Academy Newsletter 2016

The Academy Newsletter Belfast Royal Academy June 2016

“O Captain!

My Captain!…”

Faye Kidd and Daniel Dass, who left school in 2014 and 2013 respectively, enjoyed considerable academic and sporting success during their time at the Academy. Both achieved places at the University of Cambridge, where they continue to prosper. Daniel will captain the Cambridge University Rugby Club in the 2016-17 season, while Faye will occupy the same office with the Hockey Club.

2 The Academy Newsletter 2016

Headmaster’s Notes As I write, the builders are putting the finishing touches to the new Learning Support Suite. When it is completed our guests from Felix O’Hare will leave and, for the first time in several years we will have the school to ourselves. The builders have done an excellent job. I am grateful to them and to the whole school community for the patience with which inconvenience has been borne. When they return to school in September, pupils and members of staff will enjoy the use of facilities which will not only enhance our provision for teaching and learning through the new Music building, the reconstructed Home Economics Department and the new Business Studies classrooms, but which, through the new Learning Support Suite, will allow us to provide further assistance to pupils with Special Educational Needs. The new Jackson Suite has already proved to be popular not only with the pupils who spend Break or Lunchtime there, but with former pupils whose 50 year Reunion Dinner was held there, with FOTA who used it for their Dinner-dance and with the Old Girls’ Association who held a very successful coffee morning in it in May. I hope that parents will take the opportunity to look at our new facilities when they visit school for events throughout the year.

Academy Sports Personalities Students at Belfast Royal Academy have excelled in a range of sporting activities on a national and international stage. The following students have hit the headlines at home and abroad and their list of achievements continues to grow…..

Tom McKibbin World Junior Golf Champion 2015, Pinehurst, North Carolina As well as becoming a world champion, Tom won the Junior Honda Classic at West Palm Beach, Florida in January 2016. In May, he was invited by Rory McIlroy to partner him at the pro-am competition which preceded the Irish Open Championship.

It would, however, be more accurate to say that we will “almost” have the site to ourselves, because a new fitness and conditioning suite will be built behind the Sports Hall in the autumn. We look forward to making use of the new sports facilities in Girdwood next year also. Funds permitting, we would like to enhance our facilities at Roughfort too. The wish to improve is instinctive and will not diminish – not only where facilities are concerned, but in all areas of school life.

The end of the summer brought very pleasing examination results. At Advanced level, 68% of examinations were passed at grades A*, A or B and 86% were passed at grades A* to C. 73% of pupils achieved a minimum of 3Cs. 14% of subject entries were awarded the A* grade, and 59 pupils, more than a third of the Form, achieved two or more A grades.

Out of 522 subject entries, only 5 were failed. Ruari Brogan, Sorcha Burke, Victoria Campbell and Ruth McConnell gained 4 grade A passes, while Angela Cao, Laura Farrington and Oliver Vick gained 3 A* passes and 1 grade A, and 16 pupils gained 4 passes at A* or A. At GCSE, 97% of pupils achieved 5 A* - C grades including English and Mathematics, 91% of pupils achieved A* to C in 7 or more subjects including English and Mathematics. 69 pupils – more than a third of the Form – gained 7 or more A grades. 44% of the examinations taken were passed at A* or A; 21 pupils gained 11 or more passes at A* or A, among them, Zuzanna Loboda gained 12 passes at A*, Chloe Dawson and Jamie Murray gained 11 passes at A*, Aimee Cochrane achieved 10 A*s and 1A, and Natasha Kelly attained 10 A*s. Chloe Dawson, who scored full marks, was placed Joint 1st in Northern Ireland in GCSE History.

Three former pupils took up places at Cambridge University: Christopher Turnbull to study Mathematics at Queens’ College, Ruari Hurson to study Economics at St. John’s College and Sorcha Burke to study Architecture at Emmanuel College.

I am grateful to Dr Brown, Ms Graham and Mr Shields for the implementation of a new “data strategy”, which allows us to monitor pupil progress more closely, and to Mr Shields for the development of the Merit and Academic Notes systems.

The Arts continue to thrive in school. Miss Tinman’s ebullient production of Hairspray played to full houses. One young audience member was heard to say she “preferred it to the DVD”. Two of the cast members, Jordan Walker and Mimi Joffroy were selected to perform in the Belfast School of Performing Arts production of Les Miserables in the Grand Opera House. Over 1200 pupils applied for only 40 places.

