The Academy Newsletter Belfast Royal Academy June 2015
UNVEILING OF THE COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE ON ACADEMY STREET
As I write, we are on the verge of one of the most significant programmes of development that the School has undertaken since it moved to the Cliftonville Road in 1880. In a year’s time we hope to have a new Music building, a large new dining area, a Learning Support suite, two new Business Studies classrooms, a new Home Economics department, new facilities at the Roughfort pavilion and access to new sporting facilities close to the School, as well as, finally, a restored Crombie tower. It is an exciting prospect. These developments will enhance the daily experience of all of our pupils. Our builders lead us to hope that the work will be completed by Christmas. In the meantime, we will have to take inconveniences in our stride. The school year which is drawing to an end had an auspicious beginning, with the publication of the GCSE and Advanced Level results. Our GCSE results were the best that we have had. 98% of the Form passed in 5 or more subjects and 93% of pupils achieved grades A* - C in 7 or more subjects including English and Mathematics. 44% of the examinations taken were passed at grades A* or A. Among many impressive performances, Micah Hipolito and Niamh Martin gained 10 passes at A* and one at grade A. Kellie McLean was joint 2nd in Northern Ireland in GCSE French (one of three Academy pupils, along with Ben Hoey and Mimi Joffroy, to achieve full uniform marks in the examination) and Taylor McCombe was placed 3rd in the province in GCSE P.E.; Chloe Anderson, Rachael O’Donnell and Juanita O’Kane achieved full marks in the CCEA Art GCSE. While the MVI did not match the standard achieved the year before – which was our best ever – they did well. 97% of pupils gained 3 or more Advanced Level passes, and 85% of the examinations were passed at grades A* - C. Of the 553 examinations sat, only 4 were failed. Kyle Auterson, Rachael Blythe, Patricia Martin and Hannah Robinson gained 3 A* passes, for which more than 90% in the A2 module is required, and one grade A pass. Catherine Nelson achieved full marks for her AS Art and Design coursework and was invited to attend a reception and private viewing of the CCEA True Colours exhibition at the Ulster Museum. Lorna Joyce received a Highly Commended award for an essay in French in The Queen’s University, School of Modern Languages’ annual Santander Essay Competition. In September, four of our former pupils took up places at Cambridge University: Alice Kavanagh to read Engineering at Gonville and Caius; Faye Kidd to study
History at Homerton, where she was awarded a Choral Scholarship; Daniel Dass to study Economics at St. Catharine’s; and Michael Bell, who won a Scholarship to study Music, also at St. Catharine’s. In the course of the year, Faye won a ‘Blue’ for hockey (for representing the University at the highest level, including the varsity match against Oxford), and Daniel won a Blue for rugby. We believe that this is the first time that two former pupils have achieved this distinction in the same year. If academic work is at the centre of their school experience – and I have seen, when observing lessons, a real enjoyment of learning and an increasing use of new technologies – pupils are enriched, gain confidence, make friends and develop new skills by getting involved in an ever-growing range of extra-curricular opportunities. As always, an interest in exploring subjects beyond the classroom was developed through related activities. For the second year in a row, our Junior Maths team won the Northern Ireland heat of the UK Maths Trust Team Challenge, and will compete in the National Final in London. The Form I Credit Union quiz team won through two rounds to reach the All-Ireland final at the RDS in Dublin. The Young Einstein Club experimented with invisible ink for secret messages, made a Balancing Bird toy to test the centre of gravity, made Thaumatropes to investigate optical illusions, built paper rafts, had a Great Soap Boat Race and made Grass Heads, fostering a delight in science in the process. A team of middle-school Chemists came joint 4th out of 14 schools in the ‘Top of the Bench’ Chemistry competition, while senior Physicists drew inspiration from an outing to see ‘The Theory of Everything’ at the cinema. National Mole Day was celebrated in the Chemistry Department through a range of activities, including a ‘Mole Cake’ competition, all funded, upon request, by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Mr Gavin Campbell, Director of Design Engineering and Technology Development in Bombardier visited school in October to talk to members of the Senior Scientific Society about Aeronautical Engineering. Our social scientists were active too. The Politics Society organised both a mock Scottish Independence Referendum and a mock General Election, reflecting the
2 The Academy Newsletter 2015 result of the former more closely than the latter. Pupils from Forms III and LVI joined with students from across Belfast and voluntary organisations at the City Hall for Eur Voice, an initiative of the European Youth Parliament and European Commission to give young people an opportunity to discuss issues which affect them and their local community. The Debating Society debated motions such as, ‘This House believes that religion is irrelevant in the modern world’ in lively fashion (the motion was defeated). ‘AS’ Politics students descended upon Stormont in November to meet with MLAs and other party representatives, and to watch the Assembly in session from the Public Gallery, before welcoming Tom Campbell, Alliance Party Councillor in the Antrim and Newtownabbey District Council, to a lunchtime meeting of the Society. Form III pupils attended a number of events organised as part of the CATCH (Challenging Attitudes Changing Horizons) citizenship programme with pupils from Hazelwood Integrated College, St. Patrick’s College and Edmund Rice School. In the final event, in February, they interviewed a panel of local community representatives and politicians on topics ranging from the provision of healthcare to the existence of ‘peace walls’ in the local areas. Our own potential politicians attended a series of Model United Nations conferences, at which our pupils won a number of awards for the quality of their contributions. In April, nine LVI pupils attended a special event at the Law Society and the Royal Courts of Justice to mark the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta. MVI historians, meanwhile, travelled to Dublin for a walking tour of the city, led by Dr John Gibney, which focused on locations relevant to the Advanced Level specification. Pupils with an interest in the Arts were active this year also. In October the artistic director of Belfast Youth in the Arts came in to school to take a drama, dance and music workshop. 