Solid Castle Issue No 13 - March 2024

SOLID CASTLE

MerchiSTEM in London

Read all about how our Shell Life is Up team got on at The Engineer Awards

XC Carnage

An epic week of XC for Merchiston; home and away!

Winning Pipe Band

Success at the Glasgow Highland Club Competition

designed

by

Kinloch Anderson.

Many of the pipe band members will take to New York

form boys have been volunteering in the local community over the last two terms. This year, there are boys volunteering on Wednesday afternoons in three local schools: Braidburn School, Longstone and St Mark’s Primary Schools. They coach rugby, help in classes and with a Wednesday afternoon group.

The boys have enjoyed this challenge and have been very well received. We hosted a Christmas party in the for some of the children at these schools which was tremendous fun. Wednesday afternoon Volunteering

involved.

It makes such a positive difference to all involved. We have seen it be encouraging and a growing, learning time for all involved. It is great to watch our boys out in the community and making such a positive impact. Our vision is that they will continue after they leave school to want to roll up their sleeves and get involved in the world around them, volunteering or/and serving others. Our boys have much to offer in a world where there are many opportunities to service others.

EDT launches with Stewart Trailers

Before Half Term, the Engineering Development Trust (EDT) Bronze Industrial Cadet team met with their industry mentor Lukasz from Stewart Trailers in Aberdeenshire.

The team is made up of six Shell pupils; Iain C., Matthew R., Toby C., AJ T., Adbdul W. and Josh H-S. since the launch the team have been working on their proposal for their chose brief, Our Green Garden. Where they will come up with a proposal for the following:

Bee Ready Results

Chartwells has partnered with Bumblebee Conservation Trust to help raise awareness of the importance of bumblebees and their role in food production. Pringle Centre pupils spent time designing a bee garden for the Centre while further learning and understanding how they can play their part in protecting the species.

Well done to Jason and Liam, who were the winner of the best bee garden! Further congratulation to Liam, who will now have his design manufactured by the LVI A-Level DT&E students!

Designagardentailoredforeither specificpeople,aplaceorpurpose -yourchoice.Youmightchoosean existinggreenspacetoimproveor startafresh.You'llconsider sustainability,accessibility,and communityneeds;discoveringthe hiddenSTEMingardening.

We look forward to seeing their proposal in due course!

3, 2, 1… ready to launch!

In February Merchiston’s two esero-UK’s CanSat teams finalised their reports ahead of the Critical Design Review submission. Now, the sole focus is to get their satellite prototype working. This is no easy feat, with programming, electronic building and a 3D printed model all due to come together! Good luck teams, you’ve got this!

Will heading Stateside!

William has recently signed with the University of San Diego to continue his studies and golf, from August 2024.

Following previous Merchiston Golf Academy players like Cameron Adam (who is currently at Northwestern in Chicago), William will be part of the Men’s Team that competes in the West Coast Conference against some of the top Collegiate golfers in the US.

The GA are very proud of his achievement, it is a testament to William’s hard work on and off the course.

Fantastic Fives

On Sunday 25th of February, four boys travelled to Fettes for the U18 Scottish Schools Singles Fives.

William G and Oliver G both won all of their group matches, topping their groups and qualifying for the Cup knockout stages. They both won their quarter final matches, Oliver in a very hard fought 16-14 win. Unfortunately both boys exited at the Semi final stage, but both put in excellent performances on the day.

James R and Hamish F also competed, performing admirably against boys much older than themselves.

This will prove excellent preparation and practice for Nationals in London over the Easter holiday.

SPOTY 2024!

Equally proud of Archie C who recently won Sports Personality of the year in Northumberland.

A fantastic achievement which saw Archie come out on top from nominations across every conceivable category in the region.

Well done, Archie!

Pringle Drama Activity

Boys from the Pringle Centre have been enjoying devising their own scenes in drama activities over the last couple of weeks.

They have been working on using props creatively to create short sketches as well as developing voice and movement skills.

Some have also relished the opportunity to provide director’s notes after watching their peers! They are looking forward to showcasing their progress to parents at the end of term.