More than 350 pupils took to the stage of the Ulster Hall for our Concert in the Spring. There were many highlights, but one was certainly Carl Orff’s ‘Carmina Burana’. The standard was outstanding. Our younger musicians provided a delightful ‘Summer Serenade’ in June. We can only wonder what lies ahead, inspired by the exceptional facilities which are now available for musicians in school!

Emer Gribbon, Ellen Quinn and Jason Poots achieved places in the Ulster Youth Orchestra, Mimi Joffroy, Fiona McIlroy, Hannah Edgar, Pat(Continued on page 3)

Keaton Morrison Belfast Sports Awards Sports Personality 2015 Keaton is one of the world’s leading young golfers. Irish Champion at U12 level in 2015, he has participated in World Championship competitions in Las Vegas and in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

The Academy Newsletter 2016 3 rick Donnelly, Conor Foster and Cameron Gergett were selected for the Ulster Youth Choir, while Lucy Clements, Tara Cavan, Tara McBride, Jason Poots, Cameron McCartney and Rebecca Carse secured places in the Ulster Youth Training Choir.

The Big Band performed at the Big Band Showcase in the Black Box Theatre, and enjoyed a workshop with renowned jazz drummer, David Lyttle. One pupil, returning to school after singing at the Kennedy Centre (Washington DC) with the Harmony North choir, described the experience as “amazing”.

Elizabeth McCauley was placed First in the Solo Woodwind category of the Mossgrove Music Festival. More than 200 competitors took part in the event. Patrick Donnelly gained a place on the prestigious Eton Choral course. A week of preparation and masterclass will end with Choral Evensong in Magdalen College, Oxford, a recital at Eton College and a recording session for BBC Radio 3.

Once again, the Junior Book Club had a very active year, meeting regularly in the Library to discuss their reading. Having attended the Finale of the NI Book Awards at the end of last year, where Amber Smallwood won 1st place in the ‘mini saga’ competition, they met best-selling author Dan Freedman in the autumn and competed in the International Kids Lit Quiz. Members met the UK Children’s Laureate, Chris Riddell, at Stormont in April. There were more than 130 entries for the Junior poetry competition which was a feature of National Poetry Day in October.

Later in the year, Rosie Strutt won the Glebe House Harmony Trust Poetry Competition which was judged by Frank Ormsby (Gabriel Bador came 2nd and Ben O’Neill was 3rd – a great achievement in a competitive field). Not to be outdone, our junior scientists also had a busy year.

The Young Einstein Club’s inventive experiments produced ‘Dancing Popcorn’, hovercrafts, windmills, chemical cocktails, lava lamps and the always popular ‘grass heads’. Our ‘Top of the Bench’ Chemistry team was placed 4th out of fifteen teams in the regional competition at Queen’s University, while our Credit Union Quiz team won their section of the competition and went on to compete in the Final in Dublin. The Junior Maths team almost matched the skills of previous years, coming 2nd in the Northern Ireland regional final.

Through these activities pupils develop their enthusiasm for their favourite subjects. The challenge is to provide opportunities for pupils with all sorts of interests.

The Academy holds the International School Award, and in the course of the year pupils and educationalists from around the world visited the school. Parties of American pupils were given tours of the school in the summer; in September a school Principal and two teachers from the Lebanon came to compare systems and delegates from the Queen’s University BERA conference visited to discuss cross-community education; in October, as part of the ‘Erasmus Plus’ programme, principals from Finland, Hungary and Spain spent a day in school, and later in the year we welcomed school principals and administrators from Portugal.

The exchange of ideas and experience on such occasions is always stimulating.

In October, Dr Mahmoud Al-Batal, who leads the Arabic Flagship Programme at the University of Texas, and is a representative of the Qatar Foundation International, visited school to observe the work done on our Arabic Language for Business and Culture taster programme. The Principal of Methodist College, which works with us in this project, and a representative of Invest NI were also present. In June, we hosted an Arabic Conference, attended by Faraan Sayed from the British Council.

