to building on them this coming June. Other highlights include a trip to the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh to see a production of ‘An Inspector Calls’, dressing up as favourite characters for World Book Day, and assisting the History department with a cross-curricular Battlefields trip. Year 10 also welcomed their former Junior School teacher, Simon Lamb, now a published poet and performer, back into school for an entertaining presentation and workshop.

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A Fond Farewell…

Finally, after an incredible 41 years of teaching English, exclusively at St Leonards, our very own Mrs Denise Johnston will retire at the end of the session. Words cannot do justice to the contribution she has made to life at the School during her tenure, so all I will say is that she has made a difference in the lives of countless students and colleagues over the years and St Leonards will not be the same without her. We wish her nothing but the best for the future!

Alfonso Iannone Head of English

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100 BOOKS TO READ before you leave St Leonards

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Adams, Douglas A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Jackson, Holly We Should All Be Feminists Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi Five Survive Jackson, Holly Una Donna Alermo, Sibilla Pages & Co James, Anna The Handmaid’s Tale Atwood, Margaret An Evil Cradling Keenan, Brian Pride and Prejudice Austen, Jane Braiding Sweetgrass Kimmerer, Robin Wall Red Queen Ayeyard, Victoria Stig of the Dump King, Clive Peter Pan Barrie, J.M. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid Kinney, Jeff Inheritance Games Barnes, Jennifer Lynn Shoe Dog Knight, Phil As part of The Cruel Prince Black, Holly To Kill a Mockingbird Lee, Harper our World Book Day Noughts & Crosses Blackman, Malorie If This Is a Man Levi, Primo 2023 celebrations, the Twins at St Clare’s Blyton, Enid The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Lewis, C.S. whole school community came Secret Series Bosch, Pseudonymous The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Lewis, C.S. together to contribute their top Farenheit 451 Bradbury, Ray The Big Short Lewis, Michael reads with the vision of creating Bodyguard Hostage Bradford, Chris Up From the Sea Lowitz, Lezla a special list of 100 Books to Jane Eyre Bronte, Charlotte My Name is Malala Malala Read Before You Leave Dawn Across Borders Butler, George Winnie the Pooh Milne, A.A. St Leonards.

The Secret Garden Burnett, Frances Hodgson Regenesis Monbiot, George Silent Spring Carson, Rachel Th e Tattooist of Auschwitz Morris, Heather The list is Atomic Habits Clear, James Red Stars Morosinotto, Davide published here in Don Quixote Cervantes, Miguel What If Munroe, Randall full. Our thanks to Miss Moana Clements, R. Blue Mind Nichols, Walace J. Angela Tawse, Librarian, Jurassic Park Crichton, Michael Homage to Catalonia Orwell, George and Mr Alfonso Iannone, Death on the Nile Christie, Agatha Nineteen Eighty-Four Orwell, George Head of English, for Evil Under the Sun Christie, Agatha Animal Farm Orwell, George leading this literary The Alchemist Coelho, Paul Where the Crawdads Sing Owens, Delia initiative.

How to Train Your Dragon Cowell, Cressida Wonder Palacio, R.J. The Twits Dahl, Roald Eragon Paolini, Christopher The Wrong Train De Quidt, Jeremy The Waiting Place Payer, Dina Great Expectations Dickens, Charles Invisible Women Perez, Caroline Criado All the Light We Cannot See Doerr, Anthony Peter Rabbit Potter, Beatrix The Gruffalo Donaldson, Julia Erebos Poznanski, Ursula The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan Guards, Guards Pratchett, Terry Girl, Woman, Other Evaristo, Bernadine The Rational Optimist Ridley, Matt Letter to a Child that was Never Born Fallaci, Oriana Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Riordan, Rick The Sound and the Fury Faulkner, William Factfulness Rosling, Hans The Danger Gang Fletcher, Tom Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Rowling, JK The Machine Stops Forster, E.M. Holes Sachar, Louis Sophie’s World Gaarder, Jostein The Catcher in the Rye Salinger, JD American Gods Gaiman, Neil Quiet flows Sholokov, M. Bad Science Goldacre, Ben They Both Die at the End Silvera, Adam The Wind in the Willows Graham, Kenneth Our Castle by the Sea Strange, Lucy Rose Nicolson Greig, Andrew Children of Time Tchaikovsky, Adrian The Examined Life Grosz, Stephen The Hobbit Tolkien, J.R.R. The Midnight Library Haig, Matt The Lord of the Rings Tolkien, J.R.R. Where’s Waldo Handford, Martin War and Peace Tolstoy, Leo Catch 22 Heller, Joseph The Midnight Gang Walliams, David Vanishing Games Hobbs, Roger The Selfish Giant Wilde, Oscar Storm Breaker Horowitz, Anthony The SAS Survival Handbook Wiseman, John Lofty The Iron Man Hughes, Ted The Shadow of the Wind Zafon, Carlos Ruiz Hedda Gabler Ibsen, Henrik The Book Thief Zusak, Marcus

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M AT H E M AT I C S

Mathematics From Year 7 to Year 13, students have been unquestionably diligent in their approach to Mathematics this year, displaying every aspect of the Learner Profile Attributes. The traits, Inquirer, Thinker and Communicator were particularly evident from our Year 13 students when tackling the coursework element of DP Mathematics. This involves students exploring the mathematics behind an area of interest to them. Students enjoyed the opportunity to apply their knowledge, understanding and skills creatively and innovatively in their chosen area.

We were very impressed with the calibre and originality of their work. See below a flavour of the paths pursued.

Russell Hall, Head of Mathematics

Faith Mackenzie Page, AASL Faith had a problem to solve. She needed to work out how much it would cost to restring her harp.

This required her to use her mathematical skills to model the shape of her harp to work out the total length of string needed. Faith was meticulous in her approach, creating five different functions (see diagram) and then applying her skills in coordinate geometry to help her achieve her goal. Faith discovered the length of the string was about 20 m, which is as tall as four giraffes or about as long as a tennis court. Taking into account the different types of string Faith arrived at the approximated cost of £300!

Isla Hutchinson, AAHL Isla decided to estimate the volume of her plastic water bottle using mathematical modelling, polynomial regression and integration. To achieve this she learnt how to use GeoGebra, a computational package, which allowed her to create the diagrams shown. She refined her model from a single to a piecewise function with four different parts and even began to consider the ridges in the bottle’s surface. Using her model Isla found the approximate volume of her water bottle to be 680 cm3. By measuring the volume of water in the bottle when filled she obtained a volume of 690 cm3.

Ishan Kishinchand Situmal, AISL Ishan pursued his interest in business and drew on his learning of Voronoi diagrams to help him identify the ideal location to open an Indian restaurant in Madrid. He considered the city’s landmarks and distances to suppliers to identify a location that satisfies customers and maximises profit.

Voronoi diagrams are new to the Applications and Interpretation course, and will likely be new to you. They are used to find the largest empty circle amid a collection of points. They have numerous applications across mathematics, as well as in various other disciplines such as modelling animal territories. In the 1854 cholera epidemic in London, physician John Snow used Voronoi diagrams created from the locations of water pumps, counting the deaths in each cell to identify the particular pump as the source of the infection.

The diagram below shows Ishan’s completed Voronoi diagram with his calculated restaurant site labelled R.

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PHYSICS

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Physics

This year we have been lucky enough to welcome to the department a new technician, Mr Paul Jardine. Mr Jardine brings with him an enormous amount of Physics teaching experience in British and international schools and it has We began the year with another excellent set of results in public been a treat to have his wisdom examinations, with 7s across the board for all who sat the IBDP Physics at in the prep room and in Higher Level. Very strong results were obtained by our pupils at other levels the classroom. too, which sets us an exacting standard to match this year!

Eleven pupils gained awards this year in the immensely demanding British Physics Olympiad papers. Jil Reppenhagen deserves special mention for gaining a Gold Award, as do Felix Schultz-Süchting and Ruairidh Leggett, who were both tantalisingly close to Gold in winning their Silvers.

Practical work is of course the heartbeat of the Physics department. This year we’ve seen extensive investigations into: the effect of nozzle diameter on rocket thrust for an extended essay; factors affecting crater diameter for the experimental Olympiad; and IAs on bobbing tubes, cello strings, finding Planck’s constant with LEDs, the Magnus effect on paper tubes, translucency, the effect of wing area on gliders among many others.

Practical work can have an engineering focus as well as an investigative one. In the Autumn, we launched a bridge-building competition for Year 9, in collaboration with a final-year student from the University of St Andrews. This saw lots of eager Year 9 pupils come in during lunchtimes, both for masterclasses and to develop their design. The winning bridge, designed by Riya Bhaskar, Alastair MacFadyen and Jack Hughes, could bear an impressive 79 times its own weight before its final collapse.

Next year will bring a new IB syllabus for the incoming Year 12 cohort. We are looking forward to being able to teach a number of elements in greater depth including relativity, thermodynamics and rotational dynamics.

Patrick Smith Head of Physics

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C H E M I S T RY

Chemistry

This has been a busy year in the Chemistry Department with lots of fun had in class, busy Internal Assessment days for Year 13 and success in several outreach activities organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

First up, we sent an intrepid team of chemists to the University of St Andrews to compete in the annual Top of the Bench competition.

The team, composed of Brendan Hawley in Year 11, Edwin Ng in Year 10, Riya Bhaskar in Year 9 and Hamish Fleming in Year 8, completed a variety of Chemistry challenges against schools in Fife and gained a lot of experience from participating.

Back in the classroom, IBDP students honed their analytical skills using equipment loaned to us by Edinburgh University as part of their ‘Workshop in a Box’ outreach programme to help with understanding the organic analysis topic in the DP course.

Next up was the International Chemistry Olympiad in which three students from Years 12 and 13 pitted their wits against students across the country to answer questions in the notoriously difficult Olympiad. Elisabeth Koenig and Amanda Yu were awarded Bronze certificates for their efforts.

There has been a shift towards sustainability in Chemistry teaching over recent years and with the excellent efforts of our Senior Technician Mark Arnold, we have begun to tackle traditional experiments using Microscale Chemistry Techniques.

Here, our Year 12 students carried out experiments on complex metal ions on a miniature scale, thus reducing both the amounts of chemicals used and chemical waste.

The final event of the year was the annual Royal Society of Chemistry Schools’ Analyst Competition.

Students in Year 12 completed a variety of analytical experiments and challenges in a regional competition.

They had to solve a variety of tasks to determine who was responsible for ‘Sabotage at the Country Fair’.

The event involved a great deal of teamwork and collaboration to solve the tasks independently and we look forward to finding out the winners!

Sharon Moan Head of Chemistry

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B I O LO G Y

O L GY O I

Probably the highlight of the year in Biology was the Year 12 trip to the Field Studies centre at Millport on the beautiful Isle of Cumbrae for a packed weekend of fieldwork. Students gained hands-on experience of collecting data using transects, quadrats and sampled the living things in freshwater ponds. The sun shone as we observed the coastal succession habitat and found lots of interesting life in the rock pools. A great time was had by all!

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Year 7 have been working hard to research a biome of their choosing, including the effect of climate change on the biome and produce models to show their findings. This summative task concluded with a gallery-like event where all three classes displayed and discussed their work. The Year 7s combined their creative and scientific skills to produce many varied and interesting biome models, complete with accurate descriptions and some even had real water!

Year 12, too, had a busy Summer Term, and in addition to the field trip, they worked hard to plan and carry out their individual investigations (IAs), which are research-based assignments in the Sixth Form. This project allows students to follow their curiosity and research scientific literature to plan an investigation into a topic of their choice, with research questions ranging from how protein content varies between different animal and plant milks to how caffeine affects human reaction times.

Training in Ecology starts early in Biology and Year 8 have spent the Summer Term out and about in the grounds learning how to sample using pitfall traps, quadrats and transects. They then analysed their data to find out how light intensity affects the percentage cover of grass in the school grounds.

The students worked independently to carry out preliminary experiments, and demonstrated resilience when things didn’t quite go to plan! In turn, they had to problem solve in order to refine their methods and ensure the validity of their results. Many students chose investigations involving plants and showed commitment in keeping their plants alive in the weeks leading up to the IA day.

On IA day itself, the Biology department was a buzz of activity, as all students enthusiastically collected data and analysed the significance of their results. The Year 12s then evaluated the strengths and limitations of their investigations and produced the first draft of their investigation write up.

They will now respond to their feedback to complete their IA which is worth 20% of their final IB Diploma Biology grade.

All in all, another great year in the department.

Rachel Deegan Head of Biology

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GEOGRAPHY & ESS

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ESS

At the end of September, the Year 12 ESS class headed to the Field Studies Council centre at Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae. The weather was kind and pupils were able to experience all manner of fieldwork techniques in preparation for their Individual Investigation, which began in March.

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As another busy year comes to an end in Geography and Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS), it is time to reflect on all the exciting events and trips we have enjoyed together.

The Year 11 GCSE cohort, meanwhile, completed their fieldwork in and around St Andrews, including a series of investigations at the East Sands, and looking at the changing urban patterns of the town.

Year 7 challenged themselves to conquer East Lomond Hill with Ms Sherwood as part of the Outdoor Education programme, and just before Christmas, the department hosted a student from the University of St Andrews as part of their communication module in Geology.

As part of this, the Year 12 students learned about the type of work studied at university in this field, and completed a role-play exercise to demonstrate how lava behaves.

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Iceland Trip At the end of the Spring term, the Geography Department set off to Iceland in what has become one of the favourite school trips.

Day 1: Despite a very early check-in and the weather being rather wet when we visited the bridge between two continents and Gunnuhver Hot Springs, we were lucky to smell the Krysuvik mud puddles, where the mud boils giving off sulphuric smelling gas.

This was followed by a visit to Reykjavik city centre, where pupils visited the city church and enjoyed a little shopping. After a visit to the Perlan centre to see a stunning show about the history of the Northern Lights we headed to our accommodation - The Fisherman’s Villages - a unique location on a bay close to Reykjavik.

Day 2: Pupils started the day relaxing in the Secret Lagoon - a hot spring experience. We then set off on the Golden Circle Tour, which included Gullfoss waterfall, Geysir geothermal area and the Thingvellir National Park, the birthplace of Iceland’s parliament 900 years ago.

Day 3: A day of ice, fire and water. Pupils saw two spectacular waterfalls at Seljalandsfoss and Skogafos, and a visit to the Lava Centre showed pupils the geological history of Iceland and allowed them to interact with several exhibitions. At Reynishverfi beach, students were able to see the basalt columns and classic coastal features such as caves, stacks and arches.

For our final activity pupils donned crampons and harnesses to head for a walk on the glacier - we were astounded at how much it had melted in the last 10 years and hope we will be able to repeat the activity in 2024!

Jill White Teacher of Geography & Assistant Head of Sixth Form

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H I S TO RY

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History Nestled in the charming town of St Andrews, where tales of the past whisper through cobblestone streets and ancient ruins, St Leonards champions History whilst embracing the essence of the IB philosophy. History is a thread that weaves together the fabric of our society. It is an intricate narrative of human triumphs and tribulations, a compass that guides us through the present and shapes our future. In today’s world, where societies are grappling with complex change, global challenges and moral dilemmas, the study of History has become more crucial than ever before.

The MYP students have explored filmmaking skills as Vikings, edited podcast presentations on significant female historical figures and entered ‘St Lenwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’ where they grapple with sources and clues from our 500-year-old library building, its archives brimming with evidence of the past. Assessments also include competitive debating about differing ideologies, presenting to a US Senate committee on the death of JFK, creating Culloden Museum booklets, and evaluating British Museum artefacts from ancient Carthage and Rome. And not forgetting the ‘Hardboiled History’ competition where Year 7 was set the task of recreating significant figures on a hardboiled egg. As part of their investigation into Scottish History, our PYP and Lawhead Primary students also enjoyed living history, interacting with Mary Queen of Scots, although her voice had deepened somewhat, and her head was still on her shoulders.

Our DP cohort has benefited from a comprehensive curriculum encompassing a range of topics, spanning from indigenous people’s rights to feminist movements, and from the history of Apartheid in South Africa to the intricate triangular relations between the US, China, and Russia.

This curriculum cultivates international-mindedness and cultural awareness and deepens comprehension of the roots of complex geopolitical dilemmas prevalent in today’s world.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of Year 10 and 11. They delved into the divisive social history of 20th Century USA, exploring topics such as the rise of dictatorship in Germany and the role played by international peacekeeping organisations in averting conflicts around the world from the Middle East to Africa. For our Year 10s, their explorations were enriched by their immersive journey to the

World War One Battlefields of Belgium and France.

This trip dovetailed neatly with their newly introduced pre-TOK Philosophy course, fostering interdisciplinary connections as they also reflected on the ethics of war and the significance of remembrance as a path to peace, and the nature of memorialisation. In this endeavour, our students also participated in the University of St Andrews’ Visualising Peace project, under the guidance of Dr Alice König.

The visit to the Battlefields left our students with poignant and profound moments etched in their hearts and minds. They engaged in reflection, contemplating their experiences and undergoing personal growth. One could argue that these elements encapsulate what truly matters.

“Being given the opportunity to help with laying a wreath at Menin Gate was an honour and it was really powerful and moving. It really helped me to develop a strong feeling of respect and gratitude for those who fought in the wars, including a relative of mine whose name we found at Thiepval Memorial.

We all enjoyed the trip and the real-life experiences and opportunities it rewarded us with.”

- Findlay Miller, Year 10 “The Battlefields trip was the best trip I’ve been on at St Leonards. It was incredibly surreal to finally visit Hooge, where my relative John Ralph Purvis had been killed in action over 100 years previously. To be given that opportunity to be in such close proximity to his place of death, and to read his letters in that place, really brought a young man who was just a name in my family to life as a complex person whose life ended far too short.”

