Ballyclare high mag 2014-15 by ThinkFinch

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Welcome

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from Dr Rainey Hello and welcome to our School Magazine for 2014-15. As incoming Principal I am delighted to introduce this edition, full as always with news of the successes, rewards, endeavours and pursuits of our pupils who so proudly represent Ballyclare High School. So much happens during the year that it is difficult to do justice to it all by merely mentioning a few. I am sure, however, that behind every photograph and image, behind every paragraph and line of text, an incredible effort has been committed not only by our pupils but by our caring and enthusiastic staff. This year I will take the liberty of singling out one special member of staff and that’s the man who has supported all that we read about in this condensed synopsis of the activities at Ballyclare High. Our outgoing Headmaster, Mr David Knox, during his fifteen years at the helm has instilled in us all a ‘can-do’ mentality and an aspirant attitude. Much of what is presented here has come about through his support and endeavour to afford our staff and pupils every opportunity to be the best they can be. A simple “thank-you” seems hugely inadequate but I have no doubt he will be as proud of everybody’s achievements this year as he has been throughout his career. Our rugby boys finished the season with a trip to Australasia as a development camp and, with our Under 14 hockey team crowned Ulster Junior Schools’ Cup Champions, I have no doubt the future for our two main winter sports remains bright. Notable achievements documented here have been recorded on the track, field, courts and pitches by many other individuals and teams; my congratulations go to them all. Once again a sell-out show at Mossley Mill would push any West-end performance hard for equalled quality and talent. Oklahoma was a spellbinding display that was talked about in the local community for weeks and rightfully deserves all plaudits. The other musical and theatrical accolades documented here continue to amaze and enthral me. Our annual Art Exhibition is now a permanent date in the diary and examiners from mainland UK offered high praise indeed once again this year for the artistic talents of our young folk and their teachers. I trust you’ll enjoy their work showcased here and admire the creative writing and poetry that is further testimony to the creative talents which abound at Ballyclare High. Finally I draw your attention to the breadth of competitions entered as teams of staff and pupils stretch themselves to rival the best at local, national and international level, adding to the many quality awards the School itself proudly holds. All-in-all there is no doubt as I leaf through these pages that our School community lives out its motto industria et probitate - fulsomely. With aspirant and “can-do” attitudes anything is possible. Congratulations and thanks to all as we take a moment to celebrate all these achievements collectively.

Dr Rainey | Principal

Contents EDITORIAL 3 MR KNOX TRIBUTE 4-11 STAFF & PREFECTS 12-15 SCHOOL EVENTS 16-51 TRIPS & TOURS 52-73 ART 74-87 CREATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS 88-99 CLUBS & SOCIETIES 100-113 IMAGES OF THE SCHOOL YEAR 114-115 SPORT 116-167

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Ballyclare High School Magazine 2014/15

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Editorial

“Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.” Malala Yousafzai Compiling this edition of the magazine has been a mammoth task; the standard set by last year’s publication was high; however, this year we have exceeded our own expectations and are delighted to have produced a comprehensive review of life at Ballyclare High School. We are confident that yet again you will enjoy seeing the wealth of creativity and skill developed across the breadth of our subjects and extra-curricular groups. I count it a privilege to edit the School Magazine and every year I am more convinced that we have a very special community of pupils, staff and parents here; as just one glance at this publication will demonstrate. It takes a huge amount of effort (from many people) to get one child to school; to help them learn, develop as individuals, find their talents, and encourage their interests. To help them commit to a team, to a project, to a group of friends. The result of this effort is different for every child, but the goal is the same: that they will be happy, settled young people, more independent in their learning and eventually able to face adult life confidently. The magazine reveals a little of this journey for our pupils and we hope you will be inspired as you read about all that happened in the past school year for them; we are delighted so many have taken up their ‘pens’ to record their thoughts. The pupils who have written for the magazine this year will describe their new experiences in locations across the world – from Barcelona to Bekoji, Ethiopia. There is a wonderful selection of creative contributions, from A-level art projects to poetry from a Year 8’s perspective. You will read about small groups of individuals who come together weekly to form successful sporting or science teams, making life-long friendships along the way. Other pupils and staff will recount their experiences of whole school productions such as the wonderful ‘Oklahoma!’ this year or the experience of being a language ambassador for the school. On behalf of the magazine team, I would like to thank everyone who contributed. In particular, my thanks go to Mr Michael Nutt whose expertise and support has been invaluable, not least in assisting in the lengthy job of proof reading. Thanks also go to Miss Laura Conlon who ably managed things whilst I was on maternity leave, the school support staff and Mr Andrew Parkes who did a marvellous job on the design. Finally, my thanks must go to our out-going Headmaster Mr Knox, always a supporter of the magazine I hope you will enjoy this review of the year most especially; and can be proud of not only the staff and pupils here but the legacy that you leave with us. So please, pull up a chair, take some time and enjoy reading the 2014-2015 School Magazine.

Mrs Catherine Skene

Farewell to Mr Knox

Farewell

Mr Knox

For fifteen years as Headmaster Mr Knox encouraged us, challenged us, supported us, but most of all, he was always there for us.

2001 aster ing as new Headm riv ar ox Kn r M 2001 4

Farewell to Mr Knox

Open Night 2001

Head Boy & Girl with Mr Knox 2002 formal

2002 Receiving ICT Award

Farewell to Mr Knox

2003 t centenary concer rs at the school te as dm ea H e re Th

Waterfront Hall School centenary concert,

New Library & Learning Centre 6

Farewell to Mr Knox

2006 Receiving ICT Excelle nce Award

2007 g Joanna Mills with a cup 2006 Sports Day presentin

2009 Receiving National Tra ining Award 2007

2010 cord Guinness World Re sson le for largest sports

Presidential visit February 2010

Farewell to Mr Knox

ARAS Visit

Meeting the Duke of Edinburgh

2011

Christopher McNeilly pre senting Mr Knox with Youth Speak Trophy May 2010

Receiving National Training Award 2011 8

Opening Hollinger Park

Farewell to Mr Knox

angers BT Internet R award receiving his Ben Robson

2012

l Rugby 1st XV Schools’ Cup Fina

20th Anniversary Do rsten Headmasters

Mr Knox with Hockey Scho ols’ Cup

2013

Mr Knox with Mrs Gilmour

Special guests Mrs Terrington and Mr P Terrington with Dr R McMillen, Mr Knox and Mrs Knox 9

Farewell to Mr Knox

arden Eco Club G

Friends of Ballyclare Organising Committe e Mr Nigel Cinnamon, Mrs Claire Morrow, Mrs Fiona Bagnall and Chairperson Mrs Claire McNeilly with Mr Knox

2014 Receiving the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2nd Defibrillator from HeartSine Chris Graham, Daniel Orr, Joy Drewitt (HeartSine), Dr Wilson, Katie Jackson, Daniel Orr and Mr Knox

2014 Formal - Ms Supple, Mrs Craig, Mrs Knox, Mr Knox, Mr Nutt, Mrs Carlisle and Mr Whincup

2015

Farewell to Mr Knox

Mr Knox drum ming!

w gym opening The Knox Family at ne

David Knox Dinner Four Principals at the

Mr Knox - alway s a keen spectator at the school rugby mat

ches

Farewell

Mr Knox 11

Staff

School Staff 2014/2015 Name

Name

Subject

Mr R V Adamson

Head of Physics, Careers

Mr R M Barr

Senior Staff & Technology

Mr M Bell

Mathematics

Mr S Black

Subject

Miss E McConnell

English

Mrs A McCullough

Senior Staff, Head of Physical Education

Head of Technology

Mrs A McKay

Vice Principal, Physics

Mrs S Brown

Religious Studies

Miss A McKeeman

Geography

Mrs R Browne

Religious Studies

Mr M McKeever

Physical Education

Mr E Butler

Physical Education

Mrs P McKeown

Mathematics

Mr D Campbell

Head of English

Mrs J McQuoid

German, French

Mrs S Carlisle

Head of Year 8, History

Dr A W Millar

Senior Staff, Biology

Mr T J Coleman

Art

Mr R Milliken

Biology

Mr I Collen

Head of German, French

Mrs J Montgomery

Business Studies, ICT

Mrs A Colville

English

Mr S Moreland

Head of Music

Miss L Conlon

Art, Moving Image

Mr J Murphy

French, German

Dr K P Conway

Head of History

Mr J Nelson

Spanish, French

Miss R Corish

Mr M T Nutt

Mrs N Craig

Head of Biology

Head of Year 14, Spanish, French

Mr M Crampsey

Head of ICT

Mrs K Orr

History

Miss J Dickey

Head of Mathematics

Dr M Rainey

Vice Principal, Geography

Mrs C Doherty

Music

Mr PM Reid

Head of Art

Mr M Farley

ICT, LC Manager

Mrs J Richardson

Head of Careers, Geography

Mr J M Farquhar

Mathematics

Mrs J Rogers

Mathematics

Mrs L Fenton

History

Miss J Scott

Miss C Ferguson

ICT

Head of Year 12, Mathematics

Mrs J Fullerton

Technology

Mrs G Scott

Physical Education

Mrs J Gaston

Head of Home Economics

Mr G Shaw

Geography, ICT

Mr J Gerrish

Head of Chemistry

Miss C Simpson

Biology

Ms T Gillespie

Physics

Mrs C Skene

English

Mrs L Gilmour

Physics

Miss H Smith

English, Theatre Studies

Head of Year 13, Mathematics

Mrs L Smith

SENCo, English

Mrs H Graham

Miss A P Spence

Chemistry

Mrs E Hanna

English, Theatre Studies

Ms E Supple

Chemistry

Mrs M Hill

Mathematics, ICT

Mrs C Thompson

Mrs J Holmes

English

English, Theatre Studies, Journalism

Mrs D Johnston

English

Mr S Thompson

Physical Education

Head of Year 9, German, French

Mrs N Ward

ICT

Mrs A Kennedy

Mrs A Ward

Biology

Mrs S Kent

Head of Year 10, German, French

Mr C Waring

Head of Year 11, Head of Politics, History

Mr D Knox

Headmaster

Mrs A Watt

Head of Religious Studies

Mr P M Leckey

Business Studies, ICT

Mrs S Wells

Geography

Mr G M Lenaghan

Senior Staff, English

Mr J B Whincup

Mr T J Martin

Vice Principal, ICT

Head of Sixth Form, Geography

Miss O McAdam

Art

Mr A Wilson

Head of Modern Languages

Mrs A McBurney

Home Economics / Child Development

Dr P M Wilson

Physics

Dr A Witherow

Head of Geography

Miss A McClelland

Head of Theatre Studies, English

Mrs H Wynn

Home Economics/ Child Development

Mrs R McClintock

Religious Studies

Mrs K Young

Biology

Mrs J McCluney

Biology

Mr P Young

Chemistry

Prefects

Head Girl & Head Boy 2014-15 Head Girl Katie Jackson Head Boy Daniel Johnston

Deputies 2014-15 Deputy Head Girl Reea Khanna Deputy Head Girl Rebecca Quinn Deputy Head Boy Aaron Fleming Deputy Head Boy Matthew McDowell

Senior Prefects 2014-15 Shannon Morrow Lana Robb Kirsty Shanks Evan Sewell Ben Smith Michael Stevenson

Prefects 2014-15 Girls

Prefects 2014-15 Boys

Holly Adair India Barr Aoife Bourdet Lauren Christie Emily Esdale Jane Kenny Anna Lawther Hannah McAuley Jessica McClean Stephanie McIlroy Lia McKenzie Lisa Patterson Emma Quigley Megan Quinn Aimee Russell Beth Shannon Devan Stewart Rebecca Teeney Zoe Wilson

Michael Bell James Brown Mark Brown Christopher Clarke Matthew Darling James Douglas Thomas Hamill Andrew Johnston Peter Johnston James Mawhinney Patrick Mooney Ben Murphy Jonny McAteer Ben McCabe Callum Peoples Jordan Rainey Matthew Robson Peter Topley Ross White

Interview: Head Girl 2014/15

Head Girl Katie Jackson

Q. What primary school did you attend? I went to Fairview Primary School in Ballyclare. So I didn’t have to move too far in terms of location, just a wee walk down the road.

Q. How would you describe yourself in 3 words? Bubbly, creative, happy.

Q.What advice would you give to a new pupil at Ballyclare High? Be confident and be yourself. Don’t worry about what other people think of you all the time. If you’re enjoying yourself other people will enjoy your company.

Q. What are your duties as Head Girl? We had to talk on stage at a few events such as prize night, carol service and open night and also read in assemblies regularly. We had to organise prefects using rotas, we also had to organise the school formal along with the senior prefects. Delegation is key to the role.

Q. Do you have any interests or participate in any extra curricular activities in school? I have participated in a range of activities throughout school, I’ve never been super talented at one activity but have always given each activity a go. I played hockey for

the 2Bs for many years and this year I played in the girls Tag Rugby team. The past couple of years I have taken part in Sentinus R+D, where we developed an engineered product and took part in a number of competitions in the UK. I have also completed my Gold Duke of Ed and I go to SU.

Q. How did you find leading your team of prefects this year? At times it was interesting but they were a good bunch, easy to lead.

Q. Do you have anything to say to next year’s Head Girl / Boy? Enjoy it! Keep organised then everything will fall into place.

Q. Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time? Hopefully having a job after 7 years at university! Maybe living abroad or travelling.

Q. What’s your best memory of BHS? Ah, there are so many. The formal was a standout. Best night with all our year and teachers!

Interview: Head Boy 2014/15

Head Boy Daniel Johnston

Q. What primary school did you attend? Templepatrick Primary School.

Q. How would you describe yourself in 3 words? Outgoing, Driven, Friendly

Q. What advice would you give to a new pupil at Ballyclare High? Work hard and have fun. Get involved in school life as much as you can; through sports, music or any other club/ society. It’s a great way to make new friends and enjoy school.

Q. What are your duties as Head Boy? A lot of being Head Boy involves working with the Head Girl in organising the senior prefects and prefects. We are responsible for school events such as consultations, open night and the carol service. We also have to give a speech at Prize night, and read in assembly. The duty which was the most fun was organising the school formal!

Q. Do you have any interests or participate in any extra curricular activities in school? In school I’m involved with Scripture Union, the School Musical, Geography Buddy Club, Duke of Edinburgh and the Ethiopia trip.

Q. How did you find leading your team of prefects this year? Often it was easy as they were very willing to help, and are a really great group of people. Though I would be lying if I said that they always did what we told them!

Q. Do you have anything to say to next year’s Head Girl / Boy? Firstly enjoy it, it is a really good experience. Also use your senior prefects and prefects to help you in whatever you’re doing. Our senior prefects did loads to make the formal such a success. I would also advise you guys to stay organised and on top of all you have to do!

Q. Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time? I’m not very sure where, but hopefully somewhere interesting, possibly Africa. What will I be doing there? I’d like to be involved in some sort of development project to help alleviate poverty!

Q. What’s your best memory of BHS? Definitely between our School Formal, my final SU weekend or maybe the last couple of days of term before exams; as there was much banter, and it was the last time we would all be together.

Staff

School Events

Oklahoma! page 18

School Events

School Formal 2014 Ballyclare High School’s Class of 2015 gathered in the Stuart Suite at the Culloden Hotel on the occasion of the annual Sixth Form Formal. Year 14 pupils, teaching staff and other guests enjoyed a pleasant evening at this traditional event which was superbly organised by the Sixth Form Leadership Team overseen by Head Girl Katie Jackson and Head Boy Daniel Johnston. The School Formal is always eagerly anticipated and is one of the highlights of a series of events organised through the year for senior pupils. This year’s theme was ‘The Oscars’ and the guests were entertained by a series of awards which recognised and celebrated various aspects of the pupils’ wide-ranging and generous contribution to the life of the School over the last seven years.

M Nutt

Ballyclare High pupils performing in our successful production of

Oklahoma!

School Events

Remembrance Service 2014 Our annual act of remembrance this year is a particularly significant and poignant occasion. It is one hundred years since the outbreak of World War One, a conflict now recognised by many historians to be one of the bloodiest and most costly in human history. The act of remembering is essential to every civilised society. The responsibility to remember acts of kindness and courage reminds us all about how we should live and the failure to do so can result in the danger of repeatedly failing to learn from our mistakes; as the Spanish philosopher and writer George Santayana declared, “Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.” To commemorate this fact, and remember the loss of life experienced in all subsequent conflicts, a memorial poppy garden has been established in the centre of the school. It is hoped that the seeds planted there will grow and act as a living reminder of the sacrifices of those from previous generations who have given their lives in conflicts around the world. We had two special guests with us on our remembrance morning to help sow the seeds in the garden. Mr Isaac Higginson visited, he is a veteran of World War Two

which was fought between 1939 and 1945. Mr Higginson received the Ushakov medal from the Russian ambassador to the UK last weekend for his actions in the Arctic Convoy 70 years ago. As always we will remember those former pupils of Ballyclare High School who fought and died in the Second World War and this year will be planting a British Legion cross which bears their name in the Millennium Garden. We are also very pleased to have Mrs Frances Blackbourne who was, until recently, the chairperson of the RUC George Cross Parents’ Association here in Northern Ireland. Mrs Blackbourne’s son, Karl, was a former pupil of our school who lost his young life as a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary in 1986. The bell outside the Sports Hall which is sounded every day at break time is dedicated to him. At the conclusion to our ceremony the Headmaster, Mr Higginson, members of the Blackbourne family and the school’s senior prefects planted crosses and sowed poppy seeds in the Millennium Garden.

Interview with Mr Isaac Higginson I had the excellent opportunity to speak with Mr Isaac Higginson in the week after his attendance at the school’s annual remembrance service. His son kindly welcomed me into his home, sitting with us as I asked questions about his father’s memories of the war. I was keen to meet Mr Higginson as it would build on my previous interview with our German language assistant, who gave a distinctively German perspective on WW2. Mr Higginson had already enlisted in the Royal Navy when WW2 broke out. He spoke of the confidence they had had when enrolling, of how a victory seemed so likely but also of their trepidation of the lengthy struggle that was before them. I was impressed by his medal laden blazer, being particularly intrigued by his Medal of Ushakov; an esteemed medal awarded to sailors and naval infantry who bravely defended the borders of the Soviet Union. >>

Mr and Mrs Blackbourne and Mr Isaac Higginson with Head Boy, Head Girl and Deputies at the newly established Remembrance Garden

School Events >> Mr Higginson was among the soldiers bringing supply convoys to the Russian port of Murmansk. These supplies were destined for the Russian soldiers fighting on the Russian-German border. Sailing through the Arctic Circle brought with it unimaginably ‘severe weather conditions’ which resulted in thick layers of ice building up on the convoy ships’ decks. To save the boat capsizing these had to be hacked off every day. The horrific conditions made it almost unbearable to change one’s clothes, meaning during missions the same clothes were worn for weeks and then incinerated, being so dirty and lice ridden. Mr Higginson described meeting the local Russian inhabitants on his missions. When he and his fellows gave out chocolate to the local children he found that their mothers, being incredibly guarded, meticulously inspected the foreign confectionary before allowing their children to eat it. The most fascinating experience Mr Higginson described was his survival of the sinking of the Laconia. Having watched the award-winning BBC drama on its sinking, it was interesting to hear a real life experience of the terrible event. The Laconia was a troopship en route to the UK from Cape Town, carrying soldiers, prisoners of war but also a number of civilians. Travelling slowly to save on fuel the Laconia was left vulnerable to an attack from a German U-boat. The U-boat’s commander Werner Hartenstein went against the orders of the German high

command, instructing his men to surface and rescue the shipwrecked survivors, having realised he had attacked innocent civilians. Mr Higginson along with two other friends were among those who were brought aboard life boats. However, before being rescued himself, Mr Higginson saved a distressed child who had been separated from his family. They were finally rescued after 20 hours of floating in the Atlantic Ocean and brought to a prisoner of war camp in Casablanca. Days after, he and his friends were identified as the boy’s rescuers and thanked graciously by the boy’s mother; the family having been reunited at the camp. It was remarkable to hear that the Commander of the U-Boat had adamantly told Mr Higginson that he was a ‘German Naval Officer not a Nazi’ before he was rescued. While we often complain of how brief our school holidays seem, things were put into perspective for me when I heard Mr Higginson received only two weeks leave over his whole time of service. What Mr Higginson did speak reminiscently of, however, was his six week tour around Australia and Oceania at the end of his service, at the end of which his ship was offered to the New Zealand Navy. Mr Higginson was so kind to speak with me and share memories of both good and desperate times. We should be proud of the fact we have such a character, who has survived so much, living so close to our school.

Jane Kenny Year 14

Author Visit from Paul Dowswell Author Paul Dowswell visited Ballyclare High School on 11th November 2014 to discuss his powerful war book, Eleven Eleven. The book was set on the same day in 1918- the day World War 1 ended– and is a page-turning combination of bravery and strength, a thrilling tale of three young men, one American, one British and the other German, on Armistice Day. Paul Dowswell has a degree in History and was thoroughly inspired from an early age to do something that incorporates both his enjoyment of writing and interest in History. He thinks that it is crucial for people to appreciate what they’ve got and their freedom of speech and books are a great way to become aware of that. “I can’t think of a greater agent to improve humanity than to think what you want.” Mr Dowswell believes that morals in books are very effective but must be in moderation-the book should also be exciting. “Basic morals are important– as long as they aren’t spread on with a trowel!” Eleven Eleven, which won the 2013 Historical Association Young Quills Book Award, focuses mainly on “the poor men caught up in war” and touches on different sides of the story. As well as creating an enjoyable story, Mr Dowswell also 22

aimed to spread the important message that although German soldiers were portrayed as the bad guys, they were no worse than soldiers from different sides. “They got caught up in conflict and had to go through a hideous ordeal, whether they were German, American, British, or French.” But the most critical thing was not to glamourize the war in any way - Mr Dowswell doesn’t want his readers to think “isn’t this great, let’s go around killing people.” Although he couldn’t share everything, Mr Dowswell has spilled some of his future novel ideas; “It’d be interesting to write about societies in meltdown, like countries straight after war.” So will it happen? “We’ll see.”

By Elizabeth Crawford, Year 11

School Events

Eleven Eleven ‘’In the early hours of 11 November 1918, the agreement to end World War I is finally sealed but it will be several hours before the Armistice filters down the chain of command to the troops on the ground, and in the air – and a lot can happen in a few hours. As time ticks away, the lives of three young men, one English, one German and one American, collide as they fight to survive the final horrors of the war. This action-packed thriller combines historical detail with three very personal stories of courage, strength and tragedy, to produce a gripping and thought-provoking account of the final hours of a brutal conflict. This powerful page-turner is ideal for use in history teaching, as well as making compelling reading in its own right.’’ www.booktrust.org.uk’s review on the hit novel

Over the month of October, over 180 Year 11 pupils and 50 members of staff (including Billy the lollipop man) read Paul Dowswell’s ‘Eleven Eleven’, a 3 perspective novel set in the last day of World War 1. Year 11s dedicated their lifeskills classes to the themes of the book, with many photographs and stories submitted about the chilling action novel.This event was the first time Ballyclare High has ever had an entire year reading a book at the same time, discussing the war themed novel with friends and teachers. On the very fitting date, 11th November 2014, author Paul visited Ballyclare High School for a day of literary workshops and to answer questions. “I spent a brilliant day with school students and staff, talking about my book ‘Eleven Eleven’ and doing workshops with keen writers. It’s a really lovely school and the staff and the kids made me feel really welcome!”

Reactions of two Year 11 pupils to the event: James Hall What was your first reaction to the event? Initially I wasn’t very impressed, but after reading the book, I was intrigued to meet the author. What did you think of the book? I thought it was very well written; I liked the structure of it and the way the 3 main characters met together. Would you recommend the book? I’d recommend it to all people, but mostly those who are interested in war stories! What kind of workshops did you do with the author? To start off, he did a talk with us about the history of World War 1. He then took us on a creative writing workshop, which was pretty cool. He told us how to write using all of our senses, sound, taste and feeling etc. Did you enjoy the experience? Definitely, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and would like to do the experience again with different authors.

Kaye-Anne McRoberts What was your first reaction to the event? I wasn’t the most enthusiastic about it to be honest! What did you think of the book? At first I didn’t feel like reading it at all but I wanted to see how the book ended and it was actually really good. Would you recommend it? Definitely to those who are more interested in the war genre. What kind of workshops did you do with the author? The author talked about his inspiration for the book and that was interesting to hear. Afterwards we did creative writing, and it made me realise how much I could write in a short period of time Did you enjoy the experience? Yep, it was definitely better than class! Explain the experience in 3 words. Creative, Inspiring and Thought-provoking.

Sum up experience in 3 words. Better than expected. 23

School Events

Poetry Aloud A team of Senior pupils competed in the Linenhall Library Belfast in the National Libraries of Ireland Poetry Aloud competition. The pupils recited two poems and were complimented on their enthusiasm and talent. Dr Julie Milliken, a speech and language specialist, assisted the team in preparing before the event.

‘The Great Biology Bake Off’ competition To celebrate Biology Week from 11th-18th October, the Biology department held ‘The Great Biology Bake Off’ competition. Pupils entering had to design and decorate a cake with their chosen biological theme. Fifteen pupils entered and the winning design won £20 Amazon vouchers. Congratulations to the winners Zara, Chloe, Emma and Aimee!

School Events

Cinemagic Competition One of our Year 14 pupils, Sarah Craig, participated in the now prominent Belfast film competition Cinemagic. Cinemagic is an award winning festival that embraces the magic of film, television and digital technologies to educate, motivate and inspire young people through film screenings, industry workshops, practical master classes, filmmaking projects and outreach activities. Sarah was short-listed in the top 13 for the 15-17s age category with her AS Level Moving Image Film ‘Eddie’ about a guy who lost his family and how he copes with this. Her film was commended by the judges and she said ‘’it was a very enjoyable experience.’’

Sarah Craig with the

Cinemagic finalists

School Choir Of The Year Final Our senior choir competed in the BBC Radio Ulster School Choir of the Year final this year, broadcast live from the Ulster Hall. The prestigious event was presented by John Toal and Kerry McLean and was the culmination of the six week battle between 64 local schools to win a place in the final. At the event, Grosvenor Grammar won the senior category and Pond Park Primary School from Lisburn clinched the junior title. Mrs Carole Doherty, our choir leader commented: “To be one of the six schools in the senior final of the competition was a great achievement and we are really proud of the pupils in the choir who really did give their all. “Singing ‘If Ye Love Me’ by Philip Stopford and ‘Ev’ry Time I Feel The Spirit’ by Bob Chilcott, the pupils have made the school and the whole community proud. They all really enjoyed the experience and their confidence in performing live has really blossomed during the course of the competition.

“I would like to thank everyone for their support and I believe our choir members are true champions, performing to such a high level in front of expert judges and such a large audience.” Prizes were awarded by guest judge Yvie Burnett, a mezzo soprano, well known for her work as a vocal coach with The Voice. Mrs Doherty, continued: “Ballyclare High School has a popular choral society, with a junior section for years eight to ten, a senior choir and chamber choir for years eleven to fourteen and a boys’ choir for all years. More than 150 pupils are involved in singing across the school and we are always keen to recruit any student interested in joining.”

School Events

Prize Night 2014

School Events

Our Junior Choir proudly joined the African Children’s Choir for a superb performance in the Waterfront Hall Our Junior Choir joined the African Children’s Choir in concert in the Waterfront Hall in December 2014. With lively settings of traditional carols and modern classics it was an entertaining evening and offered our choir the opportunity to perform in one of Northern Ireland’s most prestigious concert venues. More importantly, the evening raised funds for the charity which gives hope to many Ugandan children. Below are some thoughts from members of the Junior Choir who participated in the joint event. Hannah Thompson On the 11th December 2014 we sang with the African Children’s choir at the Belfast Waterfront Hall. There were about 500 school children who were representing 12 choirs from across Northern Ireland (one of which was us). The other schools that were there were: Ballyclare Secondary School; Barazina; Bridge Integrated; Collegiate Grammar Enniskillen; Jordanstown School; Kilrea Primary School; Lagan College; Loughview Integrated; Model School Enniskillen; St Catherine’s College Armagh; and St Columbus Primary Kilrea. The choir are ambassadors for the millions of children in Africa who are in need. Since 1984 they have educated 52,000 children, and have helped over 100,000 children through their Music for life projects in Africa. Some of the children in the choir have gone on to be nurses, doctors and teachers, to name just a few professions, giving back to their communities, building a stronger future for Africa. They have been doing this for 30 years. It was an amazing experience singing with the African Children’s Choir. I enjoyed every bit of it. Especially as it was their 30th year of helping Africa’s most vulnerable children. I think I mostly enjoyed hearing the kids share what they want to be when they grow up. I also enjoyed the song Breath of Heaven and the actions with it.

Lucie Wilson It was such an enjoyable day for all of us. Personally, my favourite part was when all of the performers were waving their glow sticks towards the end of the show. It brought lots of light to the stage. I also really enjoyed meeting the African Children’s choir, they were all so lively and cheerful! They were such great dancers and singers! My favourite song was ‘Breath Of Heaven’, I especially liked learning the sign language actions to it as it gave us a new perspective of the lyrics to the song.

Ellen Farquhar “The whole experience was brilliant and the African children obviously enjoy what they do. Their happiness and energy was contagious. It felt so amazing to sing with lots of other children from different backgrounds. I will remember it as being one of the best nights of my life.” “Thank you for letting me be part of it.”

