December Newletter
Content
Bannerman Update
December 2013
BANNERMAN HIGH SCHOOL
Royal Reception
I've just returned from London having had an unforgettable experience thanks to UNICEF and Bannerman High school. I am honoured to have been asked by UNICEF to attend a Banquet at Buckingham Palace for Youth Education and the Commonwealth and to have been presented to the Queen and Prince Philip: a memory I will cherish. I returned from London having attended the launch of the Queen's Baton Relay 2013 at Buckingham Palace where, along with another 25 other pupils from Bannerman, I was one of the flag bearers for the commonwealth countries. We met with Sir Chris Hoy and Alan Wells, our First minister Alex Salmond and we were part of launching the baton relay around the Commonwealth countries and an exciting lead up to the Commonwealth games in Glasgow in July 2014. This had been such a thrill and an amazing experience. Just before breaking up for our mid-term break the school told me I had been chosen by UNICEF to go back down to London to meet the Queen at this Banquet. I really still couldn't believe this was happening and the reality only struck when the invitation from Her Majesty the Queen inviting Miss Mairead Stevenson to attend the Banquet arrived in the post. My whole family was so excited. We just kept looking at the postmark from Buckingham Palace and my mum has said I need to frame the invitation. Having my official invitation, the next step was getting the dress. If I was to represent Bannerman and UNICEF I had to look the part! Not an easy task to pick the right outfit It's not every day you get to meet the Queen. Eventually Mum and I agreed and we were all sorted on that front. I met with a reporter from the evening times as she wanted to run a piece about me meeting the Queen.
Inside This Issue: Queen’s Baton Relay, Bannerman Baton Bearer, Future Chef, Youth Philanthropy Initiative, Auschwitz, S3 Visit Cordia, Geo Bus, Ready, Steady, Cook,Referendum Conference, Amnesty Group Rugby, Football Development, Swimming, Malawi 2013, Scottish Parliament, Charities,Onesie Day, Young Enterprise, Children In Need, Lord McConnell’s Visit, SCEN, AU News, Santa Dash, Parent Council
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The lunch was on Friday but I had to be at the Palace for 10.30 so I travelled down to London on Thursday and had a bonus day of sightseeing and shopping. I felt like a celebrity as whilst shopping I was speaking to the Palace PR team. They wanted to prepare me in the event I would be interviewed. When I stopped for a juice or a rest I thought about questions I might be asked about UNICEF and the importance of the Commonwealth Games. When Friday morning finally arrived I was excited but really ready for the experience. I had an early breakfast and took a taxi to Buckingham Palace. The sun was shining and Buckingham Palace looked fantastic. Crowds had already gathered outside the Palace and the area in front of the Palace cordoned off for visitors to the Banquet. I had been given a sticker for my taxi which let the driver take me to the front gate. I presented my ticket and passport to the policeman at the gate and proceeded through the palace gates. You can imagine that I was desperate to get my phone out and take some pictures but unfortunately I wasn't allowed. I had to check my phone in at the cloakroom in the palace. What an experience to actually be inside the palace. It was so beautiful particularly the pink sofas with the gold trimming. I made my way into a reception area where we were served drinks. Then the moment arrived. I was going to be presented to the Queen. I can't describe how excited and fortunate I felt to be given this opportunity. I was a bit nervous as I approached the Queen but she had such a dazzling smile and twinkling friendly blue eyes that I immediately felt at ease. It was a real pleasure. After shaking hands with the Queen I moved along the line to shake hands with Prince Philip. He was very friendly and joked with me about having the baton in my suitcase! I then had an opportunity to meet some of the other guests and to talk again with Prince Philip who asked me about my future ambitions and encouraged me to try to travel to further my education. It was also inspiring for me to talk to some of the other guests about their education. I met a girl who was studying Law at Brunel University and had started her own business and a girl from India studying at Cambridge and a young person from Canada working in the Junior Chamber of Commerce. The other guests also represented other countries in the commonwealth. I was happy to be able to share the good work of UNICEF and the excitement for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games The staff in the palace were so welcoming and the Queen and Prince Philip were so warm and friendly that this was an amazing experience. It was a real privilege and honour. I’m hoping that I can continue to have some involvement with UNICEF. I can't thank UNICEF and Bannerman High School for this wonderful experience. I will treasure the memory.
Mairead Stevenson S6
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Queen’s Baton Launch
Wednesday, 9 October 2013. A day I will never forget! Two weeks previously, Mr Reynolds had asked his Higher Accounts class to fill in forms to apply for positions as flag bearers at the Queen’s Baton Launch for the Commonwealth Games 2014. I had not for one moment thought that I would be one of the lucky candidates so imagine my surprise when I received an email from Unicef asking me to be the flag bearer for the Bahamas. Along with twenty three other Bannerman High pupils, Mr Reynolds and Mrs Gardiner, I travelled down to London on the overnight ‘sleeper train’. Not a lot of sleeping was done however as we were too excited as we contemplated what lay ahead. We arrived at Buckingham Palace at 8am and after having passed through the stringent security checks, we were permitted to enter into the grounds of this world-famous building. There, we were introduced to the forty-six teenagers from schools in England and Wales who were to be our fellow flag bearers. In total, there were seventy of us, one to represent each of the nations and territories making up the Commonwealth. As the event was being televised live by the BBC, nothing was being left to chance and for the next hour and a half we were put through our paces. Several trial runs later, we were proclaimed ready for the real thing. As we waited impatiently for the start of the ceremony, we were thrilled when no other than Sir Chris Hoy arrived. To our sheer delight, he chatted to us and posed for photographs. It is not every day that you get the opportunity to meet Great Britain’s most decorated Olympian.
The ceremony, which was attended by a number of specially invited guests and dignitaries, took place in the forecourt of the Palace. As we lined up, flags in hand, we could hear the buzz of excitement and the noise of the crowds of people who were standing outside the Palace gates as they waited enthusiastically for the start of the proceedings. A signal was given and we marched into position either side of a raised platform. A few minutes later, I started to hear bagpipes and drums, a sound which gradually became louder and louder. Soon into sight, came Sir Chris Hoy carrying the all important baton, accompanied by a pipe band dressed in full Highland regalia – a truly magnificent sight. When Sir Chris entered the gates of the Palace, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, walked onto the platform to accept the baton. The Queen was no more than five feet away from me and I remember thinking how fortunate and privileged I had been to be selected. The Queen had written a message to the athletes of the Commonwealth and she placed this message inside the baton. She then passed the baton to Allan Wells, a Scottish, gold medal winning sprinter at the 1980 Olympic Games and then the baton relay began. The baton is to make a 248 day journey around the seventy nations and territories of the Commonwealth before returning to Glasgow for the opening ceremony of the Games on 23 July next year where the Queen will read out the message. We followed the baton as it made its way up the Mall to the cheers and waves of the crowd. In the afternoon, we had been invited to visit the Houses of Parliament by the MP representing Glasgow East, Margaret Curran. We toured the public areas and I recognised the faces of a few MPs I had seen on the television but unfortunately we were unable to go into either of the debating chambers as both the House of Commons and the House of Lords were in session during our visit. Our day ended with a short visit to Covent Garden, my favourite place in London. Being a typical teenage girl, nothing beats a bit of shopping and the next hour or so was happily spent looking around the numerous market stalls and designer boutiques, in search of some souvenirs of the trip. What I enjoy most about Covent Garden however are the street performers who juggle, walk tightropes, ride unicycles and do acrobatic tricks in the hope that you will give them a monetary donation at the end for their efforts. Unfortunately, time had run out and we had to make our weary way back to the station to catch our train home. Despite my very sore feet from all the walking we had done that day and the fact that I was truly exhausted due to my lack of sleep, I felt exhilarated and ecstatic as we talked incessantly about the day’s events the whole way back to Glasgow. Needless to say, my first question to my parents when I got off the train was ‘Did you see me on the television?’ to which the reply was ‘Yes but had we blinked we would have missed you’. I cannot thank Mr Reynolds and Mrs Gardiner enough for arranging this trip for us and I am truly honoured to have been involved in this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I am now looking forward to watching the Games next year and hope that the visitors and the athletes will have a wonderful time in the great city of Glasgow.
Kirstyn Lawson S5
Bannerman Baton Bearer
With the Commonwealth Games fast approaching, we were delighted to hear that Bannerman had secured a baton bearer position for the baton relay. Similar to the Olympic torch, the 2014 Baton is travelling around the Globe and in June of next year will return to Glasgow for a parade across the city before arriving at Celtic Park for the Opening Ceremony on the 23rd July. We decided to open up applications and nominations for this prestigious role to anyone in the school and we had a great turnout - Over 70 people were nominated!! Sports House Captains and our Young Ambassadors then had the tough task of narrowing this list down. After reading all the applications, they were still unable to decide and requested 5 people to come back for an interview. The following young people were highly commended in their application and interview: Cameron Quinn (S6) Cameron Carey (S4) Liam Mortimer (S3)
But on the day our senior pupils were bowled over by two individuals. Kirsty McIntyre in S2 was selected as Bannerman’s very own Baton Bearer and Darren McKay (S5) is the reserve. Kirsty was delighted to be chosen and what was more humbling is that Kirsty was nominated by her peers. In their nomination, Kirsty’s friends said she would be an ideal person for the role. Here is the nomination for Kirsty. You will get to know Kirsty over the coming months as her role will begin long before she receives the baton. She will help fuel our excitement for the games and will be promoting the Commonwealth around the school. Well Done Kirsty!!