Our Spanish Exchange, led by Mrs Rea-Wickens, gave us the opportunity to welcome pupils and members of staff from Asturias in the autumn and to travel to northern Spain in return. A Scripture Union team travelled to Poland in April to take part in a ‘bread ministry’ and soup kitchen for the homeless in Warsaw and to help to run a residential weekend for teenagers. Junior pupils travelled to Hadrian’s Wall and to Paris. Academy pupils in the Harmony North choir sang in Belfast, London and Washington DC. Had they visited the US Capital earlier in the year, they could have spent time with our Washington trip for Politics students in April. As it was, the group benefited greatly from the presence of Martin Sieff, former Academy pupil and renowned Washington journalist. Indeed, there was an international dimension to the lives of many pupils this year, whatever their interests. Our rugby players travelled to South Africa, while our Waterpolo team competed in Scotland. Members of our (Continued on page 4)

Jack Agnew Belfast Telegraph Sports Personality Award 2015 Jack has enjoyed considerable success as a wheelchair athlete. Most recently, he won 3 Gold medals at the British Championships in 2015 and finished first in the London mini mini--marathon U17 category in 2016, after which he received his award from Prince Harry.

4 The Academy Newsletter 2016 Model United Nations team also travelled to Scotland, to compete in conference at George Watson’s College, having previously taken part in an event at Wesley College, Dublin. Of the 1750 teams which took part in the UK Maths Trust Team Challenge, we were one of 85 to reach the final in London. Dr Springer, who travelled with our team, noted that, in this competition for elite mathematicians, they were “a credit to the school and they approached a difficult competition with focus and good humour.”

Last summer, Ms Barnett led a group of four LVI pupils as part of the ‘North Belfast Teams’ which travelled to northern India as part of the Saphara project. They spent two weeks in the foothills of the Himalayas, teaching in schools in Mussoorie, Douk and Dehradunn. It was a challenging but deeply rewarding experience. The same can be said of the work experience trip to Malawi by a group of more than thirty LVI pupils and staff, led by Dr Bell. The team worked in schools, spent time in the mission hospital and visited a tea plantation to gain an insight into business. The experience gained on such trips leave an indelible impression on those who take part.

Travelling to new experiences near and far is one way in which the horizons of our pupils are expanded. Another is the range of opportunities created by the Careers Department to give pupils a glimpse into life beyond school. Pupils travelled to W5 to attend a National Women into Engineering event; Jordan McGuinness travelled to RAF Benson to experience what life is like as an RAF pilot; potential Pharmacists took part in workshops organised by the QUB School of Pharmacy in collaboration with STEMNET; Fourth Formers attended a ‘Chemistry at Work’ exhibition at Queen’s; guests from Queen’s and the University of Ulster visited school to speak about careers in Languages and new developments in ‘Stratified Medicine’; Economics and Business Studies pupils visited a number of companies including Tayto, Dunbar, Coca-Cola and IKEA; twelve Form V pupils from the Politics Society attended an ‘Introduction to the World of Politics” at Queen’s; junior pupils spent a day working with BBC journalists as part of ‘BBC Practice News Day’ ; while Sixth Form Politics pupils were interviewed by Conor Bradford on ‘Good Morning Ulster’ and by Tara Mills on ‘Evening Extra’, on subjects ranging from higher education and employment to the Northern Ireland political situation. Holly McCoubrey sang live on the John Toal Show on Radio Ulster, and Gareth Gordon brought a BBC film crew into school to discuss the relevance of the Good Friday Agreement with some of our Sixth Formers and guests from Dominican College, Fortwilliam. The report was broadcast on television, radio and the BBC website; Eye4Education organised a STEM carousel event in the Assembly Hall, where companies such as Randox, Almac, PWC, Caterpillar and NIE demonstrated what is involved in their work; we ran a Multi Mini Interview (MMI) interview simulation event for aspiring nurses from schools across Northern Belfast, whose skills were tested at seven interview stations, and in February a Labour Market Information event was held in our new Jackson Suite.

In a year in which we have had an election and referendum, our Politics students visited Stormont in March, having welcomed John McCallister MLA and Gavin McBride (political correspondent of the Newsletter) to school earlier in the year. Conor Callaghan won an Iveagh Scholarship to shadow the work of diplomats in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Dublin. He was interviewed in an RTE News2Day report on the scheme.

We are fortunate that former pupils are happy to come in to school to help to broaden the horizons of their successors by talking about their career paths. ‘Shared Experience Seminars’ were led by Lanva Jackson (BDD Partner), Karyn Harty (McCann Fitzgerald Solicitors, Dublin) Angela McGowan (Chief Economist, Danske Bank) and Cormac Leyden (Aer Lingus pilot). Andy Reid, who races in the British Supersport motorcycle championship, spoke about his sport, training and commitment, while Connor Brogan spoke to scientists about studying Chemistry at Oxford.

