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from the Quadrangle April 2012 October 2010 from the Quadrangle

House News: LipsynchSome of the colourful acts from this year’s Lipsynch House competition are shown below. The winning act was Straloch.

Games Workshop This year a group of 1st-4th year pupils took part in the Games Workshop Regional Heat for the schools league. Unfortunately the 40k team, came second against players who were older. On the other hand the Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game (Lotr SBG) and Warhammer teams managed to get through to the Scotland Finals. All the team members are looking forward to going to Glasgow. The Scottish National Final will be on the 21st of April and the teams are confident that they will win. If they win then they go through to the UK Final at Warhammer World in Nottingham. Danny Anderson (S2)

World Maths DaySenior pupils took part in this global challenge alongside 5.5million students throughout over 200 countries. Pupils played against other students around the world in live games of mental arithmetic. Each game lasted for 60 seconds and students could play up to 100 games, earning points for their personal tally. There were 5 levels of play, 20 games on each level. The pupils who answered the most questions correctly appeared on the Hall of Fame. Past results show that pupils make significant improvements in their mental arithmetic skills and have fun in the process. For further information please visit http://www.worldmathday.com.

Robert Gordon's College, Schoolhill, Aberdeen AB10 1FE UK Tel: 01224 646346 (Senior School) 01224 646758 (Junior School) Fax: 01224 630301 Email: pr@rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk www.twitter.com/robertgordons

April 2012 Issue 37

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Not only did we get to watch the heats and some of the finals that took place on Sunday 4 March; we were also able to interview many of the top swimmers in Britain - including Liam Tancock, Ross Davenport, Joanne Jackson, Hannah Miley and Robbie Renwick - as well as Lotte Friis from Denmark.

Amazingly, three swimmers with RGC connections were competing: David Carry (class of ’99), Andrew

McGovern (class of 2011) and Jack Ness (who is still only in S4!). Our interviews with them can be seen at http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolreport/17285763.

We also filmed an interview with Olympic medallist Duncan Goodhew and Blue Peter TV presenter Andy Akinwolere - pronouncing his surname for the camera was quite a challenge! – to promote the launch of the Big Splash Mile for Sports Relief.

However, the most surprising and exciting part of our experience was when we found ourselves being interviewed by Steve Parry on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra and also by Kheredine Idessane for BBC Scotland, which can be seen at http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/scotland/17264007.

It truly was the experience of a lifetime and one that we won’t forget in a hurry!

Olivia Attwooll-Keith and Alix Wrighton (both S3) write about their experience of attending the British Swimming Championships at the Aquatics Centre for the BBC News School Report project.

Mr Haggart welcomed the audience of families and friends to Ferryhill Parish Church to our the third RGC Young Musician of the Year on Wednesday 14 March. All present enjoyed an evening of wonderful performances by the following pupils: Claire McKenzie - French Horn; Joel Ingram - Alto Saxophone; Sanju Vijayan - Flute; Elliot Noble - Piano; Stuart Coull - Alto Saxophone.

While the Senior Recorder Group played a short performance, the judges - Prof. Pete Stollery, University of Aberdeen, Miss Laura Pike, Director of Music, Albyn School, and Mr Neil Meldrum, former Principal Teacher of Music, Harlaw Academy, deliberated.

Elliot Noble (S6) was awarded the title RGC Young Musician of the Year 2012 for his stunning piano performance. All contestants were commended by the judges on the quality of their performances, likening the evening event to a professional concert.

News from the Parents AssociationDon’t miss:The biggest fundraiser of the year: The Founder’s Day Ball - 12 May 2012 We look forward to seeing you there. However, if you have not been lucky enough to acquire a ticket, you can still be part of this evening by buying a raffle ticket for your chance to win one of the marvellous prizes kindly donated by our many sponsors.Sports Day - 26 May 2012: Planning is well under way for this event which will be a family fun day with lots more for the children to do once they have finished competing as well as burgers, cream teas and of course the Pimms tent.Uniform Sale - Sat 9 June 2012: notification will be sent out nearer the time for anyone wishing to sell items. There has been a change to areas of the school uniform this year, so there will be items we can no longer sell.

Any questions, please contact us on rgcpa@gmail.co.uk Julie Forbes & Liselotte Osugo Joint Chairs

Aberdeen Economists runners up in national competitionA team of Economics pupils came 2nd in the Area Finals of the twelfth annual Target Two Point Zero – Bank of England and The Times Interest Rate Challenge. The event took place in Manchester and this meant they were placed in the top 14 schools out of over 350 across the United Kingdom competing for the Challenge Trophy and £10,000 for their school or college. As runners-up the team brought home £650 for the school’s economics department.

