This year the prize giving took place in the Sports Hall on 4 October. Our Head Girl, Megan Millar, welcomed everyone to the event. In his report, Mr Manning spoke of the imminent move to the new school buildings, the very pleasing examination results and highlights of the school year. He then invited Sycerika McMahon to join him on the platform to share her experience of the Olympic Games with us. Sycerika gave the audience an insight into the demanding training programme she had undertaken and the qualification process, which led to her success in being selected for the Irish Olympic Swimming Team in London 2012. She shared her personal highlights of her event, and her memories of the closing ceremony – and told us that after a short, three-week break she has already begun her training programme for Rio in 2016! The Chairman of the Board, Mr McKeown, then introduced our Guest of Honour, the Deputy Chief Constable, Judith Gillespie, who warmly congratulated the prize-winners and presented the prizes and awards. In her speech the Deputy Chief Constable shared the message of three songs which particularly resonate with her. The first was: “I’m a Believer” and she urged the girls to have self belief and to be eternally optimistic. She quoted Henry Ford, who said: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't - you're right.” She used the words of her second song: “Don’t look back in Anger”, to urge the girls to make the most of every opportunity, and finally asked: “What have you done today to make you feel proud?” She urged the girls to adopt this perspective, to be excellent role models for younger pupils and to stand up for what is right. Following the presentation by the Head Girl and Deputy Head Girls to the Deputy Chief Constable, the Orchestra performed Cavatina, by Stanley Myers, and the Chamber Choir sang “Over the Rainbow”, by Harburg and Arlen which brought this memorable evening to a conclusion.

The new term got underway with the usual round of university Open Days. All U6 girls attended the Open Day at Queen’s, while others went to the Jordanstown, Coleraine and Magee campuses of the University of Ulster. All U6 also attended the Options XX careers event at Methodist College, where pupils were able to attend one of the lectures and talks provided by some of the universities and professional bodies who were present. Many UK and Republic of Ireland universities had stands at this event and our girls went to gain last minute information to finalise choices on UCAS forms. Almost all the UCAS applications have been completed and hopefully some girls will have offers before Christmas. Form 5 girls have carried out some careers research in the computer suites and interviews have already got underway with careers advisers from the Department of Employment and Learning. In September some members of Form 5 had the opportunity to hear Dr Taylor give a talk on ‘Applying to Cambridge’ at Wellington College. Form 3 had a Careers Planning Day on 24 October. This proved to be a most informative session which should help the girls to start thinking about courses and careers and assist them in choosing subjects for the next academic year. L6 are organising their work experience for next January and U6 are preparing for their Mock Interview Evening in November. We welcomed several speakers this term. Two former pupils – Sarah Murphy and Clare McGarrell came on behalf of the gap year organisation, Project Trust, to talk about their experiences last year in Thailand and Guyana. A lecturer from Stranmillis University College talked about working with children and another academic from the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Queen’s talked about jobs in her profession. We also had a tutor from the University of Ulster talk to girls in Form 5, L6 and U6 about art school applications. We have had several lunchtime sessions on personal statement guidance for accountancy, engineering, geography, history, architecture, languages, psychology, science, teaching and religious studies. Interview workshops for teaching, nursing and medicine will be held in November. Several girls have signed up for Insight Days with PwC and others for the GETSET Into Engineering Programme for Girls in November.

October 2012

This year’s Sixth Form Prize Distribution took place on 6 September. After an informal reception in the Sixth Form Centre, prizes, awards and the year book were presented to the Class of 2012 in Miskelly Hall. It was a pleasure to see so many of the girls, to congratulate them on their recent successes at A-level and to wish them well as they move on to the next phase of their lives. We hope to see many of our former pupils again at future events and to hear news of their experiences.

‘Christmas has come early to Strathearn!’ This was the spontaneous verdict of the form one pupil interviewed by Mr Manning as her tour of our new build ended, and it was an opinion that was shared by everyone who saw our new school buildings! Anticipation at the prospect of moving to our new build, and nostalgia at the loss of old rooms which served us well over many years, have been major preoccupations of Strathearn pupils and staff past and present throughout this term, and two events have been wonderful highlights so far this year. On Saturday 17 September, around three hundred former pupils and staff met in Miskelly Hall for a final opportunity to visit the old school buildings. As well as an overview of the plans for the new build, our guests saw videos, year books and photographs from the Strathearn archive, and paid a last visit to classrooms and laboratories, before meeting for Afterrnoon Tea in the canteen. The reunion was really enjoyed by everyone who attended and, in response to many requests, videos which featured in the presentation have been made available for viewing on YouTube. On 18 October our current whole-school community visited the new Strathearn building for the first time. The tours generated huge excitement, which increased as room after room brought home to us the reality of just how wonderful these long-promised new facilities are! We returned to the ‘old’ accommodation, and the boxes and bubble wrap for our final pack, feeling as if Christmas really has come early!