Corran Crawford My favourite part of the experience was the rehearsal on the day of the concert. This was the first time we got to see the African Children’s choir, the children were inspiring. My favourite song was ‘This Little Light Of Mine’ where we were all given glow sticks and it looked amazing!

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Rachel Currie

Katie O’Neill

On Thursday 11th December 2015 Ballyclare High School Junior Choir, along with other school choirs from Northern Ireland, had the honour of performing at the Waterfront with members of the African children’s choir. We were all supplied with matching T-shirts. We had been practising in Junior choir, which is held after school, but we also got out of school for part of a day to practise at the Waterfront with the other choirs. I liked all the songs. It was lots of fun and a very good memory for me. My favourite part was during the last song, which was ‘This Little Light of Mine’, when we got to wave glow sticks. It was great and everyone enjoyed it.

Singing with the African Children’s Choir was amazing and one of the best memories I’ll ever have. The other 11 schools that we sang with were amazing too. In total there were around 500 children singing with the African Children’s Choir. The last song we sang was ‘This Little Light of Mine’. Near the end of the song we all cracked a glow stick and started dancing. It was an amazing atmosphere. The African Children’s Choir made the night so special to me because they were amazing singers and their dancing was great. I’m so glad that our school was invited to sing with them.

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School Awards Investors in People Award

Ballyclare High School was recently re-awarded Investors in People status but this time it was with a difference. We are the first secondary level school to also scoop up the IiP’s Good Practice Award for Health and Well-being. This recognises and endorses the practices in place to support a culture of health and well-being throughout the School for staff and pupils. The School has traditionally put great emphasis on ‘health and well-being’, even when it wasn’t given a name, and this recent endorsement provides reassurance that our attempts to support work/life balance in its broadest sense and build resilience as staff navigate continual change in the workplace are of a creditable standard. We would like to thank Mrs Anne Clarke from IiP who has supported us through our last three successful cycles of the IiP Framework Award and with this most recent Health and Wellbeing accreditation.

Mr D Knox along with Mr Derek Baker (Permanent Secretary Dept. for Employment and Learning ) and Dr M Rainey

British Academy Language Award Ballyclare High School has been awarded the British Academy Language Award for Northern Ireland 2014. The British Academy is the UK’s expert body that supports and speaks for the humanities and social sciences. This year, they awarded 14 prizes of £4,000 each to schools and colleges – or institutions supporting them – for proposals to increase the numbers of students learning languages at higher levels. The winning project from our school, entitled ‘Leading Little Linguists’, was selected by a panel of judges from more than one hundred applications from across the UK. One of the winners in each category will receive an additional prize of £2,000 as overall winners, to be announced at an Award Ceremony in November as part of the British Academy and Guardian Languages Festival. ‘Leading Little Linguists’ is a project that is now in its third year. It involves training Year 10 and Sixth-form pupils as language leaders to teach French, German and Spanish to younger pupils in feeder primary schools; and at bespoke, one-off events throughout the year, such as the school’s Open Evening and primary liaison days. In addition, the project sees native-speaking Language Assistants teaching German and Spanish at Ballyclare Primary School and Fairview Primary School respectively. The overarching goal in Ballyclare is to increase uptake of languages, and German in particular, at A-level and beyond. Mr David Knox, principal of Ballyclare High School, is pleased with the accolade, ‘I am delighted to see the efforts of Ian Collen, our Head of German, and the local 30

Primary Schools being recognised and rewarded in this award, and I know that the money that goes with it will be put to good use to develop the project even further. The School supports the development of Modern Languages and prides itself on the work that goes on in this area of the curriculum in partnership with our local primary schools.’ Robin Jackson, Chief Executive and Secretary of the British Academy said: ‘The aim of these Awards is to find imaginative and effective ways of encouraging more learners to take languages to higher levels, and to encourage inclusiveness in the profile of language learners. It is clear from the response that mainstream and supplementary schools around the country share our concerns and we are delighted to have received so many high quality applications. We heartily congratulate the winning projects, whose progress we will follow with great interest. We hope they will become beacons of good practice and inspiration and help to turn the tide on Britain’s language deficit.’

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Highly Commended in HSBC Link2Learn Awards Ballyclare High School is delighted to have been judged as Highly Commended in the 2014 HSBC Link2Learn Awards which recognise excellence in the International Dimension of the curriculum.

This is the first year that there have been entries to the competition from schools in Northern Ireland and it is wonderful for a Northern Ireland school to do so well in their first year of entry.

Our whole-school teaching and learning is greatly influenced by our partnerships with schools in France, Germany, Spain, Romania, Bulgaria, Ethiopia and Ireland, as well as an emerging e-link with a school in China. We also support primary languages, language debates and offer a range of international trips and exchanges. We also hold the British Council International School Award and are in the final stages of achieving full ELOS status.

The award proposal was submitted by Mr Jonathan Nelson, our assistant International Co-ordinator and he is delighted with the accolade; ‘This is great news for Ballyclare High and, together with our recent British Academy Language Award, it is clear that the international dimension of school life gives us all much to celebrate.’

eSafety Mark This year we were awarded the ‘360 Degree Safe’ eSafety Mark. On the 27th of January, Jenna Clarke and Ron Richards from the 360 Degree Safe assessor team visited the school to meet with a number of staff, pupils, parents and Governors. The assessors commented on the strength of our application and were particularly impressed with the pupil involvement in this area. Ballyclare High School is the first school in Northern Ireland to achieve this award, demonstrating our commitment to providing a safe and caring environment where pupils, staff and the wider school community feel supported.

positive steps to behave in a kind and caring way online. They are showing, by empowering children and young people with knowledge and confidence, they can lead the way in using the internet safely, confidently and considerately.

To celebrate our achievements, representatives from the UK Safer Internet Centre visited us on Safer Internet Day to formally present us with our award. We were also privileged to have Junior Ministers Jennifer McCann and Jonathan Bell with us on the day.

“I congratulate the two schools, teachers and pupils for their contribution. Safer Internet Day 2015 reminds us all of the responsibility we have in making the internet a better place and we are working across Government to ensure departments are actively promoting e-safety in their work.”

Safer Internet Day saw the launch of a short film to raise awareness of staying safe online. Using the hashtag #Up2Us, the film features 150 schoolchildren from across the UK – including our group of Digital Leaders and pupils from Fairview Primary School - talking about their online experiences, and making a personal pledge to take positive steps to use the internet safely and responsibly.

Junior Minister Jonathan Bell added:

During her visit to Ballyclare High, Junior Minister Jennifer McCann said: “While the internet is a powerful resource it can also be a threatening place if you don’t know how to stay safe online. By making the #up2us pledge in this film, the pupils in Ballyclare High and Fairview Primary are taking

“The staff and students at Ballyclare High and Fairview Primary schools are to be commended for promoting the message of internet safety. ‘Let’s create a better internet together’ is the theme of this year’s Safer Internet Day and it reminds us of the positive opportunities available online and also of the inherent dangers. We take the issue of internet safety very seriously and the Northern Ireland Executive is currently working towards developing an Internet Safety Strategy. “We all have a role to play; Government, teachers, parents and young people. Together we can make the internet a safer place, not just for Internet Safety Day but every day.” 31

School Events

Opening of The Knox Gym

The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) and Ulster Rugby’s joint initiative to support rugby in schools has concluded with the unveiling of the scheme’s final project, a modern, high-specification purpose-built strength and conditioning gym at our school.

Lewis Stevenson and Ricky Lutton Ulster Rugby stars and ex-pupils of Ballyclare High School, were in attendance at the official opening along with the new Mayor of the joint council Antrim and Newtownabbey, Mr Thomas Hogg, to unveil the new facilities. Our school has officially named the fitness centre ‘The Knox Gym’, in recognition of retiring headmaster, Mr David Knox, who is stepping down after 15 years as principal here.

Board cMillen Chairperson of the Mr Knox, Dr Rainey, Dr. R.M Kinstry Mc M Mr and s Mrs C McNeilly of Governors with Governor

Mr Knox, Headmaster, commented: “I am honoured that the gym has been named The Knox Gym. This facility will build on the sporting excellence offered by Ballyclare High School, enhancing the intensive training regimes already in place for our sports and track teams.” “We committed to the DCAL/Ulster Rugby scheme three years ago and are delighted that it has resulted in this excellent facility, which can be used by all of our pupils. We are extremely grateful to DCAL and Ulster Rugby for working so closely with us regarding the build and its contents.”

rts with Ulster Rugby players from a range of spo Ballyclare High representative and Ricky Lutton ex-pupils Lewis Stevenson Players and Ballyclare High

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Ballyclare High ex pupils and representative players Megan Downey, Vanessa Surgeoner and James Beattie

Mr Knox Headmaster unveiling the plaque to open the new Knox Gym

John Kinnear, Ulster Rugby President, said: “We’re delighted to be able to contribute to this fantastic project. One of our key organisational goals is to improve health and wellbeing among all age groups and I believe the installation of gym equipment at sites such as Ballyclare High School is a great way to achieve that.” Mike McKeever, rugby coach at Ballyclare High School, added: “The aim of rugby at the school is to provide a rewarding and positive environment in which players can develop their skills. We have at least two teams at each age group who all play fixtures regularly from September through to March. We believe that the experiences gained from committing to a team sport will develop many skills that the pupils will find beneficial in future life. “The state-of-the-art facility is a bright space which comprises heavy weights, track machines, pullies and rowing machines. It will allow us to focus on the strength and conditioning aspects of training while also freeing up space in the former school gym for other physical education purposes.”

Ulster Rugby Play er and ex Ballycla re High pupil Lewi Mr Knox, and M s Stevenson, atthew McDowell Ballyclare High 1s Captain, Ricky Lu tXV Rugby tton Ulster Rugby player and ex Ballyclare High pu pil

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Golf Success Congratulations to Ballyclare High Year 8 pupil Ross Campbell who finished 3rd in the 11-and -under division at the Ulster Championships of the Irish Junior Masters Golf Tour event held at Bangor GC at Easter. Ross is a member of Greenacres Golf Club.

More information about the event can be found here: www.juniormastersgolftour.ie/news/ulster-champonship-results-bangor-golf-club-2015/

UK Youth Games Congratulations go to our Ballyclare High pupils Lydia Mills, Zoe Wilson and Sasha Lawther who starred at the UK Youth Games. Zoe Wilson was selected for the Northern Ireland Hockey Team who finished with a silver medal. Zoe also had the honour of carrying the Flag for Northern Ireland at the Opening Ceremony. Lydia Mills competed in the Long Jump and finished with a silver medal also. Sasha Lawther ran in the 4 x 300m and was part of a gold medal winning team. Zoe Dixon competed in the triple jump and finished in 4th position. We are proud of all the girls who each contributed valuable points for the athletics team. a Lawther

Lydia Mills, Zoe Wilson and Sash

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Interview with young athlete Lydia Mills FACT FILE Name: Lydia Mills Year: 13 Subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Physics Primary school: Ballynure Primary School Sports played: Hockey and Athletics

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Hockey -Games after school

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Q. What position do you play? In hockey I play forward. In athletics, I compete in pentathlon, long jump and triple jump events.

Q. What team/s do you play for? Hockey - 1st XI. Athletics - Ballymena and Antrim Athletics Club.

Q. Have you played for Ulster or Ireland? I have represented Ulster 3 times and Ireland 3 times in Athletics.

Q. When did you start to play your main sports? I began both sports at around 6 years old.

Q. What tips do you have for someone to be successful in sports? Keep trying, don’t give up if something goes wrong, and learn from mistakes. “Every champion was once a contender that refused to give up”.

Q. What is your sporting highlight? “I’d have to say it would be winning three gold medals at the Irish Schools’ Athletics Competition and three gold medals at the Ulster Schools’; setting a new record in the triple jump and later that year going on to represent Ireland in an International competition in Kent.”

Q. What is your favourite sport? Athletics.

Q. Do you intend to take your sporting career further? Yes, my dream would be to make it to the Olympics, but I know that would be a significant challenge for myself.

Q. Why do you play your sports? I enjoy them and they help me keep fit. They clear my head, especially during exam time.

Open Night

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Childnet Digital Leaders Ballyclare High School is delighted to have been selected as one of five schools in the UK to join the Childnet Digital Leaders pilot programme. Childnet is a children’s charity that was set up in 1995 to help make the internet a great and safe place for children. They deliver educational sessions for over 25,000 children aged 3-18 every year, as well as sessions to about 4,000 parents. They also coordinate Safer Internet Day through their role as the UK Safer Internet Centre, which was supported by the Prime Minister and hundreds of organisations this year. Funded by Facebook, the Digital Leader programme will help a team of young people from Ballyclare High School develop the knowledge and skills they need to deliver online safety educational sessions to their peers. The pupils involved already have a certain depth of experience when it comes to eSafety. Since forming in February 2014, the group have met regularly to discuss current issues and to generate innovative ideas to communicate the eSafety message. They have been working alongside staff to ensure that all pupils are aware of their responsibilities online. In June, the team held an eSafety Workshop for

parents. They presented information on social media and on the tools available to help protect personal information and promote a positive online reputation. The young people will be supported through the programme by Mrs Hill, who leads the development of the eSafety policies and practices within the school. For updates on the pilot and information on keeping you and your child safe online, follow @BHS_DL on Twitter. Further eSafety information is also available at: www.ballyclarehigh.co.uk

Mrs M Hill

Computer Science pupils attend “IT’s Your Choice” conference On 4th November 2014, six of our Computer Science pupils attended and demonstrated at an event at Queen’s University, Belfast. The event “IT’s Your Choice” was organised by Sentinus. Our pupils were invited to attend the event to showcase their programming skills which were witnessed by Sentinus last year when they ran another event in our school called “Apply IT”. The presenter was so overwhelmed with the technical ability and the programming skills which our pupils demonstrated, that he invited six representatives to demonstrate at “IT’s Your Choice” in Riddel Hall. The pupils were excellent advocates for Ballyclare High School and other exhibitors, teachers and professionals in the industry were really impressed with their talent.

Peter Gordon, Matthew Dawson, Joshua Patter son, Ruth Hyndman, Aaron Coleman, Patrick Douga n

School Events

Safe Driving Event This year the school hosted a very successful Safe Driving Event on 22nd April in association with Newtownabbey Road Safety committee. Sixth Form pupils had the opportunity to complete a road route under the expert supervision of qualified driving instructors or to attempt a series of manoeuvrability tests in the school playground. In addition a range of organisations and companies mounted exhibitions in the Sports Hall which provided pupils with information about motoring matters including insurance, car maintenance and road safety apps; this prompted thoughtful discussions on road safety related issues. The School is grateful to all those who contributed to the event with their expertise, their sponsorship, their support and their interest on the day. Headmaster Mr Knox commented: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;By raising awareness of these issues, we equip pupils with knowledge and skills which will serve them well in the future.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Trampoline Success In Limerick, on 18th May 2015, twelve year old Breanna Courtney was awarded silver at the Irish National Championships for Intermediate Level NDP4 Trampoline. She is very committed to her sport and trains up to 13 hours a week, over 4 days, with Abbey Gymnastics in Belfast. In September 2014, she travelled to Portugal with elite Irish gymnasts and is currently ranked 25th in the world for U12. She competes in Teamgym, Gymfusion and Trampoline. We congratulate her on her success and wish her well for the future!

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Junior Formal 2014

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Charity at Ballyclare High School Read On Ballyclare High School has 8615 reasons to celebrate reading, after pupils read their way through hundreds of books to support a local children’s cancer charity. In January, pupils in Years 8 to 10 took part in the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children’s sponsored ReadOn initiative, which challenges pupils to read as many books as possible in a week, to help local children living with cancer. This is our 14th annual ReadOn event, and a record-breaking year as we have raised a staggering £8,615 for the NICFC. This money will be used to provide practical, financial and emotional support to young people diagnosed with cancer and their families.

Rebecca Spiers from Northern Irela nd Cancer Fund for Children accepts a wonderful amount of £8,6 15 which Ballyclare High pupils raised through a sponsored ReadOn.

Year 8 Blythswood Christmas Shoebox Appeal

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Tag your photo

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Well in a Week On 15th June 2015 we set ourselves the challenge of raising enough money to build a well in Gulu, Northern Uganda. In a week. It costs £4000 and will be built near the site of a new school (St. Stephen’s Primary School). A school is no good if its pupils are too sick to attend, or too busy making 6km round trips to fetch dirty water- up to four times a day. That’s where we came in. Our school community joined together to give water to the new school. 800 of us, helping 800 of them.

watering the garden, and many more. We also sold clean water, had a BBQ at break, and special pupil-led assemblies based on compassion and loving our neighbour. Some of our teachers even made some special videos for morning registration where we got to see them get very wet! On the final day we had a ‘Giving Assembly’ where we were reminded of the vital life-giving value of water and all had the chance to step out and do our bit by bringing our donations to collection points around the room.

1,400 children die every day from water related illnesses and we think that’s just wrong. We wanted these children to have life and a future, and we joined together in our vision to raise ‘A Well in a Week’!

Our final total on the Friday was £4155, and that didn’t include Gift Aid or late donations. That means that not only did we raise enough to build a well, but will be able to contribute to other vital sanitation facilities. We are so pleased that our small individual sacrifices came together to make huge change!

We wanted to empathise a little with some of the burdens felt by children in Uganda so we took on extra chores for the week- washing cars, dishes, and dogs, cooking dinner,

A McClelland

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Language Assistants Our language departments welcomed the return of two assistants this year as Justine Oriard, from Le Mans in France, and Susana Sanchez Hurtado, from Spain, are back with us again. We also welcomed a new assistant Natascha Rettich from Sigmaringen in Germany.

Ballyclare High School Kindle programme For first year pupils coming to Ballyclare High School from September 2014 there was an exciting addition to their schoolbag; all children were given a Kindle e-Reader for use in school. Not only are the kindles pre-loaded with books to be studied in the English classroom, there is a wide range of contemporary novels for the children to read and enjoy in their own time from popular authors such as Malorie Blackman, Robert Muchamore and Charlie Higson. There is a belief here in Ballyclare High that reading fiction is a core element in any curriculum and, according to the Accelerated Reader software in use throughout school, over 200 million words of fiction have been read and understood by pupils in years 8, 9 and 10 since last September. The introduction of an e-Reader to all pupils coming to school for the first time reinforces the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ambition to embrace as much modern technology as possible to make learning meaningful and enjoyable whilst, at the same time, affirming the traditional pleasures of print.

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Visit from German Author Nadia Budde

On Monday 6th October our German Department was delighted to welcome the author Nadia Budde to our classes. The illustrator and writer has won many prestigious awards such as the 2000 Jugendliteraturpreis and the 2013 Hans-Meid-Preis. It was a real treat to have a German author in our presence.

besides, bristles are nice!) as well as her comic Such dir was aus, aber beeil dich! Kindsein in zehn Kapiteln (Pick something, but don’t take forever! East German Childhood in ten chapters). Our Year 12 pupils did a wonderful job communicating in German and asking good questions about Nadia’s childhood and career.

She visited Mr Collen’s Year 12 German class and spoke to pupils about her life, before reading from her work. Nadia Budde was born in 1967 in East Berlin. Her early childhood was under the communist regime and her work often reflects her memories of childhood. She read to us from her much acclaimed story Und außerdem sind Borsten schön (And

Nadia also did workshops at Ballyclare Primary School and Fairview Primary School as part of our award-winning Leading Little Linguists Primary Outreach Programme. We would like to thank Nadia for taking the time to visit us and also thank the Goethe Institut London for arranging the visit.

Year 10 Boys’ Football Team Congratulations to the Year 10 Boys’ Football Team who won the East Antrim Cup. They beat Ashfield Boys’ School in the final. This is particularly pleasing for this group as they also won this trophy last year in Year 9.

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Friends of Ballyclare High School Titanic Gala A Gala Evening at the Titanic Quarter on 29th November 2014 was the perfect way to celebrate the setting up of Friends of Ballyclare High School. The new support group for the School is made up of teachers, former teachers, parents, Governors and former pupils. The group aims to support the School in creating even more opportunities to enrich the learning experience of its pupils, inside and outside the classroom through sport, music, drama, cultural activities, language exchange visits and other trips abroad, science competitions and exhibitions. Friends of Ballyclare High School aims to raise funds, organise support and expert advice and establish links between the School and the wider community. It will harness the resources of the community to further extend the Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation and strengthen its role within the community.

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Jane Kenny Year 14, UK Germany Youth Ambassador

This summer I was delighted to be selected as a ‘UK-German Connection’ Youth Ambassador. This rather ambiguous title hides a simple but important role: I will promote cultural exchange between the UK and Germany and facilitate communication between the youth of both countries. This Halloween saw the first of my long awaited seminars in London. It was the first meeting of the 50 ambassadors from across the UK and Germany; with students travelling from as far North as Aberdeen and German students making their way from various regions, from Eastern Berlin to Rhineland. My fears that the 2 days could have been too short a time to get to know one another were unfounded. Friendships were easily made, with our immediate bonding over our love for both British and German culture. I was overjoyed to discover that we have a particularly strong Northern Irish contingent this year. We have three other ambassadors: Peter Madden from Londonderry; Maeve Cadden from Fermanagh; and more locally Ross Allinson in attendance at Campbell College. Last year’s shocking figure that 20% fewer students have taken on A-level German in Northern Ireland could explain the UK German Connection’s strong efforts to promote German culture and language in Northern Ireland.

After speaking to Peter and Maeve during the seminar I began to appreciate how privileged we are to have such a strong language department at Ballyclare High, as German is being ruthlessly cut back at their schools. In the coming year we hope to organise a German Debate. It will be a huge undertaking but an incredible opportunity if the plans are realised! Other events throughout the year will include the showing of German Films in the school film club and perhaps the opportunity to host language nights in local youth clubs and classes in local primary schools. UK-German Connection began in 2006 but has already made strong links with our school. In 2010 we received substantial funding from them for our Dorsten Exchange and in 2012 we were grateful to win an all-expenses paid trip to Berlin for our school, Ballyclare Primary School and Fairview Primary School. UK-German Connection – bringing young people together - is dedicated to increasing contacts and understanding between young people in the UK and Germany. It is a bilateral initiative, which has been established and developed in collaboration between the UK and Germany. www.ukgermanconnection.org

Jane Kenny, Year 14

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House of Lords Chamber Event This year five Upper Sixth politics students got the rare opportunity of going to a debate in the House of Lords. Not only did they get to witness the debate first hand, they actually got to participate and voice their opinion. These students were Jonny Gilpin, India Barr, Lauren Hill, Stewart Wilson and Anna Montgomery. These pupils entered a regional final at the University of Ulster and India and Jonny’s persuasive contribution at this debate gained them the additional honour of making up one half of the Lords Chamber event’s Northern Ireland team. This then led to them being invited to the House of Lords to take part in their annual, intergenerational debate on decision-making in a digital society with the topical question: ‘Parliament 2.0: in a digital society, is politics for politicians or is everyone a decision maker?’

Past subjects debated in recent years have included defence and remembrance, social care, climate change and the future of the Lords itself. Mr Waring, Politics and History teacher, commented “We were delighted to be a part of this prestigious event.” On the 28th November 2014, the pupils and Mr Waring travelled to London to take part in the debate. Jonny opened the debate with a very prepared and thought out speech, coming across very confident in himself and

the point he was making. The debate continued on with people of all ages, all genders, from all across the UK, putting their points across including our very own India Barr who spoke exceptionally. The debate was broadcast live on BBC’s Parliament Channel, The House of Lords website and on the Lords YouTube channel.

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Success at Science competitions for Ballyclare High BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2015 Doing a science project in school means you get to create your own project, that no one else has ever done before, and you get to learn more than what is in the textbook. You also get to meet amazing and talented people from all around the United Kingdom and Ireland who also enjoy science. Being able to compete in science competitions is an interesting and fun experience; and one of the best competitions in Europe is the BT Young Scientist and Technology Fair, held in the RDS in Dublin in January each year. Over 2000 projects applied this year, and the top 550 were selected to present in Dublin. Ballyclare High was privileged enough to be able to send two teams to these Irish finals this year, where we were able to represent our school and our county. While you are at the science competition you get to meet pupils from all around the country and learn a lot more about science from different companies and universities from all across the British Isles. The competition involves presenting your project for four days to the 59,000 visitors and also to a series of judges who evaluate your project. They give you advice on how to improve and continue your project which is extremely helpful and enjoyable. You meet a wide range of people, ranging from the general public to more influential people such as our local MLAs, the US Ambassador to Ireland and maybe even a past Irish Taoiseach. The competition is split into four main categories (social science, biological science, chemical, physical and mathematical, and technology) and that means your project could be based on absolutely anything from a water sanitation device to a speed detection app. In total there are over 120 awards handed out over the course of the competition and that means that if you get through to Dublin there is a reasonably good chance that you will be able to walk away with a prize. Even if you do not however, it is still an extremely worthwhile experience as you are able to take a lot away from it and you just get to have an enjoyable time.

Emma Neill and Bethany Stewart’s project, “Using Biomimicry to Produce Environmentally Friendly Cement” was placed third in their group, and Jonathan Rainey and Patrick Dougan’s project “Car Speed by Doppler Shift” won the Irish Central Bank prize for the physics project which best illustrates innovative techniques and the use of data.

Jonathan Rainey, Year 12

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National Science and Engineering Competition Big Bang Fair Chris Graham, Katie Jackson, Daniel Orr and Lana Robb were declared “Northern Ireland Young Engineers Overall Winner” at the Sentinus Young Innovators last June and awarded one of ten places to represent NI at the National Science and Engineering Awards. Patrick Dougan and Jonathan Rainey were also selected to present their project, where it received a “Highly Commended” Award, ranking it as one of the top five projects in the UK in their age group.

The Big Bang Fair is the UK’s largest annual celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). With over 75,000 in attendance, it is a great opportunity for young people to see first-hand the wide ranging impact STEM has on the world around us and the potential it has to make the world a better, more exciting place. Many STEM-linked companies and organizations exhibit at the fair to provide interactive experiences for those in attendance. Although these stalls were sure to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers, the heart of the event, and the reason we were in attendance, was the final of the National Science and Engineering competition. Two hundred of the best science and engineering projects from across the country exhibited a wide range of projects from investigating the effects of hair colour on the senses to developing more effective treatments for cystic-fibrosis. Our project was a rig that is able to test the efficacy of remote tyre pressure sensors. A 2012 EU law requires that all new vehicles have the ability to test tyre pressure remotely. This improves passenger safety and a local company, Schrader Electronics in Antrim, has taken up the mantle to provide the huge numbers of tyre pressure sensors that are now needed. We worked with them to develop a spin rig that tests the ability of these sensors to communicate wirelessly with the control unit of the car.

We presented our project to judges as well as members of the public, explaining the complex design process that was needed to bring together the hardware, software, and electrical components of our product. They seemed genuinely interested in the project and how it could be adapted to a variety of situations. After two days of exhibiting our project and seeing what our fellow competitors had worked on, it was time for the awards ceremony hosted by the Gadget Show’s Jason Bradbury. The awards were presented by the “voice of X-Factor” Peter Dickson, and although we didn’t hear the famous booming voice announce our names, we lost to worthy competition in the form of fellow Northern Irishman Colum McNally, who developed an agri-hammer to reduce the risk of farming accidents. All in all, it was a great experience that we won’t forget in a hurry, and the minor mishaps involving taxis and suitcases only served to create stronger memories. Many thanks to Dr Wilson for his support throughout the development of the project and to both Dr Wilson and Ms Simpson for putting up with us for four great days in Birmingham.

Daniel Orr, Year 14

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Ski Trip pages 72-73 52

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Ethiopia 2014

Two pieces of luggage, not weighing more than 23 kg each, and one piece of hand luggage not to exceed 7kg. Times twenty-one people that’s 1113kg of filled pencil cases, Joseph-themed colouring books, hockey sticks, crayons, scissors, tissue paper, Haribo, water filters, and all sorts of other surprises. Let’s not forget the stashes of Punjana tea bags and chocolate digestives; a little taste of home at high altitude. How would we ever squeeze it all in? As we prepared for our trip to Bethany School, Bekoji, where we would build water filters, run a holiday Bible club, and experience an Africa we had only ever seen on television, we pondered over what gifts and supplies were most essential. However, when we arrived we quickly realised that it was the gifts without limit, our talents, enthusiasm, joy, and our compassion, that would be of most use. For those of us who managed an airborne nap, our senses were truly awakened in the busy throng of Addis Ababa; where road rules don’t exist and you’re as likely to overtake a donkey and cart as a petrol-operated vehicle. The noise of car horns and road works mingled with scents of roadside delicacies and freshly laid tarmac. A new road is coming to Addis.