It was a pleasure to welcome back to school in October Professor Ian White, Master of Jesus College, Cambridge.

For a comprehensive report on all the sports and teams in school, readers will have to wait for the next edition of The Owl. Suffice to say that pupils enjoyed success – and enjoyed themselves – in sports ranging from Athletics and Show Jumping to Netball and Cross Country Running.

Mrs Alexander deserves great credit for the remarkable success of our competitors in the aquatic sports – swimming, waterpolo and life-saving.

In swimming, Conor Ferguson and Scarlett Armstrong represented Irish (Continued on page 5)

Conor Ferguson Belfast Telegraph Sports Personality (Young Sports Person) Award 2015 Conor is one of Europe’s top-ranking young swimmers. He is a multiple Ulster and Ireland record holder in the backstroke and is ranked first in Europe over a number of distances. He is hoping to qualify to compete in the 2016 Olympic Games in the 100m backstroke.

The Academy Newsletter 2016 5 Schools, while Conor, Lui Hurson, Finn Purdy, Sinead Gourley, Lorcan Gourley and Scarlett were members of the Ulster Squad. Little wonder, then, that our swimmers won twelve Gold Medals at the Swim Ulster Schools’ Championships and won the Laurence McGivern Intermediate Schools’ Cup. At the Ulster Grammar Schools’ Championships they won 43 medals, and were presented with the Intermediate Boys’, Intermediate Girls’ and overall Ulster Girls’ Cups. At the Irish Championships we were crowned overall Irish Senior Schools’ Relay Champions. In waterpolo, Maeve Gallagher, Sam Brown and Anna Whiteside were selected for the Irish U17s, Anna and Cara Carson for the Irish U15s, and all, along with Ashley Johnston, Emma Gourley and Jenny McCorry were members of the Ulster U17 squad. Phillip O’Callaghan, Matthew McIlroy and Lorcan Gourley were selected for the Ulster U16 Boys’ squad. The U16 Boys’ team retained the Ulster Schools’ Championship title and our U16 Girls’ team reached the final of the Irish Schools’ Waterpolo Championships in Dublin. In Lifesaving, Lui Hurson, Finn Purdy, Sinead Gourley, Sam Brown, Zoe Parkes, Phillip O’Callaghan, Katie Baird, Lorcan Gourley and Ollie Parkes were selected for the Great Britain Lifesaving Performance Squad. The GB Lifesaving Squad held a training camp at the Academy in April. Our Lifesaving team, of 24 pupils, won a total of 58 medals at the UK Lifesaving Championships in London, and won three Gold medals at the Ulster Championships.

Having won the May Fitzgibbon Foursomes, Judithe Allen and Amy O’Donnell were selected for the Ulster Inter-provincial Golf team which competed against Leinster, Munster and Connacht in Wexford during the summer. In rugby, Matthew Dalton and Conor McAuley were selected for the Ulster Schools U18 squad, and Matthew represented Ireland at Schools U18 level also. Tom Stewart, Brandon Hassan, Callum Davidson and Rob Sturgess were all part of the Ulster Schools U16 squad.

In Hockey, Julia Uprichard and Niamh McIvor were selected for the Ulster U15 Development Squad, Harriet Dougan was a member of the Ulster U16 squad, Alice Reid and Erin Getty were members of the Ulster U17 squad, and Erin was also selected for the Ireland U18 XI. Kerrie Johnson won Gold at the Junior Irish Fencing Championships in April.

Earlier in the year she was selected for the Rowing Ireland Development Squad.

Our Cricket 1st XI won the Schools’ Cup last summer, beating Campbell College in the final. There were many heroes on the day, but special mention must be made of Francis Collins, who ‘carried his bat’ through our innings, scoring 73 not out. He hit the winning run with three balls to spare. As I write this, the boys are preparing for this year’s final, in which our opponents will be RBAI. Our Girls’ Hockey 1st XI was very strong this year, and lost only two matches throughout the season. One was against Methodist College in the Cup: the scores were level after extra time and we lost on penalty flicks. Methody are to be congratulated on their subsequent Ulster and Irish success, but there was a motivating sense of unfinished business when we met them in the final of the Belfast League at the end of the season. We beat them 2-1, again after extra time. There was little between two excellent teams. Our Form I team won the Lindsey Walter Cup, and our teams were strong throughout the school.