During the regional heats, teams of four students, aged 16 to 18, analysed UK and global economic data and their possible impact on inflation and the economic outlook for the UK - just as the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee does each month. The team then decided if current monetary policy is appropriate or needs to be adjusted, to meet the 2.0 per cent inflation target set by the Government.

RAF NewsFlying high!On Sunday 9th February Air cadets got to experience the exhilarating thrill-ride that is gliding down at RM Condor. This was the first gliding date of 2012 and three of the cadets plus myself were going gliding for the first time. It was a beautifully sunny and clear day, if a bit cold! The gliders are completely unpowered and are pulled into the air by a cable. Take-off is a lot faster and steeper than in a plane; it feels like a fast rollercoaster. Once you are high enough, though, the cable is released and all of a sudden the flight is exceptionally smooth and quiet. The cadets were allowed to take control of the glider for short periods from their first flight! In between flights cadets helped to prepare and launch gliders for other cadets and pilots. All of the cadets, including myself, got to go up three times and a very memorable day was had by all.Miss Woods

“We were pulled with incredible acceleration and we rose into the air really fast. All noise completely disappears when you go into the air because there is no engine, just the air under the wings. Once the cable is released it feels a bit scary. The glider gets pushed around a bit by thermals but on the whole it is really smooth flying and you feel the motion of the aircraft as much as in powered aircraft”. Matthew Fossett (S2)

S3 pupils report from Olympic venue

Pupils triumph at Model UN ConferenceRobert Gordon’s College has taken the best delegation in the General Assembly Plate at the George Watson’s College Model UN Conference back to Aberdeen for the first time this weekend along with 13 individual awards.

The sixth GWC MUN Conference ran from 23 to 25 March 2012 in Edinburgh and RGC had 25 delegates representing Uganda and Azerbaijan with the winning plate going to Azerbaijan. For the third year running Gordon’s have returned with the individual prize for Best Delegate in the Security Council whilst one of the youngest team members Stephen Anderson won Best Junior Delegate in the Health Committee for the 2nd year running.

At the closing ceremony on Sunday Robert Gordon’s College received the following individual awards in addition to the best delegation in the General Assembly:Best Delegate in Security Council: Katie Wood (S5)Best Junior Delegate in Health Committee for the 2nd year running: Stephen Anderson (S4)Highly Commended: Hussain Raja (S5), Sam Povey (S5), Conor Keir (S4), Henry Symons (S5) Commended: Hannah Bettsworth (S6), Lauren Polson (S6), Robert Kemp (S5), Tomas Sanders (S4), Lalit Maganti (S5), Salih Osman (S5), Christine Watson (S5).

RGC Young Musician of the Year 2012

Science in the QuadOn Saturday 8 Sept 2012 RGC will host “Science in the Quad” as part of the British Science Festival. There will be workshops, drop-in activities, lectures and lots of fun science fair activities. There will be input from the universities of Glasgow, Heriot-Watt, Liverpool John Moores, RGU and staff from the Institute of Physics from across Scotland and the north of England and more still to be confirmed. RGC will also host the IOP Schools Lecture “Physics and the Games: a winning formula” presented by staff from Sheffield Hallam University. Put the date in your diary and look out for more details nearer the time.

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from the Quadrangle April 2012

Visit our website for full reports and more photos www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk

News in briefPerformance DVDs for saleThere is limited stock left of the live performance dvds from the following shows. Please contact the Drama department if you would like to purchase a copy of Treasure Island, Oklahoma or Wind in the Willows.

Parent access to current websiteIf you would like a reminder of the access details to the parent or pupil secure areas of our website please contact Miss Shelley Foreman s.foreman@rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk

All that JazzThe Senior Big Band played at The Blue Lamp on Friday 16th March as part of the Aberdeen Jazz Festival.

Big Green Quiz House CompetitionS1 and S2 had a fun filled lunchtime in the drama studio taking part in the annual Big Green Quiz. Show me boards were used in the almost paper free quiz, where pupils were asked a variety of questions on their knowledge of the local area and sustainable living. They tried multiple choice and picture rounds long with Mock the Week and energy sources rounds. Well done to all who took part. We hope you enjoy your participation gift and get green fingers growing and eating your very own onions.

SSPCA VisitJackie Cook, an SSPCA officer from the Drumoak Rehoming Centre visited RMPS pupils who have been studying Animal Rights. Jackie gave an interesting talk about her duties at the centre: what people should do about any injured animals found, who to report suspected animal mistreatment to and how suitable new homes are found for the animals. The centre rehomes dogs, cats, horses, rabbits (and similar small furries) and birds. The S1 pupils designed animal rights posters as part of a class competition and the overall winner was Will Slayter; the posters are on display in the department.