- Harry Purvis, Year 10

Damian Kell, Curriculum Lead for History & Academic Enrichment Coordinator

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MODERN L ANGUAGES

Modern Languages This year, our language classes have not only been working on their skills development, but also focusing on culture and traditions. In the PYP Spanish class, pupils explored Latin America and the different traditions found within these cultures. French classes across the School saw pupils creating sweet and savoury crêpes and learning about the tradition of La Chandeleur.

Moving to the MYP, the Year 7 German classes immersed themselves in the winter festivals of Martinstag and Saint Nicholas, learning songs and decorating their shoes and lanterns. Including these activities helps the students to develop their international-mindedness and make connections with their own cultures and traditions.

A number of pupils were awarded their DELF Prim’ A1.1 diplomas after successfully passing the first level of the internationally recognised qualification last academic year.

We hope that this will be the starting point of building on some more levels in their French learning journey.

Some of our Sixth Form and Yr 11/PreIB pupils attended evenings organised by the Franco-Scottish Society, such as a talk on Émile Zola, a reading followed by Q&A by contemporary writer Samira Sedira, and a presentation by Mme Laurence Païs, French Consul, on her diplomatic and cultural missions in Scotland on behalf of France.

Our pupils in the lower years also attended French Day at Craigtoun Park.

Kate McGregor & Nora Gannon MYP Coordinator / Teacher of French and German & Head of Language Acquisition B

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MUN & CLASSICS

S MUN N E H & AT CL O T

This year, an unforgettable adventure awaited our Classicists and Model United Nations (MUN) students as they embarked on a remarkable journey to Athens, Greece. The vibrant city beckoned them with its rich cultural heritage and awe-inspiring sights, while the MUN Conference

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at Platon School promised a platform for the MUN pupils’ diplomatic skills and intellectual prowess. Their dedication and passion were both displayed and rewarded, as three of our delegates were granted the coveted title of Best Delegate, the highest award possible in each committee.

Congratulations to Jamie Pennycook, Maddy Wallard, Samuel Zhai, and Carina Ng who were all recognised at the Conference.

In the following accounts, our pupils will share their reflections, offering a glimpse into the transformative power of this trip.

Vanessa Samuel, Teacher of English

What do you think you gained from the trip?

Tell us about your award, The Best Delegate…

“I gained more of an understanding of our historical world. But I also learned a lot about myself and gained a lot of knowledge about life skills such as time and money management.”

- Lana McGuire, Year 9

“I believe I was awarded Best Delegate due to my confidence, standing up and speaking confidently in front of others. This was definitely helped by the amount of preparation I had completed beforehand and ensuring I listened to all other countries’ perspectives on the topics.”

- Maddy Wallard, Year 12

What were your trip highlights?

“I loved going to the Acropolis the most and Mount Lycabettus.”

- Amelia Rowe, Year 9 “We were able to experience an authentic Athens, caught between worlds of ancient wonders and modern change…We visited the British School of Athens, an archaeology centre designed to educate academics and excavate sites, and we were introduced to how pottery is studied. In the evenings we explored the neighbourhoods surrounding the Acropolis. With cats at every corner, the best baklava in the world, and the excitable stories of the day prior, these hours truly allowed Athens to come to life.”

- Anna Potthoff & Madeleine Metz, Year 12

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Why participate in Model United Nations?

“Not only does participation in MUN and conferences look great on a personal statement, but it is also a great way to increase your confidence. It has helped me with my public speaking and has increased my global knowledge. Finally, it is a great way to meet new people from all around the world and make new friends.”

- Maddy Wallard, Year 12

“I loved the trip! It was one of the best experiences of my life.”

- Lana McGuire, Year 9

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COMPUTER SCIENCE / ECONOMICS

COMPUTER SCIENCE Throughout this year, Computer Science has continued to attract a remarkable influx of dedicated and passionate students in both the GCSE and IB Diploma Programme. Their exceptional performance during the examination period has been truly inspiring. It is equally delightful to witness the growing engagement and enthusiasm for computing amongst younger students in our School. They have actively participated in various computing clubs, such as the DressCode Club and Coding Club.

A superb initiative has been undertaken by a group of Year 10 girls who have come together to establish a DressCode Club.

This Club is affiliated with a Scottish schools organisation that aims to promote girls’ involvement in Computing and STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths). The Club’s primary goal is to encourage and support younger girls within the school who are interested in coding or wish to pursue STEM subjects. Once skills have been developed, the Club plans to participate in stimulating coding competitions during the summer months and into the Autumn Term.

The Coding Club, consisting of our enthusiastic younger students, has been diligently working on a range of projects utilising Micro:bits. They have been coding captivating games in multiple languages, including Python, Java, and JavaScript.

Their programming skills have allowed them to create mesmerising graphics on the Micro:bits and control robot cars manoeuvring through challenging obstacle courses. The members of the Club have made commendable progress in their coding abilities and have developed their knowledge of various programming languages.

Gus Ferguson Head of Computer Science

ECONOMICS Adam Smith: 300th Anniversary There is little doubt that Adam Smith is the greatest and most influential Fifer that ever lived. As a result, we discussed his ideas throughout the IB Economics course in Year 12 and Year 13: “the invisible hand”; selfinterest and the profit-motive; division of labour; and the benefits of free trade.

This year was a very special year for Adam Smith as it was his 300th birthday. The Adam Smith Global Foundation put on many excellent events in order to celebrate his life. The Economics Department took advantage of this by going to Kirkcaldy in May. We went to see the Adam Smith House where he lived and wrote The Wealth of Nations. After enjoying the sites, we then went on to see a talk given by Larry Summers (former US treasury secretary and former President of Harvard), Ed Balls (former Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer) and Stephanie Flanders (BBC and Bloomberg Economics journalist). Another great Fifer, Gordon Brown, was introducing the event.

It was a very insightful talk. Larry Summers discussed his experiences in government but they also addressed the main issues that we currently face: climate change; unsustainable government debt; war in Europe; and USChina relations. Summers was very good at remaining optimistic while not undermining the severity of these events. He said that we must remember that: “events are mostly bad but trends are mostly good”. After the talk, Samuel Zhai was able to speak to Ed Balls about his experiences at Prime Minister’s Questions and Strictly Come Dancing and Mrs Prudencio-Aponte also had the opportunity to speak with Gordon Brown.

Happy Birthday, Adam Smith!

Pablo Funcasta Head of Economics

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BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

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Busine Management

Future Assets Five of our Sixth Form girls were selected for the Future Assets Investment Competition. They worked extremely hard on a presentation and a video for the environmental company Tomra. This company provides technology-led solutions that enable the circular economy with advanced collection and sorting systems, and food processing by employing sensor-based sorting and grading technology. The girls reached the last round and finished in the Top 10, of 72 Scottish schools.

Enterprise Challenge In November, the Business Management class participated in the Inter-School Enterprise Challenge hosted at Strathallan School in Perthshire. Five schools took part in the challenge with only two prizes up for grabs. Brilliantly, the St Leonards pupils won one of the prizes, being awarded ‘Most Commercially Viable Idea’ for creating a concept that offers consultancy for environmental issues. The students formulated an outstanding presentation and were highly congratulated by the panel of judges. A proud moment for these future entrepreneurs!

Michelin Masterclass In March, our IBCP and DP Business and Economics students enjoyed a talk about working in the hospitality sector and running a profitable business given by Geoffrey Smeddle, St Leonards parent and Chef Patron and Owner of Michelin-starred restaurant, The Peat Inn, near St Andrews.

Investment Simulation Economic and Business students in Year 12 and 13 took part in a trading simulation in February, presented by AmplifyMe. They learned how to manage a portfolio of shares and trade in a “real life simulation” - another excellent opportunity!

Paula Prudencio-Aponte Teacher of Business Management

ST LEONARDS ENTERPRISE PROGRAMME (STEP) This year, we had four companies taking part in the St Leonards Enterprise Programme (STEP), a popular after-school activity for Year 12 students to help develop entrepreneurial skills. During the programme, they worked hard to create their own company, develop a product/service, market it and ultimately sell it with a percentage of their profits going to charity.

The companies developed a variety of products from keyrings, to hats, cups and a pre-loved clothing range, selling their items at lunchtime and after school. The four companies were:

Capello Personalised hats

Inko Handmade keyrings

Soul Giving clothing a new lease of life

Happy Cups Reusable mugs

The St Leonards Enterprise Programme (STEP) was launched in November 2022.

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P S YC H O L O G Y

Psychology The 2022-23 academic session has seen Psychology continue to develop at St Leonards, with 51 pupils taking the subject in the Diploma Programme. It is great to see so many pupils excelling in the subject and showing a real hunger to learn about human behaviour and the application of theory to real-life situations. A classroom move to the Shackleton and expansion of the Year 13 into two classes, has really helped strengthen the department’s identity and there has been a real buzz felt in the new Psychology classroom.

Pupils have broached a variety of topics this year and found their feet when it comes to writing Psychology essays and bridging the gap between the scientific and social perspectives. Highlights include; Year 12 students learning about the brain using Playdough models, Year 13 completing a ‘Psychology Escape Room’ for their final lesson of the year (I can confirm all students ‘escaped’), and finally Year 12’s visit to the University of St Andrews to hear an Introductory Psychology Talk from Senior Lecturer, Paul Gardner.

The famous Psychology Dartboard has also been put to good use this year, aiding revision and quickfire recall… and thankfully no holes have been created in the walls!

A special mention must go to the Year 10 core members of the Psychology Club, who have attended every Tuesday lunchtime. We have spoken about a number of topics, including body language and how you can tell if a person is lying, the psychology of a criminal and how professionals conduct criminal evaluations. They even carried out their own evaluation on Lord Voldemort which made for insightful and rather entertaining conversation. Mentions must also be made to Kathryn Walmsley for achieving the highest overall grade in her Year 12 Psychology exam, to Abigail Edmonstone who has created a Psychology podcast to document her final exam revision, and finally to Lixi Chen for being the recipient of the Psychology prize, awarded in Year 13 for outstanding achievement and commitment to the subject.

It has been a wonderful year for the department, and seeing the development of pupils’ work has been so rewarding.

A welcoming and encouraging space has been created in the Shackleton and it has been a pleasure to see so many pupils grow in confidence in the subject. I am really looking forward to the next academic year and wish all the Year 13s the very best for their results and future endeavours, it has truly been an honour to have taught them.

Rachael Cave, Teacher of Psychology

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L E A R N I N G S U P P O RT / E A L

Learning Support: Meet the Team Our wonderful Learning Support team at St Leonards works across all four of the IB programmes and has dedicated Learning Support Hubs in both the Junior and Senior sections of the School, along with a large Supported Study classroom in the Senior School. The work of the department is to ensure an educationally inclusive environment in our IB World School.

The team is headed up by Mrs Gilly Greenwood, and alongside her are Mrs Aisling Bonner (PYP/MYP), Ms Catherine Gratwick, Mrs Anna Radons-Harris, (both PYP, MYP, CP/DP), and Mrs Ann Stephens (MYP, CP, DP). Mr Christopher Meighen and Ms Charlotte

Salisbury have also joined the team for part of the year. Throughout the School diversity is recognised, respected and celebrated - together we aim to meet the needs of all pupils with additional support needs and strive to harness the strengths and talents of all these pupils, in order to build confidence, self -esteem and allow each learner to flourish. We love seeing the progression of our pupils on their journey through the School as they grow in confidence, maturity and independence, with the skills they need for life after St Leonards.

Our individually tailored and flexible approach includes in-class support

throughout PYP and MYP years, specialist one-toone lessons, paired lessons, collaborative sessions in small groups, learning skills workshops, study skills clinics and a wide variety of support during exam sessions.

Gilly Greenwood Head of Learning Support

Ann Stephens

Gilly Greenwood

Aisling Bonner

Catherine Gratwick

Anna Radons-Harris

Christopher Meighen

Charlotte Salisbury

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English as an Additional Language (EAL)

Violet

Maksym

Earlier this year, two of our bilingual Ukrainian pupils, Maksym Starun in Year 9 and Violet Harus in Year 12, featured in the national press, sharing reflections on their learning journeys at St Leonards.

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Words which appeared in both their articles described their experiences as ‘kind’ and ‘supportive’. They shared that through their lessons and interactions with teachers and peers here at St Leonards, they had been safely able to explore, test, fail and succeed in their language learning journey.

At St Leonards, we place great importance on the language learning journey.

Many of our students, especially those learning English as an Additional Language (EAL), receive additional support to enhance their language skills.

We are excited for the next academic year, as we warmly welcome and nurture both current and future bilingual and multilingual students.

Learning Village Competition

Cambridge B2 for Sch ls

Dawn Cremonese Head of EAL and English B

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COMMUNIT Y PROJEC TS

OUR WORLD, OUR COMMUNITY “Alone, we can do so li le; together, we can do so much.” - Helen Keller St Leonards as a School is a community: one which has existed for the past 146 years as part of the wider community of St Andrews. Since the introduction of the International Baccalaureate, that community has become global. Pupils come to our school from all corners of the world, and are ready and willing to help others and contribute with confidence in so many ways.

Here, we look at some of this year’s stand-out community projects, whether in Year 9 as part of the Middle Years Programme, or in the Sixth Form. From our youngest pupils supporting St Andrews in Bloom with the harbour planters, to our school-wide collection for the Coronation Big Help Out, that sense of community spirit is instilled right from Year 1 up to Year 13 and beyond.

Projects

Making Music Shelagh Reid and Arabella Hayes used their musical talents to bring joy to residents in a local care home. The pair identified a lack of activities and events for some residents due to staffing and funding challenges, and decided to take action. Arabella and Shelagh visited the care home regularly to sing and play violin. They reflected together on how important music is for older residents and explored how it could be made more readily available.

Machines for Malawi Camryn Perratt worked with local charity ‘The Toolshed’ to collect unwanted sewing machines, which could be serviced and sent to disadvantaged communities in Africa, including Malawi.

The charity works to support communities in setting up small businesses and providing a means of income. Camryn was able to help 25 groups thanks to her successful advertising campaign promoting her project. Well done, Camryn.

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Caring for Cats After researching a number of animal charities, Emil Zapechelnyuk and Rory Maitland chose to raise funds and awareness for a local organisation: Fife Cats. They held a stall at Cambo Country House selling handmade cat biscuits and lavender bags, which raised £200 for the charity.

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Year 9 Community Projects Storehouse St Andrews Charlie Lewis initially felt inspired to work with animals for his Community Project, however after becoming aware of an acquaintance who had had to use a food bank. He changed his course to support Storehouse St Andrews, raising funds by working in partnership with his family restaurant, The Adamson. He hosted a special afternoon tea party for local business people, who attended and made donations to the charity. Charlie’s project was featured on STV News and raised over £8,000 for Storehouse.

Creativity, ativity, ivity, Activity, Service & Service Se Serv Learning

BSL Tour of St Leonards A group of students on n the the IB I Career-related Program oggram ramm mme mee to toookk the took t initiative to plan, an,, film m and an and d ed edit dit it a video vi o showcasing St Le Leon Leona L nard ards, ds, s, co communicated com mmu munica cated d using British tish sh h Sign Si Sign n Lang Lan Langua guage uage (BSL ((BSL).

SL). The students tss were wer w ree in insp nspir pired red d byy thee themes them emess of dive versi ersity er ityy and and d inc inclusivity, nclusi sivity ty, en ensuring nsuri ring as many man m nyy peop ma people p ople as a possib po possible ble ccan n acces access a ss a St S Leona L Leonards nardss education. edu ucattion..

CAS as part of the IBDP and SVL as part of the IBCP involve collaboration between students and the wider community. Skills developed include initiative, perseverance, cooperation, problem-solvingg and prob pro p decision decis d cision-making. isio

The Big Beach Clean Year 2 student Costanza Franzinelli Socini Guelfi collaborated with her tutor group to lead a beach clean up on the neighbouring East Sands during Games periods in January. The group created a poster to present their ideas, and thought globally by looking at how they presented a universal issue in a specific and unique way.

Braving the winter weather, the students took action to reduce their carbon footprint and remove plastics and other waste from the beautiful St Andrews beach.

This act of service brought together 30 young people actively working to make the world a better place.

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I N T E R N AT I O N A L S T U D E N T E X P E R I E N C E

Independent Sch l of the Year 2022 - International Student Experience

UK’S TOP INDEPENDENT SCHOOL FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENT EXPERIENCE

In exciting news, St Leonards was announced as winner of the Independent School of the Year Award 2022 for International Student Experience at a glittering ceremony at the Royal Thames Yacht Club in London in October.

Our School was recognised as outstanding for its commitment to welcoming students from all corners of the world, and promoting a culture of inclusion and diversity for all.

With over 34 nationalities on the school roll each year, cultures, traditions and languages are celebrated throughout the year. Following the news of St Leonards’ success, we caught up with some of our international pupils to hear what makes them feel at home at St Leonards.

Maksym Starun Boarder, age 13, from Ukraine

Isobel Boulting Boarder, age 13, from Sweden

“I didn’t really know what to expect living away from home, but I have settled in and I have been so happy here at St Leonards.

“My sister came to St Leonards first and I also wanted to try something new. I liked the sound of St Leonards because it had great boarding options and a very international feel. I definitely think it has more opportunities and resources for the students than the other schools I have attended.

“My English wasn’t as good when I first came to St Leonards. As soon as I arrived, I made a new friend from Cuba whose mother was Russian - he was able to help me while I was still learning English. All the boarding house staff really helped me too. The teachers are really kind and supportive.

“There are subjects I would not have been able to study, like Drama. I really enjoy studying it, learning about things like improvisation and playing different roles.

I also really enjoy the opportunities outside of lesson time - I do rifle shooting club, dance and rugby after school.”

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“Being at St Leonards is really fun and a great life experience. My proudest achievement was starting to learn the drums.

It’s also great for gaining independence.

Studying here has helped me a lot.

“Looking ahead, I would like to travel for a year after school and then go to uni.”

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Samuel Zhai Boarder, age 17, from China

Ines Puig Obrador Boarder, age 17, from Spain

“I am from Mainland China and I live in Macau. I speak Mandarin, Cantonese and English, and have been learning French since I joined St Leonards.