46 pupils from Forms II and MVI took part. Olivia Spring (MVI) was one of 250 Derek Landy fans who took to the streets of Dublin in a role-playing adventure to mark the end of the best-selling series, ‘Skulduggery Pleasant’. She was commissioned by Harper Collins to write an article on the event for the Irish Times. Twelve pupils from the Junior Book Club attended a musical adaptation of ‘Sky Hawk’ by Gill Lewis at the Lyric Theatre, having read the novel beforehand. They had an opportunity to participate in a Q & A with the actors after the performance. Book Club members also participated in the ‘Kids’ Lit Quiz’, coming 5th out of 29 teams participating, and attended the annual N.I. Book Award Launch in March. Groups of pupils enjoyed a number of theatre trips to venues ranging from the Grand Opera House and the Mac, to the Belfast Barge, and participated in workshops led by guests such as Katie Lewis. Members of our Form V attended a reading by the poet Simon Armitage at The Black Box. He was introduced by our former pupil, Stephen Connolly. Forty three of our Junior pupils had stories published in the Young Writers’ Mini Monologues Anthology 2015. Rachel Patterson (II) won first place in our poetry competition to mark National Poetry Day. Five of our pupils were commended for their contributions to the Simon Community Poetry Competition, and received a framed copy of their poems. At a ceremony at Stormont, Adam McCready’s poem, ‘Homelessness’ was named as the winning poem. A plethora of careers events, organised by Ms Adams, included a wide variety of visiting speakers, a Creative Choices event at the Lyric Theatre, an Interview and Assessment Programme, a Multi Mini Interview Simulation Event for Medics and Vets, a STEM Careers Evening, and visits to local businesses. Aakarsha Khosla was placed 9th out of more than 100 competitors in the final of the Target Jobs National Schools’ Challenge competition in Birmingham in March. More than 2000 pupils had originally entered the competition. Former pupils were frequent visitors to school during the year. Emma-Louise Johnston, Michael Hutchinson and Ashley McCune led Shared Experience Seminars on careers in Broadcasting, Journalism and the Law respectively. Richard Lewis spoke to our Economists about a career in the financial sector. Jonathan Rainey, James Donnelly, Steven Allen, Hannah Shields, Anna Diamond, Katy Shields, Matthew Corkey, Katie Brown, Katie Hunter and Adrian Mawhinney all came in to speak to groups of pupils with an interest in careers varying from Management, Dietetics, Nursing, Medicine and Dentistry to the Law.
The support of former pupils of the School is greatly appreciated and it does much to broaden the horizons of the current generation of pupils. A group of pupils from the ‘class’ which left in 1974 returned to school last summer to rekindle memories. More recent leavers returned in December to ‘compare notes’ after their first term at university, and many former pupils and members of staff enjoyed music and mince pies at the Christmas Reception. In the spring, members of the 1965 Medallion returned to school for a lunch to celebrate their Medallion Shield victory 50 years ago. The Dramatic Society’s production of ‘Reunion’, a play written by Mr Jamison, was itself the occasion of a reunion of former pupils who had taken part in school productions over the last forty years. Stuart Olding and Iain Henderson were regular visitors. In December they came to school to light a candle in memory of Jack Kyle to support the Northern Ireland Hospice’s ‘Lights to Remember’ campaign, and in March they presented the prizes at the Rugby Club ‘Hog Roast’. Last summer, 31 LVI pupils, two members of our Board of Governors and six members of staff travelled to Malawi. Our pupils first experienced work placements in Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Biochemistry, Business Studies, Economics and Teaching, and then helped to build a new house for an elderly woman, whose home had been washed away in a flood. Indeed, recent flooding has prompted this year’s team, led once again by Dr Bell, to send two containers filled with donated clothing and utensils to support the communities with which they will work when they travel to Africa at the end of term. They will be in Malawi when this Newsletter is published. As part of their preparation for the trip, this year’s party of 24 pupils were given £1 each and tasked with seeking ways to ‘grow’ the sum within a period of time. They managed to raise £320 between them, enough to build a new house in Mulanje. In October it was a pleasure to welcome to school the Rev. Dr Gama and a group of visitors from Mulanje Mission and Hospital to school. The team addressed all of our pupils at a series of Assemblies, and inspired them, not only with their words about the value of our relationship with Mulanji, but with their singing and dancing! Since our first visit in 2008, more than 220 pupils and 40 members of staff have travelled to Malawi. Once again, one of the most popular of the international experiences available to pupils was the exchange involving pupils from Asturias in Northern Spain. 18 pupils and two teachers visited us in early September, and our pupils made the return visit some weeks later. Apart from developing language skills and offering experience of a different education system, this exchange provides a range of cultural and economic excursions which are greatly enjoyed by all involved. Providing an insight into other people’s lives is at the heart of the ‘Connecting Classrooms Project’ which brought two teachers from the Lebanon to school in November. During their two-day visit they observed classes and spoke in assemblies. Prior to their visit, Academy pupils involved in the project had exchanged letters, poetry and photographs with pupils from the Lebanon. In the summer, Lin Chung (MVI), who studies Spanish, travelled to Managua, Nicaragua, to help to develop the language skills of disadvantaged children. This year ‘taster’ lessons in Spanish and German were provided for pupils in Form II, and Arabic and Chinese were offered as enrichment sessions. Rym Akhonzada and Natasha Black, from Interlingua, spoke at assemblies on the European Day of Languages about the usefulness of language skills in a business context. As a hub school for the British Council/The Qatar Foundation Arabic project, we invited pupils from partner schools (Methodist College, Antrim Grammar and St. Malachy’s) to an event organised with InvestNI, where pupils had video conferences with InvestNI staff in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to hear about business links and opportunities. Arlene Foster (Minister for Economic Development) addressed the pupils and underlined the importance of language learning for successful business enterprise in the future. We featured on a UTV news report on the benefits of learning Arabic, and Samira Dani, the Arabic Language Adviser with the British Council, visited the school in March to see what has been achieved through our Arabic language and culture programme. We were showcased at a University of London conference and Mr Porter, who attended the conference, was interviewed, in English, for the morning news on Al Arabiya television from Dubai! In the course of the year, our pupils have travelled to Paris (twice) and to Rome, have skied in the Alps, played rugby in Portugal and in Cambridge, and, as I write, are preparing to travel to South Africa. Awareness of a different sort of international opportunity was heightened by a visit from representatives of Bethany College and Wheeling Jesuit University, in December, to outline the opportunities available for studying in the USA. They provided an insight into the American College system, the application process, financial aid and the scholarships available. In March, a group of pupils from Chicago spent a morning going to class with our LVI pupils as part of an initiative organised by the Rotary Clubs of Chicago and Belfast.
