Earlston High School

We are indebted to Cobblers of Melrose, the shoe shop in the Square, for displaying our students’ work in their window. Some of you may have already noticed the colourful and exotic display of shoes, which started its two week run on Tuesday 1 June.

There are about twenty shoes on display – all part of the course work required of Standard Grade Art and Design.

The design brief was to create a shoe based on an insect, bird, animal or reptile. The students completed market research, a development sheet and then produced an actual shoe. Mrs Burnside, the class teacher, visited Cobblers on Tuesday with some of the students to see the display and thank Cobblers for their support.

Recently some of us went on our S2 excursion to Ardeche, France. We left the school at 7:30am, and had along bus journey (complete with the antics of our hilarious bus drivers) and a ferry ride. When we finally arrived we went straight out canoeing. We spent two days canoeing the Ardeche gorge and then split into groups to take part in mountain biking, high ropes, climbing and the dark and scary caving!

We had another day canoeing and a full day shopping trip in Avignon. Each night there was a disco and exciting (and funny!) challenges. On the last day we had a massive water fight, which all participated in – especially the teachers! Overall it was a great trip which was thoroughly enjoyed by all!

Wooplaw is a community woodland of which Earlston High School are members. The Biology department has been using this area for the past 15 years with great success to carry out practical abilities work with Standard Grade fourth year classes.

This year, the whole of fourth year was taken out over two days to perform different sampling techniques required to pass the Standard Grade course. Both days were in the most part dry and the pupils and staff alike had a very enjoyable day out due to the pupils’ mature attitudes and the dedication of all the staff and of course the very nice BBQ helped.

Congratulations to Rebecca Ridout and Lorna Dagg who have been selected for Under 15 South Hockey Squad. The girls have been attending regular training sessions and we wish them all the very best as they head up to Peffermill on Sunday to compete against the other districts in the Inter-District Tournament.

Mr Henderson’s enthusiasm for football has prompted him to organise various football events over the next two weeks to raise money for CLIC Sargent. This is a children’s cancer care charity which provides children and their families with clinical, practical and emotional support. The charity was formed in 2005 after a successful merger between CLIC and Sargent Cancer Care for Children.

The first event in the Earlston High School World Cup begins tomorrow (Thursday 3 June) with 12 teams entered into the competition. The group stage matches will be played on the Astroturf at lunchtime. The teams are all linked to various countries and tomorrow Honduras, Ivory Coast and Spain are all on the pitch! Hopefully it’ll be a good day weather-wise and the viewing deck will be full of spectators cheering on their teams

Next Friday lunchtime, alongside the pupils’ semi-finals and final, will be the staff match. Eleven members of staff will challenge the pupils in a game worth watching!

As well as performing in our own School Show (Disney’s High School Musical), a number of pupils have been working with theatre groups in performances of Billy Elliott. Fifth years Liam and Kyle Blain worked with Lothian Youth Arts and Musicals Company to perform in six shows of the popular musical at the Churchill Theatre in Edinburgh. The twins are now preparing the Company’s piece for the Scottish Showcase of Billy Elliot at the Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh on the 8 th June, when various scenes will be performed by different theatre groups. Kyle and Liam are also part of the LYAMC’s production of ‘Fame’ to be performed at The Playhouse in July. They have little time to themselves these days as our school show rehearsals are in full swing for the 27-30 June.

Some of the school’s dancers from the Manor School of Ballet are also involved in Billy Elliot productions. Jennifer Bond, Rebecca Fraser and Alexis Green have been rehearsing for four months for their performances at The Festival Theatre on the 4 th and 5 th June. Their performances will raise money for children across Scotland as part of Radio Forth’s Cash 4 Kids charity.

On the 15th of May, a group of 40 Third Years, accompanied by four teachers, set off on a tiring journey to Belgium, on a trip to explore the battlefields of the First World War. After a night's bus journey, a ferry and a visit to Northern France's equivalent of the Gyle, we arrived in the charming town of Lo, which was to be our home for the next few days. That night, after a wild goose chase to find a playing field (led by goose chasers Mr McKeand & Mr Kidd), we enjoyed a much sought-after rest in our hotel.

The next day we visited the Tyne Cot British cemetery, which was truly moving. Before you is a sea of white gravestones, far too many of which read "A Soldier of the Great War - Known Unto God". Behind the graves is a huge wall, covered in the names of those who have no known grave. Next we went to the Hill 62 museum. This gave us a chance to experience trenches as they would have been during the war (though I doubt that the underground passages were full of high school pupils screaming in the dark).

Finally, we made two visits to the city of Ieper ( Ypres). The first time we were able have a look around and visit the "In Flanders Fields" museum. On our second visit, we attended the poignant and moving Last Post Ceremony. Held in the Menin Gate, a large building which had walls covered with the names of the dead, it was a brief service in which the Last Post was played, followed by a silence.

The next day we travelled into France, to Vimy Ridge, which consisted of reconstructed trenches and a memorial to the Canadian soldiers who died in the war. We then continued on to a museum dedicated to the South African soldiers who fought in the war. Next, a visit to Thiepval, a large arched structure, similar to the Menin Gate and dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were missing after the Battle of the Somme. We finished the day as we began, with a visit to a Canadian memorial, dedicated to the soldiers of Newfoundland who lost their lives at Beaumont Hamel .

On our final day, we woke early for our journey to Parc Astérix, a theme park based on the Asterix series of books. Several soakings and rollercoasters later it was time to leave Parc Astérix, which had provided a light-hearted end to our week, and set off home.

I would also like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the group, to thank our teachers: Mr Newies, Mr McKeand, Miss Wood and Mr Kidd for putting up with us. Finally, I would like to thank our bus driver John, who got us wherever we needed to go and was always on time, regardless of how many French van drivers punched the bus!

On Monday 11 May we left on our 19 hour journey to Paris for our S2 excursion. We had a fun packed week in Paris which included the following: a very cold trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower, where the views were magnificent; a visit to Notre Dame; a boat trip down the Seine and a shopping trip on the Champs Elysees, where we saw the Arc de Triomphe.

After a hair raising coach ride round the crazy roundabout, we headed off to Aquaboulevard Water Park, which was great fun! Our last day was Disneyland and our favourite ride was Space Mountain.

A big shout out to the coach driver, who put up with our lateness and who had a wicked sense of humour – what a legend! We all had a fantastic week and would love to go back!

Time is fast approaching the two visit days for those primary seven pupils due to start at EHS after the summer. The two visit days are Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 June. This week Guidance teachers have been visiting our cluster primaries to meet the youngsters and issue the information packs. Along with the prospectus, there’s information on the school catering system and this year to encourage the pupils to try to school refectory, there’s an opportunity to enjoy a complimentary meal deal. The recent HMIe inspection report is also included in the pack.

The two day visit will also kick start the Travel transition project, which was so successful last year. The pack also contains order forms for school ties and jumpers. Parents of p7 pupils coming to EHS are invited to the school on the evening of Wednesday 16 June for a tour of the school and a chance to meet their child’s Guidance teacher. If there are any queries about the transition from primary to Earlston High, please do not hesitate to contact us at school.

28 active and daring teenagers went to Colomendy Park in beautiful North Wales as part of the S2 excursion week. During our stay at the Kingswood adventure camp we were faced with a variety of different challenges from water activities, like kayaking and raft building, to abseiling and the ‘Leap of Faith’. We also experienced the ‘3G Swing’ which was exhilarating.

The food was better than we expected: there was a wide range of foods as well as chips every day. Every evening during our stay, the teachers handed out ‘hero bands’ to pupils who had done something exceptional.

For me, the highlights of the week were the ‘Leap of Faith’ and the ‘3G Swing’. The trip was a huge success and enjoyable for everyone.

Callum Airlie and his brother Drew are well known for their success sailing Optimists. They are now moving onto a new class of boat and already are busy with a variety of events, many of which are GBR team selection events.

Last month, the boys competed in the Youth Nationals in Weymouth and despite a very high standard of competition they managed to achieve 28 th place overall. Their best race was a 9 th place – in winds from Force 6 gusting 7 to Force 3. They successfully won the Clydesdale Bank Cup as 1 st Scottish Boys.

The very next weekend following their success in Weymouth, they were in Pwllheli for the first of the Optimist Selection Trials. 2010 is the last year Callum will compete in this class and success in the trials would secure a place in the GB Team for the European Championships.

After a hard fought 13 race series (7 in Weymouth and 6 in Pwllheli), he earned his place to race as part of the GB Team in Poland at the beginning of July. He is now looking forward to the European Training Camp at the Olympic venue of WPNSA in Weymouth, as preparation for the European Championships.

Mrs Weston, one of our English teachers, has ‘gone live’ in a Cook book which is part of the Learning and Teaching Scotland website. Mrs Weston has been using Glow, Scotland’s unique educational intranet, with her third and fifth year English classes and her Cook book is about this experience. A Cook Book despite its name has nothing to do with food or cooking! It’s a videoclip where Mrs Weston explains her use of Glow. It can be found here: http://cookbooks.glowscotland.org.uk/blog/category/local-authorities/scottish-borders/

We had a number of Where’s Wally characters in school courtesy of the sixth years celebrating their last day at Earlston High. The girls, including Elspeth our Head Girl, had great fun challenging us to spot them in the crowd as part of the Where’s Wally tradition.

All sixth years had joined in the spirit of the day and we had a colourful array of costumes and characters. The ‘Morph’ men – still unidentifiable – played the prank of sitting in classes which were not their own, and which caused some harmless fun and gave us some laughs. Then the smurfs paraded the place in their ‘blueness’, we had superheroes, commando action girls, The Mask and a very dubious looking nun.

In Social Education, Miss Strong treated everyone to juice and a chocolate do-nut and we took loads of photos to remember the last day. In the afternoon, we headed off to the pitches to have a barbeque – thanks to Mr Renwick and Mr Clarke for their culinary skills – as well as fun on the bouncy castle and water slide. How old are we?

It was a great way to conclude our time at EHS and it was good to have some fun before the real work of the exams. We are now looking forward to the next get together – our Leavers’ Evening on Friday 11 June.

Seeing as we are missing our seniors at the moment, the S1 Pupil Council stepped in with a fund raiser for Teenager Cancer Awareness. Friday 14 May was a national Rock Your Shades day in support of Teenage Cancer Trust. The first years took on the responsibility for organising the day and were delighted to see everyone wearing their cool shades and trendy shorts.

In the UK, every day six young people are told they have cancer, which is the number one cause of non-accidental death in teenagers and young adults. The Teenage Cancer Trust relies entirely on voluntary donations and aims to raise £60,000 to support the facilities in hospitals for young people. With the money raised from Rock Your Shades, the Trust is hoping to provide a recreation spaces where young people on treatment can support each other and socialise.

At school on Friday, donations were collected by the Council members at registration and they then counted up all the money. Watch this space next week for the total raised. Thank you to everyone who took part and to the S1 Pupil Council for taking the initiative to organise the fund raising.

12 local youngsters from across the Scottish Borders were honoured recently at a special presentation for successfully completing the nine-week ‘Onside’ programme run by Heart of Midlothian Education and Community Trust and Scottish Borders Council (SBC).

The scheme which is the first programme of its kind between SBC and Hearts FC, gave a selected group of young people the chance to become better citizens through a range of activities designed to build their confidence and help them understand the consequences of their behaviour.

The course was based at the Hearts Football Academy every Wednesday with some elements held locally under the guidance of SBC’s SFA Development Officer.

Activities ranged from practical coaching sessions and fitness tests to an interactive cooking session and motivational talks from former players. Participants also completed the Scottish Football Association’s (SFA) Early Touches coaching certificate and will be invited to a forthcoming game as guests.

Executive Member for Sport, Culture and Community Education Councillor Graham Garvie said: “This is an inspirational initiative and I am delighted that the youngsters involved have really grasped the opportunity to better themselves for the future. I would like to thank Hearts for their commitment to the project and I really hope we can continue to offer it to other youngsters in the Borders.”

To celebrate the completion of the programme - a football game between the ‘Onside’ participants and staff took place at the Hearts Academy. The game included former players including Garry McKay (ex Hearts) and Mickey Weir (ex Hibs) who both gave the participants a motivational talk at the start of the programme.

The sixth years are preparing to mark their last day in school on Monday 10 th May. The Heads of School have organised a fun filled afternoon to celebrate the last day of their school career. (More on that next week)

Today though is their last Friday and in Social Education they have been reflecting on their year. In subject classes too the students have been evaluating their courses and completing those last minute sets of notes to prepare for their exams.

In Advanced Higher History, the students openly admit that they will miss the banter of the class and the ‘Newiesims’ – wee snippets of advice and sayings from their teacher Mr M Newies. ‘Tremendous’ and ‘seriously’ are words they will link to their History class whenever they hear them. They’ll also miss the political chats and are looking forward to today’s comments on yesterday’s the General Election. In between learning all about South Africa, focusing on the era of 1910-1984, they have had some fun playing wee pranks on their unsuspecting teacher. It is a good job Mr Newies has a good sense of humour and has enjoyed their company this year as much as they have enjoyed being in the class.

Three of the sixteen students studying Advanced Higher this year are going onto develop their interest in History at university. Melissa is hoping to study at Glasgow; Amy at St Andrews and Jenny is combining her love of History with that of Politics at Stirling University.

Best wishes and good luck to all our fifth and sixth years who will start their exams on Tuesday 11 May. The induction day for new fifth and sixth years is on Wednesday 9 th June.

Thursday 13 May is an information for parents of primary 7 pupils who will be coming to Earlston in August. The evening starts at 7pm and is one of two opportunities new parents will have to visit the school before the summer.

This first evening is essentially to give those parents who are new to EHS an insight into the transition programme, how the school supports its students and how we are moving forward with Curriculum for Excellence.

The second evening is a chance to meet their child’s Guidance teacher and have a tour of the school. This is on Wednesday 16 June, which is the first day of the p7 visit, when the pupils will have the chance to meet their classmates and teachers.

At the end of last term we had the final of a new kind of racing in Earlston High School. The Nurburgring Team Challenge is a giant video-game relay race where teams of four race four laps of the Nurburgring track.

Eight teams entered the event in two heats. In each heat two teams made it through to the grand final, which was held on Tuesday the 30 th in the Assembly hall on the big projection screen. Racing were Top Gear, The Unbeatables, The Champs and The Staff Squad.

The race was exciting from the start, with Jimmy racing two amazing laps for The Champs, followed by Phil and Travis who raced the other two laps. The Staff Squad raced well but not as well as The Champs, with Mr Kidd racing the first lap, followed by Mr Chisholm, Mr Henderson and finally Mr Montgomery. Mr Montgomery thought that he would catch Jimmy, but he had no chance with Jimmy’s lead of over 29 seconds.

The Champs took the victory and the first Nurburgring Team Challenge title. It was a good time for all, and we’re looking forward to the next Challenge.

Jimmy (for The Champs)

The charities committee has been a busy group of sixth years this session and their final event was the S6 Talent Show held on Thursday 22 April.

The show opened with an amazing escapologist – Head Boy Robert. His daring feat, ‘Escaping from Hands’, thrilled the audience. Bob, of course, reminded everyone not to try anything similar at home, such was the danger!! Hannah and Rebekah introduced each act with skill and provided wee snippets of entertainment themselves, although the jokes were pretty dire at times – groan, groan.

Every act was a splendid display of talent and provided the audience with a superb mix of entertainment. Jack, Scott and Elspeth were terrific together in their performance of ‘Hallelujah’ but took to the stage again later in the show as soloists in equally compelling performances. Olivia and Rebekah also delighted everyone when they performed solo to sing ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ and ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ respectively.

We enjoyed instrumental performances too. Kyle showed his skill as a pianist and Patrick played the old favourite and traditional piece ‘My Grandfather’s clock’ on the euphonium.

The evening concluded with an unforgettable dance number and then all the acts took to the stage for a final song – ‘Highway to Hell’. Vocalists Daniel and Sophie led everyone in the rock number, which concluded a superbly entertaining evening from a very talented group of students. Congratulations to the charities committee and well done.

On Tuesday, Rob Moffat – head coach of Edinburgh Rugby – and a former PE teacher at Earlston High, came back to school to deliver a coaching session to the juniors. The session lasted two hours and the boys were exhausted at the end, but still had smiling faces and great enthusiasm. The boys were joined in the coaching clinic by Kelso High school, which gave them a chance to train with new players.

The coaching session was part of a package awarded to the school for achieving Gold Standard status in school rugby. The package also included training gear and sports wear. Rob handed over the plague to Ewan and Mark from the S1 team to recognise the award.

Last week we started the summer term minus some staff and pupils as they were stuck abroad, unable to get home due to the volcanic ash and cancelled flights. Five members of the teaching staff were unable to return from their Easter holiday although, in the last few days, luckily some of these have managed home. However, we do have two staff in America and one in New Zealand so are having to wait just a wee bit longer before we see them in EHS. Hopefully they’ll be back safe and sound by the time you are reading this.

Sixteen pupils from a variety of year groups are also having an extended ‘holiday’, although they might not view it as that. Luckily just a few of these are preparing for examinations and hopefully they’ll have taken their revision packs away with them! Some departments use GLOW, the website or Scholar for revision materials so if the stranded students have access to the internet, they could keep working on their subjects whilst away from school.

Having thought that the season would never finish this year, especially with all the weather problems, it was great to finally end it all with a hard fought win in a national competition. Congratulations to the Under 15 team of third years. The match was held on Tuesday 20 April.

Linlithgow scored the opening try in the second minute of play against our team who looked rather nervous and jaded from the ill effects of sitting S3 exams in English, Physics and Craft & Design in one day. Little did our opponents know that this was only

going to make us angry ("and you don't really want to see us when we're angry!"). So after all our players bodies turned green and their strips were ripped to tatters, Russell "The Bus", Connor, Cameron, Calum and Murray went about bursting through the West Lothian boys using deft off-loads from the tackle to set up tries for Fraser, Andrew and Fraser (although the latter still had to beat 4 opponents to score his). Richard converted two of these tries.

The match was played in the shadow of Murrayfield Stadium on the 4G all weather pitch. This artificial surface made it a unique experience for both teams. Although it has synthetic grass, the subsurface is rubbery and it does feel that you could jump over opponents instead of running around them. James used this to spectacular advantage following a kick and chase. His kick landed over the heads of the opponents and as he chased it forward it took an outrageous bounce back towards him, landing, plop into his arms. Whilst the opposition twisted and turned once more to see where the ball had gone, James was well on his way to scoring try number 4 before half time. Half time score - Earlston 24 Linlithgow 7.

The second half was a little less dramatic, but with still with some moments of excitement with EHS scoring one try and Linlithgow two. Connor ran round 3 orcs for our second half try to cap a fine performance from inside centre. The coveted honour of Man of the Match went to captain Richard for another talisman like display from stand off. Richard has been a great ambassador for school rugby this year, and he deserved it immensely. However, one Earlston pupil played by far his best game of the season and what a time to do it - a national final at Murrayfield (well the back pitches!). On the return journey home, all the players and myself agreed that Calum was simply outstanding. He received a massive cheer and was a proud young lad. Indeed we were all proud and elated by our win. Well done guys and a huge thanks to all our supporters, especially those who travelled up to Murrayfield to encourage us in our quest.

Thank you to Mr Rowlands and Mrs H Runciman for the excellent photographs of some of the action.

The week of the 15 th March was our HMIe Inspection. Our last HMIe inspection was in 2000, so lots of things have changed since then and we are keen to see how we are doing ten years on. We find out in when the report is published in May.

Nine HMIe inspectors visited EHS and spoke to numerous groups and individuals: pupils, parents, staff, partner agencies and members of the local community. The core business of any school is Learning and Teaching and so sixty lessons were observed. Many of these were in the four focus departments – Chemistry and S1-2 Science, Maths, English and Craft, Design and Technology. However, it was very much about the whole school and just about every classroom was visited at some point.

HMIe also look at a whole host of material from the website and letters to reports and examples of pupil work. They gather views using questionnaires, completed by parents, teachers, support staff and pupils. There was also a whole variety of meetings for them to ensure they had as clear and accurate a picture of EHS as possible.

The results of their findings will be published on the 18 th May and a copy of the inspection report will go to every parent. It will also be available on the HMIe website.

Yes! It was that time of year again! Girls AND boys had been practising for months on end, to show off their skills at this year’s dance festival. This year was an especially eclectic showcase of dancing - the programme boasting highland, jazz, Irish, hip-hop, and contemporary dancing.

One of the highlights of the evening was definitely the highland piece performed by Jessica (S5) and Miss Buchan. Their lively sailor styled dance was outstanding and performed with precision timing. Miss Buchan and the rest of the PE staff definitely gave a memorable performance when the showed us the original moves of Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’ dance, with a special mention going out to Mr Kidd who obviously led the group exceptionally well. They were however called off the stage by Claire McCulloch, who then took over with her dance group, who took to the stage with an uncanny performance.

An unusual entry was that of Mr Foggin’s 1st year science class, including the man himself. After practising hard at lunch times they produced a very imaginative dance showing the definition of solids, liquids and gases. ‘Solids’ were represented by the song ‘Ice Ice Baby’, whilst liquids was ‘Riverside’ and gases ‘Bonkers’. Hopefully Mr Foggin’s entertaining entry has spurred on teachers to enter their own departments in the dance festival. The night came to an end as Rebecca and Catriona performed a contemporary piece to Beyonce’s Halo and finished with the Senior Dance group’s dance to Beyonce’s ‘Smash Into You’. Another contemporary piece which was very powerful and had a mixture of S4-S6 students, led by Kayley, Jan and Jennifer.

We were also invited to the Borders’ schools’ dance festival on Friday 19 th, which showcased dances from the majority of the Borders’ schools. Dances from Earlston included the Senior’s ‘Smash Into You’, the 3 rd year boys’ ‘Time For Some Action’, the fast hip-hop dance by S4-S6 girls ‘Church’, and Jessica's highland dancing of her own chorography. It was a day thoroughly enjoyed by all.

By Elspeth and Catriona

Well done to the 6 groups (27 students) that completed their Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition (Bronze level) at the weekend. Let’s hope that the Baltic conditions are replaced by warmer conditions when the assessment expedition takes place in July!

Many thanks to Miss Drummond-Thomson, Mr Simson and a special mention to the Chef de Haute cuisine Monsieur Dodds.

Good luck to the students who will embark on their Silver expedition this coming Thursday. This time it is three days walking with two nights camping. Thank you again to staff who support the student s and devote their weekends to the expedition. Fingers crossed for some decent weather.

Congratulations to the S2 boys who retained the title of South of Scotland schools sevens champions. They progressed through the group stage by winning all their matches and won a hard fought final against Kelso.

The first match was against Gala Academy which we won 10-5. We scored the first try of the game, with Gala pegging us back just into the second half. With the last possession of the game John scored a try to seal a huge first win.

The second and third matches were against Peebles HS (score15-5) and Jedburgh Grammar (score 25-5). The win against Jed put us at the top of the group and qualified us for the final against Kelso.

In this final match, we went two tries up in the first half through Ben and John. Outstanding defence stopped Kelso pulling back a try before half time, although they did pull a try back in the second half. EHS held on to win 10-5 and retain the cup they won in first year.

The boys have had an outstanding year, only losing one match and the team for the sevens was: Alexander, Craig, James, Ben, George, John, Aidan, Murdo, Harry and Ben.

On Monday, we had our celebrating success assembly for first years, although we also congratulated our kitchen staff for their continued success this year. Way back in September, the kitchen staff won the SBC Kitchen of the Month award and the ladies were presented with bouquets at the S5 assembly. This time, they have achieved even more and on Monday were presented with their Kitchen of the Year Award. SBC’s catering manager presented the team with an attractive rose bowl and commemorative glass trophy. They all received gift vouchers and were delighted to receive the award. The first years cheered loudly as each member of staff collected their gift.

The assembly was also an opportunity to present our cheque for £775.75 to the British Heart Foundation. The total raised from our Wear Red Day, which was part of the charity’s national campaign to raise awareness about heart disease.

On Monday 8 th March, the Advanced Higher English class was privileged to have in our company the award-winning Dundonian poet, Mark Thomson, who inspired us with his poetic interpretation based on the influence of his life’s experiences.

Thomson’s collection of poems “Bard Fae Thi Buildin Site” does more than just paint a simple picture of hardship in the housing schemes of Dundee. He reflects on the uncomfortable but not uncommon subject matters of drugs, alcohol and violence, whilst remaining loyal to themes of family, friends, home and Scotland. So many of these themes are pertinent to our lives, so we all felt that we could really relate to his subject matter, conveyed through his awe-striking performance poetry (once we could comprehend his braw Dundonian accent!).

Part of our Advanced Higher English coursework involves the exploration of the poetic genre, so we found this experience in the reading room of our school library, to be highly beneficial to our subject. Initially, we were merely delighted to have the time out of class to escape from the traumas of analysing and re-analysing John Donne poetry, but quickly we realised how lucky we were to have been given such an opportunity to listen to Thomson’s talent for performing. If there’s one thing we would like to pass onto you, our readers, it is Mark Thomson’s inspirational words – “Dinna be feart tae write doon the first thing that comes intae yer heed. Ye dinna ken, it might be published wan day!”

Olivia, on behalf of the Advanced Higher English class

The assembly hall was full of excitement on Wednesday 10 March, courtesy of David Graham’s Natural High presentation. David was on a whirlwind tour of the Borders secondary schools and we were lucky enough to enjoy his presentation at Wednesday’s S1 assembly.

The audience was in full swing, dancing, clapping and singing to the lyrics of David’s own composition, ‘Natural High’. He also had some of the pupils on stage competing in football and dance competitions. The lucky winners received goodies such as the CD of David’s song, radios, personal organisers and sports bags.

David’s message was loud and clear and he wanted everyone to understand that drug taking only led to fake highs which are short-lived. He tested our knowledge in The Risk Factor game to show us that alcohol was actually the drug which caused the most deaths in a year. Some of the audience were quite shocked by this and it certainly gave them something to think about.

Natural High is all about using our own talents and experiences to get a real buzz and feel happy. In one of the competitions, pupils had to think about the presentation’s message and come up with a catchy slogan. Heather's caption was ‘Don't take drugs, they will waste you away. Get your natural high today!’ Niall entered the competition with ‘Don't take drugs they can kill you after a while, but a natural high can make you smile.’ The winning caption came from Megan, whose rhyming slogan said, ‘If you use drugs, you'll just want more. Then you won't be able to soar.’ Well done, Megan.

The presentation was absolutely brilliant and that was the view of everyone at the assembly.

It’s been a busy week this week as the PE department linked their lessons to sport relief as well as selling the red-striped Sport relief socks! Thursday lunchtime was particularly busy and we were invited to run, walk or crawl a mile (some did all three!).

It was a good atmosphere out on the astro turf in the warm sunshine. Thanks those pupils who watched from the viewing deck and encouraged the participants to complete the challenge. Donations are coming in and Mr Kidd will announce the final amount next week, - once he’s sold all his socks!

This week, all first year pupils (including myself) were involved in an enterprise workshop delivered by Mind Vision. Our task was to work in teams and use our communication skills to build a fortress from pieces. It sounded quite straight forward until Gerry explained the rules! Part of being enterprising is to rise to a challenge and develop a ‘can do’ attitude, so we should have known that the task wasn’t going to be easy.

Hidden behind a huge screen was the model fortress, which we had to use to help us piece together our own model. Still sounding easy – not when you know there were over two hundred pieces and only one team member at a time could go to look at the sample. We couldn’t make notes or draw diagrams, but had to use our memory to transfer what we had seen from the model to our own team challenge. Then just to add another twist to the challenge, we were against the clock. That’s where the ‘freaky’ bit comes in because we were running about frantically from the model to our team table.

It was all good fun though and really made us think about how together we could build the fortress – a task which seemed impossible at first. We realised we ‘can do’ things if we put our minds to it and have a go.

On Friday 26 February, we all wore red to raise awareness and funds for the British Heart Foundation. The event has so far raised £700, although the Health Committee is still counting! Thank you to everyone who supported the event and we hope to hand over the cheque to a representative from BHF at the first year assembly later this month.

Last month, Mrs Weston’s S1 English class were involved in a ‘Glow Meet’ with author Catherine Forde. The class had been reading her novel, ‘Fat Boy Swim’ and by using GLOW were able to see Ms Forde on the projector screen and ask her questions. It was a great success and gave pupils the chance to ‘virtually’ meet the writer and have a live discussion.

Yesterday was another chance to ‘meet’ an author using GLOW, but this time it was Michael Rosen. Again the writer was live on the screen and the pupils were able to ask questions about his work. GLOW is Scotland’s educational intranet and just as our pupils were involved, so were other pupils across Scotland. It gave EHS the chance to hear the writer respond to live questions from other schools as well as our own.

Wednesday 3 March was World Maths Day and, by using the internet, pupils were able to compete against others in a Maths Challenge. The Maths department made full use of the Computing Studies rooms and first and second year classes went along to try their luck.

The Maths questions were calculations, but there was no time to get out the calculator – it all had to be ‘mental’! There were different levels of question and each challenge had a set of twenty questions. The best part though was that you were competing against players from around the world.

This morning, the second years were playing individuals from a host of different countries. Each player had about four others to compete against and everyone in the class had different people. You were told each player’s first name, their school and their country. During one challenge, EHS was competing with pupils from Sweden, Gibraltar, South Africa, Australia, Finland and Germany! There were also pupils from across Great Britain – James from Cumnock Academy, Sean from Conyers Secondary and many more mathematicians battling it out to win the challenge of World Maths Day.

YES or Young Enterprise Scotland is a long established organisation which encourages young people to develop their business and entrepreneurial skills.

Working with a business adviser from the community, our YES company has been active in preparing the launch of their product. They identified our status as a new school building, and the opportunity of an official opening, as a potential to attract customers for their product. After extensive market research and having scrutinised a variety of sample products, the company is now selling EHS mugs and bags.

Two members of the company promoted their product at the recent S2 Parents’ Evening and those of you who missed that opportunity to support the company will have another chance at the S3 Parents’ Evening, which is on Wednesday 17 March.

As mentioned, in a previous EHS article, on Friday the 5 th March the pupils and teachers celebrated Ghana Day. Now an annual event within Earlston High, Ghana Day helps us to raise funds, which contribute towards a village in Ghana – Mangu.

The day was a huge success! It was embraced by all, with several people making a great effort to dress-up. Pirates, cowboys/cowgirls and another group of boys who had the inventive idea of dressing as ‘Pirates on Holiday’ could all be seen around the school. A Johnny Depp impersonation swaggered round the corridors! The girls were sorely fooled by his persona. It was hard not to mistake him for the man himself! As well as fancy dress other students made a real effort to wear the Ghana colours – we merged together in a rainbow or Reds, Yellows and Greens.

Along came lunch time and the activities were quick to begin. Walking into the assembly hall, you were instantly bombarded by the noise of drums, face painting fun and other tribal ‘goings on’. Everyone was eager to rivet a rhythmic beat on the tradition tribal drums. Although the noise may have drowned out the sound of your thoughts, it was pleasant to see people with huge smiles on their faces, enjoying themselves - another reason for the organising of the event. Mr Smart (Head of Biology) was thrilled with the day and its success. He said, “I would like to thank those who helped setting up the event as well as those who turned up and participated so enthusiastically”. Mr Smart also invited one of his close friends to join the celebrations. Sam comes from Ghana and passed on his skills in drumming to the pupils. Sam’s drumming is now a regular feature of our Ghana Day and we all look forward to his visit. Mr Smart further added that Sam was “fantastic as usual” and with his help a great number of pupils were encouraged to participate in the lunchtime activities. Sam’s arrival and short stay at the school was also appreciated as it was a prime opportunity for us to ask questions about the country and gain better insight into the differences in the way of life. On the day a total of £ 140 was raised from the activities. The next event is fondly anticipated: Mangu Mess Day – but we’ll have to hope some the better weather for that one.

Congratulations to Alexandra K and Alexandra M, both in fifth year, who recently achieved their black belts in judo. This is a great achievement and the girls had to fight in a variety of high level competitions in their quest to join the elite group of judo black belts. As well as gaining points by winning fights, the girls had to pass an examination which involved demonstrating complex moves and combination skills.

The girls, affectionately known as ‘the Alis’, are best friends even though they have had to compete against each other at times. Both started judo at the age of eight after a taster session in school led by Sportif Judo. They then became members of the Sportif judo club and continue to train hard each week.

Ali M’s favourite throw is an Uchi-Mata and Ali K likes the throw – Makikomi- which Euan Burton, a Bronze Medallist at the World Championships in 2007, uses frequently. Well done girls!

SINCE 1961, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has strived to prevent premature deaths due to heart disease. The foundation partakes in a number of different procedures which in turn help prevent the disease from maturing, and therefore encourage a better well-being for those who suffer and have to live with heart problems.

Every February the BHF introduce a campaign in order to celebrate their progress and continue raising awareness concerning the problem. This year they aim to raise a large some of money to go towards research into the disease and to help fund those living with the problem. They also promote healthy eating and exercise in order to try and reduce the increasing rate of heart disease which is now becoming a significant problem.

On Friday the 26 th of February Earlston High had a ‘Wear Red Day’ in order to raise money for the Charity. Pupils were able to wear an item of red clothing, be it a t-shirt, jumper or wig in order to emphasise that heart disease is an ongoing problem and it is up to us to look after ourselves and support those who are suffering. Each student who participated in the charity event donated a £1 towards the cause. The grand total is not known yet as money is still being collected and counted! The refectory also took part breaking barriers by putting on a display of red food for the students to indulge in; it was an exciting fayre and inspired some variation from the usual menu. The BHF is a worthy cause and the school is proud to have been a part of its annual awareness programme and has worked hard to raise money for the charity.

YEARLY, Earlston High School celebrates its relationship with a small developing village called Mangu in Ghana. Mr Smart (Head of the Biology Department) has always had a fond place in his heart for Mangu and over the past few years he has embraced the opportunity to send senior students to the country in order to experience the way of life, culture and to help them with work that may need to be done. This year there has been a great amount of interest and pupils have been eager to be a part of this once in a lifetime opportunity as part of their Gap year before university.

Although the relationship with Mangu does not stop at sending over eager students, as throughout the year a number of events are held in order to raise money for the area. Ghana Day is almost a tradition within the school and this year it will be held on Friday 5 th March. A number of things will be happening including a non-uniform day, entertainment throughout lunch with various competitions, African style drumming and other activities.

Also, beginning on Monday 1 st March is a bracelet making workshop which will be on every lunch time until Ghana Day for pupils to express their artistic flair. We hope that this year will be as successful as previous years and that a great amount of money is raised to help Mangu - that has becoming a great friend of Earlston High.