Shakespeare in LoveTheatrical tantrums, tights and tears of love and laughter! This year the S5/6 Drama Club performed a theatrical version of the Oscar winning movie ‘Shakespeare In Love’. The audience were captivated by the pace and professionalism of this touching and funny drama where the path of true love doesn’t run smoothly.

The Senior School Drama Studio was transformed into an intimate theatre with the audience on two sides of the avenue staging transfixed on the action and the performances. Actor strops, mistaken identity, stage fights, a Queen, comedy and love triumphant! All that was missing was a bit with a dog!

News from the School CaptainsWith Prelims now well and truly over, the school has returned to its normal routine and this term has been a particularly busy one. Coursework continues as usual, with a real focus on the ever approaching finals for fourth to sixth years. For younger years, investigations and presentations have ensured that the library is a flurry of activity. But, of course, life at Gordon’s is not all work and no play! The sports pitches have been the focus of much recent attention, with hockey and rugby teams travelling up and down the country to compete in national competitions and tournaments. The Gordonian Dinner in Aberdeen was held at the Marcliffe and a good time was had by all captains, staff and former pupils in attendance. This was soon followed by the Glasgow Dinner. We hope you all had an enjoyable and relaxing Easter holiday.Kirsty MacLeod and Sean Press

“Très Bien!” Pupils scoop top prizes in national competitionNiall Kennedy (S6) has been awarded the top prize and Christy Welsh (S6) won 3rd prize in the AMOPA competition (a national Advanced Higher French speaking competition). The Association des Membres de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques (AMOPA) in Scotland inaugurated a competition for students of Advanced Higher French. The competition articulates with the typical study and examination programme for the students and aims to support them in their preparation for the Speaking Test. Mrs Nathalie Mills, teacher of Modern Languages, said, “This was an excellent opportunity for 7 pupils from the College to support their classroom studies.” Mrs Mills recorded the pupils’ presentations and submitted the audio files to the jury for assessment, a group which includes native speakers.

DofE Gold Expedition TrainingOn Sunday 4 and 18 March seventy-five S5 pupils braved the cold and wet weather to attend their essential pre-expedition training. Over the 2 days, the Gold participants covered areas such as camp craft, first aid, route planning, health and safety, risk assessment and had a lot of fun during the team building exercises. All these skills will help them stay safe whilst out on expedition during the summer.Mr McEwan

Double joy for debatersAlice Jaspars and Harriet Foreman (both S3 and pictured above) won the Europe Direct Aberdeen Schools’ 2012 Debating Competition for S3-S4 pupils. The motion for the final of the event, which was held in the Beach Ballroom, was “This House believes that EU student exchange schemes should be a compulsory part of the school curriculum to help foster a sense of being European.”

Salih Osman and Lalit Maganti (both S5) won this year’s Debater Trophy, a competition for novice debaters in which RGC competes against teams from Albyn School and St Margaret’s School for Girls. Salih and Lalit were opposing the motion that “This House would lower the voting age to 16”.Mr Elder

National Success for Gordon’s SwimmersTwo swimming teams travelled down to London on Thursday 8 March to compete in the annual Bath Cup and Otter Medley.

On Thursday night, the boys’ team (James Yule (S6), Timothy McGovern (S5), Jack Ness (S4) and Lewis Proctor (S4)) competed in the Otter Medley Challenge Cup, where they put in an excellent performance, winning 4 out of the 6 individual events and winning the medley relay. They accumulated 109 points out a possible 120 allowing them to retain the Otter Challenge Match Trophy for the third successive year.

The following morning both teams arrived at Crystal Palace to compete in the main events. The boys competed against 63 other schools in both the freestyle and medley relays, where they came a respectable 8th in the freestyle relay. In the medley relay, however, the boys bettered their own record of 1.51.41 from last year and finished in 1.50.86. Despite this and having swum to an exceptionally high standard, they were just beaten into 2nd place, making them the fastest Scottish team in the competition.

The girls’ team (Hayley Monteith (S6), Caitlin Rees (S5), Caitlin Tootill (S4) and Kirsty Ness (S2)) went one better than the boys and achieved a silver medal in the Invitational Freestyle Relay, making them the fastest Scottish freestlye relay team in the competition. In the medley relay, similar to the boys, the girls bettered their medley relay record of 2.09.28 from last year and finished in 2.08.09. This impressive performance saw them finish in third place in a very competitive and fast final, having competed against 42 other UK schools.