Mrs Cook
Future Chef
The dishes prepared one late afternoon in early November could easily have fitted in to a busy restaurant’s menu in the city centre. What was going on? It was of course the school heat for the 2013 Future Chef competition, which is an amazing competition giving young people the chance to find out what it’s really like to be a chef. The school heat is the first stage of the four-staged competition, culminating in the Na tional Final in London to be held in March 2014. The challenge was to cook a hot main course, within one hour and to a budget of £5.00, and they definitely rose to the challenge! We had so many fantastic dishes to enjoy. Marks were awarded on a variety of culinary skills to include: creativity & presentation, menu balance, composition, taste & flavour and workmanship. As you can imagine, it took the judges much longer than expected, all the dishes really were that outstanding! Unfortunately, only one pupil can go through to the next stage and so ‘congratulations’ go to Carmen Wright (S2) who wowed the judges with her fish goujons, homemade chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce – well done Carmen!
Well done also to the other young chefs: Heather Coyle (S1), Emily Glatly (S2), Chloe Lawson (S1), Nicholas MacDonald (S2), Zoe McGurn (S2) and Emily McKibbin. Heather and Nicolas were our joint runners-up! Carmen will now go on to compete in the Local Finals where she has to prepare and cook a hot main course and hot or cold dessert for two, within a budget of £7.00. I’m sure you will join us in wishing her, the very best of luck and you never know – she may be crowned the much coveted Future Chef winner for 2014! Mrs Gardiner and Mrs McGowan.
YPI
Students at Bannerman High have recently taken part in a Youth Philanthropy Initiative. YPI is an international project designed to support young people in developing community awareness. Students are taught about philanthropy and charity, highlighting the positive impact they can have on their communities. Our S6 students worked in teams to research the needs of their community and identified a local charity which they believe is best placed to make a positive change. They then learned how to assess the charity’s management, strategy, staffing arrangements and services. Possibly the most important aspect of YPI was the site visit students were asked to make to their chosen charity as this allowed them to see first-hand the impact their chosen charity has on their local area. Students were then asked to use their research to make presentations on the reasons that their chosen charity is most deserving of support. Three teams of pupils made it to the YPI final and delivered their presentations to a large audience and a panel of high-profile judges. The presentations were inspiring, exciting and extremely creative. The judges had a very difficult decision to make as one team was to be awarded a cheque for £3000 on the day, to grant towards their chosen charity. The commitment of all our finalists impressed teachers, judges and parents alike. On the day the winning group was Dawn Kelly, Sarah Mulgrew, Jessica Calder and Hayleigh Mullen. Their presentation included an emotional video, live music and their ideas for where the charity could spend the money. The girls were successful in their bid for £3000 to grant to ‘Friends of the Beatson’ and it is hoped this will be used to fund developments in music therapy for cancer patients an area where the girls had a particular interest. All of the presentations were of an exceptionally high standard. The other groups included Alren Reyes, Lauren Sinclair, Emma Ricommini, Rachel Lister, Rebekah Pollock, Georgie Walker, Reece Fallan, Amy Stevenson and Holly Munroe. Ms McDonald
Auschwitz
We arrived in Krakow not sure of what to expect. As the bus picked us up we made our way to visit a Jewish graveyard in Oswiecim. The atmosphere in the graveyard wasn’t the most pleasant I had experienced, due to the fact that there is no caretaker for the graveyard, making it very overgrown and unkempt. This set us off on our tour of the town. Our journey through Auschwitz 1 and 2 showed us many things about just how brutally the Jews were treated in the camps, as we were shown the barracks in which they slept, and we walked through probably the most disturbing place I think I’ve ever been in - the only remaining gas chamber. The scratches down the walls and the unusual smell made things all the worse. This experience taught me just how devastating this was for the Jews and gives me so much more respect for the survivors of this international tragedy. Callum Drummond S6 The first place we visited was the Jewish grave yard. This was to give us some idea of what a thriving Jewish community Oswiecim had once had. The graveyard was very quiet and everyone was extremely respectful. The gravestones had been used as paving stones during the Second World War; I was shocked to hear this as even in death Jewish people had been disrespected. From there we went to Auschwitz, and on arrival had to walk under the infamous sign “Arbeit Macht Frei” which means “Work Sets You Free.” The strong red brick barracks had once been used by Polish solders in the Army, but during the war they were used by prisoners of the camp.
The conditions they lived in were unimaginable, with three levelled bunk beds with up to ten in each level. We were led from building to building looking at the things found after the war. In one display there was a whole glass cabinet filled to the ceiling with human hair. The most poignant part of Auschwitz One was the paintings on the wall of one of the wash rooms. It was of small children laughing and bathing. It struck me as such a bitter irony to what actually took place. The second Auschwitz camp was larger and it spanned for miles, it had had wooden huts instead of brick building. By this point it had begun to get very cold and just the thought of standing in a light pair of uniform ‘pyjamas’ would have been unbearable. The part of Auschwitz I will remember most was when the Rabbi, who had come along on the visit, said a prayer in Hebrew, which had a strong impact on me as it gave me a greater connection to Jewish culture and people. We lit memorial candles that were placed on the railway tracks; this was to remember those who had died. The prayer that the Rabbi recited in Hebrew and English was EL MOLEI RACHAMIM, FOR MARTYRS OF THE HOLOCAUST. O, God full of mercy, Who dwells on High. Grant proper rest on the sheltering wings of Your Divine presence, among the holy and pure who shine lie the brightness of the firmament, for the souls of all the holy and pure and the innocent who were killed, murdered, slaughtered, burned, drowned and strangled at the hands of the Nazi oppressors in Auschwitz, Belzec, Bergen-Belsen, Dachau, Majdanek, Sobibor, Treblinka, and other extermination camps in Europe. We now pray or those souls. May their resting place be in the Garden of Eden. And so may the Master of Mercy shelter them for eternity with the cover of His wings and may He bind their souls in the bond of eternal life. May the Lord be their inheritance, and, may they repose in peace upon their heavenly resting places, and let us say, Amen! Holly Munro S6
S3 Visit to Cordia
Our S3 Health and Food Technology classes visited Cordia, to see how a food production plant works. The pupils were amazed to see that what was involved in large scale catering. The pupils were surprised when they heard that Cordia cater for 71,000 pupils, on a daily basis, in Glasgow’s primary and secondary schools. The pupils were also interested to hear about the work of Encore. This is the branch of Cordia that caters at weddings, events and functions at some of Scotland’s most prestigious venues, including Glasgow City Chambers, The Gallery of Modern Art and Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. This visit has inspired our pupils to design and make a dish that could be served in our Fuelzone. They will now put into action the processes that they learned all about on their visit. Before putting forward their proposal to Cordia they will have to establish that their new product: will be liked by Bannerman pupils, can be manufactured within budget and can be produced on a large scale. We look forward to seeing their new dish in our Fuelzone! We think that those taking part in the BBC programme ‘Teen Canteen’ could have some competition from our pupils. . . Mrs Gardiner
Geo Bus
GeoBus, an outreach project run by the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of St Andrews, visited Bannerman in October this year. They visited the Higher Geography and Intermediate classes to run interactive workshops on rivers, volcanoes and earthquakes. The day quite literally got off to a bang with a workshop on monitoring volcanoes. The ultimate aim of the session was to run an experiment using party poppers to simulate a volcanic eruption. From the data gathered students were asked to form an evacuation plan in which the experiment is repeated to see how well they have done, highlighting to them just how hard it is to predict something as volatile as a volcano. This interactive session gave students the chance to see just what goes into volcano monitoring and predicting volcanoes. They also had the chance to look at equipment that is used by volcanologists such as infra-red cameras and seismometers. Our S4 classes will get the chance to take part in this workshop in February as volcanoes and earthquakes are now part of the new National curriculum. The Higher class worked in teams to create their own river in what was essentially a giant sand pit! As well as having a lot of fun playing with the sand students observed erosion, transportation and deposition in action by using fluvial tanks to simulate the river. Having created their own river networks the students will then had the opportunity to design a settlement next to the river and protect it from the risk of flood
damage and erosion. The workshops were lots of fun but at the same time provided great hands on experience for students which really helped students to grasp some of the trickier concepts that they had been learning about in class. Looking forward to the return of the Geobus! Ms McDonald
Ready, Steady, Cook
A number of fifth and sixth year pupils participated in the Glasgow City Council Culinary Excellence Programme, in conjunction with their Intermediate 2 Hospitality course. The course ran on Tuesday afternoons from the beginning of September to the middle of November. Before taking part in the programme, each pupil experienced a rigorous interview at the hands of Millennium Hotel Operations Manager, Aiden Livingstone and Executive Head Chef – Jean-Paul Giraud. After a successful interview they were given a position on this prestigious course. Pupils gained first hand experience of the hospitality industry, primarily through time spent at The Millennium Hotel. The pupils began the course by speaking to the managers of The Millennium hotel and seeing the chefs in action. From this they learned what it really meant to be a chef as they went through the process of making a starter, main course and dessert while wearing their chef’s whites in the professional kitchen. They also worked in Front of House, gaining experience of what it was like to set a table, serve and how to deal with customers. Pupils also had an early morning visit to Glasgow’s fruit market in order to get a perspective on how hotels and restaurants source their produce. The culmination of this experience was the preparation of a three-course meal in the hotel kitchen. The food was prepared to a very high standard as it was served to parents, staff and various VIPs. Menu Starter – Chicken Terrine, served on a bed of red onion chutney. Main course – Fillet of Salmon with Hollandaise sauce, served with seasonal vegetables. Dessert – Crannachan cheesecake Coffee/tea served with macaroons and tablet. Finally, each pupil who completed the course was awarded a certificate from Glasgow City Council. This certificate acknowledged their participation in this amazing experience. Special mention was made to the following pupils who achieved the top award: Front of House – John Gemmell Kitchen – Emma Gardiner This was a wonderful opportunity for our pupils. You never know we may even have the next Heston Blumenthal or Jamie Oliver in our midst! Mrs Gardiner and Mrs Bain
Referendum Conference
As the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum looms ahead, many of Bannerman’s students will have the opportunity to have a say in Scotland’s future. To help students make up their minds, the Modern Studies department set up our very own Independence Referendum Conference in Bannerman on the 4th of November 2013. The debate featured Labour MP Margaret Curran, Green Party leader Patrick Harvie, SNP MSP Humza Yousaf and Labour Councillor Frank McAveety. The conference was attended by Modern Studies students from S4, S5 and S6. The conference included an introduction from the politicians, a Q and A followed by a vote on the Independence question. The politicians kicked off the conference by introducing themselves and giving their stances on independence. Blair Hughes in S5 began the questions by asking “If there is so much uncertainty and questioning around independence, why should we risk it? This was followed by my own question of “If we sever all relations with the rest of the UK as independence will do, who will we have to rely on if it all goes wrong?” Rhona Blackwood of S6 then asked, “How do we expect to stay in NATO if we have no nuclear weapons?” Kiera MacDonald in S4 rounded off the questions by asking “How would a new Scottish Army be set up without leaving Scotland open to security threats?”
