Page 2
Young Jour-
nalist Society
Production RED BLACK
News– Departments 3
Awards Ceremo-
nies
4-7
School Updates 8-9
The O Factor 10
Caritas Awards 12
Sir Tom Hunter
Challenge
14
Athletics Champi-
onship
18
S1 Poetry 20
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Head Teacher’s Note
Dates For The Diary
30th June– School closes
at 1pm
16th August– Teachers
return
17th August– Pupils re-
turn
Issue 8
Summer
2016
As we get to the end of an-other academic year, it’s a time, since I started teaching, when I would normally reflect on what has happened over the last 10 months. This is partic-ularly so this year, as I com-plete my first year as Head Teacher of St. Joseph’s Acade-
my.
I recall quite clearly starting in August and day after day meet-ing new people – pupils, staff, parents, visitors to the school, etc… I wondered if I would ever remember anyone, as it was just a sea of faces to me. As well as this, despite being warned, was the shock at all that was involved in being a Head Teacher. I was regularly being taken out my comfort zone having to deal with new
situations.
As time has gone on, things have settled for me and I have been able to see the great things that are happening in St. Joseph’s. Teachers offer so many different opportunities for the pupils and they respond well to these. The pupils are friendly and welcoming and the staff offer so much support to
them.
I was in my last school for 10½years and loved it. It was
therefore difficult to move to another school and start all over again. So how do I feel now? I love being part of St. Joseph’s! It didn’t happen straight away but as time has moved on I have felt more and more a part of this school com-munity. I enjoy coming to my work (most days!) and know that it will just keep getting bet-
ter.
So, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the pupils, staff , parents and the wider community of St. Jo-seph’s for welcoming me and helping me to settle in. I am looking forward to next year but am certainly looking for-
ward to a break before then!
Have a great holiday and I hope that you all enjoy great times with family and friends over the sunny (hopefully) summer holi-
days!
Dan Cardle (Head Teacher)
NEWS FROM THE PAST MONTH
ISSUE 8
Design and Technology
S2 pupils visited the
new Forth Crossing
We won the Sir Tom
Hunter Final 2016
(more about this later
in the issue)
Music
Pupils from the Art
and Music department
had a fantastic week-
end in Arran where
we learned how to
make a fire, abseil and
put up with Mr
Ritson’s nonsense!
We took a group of 28
pupils to City Halls in
Glasgow for a concert
by the BBC Scottish
Symphony Orchestra.
It was enjoyed by eve-
ryone
Home Economics
We have been prepar-
ing for the Royal High-
land Show trip
Science
Six S5/S6 representa-
tives are attending the
Mission Discovery
event organised by
NASA. They will com-
pete to design an ex-
periment that will be
tested in space and
they get to meet an
astronaut!
R.E.
31 S6 pupils gained
their Caritas Award
(more about this later
in the issue)
Maths
iPads have been used
to develop exciting
new courses and mate-
rials
Social Subjects
Miss Devanney is re-
turning to the depart-
ment in August as our
new Modern Studies
teacher
P7 pupils visited the
department in June and
produced some excel-
lent work on the Euro-
pean Union
English
The London trip is fast
approaching! Only
some last minute or-
ganisation is required
and then we will be
away bright and early
on 26th June!
Modern Languages
S2 pupils visited the
global market where
they sampled some
foods from around the
world
S3 Barcelona trip is
preparing to leave on
Sunday 26th June. Vis-
it highlights include a
trip to the Camp Nou
stadium and the Port Aventura Theme park
as well as the Sagrada
Familia
Page 3
S1 AND S2 PRIZE GIVING
Page 4
It’s awards season at Saint Joseph’s Academy with S1 and S2 Prize Giving Ceremonies kicking things off. Pupils’ success was celebrated and parents and car-ers cheered them on– with some even getting a little
teary!
At the S1 Prize Giving Ceremony, Mrs Shearer gave a lovely speech, ending on this inspirational message
for the new year:
“First Year my hope is that your time so far in St Joseph's has been challenging, enjoyable and memo-rable and has given you a thirst for more in Second Year, coupled with a desire to always Aim High, Be
Curious, Take Part and Think of Others.”