Pupils who were recently awarded their Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

Careers News S5 pupils currently seeking career experience placements are being encouraged to consolidate arrangements with their company contacts as soon as possible. It is anticipated that pupils will make the most of their work opportunity in June, which should help to confirm their subject choices and possibly firm up some career ideas. Good practice in the workplace and potential health and safety risks will be amongst the topics discussed in Lifeskills classes after the Easter break.

S6 pupils continue to receive university offers. Most pupils must decide which offer/s they are to accept by 9th May.

Advanced notice is being given to the parents of S3 pupils that, at the Parents’ Evening on Wednesday 25 April, Mrs Greta Weir of ISCO will give presentations to explain the benefits of pupils opting into the Futurewise scheme at the start of S4. Mr Beaton

World Book DayThursday 1 March was World Book Day, an occasion which is celebrated in style at RGC. Junior School pupils and staff attended school dressed as a character from one of their favourite books, and the pupils also took part in a Readathon where over £3,000 was raised for CLIC Sargent and the Roald Dahl Foundation. Nicholas, Matthew, Callum and Freddie from P6A held a book sale to raise money for Maggie’s, our school charity. Books ranged from 20p to £2. This was a huge success, raising £305.20.

In Senior School the celebrations continued where pupils met author DM Simons who talked about her current book “Keep her Safe”, which is an unusual adventure thriller for readers aged 10+, introducing themes and ethics of genetic engineering to a young teen audience.

Quartet performThe RGC Quartet performed at the Trinity Hall for a Bond Pearce audience, who were impressed by the high standard of performance and expressed a desire to use the group at future functions and also to form a link to offer work experience placements with our pupils. The quartet should be congratulated on their ambassadorial skills in representing the College so well.

From the ArchivesIn November Aberdeen Art Gallery is going to be mounting an exhibition of Aberdeen silver from 17th century to the present day. The curator of the exhibition has visited the Archives and we have discovered that quite a few of the early silversmiths were pupils at Robert Gordon’s Hospital. Do you know anyone who owns a piece of Aberdeen silver? Kate Gillespie at the Art Gallery would be very interested to discover what’s out there. Any information could help to build up a picture of city silversmiths and their work. Please contact KGillespie@aberdeencity.gov.uk.

April 2012 from the Quadrangle

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from the Quadrangle April 2012 April 2012 from the Quadrangle

Victorian Workshop at Aberdeen UniversityOn 5th March P6R went to King’s College Museum - a great place to learn about Victorians and handle different artefacts. We split into 3 groups and moved along four different stations. On the first table there were 3 bags of mystery objects, where we had to put our hands in and describe the object to our group. On the second table there was a painting of an early Victorian classroom and we were asked questions about it, and slate boards where we practised our Victorian handwriting. On the third table there were lots of everyday objects which were modern and their Victorian equivalents. On the last table we learned about how the Victorians entertained themselves with optical illusions. This was a very good trip as it ties in with our topic of Scotland from 1700-1900. We learned a lot from this trip and the future P6s should be excited!Jessie Molloy P6R

P6 Victorian Trail and ClassroomWe started our fantastic trail at Rubislaw Church, which was a Victorian church. We were even lucky enough to go inside. The scenery was fabulous. We filled in booklets whilst on the trail. It was raining but that didn’t spoil our fun. I never knew that there were so many Victorian buildings in Aberdeen. I would highly recommend it. It was brilliant.Ben Barbour P6A

Follow us on twitter... www.twitter.com/robertgordonsVisit our website for regular news updates...www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk

Sport in NurseryThe children have been very busy in Nursery this term, with our main topic being “sport”. They went to visit the fitness suite in the Senior School and this was followed up by a visit from Samantha Murray (S6) who came to talk about her fitness regime in the gym. Miss McIntyre, who has volunteered to help at the London Olympics, told them about her experiences to date and P4 pupils told them about the many sports that they take part in: football, rugby, tennis, swimming, martial arts, horse riding, highland dancing and many other sports too.

One of the highlights of the term was our swimming sessions in the school swimming pool, where the children nurtured their swimming skills using woggles, floats, air balls and most importantly they all had a fantastic time walking along the huge float before making an enormous splash as they jumped into the water!

The other highlight of our sports theme was attending our Nursery Olympic Games at Countesswells. The children had all made a team flag to wave and they took part in fun events involving running, jumping and throwing. At the end of the topic they were all presented with a Nursery Olympic Medal as a keepsake.