“Faye Kidd & Daniel Dass received Cambridge Blues in their first year”
This year, a new project has been added to our existing range of ‘Global Opportunities’. For the first time we will be participating in the ‘Saphara’ project this summer. Led by Miss Barnett, four of our LVI pupils have joined a team of pupils from North Belfast schools which will travel to India in the summer to support the work of Saphara, a charity which works with disadvantaged children. They have raised
The Academy Newsletter 2015 3 awareness through a series of assemblies and also raised funds – Kathleen Reilly and Miss Barnett were even sponsored to abseil down the Europa Hotel! – to support projects which they will have an opportunity to visit in the summer, when they undertake their “Journey with Purpose” to India. Our pupils also continue to show concern for people closer to home. Our primary school initiative continues to thrive; more than £3,200 was raised for the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children through the Form I and II ‘Read-On’; more than £5,500 was raised in school for Save the Children; weekly charity collections in Registration raised funds for local charities; £2,000 was donated to Tiny Life; we continue to work on a Habitat for Humanity project with De La Salle College, helping to renovate a local church hall, and raise funds for a Habitat home in a developing country; £500 was raised for SENSE, which supports people who have sensory impairments. These, and other fundraising initiatives, along with the range of volunteering work undertaken by individuals, indicate the strength of social consciousness among this generation of pupils. A feature of our times is a welcome focus on health and well-being. As part of our ‘Wellbeing Week’, the Great B.R.A. Bake Off in September had a round based on healthy baking and MVI pupils attended a health and well-being event hosted by the New Lodge-Duncairn Health Partnership. Members of both the Pupils and School Councils took part in the Anti-Bullying Ambassador Programme, and a poster competition with an anti-bullying theme was held for Form II tutor groups as part of Anti-Bullying Week in November. With so many extra-curricular activities going on, I will leave a comprehensive survey to The Owl. It is worth noting, however, that more than 100 pupils enjoyed the exhausting variety of entertaining activities which characterise the Scripture Union Weekend. Back at school, they welcomed visitors from the Ocean-going Logos Hope, took part in the SHINE event, hosted lively weekly meetings and set in motion preparations which will take them to Poland next year. The Academy Duke of Edinburgh programme, possibly the largest in the United Kingdom with 442 current participants, hosted a Royal visit in February, when HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex visited the School to acknowledge the dedication and inspirational leadership of Mr Reilly over many years, and to meet some of the pupils and adults who make our Duke of Edinburgh’s Award what it is. It was an occasion which will live long in the memory. Our pupils continue to walk the Mournes, and to kayak on Lough Erne. Our annual “Mournes’ Clean-Up” and “Glens’ Cleanse” events contribute much to the environment in which our pupils undertake expedition work. During the holiday last summer, pupils were selected to represent Northern Ireland in Swimming, Hockey, Athletics, Judo and Wheelchair Basketball at the UK School Games, and many pupils went on to achieve representative honours in the course of the year. Max Burton was selected for the Ireland U15 Cricket training squad, and he and Harry Warke toured South Africa as members of the NCU U15 squad; Jack Burton was a member of the NCU U17 team which toured South Africa; Erin Getty was selected for both the Ulster and the Ireland U18 Hockey squads; Alice Reid was a member of the Ulster U17 Development Squad; Trinity Geddis and Harriet Dougan were selected for the Ulster U16 Development Squad; Matthew Dalton, Cormac McCracken and Conor McAuley were selected for the Ulster U18 Rugby squad, and Daniel Logan, Harry Robinson, Jude Cowley and Jack Plackett were selected for the Ulster U16 squad; Harry Robinson represented Northern Ireland at an U15 international football competition in Slovakia in May; Oliver McGrath won two cups with Linfield U12s, scoring in both finals. In the performing arts, Patrick Donnelly, Fiona McIlroy and Paige Clements gained places in the Ulster Youth Choir, Hannah Edgar and Ellen Quinn in the Ulster Youth Orchestra, and Owen Donnelly and Daniel Quigley in the Ulster Youth Jazz Orchestra; Louise O’Neill competed at the World Irish Dancing Championships in Canada and Bethany Hunter won Gold at the Ulster Irish Dancing Championships for the second year in succession. Mrs Alexander deserves great credit for fostering the success of aquatic sports in school, and yet another outstanding year was enjoyed by those participating in swimming, water polo and life saving. While a more detailed account will appear later in this newsletter, it is worth highlighting the performance of our swimmers in winning 20 medals in the Ulster Schools’ Minor Championships and the Junior Girls’ Relay team which won both the Medley and Freestyle titles. Success was maintained in the Ulster Secondary School Championships where two Gold and nine Silver medals were won. Five Senior Boys were selected for the Ulster U19 Schools’ Water Polo team which toured Edinburgh in October and both the Senior Boys’ and Senior Girls’ teams enjoyed considerable success. Pride of place, however, must go to the Senior Boys’ team, which won both the Ulster Schools’ U19 League and, for the first time, the Canada Trophy (the Ulster Schools’ Water Polo Cup). An outstanding achievement. Our Life Saving team travelled in March to the Olympic Aquatic Centre in London to compete in the British Life Saving Championships. We finished 3rd overall in the medal table, setting six new British records. Six members of our team were selected for the GB Life Saving Performance Squad. I have written elsewhere in this Newsletter about Conor Ferguson’s remarkable year. Other sporting highlights include the Intermediate Boys’ Athletics team’s success at both the Ulster and Irish Championships, where they won the Intermediate Cup as overall champions. Stephen McCorry and Shane Martin won Irish Gold medals in the Hammer and Pole Vault respectively. Harriet Dougan and Katie Ritchie won Silver medals in the Irish Junior and Intermediate Girls’ Pole Vault. In all, seventeen pupils qualified for the Irish Championships - in itself, a significant