However, it wasn’t this road that interested us. Climbing steadily to our 2800m altitude the landscape becomes more rural, with only the odd sugar processing plant to remind us that this was really 2014. Donkeys carry water from communal wells and you learn to stop for passing goats, cattle, and even camels. Well, why not? They were here first. But these are the things that you can read about in any travel journal. Bethany School was why we were there and we were all completely unprepared for our overwhelming welcome. A sea of smiling faces, laughing, waving, and singing lined the approach; everyone wanted to say hello and hands were outstretched all the way down the muddy road. They had been waiting, with songs prepared along with actions and drums and, just like that, we were there: “We have seen how thankful the children are for us simply being here with them and they all have so much love to give. They have so little yet all day they are always running around playing and laughing. It has made us realize how important the little things are in life and how we take so much for granted. Everyone is doing well and making the most of an incredible experience.” (Megan Quinn, Rebecca Quinn, Faye Harrison.) “My first impressions of Bethany School have been

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love, fun and more love shown to us by the kids and local helpers of the school. Today we went to the market in Bekoji and bought some gifts for our family, and to finish off our visit to the market we got a cart ride home, definitely a new experience! I have loved my time so far and can’t wait for the many more experiences this next week will hold!” (Emma Wilson)

to beautiful singing and dancing. It’s been a wonderful experience so far seeing the children and playing games with them. They are all so happy despite the hardship that they face on a regular basis and being here has really shown me how much of a positive impact Stand By Me have, not just on the children but the entire community.’ (Emily Woodside)

“Well what a difference a few plane journeys and car rides make. Bekoji is a completely different world to life in Ballyclare. The people I’ve met here are some of the happiest I have ever seen yet they have so little. Our trip to the market today was something I’ll never forget. I tried to take a few tips from my mum by telling them I was a “Ballymena Woman” but I don’t think they quite understood! There were plenty of bargains, and the journey home by horse and cart was quite a bumpy ride. Thankfully the team is healthy so far and we continue to appreciate your prayers.” (Ruth Jenkins)

This morning’s church service gave us the opportunity to perform the story of ‘The Good Samaritan’ to a Pentecostal congregation of 2000. They got out of their seats for us, clapped and cheered (mostly at Matty B’s oscar-worthy performance of ‘the donkey’), and sang along to our funny sounding English words. Yet, one of the most touching sights was almost invisible. A little boy in the children’s choir; jumping, dancing and singing with all his might. He was wearing a dirty, worn, white t-shirt, the chest emblazoned with a familiar crest- Ballyclare High School. A reminder that, as the story of ‘The Good Samaritan’ teaches us, we are all neighbours.

In Bekoji there’s no popping down to the corner shop for a few groceries. You go to the Saturday market, and so did we. Our translators gave us (and the tiny companions we’re already used to picking up) a guided tour through the cornucopia of colour, spice, coffee beans, washbasins, onions, soaps, plastic shoes, and livestock. You need it, they’ve got it- as long as you know where to look. Bekoji residents aren’t completely alien to the sight of gawky foreigners in ‘Stand by Me’ t-shirts, but on market day neighbouring villages pour in. They’ve never caught sight of a ‘China China’ (slang for foreigner) and it becomes a friendly spectator sport. If you happen to have a camera you can capture this unusual sight and relay it back to everyone at home. Yet again, we were struck by how warm a welcome we received wherever we went. ‘It’s been an amazing and wonderful experience so far, from the welcome we received when we arrived to the singing and dancing that we took part in at Church. Heading to the Church this morning with children from the houses near-by clamping onto every finger whilst trying to watch where you were going, was a new experience. You’d never think your presence would bring so much joy to the community.’ (Megan Adams) ‘Arriving here the first thing I noticed was how welcoming and loving everyone was, especially because we arrived

Time is a strange phenomenon in Bekoji. Few wear a watch and the day starts at our 6am, with the sunrise (a relief to discover when we were told that breakfast was at 1.30). On Monday morning our relatively gentle immersion into Ethiopian life was replaced by immediate saturation. Hand, faces, smiles, runny noses, and choruses of ‘Semishmano?’ (‘What is your name?’) bombarded us as we attempted to mould our Ulster-Scots tongues around the array of beautiful African names. Each morning began with an outdoor assembly, then we got to work, with ten consecutive sessions (broken by lunch) of Craft, Music, Colouring, Games, and Sport. There were so many memorable experiences packed into such a short time: ‘Last night we visited “Jane’s home” where the orphaned children are cared for. They sang with great enthusiasm, put on a play that was of Oscar winning material and provided popcorn and little coffees (bhuna) for us. It was a lovely experience and one that we’ll never forget.’ (Emma and Ruth) ‘We really enjoyed experiencing the traditional tastes of Ethiopia when we visited Mr Bhurdani’s house and were introduced to his family. We had the pleasure of trying an Ethiopian delicacy called ‘injera’ while discovering the local family life of Bekoji.’ (Megan Quinn and Aimee Russell)

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Breakfast is a conveyor belt of sweet tea and bread rolls as 450 children arrive. The little ones will take you by the hand and lead you in to join them at their tiny tables, some still sleepy climbing onto your knee for a cuddle, while the big boys and girls look over, smiling shyly. At first glance you would never guess that these children come from deprived backgrounds, until a closer look reveals the straw stuck to their backs where they have slept on the ground or the bottom of a tiny babygro peeping out from underneath a five year-old’s school shirt. All these things are, as usual, accessorised with a wide smile (and often a runny nose). At the core of Stand by Me is the sponsorship programme and, thankfully, most pupils at Bethany School now have a sponsor. Home visits are humbling affairs. The smoky, mud-walled shacks a tangible reminder of the children’s everyday reality and the daily struggles with hunger, HIV, and fractured families. So grateful are they to Stand by Me that they are willing to offer up everything in their home to a humble guest. Stand by Me’s role is vital for these families, providing health c are for all and a new ‘Keeping Families Together’ programme which supports the starting of small businesses.

Every child has a different story. Some have one parent, some have none, some are being raised by older siblings or grandparents. Some want to be doctors, others journalists or bank managers. They are all unique. Life in Bekoji isn’t easy. For all the joy witnessed there are no doubt accompanying sorrows and s truggles but, alongside that, there is determination. Every child truly matters. They each have a dream and a desire to further themselves through education. Sweets and toys are joyfully received, as they are from any child, but it is their hunger for knowledge that will ensure their survival in a swiftly evolving Ethiopia. Bethany School is a place of Hope, where children dare to aspire to better things and expect to achieve them. Ambition is actively encouraged and success celebrated. Perhaps the greatest ironies of our life-changing trip is that we thought we were going to pass on knowledge when, in fact, we learned infinitely more.

A McClelland

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Year 8 Trip to Paris I went on the 2014 year 8 school trip to Paris and I am really pleased that I went, as it was a really memorable experience. The four days that we spent in Paris were jam-packed with lots of activities and sightseeing. We went on a ‘Mr Collen walking tour’ on the first day where we walked through the streets of Paris and stopped by any local shops we wanted to go to. We then went to Pizza Hut for dinner. Later, we stopped by a crepe stall where we got hand made crepes. On our trip, we also went to an amazing swimming pool where we were given some time to go on all the water slides we wanted. I think that the most unforgettable experience in the whole trip was when we went to Disneyland Paris. We were given the whole day to go on all the rides we wanted and go in all the shops. For dinner, we ate in Planet Hollywood in Disneyland.

On the next day we went to a choice of either the Louvre or the Museé d’Orsay, I went to the Louvre and it was really interesting but I unfortunately didn’t get to see the Mona Lisa. After that we got lunch and then walked to the park where we were allowed to relax. Later on we went to the Eiffel Tower where we were given an hour to look about. On the next day we went to a tower where we could see over the whole of Paris and take pictures. After that we went to the Sacré-Cœur. On the final day we went to another museum and then we went to a humongous shopping centre next to the airport where we were given about 3 hours to have a chance to buy gifts to bring home. I found the whole time very enjoyable and fun; and I would recommend that anyone who can go on the trip should, as it was an unforgettable experience.

Victoria Davidson, 9A 56

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German Exchange 2014 The languages department had a busy year in 2014-15 with the German Exchange being a highlight for a group of young linguists. Two pupils who have been on the Exchange before are Rory Flanagan and William Simpson in Year 13. Having thoroughly enjoyed their visit to Dorsten, they didn’t hesitate to talk about their experience.

First of all, who did you stay with? W - I stayed with Leon and his mum, Annette, and dad, Martyn, in Dorsten. They also had a dog called Paula. R- I spent my week with Dominik, his mum, dad and older brother. They lived about 16km outside of Dorsten, in the countryside, in a small village called Erle. It was a bit like Ballyclare actually; a housing estate but in the middle of the countryside.

What activities did you do? W - We spent 1 day in school with them and went to classes. I attended a history class but I know that others got to go to English and Dutch classes too. Another day, we went to see the Mayor of Dorsten and visited a mall in Oberhausen. Our visit to Cologne and Münster allowed us to see a lot of the history in Germany and view their Cathedrals. We had the opportunity to see a light show in Gasometer art museum: completely mesmerising. Personally, I was lucky to spend a lot of time at my host’s house, just relaxing and getting to know them better. R- I also went to school with my host and got to see how classes worked in Germany. I had English, French and Chemistry classes that day (and actually managed to answer a Chemistry question in German). We all shopped in Oberhausen but I also went to a Movie Park which was filled with loads of movie themed rides. At night, we just played basketball in the courts in the primary school playground and went to Edeka (a shop a bit like ASDA).

Has your German improved? W - Yes, definitely. I’ve done this exchange before so I knew what I was going to experience but it wasn’t as daunting as you’d think. Annette spoke English, so she could help me if I was really stuck but, at the same time, she let me practise my German. I learnt a lot more conversational German which I think is different from the German you learn at school.

R - I’d agree that my conversational German got better and I learnt more slang; as well as some new phrases. Dominik’s dad spoke Dutch, Polish and German, and his mum was French, so there was a wide range of languages that I heard during my stay.

What cultural differences did you notice? W - I noticed almost immediately, how much they cycle and their differences in humour. To be honest, a lot of the differences weren’t major but you certainly noticed them. One big difference, however, was that nearly everyone had a Partykeller which I thought was ‘Echt cool’. The school system was quite different as their GCSE equivalent grade is determined by an average taken of all your tests during the year- there’s no single exam at the end and school ends at different times for different people (between 1 and 4), depending on when their classes finish. R - The day that we went to school was when I noticed how early they had to get up (around 6:30) because school started at 7:30. The shops were similar to here, except ALDI and LIDL are much more popular, but I noticed how much bigger everything there was. The mall that we went to must have been about 5 times the size of Victoria square. The food was also quite different from what we’re used to.

Speaking of food, what was the local cuisine like in Dorsten? W - They have a lot more fried food but, in a way, it’s healthier. They did eat the stereotypical schnitzel and wurst but they also ate some things that I didn’t expect. For instance, the crisps were completely different to ours; they loved the paprika flavour which was actually very nice. They only drank bottled water and never tap water and the biggest relief was that they did drink tea (though they prefer more exotic flavours-like herbal and peach flavoured tea). >>

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R - I thought that it was, surprisingly, very nice. Dinners were mainly meat-based and they had an array of sausages and hams to choose from. I did find some of their combinations a bit strange, however, like the fact that they like red onion and currywurst together. They drank only fizzy/mineral water from a bottle and never tap because, as Dominik explained to me, they believe that it’s better for you. Breakfast was definitely the biggest difference and it was, without exaggeration, massive! In Northern Ireland we don’t eat as much so I’m sure that they thought I was a bit strange.

What teachers went with you? W&R - Miss McConnell, Mr Collen and Mrs Kennedy.

Were there any disadvantages? W - No major ones but getting caught up on work after you’ve been away for a week was a struggle. R - The long bus journey from Amsterdam to Dorsten was probably the only disadvantage I can think of and the bottled water.

Would you do it again? W - Definitely, I’ve hosted twice and been twice now, but I wouldn’t hold back on visiting again. R - I would love to do it again and to get a chance to improve my German even more for A-level.

What advice would you give anyone who wanted to go on the trip next year? W - Take the opportunity to practise your German and don’t be afraid to speak in case you make a mistake because everyone will at some point; it’s the best way to learn a language, in my opinion. I’d also tell them to ask for ‘English tea’ if you want some because otherwise you’ll end up with green tea like I did. R - Yeah, just enjoy it and embrace the opportunity. I’d really recommend it as you do make some good friends on the trip.

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French exchange between Ballyclare High School and the Lycée Camille Sée, Colmar This year marks the 20th anniversary of the thriving exchange between Ballyclare High School and the Lycée Camille Sée in Colmar, France. Between the 3rd -10th of November, we hosted staff and pupils from Colmar in Ballyclare. A range of activities were organised for them in an action-packed week. In school, the French staff and pupils participated in a Great British Bake-off organised by Mrs Gaston from the Home Economics Department. Scones were successfully made and many were eaten with home-made strawberry jam before they left class!

This was followed by some art work with the help of Mr Reid from the Art Department. Staff and pupils did monoprinting and they left with wonderful and amusing souvenirs of the event. The French staff and pupils had an official reception in Mossley Mill hosted by Mr Hogg, Mayor of Newtownabbey Borough Council, and they also had a guided tour of Parliament Buildings at Stormont. They had a visit of the Ulster Museum in Belfast and had a wonderful day on the north coast with pupils from Ballyclare High School. They visited Dunluce Castle, the Giant’s Causeway and the salmon station in Bushmills.

Mr Alan Wilson

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Spanish Trip Barcelona 2015 On Wednesday the 22nd of October we departed from Belfast International Airport on flight EZY6671 at 10:10. Our flight was 2 hours long due to strong tail winds. The excitement was building within all of us, as some of us had never been outside of the UK. Little did we know, the best four days of our lives lay ahead of us! We had finally arrived in Barcelona airport T2; most first days would be nice and easy but Mr Nelson and Mr Nutt had a different idea. Instead of going to the hotel we went straight out, threw our bags on the coach and went to look around Barcelona. We got our lunch at the Maremagnum Complex. After having a look around the shops, we went out and looked at the Olympic stadium and enjoyed a cable car ride up to a view point. This was loads of fun and was a really nice place to take photos and see the whole city. The Olympic stadium was being set up for a concert and it was nice to see that something so big and nice was still being used today.

After a well-rested night and a continental breakfast we had embarked on our second journey. We decided to head out on a bus tour. We had been picked up in the morning by a Spanish bus driver called George. Our first stop was to Las Ramblas. Then we headed out to see the Camp Nou and La Sagrada Familia, two iconic structures in Barcelona. La Sagrada Familia is a chapel in Barcelona that was built many years ago and is still being built today. Many people say it will never be finished. Most people will have heard of the Camp Nou, one of the biggest football stadiums in the world and the home to Barcelona FC. That night we went bowling which was a great way to end a great day. Friday, our third day in EspaĂąa. Today we decided to go to the aquarium and the beach, along with Mr Nutt and one of the upper 6ths who went with us, Warren, we played our own version of the El ClĂĄsico on the beach. Half of us had Barcelona tops and the other had Real Madrid tops. Real Madrid won 20-0. The winning team consisted of, Mr Nutt, Warren McKeown, Ben Sempey, Ross Reynolds, Joshua Young and Jack Maguire.

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Saturday was our last full day in Spain, this was arguably the best day of the trip. Today we went to Port Aventura. Port Aventura is a huge theme park in Tarragona. For many of us it was the first proper rollercoasters we had ever been onâ&#x20AC;Ś unless you count the Big Dipper in Barryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as a proper Rollercoaster. Port Aventura is a theme park with 6 different sections: China, Mexico, Far West, Polynesia, Mediterrania and SesamoAventura. For most of us our fate lay in China. China is where the biggest rollercoasters were. The two that stand out are The Dragon Khan and Shambhala. Shambhala is the tallest ride in Europe with 76 meters in height and the longest fall in Europe with 78 meters. Many of our fellow school trip participants would agree Port Aventura was the best day.

Sunday October 26th was the day our adventure had come to a halt. We had an early breakfast then went to check in at Barcelona terminal 2c for Easy Jet flight EZY6672 to Belfast International Airport. I would like to say thank you to all the staff who made this possible and a special thanks to Mr Nelson for putting in the work to organise the trip and give our Spanish year that experience.

Ben Sempey and Anna Crowe, Year 11

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Year 8 trip to Woodhall Year 8 travelled to Woodhall again this year and enjoyed great weather for the three days! All the pupils got engaged in the activities, which allowed them to get to know their new class mates, teachers, and Year 14 buddies better. Some of their favourite challenges included the high ropes, the human jenga and beat the golf ball! It was great to see how they supported and encouraged each other during the day!

Mrs S Carlisle

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Senior SU weekend; Some of the highlights from an enjoyable SU weekend away at The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum The Senior SU weekend at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum was a great opportunity to meet new people, give and receive support from peers and have a break from the pressures of school life. It was the perfect mixture of good teaching and team building activities which made for a very memorable weekend. The highlight for most people was possibly the remake videos, where we split into groups and re-enacted movie scenes.

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My South Africa Cricket Tour I was lucky to be selected to go on a tour to Cape Town in South Africa with the Northern Cricket Union as part of the Under 15 team. We left Northern Ireland with a touring party of over 50, with 2 squads of about 15 players each, 8 coaches and then a number of parents and family members and, unfortunately for me, a broken thumb! The intent of the tour was shown straight from the outset as, after travelling for 20 hours, we went straight from the airport to West Province Cricket Club to practise. This ensured we adapted to the conditions as quickly as possible although it was tough. On the second day we went to the Gary Kirsten Cricket Academy. This was another full-on day of coaching in intense heat with the local coaches providing some different perspectives from our own coaches. Gary Kirsten was able to attend so it was great to hear from the man himself. It gave us food for thought on how to reach our full potential and give the extra 10%. Our first match against Wynberg Boys’ High School didn’t exactly go the way we wanted to start the tour as we struggled in the heat against a strong opposition and we lost heavily. We corrected things in the second match coming together as a team to beat Western Province Cricket Club easily in the end. On our first of a few days off we went on the boat over to Robben Island and this gave us a moving insight into the life of Nelson Mandela and many other political prisoners. In the afternoon we went into the township and the Amy Biehl Foundation where we handed over sports and educational equipment to give to the local children. We also spent some time playing cricket with the children. I think it made every one of us realise how lucky we are and how we should learn from the children who run about in odd shoes or clothes that are too small and might not have a meal that night yet they went around in high spirits always with a smile on their faces. Next we had a tough run of three games in a row. However, we got it off to a good start with a tight win over St Augustine Cricket Club in a twenty over match.

We kept the good form going with wins over Old Mutual and Coronation as we formed together as a team with individuals making big contributions. We then had another day off where we went to the Aquila Private Game Reserve where we got a safari viewing of the magnificent ‘Big 5’ which was another once in a lifetime opportunity. My favourite was the Springbok! In our last game we played a regional side District North who showed their class against a very tired touring team. The long journey home began after a visit to the Cheetah Outreach Programme where we all got the unique opportunity to stroke a cheetah and find out about how it is an endangered species. Another long night of travelling saw us arrive back in Belfast on Monday afternoon with plenty of sleep to catch up on! On the tour generally our team got on well together whether it was on the pitch, playing games in the pool together or going out for dinner together. We seemed to do everything together as any good team does! It didn’t just help us improve as cricketers but also as an all-round person. It encouraged independence like being at the right place at the right time in the right kit (which comes easier to some of us than others!).Another point that the coaches reiterated numerous times was respect; respecting yourself, your coaches, your equipment and your opponents. It was a new, unique and really enjoyable experience for me as this is my first tour of this kind. It is something that will stay with me my entire life, the good cricket played, the banter we enjoyed and the things I learnt.

Adam Clarke, Year 10

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House of Lords Chamber Event November 2014 On Friday the 28th of November 2014, a group of 5 pupils from Mr Waring’s Year 14 A-Level Politics class travelled to London to take part in the House of Lords Chamber Event. This was an event which provided us with the opportunity to travel to London and contribute to an organised debate in the House of Lords for schools and youth groups from across the UK. Our adventure started a few weeks before the event when we went to the University of Ulster to take part in a training day organised by the English Speaking Union. The day was full of heated debate on various topics such as lowering the voting age, online voting and politics education in schools. After this, Mr Waring was sent an email informing him that our group had been chosen to go to London. Jonathan Gilpin and India Barr were chosen as first and second speakers to open the debate we were going to be a part of in the House of Lords. Our day trip in London began early in the morning. Entering into the hustle and bustle of London life was very exciting; we left plenty of time for some necessary sightseeing as we made our way to Black Rod’s Garden Entrance of the House of Lords.

Jonathan Gilpin and India Barr, Year 14 pupi ls who represented the school in the House of Lords debate

We began sightseeing in Covent Garden where we had some breakfast and travelled through London to Westminster where we had time to get snaps of Big Ben, the Cenotaph, Nelson’s Column and the National British Museum. Once we arrived in Parliament Square we were welcomed into The House of Lords and had lunch on the famous balcony overlooking the River Thames and the London Eye! We also had a tour around Parliament where we saw Westminster Hall where King Henry VIII played tennis and where many monarchs lay in state. We also saw The House of Commons and The Commons Library. We then entered into the House of Lords chamber where our live televised debate began; ‘Parliament 2.0: in a digital society, is politics for politicians or is everyone a decision maker?’ We were welcomed by Lord Speaker, Baroness D’Souza, and our very own Jonathan Gilpin was the first speaker to begin the debate. Jonathan and India spoke immensely well and we were all very proud.

The five participants outside the Houses of Parliament: Lauren Hill, Anna Montgomery, Stewart Wilson, India Barr and Jonathan Gilpin.

We would like to thank the school and Mr Waring for providing us with a once in a lifetime opportunity to take part in the Chamber event. We all had an amazing time which we will never forget!

Lauren Hill, Year 14 68

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Newtownabbey Exchange Trip to Arizona

Arizona view

When looking back on my time in America all I can say is ‘wow’. The huge differences are obvious (even from landing at the airport that could be seen) and they just continued to grow as we drove from the airport, the huge cars, the wide roads and the incredible heat. After landing at around 5:00 PM local time we stopped at a Mexican restaurant called Nandos (not to be confused with the British chicken franchise) and I had Mexican for the first time. It was quite nice but a few things about it were strange such as the refried beans. After meeting all of Emma’s family at the restaurant, we went back to the house to get settled in. After sitting down for what seemed like a millisecond Emma announced we were going bowling and it was time to be up and out again. Being absolutely exhausted from the trip I wasn’t very good at the bowling (great to have an excuse for losing) and came in last by a fairly large amount. That week we also took a road trip to Flagstaff just north of Gilbert to visit a local university and get a tour. We arrived about 3 hours early so wandered around downtown Flagstaff for a while before returning. The university was absolutely massive and everything sounded fantastic with new labs being built for the science department and extensions to other buildings

going on constantly. We were also given a multitude of free gifts such as T-shirts and Starbucks gift cards. The majority of the rest of the trip was spent just lazing around watching TV which I didn’t mind, being fairly jet lagged myself. We went to Santa Monica over the 4th July and went surfing in Venice Beach which was incredible. We had a barbecue with the Mayor of Gilbert and several other members of the programme, as well as past pupils. I was half expecting the Mayor to come in wearing a Stetson with a piece of straw hanging out of his mouth, but I was disappointed to find him to be a fairly normal guy. Soon after this we returned to Northern Ireland with our students for loads of activities organised by the council. We all went on an adventure day with zorbing, seg-waying, and a high ropes course. The Mayor then had us for another barbecue at Sentry Hill and we even managed to get an unofficial tour of the house. Overall, I had an incredible time on the exchange and would definitely encourage anyone thinking about applying for it to go ahead and do it. You make great friends and unforgettable memories.

Jamie McCluskey, Year 14

Trips & Tours

My Arizona Exchange Experience Part 1: Gilbert, Arizona When I arrived at the airport in Phoenix, Arizona, I was greeted by my exchange family with a sign and felt so welcome. The first day I spent unpacking and being shown around the house as I arrived at 5pm. On my second day Kathryn and I went to a pool party at her friend’s house and I also got to go to a council meeting and was introduced to the council. On my third day I went on a tour of ASU and it was really impressive - there was a football stadium built into two mountains! After this we went shopping at the mall and then met up with some of Kathryn’s friends and watched Transformers 4. I was very surprised by portion sizes when I arrived because some small drinks seemed like large ones from back home. Day 4 we drove 6 hours to California and went to Downtown Disney for dinner. Then on day 5 we went to Disneyland to California Adventure and it really is the most magical place on earth. We had a great time and I went on my first roller coaster! We saw the World of Colour and it was amazing. The next day we drove to visit Kathryn’s grandparents and stayed there for three days. While we were there we went shopping and went out for lunch but the trip was really just to relax. On day 8 we drove home which took almost 8 hours! Just after we got unpacked there was a dust storm with lightning which is the first one I’ve ever seen. The sky was orange as it was filled with dust and the trees were nearly bending in two because of the strength of the wind! I had a great first week here even though I was missing home a lot and I couldn’t wait to experience my first American 4th of July. On the ninth day in Arizona we spent the evening at Tempe town lake for the 4th July celebration. It was beautiful and had live music and a great firework display. On the tenth day we went over to Kathryn’s boyfriend’s house (Kyle) to make “spaghetti pizza” and that was definitely a new experience! The next day we spent the entire day at Sun Splash, the local water park and, of course, I got sun burnt. It was so much fun and it even had a wave pool. On day 12 we drove to the Grand Canyon which was absolutely beautiful and we stayed there for the night; our room had a view that looked right onto the canyon! The next day we got up at 6am and Kathryn and I hiked

Kathryn and Caitlin in Arizona part of the Grand Canyon which was so hard. Even though it was really early it was still so hot but we managed it and I’m super happy I did it. We spent the rest of the morning and some of the afternoon buying things from the souvenir shop and I spent a lot of money. That afternoon we travelled home and just slept because that early start and the hike almost killed us. The next day we got a tour of the State Capitol and were told a lot of information about how the government in America and Arizona worked which was so interesting because I know so little about government issues. We also got a tour of the ninth floor which is where the Governor’s office is and apparently that never happens so we were so lucky! On the fifteenth day of my trip to Gilbert, Kathryn, her friend Emily, her boyfriend Kyle and I went to Tonto Natural Bridge. It was so beautiful! We hiked under the bridge and then went swimming in a creek which was the first time I had done that. It was a beautiful day and was probably my favourite thing we did. The next day Kathryn organised a water balloon fight as a send-off for me so her friends could say good bye. We spent hours filling up balloons and it only lasted five minutes but it was so much fun and Jamie came with his exchange student Emma. On day 17 we went to a BBQ with the council and got to meet the exchange students from China which was so nice; I was impressed as their English was amazing! On our last day in Arizona we went to Kyle’s brother’s birthday party and had lots of fun swimming and eating cake. There was then a sad goodbye with Kathryn’s parents but I had a great time and am so happy that I got the opportunity to do this. I hope I can come back to Gilbert someday.

Trips & Tours

Part 2: Northern Ireland: Week one We arrived on the Monday and we had nothing planned on the Tuesday as we had spent the whole day before travelling so thankfully it was a day to relax; later on in the evening we went to Abbeycentre. The third day back we went to Crosskennan and Kathryn got to meet all the horses. This was a first for her as it had been for me. The day after that we went on a trip that had been organised by the council. We went on a coach trip up the north coast and I personally learnt a lot about Northern Ireland that I didn't know and saw more of it too. The day after that we took a trip to Strangford Lough and went to Exploris and saw all the baby seals and touched some sea creatures. On Saturday we went into Belfast with my friends from school to go shopping - Kathryn loved Primark! On Sunday my brothers came over to the house to have a family dinner to welcome Kathryn and because my oldest brother was leaving to move to London for his job.

Week two On Monday we went to Crosskennan again and got to work with the dogs this time which was great. On the Tuesday we flew to London for two days. On the first day we went on the London Eye and then went shopping on Oxford Street. That evening we met up with my brother and went out for a meal. On the second day we went to see the Changing of the Guard and then to the historical Tower of London. These were firsts for me as well as for Kathryn which made it even more fun. On the Thursday we went to Mossley Mill where the council is based and we got a tour which was very interesting. The scenic walkway that was built starts just behind my house so we walked that and ate lunch in the Mill. Later on in the afternoon we went down to Loughshore which is one of my favourite places to spend time. On the Friday we had another council organised activity. This time we went to a company called Jungle NI and it was one of the best days I have ever had, it was amazing! We did a tree top adventure, zorbing and then went on zegways around the grounds and it was so much fun, probably the best day of the trip. That Saturday was a rest day as the Jungle NI day took a lot out of us. The Sunday my parents took us to the North Coast and unfortunately it rained heavily but we had a great time anyway.

Caitlin and Jamie

Week three On the Monday we went on the Belfast bus tour which taught me so much more about Northern Ireland; we got off at the Titanic museum which was another first for me and it was incredible, my favourite part was seeing what the interior of the ship looked like. That evening we took Kathryn to the restaurant Cosmo with some of my friends and we ate way too much as everyone does at buffets. On the Tuesday we went up to Stormont and were given a tour by Paul Girvan MLA. Stormont is very grand and I had never been before so it was a great experience for both Kathryn and me. That evening we went to a BBQ at Sentry Hill which was organised by the council where we met the mayor of Newtownabbey. The food was amazing and we got a tour of the house which was great too. On Wednesday we went up to Derry and had a tour of the walls which was really interesting and then we went to Benone beach which was beautiful even though it was a bit cold. On Thursday we hung out with some of my friends that I live near and then went out for dinner with my parents. On the Friday we went down to Dublin and went on a bus tour. We looked around Trinity College and it was beautiful and then we did a bit of shopping. Saturday was the day Kathryn left and we were all really sad. There was a lot of hugging but we have made plans to hopefully meet up again next summer and I plan to stay in constant contact with her. What I loved most about this experience was meeting loads of new people but also seeing so much more of Northern Ireland that I had never seen made me really appreciate where I live.