“My first language is Spanish but I also speak Catalan as I’m from Mallorca. I speak English as my second language and German as my third. I can also understand and speak some Italian.

“Coming to St Leonards, I knew I wanted to try something new, like a different education system. I wanted to challenge myself, gain new experiences and broaden my horizons.

Scotland has really given me all of that.

“I really enjoy the spacious environment (my old school was incredibly crowded) and I am intrigued by the historical buildings. The IB curriculum was also a factor for me, as I feel it really prepares you for life, develops all your skills and provides a broader range of opportunities in universities and careers.

“What I also love about St Leonards is its open, friendly and diverse environment.

Both staff and students are really welcoming and they make you feel at home at once.

My international student experience here has been absolutely amazing - I have got to know so many people from the UK and across the world! I’d say it’s simply an eye-opening experience, in which you make friends for a lifetime, learn about different cultural backgrounds, and jump out of your comfort zone to try new things.”

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“I was studying in Spain when I decided I wanted to go for one year to a boarding school in the UK in order to improve my English and enjoy the experience. I had four cousins who had previously studied at St Leonards!

“As an international student, the experience is magic and different from everything else.

As boarders, we all live together from all over the world. St Leonards gave me the opportunity to become Head of House [in Bishopshall], and I find this my proudest achievement at the School. It is such a pleasure to be able to help other girls joining the house to feel welcomed and happy, as the previous Heads of House did with me.

“The best thing about boarding is creating connections. The experience makes you grow as a person, including your social skills, in a way that could never occur in a different situation. Living with your friends makes them feel like your family - it’s the best opportunity I could possibly recommend to anyone.”

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C O R O N AT I O N C E L E B R AT I O N S

GAZETTE

CORONATION OF THEIR MAJESTIES The Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on Saturday, 6 May 2023. With the eyes of the nation and the wider world upon them, the new King and Queen were crowned, marking the first British coronation in 70 years.

The celebrations featured invaluable regalia, outstanding embroidery, the finest music, a procession to remember through the lined streets of London to Buckingham Palace, and finally a flypast from the Red Arrows.

Sunday brought with it the fabulous Coronation Concert, held outside in the impressive grounds of Windsor Castle and showcasing the best of musical, theatrical and artistic talent.

On Monday, it was the turn of all at St Leonards to mark the occasion with school-wide celebrations. Pupils dressed in red, white and blue, or donned regal outfits to raise funds for two chosen charities, in line with the theme of the Coronation The Big Help Out. St Leonards was pleased to support, locally, the North East Fife Community Hub - home to the St David’s Centre and Storehouse St Andrews Foodbank - and nationally, the ADHD Foundation’s Neurodiversity Umbrella Project.

Senior School students gathered outside on Birdcage in the afternoon - in their four Islands: Mull, Harris, Lewis and Skye - to form royal shapes on the grass, which were captured by a drone from the air.

Pupils baked and decorated Coronation-themed treats, with the winner awarded a prize - congratulations to Thomas Rowlands in Year 11, who took first place with his chocolate sponge complete with buttercream caricature of King Charles.

Courtesy of our caterers, Thomas Franks Scotland, coronation cupcakes were enjoyed by all, preceded by a celebratory feast in Restaurant 1877, complete with coronation chicken and the King’s favourite quiche. The festive fare rounded off a day of celebrations as a community.

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SPECIAL

THE KING & QUEEN CAMILLA CORONATION MEMORIES We asked our alumni - known as Seniors - to share their memories of the late Queen’s coronation, back in June 1953. Our thanks to those who compiled their recollections of the occasion. A couple of excerpts are published below.

We know that on Coronation Day in 1953, the St Leonards girls were allowed home for the weekend - a rare treat at the time - to tune into the ceremony with their families.

“It was so exciting to go home for the weekend. An early start from the station with a change at Edinburgh for the seven hour journey to Sheffield. We had a large family gathering as my father had bought a television, a large cabinet with a small screen giving a grainy black and white picture but we thought it was magic! Next day I returned to School.”

Elizabeth Hailey (Jenkinson, SN 1949 - 53)

“As children, we thought it would be very odd to sing God Save the Queen, instead of God Save the King.

“June was very wet that year. My father planned to have red, white and blue hydrangeas in tubs on top of our porch but the plants had to be taken inside and relocated to a corner of the drawing room instead.

We watched it all on a black and white TV of course.

“My father went to London with my brother (aged 17) for the occasion. Being farmers, they were used to getting up early so at 4.00am, they took a ride round London in a double decker bus to view the preparations and thoroughly enjoyed the day.”

“When we were told that we were being given leave to go home to spend the Coronation with our families, it was an amazing and unheard of occurrence, and an enormous treat!”

“I was in my final year at St Hilda’s College, Oxford at the time of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.

The College hired a television set so that we could all watch it in the Common Room!”

Thia Begg (Cunningham, BW 1943-53)

Jean Wearne (Morton, SRW 1945-1949)

Lesley Gill (Stephen, BE 1955-60)

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BOARDING

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St Leonards Scavenger Hunt

Boarding Life

A warm welcome to boarding at St Leonards As I write these words, another lovely sunny Sunday in St Andrews draws to a close, although the sky is still bright as day (the joys of being this far North as we approach the longest day of the year). It has been a busy and productive week, as it always is in Boarding, and we have only a few actionpacked weeks remaining in this academic year.

dooks in the Cas tl e S ding r a o an b ds w ne p

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The IB exams are very much finished, with our Year 13s already having graduated and flown the nest. The GCSE exam diet is winding-up too, and we have transitioned Year 11 students into Year 12 by moving them across to the senior houses for the last half of the Summer Term.

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Our houses are now being led by their new leadership teams, and we have high hopes for next year, based on how passionate and driven they all seemed to be at the most recent Boarding Council Meeting.

We said farewell to Miss Eva Hoodcamp and Mrs Yulia Barlow, during and thanked them for their amazing work with our boarders over the years. We congratulated Mrs Barlow on the birth of her beautiful daughter, and Miss Eva Walker and Miss Eilidh Baird on their weddings (the former past and the latter imminent). Our beloved Mrs Jennifer Murray-Turner will take our love, thanks, and very best wishes with her as she heads back to Canada with her husband Jamie and son Harry, and we are excited to welcome her successor, Dr Vicki Sutton, who will move up from Charterhouse School with her husband, Matt, daughter, Lily, and dog, Xara.

It is wonderful to be able to look back on another year of successes for boarding at St Leonards, where we have enjoyed the highest role that we have seen in years. Mrs Julianne Pennycook made it an incredible two years in a row for St Leonards, winning the BSA Boarding Research Award for 2023, we were named as Top Independent School in the UK for International Student Experience. The Good School Guide researcher even said that our boarding houses were the “best we had seen”.

But, above all, Boarding at St Leonards continues to be a happy, family-based experience for our residents.

They are busy, productive, respected, included, curious, and passionate young people, and we are all very proud to be a part of this wonderful community.

Gerry Young Deputy Head (boarding)

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BISHOPSHALL This year, Bishopshall was home to a total of 68 girls from 14 different countries, and we welcomed 30 new girls to the house. It was a year of staff changes as we firstly welcomed Miss Stewart in August, who joined us for two terms before continuing her career working as a teacher in Primary. Just before the Christmas break we said goodbye to Miss Hoodcamp and welcomed Ms Tate into

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our community, followed in April by Mrs Gosmore.

Bishopshall is always full of energy. In the Autumn Term, we offered many house activities and the firepit, flower arranging and movie nights with Mrs Young were favourites. Miss Maclean started a Bishopshall Book Club, which has been a great success and turned into a Creative Writing Club as well. We carved pumpkins for Halloween and before

we knew it, it was December and we were putting up the tree, playing, “where’s Elspeth Elf?”, decorating gingerbread houses and having our Secret Santa gift exchange. We were finally able to go out for a house festive meal again postpandemic, and the house voted to eat out at Mozza in St Andrews.

The Spring Term always seems to be more stressful with mock examinations

and the realisation that exams aren’t that far away.

We started off the term with a photo contest where boarders submitted photos of places they had been on Christmas holiday and we had to guess which country each photo was from and who the photographer was.

Our Chinese girls taught us how to make dumplings for Chinese New Year and Miss Stewart and Ms Tate organised a whole house quiz.

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NEWS & EVENTS

We continued to enjoy ice cream sundaes on a regular basis and the favourite house activity this term was helping Miss Walker make table decorations for her upcoming wedding (Congratulations, Mrs Swankie!).

The Summer Term saw longer days and warmer temperatures, which meant that Ms Tate was encouraging the boarders to go for regular dooks with her. She also took the girls to nearby (but a little too far to walk to) sights such as Tentsmuir, Falkland and Kingsbarns. We re-opened our “phone daycare” to try and encourage boarders to study without the distraction of mobile devices and some of the girls got quite competitive as the top prize was a manicure!

I would like to thank the outgoing Heads of House Heidi Bell, Hannah Schultz-Suechting and Lixi Chen, who worked well together organising activities and being big sisters to the BH girls.

Our new team - Ines Puig Obrador, Paula Michels, Paulina Roeper and Chiara Longhi - have already been busy with suggestions for new activities and planned a lovely Year 13 celebration.

Bishopshall is a vibrant and busy place and I did not even mention all the sports, music, Model United Nations and drama that many girls were involved in, nor the all

boarding-wide trips that many went on. What characterises Bishopshall is the warmth you feel when you walk in the door. On behalf of Mrs Swankie, Miss MacLean, Mrs Young, Ms Tate, Mrs Gosmore and myself, we would like to thank you, the BH girls, for your energy and enthusiasm this year.

As I am leaving St Leonards at the end of this year, I would also like to take a moment to say how much I have loved

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being the Housemistress of Bishopshall for the past four years. Working in boarding is the most rewarding job and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. It is such a pleasure to be able to look after young women at this stage of their life and to watch them grow and mature over their time here. I will have many fond memories.

Jennifer Murray-Turner Housemistress of Bishopshall

All too soon, we said goodbye to the Year 13s and welcomed boarders up from St Rule who made the move across to BH.

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OLLERENSHAW

We have enjoyed another exciting year, full of achievement, friendship, and adventure with a completely full Ollerenshaw for this year. I’d like to thank Ed Macintosh for his tireless enthusiasm and passion in his role as Head of House. Ably assisted by his Deputies, Ishan Kishinchand Situmal, and Nicolas Appel, there is nothing that Ed’s team wouldn’t tackle all year, and I would like to express our gratitude for their commitment to making sure that every

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Ollerenshaw member felt welcome and cared for. The new Leadership team has big boots to fill, but we are all very confident that the new Head of House, Julian Langer, and his Deputy Team of Alex Nimmo, Konsti Schupp, and Emil Hoffman will put their own stamp on what it means to belong to the Ollerenshaw family.

Our boys can be found in all areas of school endeavour, from hockey and rugby to shooting and swimming, plays and choirs

to Model United Nations and Chess Clubs. National Mental Health Awareness Week started us all off on early morning dooks and meditation sessions, and it is lovely to see our pupils showing as much interest in their mental health as their physical. The Poker Club was a very popular group, and Lord of The Rings Monopoly, and Risk provided hours of fun and companionable competition.

Golf remains one of the most important sports for our house, and we have been

well-represented in many competitions throughout the year. There always seems to be someone cooking-up a storm in the kitchen, and the pool and tennis tables are rarely empty. I think it is fair to say that there is always a welcoming buzz through the whole ground floor, and that Ollerenshaw could never be described as a lonely place… and long may that continue!

Gerry Young Deputy Head (boarding) & Housemaster of Ollerenshaw

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ST RULE Where do I begin? Each year in boarding brings a unique experience, ensuring that no two are ever the same.

While the activities may be similar, the memories made never fail to differ. That’s what makes working in boarding so special.

There is always a buzz in St Rule and never a dull moment. From cosy fires and plentiful trips to Jannettas Gelateria, to the thrill of ice skating, golf, movie nights, escape rooms, laser tag, bingo and talent shows, this year has been filled with endless excitement.

However, among the many cherished memories, the

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competitive ‘House Cup’ events have been a true highlight, with every student taking part and having fun.

At the start of every year, the students enter with timid smiles and hesitancy as they step outside of their comfort zones. But within a matter of weeks, these same individuals establish close friendships and make connections that will last a lifetime. Watching them blossom over a year is nothing short of magical.

Witnessing their growth in confidence, independence and their ability to make decisions; and above all else, their unwavering support for

one another as members of the St Rule family. It is truly a blessing to be part of and I am grateful to be part of this remarkable team in the boarding community.

St Rule is not merely a special place, but an extraordinary one.

Julianne Pennycook Housemistress of St Rule From the Heads of House To live in St Rule is a great life experience. First, it’s a house of many different ages which makes it very enriching to live here. This fact forms a respectful and caring environment. The house staff always try to

make the lives of everybody the best and I always feel understood and represented.

Also, St Rule is a very beautiful place to be. It’s an old building with a great vibe and atmosphere which provides welcoming rooms and friendly housemates.

You can chat, watch movies and play games in the common rooms. These are always full of joy and friendship. I really get along with everybody here and have fun building friendships. The house hosts House Cup tournaments and plays team sports together outdoors which is always fun.

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Another feature of living in St Rule is that it supports both our academic and sport achievements. I love to play golf. To live at St Leonards and St Rule is probably one of the best places in the world, especially if you are obsessed with golf. Although sports are supported, the house staff also make sure that homework is done and that you are prepared for exams.

To live in St Rule is a wonderful experience and I would recommend it to everyone, who is open minded and likes to be around great people.

Leo Izbicki Head of House, St Rule My time in St Rule has been the most wonderful experience I have ever had. I have shared lovely memories with my friends and the staff. A special highlight for me is the many opportunities I have been able to play golf with my friends and Mr Duff, one of our house tutors. I’m very happy and so grateful I got the opportunity to be here.

Arnaud Lindgren Deputy Head of House, St Rule

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BOARDING

BSA BOARDING RESEARCH AWARD

We’ve Done it Again!

In May 2023, we received the fantastic news that St Leonards had won the Boarding Schools Association (BSA) Award for Boarding Research… for a second year running!

The national accolade consolidates the School’s position as a centre of excellence for research into residential education.

This most recent award recognised sector-leading research into maximising opportunities for UKdomiciled boarders in a market where there is an increasing trend towards

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attracting international students to Scotland and the wider UK. The research was conducted

by Julianne Pennycook, Housemistress of St Rule, our home for junior boarders aged 10-16, as part of her Masters in Residential Education (Research in Practice), completed in February of this year with the University of Buckingham.

Considerations ranged from changing parent cultures and habits to the increased cost of living and the emergence of international

schools overseas catering for UK expats. As part of the project, Mrs Pennycook spearheaded an initiative at St Leonards to open doors to flexi and weekly boarding, in particular for children aged 11-14.

Mrs Pennycook said: “The purpose of my Masters was to enhance my knowledge of boarding and give the best possible experience to the students in my house. I wanted my research to have an impact on my setting here at St Leonards, to support its continued excellence in boarding and day education.

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To receive recognition with this award is incredibly validating.”

To win this prestigious national award once was fantastic, but for a second year in a row is truly outstanding.

Julianne Pennycook, Housemistress of St Rule.

The Head, Simon Brian, said: “To win this prestigious national award once was fantastic, but for a second year in a row is truly outstanding. I am proud of the boarding team here at St Leonards, and the research Julianne has conducted over the past two years is testament to her dedication to delivering, pursuing and promoting the highest standard of pastoral care.

“St Leonards has excelled as a pioneering boarding and day school since its foundation in 1877, and as we approach our 150th anniversary year, our School continues to go from strength to strength.”

Junior boarders outside St Rule.

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S P O RT

SPORT I am delighted to introduce the Sports Section in the 2022-23 edition of the Gazette. Sport remains a fundamental part of school life at St Leonards and it has again been an action-packed year of sport and fixtures.

We continue as a Department in our aim to develop our core sports and offer a wide range of activities and experiences to our pupils to encourage participation and a lifelong association with physical activity.

Our Golf Programme is sector leading and now has 124 pupils in a six-tier structured programme. We now have a continuous pathway through school with SNAG golf offered to the early years right through to our elite golfers competing in world golf ranking events. For the first time post-Covid we held our National Tournaments in March, the Tom Morris and Sir Michael Bonallack Golf Championships which once again attracted golfers from all around Scotland to play on the Balgove, Strathtyrum, Eden and Jubilee courses. My thanks go to our Director of Golf, Fintan Bonner and his team at the Golf Academy for their continued brilliant work with our golfers.

Our SLM Blues Rugby merger continues to grow and thrive. For the first time we have had an U18 team with the inclusion and link with pupils from Kirkcaldy allowing our pupils to play all the way from Year 4 to 13. Scottish Rugby Development Officer Dylan Suttie has fostered great links with the Cluster Primaries in and around St Andrews and is delivering sessions at grass roots level which will feed up the age groups in years to come. We have also had regional representation with Harry Purvis in the U16 Caledonia squad.

Our hockey teams have had a strong year of performances once again. We have grown our fixtures schedule in the Spring Term and will continue to do so. We have had representation at Midlands level with Francis Maughan and Harriet Fleetham congratulations to both. We continue to

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build on links made with Madras FPs, Grove Menzieshill and the University of St Andrews hockey clubs to give our hockey players a pathway to continue to play outside school. In the coming year, we are looking to develop our hockey programme with more training opportunities during the week, a hockey tour, additional fixtures and also hockey tournaments here at St Leonards.

We have also had strong representation from St Leonards in swimming, cross country, tennis, equestrian, senior boys’ football and, for the first time, climbing. We have again had international representation in Small Bore Rifle Shooting.

I would like to congratulate Lily Driscoll in receiving a ‘3 team badge’ for representing St Leonards in at least three sports at Senior level.