Tulip TeaNursery pupils at Robert Gordon’s College delighted families with their interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood during their annual Tulip Tea. The children painted their colourful characters onto their costumes for the performance. Donations raised through ticket sales were made to Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre, a charity that the Junior School are supporting through various fundraising events this year.

Robert Burns World Federation competitionThe festival rewards the brightest young talent in four categories – singing, instrumental music, bagpiping and verse-speaking. Congratulations to the following pupils on their achievements at the festival in March 2012.P4/5 Singing: 1st Shavena Balan, 2nd Beth Kelly, 3rd Anna ScottP6/7 Singing: 1st Katy Johnson, 2nd Priyanka Ram, 3rd Aditi Karmakar, 3rd Andrew BainP6/7 Singing: 1st Grace Milne, 2nd Milly Merry, 3rd Grace McDowellP6 Instrumental: 1st Shreyas NirmalP7 Instrumental: 2nd Samuel HayP5 Verse: 1st Harry Forbes, 2nd Hugo Gamba , 3rd Lucy George/ Cameron Sword P5 Verse: 1st Ross Stone, 2nd Thomas lines, 3rd Hugo Gamba, 4th Katie Mcleod, 5th Eleanor Watson P5 Verse Overall Winner: Harry ForbesP6 Singing Overall Winner and The Jeannie Robertson Music Trophy: Katy Johnson

P6 trip to Stanley MillsOn Tuesday 23 February, the whole P6 year group went on an excursion to Stanley Mills in Perthshire, a unique complex of water-powered cotton mills situated on a bend in the River Tay. We each participated in three activities throughout the day.

We began with a tour around the mills. We went on to take part in a ‘Dragons-Den’ style activity where we learned about the innovation, import and export that has kept the mill going for nearly 200 years.

Finally, we got to dress up as Victorian children who would have been employed in the mill. We got a real sense of what life in Victorian Scotland would have been like - especially for children. It was great to see all the things we had learned about in school being brought to life at the mill.P6L

Chucks Away P2!Whilst learning about air travel as part of our transport project, Helicopter pilot, Captain Hopkinson (aka Rachel’s dad P2M) gave P2 a fascinating talk on helicopter travel. He told us about flying them, how many passengers they take and showed us pictures of the cockpit and all those buttons. We learnt that they can fly anywhere as they can take off and land straight up in the air and we saw a picture of a helicopter lifting a Range Rover – we had a lively discussion on why that may have been necessary of course. We really enjoyed meeting him and hearing all about helicopters. Thank you Cpt Hopkinson.

P5 go back in time at EdinburghP5 visited Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace to learn more about Mary Queen of Scots.

“I enjoyed looking at the amazing portraits in the Great Gallery at Holyrood Palace. I learned that female servants did exercise in this room. This was memorable because I liked looking at the portraits of the Kings and Queens as it made me feel grand”. Thomas Hopkinson, P5

“The Birth Chamber in Edinburgh Castle was fascinating because I saw where a real King was born. It made me feel really important to be where Mary Queen of Scot’s son, James VI, was born”. Eleanor Watson, P5R

Curtain Up on Fabulous PropsThe School would like to say a huge ‘Thank you’ to Mr Duncan (Grandpa of Grant P2M) for kindly donating some magnificent props he made and decorated. They are presently located in the Drama room in the Junior School where they are a huge hit with classes from all stages. They are giving ideas, bringing projects to life and most of all, good fun!

Journalists for a dayP2 wrote on the Titanic disaster in the form of newspaper articles. We found the whole process very interesting and a change from anything we had written before. So much so in fact that we invited one of the Press and Journal’s reporters, Lynn Kernan, to meet us and tell us all about being a journalist. We were amazed at how Lynn gets news and pictures for a newspaper to be printed six days and six evening a week! The whole production process of having it written, printed, driven all over the area and ready to go on sale in the shops whilst we sleep fascinated us. Lynn even showed us the headline from the P & J on the day the news broke about the sad loss of the Titanic (which, for the record did NOT say ‘North East Man lost at sea’). Lynn Kernan is pictured below with pupils of P2J in front of their Titanic news reports.

Pancake DayOn Pancake Day, before the start of Lent, people tried to use up all their rich food, such as eggs, milk and butter – hence the pancakes. P5 raced in relay teams of four and P5M were the winners. Everyone had a great time, but the pancakes didn’t really survive the experience!

P7 Glenshee tripUnfortunately due to the unreliability of the typical Scottish weather just

when we wanted the grey skies and snow showers Scotland gave us SUN!!This luckless event meant that we could only have the enjoyable skiing

experience for two days. On the bright side we got the best of both worlds with the fantastic alternative plan.