Caitlin Hunter, Year 14

Trips & Tours

Ski trip 2014

The time was upon us for Ballyclare High School’s annual ski trip. This year the ski trip was to the beautiful resort of Ehrwald in Austria. It had 74 blue slopes, 55 red and 11 black. It was a great experience and a brilliant holiday for the pupils and staff involved. Very early on the 28th March we all met up at the front of the school to board the coaches. One by one we all got on, tired but excited for the week that lay ahead of us. The trip to Dublin took no time at all: because I, for one, slept the majority of the way. We were all so eager to get on the plane and get to Austria. Once in Austria we collected our bags and prepared to board more coaches for an hour and a half journey to our hotel, the wonderful 3* Sonnenburg hotel. We stopped at a Burger King / McDonald’s for a much needed food break. Then we boarded the coach again and continued our journey to the hotel. We arrived and were shocked to see that there was no snow! However, the sun was shining, something we don’t see much in NI so we couldn’t complain. We walked to the hotel and got settled

into our rooms. Once we got all our unpacking and bed claiming done we went to get our ski gear and have some dinner. The food that was supplied to us from the hotel was consistently delicious and I loved it each meal. The soups were lovely, the main course was lovely and the desserts were tasty and new every night. After dinner we all went to our rooms or the games room to chill until the teachers said it was time to call it a night. But who could sleep with the thought of skiing the next day? Another early morning it was, but we didn’t mind much as we were finally about to go skiing. We got the bus, filling every space it had available and then some more, up to the gondola. Once at the top we got separated into our groups and began to ski. Our group leader was Marc, he was class. The snow wasn’t the best as it was quite slushy due to the sun but that made it fun. We stopped in the middle of our session for lunch. For the first four days we were limited to chicken nuggets and chips or lasagne. I opted for the chicken nuggets which were delicious. No free skiing was available on the first day because of the snow conditions.

Trips & Tours We followed this same routine for the rest of the week. Although thankfully the skiing conditions improved because it snowed non-stop for two days straight! The fresh snow was amazing to ski on. On the Tuesday and Wednesday the majority of the slopes were closed off because Ehrwald was experiencing its worst wind storm ever! Just our luck. But that didn’t dampen our spirits. We stayed at the nursery slope and learnt how to ski backwards; we skied with no poles and did jumps. It was by far the best lesson. We had to finish early but that meant we got extra time the next day to gain back the time that we lost. When we had the choice to eat whatever we wanted I just stuck to the chicken nuggets because they were really good. Our night time entertainment consisted of swimming (ice cream for those who didn’t want to) shooting, karaoke, movie night and another swimming night. Unfortunately, because of the heavy snow fall

tobogganing had to be cancelled but we just went swimming again. On our last night we had a slide show with lots of photos that Miss McAdam had taken throughout the week. This brought a tear to my eye as the thought of leaving was almost unbearable. But then we had some karaoke to lighten the mood. We packed our bags ready to set off in the morning. We returned home from what I can honestly say was the best week of my life. I enjoyed it so much. I would like to thank all the teachers who came, who made the trip so great and had a good laugh with us all. I would like to thank Mr Whincup who organised the whole trip and without him it wouldn’t have been such a good holiday. The memories made on the ski trip were amazing and I will never forget it.

Megan Tumelty, Year 11

Art

James Wallis page 78

Art

Junior School Art Installations Year 8 School Canteen Art Installation Project

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Junior School Art Installations Year 9 Art Installation - The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas

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GCSE Art

Ellie Nugent

Charlotte Sinnerton

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GCSE Art

Amy Patterson

Ellen McComb

Lorcan Speier

James Wallis

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GCSE Art

Peter Fulton

Josh Collins

Clara McConnell

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AS Art

Hannah Magee

Alice Tinsley

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AS Art

Charlotte Cockcroft

Emma Fullerton

Jonathan Williamson

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AS Art

Molly Turbitt

Lucy Boyd 82

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AS Art

Rebecca Dawson

Lucy Eppleston 83

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A2 Art

Gemma Montgomery

Bethany Stewart

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A2 Art

Bethany Stewart

Emily Esdale

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A2 Art

Sophie Anderson

Katie Jackson

India Barr 86

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A2 Art

Rebecca Teeney

James Douglas

Katie Jackson

Creative Contributions

Creative Contributions Poetry A Poem That I Was Told To Write This is a poem I was told to write down It has ten syllables in every line. I can’t write poems well, and so I frown, Sorry ‘bout that, I have to rhyme, It’s meant to have a nature theme you see But I couldn’t find the words I need. I mean, who but Scannell would write like this? Rhymes and meters and to have to make sense, The lines I tried to fit I couldn’t list And yes there are still holes I need to fence ‘Cause I’ll admit there are a lot of half rhymes, But I still did quite well I dare to say. I kept the rhymes, rhythms, and all the times And so to close, it’s definitely worth an A.

Hannah Scullion, Year 11

The Boy and the Girl

Hope

The boy and the girl were smiling The sun was not smiling with them The boy and the girl were laughing No one else even sniggered The boy and the girl shed a tear No one else even had glazed eyes Where the boy and the girl sat No one sat with them The boy and the girl stood amongst the fire The flames burning their skin The boy and the girl died The boy and the girl walk amongst us But no one gives them a second glance.

It cannot be uprooted, tampered with or harmed It is like a flame that can never be extinguished It is like a shelter for the sick and wandering Man cannot control where it comes from But man can control what to do with it Do they lock it in a box or let it be free, live amongst others? Do they keep it from others or do they share it? It gives us that choice Hope lets us choose.

Anonymous 88

Anonymous

Creative Contributions

A Martian visits Ballyclare

Buildings filled with people make up this place like bees in a hive, Swarming round as busy as can be. They are on these mechanical things all the time, As if their eyes can only see the screen. The devices can lead to dreadful things, Like when crossing the lane which only boxes on 4 wheels seem to be. These boxes are unusual, not like I’ve ever seen. They make strange revving noises and move about. It must be the humans’ way of travelling. When nobody is in them they are silent, But like coming to life they awaken when someone gets in, Like a sudden breath of fresh air. There are different types of buildings, Some contain these beautiful things, In different colours attached to green sticks. Some people find them pleasing But others jerk and make odd sounds as if they’ve inhaled poison. Some eyes water but without emotion, Just like a robot.

Remarkable how they have such large rooms, One in particular though, is very odd, Lined with units as far as the eye can see, Filled with objects beeping like heart machines, People line up just so they can hear the noise.

Kaitlin Browne, 9A

The humans also have special rooms like labs. They sit together but all change in some way. Some change colour, some change length, But leave quite happy and content. The most peculiar thing is the large patch of greenery. People come from far and wide in machines that rumble, with animals too. They walk round in large circles past what seem like large broccolis. And then they go home again. The last thing I have recorded is the building as white as snow, And smells of bleach. Most people walk in scared and sad, I watched while people poke round them. I can now see why they’re as distraught as a starving lion.

Rachael Coleman, 9A

A Postcard from Ballyclare

A Martian visits Ballyclare

In buildings there are lots of structures of wood. The people are controlled by small electronic boxes never leaving their hands.

Humans roam together in large groups, sticking together all the way.

The humans wear a long chain like thing around their necks, stuck to them about to strangle. All have to wear them, if you don’t you get locked in a room with an angry looking adult. When the bells ring, the pupils rush to a large box like room, where a lot of objects are put in their mouths, which smell good. The metal clatters.

Sasha Ritchie, 9A

In the street people are on devices, solitary from others, like a prisoner in a cell. People sit and stare at a screen, clueless and lonely like a dog with no owner. When it is warm they will play with tiny planets of different shapes and sizes, and throw or kick them. Sometimes there will even be a ceremony, where people eat outside using an unusual machine.

Luke Surgin, 9A

Creative Contributions

Three hundred and fifty Words If you only had three hundred and fifty words What would you say? If you only had three hundred and fifty actions left What would you do? If you only had three hundred and fifty acts of love left Who would you give them to? If you only had three hundred and fifty words of hate left to say Who would you fire them at? If you only had three hundred and fifty choices left to make What would they be, good or bad? If you only had three hundred and fifty questions left What would you ask? If you only had three hundred and fifty people to thank Who would you thank? If you had to die in three hundred and fifty seconds What would you do?

Anonymous

An Autobiography Poem

Aaron, Funny, tall, energetic, sporty, Brother of Olivia and Molly, Football, rugby, fun, Excitement and happiness when out with friends, Something to do everyday. Money, friendship. Kidnappers, the end of summer, dying. All my friends every day. McGuigan.

Eve Energtic, funny, sporty, caring Sister of Aimee Lover of adventure and laughter

Aaron McGuigan, 9A

Who feels happiness with friends Who needs a holiday Who gives laughter when needed Who fears that no one cares Who would like to see everyone getting along Lowry

Eve Lowry, 9A

Creative Contributions

An Autobiography Poem

Daily Work Recipe

Jack, Honest, Trustworthy, Curious, Intuitive, Brother of Matthew, Laughter, Learning, Challenge, Joy in Travelling, Electricity and Wifi, Encouragement and Laughter, Mondays, Sundays, Rain, Equality for everyone, Millar.

Take about 100 of them, Pour them into an office, Leave to simmer with their boss, Allow 30 minutes to get hot in the face, Be careful not to burn them. After 1 hour they should be left to rise. Knead some stress and pressure, Pipe on lots of work, Sprinkle 100 of them into a bus And once they reach the local town, Take them out of the bus, Sprinkle a handful of sleep to finish.

Jack Millar, 9A

Victoria Davidson, 9A

Daily School Recipe Pour 32 pupils and one teacher into a hot classroom. Mix with a calculator and a maths textbook Leave for 40 minutes. Allow to cool, then pour into the corridor and stir well With locker keys and books, Place mixture into PE changing rooms, Whisk with PE kit, tennis rackets and trainers. Tip into Sports Hall, then add 140 more pupils, Add one angry teacher and stir well with morning announcements. Roll out and allow to rise for twenty minutes, Transfer to baking tray, carefully lined with home works and add one pencil case. Bake for twenty minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool then serve with a bus card.

Grace McCrea, 9A

Creative Contributions

Dear Self-Inflictor If you're ever led astray, Caught in night, and not in day. When winterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cold, And oceans dry, Make us old And sure to die, please know this; I'm ahead, I'll show you the way; Always. Take my hand, Hold it tight. I know I may not prove me right; But, hell, I can try. Please show no fright. I'm a friend, a guide; I care! Why don't you see? When the times Are tough to bear, I'll be here To pull you through. Please don't be scared. I'm here to help, Can't you tell? And even though I react...not well, It's only because It hurts me too. I see them. You've shown me before. You mask a smile, Happiness feigned. I never know: Is it real, Or is it strained? Trust, it is A precious thing, Something to cradle, And not to fling. I trust you; Please, trust me too.

A life to give, A life to take, A life of love, A life of hate. Life is yours, Not that of fate. So before you lift, And sweep a slice, Please just stop, Please think twice; You're a virtue, Not a vice. If I cry, I'm sorry, Because I try, I try not to, I really do. If I stare, I'm afraid; I'm sorry, For that too. But, if, one thing, You must take heed. Stop and think; Is this a need? Why does this happen, Though happen it need not? And if you think, I so quickly forgot, About the scars, The hidden pain I've seen, And know, And feel, You're wrong, I hate to say. I know my words, They do not flow, Well enough, not yet, no. My meaning though, What I convey, And really, What I'm trying to say, Is that you're perfect, unique, The way you are. You're strong, you're bright; A burning star. Yes I know,

It sounds clichĂŠ, I'm trying though. Please, just stay, Until the end, It's almost near, Though not for you, Nor I, hear hear. It's just the start, Don't draw the curtains; Don't start the credits. I'm rambling, right? I know, it's true. It's a habit I have; It's nothing new. You're MY friend, The best I've got, Didn't you know? And I'll be here, No matter what. All I ask Is for you to please, Please, ....Just stop. Yours truly, The One That Cares.

Megan Erwin, 11R

Creative Contributions

Ghost So, Walking upstairs, Talking quietly, the sound barely There and the Hair sticking up on end on our Arms. It canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do any Harm to be a little Scared as we Dared to creep upstairs in the Dark. We hear a Bark; and after that it Dies and all sounds Dry apart from the Creak of my foot on the floor. I dare to Peek round the Door and there on the Floor is a green glowing Light. I got a Fright and closed my eyes. Because I think, I saw, a Ghost.

Anonymous, Yr 9

Autobiographical Poem

Joe, Sporty, energetic, curious. Brother of Molly, Sports, challenges, Joy when school ends, Laughter and smiles, Spiders and pain. Start of summer, Doagh, Piper.

Hannah Energetic, Sporty, Funny, Caring Sister of Aimee Lover of pizza Who feels happy when around friends Who needs food every minute of everyday Who fears that things will change Who would like to see the world from other peoples prospective

Joe Piper, 9A

Hannah Smyth, 9A

Creative Contributions

Rugby Recipe Take 15 boys Wrap them in a kit and place them in a pair of boots Lightly dust on a small team talk Get some fresh grass laid out Transfer the boys from the changing room to the pitch Mix in a whistle and an egg-shaped ball Leave to warm up for 45 minutes Then transfer to the changing room for 10 minutes Mix in some water and some sweets Then transfer them back onto the pitch to heat up for another 40 minutes Add in a score board with a penalty kick On the 75th minute Add some rain into the mixture And leave to heat for another 5 minutes Take out the whistle after it is in for 80 minutes Then add in a few handshakes and your recipe should be finished.

Andrew McFetridge, 9A

Rugby Recipe

The Doctor Says

Take 15 boys Take the best 30 you can think of, Pour them into two different sides, Mix in the subs that can transfer on, Sprinkle some scrum hats on their heads, The whistle blows the match is baking, Spot a person with a strong tackle, Then mix them together on the green icing Stir well before the match to make it a heated recipe, Then scrum together to make the inside pushing and pushing until itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mixed, When itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s over the winners are served with celebrations.

It is red It is red, like blood It is red, like fire It is red like the bitterness of defeat It is red, like the longing for what almost was It is red, like the greed of man

Harry Buckley, 9A

It is autumn and a slight wind is picking up I pull on my coat Ready to move, then I pause I pick up the leaf, its colour reminding me of many things. It is red like regret.

Anonymous

Creative Contributions

An Autobiography Poem Tom Honest, curious and funny Brother of Jack Laughing Happy when sleeping Sunshine Smiles Wasps World peace Templepatrick Turner

Tom Turner, 9A

Wonder and Why

The Tree

Would you wonder if you could just ask why? Would wondering about something be necessary, if you could just ask why? Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wonder about something that happened or how it happened Just ask why Couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you just ask yourself why someone said or did something Without having to wonder about it? Wondering And asking why They are two very different things.

The wind shakes its leaves, like an earthquake But yet not quite Its roots are like arms, twisting and turning in to the ground But yet not quite Its trunk stands like a pillar, the leaves and branches its burden to carry But yet not quite For this tree had not sprouted, just a sapling Ready to fulfil its expectations Ready for life.

Anonymous

Prose

‘Are you ready yet?’ calls Jenny. ‘Isaac and I are waiting!’ ‘I’ll be down in a minute,’ replies Imogen. She bolts down the stairs and meets with them in the living room. ‘Ready to go?’ asks Isaac impatiently. ‘Yes!’ they both reply instantly. They all walk out the door of Jenny and Imogen’s house, their parents are out of town, so they lock the door and walk down the driveway. ‘How far away did you say the maze was?’ asks Imogen. ‘About a 5 minute walk,’ replies Isaac. As they were all 16 years old, none of them could yet drive. It was 2 o’clock in the morning so the street was deadly silent. They arrive at the maze and are greeted by a young woman. ‘Hello, are you here for the maze?’ she asks. ‘Yes. How much is it to get in?’ asks Isaac. ‘Oh… it’s… it’s free!’ she stutters. ‘Oh so we just walk on in?’ asks Jenny. The woman just nods. They walk into the maze made of crimson bricks. ‘So, do you want to stick together?’ asks Imogen. ‘No, let’s see who can get their way out the fastest!’ says Isaac excitedly.

‘OK,’ they both agree reluctantly. There were 3 paths ahead of them. One to the right. One to the left. One straight ahead. Isaac steps to the left. Jenny steps to the right. Imogen steps forward. ‘3, 2, 1… go!’ shouts Isaac. They all run frantically trying to be the first person out. The only noises are their laughs and their feet stamping on the ground. Everything is all good until Imogen shouts ‘Wait!’ Jenney and Isaac shout ‘What?’ There is no reply. Just silence. They hear a scream. They ran thinking it must be Imogen. Isaac and Jenny both find each other. They run looking for Imogen. They find a hole in the ground. ‘Hello!’ shouts Isaac but there is no reply. Then suddenly the woman they saw earlier comes walking towards them. She is wearing a black cloak and she has a blank look on her face. She pushes Isaac into the hole and says to Jenny, ‘Now you’re next.’ Jenny screams and runs as fast as she possibly can but she can’t find her way out. She sees a glowing exit sign in the distance. She’s done it. She’s found a way out. She sprints towards it and then the woman appears out of nowhere. She whispers to her, ‘Not so fast,’ and puts her hand over Jenny’s mouth. Jenny makes no sound. The woman slowly takes her hand off Jenny’s mouth and as she does, Jenny throws a punch. It hits the woman square on the jaw. Jenny escapes from the maze. Alone. The only person ever to walk out of that maze alive.

Holly Reid, 8E

Short story It was a very sinister sort of house. The post-man had stopped pushing junk mail through the little wooden flap years ago. On Halloween it was the house everybody skipped past. It just didn’t seem to be the type of place to have sweets in it. No-one was really sure why it seemed quite so sinister. It was just a grimier version of all the other houses. Maybe it was the old man that sat at the bottom left window every hour of the day. The old man that never seemed to need to eat or drink. He never went to the bathroom. It was a rare sight to even see him blink. He just sat there doing nothing. Until now. John had sat at the window for about 20 minutes. Eyes pressed to the binoculars. He had checked on the old man every single morning just to make sure that he was still alright. To everyone else he had become a part of the furniture. Not a big deal. They just didn’t care anymore. John had never stopped caring. This was what he had spent his free time on ever since he had seen the man. But now the man was gone. Then the doorbell rang. John was so deep in thought that he nearly fell off his seat. He tore his eyes away from the binoculars. He took the stairs two at a time. ‘Did you see it?’ William stood at the door with a look of excitement on his face.

him.‘You did?’ He opened his mouth to respond, but didn’t quite get the words formed in his mouth. ‘If you care so much, you can go and check on him!’ He had obviously meant it as a joke. John didn’t care for being made fun of. ‘Alright then!’ It was William’s turn to drop his jaw. They stood at the door, not quite sure what to do. ‘I suppose you should ring the bell.’ William looked at John. ‘Maybe I should!’ John’s hand didn’t move. ‘Alright then.’ He pushed the button. Nothing happened. ‘Well obviously he’s not home.’ William was already halfway down the driveway. John turned to follow him when a loud creak filled his ears. He swung round. No-one was there. John stepped in. ‘What are you doing?’ William was suddenly beside him. The door slammed. They were suddenly in pitch black. William promptly began to bang the door, yelling all the time. John turned to his left. A small wooden chair lay overturned by the window. William bent down. The windows were one-way glass. He saw his reflection. He touched the glass. Well he would have if there was any glass. He was sucked into the mirror. William turned round. John was gone.

‘Of course I did!’ They both leap back up the stairs. They shared the binoculars. One eye lens each. ‘Good riddance!’ William was grinning. John turned to him.‘You didn’t like him?’ He turned round to face

Anna Farley, 8E

Back to the front We were called up in 1941, my brother and I. We had survived our first charge on the enemy trenches but we had both been injured; I was shot in the arm while shrapnel from a grenade had embedded itself in my brother’s left leg. We were lucky that day but I had the feeling that the next time we wouldn’t be so lucky.

The sound of a sniper picking off our men one by one. “Let’s give it to them!” a soldier screams but then he drops, a bullet to the head.

We returned to the trenches when we were both physically able to, me first then my brother followed. We were placed on the front line and for the first few weeks all was silent, no gas, no gunfire, no bombs. But one eventful night that so-called “peace” was shattered.

I look at my brother, see the fear in his eyes. Then he is gone. Over the top. I prepare myself to go over, but then I stop. As still as a statue I stare at the body that has just fallen into the trench, my brother stares back at me.

BANG, BANG! The enemy machine guns sounded, “Get up lads!” the Sergeant shouted, “The Hun is upon us!” We scrambled around getting our things together. PHEW PHEW!

“Over the top lads, we’re taking the fight to ’em!” says the Sergeant.

I see the fear, hopelessness and despair in his eyes… then nothing.

Jamie Sheppard, 11L

My Favourite Place My favourite place is not interesting, or unique, and if you think about it, it’s quite plain and boring. But not for me.

Why do they think it is one of those phases I’m going through, and in a matter of weeks I’ll be moved onto something else?

I spend most of my time there, in my practice room.

Music is my dream, and it’s what I want to do for the rest of my life. If other people can do it, why can’t I?

It’s the only place I can be myself. Play my piano, violin, and sing as loudly as I want to. I can do anything in there. It’s like my own little music studio. My own little oasis. Away from the noise and fuss. I love the feeling of my fingers on the shining black and white keys, and my feet on the pedals; whether I’m playing a proper piece, or messing around. And the feeling of my fingers and my bow darting over strings, playing beautiful, calm music on my violin. Then my voice, soaring up octaves to those difficult to reach notes, then swooping down to the low notes. I’m constantly thinking of music. During school, in classes and on the bus home. All the same dream I keep picturing: me walking on stage with the Ulster Orchestra, and a voice saying “Please welcome our principal violinist, Grace McCrea!” followed by clapping and cheering. But why, when I tell other people, do they not take me seriously?

I love the feeling though, when I’m on stage. I feel a surge of pride and happiness that nothing and no one else gives me. The notes, the different positions, and the Italian words on the page have always seemed so easy to me. Like a foreign language only I can speak. In the meantime, though, I’ve got to keep practicing. And yes, I miss lots of things for music. Going out with my friends, birthday parties and going to the cinema are things I rarely do now, but I’m pretty sure I won’t regret it. Music is my dream, and I am determined to make that dream come true.

Grace McCrea, 9A

Smile When she got home, she couldn’t help but think about his smile. It’s not like there was anything particularly special about it. It was just an average teenaged boy smile: too much brace with too little teeth and the rest of his face crinkling up, especially around the eyes and cheeks. And that was exactly the reason she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Because he made the average smile special. Because it looked good on him. The way the white of his teeth shone out against the red of his brace. The way slight dimples appeared in his freckled cheeks and the way his eyes crinkled right up until you could barely see a sliver of a shade of blue in his eyes. And it was the purpose of his smile that really caught her. Because it had been meant for her. An inside joke that only they had shared, a private moment meant only for the two of them. A little moment consisting of just the two of them, marked forever in history. And it was for this reason that she had smiled back.

Aimee Jenkins, Year 10

The Zeds

I think it was a Tuesday when they came – the Zeds - the Others – whatever you want to call them. It had been a perfectly normal day in school. Mind-numbingly boring work, lecture after lecture about our futures. It’s almost funny, when I think about it. Back then I hated school, but now I’m fairly sure I would kill to be back there, where it was normal. Anyway, we were all in Technology class, the teacher playing some safety video, when everything just shut down, and I mean everything. All the computers, all the phones and all the lights just went on the blink. The woman in the video was halfway through one of her monotone sentences when BAM off it went. We all rushed to the windows trying to see what was going on. I don’t know why we always do that. The moment something bad happens everyone just sprints to the window. Maybe because we think it will tell us what was happening. The school management reacted surprisingly quickly. Within twenty minutes they had gathered every kid into the massive sports hall. One of the teachers, an incredibly fat guy whose name escapes me now, was standing on a chair, screaming. ‘Stay calm!’ were the words coming from his mouth but it was obvious from the way he was shouting it that he was freaking out more than any of the children he was meant to be in charge of. For the next twenty minutes it was chaos. Everyone was trying to turn on their phones, teachers were yelling at us and at each other. Panic was universal since no-one knew what was at the bottom of the mysterious electrical blackout.

My best friend Kennedy was hysterical. One thing I remember most clearly about that day was her voice. It wasn’t the words that were important. It was that anxious edge on the sound of a voice I knew so well, had grown up with and now, well, probably better that I leave that part for another day. I must have tuned out from all the chaos around me after that. I wasn’t really the panicking type. I was just worried. I was worried about what was going on to shake my world so completely. The teachers wouldn’t have gathered us into one room if it was just a simple power blackout. What if it had wiped out the entire national grid? What would happen to the rest of my family at home? What about the rest of the country? Just then, interrupting my thoughts, a teacher made an announcement. He was holding one of those wind-up radios. His attempts to pick up the gist of what had been said from a sudden break in BBC programming had been the focus of his attention for the last few moments. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, we have received news that an alien spacecraft has entered Earth’s atmosphere. The government officials are saying that the spacecraft has sent out some sort of electro-magnetic pulse that has wiped out our nation’s entire electrical supply. Please remain calm and await further instruction.’ Whatever he said after that was lost in the yelling, screaming and mayhem that followed. Somehow, even the youngest of us had realised that nothing was going to be the same again..

Amber Gault, 8E

Clubs & Societies

Gold Duke of Edinburghâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Award pages 108 - 109 100

Clubs and Societies

Authors Anonymous Creative Writing Club

Words can tell a lot about a person. Even if you do not know the author of a piece of writing, you can still fit together their character, their emotions and their habits just by reading words on a page. Words can tell you a lot about the writer. How they view things can come across through a powerful adjective and how the writer thinks people should act comes across through strong verbs. Our writing is much like this. Our names are blank spaces at the bottom of the page but since you have read our work before, you can already paint a picture of what we feel, our characters, habits. Words paint our picture so that we don’t have to show you ourselves. We do not have to show our faces. Words paint our picture, but we are the artist to the canvas. We are authors, we are anonymous. At the start of the term this year, Miss McConnell finally got her wish. We were sucked into the vortex of poetry. But it was not poetry of love, but of war. Miss McConnell said that since we wrote about death, blackness and destruction, we did not know truly what we were writing about. So as a group we reviewed poems we had written on the conflict in Syria. This study together was very insightful. We also studied the work of Seamus Heaney. We focused on a poem called ‘Bye-Child’. This poem was about a neglected child and was based on a news article of the 1950s. So Miss McConnell set us the task of choosing between two news articles and writing a poem about the chosen article. I had a bit of trouble with this and could not properly finish the poem.

Together as a group we went on a trip to Queen’s University in Belfast. We explored the vast library at the university. We also studied some small manuscripts and notebooks that dated back a couple of centuries. It is really interesting work looking after these precious items. This career as a book curator really interested me. After visiting the university we went to a nearby café. After the Christmas break we got into groups and organised and studied crime scenes. Our group had no trouble coming up with ‘creative’ causes of death. My group had to develop our scene quickly after that because the plot was going basically nowhere. But when we presented our crime scene to the rest of the groups, it went down with relative success. Our group got interesting feedback for the cause of death and the reasons behind the crime. I also had to give a bit of background and explain the various causes of death that were scattered across the crime scene; although I think our group could have come up with better ways of showing the various causes of death. Miss McConnell then sent us off by ourselves to write an introduction of a crime novel. I got pleasant feedback about my introduction from the rest of the group.

Scott Marshall, Year 10

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Clubs and Societies

Bar Mock Trial

Every year a few school pupils meet in Belfast’s High Courts to experience a rare opportunity to work with Judges and have the chance to speak in a real court room. This is known as the Bar Mock Trials, which is run by the Citizenship Foundation. This year’s competition took place on Saturday 22nd November, where eleven of Ballyclare High’s pupils participated.

After a short break we fought Grosvenor. We lost the trial but beat them in the point system as the competition relies on authenticity rather than the outcome of the trial. Erin Christie and Jonathan Williamson were our defence witnesses. Our defence barristers were Helena Park and Rachel McGookin. Everyone performed to a high standard and this was shown by the outcome of the trial.

This is Ballyclare High’s third year in the competition. This competition requires weeks of preparation, as well as learning scripts and characters while working with experienced judges. This year’s barristers were Helena Park, Rachel McGookin, Lydia McCracken and Joshua Clements. They were required to prepare timed speeches and probing questions for the witnesses.

Our final opponents were St. Dominic’s. The all-girls school team was prepared to an exceptional standard, although our own barristers also out-performed themselves too. It was a close trial but unfortunately St Dominic’s won both the trial and won overall as well.

The team could not have done it without the help of their barristers, Peter Coiley, Ken Houston QC, Sue-Helen McConnell, Jessica McAllister and Hannah Donnan. They came in twice a week and each put forward their own contribution. This included helping structure speeches, carefully wording questions so that they could get their desired response, and helping both the barristers and the witnesses to perform to the highest standard. Our first competitors were supposed to be St. Malachy’s College, but they failed to show up, this led to an automatic win for Ballyclare High. This allowed us to practise with our own prosecution witnesses, Lauren Kelly and Hannah Magee, in a court room before facing any competition from the other schools. This allowed the barristers and witnesses to experience what it was like to speak in the courts as well as receiving personal feedback from the Judge; an advantage I doubt any other school received.

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Our Clerk for the first trial was Ballyclare High’s Emma Fullerton, who was responsible for reading the undisputed statements and issuing the judge with the present case, while Victoria Glenn was the Usher for the final two cases. Her job entailed taking witnesses to the stand and swearing them in, in addition to keeping silence within the court and swearing the jury in. While our own barristers and witnesses were performing in their own trials, another four pupils volunteered to act as Jury. Hannah Downey, Natasha McAllen, Aaron Beattie and Lewis Hanlon were all responsible for the outcome of several other trials. They all represented the school excellently and delivered an outcome which was based solely on the performance of the other schools.