ISSUE 8
Our S2 Prize Giving Ceremo-
ny was also a fantastic oppor-
tunity to celebrate even more
pupil success and Mr Cowan
had these words to say to the
talented pupils:
“The young people gath-
ered in front of us today
are being recognised for
their active participation
in lessons, their involve-
ment in our school com-
munity and their com-
mitment to wider
achievement activities.
They will receive awards
based on their effort and
excellence in subjects as
well as their eagerness to
live out our eight school
values and they should
be proud of their
achievements.
Third Year my hope is
that your second year in
St Joseph's has chal-
lenged you, motivated
you, inspired you and
given you a desire to al-
ways Aim High, Be Curi-
ous, Take Part and Think
of Others during S3.”
Page 5
On Tuesday 21st June at 7pm,
S3 pupils, parents, carers and
teachers joined together for
the Diploma of Achievement
ceremony.
Each pupil had the responsibil-
ity of asking teachers to award
points for their best work this
year– both in and out of the
classroom. Diplomas were
then categorised depending on
these points (alongside a varie-
ty of other factors) as a certifi-
cate, bronze, silver, gold or
platinum.
S3 DIPLOMA OF ACHIEVEMENT
Page 6
Certificates of Achievement
Silver Diplomas of Achievement
Bronze Diplomas Of Achievement
The Diploma of Achievement ceremony was a fantastic event. We started with some excellent speeches from Mr Cardle and Mr Lang, S3 Year Head, summing up the pupils’ success over this year. Fa-ther Martin also told us an inspirational tale of a young man that he had met and
the struggles he had faced.
We were then treated to an exceptional rendition of Hozier’s “Cherry Wine” by Shannon McPartland and a stunning duet by Isla Grant and Abbie McLelland from a
hit musical.
Three S3 pupils also bravely took to the stage to give some inspirational speeches about their time at Saint Joseph’s so far. Olivia Iles told us all about her favourite poem– and how “The Man Who Can” motivates her. Ciara Bertoncini-Gilmour explained just how special her time at Loch Eil had been and our very own Amélie Davidson gave a heartfelt speech on all of the incredible opportunities she has had here at the school– and made everyone weep when she mentioned how inspirational her friend, Zoe Brown,
had been to her this year!
It was a fantastic night where the best of
Saint Joseph’s was on display.
ISSUE 8
Mr Lang had this to say of
his successful year group:
In the last 8 weeks I have been deeply impressed with St. Joseph’s Academy: by the commitment and pro-fessionalism of staff, the hard work of the pupils and the welcome that you have given me over the last cou-ple of months. Your achievements, at various levels, in the Diploma of Achievement is a testament to you, your parents and of course the staff who have supported you over the last 3 years. I believe that eve-rything you have had the experience of, in your Broad General Education, has made you ready and willing for the challenges and opportunities that the Senior Phase of your educa-tion will provide. I look for-ward to supporting you in the years ahead and a fresh start for your fourth year in
August.
Page 7
Platinum Diplomas of Achievement
Gold Diplomas of Achievement
During Home Room, pupils have been walking
twice around the school - a mile. The aim is to
improve the physical, mental, emotional and so-
cial health and wellbeing of our pupils. It's a sim-
ple but effective concept, but its impact can im-
prove not only fitness, but also concentration
levels, mood, behaviour and general wellbeing. It
takes just 15 minutes, is social, non-competitive
and lots of fun!
By Amélie Davidson
DAILY MILE
Page 8
ASTRO-TURF PITCH
After what seems like forever, our
Astro-Turf pitch is finally ready! PE
teacher Mr Boyle was the first to try
out the new pitch. Pupils have al-
ready been enjoying the benefits of
the pitch and have loved being able
to play football during PE again.
By Amélie Davidson
On the 16th of June, the
Summer Showcase
(organised by Mr Boyle and
Mrs Todd of the Music depart-
ment) was held. It was a very
successful evening with there
being something to suit every-
one’s musical taste. The
evening commenced with the
vocal ensemble performing a
selection of songs from the
musical ‘Sister Act’ and then
Sian Lockhart sang the popu-
lar chart song ‘7 Years’.
There was also Ruairidh
Heron who played ‘The Shape
of Things to Come’ on the pi-
ano and Madeleine Jessop
playing ‘Kids’ on the harp. The
evening concluded with a
rousing rendition of ‘Happy’,
and the audience certainly felt
happy leaving St Joseph’s
Academy!