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The politicians made their stances on independence very clear. Pro-union Frank McAveety responded to the topic of the risk of independence with the view that we should not take the risk considering the Yes campaigners argue amongst themselves and do not even know themselves how independence will work in an attempt to sway the audience towards voting no. Proindependence Humza Yousaf responded to my question on the result of independence on our international relations by talking about how we would remain friendly with the rest of the UK and how great the bond is - and still will be after independence - between the nations. Further questions on the topic from myself prompted further emphasis on the ‘strong’ relationship between Scotland and the rest of the UK from the SNP politician. Rhona’s hard hitting question on our NATO membership revealed the strong anti-nuclear stances of Humza and Patrick, we heard them argue that there are already non-nuclear countries that are members of NATO with Harvie adding that he was unsure if he wants Scotland to be a member of international alliances which use nuclear weapons as an method to gain power across the world. Their responses were met with both approval and dissent from the audience, showing the wide range of opinions held here at Bannerman. At the end of the debate, a vote was staged with all the participating students voting either “Yes”, or “No” on Scottish independence, the results were a resounding “No” with 77 of the vote and only 25 voting “Yes”. I’m sure the politicians enjoyed the opportunity to discuss the referendum with Bannerman pupils as much as we did and we are grateful that they could take time out of their busy schedules to come speak to us. The conference proved to be an interesting and worthwhile learning experience for students, potentially influencing the way we will vote in the upcoming referendum and helped to give the politicians a better understanding of the opinions of the young people of Bannerman. By She-Kei Wan, S5.
Bannerman has officially set up its first ever Amnesty International Youth Group within the school. Amnesty International is a non-governmental organisation or charity that was founded in 1961. The aims of Amnesty International are to promote human rights and equality and to provide a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. Recent examples of Amnesty’s work include the freeing of Aung San Suu Kyi; fighting to release civil rights campaigner Leonard Peltier and women’s’ rights in Afghanistan. We will be campaigning and fundraising to raise awareness of issues and injustices such as the death penalty, torture and prisoners of conscience. The student-run club is supported by Mr Ross in Support for Learning and meets in Science 3 every Wednesday lunchtime, please feel free to come by anytime if you are interested. We welcome new members or those who simply wish to see what we do. From the Bannerman Amnesty Youth Group
Rugby
Both the Under 16 and Under 18 teams have been heavily involved in Scottish cup action in the past few months. Recent opposition have included Dalziel High, Bellshill and Clydebank to name but a few. Results have been fairly patchy with some victories and some unfortunate defeats. The attitude and determination of all players remains resolute and all are looking forward to the New Year and some 7 a side action when the weather gets better. Numbers continue to grow and more importantly the number of boys furthering their rugby playing experience at clubs is also steadily growing. Local club Glasgow East RFC have a growing number of players on their books and our working relationship with them remains strong as together we try to raise the profile of Rugby in the local area. Pictured are the Under 18 squad at their recent match against North Argyll School (Oban/ Tobermory High)
Mr Duguid
Football Development
On Friday November !8th Bannerman High Schools football development class took part in a training course that will allow them to work with disabled footballers. The boys were led by SFA development officer, David McArdle, and went through a theory class and a !practical session in the games hall where they learned the way people who have !many different disabilities play the game. This was an education for some as the rules of football differ greatly depending on the disability. Our boys have recently been out staffing a disabled football event at the Toryglen football centre where they worked with different teams from the local community. This course was part of the football development course which is currently running for senior pupils in Bannerman High School. ! Mr Pattison
Swimming
!n October, Bannerman swimmers qualified for the Glasgow Schools finals. On the night, between the four swimmers who qualified, Bannerman achieved four medals: Laura Robertson – BRONZE – 100M Butterfly Scott Robertson – GOLD – 100M Freestyle Darren Stewart – SILVER – 100M Backstroke & SILVER 100m Butterfly Alongside Kristy Adams, who narrowly missed out on a medal opportunity, these three swimmers showcased their dedication to their sport. They all train incredibly hard and are often in the pool at 6am before coming to school and then returning to the pool in the evening. Representing Bannerman at School level is completely up to them but all do so with pride and it is excellent to see them winning medals, showing they are some of the best performers in the City! Well done.
Mrs Cook
Malawi 2013
In October 12 pupils and 2 members of staff travelled to Malawi to spend time in our link school, Masalani CDSS. Bannerman High has had a link with this school since 2011 and this was the second part of a reciprocal visit with the Head Teacher and two pupils from our link school having visited us in November 2012. The purpose of the visit was to allow pupils to spend time in a school in a completely different part of the world and to learn more about how people there live, in terms of their culture and lifestyle. The visit also aimed to broaden horizons and break down stereotypical attitudes, as well as strengthen our link with our partner school.
Most of our time in Malawi was spent at our link school where pupils attended classes and took part in lessons with their classmates. They were surprised at how basic the classrooms were with 50 pupils to a class and a limited number of textbooks. During our time at the school we also took part in visits into the local community where we got to visit pupils in their homes. It was during these visits that pupils got a real taste of what daily life is like in Malawi, when they had to fetch buckets of water on their heads from the water pump, grind maze and cook nsima over an open fire.
We visited two primary schools during our visit and found that they are a lot more crowded, with up to 200 pupils in each classroom and children are often sitting on the floor to learn. After school activities were arranged for the group such as football and netball matches. The group also took part in two school visits with pupils from Masalani. The first was to Blantyre Museum, NBC Radio and a bottle plant. The second to Mount Mulanje where we got to hike to a waterfall. As well as spending over a week in our link school pupils also had the opportunity to visit Lake Malawi and take part in an overnight safari at Mvuu Camp where they were lucky enough to see elephants, hippos and a black mamba. Overall the trip was a fantastic experience for all involved. Pupils have highlighted that they will never forget the warm welcome they received, the friendliness of the people they met, how people there really appreciate what they have and how much young people value education.
S4 Visit Holyrood
On Thursday 28th of November S4 pupils took part in the annual visit to the Scottish Parliament. The Modern Studies pupils arrived at Holyrood in preparation for a workshop with the Education Department of the parliament. Pupils were involved in tasks linked to devolved matters and successful laws. This was followed by a short voting activity where we were given the chance to decide on matters important to young people today. Following the workshop we were taken to the public gallery of the main chamber and watched a debate between MSPs on recent changes to the Holyrood building. This was a fascinating opportunity for pupils to experience first hand democracy and decision making for Scotland. The visit came to a close with a Q and A session with MSPs Patrick Harvie (Leader of the Scottish Greens) and John Mason our local representative. Pupils were given the opportunity to quiz the politicians on the SNP’s White Paper Report on independence released on Tuesday, votes for 16 year olds and economic challenges facing an independent Scotland. This gave our group the chance to develop their knowledge linked to our ‘Democracy in Scotland’ course. The responses given from the MSPs will also support our ‘Added Value Investigations’. The day was a huge success and certainly gave everyone an insight into the issues surrounding the current referendum debate. Mr Boyle.
