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The Voice of st leonards

The November Review

Acts of Remembrance

ACTS OF REMEMBRANCE | All at St Leonards paused to remember those who have lost their lives in the pursuit of peace. On Armistice Day, pupils and staff participated in poignant acts of remembrance, including outdoor and online assemblies, a school-wide two-minute silence, and the laying of poppy wreaths which had been made by our Junior pupils. In particular, we remembered the St Leonards Seniors who have lost their lives in conflict: Phyllis Guillemard, Phyllis Hutchinson, Jean Henderson Grant, Marion Dorothy Chapman, and Fiona Margaret Watson.

In his address to Years 7-13, the Head outlined the ways in which the St Leonards community, past and present, has supported the armed forces. For example, in the Second World War, pupils at St Leonards knitted over 10,000 scarves and other articles to send to the Navy, raised money for relief and refugee funds, and one of the boarding houses, Castlecliffe, was used by the red Cross as a military hospital. In addition, the St Leonards Seniors Society staffed a hut in France, fundraised for by the school, and run under the auspices of the YMCA for recreation and leisure puposes. During this conflict, Seniors served as surgeons, doctors, nurses, orderlies, as well as working in intelligence corps and refugee camps - a tradition of service that continues to the present day.

On Remembrance Sunday, Karajahyah Forbes-Schlagenhauf and Grace Adam, our Head Boy and Head Girl, joined with local organisations and individuals in the St Andrews community for the town-wide act of remembrance. As part of the commemorations, they laid a wreath on behalf of the school community at the war memorial by St Andrews Cathedral.

Finally, our thanks to Mrs Carol Tyler in the School Office for coordinating this year's Poppy Appeal at St Leonards - £125.70 was raised for the charity, which supports ex-serving personnel and their families. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.

St Leonards Day

ST LEONARDS DAY | Our much-loved Junior houses - Mull, Harris, Lewis and Skye - now span Years 1-13, and all pupils are now members of one of the four ‘island’ teams. At the start of November, pupils in Years 7-10 celebrated St Leonards Day by participating in hockey, football, touch rugby, and ultimate frisbee, with the events culminating in a hotly-contested tug o’ war on Birdcage! Thank you Miss Carroll, the staff Island Leaders, and the students in Years 11-13 who helped run the afternoon’s celebrations and encouraged plenty of island spirit. Congratulations, too, to Lewis, the winning island!

Formal Photographs

FORMAL PHOTOGRAPHS | Following the announcement of our current Head Girl, Head Boy, Deputies, and Prefects back in the Spring Term - in the midst of lockdown and home learning - we are pleased to have, finally, been able to take our official photographs of the 2021-22 office bearers. All our pupil leaders have been doing an excellent job in post. Renewed congratulations to all!

Fancy Dress Fundraising

FANCY DRESS FUNDRAISING | Thank you to all those who supported our 'Wear to Scare' fancy dress day for Halloween, and to Ms Struck's Year 12 tutor groups for organising the occasion. The event raised £879.21 for the Scottish Refugee Council.

Anti-Bullying Week

ANTI-BULLYING WEEK | Earlier this month, we were proud to support Anti-Bullying Week and partner with RespectMe in their Odd Socks and One Kind Word campaigns. Our whole school community wore odd socks to acknowledge and celebrate that we are all unique.

In addition, Karajahyah Forbes-Schlagenhauf and Nicolas Paul, our Head Boy and Deputy Head Boy, led a virtual assembly for Years 7-13 which focused on the power of everyday acts of kindness and considered the ways in which we, as individuals, can start a chain reaction of kindness. They also outlined the wide range of support structures that are in place at St Leonards, and emphasised the importance of not suffering in silence and speaking out against bullying.

Their assembly concluded with this quote from Glen Campbell's song 'Try a Little Kindness'.

"You got to try a little kindness. Yes, show a little kindness. Just shine your light for everyone to see. And if you try a little kindness, then you'll overlook the blindness of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets."

Inspired by these initiatives, it really has been wonderful to see acts of kindness, both big and small, ripple out across the school community. Kindness really does breed kindness.

