The October Review
SCOTLAND STAR COACHES SLM BLUES
SCOTLAND STAR COACHES SLM BLUES | Our lucky SLM Blues squads were joined by Scotland rugby star Ross Ford for a special coaching session at St Leonards on Tuesday, 2 October. The Scotland hooker, who has played in three World Cups and is Scotland’s most-capped player, dropped in to share professional tips and techniques with our Junior and Senior teams on Big Field, followed by a Q&A session! A great experience for the Blues boys and a special thank you to the Brown family for making this happen. The coaching session helped to raise money for the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation!
ST LEONARDS DAY CELEBRATIONS
ST LEONARDS DAY CELEBRATIONS | The rain may have delayed St Leonards Day by a week, but that didn’t stop our three teams turning out in bright colours and face paint on Thursday for an afternoon of competitive inter-house fixtures.
After rounds of hockey, football, touch rugby and swimming, the celebrations culminated in an exciting tug o’ war decider, which saw the leading team, Ollerenshaw, pipped to the post by overall winners St Rule! Well done to all who took part, and a big thank you to everyone who came out to show their support!
DUNHILL DAY OUT
DUNHILL DAY OUT | St Leonards pupils spent a super Sunday at the final of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship thanks to special student passes, which even included a free ice cream! The rain didn’t stop everyone having a brilliant time down at the Old Course, watching on as this year’s winner, Lucas Bjerregaard, secured a one-shot victory over Tommy Fleetwood.
Congratulations also to Isabella (Year 10), who won the U18 Nett Prize in the Alfred Dunhill Schools Championship. She was presented with her award at the event, and was even interviewed for TV about her win!
ST LEONARDS SCHOLARS
ST LEONARDS SCHOLARS | The new St Leonards scholars were announced at a special assembly on Tuesday, 9 October, celebrating excellence with awards for outstanding achievements in music, drama, art, sport, golf and academic study.
Congratulations to the following pupils, who received scholarships for the 2018-2019 academic year:
Art: Eilidh Jarrett, Esme MacMillan-Doran (Year 8); Iona Turner, Christopher Barker, Evie Rhodes (Year 9); Emma McBarron (Year 10); Lucy Tabberer (Year 11)
Drama: Angus Graham, Sophie Clarke (Year 8); Cameron Adams (Year 9); Clova Angus, Davy Whatmore (Year 10); Catherine Fleming (Year 11); Andrew Fleming (Year 12); Evie Hayward-Daventry (Year 13)
Music: Beth Purvis, Cole Tooman (Year 9); David De Wolff, Zac Kunwar (Year 10); Kit McCarthy (Year 12); Tom McBarron (Year 13)
Sport: Helena Oldroyd (Year 11)
Golf: Ole Specht (Year 12); Karla Klostermann, Tom Goniwiecha, Aidan Sutton (Year 13)
Academic: Eilidh Jarrett, Mark Doherty, Charlotte McFadyen, Nicholas Muller (Year 8); Niamh Headon (Year 9); Martin Dandalov (Year 10; Ellen Caton, Emma Rubidge, Lauren Denton, Francesca Livesey-Stephens, Jamie Robertson, Georgie Robertson (Year 12); Joshua Shenoy, Calum McKinney (Year 13).
GLENEAGLES HUNTER TRIALS
GLENEAGLES HUNTER TRIALS | We were thrilled to hear of Olivia Sherret’s (Year 11) amazing performance at the Gleneagles Hunter Trials on Sunday, 7 October.
Olivia came first on Hazy Morn in the 75cm (class 4), with a clear round and no penalties. She has now qualified for the National Hunter Trial Championship, which takes place at Eland Lodge in Derbyshire next year. Well done Olivia on a superb achievement!
PAELLA PARTY
PAELLA PARTY | Both boarders and day pupils were treated to a live paella cookery demonstration in Ollerenshaw garden on Saturday, 6 October. The freshly-prepared feast coincided with our Whole School Open Morning, which meant visitors to St Leonards were also able to try a taste of Spain.