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This session we have 8 young people in S6 who make up our Charities Committee in the school. This group of young people have been working extremely hard to raise funds for our chosen charities this session. In August they carried out a survey with tutor classes across the school to find out which charities the young people would like to support. In addition to Children in Need and the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice, pupils opted to support Teenage Cancer Trust, Yorkhill Children’s Charity, Help for Heros and Alzheimer Scotland. September – Help for Heros: Pupils dressed in the Help the Heros colours of red, navy and pale blue and raised £1020.18 October - Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice: Pupils wore their onesies to school and managed to raise £1000 to help support building the new Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice. November – Children in Need 2013: Pupils wore Pudsey polka dots and dressed up to raise ££1468.46 for Children in Need. They also hosted their own version of ‘Bannerman’s Got Talent ‘ for pupils in S1 and S2. Money was also raised by the girls in Pupil Support by face painting. November – Philippines Typhoon Appeal: Pupils gave their spare change through ‘chuck it in the bucket’ to raise money to help the Typhoon Appeal and raised £850
An aamazing £4338.64 raised since September. Well done!
Onesie Day
£1000 raised for the brick by brick appeal for the hospice.
Young Enterprise
The Young enterprise Group have produced fantastic Glasgow calendars and were driving hard
bargains at the Christmas Fayre in the Burrell. Great bargains to be had... one for £3 or two for £5. There are special Bannerman editions, highlighting school events and a sixth year calendar will be on sale soon.
Children In Need
We raised £1468.46. Well done!
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Lord McConnell Returns to BHS
Lord McConnell has spoken about his love for Malawi and the impact funding from Scotland is making in the African country. Malawi Attending a special Livingstone House Assembly celebrating the bicentenary of Scots missionary David Livingstone, the former first minister said money raised in Scotland was helping not only poor Malawians but young peoples in Scotland. He said: “It has a special place in my heart certainly. It’s helping Malawi but it’s also really helping Scots understand the world a bit better and so many young Scottish people now will have had that experience as I found out today at Bannerman.” He also insisted that money raised in Scotland was going to help those in need, and denied it was going to corrupt Malawian government officials. Lord McConnell admitted that the serious criminal investigation that is presently being carried out in Malawi should clear this allegation up by next year. He said, “There is a very serious criminal investigation going on just now in the government there which will hopefully get to the bottom of this once and for all and hopefully within the next year or so this will all be cleared up and the right people will be prosecuted.”
Politics Lord Jack McConnell described to Bannerman High pupils, his journey from being a Mathematics teacher to running the Labour Party Headquarters as a “rocky ride”. From winning the election to being elected as the Third First Minister of Scotland, Lord McConnell was “greatly surprised” as he was part of the Scottish Parliament for only two years.
Referendum In a wide-ranging interview, Lord McConnell also defended young people between the ages of sixteen and eighteen voting in the forthcoming referendum. He said: "Everybody in the country who can pay taxes, which includes sixteen and seventeen year olds; or join the army, which includes sixteen and seventeen year olds should be able to vote, but I think these things to together.” However, Lord McConnell tells students that he “wasn’t happy” about doing that only for the Scottish referendum and believes that if you changed the voting age restrictions on one election, then voting age restrictions should change for all elections. He said: “It should change the rules for all votes or keep them the way that they are for all votes. I think it should be consistent” Nonetheless, Lord McConnell believes that now that the opportunity is there, it is a great chance for sixteen to seventeen year olds to get involved and hopes that people do not waste their vote and believes that voters between sixteen and eighteen may be the best informed voters on the subject. He said: “I suspect they will probably discuss it more, debate it more, learn more about it, and actually may be the most informed voters on the subject.” Paige Beresford
Scotland China Education Network (SCEN)
On Wednesday 27 November, a group of Bannerman S5 and S6 attended the second SCEN (Scotland China Education Network) China Youth Summit at the Gleneagles Hotel. There were 70 schools and organisations from across Scotland attended the Summit. It is very exciting to observe the number of people studying Chinese and encouraging the links between Scotland and China. It was also very inspirational to see the amazing experience different schools and pupils had with their China projects and China trips. Three of our pupils attending, Marcus McNab, Jamie Lindsay and Nicole Tsang made a speech at the event. Although it was very nerve-wracking, they addressed an audience of around 300 people and spoke about all the fun they had while learning Chinese Mandarin. Their speech had very good feedback from the audience. The director of SCEN, Judith McClure even sent her personal congratulation to three of them and praised the impact their speech made to the Summit. DThe SCEN Youth summit offered us a platform to exchange ideas and experiences, also it is a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to find out the important role China and Chinese language plays in various industries. It was truly an eye opening experience. Many thanks to SCEN and Gleneagles Hotel for the amazing experience! Ms Chang P.S The head chef even prepared an amazing banquet for all of us. We loved the food!
AU News
This term has seen two of our senior pupils begin courses at the City of Glasgow College. The college offers a number of courses across a range of subject areas and the two pupils from the AU who attend have both enjoyed their experiences so far. One of the courses is a Transitions programme which helps young people familiarise themselves with a new environment when they leave school. The other is a Hospitality based programme organised by the City of Glasgow College in partnership with Townhead Village Hall. Bannerman AU welcomed four new S1 pupils this August. The pupils arrived from Carmyle, Avenue End, Aultmore Park and Our Lady of Peace Primary Schools. All the pupils have attended classes in the wider school and can be seen working in Maths, English, Science and PE classes. Two of our Senior pupils, Ross and Jordan, organised their own trip to the Mitchell Library earlier this term. The trip was part of a Personal Development Programme which both boys have participated in over the last few months. They organised transport, made the telephone calls, arranged for lunch and made sure they were back at school for the end of the day. Congratulations to both boys! Preparations for Christmas continue apace in the Unit and this year has seen all hands to the pump as staff and pupils prepare for the annual coffee morning. All of the pupils in the Unit have been hard at work with Ewan and Jack being two of Santa’s busiest little helpers this year
Litter Pick
Two groups of S1 pupils took part in a litter pick in the local community on Thursday 5th December. Despite the stormy conditions in the morning, the weather cleared away to allow the litter picks to take place. The groups were supported by Sandy Johnston, Neighbourhood Improvement and Enforcement Officer for Community Safety Glasgow. Before the litter pick he briefed pupils on the problems of litter in the community and encouraged them to behave responsibly and put all litter in the bin. He also provided high visibility clothing, gloves and litter pickers for the group.
The group followed 4 pre-selected routes into the community to try to target the main problem areas as highlighted by Sandy. Despite the cold weather the groups did a fantastic job and showed that they are responsible citizens, willing to do their part to make a difference to their local community.
Santa Dash
On Sunday 8th December it was the annual Glasgow Santa Dash where over 4000 people dressed in Santa outfits to run, jog, skip or walk the 5 km for charity. About 10 pupils and 3 teachers from Bannerman High school took part in the dash raising money for different charities. At the time of writing this article it is estimated that approximately £1000 has been raised by Pupils and teachers taking part this year. So a big thank you to all of you who sponsored us. THANK YOU.
The Santa Dash took place on a Sunday morning at 9.30 just when the wind and rain stopped for a few hours, lucky us! There were Santas of all different shapes and sizes, some young and some older. Santa suits were customised with tinsel and bells and even a few adding a very unique style of their own (watch the youtube click from the Daily Record). Prams were upgraded to sleighs and dogs were reindeers for the day. Kids were riding tinsel covered scooters, running past us unfit adults or riding on parent’s shoulders. Santas were even spotted walking into Greggs and before running while eating pies!
So please enjoy the pictures and video on the Daily Record website at: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/real-life/gallery-glasgow-santa-dash-pictures-2905365 (or Google: Santa Dash Glasgow Daily Record)
Parents Get Involved! You may be asking what have the Parent Council got to do with the Rights Respecting School (RRS) initiative? Well, where to begin…….. The Parent Council (PC) are not just a link on the school website, we are a group of parents whose purpose is to support the pupils and staff in achieving the aims and work of the school and local community. Throughout the school year the PC contribute and consider topics by reviewing and supporting initiatives which link directly to the aim of gaining status as a Rights Respecting School. In May of this year when William Reynolds presented RRS to the PC along with the draft action plan, which all pupils and teachers have committed to, the PC thought there were clear links with existing activity where we as parents could show how we can and have supported the RRS articles. So we committed to preparing a Story Board for all Parents and Pupils to view during the Parents evenings The Story Board highlights the aims and articles of RRS and the activities which the PC has completed over the last two years which link directly to the articles. All with the aim of supporting the pupils, teachers and parents in making the school environment one which is open to all to achieve their potential and encourage respect for others. Examples include the Dress for Success Code, Healthy Eating and Merit scheme. Please take a look at the Story Board which is on display just outside the Workshop Theatre, which includes the articles along with what and how the PC is involved in the school initiatives.! Any parent is welcome to attend the PC meetings which are held four times a year and are welcome to become a member at the Annual General Meeting held at the start of the school session. To find out more about PC - paste a link to the Parent Council section on the website at www.bannermanhigh.glasgow.sch.uk Parent Zone. Helen How Chairperson Parent Council
Contacts
Principal Teachers of Pastoral Care Burns: Mrs L Peoples Depute Headteachers S1: S2: S3: S4: S5: S6: Ms Black Mrs King Miss Smalls Mrs van de Gevel Mrs Belford! Ms black Livingstone: Mrs Shah Mackintosh: Ms L Morton Napier: Telford: Wallace: Mr C Gardiner Mr J McGillivray Mrs R Guile
Parent Contact
If you want to make contact by email please use this address: [email protected]
Bannerman High School Glasgow Road G69 7NS 0141 582 0020
www.bannermanhigh.glasgow.sch.uk www.twitter.com/bannermanhigh
Please check our website for current information. The weekly bulletin is in ‘News & Events’- this will allow you to see forthcoming clubs and activities which you can encourage your child to join.