Another hugely positive development this year has been our links with the local primaries. We have hosted three football tournaments, a swimming gala, swimming lessons and a sports day. All these events have been hugely successful and we will continue to develop these more in years to come. We feel it is so important to link with the local primaries and be part of the St Andrews and East Neuk Primary community.

I want to finish by mentioning Mr Andrew Turnbull who is leaving us for a post at The Edinburgh Academy. This is an exciting move for him and his family but we will miss him dearly. Mr Turnbull is not only a hugely inspirational, enthusiastic and motivational teacher, whom the pupils at St Leonards love, but he has played a fundamental role in the introduction and development of the SLM Blues rugby merger. We wish him all the best in his new role.

Thank you everyone for your continued n support and I hope you enjoy reading in rt more detail about the past year of sport in St Leonards.

Mark Baxter Director of Sport

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SLM BLUES RUGBY Our Madras Rugby Football Club partnership has seen yet another successful season. A huge thank you must go to all of the volunteers who have supported our programme and helped it grow throughout the year. Next season is looking very promising as we step up into the Schools National 2 Conference, providing us with some excellent opposition and future challenges.

SLM Blues U13: John Fairweather, Mungo Berry, Harry Pennycook, Michael Denton

SLM Blues U15: Harry Purvis, Freddie Downie, Jake Lalis, Benjamin Lalis, Archie Barton, Logan Graham

SLM Blues U14: Hamish Fleming, Theo Brian, Alexander Sneddon, Manuel Barbosa, Aidan Slight, Edward Mifsud, Harry Mason, Archie Donaldson, Nasser Al Ajami, Oliver Pennycook, Angus Parkin

SLM Blues U16: Mac Mclay, Patrick Pennycook, Alec Graham, Cameron Parkin, Robert Main, Thomas Mifsud, Alistair Calvert, Cody Ross, Noah Dollinger, Rafferty Howison, Sam Henderson

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SENIOR BOYS ATHLETICS During the Summer Term, the Fife Schools Athletics event brought great success. With medals from Reiss Marshall (Year 12) in the 3000m, Abbie Henderson (Year 9), Alastair MacFadyen (Year 9), Theo Brian (Year 9), Logan Graham (Year 10) and Eliza Koenig (Year 10) in the 1500m and Sarah Lawrence (Year 11) in the 200m, Ben Lalis (Year 10) in Javelin, Camryn Sinclair (Year 9) and Cody Ross (Year 11) in Shot Put and a Silver medal in the Boys 15-17 4x100m Relay.

Athlete of the competition went to Isla Turton-Pheby (Year 8) who won Gold medals in, not only the 75m Hurdles but also the Long Jump and 200m race.

Huge congratulations to you all.

CROSS COUNTRY

FOOTBALL

Various cross country events took place this year, beginning in Dunfermline at the Scottish Secondary Road Race Championships, before moving to Strathallan School where Abbie Henderson (Year 9) finished third in the U15 girls category, Alastair MacFadyen (Year 9) won the U15 boys category and Reiss Marshall (Year 12) won the U20 boys category. The season ended with the Scottish Schools Cross Country Championships at Hopetoun House in Edinburgh.

Special mention must go to the Year 8 boys and girls who had great representation, and also to Alastair MacFadyen (Year 9) who finished 10th and Eliza Koenig (Year 10) who finished 9th in their age groups, and were in contention for representing Scotland!

This year, the Senior Boys football team continued to successfully compete in the Scottish Independent Schools Football League. They played successful matches against Dollar Academy, Albyn School, Gordonstoun School, Glenalmond College and Robert Gordon’s College.

Senior Boys - Andrew Boateng, William Campbell, Andrei Moklokov, Severin Schlueter, Diego Stolz, Konstantin Schupp, Richard Lindenkamp, Roscoe Fulton, Eric Pradell, Anton Michels, Kasper Horne (Left to Right) Missing: Benjamin Bell, Timofey Medvedev, Robert Müller, Leon Eckrich, Jaspar Loewe Abbie Henderson

Michael Denton

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Reiss Marshall

Andrew Turnbull Boys’ Games Coordinator

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SENIOR GIRLS HOCKEY It has been another busy hockey season with new schools added to the St Leonards fixture list. The addition of QVS, Albyn School and St Margarets has allowed the pupils to widen the competition and come up against fresh opposition. The introduction of more hockey fixtures into the Spring Term Calendar has proven popular. The 1st XI was a strong but young team mainly consisting of Year 11 students. The Senior team progressed with every match they played, their understanding of the game and playing with new players took time to develop but improvements were made and they delivered numerous good performances, a highlight coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with The High School of Dundee 2nd XI. There were some brilliant team goals and some epic defending, Beth Purvis’ number one running at defensive corners at the Kilgraston tournament needs special mention, mention also needs to go to our two GK’s this season. Alisa White, somewhat reluctant to start with, was excellent and Islay MacAnndraigh stepping up from Year 10 has a promising future ahead of her if she continues on the same trajectory.

A number of goals were scored this season from numerous players but mention must go to Fiona Branch who walks away with the title of top goal scorer. All teams have tried to play a more free-flowing style of hockey this year, attacking at pace when possible which has created a number of goals scoring opportunities. Fiona Branch walked away with the top goal scorer award, but Harriet Fleetham (Year 9) and Anna Brown (Year 8) were hot on her heels. Thanks must go to Captain Lily Driscoll who led by example this season both on and off the pitch.

As well as our official matches, we also had our annual Island and Festive hockey competitions which offered an opportunity for all girls to represent the School, the costumes were great and you could hear the Christmas music ringing around the school grounds.

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Year 8 Girls Hockey Team - Left to Right - Rebecca Sneddon, Emily Anderson, Eliza Ylitalo, Isla Turton-Pheby, Inka Plater, Sophie Adrain, Annabelle Brown, Isobel Manifold, Piera Plater, Susannah Lawrence

Year 9 Girls Hockey Team - Left to Right - Lia Chalmers, Charlotte Price, Abbie Henderson, Katie Penman, Lois Wood, Rachael Slater, Lana Rose McGuire, Amelia Rowe, Harriet Fleetham, Camryn Perratt, Phoebe Garnish, Hannah Cunliffe, Lucy Black, Riya Bhaskar, Isabelle Maciel

Year 10 Girls Hockey Team - Left to Right - Jennifer Niven, Viola Ferrari, Camryn Sinclair, Sophie Lawrence, Gemma Denton, Eliza Konig, Eabha Lang, Sofia Kunwar, XiuRong Gong, Islay MacAnndraigh, Emily Wallard, Lilli Mecklenburg

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Senior Girls Hockey Team - Left to Right - Jil Reppenhagen, Madeleine Fleetham, Bethia Purvis, Fiona Branch, Heidi Bell, Niamh Headon, Sarah Lawrence, Kirsten Main, Ailsa White, Anneli Hawdon, Lily Driscoll, Amelia Love, Sophie Clarke, Madeleine Wallard

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A number of students were entered for Midland U14 District hockey trials, congratulations to Harriet Fleetham and Francis Maughan who were chosen to represent the Midlands Squad at this year’s Inter-District tournament.

The trials were a great opportunity for our students to experience training/ playing with students from other schools and to see what it takes to set up to the next level. Well done.

TENNIS Summer Term saw the return of Tennis fixtures, although the weather didn’t quite get the memo! The season started off with a great fixture against Strathallan for the U13 A and B team. We then had a full fixture card against The High School of Dundee, wher where the overall result came down to gripping final match, Carla Schulte the grippin and Leonora Lackner of Year 10 securing victory which handed h us the overall win.

Next up was Kilgraston, again a full fixture Kil card with Y8, Y9 and Y10 playing.

Lacrosse All Stars - Niamh Headon & Amelia Love LACROSSE It was a bit of a start/stop lacrosse season for St Leonards. Our match against St George’s, which would have been a new fixture this year, was cancelled due to the inclement weather, although we did host the University of Dundee for a friendly through a link with former pupil, Corey Cargill. A real highlight of the season was welcoming Zoe Dickson from Scottish Lacosse into the school. She led sessions from the Junior School right up to the Senior squad.

Her insight and enthusiasm was infectious. She was impressed with a number of the Senior pupils which resulted in Niamh Headon and Millie Love being invited to train and play with the All Stars squad in Edinburgh.

ex As well as the external fixtures, we also L hosted the St Leonards Championships for both singles and doubles. h a team compete in the Scottish We had Schools League and two teams entered the LTA Scottish Youth Schools League.

These competitions provided the girls with an opportunity to play against different schools and gain valuable experience playing at a higher level. Well done to all of the girls involved.

Louise Carroll Girls’ Games Coordinator

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JUNIOR BOYS In this season’s Junior rugby fixtures, the Year 6 and Year 7 teams faced off against several strong opponents including Clifton Hall, Fettes, High School of Dundee, Craigclowan, and Strathallan. Standout performers from the Year 7 team included Charlie Steven, who impressed with his powerful running, showcasing his ability to break through tackles.

Patrick Fleming stood out for his brave tackling and skillful side steps, demonstrating his defensive prowess. The Year 6 team had their own standout players. Findlay Price displayed exceptional allround skills, contributing to both attack and defense. His versatility and abilities were instrumental in the team’s performance. Additionally, William Mifsud excelled as the team’s scrum half, showcasing excellent delivery and fearless tackling abilities and, finally, Rakan Al Ajami made some defenders look very silly with his mesmerising footwork.

This season’s Junior hockey fixtures showcased some exceptional performances from the Year 7 and Year 6 players. In Year 7, Charlie Steven demonstrated impressive ball control and accurate passing, displaying great skill and finesse on the field. Additionally, Kevin Ng made a significant impact as a defender, showing strength and making crucial tackles to support the team’s defense.

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U11 & U12 Rugby Team - Left to Right - Joshua Reilly, Freddie Donaldson, Daniel Hendry, Jamie Blair, Charlie Steven, Cormac Guilfoyle, Alexander Christie, Andre Mok Maciel, Lucas Brian, Patrick Fleming, Kevin Ng, Thomas Crook, James Manifold, Ewan Wilson, Roderick Pickles, Robby Penman, Padraig Kavanagh, Rakan Al Ajami, William Mifsud, Findlay Price, Ramsay Sloan, Max Mery, Jonathan Schwoebel, Monty Wright

U12 Hockey Team - Left to Right - William Taylor, Charlie Steven, Kevin Ng, Lucas Brian, Patrick Fleming, Joshua Reilly, Patrick Rhatigan, Cormac Guilfoyle, Andre Mok Maciel, Logan Stanfield, Jamie Blair

U11 Hockey Team - Left to Right - Theo Kell, Thomas Crook, Jonathan Schwoebel, Murray Hulme-Smith, Max Mery, Idar Plater, Monty Wright, Findlay Price, William Mifsud

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Meanwhile, in Year 6, Max Mery showcased his talent by transferring his skills as a football goalie onto the hockey field. His agility and reflexes were instrumental in making important saves for the team. Monty Wright, on the other hand, dazzled with his mazy dribbles around defenders, displaying remarkable individual skill and creating opportunities for his team.

U12 Cricket Team - Left to Right - Charlie Steven, Lucas Brian, Cormac Guilfoyle, Kevin Ng, Guillaume Heim, Patrick Fleming, Andre Mok Maciel, Patrick Rhatigan, Daniel Hendry, André Decrion

The Summer Term brought about the Cricket Season.

In Year 7, again Charlie Steven and Patrick Fleming emerged as stand-out performers. Both players displayed impressive batting skills, showcasing power and accuracy in their shots.

Additionally, their bowling was also commendable, consistently hitting the right spots.

In the Year 6 category, Findlay Price stole the spotlight with his all-round cricketing abilities. Whether it was batting, bowling, or fielding, Findlay exhibited skills that were a delight to watch. His overall cricketing prowess contributed significantly to his team’s success.

Congratulation to our Congratulations ano Junior boys on another brilliant year.

Andrew Turnbull Boys’ Games Coordinator

U11 Cricket Team - Left to Right - Jonathan Schwoebel, Thibault Heim, Findlay dlay Price, Monty Wright, James Manifold, Ramsay Sloan, William Mifsud, Ewan Wilson, Rakan an Al Ajami, Roderick Pickles

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JUNIOR U11 Hockey Team Left to Right - Caitlin Forrester, Olivia Rafferty, Isobel Blair, Holly Anderson, Phoebe Fleetham, Milla Mery, Rose Montgomery, Juliane Klengel, Annie Pennycook

Primary School Swimming Gala - Left to Right Holly Anderson, Milla Mery, Murray Hulme-Smith, Rodrigo Hernandez, Charlotte Smart, William Mifsud, Jonathan Schwoebel, Phoebe Fleetham, Monty Wright, Ellen Stevenson, Isabella Timmins, Cara Lang, Paula Timmins, Daniel Hendry, Patrick Fleming, William Taylor, Guillaume Heim

U11 & U12 Football Festival Teams: Left to Right - Jonathan Schwoebel, Freddie Donaldson, James Blair, Patrick Rhatigan, Andre Maciel, Abdulla Al Ajami, Murray Hume-Smith, Ewan Wilson, Findlay Price, James Manifold

U11 & U12 Football Festival Teams: Left to Right - Padraig Kavanagh, Roderick Pickles, Daniel Hendry, Logan Stanfield, Monty Wright, Annie Pennycook, Cormac Guilfoyle, Harrison Lewis, William Taylor, Joshua Reilly

U11 GIRLS Throughout the year, we have taken part in a wide range of sports fixtures including hockey, cross country, swimming and athletics.

We started the year with a great season of hockey. We worked together as a team to improve passing, tackling, movement on and off the ball and team tactics. This made us stronger, and shone through in our games as the season progressed. Phoebe Fleetham (Captain) was the top goal scorer for her team.

Swimming was kick-started by an Inter-Island Gala with both some strong individual performances and team relays highlighting a range of talents in the water. The Primary School Swimming Championships launched some exciting competition with Lawhead, Strathkinness and Canongate Primaries, which was a huge highlight for everyone participating, especially the first-timers.

We took part in many cross country and athletics fixtures which everyone loved. It was great to visit different locations and compete in various categories. We also took part in the Football Festival held on our own school grounds, that was super fun!

As the school year draws to a close, everyone is looking forward to competing in (the hopefully sunny) Sports Day. Phoebe Fleetham & Annie Pennycook (Year 6)

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GIRLS U12 GIRLS Throughout the year we have taken part in lots of different sports fixtures. During this year’s hockey season our team has really gelled and grown stronger, which has led to a very successful season with many goals crossing the line.

Cara Lang (Captain) was the top goal scorer.

At the Swimming Galas, all of the team worked well both individually in their strokes and showed great teamwork in the relays. It was very enjoyable for everyone involved.

We had our first lacrosse match ever with Canongate and played mixed teams. As relative beginners to this sport it was great to see how our passing and shooting skills had improved as the goals hit the back of the net. We also for the first time took part in the Canongate Football tournament, it was great fun, we got all the way to the finals!

Cross country and athletics are highly favored by the team, and they love visiting the different campuses and courses. Team spirit is strong, and cheering on their fellow team mates as they perform.

A successful year!

Cara Lang & Paula Timmins (Year 7)

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U11 & U12 Football Festival Teams: Left to Right - Kevin NG, Lucas Brian, Patrick Fleming, Charlie Steven, Phoebe Fleetham, Ramsay Sloan, William Mifsud, Rakan Al Ajami, Max Mery, Idar Plater

U12 Hockey Team Left to Right - Emma Thomson, Chloe Burns, Mia Gong, Mia Petroaia, Isabella Timmins, Cara Lang, Willow Williams, Florence Cheape, Paula Timmins

U11 & U12 Girls Football Team Left to Right - Isabella Timmins, Mia Petroaia, Paula Timmins, Cara Lang, Christina Hilton, Madisyn Sloan, Louise Cornu-Thenard, Olivia Rafferty, Holly Anderson, Phoebe Fleetham, Annie Pennycook

U11 & U12 Cross Country Team Left to Right - Logan Stanfield, Charlie Steven, Andre Maciel, Patrick Fleming, Mia Gong, Mia Petroaia, Cara Lang, Paula Timmins, Milla Mery, Olivia Rafferty, Annie Pennycook, Roderick Pickles, Findlay Price, William Mifsud, Phoebe Fleetham, Idar Plater

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Rotary Fours Excitingly, St Leonards has had its largest number of students yet taking part in the now six-tier Golf Programme. It has been brilliant to support our 124 young golfers, from the youngest Year 1s right up to our Year 13 students. We are so fortunate to have access to the amazing facilities at the St Andrews Links, and to expert instruction.

St Leonards started off the 2022-23 year in great form by defending the Rotary Fours title on the Strathtyrum Course in St Andrews - well done to Felix Boeckmann, Julian Zintl, Robert Müller and Diego Moreno Stolz.

Emil Hoffman, Ewen Farquhar, Caspar Hengst and Theo Stroeder then went

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on to finish fourth in the HMC UK finals at the JCB Golf and Country Club.

Other highlights included another win for St Leonards in the ISGA Area Finals, making it a fourth year in a row, playing against Loretto, Strathallan and The Edinburgh Academy.

The St Leonards A team, too, won the Scottish area event at Muckhart Golf Club.

Congratulations to Charlotte Eichhorn (St Leonards Golf Captain), Ewen Farquhar, Julian Geerebaert and Theo Stroeder.

Our team efforts were built upon by a series of individual achievements, including but not limited to: Ewen Farquhar winning the HMC UK Individual Order

La Manga Camp of Merit for the year after great finishes at the HMC Scottish event at Fairmont St Andrews and the Finals at the JCB, as well as winning the St Leonards Order of Merit; and Julian Geerebaert being selected to represent Belgium in the European Boys’ Championship, winning the Individual Prize at Muckhart Golf Club and achieving his WAGR this year with a national win in Belgium.

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Jaspar Loewe

WAGR Event

La Manga Camp I must also mention the fantastic warm weather training camp in La Manga, Spain in October, at which the golfers benefited from top-quality facilities for practice and relaxation. It really was a trip to remember.