Sexpression Seminars

SEXPRESSION SEMINARS | Sexpression is a charity which seeks to provide accessible and inclusive sex education in schools. This month, as part of our Ad Vitam curriculum, we were pleased to welcome 'near-peer' student representatives from the charity to St Leonards to deliver talks on consent and online relationships to our Year 10 pupils. The sessions were engaging and sparked some fantastic discussions - many thanks to the Sexpression representatives, and we look forward to welcoming the team back to St Leonards later this year to speak with pupils in other year groups.

Move for Movember

MOVE FOR MOVEMBER | This month, pupils and staff have been raising funds for the Movember campaign, increasing awareness of men's and boys' physical and mental health. In addition to some fantastic moustaches, pupils, staff and parents have challenged themselves to walk, run or cycle 60km as part of the 'Move for Movember' initiative.

Last weekend, as part of this initiative, our Head, Simon Brian, completed an impressive 60km run along the Fife Coastal Path as part of the challenge, through which he aimed to raise awareness of and refocus his thoughts on some of the mental health issues faced by boys and men around the world. Mr Brian reflects upon his run, and on Movember, below:

"I set off along the Fife Coastal Path at first light. The first 30km felt good, and I enjoyed running along some spectacular beaches in the autumnal sunshine, around Fife Ness and down through Crail to Anstruther. I then doubled backed, but by the time I had run a marathon (42km) I knew that I was in trouble; I was certainly in pain! My legs were seizing up on the harsh coastal terrain, and I was finding the going the toughest I'd ever known. Whilst there was still daylight, the wind had picked up, it was starting to rain, I was low on food and water, and I could barely even jog... I still had 18km to get back to St Andrews, and so I thought that it was game over. I've never given up in an endurance challenge before, and so I decided to give myself a good talking to. I took a breather and resolved that I simply would not give up. I hobbled back to St Andrews, and arrived before sunset. As Movember comes to an end, I hope that we, as a school community, will remain mindful of the difficulties encountered by some of those around us whose mental health is suffering, and that we continue to take seriously the need to offer them our respect and support."

Many thanks to all who have contributed to the St Leonards campaign, and in particular to Mr Parsons in the PE Department for overseeing this initiative. A total of £1746.00 has been raised so far! If you would like to make a donation, please follow the link below. We are looking forward to the final Movember events next week, as staff take on pupils in hockey and football matches!

Saunders Wharf

SAUNDERS WHARF | The St Leonards Players staged a fantastic production of Saunders Wharf in the School Hall, running from 23-26 November. The play was the third in an original trilogy written and directed by Director of Drama Nickie McQuade-Powell. Congratulations to cast and crew on their sell-out success! A full photo album is linked below.

Marvellous Mathematicians

MARVELLOUS MATHEMATICIANS | Earlier this month, a number of our pupils took part in the UKMT Senior Mathematical Challenge. This is a 90-minute, multiple-choice challenge which encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve a range of problems. Congratulations to the following pupils who enjoyed great success in the challenge, some of whom are pictured below.

  • Alex Barclay - Gold Award - Best in School - Qualification to Kangaroo
  • Jackson Fraser - Silver Award
  • Isla Hutchinson - Silver Award
  • Malakai MacKenzie - Silver Award
  • Andrew Swales - Silver Award
  • Anita Ferrari - Silver Award - Best in Year
  • Mark Doherty - Bronze Award
  • Tobias Tonning - Bronze Award
  • Charles De Beir - Bronze Award
  • Quitterie Dectot - Bronze Award
  • Nicholas Müller - Bronze Award
  • James Bruins - Bronze Award

Lovely Lanterns

LOVELY LANTERNS | In their German lessons with Mrs McGregor, Year 7 enjoyed learning about the legend of Saint Martin, whose feast day is celebrated on 11 November each year. In some regions, the children go door to door with homemade lanterns and sing for sweets, a practice known as Martinssingen. Accordingly, to celebrate this festival, the pupils made Sanktmartinstag lanterns and learned one of the songs traditionally performed at the aforementioned lantern processions.