achievement. Our Minor B Netball team defeated Grosvenor Grammar in the final of their section of the Belfast Area League, while the Junior B team also reached the final of their section, only to lose an exciting contest to Dominican College. In rugby, the U13 team were runners-up in the U13 tournament held at Roughfort in March and the 2nd XV reached the semi-final of the 2nd XV Cup. In Boys’ Hockey, the Colts (U15) team reached the final of the Taylor Cup at Lisnagarvey Hockey Club, where they lost to a strong Markethill team. At the time of going to press, our Cricket teams are doing well. The U14 XI have reached the semi-final of the Derriaghy Cup, the Girls’ U15 XI have also reached their semi-final and the 1st XI have qualified for the semi-final of the Schools’ Cup, having beaten Ballyclare High School by 101 runs – a match in which Andrew Forbes took four wickets (all ‘clean bowled’) in four balls – and Strabane Academy by 7 wickets in previous rounds. The 2nd XI has reached the final of the Duke of Abercorn Cup. Our Bridge teams enjoyed success at the Irish Schools’ Bridge Championships in Galway in March, winning the Silver Final, and having three teams in the six-team Gold Final, with the team of Molly O’Donnell, Ryan Lightowler, Cameron McCaughey and Andrew Milligan finishing in 2nd place overall. Later in the month, Emma Mills, Lucy Kinnear, Angela Cao and Eilis O’Loan won the Under 19 Interprovincial Bridge Championships, with Academy teams also being placed 2nd and 5th. Jessica North had an enterprising year: having received a Voluntary Now Millennium Gold Award in 2012 for completing 200 voluntary hours as a trainee youth archery leader, this year she completed the level one Archery Leadership course and received a Social Enterprise Bronze qualification. She and Lucy Kinnear were also selected for the “All Quiet on the Western Front” Scholarship programme this summer, funded by the Belgian government. They will take part in online discussions before travelling to the WW1 battlefield at Messines in July. We are a large, diverse and busy community. A community in which children grow into young adults and find within themselves the capacity to move on to the wider world beyond with purpose and with confidence. We seek to enable all of our pupils to fulfil their academic potential, to confirm them in good personal standards and to educate them in the broadest sense of the word by providing for them a wide range of activities and opportunities, so that no one will feel left behind while others develop confidence and skills, and make friends, by involving themselves in Music, Sport or Drama – or in one of the many other activities on offer. I hope that you will have gained some sense of that diversity and busyness from this report. At a time of significant budget costs, the challenge which we face is to continue to provide the range and variety of opportunities which I have sketched here. We wish to develop our facilities also, to provide physical resources – be they a floodlit astro hockey pitch or a new Music building – of a standard to match the quality and talent of our pupils. Elsewhere in this Newsletter, highlights of the year, including the marvellous Spring Concert in the Ulster Hall, receive a fuller account than I can give in this synopsis of the year’s events and achievements. Suffice to say that they were memorable occasions of the sort which make me proud of the School and of our pupils. Those who were present will long remember the cold January evening at Roughfort when our new floodlights were ‘christened’. The Lord Mayor, Councillor Nichola Mallon, and former pupil Kate Hoey MP, were present to see the lights turned on and to watch our 1st XI play the Ulster U17 XI in the new Mallusk illumination. Memorable also was the afternoon in May when a plaque was unveiled in Academy Street by Mr D Simon, our oldest former pupil, to mark the original site of the School. The Belfast Academy was founded beside what is now St. Anne’s Cathedral in 1785, moving to the Cliftonville Road in 1880 and becoming Belfast Royal Academy by Royal Charter in the reign of Queen Victoria (1888). It was a special occasion, graced by the presence of the Dean of St. Anne’s (The Very Reverend John Mann), two former Headmasters (Mr Young and Mr Sillery) and by members of the Old Boys’ Association, the Old Girls’ Association and the Board of Governors. I will end by mentioning two contrasting events. Thanks to the generosity and expertise of the Ulster Branch of the IRFU, I was able to organise a sports conference (in my role as the Irish Division representative on the HMC Sports SubCommittee) which was held at the Kingspan Stadium, Ravenhill, in February. At the heart of the Conference were issues which are important to me – the sustainability of sport in schools, and the well-being of the pupils who participate. It was a thought-provoking and enjoyable day and it set in motion further discussions about subjects such as concussion. The other occasion which I will remember from this year was the funeral of Jack Kyle, which reminded us that he was a fine man as well as a great sportsman. It was not a sad occasion, rather a celebration of an exemplary life lived into old age. In recent years I had come to know him, and to value his unfailing support for the School. It was a pleasure, therefore, to be able to talk to his daughter and also to the daughter of Alec Foster, Jack’s Headmaster while he was at school. Their affectionate and good-humoured recollection of his fondness for the School left me pleased to share his bond with something special; a feeling shared, I hope, by all in the wide Academy family.