Siân Murray, 1A, who passed Grade 2 Cello with Distinction. Orla Bannister, 1A, who passed Grade 2 Flute with Distinction. Beth Minnis, 1A, who passed Grade 2 Piano with Distinction and also passed Grade 2 Cello. Rachael Campbell, 1A, who passed Grade 2 Flute. Jessica Moore, 1A, who passed Grade 3 Piano. Jessica Marks, 1A, who passed Grade 2 Violin with Merit. Bethan Andrews, 1A, who won a singing cup at Comber School of Music and a golf award at Holywood Golf Club. Katie Campbell, 1A, who came second in a NI Dance Competition at Lisburn Leisure Centre. Sophie Williams, 1A, who won a prize for achievement in diving at Lisburn Leisure Centre. Maya Savage Newell, 1A, who won a rosette in a riding competition in Donegal. Samantha McCormick, 1A, who won the Templemore Swimming Shield. Lucy Robinson, 4R, who came 13th in the Volvo Youth Championship at Ballyholme Yacht Club. She took part in the Laser 4.7 race. Katie Wills, 1T, who was placed third in a cross-country race in Victoria Park. Sophie Neale, 1T, who was placed second in a trampoline competition, and qualified for the Northern Ireland Championships in December. Ruby Baxter, 1T, who was placed third in a ‘Runher Race’ for charity and passed her Grade Three Trumpet Examination with Distinction. Sophie Neale, 1T, who passed her Grade Two Clarinet Examination. Rachel Bell, 1T, who passed her Grade Three Speech and Drama Examination with Distinction. Hannah Johnston, 2S, who passed her Grade Four Violin Examination. Chloe Scott, 3H, who passed her Grade Two Piano Examination with Distinction. Matilda Storey, 3H, who passed her Grade Two Guitar Examination with Distinction. Arianna Kennedy, 3R, who, as runner-up in the David Lloyd U18 Tennis Grand Prix, is through to the next round. Shannon Rietveld, 2T, who passed her Grade Four Flute Examination with Distinction. Camryn Hill, 2T, who passed her Grade Two Clarinet Examination with Merit. Anna Robinson, 2T, who passed her Grade One Saxophone Examination with Distinction. Beth McColl, 2A, who swam for the second Battalion of the Army Cadet Force and was placed first in the butterfly and back crawl and second in the breaststroke and front crawl. Corinna Clegg, 3S, who passed her Grade Two Guitar Examination. Chloe Young, 3S, who was placed fifth out of seventy-two entrants in a dressage competition. Sarah Brown, 3S, who was placed first in a badminton competition in Comber and to Corinna Clegg, 3S, who was placed third. Lauren Clarke, 2A, who participated in an Irish dancing competition.

GCSE and A-level artists have had an inspiring start to the school year. Form 5 travelled to Banbridge to see a marvellous retrospective of Basil Blackshaw’s painting – it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see so many of his expressive, varied pieces in one venue. Their day continued with an artist workshop in watercolour painting in Belfast’s newest Arts venue, the MAC. Form 4 enjoyed a full day working with artist Suzanne Coates. Her inspiring examples of Textile Art helped the girls create lovely stitched responses and discover they could tackle lovely stitches like French knots and succeed! Sixth Form artists journeyed to Dublin to see a range of stimulating Art in IMMA and the RHA. This included a mixed show of contemporary Irish artists working in new media and an intriguing retrospective of Alice Maher’s work.

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to this year’s total of 45,524 Tesco for Schools and Clubs vouchers! We spent these on Creativity resources, ICT equipment and Sports and Health apparatus. Among the many Departments benefiting from the equipment are Art, History, PE, Drama, ICT, Penrhyn and the Library.

Again this year, the House plays are taking place in Miskelly Hall. Barbour House is performing Plus One; Boucher, Bad Audition; McCaughey, mummatch.com and Watts, Crush. Our Adjudicator is Mr Arthur Webb. We wish all of the Houses every success for the event and will publish the results in our next newsletter!

Once again the standard of entries for the award was very high, so very well done to everyone who took part and congratulations to Lauren Graham, L6A, who is the award winner for the second year in succession!

On 3 October, the Form Five GCSE Drama class was privileged to have a visit from Jane Stewart, the dance director from the Youth Lyric. Ms Stewart began by warming up the class before spending an hour teaching the girls the complex ‘Charleston’ dance. All pupils were able to complete the full dance in the hour long workshop and fully enjoyed the experience.

Buen viaje to the Key Stage Four Spanish students who are on a language trip to Santander!

Congratulations to 5S for organising a very successful form effort. Over £530 was raised for Young Carers NI by selling buns and sweets at break and lunchtime. The popcorn proved particularly popular! Thank you to all those who supported them either by baking or buying the buns.