Amazing Artefacts

AMAZING ARTEFACTS | Earlier this month, the Year 8 pupils enjoyed a trip to Queen Mary's Library to investigate some of the interesting artefacts from the St Leonards archives. The pupils analysed a range of objects, including steering wheels, maps, photographs, and newspaper articles. It was a fantastic opportunity for our historians to put their source analysis skills into practice, and to learn more about the fascinating history of the school. Many thanks to Ms Tawse for selecting the objects, and the Sixth Form pupils who were on hand to share some of their expertise.

Sixth Form Soirée

SIXTH FORM SOIRÉE | Each year, the Year 13 CP students are tasked with organising an event, which forms part of the BTEC in Business element of the Career-related Programme. This year's event took the form of a sophisticated Casino Ball, held in the School Hall, and complete with canapés, mocktails, and dancing. Everyone enjoyed getting dressed up for a fantastic evening, complete with Casino-themed decorations! Well done to the team of pupil organisers, and thanks to Mr Tonge, Mrs Prudencio-Aponte and all who made the event such a success!

A full gallery of photographs can be accessed via the link below.

Shooting Success

SHOOTING SUCCESS | Congratulations to Frankie Calder (Year 13) who has enjoyed great success at short range rifle shooting championships this month, qualifying for the finals of the Scottish Championship with a score of 291 ex 300. They also won the Scottish Junior Championships, and finished in fourth place in the British Women's Championships. Most recently, we were delighted to hear that Frankie won the National Smallbore Rifle Association 2020-21 Individual Junior League, Division 1. This is the third consecutive year that Frankie has won the NSRA Junior Individual League. Wishing Frankie all the best at the Scottish Championship finals, which are due to be held in January 2022!

Fantastic Film

FANTASTIC FILM | Well done to Tristan Cox (Year 7) whose film, Scottish Bake Off, was awarded 'Best Live Action' and 'Best Film Overall' in the U12 category at the Scottish Youth Film Festival. The film is a laugh-out-loud watch, and can be viewed via the link below.

Steps Towards Sixth Form

STEPS TOWARDS SIXTH FORM | Our Year 11 and Pre-IB students had a fantastic time at Hotel du Vin, learning more about the two Sixth Form pathways at St Leonards. There were presentations from the curriculum leads about the inspiring International Baccalaureate Diploma and Career-related Programmes, along with opportunities to ask initial questions.

To learn more about the exciting transition from Year 11 to the Sixth Form at St Leonards, please follow the link below.

Concerts Galore

CONCERTS GALORE | After 19 months of online concerts, it has been wonderful to have small, socially-distanced live audiences in the Auditorium for some events, which have created a real buzz in and around the Music School! Congratulations to all the performers in the Autumn Term Concert, Lunchtime Guitar Concert, and Strings Concerts - as ever, we have been very impressed with the polished and poised individual and ensemble performances.

A particular highlight of the month was the Jull Medal, which took place in the Auditorium. Special mention to Maddy Wallard, who was named this year's winner of the Jull Medal, as well as Ben Smeddle and Shreyas Dhasmana who were Highly Commended.

Super Sport

SUPER SPORT | Our rugby, hockey and football fixtures continue to be a highlight of the week. Congratulations to all the pupils who have represented the school, and a particular well done to the following teams and goal scorers.

  • The U12 girls hockey team won 6-0 vs Kilgraston, with goals from Susannah Lawrence, Anna Brown, Rose Howison, Isobel Manifold, and Sophie Adrain;
  • The U12 boys rugby team won 10 tries to 7 against Clifton Hall;
  • The U13 girls hockey team won 4-3 against the High School of Dundee, with the U15 girls drawing 1-1 in their match;
  • The U15 SLM Blues side won 36-21 agains the High School of Dundee;
  • The Senior girls hockey team won 4-1 vs ESMS, with goals from Liselotte de Graff, Fiona Branch, Anneli Hawden and Caterina Eller; and
  • Last, but by no means least, the winners of the Years 8-10 and Years 11-13 Inter-Island girls hockey competition were Lewis and Harris respectively.