Congratulations to Lucy Henderson-Morris and Kerry Sandilands who won silver medals as members of the Gala Harriers Under 15 Girls Team at the Scottish Cross Country Championships on Saturday. Lucy finished in 13th place and Kerry in 22nd. Well done to both girls.

Congratulations also to a rink from Earlston High School have won the qualifying tournament to represent Scottish Borders at the Scottish Schools Championship to be held at Murrayfield 19th - 21st March.

The rink was: Cameron Pate (skip), Lesley Kerr (third),Thomas Fleming (second), Beth Patterson (lead),Hayleigh Wilson (lead).

Good luck to the rink for the competition and well done for being successful in the qualifying rounds.

On Wednesday, Mrs Weston’s 1S and 1V had the opportunity to “meet” with the author Catherine Forde via the internet through GLOW – the Scottish Schools’ Intranet.

Through this technology, schools from all over the country would be logging in at 12 noon, where Catherine would answer our questions. Despite various technological hitches we finally joined the meet at 12.20 and started chatting to Catherine, via webcam, alongside the other schools.

We were delighted that our questions were all met with enthusiasm by the writer. Having read her novel “Fat Boy Swim” we were keen to discover whether one of the characters has an Irish accent (she doesn’t – but almost definitely had Irish parents), whether there would be a sequel (possibly) and what Catherine Forde would recommend we read next (too many to mention – we have a list).

It was a first for Earlston High School and will hopefully be succeeded many further virtual meets for us. Barak Obama next, perhaps?

On Tuesday (26th Jan) we had two Maths Club Specials. The Intermediate 2 event was a particularly high scoring affair with the dogged, determined and ever-smiling Juliet coming out on top. One point behind was Jacob whose competitive edge pulled him through into second place. These aforementioned two had to be good to fend off the challenge of the tenacious Jill, Rowan and Lauren who shared third place.

The Higher event featured Mr Pritchard's relay round which added a bit of fun and just a little perspiration. Winner was the very composed Kyle with the very consistent David and the enthusiastic and cheerful Sarah sharing second place.

Many thanks from the Maths Department for being such a fun bunch and good luck to all our senior students with all of their exams.

EHS S2/S1 3 - EyHS S2/S1 0

EHS S1 2 - EyHS S1 0

Yes it’s that time of year again!!! Our first Dance Festival in the new school will take place on Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th March 2010. Pupils from all secondary year groups are invited to collect an application form from the PE Department. The closing date for entries is Friday 26th February 2010.

The festival runs for two evening and tickets will be on sale in early March. There is always a mix of dance styles with groups and individuals taking part. Pop the date in your diary!

The Careers Adviser Susan Meldrum is holding a drop in session in the interview room opposite the office at lunchtimes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1.30 to 2.00pm. This is an ideal opportunity for second years to have a chat with Susan as they consider their subject choices for next year. Pupils just need to ‘drop in’ at any point if they have any questions about careers, jobs or subject choices.

The S2 Parent Information Evening on Tuesday was very well attended and thank you to those parents who braved the cold weather to join us. Miss Strong gave an outline of the different courses and examination levels available. This was useful as the majority of the audience had followed ‘O’ and ‘Higher’ Grade courses at school so the terms Standard Grades and Intermediates were new.

After some general tips for parents on how to support their sons/daughters in the choice of course process, Gavin from the Tree of Knowledge organisation gave a very interesting and entertaining presentation. Tree of Knowledge workshops were part of the S2 pupils’ day earlier and Gavin guided them through fun activities which gave them food for thought.

Congratulations to Rachel and Kate for their performance in the Law Society of Scotland's Donald Dewar competition second round debate in Edinburgh.

Although they were not the team selected for the third round, they won their debate despite the awkwardness of their task- to argue against the reduction in CO2 emissions. The motion they were opposing was: 'This House supports material unilateral reductions in the EU's carbon emissions by 2020".

The school’s debating club continues to go from strength to strength and new members are always welcome.

Advanced Higher Modern Studies students at Earlston High School had the pleasure of hosting local MSP Jeremy Purves (Lib Dems), and UK Independence Party Scottish secretary Peter Adams. The occasion was a debate put together by political organisation Civitas, and organised by Mr. Harris, head of the school's Modern Studies department. At Earlston High, Advanced Higher students study the European Union, and so that formed the topic for the debate.

Mr. Purves spoke on the benefits of membership of the European Union, and Mr. Adams spoke of the necessity of the UK coming out of the European Union. Arguments were convincing on both sides!

During the last part of the session, students Jenni, Kayley, Ed, and Olivia, had the chance to put questions to their guests. The whole afternoon was designed to help the department's students with their 5000 word dissertations!

Congratulations to Phoebe and Elliot (S3) on their debating performance against senior opposition in the English Speaking Union national debating competition in Edinburgh on Monday night.

They were proposing the motion that 'a life sentence should mean a life in prison', and they argued strongly for the importance of clarity in law, for the law to accommodate more fairly different degrees of murder/manslaughter eg assisted suicide, and also that punishment should act as a deterrent. They argued with great flourish and precision. They won their debate and will certainly strike alarm in the hearts of future opponents.

On Thursday 22 January, the refectory was decked with tartan for the annual Senior Burns’ Supper. The dress code was relatively casual although everyone did have a splash of tartan, and some guests did enjoy the chance to wear their kilts.

Organised each year by the Parent Council Sub Group, like all their events, it was a great evening. Mr Scott Renwick, one of our PE staff, led the proceedings in his role as chairperson and introduced us to the top table: guest speakers Jim Telfer and Cammy Rudkin, Elspeth and Robert, our Head Girl and Boy and Angus.

Jessica, from S5, then started the evening’s entertainment. Jessica is well known for her superb highland dancing. Last year she performed at the Edinburgh Tattoo and again delighted us with her dance skills. Accompanied by Liam and Kyle, on the pipes and drum, Jessica performed the Highland Laddie and Barracks Johnnie. It was a great start to the evening.

Before the traditional fare of broth, then haggis, neeps and tatties, Depute Head Boy, Rory, said the Selkirk Grace. Kyle piped in the haggis for it to be addressed by S6 student Angus. Angus used his drama skills to perform a superb and entertaining address. Last summer Angus played the role of Captain Von Trapp in the school’s production of ‘The Sound of Music’ and hopes to study acting and the theatre next year.

Mrs Morton’s hospitality students served the guests and did a great job – there weren’t even any spillages or any smashed plates!

Whilst we enjoyed coffee, shortbread and yummy tablet we listened intently to one of our guest speakers. Mr Jim Telfer gave a superb tribute to Robert Burns, his life and works with the Immortal Memory. In his speech there were many links between Burns, the Borders and even Earlston itself, which was interesting to hear and Mr Telfer gave us a real insight into the man behind the words.

Following the Immortal Memory, Kyle and Liam sang Ye Banks and Braes which led into Mr Cameron Rudkin’s recital of Tam O’Shanter. Mr Rudkin is a favourite at EHS Burns’ Suppers and it was good to see him back delivering his usual lively and energetic rendition of ‘Tam’. Mr Rudkin’s jokes are always good too!

Next up was Robert, Head Boy, to give the traditional Toast to the Lassies. Robert gave us both the gossip on EHS ladies and advice on how to charm them. Like Angus, Robert is no stranger to the stage and is known for his wit and humour. Guests enjoyed a very informative and entertaining toast and joined Robert in raising their glass to the lassies. Equally witty was the reply from the lassies, delivered by Head Girl Elspeth. She had a few tales to tell too and kept us amused with her take on the gents.

To conclude a superb evening, Depute Head Girl Jan thanked everyone for organising and supporting the event. We then closed a great night with Auld Lang Syne.

EHS 1st X1 0 - FHS 1st X1 3

EHS S2 0 - EyHS S2 6

EHS S1 4 - EyHS S1 0

Well done to all the girls who took part.

As you read this, take a moment to think of those poor souls in fifth and sixth year who are sweating in the assembly hall as they turn over the prelim paper and begin their exam. Hopefully, they’ll see those familiar topics and questions and will manage to stay calm to show their knowledge.

The invigilators also have a hard seven days ahead of them, especially as we adapted the prelim timetable to shorten study leave and keep students in classes for as long as possible. Any one day might see a number of subjects being assessed, not to mention the different levels within a subject. Luckily the invigilators are all experienced in organising the papers and ensuring everyone has the right one. We’ve never had the situation described in Bernard MacLaverty’s short story ‘The Miraculous Candidate’ when the student is given the wrong paper. (A good read by the way!)

A huge thank you must go to the many teachers who gave up their lunchtimes, non-contact periods and after school time to offer study support to the seniors. Good luck to the seniors!

One of our sixth year pupils, Gillian, is setting off in August 2010 for a life changing experience to South Africa as a volunteer with Project Trust.

In being chosen for this amazing opportunity, Gillian had to journey to the island of Coll to undergo an intense selection course. This included teaching experience, team building and outdoor activities. Enduring an anxious wait for the decision, she finally found out in December that she would be travelling to South Africa. She will embark on a 12 month volunteer programme working with underprivileged children with Project Trust a registered gap year charity.

Before setting off in the summer she is required to fundraise around £4850 for project trust. To achieve this goal she has been successful in bag packing and in organising a quiz night. Future events include a ceilidh and a guided walk - contact Gillian for further details on ggpaterson@hotmail.co.uk.

Gillian is taking part in this gap year experience as she has a passion to help others who are less fortunate than herself. She hopes that by doing this she will gain maturity and a better understanding of different cultures and communities outside her comfort zone. She will then hopefully take up her place at university studying Pharmacy. We wish her the very best of luck!

Two sixth year pupils, Olivia and Sarah (me!), are embarking on a three week adrenaline filled adventure in the hostile depths of Chile – South America July 2010. Although it may be perceived as a holiday for those who embrace the concept of death defying stunts - it is not! The trip’s main concept is to help those who live in severe poverty. Venturers from all over the Scottish Borders will also help orphaned children and participate in a number of other activities which in turn will benefit the lives of others within the continent.

For this once in a lifetime chance the costs of the trip have to be fundraised and with the expedition becoming ever closer, events and schemes need to be organised. We have decided to participate in a sponsored silence as a way to raise the well needed cash. We are currently uncertain of the time limit from which they wish to punish, but Olivia suggested three days may be achievable! For me this seems rather ambitious especially considering my reputation in the “talking department”. A date is also not fixed yet as the S5/6 prelims are fast approaching, whether this idea would be useful in times of examination is a question we are considering.

The task to outsiders looks almost impossible and those who are kind enough to sponsor us may be entering the one of the safest investments ever. Watch this space to see how Olivia and I manage with this almost unachievable task or will we fail miserably…?

Last Friday, 32 Higher Biology students visited the Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh. Their focus was plant adaptation, which is one of the topics in unit two of the Higher course. It was good preparation for their forthcoming prelim on the 9 th February.

Half of the day was participating in workshops delivered by staff at the Botanic Gardens. The students conducted experiments to look at transpiration (water loss through leaves) using potomers and atometers.

The second half was a guided tour of the Gardens and exhibits. This also involved looking at xerophytes and hydrophytes. Xerophytes are plants which live in areas where there is limited water available such as deserts. Hydrophytes are the opposite: water plants such as water lilies.

Students also got a glimpse of the new entrance building and its exhibits, which have recently been added to the Botanic Gardens. The fun of visiting the gardens though is all over as it is down to some hard study to ensure everyone is ready to do their best in the prelim.

Study leave for seniors starts on Wednesday 3 February. There is a wealth of support available to seniors as many teachers are offering help sessions at lunchtimes and after school. It is fantastic to see the students attending these ‘extra’ lessons and shows their commitment to doing well. Good luck to all S5 and S6 students in their prelims.

Last week the Advanced Higher English students paid tribute to Ms Bryden. This week, we pay an equal tribute to one of our Geography teachers who left last week to take up a new post at Dingwall Academy. We are already missing Miss Morgan, who has been a member of staff here at EHS for four years. Pupils taught by her commented on her ‘calm approach’ and ability to motivate everyone and enjoy their work.

Miss Morgan’s leadership of environmental issues across the school has brought huge benefits to our community. She led the school’s Eco Group (aptly named Go-Green) and encouraged us to be environmentally friendly. Dingwall’s gain is most definitely our loss. We wish her well in her new post and look forward to her visiting us, along with Ms Bryden, in February so we can congratulate them formally and enjoy some celebrations.

On Monday 18 January, Mrs McDonald kick started the choice of course programme for second years. The assembly gave them an introduction to the whole choice process and lots of advice to consider when selecting their certificate courses to study in third and fourth year. The top tips were to ask, ask and then ask again to ensure you know what each course entails. Then to think hard about your strengths and consider which subjects are best suited to you.

Parents of S2 pupils are invited to attend the information evening on Tuesday 2 February, when Mrs McDonald will present the programme to parents. The second half of the evening will be an introduction to the work of Tree of Knowledge, the organisation who will be working with the second years on the 2 and 3 February. The theme of their activities is decision making so parents will have a flavour of the pupil workshops.

To assist with the choice of course, the S2 reports will be issued before the February holiday and pupils will be interviewed by their Guidance teacher. As well as this, on Wednesday 24 February, parents will have a chance to discuss their child’s learning with class teachers in the annual S2 parents’ evening. We hope to welcome lots of parents to both evenings – the information evening and the parents’ evening.

Great night’s entertainment last night. Here’s a glimpse of Angus addressing the haggis and some of us enjoying the traditional fare. Our intrepid reporters will be gathering more news for next week.

It was a brilliant start to the year for students all over the UK as it began to snow and the majority of both primary and secondary schools were closed. For Earlston High School, the pupils got an extra four days holiday and they used it to their advantage, making the most of the unusual British weather by sledging and skiing down the hills of Lauder and Melrose.

Alex, a fifth year student, took a break from studying for his prelims by skiing down the ‘quarry’, making the pastime look completely effortless in the process. Likewise, Paul (after making it to Melrose from Newtown – not easy due to increasingly dangerous weather conditions) enjoyed testing out his snowboarding skills on a ramp that they had made, both of them managing to land on their feet!

In Lauder, people enjoyed racing down the Chesters on sledges, snowboards, skis and, believe it or not, inflatable boats, using anything they could to get down the hill as fast as they could. Lauder was put on the map as well as this was all shown on BBC Scotland and also the ITV news to illustrate just how bad the Borders weather was.

The temperature over the period of heavy snow reached a low of -20C in many places, making the roads a very dangerous place to be as experts advised us to stay out of our cars unless it was absolutely necessary.

However, this is all about to end as the ‘Big Freeze’ is set to relent as pupils go back to school after near on three weeks of non-stop snowball fights and sledging. Back to work guys, prelims are on their way!

Congratulations to Kerry and Paul who have both been selected to represent the East of Scotland at the Inter District Cross Country Championships at Holyrood Park on 9th January 2010. Both athletes running for Gala Harriers were placed 9th in the East District Championships at Livingston. Kerry led home the Gala U'15 girls team to the silver medal.

We did hope to give this to our English teacher, Ms Bryden, before she left Earlston on Monday to start a new chapter in her life with her husband up in Oban. However, with school being cancelled due to the terrible weather conditions, we were unable to say goodbye. Therefore, to explain to you as our readers what Ms Bryden meant to us all and how much she will be missed, we will allow you to read our letter that she never received…

Firstly, we can all say without hesitation that you will be sorely missed, not only as a teacher but also as a mentor and a friend. You have taught us about the English language, educated us in literature and articulation and have also driven us to achieve in your subject. It would be a great crime however, to suggest that that was all you have taught us in the short space of time that we have been in your company. Let’s not forget that you have educated us in the world of cakes and taught us that indulgence comes at no price where Advanced Higher English is concerned!

Not only have you taught us to learn, but from that taught us to teach and delight in doing so. You have undoubtedly taught Sophie the word “anachronism”, cracked open Olivia’s shell of coyness, often enjoyed being the red flag to Angus’ bull of hatred towards the poetry of Carol Ann Duffy and taught Melissa and Ryan that accents - be it Scottish or Transylvanian - are not that hard to emanate, but can prove excellent moments of hilarity. Speaking of accents, Fergus has taught us all that a Yorkshire accent can often be confused with that of a Glaswegian! Amy has been extremely down-to-earth, even though she fits into her niche pompous and posh character whenever drama is concerned! Jenny has taught us that, despite bad literary credit attached, to be a fan of the Twilight Saga is not something to be entirely ashamed of (albeit better to keep quiet about it anyway, for literary credibility’s sake). Not forgetting the “rubber-chicken” dance that left us all in stitches and taught us to shed all self-consciousness in company of our newly developed circle of friends (the primary school Advanced Higher English visit), courtesy of Rebekah and Hannah.

You have given us cake, intensified our personalities and educated us in English, but have also have brought us all together as friends and provided us with an almighty shoulder to cry on when things are going badly. You have shown us that a little light procrastination is healthy and is great refuge for a hard working class! Let’s not forget also that you have taught us about romance and shown us the magic of being in love, opening your heart and sharing your stories with us.

We want you to continue to be an excellent mentor to other students, to continue "cake day" wherever you may be and to keep up your free-spirited, kind-hearted and hardworking presence. We wish you all the very best of happy endings that we never read about in class, and we will never forget you Ms Bryden.

All our love,

The Advanced Higher English class

Earlston is alive again with preparations well underway for the annual Burns’ Supper on Thursday 21 st January 2010. It is a night which, from experience, can be deemed memorable, enjoyable, exciting and a right good laugh. From the delectably Scottish meal of haggis, neeps and tatties, to the musical interlude provided by senior students, there is no room for improvement. The traditional toast to the lassies will be from our Head Boy, Robert Turner. No doubt this will be as charming and witty as he is, and will effortlessly combine some of the silly things 6 th year girls do with an appraisal of their talents. Our Head Girl, Elspeth Murray, will provide an eloquent reply toast in a similar yet individual fashion, possibly incorporating some traditional Burns’; however both speeches have been kept under wraps until the night. The traditional and patriotic Selkirk Grace will be recited by Deputy Head Boy, Rory Byers, and the sincere and heartfelt vote of thanks will be done by Deputy Head Girl, Jan Baird. This year the toast to the haggis will be performed by arguably one of our most well-spoken and confident 6 th years – Angus Yellowlees. With his extensive acting experience, this is a toast – and all in all an evening you will not want to miss. Tickets on sale to seniors and parents from school.

Megan has been very busy in the build up to Christmas. As part of her Access 2 Enterprise course, Megan has produced delightful bottle gift bags. After some extensive market research, she developed her product, made the bags and sold them to staff at school. The bags are very festive in Christmas red and green colours, with an attractive gold lining.

They sold quickly and Megan has used her profit to buy things for the kitchen in the Support for Learning department. Thanks to Megan we now have hand mixers and extra cutlery. The enterprise venture was so successful, Megan has also been able to donate £75 to charity.

An excellent project, Megan – well done!

The G0-Green group is always active in encouraging us to be eco-friendly. Their most recent campaign is raising awareness of how we can help the environment in these festive times. Here are their top five tips:

1 – Recycle your wrapping and cards – 1.8 million Cards sent in the UK each year, that’s 200,000 trees!

2 – Christmas lights – very pretty, but reduce the hours they are on, especially over night, not only saves you money but also reduces the risk of Fire!

3 – Save your Christmas cards and use them to make gift tags next year.

4 – Hand any unwanted Christmas decorations to charity shops for others to use, and so doesn’t add to the landfill sites.

5 – If you purchase a real Christmas tree, ensure it is from a company that is involved in sustainable practices. Also, real trees will biodegrade; plastic ones will be in the tips for years.

Know our music department and you will know that any concert will be a delight and a sell-out. This year’s was ‘thrilling!’ Why thrilling? Let me explain. The Christmas Concert is always in two acts. The first is more of a traditional concert, which showcases all the musical talent in school. The second Act this year was a special tribute to Michael Jackson.

Even though the first act is quite traditional in its format, there is always something unique. This year it was in the style of the comperes. The heads of school had relinquished their usual role to be X Factor judges. Elspeth was the bubbly and stylish Danni Minogue, Robert the suave Louis Walsh, Jan the ruthless critic Cowell and Rory – well Rory – Rory was the sassy and sexy Cheryl Cole! Their witty banter introduced each performance and the evening’s entertainment started with the Windband.

Higher and Advanced Higher Music students also gave the audience a chance to see their skills when they performed ‘White Christmas’ and ‘Fairytale in New York’. The choral group and junior choir sang a selection of songs and, not to be left out, the staff choir sang ‘JBMCA’. Instrumental groups were also performing and the guitar and string groups each performed two pieces. The Music department would like to thank the outstanding work of all the instructors at Earlston High School.

Act Two was a classic and fitting tribute to Michael Jackson’s music. Students from all year groups took part and they interspersed the various songs with facts about Jackson’s musical career. The Act opened with the Jackson Five singing ‘ABC’. The five students performing as the five brothers were: Rory, Hamish, Mark, Peter and Kieran. Later in the show they joined together again to sing ‘Blame it on the Boogie’.

One of the great things about the tribute was the number of students who were involved and so many of them sang as soloists or in small groups. Other famous songs were: We are the World, Heal the World and Beat It. In singing that rivalled the single released by the X Factor finalists, Peter and the Company sang ‘You are not Alone’. It was all tremendous.

As I write this, it is snowing outside and the surrounding countryside is dusted with white. The first snow always creates great excitement in school and the inevitable question: ‘Are we being sent home?’ Fortunately (or unfortunately) today (Thursday), the snow is relatively light so it looks as if we are here until the end of the day. We’re pleased about this as tonight is the last of our Christmas dances – the spectacular Senior Dance.

Seniors will grace the red carpet with their usual dazzling array of colours and sparkle. The gents, as ever, dashing and handsome in their kilts. The dance committee has worked tirelessly this year to ensure everyone has a good time. Tonight will be no different. The Heads of School are looking forward to welcoming guests from other Borders secondary schools and no doubt the dance floor will be filled all evening.

Callum, one of our third year students, has recently been awarded the prestigious title of Scottish Young Sailor of the Year. He has enjoyed a successful year and a highlight was winning the Optimist National Championships in August. Callum is the first Scot to win this National title. A previous holder of the title was Ben Ainslie, the triple Olympic gold medallist and Callum met Ben on the penultimate day of the Championships. Callum’s ambition is to sail for Great Britain in the Olympics and meeting with Ben has inspired him to continue to work towards this goal.

The trophy to celebrate Callum’s achievements and award will be presented to him on the 9 th January at the Tullet Prebon 2010 London International Boat Show. Well done Callum.

Christmas festivities started at EHS on Wednesday 9 th December with the annual Christmas Café. Hosted by the S6 Charities Committee, pupils were welcomed to the café by Santa’s Little Helpers. They served deliciously chocolaty delights, steaming hot chocolate, squishy marshmallows and gooey chocolate cake. Although the most popular of all the goodies was the every-flowing chocolate fountain!

The care was open for two days and day two saw pupils and staff pay a return visit – it was so good. Thanks to the committee for kick starting Christmas and putting everyone in the Christmas mood.

Wednesday 9 th December was a very special evening, especially for our first years as it was their first High School dance. The red carpet stretched from the entrance hall to the stairway outside the assembly hall. The outfits were fit for any celebrity occasion and the red carpet treatment. The paparazzi was waiting eagerly, and staff and pupils took photographs to celebrate and capture this special event.

First and second years mixed together and the dance floor was never quiet.

The third and fourth year disco was equally successful on Thursday 10 th December, with some dazzling outfits.

The seniors are looking forward to their dance which is on Thursday 17 th December.

What a marvellous thing it is to be able to pop down the road to the theatre of an evening. And what a useful thing for one Earlston Higher English class to see an adaptation of the novel they are studying: ‘The Pride of Miss Jean Brodie’. My thanks go to the Wynd Theatre, Melrose, and to the pupils whose spirit of lively enquiry established them very well as ‘la crème de la crème’!

This week saw a group of seniors take part in the Make Your Mark Challenge which is run nationally as part of Global Enterprise Week. Their challenge was to come up with a business idea centred around one slogan: Let local inspiration lead you to a cool creation!!

The Team created the idea of ‘Tour De Bordérs’ – a service which provides tours round Border Towns of historic landmarks and places of interest using a Pedicab – the ‘cool’ eco-friendly way of travelling!

The team had to create 3 documents:

The team worked extremely well on the day and as a result reached the Regional Finals in Glasgow!! Their pitch in Glasgow was described as professional, organised and detailed. They were a credit to the school and although they did not reach the UK finals, they were awarded a special prize for achieving excellence in the financial section of their pitch.

Huge congratulations for the commitment and determination shown and success of the Enterprise Project!

Watch out Alan Sugar…Tour De Borders are on the market!! Tour De Bordérs Team: Ronan, Ross, Lillie, Amy and Jack.

On Friday 27 th November, the one and only Advanced Higher English class skipped merrily down to the Earlston Primary school to host a drama workshop with the primary 7s.

Upon arrival, the primary sevens were rather shy but as we really got into it this completely turned around and they were full of vitality. After some crazy rubber chickening and some radical name taking we set off on a journey of discovery down the elm avenues of the imagination: writing plays, acting plays, being exhilarating vegetables and even being Paris Hilton! It was play time!

The kids’ acting was absolutely fantastic, devising creations and devouring the tasks at hand and treading the boards with dedicated aplomb. Their enthusiasm was mind-blowing and left us all feeling elated. We were singing even more on the way back to the school if that’s possible.

We look forward to going back and introducing them to the likes of poetry or something equally as exciting! Here’s one of our poems, written by Angus to whet your appetite for poetry.

Advanced Higher English Enthusiasts

Proclaimed the mongoose to the snake,
“You are so very long and frail,
How on earth does one awake?

You have no hands for goodness sake,
You only have a head and tail,”
Proclaimed the mongoose to the snake.

“Perhaps at night you drive and stake
In to your rump a rusty nail –
How on earth does one awake?

Are you so long that it would take
Eight hours to feel and make you wail?”
Proclaimed the mongoose to the snake.

Snake was silent, his head a-shake,
“THEN WHAT?” cried mongoose turning pale,
“How on earth does one awake?”

“Digesting Mongeese,” replied snake,
His jaws were wide his breath was stale,
“I do not like how you awake!”
Answered mongoose from inside snake.

Jeremy Purvis, the Constituency MSP who represents Earlston, was in the school during lunch time on Friday 4 th December. He was keen to meet students and give them the opportunity to talk about their views on local or general issues, for example, local transport, youth facilities or energy conversion etc.

EHS 1 ST XI 3 - GA 1 ST XI 0
EHS S3 1 - GA S3 2
EHS S2 ‘A’ 0 - GA S2 ‘A’ 3
EHS S2 ‘B’ 1 - GA S2 ‘B’ 0
EHS S1 ‘A’ 12 - GA S1 ‘A’ 0
EHS S1 ‘B’ 0 - GA S1 ‘B’ 0

MANY people are aware that yearly a number of different organisations hold shoe box appeals. These appeals bring people of all ages the happiness that many of us take for granted around the holiday seasons. The aim is to fill a shoebox with items of necessity, which will assist a person who may struggle in a third world country.

Earlston High School has embraced this opportunity with open arms and has done a splendid job. Mrs Maciver (one of our History teachers) was in charge of the project she has worked tirelessly to ensure that the boxes have been filled and ready for their collection date. She is extremely proud of the effort that has been made by pupils as well as staff. A terrific contribution has also been evident from within the Support for Learning wing of the school, where shoe boxes are piling up ready to be sent to poverty stricken areas throughout the world.

Boxes can be made for all age groups and are filled with all sorts of things. For example: winter essentials, writing equipment, sweets, card games, toiletries and much more. A Christmas present many of us would reject and throw in the pile of games consoles, DVDs and perfumes, but for those who rarely receive such gifts these items are greatly appreciated. A shoebox full of goodies provides people who take little for granted great joy and the knowledge that people are there too help! The boxes will be collected on Tuesday 8 th December outside Asda in Galashiels and will be delivered in time for Christmas (unfortunately not by a man with a big belly, fluffy white beard, the slight whiff of whisky and a red all in one suit, however). The school is proud of their efforts and we are delighted that others will benefit immensely. Many thanks to everyone who contributed to the boxes.

On the 11 th November, all the 6 th year students in Borders’ Schools were invited to Kelso High School for a ‘Borders’ Social’. In receiving 20 tickets ourselves and hearing that each of the 8 other schools were each bringing 20 6 th years too, we were all very excited for what promised to be a very unique social event.

The evening did not disappoint and we met many new people our own age from the various schools. The evening was in the style of a disco, but also included a couple of entertaining games. When the evening came to a close, the majority of us felt that we had come away with a few more good friends, and a very happy memory of the night. Lots of us cam away with new additions for our ‘facebook family’ and are enjoying keeping in touch. Thank you to Kelso High for putting together such a great event.

Elspeth , Catriona

Did you spot him last week? A new addition to our press team – Gossip Boy. As yet, we are not totally sure which one of us has taken on this new identity. The mysterious writer is keeping it under wraps by emailing the articles to our editor in chief and thus concealing his true self. All will be revealed I am sure sometime in the future. For the moment though, please enjoy his unique style and his ability to tell the gossip like no other.

So as well all know, 4 th year prelims have arrived in sunny Earlston High School- all those who’d been there in the past know just how dreadful they are. Your entire lives are penned on these A4 pieces of paper and if your pen runs out; say goodbye to further education.

Ah yes, I remember it well-the swelling of my guts, the sweat running down my cheeks; the constant need to go to the toilet; you get the picture. So as someone who has been there before I wish the 4 th years well but remember this is only the second worst time of the year, after all; there’s exams still to go! If you feel the need to cry before you put pen to paper-don’t…it’ll make the ink run-all you can do is try your best and hope that this piece of A4 paper doesn’t ruin your chances of success. That would be dreadful wouldn’t it? No pressure.

Finally-regardless of how well you perform in your prelims-there’s always another chance to improve in your final exams. But then I would say that-I’m no longer in your shoes-and yes I am smiling right now. I really do have a Hollywood smile.

You know you love me, xoxo

On Thursday 26 th November Mrs Renwick, Miss Morgan and the Geography Advanced Higher class went to Drygrange Community Woodland to do some physical fieldwork. The education officer with the Borders Woodland Trust, Anna Craigen, also came along to help us identify vegetation species. We measured some of the river characteristics, carried out slope analysis and completed a field sketch. Hopefully those skills will help the pupils complete their own fieldwork over the holidays!

This annual appeal sends Christmas parcels to people, in India and Eastern Europe, who would otherwise not receive a Christmas present

This year S6 pupils have encouraged S1 and S2 register classes to fill a shoebox each. Mrs. Eaton Turner, Ms Macgregor and Ms Sztando-Sroda have had groups of pupils working hard to wrap and fill boxes with items very kindly donated by pupils, parents and staff. At the same time they have been learning about how charities operate, and where the boxes will end up.

To date we have more than fifty boxes filled with promises of more to come in the final week.

Many thanks to all who have participated – each box will really help to make someone’s Christmas.

It’s the pupils of Earlston High’s chance to be a Guitar Hero. The Young Enterprise Company has set up the Ultimate Guitar Hero Competition to find the Ultimate Guitar Hero. Spanning all the year groups and staff, the competition will be played over a number of lunchtimes. The Young Enterprise Companies at schools across the Borders are competing for various awards, such as Best Business Idea and Most Profit Raised.

Earlston’s Company has many ideas for activities and businesses such as selling school souvenirs at the official opening of the building on January 8 th. The Guitar Hero Competition, though, is the first of its many big plans the Committee. The Competition will end with a battle between the winner of each year group and the staff to win the greatest of all prizes – to be crowned the Ultimate Guitar Hero.

Avast ye landlubbers! It’s the start of the pantomime season - a fact not lost on the S1 Activities committee, who are treating S1 to a trip to see Robinson Crusoe and the Caribbean Pirates at the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh on 2 nd December. They will be accompanied by a number of teaching staff, who are all eager to be transported to a desert island for the evening.

Speaking to the committee, there were many trials and tribulations involved in organising the visit, and last week tensions were high in the committee. Nonetheless, they’ve pulled together and they believe that the trip is destined to be a huge success. When asked how he thought it would go, Angus replied, “Epic!”

The committee was also keen to talk about the ice cream! For the trip the First Years were offered a chance to pre-book their interval goodie with a choice of flavours: chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and honeycomb; each £2 per tub. The most popular of the flavours was chocolate, closely followed by honeycomb but, to the committee’s surprise, strawberry was the least popular flavour. I think the committee need to get out more if ice-cream is a major topic of conversation!

The pantomime stars Allan Stewart as Mrs Crusoe; radio and TV presenter Grant Stott as the evil Pirate; Johnny Mac as Robinson Crusoe; Jo Freer as the Mermaid; Charlie Cairoli as The Captain and Moyo Omoniyi as Girl Friday. King’s Theatre claims that the show is “the hottest ticket in pantoland.”

The members of the committee all agreed that Angus and Katrina had worked particularly hard to arrange the visit, and that without their efforts it would have been lost to Davy Jones’s locker.

Currently, the Music Department is working towards the annual Christmas Concert on Tuesday 15 th December and Wednesday 16 th December at 7 pm. Tickets are £6 adults with concessions £4. These go on sale to the cast and staff outside the Assembly Hall at morning interval on Tuesday 8 th December. Initially they will be limited to 5 per person. The remainder will be sold from the school office thereafter. We hope every family and members of the community can come along and enjoy the Windband, Junior and Senior Choirs, Guitar Group, String Group, Woodwind Ensemble, Soloists, etc. In Act 2 the Senior Choir will present an “In Memory of Michael Jackson” revue.

Okay, so that’s not quite a correct headline, but we did have a number of Superheroes in school last week. It was all in aid of charity as the S6 charity committee hosted their first non-uniform day this session. In support of Help the Heroes, one of the charities highlighted in last week’s Remembrance Assembly, and Mangu Junior Secondary School, everyone wore something different to school. Some took this non-uniform to more extreme measures than just the usual jeans and a t-shirt.

Sixth years really went to town, although quite a few of the fifth years joined in the spirit of fancy dress too. We had a very authentic Ali G, and sumo wrestlers in these amazing suits that self inflated every now and again. We had Spiderman, Superman, Batman, the Hulk and the cutest of Tiggers – courtesy of Fraser. Some students were obviously struggling with the recent change of clocks as they came in their cosy pyjamas and slippers with teddies in tow. Buzz Lightyear also made a guest appearance, but everyone’s favourite was the ‘Michelin Man’. Who was it? Which student dressed in the white suit all day? Does anyone know? Answers on a postcard please!! (only joking)

It was a great success and rumours have it that charity committee members are still counting the donations. The press group will keep you posted.

