ST. JOSEPH’S ACADEMY Weekly Newsletter
ISSUE 30.1 JUNE 21ST
2013 FOR PARENTS, CARERS, FAMILIES & PARISHES
Ben Davis, Acting Headteacher Grassyards Rd Kilmarnock KA3 7SL 01563 526144 The speakers at Enspire and some of the pupil team,
www.saintjosephsacademy.co.uk Twitter: @StJoAcad
IDLaunch, who ran the event on June 9th.
INSPIRE AND TRANSFORM ENSPIRE After a year of planning by members of the S4 Enterprise Class, June 9th dawned sunny and warm and Enspire: Kilmarnock’s First Festival of Ideas was launched. Over twenty speakers from a variety of backgrounds converged on St. Joseph’s Academy to talk about their work and to address the themes of the day: reinvention, transformation and inspiration. After a series of opening addresses by Provost Todd, Cathy Jamieson MP and Fiona Lees, guests were treated to some exceptional performances from young musicians from across East Ayrshire. Then Rebecca Bunten, one of the pupil team behind Enspire, got things underway with a short introduction. Throughout the day four speakers provided keynote talks that cut across the themes of the event. The first of these was David Cameron who provoked much debate and thought with his ideas on who is responsible for creating the future. After this, guests left for their first choice of talks
from the other speakers. These included a Life Coaching workshop, reflections on learning from an architect, a talk about the power of sport and much more. The second keynote was provided by David Ross of Keppie Design who provided a fascinating insight into the transformational power of architecture. Having enjoyed a much-needed lunch provided by our very own Onsite Catering team, the guests continued to sample both the talks and the musical entertainment. The afternoon session saw talks on a huge range of subjects and some exciting and impromptu collaborations between some speakers. Guests commented on the diverse and surprising nature of many of the talks as they heard about, for example, raw food, the physics of plasma, James Clerk Maxwell, the Romans, the courage of inspirational people, the power of story-telling and much more. The two keynotes in the afternoon came from Director of Learning at the National Theatre of Scotland, Simon Sharkey. Simon focussed on the NToS Transform programme and gave a fascinating look at the way communities have used theatre to contribute to leadingc change. The
day was closed by Thom Sherrington, a history teacher from Aberdeen, getting us all thinking about how young people can save us from ourselves by re-inventing rites of passage. Enspire very much lived up to its billing and was all the more impressive for being a festival run by pupils. All the guests left having made a pledge to help young people lead change in their communities. We are already planning next year’s festival and would be delighted to hear from you if you would like to speak or if you have any more feedback regarding this year’ s event. Our thanks to all the speakers, guests and to those who made things happen on the day. St. Columba Day Mass Sunday June 9th was also the Feast of St. Columba. Since he is the patron saint of our newest house, we made an extra-special effort to mark the event. Father Martin Chambers said Mass in the Assembly Hall on Monday for all the house pupils and encouraged them to draw strength and inspiration form the example of St. Columba.