#DigiInventor Success

Certificates were awarded to two Merchiston #DigiInventor teams. In November, these teams were recognised as two of the top four entries in the competition and went on to present their proposal at the #DigiInventor Bootcamp event at DHI Scotland in Glasgow. Both teams identified a pressing health issue and came up with a digital solution that could be transformed into a real life product.

Well done to team Anti-Bulle, made up of Vincent N., Hamish J. and Erik B., and to team ZenSoil, made up of Yuqi C., Max A., George A. and Ghani R.

EarthSmart

During the MerchiSTEM Activity and Elective Programme, three Middle Years teams are currently working on the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) Pupils Design Award. Where they have been tasked with answering the following question:

Howmightweinspirecommunitiestodrawonideas fromnatureandthebenefitsofmoderntechnologyto addressthelocalimpactsofclimatechange?

Three very innovative ideas are coming together well and we look forward to seeing the final submissions!

work for our cast and crew of 28 Merchiston pupils who performed alongside 7 girls from St George's in Anya Reiss' adaptation of Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist'.

When rehearsals started in September it was hard to imagine that we would end up with such a polished ensemble piece that

would delight audiences over three nights.

Over 500 people came to see the show and reviews were overwhelmingly positive from

commended; dealing with a complicated lighting design which really brought the show to life.

This group of pupils have revived drama after a gap of 4 years at Merchiston and should be proud of their work. Their commitment to rehearsals and their resilience and courage to give the show their all was wonderful to watch.

Harry M’s Insight

The first match of my 2024 golf season had finally arrived. The February sun was rising over the Malaga hills at Villa Padierna. My nerves were fighting with my excitement. It was only 8am and I was standing at the first tee. My familiar Gleneagles golf shirt flapping in the warm breeze.

Then my name was announced. Breaths were held -Silence around me!

With the United Kingdom flag in my eyeline -huge cheers broke as my pro v1 ball soared from my 6 iron into the air -170 yards towards the flag and the layup zone.

3 days later, 54 holes peppered with bunkers, water hazards and the hot Spanish sun.

I know this amazing experience will drive me on my golf journey. Beating my personal best finishing in 12th position on the -World Junior Championship Boys Age 10/11 category .

Thank you to my parents for making it possible.

Severijus serves up success

Congratulations to Severijus, who over half term, followed on from recent success in Edinburgh with a big win in the Midlands at the Regional u14 Tour at Tipton. Over the course of the week Severijus won all his singles matches without dropping a set for his second successive title at Regional level.

Earlier, at the start of half term, Severijus also won a regional doubles title alongside his partner in Glasgow. Well done Severijus!

Junior School Success

Last Sunday the Castle took two teams to Belhaven to compete in the Scottish Independent Schools’ Invitational Cross-Country Championships! I know, what a mouthful.

It was an epic day with over 400 pupils competing in a team event, where the first four runners counted towards the total.

Although no silverware on this occasion, all the boys ran well on a new challenging course. With many boys running a year young we are already looking forward to next year’s event.

Thank you to Belhaven and their staff for hosting.

The same week we also held our very own MCS XC Relays, seeing teams of three race round the grounds and hand the baton to the next competitor.

Cross Country Madness!

The last few weeks has seen cross country in the spotlight with event after event capturing the competitive spirit of almost everyone at the Castle.

Clan Cross Country was first up, with 3 age group races and the introduction of the first past the post race, adding a new exciting start to the event.

Mr Harrison once again organised the event wonderfully which saw PB’s galore, a few hide and seekers in the forest and eventually Spylaw coming out on top! Congratulations to all involved.

Despite challenging weather conditions all 10 schools had a fantastic day, with St Mary’s coming out on top in almost every race!

Our congratulations also go to our U11 team who took bronze in their race and to Alfie who ran while being two years younger than his teammates. Making the castle stronger!

Cross Country Hits New Heights

The school continues to diversify its sporting offering and cross country has been a welcomed and popular addition this term.

Using the local resources we have including the majestic Pentlands on our doorstep. The photo on the left is after a particularly gruelling but rewarding

The physical and mental benefits of running a well documented and we are delighted to be able to offer such a strong program here at the Castle.