As you may know, Earlston is twinned with a town in Italy called Capella Maggiore. Each year, visitors from Italy arrive for a long weekend hosted by Earlston residents and always enjoy their visit to the school. This year they were excited to see the new facilities and were particularly amazed by the practical classrooms as they do not have the chance to study practical subjects, such as Craft, Design and Technology or Home Economics, in their school.

The middle school in Capella Maggiore is keen to continue its penpal exchange with our first and second year pupils. Last year, there were lots of letters exchanged and friendships established. Ms Bryden is keen to continue these links and if anyone in first year is interested in having an Italian penpal, please could they write a letter, explaining their name, age and something about themselves and hand it to Ms Bryden by the end of the week (27th November). Hopefully the current S2 will wish to keep writing to their penpal, and their letters can also be handed in to Ms Bryden.

Last Tuesday, the final Maths Club Specials before the prelims were held. The Credit event saw the biggest turn-out of the year so far and the contestants were faced with extremely difficult questions.

In the face of these "killer" questions Ailsa turned in one of the most complete performances ever witnessed at a Maths Club Special. Ailsa sailed off with the chocolate by an astounding margin of 4 points. There was a five way tie for second place and after a tie-break Jack took second and giant-killer from the lower divisions, Struan took third. Title of overall champion for the three weeks goes to Murray with Ailsa second and Blair third.

The General event was a more close run thing with Shannon emerging victorious under extreme pressure from previous Maths Club Smarties Michael and Josh.

Overall champion at General level is Michael with Josh second and Chris third.

The Maths Department would like to thank everyone who attended Maths Club Specials and wish good luck to all of S4 with their prelims. G Meikle

For a number of years now, we have collected Nestles box tops so that we can exchange them for books for the school. Previously, Mr Rae masterminded the system and since his retrial Mrs Armstrong in the English department has taken over at the helm. Boxes for your tokens are in E1, E5 the library and the staffroom. Please bring them in!

On Monday 16 th November the Travel and Tourism class took a trip to Melrose. The purpose of the trip was to find out what tourism facilities Melrose provided and which promotion methods they used. This involved completing a land use map of Melrose to show where all the facilities are, carrying out questionnaires and visiting the Abbey to collect leaflets and complete a questionnaire. Apart from the weather it was a good trip.

On Monday 9 th November, the Heads of School delivered a special assembly on Remembrance. It was a very moving presentation. They were assisted by a group of S3 pupils, who had previously taken part in the Poppy Scotland Launch for the Borders. At the launch the group from EHS and others from primary and secondary schools across the region, gave brief presentations about how pupils in their school were learning about the First and Second World wars, as well those involved in current conflicts. Our group delivered their Launch presentation to the assembly and shared their experiences of the S2 excursion to Normandy.

The Heads of School read the poem ‘In Flanders Field’ and showed a variety of photographs, whilst classical music played and the pupils had a chance to reflect and remember. The S6 charity committee then concluded the assembly by reminding everyone about today’s conflicts and the work of Help Our Heroes, which is one of their nominated charities. Poppies were also available for the first years and it was very heart-warming to see them donating to the Poppy Appeal and being proud to pin the poppy to their school jumper.

The first Credit Maths Club Special of the year was held on Wednesday after school. Archie stormed onto an early lead and then held on valiantly in the face of the extreme pressure exerted by sister Arabella and the determined Murray. All three have been given the status of Maths Club Smarties but only Archie walked off with the giant chocolate bar. Next Credit MCS is on Monday 9th November. We also intend to hold a General MCS on the same day. Remember, "There ain't no party like a Maths Club Party!".

The Maths department is not the only department to offer special study support sessions to help pupils prepare for their prelim exams. Lists of all help sessions were issued to pupils recently and so far the uptake has been very encouraging. Prelims for fourth year start on Friday 20 November – good luck everyone!

EHS 2 nd X1 0 - EyHS 1st X1 4

EHS S2 3 - EyHS S2 0

EHS S1 8 - EyHS S1 0

How easy it must be to read the papers, or watch the news, or merely talk with those who have, and develop an opinion on the ‘youth of today’. Twitch your curtains and you can see them in the street, a species apart, low of brow and crafty of eye. Animals they are. Spoiled and obese and mendacious. Endlessly devising opportunities to get drunk, drugged, and pregnant. Forever threatening people from bus shelters and stabbing each other in the spleen. Idle. Insatiable. Shallow. Alternately bursting into tears in front of quarter-witted talent shows and taking notes with hollow laughter before scenes of computerised slaughter. Disgusting! What’s the world coming to? In my day…

It appears to be pretty easy to acquire such opinions or to acquiesce whenever they are vented. In fact, it’s too easy, facile even, and lazy.

We expected about six pupils to come to the Latin club which started at Earlston High School the other day. Nearly fifty pupils appeared. We had to fetch extra chairs. It was the same the following week. Naturally, the club is voluntary: the pupils, featuring boys and girls in equal numbers and representing all age-groups, chose to decline some nouns in Latin instead of going down the High Street with their mates for an hour. Perhaps they came because they wished to understand the Latin they occasionally encounter in English and in mottos and epitaphs and so on. May be they sensed that learning a little Latin would help them become more articulate in English or more secure in their understanding of French, Italian, or Spanish. Or did they desire to be put in touch with the civilisation that has very much made society and its institutions what they are today? May be they came because they felt that knowing a little Latin would help render the world a slightly less mysterious place. Or were they after the subtle confidence simply ‘knowing stuff’ can give? Did they think it might be fun? Whatever the reason, they came to find out about something and they came to find out about it for themselves.

The number of pupils coming to Latin in future may well ebb and flow but all those who try it will form an opinion born out of curiosity and humility. They will be better informed because they will have made the effort and had the courage to be so.

‘The youth of today’ cannot answer their critics in the press but they can give them a quiet lesson in respect and open-mindedness at lunchtimes.

It just goes to show that the title ‘Education and Lifelong Learning’ is a true one. Our staff are learners too and the success of five members of staff was acknowledged at the recent Acheiver Award evening held by SBC’s Education and Lifelong Learning Dept.

Miss Strong was presented with an award to congratulate her on her Diploma in Coaching. Mr Campbell also collected his award for his Diploma in Spanish. Ms Bryden’s success as a Chartered Teacher was also acknowledged as was Mr Woodcock’s success in the Future Leaders course. Our ESOL (English as a Second Language) teacher, Ms Scarpa, also collected her award for her training in Feuerstein.

Congratulations to them all.

Well before we know it, the Borders Schools Public Speaking Competition in the Council Chambers comes round the corner unexpectedly every year and takes us by surprise! This year Ms Bryden entered two senior teams: Team B were fourth years Arabella (speaker), Iona (chair person) and Anna (vote of thanks) and for the first time Kyle (chair person), Liam (speaker) and Jessica (vote of thanks) were entered as Team A.

The evening started off with Team A questioning Jedburgh Grammar School’s B team on a speech of “awareness days”, whilst Jessica was feverishly scribbling her notes down for the vote of thanks. It was then Team B’s turn to answer questions. The team worked very well together, and Anna did a very confident and witty vote of thanks. After two different teams had been up on the platform, it was Iona and Arabella’s turn to shine, both doing a superb job, with a very clever speech on “under dogs”.

Kyle and Liam then took to the platform to start off their story on “fairy tales”. Kyle presented the introduction very well, getting the audience into gear for what was to come, followed by Liam who didn’t get everybody dreaming, but made the audience face up to what the original versions of fairy tales were like!

As well as mentioning our own teams, there were five other teams which deserve a mention. The speeches ranged from “shoes”, and what they say about you, to the number of “awareness days”. After an agonising break, it was time to get the results. Jedburgh Grammar School came up trumps as the best team overall, with the best chairman and speech, but Jessica won best vote of thanks. However, it does not end there, as there was a prize for the person in the room who got the best prediction. Ms Bryden won the prediction last year, but not this year, as she had competition from our very own Liam!

Many thanks to Ms Bryden for helping us in preparation for the competition.

On the week beginning 5 th October all of fourth year were let loose into the world of work for our annual work experience week. I was on a split placement, spending three days at Boots the Chemist in Galashiels and the other two at the Pharmacy Department at the Borders General Hospital.

During the week I completed a number of tasks including processing prescriptions, working on the shop floor and visiting a few of the hospital wards with some of the pharmacists. I was even lucky enough to visit Aseptics and wear the very fetching blue suit, hairnet, gloves and shoe covers whilst watching some of the staff making up the chemo drugs. I also did some stock taking and put drugs away on the shelves when the deliveries arrived.

Whilst on my placement I met some really nice people, all of whom made me feel very welcome and were willing to take time out to show me around. It was a great experience, one I will never forget and if I had the chance I would do it all again.

Gillian

For work experience I went to a few local primary schools to teach PE. I was able to be involved in both preparing and teaching lessons to children from primary 1 to primary 7. I also observed how the teacher communicated with the different classes. I accompanied the primary 7 pupils from Langlee Primary to the Hockey Festival at Netherdale.

I really enjoyed my work experience placement and it allowed me to see what is involved in being a primary school PE teacher and how the similarities between school and work prepare us for the world of work.

On 27 th October, Professor Martin McCoustra from Heriot-Watt University gave a lecture to Higher and Advanced Higher Chemistry students entitled “Stars ‘r’ Us!”. His talk covered the formation of stars and how small and complicated molecules are formed in the universe.

Students were surprised to learn that carbon monoxide is the most abundant molecule in the universe and none of the elements found in our body originated on Earth. He also enlightened students about the methods used in laboratories to study chemical reactions that occur in space.

EHS 1 st X1 1 - PHS 1st X1 1

Well done to all the girls who took part and a huge thank you to all the last minute taxi drivers!

This year’s Yearbook Committee – consisting of Aisling (Chairperson), Katie (Vice Chairperson), Laura (Secretary), Calum (Treasurer), Rory, Graeme, Elliot, Alice, Laura, Rachael, Fraser and Robbie – have been very busy. From taking individual photos of each 6 th year student to gathering baby photos and deposits for the yearbook, it can’t be easy! However, they have still found the time to fundraise for their committee, which will bring down the high costs of their proposed publication.

What better way to do so, they thought, than by organising a carwash. With the help of one of their kind sponsors – BRS Garage – a group of volunteering committee members held the successful event at Ealrston Industrial Estate from 4 – 6 pm. Although a little nervous about how many cars would turn up, they needn’t have worried as parents, teachers and students arrived with their muddy cars.

However, it was not until two buses drove round the corner, that they found their work was really cut out for them! Nevertheless everyone joined in wholeheartedly to get the job done, and despite the cold weather, thoroughly enjoyed themselves. A total of £91.20 was raised.

In October I went on the ‘Project Trust’ selection course on the Isle of Coll. ‘Project Trust’ is an organisation which supports school leavers to do volunteer work in less developed countries. The organisation has over forty years experience of sending young people abroad and offers in depth selection, training, debriefing as well as strong support overseas.

The selection course is great fun and you get to meet lots of new people. The countries and projects you are able to choose from include coaching the Jamaican swim team, being a teacher in Uganda or helping to run an outdoor centre in Hong Kong .

On the selection course there is a lot of written work but you also go outside for a day to work on a variety of challenges. To go on a 12 month project you do however, have to raise £4,800, which is a lot, but the experience will be worth far more than this and it is such an exciting opportunity.

A former pupils of EHS, Alice McLachlan, recently completed her year working at Chiclayo Children’s Home in Peru. Hopefully I’ll be able to take up a similar opportunity next summer as my Gap year placement. To find out more about the work of Project Trust, log onto their website: projecttrust.org.uk.

On Monday 19 October, fourth year students were more reluctant to come back to school than usual after the October break. The reason being that they’d had a taste of the real working world the week before. And boy had they enjoyed themselves.

Work experience is so valuable to young people because it gives them the chance to meet new people and develop skills to help them prepare for their own working life. Many of them said how tired they were after a day’s work!! Many of our students organise their own placements and this in itself is valuable as they have to make contact with employers and often visit them beforehand.

One group of students worked with Lothian and Borders Police at the primary schools’ Crucial Crew event. They assisted with the staging of the different activities and often took on roles of the emergency services, or the injured in accidents, to help the younger pupils solve problems and learn about safety. At the end of the week, another of our students visited Crucial Crew, although no one recognised him! He had celebrity status as Bobby the Beaver, the Radio Borders Mascot, who made a guest appearance at the event.

Over 160 Earlston High School students were out and about with employers during the week of the 5 th October. It is the first year we have managed to place absolutely every student. A huge thank you to everyone who assisted us with the placements – we really appreciate the support offered to our students.

Work experience is also hugely motivational and students return to school with a real focus. They now have ambitions to follow particular career paths and are fully aware of the demands of employment. So it’s down to some hard studying in the next few weeks as they prepare for their prelim exams. These start on Friday 20 November.

Over the next few weeks we’ll include some reports about the experiences of our students at work.

S4 Modern Studies were studying Politics of Aid and in particular looking at the problems of dirty water in developing countries. They started to talk about Water Aid and all the good things that it does. There is a campaign at present called "buckets of pennies for buckets for water" and they decided they were going to raise enough for one person to have clean water and safe sanitation (£15) through collecting pennies.

It was terrific that they extended their work beyond the classroom learning and actively contributed to the charity. Anyway, the class ended up collecting £60 and enough for 4 people! Mrs Stewart Murray, the class teacher said, ‘I am very proud of their efforts. It has shown that a small effort by us has made a big impact on someone else's life.’

A Higher RMPS (Religious Moral and Philosophical Studies) class embarked on a day of discovery amongst the monks and nuns a ‘Samye Ling Monastery’ near Moffat. After a long journey in the cramped mini-buses we had arrived at a colourful and decorative building amid the dark brown hills. Some might say that it stood out too much against the countryside, however it was a beautiful and serene and added something special to the area.

We were met by monk whose Glaswegian accent, Nike trainers and Motherwell football socks came as an unexpected yet a comforting surprise. He embraced us with a kind smile and straight away we felt welcomed.

Then that we went to the temple. We respectfully took off our shoes and entered inside a magnificently decorated shrine, where gold Buddha’s laced the cabinets and large paintings caressed the walls. The room was like nothing anyone in the group had ever seen before; it was breath taking, mesmerising. After experiencing some Buddhist practices we headed for a vegetarian lunch with all the trimmings. Escaping from the dining hall we went to the gift shop and indulged in some traditional gifts.

A tour of the grounds was then held where we were shown the temple in which bodies of deceased Buddhists are held for an embalming process, which is believed to assist them in a better Karmic Rebirth. The day was then ended and we set off home, in a daze of thought. It was great experience for the whole class and has provided us with a greater insight into one of the world’s oldest religions.

Sixth years are enjoying a dance extravaganza in Social Education. Last week they were twisting and turning to jive steps and by the end of the lesson they looked pretty good. Maybe not as good as the celebs on ‘Strictly’, but after only one lesson they were able to keep up with the fast paced rhythm and didn’t stand on their partner’s toes too much!

Miss Wood, who has recently taken over as PT Guidance from Mrs Stewart Murray, partnered the dance instructor. She helped to show the sixth years all the complicated steps and said she hadn’t realised Soc Ed was so much fun!

There’s one more lesson to go to master the moves and then the students will be ready to hit the dance floor for real at the disco and then the Christmas dances. The senior Christmas dance is on Thursday 17 December; the S1/2 Dance on Wed 9 Dec and the S3/4 Dance on Thursday 10 Dec. Luckily there’s still plenty of time to hone their dancing skills. Luckily there’s still time to find that special outfit to wear at this year’s dance.

Mrs Stewart Murray, who has been a Modern Studies teacher for eight years and a Guidance teacher for six years at Earlston High School, will be leaving us at the end of the week. She has been a huge influence on so many of our lives and will be greatly missed by everybody. The contribution she has made to the school has been overwhelming and her presence will certainly not be forgotten, as she has been such a lovely and supportive member of staff.

Mrs Stewart Murray will be moving back to Northern Ireland in order to start a new chapter in her life, working in a college to assist young people with special needs. She says that she has been delighted with the personal satisfaction that she has received in working with children and would like to thank all members of staff and pupils at Earlston High School for their support over the years.

In Social Education, the sixth years paid their own tribute to Mrs Stewart Murray. They are pictured here with her at the last Soc Ed period she will teach at EHS.

Although no-one wants to acknowledge the fact that she is leaving, we would like to wish Mrs Stewart Murray all the best for a bright and contented future and let her know how much she has been valued by everyone. Her positive attitude and enthusiasm will never be forgotten.

The S6 Activities committee, led by Gillian, organised a day up at A1 Paintballing on Sunday 4 th October. This was open to sixth years, although some fifth years also accompanied the group. It was an amazing day and we were lucky to enjoy glorious sunshine.

First of all, everyone was given the army style combat clothing, their paintballing weapon and, of course, instruction on how to enjoy the game safely. After being divided into two teams – the ‘Bands’ and the ‘Non- Bands’- the battle commenced.

Using all the natural camouflage possible, as would-be soldiers we tried to conceal ourselves ready to attack the opposition. It’s quite a sting once the paintball actually hits you and one or two of us ended up with some bruising. But it was a fantastic opportunity to have fun and mix with everyone. The Non-Band team emerged the victors. Well done to them.

The S6 Committee is to be congratulated on their superb organisation. They even managed to add in a trip to McDonalds as we were all starving after a day running around in woodland. Thanks to them and we are already looking forward to their next event.

Last week, the 6 th year Sports Committee, bravely held a mass football tournament for all year groups; including teachers. It was held at a lunch time and was a great opportunity for everyone to experience the new sports facilities as well as come together as a school and celebrate the fun that exercise can bring.

A total of 10 teams entered the tournament, ‘ready and raring to go’, with a mixture of those who hadn’t the foggiest about football and those who have the skills to be the next ‘David Beckham’.

A mass crowd of spectators aligned the railings above the pitch to support friends, laugh at their teachers and cheer on the winning team! The competitive streak could be seen among many teams, which was quite entertaining at points and also encouraged a lot of teams to play much better than they expected. A team of third year boys remained strong throughout the competition, defeating all who took part, to take a well-earned win in the last minutes of the final game. However, no one was disheartened at their loss, as everyone had a great time despite red faces and being out of breath.

It was a massive success and the Sports Committee raised £50 to put towards further events, which in turn will bring the school together and encourage people to get involved in sport.

Replacing ‘Stars in your Eyes’ this year, is our own take on ‘ Britain’s Got Talent’…Yes that’s right it’s Earlston’s Got Talent! Organised by Lynn McCulloch and Sue McLennan a number of talented pupils turned up to rehearse their specific acts on Monday the 27 th September. This is followed by a number of rehearsal dates, in which the acts can really perfect themselves, in order to ‘bring the house down!’

The ‘Talent Show’ will be held on November 5 th in the E.H.S assembly hall where the acts will perform in front of three judges and the audience will determine who the winner will be. There is a great variety of performers ranging from ‘The Cheeky Girls’ to the more sophisticated musicians! So if you take life seriously you may favour the ‘Raw Talent’ but if you’re more of a joker watch out for the girls!!!! The night is expected to be a huge success and tickets go on sale from 21 st October priced at Adults £4.00 and Concessions/Pupils £3.00.

EHS 1 st X1 3 - HHS 1 st X1 0
EHS S3 2 - HHS S3 0
EHS S2 0 - HHS S2 1
EHS S1 4 - HHS S1 1

EHS S2 ‘A’ 1 - JGS S2 ‘A’ 0
EHS S2 ‘B’ 0 - JGS S2 ‘A’ 2
EHS S1 ‘A’ 1-1, 6-0
EHS S1 ‘B’ 3-0, 0-3

Well done to all the girls who took part.

As we all know since the start of term new teachers have arrived. The one I had the pleasure of talking to was Lauren Lees, whom we all should know as Ms Lees.

She was born and raised in Musselburgh, which is fairly near Edinburgh, she then went to the Edinburgh College of Art and spent four years there specialising in painting. Soon after this she discovered that she wished to become a teacher mainly because she wanted to make children interested in Art and pass on her own enthusiasm onto others. However, she has stated that her real dream is to become a Florist (I didn’t really believe her though).

When I asked her what she would bring to the school she said she hoped to bring a ‘young and enthusiastic approach’. At the moment she is teaching the first, second and third years and they are concentrating on still life and architecture. In general Ms Lees is enjoying her stay at Earlston High School with one exception – she wishes that the sixth years would stop using the lift so much: food for thought sixth years!

I wish the best of luck to Ms Lees and hope she enjoys her time here. I’m sure she’ll have a positive effect on pupils’ lives for many years to come.

Last month, judo players from Earlston High School were lean, mean fighting machines! Seriously though, they were outstanding at the Scottish Age Band Championships held at Meadowbank Stadium on Saturday 12 September. Competing against others from all over Scotland, our students, who are all members of Sportif Judo squad, won a host of medals.

Winning Gold for the fifth year in succession was fifth year student Andrew. This is an amazing achievement to hold the title for five years running and Andrew, like the others, is now preparing for the British Championships in October. Also winning Gold was second year student Abi, who is on a winning streak having secured Gold at the end of August at the Lakeland Championships in Kendal.

On the medal podium for silver medals were Ali and Robin. Ali is in fifth year and Robin in first year. Other successes for our first year students were Bronze medals for Stuart Allison and Benjamin Kepes.

The squad has been busy over the summer preparing for the Scottish Championships and in their preparation Ali (S5) and Calum (S1) also collected Gold and Bronze medals respectively at the Lakeland Open.

There’s no resting on this success though as the players now have their sights on the British Champs later this month.

Tickets are now on sale for the first disco this session. Organised by the S6 dance committee it is billed as being the greatest tribute to Michael Jackson to date!

For those early ticket purchases, the price is £2.50 before October holidays. However, after the holidays it increases to £3.00. Halloween style or disco dress is encouraged and the committee is looking for a sell out event. There will be two separate events: one for first to third years on Wednesday 28 th October and the other for fourth to sixth years on Thursday 29 October.

Mrs Drummond Thomson has taken the lead with the D of E scheme and the number of students participating at all levels –Bronze, silver and Gold- has rocketed. 78 students are involved in the scheme this year and they meet on Tuesday and Thursday lunchtimes to arrange their programme.

It’s going to be a busy year for Mrs Drummond Thomson and her team of staff, who have already filled their diaries with the expeditions. Training for the expeditions is already underway and includes first aid, map reading and camp skills such as putting up and tent and cooking.

The S4 Asdan group recently received their John Muir Awards for work in Gordon Community Woodland. Anna Craigen (Education Officer, Borders Forest Trust) presented them with their certificates. The students have also been busy fund raising and on Monday 21st Sept they visited Mellerstain SSPCA Centre and presented them with a cheque for £150.00.

EHS 1 ST XI 0 - BHS 1 ST XI 8
EHS 2 ND XI 1 - BHS 2 ND XI 3
EHS S3 0 - BHS S3 0
EHS S3 ‘B’ 1 - BHS S3 ‘B’ 0
EHS S2 1 - BHS S2 1
EHS S1 ‘A’ 2 - BHS S1 ‘A’ 0
EHS S1 ‘B’ 1 - BHS S1 ‘B’ 5

Teachers and students are not the only ones who have been familiarising themselves with the new facilities. Our canteen staff have mastered all their new kitchen equipment as well as a totally revamping the menu. The ladies have worked non stop to provide us with a university style refectory fayre: bespoke sandwiches, traditional favourites, pizza, pasta, potatoes, soup and a whole range of other goodies. It’s all part of the Hungry for Success initiative and the success of the catering team was acknowledged last week.

The ladies were called to a special meeting and were led to the assembly hall. They arrived a bit perplexed and wondering why the fifth years were all seated and Miss Clark was delivering an assembly on ‘Excellence’. Miss Clark then handed over to SBC’s Catering Manager, who explained all. He thanked the seven ladies for their hard work (indeed their excellence) and was delighted to announce their success as Scottish Borders Council’s ‘Kitchen of the Month’.

They were each presented with a lovely bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine. The fifth years applauded and cheered each one as they received their gift, but Helen – the leader of the team- was given an especially loud cheer.

We are very fortunate to have the refectory open all day from 8.30 in the morning. It’s a busy place as seniors grab a coffee and muffin during the day and staff are enjoying the facilities too. At break and lunchtime there’s a real buzz about the place and the queueing system is relieved thanks to the ingenious ‘Grab and Go’ ordering service. Congratulations to our catering staff – they really deserve this success.

The Tree of Knowledge organisation was back in school on Thursday 24 September, talking to our first years. In his usual entertaining and motivational style, Colin gave the students tips on how to make the most of their brain power! There was the usual mix of activities which tested the pupils’ problem solving and thinking skills. How would they untangle the ropes, which they were holding, without talking or releasing their hold? It took some creativity to manage that one.

Parents were given the TOK experience the same evening. It was a lively and interesting evening. Colin explained the working of the brain and how when we are relaxed and feeling happy we are more able to think and study. He also demonstrated the important link between the conscious mind and the sub-conscious and parents participated in a mind blowing activity which proved the point. Not only was it a very beneficial evening in terms of information, it was also great fun. Many thanks to Colin and the Tree of Knowledge. I am sure the pupils and parents can’t wait to see him back at EHS soon.

This year’s S6 Charities Committee (Amanda Spearman, Kerr Rodgie, Suzan Reshad, Kyran Dodds, Hannah Edie, Gavin Colvne, Sarah-Jane Johnston, Daniel Leary, Rouena Keating, Katie Nimmo, Heather Lennon, Mark Runciman and Rebekah Chapman) are happy to announce the three chrarities we will be supporting this year.

Borders General Hospital Palliative Care Fund
Help the Heroes
Friends of Mangu

The Palliative Care Fund was chosen especially by us for personal reasons and we are keen to raise as much funds as we care to support it this year. The Charities Committee always like to support something local, something national and something international. Hence the three charities for this year follows this pattern.

Last week, at the EHS Open Evening, we offered a tour guide service and would like to thank everyone who made a donation for their tour. Along with the Guess the Weight of the Cake competition and the cake an candy stall we raised over £200. Thanks to everyone who supported us and we look forward to our next event – watch this space!

1W has been whisked away from the chilly winds of Earlston to the sun kissed beaches of Mexidania. In recent weeks, like all first years, they have created their own island, complete with a full history, dynamic culture, laws, its own Bible and its own Lord Mayor, who was democratically voted for by the inhabitants of the island (1W!).

Congratulations to Mr Rory Miller on his successful election to the post. He has conducted his duties with great charisma and authority.

The class was divided into groups with each one set the task to developing an aspect of the island. Not content with just telling everyone about the island, the Geography group went a stage further. They actually built a 3D model! With the help of the CDT technician, Mexidania came to life with its cave, psalm trees, lakes and beaches.

Once the island was created the class delivered their presentation to Mrs Weston’s English class. The Lord Mayor greeted the guests at the door and when the Mexidanian National Anthem was played everyone had to stand respectfully in silence. It was an emotional moment!!

1W then visited Naztaboo (Mrs Weston’s classroom), where they were presented with garlands and invited to take the ‘Lie detector’ Test as Naztaboo is a very honest and law abiding island, with severe penalties for those who break the law. There was even a new National Anthem for this island, which was ably sung by the residents. Its tune was remarkably similar to ‘Flower of Scotland’ but the words were clearly from Naztaboo.

Now the presentations are finished the classes are working on stories set on their island. If the standard is as high as their presentations, then the teachers are in for a treat reading them.

On Thursday 10 September, we held our annual Special Assembly. Why is it ‘Special’? Well, it is the first opportunity we have to formally introduce the first year pupils to the sixth years. The Heads of School are also formally congratulated on their posts as Head Boy, Head Girl and Deputes. They then give their first public speech, which will be one of many in the coming months. This year’s students are another set of confident and talented speakers. Well done to Elspeth, Jan, Robert and Rory.

Another reason why it’s so special is to celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of our eight Dux medallists. These students’ academic success is phenomenal. Highers are demanding and challenging, but to achieve grade As in five Highers in one sitting is something pretty special.

James Aberdein, our guest speaker, congratulated the students and presented them with their Dux medals. From left to right in the photograph: Kayley Henderson, Elspeth Murray, Louise King, Amy Parlett, Sarah King, Mark Sutherland, Mark Runciman and Jennifer Smith.

The Music and Drama departments have been very busy since the start of term. Mr Thomson has been immersed in just about every musical ever written in his quest to decide on this year’s show. Those of you who are regulars at our summer shows will know that it had become a tradition that on the last night of the show, the following year’s show would be announced. This year was different and we’ve waited with eager anticipation for the announcement of the summer show for June 2010.

This year, Earlston High School will perform ‘High School Musical’. Those of you who have visited our new premises will note just how apt this is for our first show in the new school.

Castings for High School Musical has proved difficult due to the wonderful turnout of students at audition. 64 pupils tried out for the roles and 36 principal parts were cast with 10 cheerleaders. We are also very fortunate this year to enlist the help of Mr Renwick’s basketball team to perform as the ‘Wildcats’. With over 120 in the cst, the show promises to be a spectacular first show in our new auditorium. Well done to everyone who auditioned.

The main leads (pictured) are as follows: Angus Yellowlees ( Chad), Rowan Hayworth (Taylor), Kieran Crews ( Troy), Emma Finnen (Gabriella), Kayley Henderson (Sharpay) and Daniel Wilson (Ryan).

The Christmas production will include all the usual instrumental groups together with a tribute to Michael Jackson in Act II, with Peter Vint in the title role.

The departments are also taking 40 students to see ‘Beauty and the Beast’ at the Edinburgh Playhouse on September 20th and the Higher and Advanced Higher students to se ‘The Steamie’ on the 1 st of October.

Thursday 17 Sept was our first Open Evening, when parents and the local community paid us a visit in the new school building. We were delighted by the huge turn out and even more so by the visitors’ enthusiasm and amazement as they wandered around.

The S6 charity committee provided guided tours and teachers were on hand in classrooms to chat to the visitors and showcase their departments. In Home Economics students from fifth and first year were demonstrating their skills by baking scrumptious cakes and scones.

The catering team was also keen to share their menus and had been busy during the afternoon preparing tasters for the visitors to try. Everything on display in the Refectory was from the usual EHS menu so parents were given a real flavour of their child’s lunchtime treats. The Danish pastries, a favourite of students, was also a hit with parents! As were the speciality sandwiches and parents were surprised by the quality and variety available to the youngsters on a daily basis.

EHS 1st X1 1 - KHS 1 st X1 4
EHS 2nd X1 0 - KHS 2 nd X1 4
EHS S3 0 - KHS S3 4
EHS S2 ‘A’ 3 - KHS S2 ‘A’ 8
EHS S2 ‘B’ 1 - KHS S2 ‘B’ 3
EHS S1 ‘A’ 3 - KHS S1 ‘A’ 3
EHS S1 ‘B’ 0 - KHS S1 ‘B’ 0

Well done to all the girls who took part and a big thank you to Mrs Bell for helping to supervise the teams.

The season for all football fanatics is starting again. Last year over 50 budding Fabio Capellos took part with James Kirby-Organ emerging as the school champion. The system is simple: select eleven Premier League players for your team. You gain and lose points based on their performances in real league and cup matches. You can make transfers during the season and your captain will earn double points. Track your team on the internet and see how you're faring against other pupils and staff in the national league and the EHS league. Every month there are certificates and prizes for the best performing teams and at the end of the year winners from each year group are awarded medals and trophies.

An entry fee of £3.50 applies, see Mr Pritchard at break or lunch to buy an entry voucher. Teams must be registered before 17th October but in the mean time your team can compete in the pre-season warm-up!

Congratulations to Caitlin Miles, one of out fifth year students, who has just scooped a top award. Caitlin has been appointed by the Lord Lieutenant for the Lieutenancy of Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale as his Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet of the Year.

Caitlin has been a cadet with the Air Training Corps since 2006 and is currently ranked as Corporal.

She has already done one duty – the opening of Heriot Watt University - during Princess Anne’s visit. She hopes to have a filled year including many different duties alongside Lord Lieutenant Gerald Maitland Carew. The activities she enjoys most in the cadets are: flying Grob Tutors, gliding, shooting and athletics.

The Lord Lieutenant will present Caitlin with her certificate of appointment in the near future and she is looking forward to receiving the award.

In assembly onTuesday 8 September, the first years were given a presentation by the Oral Health Promotion team. As well as advice on dental care, the pupils were given specific information on the benefit of mouthguards when playing certain sports.

The recommendation is that mouthguards should be worn for all sports where a ball, a bat, a boot, an elbow, fist or an arm might come in contact with a player’s face. The great thing about mouthguards is that they absorb the force of a blow to the face. Therefore reduce the risk of broken teeth, cuts and even broken jaws.

The first years were encouraged to sign up to the scheme which will provide them with their own mouthguard – one that has been moulded by a dentist to suit their teeth. Parental consent forms need to be returned to school before 14 September. A dentist will then visit us here at Earslton High to take the moulds. The mouthguards will be made of a rubber type material that is made to fit over the top of teeth and gums.

So the message at the assembly and on the leaflets was clear: remember a mouthguard as part of your PE or sports kit. Wear one and keep your smile!

Last session the Pupil Council was kept busy. At each meeting there was a packed agenda and lots of discussion and decisions about the move to the new school. This session is equally busy and important and last week the class representatives were elected. Each year group continues to have its own Pupil Council, with the Executive Council involving two members of each year group.

This week, the Pupil Councils have met at lunchtime and already class reps were full of ideas and helpful suggestions. Top of the agenda was impressions of EHS and any ideas on how we can make further improvements. The new school building got the ‘thumbs up’ from everyone and there were some very appropriate suggestions, especially about the social areas and how to get the most out of the superb facilities.

Mrs McDonald chaired the S1 and S2 Pupil Councils and was very impressed by the pupils’ enthusiasm: ‘Their ideas were first class and at each meeting there was a lively and interesting discussion.’ The first and sixth year Council members were congratulated on their appointment and presented with their badges at the Special Assembly on Thursday 10 September.

Thank you to the class reps for giving up their lunchtime and being ‘The Voice of the Pupils’!

With only three weeks to go it’s count down to the work experience week for all fourth years. The assembly on Monday outlined those important last minute preparations and there was a real buzz of excitement. The week of work is Monday 5 th October until Friday 9 th October and it gives students an insight into what it’s like to do a full time job.

The majority of pupils have organised their own placements and we are indebted once again to the many local employers (and those farther a field) who are providing our students with such a superb opportunity. Watch this space in October and hopefully we’ll have some updates on the actual experience.

As a school we support Friends of Mangu, which links us with a junior secondary school in Ghana. Last weekend, cyclists supported the charity by covering 55 miles of the Scottish Borders, starting at Melrose Abbey as part of the 4 Abbeys trail.

Mr Jarvie, Mr Smart, Mr Renwick, Mr Ker and Mr Woodcock were from our teaching staff, but particular congratulations to third year pupil Murray Bryce, who completed the whole course in great time. A fantastic effort from Murray. The cyclists from EHS are now busy collecting the pledged £1300 and would like to thank everyone for their support.

