Prestwick Academy welcomes new head

Jul 11 2008

A VERY warm welcome to Gordon Bone who took up his post as head teacher on Monday, June 16.

TWENTY S1 and S2 pupils recently attended an energetic and fun filled South Ayrshire Dance Festival run by Active Schools, held at Ayr Academy and Dansarena Studios.

The pupils were split into 3 groups, and thoroughly enjoyed learning the different styles of dance.

After being put through their paces by the dance tutors, the pupils were then given the opportunity to perform their routines in front of all other participators from the South Ayrshire schools as well as Active Schools Coordinators.

ALL S6 pupils undertook a day’s training to prepare them for helping the new S1 make the transition from primary to secondary. Gary from Tree of Knowledge lead an energetic session which taught the pupils how to use the Apodo, a games based group work tool. Members of the guidance team then lead the pupils through activities.

As a result of the day’s training 90 S6 pupils have volunteered to be peer helpers.

WELL done to the following winners of the physical education department S3 T.O.P.P.E.S award.

Fitness: Nicole Adams, Jamie McQuaker and Brodie Leggat; Badminton: Scott Nimmo, Murray McGinlay and Daniel Bryson; Gymnastics: Eilidh Gibson, Siobhan McDonald and Katie Parker; Hockey: Steven Moore, Christopher McBlain and Stuart Kerr.

WELL done to Wallace Graham (S2) who competed in the Scottish Power Schools Championship at Grangemouth recently and achieved a silver medal in the both 100m and 200m events. Wallace was also achieved the badge standard in both events for the race times he achieved.

CONGRATULATIONS to S6 pupil Euan Duncan who has been awarded the South Ayrshire Sports Personality of the Year. Euan has achieved outstanding success in Volleyball and this season became the youngest ever player to be capped for Scotland in the senior national team against England and Ireland at this years Home International.

ALSO in Volleyball Lorna McLean, Kirsty McLean, Kay Wheatly and Jenny Jones have been selected to attend the GB training camp at Sheffield this summer. Sheffield is the training centre for the 2012 GB Squad.

CONGRATULATIONS to new S3 pupils Kate Dalzell, Connor Grant and Callum McGeachie whose entries were chosen from 4000 in the schools poster exhibition for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The pupils work will be displayed on the pillars in Ocean Terminal from Sunday, August 3 to Monday, August 25.

ON Wednesday, June 11 and Thursday, June 12, approximately 90 new S3 pupils participated in Construction Challenge days led by Carillion, the new school builders.

On the Wednesday, 48 pupils worked in groups of 6 to design a sustainable town for 200,000 people.

Prior to the activity, the pupils’ researched topics such as renewable energy, town planning and recycling initiatives to equip them with the knowledge they would need to successfully design their town.

Many teams opted for a new school model, though the overall winner of the model making competition was Callum Norrie whose intricate model of a modern and self-sufficient block of flats was expertly created -including the solar panels on the roof!.

On the Thursday, it was the turn of craft and design pupils to become project managers, quantity surveyors, site managers and builders for the day. Forty pupils arranged in groups of four were shown a completed model of a building for a very limited time and had to then work together as a team to recreate the model using the allocated budget and resources.