Duke of Edinburgh Silver

DUKE OF EDINBURGH SILVER | At the start of this month, some of our students travelled to Aberfeldy to complete their practice Duke Of Edinburgh Silver Award expedition. They worked together to plan and navigate the route, slept and cooked in the wild, and enjoyed being immersed in the beautiful landscapes of rural Perthshire. All in all, it was a fantastic, if rather rainy, experience for those involved!

Caledonia Call Up

CALEDONIA CALL UP | Congratulations to Archie Clarke who has been selected for the U18 Rugby Caledonia Squad. Over the half term holidays, Archie trained with the Caledonia Academy and, off the back of his excellent performance at the sessions, has progressed to the Caledonia Squad. Along with 40 other promising players, Archie will attend training sessions and play fixtures against the other three regional squads (Glasgow, Borders and Edinburgh) in the coming months. We wish Archie all the best ahead of the Scotland and Glasgow Warrior selection in the new year!

In addition, a round of applause for our younger Caledonia players who recently enjoyed great success at the Scotland-wide hockey and rugby tournaments! Anna Brown and Harriet Fleethan were part of the winning girls' hockey side, drawing 1-1 with the Saltires and beating the Thistles 2-1, and Hamish Fleming, Harry Jacks, Xander Sneddon, Ed Mifsud, Manuel Barbosa, Archie Donaldson and Angus Parkin also emerged victorious in the tournament.

Sustainable School

SUSTAINABLE SCHOOL | As leaders from around the world convened in Glasgow to discuss climate change at COP26, our newly-established Green Team gathered to discuss how we can look after the planet and become more sustainable as a school community. We are proud of the progress made with our existing green initiatives - litter picking on the beach, composting food waste, reducing paper usage and more - and it has been wonderful to hear the pupils articulate their thoughts and come up with more creative ideas for St Leonards to set in motion.

In addition, our Junior pupils held their own version of COP26 in St Katharines Hall - COP St Leonards - with some hugely important topics discussed and researched. Our long-term goal is to be awarded Eco School status.

International Celebration Day

INTERNATIONAL CELEBRATION DAY | Pupils and staff marked International Celebration Day, dressing up in national costumes and outfits inspired by flags from around the world. We are proud to have students of over 35 different nationalities on the school roll this year, contributing to our fantastic global community.

Compelling Compositions

COMPELLING COMPOSITIONS | At the start of the month, our Year 12 musicians enjoyed a fantastic workshop with Professor Pete Stollery from the University of Aberdeen. Inspired by Professor Stollery’s creative process, the pupils worked together to compose their own pieces of sound art inspired by COP26, weaving together moments of speech by climate activists with other sounds to create compelling and relevant compositions.

Schools Together

SCHOOLS TOGETHER | This month, we were excited to be able to restart our Schools Swimming Programme in partnership with local primaries, which had been put ‘on pause’ due to the pandemic. Each week, we welcome pupils from schools in and around St Andrews to make use of our pool and our PE staff, who instruct and support them to master both skills and confidence in the water. The programme is now in its fifth year and continues to go from strength to strength!

Language Awards

LANGUAGE AWARDS | Congratulations to Quitterie Dectot, Anneli Hawdon and Ismini McLeod-Dorizas who recently received confirmation that they had successfully completed their DELF B1 Level Diplomas. Special mention must also go to Leonards Senior Auryn Hawdon who completed the B2 Level Diploma at the end of last academic year. DELF is a certificate awarded by the French Ministry of Education to certify the language proficiency of foreign students.

Another linguistic highlight from this month was the news that Diederik Zoetmulder had been commended for his Dutch to English translation of Dit is mijn, submitted for the Stephen Spender Poetry Prize which is an annual competition for poetry in translation. His translation will be published on their website in due course. Well done, Diederik!