We would like to introduce ourselves as this year’s Press Committee. We are all sixth year students who share an interest in journalism. Our aim is to publicise all the exciting and brilliant achievements and events occurring at Earlston High School.

Our members include: Kelsey Sinclair, Catriona Campbell, Olivia Hoppe, Ryan Watson, Andrew McNeill, Calum McNab, Fergus Antcliffe, Sarah Geidesz, Lisa Kenny and Elspeth Murray. Many of us are really keen to study journalism or media next year. We hope to capture your interest in our articles – so watch this space!

Performing at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo has been one of the best experiences of my life. The dance, which was choreographed by Billy Forsyth MBE, was based on the tale of Tam O’ Shanter as the tattoo was celebrating the 250 th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns. We started off in the graveyard at Alloway Kirk, tomb stones gradually rising, setting the scene. I was lucky enough, because of my height, to become one – the six tallest dancers were chosen to be the tomb stones. The dance incorporated many of the traditional dance steps, as well as many cleverly shaped positionings. The costumes were fabulous. During the graveyard scene, everyone danced as witches. Throughout the dance I couldn’t stop smiling at everybody. The team atmosphere was amazing. Us “Scots” dancers performed with the Ozcot dancers from Australia. There were 76 of us in total! I don’t know what was best: meeting the dancers, back-combing our hair, applying glitter or actually dancing!

As well as our own act, there were many others which I think deserve a mention. The Top Secret drumming band from Switzerland were absolutely breathtaking. I was amazed every time I watched them. There was also the Swiss Army Band who rendered a yodelling number, and the massed pipes and drums who performed some traditional songs. The setting at Edinburgh Castle was incredible and I especially liked the ending when a lone piper played on the castle ramparts. Magic! I hope to dance there again.

All classes in every subject are working on the transition project: Travel. This started on the two day visit and continued in the primary school. Now we are in first year we are completing the project. In our class of 1R, in English, we have made our very own imaginary land!

We have called it Torrios. We had the idea from the Spanish bull which is in the centre of the flag!

The map shows some very interesting features like the red mount which is the huge volcano in the middle of the island. The gladiator stadium is the most popular tourist attraction. The natives have a traditional dress, for women long elegant dresses and the men a smart bull fighter’s uniform.

The nursery in Torrios is a ship on the sea called the “Sprites.” The uniform for the nursery is a leprechaun costume. “Sprites” is for children aged 3 – 7 years old.

The rules of Torrios are quite strict for example if you commit a crime such as murder the punishment is to be hung, drawn and quartered!

Torrios, where crime is taken seriously!!!

On Friday 28 th of August, Earlston High School had a visitor from the Tree of Knowledge organisation, named Gavin. The Tree of Knowledge involves talking to pupils, and involving them in activities which require teamwork and build confidence. It is excellent preparation for life after school. The pupils could experience how to work in a team and how to have their own input and ideas on particular things. The S6 pupils thoroughly enjoyed the session with Gavin, and found his sense of humour was a bonus and made it particularly enjoyable.

The activities involved showed that team work is essential and makes the task easier to complete. One activity involved the pupils attempting to untangle a knot of ropes with each person only using one hand. This then gave the pupils the chance to have fun but actually got them thinking and involved everyone in the task.

Many S6 pupils are taking the skills from the session to a programme which involves working with pupils in our feeder primaries. Gavin introduced the different techniques using the Apodo tool. This was particularly helpful as the experience gained from the Apodo programme will be useful for those who would like to pursue a career in teaching.

Overall, the visit from Gavin was a success for Earlston as the pupils gave a positive response and found the presentation very useful, yet fun at the same time. S6 students left the assembly hall with a more positive attitude towards further education such as university and college and different exercises to get them thinking and their brains in gear!

Along with new school, Earlston has a brand new open-planned library located on the second floor, which also welcomes the public every week day from 2.15. The library includes a reading room for quiet study and free internet access to the public.

There is a particularly wide selection of books including a large Non-Fiction section containing a variety of genres to suit for likes of everyone. There is also a fantastic range of DVD’s and CD’s available at very reasonable prices.

The library proves to be very popular with the pupils of Earlston High School.
An S6 prefect, Jennifer Cook states- “The library provides a very pleasant working atmosphere along with a spectacular view!” The Librarian Anne Taitt welcomes all students and members of the public and finds her new library “wonderful” and “exciting”.

Opening hours:
Monday – 2.15 – 4, 5.30 – 7pm
Tuesday – 2.15 – 5pm
Wednesday – 2.15 – 5pm
Thursday – 2.15 - 4, 5.30 -7pm
Friday – 2.15 – 4pm.

Telephone: 01896 849282

Sports Academy this year was a residential course at Inverclyde National Sports Centre in Largs. The course ran from 9 th – 12 th August 2009 and a number of pupils from Earlston High School were selected to attend:

Dean Simpson Boys Football
Scott McDougall Boys Football
Natalie Bryce Girls Football
Ailsa Jackson Tennis
Lauren McCulloch Tennis
Andrew Robertson Tennis
Amy Fraser Swimming
Rebecca Caswell Athletics

On the Monday afternoon the pupils listened to a components of fitness lecture from Janet Jack and in the evening they watched the film Bolt. On the Tuesday afternoon we had an excellent question and answer session with Pat Nevin and at night the pupils took part in a Quiz and sang their hearts out in X-Factor.

On Monday 31 st August the school was visited by a speaker called Phil Williams who has travelled to many fragile environments. He has seen how we are affecting these environments, like rainforests. He now tours around schools informing pupils of his experiences and how we can be more environmentally friendly. The pupils really enjoyed his talks and some got a little emotional about his stories! Please come along to the Go Green Club every second Wednesday lunchtime (starting 9 th September) in SS1 if you would like to continue this interest.

Sixth year pupils are embracing their responsibilities this year with open arms. One responsibility is the Buddy Scheme. This hopes to encourage new first years to settle in to their surroundings and become friendly with those around them. Each sixth year has been linked with up to 4 first years, who they will chat to a couple of times a week. They will be a friendly face and a reliable support. Last week, each first year was given a buddy card with a photo of their buddy on it and a number of details so they could recognise who to go to for help. This scheme helps to ensure a smooth transition from primary to secondary and the sixth years are a great support.

On returning from our well-earned summer holidays, Earlston High School pupils were welcomed into their ‘new’ school building. The majority of pupils as well as teachers were extremely excited yet a little apprehensive of what was in store. The long awaited building had been the topic of conversation since its planning, way back in 2005, and after an extensive amount of work was eventually ready for the new school term.

The size of the building is almost bewildering and despite 6 th year pupils being given a tour the day before the new term, it was inevitable that some pupils (and staff!) managed to get lost. However the size means that all classes can be held within the one building and there is plenty of room to move around in the corridors. The central focus is ‘The Hub’ which houses the university style ‘Refectory’. The catering staff have introduced a variety of foods and serve coffee and pastries from 8.30 in the morning. There are three floors, all of which contain four subject areas. Each area is colour co-ordinated which helps to distinguish each subject. Mr David Mclean (Depute Rector) stated:

“The colour scheme was chosen to separate each subject. We felt that variety would prevent boredom and would help pupils to know where they are. We wanted subtle colours not ‘showground’ colours which would be too much”.

The introduction of new equipment and new facilities has come as a huge benefit and encourages motivation and determination within people; it inspires them to consider Higher and further education because it has such an adult and university appeal. The Physical Education part of the building is a triumph. The area has large sports facilities and gives students the opportunity to participate in more physical activity. It also includes a gym. Miss Strong (Headteacher) said:

“I have to say that my favourite thing about the entire school has to be when stepping out of my car. The entire vision of the front of the school makes me happy; it’s a magnificent sight. The quality of the facilities is phenomenal.’ She continued to praise the new building and its positive impact on teaching and learning:

“Teaching and learning is helped by the opening of the new school. The previous school had very little space and due to this many subjects were separated. Science now has an area to its self, which means that communication between teachers and students is improved.”

All in all the previous school holds fond memories, but after only 3 days of being in the new school almost everyone has settled in fine and is extremely excited about the years to come. Parents and the local community are welcome to visit the new school site on Thursday 17 September from 6-8pm. This open evening will give you the chance to see for yourselves the amazing new Earlston High School.

The system of transferring money onto a Young Scot card in order to buy food from the canteen has continued within the new school. The newly named ‘Refectory’ has introduced a number of new foods which encourages healthy eating and gives students more choice. The staff now offer to make sandwiches how you want them, introducing new breads and fillings. Lunches can also be pre-ordered which prevents queues becoming overly long. Throughout the day the area is also used as a place for studying, food and a well-earned ‘cuppa’ can also be had during study.

Previously, at our old premises, pupils didn’t always follow the dress code. However on returning from summer, everyone is proud to wear the new uniform. After considerable consultation, pupils were asked to wear black trousers or skirts, white shirts and school ties as well as black cardigans, tank tops or jumpers. The first day back saw a significant difference in the appearance of pupils and virtually every student was wearing the assigned uniform.

The introduction of a more formal dress code means that everyone looks like an EHS student and there is a clear sense of identity. We look very smart, even if we say so ourselves! The smart uniform matches our smart building and by day two absolutely everyone was following the code.

A new school; a new school year. And with a new school year comes the task of electing the new Heads of School who have the responsibility of setting a fantastic example all year round. Votes were cast before the beginning of summer – by teachers and fellow 6 th years – and it was announced that Robert Turner has taken the role of Head Boy. Working alongside him is Elspeth Murray – Head Girl and the Depute Head Boy and Girl are Rory Byers and Jan Baird respectively.

The move was marked by the introduction of the new shirts and ties school uniform and the new Head Boy was quite shocked when he first heard about the uniform’s remodelling: “Like many people, I was a bit hesitant about it. However, coming in on the first day and seeing how smart everyone looked I quickly changed my mind!”

Both of the new Heads have high hopes for the following year at Earlston High School. Robert told us he will “hope to make everyone proud over the year”. One of the responsibilities at hand is to set an example in the new school. The new Head Girl commented on this saying “We hope to make a good impression as the first Head Team in the new school”. They both very much agree that they are “looking forward to the Christmas season where we get to meet different schools across the Borders.”

Of course, they are both quite apprehensive about the responsibilities of being Head Boy and Girl but we as their fellow 6 th years have faith in them. When asked as to why Robert thought he was chosen for this role, he was typically modest. “Miscount!” he quipped “… I’m utterly flabbergasted”.

Robert and Elspeth feel that everyone is looking forward to the coming year and we wish the Heads of School the very best of luck for the year ahead.

At the leavers’ ceremony on 5 th June, one of the duties of the Heads of School was to hand over the cheques to the three nominated charities. Way back last June, the charities committee chose three charities to raise funds for: Water Aid, Cystic Fibrosis and Friends of Mangu.

They were a dedicated and hardworking committee, led by Chris Dodds and with the support of Mrs Stewart Murray. Throughout the year they worked tirelessly. Who can ever forget the amazing ‘Sixth Years Have Got Talent’ show? Or the waxing event when brave lads got some beauty treatment and had their legs waxed. Chris took it a stage further and in true superhero style had his chest waxed to show a Superman logo. Ouch!

Then there was the Body shop party, the Christmas café, cake and candy sales, providing

coffees at parents’ evening and concerts and finally the Guess the baby competition. All in all, these events raised a massive £4,500.

We were delighted to welcome representatives from the three charities onto the stage at leavers’ evening to accept the cheques and say a few words about the different charities. Each cheque was for £1,500. Well done to the charities committee and thank you to everyone who has supported their fund raising this year.

A new award was presented at the leavers’ evening, which celebrated the work of two sixth years. Chris Dodds, the chairperson of the Charities committee was presented with a certificate and prize for his service to the school. Chris is an excellent role model to other students. His enthusiasm knows no bounds and he is always willing to help out. Whether it is as a stage hand for the school show or a willing cleaner to make sure the common room was tidy at the end of the day or dressed as Santa at the Christmas café, we could always rely on Chris.

Likewise Robert Wylie’s commitment to the community was recognised on the night. Robert devotes much of his free time to the Red Cross and assists at many events across the Borders region. His involvement with the Red Cross has been throughout his time at EHS and Robert manages to juggle the demands of his courses with his voluntary work.

A few years ago, Robert assisted at a car accident, when he helped the driver and passengers get from the car. He placed them in the recovery position and stayed with them until the ambulance service arrived. More recently, Robert came to the assistance of a fellow pupil, who had collapsed in Earlston high street during lunchtime. Robert is another superb role model to our younger students. We wish both Robert and Chris all the very best in the future.

It’s not only students at EHS who do daring things to raise money for charity. Ask Jane Robertson, one of our school office staff, what she did on Sunday 14th June 2009. She’ll certainly remember every moment of her abseil challenge.

When we were safely on the ground, Jane was 150 feet in the air at the top of Penel Heugh near Harestanes. If having walked up the 200 steps to the top of the tower wasn’t enough punishment, Jane then had to don the harness, pop on the safety helmet and slowly descend the tower.

With lots of encouragement, she took the step off and began her descent. ‘The views were spectacular, especially when I spun round on the ropes.’ From the safety of the school office yesterday, Jane said, ‘It gives you a great feeling of having achieved something quite special, and knowing that it was helping such a good cause made it even the more worthwhile.’ Jane raised over £300 for the Anthony Nolan Trust. Well done!

Part of the sixth years’ induction programme was to work together to solve a variety of challenges. In an afternoon of glorious sunshine, teams of ten students battled their wits against each other to develop their team and leadership skills. There was a varied set of activities: some physical, some mental. The highlight of the afternoon was the chance to tackle the giant inflatable assault course. Who could manoeuvre through the obstacles without falling over? Not many and it was great fun.

Thursday 25 th June is our last day in this building and although we are all looking forward to the new school, there’s sadness too.

To celebrate our time here, Thursday afternoon will be fun-filled. It is a non uniform day and there’s a massive treasure hunt involving everyone to kick start the afternoon’s festivities. Listen to Radio Borders at 3pm as their road show will be broadcasting directly from EHS. We’ve lots of music, an attempt to break a record for the largest group to dance the Dashing White Sergeant, some bungee runs, sumo wrestling, bouncy castle…. And lots more. It will be a poignant moment when we leave to catch our buses and to mark the occasion there’ll be a Piper’s lament.

Last Wednesday Earlston Tennis team travelled to Kelso to compete in the annual Borders Schools Tennis Tournament. The girls team, Claire McCulloch, Katie Addison, Jessica Bennett and Lauren McCulloch, put in a strong performance in their first match, beating Kelso High School in two straight sets. In the second game the girls beat Berwickshire High School with a close 7-5 win from the first couple (Claire and Lauren) and the seconds (Katie and Jessica) won 7-0. The last match was against Selkirk High School with Earlston going on to beat them on game count back 11-7, leading the girls to victory for the second year in a row.

The boy’s team, Craig Jackson, Lee Goodfellow, Sam Norman and Philip Addison also put in a very strong performance. Their first match was against Galashiels Academy. The second pair (Lee and Sam) won their match, and the first pair had a very tough match resulting in a draw; the Gala boys wining on game count back. Next they had a similar match against Peebles High School narrowly losing again. In the next game the boys went on to triumph over Berwickshire High School with both pairs coming out victorious. Their final match was against Kelso High School, a brilliant win from both couples, Craig and Phil winning 7-1 and Lee and Sam winning 7-4. This pushed the boys into a draw in first place with Peebles High School with six sets all. Despite all their efforts they narrowly lost on game count back 47-44.

Well done to both teams and a big thank you to Mrs McCulloch for supervising the teams at the Tournament.

Last week, all S4 biology students visited Wooplaw woods for field work relating to their course. The department made two visits to the woods with pupils to study the different environments.

The main focus was to relate types of species to certain environments and consider which factors may have drawn the creatures to that environment. The pupils studied various woodland and aquatic environments as well as open grassland.

They donned their wellies for investigating the invertebrates living in the stream and sampled pond life before enjoying a bar-b-que lunch.

On display in the main corridor are various photographs of staff as toddlers. It is an amusing display and has attracted much attention from pupils and visitors. Each photo is numbered and the task is to identify the member of staff . Is the cute cuddly one really Spike, the Techy technician? What about the one of the wee girl sitting on the sofa with her dolly and teddy? Could that be Miss McLaren.

Time is running out if you want to enter the competition. It costs £1 for an entry form, which can be obtained from Mrs Stewart Murray. All money raised goes to our three nominated charities. Hurray though as entries are due in at the end of the week.

Yesterday, Tuesday 9 th June, was the last day of exams here at EHS. We have had five complete weeks of SQA exams at Standard Grade, Intermediate, Higher and Advanced Higher levels. That’s a grand total of 168 exams and 1900+ unit passes.

Thank you to the 23 invigilators who have supported us during this very busy time. Mrs Colvine, the Business Support Manager, has done a fantastic job organising pupils for the exams. With the help of the Chief Invigilator, she checked that everyone was in the right place at the right time for the right exam.

Phew! Job done! Now all the students have to do is wait with bated breath for their results in August.

Thursday 4 th June was our annual sports day out on the East Field. Events kicked off at 1.00 and the entire school was out on the field to cheer on the competitors. We were lucky with the weather as it was a glorious afternoon of bright sunshine.

The handicap sprint was a close run event and fortunately the adjudicator’s sharp eye caught the winner: Alexander. Second place went to Cameron and third was Sam. The boys were presented with Gold, silver and bronze medals to mark their success. These were presented by Miss Strong at the close of the sports.

Another highlight was the beep test. This was run in year groups over a twenty metre course. Just about everybody in the year group started off with the first beep. It is always a fiercely contested event and this year was no exception. Dan from S4 was the man to watch. Indeed after 120 beeps he was going solo as the only competitor still beating the beep. He went on to smash the school record, which has been held at 146 for the last few years. Dan’s running took this record to a new level with 154 beeps! A tremendous achievement and the whole school was cheering him on. Superb!

Congratulations and thank you to the PE department for another successful afternoon of sport.

On the 11 th of May pupils from Earlston High school left for their S2 surfing excursion to Wales at 7 30am.

The journey was very long (due to Sat Nav inaccuracies!), but we all enjoyed it thanks to a TV on board and lots of sweets. We arrived at around 9 o’clock at the Manorbier youth hostel where all the surfers like to stay. The staff were forgiving and served us dinner. Our rooms were comfortable but the beds weren’t made so that presented a challenge to some of us. Most of us gained a valuable life experience that night: how to put sheets on a bed!

Next morning we were up bright and early at 7.45. We were all excited and a bit nervous. Once we arrived at Tenby beach we were met by our surfing instructors, got kitted out in wetsuits and headed off with our surfboards in hand. The instructors gave demonstrations and then told us to get going. The waves were good and we soon got knee riding. With lots of people getting the hang of it and just as many wiping out, we broke for lunch. After lunch we were told to try standing up, soon lots of us were standing up and doing tricks!

The next day we were up at the same time and headed to the beach. Unfortunately the waves weren’t big enough to surf so we played games and did a bit of life saving. In the afternoon the waves had got a bit bigger and we headed out into the waves to get some surfing done. Most people were standing up by now and the tricks came thick and fast. After another tiring day we slept soundly.

Next morning at an earlier time of 7.15, and after someone having water poured over his head by a teacher, we went surfing at a beach called Fresh Water West. The waves were the biggest and most powerful yet and initially we found it hard to stand up. We had a great time. At 12 o’clock we said goodbye and thanks to the instructors and set off to the theme park. I think all of us (even the teachers!)were excited about this. We arrived at Oakwood and spent a brilliant afternoon on roller coasters. That night after a disco and an award ceremony we headed to bed but could not sleep. At 1.30 in the morning the teachers gave up and gave us tray bake!

The next morning we headed home sad at leaving it all behind. Thanks to a MAP we got back to Earlston safely and on time. The whole week was brilliant - thanks to the hard work of the teachers, and staff at the hostel. We had the time of our lives and we all thought it was COOL !!!!

On 21 st May, 24 keen and eager Modern Studies pupils traveled to the Scottish Parliament. Once there they were treated to a tour around the Parliament, trying out the MSPs seats in the debating chamber and even trying out Jeremy Purvis’s “think pad” in his office.

Earlier pupils grilled Christine Grahame, MSP, on a range of issues including children’s representation at the Parliament. During First Minister’s Questions, pupils watched a rowdy chamber discuss A Curriculum for Excellence and the stress facing today’s secondary school teachers.

Last Wednesday, 214 parents were sitting in the assembly hall listening to presentations from the senior management team. Were they aware of the significance of that night? Did they realize that it was the last ever parents’ evening to be held in this building? Their sons and daughters will be the first new intake of pupils to the new school, which is an exciting thought.

Mr McLean showed a variety of very recent photographs of the new school: the classrooms, science labs, dining area and sports facilities etc. Parents eagerly fired questions and many are looking forward to the open events, which are planned for the new term. These will give parents and the community a chance to tour the new school.

After the presentations, there was a refreshing cup of tea and some home baking. To round off the evening, parents met with their child’s pastoral teacher. We look forward to welcoming the P7 pupils on Wednesday 10th June for day one of their two day visit.

What can we say? It has been an eventful year. For the majority of the guys it was pretty painful; especially the leg waxing! Or chest waxing as it was for Chris Dodds, our chairperson of the charities committee. He will forever curse the day when he thought it would be a fun idea to lose his manly chest hair.

Another memory etched in our minds was when a few of the guys showed their ‘talents’ by performing the amazing ‘pass the milk’ trick at the charity committee’s ‘Sixth Years Have Got Talent’ Show. Needless to say it was carnage! Although a mention has to be given to Lee Goodfellow for the most impressive stage entrance, raving along to MC Sparky D’s finest!

Three attempts were made to create our own human pyramid. However, our attempts proved feeble when all we could manage was something which vaguely resembled a triangle.

Common room banter provided the background for most of our days, where the enviable smell of steaks being cooked, a la George Foreman, tormented passers by.

It has to be said, despite all the hard work, sixth year has been highly enjoyable and great things have been learned by many. We will all look back on this year with fond memories and a teary eye!

Andrew, Ian, Gavin and Danielle (S6 2008-09)

Last Wednesday was a rite of passage for our sixth years – their last day of lessons at EHS. The Heads of School had organised a real treat for the afternoon and the year group ended an era in style.

Fancy dress replaced the usual school dress and you would almost think you had been cast back in time to the Romans. Togas were the dress code for some in the morning and in the afternoon the pirates and sailors took over.

Miss Strong had provided various activities for the afternoon – a bouncy castle, spinning wheel, water slide. The students brought along their own water pistols and many thanks to the local resident who allowed them to use a hosepipe to fill up the water bins so ammunition was plentiful! Are these youngsters sixth year or six year olds? The answer is simple: they are sixth years with a great sense of fun.

They had a bar-b-que and staff helped them cook their food. Mr Rae even came in on his day off to lend a hand and say a fond farewell to his Advanced Higher Physics class.

The sun was shining and it was a memorable afternoon of fun. Good luck to all senior students as they go into an exam period and we look forward to celebrating with them again at the leavers’ evening on Friday 5 th June.

Not long to go now before we say goodbye to the old building and start in the new Earlston High school. The 5,000 packing crates will arrive on the 8 th June and teachers have to get cracking on their packing!

There’s a pupil free day on Friday 12 th June to allow staff the time to pack up those things they won’t be needing before next session. These will then be stored until the removal company takes them over once the new school is ready for them, which will hopefully be around mid July.

I had been confident that I would do well at the U-15 and U-17 Closed Championships in Wishaw on Saturday 9 th May. Despite the torrential rain, that lasted most of the day, I ran very well, as did all of the competitors, including another Earlston High school pupil, first year Kerry Sandilands.

Kerry ran her U-15 800m in 2.38.09. I ran in the U-17 (I am 15 years old). I came second in the heats with 12.83 and then went on to win a silver medal in the final with a time of 12.77. I also ran the 200m qualifying as a fastest loser with 28.74 and then coming in 6 th place in the final with 27.66. Lucy Henderson-Morris ran a fantastic race coming 3 rd in the heats of the U-15 1500m with a time of 5.12.99 and got 5.16.12 in the final. Apart from the extreme weather conditions the day was great and a good time was had by all. Hopefully 2009 will bring success for all of the young Border athletes.

In their final weeks of the course, Miss Mitchelmore’s 4 th year hospitality class was given an enterprise project to develop the capacities of a Curriculum for Excellence. The class adopted roles that would be reflected within an industrial setting and were given job descriptions.

The aim was to design, plan, manufacture and package “Rainbow Cupcakes” to sell to raise funds to purchase a Nintendo Wii for the Home Economics Department. This resource will help promote health and well being, active learning and give access to gaming to all.

After their busy planning, baking and decorating the cakes, the group put their produce on sale on Thursday 30 th April. They went like ‘hot cakes’ – excuse the pun! The main link area was frantic with customers and the class raised £132.65. The class would like to thank Miss Mitchelmore and Miss Reilly’s S3 hospitality class for their invaluable contribution on the day.

Gavin Robertson, our depute Head Boy, has had his call up for the under 17 Scotland rugby squad. Gavin was selected at tighthead prop, as part of a 26 man squad, after competing in games for the Border Reivers U17 in February against Edinburgh and Caledonia. Here’s Gavin’s story:

‘In preparation for the international matches, we had three consecutive training weekends in March, consisting of ten rugby sessions and two games. The first weekend was at St.Andrews, ending with a game against a Caledonia U18 select XV, which we won 53-3, with me scoring a try!

The second weekend was at Merchiston Castle School, with a match on the Sunday against a physical Newcastle Falcons Academy -a tight affair which we ended up winning 21-16. The third weekend was again at Merchiston.

The intensity of the preparation was different to anything I had experienced before. Every aspect of the game and training was looked at with video analysis.

On Sun 5 th April we had a training session at Murrayfield before flying from Edinburgh to Bristol airport, to then compete in the Millfield International Festival, at Millfield School, Somerset. The festival involved teams from Belgium, Canada, England, France, Portugal, Wales and USA.

Over eight days we had three games, and training sessions between games. Our 1 st game was against England, played at Tor RFC in front of a large crowd. We won 17-3, in a strong performance. Our 2 nd game was against Belgium, which we won 53-3 and, although the score doesn’t suggest it was a difficult game, it was! The Final game, against Wales, was a very tight game against a well organised Welsh side. We emerged the victors at 6-5. We were the only team in the tournament to win 3 out of 3 matches.

The next stage is for the squad to move on to a 2 week strength and conditioning camp in Valladolid, Spain in the Summer, before moving on to the U18 programme. It’s an exciting opportunity and a real privilege to put on that Scotland jersey and run out onto the pitch with the team.’

As I write this, our fourth years are sitting their Standard Grade Maths exam. It’s a stressful time especially as – for most - it is their first experience of the ‘real’ exam. They were handling the pressure well this morning: clutching newly sharpened pencils; shiny new rulers; a slip of paper with their candidate number and their trusty calculators. Mr Meikle was on hand to give a few last minute words of advice and encouragement as the pupils trouped into the assembly hall. Miss Strong wished everyone good luck and on the invigilator’s instructions 163 pupils turned over the page and put pen to paper.

Tomorrow it is PE. One part of the exam is called evaluation and involves students analysing video clips of different sporting activities. Then it’s English on Friday. As you are reading this, some pupils will have completed half of their exams. It’s quite a thought that they spend so long preparing for these exams and yet they’re over in such a short time.

We wish all our students the very best of luck and look forward to seeing them back in school, with smiling faces, for the induction days in June.

Whilst the fourth years are sweating it out in exams, the second years are having the time of their lives. This week is our S2 excursion week, when just about every second year is away on a residential excursion.

39 pupils are away canoeing in the Ardeche valley in France. Another group is sight seeing in London; another is in York. Landing in Normandy are thirty pupils who will be visiting the battlefields and having a day trip to Disney. Mr McMillan has a hardy bunch of youngsters down in Wales for wind surfing – hope the weather is being kind to them! Hopefully we’ll have some photos to share with you in the coming weeks.

A huge thank you to those local employers, and representatives from Borders College, who came into school last Friday to meet with the S4 leavers. The pupils had followed a seven week programme which culminated in the industry talks. Representatives from eight different career fields spoke to the pupils. The eight areas were selected by the students at the start of the course and so they were really motivated and interested to hear what the employers had to say.

Careers Scotland helped to set up the programme and delivered an interesting and extensive range of lessons. The students gave the course a ‘thumbs up’ in the evaluation and coming out top was the visiting speakers. One student said, ‘The employers were really helpful and enthusiastic about their jobs. I learned a lot.’

At last week’s Pupil Council meetings, the class reps were considering what we do well here at EHS and what we need to improve. There was lots of interesting discussion and their helpful comments were presented to the staff on Tuesday’s in-service day. Staff then put their own thinking caps on and discussed the same issues.

This process is all part of our school improvement planning and now departments are deciding on the projects they want to develop. Some of these projects are national ones, such as Curriculum for Excellence, but others have come from the information we have gathered from parents and pupils. Thank you to the reps on the Pupil Council, which has become a really helpful forum for the pupils to contribute to the life of the school.

Two of our sixth years, Craig Jackson and Richard Ferguson, are members of the Scotland under 18 rugby squad. The selection process started way before Christmas, when the coaches visited club matches and a Borders u-18 squad was selected.

They then played in the Interdistrict championship against Edinburgh, Caledonia and Glasgow. The Borders won two of these games and the 26 player Scotland squad was selected. Richard was successful in the original 26 and Craig was on ‘stand-by’ and eagerly awaiting his opportunity.

Scotland played their first match against England and after a player was injured, Craig took his place as centre. Craig recalls, ‘I received the phone call on the 27 th March from the team manager and I just couldn’t believe it. I thought it was just one of my mates playing a prank. I was over the moon!’

Since then the boys have played against Wales and Leicester’s academy side. Craig commends the very talented Leicester team, who defeated the Scots 63-8. The boys were not down hearted though as it was all excellent experience and helped them prepare of their most recent challenge: the 6 Nations u-18 Festival in Italy.

During the Easter holidays, the squad spent ten days in Italy, training twice a day and preparing for the matches against Viadana, England and Wales. Craig and Richard were in the starting line up for the first match against Viadana and the team was narrowly beaten 23-15. They then faced England and Wales, putting in great performances and enjoying every minute of match time, even though the team was beaten.

Richard and Craig are two of the four players from the Borders who are part of the Scotland squad. Congratulations to them both and well done!

Martin Bell, one of our sixth years, is an exceptional student. Not only did he achieve five Highers -all at A grades - but he received the top mark in Higher Biology of all the students in Scotland! To celebrate this achievement, the Institute of Biology Scotland has invited Martin to a special award ceremony to be held at Stirling University on the 4 th June, when he’ll be presented with his award.

This year, Martin is studying Advanced Highers in Biology, Chemistry and Maths and has been offered a conditional place at Oxford University’s Trinity College to study Biochemistry. He is really looking forward to furthering his studies at Oxford and is delighted with the award from the Institute of Biology. Congratulations Martin!

Last month, we went live with GLOW and some pupils were given passwords to use the site. GLOW is the world’s first national intranet for education and will link all schools in Scotland.

Mrs Higgin is already working with her Intermediate Maths class using GLOW. Her fifth year pupils can access teaching materials and tasks, which will help prepare them for the exams later this month. Mrs Weston’s S3 English class will be the next group to go live with GLOW and Mrs Weston is preparing a unit of work for them. In the coming months, other pupils and teachers will begin to access GLOW.

One of its possibilities is for pupils in different schools to work collaboratively using the video conferencing tool called Glow Meet. It’s an exciting project which offers us the chance to try new ways to learn.

Can you remember what it was like starting high school? Pretty daunting! Luckily it is no longer such a worrying task. For p7 pupils we work hard to ensure a smooth transition from primary to Earlston. There’s the two day visit to look forward to on the 10 th and 11 th June and already the primary pupils are preparing for this. Every subject in the high school has linked with the cluster primaries to deliver a special transition project. This will involve six weeks of work which all links together.

For parents, there’s an information evening on Wednesday 27 th May 2009 at 7 pm. This will give parents a chance to meet the senior management team, pastoral staff and to find out about life at EHS. A letter will be issued soon detailing the arrangements for the evening.

There will be an extra In-service day this term – Friday 29 th May 2009. The school will be closed to pupils on that date.

On Tuesday 28 th April at 1.15 pm a motley group gathered in the English Department General Area. Richard Branson, Wally (from Where’s Wally), Borack Obama, Alexander the Meercat, Satan and Cerberus, Winnie the Pooh, the inventor of the hot air balloon, Marco Pierre White and Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie argued passionately why they should not be thrown from our rapidly sinking balloon. Unfortunately Marco Pierre White (John Ballantyne S1) was the first to go, despite an impressively wrapped bandana, while Winnie the Pooh (Mary Beth Paterson S1) was voted the final celebrity to survive. It just goes to show that cute cuddly bears always win in the end.

The S1-S3 Knockout Racing Tournament which has been running for a large part of this term in Mr Montgomery’s English classroom ended this Wednesday with Jack Scott (S2) emerging as the overall winner. Over 60 S1-3 pupils entered the competition, with four players racing simultaneously on the video game Project Gotham Racing 2 over an Xbox LAN. Race venues have included tracks in Edinburgh, Stockholm, Washington and Sydney.

Competition has been fierce since only the top two drivers from each heat were able to qualify for the next round, resulting in the display of some astonishing skill from the young drivers. Some races were so close that the difference between those who qualified and those who did not came down to less than 2 hundredths of a second!

Video games frequently attract negative reports in the media, yet they are inescapably a core part of entertainment for many children today. What people often overlook is that they are a truly level playing field for competition, since gaming skills do not rely on academic excellence or sporting ability. This means anyone can become good if they give it a go.

This competition has been great fun for all involved and has shown itself to be inclusive, social, very exciting, and altogether a very different type of competition within the school. Prizes were kindly donated by Gamestation in Galashiels.

Last Wednesday’s concert was a sheer delight. ‘One of the best ever’ was a comment from one parent as she left the hall after a superb evening’s entertainment. ‘There’s just so much talent. I’ve never been to an Earlston concert before, but I’ll definitely be a regular now,’ added a parent of one of the first years, who was singing in the choir.

I have to agree. The music department, as ever, provided the audience with a variety of excellent performances: soloists, small string and woodwind ensemble, the junior choir and choral group, wind band and guitar group.

For me, the Advanced Higher Music students were the stars of the show. The students themselves compered the show. They gave us snippets of information about the performers and the pieces, which the AH students are working on for their final performance exam. Lara, in S6, performed her own composition and held a spell bound audience with her beautiful lyrics and fine guitar playing. Robert, another Advanced Higher Music student, played a trombone solo: ‘I’m getting sentimental over you’. He was fantastic.