We were joined by chef Duncan Chisholm, who runs La Tortilla Aseina, a Spanish restaurant in Inverness, specialising in cooked-to-order paella dishes. Duncan used lots of local shellfish, including Pittenweem prawns, as well as authentic Spanish rice and vegetables to prepare the paella over an outdoor burner.
Thank you to Mr Crisswell and Ms Johnson for arranging the event. The mild autumn weather was perfect for al fresco dining!
CRIME CLUB SPECIAL
CRIME CLUB SPECIAL | Members of Crime Club were treated to a special visit from Donald L. Wolfe, a barrister and solicitor from Canada, who came in to speak to the group about his experience with the police force, of making arrests, and of working through evidence.
It was fascinating to see slides and examples from real criminal cases, including fingerprints and footprints, and learn all about how these different pieces of evidence come together in a trial.
Thank you to Mr Wolfe for visiting Crime Club, and for answering all the group’s many questions. It was a brilliant session!
EQUESTRIAN ACTIVITY
EQUESTRIAN ACTIVITY | Following the introduction of a new equestrian option for games and activity time at the start of term, it has been brilliant to see so much interest from pupils across the Senior School and Sixth Form. Our riders - beginner, intermediate and elite - have enjoyed trips down to Edenside Equestrian Centre by Guardbridge for lessons with instructor Anna, who has been teaching them about everything from cantering and jumping to mucking out the stables!
Anyone interested in signing up for horse riding as an after-school activity should speak to Mr Baxter, Director of Sport.
SCOTTISH SAILING
SCOTTISH SAILING | Year 10 pupils Alex and Oscar attended the RYA Scotland Academy at Dalgety Bay at the start of the month, spending a weekend on the water to build on their sailing technique.
The Academy also included fitness and activation sessions, and opportunities for novice racers to train alongside sailors involved in the Scottish and GBR national programmes.
It is super to see our students excelling in such a wide range of sports, with favourite activities going far beyond traditional team games!
FIFE SCHOOLS HOCKEY WINS
FIFE SCHOOLS HOCKEY WINS | Two very exciting hockey fixtures at the start of the month against Madras and Dunfermline saw the St Leonards Senior Girls crowned Fife Schools Hockey Champions for the seventh year in a row!
A convincing 6-0 win against Dunfermline High School was consolidated by a 2-0 victory versus Madras, with superb goals from Eleanor, Jemima, Millie, Meghan, Brook and Kathryn. An absolutely terrific performance, well worth celebrating!
The Year 10 girls also competed in the Fife Schools Hockey Championships, and were victorious in the S3 category. A series of well-fought games ended with a tense final against Dunfermline High School, with the St Leonards side winning on sudden death running penalties. A superb effort from the girls!
UNICYCLING STAR
UNICYCLING STAR | We were thrilled to receive the news this month that Henriette (Year 10), has been announced as Bavarian Champion in the unicycle Pair and Small Group competitions.
Henriette, who started at St Leonards in August, competed in the event alongside partner Verena, with the duo demonstrating the best performance across all age groups.
To add to her success, Henriette, who also secured the World Champion title in long jump at the Unicycling World Championships in August, will travel to Germany in December for the large group qualification ahead of the 2020 World Championships.
An absolutely outstanding achievement, and we look forward to seeing many more great things from our very own unicycling star.
SEASON OF SUCCESS
SEASON OF SUCCESS | Congratulations to the Senior Boys' football team who continued their winning streak with a 3-2 victory at home against Glenalmond. A brilliant game, and great to see the boys performing so well this season. Let's keep the wins coming!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
HAPPY HALLOWEEN | Our boarders came together in Bishopshall for a fun evening of pumpkin carving ahead of our boarder Halloween Party on Friday, 2 November. The pupils came up with lots of great designs, including the traditional array of spooky faces. The highlight was Karla, Miguel and Hannah's IB pumpkin, marking 50 years of the International Baccalaureate. Full marks for inspired ideas!