December 2013
BANNERMAN HIGH SCHOOL
Royal Reception
I've just returned from London having had an unforgettable experience thanks to UNICEF and Bannerman High school. I am honoured to have been asked by UNICEF to attend a Banquet at Buckingham Palace for Youth Education and the Commonwealth and to have been presented to the Queen and Prince Philip: a memory I will cherish. I returned from London having attended the launch of the Queen's Baton Relay 2013 at Buckingham Palace where, along with another 25 other pupils from Bannerman, I was one of the flag bearers for the commonwealth countries. We met with Sir Chris Hoy and Alan Wells, our First minister Alex Salmond and we were part of launching the baton relay around the Commonwealth countries and an exciting lead up to the Commonwealth games in Glasgow in July 2014. This had been such a thrill and an amazing experience. Just before breaking up for our mid-term break the school told me I had been chosen by UNICEF to go back down to London to meet the Queen at this Banquet. I really still couldn't believe this was happening and the reality only struck when the invitation from Her Majesty the Queen inviting Miss Mairead Stevenson to attend the Banquet arrived in the post. My whole family was so excited. We just kept looking at the postmark from Buckingham Palace and my mum has said I need to frame the invitation. Having my official invitation, the next step was getting the dress. If I was to represent Bannerman and UNICEF I had to look the part! Not an easy task to pick the right outfit It's not every day you get to meet the Queen. Eventually Mum and I agreed and we were all sorted on that front. I met with a reporter from the evening times as she wanted to run a piece about me meeting the Queen.
Inside This Issue: Queen’s Baton Relay, Bannerman Baton Bearer, Future Chef, Youth Philanthropy Initiative, Auschwitz, S3 Visit Cordia, Geo Bus, Ready, Steady, Cook,Referendum Conference, Amnesty Group Rugby, Football Development, Swimming, Malawi 2013, Scottish Parliament, Charities,Onesie Day, Young Enterprise, Children In Need, Lord McConnell’s Visit, SCEN, AU News, Santa Dash, Parent Council
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The lunch was on Friday but I had to be at the Palace for 10.30 so I travelled down to London on Thursday and had a bonus day of sightseeing and shopping. I felt like a celebrity as whilst shopping I was speaking to the Palace PR team. They wanted to prepare me in the event I would be interviewed. When I stopped for a juice or a rest I thought about questions I might be asked about UNICEF and the importance of the Commonwealth Games. When Friday morning finally arrived I was excited but really ready for the experience. I had an early breakfast and took a taxi to Buckingham Palace. The sun was shining and Buckingham Palace looked fantastic. Crowds had already gathered outside the Palace and the area in front of the Palace cordoned off for visitors to the Banquet. I had been given a sticker for my taxi which let the driver take me to the front gate. I presented my ticket and passport to the policeman at the gate and proceeded through the palace gates. You can imagine that I was desperate to get my phone out and take some pictures but unfortunately I wasn't allowed. I had to check my phone in at the cloakroom in the palace. What an experience to actually be inside the palace. It was so beautiful particularly the pink sofas with the gold trimming. I made my way into a reception area where we were served drinks. Then the moment arrived. I was going to be presented to the Queen. I can't describe how excited and fortunate I felt to be given this opportunity. I was a bit nervous as I approached the Queen but she had such a dazzling smile and twinkling friendly blue eyes that I immediately felt at ease. It was a real pleasure. After shaking hands with the Queen I moved along the line to shake hands with Prince Philip. He was very friendly and joked with me about having the baton in my suitcase! I then had an opportunity to meet some of the other guests and to talk again with Prince Philip who asked me about my future ambitions and encouraged me to try to travel to further my education. It was also inspiring for me to talk to some of the other guests about their education. I met a girl who was studying Law at Brunel University and had started her own business and a girl from India studying at Cambridge and a young person from Canada working in the Junior Chamber of Commerce. The other guests also represented other countries in the commonwealth. I was happy to be able to share the good work of UNICEF and the excitement for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games The staff in the palace were so welcoming and the Queen and Prince Philip were so warm and friendly that this was an amazing experience. It was a real privilege and honour. I’m hoping that I can continue to have some involvement with UNICEF. I can't thank UNICEF and Bannerman High School for this wonderful experience. I will treasure the memory.
Mairead Stevenson S6
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Queen’s Baton Launch
Wednesday, 9 October 2013. A day I will never forget! Two weeks previously, Mr Reynolds had asked his Higher Accounts class to fill in forms to apply for positions as flag bearers at the Queen’s Baton Launch for the Commonwealth Games 2014. I had not for one moment thought that I would be one of the lucky candidates so imagine my surprise when I received an email from Unicef asking me to be the flag bearer for the Bahamas. Along with twenty three other Bannerman High pupils, Mr Reynolds and Mrs Gardiner, I travelled down to London on the overnight ‘sleeper train’. Not a lot of sleeping was done however as we were too excited as we contemplated what lay ahead. We arrived at Buckingham Palace at 8am and after having passed through the stringent security checks, we were permitted to enter into the grounds of this world-famous building. There, we were introduced to the forty-six teenagers from schools in England and Wales who were to be our fellow flag bearers. In total, there were seventy of us, one to represent each of the nations and territories making up the Commonwealth. As the event was being televised live by the BBC, nothing was being left to chance and for the next hour and a half we were put through our paces. Several trial runs later, we were proclaimed ready for the real thing. As we waited impatiently for the start of the ceremony, we were thrilled when no other than Sir Chris Hoy arrived. To our sheer delight, he chatted to us and posed for photographs. It is not every day that you get the opportunity to meet Great Britain’s most decorated Olympian.
The ceremony, which was attended by a number of specially invited guests and dignitaries, took place in the forecourt of the Palace. As we lined up, flags in hand, we could hear the buzz of excitement and the noise of the crowds of people who were standing outside the Palace gates as they waited enthusiastically for the start of the proceedings. A signal was given and we marched into position either side of a raised platform. A few minutes later, I started to hear bagpipes and drums, a sound which gradually became louder and louder. Soon into sight, came Sir Chris Hoy carrying the all important baton, accompanied by a pipe band dressed in full Highland regalia – a truly magnificent sight. When Sir Chris entered the gates of the Palace, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, walked onto the platform to accept the baton. The Queen was no more than five feet away from me and I remember thinking how fortunate and privileged I had been to be selected. The Queen had written a message to the athletes of the Commonwealth and she placed this message inside the baton. She then passed the baton to Allan Wells, a Scottish, gold medal winning sprinter at the 1980 Olympic Games and then the baton relay began. The baton is to make a 248 day journey around the seventy nations and territories of the Commonwealth before returning to Glasgow for the opening ceremony of the Games on 23 July next year where the Queen will read out the message. We followed the baton as it made its way up the Mall to the cheers and waves of the crowd. In the afternoon, we had been invited to visit the Houses of Parliament by the MP representing Glasgow East, Margaret Curran. We toured the public areas and I recognised the faces of a few MPs I had seen on the television but unfortunately we were unable to go into either of the debating chambers as both the House of Commons and the House of Lords were in session during our visit. Our day ended with a short visit to Covent Garden, my favourite place in London. Being a typical teenage girl, nothing beats a bit of shopping and the next hour or so was happily spent looking around the numerous market stalls and designer boutiques, in search of some souvenirs of the trip. What I enjoy most about Covent Garden however are the street performers who juggle, walk tightropes, ride unicycles and do acrobatic tricks in the hope that you will give them a monetary donation at the end for their efforts. Unfortunately, time had run out and we had to make our weary way back to the station to catch our train home. Despite my very sore feet from all the walking we had done that day and the fact that I was truly exhausted due to my lack of sleep, I felt exhilarated and ecstatic as we talked incessantly about the day’s events the whole way back to Glasgow. Needless to say, my first question to my parents when I got off the train was ‘Did you see me on the television?’ to which the reply was ‘Yes but had we blinked we would have missed you’. I cannot thank Mr Reynolds and Mrs Gardiner enough for arranging this trip for us and I am truly honoured to have been involved in this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I am now looking forward to watching the Games next year and hope that the visitors and the athletes will have a wonderful time in the great city of Glasgow.
Kirstyn Lawson S5
Bannerman Baton Bearer
With the Commonwealth Games fast approaching, we were delighted to hear that Bannerman had secured a baton bearer position for the baton relay. Similar to the Olympic torch, the 2014 Baton is travelling around the Globe and in June of next year will return to Glasgow for a parade across the city before arriving at Celtic Park for the Opening Ceremony on the 23rd July. We decided to open up applications and nominations for this prestigious role to anyone in the school and we had a great turnout - Over 70 people were nominated!! Sports House Captains and our Young Ambassadors then had the tough task of narrowing this list down. After reading all the applications, they were still unable to decide and requested 5 people to come back for an interview. The following young people were highly commended in their application and interview: Cameron Quinn (S6) Cameron Carey (S4) Liam Mortimer (S3)
But on the day our senior pupils were bowled over by two individuals. Kirsty McIntyre in S2 was selected as Bannerman’s very own Baton Bearer and Darren McKay (S5) is the reserve. Kirsty was delighted to be chosen and what was more humbling is that Kirsty was nominated by her peers. In their nomination, Kirsty’s friends said she would be an ideal person for the role. Here is the nomination for Kirsty. You will get to know Kirsty over the coming months as her role will begin long before she receives the baton. She will help fuel our excitement for the games and will be promoting the Commonwealth around the school. Well Done Kirsty!!