Ailsa Aitkenhead opened the second act of the concert with ‘Nocture in C# minor’. Ailsa now has four unconditional offers to study Music at university from her pianoforte performance of the piece she played for us. I can understand why – she was amazing.

A regular to the Earlston stage, Aimee Hislop, performed a classical solo piece, ‘Apres un Reve’. Aimee is well known in school for her show performances. She wowed the audience at the Sixth Years Have Got Talent Show earlier in the year, when she sang Meatloaf’s ‘Bat out of Hell’ This time the performance was of such a high standard within the classical genre. She also led the choir in their rendition of various songs from our summer show, ‘The Sound of Music’. Aimee will play the Mother Superior and we can look forward to her performance in June. Danielle Miller, one of the winners of ‘Sixth Years Have Got Talent’ sang the popular song ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’. Again, her voice filled the hall and enchanted its listeners.

Will Hoppe was another show stopper. He recently won the Rotary Young Musician of the Year Award for Scotland and performed for us the song which won him the competition held in Edinburgh last weekend.

The concert concluded with the choral group singing songs from the summer show. From their performance at the spring concert, I think ‘The Sound of Music’ will be another sell-out show! The show will run for three nights: 22 – 24 June.

I thoroughly enjoyed Earlston High School Dance Festival this year. My solo dance was entitled “Rock and Roll the West Highland Way” with music by the Red Hot Chilli Pipers. I also danced two traditional Highland Dances, the Highland Laddie and Barracks Johnnie, accompanied by Kyle Blain on bagpipes and his twin brother Liam on drums.

I am now a member of the Edinburgh Tattoo Highland Ceilidh Dance Team which will be performing in military events this year at home and abroad.

Jessica Bennett 4E

Politics was the main word of the day at sixth year Social Education last week. S6 pupils had the opportunity to “grill” Michael Moore MP and Jeremy Purvis MSP on separate occasions. Calum Omand in particular asked some insightful questions regarding Peter Mandelson’s expulsion from office and the drinking habits of the House of Commons.

Jeremy Purvis probed pupils on their opinions on the new bill hoping to ban the sale of alcohol in off licences to under 21’s. This sparked a lively debate. However student finance did not have the same effect on S6.

The importance of young people’s involvement in democratic life was stressed, with many pupils turning 18, and gaining the right to vote. A number of pupils expressed a new interest in politics and the impact it has on their everyday life.

Advanced Higher Modern Studies

The termly assembly to celebrate students’ hard work and effort in class was held last Tuesday. First year pupils were congratulated on their continued positive attitude and hard work. The awards were presented by Head Girl, Emily Eaton Turner and Deputy Head Boy, Gavin Robertson. Emily and Gavin also gave the pupils plenty of advice and encouragement.

To achieve an award, students must be nominated by their teachers. For the Bronze award, there must be nominations from six teachers. The Silver award comes from 10 nominations and the prestigious Gold award means that 12 teachers (which is nearly every teacher a pupil has) have recommended them for an award.

Mr Clarke and Mrs McDonald congratulated the students, especially as a large number had received certificates and the number of gold awards was fantastic. Next term, there is an additional award for those students who have participated in extra curricular activities. Seeing as we have lots of different clubs in school, it’s hopeful that everyone will be given credit for their participation.

Class 1C was very successful and scooped the most gold certificates. They are pictured here holding the new Celebrating Success Folders, which were issued to all first years. These folders are for keeping together mementos and certificates to record a pupil’s achievements and success.

The next celebrating success assembly is in June, when hopefully students will be able to add another certificate to their folders.

More fund-raising triumphs from our pupils have contributed to Comic Relief. This time it was in the form of fancy dress and four sixth years became super-heroes – Power Rangers. When everyone else was wearing school uniform, the girls wore their fluorescent costumes. Luckily they had asked Miss Strong’s permission!

The Pink, Black, Red, Green and Blue Rangers raised a phenomenal £240 and were delighted with the amount, which has already been sent to Comic Relief. Well done to Ani Heron, Rosanna McGrath, Megan Wood, Kate McClemant and Emma Douglas – our Power ‘Fund Raisers’!!

Last week is now in the history books of EHS. Can you believe that we won three sporting tournaments all within the space of four days! Two of these were national events. Tremendous!

First, it was the success of the school’s under 15 basketball team, who won The Scottish Plate Final 69-51. Basking in that success, Mr Renwick was not complacent – he still had work to be done. For on the Friday, the under 15 boys’ rugby team was playing Tobermory in Glasgow. This was the final of the Scottish Bowl Competition. The boys won their match 13 points to nil. Mr Renwick was on cloud nine. If that wasn’t enough success in one week, then came the South Schools Sevens tournament on Saturday. Here, Mr Kidd’s first year boys’ rugby team was triumphant.

Today, when the government is worrying about the health of the nation and there’s concern about obesity in young people, maybe they are forgetting the hordes of school kids who train weekly in extra curricular sport, as well as in their PE classes. Well done to the EHS PE staff, coaches and sports enthusiasts. Thanks also to all the parents who supported the boys in each of last week’s events.

Last Thursday was the final debate to name our core values. At the start of term, we launched a search for the values which would represent the way we work at EHS. The process started in January, when teachers gave us a glimpse of their true selves. They presented ‘The Real Me’ to us. We were intrigued by their stories and they shared with us their own values. Next came the pupil debate: what were our values? In mixed groups we broke down the huge list and voted for a top four.

What values did the staff have? At the in-set day in February, using the key pads as if they were on ‘Who Wants to Be A Millionaire’, staff voted for their values. Guess what? It was quite amazing actually. Great minds must think alike because three of the values chosen by staff and pupils were the same!

Nothing could be decided though because there was a group missing. How would parents vote? What did they see to be the essential values for Earlston High School. In the spring newsletter, Miss Strong invited parents to vote using a voting slip. She was astounded by the number of parents who took the time to respond. Even more astounding was that this large group of people also voted for the same three words! For each group – be it parent, pupil or teacher – three words came out tops: Respect, Honesty and Responsibility.

So, on Thursday, we revealed the results and debated the last value. At a special meeting of group representatives (about 70 in total), the debate began. Would it be determination? Or Excellence (favoured by the parents)? Or community, commitment or compassion? After much discussion, it was agreed to add two values – Commitment and Excellence. So these five words – Respect, Honesty, Responsibility, Commitment and Excellence are the core values for Earlston High School.

What now? Well words are one thing, actions are another. Now, in school, we will identify behaviours which demonstrate the values and these will become the code by which we work. Miss Strong would like to thank all the parents for their responses and the staff and pupils for their enthusiastic participation in the project.

Last Wednesday 18 th March, 12 Intermediate 2 Hospitality students (S5/6) enjoyed a fabulous lunch at the renowned restaurant “The Kitchin” in Leith, Edinburgh. They were warmly welcomed by chef/owner Tom Kitchin, his wife Michaela, and the rest of the staff.

Tom gave the students an insight into his career and explained how his philosophy of cookery and hospitality has developed through working with world famous chefs in the UK and in France. He spoke with passion and enthusiasm for food.

After a brief look into the kitchen (which was very small) students chose lunch from a delicious menu which included carpaccio of halibut, beetroot soup with horseradish crème fraiche; frogs legs; crab ravioli; hot pistaccio soufflé.

This year’s effort to raise funds for books for the school library ends on 27 th March. Please bring in as many of the Nestle cereal box top tokens as you can and place them in one of the collecting boxes by this date. Boxes are situated in the library, the office area, the LS area, Lab 6 (and the staffroom). Thank you.

This is this year’s slogan for the well known annual charity event – Comic Relief. For a while, myself and my close friend Laura have been considering a series of different things to raise money. Eventually we decided to do a sponsored silence. Although this does not link exactly with slogan, both Laura and I are well known for constant chatter and exaggerated story telling! AND Laura’s dream man, Russell Brand, was also ‘doing something funny for money’ by auctioning a pair of his famous skinny jeans, so this was the final push she needed to definitely take part in this year’s Comic Relief.

While asking several teachers if they would sponsor us, many made snide comments, the most common was “This is the safest investment I have ever made.” Hearing this we intended to prove a point. Realising that we collected sponsors to raise over £300, we felt it harsh not to through with it. So Friday 13 th, the day many recognise as being extremely unlucky, was the day!

Before placing the tape on our mouths to remind us not to use our vocal chords we spoke as much as we could. Seven hours later, we had managed! It was not without its struggles though as we were also tied together. The biggest burden of all was when it came to going to the toilet. A problem which we had not considered until it arose.

The whole day was ‘not funny’ and when it came to the point at which we could talk, neither of us had any energy to do so. However, we are both proud of ourselves and the money we have raised. We even plan to do more charity events through the following year.

Sarah Geidesz (S5)

Congratulations to Kerry Sandilands who was a superb 7 th place at the Scottish Schools Cross Country on Saturday. She completed the course in 11mins 58 secs despite the howling wind!!

Congratulations to Andrew McDonald on securing his British Squad place at the weekend finishing in second place in the GB cadet trials. Andrew competed against six of the country’s top judo players (3 from England, 1 from Wales and 2 from Scotland), with only the top two being selected for the British team. Fighting at the same event was another fourth year student, Ali Kontothassis. Ali is also a member of the Sportif and Scottish judo squad and was competing against other top competitors from England. Congratulations to Ali on coming third in the trials, which is a tremendous achievement. Well done to you both.

EHS 0 - KHS 4, EHS 0 - HHS 2

Despite losing both their games, the girls put in a gutsy performance at the tournament. Defender Caitlin Connel coped very well with the pressure from both teams and worked hard alongside Grace Ingles and Rebecca Jamieson to keep the ball out of the circle. Nicola Bruce created some great play in midfield, connecting well with the strikers up front, however the girls could not capitalise on their scoring opportunities. A big thank you to all the parents for their invaluable support at the tournament, this was much appreciated!

EHS 1ST XI 3 - DGS 1ST XI 0 - Player of the match Emily Eaton Turner and Megan Wood

EHS S3 0 - DGS S3 1 - Player of the match Lauren McCulloch and Bethany Jamieson

Well done to all the girls who took part.

The third year Asdan group went to the Donkey Sanctuary on Tuesday 17th March and presented Mrs Rosemary Dale and Mrs Helen Morrison with a cheque for £200. The third years, with help from the S4 Asdan group, raised this money by holding a Christmas Fayre selling sets of wooden santas, pots and home baking. It was part of their 'Enterprise Challenge'.

Most departments are offering S4 and S5 the chance to attend special revision clubs. These are both after school and at lunchtimes and teachers have been really impressed by the numbers attending the sessions.

Maths Club Specials run for General and Credit level Maths students. There’s also an opportunity for the third years to prepare for their exams, which are after the Easter holidays. The Maths department is open on a Wednesday lunchtime and Thursday after school for third years to finely tune their mathematical skills.

Chemistry students can pick up tips from Mr Westgarth in the revision sessions, which are every lunchtime except Monday. Each session focuses on a particular element of the exam and details are posted in the daily bulletin. Likewise for Geography students, the department is running help sessions from now right up until the exam itself. These are on a Wednesday and Thursday lunchtime for S4, as well as Thurs after school. For seniors, help is available on a Thursday after school and a Fri lunchtime.

Details of all the extra help sessions were sent out to parents in the spring newsletter last week.

We held a Blue Peter Bring and Buy Sale to help their appeal for this year. The appeal is called Mission Nutrition and the money raised through the Bring and Buy Sales goes towards helping people in four different countries. In the UK the appeal will help supply breakfast clubs and community gardens, in Bangladesh it will it will help the poorest families feed their children and in Columbia and South Africa the appeal will supply school lunches and seed parcels. We raised £278.52 for this appeal. My Mum, Dad, brother, friend Jessica Mead (2F) and many others helped make the Bring and Buy happen.

On Monday 2nd March two S1 and two S2 pupils took part in the regional final of the team maths challenge. Callum Love, Madelen Chalmers, Zach Rowlands and Rachael Bell represented the school at the event which was held at Old College at the University of Edinburgh.

Elite teams from all over the East of Scotland were involved from Dundee to Kelso as well as many of the private schools near Edinburgh. They competed in four rounds where they were asked to work as a team and in pairs to solve problem solving questions and puzzles.

Some of the questions were at such a high level that even our Higher pupils would not have seen them before! The team coped very well and had an enjoyable day. They finished a very credible seventh out of 25 teams.

EHS 1 ST XI 0 - GA 1 ST XI 2

EHS 2 ND XI 0 - GA 2 ND XI 4

EHS S2 ‘A’ 0 - GA S2 ‘A’ 4

EHS S2 ‘B’ 2 - GA S2 ‘B’ 2

EHS S1 ‘A’ 2 - GAS1 ‘A’ 4

EHS S1 ‘B’ 1 - GA S1 ‘B’ 1

Well done to all the girls who took part. A big thank you to all the parents for their help and support on Saturday and to Hazel Dodds for umpiring the Senior games at Tweedbank. Without all your help the fixtures against Gala would not have been able to go ahead!

Results EHS 0 – GA 1; EHS 0 - KHS 3; EHS 0 - BHS 1.

Despite losing all their games the girls put in a very gutsy performance at the tournament. The defence were put under immense pressure during every game. Goalkeeper Ellis Will had some outstanding saves and Lucy Tinto and Lauren McCulloch tirelessly played the ball out wide to the midfield players in an effort to keep the ball out the circle. Captain Erin Millar and Lucy Henderson Morris worked hard in midfield to take the ball up the pitch but the Earlston girls were unable to capitalise on their goal scoring opportunities. Kelso went on to win the tournament, beating Berwickshire High School in final.

Now both Berwickshire and Eyemouth High Schools have moved into their new buildings, we are getting pretty excited here at Earlston. We’re the last of the region’s 3 PPP secondary schools to be completed and hopefully we’ll be in the new school ready for the new session in August. The photographs of BHS and EYHS in the Berwickshire News recently have shown the superb facilities and have just made us all the more eager to start packing!

Here is a brief update of where we are with the new Earlston High School. All classrooms in the front two wings (housing the non-practical subjects) have been painted and carpeted. Work has proceeded since Christmas in fitting the fixed furniture such as benches, wall cupboards and shelves, rollerboards and projection screen brackets; many departmental stores have also had their shelving fitted. A great deal of loose furniture has been delivered for putting into these spaces. Rooms such as Computing and Business Studies now look very much like a classroom as pupil desks and chairs are in place. Painting work is busily progressing in corridors; in fact, some have been completed and floor laying is now being done.

Large areas of monoblock paving have been laid around the outside of the building and kerbs are being set in place to define access roads and planting areas. The exterior is starting to look really attractive with plenty of hard landscaping for pupil movement during less clement weather. The foundation material for the all-weather pitch is still being laid and the fence posts have been put in place. Work on preparing and sowing the grass pitches will inevitably depend on the kind of weather we experience this coming spring. In the Games Hall, the basketball nets are up and ready for the game! There are eight changing rooms in the PE wing and each one has two toilets and six showers. The tiling for the shower area is almost complete so it won’t be too long before this wing is ready for use.

Most of the staff have visited the site, as has the Executive Pupil Council which has reps from each year group. We are hoping to schedule in more pupil visits in the coming weeks, when the year group Pupil Councils will get their chance to have a look. They have already been busy discussing items relating to the new school and the fifth years have been consulting pupils on the school dress code. It’s all go here then as we begin to count down this term and prepare for the move. Exciting times!

As mentioned last week, the first years took part in an enterprise activity entitled ‘Freaky Fortress’. This challenge really got them to think and use their team work and communication skills. Gerry and Lindsay from ‘Mind Vision’ were impressed by the pupils’ enthusiasm and ‘can do’ attitude. They introduced the teams to the challenge and immediately the pupils responded.

The task was to work together to rebuild a fortress using a variety of pieces. It was quite an intricate build and the only info they had was a sample fortress which was hidden from view and to which only one team member had access at a time. Then it was a race against each other and the clock! The winners from one of the sessions made the fortress in what Gerry said was a record-breaking time – fantastic!

After the challenge, pupils were asked to think about the skills they had used and to reflect on their ability to work together and be enterprising. Gerry also talked about emotional intelligence and some of the pupils took leadership roles in the feedback session by speaking into the microphone and presenting the ideas of the group. Our thanks to Mind Vision for providing us with a super opportunity to enhance our skills and have fun in the process.

Just as last week the second years were thinking about their futures and what subjects they would like to study in third and fourth year, so this week it is the turn of the fourth and fifth years. The choice of course booklet came out this week and students have been avidly reading up on the variety of course available to them, should they wish to stay on at school for another year. Inside the booklet is a copy of the choice sheet, which is divided into columns which lists the various subjects and their levels.

These choices are really important and often pupils have to consider what they would like to do post school. For those aiming for Higher Education, it is important that the right combinations are studied for particular courses. Pupils are busy looking on websites and, in some cases, meeting with the Careers Adviser to ensure they have everything they require to make an informed decision. Guidance teachers have been busy interviewing pupils and discussing their options with them. For those pupils returning to school next session, the choice of course form needs to be submitted to their guidance teacher by the week beginning 16 th March 2009.

On Tuesday 24 th February, class 1S of Earlston High School visited the primary. We had been

writing adventure stories in English, which were for the pupils in primary one and it was time to share them with the P1s.

As we walked along the corridor into Earlston Primary, the smell of pancakes wafted through the air, lingering in our noses. We wished we were going for a pancake rather than to be a storyteller as we were all a bit nervous. Once into the classroom and the children looked as bored as bored can be. How were we going to interest and enthuse them? Hoping we could cheer them up with our stories, we started getting a bit more excited. We hoped our excitement would rub off on them. It did! They were a great audience.

We split into small groups – two secondary pupils to about five P1s. Then we started our reading aloud our stories. Each story is about an animal – how the giraffe got its long neck, for example. They listened! They were brilliant and really loved having us in the role of storyteller and ‘visiting author’! In their next few lessons, the teacher is going to let them draw pictures to illustrate the stories they heard. We’re all hoping that our teacher will let us visit again to see the pictures. It was a really enjoyable afternoon and we can’t wait to go back.

Mary-Beth, Lauren and Katherine (1S)

I’m not talking about the budget cuts to education here, but to the new initiative called Cashless Catering. No longer will we have to queue for miles (well not quite miles) because of delays at the cash registers. No longer will we need to fumble in our pockets for the right money. We’ll be like the Queen and we won’t need to carry around cash.

Cashless catering is the new way of paying for school meals. We started this new system last Monday and it is being implemented in all SBC secondary schools over the next six months. You need a Young Scot card to fully access the new system and there are two machines in the main link, at which you can ‘top up’ your card. Coins(and your card) can go into the machine and the amount will be added to your account. Alternatively, you can post a cheque, payable to Scottish Borders Council, in the special box. In the future it is hoped that you will be able to credit accounts through the internet. For those pupils who have yet to receive their card, there is still one cash register for the moment.

There’s been quite a flurry of excitement in the dining hall this week as everyone tries out the new system.

The girls all played very well at the tournament and their behaviour throughout the day made them a credit to the school. Their first game saw the girls draw 0-0 against Hawick High School, despite applying all the pressure we could not finish off our attacking chances. In our second game against Berwickshire High School, our defence had to work hard to keep the opposition out, however Berwickshire scored just at half time.

We started the second half strongly and thanks to some hard tackles from Carolyn Nisbet, the ball fell to Erin McHoul who took it on and scored to end the game 1-1. Our final game in the group was against Jedburgh Grammar School, both teams played well, but again we applied all the pressure, and scored a much deserved goal thanks to a great strike from Emma Henney to finish 1-0.

Our results put the team through as runners up in the group and we went on to face Gala Academy, winners of group 2. The girls fought well in this game but unfortunately conceded a goal just before half time and again we couldn't convert our attacking chances so the game ended 1-0. Gala then went on to win the tournament.

Player of the tournament has to be awarded to Rebecca Ridout for her outstanding defensive play in each game! Thanks to the parents for their support throughout the day, and thanks to Mrs Lawrence for umpiring.

Ghana was the first African country to gain independence and on the 6 th March it is the 52 nd anniversary of its independence. This is our third year of marking this anniversary at Earlston High School and since Mr Smart, PT Biology, returned from Ghana, having worked as a volunteer teacher there for two years.

On return, Mr Smart established Friends of Mangu and we have been fundraising for this charity which supports the development of an impoverished community in northern Ghana. More specifically, here at school, we link to the Mangu Junior Secondary School and it has been so rewarding to see the benefits of our fundraising for the community. Walk along one of the main corridors and you can see the display of photographs which chart our involvement with the school and community of Mangu.

Ghana Day is to raise awareness of life and culture of Ghana and to fundraise for friends of Mangu. Last year’s event was a huge success. Events on the 6 th March include a demonstration of Ghanaian drumming, displays of Ghanaian goods, a Fair Trade stand, face-painting, fancy dress and various quiz and fun activities.

Last Tuesday it was the S2 parents’ evening, when parents met with their child’s teachers. It was an important night, particularly as the S2 pupils are making their subject choices for the next two years. Luckily Mrs Meldrum, our Careers Adviser, was also on hand to offer advice.

Pupils have all been interviewed by their Guidance teachers and have discussed the various courses and options open to them. They have made a preliminary choice of subjects and have taken this home to discuss further. Friday 6 th March is the deadline for returning the completed choice forms. Parents are asked to sign these to indicate their approval of the courses. Forms must be returned to Guidance teachers by Friday 6 th March. So, have you sent yours in? If not, hunt it out today!

Yesterday and today, the first years are having a ‘Freaky’ experience. This is part of the Mind Vision’s programme of Enterprise activities. All first years are spending two periods in the assembly hall and coming up with innovative ideas in an activity which requires quick thinking, good organisation and an ability to motivate and lead others. We are developing a ‘Can Do’ attitude and hopefully the programme will build students’ confidence. Next week’s school news will give you a fuller report on the two day event.

On Friday 6 th February the Go Green group visited Gordon Community Woodland with Anna from the Scottish Borders Woodland Trust. We did a number of activities and had a great day. First we were coppicing, which involved carefully removing parts of the tress to enable them to grow better. Then we had to remove the tubing that circled some trees to protect them from wildlife such as deer. The trees needed it to be removed to enable them to continue to grow.

Lunch at the lake was lovely and relaxing, even though it was a bit cold. The group photo show us all fully wrapped up in our woolly hats and thick coats so we could brave the weather and continue our work in the woodland. After lunch, it was onto shelter building and developing our outdoor survival skills. The campfire which followed soon warmed us up and we enjoyed toasting the marshmallows.

The Go Green group is for pupils in S1 to S6 and it was good to have each year group represented when we visited the community woodland. Our thanks to the teachers and of course to Anna.

Earlston Youth Links as been running for approximately 2 years. Its members meet regularly to discuss plans for a new youth café or other youth facility in the Earlston catchment area. The group have been working together with Norrie Tait (Community Learning and Development worker) and Geography teacher Miss Morgan and are trying to make the voices of the young people in the area heard. They have visited Rowlands, a youth café in Selkirk, to allow them to see for themselves what it would be like to be part of it and have looked at plans for the current high school to see what space/facilities will be available when the move to the new school is complete.

The meetings were, at the beginning, well attended with a number of regular attendees and an elected committee but at recent meetings there have been only 2 or 3 members. To have any chance of being heard the group must grow and a new committee must be elected. The few members left have tried to attract more input from their fellow students but were unsuccessful. If more people do not input to the meetings the group’s ideas will not be heard and the hope of any future youth facilities in Earlston shall be slashed. If you or your children are in S1-S6 and are interested in inputting into the next Earlston Youth Links meeting then please come along to TU2 on Wednesday 4 th March and every second Wednesday thereafter. Earlston Youth Links needs you!!

Rehearsals are well underway for the school show ‘The Sound of Music’ – with a very strong principal cast and chorus of nuns and guards. Excerpts from the show will be performed at the annual Easter Concert on Wednesday
1 st April together with solos from the Advanced Higher Music class, Windband, Guitar Group, String Ensemble, Choral Group, Junior Choir and Woodwind Ensemble. All groups are rehearsing on a weekly basis. The school show will be performed on 21 st to 24 th June 2009.

We have again been holding our Maths Club Specials this year. This is a fun way of revising, getting experience of past papers and gaining some knowledge of how the questions are marked.

Before the Standard grade prelims we held three events for Credit pupils. The first one was an extremely even contest with Lillie Archenhold and Travis Cormack tieing for first place. No fewer than 6 people shared third place. The second contest was extremely well attended with 29 pupils staying till after 5pm in the quest to win a big bar of Dairy Milk. David Tiemesson was the winner on this occasion with Izzy Bridges second. In the final event before the Prelim we had an exciting climax with a tiebreaker needed to separate four contestants. Andrew Shafik and Calum McGee were beaten in the first round of the tie break with Andrew McDonald eventually emerging victorious over a very unlucky Jonny Magowan.

For the first time this year we ran a Maths Club Special at General level and we were extremely encouraged by the attendance. Lauren Day was the winner as she held off a late challenge from both David Colvine and Jacob Fordyce.

In the run up to the senior prelims in February we have had two nights for Higher pupils. On 27th January Mark Runciman won an extremely high scoring contest with Lori Douglas taking a truly creditable second place. On 4th February we had one of our most exciting contests of the year. A late collapse by the previously flawless Joe Young allowed Natalie Bryce, Mark Sutherland and Angus Yellowlees to make up a huge amount of ground. These three had to be separate by a tie-break and Mark Sutherland's estimate of sin 41 degrees brought him the chocolate.

At the time of going to press the result of the Intermediate 2 night was not available but if last year's event's at this level are anything to go by we are sure to have an exciting evening.

Thanks to all pupils who have come along to these events. The staff in the Maths Department have been particularly impressed by the way in which the pupils have managed to balance their competetive spirit, their desire to learn and their sense of fun. Well done to all you Maths Club "Smarties".

Sitting amidst my peers in the sixth year common room on Monday morning, it was difficult to avoid being pelted in your tired face with a snowball or two whilst attempting to stay warm. Yes, it was quite a blizzard, and about time too, considering we received very little snow during Christmas. Before even having finished my usual cup of coffee, we were informed of several buses arriving and many children being sent home around break time. And more continued to appear and take pupils home. After a rather merciless snowball war at lunchtime, boys returning out of breath and near hypothermia, those still in school were told that Earlston would be closed on Tuesday due to further weather warnings, to our great delight.

Aimee Leigh Hislop

Rehearsals are well underway for the school show ‘The Sound of Music’ – with a very strong principal cast and chorus of nuns and guards. Excerpts from the show will be performed at the annual Easter Concert on Wednesday 1 st April together with solos from the Advanced Higher Music class, Windband, Guitar Group, String Ensemble, Choral Group, Junior Choir and Woodwind Ensemble. All groups are rehearsing on a weekly basis. The school show will be performed on 21 st to 24 th June 2009.

Friday the 13 th may usually be an unlucky day but for pupils in the Scottish Borders, schools were closed due to an in-service day. The holiday ran for a long weekend with Monday and Tuesday were also days off for pupils. We caught up with some of the younger years who told us that there time was spent catching up with friends, going to see the latest films out at the cinema and just having a relaxing time with lots of lie ins in the morning.

However, it was a different story for the senior pupils who spent their time getting up early to get as much of the day they could to revise with the help of drinking vast amounts of cups of coffee and tea to keep them awake.

As many of the pupils noticed the schools Valentines Disco’s were cancelled due to poor weather. As this caused much upset team Fire it up! have rescheduled for the 17 th and 18 th of March, although the discos theme will be a rave instead of valentines. More details about ticket price and times will follow.

Rebecca Young (and Fire it up!)

On Tuesday the10 th of February the Environment and Community Committee held an information point at lunchtime in the main link. The aim of this was to encourage pupils and teachers to become organ donors as well as providing information on the matter in the form of leaflets and free merchandise.

Currently, over 9000 people in the UK require organ transplants but less than 3000 transplants are carried out every year. According to the Oxford Journals, the number of organ donors in the UK has decreased since the 1980’s so it is important to try and motivate people into becoming donors. I spoke to Vikki Richardson who organised the event and asked how she thought it went: “It was very successful and we managed to sign up 32 people with many others taking home forms.” Vikki also said that she would like to organise another of these events in the future. I also spoke to Megan Currie who is in the committee about why she thinks there are such low numbers of donors. She believes that people are just unaware of how to register.

There are options on what organs people want to donate and the most common transplants are heart, liver and lung transplants. The UK transplant website states that last year more than 400 people died whilst waiting for a transplant so it is vital that more people to sign up. For more information on organ donation and information on how to register visit: www.uktransplant.org.uk

Yes it’s that time of year again! The Dance Festival will take place on 11th and 12th March 2009. Application forms are available from the PE Department for any pupils who would like to perform in the Dance Festival. Auditions will take place during lunch times of the week beginning 2nd March 2009.

Wednesday 28 thJanuary was a first for Earlston High School. The first Talent Show exclusively for sixth year students and organised by the S6 Charities Committee. It was a splendid evening of high class entertainment as well as, just like the TV show, a few ‘chancers’ who tried their talent. It was a superb night of variety entertainment.

Mr Renwick was an excellent host – even better than Ant n Dec! Having rushed over to the performance from rugby training, Mr Renwick introduced the first act looking more like a referee than the show’s host. Luckily the costume department was on hand and they sorted out some rather snazzy outfits. Indeed, each time he came onto the stage to introduce the next act, his attire had changed! Other staff also got in on the act and entertained the audience. Crazy Pedro, aka Mr Foggin, caused a riot with his version of ‘La Bamba’. Mr Woodcock sang The Drifters classic ‘Saturday Night at the Movies’ and the audience swayed and clapped to the beat. Teachers have talent too!

The stars though were the sixth years. The evening started with a fantastic piano recital from Ailsa. How could the next act top Ailsa’s opening performance? Three of the boys tried for a world record and our version of Norris McWhirrter (Mark Runciman) was there to check the procedures were all correct. It was a brave effort from Kieran, Calum and Graeme as they tried to munch their way into the Guinness Book of Records. The audience loved them.

Singing stars also took to the stage and wowed the audience with their talent. Chris and Ruaridh came on as The EHS Proclaimers and did a superb performance of the hit, ‘I’ll walk a thousand miles’. For the girls, Justine was amazing, especially as Mr Renwick announced that she was singing a song she had composed herself. She captivated the audience with her beautiful voice and moving lyrics. There was a further musical performance on the piano, this time from Rosanna. Then Emma and Danielle showed their singing talent with two quite different songs. Alexandra Burke, the 2009 winner of Pop Idol, has tough competition in sixth year Danielle Miller. Danielle, accompanied on the guitar by Lee Goodfellow, sang ‘Hallelujah’. Wow! The audience went wild and the judges were literally speechless!

The judges – what a team. Unfortunately Simon Cowell was unavailable and had sent his sister, Simone (Miss Clark). Head judge was Miss Strong and completing the judges line up were Mr Meikle and our own Dr Fox (Mr ‘Fan-tas-tic’ Westgarth). They too kept the audience entertained with their witty repartee and the occasional caustic comment. The winners though were not decided by the judges. Their role was to nominate three acts which they felt were worthy of the title as the 6 th Years with the most talent. It was a tough job and the responsibility weighed heavily on them. They selected three class acts: Danielle and Lee, Justine and the amazing Poi troupe. It was now down to the audience. The old clapometre was wheeled out and the audience lifted the roof to award Danielle and Lee the winning title.

Thanks go to the charities committee for their version of ‘Fame’ and for their excellent organisation skills. The committee would also like to thank Mrs Stewart Murray and Mr Renwick for their support with the event and to all the performers and judges. A truly memorable and fun night.

Against Eyemouth High School
EHS 2 nd X1 1 - EyHS 2 nd X1 5
EHS S2/S1 1 - EyHS S2/S1 3

Against St George’s School
EHS 1 st X1 0 - St G 1st X1 5
EHS S3 0 - St G S3 2
EHS S2 0 - St G S2 4
EHS S1 0 - St G S1 2

Well done to all the girls who took part. A big thank you to Mrs McLennan and Mr Tucker for their help with the School Hockey on Saturday.

Earlston High School has been showing its eco-friendly side this year with the help of the Environment and Communities Committee. The conscientious group has been working with the Go Green Group in the hope of achieving the prestigious Eco Schools Silver Award. To attain the award, the school must demonstrate a high level of environmental awareness and protection within the school and the surrounding area. The committee has also been working on a number of other projects including fair trade and organ donation.

The committee secretary Robert Wylie informed me that the group are about to embark on a publicity campaign to make people more aware of the options they have when it comes to organ donation. Robert also spoke about the well received litter patrol the committee organised which was “welcomed by members of the community.”

In addition to this, the committee has been working hard to establish links with the primary school to promote environmental projects and hopefully launch a whole new generation of green fingered pupils! Look out for more information about the committee working hard to keep our school and our streets litter free!

February is National Heart Month and the Health noticeboard is full of advice. It displays lots of information on those small but significant changes we can all make to take a stand against Britain’s biggest killer. Every year, heart and circulatory disease claims around 200,000 lives. Miss Allison is urging students to donate any loose change to the British Heart Foundation and to enter the quiz to raise money.

S2 pupils, as well as other enthusiasts, are busy designing bridges as part of the West Point Bridge Design Competition. The Institution of Civil Engineers has invited students to take part in a world-wide competition to use bridge design software to design the most cost effective bridge. The challenge is that a hurricane has hit New Orleans, a major river bridge has been destroyed and so supplies cannot get through. The students, as civil engineers, have to design a bridge to get the supplies to the towns cut off from the floods. The prizes are vouchers for Amazon and already the students have been gathering in the Technology department to compete against other schools in Scotland. Each design and its costing is submitted to the West point website and students can track their success on the leaderboard. As I write this, one of our teams is currently no 29 in Scotland. There’s a fierce battle on to see if we can get into the top ten entries!

S3 Standard Grade Modern Studies pupils have been working through a topic called Living in a Democracy. As part of their work on the unit on the Scottish Parliament, local MSP Jeremy Purvis had been invited along to meet them.

Jeremy talked about his work in the Parliament as a Liberal Democrat MSP, and some of the legislation the Parliament has passed. He managed to engage pupils in discussion on one or two local issues and there was plenty of time for questions at the end. Mr Harris (head of the department) thanked pupils for their questions and Mr Purvis for the time taken from his busy schedule.

Last month I had the fantastic opportunity to spend a week doing work experience with our very own local Liberal Democrat MSP Jeremy Purvis. As someone hoping to go on to study International Relations or politics at university, I felt it was important to get some work experience in the big world of politics!