British U17 Schools Championship

Congratulations to the U17 team who have won through to the North of England finals in Sunderland on March 14th.

This is the first time we have entered into the event and it offers our boys valuable exposure at the U17 stage of development, as well as allowing boys across both academies to experience

inter-school competitive tennis .

Our team, well captained by Henry S, have won through against:

● Clifton Hall (10-2)

● George Watson's (12-0)

● Heriots (12-0)

● Strathallan (8-4) to win the Scottish Championship!

Well done Henry, Sushanth, Arka

W, Luke D, Callum A (not in picture) and Ollie W (not in picture) on their success so far and we wish them well in their bid to crowned North of England Champions.

CityZen Challenge

The Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) CityZen Challenge is aimed at promoting innovative solutions to urban challenges. The students were asked to propose creative ideas that address specific problems facing cities such as transportation, sustainability, resilience to climate change. The challenge includes a digital game and a creative video project for students to pitch

to Sam Y., Kit N., Emmanuel C., Geoff Cliff Z., Adam H., Rohan R., and Richard Z. for successful completing the challenge.

stroke play, hosted by the MCGA and Merchiston won, qualifying us for the ISGA British Schools National Finals in the summer term. A strong performance by all in very windy conditions on a tough links.

We also hosted a Junior GA triangular tournament between MCS, Loretto and EA. The first one of its kind, made up of a 7-player team with the best 5 scores from 7 to count (team pictured). Mr Hutchinson is proud to report that MCGA came out on top for the second day running, in a fiercely contested junior match competed over the Templar Course at Swanston.

A special shout out goes to Santiago H.and Harry M. who were joint top points scorers for MCGA

Fencing Champion!

While most of us were involved in School sport or activities, Adam H. was busy competing in the Scottish U17 and U20 Epee finals and the Scottish Championships.

The Solid Castle is delighted to report that Adam successfully defended both titles.

A massive congratulations from everyone at Merchiston.

Wall of Champions

Ryan Wong has, on the 29th of February, shot a 98 (a new PB) and his target is now posted on the Wall of Champions in the Range.

The Engineer Awards

Last week the MerchiSTEM Shell team attended the prestigious Engineer Awards in London. The team, Anton S., Fergus W., James Y., Sikai C. and Hamish H. were Finalists in the Best STEM Initiative Award.

This year the Engineer Awards were sponsored by Babcock, and there were a whole host of industry professionals there on the night. Including representatives from Babcok, EJOT, Hays, igus, Megger, UKRI Science and Technologies Facilities Council and Engineering UK.

The pupils were able to speak with industry professionals about their design proposal, as well and learn more about their role(s) within the engineering profession.

The evening was hosted at the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) within their beautiful building on One George Street in Westminster.

The building in itself prove to be fascinating amongst the team; with Fergus W. pointing out the interior architectural features were from the 1800s, but the painting that clad the ceiling of the main hall was from the 1900s.

Following soft drinks and canopies, the awards ceremony began. Unfortunately, on this occasion the team were not the overall winners. But, they leave inspired to pursue their STEM passions!

The next day, we spent time at the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) building on John Adam street. This proved to be a fascinating visit, featuring Hamish H. serenading us on the piano, a grueling panel interview and putting themselves in

On Wednesday 28th February

Merchiston took 5 enthusiastic boys through to Glasgow to compete in the National Gibb Memorial Secondary Quaichs. The boys were competing in a mixed sex competition which meant the boys combined their efforts with 5 talented girls from St George’s. The competition was an invitational event which consisted of the 6 best teams from around Scotland to compete for the prestigious prize.

We were put in a pool with Berwickshire High and Elgin High whilst in the other pool was George Watson’s, Williamwood High and High School of Glasgow.

Winning our pool on count back, we were then drawn against a very strong Williamwood High as they were convincing winners in the other side of the draw. This was a final match of the day with the winners winning the Quaich. Unfortunately we lost 6-4 in matches with the final two doubles matches coming down to the wire. On another day these matches could have gone our way but it was Williamwood High who held there nerve to win the Gibb Memorial Quaich.

The boys represented the school superbly and definitely came away from the tournament making the