On Wednesday when there was no skiable snow, we were split into two groups where one group went orienteering while the other went to visit The Linn of Dee and walk to the Devil’s Punchbowl. On Thursday one group went to Gulabin Activity centre and took part in archery, high ropes course, leap of faith, zip lines and den building. Meanwhile the others were having a great time mountain biking, visiting the Victorian Railway exhibition, going to the park and visiting Burn’O’Vat. On the Friday the groups were reversed so we all got to do the other activities.Lucy Shanahan P7M

On Friday 23rd March P4K went to John Lewis as we have been learning about money in our maths lessons. We each bought a cake and a drink with money that we counted out carefully ourselves. We met Mr Rose who is the restaurant manager at “The Place To Eat” and learnt all about how the café works. We had a great time and enjoyed the food and drinks – it was a really special way to spend our Friday afternoon’s Golden Time!

P5 Cross Country Winners

Girls: 1st Hannah Lawrie; 2nd Lucy

George; 3rd Kirsty Jack

Boys: 1st Cameron Sword; 2nd Hugo

Gamba; 3rd Andrea Corradi

P6 Information Session P6 parents enjoyed an information session in February focussing on health and wellbeing topic ‘Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood’. All four P6 teachers and the School Nurse talked to parents and showed part of the DVD the pupils see in class.

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from the Quadrangle April 2012

Hockey: Boys On Friday 17 February the Boys’ 1st XI Hockey Team played host to Newton College, a team who we played against on our tour of Cork in Ireland during the October holidays. In a closely-fought match, RGC ran out 5-3 winners. Following the match they were then hosted for the Friday night by the RGC squad members and played Aberdeen Grammar on the Saturday morning where Newton College won 3-1.

In other news, Jamie Wong (S5) and Grant Scott (S5) made penultimate cut for Scotland u18 squad. Alan Oldham (S4) been selected for Scotland u16 to play Wales in a 2 match test series.

NetballRGC Junior and Senior Netball teams both won the Aberdeen Secondary Schools Netball League 2011/2012.

The Senior girls won the Aberdeen Schools Netball League, competing against Ellon, Cults, Bucksburn, St Margaret’s, Albyn, Grammar and Lathallan. They have scored 188 goals and only conceded 47 in this league, an outstanding achievement. They have also progressed to the semi-final Stages of the Scottish cup after beating Holyrood (Glasgow) by 2 goals, which will be played on Wednesday 28 April against Duncanrig School, Glasgow.

The Senior A (S4-S5) team have progressed to the Semi Finals of the Scottish Cup, defeating Holyrood 24-22. Abbie Buchan (U17), Fiona Farquharson (U21), Emily Gray (U21) represented Scotland at the European Championships in March.

RowingCongratulations to Calum Knowles and Amelia Donovan who were part of the Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association team that won the Scottish Clun Team Trophy for the 3rd consecutive year at the Scottish Schools’ Head Races on the Forth and Clyde canal.

Cara Napier (S3) was at the Scottish Indoor Rowing Championships on 29 January and won a gold medal in her age group (Junior 14s).

Girls Hockey: U18 Scottish Cup FinalIn our 13th consecutive year at the Schoolgirl finals we were drawn in ‘the group of death’ along with Strathallan, Mary Erskine and HSOG. On fire in the first game against Strathallan we won 1-0 but the flame that burnt so brightly was soon extinguished in the next two games losing 1-0 on both occasions where a draw would have been enough for a Semi Final berth.

In the senior tournament at home on Saturday 10 March we cruised through to the final against a feisty St. Margaret’s team where after full time we went straight to penalty strokes where the players coolly stepped up to slot home their strokes and we ran out 3-1 victors. We have now won all 7 trophies that are available for Aberdeen schools.

Katie Hibbert (S4) has been selected to represent Scotland U16 against Wales This will be Katie’s first cap at U16.

‘Heritage Hero’Sean Press (S6) has been selected as a finalist of the 2012 Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards in association with the Co-operative Foundation. As a finalist, Sean and two guests will attend the awards ceremony in Glasgow on Thursday 26th April 2012.

TennisCameron Edward (P7) secured second place overall in The Glacier Energy Tournament which was held over a 6 month period at Westburn Tennis Centre. 8 boys who all train with North East District tennis squad, battled it out over 6 exciting tournaments.Ross Martin (P7) and Connór McMahon (P6) have been selected to play for the 11 & Under North East of Scotland district tennis team at the annual Scottish inter-district championships held in Kilgraston, Perthshire from 31 March - 2 April. Connór also secured his place in the main draw for the ROGY Tour Finals 2011/2012 held in Edinburgh on 17 March.