J.M.G. Dickson
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On Saturday 22nd November, the Senior Dramatic Society presented the play REUNION. This was an original, one act play set in a roof-top garden of a downtown hotel. The plot revolved around the reunion of the class of ‘99 meeting for the first time in 15 years. A little heavier and a little less innocent, the members of the class renew friendships and roll back the years, but is everything as it seems? A clue to the answer is from the true life story of a past pupil of B.R.A. who once dated my mother! Peter Scott was born in Belfast into a middle-class military family. Following his father's death, his mother emigrated to the United States. He had spent his father's inheritance by the time he left Belfast Royal Academy. The 1965 film He Who Rides a Tiger, starring Tom Bell and Judi Dench, was made about Scott's exploits as a cat burglar. At the time of the film's release Scott was in prison in Dartmoor. In 1995 Scott published a memoir, Gentleman Thief. In the fictitious story REUNION, an imposter tricks the offguard guests at the hotel in order to relieve them of their valuables. Needless to say, the long arm of the law catches up with him by the conclusion of the play.
in school plays. They joined the ranks of parents, pupils and friends who also attended the event. Over a reception provided kindly by the members of FOTA they were able to reminisce and view a spectacular permanent gallery of posters celebrating some 60 plays presented in the Derbyshire Assembly Hall. My sincere thanks are due to those people who came from near and far, or who sent video messages, and also to the Art Department for their professional creation and mounting of the posters. I am also very grateful to the talented pupils who took part in the show and sacrificed willingly other performances in order to promote the significance of the “Reunion event”. To all those for whom this was their final opportunity to be on a B.R.A. stage, I pass on my best wishes for the future and hope that they continue to derive enjoyment from the world of drama. Admiring the display of posters, I am struck by the vision, generosity of spirit, imagination and talent of all those pupils and teachers who have contributed immeasurably to the lives of so many. They have been truly inspiring. R. Jamison
In the real world, immediately prior to the show, there was a reunion of former pupils who over the decades had taken part
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Arabic Art & Culture Programme
This year Belfast Royal Academy has been engaged in an Arabic project with Methodist College, St Malachy's College, Antrim Grammar, Ben Madigan Prep. and Carr's Glen PS focusing on the Arabic Language, Arabic Business opportunities and Arabic Art & Culture. There have been three departments involved in teaching aspects of the Arabic culture within B.R.A.; Modern Languages, Home Economics and Art and Design.
The Art and Design Department chose to engage Form II in this project. Their tasks included gathering research on Arabic Culture, Art and Architecture. They created ceramic tiles using clay, porcelain, cobalt glazes and oxides and applied Arabic lettering from their language lessons into their designs. The pupils attended the Ulster Museum to experience ceramic workshops and explore the art of the Middle East and aspects of its history. The overall outcomes were three large wall panels combining the tiles and paintings to illustrate knowledge and understanding about the Arabic Culture, Art and Architecture. During our visits to the Ulster Museum, Lynda Hassin (nee Brown) BA (Hons) Contemporary Applied Arts Ceramic and Jewellery designer from Moygashel, Co.Tyrone supported pupils at the ceramic workshop with the clay processes. Ashcan Essa, the Arabic language teacher, provided support for pupils using Arabic lettering stencils. This allowed the pupils to add the letters to the porcelain tiles. One of the completed panels can be viewed to the left. The central panel depicts the tree of life; the peacock, a symbolic representation of vision, integrity and love; and the Arabic characters. This panel is surrounded by the porcelain tiles created by the pupils at the workshops and circular keystone panels created by Oriana Firgau Marcano (former pupil of Belfast Royal Academy). Samira Dani, Arabic Language Adviser with the British Council, visited the Academy to view the community relations, diversity and equality work which has been achieved through the Arabic language and culture programme. The Arabic programme was funded by the British Council and The Qatar Foundation and had as its goal the empowerment of today’s students with the necessary language, business and cultural skills to engage fully with enterprise in countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Dubai and UAE in the future. Samira was very impressed at the level of work and commitment shown by the pupils. On Saturday 20th June the Annual Art Exhibition charity morning will showcase the project. P. Kerr
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DofE Welcomes Prince On Thursday 26th February we were delighted and honoured to welcome to the Academy HRH Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex. The Prince was visiting the School’s Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which is probably the largest school-based Award Centre in the United Kingdom, with 442 pupils from Forms III to Middle VI currently participating. He was particularly impressed with the unique nature of Belfast Royal Academy, reflected in the DofE in the school, with its significant religious, socio-economic and geographical mix of young people.
Upon arrival, HRH Prince Edward was greeted by Mr. William Sillery, our former Headmaster in the role of Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Belfast, Mr. Dominic Walsh the Warden, the Headmaster, Mr. John Reilly and Mr. Maurice Miller, amid the music of five of our saxophonists. In the upper foyer of the Darbyshire Building, the Prince was first introduced to our current voluntary DofE Expedition Staff and Gold Award Leaders. The Prince was very much impressed with the vast range of activities undertaken by our pupils and with the very friendly and informal atmosphere in the Assembly Hall. Each of the sections of the DofE, namely Volunteering, Skills, Physical, Expedition and Gold Residential, were represented along with the Mournes’ Clean-Up presentation.
The Volunteering section was represented by a number of pupils demonstrating their individual roles, ranging from working as Dean’s Verger of St. Anne’s Cathedral to assisting with girls’ Gaelic football coaching. This section was introduced by Miss S. Ardis The Skills section, led by Mrs. L. Nicholl, had on show a number of the pupils’ talents. Aaron Lyons, a pupil from Middle VI, whose skill was learning to cook, offered the Prince some of his homemade wheaten bread! The Physical section presented many activities including ballet, archery and even Taekwondo! All of these pupils were introduced to Prince Edward by Mr. J. Carolan.