Mrs Cook
Future Chef
The dishes prepared one late afternoon in early November could easily have fitted in to a busy restaurant’s menu in the city centre. What was going on? It was of course the school heat for the 2013 Future Chef competition, which is an amazing competition giving young people the chance to find out what it’s really like to be a chef. The school heat is the first stage of the four-staged competition, culminating in the Na tional Final in London to be held in March 2014. The challenge was to cook a hot main course, within one hour and to a budget of £5.00, and they definitely rose to the challenge! We had so many fantastic dishes to enjoy. Marks were awarded on a variety of culinary skills to include: creativity & presentation, menu balance, composition, taste & flavour and workmanship. As you can imagine, it took the judges much longer than expected, all the dishes really were that outstanding! Unfortunately, only one pupil can go through to the next stage and so ‘congratulations’ go to Carmen Wright (S2) who wowed the judges with her fish goujons, homemade chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce – well done Carmen!
Well done also to the other young chefs: Heather Coyle (S1), Emily Glatly (S2), Chloe Lawson (S1), Nicholas MacDonald (S2), Zoe McGurn (S2) and Emily McKibbin. Heather and Nicolas were our joint runners-up! Carmen will now go on to compete in the Local Finals where she has to prepare and cook a hot main course and hot or cold dessert for two, within a budget of £7.00. I’m sure you will join us in wishing her, the very best of luck and you never know – she may be crowned the much coveted Future Chef winner for 2014! Mrs Gardiner and Mrs McGowan.
YPI
Students at Bannerman High have recently taken part in a Youth Philanthropy Initiative. YPI is an international project designed to support young people in developing community awareness. Students are taught about philanthropy and charity, highlighting the positive impact they can have on their communities. Our S6 students worked in teams to research the needs of their community and identified a local charity which they believe is best placed to make a positive change. They then learned how to assess the charity’s management, strategy, staffing arrangements and services. Possibly the most important aspect of YPI was the site visit students were asked to make to their chosen charity as this allowed them to see first-hand the impact their chosen charity has on their local area. Students were then asked to use their research to make presentations on the reasons that their chosen charity is most deserving of support. Three teams of pupils made it to the YPI final and delivered their presentations to a large audience and a panel of high-profile judges. The presentations were inspiring, exciting and extremely creative. The judges had a very difficult decision to make as one team was to be awarded a cheque for £3000 on the day, to grant towards their chosen charity. The commitment of all our finalists impressed teachers, judges and parents alike. On the day the winning group was Dawn Kelly, Sarah Mulgrew, Jessica Calder and Hayleigh Mullen. Their presentation included an emotional video, live music and their ideas for where the charity could spend the money. The girls were successful in their bid for £3000 to grant to ‘Friends of the Beatson’ and it is hoped this will be used to fund developments in music therapy for cancer patients an area where the girls had a particular interest. All of the presentations were of an exceptionally high standard. The other groups included Alren Reyes, Lauren Sinclair, Emma Ricommini, Rachel Lister, Rebekah Pollock, Georgie Walker, Reece Fallan, Amy Stevenson and Holly Munroe. Ms McDonald
Auschwitz
We arrived in Krakow not sure of what to expect. As the bus picked us up we made our way to visit a Jewish graveyard in Oswiecim. The atmosphere in the graveyard wasn’t the most pleasant I had experienced, due to the fact that there is no caretaker for the graveyard, making it very overgrown and unkempt. This set us off on our tour of the town. Our journey through Auschwitz 1 and 2 showed us many things about just how brutally the Jews were treated in the camps, as we were shown the barracks in which they slept, and we walked through probably the most disturbing place I think I’ve ever been in - the only remaining gas chamber. The scratches down the walls and the unusual smell made things all the worse. This experience taught me just how devastating this was for the Jews and gives me so much more respect for the survivors of this international tragedy. Callum Drummond S6 The first place we visited was the Jewish grave yard. This was to give us some idea of what a thriving Jewish community Oswiecim had once had. The graveyard was very quiet and everyone was extremely respectful. The gravestones had been used as paving stones during the Second World War; I was shocked to hear this as even in death Jewish people had been disrespected. From there we went to Auschwitz, and on arrival had to walk under the infamous sign “Arbeit Macht Frei” which means “Work Sets You Free.” The strong red brick barracks had once been used by Polish solders in the Army, but during the war they were used by prisoners of the camp.
The conditions they lived in were unimaginable, with three levelled bunk beds with up to ten in each level. We were led from building to building looking at the things found after the war. In one display there was a whole glass cabinet filled to the ceiling with human hair. The most poignant part of Auschwitz One was the paintings on the wall of one of the wash rooms. It was of small children laughing and bathing. It struck me as such a bitter irony to what actually took place. The second Auschwitz camp was larger and it spanned for miles, it had had wooden huts instead of brick building. By this point it had begun to get very cold and just the thought of standing in a light pair of uniform ‘pyjamas’ would have been unbearable. The part of Auschwitz I will remember most was when the Rabbi, who had come along on the visit, said a prayer in Hebrew, which had a strong impact on me as it gave me a greater connection to Jewish culture and people. We lit memorial candles that were placed on the railway tracks; this was to remember those who had died. The prayer that the Rabbi recited in Hebrew and English was EL MOLEI RACHAMIM, FOR MARTYRS OF THE HOLOCAUST. O, God full of mercy, Who dwells on High. Grant proper rest on the sheltering wings of Your Divine presence, among the holy and pure who shine lie the brightness of the firmament, for the souls of all the holy and pure and the innocent who were killed, murdered, slaughtered, burned, drowned and strangled at the hands of the Nazi oppressors in Auschwitz, Belzec, Bergen-Belsen, Dachau, Majdanek, Sobibor, Treblinka, and other extermination camps in Europe. We now pray or those souls. May their resting place be in the Garden of Eden. And so may the Master of Mercy shelter them for eternity with the cover of His wings and may He bind their souls in the bond of eternal life. May the Lord be their inheritance, and, may they repose in peace upon their heavenly resting places, and let us say, Amen! Holly Munro S6
S3 Visit to Cordia
Our S3 Health and Food Technology classes visited Cordia, to see how a food production plant works. The pupils were amazed to see that what was involved in large scale catering. The pupils were surprised when they heard that Cordia cater for 71,000 pupils, on a daily basis, in Glasgow’s primary and secondary schools. The pupils were also interested to hear about the work of Encore. This is the branch of Cordia that caters at weddings, events and functions at some of Scotland’s most prestigious venues, including Glasgow City Chambers, The Gallery of Modern Art and Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. This visit has inspired our pupils to design and make a dish that could be served in our Fuelzone. They will now put into action the processes that they learned all about on their visit. Before putting forward their proposal to Cordia they will have to establish that their new product: will be liked by Bannerman pupils, can be manufactured within budget and can be produced on a large scale. We look forward to seeing their new dish in our Fuelzone! We think that those taking part in the BBC programme ‘Teen Canteen’ could have some competition from our pupils. . . Mrs Gardiner
Geo Bus
GeoBus, an outreach project run by the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of St Andrews, visited Bannerman in October this year. They visited the Higher Geography and Intermediate classes to run interactive workshops on rivers, volcanoes and earthquakes. The day quite literally got off to a bang with a workshop on monitoring volcanoes. The ultimate aim of the session was to run an experiment using party poppers to simulate a volcanic eruption. From the data gathered students were asked to form an evacuation plan in which the experiment is repeated to see how well they have done, highlighting to them just how hard it is to predict something as volatile as a volcano. This interactive session gave students the chance to see just what goes into volcano monitoring and predicting volcanoes. They also had the chance to look at equipment that is used by volcanologists such as infra-red cameras and seismometers. Our S4 classes will get the chance to take part in this workshop in February as volcanoes and earthquakes are now part of the new National curriculum. The Higher class worked in teams to create their own river in what was essentially a giant sand pit! As well as having a lot of fun playing with the sand students observed erosion, transportation and deposition in action by using fluvial tanks to simulate the river. Having created their own river networks the students will then had the opportunity to design a settlement next to the river and protect it from the risk of flood
damage and erosion. The workshops were lots of fun but at the same time provided great hands on experience for students which really helped students to grasp some of the trickier concepts that they had been learning about in class. Looking forward to the return of the Geobus! Ms McDonald
Ready, Steady, Cook
A number of fifth and sixth year pupils participated in the Glasgow City Council Culinary Excellence Programme, in conjunction with their Intermediate 2 Hospitality course. The course ran on Tuesday afternoons from the beginning of September to the middle of November. Before taking part in the programme, each pupil experienced a rigorous interview at the hands of Millennium Hotel Operations Manager, Aiden Livingstone and Executive Head Chef – Jean-Paul Giraud. After a successful interview they were given a position on this prestigious course. Pupils gained first hand experience of the hospitality industry, primarily through time spent at The Millennium Hotel. The pupils began the course by speaking to the managers of The Millennium hotel and seeing the chefs in action. From this they learned what it really meant to be a chef as they went through the process of making a starter, main course and dessert while wearing their chef’s whites in the professional kitchen. They also worked in Front of House, gaining experience of what it was like to set a table, serve and how to deal with customers. Pupils also had an early morning visit to Glasgow’s fruit market in order to get a perspective on how hotels and restaurants source their produce. The culmination of this experience was the preparation of a three-course meal in the hotel kitchen. The food was prepared to a very high standard as it was served to parents, staff and various VIPs. Menu Starter – Chicken Terrine, served on a bed of red onion chutney. Main course – Fillet of Salmon with Hollandaise sauce, served with seasonal vegetables. Dessert – Crannachan cheesecake Coffee/tea served with macaroons and tablet. Finally, each pupil who completed the course was awarded a certificate from Glasgow City Council. This certificate acknowledged their participation in this amazing experience. Special mention was made to the following pupils who achieved the top award: Front of House – John Gemmell Kitchen – Emma Gardiner This was a wonderful opportunity for our pupils. You never know we may even have the next Heston Blumenthal or Jamie Oliver in our midst! Mrs Gardiner and Mrs Bain
Referendum Conference
As the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum looms ahead, many of Bannerman’s students will have the opportunity to have a say in Scotland’s future. To help students make up their minds, the Modern Studies department set up our very own Independence Referendum Conference in Bannerman on the 4th of November 2013. The debate featured Labour MP Margaret Curran, Green Party leader Patrick Harvie, SNP MSP Humza Yousaf and Labour Councillor Frank McAveety. The conference was attended by Modern Studies students from S4, S5 and S6. The conference included an introduction from the politicians, a Q and A followed by a vote on the Independence question. The politicians kicked off the conference by introducing themselves and giving their stances on independence. Blair Hughes in S5 began the questions by asking “If there is so much uncertainty and questioning around independence, why should we risk it? This was followed by my own question of “If we sever all relations with the rest of the UK as independence will do, who will we have to rely on if it all goes wrong?” Rhona Blackwood of S6 then asked, “How do we expect to stay in NATO if we have no nuclear weapons?” Kiera MacDonald in S4 rounded off the questions by asking “How would a new Scottish Army be set up without leaving Scotland open to security threats?”