We look forward to following and supporting our talented and developing young golfers as they play in tournaments all over the world during the summer months.

Ewen Farquhar

Fintan Bonner Director of Golf Julian Geerebaert

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Ellen Caton 2014 - 2020 GOLF Ellen started her golfing career in 2014 when she joined St Leonards.

It was clear Ellen had great potential, competing in local competitions to improve her game. In Year 12, Ellen won the women’s Gold Medal in The Royal and Ancient Golf Club competition, the most prestigious strokeplay competition in St Andrews.

Continuing her winning streak, in Year 13, the golf scholar dominated the Alfred Dunhill Schools Challenge leaderboard and was awarded the Senior Girls title. Since graduating from St Leonards in 2020, Ellen accepted a Golf Scholarship at the University of Indianapolis, who were the Ladies NCAA champions in 2015 and 2018.

The exceptional golf scholar currently plays in Division 2 College Golf in the USA. Oscar Morris | 2013 - 2022 SAILING (INDIVIDUAL)

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Eliza König | 2013 - Current CROSS COUNTRY

Ben Caton | 2012 - 2018 GOLF

Current pupil, Eliza König began running for Fife Athletic Club in September 2021. She ran the full Cross Country Programme through Autumn and Winter 2021-22, before competing in the National Cross Country championships in Falkirk in February, crossing the line in 10th place. Eliza continued to go from strength to strength and in March 2022, came third in the Scottish Schools Athletic Association Cross Country Competition at Hopetoun House. This led to her selection as a member of the Scotland U15 Girls squad, running the SIAB Schools Cross Country International in Wales later that month.

Former pupil, Ben Caton was a scholar at St Leonards, and indeed was the very first recipient of the Tom Morris Scholarship, which was introduced in 2017 and is awarded to one student in an academic year for their exceptional talent and dedication to the game of golf. Ben, who graduated from St Leonards in 2018, was approached

by Houston Christian University (HCU) in the US, where he was awarded a scholarship to play for their golf squad in the NCAA Division I league, which includes the best sporting universities across the US. This experience has allowed Ben to further his academic education whilst advancing his golf ability, playing the sport to an incredibly high level. Ben now competes in eleven acclaimed golf tournaments across the college year and enjoys the wonderfully challenging environment, becoming a more experienced golfer with every game.

Eliza recently competed in the Scottish Junior Hill Running League in Summer 2022. She won three of the four races she competed in, and was third overall in the U15 Girls league.

Lana McGuire | 2014 - Current TRAMPOLINING

Former St Leonards pupil, Oscar Morris is a successful dinghy sailor who won the 2019 Scottish National Championships and was silver medallist in the Scottish Schools Brown Cup in 2022. Oscar continues to go from strength to strength out on the water one to watch!

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Current pupil Lana McGuire competed in the Scottish National Trampoline Championships 2022 in September.

Lana performed an exquisite sequence for the panel of judges and audience in attendance and was awarded fourth place for her exceptional routine.

Polly Morris 2013 Current FIGURE SKATING Current pupil, Polly Morris is a national level figure skater who is a member of the Great Britain Development Squad. Polly is currently ranked number 5 in the UK at under 15 level and will move up to Juniors (under 19s) after the British Championships in December 2022.

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Harry Mercer | 2008 - 2019 RUGBY

Harry began his rugby career at St Leonards, playing for SLM Blues, a superb community rugby partnership between St Leonards and Madras Rugby Club. Harry also played for Dundee High School Former Pupils (HSFP) Rugby Club in Tennents National 1. Harry’s exceptional skill on the field did not go unnoticed, representing Scotland for the U16, U17 and U19 squads, as well as for Glasgow Warriors at U18 and U20 level. After graduating from St Leonards in 2019, Harry went on to study at Durham University where he played in the 1st XV rugby squad. The athlete now plays for Boroughmuir Bears and performed exceptionally well at the FOSROC Super 6 competition recently.

Reiss Marshall 2018 Current CROSS COUNTRY RUNNING Reiss has been running since he first joined St Leonards in 2018. Taking part in the school’s cross country opportunities as well as competing in local running events, he became dedicated to the sport and now competes for Fife Athletic Club. Reiss is currently ranked number 1 in Scotland for Steeplechase (U17), having ran the fastest steeplechase since 1976. He also represents Scotland in 1500m, 3000m and 5000m events, winning some impressive races including the 3000m national title in 2022 for U17. Reiss continues to show excellence in the sport and at only 16 years old, we are excited to see the bright future ahead of this budding young athlete.

Archie Clarke | 2012 - 2022 RUGBY

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Alexander Samuel | 2009 - 2018 RUGBY

Alexander started playing rugby at 4 years old. In 2009, when he joined St Leonards, he began playing for St Leonards and Madras Rugby Club. Alexander thoroughly enjoyed playing competitively on the field and was successfully selected to represent Scotland at U16 and U18 level before captaining the Scotland U20 squad (at age 18). Alexander leapt at the opportunity to sign with Glasgow Warriors Senior Academy in July 2020 and trained with the academy until July 2022. Alexander has now signed his first professional contract with Glasgow Warriors and plays weekly with Ayrshire Bulls. He is also a second year student studying Economics at the University of Strathclyde.

Sailing Fleet: Oscar Morris, Phoebe Fleetham, Thomas Looseley, Madeleine Fleetham, Rafferty Howison, James Mackenzie Page

Thomas Looseley | 2022 - Current SAILING (INDIVIDUAL)

Thomas Looseley is a current pupil at St Leonards whilst also partaking in the Royal Yachting Association Scotland Topper Performance Team.

With St Leonards in such close proximity to the sea, Thomas is able to regularly practise his sailing technique alongside his studies. The budding sailor regularly competes in Scottish and UK Competitions and recently sailed in the National Championships in Weymouth. The photograph above shows Thomas competing in the Topper World Championships at Lake Garda in Summer 2022.

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Archie Clarke joined St Leonards in Year 4 and quickly found that rugby was a great release of energy. The teammate played rugby throughout his time at St Leonards and was elected Captain of Sport in Year 13 for his exceptional skill and leadership qualities on the field. Since graduating from St Leonards, Archie has joined the Warriors Junior Academy, training alongside the professional players and plays National 1 rugby for Dundee. The rugby star is a contracted FOSROC Super6 player and has prospects to play for the U20 Warriors at the start of next season.

A mix of current and former pupils, took to the seas to compete in the Scottish Schools Sailing Championships 2022 at Loch Earn in Perthshire. Oscar, Phoebe, Thomas, Madeleine, Rafferty and James enjoyed representing St Leonards, sailing Toppers and Lasers in windy conditions.

St Leonards achieved third place overall, with second place in the Toppers being awarded to current pupil, Thomas Looseley. Oscar Morris also finished in second place in a Laser in the mixed fleet.

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IBDP Results

35 21% 5% +/- TOP

AVERAGE POINT SCORE

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SCORED 40 POINTS OR MORE*

OF CANDIDATES WORLDWIDE

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86%

SCORES OF 43 POINTS

SCORED 7/6/5 AT HIGHER LEVEL

Academic Achievements A

DESTINATIONS INCLUDE: Oxford, UCL, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Durham, St Andrews and Exeter

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4 5.

IBCP Results

100% 100% GCSE Results

51%

ACHIEVED GRADES 9, 8, 7

100%

PASS RATE IN SCIENCE, MUSIC, DRAMA, LATIN, SPOKEN LANGUAGE AND ART & DESIGN

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PASS RATE

MERITS & DISTINCTIONS

AVERAGE UCAS TARIFF POINTS SCORE

DESTINATIONS INCLUDE: Edinburgh Napier University and Glasgow Caledonian University

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STUDENTS ACHIEVED 9/8 IN 6 OR MORE SUBJECTS

EXCELLENCE ACROSS THE BOARD

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Prizegiving Celebrations Friday, 26 May 2023 marked St Leonards’ second year of celebrations in the recentlyrefurbished Younger Hall, with the ceremony held shortly before the University of St Andrews’ own graduation week. There is something special about crossing the Younger Hall stage when lit and dressed for the occasion, and complete with a full audience of family and friends there to support and applaud.

Pupils and staff made the short walk across from South Street to North, ready to congratulate both the outstanding achievements of our Years 7-13 students and the graduating Class of 2023. The occasion was opened by Philip Petersen, Vice Chair of the Board of Governors, whose welcome was followed by the Head’s Speech.

We then welcomed this year’s guest speaker, Jane Turton, who is CEO of All3Media, the television

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production company behind some of the UK’s favourite programmes, from Call the Midwife to Gogglebox. Jane referred to her own school days at St George’s School for Girls in Edinburgh, where she had played highly competitive games of lacrosse against St Leonards.

It was a pleasure to hear her inspirational message to our pupils, in particular those marking the end of their time at St Leonards.

the traditional fare of teas and strawberry tarts in the sunshine courtesy of the Thomas Franks team, before the Year 13s and their families readied themselves in anticipation of the evening’s Leavers’ Ball at Fairmont St Andrews - a memorable occasion in itself.

The celebrations continued back at St Leonards with

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Esteemed Members of our Board of Governors, guest speaker, distinguished guests, colleagues, parents, and pupils, I extend a warm welcome to all of you as we gather here today to celebrate our achievements in this magnificent Younger Hall. I am immensely grateful to the University of St Andrews for their continued support to our school.

Our guest speaker, Jane Turton OBE, is Chief Executive Officer of All3Media, responsible for setting and implementing the Group’s global strategy. All3Media’s productions span scripted, factual, natural history, entertainment, children’s, sports and digital content: Midsomer Murders, The Traitors, Wild Isles, 1917, Call the Midwife, Hollyoaks and Earthshot: How to Save Our Planet, to name but a few.

Jane is a fellow of the Royal Television Society and Chair of the Trustees and in 2022

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was awarded an OBE for her services to the television production industry. Jane, a warm welcome to you.

In addition, I extend a warm welcome to Kathryn Wright, one of our Seniors - a former pupil of St Leonards - who left the School in 2019.

Kathryn joins us today to welcome our newest Seniors into our global alumni network.

Before I focus on our Year 13 leavers, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all our pupils for their remarkable efforts throughout this academic year. You are a true

testament to the excellence of our school, and your accomplishments this year in every area of our school are truly commendable.

I would also like to express my gratitude to our parents who have stood by your side every step of the way.

Additionally, I wish to acknowledge and appreciate the unwavering dedication of our exceptional St Leonards staff, whose efforts have been instrumental in your progress and growth.

Each year, we say farewell to members of our teaching staff, and I’d like to wish them well, and thank them

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for or the their heir hard h d wor work rk an and nd dedication ded edicat ation n to supp ssupporting porti ting the t highest high ghestt calib calibre libree of o teach te teaching hingg and d learn llearning rning ng at St S Leona Le Leonards. nards. s.

We bid farewell W farew ewelll to PYP P P Classroom C Class ssroom om T Teach Teacher, her, Miss M ss well Clements C Cleme mentss and d wis wish ish her h w we ass shee mov moves oves tto a leade lleadership position pos osition on in n a new ne sschool.

Teaacheer of Latin and Teacher German, Miss Burbank, is G taking up a PhD position in educational psychology at a university in Germany.

We wish Teacher of Classics, Mr Berezhnoi, every success as he takes up a new teaching role in London.

We thank Teacher of Maths, Mr Reilly, for his committed and accomplished service to our School since 2019.

Housemistress Mrs Murray-Turner’s leadership of Bishopshall over the past four years has been invaluable and her care for the young people in our school has been exceptional.

We wish her and her family all the very best with their upcoming relocation to Canada.

Andrew Turnbull will be returning to Edinburgh following nearly a decade of service. Mr Turnbull’s attributes as a former professional rugby player and expert coach are manifold, and have benefitted and encouraged so many of our

youn young ung people to thrive and succeed. succe su ucce He has been the ultimate team player, whose ul ulti can-do attitude and positive ca approach will be much missed.

Kate McGregor, our MYP Coordinator attends our Prizegiving today both as a proud Year 13 parent and much valued member of academic staff. A gifted linguist, and dynamic presence in School since 2013, Ms McGregor has set high standards in our language departments and embodied the IB curriculum.

We wish her well in her promotion to Vice Principal of a bilingual school in Italy.

Anna Beck has enriched St Leonards with her outstanding academic and literary talents during her 16 years service at our School as a Teacher of Russian Language and Literature.

In addition to her vibrant, scholarly teaching, she has been a true mentor to her pupils and absolutely dedicated to their welfare and learning.

After 40 years of Teaching Maths, the last 16 of these at St Leonards, Mr Edwards is beginning a new chapter overseas. Mr Edwards has been an invaluable asset to the School and has brought to our Maths department high expectations and a rapport with his pupils that

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has brought out the best in their learning.

Our Head of Art and Design, Donna Rae, joined St Leonards in 1996; under her committed leadership, the Art Department has flourished. Ms Rae will leave a legacy that will continue to inspire pupils and staff for years to come. After 27 years of devoted, energetic service we know Ms Rae will continue to develop her own considerable talents and, we anticipate exciting times lie ahead for her.

And finally, after 41 years of outstanding service and inspirational English teaching at St Leonards, Denise Johnston will retire, and embark on an exciting new life chapter. A buzzing presence in our School, a tremendous support to her colleagues, a beacon of light and creativity for our pupils, Denise we congratulate you on your recent engagement and look forward to staying in touch.

Just before we proceed with the main prize-giving ceremony, I would like to present a special award to three of our Year 13 leavers and six of them from last year. These individuals represent the first two cohorts of graduates from our school to complete the IB Career-related programme. St Leonards has

Each year, we say farewell to members of our teaching staff, and I’d like to wish them well, and thank them for their hard work and dedication to su orting the highest calibre of teaching and learning at St Leonards.

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always been a trailblazing institution, and we introduced this innovative Career-related programme to our Sixth Form curriculum three years ago.

This program emphasises the development of real-world skills and competencies, merging the learning of entrepreneurial business acumen with the traditional academic rigour of our Sixth Form courses. It also fosters teamwork, promotes creative thinking, and prepares students for the challenges of higher education and a wide range of professions.

In memory of the late Robert Durward, a highly accomplished entrepreneur who would have wholeheartedly supported the ethos of the IBCP, this year’s awards are presented in his honour. I now invite our three IBCP graduates from this year, Sienna Laing, Joe Downie, Max Dungan and our students from last year Peter Boniface, Colette Johnston, Nicole Johnston, Emma Miller, Natasha Reid, to receive their well-deserved accolades.

Furthermore, I would like to take this opportunity to recognise the three Year 13 leavers who joined our School in Years 1 and 2, 12 to 13 years ago, and have remained with us throughout their educational journey from the young age of five all the way to 18. I invite them to come forward and receive a framed picture of our School. Their names are: Niamh Headon, Beth Purvis, Fiona Branch.

Now, let us direct our attention to all our Year 13 leavers. You will carry with you unforgettable

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experiences and memories that will forever be intertwined with your time at St Leonards. I ask you to treasure the warmth, inclusivity, and care for others that our school exemplifies. These values have been the bedrock of your lives here, and I firmly believe that they hold profound significance in the broader journey of your lives.

Our school motto, Ad Vitam, places you at the core of everything we do. St Leonards has provided you with an education that supports you throughout your life’s journey, helping you harness your full potential, and cultivating a rich interior life encompassing the mind, body, and soul. Through our academic curriculum, you have honed your intellectual acumen. In the realm of sports, music, theatre, and the arts, you have nurtured your physical and spiritual well-being. The culmination of these experiences, this holistic education, equips you to live meaningfully in the present day and to embrace the opportunities that the future holds, both as regards to university and the professional sphere.

In a few weeks, you will pick up your examination results.

However, the true measure of your education cannot be quantified by grades alone.

Kindness cannot be graded, looking after one another cannot be measured in summatives, and inclusivity cannot be assigned a score.

Yet, these intangible aspects of our school community are among the most important in shaping the vibrant and fulfilling lives that await you.

Thanks to our IB curriculum and exceptional teaching, St Leonards has prepared you for that path that lies ahead. Your IB qualification will be recognised wherever you go; you will always stand out amongst a crowded field, and for those of you heading to university in a few months time, there simply is no better preparation for life as an academic undergraduate.

You have cultivated a genuine love for learning—a curiosity and eagerness to explore everything that comes your way. I hope that you carry this joy of learning, this inquisitiveness, with you as you embark on the next chapter of your lives, which I know you will live to the fullest, continuously learning, thriving, and nurturing what enriches your minds, bodies, and souls. In doing so, I hope, too, that you enrich the lives of others you encounter along the way.

As you set out on this new chapter, know that you are deserving of every success that comes your way. Know, too, that we will miss you.

The entire St Leonards community stands behind you, cheering you on with unwavering support.

Congratulations to each and every one of you.

Simon Brian Head

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Welcome parents, guests, members of the board, guest speaker, pupils, teachers, staff and Class of 2023.

Traditionally, these speeches were given separately and so, while you may be wondering what we are doing up here together, let us explain. We went all guns blazing into Mr Durward’s office with a view to convincing him that there was no other way.

Despite the fact that both of us hate confrontation, we decided to go ahead and ask the question, to which he did in fact agree. We do believe the success of this reflects the willingness of St Leonards to keep all the traditions we love, but also to keep up to date with

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our changing times: there is no longer a Head Girl and a Head Boy. Now, we are Heads of School and together we have prepared this speech.

Before my meeting with Niamh to prepare this speech together, I started preparing myself to contribute with ideas. I opened the computer, and of course typed “leavers’ farewell speech”into ChatGPT… and I got a beautiful speech saying everything we wanted to say! “We both have a mix of emotions: sadness for leaving the school, excited for

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starting a new chapter in our lives, we all appreciate the teachers and staff guiding us and of course our peers.”

But ChatGPT cannot account for our unique experiences, and this is what this speech is about.

The point is, despite endle procrastination, we t k risks, opened our minds and did a whole lot of reflection along the way, alongside any other Learner Profile a ribute you fancy giving a mention. We can a ure you, we’ve done it!