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e Edward
Our Expedition section represented Bronze, Silver and Gold foot participants and our Silver and Gold Canadian Canoe pupils, and was introduced by Mr. Maurice Miller. The Gold Residential section, introduced by Mr. J. Buchan, had pupils whose work varied in location from Nicaragua to South Africa, where they helped the local community with repair and restoration of the various villages. The Prince also met Mr. James and Mrs. Anne McHenry, from the Antrim Hills and Mr. Desmond and Mrs. June Patterson, from the Mournes. They are land owners from their respective areas and are very supportive of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. They are especially helpful to the Academy DofE. Kerry Uprichard from Form I was the youngest pupil present, performing on her harp as the Prince made his way around
the Assembly Hall. Light music was also provided by four of our clarinettists. The Prince was then entertained by the Traditional Irish group and Traditional Irish dancing performed by Jessica Burns (Middle VI). The Headmaster thanked the Prince for honouring us with his visit. The Prince replied by commenting on the sheer size and versatility of the DofE in the Academy. He praised the participants on the diversity of the activities undertaken within the different sections, and finished by signing the Visitors’ Book. The Prince then took an unscheduled detour to the school playground, where he fully engaged with the Senior school pupils and staff. It was a highly memorable, historic day in the life of the Academy and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who took part. J. Reilly, M. Miller, S. Wilson
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Boys’ Sport The Colts Hockey team enjoyed a very successful year. They reached the final of the Taylor Cup demonstrating their significant progress throughout the season. At the time of going to print, the Cricket 1st XI won a place in the semi-finals of the Schools’ Cup. A semi-final place was secured in the Derriaghy Cup by the U14 team and the 2nd XI qualified for the final of the Duke of Abercorn Cup. Congratulations to Harry Warke, Jack Burton and Max Burton who toured South Africa with the NCU U15 at Easter time. In addition, the Senior and Intermediate Cross Country boys, mentored by former pupil Mr Michael Roberts, had a productive year with the Seniors reaching the Ulster Championships. Callum Dalzell and Andrew Milligan both show considerable promise. Similarly, there were excellent performances at the District, Ulster and Irish Athletics Championships, where the Intermediate Boys’ won the overall team competition at all three Championships. Other highlights included Stephen McCorry and Shane Martin winning Gold medals in the Irish Hammer and Pole Vault events respectively. In rugby, the 1st XV experienced a difficult season due to injuries, but the players remained committed throughout. The 2nd XV squad had a very successful season, narrowly being beaten in the semi-final of the Cup by a very good Down High School side. The Medallion XV had a challenging season in terms of results, but made good progress in terms of performance, reaching the quarter-final of the annual Campbell College 7s. The 3rd XV enjoyed playing a number of competitive games. Throughout the season, the squad worked hard to improve their individual skills and fitness. The U14 XV had
Colts XI at the Taylor Cup Final a successful year, winning the Plate at the RBAI tournament and finishing second in the Perse School’s East of England invitational tournament. The U13 teams performed very well, finishing runners-up in the U13 tournament at the end of the season. The boys were fully committed and very enthusiastic which contributed to a very enjoyable year.
The boys finished 5th in the Irish Schools’ Competition. Five players made the Ulster Schools’ team: Tom Donnelly, David Speers, Ruairi Hurson, Thomas O’Callaghan and Tom Loane. David Speers will play on the Irish U17 team, in England, Malta and Sweden.
In the pool, we won 14 medals at the Ulster Grammar Schools’ Swimming competition. Ruairi Hurson, Conor Ferguson and Finn Purdy were selected for the Ulster Swimming Squad. At the Irish Senior Schools’ we achieved 10 medals, with Conor Ferguson and Lorcan Gourley also competing for Ulster in the Irish Inter-Provincial Gala.
During the Ulster Life Saving Championships we won 2 medals. At the Irish Championships we won a further 2 medals after the Junior Boys’ were placed third and the Senior Boys’ took Gold. Finn Purdy represented GB at a Junior competition in Holland called the BeNe Cup. The School team competed in the Scottish National Championships where they won 10 Senior Boys’ medals. At the British National Championships in March, in the London Olympic Aquatic Centre, we met Olympic and World Champion Mark Foster. The team accumulated 15 medals. The Life Saving team set 6 new British Records and 4 boys were selected for the GB Squad: Ruairi Hurson, Finn Purdy, Lui Hurson and Lorcan Gourley.
Our Water Polo teams had their best season ever. The Senior Boys’ U19 team won the Ulster Schools’ Cup (Canada Trophy), for the first time in its 74 year history. This was very historic for two families in the school, as two generations of the O’Callaghans and Hursons have won the trophy.
At the British Schools’ Karting Championships we competed in two qualifying rounds in March and then the semi-finals in April, where we finished 1st and 2nd, qualifying for the finals in July, at Whilton Mill, England. I. McGonigle
Matthew Dalton, Cormac McCracken and Conor McAuley were selected for the Ulster U18 Rugby squad, and Daniel Logan, Harry Robinson, Jude Cowley and Jack Plackett were selected for the Ulster U16 squad.