By Amélie Davidson
SUMMER SHOWCASE
ISSUE 8
IDL
Page 9
IDL (Interdisciplinary Learning) is a subject
unique to St Joseph’s Academy. It is simply
learning that involves two or more subjects at
the same time, and challenges you to apply
what you have learned in one subject to a task
in another subject. For example, you could learn
about the experiences of soldiers in World War
One in History and about gases in Science. In-
terdisciplinary learning is important as it is like
real life; taking skills and knowledge that we
have learned at school and applying it to a multi-
tude of situations and experiences, collaborating
with others who have different experiences and
skills. IDL prepares us for this. It is also im-
portant for future employment and study. Em-
ployers, colleges and universities all place great
value on young people leaving school who are
able to think for themselves in a creative way,
with the initiative to make decisions and think
things through. Interdisciplinary learning projects
help us to develop in this way. Everyone thor-
oughly enjoyed their time in IDL, and thought
that it was challenging but great fun. It wasn’t
about finding a right answer but instead explor-
ing possibilities and creating knowledge. To suc-
ceed, we were required to be curious, open-
minded and determined. Our IDL projects were
also a key part of our S3 Diploma of Achieve-
ment and an important achievement in our first
three years of secondary school. Here are just
some of the excellent pieces produced by S3
pupils.
By Amélie Davidson
Page 10
THE O FACTOR
In the middle of a week of sunny weather, when every school was getting children outdoors to learn in the sun, dedicated teachers were put-ting together a spectacular display of their Out-
door Learning for the O’Factor 2016.
On Wednesday 11th May the assembly hall of St Joseph’s Academy literally brought the outdoors indoors with planters, branches, wellies and
bikes which brought the displays to life.
Displays were incredibly varied, floor books, photos, PowerPoints, art work, pupil folios and sound recordings, all powerful evidence that the outdoor context can provide meaningful learn-ing that is memorable and often retained longer. Speaking to a number of the staff, hearing them recount endless stories where pupils have ‘got it!’ in light bulb moments. As they tell the story they light up themselves, remembering the posi-tive experience it was. A great testament to
quality teaching.
Taken from the “O Factor Newsletter”
Outdoor Excellence Practitioner Award 2016
The 2016 'Excellent Outdoor Practition-er Award' was given to Gary Yemm, one of our Janitors here at St. Joseph's Acade-
my.
The nomination form was glowing with all of the volunteering Gary has been do-ing for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme across a number of secondary schools, in addition to training he has un-der-taken on the climbing wall. Well done Gary and thank you for all your hard
work!
ISSUE 8
The 2016 “O” (outdoor)
Factor has been an annu-
al event since 2013. Held
on Wednesday the 11th of
May in our school, it was a
chance to see this year’s
best outdoor practice from
all of the establishments
and vote for East Ayr-
shire’s Education Ser-
vice’s Outdoor Excellence
Award. Everyone who at-
tends votes for the best
Nursery, Primary, Second-
ary and Special outdoor
learning, with the winners
awarded an Excellence
trophy and school prize.
Over 40 East Ayrshire es-
tablishments competed
and 183 visitors voted.
The award recognises
those who have gone the
extra mile to deliver inno-
vation and fun to children
in outdoor learning. The
winners were:
Early Childhood Centres -
Cairns Nursery
Primary Schools - Hillhead
Primary
Secondary Schools -
James Hamilton Second-
ary School
Special Establishments -
Park School
The Graham Short Quaich
for Outdoor Teaching Ex-
cellence - Joyce Robin-
son, Nether Robertland
School and Early Child-
hood Centre
Outdoor Excellence Prac-
tioner of the year - Gary
Yemm, janitor at St Jo-
seph’s Academy
By Amélie Davidson
Page 11
Page 12
CARITAS AWARDS
On the 6th of June, pupils from across the country gathered at the SSE Hydro to reap the rewards of their hard work at the an-nual Caritas Awards. A co-hort of 31 S6 pupils from St Joseph’s were there to celebrate the culmination
of their hard work.
The Caritas Award is a faith based award inspired by Pope Benedict which encourages pupils to carry out works of charity. In order to gain their ward, they have to complete a minimum of 40 hours of school or parish/
community hours.