Jonathan Williamson, Year 13

Clubs and Societies

Junior Science Club 2014-2015

The Junior Science Club meets regularly each week and is attended by a most loyal group of pupils from Years 8 and 9. We are very grateful to a number of pupils in other year groups who have faithfully assisted the junior pupils with their experimental activities. These pupils include Connor Begg, Callum Blair, Kyle McMahon, Eoin Metcalfe and in particular, Megan Craig from Upper Sixth. In addition, we must extend thanks to Mrs Ward who has also assisted with the club during the year. The children have carried out a range of activities from the world of chemistry, physics and biology and have gained valuable experience in using scientific apparatus, much of which is not routinely used during the normal school day. This has enhanced their practical and problemsolving skills, along with their powers of observation. This year a number of projects have been undertaken which included, designing the best glider – this resulted in a keenly-fought competition, isolating DNA from strawberries, work on analytical chemistry which afforded a glimpse into the world of forensic science, making paints and cosmetics, and investigating the presence of micro-organisms at different locations around the school, which proved to be very interesting. The informal, pleasant atmosphere and variety of ‘fun’

experiments have given pupils the opportunity to make lasting friendships with children from other year groups. Members of the club also assisted at the P7 Open Night display in January and played a valuable role in welcoming P7 pupils as well as demonstrating experiments. Once again, at the end of May, a team of pupils competed in the Salters’ Festival of Chemistry competition held at Queen’s University Belfast. The team of David Andrew, Sam McDaniel, Timothy Moore and Stefan Ross gained second place in the main competition and each student received certificates from the Royal Society of Chemistry along with individual prizes and a prize for the school. The MLA Basil McCrea was a guest at this event. The students were then treated to a display of Chemistry experiments by Dr Chris Hardacre. The event was enjoyed by all. In September, we look forward to the return of many of our current members as well as new young scientists from Year 8.

A Spence

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Science Competitions BT Young Scientist Being chosen to participate in our schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s science projects this year has been such a great opportunity. After doing many hours of research on our project of making carbon neutral concrete we finally were able to get started on applying to the competitions. Our first competition was the BT Young Scientist exhibition held in Dublin, which attracts around 2000 projects annually. When we first applied to the BT Young Scientist exhibition, I had no clue what to expect. It was so formal and extremely professional. With the huge number of projects entering and only around 500 chosen to present the projects at the exhibition, it was a huge waiting game to see if we got through. Luckily for us we were one of the projects chosen. By the time the 7th of January came around, we were heading down to Dublin, with another group consisting of a physics project from our school and another local school. The first day of the competition was full of nerves and apprehension, as Bethany and I had no experience of a competition before. Once we had our

poster and stand set up we went around the exhibition looking at the other projects, and if you call us strange for having a project on concrete try working out the maths problems these people were attempting. One look would put you off maths for life! Each day consisted of explaining our project to visitors, different judges, and if we were lucky enough we had a VIP, who were mainly local MPs that travelled down to see the Northern Irish projects. The second last day came with a kind of sadness, as this amazing experience was nearly over, but also excitement for the awards ceremony to be held that evening. All the pupils and teachers forced their way through to get a seat in the ceremony. Bethany and I had travelled down to Dublin just for the experience and were so surprised when our names were called out at the awards. We recorded the prize of third place in our categoryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s age group. It was such an amazing experience, the scale of the BT Young Scientist competition, the great knowledge we took home; and the funny memories we will not forget for a long time.

Eco-Unesco After our success at BTYS, we entered another competition called Eco-Unesco. It was smaller than BT Young Scientist and all of the projects were tackling environmental issues such as global warming.

Bethany Stewart and Emma Neill, Year 11

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After BTYS we felt we had adjusted to competitions and were confident in our presentation that we would later show to the judges. Once we got news that we had qualified for the final, we headed down to Dublin yet again to set up our posters and present our project to both the judges and members of the public who visited the exhibition. This event was only one day long and so the award ceremony was held that same evening, in which we won the award for most innovative action project. We were extremely pleased with our success and hope to carry on competing in further competitions with our project.

Clubs and Societies

Our Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Experience At around 10 o’clock we started our journey from Slemish. We walked around the base and eventually found our first Antrim Hills Way Marker to follow. Just past a stile at Slemish we had to cross marshy fields. Kealan fell down a hole in the ground and we helped him out after the group had finished laughing at him. Dylan also shared some of his sweets with us all. Connor was the first to enter the field that was filled with lots of sheep. The path that we found there led us all the way to a small forest with a very big hill behind. After the climb up what seemed like Mount Everest we stopped for a quick rest and took some photos. We descended towards a minor road were Mr Black was sitting in his “Porsche”. He got out and checked some of our map skills and then sent us on our way. We walked on with the promise of a rest and lunch encouraging us to keep going. After treading through various muddy fields we finally reached the hill we were to have lunch at. We spotted Mr. Milliken and another group sitting near some solar panels eating and chatting. He pulled out a video camera and recorded us as we climbed up the hill. We all then sat down, ate and figured out the next stage of our walk to camp. It started to rain as we packed up and set off down a track. Our next goal was Skerry Whirry which is a hill near our camp for the night. We walked past the girls’ camp and after meeting Mrs. Holmes we went down what seemed like the ‘World’s Longest Road’. It was all uphill and every time you thought you had reached the end it put more road in your way. After what seemed like forever in the pouring rain we reached the small, wooden bridge into camp at around 3:00. We put up the tent in 20 minutes and moved all our stuff into the “dry” of the tent. (Even though everything was wet anyway!) Matty and I set up the Trangia (Camping Stove) and I cooked my pasta. Connor, Kealan, Callum and Dylan had Pot Noodles. Matty had brought a tennis ball so we played with it for a while. Then lots of us went into the nearby forest and played hunts until it got too dark. Five of us also went on a mini walk past the forest near our camp during which Chris went for a “quick dip” in a river. The next morning we woke up at 6 o’clock; it was very cold but we were all well rested and couldn’t wait to get going again. I cooked bacon sandwiches and some of the others ate porridge. After breaking camp and packing our

bags we set off at 8:40 through a field of cows. The group had to climb a hill called Hightown, which was a very big climb with the wind threatening to knock you over. A stack of rocks provided shelter from the wind for a moment. It was so strong that Kealan nearly lost his Dad’s precious hat! When we finally got to the bottom we saw a car sitting on a road beside a stile. This was Mr. Young and as we were so far ahead of time he made us stop and rest for a while. We walked down the road and eventually met another group of girls walking from a different school. The next series of fields weren’t muddy so we got through them very quickly. The Sallagh Braes is a series of cliffs we had to walk over near the end of our journey. As we passed them and one final hill we met Mr. Milliken again. He did all of his final checks and took his stuff back in. We were all so glad to have our Expedition section completed that we ran down the final hill towards the carpark. Connor saw his mum and in his excitement fell over twice! It was a great experience that I would gladly do again. (Although if you had asked me that when we were trying to put the tent up you would have received a very different answer!)

Jordan Kidd 10C

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Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Expedition Day 1 Our group started at Trassey Car Park at 10:00, so naturally we were an hour early. Ellen and I shared a lift to our starting point in the Mournes. We met our assessor Dave, who asked us a few quick questions about our route and at 10 o’clock sharp we headed off. Walking up to the river junction showed us just how daunting this expedition would be, but at this point we were just excited to get started. The temperature was well into the high teens and so lugging a rucksack would definitely be a challenge. Once we made it up to the stile at the saddle it was a small flat walk to the bottom of Carn…let’s just say getting to the summit of Carn was long and tiring, but luckily we got lunch at the top. After lunch, our assessor Dave spoke to us about our walk so far and where we were headed to next. We started down to the bottom of Carn once again. Since it was quite steep I fell over a few times, so naturally I slid down it for a bit which was great fun. After reaching the bottom we walked along a road until we reached Pigeon Rock. I don’t like Pigeon Rock! While we were up there we saw two dead sheep and I almost sat on a frog. Oops. Afterwards we had to walk on the left side of the river to a stile, turns out we didn’t know our right from our left and so ended up walking on the wrong path for about an extra two kilometres. Anyway, Mr Black and Mr Young came to the rescue and saved us from any more humiliation. We turned back and walked up between the two mountains and finally got to camp. Once we got our tent up, we got food sorted and went straight to bed, ready for another day tomorrow.

Day 2 I woke up at 6:40am, with not much sleep at all. After getting ready and having breakfast we took the tent down and got going for another day of walking. Our first leg was along a wee country road, so we had to walk in single file. Guess what? My favourite came next… PIGEON ROCK. Going up this side wasn’t as bad as the previous day and after walking down the other side we got lunch. We also met with Dave again, who gave us a packet of sweets. New favourite person ever! Lunch wasn’t great but I guess it was edible? After lunch we walked along the side of the road, which was just a sun trap which seemed to go on forever. Throughout the whole day it was sunny which wasn’t great, but it was a lot better than if it was pouring down. We met Ms Conlon along the road who said that we wouldn’t even feel like we were going up the next hill. Let me tell you something, art teachers LIE! Thankfully we got to camp

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Ellen Boyd, Lara McWilliam, Emma Neill, Racha Sarah Kennedy and Molly Piper.

el Andrew,

only about an hour late (a lot better than last night). The camp site was very windy, but once the tents were up we went in and didn’t leave for the rest of the night. We played cards and ate as much food as possible so we wouldn’t have to carry it the next day.

Day 3 After having the worst night’s sleep possible due to the wind and the tent flapping everywhere, we were more than willing to get up and start walking. We started off walking to Silent Valley, where we took full advantage of working bathrooms. We walked along the reservoir like rockets and ended up being about half an hour early but those thirty minutes were needed to make it up the 301 steps which were a lovely surprise. We felt like we were scaling a cliff while walking along Ben Crom but it was great and very funny when one of us went to fall. Looking at the view was amazing and made me realize that I would love to do more walking in the Mournes. Hare’s Gap wasn’t as scary as I thought it would have been, although seeing all the people out walking without a huge rucksack made me a teensy bit jealous. After having lunch we walked to the other side, having sudden bursts of excitement about getting home, we jumped from rock to rock. Once we reached the sheepfold we knew we were close and so pushed on to the dam as fast as possible. Although, after getting almost charged at by a sheep and its lamb and the seemingly never ending path, we were getting extremely fed up… until we saw a car park, and other Duke of Ed groups and eventually the dam…we knew we did it. FINALLY! Thank goodness for parents and McDonald’s and showers!

Emma Neill, Year 11

Clubs and Societies

Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Expedition side of the hill until we met a river which we followed but made a vital mistake when we crossed it and followed the path, instead of staying on the left side of the river. We then noticed groups walking towards us and then realised we had gone wrong! One more hill to climb and then we were at camp at half nine at night, I was very grateful.

Day 2

Day 1 On Thursday 11th June we began our first leg at Fofanny dam, we followed the Mourne Way markers around the hill until we met Trassey track. We hiked up the rocky path until we met a river. We had our first break here and saw an artist painting Hare’s Gap. We then went up a steep climb along the path until it met a stile, which we were all very thankful for. The views were incredible and the sun shining, but it was also becoming very hot to walk in and I was feeling the heat. This was when I also discovered the first blister forming. We continued to walk along a path, which seemed to drift into nothing very quickly. As we walked a dog sprinted past us, later followed by a runner, but it was truly terrifying. I thought it was some sort of wild animal coming for us. We walked around the base of a hill and then began our ascent until we reached the Mourne wall and then followed this up to the peak of the mountain, where we crossed the stile and had a well-deserved lunch. We had a brief chat with our assessor Dave and had a look over the map on where we were to go. I ate my Marks and Spencer’s sandwich although it wasn’t really as good as I had hoped. We crossed over the stile and walked down the hill, which was very steep. At the bottom there was lots of marsh and heather. Nadine saw a frog, which she was terrified of, so we tried to get to the road as quickly as possible; we ran the remaining distance with Nadine holding on to my arm. During this sprint to the bottom, I lost my platypus - I was devastated! We walked along the road until we met Pigeon Rock Mountain. At this time of the day it was very hot and it seemed never-ending. We then went down the other

We woke up nice and early but the trouble started when we began to take down our tent, Nadine was not feeling well, and went home early. We had to begin at a later start time which set back all our route card times. We were much better organised on the second day and our navigation was going to plan. We followed the river until we met the dam and the views were fantastic. It was a beautiful day once again but very warm. We followed the reservoir around the edge until we met a car park, where we had lunch. Piri piri chicken pasta: it was amazing. Our assessor Dave was much more impressed with us today and gave us a packet of Randoms sweets. We followed the road and trekked up one more hill, until we met the path which led all the way to camp. The spirits were high and the group’s singing began... great tunes were sung!

Day 3 I was very thankful that this was the last day. My feet had lots of blisters and the sun burn had gotten worse. We decided to power on and we walked very efficiently. The weather was delightful, but it was very windy around the dam, and the path following it was very steep and dangerous. If we had fallen that would’ve been the end. We stopped at the top of Hare’s Gap and the view was phenomenal. There were lots of people out as it was such a lovely day, we walked over to the Mourne wall and we were on the home straight. A downhill path led us right to the car park, although we were obviously getting too excited and this is when I fell- face first, and cut my knee! This path was a lot longer than we had first anticipated but the feeling we had when we finally reached the car park was incredible!

Evie Flynn, Year 11

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Duke of Edinburgh Gold

The Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a tough and demanding experience but also an extremely rewarding and worthwhile one. This year our expedition was set in the South West Donegal Mountains - new territory for our group. We set off on our journey to Donegal at the end of June, each of us excited but also slightly nervous about the 4 days of walking ahead of us. Day 1 began misty and rainy and this continued throughout the day, making every hill seem taller and navigation quite difficult – by lunch we were ready to go home! We pushed on through and were rewarded with the weather drying up and the sun coming out just as we arrived into camp at Port. Even though we were tired, we were able to walk down to the beach and finally enjoy the beautiful coastline around us. Thankfully it didn’t rain as much on day 2, but we had even more hills to climb, which made our past expeditions on Bronze and Silver seem like a walk in the park. However, the stunning views of the area more than made up for our sore muscles and we finished our day successfully. Day 3 started off with the group grumbling about the rain and cold but by the afternoon we were regretting complaining as it got so sunny that most of the group got sunburnt! The heat, combined with a lack of sleep and two full days walking behind us, made the afternoon of the third day perhaps our most difficult part of the expedition, but we pulled through as a team and made it to camp eventually. We all slept well that night but woke up early to set off at 6.30am to do our final day’s walking. We were all excited to go home and get a shower and so we walked faster than we had during the whole expedition, despite our aching backs and tired legs. Then finally, after four gruelling days of walking and camping out, we finally completed our Gold expedition and were rewarded with a nice chippie! Gold Duke of Edinburgh was tough on us both mentally and physically but it was an amazing experience that helped us to bond as a group and improve our navigation (although we did get lost a few times!) teamwork and leadership skills. We have many memories – both good and bad – but overall we had an incredible time and it gave us a great sense of achievement.

Shannon Clarke, Year 13 108

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Eco Club Best Kept School Award Goes To Ballyclare High School Ballyclare High School is celebrating after winning the Northern Ireland Amenity Council’s Best Kept Post Primary School in the North Eastern Region. Key to our school’s success are the pupils who take great pride in their surroundings. A popular extra-curricular group in the school is the Eco Club, which meets weekly to teach pupils about eco issues including biodiversity in the school’s gardens. Year 9 pupils Emily Brannigan and Alison McWilliams explained: “We have been working hard in the school’s Millennium Garden this year. We have planted a number of vegetables and herbs. In September we will harvest our vegetables which are grown organically and use our produce to make healthy meals. Our Best Kept School ceremony was held in Crawfordsburn Country Park. We participated in a number of activities including pond dipping and a scavenger hunt. It was a great day and we met other winning schools from across Northern Ireland. We got to talk to others about our work this year such as producing a number of environmentally friendly Christmas decorations made from up-cycled materials

such as golf balls and paper. We entered the ECO-UNESCO competition and won the Junior Enterprise Award in May.” The Best Kept School Award is the latest in a long line of accolades won by our school. Over the last few years Ballyclare High School has been awarded Fairtrade School Status, the Green Flag Award and the RSPB’s Wildlife Action Award. In May the school won Eco-UNESCO’s Junior Enterprise Award at the final held in the Mansion House, Dublin.

Ballyclare Eco-Elves: Young Environmentalist Award Finalists 2015

environment due to excessive consumption and waste generation. The aim was to create a brand and range of products which were not only eco-friendly but which would provide opportunities to educate people on environmentally friendly habits at Christmastime. This included creating Christmas logs, glitter baubles and sock snowmen. This generated funding to be reinvested in eco-club projects in school.

The Ballyclare High School Eco-Club decided to take part in the Young Environmentalist Award with a project that involved researching and planning a business idea that would help make Christmas a more sustainable time of year. Christmas is a time of year to be celebrated by so many people but which can be very detrimental to our

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To raise awareness about this environmental issue the products were placed in classrooms around the school and local shop managers were consulted. After making it through the heats in Craigavon, the team had the opportunity to participate in the grand final in Dublin. After a hard day spent impressing the judges and explaining their project to the public, the Eco-Elves teams were awarded the winning prize for their category, ‘EcoEnterprise’. Want to help out? Look out for the sock bin or purchase one of the eco-friendly Christmas gifts!

Clubs and Societies

Eco Club Eco Fish Following the landscaping of the Millennium Garden at the beginning of 2015 and the relocation and expansion of the pond, the Eco Club decided to ask Year 8 pupils to get involved with restocking it with fish. Pupils were given the chance to sponsor and name a goldfish for ÂŁ1. Alternatively, a Koi Carp (they can live up to 100 years!) could be sponsored for ÂŁ5. We had a great response and at the beginning of June 2015, the pond was ready to be restocked by a team of aquatic enthusiasts.

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Clubs and Societies

Senior SU: Fun, Fellowship and Friendship “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Scripture Union plays a very integral part in the life in Ballyclare High School. Every Monday at lunchtime the lecture theatre is filled with senior pupils who, together, study God’s word. This year’s topic was called ‘Today’ where we looked at the issues present in society and how we can tackle them in our day to day lives with a Christian outlook. We also discussed the biblical context of the ‘I am’ and exchanged our thoughts and opinions. S.U. isn’t just about the spiritual aspect though – it is also a place where you can meet new people, give and receive support from your peers and have a break from the pressures of school life. Our weekend at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum did exactly this, and it was the perfect mixture of good teaching and team building activities which made for a very memorable weekend. The highlight for most people was possibly the remake videos, where we split into groups and re-enacted scenes. Another important part of S.U. is spreading God’s word and love, which is exactly what we did in a week called ‘Shine’ in November. We wanted to show the rest of the school who God really is, improve our outreach, as well as also trying to encourage prayer by making a prayer room in school. Many people’s highlight this year, however, was the S.U. barbecue (which also included some line dancing) where

Some of the highlights from an enjoyable SU weekend away at The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.

some of our members showed their real talents…although maybe they should have stayed hidden! All of these things wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the local speakers who came in and taught, the teachers who helped us so much – Mrs Rogers, Miss Scott and Miss Simpson – and also the rest of the S.U. committee, even if we were a bit disorganised at times! This combination of amazing events, people involved and God’s work has made for an extremely exciting year at S.U., which we hope continues into next year.

Laura Murray and Adele McCafferty, Year 11

Outdoor Pursuits Club 2014/15

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Clubs and Societies

Seven Years Of Music at Ballyclare High The Music department at Ballyclare - there’s a lot that can be said about it. I’m not going to lie, it’s kind of strange. Half of it is falling apart, and the other half is filled with state-of-the-art computers. It’s pretty tropical all year round, except for a single store which somehow manages to stay freezing. Everyone in the school does music at some point, but for almost everybody, it’s just another subject that you don’t really care about, and I don’t blame you really. If you don’t play an instrument or read music, or aren’t really interested in singing, it’s not really the most fascinating of subjects. But out of this strange department comes all sorts of things. There’s an orchestra, sometimes a wind band, choirs for juniors, seniors, girls, boys and, of course, the Chamber choir. A Musical at the start of every year (‘Beauty and the Beast’ this year), several Carol services at Christmas (which, if I’m not mistaken, are actually the most attended nights in the school every year) and a Spring concert in, well, spring. Throughout the year, there are all sorts of competitions that our choirs participate in, across Northern Ireland, ranging from standard music festivals to Ireland-wide radio and TV competitions. And behind all of these are our fantastic music teachers.

Chamber Choir

Every department in Ballyclare High has some great teachers, whether they’re kind, or funny, or just plain good at teaching, but I think the music teachers perhaps deserve some special credit. Few, if any, other departments have such a range of activities to support with so few members of staff; and our music teachers manage to pull it off every single year without us even noticing all the work. That’s just a tiny bit about the Music department, there’s so much more that could be said, but I know this piece has already dragged on a little, so I’ll wrap it up quickly. After seven years of music at Ballyclare High, what advice can I leave you with? I would encourage you to give it a go, really. Joining a choir is probably the easiest thing to do everyone can sing and they really are good fun (even though it might not be the coolest of things). If you’re already in a choir, audition for Chamber choir once you get to senior school, that’s where things really get good. (Plus, I need someone to take over from me at the Carol concert by singing the wrong words in every carol trying my best to put everyone off, so that position is open.) The last thing to say is, once you really become a part of the music department, you’re never going to want to leave - I know I don’t.

Aaron Fleming - Class of 2015

Senior Choir 113

Images of the School Year

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Images of the School Year

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Hockey pages 139 -149

Athletics Season Report 2015 Another enjoyable but hasty athletics season has drawn to a close. Well done to everyone on all your team and individual successes. It is pertinent to point out that the main flurry of activity in the season is over a concentrated period of time and athletes must prepare over the winter period to achieve success at Ulster level. Thanks also go to our coaches Mr McKeever, Mr Butler, Dr Rainey, Mr Strange and Miss McAleese. Mr Adam (Athletics NI) aided our senior sprinters. We also benefitted (when studies allowed) from former pupils Tori Wallace, Emma Cathcart, Emma Patterson and Megan Downey helping out. Sessions started before Easter due to the timing of the first competition and were based around the main sessions at Antrim Forum. Unfortunately our normal opposition for Saturday meets was not available to use this year with our only competitive Saturday fixture apart from the main competitions being against Friends and Grosvenor at the Mary Peters Track. Emma Hutchinson and Josh Young have been selected for the Ulster Schools’ Team with Sasha Kirk as reserve. Lydia Mills won through the Ulster Multi Event competition to reach the Irish final. She was selected from this to represent the Irish Team in the Home Countries Championships. In the UK Schools’ Games Sasha Lawther was selected to represent the Northern Ireland Team in the 4x400m Relay. In sports hall athletics Emma Hutchinson won a place in the UK finals after representing County Antrim. Also representing Antrim were Molly Dougan, Katie Stewart, Nicky Jordan and Leah Baird.

Sasha Kirk Josh Young and Emma Hutchinson

Lydia Mills ool NI Sch s’ Athletics, Irish Multi Event Team and NI Schools Team

Sasha Lawther Ulster Schools

2 sports together representing the NI Youth Games Team Lydia Mills in Athletics Zoe Wilson in Hockey and Sasha Law ther in Athletics

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NEBSSA Athletics

Ballyclare High’s NEBSSA Athletics Finalists and Overall Team Champions Boys and Girls

NEBSSA Heats and Finals This competition started on the 30th April and again was held at Antrim Forum. We took 103 athletes to compete and well done to all our athletes who managed themelves around the events. Qualifiers from this event then moved through to NEBSSA Finals day on the 13th May and our athletes competed in 83 events and 7 relays, collecting 28 gold medals, 13 silver medals and 15 bronze medals.

NEBSSA U12 Girls’ Winning Team

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In the team competition the U12 Girls, U13 Girls, U14 Girls and U15 Girls won their team competitions which meant they regained the overall trophy as NEBSSA School Athletics Champions. The Boys were fantastic; the U12 Boys were runners up, U13 Boys, U14 Boys and U15 Boys all won their team events and this meant they also were NEBSSA School Athletics Champions.

NEBSSA U15 Girls’ Winning Team

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NEBSSA U13 Boys’ Winning Team

NEBSSA U13 Girls’ Team Runners Up

NEBSSA U14 Girls’ Winning Team

NEBSSA U14 Boys’ Winning Team

NEBSSA U15 Boys’ Winning Team

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District C Championships The competition is the only route to qualify for the Ulster Schools’ Athletics Finals and is a huge test for all entrants. Some 65 schools from across Donegal, Londonderry and Antrim challenge to finish in the top three positions which results in a place in the Ulster finals. 22 girls won through to compete in 29 events and 2 relay team with 9 boys in 11 events and 3 relay teams.

Ulster Schools’ Athletics 2015 Mini: Kathryn Coombs 2nd in Shot Katie McCullough 8th in Shot James Fry 5th in 100m

Minor: Alanna Kerr, Nicky Jordan, Molly Dougan & Katie Stewart 4th in Girls’ Relay Mark Jackson 4th in Long Jump

Junior:

Ulster Schools’ Championships This is the biggest event in Schools’ athletics and there are not only individual titles to be won but team competitions and the chance to reach the All Ireland finals. The competition begins on Friday evening and Ballyclare started on the medal podium with Inter age group athlete Emma Hutchinson driving herself to win bronze in a tough 3000m. This was quickly followed by Rebecca Quinn winning bronze in the Senior 3000m. Saturday saw Lydia Mills become double Ulster Champion in the senior long and triple jump. Jack Magee won his first senior Ulster title in the javelin. Hannah Petrie and Matthew McCullough became Ulster Champions in their Junior Discus competitions. Kirsty McBarnet in the Senior 100m race fought back to win silver and Kathryn Coombs, a new Year 8, took silver in the shot. Sasha Lawther determinedly took silver in the gruelling 300m Hurdles. Matthew Steele also took silver in the junior 80m Hurdles. Emma Hutchinson followed up Friday night with another bronze in the 1500m with a wonderful last 150 metres. Hannah McAuley won double bronze medals in the triple jump and discus. Both Senior Relay Teams won bronze: a fantastic achievement given the standard of competition.

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Hannah Petrie Ulster Champion 1st in Discus and 6th in Javelin Matthew McCullough Ulster Champion 1st in the Discus Matthew Steele 2nd in the 80m Hurdles and 5th in triple jump Adam Campbell 4th in Shot Sarah Irwin 5th in High Jump Matthew McCullough, Conor Archer, Adam Campbell & Sam Robinson Boys’ Relay Team 5th Keeley Hurst 7th in Triple Jump Anna Boyd 8th in 800m Kathryn Quinn 10th in Triple Jump

Inter: Sasha Lawther 2nd in 300m Hurdles and 80m Hurdles Emma Hutchinson 3rd in 1500m and 3000m Sasha Kirk 4th in Shot and 9th in Javelin Becky Jordan, Lauren McKee, Katie Young, Rachel Black & Emma Hutchinson Girls’ Relay 6th Jasmine Walker 7th in Discus, 8th in Javelin Alex Simpson 10th in Discus

Seniors: Lydia Mills Ulster Champion in Long & Triple Jump Jack Magee Ulster Champion in Javelin Kirsty McBarnet 2nd in 100m Rebecca Quinn 3rd in 3000m Hannah McAuley 3rd in Triple Jump,3rd in Discus Sasha Lawther, Kirsty McBarnet, Lia McKenzie and Lydia Mills. Girls’ Relay 3rd Mark Crowe, Alistair Burke, Ethan Beattie and Elliott Crothers Boys’ Relay 3rd Aimee McKillen 4th in Javelin Hannah White 8th in Discus

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Lydia Mills Double Ulster Senior Champion Long Jump and Triple Jump

Jack Magee Ulster Senior Javelin Champion

Matthew McCullough Ulster Junior Discus Champion

Hannah Petrie Ulster Junior Discus Champion

Sasha Lawther Ulster Silver Medallist in 100m

Kirsty McBarnet Ulster Silver Medallist in 300m Hurdles

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Kathryn Coombs Ulster Silver Medallist in Shot

Emma Hutchinson Double Bronze Medallist in 3000m and 1500m

Hannah McAuley Double Bronze Medallist in Triple Jump and Discus

Rebecca Quinn Bronze Medallist in 3000m

Senior Relay Team Bronze Medallists Kirsty McBarnet, Lydia Mills, Sasha Lawther and Lia McKenzie

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Senior Relay Team Bronze Medallists Alistair Burke, Ethan Beattie, Elliott Crothers and Mark Crowe

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Irish Schoolsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Athletics 2015 These Championships were held in Tullamore on 30th May with a school group travelling down on the Friday. The weather began as very sunny but gradually became colder and eventually rained during Emma Hutchinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event.

Juniors: Hannah Petrie 5th in Discus Matthew Steele 7th in 80m Hurdles Matthew McCullough 8th in Discus

Inters:

Senior:

Emma Hutchinson 5th in 1500m Sasha Lawther 6th in 300m Hurdles

Jack Magee Irish Champion in Javelin Lydia Mills 2nd in Long and Triple Jump Kirsty McBarnet 6th in 100m Aimee McKillen 7th in Javelin

Jack Magee Irish Javelin Champion

Emma Hutchinson after a tough 1500m final finishing 5th

Lydia Mills collects 2 Irish Silver Medals and sets a new PB in long jump

Some of the group enj oying a break at the Irish Athletics Fin als

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Sports Day 2015 Ballyclare High School Sports Day was held on 9th June 2015 at Antrim Forum. The weather was perfect for athletics and as a result new records were achieved. There was lots of excitement and small margins decided the athletes of the year and the winners of the House Competiitons. We also have a fun run at lunchtime in which all of our Year 8s take to the track. I can honestly say in all the years we have completed this this group of Year 8s ran exceptionally well. Possibly this is because the money raised this year is going to help Cameron Lindsay one of our own pupils who has been suffering with PANDAS. Cameron was with us during summer scheme back in August and in some classes in September and his classmates miss him. The pupils raised £585.

