MERCHISTONIAN NEWSLETTER
Novembel' 2022 With November almost over, Merchiston is preparing for the festive period, in the lead-up to the Christmas break. Decorations have made an appearance on Monday evening, delighting the Boys upon their return from Weekend Leave. We would like thank everyone who very kindly volunteered to help and ensured that everything was in place, ahead of the Whole School Assembly on Tuesday morning.
On Saturday, Former Student and Merchistonian Hamish McKee (MSC 2013-2022) took part in the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance held at the Royal Albert Hall. Hamish, as part of a delegation of young Falkland Islanders studying in the UK, featured in the event, commemorating those who lost their lives in the conflict, 40 years ago.
Remembl'ance 2022 Remembrance is a very important appointment in the Merchiston calendar, as we come together to commemorate all those who lost their lives in conflict. Last Friday, Students and Faculty gathered by the War Memorial to observe 2 minutes of silence for Armistice Day.
"On behalf"of"the younger and future generations of"the Falkland Islands, rve liJould like to express our heartfelt On Sunday the School hosted the gratitude to all liJho served during the annual Remembrance Service in conflict 40 years ago. It is because of"you Memorial Hall. Thank you to those who and those liJho laid doliJn their lives that came along and those who joined our liJe are able to live in such a special place, livestream. If you would like to watch that liJe are proud to call home in peace the service, a recording of the and f"reedom. Yo all liJho served and died, livestream is available here. liJe liJill continue to honour you alliJays; your sacrif"ices liJill never be f"orgotten." me rchi s ton ians@merchiston. co. u k
EDITION 25.11.22
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Class 0£1999 11 Former Pupils from the class of 1999 came together ahead of the Scotland V Australia Rugby game at Murrayfield on October 29. The group saw Merchistonians travelling from Cambridge, Kent, London, the Cotswolds, Devon, the Scottish Borders, Newcastle and Lyon. Many thanks to Mr Colin Leslie (MSC 1994-99) who provided us with a great group photo (above) from the gathering.
Suppol'ting Chal'ities The Autumn Term has been a remarkably busy one at Merchiston. Departments and Boarding Houses have been involved in a myriad of different events in the past few months and as always, the School strives to ensure there is a strong connection between our activities and our core values. One of the values we often discuss with our Students is 'Committing to our Community'. Community involvement at Merchiston often takes the shape of fundraising events in aid of local charities, whose work is invaluable in the support of those most vulnerable.
Students in Laidlaw South and North took part in this year's Kiltrun to raise funds for Qyrenians , a local charity working to support people experiencing homelessness and other crisis. Laidlaw North Pupils were the first to kick things off on Sunday 17 September. Their fundraising format consisted of a competitive Rounders tournament and participants were of course sporting their kilts. Thanks to the generous contributions from Parents, Students and the wider Community, they managed to raise over £400. Laidlaw North Pupils held their Kiltwalk event on Sunday 9 October. They teamed up to run 42km across the School grounds - wearing their kilts. Split into three teams they relay-raced the perimeter of the School (2.1km) 20 times to reach the equivalent distance of a marathon. Their efforts raised a fantastic £559 for Cyrenians. The month of November has also presented an important fundraising occasion at Merchiston, with Staff and Students engaged in Movember. For the duration of the month Mr Buchanan, Mr Hillier and Mr Glover have been displaying their support for the Movember Foundation by proudly sporting a moustache. me rchi s tonians@merchiston. co. u k
This fundraising effort supports the incredible work that the Movember Foundation is doing for men's health, tackling prominent issues such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. The fundraiser has so far collected £4 35 in donations. If you are interested in supporting them, the fundraiser is still live here.
U15 Rugby: Langley Whilst Merchiston hosted the much celebrated Rugby National Schools Festival in October, our B1 Team travelled South to play in the Langley U15 National Schools Rugby Festival. Mr Raikes' report from Day 1 of the tournament, paints an incredibly positive picture of the Team's performance "I am delighted to give you a run down of what has been an outstanding day for our U15As! A tough group in store, with Norwich, Wellington College, Brighton College, and Abingdon School - mixing it with the big boys as Mr Deans quite rightly put! We knew before the day started that we would be physically smaller than some if not all teams, but we would make that up from committing to our system and backing our skill sets.
It seemed to work, a tough opener against Norwich set the tone, coming away 12-0 winners, came along Wellington College, renowned among the rugby community throughout the UK, provider of many England School Boy internationals, but the Bis were not phased. We got 'stuck-in' seeing a final play, long range penalty kick at goal, slotted - and the crowd went wild! 3-0 winners. Two more games followed, both frustrating as each other, and very stop/start. A draw against another 'big dog' in Brighton College, 7-7 (them scoring in the last play), and finally a 75 win against Abingdon, under the cosh for 7mins at the end to bring about another great win. This has meant that we have finished top of the group and fall into the Cup draw for tomorrow against Hurstpierpoint and Bedford School! Two outstanding tests once again for the Bis, and a guaranteed top 3 position!" To view all sport fixtures and results you can visit our Sports Desk here.
me rchi s tonians@merchiston. co. u k
All Blacks Merchiston was delighted to play host to New Zealand's All Blacks, ahead of their Autumn Test match against Scotland at Murrayfield. The Team travelled to Merchiston throughout the week to make use of our brilliant training facilities with some great feedback for the splendid job our Grounds Team do in keeping our pitches to the best standard. Pupils and Staff had a chance to meet the Team at the end of their last session at Merchiston and the Captains of our 1XV were presented with a signed All Blacks jersey.
Community Choir The Colinton and Merchiston Community Choir visits Merchiston on a weekly basis to rehearse in our stunning Memorial Hall. The Choir, established in 1996, has always had a strong link with the School and we are delighted to support them with their next Concert, which will be held in Memorial Hall on Saturday 10 December at nopm. Admission is free (with a retiring collection) and refreshments to follow. The Choir is fortunate to have a new dynamic, talented and enthusiastic Conductor/Director of Music, Tim Coleman. They are keen to recruit and welcome new members. No audition is required. Rehearsals for next Term will begin in January 2023 and the first rehearsal is an open one with no commitment to join. For more information please visit their website.
me rchi s tonians@merchis ton. co. u k