Ski-ingElla Still (S3) came first for Scotland in the Slalom races in the 21st World Schools Ski Championships in Gressney, Italy. She finished 1st Scottish girl in both slalom races on Friday 9 March with an overall top 20 finish in a field of over 50 of the best European under 15 ski racers, many competing at international level. In the Giant Slalom competition, Ella came 2nd for Scotland in both races. Ella joined the 20 strong Scottish squad for some high altitude training in Pila, Italy before the Slalom and Giant Slalom events in Gressney. Ella is ranked in the points system for British Skiers, BASS, in the top 3 in Scotland for girls under 15.

A Sporting FanfareIn the countdown to the 2012 Olympics, the BBC is celebrating excellence in sport and music through a series of concerts. My sister, Freya

Hall (S3) and I were fortunate to take part in one on Saturday 3 March, given by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra with soloist Nicola Benedetti, along with members of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the National Youth Choir of Scotland (four former pupils of the College were singing in the choir). The concert went out live on radio and was broadcast the next day on BBC 2. The programme of well-known works with an Olympic connection such as Chariots of Fire and Ravel’s Bolero, was well received by the audience in a full Clyde Auditorium. It was a great experience.Iain Hall (S6)

Rhythmic Gymnastics Congratulations to Louise Moir (P2)who is now the Under 8 Scottish Champion for Rhythmic Gymnastics.

National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland Freya Hall (S3) has been selected to lead the National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland and will be joined by fellow pupils Catriona Soden, Emer Cunningham, Mirrhyn Stephen, Bronagh Miller and Amy MacLean.

LAMBDA exam Jonathan Sprague and Rory Neilson (both S2) sat their Grade 6 LAMBDA exam and both received a distinction.

Pupil Achievements Reading Awards Bronze: Rafsan Chowdhury (1S1); Saskia Forman (1B1); Samantha Fraser (1B2); Jonathon Millar (1B1); Sanjay Vijayan (1S1); Shaun Wilson (1S2)Silver: Craig Smith (1T2)Gold: Hannah Milne (1C2)

Young Writers Foundation - poems included in ‘Express Yourself Across the Globe (2012)Nicholas Black; Rhian Cormack; Andrew George; Craig Smith; Georgia Summers (all S1); Ellen Blundson; William Inglis (both S2); Niall Kennedy; Amy White (both S6).

Green AchievementsThe following pupils receive recognition:Abi Hatcher-Davies (S3) - All round outstanding Eco-Group contributionsHamish Atkins (S4) - Regular paper recycling; Eugene Iassinski (S4) -Regular paper recycling; Miriam Ingram (S4) - Regular updates to the Eco-noticeboards; Thiadmar Jansen (S4) - Regular paper recycling; Michael Mays (S4) - Regular paper recycling; Justine Seager (S4) - Regular updates to the Eco-noticeboards; Kenneth Watt (S5) - Sustainability contributions; Nathan Adam (S5) - Sustainability contributions; Cameron Harris (S6) - Monitoring and graphing of recycling statistics; Alex Mackison (S6) - Assisting the Junior School with recycling.

Royal Academy of DanceJulia Banks (S5) has been awarded Grade 7 with Merit in Ballet from the Royal Academy of Dance

UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge - February 2012Bronze - Sophie Clayton, Iain Hainsworth, Fergus Mather, Hayleigh Mathers, Tom Merry, Alix Mowatt, Jessica Potts, Thomas Rowbotham, Catriona Soden (all S3)Stephen Anderson, Sarah Cowie, Cameron Gordon, Michael Grant, Eugene Iassinski, Claire Mackenzie, Sarah Simpson, Scott Stevenson (all S4)Silver - Ellen Carroll, Abi Hatcher-Davies, Stuart Innes, Alice Jaspars, Zul Karlberg, Rachael Pirie, Luke Travis, Lauren Watson, Alix Wrighton (all S3) Paul Craig, Kyle De Leeuw, Gavin Hughes, Shona Kumar, Michael Mays, Ryan West (all S4)Gold - Emer Cunningham, Cong Lu, Lewis Seaman (all S3) Steven Cook, Peter Craik, Yorick Enters, Ian Hosie, Conor Keir, Gemma Shaw (all S4).