I began the week in the constituency at several meetings about the local textile industries with Jeremy and MP Michael Moore. Tuesday began with a fascinating meeting at Little France in the new bio-quarter then onto the Parliament where I spent most of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday getting to see behind the scenes of the Scottish Parliament. I spent time in a finance cabinet meeting, got the chance to see First Ministers Questions Time, and spent time in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe). Friday saw me back in the constituency, this time in Jeremy Purvis’ Galashiels office!

I found the week fascinating and learnt a lot about the day to day life of a Scottish politician! I would definitely recommend arranging work experience with your local MSP to anyone interested in studying a politics related subjects. Thank you very much to Jeremy and everyone else I had the opportunity to meet over the week!

Scottish Week has come and gone. We ended on a high note on Friday with a Rave for Rabbie ceilidh in the Assembly Hall at lunchtime. After a slow start the word soon spread that it wasn’t a wind up, there was an actual ceilidh happening with a live band (our thanks go to Mrs Wilson, Mr Thomson and Kyle Paisley for making this happen). Just as everyone was getting in to full swing the bell sounded to go to afternoon classes. We ended with our own tribute to Robert Burns by singing Auld Lang Syne. A great time was had by all.

Congratulations also go to our Tartan Mega Mix winners, Jack Fraser and Stephen Newton who share a gift voucher. The staff winner was Mr Campbell who walks away with a copy of the Mega Mix. Lucky man!!

Once Gavin and I (Louise) were banished to sit with the common rabble of sixth years we had the privilege of watching Emily and Andy being piped to the raised wonders of the top table – gutted! We listened to Mr Renwick, sporting a pair of fetching tartan trousers.

Gavin then began the evening with a startling rendition of all four lines of the Selkirk grace, performed with a masculine and eloquent charm, serving a signal for soup. After enjoying the soup, Kyle Blain piped in the haggis – which was toasted by Robert Fraser. A fluent and animated toast, it wowed the large audience. The haggis was then brought in by Mrs Morton’s fourth year troupe who did a great job all evening.

After coffee and tasty treats it was Mr Kidd’s turn to stun the audience with the immortal memory – containing a variety of “hilarious” jokes. Mr Renwick then introduced Head Boy, Andy Deans, which was witty, but far from complementary! Andy went on to give an intelligent toast to the lassies, including his very own bash at poetry. Mr Renwick proceeded to introduce Head Girl Emily, mentioning a few embarrassing stories to amuse the audience and embarrass Emily.

Emily gave as good as she got in her reply by telling a few home truths. Aimee Hislop and Robert Fraser entertained us throughout the night with traditional Burns songs accompanied by Mr Thomson on piano. Our guest, Rob Willocks, stunned the audience with his dramatic and dynamic Tam O’Shanter – involving jumping off chairs and make me (Louise) blush by referring to me as a “bonnie lass”. Finally, it was up to me to conclude the evening with a smooth and rhythmical vote of thanks in the form of a poem. This was a light hearted end to the evening – which was thoroughly enjoyed by all involved.

Yes, that’s right, prelims are coming up again. As much as most of the senior school has tried to put it off, higher and advanced higher prelims begin on the 18 th of February, lasting until the 2 nd of March. Last minute cramming (otherwise known as study leave!) begins on Friday the 13 th of February. I spoke to head girl Emily Eaton Turner about how her revision is going; “It’s a busy time of year for myself and everyone else in 5 th and 6 th year, but I hope the hard work will pay off in the end!” Come on guys the countdowns started; get your heads in those books!!

On Thursday 22 nd January S3 students, Russell Pilmer, Archie Ogilvie and Arabella Ogilvie competed against Stewarts Melville College and Jedburgh Grammar School in the English Speaking Union’s Public Speaking Competition. Arabella entertained the audience with her views on raising the drinking age to 21, while Archie chaired the proceedings with style and Russell questioned Jedburgh intelligently on the influence of America on the UK. At the end of the night we were delighted when Earlston progressed to the Scottish final to be held next month. Congratulations and good luck to the team as they compete against schools from across Scotland.

Each lunchtime last week, the pupil council from each year group met to discuss an item which the fifth years had proposed: the school dress code. In August, we are moving to a multi-million pound new school building and the fifth year council representatives are keen that we all look extra smart. They presented a discussion paper, which outlined the benefits of a formal school dress code and made reference to the success some other schools in Scotland have had with this. We are lucky here at EHS, that the current dress code is followed by most students, but the fifth years would like more formality.

The various year group councils are considering the proposals and class reps have been asked to research this further with their classmates. Further meetings have been scheduled to debate the item.

Exciting times are here at EHS, especially as the two other new schools in the Borders are preparing for their move this month, and we’ll be next. Mr McLean has been showing a selection of photographs of the new school in assemblies and we’re getting very excited indeed.

The Higher Biology classes recently took a trip to the Botanic Gardens. We were given a guided tour by Ginger through the Mediterranean and Outback climates to learn more about xerophyte and hydrophyte plants which we were studying in class. An experiment was also carried out on the uptake of water by an atmometer and potometer in different conditions. It was a good learning experience and enjoyed by pupils and teachers alike.

Saturday 17 th January 2009 Against Kelso High School
EHS 1 st X1 5 KHS 2 nd X1 1 Player of the match Ali Kontothanassis
EHS 2 nd X1 1 KHS 3 rd X1 0 Player of the match Leyla McLennan
EHS S1 ‘A’ 0 KHS S1 ‘A’ 7
EHS S1 ‘B’ 0 KHS S1 ‘B’ 1

We’ve gone Scots mad this week. Tartan ribbons pin from our uniform to raise money for Guide Dogs and we’ve been selling shortbread and tablet at breaktime. Also in the link social areas, there’s a variety of music by famous Scots bands. This is part of the Tartan mega-mix competition, which is open to all years and the best entry will receive a £10 gift token.

All around school are notices about Great Scots. Go into Art and the Scots artists are staring down at you from the posters: John Bellany, Jean Muir, Joan Eardley and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. In every Maths room, you can find out about Mary Somerville, John Napier or James Clark Maxwell. Every department is celebrating the work of Great Scots and, of course, there was the traditional Burns Supper on Thursday.

To mark the inauguration of Barack Obama, there’s a huge display in the corridor which links the US to Scotland. On the map, you can see all the places in North America, which have Scots names. Did you know that Melrose in is New Mexico? It’s in the states of New York and Massachusetts. Kelso is in California and Washington. Where’s Earlston? Yes, we’re there too - in Pennsylvania.

Then there’s the information about former Presidents who have Scottish connections: Roosevelt, Reagan, Jefferson and seven other US Presidents have links with Scotland.

More on Scottish week in next week’s news and hopefully there’ll be some photos of Friday’s ceilidh as well.

Back by popular demand is the lunchtime Extreme Dodgeball. Organised by the S6 committee – Team Extream – the competition is hotly contested by ambitious and ruthless teams. ‘Team Pain’ led by Depute Head Boy, Gavin, were brutal in their attack, taking no prisoners in their fast action game. Cheered on by a large crowd of excited supporters, Team Pain annihilated the competition in the early rounds. However, the supreme team was Sports Committee Cougars: Craig, Ruaridh, Joe, Craig and Richard. Their winning match was against a feisty fifth year team, who’ll be back to challenge again at the next Dodgeball extravaganza!

The Italian Twinning Club for S1 – S3 has been meeting once a month. Last term we concentrated on learning Italian and this term we will be making Italian food and watching Italian films. We are also hoping that we will be able to visit Capella Maggiore next October and we will be making fundraising plans for this. In addition, S1 pupils have been writing to pupils in Capella Maggiore Middle School. We are very excited at the prospect of visiting Italy!

These words, from Elvis Presley, along with the second part of the quote: ‘Nobody’s are the same but you leave them all over everything you do’ formed the first part of a very unusual day. Thursday 15 th January was quite topsy-turvey for all pupils.

It started with a change in registration. Instead of the usual room and usual reg teacher the whole school was divided up into new groups with a mix of all years. What were they up to? On arrival in the rooms – the teacher didn’t look their usual self either. Did they think it was a casual clothes day? Where were the shirts and ties, the suits, the smart outfits?

What was different was that they were being themselves – Mrs McDonald the ‘person’ rather than the ‘teacher’, for instance. It’s all cleverly connected with our move to the new school. You see, EHS is not really about the fabric of the school, it’s about the people. What makes EHS tick? What do we all believe in? What are our values?

After an introduction to the session, there were ice-breakers to put us at ease. Fun activities to get us talking to each other, laughing and in a relaxed frame of mind. Some teachers even made their students cups of tea, handed out homemade cakes and biscuits! Desks had disappeared in some rooms, cushions were on the floor and we gathered round an array of objects and photos. The teacher then shared some of their experiences with us – we even laughed with them at their childhood photos and memorabilia. By giving us a glimpse in to themselves as individuals it was easy to see what type of person they are. Easy to see their values. Easy to think about ourselves. What’s important to us?

At break time, there was a buzz of excitement as we met up again with our friends and chatted about the morning. ‘I just really enjoyed it’ said Ralph in fifth year. Sophie added that it had been ‘great to chat to people from different year groups, enlightening and sociable’. One or two found it initially intimidating because they were separated from their friends, but luckily the ice-breakers helped. ‘What a good idea. I’m now really excited about going to the new school.’

It certainly was a different morning and the next stage is for us to debate our values to come up with core values which represent EHS. Get your thinking caps on everyone. What is important to you and what are your values? Parents will be asked this too.

The sixth years enjoyed a relaxing period of yoga last Monday. They were treated to some tips on how to cope with stress. The blue gym mats filled the hall and shoes were soon cast aside to take part in a variety of breathing exercises and yoga techniques. At one point, it seemed as if a group had dozed off! They were so chilled! With prelims coming up on the 18 th February, it was an excellent information session to help the students.

The cross-country athletics season kicked off in style, with young Kerry Sandilands competing in 5 of the East District Cross Country Series in the last couple of months.

The East District Relay championships were held in sunny Prestonpans with harriers of all ages enjoying the flat course under bright autumn skies. First off were the young females who equipped themselves well over 3K in the windy conditions, with the A team coming home 10th out of 35 starting teams and the B team not that far behind in 15th. For the A team, Kerry Sandilands (U13) ran a fine opening leg in 11 minutes and 27 seconds and handed over to Charlotte Brown (U15) who bettered her time by seven seconds in an excellent 11.20, with Hannah Jones (U15) running the anchor leg in 11.39. For the B team, Alison Brown (U13) ran a good first leg in 12.07, handing over to an in-form Emily Jones (U15) who put in a grand time of 11.43, while former pupil Gillian Ingles (U17) rounded their efforts off in a solid anchor leg in 12.15.

For the second of the East District Cross Country League fixtures at Broxburn Kerry was entered into the 2.5 km U13 girls’ race which saw experienced Kerry Sandilands finish an excellent 10th out of 35 in 10.42.

The next fixture was at Gala where there was a good run from Kerry Sandilands in 16.46. Kerry then headed north to Fife for the East District Cross Country Championships for the 2 mile Under 13 girls who ran superbly, beating runners from far larger clubs and posting individual times of 16 minutes 10 seconds (10th place) respectively.

The third round of the increasingly popular Borders Cross Country Winter series took place at Hay Lodge Park where Kerry Sandilands was selected to represent the East, where she proved what an improved runner she is by coming in 15th overall and 1st in category in 10.40.

Congratulations to the S1/2 boys’ team on their qualification for the next round following victories over Berwickshire, Hawick and Kelso. The boys played well in each of their matches, showing great team spirit. The team was: John Higgins-Pikari, Robert Mercer, Jordan Robson, Shaun Henderson, Cameron Moffat, Lewis Allan, Myles Goodfellow and Joe Thomson – all from S1. From second year, Elliot Ruthven and Gavin Wood joined the ten-man squad. The team is looking forward to their next set of games

It’s more important than who wins the Premierleague. It’s more important than who wins ‘Celebrity Big Brother.’ We are all awaiting the announcement of who is the EHS Fantasy Football League Manager of the Month!

Mr Renwick ran away with the league in November and scooped the overall Manager of the Month title with 87 points. Managers of the month for the different year groups were: S1 Harry Pottage (83 points); S2 Cameron Creamer ( 59 points); S3 Ruari McGeoch (18 points); S4 Jack Fraser (68 points) and S5/6 Kerr Rodgie (77 points).

In December, Callum Mc Neill from S4 was the early leader – will he have snatched the title from Mr Renwick? Watch this space!

As the UCAS deadline of the 15 th of January for 2009 entry approaches I felt that it was important to update everyone on the progress of applications. Over 70% of pupils in the current sixth year have applied to UCAS for a 2009 entry. Many students have already been receiving offers. The three students who applied to Oxford have all been accepted with conditional offers. Well done!

Now it is just a case of waiting for the remainder of the replies which should be sent to students by May. Pupils can check the progress of their application by logging on to the UCAS Track scheme. Good luck to everyone applying for university in 2009.

The coming months are full of various events involving the whole school- staff, pupils and parents. This month includes the annual Burns Supper on the 22 nd of January which is for 5 th and 6 th year and their parents. The Heads of School are busy preparing their speeches and we look forward to Andrew toasting the lassies and Emily’s reply to the toast. The Immortal Memory this year will be given by our very own Mr Alistair Kidd, Principal Teacher of PE. There’ll be the usual mix of excellent music and entertaining recitals to celebrate the life and works of Burns. Tickets are on sale in school from the Heads of School and members of the Parent Council Sub group.

Teachers are busy writing reports at the moment. S4 will receive their reports this month, which will comment on the recent prelim performance and give helpful advice of how to improve further before the May exams.

The S2’s will also be receiving their reports soon, which will be out at the beginning of February. These reports are always important as they help students consider their options for third and fourth year. There is an information evening for S2 parents about the choice of course programme on Tuesday 3 February. This is followed by the S2 parents’ evening for appointments with teachers on Tuesday 24 th February.

Some of the events in the next few months will be a time to hit the books and get your heads down for the senior pupils with their prelims starting on the 18 of February. These will start after the February in-service and holiday which begins on Friday 13 th. Pupils will return to school on the 18 th of February.

A more joyful set of dates will be the Valentine discos on the 4 th and 5 th of February. The first and second years disco will be held on the 4 th with the S3 ,S4 and seniors on the 5 th. More information will be provided at a later date.

Yes, the Charities Committee is back – all refreshed and raring to go with more fundraisers for 09. They are on a quest this month: to search for a star in a ‘ Britain’s Got Talent’ style show to be held on Wednesday 28th January at 7.30 in the assembly hall. Quite different from last term’s ‘Stars in Your Eyes’ show, the talent this time comes entirely from the sixth year students. Tickets are on sale at £4 each from the committee.

Just when we thought he’d be too busy to pay another visit to Earlston High School, up he popped on the school stage at the concert. He wasn’t alone either as he’d brought along his family – Mrs Claus and Elfie. They made guest appearances at the concert’s “Family Fortunes”. Our own Vernon Kay – Mr Andrew Deans (Head Boy) – introduced this famous family to a packed hall.

The Claus family then compered the first half of the evening – a traditional Christmas concert. Just about every musical instrument was represented as the school orchestra took us through a musical extravaganza.

The staff choir made a first appearance and wowed the audience with their rendition of ‘California Dreaming’.

The second half of the concert was the EHS adaptation of the popular musical Mamma Mia. We were transported away from the cold winds of Earlston to the sunny Greek islands. We tapped to the beat of famous Abba songs such as Waterloo, Dancing Queen and Thank you for the Music.

The cast was from years S2 – S6 and the stage was full of life with their singing and dancing. I’ll not go into much more detail as hopefully the Border Telegraph will have reviewed the concert elsewhere in the paper. Suffice to say, Christmas came early to EHS and the present was a superb evening’s entertainment. What talent these youngster have!

We are already a ‘green bunch’ here at Earlston and have been awarded the Bronze Eco Schools Award. We are now busy earning the Silver Award. An important element of this is developing a whole school eco code.

Over the past few weeks the Go Green Group has been working on this. It takes the letters of EARLSTON and each letter represents part of the code. For instance E is Everyone has a part to play; A = Arrive at school by bus, bike of foot whenever you can; R is the Reduce, reuse, recycle message; L for Litter in the correct bin – not on the ground; S stands as a reminder to Switch off lights and computers when they’re not needed; T means Taps should be off when not in use to save water; O stands for Our environment should make us, and our community, proud and finally the N is Never damage our school or its ground.

The group is in the process of producing a copy of the code for every room in the school. They also welcome any suggestions as to how we may pass on the Go Green message to others. Their new competition to combat litter has been well received. It focuses on social areas within school – or links as we here refer to them. Because our social areas and divided into year groups, the competition is for the year with the tidiest space: no litter, no mess. This month’s winners are the first years for their link area. They receive their prize tomorrow when they are given a treat which allows them to be out of class to watch a film.

On Monday 15 th December the Asdan group held a special lunchtime sale. If you recall, last year the group made delightful wooden santas, which were a huge success and raised £400 for their nominated charities – the Donkey sanctuary and the SSPCA centre at Mellerstain. This year, for one day only, the group held a sale and gave everyone their second opportunity to buy the santas. In addition, they had produced wooden planters, complete with hyacinth bulbs, which were also on sale. The ASDAN group clearly have good business sense and enterprise skills. Well done.

In the first game of the Tournament EHS played Peebles High School. Unfortunately we were on the receiving end of a very disciplined and polished performance as the Peebles girls displayed their silky skills and they won the game 2-0.

After a short break and a team talk we faced Galashiels Academy. In the first few minutes of the game Gala broke through and scored an early goal. The Earlston defence coped well under the intense pressure from the Gala strikers and captain Erin Bonnar was on form to ensure that Gala did not score any more goals. In the last minute of the game Louise Campbell took advantage of a loose ball in the circle to even the score.

This gave us the encouragement that was needed to go on and improve our performance even further in our final game against Jedburgh Grammar School. The opposition put up a fight but EHS proved too strong in the last five minutes of the game, winning 2-0, both goals from Emily Eaton Turner.

Peebles won the section outright and EHS, despite having the same points as Galashiels Academy, lost out on a place in the semi finals on goal difference. Kelso High School beat Galashiels Academy and Peebles High School beat Berwickshire High School in the semi finals. Kelso went on to beat Peebles in a very exciting final.

Well done to all the girls in the Squad. Player of the Tournament – Erin Bonnar

On Friday 20 th October sixth year students took part in an event called Driving into the Future.Driving into the Future is a multi agency partnership that brings home the message of safe driving to the young drivers of tomorrow. As our current 6 th year students turn 17 their thoughts are turning to learning to drive. The event gave every student the chance to chat to a variety of experts and advice that will help them become safer drivers in the future.

One in five serious road accidents on Borders roads involves a young driver under the age of 25. In almost 70% of these accidents the young driver is the primary cause of the crash. In 40% of the crashes there is no other vehicle involved. These crashes are usually the result of loss of control by the younger driver, usually on a bend and often on rural roads.

Driving into the Future brought t6ogether the expertise from Lothian & Borders Police, Scottish Ambulance Service, the Driving Standards Agency (DSA), Drugs and Alcohol Action Team(DAAT) and The Lothian & Borders safety camera Partnership. Experts were on hand to provide advice and information ranging from learning to drive, the benefits of the Pass plus Scheme, speeding, the dangers of alcohol and drugs and driving, and the consequences of a road crash.

There was a dramatic start to the event with a live theatre performance of ‘Friends Disunited’ by the Badly Bane theatre company.

The pupils found it very humorous. However the play also illustrated how the dreams and ambitions of young people can be utterly shattered by the inexperienced and over confidence of a young driver.

Earlston High School would like to say a big thank-you to everyone that was involved both in and out of the school.

On Wednesday evening, everyone put on their dancing shoes and their smartest of outfits for the Christmas dance. The first and second year dance commenced at 7 o’clock prompt, with Mr McMillan announcing the first dance: the snowball waltz. Sports captains from the rugby and hockey teams took to the floor with elegance and grace. Kilts swayed to the music as the two couples began the first dance of the evening. With enviable skills, Fraser, Alexis, Richard and Lucy waltzed round the dance floor before ‘snowballing’ to gather other partners. Soon the hall was full of swirling couples in a kaleidoscope of colour.

And so the atmosphere of the evening was set – full participation and masses of fun. From the snowball waltz, dancers moved into a full programme of set dances. The PE department’s teachings had worked each dancer’s skills to perfection. Music was provided by ‘Fire It up’, the S6 dance committee who had organised the evening with guidance from Mrs Morton.

After a much needed refreshment break, it was back on the dance floor for some disco beats and a dance competition. Three couples took to the stage to compete against each other in a dance-off. Audience applause (loud enough to lift the roof!) judged the winners to be two first years – Fraser and Joanna. They were each presented with a prize and the accolade of being the best dancers of the night.

The killer heels were no longer evident as shoes were cast aside to prevent sore feet from so much dancing. The music continued to capture everyone in the hall and they literally danced the night away. All too soon, Mr Macmillan called the last dance and with a twinge of sadness everyone was soon heading off home. They were tired, they had aching feet, but they were still smiling. What a great night!

By the time you’re reading this, we’ve also had our S3 and S4 dance and tomorrow – Thursday 18 th December – it’s the seniors’ turn. Hairdresser appointments will be booked, kilts hired, shirts pressed and dresses will be hanging on wardrobe doors ready to be worn. Watch this space for an update next week. John Sergeant these guys are not!

‘You’d better watch out! You’d better take care! You’d better watch out and I’m telling you why’.… Santa Claus was in town! Santa was actually in Earlston High!

By lunchtime the excitement was unbearable! Then I heard it – the faint ring of bells. Could they be sleigh bells? With tension and anticipation high, I watched the door, too scared to move from the community lounge in case I missed him. Suddenly he appeared from nowhere, filling the doorspace with this red frame and filling the air with a bellowing laugh. ‘Happy Christmas!’ he cried and I wanted to run up to him to double check he was real. He was real – it was him – Santa!

Let me explain why he was in Earlston. You see every year the S6 charity committee host a café. For a nominal entry fee, you can escape the hustle and bustle of the school dining area and find a magical Christmassy world in the snug community lounge. Little elves show you to your table and serve you with steaming hot chocolate, laced with cream and with marshmallows bobbing about on top. There’s home baking too and plenty of Christmas cheer. Merry Christmas everyone!

This year our Pink Party for Breast Cancer Care was held on 13 November and again was a tremendous success. We raised the fantastic sum of £2000 and this could not have been achieved without the support of everyone who came along on the night. A big thanks is also due to Cullen Kilshaw for donating a sparkling start to the evening, to Maid by Marion for the balloon decorations, to everyone who so generously handed in raffle prizes and to all who helped provide our scrummy buffet. Well done to all our prize-winners, especially our Pink Princess.

Earlston High School has been showing it eco-friendly side this year with the help of the Environment and Communities Committee. The conscientious group has been working with the Go Green Group in the hope of achieving the prestigious Eco Schools Silver Award. To attain the award, the school must demonstrate a high level of environmental awareness and protection within the school and the surrounding area. The committee has also been working on a number of other projects including fair trade and organ donation. The committee secretary Robert Wylie informed me that the group are about to embark on a publicity campaign to make people more aware of the options they have when it comes to organ donation. Robert also spoke about the well received litter patrol the committee organised which was “welcomed by members of the community.” In addition to this, the committee has been working hard to establish links with the primary school to promote environmental projects and hopefully launch a whole new generation of green fingered pupils! Look out for more information about the committee working hard to keep our school and our streets litter free!

The evening of Tuesday 25 th November saw the first round of the ESU Juniors Debate that was held at Earlston High School. There were 2 teams from Jedburgh, 2 teams from EHS and 1 from Lasswade, plus a dummy team also from EHS.

The motion for the debate was “This house would make smoking illegal”. On the Earlston A team was Claire Bridges (S2) and Mary-Beth Patterson (S1) who competed on the proposition’s side along with Jedburgh B team and Lasswade. On the opposition – or the Earlston B team – we had Elliot Douglas and Phoebe Watson. Also on the opposition there was Jedburgh A team and the loyal Earlston dummy team consisting of Grace Reid and Holly Young.

The debate was a success and all the teams were a credit to their schools. Many interesting points were made and all the speeches were precise and to the point. At the end of the final speech, made by Grace Reid, the motion was opened to the floor. The floor then decided to crown the opposition as the rightful winners of the debate.

The judges went away and made their final decision while we congratulated each other on our speeches. When the judges came back we were all held in suspense as the winning teams were announced. The final winners were the Earlston B team and in second place came Earlston A team. Both teams had made excellent arguments and deserved their title. The winners will be going through to the next round and we hope they will do well. Congratulations to all the teams that took part and made it such a successful night.

Miss Woodside in the Art Department has been working hard with her S1 and S2 classes and the members of the Enterprise Group to produce Christmas cards for sale to parents, staff and pupils. Each card shows the art work of one of Miss Woodside’s pupils on the outside along with a verse composed by Mrs Brydon’s S1 English class. The cards will be sold in packs of six at a cost of £1.50. Orders can be placed through pupils or directly with the school office. (Any cheques should be made payable to Friends of Mangu.)

The profits from the sale of these cards will be donated to the Friends of Mangu charity which is raising money for the rebuilding of Mangu Junior Secondary School in the Upper West Region of Ghana. Earlston High School has recently twinned with Mangu JSS through Global Schools Partnership with the aim of raising awareness of and respect for each other’s cultures as well as raising educational standards in the two schools. The Friends of Mangu group in EHS is also selling Mangu Aid gifts to support the work of the charity.

The members of the Friends of Mangu Committee would like to express their thanks to Miss Woodside for her tremendous enthusiasm and energy, to Mrs Brydon, to the pupils whose work is displayed in the packs of Christmas cards and to the Sixth Year volunteers for their invaluable assistance.

To see more card designs click here

To support anti-bullying week we got involved in the following activities:

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to make Anti-Bullying week a success.

On the first day we were given enormous sheets of paper to work upon (taller than myself I might add!) and told to create a piece working from photographs from a previous visit Melrose Abbey. After a quick coffee and biscuits break, we set down to work, finding it very difficult to draw upon such a large scale, but we ploughed through, resulting in many beautiful works of art. The class worked incredibly hard, many going away with impressive finished pieces due to such inspiration. Going into school on those weekend mornings, was definitely worth it.

Aimee Leigh Hislop

The sixth years are frantically completing their applications for university this week. The school deadline is the beginning of December, to allow references to be completed and forms to be checked by the senior management team. Last year, 66% of our leavers went on to continue their education at either university or college. This year, we have 88 students (out of 94) who are applying through UCAS to universities in England and Scotland.

Ten of these students applied earlier in October as part of the first phase of applications. These students are hoping to study medicine, dentistry, vet medicine or at Oxford or Cambridge. They are now hearing back from UCAS and so far so good!

Although the panic does not stop there – the interview is next! Some of these students have also completed an additional entry requirement. For Cambridge, to study English, Georgia had to write a critical analysis of James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’. For dentistry, Amy was busy completing an additional form to detail her work experience and understanding of the dentistry profession. The dreaded Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) was also required for dentistry and medicine applications. It’s certainly been a busy, yet exciting, time for the applicants. We wish them all the very best as they prepare for the interviews.

The main body of applications will be sent off before Christmas to ensure we meet the January deadline set by UCAS. Good luck everyone!

On Thursday 6 th November, a group of sixth year boys took donating to charity a step further by giving more than just money – their pride. The group of 15 boys took part in a sponsored “waxathon” to raise money for the two charities, The Cystic Fibrosis Trust and Wateraid. Screams could be heard from outside of the building as the gang of would be tough guys, which contained both rugby and football players, discovered that a ladies life is not as pain-free as it seems. The main event of the afternoon was St Boswells student Chris “Doddsy” Dodds, who received a superman sign waxed into his bear-like chest. Chris, who single handedly raised over £130, had this to say – “I feel it was a worthwhile experience, however I don’t think I would do it again!” As a witness to the pain that Chris and all the lads went through, I would like to take the chance to congratulate everyone that took part in the event. Well done!

Monday evening saw three coaches heading off to Edinburgh, loaded with S1 and S6 students going to see Mary Poppins at the Playhouse. The excursion was open to all first years and over 100 students took part. It was the mastermind of the S6 Junior Activities committee, who organised the theatre visit from start to finish. The sixth years did a tremendous job – promoting the event, booking the tickets and transport, organising the youngsters and then accompanying them to the theatre. It was worth all their hard work as the first years loved the show. Thank you to the staff who accompanied the students and of course to the amazingly talented and organised Junior Activities Committee.

Prepare to save the planet, as the Eco School’s Club has changed its name and is all fired up and ready to make Earlston High a more environmentally-friendly place. The new, revamped club coincides with the recent decision of the council to make recycling easier by allowing all materials (cans, plastic bottles and cardboard boxes) to be placed in the same bag, rather than two separate bags. The club is now called Go Green, and runs on Wednesday lunchtimes from one o’clock in E3. Its main aims include to upgrade Earlston’s status from Bronze to Silver in the Eco Schools Scotland programme, and to promote recycling and other ways of looking after our area. Miss Morgan invited new members along, saying "If you have an interest in the environment, please come along - we would be happy to see you!" We hope you will give it a go and remember to recycle, recycle, recycle.

This week has been a busy one for the Pupil Council. Each lunch time, one of the year group Councils has met to discuss a variety of issues. Two common themes for all year groups were the feedback from the members, who recently visited the new school site, and the school’s anti-bullying policy. The week is Anti-bullying week and the school is revising its existing policy with the help of the Council. Each Council has suggested ideas for a code of conduct which will help to promote Earlston High as a bully free zone.

Another item discussed at the first and second year Council meetings was the Global School Partnership. Mr Smart was invited to the meeting to introduce the initiative to the Council. This is the next step to our partnership with Mangu Junior Secondary in Ghana. The partnership hopes to develop links between the two schools which will allow the students to have a greater understanding of each other’s culture.

Mr Smart hopes to establish a steering group to take this idea forward and students and staff would work together to promote the partnership. Students were asked for volunteers to be part of this group. The first and second years were keen on the idea and will report back to their classes and ask for volunteers.

Thank you again to the cast of ‘Fog On The Mountain’ for their performance of the one act play as part of the second year assembly. It never ceases to amaze how students can learn so many lines and remember all their moves as they act on the stage in front of an audience of 160 teenagers. Well done again to the S4 Standard Grade Drama class. Thanks also to the lighting and sound crew and to Mr Thomson.

Next time you visit us at EHS, step into the Hall Of Fame (otherwise known as the assembly hall). It’s a celebration of wider achievement and already there’s a selection of photographs on display. The display is to promote the success of individuals, groups or teams and shows the achievements of both staff and pupils. It can be in sport, for community service, fund-raising, public speaking etc. Our aim is to gradually fill the entire walls with the achievements. You can help us with this task by letting us know of any wider achievements of your own, of a friend, a neighbour or a relative. Just email us at the high school and mark the message ‘Hall of Fame’. Our e mail address is: earlstonhs@scotborders.gov.uk

Business Management students certainly ‘made their mark’ by using their entrepreneurial skills last week. The challenge was to create an entrepreneurial idea inspired by the Olympic and Paralympic Values. Ideas had to be original, creative and profitable. Two teams battled it out over the day. Their Dragon’s Den style pitch at the end of the day was to sell their idea to the audience. Two judges (EHS Dragons!) Mrs McDonald and Mrs Thomson were impressed by the high quality sales pitch from the teams. The winning team, after much deliberation, was VIP (Voluntary Investment Programme). Inspired by recent new reports of youth crime and the negative perception of society towards young people, the company came up with an innovative idea. Their service would allow teenagers to have a positive input to the community and achieve award status. Their slogan was “Stand up! Stand out! Be different!” Their successful presentation has enabled the team to be put forward to the next round of Make Their Mark Challenge.

There were three amazing winners from the vast array of talent. The best group went to S Club 7 (aka Village People) with a show-stopping version of YMCA. The girls, all from sixth year, gave the evening a real party atmosphere with their performance. The audience loved them! Another winner, this time from the solo artists, was Peter Vint from S3. Peter’s performance of the Elton John classic ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight’ was sensational. Peforming ‘Lady Marmalade’ from Moulin Rouge were Emma Finnen, Katie Chambers and Kirsty MacDonald. These girls looked, danced and sang superbly.

It was a great evening’s entertainment. Many thanks to all the artists and of course to the Sub Group for organising the event.

This week, 17-21 November, is national Anti-Bullying week. We hope to raise awareness of this initiative through a number of activities in school. Each pupil will be given an anti-bullying wristband to wear and be encouraged to make Earlston High School a Bully Free Zone. An up-date on the activities will follow next week.

Sirens were still ringing in students’ ears last week following Team Fire It Up!’s Cops and Robbers themed Halloween discos. On Wednesday the 29 th of October, first and second years donned cops and robbers themed costumes and came out in force for the first event organised by the sixth year committee. The following night the committee was hard at work again, this time for the S3 to S6 disco. I spoke to one of the chairs of the committee, Emma Jardine. “It was a really successful event and we had a great turnout. I think all the pupils enjoyed it as much as we did!!” Fire It Up are currently now hard at work for their next big event – the Christmas Dances, which will be held on the 10 th of December for first and second years, the 11 th of December for third and fourth years and the 18 th of December for fifth and sixth years. Come on guys, times running out to get those dresses and kilts organised!! Tickets for the Christmas dances go on sale on Tuesday 18 th November, at lunchtime in the main link: S1/2 and S3/4 tickets are £3. Tickets for the senior dance are £8.

Okay ladies, it’s nearly time for the second Human Papilloma Virus injection. The injections will be taking place on Tuesday the 18 th of November and girls aged 12 to 13 will be receiving the vaccine that will help shield them against the two main causes of cervical cancer. Furthermore, girls aged 16 to 17 will also be receiving the second of the three injections. Again, if you’ve left school there’s no need to worry as you can arrange to get this vaccine through an appointment with your local NHS. These injections combined with regular smear tests are aiming to reduce the number of cases of cervical cancer. Worldwide there are an estimated 470,000 new cases of cervical cancer that result in 233,000 deaths per year. So come on girls, it’s definitely worth it.

Six pupils from Earlston High School competed in The Borders Schools Public Speaking Competition on Thursday 30 th October. Kyle Blain in S4 gave an entertaining speech on the importance of all things circular and spherical in our lives while Eleanor Barton in S6 gave an excellently researched presentation on graffiti. Kyle was well supported by Jessica Bennett and Liam Blain, both S4, while special congratulations go to Robert Wyllie, S6 who won best chairperson of the night and Erin Bonnar, S6, who won best vote of thanks of the evening.

The 1 st X1 took part in the Border Schools Hockey Tournament at Tweedbank last Tuesday. Our first game was against Kelso High School. We knew it would be a tough match so we fought hard and put our preparation into practice. This was turned on its head as Kelso went one up with a sneaky goal in the first half. Earlston didn’t manage to score the equalizer and the match ended 1-0 for Kelso.

