Christmas treat for Art pupils

S3 pupils enjoyed a morning at the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness viewing the permanent show and Christmas exhibition.

There was a huge range of art on display including sculptures, paintings, prints, jewellery and photos.

Carole Peebles, the Education Officer, helped pupils to better understand modern art by talking about the artists' influences, ideas and techniques.

Pupils selected an interesting piece of art from the gallery and discussed it using newly learned terms and vocabulary.

Art Department exhibition

Last Friday the Art Department held an exhibition of National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher portfolio work in the Dance Studio during Tutor Time. This was coursework which had been returned from the exam board. The aim was not only to showcase the talent and endeavour of the pupils, but also to inspire younger students to consider Art as a future subject and let them see what can be achieved. The exhibition was a great success in displaying the hard work and achievements in the department.

National award for innovation and achievement in PE

Kirkwall Grammar School has recently been recognised with a national award for innovation and achievement in delivering physical education and extracurricular sport.

The sportscotland ‘School Sport Award’ is a national initiative that is designed to encourage schools to continuously improve physical education and sport. The award also encourages sporting links between schools and the communities around them.

Garry Burton, sport and leisure manager, said “This milestone represents a lot of hard work by the school, their staff, pupils and parents, the council’s Active Schools Team and the local sporting community who generously give their time to support the sporting life of our schools. We’ll continue to work hard to give our young people every opportunity to make sport a part of their life, during school and beyond.”

Magnus Garson, Principal Teacher of PE at Kirkwall Grammar School, added: “We are delighted with the award and are already looking at ways in which we can build on this in years to come. We have created a pupil sports committee whose sole job is to run the inter-house sports competitions for all year groups. This has provided senior pupils with a sense of responsibility and encouraged others to contribute towards the overall school ethos and support the new house system that was launched prior to the summer holidays.

"We strive to offer our pupils a variety of activities so that students gain a broad range of experiences to enhance their participation in sport and physical activity in school, extracurricular choices and in the community.”

Cheryl Rafferty, Active Schools Coordinator