Sport at RGC

Sainsburys UK School GamesCongratulations to the following pupils who have been selected to participate in the Sainsbury’s 2012 School Games in London from Sunday 6 – Wednesday 9 May at the Olympic stadium: Robyn Dunbar-Smith and Maria Jaramillo (both S4), Donald Clark (S6) - Volleyball; Emma Caldow (S4) - 200m and 4 x 100m Relay; Lindsey Young (S5) - 100m and 4 x 100m Relay.Further information on the games can be found at www.2012schoolgames.com

AthleticsCongratulations to David Mann and Emma Caldow who were welcomed into the pioneering Hydrasun Athletics Academy by former Olympic sprinter Mike McFarlane.

Lindsey Young (S5), Emma Caldow (S4), Jon Hosie (S2) and Sophie Evans (S2) have been selected to be part of the Scottish School Athletic training camp which took place on Sunday 18 February at Pitreavie Stadium.

Congratulations to the following pupils who were successful in the 2012 RGC Cross Country Championships at Countesswells in February: S1 Girls: Allanah O’Donnell; S1 Boys: Ross Peddie; S2 Girls: Abi Proctor; S2 Boys: Richard Binnie; S3 Girls: Alix Wrighton; S3 Boys: Tom Merry; S4 Girls: Charlotte Meil; S4 Boys: Jack Ness; Senior Girls: Abbie Buchan; Senior Boys: Oli Hay

Robert Gordon’s College & Albyn Invitational Cross Country ChampionshipsThe annual Cross Country races took place at Countesswells on Friday 16 March. 1,550 Aberdeen City and Shire school pupils competed for both individual and team awards. RGC girls saw great success in the following team awards: P5, P7, S3 and Senior Girls Teams and the S1 Boys team came first. Congratulations to Becca Eggeling who was placed 1st in the P7 Girls category and Alix Wrighton and Lise Theron who came in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Scottish Schools Indoor Athletic Championships The Championships took place on 9th February at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow. Congratulations to Lindsey Young (S5) who was 4th place in the 200m and the 60m.

Cross CountryA strong RGC team went to Irvine to compete in the Scottish Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships. The most notable performance was from the S1 Boys team who finished 4th.

Scottish Saltires BiathlonOn 29 January 10 pupils from both the Junior and Senior school participated in a biathlon at the International School of Aberdeen, where they were challenged to complete a swim followed by a run with distances varying for different age groups. RGC celebrated many successes on the day with Glen Keith and Morven Sneddon winning best run in their age groups and Tom Gambold achieving best swim. Two teams from RGC won gold due to all three members of the team finishing with a high number of points. Glen Keith, Craig Smith and William Slayter won the Under 15 Boys and Tom Gambold, Finlay Lennox and Cameron Sword won the Under 13s Boys. Full results at www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk.Miss Stephen

Olympic trials Jack Ness swam in the Olympic trials and was recorded as the fastest 15 years and under boy in Great Britain in 100m backstroke. In the overall rankings (no age bandings) he finished in the top 30.

Girls’ Hockey: S1 TournamentRGC won the North District Youth Girls S1 Hockey Tournament on Saturday 25 February at Countesswells. Nine district school teams played a round robin on a point system used to calculate the results. The matches were close with some very challenging games for the Gordon’s girls. However, the most challenging game was the penultimate one where RGC beat St Margaret’s School for Girls in the final.

RugbyRGC won the U16 Plate at the Merchiston Castle School 7s in Edinburgh. Gordon’s were successful against Edinburgh Academy in the semi-final and then faced North Berwick in the final winning 10-7. The final was a very high quality and close game with two tries from Cameron Smith. U15s got to the semi finals of the Stewart’s Melville 7s. The boys beat Merchiston 33-17 before losing to an excellent Edinburgh Academy team.

Congratulations to the U18s who won the Caritas 7s at George Watson’s College in March.

Cameron Turner and Duncan Campbell travelled to Madrid to represent Scotland in the U18 squad. Luke Earle-Wright played well out of position for Scotland U17 in a match against England.

FootballThe S2 football team bowed out of the Scottish U14 Shield with a narrow 2 – 0 loss at Bearsden. This is the furthest any RGC football team has progressed in a national competition, having defeated five schools on the way. They reached our local cup final losing narrowly to Portlethen Academy by 2 goals to 1 at the end of March, bringing to an end what has been a superb season.

Josh Arrowsmith (S6) has made the final squad of the Scottish Independent Schools side due to play against England at Dunfermline at the end of April.

GolfRGC have made it through to the final of the British Independent Schools Golf Championships. The boys did extremely well at the Royal Aberdeen Golf Club where they won all 3 of their matches. Craig Lawrie, Finlay McPherson and Ross Green (Captain) will now go down to Carnoustie on 22 and 23 April to compete against 19 other schools from across the UK in The British Match play finals.

For sports results, news and fixtures go to

www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk

April 2012 from the Quadrangle