Special mention must be made of Conor Ferguson, who had an exceptional year. In the summer he represented Ireland in the Canadian Age-Group Swimming Championships, winning four Golds, one Silver and one Bronze medal in the Backstroke, and went on to represent Northern Ireland in the UK School Games in September, where he won a Silver medal. At the Ulster Secondary Schools’ Championships he won two Gold medals and went on to win Gold medals in the 50m, 200m, and 200m Backstroke events at the Ulster Open Championships, where he set three Senior Ulster records and one Junior Irish record. He went on to set two new Senior Ulster records at the Irish Short Course Championships, where he won the 100m and 200m titles. At the Dave McCullough Memorial Swimming Meet he broke his own Irish 50m Backstroke record, twice broke the 100m record, which had stood since 2008, and went on to break his own Irish Junior 200m record. He achieved the qualifying times for the European Youth Olympic Games which take place in Tbilisi, Georgia, in July, and also qualified for the World Junior Swimming Championships which will be held in Singapore in August. J.M.G. Dickson
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Girls’ Sport This year we had record numbers attend Netball training with over 170 girls taking part. The Minor B and Junior B teams reached their League Finals, with the Minor B team winning against Grosvenor (12-4). The Minor A reached the semi-final of the Northern Ireland Plate competition and both the Junior A and Senior A teams reached the semi-final of the Northern Ireland Shield competitions. Representative Honours: U15 Regional Development Squad - Julliah Allen; U19 Belfast Area Schools’ Squad: Abbie Brown, Kellie McLean, Emer Gribbon, Lauren McCullough, Lori Turkington and Rachel Miller. The Form I Hockey Club was attended by approximately 30 girls every Saturday morning. The girls finished runners-up in their section at the Grosvenor tournament and then went on to win the Lynsey Waller Memorial tournament winning all of their matches. The 1st XI and 2A teams captained by Robyn Geddis and Lucy Browne respectively demonstrated huge potential and we look forward to next season with a great deal of optimism. The 2B team captained by Kate Taggart demonstrated genuine team-spirit losing only three of their 15 games played. The U15 team, captained by Hannah Marshall, demonstrated excellent team-spirit going on to win The Owls Cup, which is presented to the School team with the highest percentage of wins. Hockey representative honours were awarded to: Erin Getty Ulster & Irish U18, Lucy Miller Belfast U17, Anna Wilson Belfast U17, Lucy Stewart Belfast U17, Alice Reid Belfast U17 & Ulster U17 Development Squad, Charlotte Anderson U15 Regional Development Squad & Belfast U15, Trinity Geddis U15 Regional Development Squad & Belfast U15, Harriet Dougan U15 Regional Development Squad & Belfast U15, Ellie Bradley Belfast U15, Naomi McGuckin Belfast U15, Julia Uprichard U15 Regional Development Squad and Rachel Duff U15 Regional Development Squad.
In the District Cross Country Championships, two teams finished 3rd allowing both to progress to the Ulster Championships. The Intermediate team’s top finishers were Rioghnach Catney, Ellen Dalzell and Jessica North. Rioghnach and Ellen finished 4th and 9th respectively and qualified as individuals. The Senior team consisted of Amy O’Donnell, Hannah Lau and Clodagh Poots. Amy qualified as an individual finishing a very impressive 9th. In the Mini Girls’ District race (Form I) the two highest finishers were Aoife Corry (16th) and Bryanna Catney (19th). At Minor level (Form II) Rachel Duff was the highest finisher in her team in 16th place. In the Junior section Harriet Dougan (15th) and Thomasa Kennedy (21st) were the highest finishers. Harriet Dougan progressed to the Ulster Championships as an individual where she finished a superb 14th to qualify for the Irish Championships. Twenty-one pupils qualified at the District Athletics Championships for the Ulster Championships, winning 10 Gold, 5 Silver and 10 Bronze medals in the process. At the Ulster Championships, the team brought home 5 Gold, 2 Silver and 5 Bronze medals. Highlights included Hannah Hill (Minor High Jump), Harriet Dougan (Junior Pole Vault), Katie Ritchie (Inter Pole Vault), Melissa Moffett (Senior Pole Vault & Hammer) all becoming Ulster Champions.
and Sam Brown played for Irish U15. The U14 team is playing in the Irish Cup in June. During the Life Saving Ulster Championships we won 3 medals in the Junior, Senior and Open categories. In January and February pupils competed for the GB Squad (Sinead Gourley) at a Junior competition in Holland called the BeNe Cup, and Eorann O’Neill for the Senior team who went to Germany to compete in the European Championships. At the end of February the School team went to the Scottish National Championships where they won 4 Senior medals. At the British National Championships in March at the Olympic Aquatic Centre, we met Olympic and World Champion Mark Foster and won 10 medals: 6 Junior medals, 3 Senior medals and 1 Open medal. The Life Saving team set 6 New British Records and this year 6 members were selected for the GB Squad including: Sinead Gourley and Sam Brown. N. Nicholl
“Julliah Allen, Judithe Allen & Amy O’Donnell finished 2nd in the Ulster Schools’ Senior Golf Championships”
The Irish Athletics Championships took place in Tullamore at the end of May. Harriet Dougan and Katie Ritchie finished second in the Junior and Intermediate Girls' Pole Vaults respectively. Other athletes recorded personal bests and were very much in the mix for medals. In swimming, Sinead Gourley and Sam Brown were selected for the Ulster Swimming Squad. In February five pupils entered for the Irish Minor Schools’ competition in Dublin, where Scarlett Armstrong and Monica Del Castillo made the finals of their events. The Water Polo girls finished 3rd in the Irish U16 and U19 Championships and placed 2nd in the U16 and U19 Irish Schools’ Cup. Maeve Gallagher and Ashley Johnston were selected for Ulster U16. Maeve was also selected for Irish U17
In recent years, Pole Vaulting has flourished into a strong and successful athletics event for the Academy. Talented athletes continue to emerge & develop in school - this year alone saw 5 girls (Melissa Moffett, Katie Ritchie, Trinity Geddis, Harriet Dougan & Darcey Collins) medal at the 3 main championship meetings. Melissa, Katie & Harriet all became Ulster Pole Vault Champions at the Antrim Forum in May.
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True Colours Talented Art and Design student Catherine Nelson (MVI) was invited to display her A Level portfolio at a reception and a private viewing of the CCEA True Colours Exhibition January 2015 at the Ulster Museum.
African animals. A variety of Art and Design processes have been applied. They include Batik work using wax and inks, textile printing, leather work, hand and machine embroidery, felting and paper sculpture”.
The exhibition of work displays some of Northern Ireland’s most talented young artists and designers. Catherine’s full marks AS Level Art and Design coursework unit was selected for display at the museum. The exhibition was formally opened by local costume designer and Emmy Award winner Caroline McCall, who has worked on costume designs for the television series Dr. Who and Downton Abbey.