After a quick team talk following the Kelso match Earlston were straight back on the pitch to play Jedburgh Grammar School. Earlston were hungry to win the match and piled the pressure on the Jedburgh defence. Strong running through the middle from Emily Eaton Turner and Luana Henderson created scoring opportunities for the Earlston girls but they couldn’t finish off the hard work and the game finished nil nil.

Moving into the final game Earlston knew they had to win to have a chance to reach the semi final. Earlston went into the game fired up after a motivational talk from Captain Emily Eaton Turner. Their determination to win was apparent, with the defence working hard to keep the ball out the goal, impressive work up the right hand side of the pitch, silky skills from midfield and all eleven players on the pitch giving 100%. The game finished in a no score draw with Kelso and Hawick going through to the semi finals from our section.

Player of the tournament Luana Henderson. A big thank you to Mr Tucker for umpiring all of our games and accompanying the Earlston team in the absence of Mrs Lawrence.

At Earlston High School we want to recognise the wider achievements of the members of our school community, both staff and pupils. Part of the assembly hall has been set aside and we are in the process of setting up our very own Hall of Fame. This will take the form of a photo gallery with names and a short caption recording the achievement.

We would like to hear of any notable achievements of pupils or staff which you feel deserves recognition. Achievements might include youth group or sporting activities, musical awards or fundraising ventures. Pupils can hand in nominations to their register teacher or names can be e-mailed to the school at earlstonhs@scotborders.gov.uk. Please mark it Hall of Fame in some way. Please help us in our efforts to recognise the wider achievements of our school community.

Last Christmas, Mangu Aid Christmas Cards raised over £2000 for the community in Mangu, Ghana. We are helping them to build and equip their new school.

Mangu Magnet Gift Cards – these allow you to donate a gift to Mangu on behalf of a relative or friend, for example; a donation of £6 will buy a bag of cement (£12 will buy 2 bags), £20 will buy 10 sheets of zinc roofing etc. For each donation, you will receive a gift card and magnet to send with your Christmas greetings.

Mangu Calendar – a glossy A4 year-to-view calendar can be ordered at a cost of £1 (which will buy 3 cement blocks). A magnetic version is also available at a cost of £2. If you would like to help us in our fund raising efforts and would like an order form, please contact Mrs Mitchell, Friends of Mangu, Earlston High School.

In the build up to this year’s Pink Party, the staff wore pink on Friday 31 October to raise money for Breast Cancer Care. Some were subtle, some outrageous but it was all in a good cause – we are still counting the donations! This year’s Pink Party is being held on Thursday 13 November – tickets, priced £10, are now on sale from committee members. We have now had two such parties raising £3500 for Breast Cancer Care and anyone who has been before will tell you that you are in for a great meal, much fun and lots of laughter. If you are interested in buying a ticket, please contact Mrs Stewart Murray, Pink Party Convener.

Members of the school’s Executive Council visited the new school last Monday. The Executive Pupil Council is made up of two representatives from each year group. These pupils are also members of a year group Council and their task at the next meeting will be to report back on the visit. Mr McLean and an engineer from the site escorted around the school. The pupils are the first pupils to actually walk up the main pathway into the building.

The tour started in the Physical Education wing, which is to the rear of the building. The sheer size of the games hall and gymnasiums amazed the students, who were also impressed by the changing facilities. Next was the wing which will accommodate practical classes such as Craft Design and Technology, Home Economicsand the three Sciences. Mr McLean explained that two of the Technical rooms were dual-purpose, having special benches which would be for both woodwork and metalwork. The group also visited the Art department’s rooms, Computing and the library. Some of these are already painted and ceilings are in place. There are even some clocks on the walls!

One of the reasons for taking the Council to the school is to help make decisions about how best to use certain areas of the school. For instance: pupil social areas at break and lunchtime, the school assembly hall, the dining area and outside seating areas.

The students were all excited about the new premises and will be leading the discussion at their year group Council meetings next week. Mr McLean hopes to take the year group Councils and other interested groups to visit the school in the coming months.

The week beginning the 17 th November is Anti- Bullying Week and to promote this there is a variety of events. The week starts with an S2 assembly, at which all pupils will be issued with an Anti-bullying wristband. However, it is not only the second years who will receive these – at registration, class representatives will issue a band to every pupil. Staff will also be part of this initiative. We are very grateful to Health promotions for assisting us with the purchase of the bands.

In Social Education, each year group will be doing an anti-bullying lesson and will receive a sheet which gives them tips and advice. There will also be Bully Free Zone posters around the school to remind pupils this is a serious issue and that we are striving to make EHS bully-free. S1 and S2 pupils are invited to enter a competition to design an anti-bullying poster.

We are also updating our anti-bullying policy and, at the pupil council, class representatives will be discussing the policy. They are in the process of gathering ideas from their register class to bring to the meeting.

Students studying Drama at Standard Grade performed Tim Kelly’s ‘Fog On The Mountain’ to S1 at Monday’s assembly. This is a macabre folktale in One Act, which identifies some of the issues around bullying. The cast was: Emma Finnen, Rebekah McKenzie, Hannah Durham, Jonathon McGowan, Beki Cooper and Sarah Smith. Well done to them all for an excellent production.

Just a short reminder to pupils/parents and/or guardians that the school photographer in is school this Friday (7 th November). Years S1, S3, S5 and S6 will have an individual photo taken and S6’s will also have a group photo taken for the year book. There will also be a chance for family photos to be taken at break. Primary and Secondary School Family Groups will be at the start of the morning. All photos will be taken in the Assembly Hall. Rebecca Young

Young Kerry Sandilands in first year at Earlston, brought out her running shoes once again to compete in The Scottish Athletics East District Cross Country Relay Championships. This was Kerry’s first time competing in this race. There were two teams competing for the Gala Harriers Juniors (the local club she trains with). The A Team was made up of Charlotte Brown (U15), Hannah Jones (U17) and Kerry (U13). The B Team included Alison Brown (U13), Emily Jones (U15) and former pupil Gillian Ingils (U17). Kerry ran a very impressive leg in a time of 11 minuets 27 seconds, helping her team home at a great 10 th place, with the B Team following closely behind in 15 th place. Kerry’s next race is at Lasswade on the 2nd November. All the best of luck!

The week before the October break the S4’s went on their work experience. They were scattered across the Central Belt and the Borders with one adventurous soul heading to Perth. We asked a proportion of students to evaluate their experience. The majority worked 9 till 4 pm Monday to Friday and though busy and tiring the general consensus was a valuable learning experience. Nikki worked at the Border General Hospitals in Dietetics, Jessica was at the Scottish Borders Council HQ, Rogan worked with solicitors, Scott was doing Farm Experience and Debbie was cooking up a storm in the Home Economics Department at the School. The students found the experience helped them to decide a future career.

In last week’s assembly, the week was evaluated using the ‘Who Wants a to be a Millionaire’ type key pads. Using a powerpoint presentation, the students were asked a series of questions about work experience and, using the keypad, they responded.

Their answers were immediately shown on a bar chart. Some of the responses were: 80% of students thought that their experience was ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’. When asked if they would recommend work experience to the current third years, 85% said a definite ‘Yes!’ It is also interesting that half of the students thought that a week was just the right amount of time; the other half thought it should be for longer. There was a mixed response about the timing of the week and students were invited to suggest alternative times in the school year. All in all though, work experience has been a tremendous success.

Earlston High School will be transformed into the Dragons Den next month as the Make Your Mark Challenge comes to the school. On November the 17 th, 12 Higher Business Management students will be taking part in the event which will kick start Enterprise week, which this year will be part of Global Entrepreneurship Week. I spoke to Chris Rome about the challenge; “I am really looking forward to the challenge and think it will be great fun. “ Stay tuned for more information about our young entrepreneurs!

‘It’s going to be the most electrifying event in the history of sports entertainment.’ A pretty big promise to live up to, but Joe Young – a member of the Sports Committee claims that their next event can! On October the 29 th, the long awaited five a side football tournament will commence.

I spoke to Joe about the occasion. “A vast amount of teams have entered, but there can only be one winner – my team!” he jokes. Joe debuted this season at the Sports Committees Beat the Goalie competition along with Mr. Butcher, which was a great success! I also spoke to the chairman of the committee – Neil Vint. “At the end of this event, we will hopefully have raised about £50 for the charities committee! Other events which are on the way include a staff versus pupils competition… which should be interesting!!” The long suffering (!), only female member of the committee, Amy Sharp, summed up the event; “I love being on the sports committee and this event is going to be another epic!”

Every year, there is a ‘must have’ book for all Sixth Years, which is written by the Yearbook committee. The book is essentially a record of their sixth year at Earlston High School and highlights some of the antics, challenges and highs that make being a Sixth Year so special. The book is a memento of the year group.

This year’s committee, under the guidance of Megan Wood and Charlotte Winsland, is already underway with organising items for the book. It is a huge task to ensure every member of year has a chance to be part of the yearbook. The final version is professionally published, which means the committee fund-raise and appeal to sponsors to help them to subsidise the cost of the book.

Two weeks ago, in their ‘Give the staff a treat’ campaign, the committee sold home-made traybakes and cakes to staff. Their next fund-raise is to offer themselves as a ‘slave for the day’, when they have given up some of their study periods to act as a ‘slave’. All pupils and staff are invited to pre-pay in order to book a particular slave (£5) or to take their chance at the slave auction. The auction will be held on Friday 7 th November and slaves will be in action for three days: 10 th-13 th November.

Thursday 30 th October was our Hallowe’en Day, organised by the S6 Charities committee. The evening before was a hauntingly successful S1-S3 disco (courtesy of the disco committee) and on the 30 th the cops and robbers came out for an S4-6 disco.

During lunchtime the committee taunted and haunted everyone with a series of activities. There was a traditional games arena, set up with dooking for apples and trying to eat jammy doughnuts suspended in the air on string. There was also a ‘What’s in the Box?’ game which invited participants to put their hands in a box and work out the object: baked beans, a sheep’s skull, shower gel, gooey mixtures of cornflour and water! We were dared to try our luck at guessing the contents of each box. Yeuch! It was all in a good cause though. Donations from the non-uniform participants will also help to boost the funds, which the committee is raising for Water Aid, Cystic Fibrosis and Mangu Junior Secondary School.

Parents of first years will have received the settling-in report this week. The report is an indication of how the new pupils have coped with the transition from primary to secondary and all the changes this brings. A reply slip is enclosed with each report, which asks both parents and pupils to comment on the report. Please can these be returned to register teachers as soon as possible.

There is also a chance for parents to meet their son/daughter’s teachers on Tuesday 18 th November. This follows the usual parents’ evening routine and starts at 6.30pm until 9.00pm. Letters inviting parents to the evening have already been sent and pupils are now making appointments with their teachers on their parents’ behalf. The main part of the evening will be devoted to interviews with class teachers and with the relevant Guidance teacher if required. S6 will be on hand to sign-in parents and offer tea and coffee. We look forward to seeing you on the 18 th.

Parents of students in S4 and S5 are invited to a Careers Evening starting at 7.00 on Tuesday 11 November. Miss Strong will open the evening with an introduction to qualifications and progression routes. There will also be a short presentation by C Nairn from Borders College and the school’s careers adviser will explain how Careers Scotland can support students. Finally some previous students will share their experiences of life after EHS.

Team Fire it Up! Another one of the S6 committees is holding their first ever event on Wednesday and Thursday nights. The S1/S2 Halloween Disco which has been given an alternative theme – ‘Cops and Robbers’ is on tonight (Wednesday 29 th October) and is being held at Earlston High School, starting at 7:00pm and finishing at 10:00pm.
The S3-S6 Halloween Disco also with the same theme is on Thursday 30 th October and will also be held at Earlston High School (or Earlston Music Venue as its been renamed ) and will commence at 7:30 pm finishing at 10:30pm. Tickets can not be bold on the night pupils must buy the tickets at school in school time, tickets cost £2.50.

With the US election approaching rapidly and the real policies of the candidates – Barack Obama and John McCain shrouded in so much rhetoric we at the press committee thought it was time to give you a straightforward analysis of some of their policies, without the usual spin.

John McCain’s Policies
Social Issues

John McCain and his running partner Sarah Palin have extremely strong core family values and therefore have very controversial opinions over social issues. They are both pro-life and are against abortion although it isn’t clear whether they would make it illegal. Owing to this opposition, they are incredibly supportive about adoption and foster care. Sarah Palin is eager for creationism and evolution to be taught in schools throughout America and teaching sex education should be a high priority. Ultimately the pair are against gay marriages but think the separate states should be responsible for deciding the law. John McCain feels the death penalty should be used more often and he wants to prosecute criminals, not citizens for gun ownership.

International Issues

Global warming is big on the political agenda and McCain believes it must be addressed in an active manner. The illegal trade in whale meat will be clamped down upon and he plans to end commercial whaling all together. John McCain wants to improve intelligence against terrorism and he would prefer not to pull troops out of Afghanistan. He thinks a strategic bombing of Iran would be considered but only if they pose an imminent threat to the West. Due to his experiences in Vietnam he wants to support the surge in Iraq spearheaded by President Bush and bring troops home with honour.

John McCain faces stiff competition in his race to be elected as the new president of the White House in the form of the Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

Obama would spend less money in Iraq – notably, he originally didn’t vote in favour of the war even going ahead and would reduce American presence in Iraq by 16 months. He also proclaimed his hope to remove all troops from Iraq by 2013 but this was not a pledge. Obama would make sure that America abides by the human rights treaties and would be willing to meet up with Fidel Castro, Jim Jung and Hugo Chavez. Africa is an important issue to Obama and he would intervene in Darfur and fund humanitarian aid. He would let Ukraine and Georgia join NATO. Obama would insist that China improved their labour and human rights standards before trading would commence.

The results of the election have the potential to affect the whole world, including the Borders, so who would the people of Earlston vote for?

After polling 50 people in Earlston High School we found that an overwhelming 90% of people would hypothetically vote for Barack Obama. John McCain was languishing behind with a measly 6% and 4% declined to offer their opinion.

By Rebecca Elsdon & Georgia Aitkenhead

Congratulations to the following pupils for their recent Sporting Achievements:

Matthew Scott (4C) – 4 th in Scotland in Juvenile section of downhill mountain biking.

Calum Mc Neill (4A) – selected for Golf Academy.

Ali Kontothanassis (4A) and Nikki Moffat (4C) – Selected for South Under 16 Hockey Squad.

Erin Bonnar (6A), Emily Eaton Turner (6A) and Luana Henderson (5E) – Selected for South Under 18 Hockey Squad.

The school will be holding a non-uniform day for the pupils on Thursday 30 th October to raise money towards the Sixth Year Charities which are Mangu Junior Secondary School, Water Aid and Cystic Fibrosis.

First and second years have the chance to design their own greetings cards. The Friday Enterprise Club, which allows pupils to create cards using their own artwork or photos, met for the first time before the October break.

The pupils have already set to work suggesting original and interesting ideas for Christmas Cards. The cards will be sold in school and in local shops and businesses to raise money for a charity selected by the pupils. The club is open on Friday lunchtimes and is run by Miss Woodside.

Oh yes it’s the time of year again that many of us dread, it’s time for school photos. Apart from the first day back after the summer holidays, school photo day is the only other day you’ll see all the pupils with immaculate dress, polished shoes and perfectly coiffured hair. The following years will be having their individual photo taken S1, S3, S5 and S6.There will also be a chance for family photos during break and a class photo for S6 and primary school and secondary school family groups in the morning. The school photo is now scheduled for the 7 th November and not the 31 st October as indicated on the school calendar.

Mrs A Eaton Turner is our newest recruit to the Behaviour Support Unit and another fresh face for Earlston High School but a familiar face for many of the S6’s. (She’s our Head Girls’ Mum!)

Originating from Kirkcaldy in Fife Mrs Eaton Turner moved to Melrose- the town of the rose- 22 years ago. After leaving school Mrs Eaton Turner went straight into work in house training as an insurance underwriter with general accident.

Being a new face can be a rather an odd experience, so we felt it was important to ask how she was settling in and if she felt that she was welcomed into the school she replied positively saying the welcome was “Excellent” and that everyone was “fantastic and friendly”. Furthermore when asked what she hoped to achieve, she replied “A job here until I retire!”

We also asked her what she likes to do in her spare time the outcome was very positive with “running, keeping fit, cooking and gardening” and of course most importantly “socialising with friends and family.”

Miss A Woodside is also another fairly new summer recruit and has joined the Art and Design department. Originally from the central belt of Scotland, Miss Woodside has lived in Hawick for the last eight years. She previously worked for over eight years as a knitwear designer for various cashmere mills in Hawick.

She studied Printed and Knitted textiles at Glasgow School of Art and then went to do a Textile Design Masters Degree with Computer Applications at Heroit Watt University in Galashiels. She said that she “enjoyed the quality of living so much so, I decided to pursue my design career working for the Scottish Borders Cashmere industry.” She later studied a teaching Diploma at Jordanhill ( Strathclyde University) and said that she “was very fortunate to be placed in the Borders at Earlston High.

Being a new teacher in the school can be quite a daunting experience but Miss Woodside was very positive saying “ Earlston High School is certainly a very high achieving school. Pupils and staff alike work to the highest possible standard in every task undertaken, to achieve the very best for all. The extra curricular activities are wide and varied. Pupils are certainly motivated and inspired to take part.

To sum it all up, staff are very friendly, helpful and always eager to help one another. The environment I am working in could not be more supportive”. As a probationer teacher she is striving to be the best teacher possible.

In addition to developing her teaching skills Miss Woodside says, she “Hopes to be understanding, considerate and help all pupils achieve to the best of their abilities. This is by far my most achievement.” When asked if she felt that she was welcomed into the school she replied positively saying that “I often find that when you start a new job there is a settling in period. I felt this was not the case at Earlston High School. I was made to feel part of the team straight away.”

We also asked her what she likes doing in her spare time, however unfortunately the outcome was “To be honest, I am not sure I have any spare time at present.” Though she does enjoy “walking in the countryside, watching a good science fiction movie and/or taking photographs!”

We are glad to her that both Mrs. Eaton Turner and Miss Woodside have settled in well and we hope that they both achieve their goals at Earlston High School.

First there was debating, then there was volleyball, now the latest craze to hit Earlston High School is juggling. That’s right, juggling is the new volleyball and one of the most popular clubs at the school. I just had to find out what it was all about.

Established in 2006, by ex-pupil Duncan Yellowlees, who built the club with few resources and just his knowledge alone to make the club what it is today. When it began it had 4 members but in 2008 that figure has increased to 20+ . Duncan has now left school to go to university to study engineering but original members Mary Bennett and Lara Hackney have kindly taken over the running of EHS Juggling Club. I spoke to them to see why people love the club so much, its purposes and to pick up a few juggling techniques for myself (even though I was horrendously bad!)

Mary filled me in on why juggling is attracting so many members. She spoke of how practising poi (her most enjoyed skill) can improve your flexibility and strengthen arm muscles. Poi is not the only skill at the juggling club which has such benefits, juggling 3+ balls helps to improve your hand-to-eye co-ordination and improves people’s overall reaction times.

The juggling club offers many other forms of circus skills such as Diablo, clubs, contact balls, staff and devil sticks. The latest addition is plate spinning, which is very frustrating, so much so that I gave up after trying once, just before throwing the plastic plates (luckily they weren’t priceless china) everywhere in a rage.

Remember to buy next weeks paper for Part 2 of this crazy phenomenon!

Last week, Mr Foggin’s Chemistry lab was transformed into a forensic lab! It was the weekly meeting of the Chemistry Club and pupils were in action creating and analysing fingerprints.

There are seven features used to identify fingerprints. Everyone has a variation on one of the features: the loop, central pocket, double loop, plain arch, tented arch, plain whorl and accidental. These are all the patterns created on the skin which help forensic scientists identify fingerprints.

Thank you again to all the local employers who have helped us by providing a placement for the S4 work experience week. Did you spot us? We were just about everywhere you can imagine: garages, equestrian centres, shops, offices, construction sites, schools, hospitals, sports facilities… even in the Scottish Parliament.

Many pupils have had their eyes opened to the demands of a working week and have coped admirably with the challenges of meeting new people and working in new environments. It has been an excellent experience. Mrs McDonald, the co-ordinator of work experience, said, ‘This has been a fantastic opportunity for our young people. Our thanks must go to the employers and employees who have helped our students have such a successful week.’

No it wasn’t! It was a terrific experience for the 7 of us who spent a working week at the Army recruiting farm beside a modern day firing range, in the hills behind Hillend dry ski slope. There were 4 different schools attending at the same time as us and in total 16 people were on the course. When we first got to the base, we were given a brief and then issued with our combats and bedding, I felt like a new recruit when we were queued up in our ‘civvies’ waiting for our uniform.

It was a week full of fun-filled activities which were both physically and mentally challenging. On Wednesday night, only our third day there, we were sent out on a RECCE patrol up in the hills. It was dark and cold and wet and muddy and raining! We had to army crawl most of the way, but we had to do it as we had been instructed to gather information about the ‘enemy’ – two of our instructors messing about on the hill top with a rubber glove and fresh supply of firewood and some matches – the only thing was - we were not to be seen. The whole night put us in a bad mood for the trek back to base, but we all got a laugh when we were almost back and section 1 (my section) prepared an ambush for section 2. We hid in thorny bushes until they were passing by. Section 2 had no idea what was happening when we sprang from the shadows and basically attacked them. They may have been slightly annoyed that we got to ambush them and not the other way around but everyone soon cheered up as the chef had prepared cheese on toast, coffee and tea for our return.

Each one of our activities counted towards which group won best section at the end of the week. Section 2 were victorious in the end but the best student award went to a boy from section 1 so we still had some glory to soak up. It was great fun and I would recommend it to anyone going on work experience next year, so long as they don’t mind getting absolutely coated in mud from head to toe!

The girls started strong in the game against Kelso and had a couple of early shots on goal. The Earlston defence had to work exceptionally hard as Kelso upped the pace of the game at the end of the first half, eventually scoring two goals. The Earlston girls came out fighting in the second half; the game going from end to end with both teams creating scoring opportunities. After 50 minutes Kelso were worthy winners, winning game 2-0. Outstanding performances from Charlotte Winsland, who won player of the match, and Goalkeeper Holly Wallwork who made some excellent saves throughout the game. Thank you to all the parents who came to support the girls and to Mr Tucker who umpired the game.

EHS 1 st X1 1 HHS 1 st X1 3 Player of the match Ali Mather

EHS S3 0 HHS S3 2 Player of the match Erin Millar

EHS S1 Red Team 1 HHS S1 2

EHS S1 Blue Team 1 HHS S1 4

Well done to all the girls who took part.

HOCKEY RESULTS AGAINST JEDBURGH GRAMMAR

EHS S1 Red 4 JGS S1 ‘A’ 0

EHS S1 Red 0 JGS S1 ‘B’ 4

EHS S1 Blue 1 JGS S1 ‘b’ 2

EHS S1 Blue 4 JGS S1 ‘A’ 0

Well done to all the girls who took part.

The picture is of the girls from all four of the Earlston Hockey Teams wearing their new hockey kit.

Pupils and staff at Earlston High School are taking part in a national schools fantasy football league. Last season over 100,000 pupils from over 2,000 schools across the UK, took part. The principal is simple; entrants select a team of 11 Premiership players and have to stay within a budget of £70m. Players collect points depending on their performances in actual Premier League games, and the points are collated on the website www.schoolsfl.com. Managers can make three transfers per month to try and improve their chances. Monthly prizes are awarded for the teams that score the most points in a calendar month and there is also a cup competition based on FA cup matches.

The pre-season warm-up has just come to an end. 116 teams took part and the managers learned some important lessons on players to have and, more importantly, not have in their teams. Some crafty transfer dealings gave second year Cameron Creamer a healthy lead in the first few weeks. Despite their best efforts none of the other managers were able to catch him and he finished with an impressive 18 point lead. Congratulations go to Cameron, who will be awarded his winners medal in due course. All points are now reset, and the competition starts properly on 18th October. Who'll be crowned league champions in May; will it be West Bromwich Algebra, Bayern Neverlusen or the might of Bowden Athletic? Will the staff be able to beat the pupils?? Only time will tell as the managers jostle for position at the top (and bottom) of the table.

This was a great success. Forty five fourth year pupils enjoyed a traditional production of Macbeth at The Royal Lyceum Theatre. The central performances were strong and clear and were well supported by scenes of lavish slaughter, hallucination and toxic womenfolk. The antics of the inebriated porter were raucously enjoyed. Throughout the evening the pupils were remarkable for their good humour and the spirit of lively enquiry with which they approached the play. I was proud to be associated with them.

A couple of weeks ago the Higher Geography students went on a field trip to the Lake District National Parks and the Yorkshire Dales. Miss Morgan (the trip co-ordinator) filled us in with all the fascinating details.

She said “In the Yorkshire Dales we visited limestone caves and in the Lake District we saw glaciated features.”

One of the main purposes of the trip was to look at the effects of tourism in Windermere as this is a key topic in the Rural Land Resources unit. Pupils were privileged to have been given a presentation by one of the Lake District Visitor Centre Rangers. Another reason for the trip was to “help pupils understand the Lithosphere and Rural Land Resources units in their course, whilst also giving them an experience of having a field trip away!”

Miss Morgan also stated that the behaviour of the participants was perfect despite the fear of it not going ahead as last year (which included the press members Ashleigh, Aimee and the Rebeccas!) was a complete disaster.

Well done Higher pupils! EHS is very proud!

By Ashleigh Dodds & Rebecca Elsdon

The European Day of Languages (EDL), a Council of Europe initiative, is held annually on the 26 September to celebrate language and cultural diversity.
The European Day of Languages is:

Most events and activities are held on the day itself, but some people extend the celebrations over two or three days and others even have a whole week of language-related events. EDL is celebrated throughout the UK and in 45 countries across Europe.

At Earlston High School the Modern Languages Department extended celebrations to a week and other departments also got involved on the day itself. In the Modern Languages Department S1 pupils took part in a European Quiz. S2 pupils designed logos for the European Day of Languages and also participated in some language taster lessons. S3 and S4 pupils worked on group projects about European countries and also designed posters entitled ‘Learning Languages Opens Doors’.

In the P.E. department Mr Renwick and Mr. Kidd spoke French with S1 at registration and were creatively French with their names. Mr Renwick’s S3 rugby class experienced French language and French rugby as they did a lesson dealing with the French rugby style. All in all the event was an enjoyable experience for all involved.

SCHOLAR is an e-learning education programme provided to students of certain subjects by Heriot Watt University. These computer based learning materials are available on-line and each student has been given a password to access them. Parents can now access SCHOLAR to see what course materials are available. Please see the link on the school website if you are interested in more information about SCHOLAR.

The students of Earlston High School showed their charitable side last week when the sixth year Charities Committee raised an impressive £166.32 from their cake sale, which was held during break time.

I spoke to the treasurer of the committee Danielle. “We picked our charities during the second week of term. Friends of Mangu is one of the charities which is close to the school’s heart and the school has been fundraising for the charity for several years now. Cystic Fibrosis affects a young girl in our year so it seemed appropriate for us to support a charity which does such great work for someone we know. Finally, Water Aid seemed like a good idea because we don’t realise how important small things like water, which we take for granted, can affect and change the lives of other children in less developed countries.”

The next big event being organised by the Charities Committee will be the ‘Rock Band – Battle of the Bands’ which is taking place on the 22 nd of October. Teams of four will be “rocking off” in a bid to be named the ‘ultimate rock band’ on the popular Xbox 360 console game. I also spoke to committee member Kate. “I find it very rewarding to know that we are doing our bit for charity and its lots of fun too!” And boys…be aware…a wax-a-thon has been planned for November the 20 th. Come on guys, be a man and do your bit for charity!!

Bethany Sharp

Whilst you are reading this, 146 of our fourth year pupils are in the world of employment rather than being in school. We are indebted to the many local employers who have offered our students a chance to work in the real world for a week.

There’s a vast array of work experiences. If you are going to the Theatre this week, either in Peebles or in Edinburgh, then you might spot three of our students. Listen to Radio Borders and you’ll hear another! If there’s a problem with your car and you visit one of the Borders’ garages, then there’s a fair chance you’ll bump into more of our students. Hopefully, you’ll never even notice as they will have blended in with the workers – hopefully their overalls will be oily too! A poorly pet? Veterinary practices in Hawick and Galashiels have our students this week so keep an eye open for them. If your son or daughter attends a local primary school, then hopefully they’ll be able to tell you all about the enthusiastic classroom assistant who has joined them this week. The list really is endless.

Work experience is a superb form of careers education and a great learning experience for students. Next week, we’ll let you hear from some of the students themselves about how it went and what they’ve learned. Again, a sincere thanks to everyone who has helped us with this year’s work experience programme and especially to the employers and companies.

EHS S3 0 BHS S3 5 Player of the Match Katie Douglas

EHS S1 0 BHS s1 ‘A’ 3

(Blue team) 1 BHS S1 ‘B’ 0

EHS S1 3 BHS S1 ‘B’ 0

(Red team) 0 BHS S1 ‘A’ 2

Miss Mitchelmore is the newest recruit to the Home Economics Department; bringing another fresh face to Earlston High School. Originating from the hectic city of Edinburgh, she moved down to the Scottish Borders 8 years ago. She had a long career in hospitality managing restaurants and bars.

She studied for a BA (Hons) Degree in Home Economics at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh and then progressed to achieve an MA in Textile studies at The Scottish College of Textiles (which now we know as Heriot-Watt College. She then studied for a teaching degree at Strathclyde University for a Postgraduate Degree in Education. Being a new teacher in the school can be a rather odd experience, so we felt it was important to ask how she was settling in. Her reply was: “Fantastic and challenging.”

In addition to developing her teaching skills, Miss Mitchelmore says she “hopes to be an excellent teacher and member of the team”

We also asked her what she likes do in her spare time however unfortunately the outcome was that she doesn’t have any spare time.

When asked if she felt that she was welcomed into the school she replied positively saying that:

“It was excellent and it felt as if the school, staff and pupils were like her second family.”

Glad to hear that Miss Mitchelmore has settled in well and we hope that she achieves her goals at EHS!

One of our many S6 committees this year- Team Xtreme, which organizes S1 and S2 activities, held an Xtreme Limbo event for the new first years at lunch time last week.
Different registration classes competed against each other in a sort of organized chaos for a well deserved prize.

There was an impressive turn out, the majority being boys, keen to show their competitive edge. As the bungee rope was lowered more S1’s were knocked out, until there were only three- Aden, Joe and Martin. They all did very well and impressed us with their skill which led to a joint win by Aden and Joe.

Thanks to Mr. Westgarth for his expert judging skills and to Team Xtreme for organizing the fun filled lunch time.

The impressive backdrop of Thirlestane Castle saw one of our young athletes in action again last Sunday on the 10 th anniversary of this popular race by Lauder Limpers. The sun shone and conditions underfoot were perfect for both races around the castle grounds.

Kerry Sandilands ran the race in a very impressive time of 11 minutes 48 seconds started the afternoon well for Gala Harriers and took the first place in the junior race for girls.

S1 pupils were really exercising their brains in their activities at the Tree of Knowledge presentation. Caitlin said, “Today I have learned that you should always believe in yourself and always try to work in a team.” The presentation gave the students lots of interesting information about how the brain works. In teams they were set various tasks which required positive thinking, good communication and a “can do” attitude. Aaron was really enthusiastic, “Today has been great fun. I learned a lot about how the brain functions. The team challenges really put your thinking skills to the test.” Pupils were not the only ones to benefit from the presentation. In the evening, S1 parents were equally enthusiastic and positive. Colin for Tree of Knowledge gave parents a snap-shot of the morning’s pupil presentation and lots of helpful tips for supporting the youngsters with their learning.

There were no arrows flying about but there has been lots of discussion. At the moment all S4, S5 and S6 students are setting themselves targets to achieve in their exams. The seniors have completed these as part of their Review and reports will be issued during the week beginning 6 th October. Teachers have helped the students think about their targets and the strategies they could use to achieve them. Miss Strong’s assembly on Monday focussed on the importance of aiming high and having goals and ambitions. Determination was a quality the students felt was required, as well as a positive attitude and obviously hard work!

Monday 6 th October - Start of S4 Work Experience Week

Wednesday 8 th October - S4 Parents’ Evening

Tuesday 21 st October - S3/4 Study Skills Evening

Wednesday 29 th October - Disco for S1 and S2

Friday 31 st October - School photographs

Friday the 12 th of September was an opportunity to celebrate the fantastic achievements of some our 6 th year students in a special assembly. The 1 st years and parents of the dux medallists were invited to attend as well as the parents of the heads of school.

After an introduction from Miss Strong, the head girl Emily Eaton-Turner, who was elected by her peers and teachers, gave an impressive speech outlining the experience of sixth year. Next up was the depute head boy Gavin Robertson, who talked eloquently about the privileges of being a sixth year. Depute head girl Louise Graham then gave a humorous talk about the responsibilities of being a sixth year, which received many laughs from the audience (at the expense of a few teachers!). Head boy Andrew Deans gave the last of the sixth year speeches which was inspirational and informative.

There was a special guest appearance from the newly-retired deputy rector (and new grandfather) Mr Weierter whose amazing service to the school for many years was acknowledged and applauded. He had the honour of awarding the heads of school with certificates to show their achievements. Furthermore he handed out the dux medals to 9 pupils who accomplished the feat of 5 or more As at Higher level. These hard working people were Ailsa Aitkenhead, Georgia Aitkenhead, Eleanor Barton, Martin Bell, Karen Leung, Colin Rooney, Amy Stevenson, Faye Walker and Robert Wyllie. Many congratulations again to them! His last duty was to hand out the class rep badges for both 1 st and 6 th year. Our year is very well represented on the S6 pupil council by Bethany Sharp and Richard Ferguson (6A) Calum Brodie and Kelly Bleasdale (6B), Leanne Paterson and Martin Bell (6C) Eleanor Barton and Neil Vint (6D).

The event was finished off by a hilarious speech from Mr Weierter which reminded us what a valuable member of the school he was! We wish him well in all his future ventures and good luck to the heads of school who have started off the year very strongly. We wish all the best to every school pupil!

By Rebecca Elsdon and Georgia Aitkenhead

We have been lucky enough to have not just one but two new faces joining our press committee in the last fortnight. Calum Brodie, who you may have seen in last week’s columns, has ambitions of becoming a sports writer and enjoys rugby and music. I spoke to Calum about joining the press group. “I feel the press committee is a good way to kick start my career in sports journalism and hopefully this will be the beginning of the road for me!” Another addition to the group is Justine Blask, who hopes to be a fashion designer. Justine enjoys singing, dancing and appreciating good music! Look out for articles from both in coming weeks!