Mark Jackson (left) Year 9 Athletics Champion

Ballyclare High Year 8 Fun Run on Sports Day

Mr Clark being chased by Joel Teeney to the finishing line of the Relay

New Records Set. ak from Year 11 girls take a bre ir singing the e ctis pra competition to

for Good teamwork pays off am Ad s ner run lay Re Year 10 tson Dunn and Shaun Lee Wa 124

Name

House

Event

New Record

James Fry

Brann

U12 Boys’ 100m

12.8 sec

James Fry

Brann

U12 Boys’ 300m

44.81 sec.

Alanna Kerr

Dixon

U13 Girls’ Shot

8.6 m.

Adam Campbell

Dixon

U14 Boys’ Shot

12.23 m.

Scott Sempey

Brann

U14 Boys’ 300m

42.59 sec.

Emma Hutchinson

Russell

U15 Girls’ 800m

2.24.73 sec.

Sasha Kirk

Aiken

U15 Girls’ Shot

9.07m.

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Aiken Brann Dixon Russell

Boys’ House Points U12 U13 U14 86 128 101 100 72 122 43 108 107 99 130 112

U15 TOTAL 107 422 131 425 102 360 97 438

Aiken Brann Dixon Russell

Girls’ House Points U12 U13 U14 83 92 78 59 73 138 123 159 114 98 113 107

U15 TOTAL 115 368 91 361 139 535 122 440

Sports Day Trophies

A determined start from 0m. Year 11 Boys in the 80

Trophy

Runner-up

Champion

U12 Girl Champion

Katie McCullough

Ellie McBurney

U12 Boy Champion

Adam McDowell

James Fry

U13 Girl Champion

Molly Dougan

Alanna Kerr

U13 Boy Champion

Scott Wilson

Mark Jackson

U14 Girl Champion

Rebecca McCullough

Anna Boyd

U14 Boy Champion

Scott Sempey

Adam Campbell

U15 Girl Champion

Sasha Kirk

Emma Hutchinson

U15 Boy Champion

Josh Young

Ben Sempey Jack Magee

Senior Boy Champion Senior Girl Champion

Lydia Mills

Yasmin Wilson

Best Performing Boy

James Fry

Best Performing Girl

Emma Hutchinson

Headmaster’s Trophy

Molly Dougan

Year 11 Boys’ Relay

Aiken

Boys’ House Cup

Russell

Girls’ House Cup

Dixon

Year 8 athletes on their first Sports Day Yasmin Kidd, Fiona McIlroy and Emma Montgomery

Emma Hutchinson Year 11 on her way to breaking the 800m record and becoming Year 11 Champion. Molly Dougan attempting to break the 800m record and winning the Headmaster’s Trophy.

Adam Campbell on his way to becoming Year 10 Champion.

Ben Sempey Year 11 Boys’ Champion.

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Girls’ Badminton Girls’ Badminton takes place each Wednesday afternoon and it is wonderful to have Mrs Brown looking after the girls. She was ably helped this year by Connor Moore who has been great with the teams and helping them all progress. Further thanks needs to go to Miss Johnston who also helped out with the fixtures. Advice for next year would be girls please attend Friday afternoon team practices. Senior, Junior and Minor Teams were all entered into their respective leagues and the Year 8s into the round robin tournament and the Cup. The Seniors just missed out on qualifying for the Ulster B Finals, the Minors and Juniors both reached their finals narrowly losing in competitive matches. The Year 8 team finished runners up in the round robin tournament in Coleraine and won through to the second round of the Cup competition. Well done to all the players for your flexibility in terms of getting games organised, and for the captains for all their hard work - Jane, Ellen, Amy and Rachel - in making it all happen.

Senior Team We had a mixed start to the year with players being injured and unable to play. However, after a slow beginning we started to get into a rhythm. Our first League match was against Coleraine and we won; this is something which we had not done before against this school, resulting in a great day.

Senior Girls’ team: Jane Kenny, Alice Christie, Zoe Wilson and Helen Brown. Captain: Jane Kenny.

The next match was against Friends and we had a change of players; we came close to beating them but not close enough to allow the result of the match against Sullivan to matter to our progression through to Finals Day. Thanks to everyone for helping us and to all the girls who played.

Junior Team The season started well with our Junior Badminton Team being entered into Division 2 of the Ulster League. It started off great with a dominating win over Coleraine High School at our home courts and this gave us some momentum and determination. The next match initially finished as a draw against Hunterhouse, but we had scored the higher number of points and finished with the win. Next we travelled all the way up to Donegal to play Royal and Prior…which didn’t end well. It turns out that they were All Ireland Champions so, sadly, we lost in this case. The next two matches were against Friends and Wallace, in which we did a great job and came away winning. In the concluding part of the season, to our delight we qualified for the Division 2 Finals at Lisburn Racquets Club, in which we came second to Bloomfield. We loved the occasion and we played extremely well collectively.

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Junior Team: Ellen Hall, Rebecca McCullou gh, Hannah Petrie and Holly Tumelty. Captain: Ellen Hall. Our team for the season was Ellen Hall, Megan Tumelty, Hannah Petrie, Holly Tumelty and Rebecca McCullough.

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Minor Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Team 2015 Being in the team for 3 years now, I must say that this year was the toughest and most competitive. This brought out the best in all the girls on the team and we really needed all our skills and we hopefully showed how determined we were. Throughout the year, we kept up a good performance and allowed ourselves to improve throughout the badminton season. To start off our year we travelled to Donegal to play against Royal and Prior; it was a very tough match for all of our team and we lost. The first thing we saw when we entered the School was a banner saying Irish Badminton Champions so we knew we were in for a difficult time and so it proved.

Minor Team: Lucy McCandless, Suzanne McFetridge, Amy Davidson, Taylor Beggs and Laura Chestnutt.

We went on to win our matches against Hunterhouse and Wallace which meant we got through to the Ulster Division B Badminton Final. Here we faced Bloomfield and it was a tough match and we lost. However we still came out standing strong and were so proud for getting 2nd place in an Ulster Final. Our team this year included: Amy Davidson, Lucy McCandless, Laura Chestnutt, Suzanne McFetridge and Taylor Beggs. Captain: Amy Davidson

Junior and Minor Team at the Ulster Badminton Finals Day

Year 8 Team We all have really enjoyed badminton this year and like playing together. Our first competition was quite early in the year and Miss Johnston took us to Coleraine High School to play in a round robin tournament competing against Coleraine, Bloomfield and Friends. We were very nervous when we walked out onto the court but Miss Johnston told us not to be and said it did not matter how good they were just as long as we did our best and made sure we beat them. No pressure then! We lost our first match but won the next two â&#x20AC;&#x201C; hurray! We were really pleased but even more happy when we realised we had finished in second place. The Cup competition started in February and we moved past Bloomfield and on to play Friends just before half-term and although we fought hard they were too good for us and we lost. Thank you to the team and everyone who helped us.

Year 8 Team: Lydia Clements, Rachel Campbell, Brooke Chambers and Jade Allison.

Year 8 Team: Rachel Campbell, Jade Allison, Fiona McIlroy, Brooke Chambers and Lydia Clements. Captain: Rachel Campbell

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Allen Cup Winners 2015 In the girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; competition the U19 singles winner was Ellen Hall who defeated Megan Tumelty in the final. The U14 winner was Hannah Petrie who defeated Lucy McCandless in their final.

Ellen Hall winner of the U19 Allen Cup

Megan Tumelty runner up in the U19 Allen Cup

Jade Allison U12 Allen Cup Winner

ah Lucy McCandless, runner up, Mrs Allen and Hann Cup. Allen U14 Petrie, winner of the 128

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Boys’ Badminton Three boys’ teams competed in the Ulster Schools’ Division 2 league and cup competitions. The standard of play in Division 2 is increasing every year towards the level of those usual 4 teams in Division 1.

U16 Junior Boys This was a reasonably successful year for the U16 badminton team, culminating in the team reaching the Division 2 Ulster Schools’ League Cup final. The season started with a large away defeat to Coleraine Inst. (0-6); however, the team steadily improved from this and beat RBAI 4-2 away. Although losing to CAI at home 1-5, we were still able to beat RBAI 4-2 at home. This meant that the team had qualified for the Division 2 final. The team also had a good cup run, reaching the semi-final before succumbing to Division 1 side Bangor Grammar, who made it to the Division 1 Ulster final. Unfortunately the team was unable to beat Coleraine Inst in the final, losing 1-5. There were, however, many creditable performances in the final, especially Luke Jenkins winning his 1st singles match 21-20 in the 3rd set.

Under 16A: Luke Jenkins, Christian Montgomery (Capt), Matthew Laney, Ryan Lewis, Jonny Orr Under 16B: Reece Black, James Richmond and Scott Wilson

U14 Minor Boys The first game of the season was away to CAI. They were tough opponents winning convincingly but some of our players gave them a run for their money. Scott Wilson and Jordan Reid did well in their first game for the school but lost the opening doubles. Alex Archbold and Adam Surgeoner lost 14-21 and 18-21. The Singles were closer, Adam winning his first game but then losing the following two very narrowly. Alex lost both of his singles games. Scott lost 4-21 and 18-21. Jordan also lost 14-21, 12-21.

U14A League: A Surgeoner, A Archbold, C Nesbitt, L McDowell, M Dundee, S Wilson Under 14 B: J Reid, E Crawford, J Purdy, L Morrison, S Dyson, C Brown U14 Cup: M McCullough, A Surgeoner, A Campbell, M Taylor, L McDowell

The second game of the season was away to RBAI who proved tough opponents but Ballyclare won 4-2. Alex and Adam lost their doubles match 15-21 and 15-21 but Christopher and Lewis, on their debut for the school, won 17-21, 21-17 and 21-9. In the singles, Adam lost both games, to a good opponent, 16-21, 20-21. Alex won 17-21, 21-15 and 21-20. Lewis won his singles 20-21, 21-17 and 21-14 and finally Chris won 21-13 and 21-12. This was a good result against a good sporting school. Unfortunately Cookstown HS had to withdraw from the league section. In the Minor boys’ cup competition the Year 10 team from RBAI was much stronger than their U14 league team and we played well but lost narrowly 2-4. All season we had a good turnout at practice and we all look forward to next season’s competition. 129

Sport

U12 Boys

on, Under 12A: E Wallace, O Montgomery, J Gord M Walker , Under 12B: C Brownlee, L Smith, R Campbell nt N Crooks, O McCalmo Lloyd, J Fry, R White, J McCutcheon, B 12C: r Unde B Millar, C McKenzie, N Clarke

There was much enthusiasm among the Year 8 boys this year in badminton with up to 30 boys regularly attending Tuesday practices. Eventually after 8 weeks the group was sorted into A, B and C squads and given appropriate tasks to learn striking and movement skills. An ‘A’ team was selected to play in the Ulster Schools’ round robin Pool A tournament held in our Sports Hall. Ballyclare beat Banbridge Academy and CAI but lost out to a very good RBAI team. In the Ulster Schools’ Year 8 knock out cup Ballyclare HS played RBAI but lost out again to this team, this time on a closer scoreline.

In the annual school singles Allen Cup championships, the senior boys’ title went to Luke Jenkins who defeated Christian Montgomery in a super final of high quality badminton. The junior boys’ Allen Cup was won by Adam Surgeoner who defeated Matthew Dundee in another excellent final; credit to Matthew who had just returned from a long term injury. A special thanks go again to Mr Nutt for all his assistance with club and matches throughout the year.

U16 Boys finalists

Mrs Allen has been presenting her singles trophies to winners for 22 years during her retirement.

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Cricket Club 2015 The 1st XI On a lovely sunny Saturday morning (18th April) the first match of the new season was away to Carrick Grammar. We won the toss and chose to bat. We failed to build a partnership with the loss of 3 early wickets and were bowled out for a low 81 with Darling (28) and Hutchinson (20) top scoring. In the bowling, we had an optimistic start with McCalmont taking 2 early wickets and Kirk picking up a wicket and finishing with figures 1/9. Unfortunately, due to our low batting score, Carrick chased it successfully. A disappointing loss occurred for the 1st XI against Regent House School. Losing the toss saw us chasing a large score of 146 which was a result of poor fielding and loose bowling, including 35 extras! However, Andrew McCalmont, Owen Kirk and Gerard Dargan bowled with some promise. Optimism going in to bat saw us get a solid start to the innings, but wickets fell quickly and on too many occasions we played the wrong shot at the wrong time. Top scorer was Andrew McCalmont with 30 and second top scorer was Michael Stewart with 19. The 1st XI Ulster Schoolsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Cup campaign started with us playing Ballymena away in the 1st round. Ballymena won the toss and decided to bat first. A relatively bright start in the bowling from Kirk and McCalmont restricted Ballymena to a low run rate in the early overs with McCalmont finishing with figures of 2-17 off his 5 overs. Ballymena then picked up momentum and went on to finish for 161-9 off the 25 overs. In good batting conditions, our top order batsmen Magee and Stevenson got good starts but with no real partnership building until McIlwaine and McCalmont. With the help of sloppy bowling and the tail order being stubborn we successfully chased the score in a nail biting last over and with one wicket in hand, McCalmont finishing with an unbeaten 33. We then progressed into the 2nd Round in which we would face BRA who went on to be the eventual winners of the Cup. BRA dominated from the first ball and bowled us out for a low score of 47 in which their Irish Under 19 bowler tore through the top order picking up 4 wickets in a row. This gave us no foundation to bowl with and resulted in BRA successfully chasing the target with not even the loss of a wicket.

1stXI Squad M Darling (Captain), M Stevenson, R McCabrey, M McDowell, G Dargan, J Magee, R McIlwaine, A McCalmont, S Gault, J Collins, O Hutchinson, M Stewart, O Kirk, B Lowry, A Coleman.

In the McCullough Cup we faced Wallace High School at Hollinger Park in which we batted first scoring 104 off the 20 overs. McCabrey top scored with a much-needed 31 at the tail end of the innings. We had a positive start to the bowling with 2 early wickets but unfortunately we could not dismiss their key batsman who went on to score 60 not out which resulted in them chasing the score and winning with an over to spare. Pick of the bowlers was Lowry finishing with figures of 2-11. We finished the season with strong wins against Sullivan Upper and a weak Campbell College side. Strong batting performances from Magee and Dargan in both matches allowed the bowlers room for manoeuvre. McCalmont played a key role again with the ball in hand resulting in him being selected for the U17 NCU Inter-Regional tournament over 2 days in July and also receiving an Ulster Schoolsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Under 18 trial. Overall, this was a successful season with a relatively young team which will undoubtedly improve towards their potential in the next few years.

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The 2nd XI The 2nd XI got a team together to play BRA and this was most enjoyable despite the final result. Their Ulster Schools’ Duke of Abercorn Cup match, away to Grosvenor Grammar, was played in good spirits but limited batting up front meant that Ballyclare lost 3 wickets with only a handful of runs on the board. Scott Gault’s first match of the season saw him hitting a six off his first ball, going on to make 24 including a second six. Grosvenor’s bowling was accurate but there were 4 ducks following poor shots either playing across the line or not getting out enough. Andrew Brolly hit a super pull shot for 4 as number 11

and this left Ballyclare a meagre 60 runs to play with. Bowling started well with Alan Hamill taking a catch off Ben Lowry’s first over. Ben went on to take another wicket. Another major highlight was Matthew Branagh’s chase of 15 metres and catch off Scott Gault’s bowling. Further wickets were taken by Aaron Coleman and spinner Josh Collins. Ballyclare lost by 5 wickets but it was an all-round enjoyable game although performance would be improved with more batting practice.

The 2nd XI squad: B Deyermond (Capt), C Wilson, A Hamill, J Collins, K Bradshaw, D Jones, J Crockett, L Jenkins, A Seymour, S Gault, B Lowry, A Brolly, J Milligan.

The U15 XI The U15 have had an up and down season in 2015. A few great matches and a few, I have to say, awful games. We had a steady start to the season, beating Carrick by 5 wickets, with Carrick only hitting 52 runs in the first innings. After a good start, we went on to beat BRA comfortably by 110 runs, as we had hit 151 runs with Rhys Wallace making 75, and Lewis Cahill scoring 35 which pushed us to win the game comfortably. Our fielding and bowling was good with Rory Dorman taking 3 wickets for 10 runs and Matthew McEwan taking 1 for 10. After this, our season went slightly downhill after being heavily defeated by Wallace and Friends and a poor batting performance let us down against MCB. Our Cup game against Banbridge started with a horrible batting performance, only making 22 all out. The game was over quickly and our heads went down. Our season started to pick up with a close loss against Grosvenor, but our fielding and bowling was the best it had been all season. Again our batting let us down, and Grosvenor’s bowlers took advantage of this. After this, we had our plate Quarter final against Dalriada, which we won comfortably with a good fielding and bowling side, against Dalriada’s weak batting side. Rhys Wallace took 3 wickets for 5 runs, Josh Cowan 2 wickets for 5 runs and Rory Dorman 2 wickets for 4 runs. This performance took us to the semi final against Ballymena who are always tough opposition.

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U15 Colts XI: R Dorman (Capt), R Wallace, L Cahill, A Clarke, J Cowan, B Moore, T Harrison, O Lockhart, J Young, P Morrow, M McEwan, B Catherwood, R Patterson, M Todd and E Woodside.

On the day of the semi final, everyone was ready and the sun was shining. We batted well with a good total of 100 runs. Adam Clarke made 24 runs, Josh Cowan added 18 and they bowled many wides which brought up our total a great deal. When we went out to field, we had a few key early wickets, getting both of their openers out for just 25 runs. After this they had a key batsman who was steady and kept their team together. Once he was dismissed their other wickets fell quickly, Rory Dorman taking 2 wickets for 24 runs, Josh Cowan 2 wickets for 12 runs and Rhys

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Wallace 1 wicket for 12 runs. We won by 5 runs which secured our place in the final against Coleraine Inst. The Saturday before our final we beat Campbell by 30 runs with good batting and bowling performances. This put us in good stead for the final. We all had high hopes and no knowledge of what Coleraine Inst are like. On the day of the final, the pressure was starting to show on us. Adam Clarke and Rhys Wallace opened the innings, but the nerves were on edge with a couple of early wickets. Josh Cowan came in to bat at 4 and started a good partnership with Adam Clarke gaining most of our runs. After Adam was stumped, our batting performance fell away with everyone being dismissed for just a few runs. Adam Clarke made 40 and Josh Cowan scored 26.

With a total of 91 off 17 overs, it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t looking good, but it was still game on. With some good consistent bowling by Rory Dorman and Josh Cowan, we made the breakthrough and got an early wicket. With a few dropped catches and run out opportunities missed, we could not dismiss them, despite taking one more wicket. We were runners up in the Jubilee cup, but it was a good end to an up and down season with the lads. Every team wants to finish their season at a cup final, and we reached that goal. I feel that I have played with a great bunch of guys and some fantastic cricketers. Mr Lenaghan has put in a lot of work with us, and so has Mr Thompson, and I think most of it has paid off.

R Dorman (Captain)

U14XI

We started off the season the way we meant to continue with a convincing 36 run win over Ballymena. We set a total of 120 with Adam Clarke hitting 59 not out and Adam Surgeoner getting 24 not out. All bowlers bowled consistently as we restricted Ballymena to 83 for 7, Adam Clarke and Matthew Gordon getting 2 wickets each. Our first league match did not get off to a good start in a rain affected game at Roughfort against a strong batting side. Matthew McClean took the only 2 wickets as we were set a rain affected total of 135. However, we fell 19 runs short with Adam Clarke and Josh Cowan getting 35 each. Our first cup match against RBAI B ended with a 9 wicket win, Adam Surgeoner leading the way with 4 wickets as they were restricted to 59 for 7. The batsmen calmly won the match, Adam Clarke with 29 not out, Matthew McClean with 13 and Josh Cowan with 11 not out. Our second league game ended in a tense draw; once again we restricted the opposition, Wallace, to 66 for 6, Josh Cowan bowling well with figures of 2-4 off 4 overs. However, we lost too many wickets, drawing the game as we were

bowled out, Josh Cowan led the way with 30 runs; however, we could not prevent a late collapse. In the second round of the cup we drew BRA who again posted a massive total of 193 for 3. We struggled against such a huge total losing by 96 runs. We could not return to winning ways against Friends as we lost in a tight match by 9 runs chasing 117. However, we could against Methody as we batted first posting 130 on the board, Josh Cowan with 51 not out. We defended successfully winning by 44 runs, Ethan Crawford with 3 wickets. We continued our winning streak against Grosvenor bowling them out for 42, Adam Surgeoner with figures of 5 for 12 off 4 overs. We chased this easily, Adam Clarke hitting 23 as Ballyclare won by 8 wickets. We finished off the season on a positive note with a big win against Regent. Batting first, Adam Clarke hitting 61 and Matthew McClean getting 34 helped us to a big total of 129. All the bowlers chipped in as we were able to restrict Regent to 76 for 9. Overall it was a much improved season compared to last year as we only lost to BRA and Friends but there is still room to improve yet.

A Clarke (Captain) U14 Squad: A Clarke (Capt), J Cowan, A Surgeoner, S Hull, A Campbell, E Crawford, M McClean, K Apsley, J Gaw, M Warwick, M Taylor, M Gordon, J Cole, L McDowell

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The U13 XI This season for the U13s has been much more successful than last year. We won over half of our games which was very encouraging compared to last season. We were very fortunate to have coaching from the Templepatrick Cricket Club’s professional, Bob Homani (S Africa), who really helped us develop our skills and grow in confidence. Although we did suffer a few defeats this year, some were by a slim margin and we showed how far we have come from last season. Every single player in the squad has greatly improved from last year and as we continue to develop as a team we look forward to even more success next season. There were some super performances by a lot of players in the team. Most notable on the batting front was the winning opening partnership of Christopher Nesbitt (44no) and Sam Nugent (40no) over Regent House. In the bowling department, at the end of the innings, a Ben Dixon maiden over secured a draw against Parkhall College. The schools that we defeated this season were Ballymena Academy, Regent House twice, Wallace, Grosvenor and Parkhall. The matches we lost this season against other schools had some tight finishes.

The U13 XI cricket squad: Christopher Nesbitt (Capt), Sam Nugent, Ben Dixon, Jordan Reid, Adam Cheshire, Harry McBride, Cameron Brown, Matthew Hamilton, Calum McQuillan (WK), Adam Barron, Cameron Kane, Mattie Shanks and Beth McCrea

At the end of this season Matthew Hamilton took the bowling trophy and Christopher Nesbitt took the batting trophy.

C Nesbitt (Captain)

The U12 XI The U12XI kicked off the season during a good sunny spell in April with friendly wins over Carrickfergus Grammar (O Montgomery 22no) and then Ballymena Academy (E Wallace 47no, N Crooks & E Wallace both 3 wickets each). The Ulster Schools’ Wesley Ferris Cup match was against Regent House the following week. We got a good total of 92 and the high scorer of the match was E Wallace with 55no. The bowling stats were very good, 2 wickets for A Robson and 2 wickets for J Khanna, as Regent House only got a score of 30. The fourth match for the U12XI was a good win against BRA. Ballyclare came out and batted well and the highest scorer was E Wallace with 42 as we scored 67. The bowling was good from A Robson with another 2 wickets and N Crooks with 2 wickets. The first league cup game against Wallace was played without best batsmen E Wallace and O Montgomery and without them we were 21 all out. Wallace got the total in 5 overs. Our second league cup game was at home against Friends, Lisburn and we won the toss and chose to bowl first. Ewan Wallace’s 3rd over was a 4 wicket maiden and

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U12XI squad: E Wallace (Capt), O Montgomery, A Robson, N Crooks, J Hull, J Khanna, J Russell, B Lloyd, H Clarke, N Gardiner, H Beckington, J Gordon, J Hamilton, T McKinstry, S McDaniels, R Reid.

the other best bowler was J Khanna who got 2 wickets. The batting was good and the highest scorer was J Gordon with 28. In the match against Methody, they chose to bat first and got a massive total of 147 runs. The best bowler was A

Sport Robson with 3 wickets. The batting was reasonable but only O Montgomery managed double figures against some very good bowling. We only got 39 runs but we tried our hardest.

The last game was a friendly against Parkhall and we chose to bowl first, we bowled really well as they only got 35 runs. When we batted E Wallace scored 26 off 14 balls including 2 sixes and 3 fours to win the match.

The quarter final of the Ulster Schools’ Wesley Ferris Cup was against Grosvenor but we only got 30 runs. Our bowling was good, the best bowler being E Wallace with a remarkable 5 wickets for no runs in 5 overs. However, Grosvenor scraped home by 2 wickets to win and then they went on to win the final of this cup.

We had a good season full of wins and losses. I would like to thank Mr Butler for coaching us throughout the season and Mr Thompson for organising all of our matches and I would like to say thank you to the boys for showing up at training and coming to the matches. I hope we have as good a season next year.

The game against a strong Campbell College side was poor as we had some players missing and we only scored 25 runs against their massive 130 for 5.

E Wallace (Captain)

Cross Country The cross country teams had a great start to the year with lots to celebrate at the District Championships in January. The pupils faced a challenging day at Coleraine with extreme weather conditions and a lot of mud. The competitors battled heavy hail and strong winds throughout the day. Despite the weather, Ballyclare High Minor Girls’ Team managed to secure first place, with the Mini Girls’ team in second place! Both the Junior Girls’ and Boys’ teams fought a very close contest for third place but narrowly missed out on points. Our Senior Girls’ Team were successfully placed third in their race. A great race was run by our Individual

Qualifiers: Max Davidson, Scott Reilly, Sam Ross and Anna Boyd. Emma Hutchinson and Molly Dougan faced better weather conditions at Mallusk and ran excellent races at the Ulster Schools’ Championships in February; both girls individually qualified for the Irish Championships. Emma and Molly have trained hard all year and this was a testament to their hard work and dedication. Well done to all the teams and individuals this year and we look forward to training for next year’s races!

L Conlon

Year 8 Girls’ Cross Country

Junior Boys’ Cross Country

Junior Girls’ Cross Country

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Football

Year 9s, Year 10s and the U18s all entered a total of five cup competitions. The U18 team had an excellent run in the Inspire Sport Northern Ireland football cup; having beaten Portora, Dromore High School, St Malachy’s and seeded Banbridge Academy to then make it to the quarter final against St Patricks Dungannon where they unfortunately lost 4-1. The boys have had a good season and can look forward to next year with confidence as only one player will be leaving the U18 squad. The highlight of the footballing year was the Year 10 team retaining the East Antrim Cup against Ashfield Boys, having beaten Glengormley High in the final the previous year. Ashfield felt very confident having 4 teams in all age groups in the East Antrim Finals and the Ballyclare boys entered the final as underdogs. However, they were determined to give their all and have an enjoyable day. As expected, the Ashfield boys started strongly with nice attacking play on a number of occasions but the Ballyclare defence held strong, with good positional play from Michael Warwick and Kurt Cooper. This made it difficult for Ashfield to break through from the wings and, when they did, Sam Robinson and Adam Campbell were at hand, both using their pace to break up the threat. Eventually their chance came and Ashfield took the lead, which they held at half time. Ballyclare’s confidence started to grow in the second half which was further boosted by a free kick opportunity outside the 18 yard box when Joel Moore, who was playing out of position on the right wing, cut in to the centre before being brought down. Jamie McAllister very

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coolly slotted the free kick into the top right hand corner. Ashfield once again tried to raise their game and Ballyclare were to be commended for remaining focused and alert! Adam Glass was to be commended for making a few exceptional saves and his presence in goal was a real boost of confidence to the players. Josh Cowan continued to work hard up front, holding the ball up on a number of occasions and linking well with Logan Campbell and Jamie McAllister. Kyle Apsley and Conor Archer came on as substitutes and Conor, having scored the winning goal last year, made it clear he meant business. Conor tirelessly ran up and down the right wing and his chance came when he picked the ball up just in their half, used his sheer strength, pushed past three Ashfield boys and calmly slotted the ball past the on-rushing keeper. The boys were delighted to go 2-1 up. Ashfield continued to press (knowing one chance was all it would take) but Sam Irvine and Adam Surgeoner gave their all to break up Ashfield’s attack. With about 7 minutes left and after excellent saves from Adam Glass and tiring legs all round, Ashfield responded with the equaliser. The final whistle went with the score line remaining 2-2, meaning the game had to be decided by penalties. This was a nail-biting experience for both schools and Ballyclare held their nerve with excellently positioned penalties from Kyle Apsley, Josh Cowan, Jamie McAllister, Joel Moore and Sam Ervine with Adam Glass again playing his part in goals. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day and the boys were a credit to their school making us immensely proud of their achievement. Well done boys.

P Young

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Golf GUI Irish Schools’ Junior Champions! The team - Stephen McCalmont (Year 12), Christopher Nesbitt (Year 9) and William Beatty (Year 11) – played the Ulster qualifier for this event in September 2014 at Edenmore Golf Club in Craigavon. After some good, competitive golf and not a little luck, we emerged as victors. This was the third year in a row that the junior team would represent Ulster at the final of this event to be played in Co. Cavan in April 2015.