For those who perhaps don’t know us as well, Pablo started St Leonards at the age of 12, thrown head first into what was going to be the next 6 years of his life. I, on the other hand, fear I’ve become slightly too attached to St Leonards as I find myself finally leaving after a grand total of 13 years - over half of my life! Over this time we’ve had our fair share of experiences and made countless memories along the way.

At first we didn’t know what we were in for. We didn’t know Ms Rees had a major vendetta against a turtle neck, nor did we know that our weekly Business catch-ups with Mrs Prudencio-Aponte, following the weekend antics, would become so routine, nevermind the fact that we didn’t know we’d have the privilege to stand here today and address so many people.

So, Niamh and I have prepared for you our “survival guide” to St Leonards, consisting of the things to know for those younger pupils who are sitting in front of us today.

My first piece of advice is to take part in the full St Leonards experience. This includes getting involved in all of the Island activities such as the talent shows, Island sport competitions, quizzes and events like International Day. It’s

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definitely one of those things you don’t really appreciate in the moment, but then realise how important they were afterwards. It allows you to meet people around the school and discover unexpected aspects of them - our Latin teacher Mr Berezhnoi being a professional breakdancer.

When it comes to exam season, there is always stress around the planning of your revision, which I personally find challenging. Recently, a friend pointed out to me that I probably spend more time procrastinating over the colour scheme of my revision timetable than I actually do revising. I’d argue that this was an exaggeration, though not entirely untrue.

Procrastination seems to be a common denominator amongst nearly every leaver here today. Especially in the final stretch of our IB journey where we’ve put off and delayed those endless IA’s, EE’s, CAS reflections and TOK essays (amongst every other acronym the IB has kindly gifted us with), ultimately we got it done.

The point is, despite endless procrastination, we took risks, opened our minds and did a whole lot of reflection along the way, alongside any other Learner Profile attribute you fancy giving a mention.

We can assure you, we’ve done it! Mr Seymour might not thank me for this, but for all those who still have the hurdle that is the IBCP and DP to jump, rest assured a little procrastination is only natural, so don’t panic because in the end it will all work out.

(And it will work out because we have a wonderful team of teachers who don’t

allow us to procrastinate, and also Ms Tawse will literally not let you leave the library until it’s done).

Another important thing iss to take everyy opportunity that at is offered to you. Before beginning nning St Leonards, I refused ed to join drama classes and nd actively tried my best to avoid school performances. However, teachers, in my case, ase, Ms McQuade-Powell and Mr Shiells, kept encouraging me to join diverse activities and although I do not plan to pursue a career related to these, I genuinely enjoy them and these activities have shaped me as a person.

I know that I can apply skills learned from taking part in these experiences to different aspects of my life.

I could not stand up here without mentioning sport, something of which has always played a huge role in my life in particular.

The Sports Department has thrown so many opportunities in my direction of which I will be forever grateful for. My naturally competitive nature made it an obvious outlet from academics and a way to harness new friendships.

Whether it was the golf course, lacrosse field or hockey pitch, I always left with a better mindset, prepared to tackle whatever deadline I was faced with next. But it cannot go unnoticed the hardship that can be faced if you tread the waters of fake tan. I, myself, have been there and faced a huge amount of stick from both Mr Baxter and Miss Carroll week in and week out at practice. I think what I’m really trying to say is, take caution if considering

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the combination of fake tan and sport, or at least cash out on a streak-free one.

With today comes a lot of gratitude, so bear with us.

We would like to extend a massive thank you to Mr Brian for the opportunity to be where we are today, to Darren and his catering team, grounds staff, admin and cleaning teams for their hard work providing for everyone. We can assure you your work most certainly d n’t go unnoticed. nn ti doesn’t I would like to express our gratitude particularly to our cleaner Ann, who on top of doing her job, fulfils the role of being St Leonards biggest cheerleader. Throughout every exam season we have experienced, Ann was always there to ask about how it went and cheered us up with a fist pump.

Also a massive thank you to everyone’s families, not only for coming to help us celebrate today, but also for your continued support in going the extra mile for us. We also want to give thanks to our Year 13 class representatives (Louise Fraser, Jo Goodburn and Gilly Thomson), a group of mums who created a WhatsApp group to give extra support with reminders, news, and organised coffee meetings.

Also to the Leavers’ Ball

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committee who have worked extremely hard to put together our ball tonight of which we’re certain will be an affair never to be forgotten, especially if Mr Durward throws som some shapes.

We’d like to give tha thanks to the Prefects an and Senior Prefects and of course, a big thank you tto the deputies - Faye, B Bella, Jackson and Julia Julian. We were already a team in our social lives and since challenged with our new roles in the Pupil Leadership Team, it is safe to say we embraced the ethos of ‘working hard and playing hard’.

And last but not least, we’d like to express a massive thank you to all of our teachers on behalf of our whole year group. Your endless dedication and commitment to helping us succeed is beyond appreciated, and we have thoroughly enjoyed the laughs we have shared over the course of our time. Our teachers have been our role models mirroring how to become responsible and hard workers with their dedication, care and work ethic values.

In particular, we would like to wish the best of luck to those leaving St Leonards this term in search of both retirement and new

experiences. We had to give a shout-out to a certain someone whose generosity and kindness has always gone above and beyond Mrs Johnston - who has not only been my English teacher for the past two years, but also Pablo’s loyal tutor through the times in which he has actually made it, despite the complications with bikes and buses. You’ve been there for us through thick and thin, chocolate and flowers at your side.

Your classes were always made memorable and there was never a dull moment, in particular when our small, but wholesome Higher Level class on a Wednesday morning came equipped with tea and biscuits something that didn’t take long to become a tradition.

So with that in mind, we wish all teachers leaving with us this term the best of luck.

Likewise, we wish the best of luck to Jamie, Maddy and the rest of the Leadership Team with their year ahead.

A specific piece of advice for you is to avoid Mrs Pemberton on the run up to Christmas, or she may suggest the idea of singing acapella Christmas carols in the Quad, something none of us was prepared for.

So as our guide nears an end, we would like to draw upon the fact that we were recently

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asked what we would miss most about St Leonards.

Simultaneously and without a doubt, we both said our friends. Some of which we’ve known for 13 years, others only one. They are the only people who truly understand the stress, demands and most importantly relief now that it’s all over. You always had someone to turn to for motivation, someone to complain to and someone to relate to, factors that really underpin the close knit community at St Leonards.

After spending almost every single day with these people, it will be hard to say our goodbyes to life as we know it, though I know that the friendships we have all forged will last us a lifetime.

So, friends, we would like to wish all of you the best of luck in your future endeavours and we truly wish you every success. It has been an absolute pleasure, particularly through the highs and lows of the past two years, but for now we know this isn’t a forever goodbye, but instead a see you in two to 10 years when we’re all slightly wiser and better looking than we are now!

Thank you.

Niamh Headon & Pablo Gomez-Martin Heads of School 2022-23

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Take 10

WITH THE HEADS OF SCHOOL

What subjects did you study?

Pablo Gomez-Martin (PGM): I studied Biology, Psychology and Spanish B at Higher Level and Maths, English (Language & Literature) and Theatre at Standard Level.

Niamh Headon (NH): I studied Business Management, Geography and English Literature & Language at Higher Level, alongside Maths Analysis & Interpretations, Environmental Systems & Societies and Spanish Ab Initio at Standard Level.

What are your plans for the future?

PGM: My plans for the future are to study Geology at the University of Glasgow. I am not yet sure which of the many paths I will follow, however I am very excited to find out all the possibilities!

NH: I’m hoping to study Business Management with a year abroad at a university in the UK. Where I go is yet to be decided, but I look forward to further expanding my knowledge and experiences!

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What is your favourite memory from your time at St Leonards?

What is your favourite Learner Profile attribute and why?

How has your time at St Leonards shaped you as a person?

PGM: One of my fondest memories at St Leonards is the Iceland trip I went on in Year 12. We had an incredible few days exploring the unique natural environment, visiting everything from Geysers to Volcanoes. It was a privilege to have this opportunity and I would say that this shared experience brought all of us even closer.

PGM: My favourite learner profile is Risk-Taker. Some of my proudest moments at St Leonards have come from times where I have pushed myself out of my comfort zone. For example, in Drama, in my musical performances and in sport competitions. I believe that this attribute brings out the best in people.

PGM: I believe that the support and strong presence of the school community has had a crucial impact on my development. I have learned valuable skills throughout my years by sharing experiences with my friends and benefitting from the guidance of teachers. I felt I was in a safe environment where I was able to explore and grow.

NH: Having been here for a total of 13 years, it is difficult to think of just one, but the common denominator amongst the best, is friends. The most memorable times from my 13 years at St Leonards have been…walking to classes together, spending our free periods on a Friday morning getting brunch, and spontaneously jumping into the sea during Summer Term!

NH: Open-Minded. I feel it is particularly important to approach every situation with an open mind. Though it may be easier said than done, you can expose yourself to experiences and opportunities you never knew possible. Such an approach will both benefit you in your academic studies, but also outside of the classroom as you take to new experiences.

NH: I have come to be a more driven and confident person who has really learnt the importance of both teamwork and independence, of which I believe will serve me well in the future. Over the years, teachers have helped me to curate a mindset structured towards achieving my full potential and becoming the best version of myself.

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Sum up your time at St Leonards in three words.

PGM: Supportive, vibrant and well-rounded.

NH: The. Best. Years. As clichéd as it may sound, I was always told this as a child. I may not have believed it whilst halfway through writing my Extended Essay, but upon reflection, my time at St Leonards has left me with both skills, friendships and experiences I will carry through life.

What advice would you give to a new pupil starting at St Leonards?

PGM: Be yourself and take full advantage of all the great opportunities St Leonards has to offer.

NH: I would really encourage any new pupil joining St Leonards to be confident. Though it can be daunting, if you bring confidence to everything you do, you will learn to appreciate the many opportunities there are on offer at St Leonards. A small bit of confidence could lead you to put yourself out there and try something new, in which will open doors to meeting new friends and learning new skills.

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What will you miss most about St Leonards?

What is your favourite event in the St Leonards calendar?

What is your favourite view on the St Leonards campus?

PGM: The closeness and mutual support within our community, which allows everyone to be comfortable in their own skin.

PGM: My favourite event in St Leonards is International Day. It is a day full of excitement and preparation, which involves members of the school community showcasing traditional things from their country of origin. I always find it very interesting to see how different people choose to showcase their culture.

PGM: I have many favourite views in St Leonards, however one which has stood out to me since Year 8 is the view of the sea through the windows in the History Department.

NH: Without a doubt, my friends. The many memories I have made with such an amazing group of people is something I will never forget. After spending almost every single day with these people, it will be hard to say our goodbyes to life as we know it in St Leonards, though I know that the friendships I have made over the years will last mee a lifetime.

NH: For me, Sports Day has always been a firm favourite. e. My competitive nature ature and love for sport has always made it an enjoyable day full of team spirit, encouragement from friends and for the most part, sunny weather!

NH: There’s nothing better than the view from Big Field, as it looks out straight over the sea. A constant reminder of just how close we are to the beach!

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Congratulations

Y E A R 11 & P R E - I

B CELEBRATION

TO BIRDCAG D A E QU

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& Celebrations

LEAVERS

’ B AL L

Leavers Ball photographs: G. A. Event Photography

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Class Prizes

Main Prizes

Year 1 Prize for Effort Andrew Zhang

Cathles Memorial Cup for Singing Issy MacIvor & Phoebe Fleetham

Rodger Cup for Golf Annie Pennycook

Year 1 Prize for Progress Dominic Hardy-Gaisford

Fraser Cup for All Round Musicianship Jonathan Schwoebel

Burns Cup for Golf Thibault Heim

Year 1 Inquirers Prize Bertie Majcher

Cardew Quaich for Enthusiasm in Music Theo Kell

Cameron Cup for English Eleanor Henderson

Year 2 Prize for Effort Patrick Mackey

Anderson Quaich for Improvement in Music Max Mery

Hunter Cup for Maths Thomas Crook

Year 2 Prize for Progress Arya-Ilinca Madasamy

New Park Cup for the Outstanding Instrumentalist Elena Sciarretta

Julie Sproul Latin Cup Caitlin Forrester

Year 2 Inquirers Prize Reuben Vale Year 3 Prize for Effort Ellen Mackey

Lamb Cup for Drama Elena Sciarretta

Louise Easton Cup for Languages Thea Jacobsen Joseph Morton Memorial Trophy for Effort Harry Elles

Year 3 Prize for Progress Hrian Mann

Campbell Quaich for All Round Contribution to Drama Isobel Blair

Year 3 Inquirers Prize Kostas Geramisou

Burnet Prize for Speech and Drama Findlay Price & William Mifsud

Kathleen Morton Memorial Trophy for Effort Milla Mery

Year 4 Prize for Effort John Cheape

St Leonards Cup for Art Juliane Klengel & Thea Jacobsen

Crawford Prize for Progress Thibault Heim

Year 4 Prize for Progress Agnes Raven

Herring Cup for Art Years 1-3 Flora Logan & Bertie Pennycook

Alexander Cup for Resilience Olivia Rafferty

Year 4 Inquirers Prize Catherine Tynte-Irvine

Richardson Cup for Best U11 Rugby Player William Mifsud

Chairman’s Cup for Year 6 Inquirer Christina Hilton

Year 5 Prize for Effort Martha Kavanagh

Cooper Cup for Best Boys Hockey Player Monty Wright

Year 5 Prize for Progress Magnus Dalton Dowey

Cockburn Quaich for Best Girl Hockey Player Phoebe Fleetham

Simpson Cup for All Round Achievement in Sport (Girls) Phoebe Fleetham

Year 5 Inquirers Prize Ella Moan

Kennedy Cup for Best Cricketer Findlay Price St Leonards Gymnastics Award Marisa Gould

Joan Gibson Quaich for Years 1-3 Embodiment of the Learner Profile Isobel Montgomery

Rutherford Cup for Best Footballer Max Mery

Mackay Award for Inquirers Year 6 Roderick Pickles

Underwood Cup for Tennis Findlay Price

Liverpool Seniors Quaich for Community Action Robby Penman

Cowley Trophy for Year 6 Swimming Holly Anderson Stevenson Cup for Junior Swimming Year 4-5 Olivia Andrew Kilgour Cup for Swimming Improvement in Year 1-3 Chloie Page

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Broadfoot Cup for All Round Achievement in Sport (Boys) Findlay Price

Joan Gibson - All Round Sporting Contribution for Girls Annie Pennycook Easter Grangemuir Cup - for All Round Sporting Contribution for Boys William Mifsud

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Island Captains & Vice Captains Harris Captains: Caitlin Forrester & Robby Penman Lewis Captain: Findlay Price Vice Captain: Annie Pennycook Mull Captain: Rose Montgomery Vice Captain: Monty Wright Skye Captain: Issy MacIvor Vice Captain: Theo Kell The Anderson House Cup

4th - Lewis = 367 3rd - Harris = 375 2nd - Mull = 402

1st - Skye = 405 The Wright Cup for Generosity of Spirit Rose Montgomery Tosh Cup for All Round Achievement Phoebe Fleetham

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MULL Captain’s Speech I moved to St Leonards, with my twin sisters, from England, two years ago now. Before I came to St Leonards, the idea of standing up here today would have really scared me. But over the past few years, I’ve been challenged and excited by all the opportunities school gives us to join in, in so many different ways. It’s been great fun to represent Mull and get to know lots of you from other year groups through Peer Listening - which is a brilliant idea where Years 4-6 pupils can help with any playground problems. Time has flown, and here we are, waving goodbye to Junior School, and hello to Senior School!

Let’s take a moment to appreciate how far we have all come since our first day as Year 1s! I know I’m not the only one to feel very lucky to have gone to St Leonards Junior School for at least some of that time. We’ve made great friends and met so many kind and talented people.

All our incredible teachers here today, have helped us to grow and develop, beyond what we thought we could.

We have made memories with you in the classroom, out on the beach, backstage and on stage, in the wilds

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JUNIOR PRIZEGIVING

From the Island Captains of Ridgway, in the good times, and the challenging times. We will treasure and remember them all as we go up to Senior School...

When I think of St Leonards I think of one massive family…and one constantly pinging WhatsApp group full of parents trying to keep track of all we’re up to! Let’s not forget Rubik’s Cube Club, fundraising for Ukraine or animal charities, or the latest fancy dress day we needed to cobble together a last-minute outfit for.

Thank you to our families for all the lifts, LAMDAline-learning and loving support, and getting all that gear for Ridgway….and washing it after!

From the whole of the Junior school, thank you so much to all the people who have come to watch Prizegiving today. Your support in attending activities throughout the year, Sports Day, assemblies, concerts, nativities and drama productions as well as supporting all the learning we do in school, such as the Year 6 Exhibition and the Celebrations of Learning.

You make this school work the way it does.

To my fellow Year 6s, you are a combined force of nature. Have a brilliant Summer holiday and I can’t wait to bring all our energy back to Year 7 in August.

We’ve already shared so many memories: from Ridgway (where we surely got a record breaking number of

midge and tick bites!), sitting around the campfire looking out over the loch at the gorgeous sunset, to Dalguise where we made super-cool rafts; the Exhibition, the Summer Fair, and standing ovations for the production of Olivia. As we go into Year 7, we will make many more, so, on behalf of all my Year 6 classmates: farewell, Junior School, and thank you for the memories! We will miss you!

Rose Montgomery Captain of Mull Vice Captain’s Speech I have been at St Leonards since Year 1 but I have been coming to the Junior School nearly every day of my life. This is because I am the fourth of my siblings to come here. So, I have LEARNT a lot and SEEN a lot.

St Leonards is such a unique place it is easy to take for granted all the wonderful things that we get to do here.

I have loved Maths, the walks up to Craigtoun Park, the Sandcastle Competitions, the Dooks….well….sometimes, and having the best ice cream shop on our doorstep.