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The politicians made their stances on independence very clear. Pro-union Frank McAveety responded to the topic of the risk of independence with the view that we should not take the risk considering the Yes campaigners argue amongst themselves and do not even know themselves how independence will work in an attempt to sway the audience towards voting no. Proindependence Humza Yousaf responded to my question on the result of independence on our international relations by talking about how we would remain friendly with the rest of the UK and how great the bond is - and still will be after independence - between the nations. Further questions on the topic from myself prompted further emphasis on the ‘strong’ relationship between Scotland and the rest of the UK from the SNP politician. Rhona’s hard hitting question on our NATO membership revealed the strong anti-nuclear stances of Humza and Patrick, we heard them argue that there are already non-nuclear countries that are members of NATO with Harvie adding that he was unsure if he wants Scotland to be a member of international alliances which use nuclear weapons as an method to gain power across the world. Their responses were met with both approval and dissent from the audience, showing the wide range of opinions held here at Bannerman. At the end of the debate, a vote was staged with all the participating students voting either “Yes”, or “No” on Scottish independence, the results were a resounding “No” with 77 of the vote and only 25 voting “Yes”. I’m sure the politicians enjoyed the opportunity to discuss the referendum with Bannerman pupils as much as we did and we are grateful that they could take time out of their busy schedules to come speak to us. The conference proved to be an interesting and worthwhile learning experience for students, potentially influencing the way we will vote in the upcoming referendum and helped to give the politicians a better understanding of the opinions of the young people of Bannerman. By She-Kei Wan, S5.
Bannerman has officially set up its first ever Amnesty International Youth Group within the school. Amnesty International is a non-governmental organisation or charity that was founded in 1961. The aims of Amnesty International are to promote human rights and equality and to provide a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. Recent examples of Amnesty’s work include the freeing of Aung San Suu Kyi; fighting to release civil rights campaigner Leonard Peltier and women’s’ rights in Afghanistan. We will be campaigning and fundraising to raise awareness of issues and injustices such as the death penalty, torture and prisoners of conscience. The student-run club is supported by Mr Ross in Support for Learning and meets in Science 3 every Wednesday lunchtime, please feel free to come by anytime if you are interested. We welcome new members or those who simply wish to see what we do. From the Bannerman Amnesty Youth Group
Rugby
Both the Under 16 and Under 18 teams have been heavily involved in Scottish cup action in the past few months. Recent opposition have included Dalziel High, Bellshill and Clydebank to name but a few. Results have been fairly patchy with some victories and some unfortunate defeats. The attitude and determination of all players remains resolute and all are looking forward to the New Year and some 7 a side action when the weather gets better. Numbers continue to grow and more importantly the number of boys furthering their rugby playing experience at clubs is also steadily growing. Local club Glasgow East RFC have a growing number of players on their books and our working relationship with them remains strong as together we try to raise the profile of Rugby in the local area. Pictured are the Under 18 squad at their recent match against North Argyll School (Oban/ Tobermory High)
Mr Duguid
Football Development
On Friday November !8th Bannerman High Schools football development class took part in a training course that will allow them to work with disabled footballers. The boys were led by SFA development officer, David McArdle, and went through a theory class and a !practical session in the games hall where they learned the way people who have !many different disabilities play the game. This was an education for some as the rules of football differ greatly depending on the disability. Our boys have recently been out staffing a disabled football event at the Toryglen football centre where they worked with different teams from the local community. This course was part of the football development course which is currently running for senior pupils in Bannerman High School. ! Mr Pattison
Swimming
!n October, Bannerman swimmers qualified for the Glasgow Schools finals. On the night, between the four swimmers who qualified, Bannerman achieved four medals: Laura Robertson – BRONZE – 100M Butterfly Scott Robertson – GOLD – 100M Freestyle Darren Stewart – SILVER – 100M Backstroke & SILVER 100m Butterfly Alongside Kristy Adams, who narrowly missed out on a medal opportunity, these three swimmers showcased their dedication to their sport. They all train incredibly hard and are often in the pool at 6am before coming to school and then returning to the pool in the evening. Representing Bannerman at School level is completely up to them but all do so with pride and it is excellent to see them winning medals, showing they are some of the best performers in the City! Well done.
Mrs Cook
Malawi 2013
In October 12 pupils and 2 members of staff travelled to Malawi to spend time in our link school, Masalani CDSS. Bannerman High has had a link with this school since 2011 and this was the second part of a reciprocal visit with the Head Teacher and two pupils from our link school having visited us in November 2012. The purpose of the visit was to allow pupils to spend time in a school in a completely different part of the world and to learn more about how people there live, in terms of their culture and lifestyle. The visit also aimed to broaden horizons and break down stereotypical attitudes, as well as strengthen our link with our partner school.
Most of our time in Malawi was spent at our link school where pupils attended classes and took part in lessons with their classmates. They were surprised at how basic the classrooms were with 50 pupils to a class and a limited number of textbooks. During our time at the school we also took part in visits into the local community where we got to visit pupils in their homes. It was during these visits that pupils got a real taste of what daily life is like in Malawi, when they had to fetch buckets of water on their heads from the water pump, grind maze and cook nsima over an open fire.
We visited two primary schools during our visit and found that they are a lot more crowded, with up to 200 pupils in each classroom and children are often sitting on the floor to learn. After school activities were arranged for the group such as football and netball matches. The group also took part in two school visits with pupils from Masalani. The first was to Blantyre Museum, NBC Radio and a bottle plant. The second to Mount Mulanje where we got to hike to a waterfall. As well as spending over a week in our link school pupils also had the opportunity to visit Lake Malawi and take part in an overnight safari at Mvuu Camp where they were lucky enough to see elephants, hippos and a black mamba. Overall the trip was a fantastic experience for all involved. Pupils have highlighted that they will never forget the warm welcome they received, the friendliness of the people they met, how people there really appreciate what they have and how much young people value education.
S4 Visit Holyrood
On Thursday 28th of November S4 pupils took part in the annual visit to the Scottish Parliament. The Modern Studies pupils arrived at Holyrood in preparation for a workshop with the Education Department of the parliament. Pupils were involved in tasks linked to devolved matters and successful laws. This was followed by a short voting activity where we were given the chance to decide on matters important to young people today. Following the workshop we were taken to the public gallery of the main chamber and watched a debate between MSPs on recent changes to the Holyrood building. This was a fascinating opportunity for pupils to experience first hand democracy and decision making for Scotland. The visit came to a close with a Q and A session with MSPs Patrick Harvie (Leader of the Scottish Greens) and John Mason our local representative. Pupils were given the opportunity to quiz the politicians on the SNP’s White Paper Report on independence released on Tuesday, votes for 16 year olds and economic challenges facing an independent Scotland. This gave our group the chance to develop their knowledge linked to our ‘Democracy in Scotland’ course. The responses given from the MSPs will also support our ‘Added Value Investigations’. The day was a huge success and certainly gave everyone an insight into the issues surrounding the current referendum debate. Mr Boyle.
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This session we have 8 young people in S6 who make up our Charities Committee in the school. This group of young people have been working extremely hard to raise funds for our chosen charities this session. In August they carried out a survey with tutor classes across the school to find out which charities the young people would like to support. In addition to Children in Need and the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice, pupils opted to support Teenage Cancer Trust, Yorkhill Children’s Charity, Help for Heros and Alzheimer Scotland. September – Help for Heros: Pupils dressed in the Help the Heros colours of red, navy and pale blue and raised £1020.18 October - Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice: Pupils wore their onesies to school and managed to raise £1000 to help support building the new Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice. November – Children in Need 2013: Pupils wore Pudsey polka dots and dressed up to raise ££1468.46 for Children in Need. They also hosted their own version of ‘Bannerman’s Got Talent ‘ for pupils in S1 and S2. Money was also raised by the girls in Pupil Support by face painting. November – Philippines Typhoon Appeal: Pupils gave their spare change through ‘chuck it in the bucket’ to raise money to help the Typhoon Appeal and raised £850
An aamazing £4338.64 raised since September. Well done!