Hannah Craig, 3S, who was first in the U15 Belfast Open Squash Competition and to Victoria White, 3H, who was runner-up. Maddy Miskimmin, 3R, who was nominated for U15 Hockey TDS Trials. Jessica Moore, 1A, who was successful in the U12 Girls Masters in Tennis, securing a place in the top 10 girls in Ulster in Tennis.

In September 2012, a group of sixteen Upper Sixth girls travelled to Strasbourg as a result of their recent win in the competition, My Vision for Europe, for which they created a video discussing how the European Union affects their daily lives. They visited the European Parliament to represent the UK in Euroscola, a multi-lingual event attended by hundreds of young people from across Europe. Here they had the opportunity to take part in discussions about important European issues, sometimes communicating in an EU language other than their own. The trip also included a visit to Strasbourg itself, where some of the girls conquered their fear of heights by climbing 66m to the top of the Cathedral platform, and were rewarded with a breathtaking panoramic view of the city. All the girls had an unforgettable experience - thank you to Ms Simpson for organising the team throughout the year.

Netball has also started this year with great success! Shannon Booth, Saskia Craig, Emily McGowan, Nicky Montgomery, Charlotte Aston, Florence Ogonda and Erin Larmour were nominated for trials for the U15 Belfast Regional Development Squad. With a strong performance from all of the girls, Florence and Nicky have been selected for the second round of trials. Charlotte Aston, Emily McGowan and Erin Larmour, due to injury at the first trials, have also been invited to the second round - good luck girls! Belfast Podium for Sport U19 trials also took place, and taking part were Abigail Crosby, Nicky Montgomery, Shannon Booth, Charlotte Aston, Tara Gouk and Stephanie Jemphrey. Congratulations to Abigail, Nicky and Stephanie who were successfully selected for the squad. Unfortunately, due to injury, Erin Larmour and Emily McGowan were unable to attend the trials, and Stephanie Jemphrey will be unable to take part in the tournament due to injury. Well done to all the girls who took part in the trials and good luck to all teams for the start of their season! With further congratulations to Stephanie Jemphrey who is this year’s Netball Captain.

This year’s hockey season got off to a great start with the 1st XI Squad undefeated on the new school pitch. To date all our school teams have played matches against Glenlola Collegiate, Wallace High School, Carrickfergus Grammar, Portadown College, Belfast Royal Academy and Sullivan Upper. The 2A XI defeated Belfast High School 4-1 in the first round of the McDowell Cup. The 2B XI will play Portadown College this week in the opening group stages of the Gibson Cup. The remaining games will be played against Wallace High School and Methodist College after half term. The 3A XI also played Sullivan Upper in the Gibson Cup and drew 0-0. The other teams still to play in that section are Belfast Royal Academy and Belfast High School. The U14A XI played Wallace High School in the first round of the Junior Cup. Unfortunately, on the day, Wallace High proved a very difficult team to beat and Strathearn lost 4-1, with Rhia Prentice scoring for school. The U14A XI will now play in the Junior Plate. The 1st XI has drawn Kilkeel High School at home in the first round of the Schools’ Cup. This game will be played shortly after half term. Good luck ladies! This week a squad of 18 players, accompanied by Ms Young and Mrs Harvey are heading to England to play in the Topflight Hockey Schools’ Nations Tournament in Cheltenham. The squad will have the opportunity to play against various schools from all over the UK and Ireland. Good luck and have fun! The Captains for each team have been elected and are as follows: 1st XI Captain - Robyn Larmour; Vice Captain - Eve Bloor 2A XI Captain - Gemma Adair; Vice Captain - Bethanie Chambers 2B XI Co-Captains - Jemma Quinn & Victoria Moore 3A XI Captain - Sophie Gribben; Vice Captain - Janey Deehan 3B XI Captain - Annabel Terry U14A Captain - Maddy Miskimmin; Vice Captain - Sarah Brown U14B Captain - Ellen Meredith; Vice Captain - Katy Miskimmin U13A Captain - Ellen Gilpin; Vice Captain - Lauren Kirkwood U13B Captain - Katie Mackay; Vice Captain - Ellie Biggerstaff Good Luck to all the Captains and Vice Captains for the rest of the season!

Georgie Young and Clare Bankhead joined up with Bloomfield Collegiate to compete at the Schools’ Showjumping Event at Balmoral on Saturday 22 September. Jenni Cunningham competed in the Red Dragon Festival of Endurance Riding in Wales and finished 2nd in the Dragon’s Egg competition. Emily McGowan, 4R, competed in the Horse of the Year Show in Birmingham at U17 Level. She came second in the 143 cm Working Hunter Group.

5 & 6 November: Exceptional Closure 9 November: Upper Sixth Study Day & School Formal 15 November: Autumn Musical Evening 26 November: Upper Sixth Practice Interviews 6 December: Form One Consultation Evening 7-9 pm 12 - 14 December: School Production of Hairspray 12 December: Community Service Christmas Party 20 December: Carol Service at Stormont Presbyterian Church

School resumes 7 November at 8.45 am