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KGS through after penalty drama
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Fundraising success for Children in Need
It has been a record-breaking week at Kirkwall Grammar School with students and staff coming together to raise an outstanding total of £4374.86 for Children in Need, smashing the previous record by over £700.
A vast array of events were held throughout the week, including a 9-hour football match, bake sales, games, sales of Pudsey ears and bands, a show which included Pie the Teacher, Leg Waxing and KGS’s very own version of the popular ITV dating show “Take Me Out”, which saw S6’s finest young men attempting to impress the ladies to win the date of a lifetime (to Flotta!) Head of the Charities Committee, Branwen Bourn, said “I think we had a few events which were a bit different and created a great atmosphere in school which encouraged people to give more. We’re really proud to have made such a big contribution to Orkney’s total.” Perhaps the week’s greatest success was the “Small Change Challenge”, where House groups battled it out to get the heaviest bucket of change. Competition was fierce with Dingieshowe coming out the eventual winner with 85.9kg in change. In total the buckets weighed in at 445.4kg – the weight of a small polar bear - raising over £1600 altogether. The week finished with staff and students dressing up as characters from children’s stories and fairy tales. Link teacher for charities, Mr Colin Nisbet, summed things up by saying he was “over the moon with the efforts of the S6 Charities Committee and everyone who contributed to such an amazing total.” |
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Students celebrate science as Festival comes to KGS
Over the past two weeks, the collective IQ of Orkney and Kirkwall Grammar School has been raised a few points. KGS has been lucky enough to have scientists in daily, covering a huge range of topics, from an exhibition on particle physics by Professor Alan Walker and colleagues, to a presentation on Disgusting Digestion for S1 and S2 pupils.
The great thing about the Science Festival this year is that there really has been something for everyone – the majority of science students have been involved in talks and workshops, and even the Geography and Art departments have been involved, with visits from the Geobus and talks on “Light and Colour in Art” (Prof Roy Burdon) and “Colours to Dye for” (Prof Sue Stocklmayer and Dr Mark Ellison). The Science Festival has made science more accessible to everyone. As a science student myself, I have attended several events. I particularly enjoyed the exhibition on particle physics – there was the opportunity to run a computer simulation of the Large Hadron Collider, which was exciting. However, I got in a bit over my head when I asked a question and ended up being told about gluons and antimatter. Another talk, “From Grayling to Greyhound”, given by Dr Jeremy Burns, provided some very interesting insights into evolution. It turns out that the process of evolving from a fish to a horse can be explained with some maths, a map of Bristol, and a football, among a few other things. For a lot of students, the Science Festival has opened their eyes to a career in science, or for some students furthered their passion. Macsen Johnstone, a Fourth Year student, said: “I am very interested in science, and hope to have a career in physics or some area of science. I went to “Colours to Dye for”. I liked that it was quite practical and it was good to see demonstrations and get involved. Seeing people with a career in science and seeing their enthusiasm makes me want a career in science even more.” A Sixth Year student, Josephine De Geer, said “Studying two sciences this year I have been fortunate enough to take part in many activities the Science Festival has to offer. I particularly enjoyed “Dissect the Beat” as it incorporated both music and science. One thing that stands out about the Science Festival is the way it has managed to make science accessible, fun, and relevant to everyone.” Dr Erland Johnston, a Chemistry teacher at KGS, who has been responsible for much of the organisation of these events, says that because science plays such a big role in today's society it is important to get young people inspired. He likes to think that the Science Festival has helped students to see new opportunities. All in all, the events put on have been fantastic. There have been far too many interesting and engaging activites going on to mention everything. It has been a real privilege to meet and be taught by so many people who are experts in their field. From first years to Advanced Higher students, and even a few North Isles students, there has been something for everyone at the 2015 Orkney International Science Festival. My only complaint is that I didn't get to see the talk on Disgusting Digestion. Rhiannon Walters |
Distinguished Japanese visitors
Vice Consul Kengo Sawai (to the right of the picture) and Japan Foundation Deputy Director Tomoki Akazawa accompanied staff and pupils from the Kamaishi Super Science High School in Japan, along with MSP Liam McArthur, on a visit to KGS today. Their visit was in response to efforts by Depute Head Mark Colston to promote Japanese language and culture in Orkney schools. After our guests were piped in by S6 pupil James Nicolson, the Japanese students gave a presentation to S3 pupils about their experiences in the 2011 tsunami. KGS pupils then gave presentations and took part in joint workshops on renewable energy with the Japanese pupils. Following a tour of the school and a lunch with members of staff (and music from Haadirgaan), Mr Sawai and Mr Akazawa also took in our Japanese Language and Culture short course led by Ms Julie Ferguson.
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Fjara miss out at UK final
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