As the season progressed, the influence of Brian McLaughlin on our Rugby Club became obvious. Our 1st XI reached the Quarter Final of the Cup, where we lost to a powerful Ballymena Academy team. However, our Cup run made the statement that we are a growing force. Our Medallion XV reached the Semi-final of the Shield, where we lost to Wallace. Their tenacity and the performance of the U14XV throughout the season suggest that we have the potential next year to build upon this year’s measure of success. Participation levels have increased and the sense that something exciting is happening is palpable.

Our Creative Dance team won the Intermediate section of the NICMAC Championships and went on to win the Ulster Fitness and Dance Championships. Individuals enjoyed success also: Bethany Hunter successfully defended her Northern Ireland Irish Dancing title by winning the Championship at U13 level, she also won the Ulster title and Laura Browne was awarded a Special Adjudicator’s prize for ‘Most Promising Dancer’ at the British Theatre Dance Association Open Festival.

In Athletics, Shane Martin and Stephen McCorry were selected for the Ireland Schools’ team and Shane and Jack Plackett represented Ulster at U16 level.

At the Ulster Championships in May, our athletes won 6 Gold, 3 Silver and 8 Bronze medals. Fourteen of our athletes qualified for the Irish Champion(Continued on page 12)

James Reid Belfast Sports Awards Junior Male Sports Personality 2014 James has achieved considerable success as a Judo practitioner. A bronze medallist at the British Championships, he was also Northern Ireland’s first ever Gold medallist at the UK School Games in 2015. He represented Great Britain at both Senior and Junior levels in 2015.

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Spring Concert Well, what can I say? The Spring Concert this year was, by far, one of the most exciting concerts that I have been involved in. Admittedly I lost my natural sense of good humour and grace at certain points along the way, but it was certainly worth it to see over 300 students performing with such self-confidence on the stage of the Ulster Hall.

The first half of the Concert was really a concert within itself. All the groups were of such a high standard that it is difficult to pinpoint particular highlights of the evening. The Senior Orchestra opened the Concert with a lively rendition of ‘Lord of the Dance’ and the evening swiftly moved between the various groups. The Wind Band delighted and surprised Ms McMullan with the fact that they actually managed to play the entirety of ‘Big Band Showcase’ without collapsing and we all loved watching the innocence of the Junior Choir faces singing ‘Believe’. A full write-up of all the performances will appear in The Owl in December.

The second half of the concert brought together the Senior Choir, Senior Chorus, Junior Choir and Senior Orchestra for a performance of ‘Carmina Burana’ by Carl Orff. Cameron Gergett and Fiona McIlroy sang the solos with great aplomb and it was a wonderful opportunity for pupils to see what they can aspire to with a little bit of hard work and determination. ’Carmina’ is one of the greatest choral works ever composed and the choir as well as orchestra rose to the challenge of this work magnificently giving a truly moving performance.

Thank you to all our instrumental teachers, teaching staff, support and technical staff, and parents for the dedication and continuous support which goes into making these concerts such a tremendous success.

M. McMullan

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The Autumn term saw the Senior Dramatic Society tackle its most challenging production to date: the Tony award award-winning Broadway musical Hairspray!

After a lengthy audition process, our cast of thirty thirty--six talented actors, singers and dancers began rehearsals in early September. With opening night a mere ten weeks away, it was an intense and often stressful experience, with at times four scenes being rehearsed at once all over the Assembly Hall! But, by opening night I was confident we had a spectacular show on our hands.

Set in 1962, Hairspray, revolves around the journey of young Baltimore teen, Tracy Turnblad - a big girl with big hair and an even bigger dream - to dance her way onto national TV, and into the heart of teen idol Link Larkin. Despite becoming a local celebrity, her rise to dancing stardom is not straightforward and soon she is using her new new--found fame to fight for integration. Our “magnificent eleven” members of the principal cast was led by Mimi Joffroy (MVI) who took on the role of Tracy.