Onesie Day
£1000 raised for the brick by brick appeal for the hospice.
Young Enterprise
The Young enterprise Group have produced fantastic Glasgow calendars and were driving hard
bargains at the Christmas Fayre in the Burrell. Great bargains to be had... one for £3 or two for £5. There are special Bannerman editions, highlighting school events and a sixth year calendar will be on sale soon.
Children In Need
We raised £1468.46. Well done!
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Lord McConnell Returns to BHS
Lord McConnell has spoken about his love for Malawi and the impact funding from Scotland is making in the African country. Malawi Attending a special Livingstone House Assembly celebrating the bicentenary of Scots missionary David Livingstone, the former first minister said money raised in Scotland was helping not only poor Malawians but young peoples in Scotland. He said: “It has a special place in my heart certainly. It’s helping Malawi but it’s also really helping Scots understand the world a bit better and so many young Scottish people now will have had that experience as I found out today at Bannerman.” He also insisted that money raised in Scotland was going to help those in need, and denied it was going to corrupt Malawian government officials. Lord McConnell admitted that the serious criminal investigation that is presently being carried out in Malawi should clear this allegation up by next year. He said, “There is a very serious criminal investigation going on just now in the government there which will hopefully get to the bottom of this once and for all and hopefully within the next year or so this will all be cleared up and the right people will be prosecuted.”
Politics Lord Jack McConnell described to Bannerman High pupils, his journey from being a Mathematics teacher to running the Labour Party Headquarters as a “rocky ride”. From winning the election to being elected as the Third First Minister of Scotland, Lord McConnell was “greatly surprised” as he was part of the Scottish Parliament for only two years.
Referendum In a wide-ranging interview, Lord McConnell also defended young people between the ages of sixteen and eighteen voting in the forthcoming referendum. He said: "Everybody in the country who can pay taxes, which includes sixteen and seventeen year olds; or join the army, which includes sixteen and seventeen year olds should be able to vote, but I think these things to together.” However, Lord McConnell tells students that he “wasn’t happy” about doing that only for the Scottish referendum and believes that if you changed the voting age restrictions on one election, then voting age restrictions should change for all elections. He said: “It should change the rules for all votes or keep them the way that they are for all votes. I think it should be consistent” Nonetheless, Lord McConnell believes that now that the opportunity is there, it is a great chance for sixteen to seventeen year olds to get involved and hopes that people do not waste their vote and believes that voters between sixteen and eighteen may be the best informed voters on the subject. He said: “I suspect they will probably discuss it more, debate it more, learn more about it, and actually may be the most informed voters on the subject.” Paige Beresford
Scotland China Education Network (SCEN)
On Wednesday 27 November, a group of Bannerman S5 and S6 attended the second SCEN (Scotland China Education Network) China Youth Summit at the Gleneagles Hotel. There were 70 schools and organisations from across Scotland attended the Summit. It is very exciting to observe the number of people studying Chinese and encouraging the links between Scotland and China. It was also very inspirational to see the amazing experience different schools and pupils had with their China projects and China trips. Three of our pupils attending, Marcus McNab, Jamie Lindsay and Nicole Tsang made a speech at the event. Although it was very nerve-wracking, they addressed an audience of around 300 people and spoke about all the fun they had while learning Chinese Mandarin. Their speech had very good feedback from the audience. The director of SCEN, Judith McClure even sent her personal congratulation to three of them and praised the impact their speech made to the Summit. DThe SCEN Youth summit offered us a platform to exchange ideas and experiences, also it is a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to find out the important role China and Chinese language plays in various industries. It was truly an eye opening experience. Many thanks to SCEN and Gleneagles Hotel for the amazing experience! Ms Chang P.S The head chef even prepared an amazing banquet for all of us. We loved the food!
AU News
This term has seen two of our senior pupils begin courses at the City of Glasgow College. The college offers a number of courses across a range of subject areas and the two pupils from the AU who attend have both enjoyed their experiences so far. One of the courses is a Transitions programme which helps young people familiarise themselves with a new environment when they leave school. The other is a Hospitality based programme organised by the City of Glasgow College in partnership with Townhead Village Hall. Bannerman AU welcomed four new S1 pupils this August. The pupils arrived from Carmyle, Avenue End, Aultmore Park and Our Lady of Peace Primary Schools. All the pupils have attended classes in the wider school and can be seen working in Maths, English, Science and PE classes. Two of our Senior pupils, Ross and Jordan, organised their own trip to the Mitchell Library earlier this term. The trip was part of a Personal Development Programme which both boys have participated in over the last few months. They organised transport, made the telephone calls, arranged for lunch and made sure they were back at school for the end of the day. Congratulations to both boys! Preparations for Christmas continue apace in the Unit and this year has seen all hands to the pump as staff and pupils prepare for the annual coffee morning. All of the pupils in the Unit have been hard at work with Ewan and Jack being two of Santa’s busiest little helpers this year
Litter Pick
Two groups of S1 pupils took part in a litter pick in the local community on Thursday 5th December. Despite the stormy conditions in the morning, the weather cleared away to allow the litter picks to take place. The groups were supported by Sandy Johnston, Neighbourhood Improvement and Enforcement Officer for Community Safety Glasgow. Before the litter pick he briefed pupils on the problems of litter in the community and encouraged them to behave responsibly and put all litter in the bin. He also provided high visibility clothing, gloves and litter pickers for the group.
The group followed 4 pre-selected routes into the community to try to target the main problem areas as highlighted by Sandy. Despite the cold weather the groups did a fantastic job and showed that they are responsible citizens, willing to do their part to make a difference to their local community.
Santa Dash
On Sunday 8th December it was the annual Glasgow Santa Dash where over 4000 people dressed in Santa outfits to run, jog, skip or walk the 5 km for charity. About 10 pupils and 3 teachers from Bannerman High school took part in the dash raising money for different charities. At the time of writing this article it is estimated that approximately £1000 has been raised by Pupils and teachers taking part this year. So a big thank you to all of you who sponsored us. THANK YOU.
The Santa Dash took place on a Sunday morning at 9.30 just when the wind and rain stopped for a few hours, lucky us! There were Santas of all different shapes and sizes, some young and some older. Santa suits were customised with tinsel and bells and even a few adding a very unique style of their own (watch the youtube click from the Daily Record). Prams were upgraded to sleighs and dogs were reindeers for the day. Kids were riding tinsel covered scooters, running past us unfit adults or riding on parent’s shoulders. Santas were even spotted walking into Greggs and before running while eating pies!
So please enjoy the pictures and video on the Daily Record website at: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/real-life/gallery-glasgow-santa-dash-pictures-2905365 (or Google: Santa Dash Glasgow Daily Record)
Parents Get Involved! You may be asking what have the Parent Council got to do with the Rights Respecting School (RRS) initiative? Well, where to begin…….. The Parent Council (PC) are not just a link on the school website, we are a group of parents whose purpose is to support the pupils and staff in achieving the aims and work of the school and local community. Throughout the school year the PC contribute and consider topics by reviewing and supporting initiatives which link directly to the aim of gaining status as a Rights Respecting School. In May of this year when William Reynolds presented RRS to the PC along with the draft action plan, which all pupils and teachers have committed to, the PC thought there were clear links with existing activity where we as parents could show how we can and have supported the RRS articles. So we committed to preparing a Story Board for all Parents and Pupils to view during the Parents evenings The Story Board highlights the aims and articles of RRS and the activities which the PC has completed over the last two years which link directly to the articles. All with the aim of supporting the pupils, teachers and parents in making the school environment one which is open to all to achieve their potential and encourage respect for others. Examples include the Dress for Success Code, Healthy Eating and Merit scheme. Please take a look at the Story Board which is on display just outside the Workshop Theatre, which includes the articles along with what and how the PC is involved in the school initiatives.! Any parent is welcome to attend the PC meetings which are held four times a year and are welcome to become a member at the Annual General Meeting held at the start of the school session. To find out more about PC - paste a link to the Parent Council section on the website at www.bannermanhigh.glasgow.sch.uk Parent Zone. Helen How Chairperson Parent Council
Contacts
Principal Teachers of Pastoral Care Burns: Mrs L Peoples Depute Headteachers S1: S2: S3: S4: S5: S6: Ms Black Mrs King Miss Smalls Mrs van de Gevel Mrs Belford! Ms black Livingstone: Mrs Shah Mackintosh: Ms L Morton Napier: Telford: Wallace: Mr C Gardiner Mr J McGillivray Mrs R Guile
Parent Contact
If you want to make contact by email please use this address: [email protected]
Bannerman High School Glasgow Road G69 7NS 0141 582 0020
www.bannermanhigh.glasgow.sch.uk www.twitter.com/bannermanhigh
Please check our website for current information. The weekly bulletin is in ‘News & Events’- this will allow you to see forthcoming clubs and activities which you can encourage your child to join.