The school activities have
included : helping teachers out with the lower years—particularly in PE and mod-ern lan-guages—, the school Christ-mas campaign and helping at various school events such as information evenings and parents’ nights. Out of school, pupils have helped out at mass, taken the children's liturgy, given readings and provided tea and coffees after mass. Some have also visited care
homes and volunteered at the local food bank. In ad-
dition to this, pupils also undertake a series of scrip-ture reflections throughout
the year.
Well done to all of our pu-pils who have worked so hard through-out the year to achieve this fan-tastic
award!
ISSUE 8
The Pope Benedict XVI Caritas Award
was introduced to recognise and pro-
mote the active faith commitment of
young people in their final year of sec-
ondary school. To obtain the award,
those in Catholic schools and parishes
volunteer to serve in their local com-
munities through committing their time
and talents to benefit others. One ex-
ample
of how
the
Caritas
pupils
helped
their
com-
munity
was
when they helped to prepare and or-
ganise a Charity Night for Group 138,
which raised £2,135. The money was
donated to HCPT, who provide pilgrim-
age holidays to Lourdes to change the
lives of children and adults. Over 1,000
people were awarded across Scotland
this year. On Monday the 6th of June,
the Caritas Award Ceremony was held
in Glasgow’s Clyde Auditorium, with 31
sixth year pupils from our school re-
ceiving the award:
Toni Barr Olivia Gater
Courtney Murdoch
David Brown Rachel Gibb
Amy Park
Conor Buchanan Gabriel Gunn
Matthew Pieroni
Matthew Cowan Louise Hanlon
Laurie Rowan
Michael Custodio Tomas Holly
Ariadna Sanchis
Eilidh Cuthbertson Jaoa Luis
Aidan Shearer
Caitlin Doogan Liam McGuire
Luke Shearer
Hannah Dougan Emma
McWilliams Aiden Tonner
Marcus Ferguson Iona
McWilliams Rachel Wallace
Jennifer Gallacher Rebeckah Mei-
klem
Abby Garland Jack Moran
By Amélie Davidson
Page 13
St Joseph’s Academy was
crowned the winner of the
Sir Tom Hunter Enterprise
Challenge last night after
an ‘enthralling and passion-
ate’ business pitch from
their company, Musery.
Sixth year pupils, Raymond
Houston and Joao Luis,
devised a customised mu-
sic therapy service for de-
mentia sufferers.
Their powerful delivery,
which wowed the judges,
included a video of a de-
mentia sufferer called Hen-
ry who, after listening to
music from his youth, be-
came animated and was
able to communicate clear-
ly with carers.
The team, who are commit-
ted to taking their business
venture forward when they
leave school this summer,
also spoke passionately
about their experiences
with Dementia Scotland,
Hansel Village and charity
Dementia Friends.
Raymond and Joao said:
“At the start of the night Sir
Tom asked if we thought
we could change the world
and we didn’t put our hands
up. We didn’t think we
could change the world.
But as the night progressed
we chatted about what was
possible and now we know
that we might not be in the
business of changing the
world but we are in the
business of changing lives.
“By treating dementia suf-
ferers respectfully we hope
our business will enhance
the lives of sufferers and
their families bringing a
new quality of life. To quote
the great Oliver Sacks –
‘music evokes emotion and
can bring with it memory. It
brings back life when noth-
ing else can’.”
Raymond and Joao re-
ceived a trophy from Sir
Tom and a prize of £5000.
They have also been of-
fered support from Sir Tom
and the expert panel of
judges to take their busi-
ness forward.
Sir Tom Hunter, entrepre-
neur and philanthropist
said: "This schools compe-
tition is about preparing our
young people both for the
world of work and in creat-
ing their own work; their
own businesses, giving
them the confidence and
motivation to do so. Why?
Because 100% of the net
new jobs in our economy
will come from businesses
less than five years old
and, as importantly, around
half of the young people in
primary school today will go
to jobs not yet created! We
need to do all we can to
help our educators support
our young people in a high-
ly dynamic and changing
economy; educating them
for the future world of work.
"The Ayrshire schools tak-
ing part were a huge inspi-
ration and should be round-
ly congratulated as should
the teachers and Councils
supporting them. The ideas
the teams came up with,
the teamwork they put in,
the opportunities they iden-
tified, all contributed to an
exceptional outcome.
These young people can
and will succeed either in
the world of work or in
building their own entrepre-
neurial workforce.