But my favourite memories have been playing rugby and hockey matches with all my friends, Sports Days, LAMDA, bushcraft, playing the recorder, the swimming galas, the boarding, the pumpkin parties, the Christmas Fairs and, most of all, so many laughs with all the many friends that I have made here.

And so, to finish, I have loved every minute of being at St Leonards but I have some words of wisdom so that you TOO can have a fantastic time here. This is MY advice to the upcoming Years 1-6 to ACE the IB Learner Profile and get you to where I am today: In Year 1 –– when handed a piece of paper ALWAYS make a paper aeroplane. This is the THINKER profile.

In Year 2 – you will learn the Risk-Taker profile. So when offered a snack, you MUST always steal an extra one.

In Year 3 – always swing on your chair when the teachers are not looking and try not to fall…this is the Balanced profile.

When in Year 4 – to gain the Communicator profile - you must ALWAYS eat a FULL plate of beans EVERY lunch time.

And in Year 5 – on wet days it is ESSENTIAL to slide down the grassy bank on your tummy, so that you get to change into your games kit.

This is the Inquirer Profile.

And lastly, and most importantly, you must be open-minded. So when you are in Year 6 – you MUST get the best mullet ever…..

If you follow these rules then you will have a VERY successful passage through the Junior School. Have a brilliant Summer and thank you very much St Leonards!

Monty Wright Vice-Captain of Mull

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LEWIS

Captain’s Speech I’m Findlay Price and I am Captain of Lewis. For those of you who do not know, I joined St Leonards in Year 5. I immediately felt part of the St Leonards family and the last two years have been the best two years of my life, spending more time with existing friends and making new friends along the way. None of this would have been possible without my fantastic teachers, most notably, Mrs Majcher who helped me settle into a new school.

I have enjoyed all aspects of school life at St Leonards but there are definitely some highlights. My time on the sporting field with friends, representing the school both home and away mentored at all times by the legend that is Mr T who also helped me through my PYP Exhibition with my wingman James “Manners” Manifold. I would like to take this opportunity to wish Mr Turnbull all the best in his new job and I really hope that our paths cross again on the rugby field.

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Before I came to St Leonards I did not realise that I would enjoy Drama as much as I do now, one of my highlights playing Fagin in the Year 6 play, Olivia. Thank you Mrs Stewart and Mrs Swankie for all the fun times we have had in LAMDA. Staying on the subject of fun times, I would like to mention the incredible trip to Ridgway. A massive thanks to Miss Cormack, Miss Anderson and Miss Dawson who acted as teachers, mothers, therapists and Chief Tick Removers.

One last thank you is to Mrs Abubaker for all the phone calls to my mum when I have fallen down the stairs, felt unwell or even when I wanted to skive the afternoon to watch the Senior School Sports Day. So what will I miss next year? I will miss the spontaneous trips to the beach, my tremendous teammates across all sports, the opportunity to defend my title as Senior School mixed doubles champion with my sister Charlotte, and finally I will miss the terrified look on Miss Neave’s face when I show her my artwork at the end of the lesson.

Findlay Price Captain of Lewis

Vice Captain’s Speech I’m Annie Pennycook, and I’m super excited to be standing here as the Vice Captain of Lewis! I’ve been at St Leonards since I was in Year 1, and oh boy, I’ve got so many awesome memories to share with you all.

When we were in Year 1, we went on this amazing trip to Cambo. We made the coolest dens ever and played hide and seek. It was so much fun running around and exploring with all my friends.

Then, in Year 2, we had this awesome teddy bears’ picnic.

Everyone brought their big, cuddly teddy bears, and we had a blast. But guess what?

I totally forgot to bring my own teddy bear! Oops!

Year 3 was a bit different because of the pandemic.

We had to do online learning, and it was kinda weird not being in school.

But our teacher, Mrs Beebee, was the best. She sent us our school work in a box, and we even celebrated her birthday online. It was funny seeing everyone’s faces on the screen!

In Year 5, something supercool happened. I got chosen to be on the hockey team with the older kids in Year 6 and 7. We won every single match! It felt amazing to be part of such an awesome team and to see all our hard work pay off.

And then, in Year 6, we had this incredible trip to Ridgway. It was the best!

We all got to go together and

do fun activities. We had to work together as a team, and it brought us all closer.

If you’re going into Year 6 next year, trust me, you’ve got to go on that trip. It’s an experience you’ll never forget!

Sports have also been a big part of my time at St Leonards. I’ve been lucky enough to be part of all the sports teams, which is really exciting. But my absolute favourite is the Golf Programme. The coaches are amazing and they’ve helped me improve so much. Thank you to all the sports teachers who have supported us and cheered us on!

I want to say a big thank you to all the teachers who have been with us throughout the years. You’ve believed in us, encouraged us, and helped us become who we are today.

We couldn’t have done it without you!

Before I finish, I want to give you all a piece of advice.

Take every opportunity that comes your way and just give it a try. Don’t be afraid to try new things and challenge yourself. You never know what you’re capable of until you give it a go!

Thank you all for being a part of my incredible journey at St Leonards. I’m so grateful for all the memories we’ve made together. Let’s keep striving for greatness and making each day count.

Annie Pennycook Vice Captain of Lewis

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HARRIS

Robby - Good morning everyone, My name is Robby Penman and I am the Island Captain for Harris. I have been at this school ever since Year 4 and I did not think that I would be standing up here giving my Island Capitan end of year speech.

It has been a pleasure to be the Island Captain of Harris. This year one of my highlights of the PYP has been a part of the Eco Team.

Together we have re-built the Wellbeing Trail by digging up all of the old plants and planting new ones and you all probably know that I like to dig. We also held an Eco Day to raise money for the Wellbeing Trail. So can I please ask Padraig Kavanagh, Harry Elles, William Mifsud and Roderick Pickles to stand up. Thank you for your support, it means a lot to me and the rest of the school that we worked so hard on this project and will continue to do so in Year 7.

Caitlin - Hello, my name is Caitlin Forrester and I am the Co-Captain for Harris.

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I know I’ve only been here at St Leonards for a year, and I know that one year isn’t a long time… but this year has gone by really quickly.

One minute it’s my first day the next minute I’m up here giving my Harris Captain end-of-year speech. From a co-captain’s perspective this opportunity has been wonderful. My favourite thing to do on a Tuesday first break is to raise the Harris flag. Thanks to everyone in Harris, we have raised it many times this year. I really enjoyed doing so many things together as an Island, such as Sports Day and the Congo singing competition.

I was so proud of Harris for winning the Island food drive for the Food Bank.

It was a great team effort.

Thank you everyone in Harris for working so hard this year.

Robby - In Year 4, Miss Mac would bring us to the beach every Friday. On the last Friday before the school holidays we would go and get an ice cream. Ice cream

makes me think about my school years: you have got to enjoy it before it melts.

A great memory in Year 6 was when I did my Exhibition. My favourite part of the Exhibition was when my dad had arranged to bring in a digger, he got it brand new from JCB in Edinburgh. Ridgway was an incredible adventure.

We certainly ended our Junior School year on a high!

Did you know that the Arkle mountain that we climbed is 787m high? I was so glad to get to my bed that night.

My years in the Junior School have been so much fun and I am now ready and looking forward to more adventures in the Senior School. Thank you to all the teachers, staff and fellow pupils who have been part of my journey since Year 4.

Caitlin - Some of the highlights of my year have been my first day because everyone was so kind and welcoming, the Olivia play where I was proud to be part of a great team

accomplishment, Ridgway for teaching me how to be a risk taker and going out of my comfort zone on Survival Island and the St Rule boarding family for welcoming me with such big open arms and for the opportunity to have made so many new friends from different countries and cultures. At first I was nervous and about boarding but I quickly changed my mind after I saw that everyone was so kind and welcoming. St Leonards has taught me a lot this year, time management, collaboration and leadership.

All these skills have helped me this year and they will continue to help me through life. None of these skills or memories would have been possible without all the teachers, students and St Rule boarding staff, so thank you for making this year one of my best.

Caitlin Forrester & Robby Penman Co-Captains of Harris

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SKYE Issy - Hi, my name is Issy and I am the Skye Island Captain. I joined St Leonards in Year 5 and since then I’ve had so many opportunities to do amazing things from lessons and classes, regular dooks in the sea with the rest of the Junior School, residential trips like Ridgway and Dalguise, playing Olivia in our Year 6 production, training to be a peer listener and co-founding the Rubik’s Cube Club. It is a massive honour to be standing up here representing Skye.

Theo - Hi, my name is Theo and I am the Vice Captain of Skye. I joined St Leonards in Year 4 during Covid when we were all online…and the first time I realised my friends had legs was four months later!

In the time I have been here, I have had some of the most incredible experiences and opportunities, and I have made truly wonderful friends. It has been such a privilege to be Skye’s Vice Captain this year and to be part of the amazing Island Captain team, led by our fabulous coordinator Mrs Beebee. Thank you Mrs Beebee!

Issy - I have so many memories I think I could be up here chatting away to you all for a few hours at least so I will only speak about those really vivid in my mind. I remember at the beginning of Year 6 my friend Rose and I and our band of small sisters ran a stall for the Christmas Fair. We

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sold loom band bracelets, handmade Christmas tree decorations and cookies and crispy cakes. It was so much fun…until we got the hot chocolate out. We were so organised and happy… and then we knocked the hot chocolate over and it went everywhere. Over the table and the floor. The crispy cakes were ruined and afterwards the loom band bracelets must have had a distinctly chocolaty taste to them. At this point, I would like to say a huge thank you to Irene and her team for keeping the Junior School sparkly and clean. I also remember the Year 5 and 6 camp out, not necessarily because it went well. It was a rainy night and our tent wasn’t waterproof and when we woke up in the morning we were soaking wet but not cold because there were three of us in a two-person tent. Miss Brannen and Mrs Majcher looked a little grumpy in the morning although I can’t imagine why. It can’t have been anything to do with the noisy midnight game of manhunt or our tents 11.00pm feast.

Theo - I have so many fond memories in Junior School. Music and Drama have both meant so much to me and moved me out of my comfort zone. My first Informal Concert felt scary, but I have got used to performing now. Our Year 6 musical this year, Olivia, brought us all together in such a unique way - I’ll

always remember it. Thank you to the Music and Drama team! Some of my most vivid memories have been of the outdoor experiences, residentials and trips. As well as getting to go to the beach regularly and doing a couple of Craigtoun walks, I also loved my first ever camp out in the school grounds (although we did stay up a bit late!). We’ve also experienced residentials, both at Dalguise and at Ridgway. I can honestly say these have built such strong and important foundations of friendship and teamwork with my peers. It’s mindblowing how much we all learn over a few days in a different location. The new skills we have returned to school with really strengthen our IB Learner Profiles.

I think I can also say for everyone that we have had so much fun along the way!

Issy - St Leonards Junior School has done so much for me over the last two years.

My confidence has grown exponentially as a result of constantly challenging myself and pushing my boundaries. I feel like I am ready to take on the challenge of Year 7 and the Senior School beyond that.

St Leonards - to me - is not just a school but a whole world of new things and undiscovered adventures.

Being here at St Leonards has made me feel part of a community, from my teachers and the rest of the staff to a very special set of friends who I hope will face

the challenges ahead of us standing together as we have learned to do. From my time here, I have found that each and every experience and difficult situation has made me stronger and more determined to become the best I can be. Each event or happening has challenged me and made me realise that our community and our friendships are incredibly important.

Theo - Overall, St Leonards means so many different things to me. It’s a place of learning, of course, thank you teachers! And it’s also a place of taking risks and discovering more about yourself along the way. I am so grateful that we are encouraged to grow in so many ways, mentally and physically. St Leonards Junior School is also a place of fun and laughter, great snacks and food, kind and supportive teachers and amazing peers and pupils. I don’t know how Year 7 will top this!

Issy - Thank you to the amazing Junior School teachers and staff who have made our learning and time in the Junior School possible and memorable. Thank you on behalf of Year 6, we will never forget our time in the Junior School and all the marvellous things we have been through. We will miss you.

Issy MacIvor (Captain) & Theo Kell (Vice Captain) of Skye

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Years 7-12 Paula Timmins Prize for Achievement in Year 7 Sarah McCormac Prize For Effort in Year 7 Rebecca Sneddon Prize for Achievement in Year 8 Jonathan Chernin Prize for Effort in MYP in Year 8 Harriet Fleetham Prize for Achievement in Year 9 Charlotte Rice Prize for Effort in Year 9 Eliza König Prize for Work in Year 10 Benjamin Lalis Prize for Effort in Year 10 Anna Kleffel Prize for Work in Pre-IB Pre-IB Science Prize

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Eden Levy Prize for Effort in Pre-IB Morag Ramsay Prize for German in Year 11 Sarah Lawrence Rosemount Quaich for the best all round Sportsperson in Year 11 Reiss Marshall Rutherford Trophy for Endeavour in Sport Ewen Farquhar Lucy Watson Cup for Improvement in Golf for Boys Rachel Hogg The Dove Prize for Good Citizenship Timofey Medvedev Prize for Young Enterprise Paddy Pennycook Senior School Quaich for Drama Will Jacks Monika Jolly Trinity Guildhall Acting Award

Anna Black Prize for Art & Design in Year 11

Eliska Labutova Prize for English as a Second Language in Pre-IB

Jil Reppenhagen Prize for Computer Science in Year 11 Prize for Mathematics in Year 11 Gilliland Prize for Physics in Year 11

Brendan Hawley Prize for Chemistry in Year 11

Bettina Yeung Prize for History in Year 11 Lyons Prize for English in Y ear 11 Margaret Vandyke Brewis Prize for Geography in Year 11 Biology Prize Anton Michels Aitken Prize for French in Year 11 Noah Badia Harrower Prize for Spanish in Year 11 Nathaniel Tonning Jack Prize for Latin in Year 11

Polly Morris Clerk Rattray Prize for Biology in Year 11 XiuRong Gong The Galloway Award for Junior Instrumental Music Arabella Hayes The Kitching Memorial Prize for Music Charlotte MacFadyen The Duncan Award for Senior Instrumental Music The Iona Jack Award for Composition Eva Smeddle The Helen Cox Bowl for Singing Violet Harus The Carslaw Cup - IB Learner Profile

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Year 13 Cameron Adams The University of Dundee Prize for Leadership Keyuri Ade Helen Story Sixth Form Prize for Contribution in the Sixth Form Alex Barclay Prize for Mathematics Fiona Branch MacRobert Thistle Cup for the Best All round Sportsperson Prize for Endeavour in Languages Lixi Chen Prize for Psychology Benjamin Clark Malloch Cup for the Most Outstanding Musician Macdonald Haig Cup for Music Jill Green Prize for Geography Prize for Language B Lilian Driscoll The Caithness Quaich for Commitment in Sport Robson Prize for the Most Outstanding Athletic Achievement of the Year Abigail Edmonstone Prize for Language Ab Initio Charlotte Eichhorn Lucy Watson Cup for Improvement in Golf for Girls Prize for Excellence in Sport Josephine Lala-Brown Jane MacMillan Prize for English Literature Edward Macintosh The Katherine Fleming Memorial Prize for Biology Mary Henderson Quaich in Recognition of Good Citizenship

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Malakai MacKenzie Prize for Physics Faith Mackenzie-Page Helen Mitchell Award for Art & Design Pearson Latin Prize for Classics Nicolas Nuss Prize for English B Jackson Fraser - Deputy Head of School Kyle Cup for Commitment to Rugby Samuel Gosmore Sixth Form Drama Quaich Leonard Hockerts Prize for Computer Science

Faye Thomson - Deputy Head of School Juliet Smith Quaich for Outstanding Contribution to Drama Pablo Gomez-Martin Head of School The Head’s Prize for Head of School Niamh Headon Head of School Claydon Sixth Form Prize for Contribution to Sport Prize for Business Management The Head’s Prize for Head of School

Isla Hutchinson Prize for Debating The Macdonald Prize for History Prize for Economics Yate Lee Memorial Prize for The Leading Academic Scholar Zoe Inglis Prize for Environmental Systems and Societies Ishan Kishinchand Situmal The Cornwell Cup for Achievement Elisabeth Koenig Prize for Chemistry Wendy Dagg Memorial Award Silver Salver for Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) & Service Learning (SVL) Sienna Laing Robert Durward Memorial Prize for IBCP Ben Schmidt Prize for Language A Jane MacMillan Prize for English Language and Literature

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Heads of School: Pablo Gomez-Martin & Niamh Headon Deputy Heads of School: Jackson Fraser, Isabella Hillmeyer, Faye Thomson & Julian Zintl Senior Prefects: Fiona Branch, Ben Clark, Joe Downie, Abigail Edmonstone Prefects: Cameron Adams, Keyuri Ade, Heidi Bell, Eric Berge Pradell, Payton Cooney, Lily Driscoll, Sam Gosmore, Anneli Hawdon, Isla Hutchinson, Ishan Kishinchand Situmal, Emma Lowrie, Edward Macintosh, Malakai Mackenzie, Ava Neilson, Tess Neilson, Annika Nowak, Sara Penickova, Beth Purvis, Iona Turner

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MONITORS

CAPTAINS OF SPORT

HEADS OF HOUSES

Art Monitors: Iona Turner & Teighan Bonett

Captains of School Sport: Fiona Branch & Jackson Fraser

Drama Monitors: Isabella Stewart & Sam Gosmore

Football: Roscoe Fulton

Bishopshall: Heidi Bell (Deputies: Lixi Chen & Hannah SchultzSuechting)

Stage Managers: Abigail Edmonstone & Cameron Adams Dance Monitor: Teighan Bonett Music Monitors: Ben Clark & Eva Smeddle

Hockey: Lily Driscoll & Sam Gosmore Rugby: Edward Macintosh

Ollerenshaw: Edward Macintosh (Deputies: Nicolas Appel & Ishan Kishinchand Situmal) St Rule: Quirin Kohler

Lacrosse: Niamh Headon

Head Chorister: Madeleine Wallard Orchestra Leader: Charlotte MacFadyen

OFFICE BEARERS

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St Leonards Scholars Scholarships are awarded at St Leonards in recognition of excellence and outstanding achievement in academia, music, sport, drama and art. The following pupils held scholarships in the 2022-23 academic year.