William Beatty’s Championship diary The final was to be played at the Farnham Estate Golf & Spa Resort in Co Cavan. We set off on the morning of 21st April 2015 and, after a 2½ hour drive, we arrived at the luxury hotel and off-loaded our bags into the rooms. We were teeing off for our practice round at 3.30pm ahead of ‘the real thing’ the next day. The practice round itself proved a tough test for our golfing abilities with the thick rough and ‘silk-like’ greens. The round was topped off nicely with a Tigeresque birdie from Mr Bell on the 14th hole. We swiftly got back to the hotel for our dinner and then an early night. We woke at 7am on the Wednesday morning and, after a good breakfast, loaded our luggage into the car and made the short journey to the 1st tee. We spent 45 minutes warming up in the nets and on the practice green before the first 3 ball was called. Stephen teed off in the 2nd group, Chris in the 3rd and I was in the 4th group. The first tee shot was reasonably difficult with an undulating fairway and thick rough on both sides. With overnight fog the course was damp and, once again, proved tricky.

As we neared the end of the round we knew it was close with stiff competition from the teams representing Leinster, Munster and Connacht. Chris carded a very respectable nett score 78 which was highlighted with a superb birdie on the 8th. Stephen finished on 73 with a great display of powerful driving and I returned a 72 after a good putting performance. We knew that there had been some very good performances from the other teams and the competition had been played in a great spirit, but it was not until the final score was put up on the leader board that we realised we had won by a single shot from Ashbourne Community School of Leinster. We were presented with our winners’ medals and the trophy by the president of the GUI and, after lots of photographs, we made the journey back home to Ballyclare. The team would like to thank the GUI for hosting the event and providing our food and rooms for the competition and Mr Bell for all his help and organisation.

William Beatty, Year 11

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GUI Ulster Schools’ Scratch Championship On the 23rd September 2014, the Ballyclare High School senior golf team played in the Ulster Schools’ Scratch Championship at Kirkistown Castle Golf Club in County Down. The sun was shining but there was a cold wind which made conditions slightly tougher on this links course. The three team members were Scott Campbell, Reece Black and Peter Bonar. We have all played in these school GUI events before so we knew there was tough competition in the field from schools such as St Killian’s, Campbell College and RBAI. Scott was the first of our group to play and split the fairway with his first tee shot. His team mates took inspiration and followed suit. The format for the tournament was gross Stableford points, meaning that everyone played off a handicap of scratch (zero) and their points were then calculated. The course was in reasonable condition, with the greens being a bit slow and the fairway grass a little longer than the conditions we were used to. Scott and Peter played well on the day, both with 4 birdies during their rounds. Scott carded a 2 over par 71, following a strong finish including a birdie at the last hole. Peter shot a 4 over

par 73 and Reece was 7 over par, carding a score of 76 giving the team a score of 95. Highlights for Peter and Reece both came on the short par 3 11th with each coming close to a hole-in-one! The weather on the day did have an effect on our rounds, though we all played well enough to stop the conditions getting the better of us. As the score came in, however, it became clear that many teams had struggled in the conditions and the final result would be very tight. In the end, we finished in second place by a single point to St Killian’s College, Larne who returned a score of 96. It was a very enjoyable day with some good golf played. The result made the day even more enjoyable and the team would like to thank Mr Bell for giving up his time to allow us to participate.

Peter Bonar, Year 14

ILGU Irish Schools’ Ladies Championship Ulster Qualifier at Kirkistown Castle 13th March 2015.

The Ballyclare High School girls’ team consists of Susan Purdy, Jessica Donaldson, Zara McIlwaine (all Year 13) and Jessica Baird (Year 9) but unfortunately Jessica Baird was ill on the morning of the competition and was unable to play which was a real shame as she had scouted out the course the previous week! It was a very blustery day at this links course and, following some confusion at sign in with tee times being brought

forward, we did not really get the practice time before our rounds that we had hoped for. Conditions were tough for everyone playing on the day but congratulations must go to Zara for scoring 33 points which gave her a share of 6th place. We had a great day out and look forward to playing again next year. If you are a girl who plays golf at a club, please make yourself known to Mr Bell. Maybe we could take a bigger team with us in 2016!

Mr M Bell 138

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Hockey This season was nothing short of amazing, as we’ve all really come to expect from the club. Having enough players to put out 6 senior girls teams, two boys teams, 6 junior girls teams and having 70 enthusiastic first years running about on a Saturday morning is something that we can all be pretty proud of. I could go on about how brilliant we were every Saturday morning till I’m blue in the face, but I think having scored 270 goals in 114 games and only losing 12 really speaks for itself. The 1stXI had a tough break in the cup but for some reason remained really strong afterwards, a danger sign for some teams next season. Perhaps this focus came from the teambuilding exercises in a Scottish Lough at the end of October – are you mad girls? Lots of core stability was useless in the canoes and oh my goodness working through the spider net was worse than any A level. On a calmer note, younger players be warned! Do not believe everything they say or you will be practising yoga for the rest of your life – ask Lauren McKee if you do not believe me! The 2nd XI ended the season as an emotional family: is that possible for a squad of hockey players? Well, of course it is, that is really what each team is. What a fantastic season making up for last year’s huge disappointment. Well done girls. The 2Bs, according to Amy, were wonderful and yes, they were on the pitch, reaching another Ulster final. However, she says she will miss us but will she miss the arguments over what was the better pass, the twins giving off and the constant talk about what everyone had for breakfast on a Saturday? I think she did a marvelous job with a very eclectic group – yes, Year 11, I am challenging you to go find a dictionary and tell me what that means! The 3rd XI, according to Shannon, had a relaxed and enjoyable season – well, that is just not fair. Why were the rest of us not allowed that opportunity? Only joking because I do not believe that for a minute. How could I when they beat Methody with only 9 players? The U14As had a wonderful season and they seem like a lively bunch. Well done coaches for surviving them and well done to all the players on winning the Cup. However, please do not shout too loud about your pre-season training or we will all have to do this. The U14Bs had a great season too. Leah couldn’t be

happier with how much they improved and was gutted to see it come to an end. They lost only 2 matches and drew 1 which was an amazing job. They’ve played in all weathers but didn’t care as long as they got a good game of hockey, and that’s what this club is really about. No one at this school says practice is cancelled due to weather. Girls, this is great preparation for life – now where have I heard that before? The U14Cs had a really fun year and, as Olivia put it, they may not have won very many matches, but they didn’t lose many either. They trained well and I’m sure it will pay off for them as individuals in the long term. The U13As had a great season with a few changes each week while the team settled down. They put in 110% each Saturday morning with a few nifty goals being slipped in. The U13B team had a really brilliant season, with 13 matches played and winning every one of them bar a tough Ballymena Academy game. The U13Cs played well all season even though they didn’t quite get as many matches as they would have hoped. The team progressed massively, with them all improving drastically and making some great friends throughout the year. Well, Year 8s, you have to have something because Mrs McCullough is quite excited about you winning the Board tournament, she says it is a sign. I am presuming that means you are good. Well I hope that is what that means, although, why would they not be, they play for Ballyclare High School? On that note players I leave you saddened by the fact I will not be one of you next season but secure in the knowledge I will always be with you in spirit. Finally, I have to say my thanks. Mrs Holmes, I know how you feel, trying to get match reports each week was the worst way to spend a Monday morning and I don’t think everyone realises how much time and effort you really do put in. There are so many coaches and I am so sorry if I miss anyone but we have Dr Rainey, Miss Corish, Mrs Wells, Mr Butler, Vanessa, Stuart, and a few more brought in from outside, the patience they have is sensational and the time they all put in is endless. Our umpires have been amazing as usual, Kate, Sammy and Eddie we’d be lost without the time you put in. And finally Mrs McCullough, the club wouldn’t run anything like it does without you, and the faith you have in every team, every Saturday morning, knows no bounds. Thank you for 7 great years of hockey and from all the leavers this year, good luck.

Club Captain Lana Robb 139

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Hockey Tours Senior Tour The Senior Group went to Scotland in sunny October where there was a mixture of games and team building fun! Yes, actually it was full of fun and the activities proved hilarious and challenging to us as individuals and as groups. Were we cold, wet and miserable? Yes, but we laughed and laughed with and at each other. The highlight of the trip was a chance to play on the Commonwealth Games pitch against a Scottish U18 Development Squad and although we started on top it then became a challenging tactical battle with the Scots becoming very clever with their strategy and the thinking caps needed to come on. However, across the sessions we won overall– against a Scottish side? I think this is when we started to believe we were good. We also played Lomond College who have wonderful facilities and who had previously visited us twice on tour. It was such a family atmosphere and they were so welcoming. I think these links will be enduring as their coach and Mrs McCullough have played a few times against one another at club and national level. So we look forward to more enjoyable encounters. We will not talk about the pizzas and shopping because really we only squeezed these in between watching (in gale force winds) a top league match and playing ourselves.

This picture tells us how much it means

The next day was St Patrick’s Day and we were off to play Muckross where we played 4 matches against their school teams who had 11 finalists in 14 Leinster competitions. Oops. The sun was shining and our subs were sunbathing. What could go wrong? Well, apart from the split head and ankle injury, nothing, I suppose. However, the best bit about the day is that Muckross finished classes early and were having a ceilidh, our girls got involved and really enjoyed themselves. All soreness went out the window as the next stop was shopping and yes we shopped till we dropped. Followed by lots of good food then sweets. Is this not what a tour is about?

Junior Tour A group of 50 pupils set off on junior tour heading for Dublin. Full of excitement and sweets we stepped off the bus at St Andrews to play our first game full of confidence. My goodness the fun bus journey seemed a million miles away as they ran at us time and time again. Perhaps it was the long bus journey but it took us a while to get going and the end result was acceptable. On reaching the hotel we had a wonderful roast dinner and then immediately out to the bowling alley. I am quite sure there needed to be repairs after some of the flings of the bowling balls halfway down the alley. However, the most surprising thing was the competitiveness of the hockey staff against the other baby-aged teams, really!

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The threat of an early morning run did not materialize; in fact, possibly the opposite was true when we had birthday cake at breakfast for Victoria Jenkins. Mrs McCullough is obviously getting soft. The cake was just the thing before you go watch an International match. Well the excitement was mounting. Miss McFerran was on the squad - would we get to see her play? Only a handful of players had ever seen an international match and we were not disappointed. Gasps of how did she do that, wow that was so fast, meant no one moved during the Irish game. They were totally mesmerised and Ireland also won on the start of the Road to Rio. All in all a tour that had everything. We can’t wait for next year.

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Hockey Report 2015 Summary Another exciting, action packed season, full of highs and lows, fast-paced skill and wonderful team work. We reached the last stages in all the 4 Premier Ulster Cup Competitions eventually winning two Ulster titles. The 1stXI reached the Semi-Final of the Senior Schools’ Cup and should have reached the final. The 2ndXI won the McDowell Cup and the U14s the Junior Schools’ Cup. The 2BXI won through to the final of the Gibson Cup where they narrowly lost. The 3rdXI also played in the Gibson Cup and they reached the knockout stages just missing out on a Quarter-Final place. The U15XI played in the NEBSSA tournament we hosted. Our Year 8s won their NEBSSA tournament which has proved to be a good sign in the past. Even as I am typing this I cannot quite believe the success we have had this year. We continue to attract a large number of players in each group which is wonderful and we will continue to support the ethos of providing opportunities for all. This report is a fantastic opportunity for me to acknowledge that any success gained and the commitment shown is down to team work from our players, to the coaches who give up their time on a voluntary basis and to our parents who are the driving force behind our pupils’ commitment and availability. Thank you to all of the players whose energy and ambition keeps us going. Thank you to all our coaches Dr Rainey, Mr Butler, Miss Corish, Mrs Scott and Mrs Wells and to our former pupils who are wonderful: Miss Surgeoner and Mr Todd. Also Miss McGookin who has helped on a Saturday morning with Year 8 and again invaluable former pupils Miss McMillan and Miss Lorimer who are always supportive and are wonderful too. Thank you as always parents for your contribution. Lastly, but certainly not least, we wish all the players leaving us this year good luck for the future and a huge thank you for the last seven years being part of Ballyclare High School Hockey Club. We will be very sad to see you go but hope that you will continue to be part of a hockey club somewhere. This is the main aim behind the provision of school sport that we encourage you to develop the lifelong habit of sport and through the ‘jobs’ you undertake in the club you get a feeling for how important it is to have volunteers.

Representative Players On a representative level Zoe Wilson is a phenomenal player, part of the Irish Senior set up and currently playing for Irish and Ulster U21s, Captain of Irish and Ulster U18s. We wish her every success as she embarks on her hockey scholarship in America. At Ulster U16 Level Rebecca McConnell, Ellie Nugent and Sophie McDowell were selected for the Interprovincial series; Rebecca was also given the honour of vice-captain. Unfortunately Sophie broke a bone in her foot just before the Interprovincial Championship but has since been selected to play for an Irish U16 Squad against Scotland. Sophie McDowell and Gemma Ferguson have also recently played for an Ulster U17 Team who played England at Bisham Abbey. Ellie and Rebecca have moved into the Ulster U18 Squad and Ellie will represent Ulster U18s against Wales. Gemma Ferguson, Kia Doherty and Rebecca McCullough were selected for the Ulster U16 Squad to play against Scotland. It is wonderful to have so many girls involved at this level, well done to you all.

Ulster Players Ellie Nugent, Zoe Wilson and Rebecca McConnell

Ulster U16 Players Kia Doherty, Gemma Ferguson and Rebecca McCullough

Sophie McDowell Ireland U16

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Hockey Dinner The Annual Hockey Awards Dinner took place in Barnabys with a fantastic number of girls and some boys attending. We are fortunate to have so many trophies donated by the parents of players and staff and would wish to thank them for their generosity. The following awards, the Players of the Year awards, are voted weekly by each team after the match and recorded in the match reports.

Player of the Year Awards The McConnell Hockey Cup for 1stXI Player of the Year - Rebecca Quinn The McLean Hockey Cup for 2ndXI Player of the Year - Ellie Boyd The Stirling Hockey Cup for 2B Player of the Year - Ellie Ross The McNinch & Son Hockey Cup for 3rdXI Player of the Year - Hannah White The Bambou Hockey Cup for U15XI Player of the Year - Laura Robson The Mawhinney Chemists Cup for U14A Player of the Year - Keely Hurst The Lismenary Motors Hockey Cup for U14B Player of the Year - Fay Hunter The Headmasterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cup for U14C Player of the Year - Cassie Hamilton The Brown Hockey Cup for U13A Player of the Year - Molly Dougan The Aiken Hockey Cup for U13B Player of the Year - Ellen White The N.I.E. Hockey Cup for U13C Player of the Year - Eve Sterrett The Graham Hockey Cup for U12 Player of the Year - Rebekah Lennon

ney Most Improved Player Emma Dow Surgeoner receiving her trophy from Vanessa

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Captains receiving of the Team of Year from Vanessa Surgeoner

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Special Awards Sammy Downes Trophy for the Most Improved Player - Emma Downey Butler Cup for the Most Promising Boy Player - Ben McAuley Esprit de Corps - Lana Robb The Sport ‘n’ Sound Hockey Cup for Senior Top Goal Scorer - Zoe Wilson The Surgeoner Hockey Cup for Junior Top Goal Scorer - Rebecca McCullough The McMillan & Patterson Shield for Highest Goals Scored by a defender - Rebecca Lockhart The P.T.A. Cup for Goalkeeper of the Year Award - Gemma Ferguson Holmes Match Report Award - Saffy Cockcroft Johnston Trophy for the Best Student Coach - Vanessa Surgeoner The Old Ballyclarians Shield for Team of the Year - Won jointly by the 2nds and the U14s as Ulster Champions

Hockey Team Reports 1st XI As the 2014/15 season has drawn to a close the 1st XI have had yet another memory filled and successful year reaching the semi –final of the Schools’ Cup for the 3rd consecutive year unfortunately losing out to Banbridge 2-1. This season started off with a short senior tour to Glasgow with some valuable team bonding taking place where the new squad members learned many new skills including not believing a word any ‘senior’ member says. This was demonstrated when Alice Christie easily convinced Ellen Lamont and Lauren McKee to practice yoga with her as a nightly ritual! This bonding proved invaluable with the girls becoming a tight knit unit both on and off the pitch. With the new combination of players we certainly had no problems scoring goals with wins over Friends, Dalriada and Sullivan scoring 4-1, 6-1 and 5-2. November 8th saw the second round of the Schools’ Cup, a big focus for the girls, again away to Dungannon, where we won 10-0 after a brilliant team performance which proved unstoppable on the day! After this match the girls began to have confidence in the unit and followed this awesome performance with an 8-0 win in the next round of the Cup against Down High. Now in the Quarter Final of the Cup, the girls knew that

the next match was going to be a tough and physical game against Wallace. We were all fired up for this match and despite Wallace scoring first the team worked tirelessly in attack to try and break the 11 man defence. The score line finished 2-1 to Ballyclare and the team were successfully through to the Semi-Final of the Schools’ Cup. Due to the Quarter-Final being played late there was only 4 days until our Semi-Final against Banbridge so rest and recovery proved vital but in reality was impossible.

Senior Tour Group in outdoor pursuits mode

Guess Who?

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Sport Semi-Final day had arrived and so had our fabulous crowd who kept us going the whole 70 minutes; we were unlucky to concede 2 goals in the first half against the run of play, Banbridge taking their only 2 chances. After a half time team talk and reassurance that we still could turn the match around we came out firing in the 2nd half, we put the Banbridge defence under severe pressure but it was not to be our day and the game ended 2-1 to Banbridge. The final game of the season together was away to Methody where the team finished on a win. An emotional day! However, we did collect silverware and won our area’s League Competition.

1stXI Hockey Squad for the Semi - Final Schools’ Cup

Throughout the season every member of the team gave commitment and dedication to the training sessions particularly the early morning starts on a Tuesday. Many of the squad will remain next year and will have gained valuable experience that they can build on. Thank you to Dr Rainey and Mrs McCullough who have dedicated so much time to coaching us throughout the year, we really couldn’t have got as far as we did without your time, patience and expertise.

Captain Zoe Wilson

2nd XI The 2nd XI’s 2014/15 season was filled with a lot of hard work and determination that resulted in the team lifting the McDowell Cup after a strenuous match against Sullivan. The season started off well and, by the start of the cup run, the team had bonded and were beginning to work well as a team on the pitch. The first cup match against Rainey was taken to strokes, but with excellent goalkeeping skills from Rebecca Smith and successful strokes from us, we made our way to the next round. This was against Wallace where we played fantastic hockey but could not put the ball into the net, eventually though we won 2-1. As the team proceeded into the quarter-finals against Lurgan, nerves ran high, although nothing stopped us that day and we showed guts and determination and ended up winning comfortably 3-0. The semi-final was played against Ballymena Academy, and we definitely made it hard for ourselves, but we were determined to be in the final and fought our way to a 3-0 victory, a flattering result. After some detective work from Lauren McKee, we found out that we were playing Sullivan in the final, which we knew would be a tough match. Despite what can only be described 144

2nd XI Hockey Squad McDowell Cup Winners as a horrendous match against Belfast High a few short days before the final, we weren’t disheartened and were ready to put up a fight. Finally the day had arrived and nerves ran high but, now as a close group of friends both on and off the pitch, we kept each other calm. The match proved to be difficult, finishing 0-0 in the first half. After being given a pep talk at half time, we knew as a team that we could win, and we were determined to. Despite a few hiccups along the way, one of which involved a card, we won 3-0 and lifted the McDowell Cup, as not only a team, but as a family. (Very cringey, but very true). The season couldn’t have been any more successful for the 2ndXI and we wouldn’t have got as far as we did without Mrs McCullough. Thank you for your dedication and patience, and we’re sorry for any stress that we caused, which there most likely has been!

Captain Brooke McCullough

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2B XI Our first game was against Regent House and after some team bonding which included questions such as, “What did you have for breakfast?” we were off to a good start winning 1-0. As a team we worked well together throughout the season learning about each other as we are a combination of 4 year groups. Week after week we were winning our matches! The Gibson Cup started with an amazing 6-0 win against Coleraine and we were feeling as confident as ever when we bagged further wins against Limavady and Slemish. This meant we made it out of our group stages and faced Armagh in our quarter-final. Thanks to Brian for looking after us on the minibus. We arrived at Armagh after a long drive and won on the pressure of strokes and were ready for the semi-final. Along came Omagh and once again Miss Corish and Mrs McCullough’s nerves were put to the test when it went to strokes and once again we pulled through and won. Then there was the final. We were to play Sullivan, the only team who had beaten us but that was back in January. To say we were terrified is an understatement but when the day finally came we felt ready. We had improved so much, especially since January and were determined to win. We did not have a great start but pushed on and at half time the score was 0-0. Unfortunately, however, it was not meant to be and in the second half Sullivan scored. After numerous short corners nothing was going in and we lost. We were gutted,

we thought we were going to do it but unfortunately it was not our day. I am extremely proud of the team this year. We have become close friends and I will sincerely miss playing with them as a team next year. We have had a great season and laughed a lot, especially when Gemma Black just kept running at our match against Carrick and when she reached the end of the pitch just decided to keep going with the ball, because why not? I will miss the daily arguments between Molly and Gemma Ferguson in the group chat and watching Lois Craig fall every time she takes a hit out for short corners. It has been a great season and on behalf of the team we would like to thank Miss Corish for putting up with us every week and helping us become a much better team. We really appreciate the time and effort you put in for us. Thank you!

Captain Amy Patterson

3rd XI The 3rd XI had a varied but enjoyable and relaxed season this year, with some wins, a few losses and many draws! We started off the season in September with a run of draws against Grosvenor, Hunterhouse and Friends, and this continued into October when we drew against Ballymena Academy. The Gibson Cup matches also began in October with our first cup match away to Carrick Grammar. It was a horrible rainy day and we unfortunately lost 1-0. The following week we played Victoria College at the QUB astro pitch. This was a tough match and we unluckily lost 4-2 but the team worked very hard and we played well. We had a successful game against Belfast Royal Academy with a score of 4-0. This success was continued with a 1-0 win when we again met Carrick Grammar and a 4-1 win against Portadown College – the girls are to be particularly

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Sport congratulated for this victory as the second half was played with only 9 players due to injuries, but they played on and won in the end. The 3rds also enjoyed supporting the 2Bs in their game against Coleraine – and, of course, a trip to the north coast would not be complete without a visit to Barry’s, the beach and dinner at the Ramore! I’m sure that both teams would agree this was a lovely day out and was a great bonding experience for the team. Unfortunately a few of our matches, including versus Strathearn, had to be cancelled due to the snowy weather conditions, but I’m sure that everyone appreciated not having to be up so early on Saturday mornings for a few weeks! The 3rds rounded off the season with a lovely 1-0 win

against Methody. All in all, the season had its ups and downs for the team. We had some respectable wins but also some unlucky losses, especially in the cup matches. Everyone always worked very hard in training and on Saturday mornings, but the team also had a fun and relaxed atmosphere which has made for a very enjoyable season. Of course, we wouldn’t have been able to do it without the great support, enthusiasm and encouragement of Miss Corish every week and I’m sure that the whole team will join me in wishing her a massive thank you for that. I’d also like to thank every member of the team for coming along to training and to games on Saturdays – you all worked amazingly as a team and made it a very fun season for everyone!

Captain Shannon Clarke

U14A This year we couldn’t have had a better season. Before it even started we were meeting up and having fitness and bonding sessions at each other’s houses. We never lost a match and with Laura ‘our saviour’ Chestnutt in the nets we only let in 5 goals all year. We had many bumps in the road with a broken collar bone, bad knees, sore toes, a possible broken finger and 2 sprained wrists but never did we stop playing. With this year being Cup year we knew we had to work hard and concentrate. Sometimes our focus slipped slightly and Keely Hurst may have found herself on a quad or Rebecca McCullough and Kathryn Quinn might have been seen lying in the middle of a road but we never lost sight of what we wanted. Probably because our fabulous coaches made sure of it. Nessy and Cornflakes were always pushing us to do our best and try our hardest, sometimes they really gave us some harsh comments but we definitely needed a wakeup call every so often. All those team talks definitely worked though because we really played like a team throughout the year, even though we shout at each other for not getting short corner masks on quickly enough or refusing to chant before we play, we always tell each other the good things we did by the time Gwynneth’s hot chocolate and buns are out at the end of the game. Because yes, Keely Hurst slipped and missed that shot but she still followed through with the swing and managed to score lying down (certainly makes up for her strokes). Of course we won the Cup because of our intense training and perseverance but nothing got us more ready than our

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U14 squad with the Ulster Junior Cup

prayer circle. Even Mrs McCullough kissed the pitch when we were praying once. We also had a secret weapon who stood by our side throughout every game, our irreplaceable 12th player. With so many parents and supporters we knew that no matter what we would always win the battle on the side of the pitch because Ken, Tom and Nick can shout louder than any coach. Even Sharon and Linda and Jackie let out a few squeals occasionally. But when we won the Cup I could fill it with my tears (literally), because not only did it mean that all our hard work had paid off, it meant that our time as a team was nearly at an end, and nothing could be more upsetting than that, except maybe scoring 2 own goals against the same team.

Captain Saffy Cockcroft

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U14B Overall this year I am very proud of my team, as we won most of our matches only losing 2 and drawing one. Every player on the team has improved so much this year I am so proud of them and I was very sad to see the season come to an end. Some of our goals were utterly amazing, one example being in our match against BRA when we got a short corner in the last minute of the match and an amazing flick-in by Anna Gordon saw us score another goal. We also had many other great goals scored by Sarah Irwin, Chloe den Haese, Fay Hunter, Anna Boyd and Hannah McKee. Also we can’t forget our defence, Charlotte, Suzanne, Rebecca and Emily, tough tacklers who can also distribute the ball well. They are amazing in short corners and tough situations. Also our two goalies Lucy McCammond and Lucy Sproule both helped us achieve the wins away and at home. It has been an exciting season and we have played in snow, rain, sun and hail but we have all been there to support each other and also play a great game of hockey. I am very

sad to see it end and hope that my team will all come back next year and play again, even though we might not be on the same team as lots of the girls have potential to play in higher teams.

Captain Leah Craig

U14C The Cs had a lot of fun in training and in the matches they had played. Even though they didn’t win very many of them, they didn’t lose many of them either. Everyone who played for the Cs made a great effort in training and it paid off in the matches. We had a lot of switching about and a lot of players moving up to the Bs which they all deserved. We had a great defence with Shannon, Caitlin, Cassie and Lauren who made a lot of saving tackles and runs to get the ball out and away from our goal. We also had great midfielders with Taylor, Amy D and Samantha who were great at winning the ball and shooting. And not to forget our forwards Olivia, Leah and Amy M all of whom worked in great co-operation with the midfielders.

Captain Olivia Charlton

A mixture of the U14 Teams on tour

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U13A This year the U13As enjoyed a great season. Throughout the year Mr Butler made a few changes to the team but, no matter who was on the squad each week, we always gave our best on the pitch. We had a variety of different results but thankfully they were mostly wins. One of our best has to have been against Hunterhouse with a score of 6-0. Winning matches definitely gave our team a confidence boost. We were a committed bunch with a full turn out at training every week and this determination helped us to continue to play our best. In fact I think our last match of the season was one of our best performances. We were passing well, everyone worked hard and we got a couple of goals in the back of the net. We ended the season with a very enjoyable hockey tour to Dublin. As well as playing matches during our trip, we all had a great time bowling and shopping. Having

the additional opportunity to watch international matches on the last day of our tour was a huge bonus. It was amazing to watch hockey being played at that level. We have had a great time this year and I have really enjoyed playing with everyone. Bring on next season!

Captain Katie Stewart

U13B The B team had a really brilliant season, playing 13 matches and winning every one of them bar a tough Ballymena Academy game. We won both league games against Belfast High and BRA. We are another team with standout goalies, Rebecca and Natasha, who only let in 5 goals in total all season. I would like to say thank you to all the team for their commitment to training, never missing, and their ability to respond to changes made in the team for Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s matches. We also benefitted from our tour to Dublin although the hockey was scarily tough, it was a nice wind down to a great season, with plenty of eating, talking and a little shopping.

Captain Ellen White

Mixture of U13 Team on Tour

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U13C The girls in the U13C team didn’t get to play very many matches this year, because not many other schools have as many girls keen to play hockey. We were happy with all the matches that we did get to play though, so a huge thank you to Miss Corish for organising all our matches with other schools and for training us every Monday. The first match we played was a friendly against B.R.A. The final score for that match was 1-1 and even though we didn’t win we were happy because firstly we didn’t lose and also because our team played well together. We won all of our other matches and played them all with great team spirit. This season of hockey has brought all us girls closer together and we have all improved dramatically from the start of the year. We have made great friends and grown in our love for hockey. Also a final thank you to our coach, Miss Corish, for her patience, encouragement and time spent on the hockey field with us.

Captain Lauren Kilgore

Year 8 70 girls turned out throughout the season, full of enthusiasm and energy, sometimes too much as it was difficult to hear. Secretly the coaches know that a good team is a noisy team but do not tell them we know that! Their dedication was apparent to see as, when we had snow, they were still determined to train, yes seniors, outside in the snow.

During the season we had a fantastic time and played lots of 8-a-side matches mainly on a Friday afternoon with one of our teams winning the Area Board Tournament.