Mimi’s enthusiasm and dedication (she turned up to the first rehearsal with most of her lines learnt!) was inspiring and it was a joy to watch her flourish in her first leading role. Able support was provided by Scott Macaulay (MVI) who played heartthrob, Link Larkin; Jessica McVeigh (LVI) as Penny Pingleton, Tracy’s ditzy best best--friend; Jordan Walker (V) as Corny Collins, the host of The Corny Collins Show; Carly McCullough (MVI) as Velma Von Tussle, the scheming television producer and villainess of the piece; and Lydia Rooney (MVI) as Velma’s daughter Amber, the selfish resident princess of The Corny Collins Show Show,, willing to do anything to win the Miss Teenage Hairspray title. Newcomers to the Academy stage, Johnson Furusa (LVI) and Claire Njanina (V) took on the roles of Seaweed J. Stubbs, a hip and kind kind--hearted day dancer, and his mother the “big, blonde and beautiful” owner of a downtown record store, Motormouth Maybelle, while Lucy

Jamison (IV) played Seaweed’s sassy younger sister, Little Inez. The principal cast was completed by the dynamic duo of Cameron Brady and Matthew Wilson (both MVI) who brought Tracy’s eccentric parents Edna and Wilber Turnblad to life. Playing a plus plus--sized mother in drag is not an easy task, but Cameron rose to the occasion with a fantastic larger larger--than than--life performance, while Matthew captured perfectly Wilber’s mad love for his wife to great comic effect.

Whether a major character or a member of the ensemble, all cast members worked tirelessly during rehearsals and were integral to the success of the production.

Our rotating set was designed by Chloe Anderson (MVI). The Art Department, led by Mrs Kerr, worked tirelessly to ensure it was ready on time and it looked fantastic on the night. Our Stage Crew, led by Johnny Mooney (who multi -tasked by playing a flasher in the opening number!), ensured smooth scene changes during each performance.

Glockenspiel maestro Dr Springer and his props team once again sourced many weird and wonderful objects including fake rats, mannequins and of course multiple cans of hairspray! Special thanks must also go to St. Agnes Choral Society for lending us many of the props on the list.

While our cast entertained the audience from the stage, our crew was made up of a number of equally talented individuals who deserve a lot of credit. The ever reliable Mr Jamison did everything from climbing ladders, offering technical expertise, and building the set, including the magnificent hairspray can used in the finale (complete with flashing lights and smoke!) On the nights of the show he was ably supported by Chloe Sayers (IV) in the lights and sound booth, who calmly and efficiently made each performance look visually spectacular The incredibly talented Dr Lomas once again created stunning costumes to mirror the fashion of Baltimore in the 1960’s. In the middle of a house move, she gave up her time to make multiple trips to charity shops and engage in late night sewing sessions (including the somewhat surreal task of sewing pillows and plus size bras together to create Tracy and Edna’s “fat suits”) to create the spectacular costumes seen on stage. Thanks must also go to Lucy Kinnear (MVI) who ironed, sewed and took charge of costumes when Dr Lomas wasn’t available. The hair and make make--up team, led by Miss Watson, also did a great job each night, even if the hole in the ozone layer has tripled in size due to the vast amounts of hairspray being sprayed all over the backstage area.

Ms McMullan led the fantastic band, including Conor Foster and Owen Donnelly. Both Ms McMullan and Mr Forde also tutored the singers ensuring outstanding vocal performances each night. Finally, I would like to thank our choreographers, made up of cast members. I’m not ashamed to say I completely underestimated how much dance was involved in Hairspray and when we started in September without a choreographer I began to think I had made a huge mistake! However, our cast was there to save the day and each and every number was choreographed by them to professional standard. Special thanks go to Erica McGovern (MVI), Becky Dickson (LVI) and former pupil Jenny Coates who choreographed and led a number of dances.

The production was a real team effort. I am overwhelmed by the talent and commitment exhibited by each and every member of the cast and crew, and I know the show would not have been the success it was without them. Extra Extra-curricular drama continues to go from strength to strength in the Academy and with the wealth of talent among our pupils, I am confident it will continue to prosper.

S. Tinman

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Building for the Future During the year, following a successful application to the Department of Education for grant funding, we embarked upon an ambitious and exciting capital development project on the main school site. This has involved the construction of a spacious, modern multi-purpose area to the rear of the Jackson Building, called the Jackson Suite. This provides a relaxing social space for pupils during break and lunch-time, and includes a servery area, from which a wide range of appetising hot and cold snacks are available. This area can be sub-divided into three separate rooms, to provide excellent facilities for meetings, conferences and classes. Two of these areas are fitted out with the latest ‘Cleverboard’ technology, and a sophisticated sound system has been installed in this Suite, to cater for multi-functional use.