The halls at Earlston High School were alive again with the Sound of Music last week as Principal teacher of music at Earlston (and director of the school shows) Mr Thompson announced the cast list for the summer show! The problem of Maria has finally been solved in the form of sixth year Jessica Hardwick! Angus Yellowees will be assuming the role of Captain Georg Von Trap, whilst Daniel Wilson will be playing Rolf. Our very own Aimee Hislop will be taking on the role of the Mother Abbess and Emma Finnan will be playing Liesel. I spoke to Jessica, who, ever the modest one, was shocked at winning the role! “I’m really excited about doing it and can’t to work with all the children! It’s one of my favourite musicals and I used to watch the video when I was little!” Jessica told us her favourite song in the show is Doe a Deer – which luckily, was one of the audition songs! “I’m sure it will be a really great musical as it’s a very strong cast! I just hope I can do the part and all the wonderful songs justice!” Well we know you can Jessica, and all will be out in force next June to see you and the rest of the cast in this fantastic must see!

A few weeks ago, 30 pupils of fifth year students descended once more on Springwood Park in Kelso to attend the annual S5 Safe in T Park event. Reminiscent of flocks of well behaved sheep they wandered around the various group events. They included (things) such as Drinking and Driving, Fire Safety, Housing, Panel Question Time, Healthy Eating, First Aid, Coping with Stress, Drugs and Alcohol, Road Policing and Sexual Health. The main emphasis of Safe T in the Park was the personal safety and it was very much a fun and informative day and a great time was had by all. It would also look very positive on their Curriculum Vitae.

On Tuesday the 9 th of September, Earlston under 15’s rugby team endured a closely fought encounter against an impressive Jedburgh side. The Earlston side managed to produce an impressive display of skills and determination to defeat both the opposition and the testing conditions. After going behind to an early score, Earlston bounced back through a Tolland try after good build up play by Chalmers. The side then went on to take the lead, Tolland again showing a good turn of pace to intercept a loose pass and sprint home from 50 metres. However after the halftime interval Jed bounced back with a try to take the score to 12-10 in favour of the home team. Then, with 5 minutes remaining on the clock, Cammy Scott crossed over for the visitors to ensure that the celebrations belonged to Earlston.

The Assembly Hall was ablaze with dazzling colours last week between the 17 th and 18 th of September from 6pm to 8pm and similarly at Earlston lunchtimes, as our annual art display was held in which Higher and Advanced Higher students were given the fine chance to exhibit their stunning work.

It was great to see our work again, having been returned safely back from the SQA after marking and equally, allowed us to understand how much we have developed since then before the summer holidays. After countless hours of working worriedly after school in order to meet vital deadlines, we finally were able to see what it was all for, stand back and admire the view!

A varied group attended, consisting of parents, members of the public and fellow art students, not to mention a substantial number from other schools in the Borders, being able to take worthy inspiration for their own oncoming exams next year. All were impressed of the high standard of work being produced and it was deemed a very useful way for students aspiring to pursue a career in art or design at university or college in understanding exactly how much work was required for those time consuming portfolios!

Of course, we were certainly sure to grab a quick complimentary coffee and biscuit amongst the excitement!

The school was open very late prior to the show, our teachers Miss Thoday, Mr Kelly and Mrs Burnside worked tirelessly the night before in effort to make our art look presentable, and indeed it did, not quite The Louvre, but proper little gallery all the same! Undoubtedly a shame to be missed!

By Aimee Leigh Hislop

The annual exhibition of work from Earlston High School’s Art and Design students is open to the public. The display showcases the talents of the senior students who have achieved Higher and Advanced Higher in this year’s exams. And what a creative and talented group they are! Come and see for yourself. The exhibition is open between 6pm and 8pm and for two nights only, Wednesday 17 th and Thursday 18 th September. The painting in the photograph is by Joanna Scott. She is now about to begin studies at Dundee College of Art.

Miss L Watson is the latest addition to the Business Studies Department; bringing another fresh face to Earlston High School. Originating from the great town of Galashiels, she studied an MA (Hons) Degree in Business Management at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and after 4 years of hard work, graduated successfully. After Edinburgh, Miss Watson re-located to Glasgow to complete her PGDE at Jordanhill. As being a new teacher in the school can be a rather odd experience, it was important to ask how she was getting on. Her reply was: “I’m really enjoying it! It is a very friendly school.”

That’s what we like to hear!

In addition to developing her teaching skills to the best they can be, Miss Watson hopes to achieve more experience in teaching Business Studies.

In her spare time she enjoys singing. In fact, she is involved in the Galashiels Operatic Society – perhaps she is Gala’s answer to Katherine Jenkins! She also enjoys socialising and meeting new people.

Miss Watson was very positive and to add more pleasing comments, when asked if her welcome was satisfactory she replied:

“Not only have my department been extremely supportive, but the whole school, staff and pupils have made me feel very welcome.”

Glad to hear that Miss Watson is settling in well and we hope that she achieves her goals at EHS!

The time for receiving the nerve-wracking Human Papilloma Virus injection is drawing nearer. Girls aged 12-13 will be offered a vaccine that will help shield them against the two main causes of cervical cancer. Furthermore girls aged 16-17 will receive the first of three injections on Tuesday the 16 th of September. This will be followed up by the other two remaining injections later on in the year. If you’ve left school however there’s no need to worry as you can arrange to get this vaccine through an appointment with your local NHS. These injections combined with constant smear tests are aiming to reduce the number of cases of cervical cancer. Don’t worry too much about the injection gals, just grin and bear it!

Earlston was alive with, yes that’s it you guessed it, ‘The Sound of Music,’ last week. There seemed to be the faint and slightly eerie, yet somewhat unmistakable murmurings of ‘Doe a Deer,’ floating aimlessly back and forth through the corridors wherever one went. Perhaps I’m exaggerating a little, either way it was most positively driving everyone round the bend!

Nerves heightened ceaselessly as children from S1 – S6 anxiously approached the school assembly hall where the perilous auditions took place. Some have gone through this process in the past, but other brave contenders were trying out for the first time. The auditions weren’t really that scary, as some would imagine. Instead they were rather enjoyable and a real learning curve, proving a great way to build confidence and find out what you’re made of! It can be a real scary prospect for some: getting up in front of your peers and teachers and delivering lines and song, so a huge congratulations to all of you who had the confidence to give it a bash.

It was a fantastic turn out to say the least. Some 54 first years auditioned for a few children’s roles, (some impressive little youngsters proving a strong year group for Earlston’s future musicals too) and around 20 of our boys gave their all to the classic ‘Edelweiss,’ and 42 girls tried to solve that problem of Maria.

There were some call backs and some of us even went off to boot camp with “Simon”, ahem, sorry, Mr Thomson until the cast could be revealed to the choir on Friday lunchtime.

Aimee Leigh Hislop

Yet again, 6 th years enjoyed the workshops run by Tree of Knowledge and Gav (the workshop leader). Having thoroughly enjoyed Tree of Knowledge in 5 th year we were all looking forward to this year’s experience. The Tree of Knowledge is essentially about team building, encouraging group thinking, discussion and leadership skills. The company work with primary and secondary pupils as well as with a variety of other organizations and groups. At our workshop, some of the tasks were purely mental while others had a physical aspect. Most of them involved heated discussions and much hilarity. Mr. Clarke one of our Depute Rectors, spoke to Gav who said, “The S6 students have been a fantastic group to work with and I fully expect them to take a leading role in school in a very effective way.” The feedback from the students was equally positive as we thought Gav had been fantastic and everyone had thoroughly enjoyed the session.

A sea of blue descended on Kelso’s Springwood Park to attend The Higher Education Conference last week, where pupils got to meet face to face with representatives from many of Scotland’s Universities and Colleges. It was a chance to collect a variety of prospectus and get answers to the numerous questions which we had been deliberating over for many weeks.

There were 87 EHS pupils in total, 8 of whom were fifth years who are interested in Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine. Schools present at the morning session along with Earlston were Jedburgh Grammar, Eyemouth High School, Duns High School and Peebles High School. Roughly 30 universities and colleges were there including a stand from Careers Scotland.

Overall we found it a great experience which gave us plenty of information to help us along the way to the careers we wanted to pursue in the future.

Mrs McDonald (one of the school’s Depute Rectors) accompanied the students, and stated that “It was a really useful and informative session - a great way to introduce the students to the various universities. I was really impressed by the students and their positive attitude to the event.”

Thanks to the hard work of staff and students of Earlston High School and Knowepark Primary School and the generosity friends and family the charity has been working for the last two years and has now raised enough money for the construction of three new classrooms, a library, a staff room and an office. (Last year alone they raised over £8000.) Though not completed, these buildings will soon be serviceable and will provide much needed shelter from the elements from the start of this new school year in Ghana.

Miss G Simpson is the new geography teacher who is covering Mrs Harvey-Jamieson’s maternity leave. Originally from Cheltenham she left a teaching post in Glasgow to join the Earlston High School team. Miss Simpson studied MA Geography with Business at the University of Glasgow. When asked how she was finding EHS she replied,
“Very good, lovely pupils, well organised department and nice staff.”

She hopes to improve her teaching technique over the coming year. In addition to this she wishes to help her pupils succeed in their exams and achieve good grades. Miss Simpson hopes that her pupils enjoy geography and use the skills learnt in the future. In her spare time she enjoys shopping, swimming and yoga (although she claims she isn’t very good!) However her number one hobby is travelling (useful given that she’s a geography teacher!) She finished the interview by telling us that the staff were very welcoming at all levels.

Hopeful university applicants were out in force last Wednesday for the annual university information evening at Earlston High School. The programme of events was kick started by Miss Strong who outlined the school support structure, next up was a fascinating talk by a representative from Edinburgh University – Neil Bradley (school liaison officer) -, who gave an animated presentation about general university life including finance advice, course choice and how to choose the right university for you. Also included were very informative presentations from past pupils Andrew Mitchell, former Earlston High School Head Boy, who spoke about his amazing three months spent in Mangu last year and Helen Phillips who after going to university, found that it was not the right choice for her. After two years out working, is now about to start her nursing career. Helen made it clear that although university is a common choice for a lot of pupils, it is not always the right choice for the individual and that through her two years out she was able to develop life skills which she feels she would otherwise not have gained if she had stayed at university. The final talk of the evening was given by Rebecca Wade, whose daughter currently attends Napier University. Rebecca spoke about the discussions which took place in her household which lead to her daughter taking a year out to develop further experience in music – her chosen subject. This year out helped her daughter to have a fantastic first year at university. We spoke to current Head Girl; Emily Eaton Turner who attended the event. “It was great to hear about what benefits gap years can bring as the latter part of the evening focused on this. However the first part of the evening was most relevant to me personally as I am intending to go straight from school to university. All in all, a very informative and worthwhile evening!”

We have a fresh addition to our Modern Studies Department this term, a young teacher named Mr MacLachlan. Eventually, I managed to catch up with him amongst his very busy schedule for a wee natter, just to learn a tad about the fellow.

Mr MacLachlan comes from Glasgow, having previously taught there after studying politics at the University of Glasgow. I would imagine it a significant change being down here in the Borders in our rather rural area, among the bonny fields and sheep!

Having just settled in by the end of this year and knowing how to get to the staff room for the quick coffee break, the unfortunate chap will be uprooted not dissimilar to our old school and be back to square one with everyone else, getting to grips with the newly built Earlston High. The fun never stops!

When asked how he was enjoying Earlston High School he enthusiastically retorted, ‘A blast!’ He described the staff as very helpful and friendly and children as brilliant, all being extremely polite. Poor bloke doesn’t know what he’s let himself in for, does he? Not only does he teach the young ones in their S1 studies, but all the way up to S6 taking them for Advanced Higher - not having any favourites as yet, I’ll keep you posted.

Initially, when asked what he liked to do in his spare time he modestly didn’t reveal much, later going on to confess he was somewhat partial to a spot of sailing (better get himself a pond) and particularly enjoyed all sorts of music, especially when live.

He believes education is simply getting better and better having continued to steadily improve since his own school years.

Earlston wishes Mr MacLachlan the very best at his new post, hoping it proves a fulfilling and enjoyable experience.

A brand spanking new committee has been added to an already lengthy list for S6 students to participate in this academic year. So, hello and welcome to the ‘Press Group!’

A short while before the summer holidays six lucky individuals, including myself, were given the fine privilege of writing a weekly slot in the Border Telegraph and to become part of the first ever press group at Earlston High School, a date to remember! Definitely one for the calendars! And about time too! Unexpectedly, despite having been part of the school a considerable length of time, our group came to realise that we didn’t know each other terribly well and now all deem that this is an excellent chance to get to know one another, a proper bonding experience! I thought I’d give you a little insight on our sundry lot, just in case you come to ponder who on earth it is blethering on from week to week!

So here goes - first of all, we have Georgia Aitkenhead who particularly enjoys jamming on her saxophone (watch out for her street performing in Edinburgh!) and doing art and design, something she may choose to take further in later years. Next there’s Ashleigh Dodds who also takes great pleasure in music, delighting especially in instruments such as drums and guitar. She would be keen to study law in the future. Rebecca Elsdon ‘luv’s a good game of tennis now and then and takes a good deal of interest in fashion. She is also curious as to how we all tick and so would enjoy becoming a psychologist. Bethany Sharp loves to ride her own horse, particularly on the Melrose ride-outs. She participates in dance every Saturday and is equally partial to a tad music here and there. As a future career she considers journalism, coincidentally this committee suitably serving perfect practice for just that! Rebecca Young is rather keen on sport, being a keen gymnast. In addition she runs and is part of the ‘Gala Harriers.’ Let’s all hope she doesn’t get mad and chase you. She will catch up. I personally love performing of all sorts including singing, dancing and acting and thus believe media is a tremendous avenue from these hobbies. To receive a wage for something for which I have such passion and find so enjoyable would be an absolute dream in the future. So that’s us! Each week we shall strive to reveal just a fraction of events that occur in our busy little school, to mention them all would be somewhat of a rather large novel!

A sea of blue descended on Earlston last week as the new sixth years took their place at the top of the school. Clad in instantly recognisable bright blue jumpers bearing the sixth year logo, which this year was designed by Vikki Henderson, we quickly settled in to our new blue and yellow common room. Already “mug wars” have begun and copious quantities of coffee and tea have been drunk! Pleasant card games have quickly descended into extreme ‘Uno’ matches, lunchtime rugby on the PS2 has become a regular fixture, and this week we welcomed the arrival of the new fridge! In between all the excitement, we have been finding time to fit in Prefect responsibilities – which includes canteen duty, first year link duty and ‘Common room police!’ - , committee work, meeting our buddies and the occasional Higher or Advanced Higher essay!!

THE Olympics may be over but two of the school’s young athletes were out on show competing recently in events around Scotland. Rebecca Caswell in S2 was selected by her club – Edinburgh Athletic – to run at Grangemouth stadium to compete in the Scottish Young Athletes League Final. She competed in the 100m and the 4x 100m relay. She ran very well in the 100m and ran a proud time of 13.64 seconds, with a hard tasking of running into a head wind and managed to win the gold medal! Her relay team also came an impressive 5 th, so well done to all the girls. Overall her club won 50 points and have gained a place at Manchester on the 7 th of September to compete in the Young Athletes League Finals.

Dan Purves in S3 recently competed at the Scottish Athletics Championships also held at Grangemouth last weekend. Following a very successful summer, running on the Borders Athletics circuit and winning approximately £400 in prize money and several trophies, his coach, PE teacher Mr Renwick, entered him into the National Competition, competing in the under 15s boys 1,500m. Dan qualified for the final finishing second in his heat. Dan managed an impressive 5 th in the final with a personal best of 4 minutes 33.2 seconds. It was a striking display of cunning from the Earlston pupil in his first amateur event and Dan has one more year in the under 15s age group. Congratulations to both Rebecca and Dan on their latest success!

Mr McLean delivered the traditional ‘UCAS assembly’ to the sixth year on Friday. This gave the students a clear understanding of how to apply to university and use the UCAS Apply 09 system. There are no more paper copy applications – it’s all completed on-line. Each student was given a pack of resources to kick start their application process. This included a list of UCAS deadlines, tips on how use the on-line Apply system and sample personal statements. Each student has a referee from the senior management team, who is on hand to answer questions, help with decision making and generally assist with the application process.

Parents are invited to an information evening on Wednesday 3 rd September. The evening will include a talk from a representative from Edinburgh University on choosing a course and a university and advice on finance. There will also be a talk from a former pupil about university life.

Staff welcomed students back to school last Tuesday and a particularly warm welcome was extended to new pupils. 154 first years waited eagerly and nervously to start their secondary school education and were welcomed by Miss Strong and the senior management team in a short assembly. Then it was off to registration and the first lesson of the day. By lunchtime, and even at the end of the day, they were still smiling!

After being chosen from five (very enthusiastic) teams willing to participate, our team of Jack Brydon, Ben Cunningham, Ciaran Hogg and Andrew Ogilvie attended this at Heriot Watt University, Riccarton as one of 20 teams. The morning chemical problem was the “Mystery of Salty Towers” which involved solving a crime using Chemistry (CSI eat your heart out!). The afternoon “University Chemical Challenge” was equally interesting and our team was unlucky by being on 1.5C away from the answer – all in all an excellent introduction to the relevance of Chemistry in all our lives.

Sports Academy this year was a residential course at Inverclyde National Sports Centre in Largs. The course ran from 10 th – 13 th August 2008 and a number of pupils from Earlston High School were selected to attend:

Ben Chalmers Boys Football
Aaron Lynch Boys Football
Sam Conington Boys Football
James Conington Boys Football
Natalie Bryce Girls Football
Elliot Ruthven Cricket
Richard Taylor Cricket
Ali Kontothanassis Hockey
Ali Mather Hockey
Jessica Bennett Tennis
Ailsa Jackson Tennis
Lauren McCulloch Tennis
Philip Addison Tennis
Amy Fraser Swimming
Rebecca Caswell Athletics

On the Monday afternoon the pupils took part in a speed and agility workshop and in the evening they watched a film. On the Tuesday night they took part in a Quiz and X-Factor.

The Academy was a very enjoyable experience for all the pupils and the coaching staff. The athletes worked extremely hard during all the sessions, their attitude on and off the pitch was first class and they were a credit to their Schools.

Congratulations to the newly elected Head Boy, Head Girl and their Deputes: Andrew Deans, Emily Eaton-Turner, Gavin Robertson and Louise Graham. Elected by their peers and staff at the end of last session, the four sixth years are excited about the challenges of the year ahead. Here’s some info about them.

Andrew lives in Melrose and attended Melrose Grammar School. He achieved a successful set of results in the recent SQA exams and is hoping to build on his four Highers (English, Physics, Business Management and History) by studying two of these subjects at Advanced Higher and adding another Higher. Andrew hopes to study Economics or Law at university. ‘It’s an honour to represent Earlston High School as Head Boy and I am looking forward to the challenges of the year ahead’. As well as enjoying photography and cross- country running, Andrew has established a small web and graphic design business. He enjoys creating and updating online presences for local small businesses. Obviously a budding entrepreneur!

Head Girl is Emily Eaton Turner, also from Melrose. Emily hopes to study medicine and achieved five Highers in the recent exams (Biology, Chemistry, Maths, English and Modern Studies). This session she is taking three Advanced Highers: Chemistry, Biology and Modern Studies. Emily also finds time to enjoy sport and she plays hockey for the school XI, has represented the South district and also plays National League hockey for Fjordhus Melrose. Earlier this year, she completed her Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award and is now working towards her Gold Award.

Assisting Emily and Andrew are their Deputes, Gavin and Louise. Gavin lives in Earlston and studied five Highers last year. His success in these has motivated him to continue with Biology and Chemistry at Advanced Higher level. He is also studying Higher Business Management and hopes to go on to study medicine at university.

He’s ‘looking forward to the privileges of being Depute Head Boy, but also to the challenges and responsibilities the post brings.’ Gavin is a keen sportsman, playing golf, tennis and rugby for Gala Wanderers. He also manages to fit in a part time job at the Hoebridge Inn in Gattonside.

Louise is also from Earlston and achieved four Highers: History, Modern Studies, Maths and English. This session she has added Higher Business Management and continues to study History and Maths at Advanced Higher. Next year she hopes to study either Accountancy or Classical Studies at University. In her spare time, Louise helps out at Lauder Guides as a Young Leader, enjoys running and tennis. She too is ‘looking forward to 6 th Year and to representing the school.’

S6 students are working enthusiastically in their new roles as Buddies to the new first years. Volunteers from the sixth years have been linked to first years from their old primary in a new system to help ease the transition from primary to secondary. Last week, each first year was given a welcome card to introduce them to their Buddy. The sixth years are available to chat to their buddies at registration and in Social Education. They provide a friendly face in the crowd and will offer support to the new pupils.

There was also a great debate ‘Question Time’ style of activity. In the morning, senior pupils discussed school related issues: exams, uniform, the budget cuts, Scottish qualifications etc. In the afternoon, they had the opportunity to challenge three panellists with their questions: Miss Strong, our Headteacher; Mr Glenn Rodger, the Director of Education and Ms Barbara Irvine from the Scottish Qualifications Authority. This session encouraged pupils to be effective contributors as they asked very demanding and thought-provoking questions. There was a healthy debate and our thanks to the panellists for allowing themselves to be put on the spot.

In the entrance hall of the school, there’s a huge display of photographs and it has attracted the attention of pupils, staff and visitors this week. Many thanks to Miss Clark and her team for organising such a superb day. When will we have another?

Six pupils from S3 and S4 (Rebecca Caswell, Gillian Howieson, Megan Rowlands, Rachel Aitken, Sarah Cruikshank and Kathleen Long) represented Earlston High School in the Borders Mathematics Enterprise Competition on 24th June 2008.

In preparation for the competition, they spent many lunch hours preparing a Power Point Presentation on John Napier, a famous Scottish Mathematician, and other ‘Maths Champions of the World’. Naturally, this was accompanied by the legendary song ‘We Are The Champions’ by Queen.

On the day, Ms. Stewart accompanied the team to Galashiels Academy. There were four rounds to the competition and great fun was had by all, especially when Kathleen fell off her chair during instructions for the Relay Contest (obviously the excitement was too much for her!).

The team worked well together and were narrowly beaten into 3rd place by Selkirk High in the final round by only 8 points. Well done to the winners, Galashiels Academy. We’ll be back…

Marcus Sedgwick, author of hugely successful adventure and thriller stories, came into school last Friday to speak to second year students. Mr Sedgwick shared some of his experiences of being a writer and gave students an insight into what it is like being an author. He also shared some writing tips with the students and hopefully they’ll be able to use some of these in their English work next session.

Last week, Mr McLean took two sets of visitors to the new school site. The first ever set of pupils to visit the site went on Wednesday lunchtime and came back all enthusiastic and excited. The group was from the school’s Eco- committee and Rebecca is writing a detailed report on the visit, which we’ll publish after the holidays.

The other group was the Italian visitors to Earlston as part of the town’s twinning links with Capella Maggiore. They were also very impressed and amazed at the sheer size and scale of the building. The Italians were also interested to hear how the three high schools were being funded and Mr McLean explained the PPP project.

David from Donaldson’s Butchers in Earlston spoke to pupils in Hospitality classes on Wednesday 25 June. The third years benefited from David’s expertise regarding barbeque foods and safety. The fifth and sixth year Hospitality class was given a lesson on knife care.

Mrs Morton, Principal Teacher of Home Economics said, ‘David had all the students spellbound. They were totally entertained with lots of interesting stories and useful tips.’ The lessons were so enjoyable and beneficial that David has been asked to visit the Home Economics department again. We look forward to his next lesson.

The new sixth years are already thinking about their plans for further and higher education and it’s never too soon to start thinking about life after Earlston High. In Social Education, visiting speakers from Edinburgh and Strathclyde universities have given presentations about preparing applications for UCAS, the Universities and College Admissions Service.

Edinburgh university’s presenter gave an interesting talk about the range of courses available at any one university. Even with a subject like History, for example, there is a huge range of courses to choose from: Ancient History and Classical Archaeology; Ancient Civilisations of the Mediterranean and Middle East; Scottish Historical Studies; Celtic and Scottish Studies; Economic History; Ancient History with Linguistics…. the list is endless. It was certainly food for thought and highlighted the need for everyone to start researching the different courses as soon as possible.

To help with their research into different universities, the second presentation from Strathclyde focused on getting the most out of university open days. Pupils are encouraged to find out as much as possible about the universities and to ask questions to existing students. Open days often give pupils a chance to attend a lecture, see round the students’ union, the residences and meet lecturers. At Earlston, we encourage sixth years to select up to three open days to attend.

It’s a nail biting time for all students (and probably their parents) as they await the results of their exams. The important date that no –one can forget is the 5 th August because this is results day. Every candidate will receive their results in the post on the 5 th August, but they have the opportunity to receive their results electronically by email or text. This is in addition to the posted set and is only available to the students who have registered with mysqa.com. They must register before 17 July and will need their Scottish Candidate Number. The texts or emails will be sent between 8 and 9am on Tuesday 5 th August.

The Border Schools Tennis Championships were held at Kelso High School and Kelso Orchard Tennis Club on 17 th June 2008. The girls played Hawick in their first game. Both Earlston couples started off very strong and the first couple beat Hawick 5-1 and the second couple also beat their opponents 5-1. Next up The Berwickshire High School. Our second pairing of Katie Addison and Jessica Bennett were on court first. This was a very even game, the Earlston girls finally losing in a tie break. The first couple, Lauren and Claire McCulloch secured Earlston’s place in the semi-final with a 5-0 win over their opposition. As winners of their section Earlston then faced Selkirk High School in the semi final, winning both games 5-3 and 5-4 and in a competitive final the Earlston girls proved worthy winners, narrowly beating The Berwickshire High School by one game.

Two teams of S4 students and their robots competed against 60 other teams at Selex in Edinburgh last Saturday. There were four events: assault course, sumo, tug of war and football. Each event tested the students’ driving skills and the versatility of their robots. Joe Bell and Duncan McClements notched up some of the fastest times of the day in the assault course. Joe’s driving skills, along with those of Robert Lindsay, Jacob Fordyce and Albert Watson, also showed in the football competition. The boys teamed up with Peebles High for the football and came first. Tremendous! The other EHS team – Calum McGee, Rogan Inglis and Duncan McClements - also performed well in each of the events. The boys have been building their robots over the last eight weeks and it was terrific to see them show such enthusiasm and skill at Saturday’s event. The teams would like to thank Mr Fordyce and Mr Inglis for helping them with transport and to Mr Hall for painting the robots. Plans are already underway to modify the robots for even better performances next year. The teams are very committed, hard working and determined. At Saturday’s event EHS came second overall out over sixty teams. Well done and good luck for next session.

Over the last few weeks members of the Maths department have been visiting the local primary schools. The teachers found this really enjoyable and were very impressed by the way the primary seven pupils tackled the ‘Badges’ investigation. The visit gave the P7s an opportunity to meet the high school Maths teachers and the department is looking forward to welcoming the pupils on the two day visit and then in August.

Representatives from Graham Construction were in school on Friday to speak to all S2, 3 and 4 pupils about the new school construction site. This was part of the pupils’ introduction to the new school, but also an information session to ensure they are mindful of the dangers of the site, especially as we approach the summer holidays.

There will be plenty of opportunities for pupils to formally and safely visit the site in the coming session. Next week the Eco- Schools Committee will be the first of these pupil groups.

On Wednesday 4 th June we welcomed back our senior students after their study leave. Both the new S5 and S6 were off timetable for the day and took part in various induction presentations and team challenges. It was a packed programme for both year groups.

The fifth years were treated to a motivational session with the Tree of Knowledge presenters. As always, this is an energetic and enjoyable part of the day. The students threw themselves into the different challenges with great enthusiasm. Routes 2 Success also provided an interesting workshop, which asked pupils to think about their options beyond school. The two presenters, Rachel and Gayle, challenged the students to think about the various options open to them and gave them valuable information to help them plan for success.

The sixth years were keen to know what challenges faced them as the most senior students. 99 students are staying on for a sixth year at EHS and Miss Strong and the senior management team welcomed them back to school. The Heads of School for 07/08 returned to give some advice to the new year group and they were joined by other members of last session’s S6 to share thoughts on their own S6 experience.

The English department is encouraging all pupils to have an extra hunt in their homes for any books that belong to department. It’s a ‘no questions asked’ return of books, so it doesn’t matter if you are in S5 and have had a copy of ‘Danny The Champion of the World’ since first year! Please have a look and return the books to Miss Allison.

Last week was the final visit of S4 pupils to the Scottish Parliament. They put MSPs Christine Graham and Jeremy Purvis through their paces in a challenging question time.

This week will see the first year pupils receive their end of year report. Each report contains individual subject reports, when teachers comment on progress and offer advice on how to improve work even further. There’s also an indication of the level of effort the pupils have made, their conduct, presentation of work and of course homework. This is the first full report the S1 pupils have received as their earlier report was interim and gave brief comments about how they had settled into the challenges of high school.

With the report is an information sheet, which explains the different aspects of the subject reports. There is also a reply slip and parents and pupils are encouraged to make a comment. Slips should be returned to register teachers.

On Wednesday and Thursday of last week eighty plus third year pupils from Earlston high School descended on the tranquil surroundings of Wooplaw Community Wood. They were there to carry out fieldwork as part of their Standard grade Biology course. They studied the biotic and abiotic factors associated with habitats ranging from woodlands to grasslands and from streams to ponds and investigated the effects of these factors on their communities. Despite the variable weather the pupils (and staff) had an enjoyable time and gained valuable experience in practical ecology. Highlights of the trips included seeing newts and frogs, barn owls, leeches and of course the barbeque!!

‘Another rapid, called Rabi U, was the biggest ever rapid we’d seen, about 16 km of white frothy water. Shooting down it was awesome! The whole trip was great and we’d love to go again.’

Luckily Mr Woodcock has provisionally booked this trip for next year – unfortunately it’s for next year’s S2 – sorry boys!

Galashiels Academy is hosting the ‘Enterprising Mathematics in the Borders’ Competition on Tuesday 24 th June. We are currently putting together a team comprising of three S3 and three S4 pupils and preparing a Powerpoint presentation on “A Famous Mathematician” for the event. More details to follow soon.

Congratulations to fourth year students, Ali Kontothanassis and Nikki Moffat for being selected to play hockey for the Under 15 South Hockey team. After selection trials at Tweedbank stadium a few weeks ago, at which girls from across the Borders competed for a place in the squad, the two girls were delighted with the news of their selection.

The squad currently train at Tweedbank during the week and on Sunday 25 th May competed in the Inter District Tournament at Peffermill. Congratulations to Ali and Nikki for their selection success and well done for a super tournament on Sunday.

A group of fourth years helped out at Melrose Grammar School’s Sports Day on Tuesday. About fifteen of our Standard Grade P.E. students arrived at Melrose Grammar, all kitted out for the rather dismal weather and eager to help their old primary school have a fun day.

The day was split into two: the first half was sports for the older pupils and the afternoon was devoted to the lower primary age groups. Some EHS pupils helped at the starting line– ensuring everyone had a decent sack in the sack race; no cheating with blu-tac in the egg and spoon; feet behind the line for the sprint etc. etc. Those pupils at the finishing line had the difficult task of making sure the winners received the points for their house and that all participants enjoyed their race.

Showing good humour, a responsible attitude and sporting spirit the EHS students enjoyed their day with the younger age groups. Thank you to Melrose Primary School for asking our pupils along.

The summer show is always a sell out and tickets sell like hot cakes. This year will undoubtedly be the same for this year’s production - ‘Anything Goes’. The show will run for four nights starting on Monday 23 rd June.

Here is the information I am sure you have been waiting for: tickets are released for sale to cast members on Tuesday 10 June and then for general sale on Wednesday 11 th June. They are available from the school office and cost £7 for an adult and £6 for concessions.

Senior students have waited patiently for the end of the exam period. They have endured four weeks of exams, endless weeks of study and now have to cope with two months of worry! Hopefully, in August, they’ll find that the blood, sweat and tears have all been worth it!

When one thing ends though another begins: on Wednesday 4 th June, the new fifth and sixth years return to school for their Induction Day. The day is divided into two sections. The first is a series of presentations and information sessions to help students make the most of their studies and time as senior pupils. The second part of the day is all about team-building, problem-solving and strategic thinking. Watch this space next week to hear how they all coped with the various tasks.

From Monday 12 th May to Friday 16 th May, 31 second year pupils stayed in Carbisdale Castle, which must rank as one of the most impressive Youth Hostels in Europe. The pupils enjoyed a range of exciting outdoor activities in fine weather, including Canoeing down the River Oykel, abseiling down the 100 ft high Clock Tower of the castle, mountain biking down some exciting local forest trails and taking part in an amusing team-building rafting activity. The food and the accommodation were super and the pupils learned much about themselves, their friends and their teachers over the week.

We arrived at the PGL campsite near Enbrum in the Alps, raring to go after a 30 hour bus journey. The weather was spectacular and managed to stay that way for most of the week. Most of our activities took place on the nearby man made lake, where we could be found windsurfing, sailing and kayaking – as well as jumping into the water and trying to get staff as wet as possible! Highlights of the trip included a half day white water rafting down a glacial river, and a trek, carrying backpacks, ending with building our own shelters and sleeping out in the mountains. We also had a half day climbing and abseiling, with nearly everyone braving the drop over an overhang. On Thursday we enjoyed a day exploring the local town of Gap, where sports equipment and chocolate were bought in equal measures. Apart from the night under the stars, we stayed in a tent village, enjoying the excellent food provided by PGL and spending our evenings down by the lake where there was a local café (conveniently showing the football on Wednesday night!), beach and football pitch. On our last night we went bowling in Gap, before a final day splashing around on the lake (this time in the rain) and finally boarding our coach for the journey back home again. It was a spectacular week and one which I’m sure we’ll all remember for a long time.

Nyree, the chairperson of the Yearbook committee, and her committee members have been very busy proof-reading this year’s edition of the S6 Yearbook. The committee has done a fantastic job of putting together a 100 page book, which celebrates their time at Earlston High School.

There are lots of photographs of the different events, reports from the subject classes, amusing wee anecdotes, and gossip, as well as profiles of the individual students. The yearbook will hopefully be available at the Leavers’ Evening on Friday 6 th June. No doubt everyone will be dashing about ensuring they have added autographs from teachers and friends as well as good luck messages to their book.

In workshops over the last two days, all first years have been working with Paul Walker from The Tree of Knowledge. The Successville programme is designed to encourage pupils to make effective contributions and be successful learners. Successville is an interactive workshop and the pupils were really enthusiastic about the different tasks and