Catherine has been offered a place at the Ulster University Belfast Foundation Course and also a place on the B.A. Hons. Fashion Degree course. She has accepted the degree course offer. P. Kerr
Catherine explained, “My dress was inspired by fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and my visit to South Africa. The final outcome, is a dress with a detachable train, a hand-beaded necklace and a pair of shoes representing
Ben Madigan Notes
This has been another busy and successful year for Ben Madigan. We have added to our stock of iPads used for teaching and learning. All classrooms now have data projectors and Apple TV. Our new members of staff have introduced very popular extra-curricular activities: Photography (Shutterbugs) and Dance. Our Girls’ Hockey team won their qualifier for the N.I. finals and the newly-formed Boys’ Hockey team finished runners-up, also qualifying for N.I. finals. Amrita Kumbla (Prep. 4) scored highest in the U.K. in her Trinity Guildhall Grade 5 Piano examination.
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Music Notes
This school year has proven to be a very busy and exciting time for the Music Department. With Ms McMullan still on maternity leave until November and Mrs Burch appointed in September to Bloomfield Collegiate as Head of Music, Mr Forde and Mrs Black were quickly thrown in at deep end! Once again the Senior Choir, Chamber Choir and Senior Orchestra performed at the Senior Carol Service in St Peter’s Church, Antrim Road with solos from Rachel Millar, Paige Clements and Patrick Donnelly. The Junior Choir performed a number of carols in the Junior Carol Service with Sarah McIlroy opening the service with the first verse of Once in Royal David’s City. Miss Carson and the Boys’ Choir, now the undisputed champions of choral singing at B.R.A., entertained the end of term assemblies with their rendition of various Christmas carols. It was a joy to watch their virtuous little faces singing gleefully about the forth-coming holidays and the possibility of Santa Claus delivering their much-longed for presents. Such youth, such innocence, and that was only the staff! January and February also proved to be extremely busy months. Many groups performed during the Open Evenings in the second week of January. Prospective pupils were treated to a wide range of music performed by the Big Band, Traditional Groups, Saxophone Quartets, Senior and Junior Strings and the Brass Quartet. These smaller instrumental groups, made up largely of members of the Senior Orchestra and Wind Band, continue to be invaluable to the Music Department. Many thanks must go to the pupils who are members of three or four instrumental groups as well as a choral group – they willingly give up nearly every lunchtime and stay after school on a weekly basis until 4:30pm. The Chamber Choir enjoyed the Ulster Youth Choir’s Workshop with Dominic Peckham in November – he was so impressed by the standard of choral singing at B.R.A. that he offered all the pupils a place in the Ulster Youth Training Choir and Fiona McIlroy and Paige Clements a place, without audition, in the Ulster Youth Choir. The Choir entered the Radio Ulster’s School Choir of the Year and waited nervously to
see if they had made it through to the finals. They had, and the Belfast Schools’ Heat was held at Methodist College, Belfast on a windy day in February. The Choir sang The Parting Glass arranged by Desmond Earley and The Battle of Jericho arranged by Moses Hogan. Congratulations to Mrs Black for all she has achieved with the Choir this year. The Annual Spring Concert in March was a huge success. Fourteen different groups and over two hundred students performed to a packed Ulster Hall. With so many different musical genres represented throughout the evening it really was a feast of music. Ruari Brogan’s trad. violin solo was really something special and he deserved the spontaneous standing ovation. Again the Boys’ Choir managed to do something that many men can’t – sing and move their arms at the same time. Well done to Miss Carson! Mr Forde took the Senior Orchestra to a new level with their performance of Jurassic Park. A considerable number of hours were spent on getting the correct sforzando effect at the start and it all paid off! The Wind Band managed dynamics as well as tempo changes this year, courtesy of the hard work and encouragement of Mrs Black. Special mention must go to the various members of MVI for whom this was their last concert. At the moment, the Junior Choir, Junior Traditional Group, Junior Orchestra and Wind Band are busy preparing for their Summer Serenade on the 16th June. Over thirty pupils from Forms I-IV auditioned for eight solo spots in this concert and the judges were very impressed by the standard of everyone who played. Finally, news of some successes in the wider choral and instrumental scene: Patrick Donnelly, Fiona McIlroy and Paige Clements gained places in the Ulster Youth Choir, Hannah Edgar and Ellen Quinn in the Ulster Youth Orchestra, Owen Donnelly and Daniel Quigley in the Ulster Youth Jazz Orchestra. These places are highly prized and achieved only by audition against the stiffest of competition province-wide. Many congratulations to them all. M. McMullan
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Mournes’ Clean-Up - 25 Years on...
Pupils and volunteers from The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at Belfast Royal Academy braved the freezing weather on Saturday 13th December 2015 to clear tonnes of litter from the less than beautiful parts of the Mountains of Mourne. The Clean-up, now in its 25th year, has become an annual event and rite of passage for those involved in the School’s Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE). 130 students, staff and volunteers cleared more than 6 tonnes (approximately 10 cubic metres) of waste and rubbish that had been dropped or dumped in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Our volunteers are an example of the real spirit of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Every year for twenty-five years, pupils and volunteer staff from our Belfast Royal Academy DofE Award Centre have been getting their gloved hands dirty to help clean up what should be a protected area. We started the Annual Sponsored Mournes’ Clean-up as a way of raising money for our DofE, but, more importantly, as a means of giving something back to what is a breathtakingly beautiful area. Every year, whatever the weather, our pupils enthusiastically volunteer and join in the Clean-up, and it has become something of a festive event. It is estimated that over the years, the School has removed approximately 120 tonnes of dumped waste, including abandoned cars and household appliances. This year was no exception, with stranger finds including: a garage door, a television, sleeping bags, a tent, car springs, numerous tyres including a very large tractor tyre and a complete change of clothes! With 442 participants, the DofE at Belfast Royal Academy is the largest school-based DofE Centre in Northern Ireland, and one of the largest in the UK. J. Reilly, M. Miller, S. Wilson