A new state-of-the-art Music block has also been constructed on the Brookhill Avenue site, with the design incorporating the original façade of the house which previously accommodated the Bursar’s office. This is an impressive facility, including a recording studio, a computer suite and high quality performance areas with excellent acoustic properties, as well as numerous rooms for individual and group instrumental tuition. The suite is fully fitted out with new equipment, including pianos, Cleverboards, Apple iMac computers and a range of new instruments. The location of the new Block, given its proximity to the Assembly Hall, is also ideal.

The School now offers music facilities which are second to none.

The Home Economics Department was also completely refurbished as part of this project. We now have a modern Home Economics Suite, with two main classrooms, fitted out with the latest equipment and impressive ancillary accommodation, including large storage areas. We also had two new Business Studies classrooms constructed, fitted out with the latest computer technology.

The final stage of the project was the conversion of our previous music facilities to a Learning Support suite, primarily for pupils with special educational needs. We see this as a way of being able to support pupils on an individual basis and in small groups, according to their needs.

E. Hull

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Hockey Success The 2015/16 Hockey season was the inaugural year for the Belfast Schools’ Girls’ 1st XI Hockey League, culminating in a winner-takes-all cup final played between the first and second place league finishers.

Having finished second, we still had a chance of winning the trophy, if we could defeat Methodist College, Belfast.

M.C.B. had beaten us at the quarter-final stage of the Schools’ Cup, but it had taken penalty strokes to separate us on that occasion. M.C.B. had gone on to win the Schools’ Cup and indeed the All-Ireland trophy as Ulster representatives; being All-Ireland champions undoubtedly added an edge to the match.

time was required. Every B.R.A. player showed grit and determination, and got their reward when Alice Reid scored the winning goal in the first half of extra time. A welldeserved victory, built upon a real team effort.

Success was also enjoyed our Junior Club this season: The U13 and U14 teams, captained by Megan Warke and Julia Uprichard respectively, remained unbeaten on their way to winning South Antrim league titles. Furthermore, the U12 XI, captained by Emma Uprichard, completed their season by winning the Carrick tournament.

N. Nicholl

After going a goal down in the first half, the Academy team displayed tremendous character and spirit to score an equaliser in the second half through Judithe Allen, who was playing in her last match for the School. We finished 11 after normal time and extra-

Ben Madigan Notes

This has been another busy and successful year at Ben Madigan. With considerable parental involvement, our library has been completely refurbished and a new ICT suite has been created in the former Learning Support room. In the adjoining room a state-of-the-art Activity Based Learning suite has been designed with the latest technological equipment, including a green screen, podcasting booths and a stop/start animation centre. We are having an official opening ceremony for all these new facilities later in the year.

T. Wilson

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Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Currently our membership stands at 410 pupils from Forms III to MVI: this means that the Academy has the largest schoolbased Award Centre in Northern Ireland.

233 of our members have been very successfully involved in a busy period of expedition work at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels, on foot in the Antrim Hills and the Mourne Mountains, and, by canoe, on the River Bann.

The 25th Annual Sponsored Mournes’ Clean-up and Environment Day was held on Saturday 12th December 2015. Taking part were 149 people, i.e. 124 pupils, all Duke of Edinburgh’s Award members from Forms III to MVI, as well as 36 adult helpers, including former pupils who are Gold Award holders, parents and teachers. Despite the bad weather, which resulted in changes to the sites cleared, a considerable amount of rubbish was removed from the Mournes’ area. We received much appreciated assistance from Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, The Mourne Heritage Trust, The National Trust, The Forest Service, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful and Mark’s Skip Hire (Kilkeel). This year, the Mournes’ Clean-Up raised £2,612.84 for our funds.

With the upcoming retirement of Mr John Reilly, the DofE Team have been busy putting into place plans that will help the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at Belfast Royal Academy remain as strong in the years to come.

S. Wilson

A team of Academy pupils qualified for the final of STEMQUEST, held in the Titanic Belfast Building. It consisted of eight rounds of questions, covering Science, Mathematics and Technology.

Chloe Dawson 1st Place in GCSE History 2015 Congratulations to Chloe who scored full marks in the subject, and achieved 11 A* grades at GCSE overall.