Year 8s winning the Board Tournament

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House Report 2015 The inter house competitions are going from strength to strength in terms of numbers participating. As a PE department we are delighted about this as it gives the opportunity for a wider range of pupils to experience competitive play. There is an opportunity for many to take on roles as leaders and organisers throughout the year as teams are formed for the various competitions. The first event on the calendar this year was the Time Trial. This is a one mile race for Year 8 and 9 pupils and a one and a half mile race for Years 10 and 11. The point of this event is to offer an opportunity for all pupils to test their fitness in a cross country type event and evaluate their aerobic capability. Inevitably it is an opportunity for the talented runners to have a competitive race but it also shows the pupils how effective their fitness training has been. Focus in curriculum time is on aerobic training in Year 9 and muscular strength endurance training in Year 10. Year 8 pupils have their first experience of cross country running and as a result of this many choose to join the school cross country club to further develop their fitness levels. Dixon were the winners this year (as they were last year) so credit must be given for their participation and effort in this event. In the winter months, usually towards the end of the season, the hockey, netball, and rugby competitions take

place. These matches are keenly contested; players who have been on the same school teams all season find themselves drawn against each other. There is much pride taken in organising the best house team and proving who is the most capable. Hockey was won by Russell, Netball by Dixon and Rugby was won by Brann. During class time the badminton competitions take place and this again encourages pupils to be more focused when, at the end of a block of work, they challenge others in their class to a match. Dixon came out on top this time but not all classes completed the matches this year. There are other competitions throughout the year for which house trophies are awarded. Sports Day is one of the major sports events of the year and it is one of the biggest jobs for the house captains to organise. Points are awarded for all finalists and since there was only one point between the top two houses this year it is encouraging that everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scores were valued and counted. The winner of the girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; athletics house cup was Dixon and the boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; house cup was won by Russell. Russell were fortunate to also win the swimming gala trophy. Again, everyone who participated on that day gained a house point.

G. Scott

House Winners 2015

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House Captains AIKEN GIRLS AIKEN BOYS

YEAR 9

YEAR 10

YEAR 11

C Elliana Green

Georgina Murphy

Rebecca Smyth

VC Rachael Coleman

Katka Sheeranova Lucy Esdale

C Viktor Kobus

Sam Robinson

Euan Woodside

VC Timothy Moore

Andrew Farquhar

Joshua Young

Robyn Boyd

Abby Taylor

Laura Chestnutt (Beggs)

Bethany Stewart

Adam Clarke

Patrick Moore

BRANN GIRLS C Alex Crabtree VC Ashleigh McIlroy

BRANN BOYS C Cameron Brown DIXON GIRLS DIXON BOYS

VC Luke Morrison

Christopher Knocker Rory Dorman

C Catherine Longstaff

Keely Hurst

Rachel Black

VC Grace McCrea

Emma Ruddock

Lucy Caldwell

C Sam Nugent

Matthew Taylor

Stephen Lusty

VC Andrew McFetridge Callum Blair

RUSSELL GIRLS C Molly Dougan VC Emily McDowell

RUSSELL BOYS C Lucca Hamill VC Ross Blackbourne

YEAR 13

YEAR 14 C Lia McKenzie

VC Erin McBride C James Brown VC Michael Kerr C Stephanie McIIroy VC Zara McIIwaine C Matthew Darling VC Andrew Brolly C Shannon Morrow VC Rebecca Dawson C Matthew Dodds

James Montgomery VC Scott Lawther

Holly Brown

Alex Simpson

Natasha Braiden

Lydia McClay

Jamie Irving

Sam Bell

Kealan Mitchell

Timothy Kelso

C Rebekah Ravey VC Rebekah McNeill C Jordan Rainey VC Bruce Deyermond

Netball There was a keen interest from Year 8 netball players as is usual at the beginning of the year. From September until Halloween the girls trained with Mrs Fenton in the School Gymnasium. Then, when confidence had grown, the sessions were transferred down to the Sports Hall where there is greater space and a better surface. Mrs Fenton was ably assisted by Lucy Richards. Not everyone was able to represent the school in fixtures, but those who did gained experience playing at a faster and more challenging pace than in practice. There was a mixed bag of wins and losses against a selection of North Eastern Board teams.

Year 8 netball squad: Rebecca McKenzie, Kathryn Coombs, Rachel Hill, Katie McCullough, Freya McKinty, Molly Scott, Kelsey Smyth (Captain), Ellie Moore, Amy McGookin, Charlotte White, Anna Farley, Toni Dickson, Hayley Redpath.

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The Year 9 and 10 netball teams also had a mixture of wins and losses against schools in the Antrim area such as Belfast High School, Dalriada, Downshire, Magherafelt, Larne, Carrick Grammar, Ballycastle. The level of performance has been moderate when performing against other schools but out of this arises the opportunity to further develop skills through Netball Northern Ireland’s Regional development squads. Rebecca McCullough, Year 10, Hannah Smyth, Stephanie Gordon and Kelsey Graham, all in Year 9, were selected for regional training and competed in the area tournament in May at the Antrim Forum.

Year 9 netball ‘A’ squad : Katie Patterson, Stephanie Gordon, Kelsey Grah am, Lauren Hanna, Lucy Logan, Emily Green, Hann ah Smyth, Elliana Green, Faith Thompson, Rebecca Alcorn, Alexandra Crabtree.

Year 9 netball ‘B’ squad : Ellen Farquhar, Ruth Clements, Eve Sterrett, Ellie Archibald, Megan Wilson, Eve Lowry, Emma Cross, Erin Boyd, Lauren Kilgore, Megan Wilson, Taylor Lee Munn.

Year 9 netball ‘C’ squad : Lauren Byrne, Katie McEwan, Keren Stewart, Ellen Bowden, Hannah Williamson, Katie O’Neill, Amy Wilson, Katie Leckey, Katie Clarke, Katie Robinson, Katie Turbitt.

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Inter and Senior squad The inter and senior squads struggled to get enough fixtures through the NI league, with the result that much of their practice time in school was recreational. Charlotte Loughead, Rebecca Dawson, Beth Gault and Lucy Boyd all represented the area board team at the U19 Tournament held in Lisburn Racquets Club in November.

Inter squad : Rachel McClements, Ellen Hall, Bethany Smyth, Lucy Richards, Emma Hutchinson, Nadine Gault, Evie Flynn, Alicia Maylin, Katie Russell, Alex Simpson.

Senior squad : Charlotte Loughead, Rebecca Dawson, Lucy Boyd, Erin Whyte, Lauren Boyd, Beth Jackson, Megan Adams, Katie Young, Rebecca Dalton, Beth Gault, Molly Turbitt, Debbie Gibson, Sophie Patterson, Rachel Moore.

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Rugby We enjoyed a most wonderful and successful season of rugby at Ballyclare High School once again this year. The boys and girls developed their rugby skills, game appreciation and most importantly had fun. I must say I get a real buzz from seeing young pupils enjoying playing the game of rugby and that goes from Year 8 to Year 10 at A and B level, seeing the increased level of standard of the Medallion rugby, the girls’ commitment to training and playing in the Schools’ Cup, the energy of the 3rd XV and Mr Lenaghan, to the competitive spirit of those in the 1st and 2nd XV. I must give a large thank you to all rugby teaching and coaching staff in the school for their commitment and enthusiasm towards rugby at Ballyclare High School.

Team of the Year The standout out team in rugby this year was the Year 10 squad under the guidance of Mr Milliken and Mr Bell. This year group is a particularly outstanding sporting group with success at hockey, cricket, athletics and racquet sports. But I am delighted with the attitude and commitment shown from all the boys towards rugby, by attending the early morning fitness and skills sessions that were on offer to them and having a very focused desire to improve at every rugby pitch session. They have a real willingness to learn, develop and challenge themselves to take on any opposition without fear. The real highlight for the Year 10 boys was winning the O’Kane competition at Ballymena and only losing one fixture during the whole event at the RBAI one-day competition. It is difficult for the boys to understand but this was an outstanding season for them and their coaches, regardless of being successful in winning silverware. They did, however, win a wonderful trophy to recognise their efforts.

Girls Girls’ rugby was the most exciting cup rugby I have experienced at Ballyclare High School. This is a non-contact rugby competition; the girls play tag rugby. They practiced weekly and played with some fabulous flair and skills that wouldn’t look out of place in the super 1st XV. The girls were a fun, excitable and motivated group who enjoyed the game. Regular practice will be on a Friday morning for Year 11s and up this year.

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Senior Rugby 1st XV had a tremendous season, losing only 4 matches all year. This is an excellent season for any sport and year group but especially in rugby with the high level of fixtures in our calendar. One of the four losses was in the Schools’ Cup to the eventual finalists Wallace, who only lost 1 match all season, which was coincidentally in the final. Our senior rugby squad have grown in their style of rugby, their game appreciation and improved further on their mental toughness from the previous season. This was a group of boys who are great friends, who played for each other and grew greatly together over the season. They enjoyed hard training sessions, successful training camps and winning matches. Well done to all who played this year! To those who are leaving, please keep playing the game and to the rest... get ready for the hardest pre-season yet!

Notes for next year: Do not forget your kit on games day! Do not leave it on the bus! Label your kit! Do not be late for Mr Whincup’s class!

Mr M McKeever, Director of Rugby

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1st XV Rugby

This was Mr McKeever’s second season as Head Rugby Coach and we knew what sort of coach he was and the level of commitment that was expected from us. Our pre-season was raised up a level in comparison to last year and importantly allowed the 5th years to integrate into the squad and introduce them to senior rugby. We began the season with two good wins against Ballymena and BRA and the squad were starting to get to know each other a bit better and more importantly starting to play well as a team. We were beaten by Campbell next in a high-scoring game where we were already showing signs of improvement in our play. However, this was followed by a disappointing performance against Belfast Inst. Although this was a result we would happily like to forget I believe it was a key point in our season. The week of training after that was one of the toughest we had ever faced but I’m sure the rest of the lads will agree that we deserved it. I believe it’s called ‘character building’. The squad responded well and we went on an unbeaten run of 7 games in the next couple of months. This was a very good period for us. We were playing good rugby and beating strong teams including Sullivan Upper.

This was building our confidence and as a result of this string of victories we found ourselves ranked in the top 4 of the Ulster Schools’ table. This sent a message out to other schools that we would certainly be a tough opponent to face in the cup. During the period of December and January we didn’t get many matches played due to the weather so we knew we had to keep training hard to keep up our match fitness. This was important because the Schools’ Cup was approaching fast and we needed to be prepared. We were drawn against Bangor Grammar at home in our first Schools’ Cup game. We had a great training day down in Dublin beside the Aviva Stadium in preparation for the match. I felt we executed our game plan very well and we came out with a win after a great performance. The atmosphere was of course brilliant that day and helped us get the victory. I’d like to mention Alistair Burke who had a fantastic game that day scoring two tries with Matty Robson getting the third. This is Alistair’s first year with us and he proved to be a very good addition to our squad. I’m sure you’ll see a lot more from him on the pitch next year. Next up was the home quarter final against Wallace High School who were the favourites to lift the Cup. I think people from outside the school instantly wrote us off and assumed that the unbeaten Wallace would have a comfortable win. We gave everything in that match but unfortunately we didn’t do enough to win.

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Sport We certainly made it difficult for Wallace and I thought our defence was outstanding at times. We were all gutted at the final whistle but I’m immensely proud of the team’s performance and commitment in that game. This commitment both during practice and match day was evident throughout the year. We reached the quarter finals of the Schools’ Cup and finished the season ranked 4th in Ulster Schools’ rugby. I’d like to take this opportunity to personally thank all of the squad for their contribution.

in all weathers and keep the pitches in great condition all season. I’d now like to thank Mr Knox and all the staff in the school who have supported us throughout the season. This is Mr Knox’s last year at the school. The support he has given to all sport over the years has been exceptional. On behalf of all Ballyclare High School rugby teams past and present I’d like to thank him and wish him all the best in his retirement.

Of course the success of the team is only possible with the support that our parents, friends and school have given us over the season. All the lifts to the training sessions from parents and your presence on the touchline are greatly appreciated. I must mention the magic oranges kindly provided by Mr and Mrs Darling. Applications are now open for the next orange provider unless Caroline would like to continue on… I’d now like to thank our brilliant coaches Mr McKeever and Mr Shaw. They’ve put the squad through some of the best training I’ve ever had in the school. Their attention to detail and the commitment that they bring is incredible. On those cold and wet Monday afternoons back in early December the training wasn’t very pleasant under that awful rucking net. However, with some gentle words of encouragement ringing in our ears and false promises that it was nearly over we were able to work through it.

1st XV Captain Matthew McDowell with Mr McKeever after his interprovincial match against Leinster in Dublin in September 2015.

I personally believe the hard work put in by all the squad made us stronger both mentally and physically. I’d also like to thank Gary Clotworthy and Mark O’Connor for providing us with their valuable knowledge on the pitch and all their contributions to the squad. And, of course, a special thanks goes to our Physio Lucy who has once again kept the squad fit and patched us together for the next game throughout the season. Lucy seems to have magic powers because every time the forwards fall over or are feeling tired she is able to get them going again. Our thanks also go out to Mervyn and the caretaking staff who work 156

I would like to thank my team mates for an amazing year. It has been a privilege to be their captain and I am immensely proud of our achievements as a team. They should all be proud of the hard work, commitment and discipline they have shown this year. I am certain that these qualities will stand you well not only on the rugby pitch but also in life. For the players that will be here next season I wish you well and remember it is an honour to pull on the jersey and play rugby for Ballyclare High School. For those players like myself who are leaving this year, I believe school rugby has provided us with great memories and lasting friendships. The last seven years have passed very quickly but they say time flies when you’re having fun.

Matthew McDowell Captain 1st XV

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U14 XV

U14 XV after their win in the O’Kane competition in Ballymena.

The U14 squad had great success this season as a team and have only lost 2 matches in the process. We got off to a great start beating BRA, Campbell and Belfast Inst in the process, in close matches with only one try making the difference in each. This gave us great confidence for the season ahead and we knew this could be a very successful season. We continued our run of wins right up to the Christmas break defeating teams such as Belfast High, Limavady, Grosvenor, Bangor and others in comfortable, high scoring matches. We finished before Christmas with 13 wins out of 13 games. Following the Christmas break and missing a lot of rugby due to bad weather conditions, the team played Rainey, away, in a tough game in the snow, winning 10-7. We knew we had a lot of work to do now for the tournaments ahead. After this we had another comfortable win against Killicomaine and another tough encounter against BRA. Our next match was a midweek fixture to Belfast Inst away. Unfortunately, we lost some key players due to injury and illness and couldn’t get the result we were looking for on the day, ending our streak of 15 games unbeaten. After 2 more wins against Carrick and Down High, we had the Inst Tournament. We were placed in a group with Methody, BRA and Down High. This was a very tough group but we dealt with it very well, winning 2 of our 3 games and only losing 10-0 to Methody in the first game of the day. After the loss to Methody in the first match of the tournament we went on to win the rest of our games without conceding a try and we won the shield.

The next tournament was the O’Kane at Ballymena Academy. We won both our group matches against Dalriada and Cambridge House comfortably, winning by a few tries in each one without conceding a point. We then played Coleraine Inst in the quarter final, playing more great rugby and winning comfortably. We played Dalriada in the semi final beating them again to reach the final against Wallace. We had a poor start to the first half, giving away possession too easily. We hoped to give ourselves a comfortable 3 points to take us into half time with a kick in front of the posts, but unfortunately it was hit just wide and it was 0-0 at half time. We retained possession well at the start of the second half, then an early try got us going again and we scored 2 more tries to seal the win and lift the trophy at the end of it all winning 17-0. We didn’t concede a single try in the entire tournament. Overall, we won 16/17 in our block fixtures, 9/10 in our tournament matches winning the Shield at the Inst Tournament and lifting the O’Kane Trophy. We had a 15-game undefeated streak and scored 543 points, only conceding 143. I would like to thank those involved in this memorable season, all the players, Mr Milliken, Mr McKeever and Mr Bell, and the other coaches, Mr Campbell and Mr Crawford on the sidelines, shouting at us every week. Last but not least the parents, who braved the weather to support us every Saturday morning. The support was much appreciated. It has truly been an enjoyable and memorable season.

Adam Campbell, Captain U14 XV

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Year 8 Rugby

Being involved in Year 8 rugby this year was a full time job. I don’t think I ever made it to my classroom on a Monday morning without being stopped at least three times by a player asking for a breakdown of the week’s rugby to come and giving me their opinions on the week past. Ballyclare High is blessed to have such an enthusiastic and energetic bunch. The group that started in September was a blend of players taking up the game for the first time and grizzled veterans of mini rugby. The school benefits from the excellent coaching from volunteers at clubs such as Ballyclare Rugby Club. The attitude towards training was always excellent and numbers never dipped below thirty no matter what the weather.

The season started with great success. Convincing victories against Dalriada, Bangor Grammar and Cambridge House, to name a few, gave the boys great confidence. Our first fifteen-a-side game against Friends in November saw thirty different players on the pitch and another victory. Losses against Ballymena Academy and Royal Belfast Academical Institution provided a learning experience for boys and even when they were behind the effort and commitment never dropped. All season they played as a unit and never argued or handed out blame. The most enjoyable game of the season was a home draw against BRA. This game was played at breakneck speed and with ferocious intensity. At the final whistle the teams shook hands, congratulated each other and asked the coaches if we could play this fixture every week! I hope that the season was as enjoyable for the boys as it was for me. Their love of the game and dedication throughout the season is something that I hope continues throughout their school career. They have the talent to produce a strong Medallion team and to bring success to the school. I would like to thank the parents who, battling the rain, ice and snow, dropped the boys to training every Saturday morning and supported home and away from the side-lines. My special thanks go to Jordan McKinstry who brought expertise to the forwards and worked brilliantly all season with the boys; we were very lucky to have him involved.

Mr Gordon Clark

ning the y team after win The Girls’ rugb up. The Schools’ C Quarter Final of Girls’ Rugby Team with Paddy Jackson after winning the group stages of the School s’ Cup.

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Junior Player of the Year, Rory Dorman

1st XV

2nd XV

3rd XV

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Medallion Team

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U14A

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Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Rugby

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Show Jumping This was a strange year in the School Show Jumping circuit. The most prestigious event held throughout the year was ‘The Annual Inter-Schools Team Show Jumping Competition’ which was normally held at Balmoral Showgrounds but due to the changes at Balmoral had been moved to the Maze Complex. Unfortunately, the BRA-hosted Ulster Schools’ Show Jumping Championship normally held at Knockagh Lodge Equestrian Centre was cancelled at short notice this year; this had been the bench mark competition for us. We sent two teams to ‘The Annual Inter-Schools Team Show-Jumping Competition’ and had a very successful day. Here is one student’s account of the day. “On Saturday 18th October 2014, two teams from Ballyclare High School travelled to the new Balmoral site, The Maze, to compete in the annual Inter Schools’ Team Show Jumping competition. Both teams were in the senior competition. Team one was made up of: Susie Megahey; Rachel McGookin; Sophie Dunn; and Sarah Irwin. The other team: Lia McKenzie; Katie McKay; and Leah McLiester. There was a lot of preparation prior to the event, as well as practising for the jumping phase of the competition. A tack and turn out competition was held on the day which required all the horses to be clean and plaited as well as each rider looking smart! Team one was first on with tack and turnout at 9am and jumping at 9.30am, an early start had by all! We arrived and thankfully the weather was looking to stay bright! All in a big rush to get ready, we finally made it to tack and turnout, but this was running behind already with a detailed inspection; there was no time to get tack inspected before jumping, so a quick turn around and into the warm up for the jumping. There was little time to warm up the horses and practise our jumping, before we were in and jumping! Quick learn of the course and we all jumped well, Rachel, Sophie and Sarah all jumping clear and Susie getting an unfortunate 4 faults, the team ended on a score of zero, taking the 3 best scores. Team two were next to jump, and yet again with tack and turnout running behind time, they headed to jump first! Unfortunately jumping was not going quite to plan: Lia picking up 8 faults in her round. However, she ‘was

pleased’ with her personal performance. Katie also ended on 8 faults. Unfortunately Leah fell, and as the team only had 3 members, this knocked the team out of the competition. However, everyone was thankful that Leah was not injured. After both teams were inspected for tack and turn out after the jumping, the chances of winning the tack and turn out prize has decreased as the horses were now sweaty and no longer clean as they had got dirty jumping from the grass which was slightly mucky and wet from a long day of rain the day before! As the day ended for team two, team one was watching patiently before jumping off against the clock against the other school teams who managed to end on a score of zero! Only 5 teams in total out of 22 starting teams made it to the jump off... With us being one, we headed to learn the jump off course which is timed against the clock so we had to see the fastest way to go, picking tight turns to save us time! After waiting for all the teams to jump, at approximately 1pm it was time to jump off against the clock. Each team member had to jump off the other schools’ team members, including pupils from Coleraine High, Banbridge Academy, Down High and Armagh Royal School. Poles were being hit but there were a few fast clears. Finally we all tried and yet again ended on a score of zero; thanks to Sophie our time was fast. We were unsure how we were placed in the competition, we thought we had maybe come third. However, we started asking other teams how they had ended and there was only one other team to end with a score of zero, but we had the fastest time! The judges finally announced the results…we had won the event, all very excited, we headed in to collect our prizes and do a lap of honour.”

Susie Megahey, Year 14

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Swimming The Minor Schools’ Swimming Gala for Northern Ireland

The Minor Schools’ Swimming Gala for Northern Ireland was held on Friday 10th October this year, and was an afternoon and evening event. The Year 8 pupils started at 4pm and left school in the mini bus to go to the Seven Towers pool in Ballymena. Not surprisingly, there was a massive turnout of swimmers from all over Northern Ireland from Limavady and Londonderry to Newry and Portadown. It was a fight at the poolside to be seen. Three girls entered the 50m Breaststroke and Freestyle events: Katie McKee, Ellie Gray and Eve Murtland. All three swimmers achieved times around the minute and all have recorded their results as personal bests. The outcome was similar in the Freestyle with faster times, Katie McKee swimming a particularly good time of 42:63. It was an absolute pleasure to supervise the girls as they helped each other all the way and made my job much easier. We were assisted by Emma Fullerton who has swum for the school frequently in the past; Emma helped with the time keeping. There were only two boys wishing to compete: Jamie Young and Rory Lyttle. Both competed well and again showed great self-management at the event and supported each other. Rory has swum more regularly at club level and came 9th out of 49 swimmers in the Breaststroke and 10th out of 78 in the Freestyle. Jamie swam personal best times and competed strongly.

The Ulster Secondary Schools’ Swimming Gala The Ulster Secondary Schools’ Swimming Gala was held on the weekend of the 14th and 15th November. On the Friday evening Jonathon Agnew swam for the Senior age category in the Breaststroke and Freestyle events. Rory Lyttle was the only Junior Ballyclare High swimmer on the Saturday morning and as he was competing against swimmers two years older than him he did very well to achieve 24th position in both his events. Rory swam the 100m Backstroke in 1:27:75 and the Breaststroke in 1:39:29, both were personal bests. Ryan Lewis swam in an invitation open event on Friday evening for the 400m Freestyle and came 4th which is a terrific achievement. Ryan has been training in a warmer climate over Halloween in Fuerteventura and this has really made a difference to his fitness.

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The Saturday afternoon was the intermediate races for Ryan, Georgia Lyttle, Amy McCullough and Lucy Reid. Lucy came 15th in the100m Backstroke with a time of 1:29:81; Amy ranked 13th in the 100m Freestyle and swam well in the 200m; Ryan just missed out on a final with an 8th position in the 100m Fly and a time of 1:08:93 and finally Georgia came 8th in the 100m Fly with a time of 1:17:64 and a superb bronze medal in the 100m Freestyle. This is a significant achievement as she has another year in this age category. We wish Georgia success with the remainder of the season and obviously into the next one as well. All swimmers deserve praise for the hours spent in the pool training, the level of commitment and determination required is exceptional.

The Grammar Schools’ Swimming Gala The Grammar Schools’ Swimming Gala was held on the 28th February at Ballymena Swimming Pool. There were only three entries for this event from Ballyclare. Georgia Lyttle came 12th in both the Fly and Freestyle; she swam the Fly in 35:35 and the free in 31:12. Amy McCullough came 14th in the same intermediate Freestyle event and Lucy Reid 26th. Lucy also swam in the Backstroke and achieved 11th position. This was the final inter school event until the school’s own swimming gala in April.

The Ballyclare High Swimming Gala The Ballyclare High Swimming Gala was held on the 21st April at Larne Leisure Centre. A good turnout of a hundred and thirty competitors led to a healthy and challenging competition. The event could not be run without the cooperation of the GCSE candidates who marshalled the younger pupils and officiated all day. The results of each category were as follows and the winning swimmer is photographed.

Minor Girls: 1st Katie McKee; 2nd Ella Den Haese; 3rd Rebecca McKenzie

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Junior Girls: 1st Emilia Crabtree; 2nd Amy Marks; 3rd Alex Crabtree

Inter Girls: 1st Georgia Lyttle; 2nd Sasha Kirk; 3rd Amy McCullough

Minor Boys: 1st Rory Lyttle; 2nd Adam Audley; 3rd David Andrew

Junior Boys: 1st Scott Wilson; 2nd Luke Nugent; 3rd Matthew Hamilton

Inter Boys: 1st Ryan Lewis; 2nd Rory Dorman; 3rd Joel Teeney

Best Girl Overall was Georgia Lyttle

Best Boy overall was Ryan Lewis

House Trophy won by Russell

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Table Tennis

Following the unprecedented success of last year and the loss of five out of six U19 Boys players, the Table Tennis club anticipated a much quieter season in terms of victory. Fortunately, we had underestimated ourselves. The Ulster Cup competition was scheduled months later than usual and attendance had been deteriorating as a consequence. We had to rely on an injured Ross Herron and Ben Orr from Year 10 to even field a viable six man U19 Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; team. The latter addition was to prove extremely fruitful as we sailed through to the final to meet Ballymena Academy for the second year in a row. Our opposition was determined to take home the Cup this year and following a 3-0 start in their favour, things were looking rather bleak from our perspective. Ben Orr, Daniel Dargan and James Crone then proved the importance of having a strong team throughout, soon equalising with our rivals. The first two doubles matches brought the score to 4-4, placing a huge amount of pressure on James Crone and Adam Whitcroft to lead us to victory. They did not disappoint and we maintained our title as U19 Cup winners.

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Gerard Dargan and Adam Whitcroft went on to enjoy further success at the Ulster U19 Individuals Competition winning Silver and Bronze respectively. The final hurdle of the season was our trip to Dublin for the All Ireland Championships. Regrettably, our boys drew eventual winners Blackrock in the semi-final and were knocked out. This was particularly disappointing as we challenged them to a much greater extent than the team who won Silver. We took Bronze with ease and finished the season with a much deserved Burger King on our journey home. I would like to thank Gerard Dargan on behalf of the team for being an excellent captain and Ross Herron for playing whilst injured.

Mrs A Watt

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Tennis YEAR 8 BOYS’ TENNIS Jamie Wilson, Craig Brownlee, Brian Weatherup, Oliver McCalmont, Jack McCutcheon, Scott Reilly V Ballymena (H) V Campbell (A) V Wellington (H)

Lost 6-0 Lost 6-0 Won 3-3 and 23 games-21

JUNIOR BOYS’ TENNIS Sam Dyson, Adam Clarke, Ben Orr, Harry McBride, Matthew McCullough V Ballymena ‘B’ (A) V Campbell (H) V RBAI ‘A’ (A)

Won 3-3 Lost 5-1 Lost 6-0

YEAR 8 GIRLS’ TENNIS Rebecca McKenzie, Brooke Chambers, Zoe Ferguson, Eve Murtland, Emma Blacoe, Kathryn Coombs V Methody (H) V Bloomfield (A) V Hunterhouse (H)

Lost 6-0 Lost 6-0 Lost 5-1

JUNIOR GIRLS’ TENNIS Poppy Thomas, Leah Baird, Stephanie Gordon, Saffy Cockcroft, Catherine McBarnett, Laura Chestnutt, Chloe McNeilly V Cambridge House (A) V Ballymena Academy (H) V Slemish College (H)

Won 5-1 Lost 4-2 Won 5-1

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Inter-house Tennis Tournament and Individual Tennis Championships. The house tennis was won by Dixon house this year

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Year 8 Girl Champion: Brooke Chambers

Year 8 Girl Runner-up: Eve Murtland

Year 8 Boy Champion: Jamie Wilson

Year 8 Boy Runner-up: Craig Brownlee

Year 9 Girl Champion: Leah Baird

Year 9 Girl Runner-up: Katie Stewart

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Year 9 Boy Champion: Sam Dyson

Year 9 Boy Runner-up: Harry McBride

Year 10 Girl Champion: Poppy Thomas

Year 10 Girl Runner-up: Catherine McBarnet

Year 10 Boy Champion: Adam Clarke

Year 10 Boy Runner-up: Sam Ervine

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Ballyclare High School Magazine 2014/15

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Final Words... We hope you have enjoyed reading this edition of the school magazine. Thanks must go to all the staff and pupils who contributed with articles, farewells, reports, photographs, stories, poems and support. If you are a pupil in sixth year and are enthusiastic, creative and interested in being part of the editorial team, please speak to Mrs Skene. Thanks also to Andrew Parkes at Finch Design and Amanda Stewart at W&G Baird Printers.

Design: www.thinkfinch.co.uk Printed By W&G Baird

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