Scottish Country Dancing

SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCING | This month, the pupils in Years 8 and 10 have enjoyed learning the steps to traditional Scottish Country Dances in their PE lessons. Whether dancing the Dashing White Sergeant or Strip the Willow, the pupils really have had great fun. They are looking forward to showcasing their dancing skills at ceilidhs in the coming months and years!

Scholarship Signed

SCHOLARSHIP SIGNED | We are delighted to announce that Fynn Loewe, this year’s Tom Morris Scholar and a member of the High Performance Squad, has officially signed a Golf Scholarship to Wingate University for Autumn 2022. Fynn follows in the footsteps of our first Tom Morris Scholar, Ben Caton, and fellow elite St Leonards golfers, who hold an excellent track record of securing scholarships to first-class universities.

Fynn has been enrolled on the School’s leading five-tier Golf Programme for three years, and has worked hard to rebuild his swing and develop his game, leading to great success in local, national, and international competitions - all while balancing his IB Diploma studies. We are incredibly proud of his dedication, determination and golfing achievements, and look forward to watching his game go from strength to strength over the coming years.

Christmas Is Coming

CHRISTMAS IS COMING | A few weeks ago, we were pleased to launch our St Leonards Christmas Card for the 2021 festive season, featuring the iconic St Leonards and St Andrews skyline with shimmering gold stars and windows. This year, we have also produced bespoke wooden ornaments inspired by the same design for families to purchase. Both have been a record-breaking success, and have both sold out. A huge thank you to all our families and staff who have purchased these festive items!

Boarding Buzz

BOARDING BUZZ | This month, there has been a real buzz in the boarding houses with an action-packed calendar of trips and activities - everything from combat laser tag to bingo, high ropes, baking, badminton, flower arranging, cake and coffee at a local farm shop, a belated Halloween-themed fancy dress party in Restaurant 1877, and Christmas shopping at the Edinburgh Christmas Markets. All in all, the perfect combination of fun, food and friends!

Blue Ribbons

BLUE RIBBONS | We are proud to have an excellent and experienced Learning Support Department which seeks to equip and assist pupils with dyslexia, and a range of other learning needs, to reach their full potential. At the start of November, together with schools across the country, St Leonards marked Dyslexia Scotland Awareness Week. Pupils and staff wore blue blazer ribbons and information evenings, assemblies and tutor group discussions were organised to support, promote, and raise awareness of dyslexia.

STEP Launch

STEP LAUNCH | Year 12 pupils gathered in the School Hall for this year's STEP launch, at which a whole host of innovative ideas were presented and companies introduced. To follow this year's St Leonards Enterprise Programme (STEP) companies' progress, and indeed to support them, please find their Instagram handles and logos below:

  • Radiant - @radiant.stl - Julian Zintl, Georg von und zu Franckenstein, Ben Schmidt, Julian Langer, Annika Novak
  • DolgioDiMare - @dolgiodimare - Leon Eckrich, Diego Moreno-Stolz, Robert Mueller, Jakob Staedtler
  • Posh Ravers - @posh_raverz_step - Vincent Bossley, Joseph Downie, Andrew Swales, Alex Barclay
  • Halo - @halo.rings - Cameron Adams, Keyuri Ade, Leonard Hockerts, Josie Laland-Brown, Teighan Bonett
  • Apres Ski Apparel - @apresski.apparel - Jonah Adam, Fiona Branch, Nicolas Nuss, Anneli Hawdon, Heidi Bell
  • Pourtoi - @pourtoi.clothing - Carl Huppert, Soraya Manferdini, Moritz Walz, Niamh Headon, Ludovica Raddi
  • Snookz - @snookz.stl - Kamil Lugowski, Malakai MacKenzie, Tobias Tonning, Ivan Kulyk

During the launch, each company presented their aims, marketing strategy, product specifications and finances before being posed questions by Mr Seymour and Mr Funcasta.

Super Sunrises

SUPER SUNRISES | There have been some spectacular sunrises over the past few weeks. Many thanks to Ms Rae, our Head of Art, for sharing these photographs with us. St Andrews really is a magical place to live and learn!