ACADEMIC : Iona White, Isla Thomson, Charlotte MacFadyen, Mark Doherty, Eva Smeddle, Eliza König, Thomas Rowlands, Anna Black, Sophie Clarke, Malakai MacKenzie, James Bruins, Molly Donaldson, Oscar Morris, Xander McGregor, Niamh Headon, Kathryn Walmsley, Angus Graham, Lily Driscoll, Faith Mackenzie Page, Shreyas Dhasmana, Polly Morris.

ART : Isla Thomson, Henry Shulver-Brown, Niamh Headon, Lily Driscoll, Esme MacMillan-Doran, Anna Black, Ting Duncan, Kathryn Walmsley, Sam Gosmore, Iona Turner, Jamie Pennycook, Brendan Hawley.

DRAMA : Faye Thomson, Cameron Adams, Pablo Gomez-Martin, Jackson Fraser, Sophie Clarke, Paddy Pennycook, Joseph Boyle, Esme MacMillanDoran, Niamh Headon, Angus Graham, Honor Fraser.

MUSIC : Ben Clark, Will Jacks, Jennifer Niven, Eva Smeddle, Shreyas Dhasmana, Charlotte MacFadyen, Thomas Rowlands.

GOLF : Moritz Walz & Jaspar Loewe.

SPORT : Ewen Farquhar & Cameron Parkin.

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SENIORS NEWS

Our year of events for Seniors started back in October with a superb presentation given at The New Club in Edinburgh

by Jane Claydon, former Deputy Head at St Leonards and a fountain of knowledge on the School and its rich history.

Class of 1993 Reunion

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Jane spoke about Old Tom’s Forgotten Course and Other Stories, looking at the Tom Morris-designed golf course which once existed within our medieval school walls.

Lunch at the Club followed and Seniors enjoyed the impressive views towards Edinburgh Castle from the balcony.

Jane Claydon at The New Club, Edinburgh

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December brought with it Christmas Drinks hosted in the beautifully refurbished drawing room of Bishopshall and an opportunity for Seniors to attend the school Carol Service in Holy Trinity Church. It was noted that the inclusion of the School Prayer was very much appreciated, in particular by our Seniors.

The School Prayer O Lord our heavenly Father, by whose Spirit man is taught knowledge, who givest wisdom to all them that as Thee, grant Thy blessing, we beseech Thee, to the Staff, Seniors and pupils of these Schools St Leonards, Wycombe Abbey, Godstowe and Beneden and help us in the work which Thou hast given us to do. enable all of us to labour diligently and faithfully, not with eye-service, but in singleness of heart, remembering that without Thee we can do nothing, and that in Thy fear is the beginning of wisdom.

Christmas Drinks in Bishopshall

Open Thou our eyes to know Thy marvellous works, to search our own spirits, and to understand the wondrous things of Thy Law. Of Thy great goodness pour into our hearts the excellent gift of charity, and grant, that in meekness and truth and purity, we may glorify Thee, the Father of Lights; through Thy Blessed Son, the Light that lighteth every man, Jesus Christ and Lord.

Amen.

Carol Service in Holy Trinity Church

Simon Brian, with Senior Gilbert Wong (SR 2014-19) in Hong Kong In March, we were thrilled to be able to further resume our events programme with the first Edinburgh and London Drinks Receptions since the Covid-19 pandemic. Our Edinburgh Seniors met at The New Club on Princes Street, and our London Seniors at London Scottish

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House. It was super to see so many former pupils - of all ages - in attendance, sharing memories, catching up with old friends, and making new connections as part of our global alumni network.

Also in the Spring Term, the Head, Simon Brian, travelled to Hong Kong to meet with

current and prospective St Leonards families, as well as some of our Seniors, who came together at the Kowloon Shangri-La. We would love to reconnect with more of our Hong Kong Seniors in the years ahead, and indeed Seniors based all around the world.

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Emma Bindloss (née George, APN 1983-89) & Ilona Blue (APS 1981-89) at London Scottish House

By May, the sun was shining in St Andrews and the first of our three Summer Term occasions celebrated 30 years since the Class of 1993 left school. Around 30 ladies returned to St Leonards for a fun day of tours, afternoon tea, and a delicious dinner at The Saint restaurant. Our thanks to Charlie Wilson (APS 198793) and Sarah Lithgow (née Rollo, D 1984-93) for coordinating this special event.

Lauren Hastie (D 20112021) and Konstantin Maslarov (B 2019-2022) at The New Club Reception, Edinburgh

Sally-Ann Dunn (APS 1987-93), Lynne Ruark (Staff & Honorary Senior) and Diana Millar (APS 1987-93) at the Class of 1993 Reunion

This was swiftly followed by Seniors Reunion Day on Saturday, 27 May, which featured a trip down memory lane, a buffet lunch in Restaurant 1877 at St Leonards (formerly the CDR), and a glass of fizz enjoyed whilst walking this year’s impressive pupil Art Exhibition.

Seniors Reunion Day

The 2022-23 academic year ended with a 40th anniversary reunion, led by Nicki Norwood (née Notaras, SN 1978-83). The celebration in early June was well attended by around 40 members of the graduating Class of 1983, many of whom had not seen one another since leaving St Leonards.

It is always a pleasure to hear from our Seniors with news and updates, as well as at these special events throughout the year. You can contact The Seniors Office at seniors@stleonards-fife.org or telephone +44 (0) 1334 472126.

QUARTERLY E-NEWSLETTER Our Seniors e-newsletter is published quarterly with news, updates, information about past and future events, and the In Memoriam section noting Seniors who have died since the previous edition.

If you do not receive the newsletter and would like to, please contact seniors@stleonards-fife.org

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OLD TOM’S FORGOTTEN COURSE Seniors gathered at The New Club in Edinburgh in October for a fascinating historical talk given by Jane Claydon, former Deputy Head at St Leonards, and a fountain of knowledge on the school and its past.

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Jane gave a wonderful presentation entitled Old Tom’s Forgotten Course and Other Stories, after which Seniors enjoyed a lunch at The New Club, with impressive views towards Edinburgh Castle.

HONORARY DEGREE DECADES ON Hilda Moore (née Hammond, BE 193640) was presented with an Honorary Degree at the University of Bedfordshire in September, decades after completing her studies in Physical Education.

Hilda sadly passed away at the age of 100, in November 2022. A former England hockey player, Hilda studied at Bedford Physical Education after completing her education at St Leonards. She was one of more than 250 women to receive the honorary degrees following a six-year campaign to prove the three-year courses they completed were worthy of degree status.

At 100 years old, Hilda was thought to have been the oldest living recipient of an honorary degree. The photograph was taken by Judy Gorrie, former Head of PE at St Leonards, who joined the staff in 1983, and also received an honorary degree at the ceremony.

DINOSAUR DREAMING Nicole Evered (née Rutherford, SN 195256) shared how she found her calling - in dinosaur excavation - at the age of 53 whilst based in Inverloch, Australia.

WEDDING BELLS Our warmest congratulations to St Leonards Senior Emilia Carslaw (2009-11), on her marriage to Felix Hale on Saturday, 6 May - Coronation Day! The service at Holy Trinity Church in St Andrews featured many St Leonards connections, including three Seniors - Anna Carslaw (2008-14), Olivia Carslaw (2008-2017) and Catriona Stirling (2006-11) - amongst the bridesmaids and music performed by current and former pupils, including past Head Girl Lauren Hastie (2011-21). The wedding cars were driven by Julianne Pennycook, Housemistress of St Rule, and her husband Jamie.

Nicole was one of 700 individuals whose combined efforts, starting in 1984, discovered dinosaur fossils at Flat Rocks, a rocky shore near to Inverloch. She coined the term ‘Dinosaur Dreaming’ for the project, and it is still known as this today.

On behalf of all at St Leonards, we wish Emilia and Felix every happiness in their life together. They are pictured here with Emilia’s father, Dr Michael Carslaw, Headmaster of St Leonards from 2008-2021.

In 1999, Nicole discovered the dinosaur Qantassaurus intrepidus - what a fascinating find from one of our Seniors!

Photo Credit: Mark Quinn Photography

SCOTLAND U21 LACROSSE Seniors Catherine Fleming (2007-21) and Laila Cherry (2018-21) represented Scotland in the U21 Lacrosse Home Internationals in Nottingham, playing against England, who are the current European Champions.

In their match against Wales, Scotland won 14-6, with Catherine playing an attacking role and Laila making some crucial saves.

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Share your Stories We love to hear from our former pupils with news and updates, and to in our quarterly Senior Spotlight feature in the quarterly newsletter. If you would like to share a story or feature in the Spotlight please contact The Seniors Office at seniors@stleonards-fife.org

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Back in Time:

ST LEONARDS THROUGH THE AGES St Leonards has a rich history, from its foundation as a pioneering school for girls in 1877.

Co-educational since 1999, so much has happened over the course of its 146 years to date, and we’ve been digging through the archives in search of some fascinating facts and notable anniversaries marked in 2023. All of this contributes to our whole school countdown to St Leonards’ 150th anniversary year in 2027, which we will be celebrating in style.

Musical Memories The British pianist Fanny Davies, who was particularly admired in Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann and the early schools, gave a recital at St Leonards 130 years ago, in February 1893. This occasion marked her second visit to St Leonards, having given an earlier recital in June 1892. Her third was shortly after the February performance, in June 1893.

Fanny Davies is one of a number of renowned performers who have stopped off at St Leonards over the years. Fellow musicians who have performed at the School include the Polish classical pianist Sliwinski in 1892, Siloti in June 1894, and Paderewski in the newlyopened School Hall in October 1891. Paderewski was the first Prime Minister of an independent Poland and signed the Treaty of Versailles.

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from Wycombe Abbey, which itself was founded by Dame Frances Dove (18471942), one of the first two Headmistresses of St Leonards.

Scotland Women’s Lacrosse Did you know, 100 years ago this year, marked the first International Scottish Women’s Lacrosse Team match? Seven St Leonards Seniors - Mary Reid, Norah Strathairn, Gladys Campbell, Eleanor Sharp, Violet Brown (Capt.), Rosabelle Sinclair and Joan Ross - were selected for the team, with Muriel Moir as a reserve. Rosabelle Sinclair went on to become known as the Grand Dame of US Lacrosse. Their first match was against Wales, which they won 11-2.

Our thanks to Senior Toria Fraser (née Budge, SRE 1974-80) for sharing

this photograph for our St Leonards School archives, having looked it out at home during the Covid-19 lockdown. Toria’s grandmother, Helen Stewart Walker, played in the team the following year.

Sister Schools St Leonards has three “sister schools”, so-called for their foundation by our strong connections to former Headmistresses.

They are Godstowe School and Wycombe Abbey in Buckinghamshire, and Benenden School in Kent.

Benenden was founded 100 years ago this year by three members of staff

One of Benenden’s founders was Ann Hindle, a Senior (former pupil) of Abbey Park South at St Leonards, and a mathematician, acting as Bursar upon the School’s foundation.

All these schools are referenced in the School Prayer, which is still read at our annual Carol Services in Holy Trinity Church.

A Flexi-Boarding Future 130 years ago marked the introduction of what we now term “flexi-boarding” at St Leonards. The decision was made for Daygirls that in the event of their parents being away from home, arrangements could be made for them to be temporarily received by a Housemistress in school. We are pleased to

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continue to offer full, flexi and weekly boarding to this day!

Around the Town St Leonards has not always existed fully within the medieval school walls as we know it today. Over the years, the School has held property around St Andrews, and indeed did not begin to move to the present site until 1883.

One such property was The Lodge, which was built on The Scores in St Andrews 125 years ago, in 1898.

It was constructed for Miss Frances Ralph Gray, Headmistress of St Katharines - the Junior School - and Senior Housemistress. St Katharines was founded by Miss Dove to replace the Junior House created in 1889 in Priorsgate. The new school was housed at 91 North Street, now part of the University of St Andrews.

The Lodge served as a Junior boarding house from 18981918 before becoming St Katharines West until 1970, when St Katharines was brought within the Abbey walls. When a St Katharines pupil ‘went up’ to the senior St Leonards

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School, they would be called O.K. (Old St Katharines!).

The building still stands on The Scores, and currently serves as the Reprographics Department for the University of St Andrews, retaining the name St Katharines West.

The outdoor Fives courts next to Teinds Gate.

The original indoor Fives court at St Leonards, where the Music School stands today.

All the fun of Fives Fives tournaments originated at St Leonards in 1888 - 135 years ago this year. Fives, a kind of hand tennis, was played at St Leonards according to Rugby Fives rules. Derived from the French sport jeu de paume, it was an outdoor precursor to tennis played without racquets, hence the name translating as ‘palm game’.

When St Leonards Council purchased Bishopshall as a boarding house in 1887, it included an indoor Fives court, thus enabling a competition to commence in the Summer Term of 1888.

Gloves were worn to protect the hands.

The indoor Fives courts were demolished for the construction of the Music School, which opened in 1987. Three outdoor courts also enlisted along the wall at Teinds Gate, which opened in 1907.

Winners of the Fives Medal were recorded on the existing honours board in the indoor courts.

These were used to record winners of University of St Andrews competitions prior to 1888.

Apostrophe, or not?

And finally, we’re ending on a fun fact, as many people ask about the missing apostrophe in St Leonards.

Whilst not grammatically correct, the lack of apostrophe is to mirror the name of our town of St Andrews, which also has none. This is because, being an ancient town, it predates the introduction of apostrophes into the English language via French in the 16th century. Eagle-eyed parents, pupils, staff and Seniors may spot this in varying uses in our school vocabulary: St Katharines Hall, Teinds Gate…

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PRIORSGATE: A Transformation 1

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At its inception, Priorsgate formed the east wing of neighbouring Queen Mary’s House, which we know and love today as Queen Mary’s Library (QML). It was between 156061 that David Orme, Chamberlain to the Regent Moray, took possession of the property, and under his ownership that Mary Queen of Scots is believed to have visited it, staying in the house and engaging in archery in the walled garden behind.

Our understanding of the custodians of Queen Mary’s House/Priorsgate since then is by no means complete, but it is understood to have been administered by the Church. Its history continued to be a rich patchwork of both religious and regal residents. In 1650, for example, when King Charles II visited St Andrews, he stayed in the house at the time it belonged to Hew Scrimgeour, Servitor to John Spottiswood, Archbishop of St Andrews.

Spring forward over 100 years to 1779, and Priorsgate fell into the name of Mrs Mary Lilias Sharp Lumsdaine, greatgreat-granddaughter of Archbishop James Sharp, who was murdered at Magus Muir in 1679, and features in a dramatic fashion in the University of St Andrews’ Kate Kennedy Procession through the town each April to this day.

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The boarders of Priorsgate, pictured in 1894.

Its original purpose is reflected in its name to this day, yet over the years Priorsgate has served not only as a home, but as a boarding house from 1889, as flats available for rental, as staff accommodation, and most recently it has come full circle following its redevelopment into five luxury selfcatering apartments.

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Priorsgate in the 1880s.

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Situated on South Street, St Andrews, with views to the cathedral ruins to the front and back through the historic school grounds of St Leonards, Priorsgate is unique in its central location.

It has existed on this spot since around 1525, when it was constructed as a private residence for Alan Meldrum, vicar of Leuchars, Canon of the Priory, and Professor of Theology at the University of St Andrews.

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The building today.

Shortly after this, in 1783, part of the building was taken down and rebuilt into its current “E” shape, which is how Miss Lewis and her girls would have known it when they lived there as a boarding house of St Leonards School from 1889-1897.

Professor George Hill is responsible for the division of Queen Mary’s house and Priorsgate in 1792 and is grandfather and great-grandfather of those instrumental in the foundation of St Leonards School in 1877.

Significantly, granddaughter Rachel was one of the first students at Hitchin (later Girton College, Cambridge) along with her friend Louisa Lumsden, later first headmistress of St Leonards. In 1872, they were the first women to pass the Cambridge Classical Tripos.

Having rented Priorsgate in those early years, the School purchased the property in 1945 and has owned it ever since. It served as rental flats for private individuals, as staff accommodation, and as boarding accommodation for pupils who were completing an additional term at St Leonards, preparing for Oxbridge entrance examinations.

In 2019, Priorsgate was in need of extensive refurbishment to transform it into a usable space, of the most benefit to St Leonards and those who live and learn here. A plan was put in place to redevelop the building into five apartments, to be let out to visitors to the town, and to the School, expanding upon the existing channels of non-fee income, all of which goes into upgrading the campus and facilities for pupils present and future.

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Plaque outside the School Hall.

Put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the works finally commenced in October 2021, and the building was returned to St Leonards 12 months later following works by Thomas Johnstone. The result is truly spectacular, the project retaining many period features from cornicing to the spiral stone stairs.

Our Priorsgate apartments are available to rent for short stays in St Andrews, complete with golf storage lockers and a private enclosed garden, throughout the year. And so the next chapter in the building’s history begins.

Lumsden Apartment.

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Lewis Apartment.

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Did you know?

The five Priorsgate apartments take the names of those involved in the rich history of St Leonards.

Dove after Dame Frances Dove, second Headmistress of the School who introduced women’s lacrosse in the UK; Lumsden after St Leonards’ very first Headmistress and a pioneer of women’s education, Dame Louisa Lumsden; Lewis, after Miss Lewis, Housemistress of Priorsgate when it was used as a boarding house from 1889-97; Oliphant after T.T. Oliphant, Secretary to the Board of Governors who once resided in QML and whose memorial gates look out over Big Field today; and Archdale, after St Leonards Senior, Helen Archdale, feminist, suffragette and journalist.

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