Pictured finalists: Ollie Parkes, Ellen Campbell, Jack Carson and Katie Moore

“I was delighted to be awarded first place in Northern Ireland for History GCSE in 2015. I have always loved reading and am fascinated by events of the past. I particularly like reading about the Cold War and also the presidency of J.F. Kennedy. I hope to study History at university and one day become a teacher.”

12 The Academy Newsletter 2016

Iain Henderson Belfast Telegraph George Best Breakthrough Award 2015

Iain enjoyed a successful rugby career whilst an Academy pupil, being a member of the 1st XV side which reached the Schools’ Cup Final in 2010. His career has continued to prosper at senior level for both Ulster and Ireland and he was generally regarded as being Ireland’s best player in the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

ships, where Stephen McCorry and Shane Martin won Gold medals. Harry Warke and Max Burton have been selected for the NCU U15 squad. Rachel Baillie and Megan McCalmont were selected to attend the Ireland Cricket Girls’ National Weekend in Dublin in October.

Our Junior Karting teams finished in 1st place at the Ulster Schools’ Karting Championships in April, and in the same month our Colts Boys’ Hockey XI played in the semi-final of the Taylor Cup, losing to a strong Portadown team.

Once again, we are Irish Schools’ Pairs’ Champions in Bridge. Great credit must go to Dr Lomas and her lieutenant, Mr Harte, for the continuing success of this Club, which leads pupils of all ages into the foothills, and as they gain experience, to the summit of their game at Schools’ level.

A number of our leading performers in sport, who compete at elite international level, have received recognition far beyond school. James Reid captained the Northern Ireland Judo team at the Sainsbury’s School Games, where he won the Gold medal. This was the first person in Ireland to achieve the qualification criteria for the Commonwealth Judo Championships in South Africa.

Conor Ferguson won the 100m Backstroke Gold medal the Commonwealth Youth Games and is now rated as the third fastest Backstroker in the world in his age –group. He was presented with the Belfast Telegraph ‘Young Player of the Year Award’ in a ceremony at which Iain Henderson won the George Best Breakthrough Award. Tom McKibbin, who was also nominated for the ‘Young Player’ Award, won his age category of both the World Junior Golf Championships and the Junior Honda Classic. He was invited to play in the pro-am before the Irish Open and in May was invited to be a Children’s Hospice Ambassador. Keaton Morrison was presented with the Junior Male Sports Personality of the Year at the Belfast Sports Awards, having won the Rory McIlroy Cup and his age category in the Munster Schools’ Championships. Keaton was also presented with a school plaque in recognition of his outstanding effort in raising £1,300 for the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children during ‘Read-On’. Jack Agnew, having won three Gold medals at the 2015 Paralympic School Games in Brazil, won his age category in the

London Wheelchair Marathon. He was named Disability Male Sports Personality of the Year at the Belfast Sports Awards. I believe that we will hear much of these sportsmen in the years to come.

An article such as this cannot hope to record every activity and achievement in a school year. But I hope that it will convey some sense of the vitality of life at the Academy, the range of opportunities available and the talent and enthusiasm of our pupils. As you read, I hope that you will come to share my view that what they have achieved is remarkable. I congratulate them, and I thank the teachers who have helped them to explore their potential.

We wish Mrs Gray and Mr Reilly well in retirement. They have both been exemplary teachers (and Mr Reilly’s leadership of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has passed into legend). Their valetes will appear in The Owl. Years rarely pass without a measure of sadness, and this year we were saddened to hear of the deaths of Jimmy Paul and Mark Long, members of staff from different generations. Both left a lasting impression on pupils and colleagues alike. They were held in great affection and they will be much missed.

In a year of many highlights, some things will live long in the memory: The Cricket Cup Final last summer; the Carol Service and Reception at Christmas; the visit of Andy Haldane, Chief Economist and Executive Director of the Bank of England to speak to Sixth Form Economists in September; the rain which drenched the 26th Annual Mournes Clean-up; House competitions ranging from Gingerbread Houses, Lego Creatures and Creative Waste to the tremendous Hour Hockey tournament played under lights on a freezing night at Roughfort; the visit of Max Whitlock, World Gymnastic Gold Medallist, to Ben Madigan; the standing ovation for our musicians in the Ulster Hall at the end of our annual Spring Concert – to which I add my own applause for the Music Department and for all those who have ensured that this has been such a busy and productive year. Well done.

J.M.G. Dickson