“Ayrshire schools - a true
inspiration for all of Scot-
land."
Taken from EAC Press Re-
lease
We at St Joseph’s can only
echo the lovely comments
made by the judging panel
and those in attendance.
We are incredibly proud of
Raymond and Joao and
wish them all the best for
the future.
Sir Tom Hunter Challenge Final
Page 16
On 24th of May a group of pupils from S1-S3 trav-elled to Dam Park in Ayr to compete in the hotly contested, “Ayrshire Schools Athletics'’ Champion-
ships.
The P.E. department were so impressed with the behaviour, sportsmanship and conduct of our pupils and noted that they all excelled themselves whilst
doing the school proud.
Listed below are our winners who came away with fantastic results. A huge well done to all who took
part!
Winners
Sky McGill - 1st in High Jump S2 Girls
Conan Mackin - 2nd in 400m S3 Boys
Kudzai Tapatapa - 1st in 200m S3 Boys
Kudzai Tapatapa, Conan Mackin, Lewis Hood and
Bailey McDerment - 1st in S3 Boys 4x100m relay
Melissa Maitland - 2nd in Shot Putt S1 Girls
Lewis Hood - 3rd in Triple Jump S3 Boys
Athletics Champion
Page 18
At midnight in the alley,
The tom cat comes to heel,
He chants a tune so full of hate,
As he moves his snaky tail.
Venomous, skinny and mottled,
Tiger and Satan and bard
Where demons roam free his eyes are
from
And his heart is black and hard.
He turns and cowers and capers
And shows his arched sharp claws
He sings a demon’s song in the night
Ere cities were, or laws.
Monster from a secret world
Where demons roam free in the night
When the speckled moon looks down
on
The roofs, we all know to run and
hide.
He will sit on the rug tomorrow
And clean his soft white fur
And hide his demon-like eyes
And play he’s tame and purr.
But at midnight in the alley
The demons come to see
The normal cat with a secret life
And not what they’re meant to be.
By Erin McLeod
At the strike of midnight
A sinister cat comes to cry
And he shouts the hate of all humans
As he yells goodbye, goodbye.
Tiger-like, skinny, sinister
Devilish and evil and creep
His eyes are lava from the middle of
hell
And his heart is black and deep.
He turns and sneaks and plays
And closes his fierce spiky claws
And he cries to the stars of notorious
nights
Ere cities were, or laws.
Monster from a world primeval
Him and his jumping clan
When the blood moon appears over
the roofs,
Give voice to their fear of man.
He will sleep on the carpet tomorrow
And lick himself clean
And store the fear in his yellow eyes
And jump around and lean.
But at the strike of midnight,
In the alley he will sneak again,
And cry and beat the demon’s song
With the darkness of the narrow lane.
By Barney Pollock
A tom cat in the alley
Went to scratch and jump
As he tops the bin he comes to wail
As humans around him slump.
A mix of cat and tiger
Fearsome and intimidating
He has curved, sharp claws and a
scary face
“Is there prey out there? I’m waiting.”
His movements are sly and snaky
He runs at the speed of light
As he plots his revenge against human-
kind
He won’t go down without a fight
He is brutal beyond compare
He leads a mighty clan,
And with that clan they will sing a
song
Showing off their hate of man.
He can lead a different life,
Tomorrow he will be “home”.
He must cover up the brute in him,
As his owner gives him a comb.
He will go back to the alley
To scratch again and jump
And wail again as he tops the kin,
The humans around him will slump.
By Daniel Hoggard.
S1 POETRY– TOM CAT
Page 20
Pupils in S1 have been writing their own versions of the
poem “The Tom Cat” by Don Marquis. At first, they
worried they would not be able to come up with their
own rhythms and rhymes but, as you can see, they did a
fantastic job in the end!
ISSUE 8
School’s not cool
I’ve been doing Maths like 7/12
and 1/6,
But I’d much rather be at home
watching Netflix;
I could be watching Avengers or
Terminator,
Instead I’m using a stupid cal-
culator.
It will soon be Friday and then I
can go home;
I will play all night and day on
my phone.
But then will come Monday, the
week starts again;
It may just be five days- it feels
more like ten.
A new week comes; I’m doing
more sums.
But, at the end of the day, I like
my school-
Even if that doesn’t make me
cool!
Catriona Ballantyne
A Morning Disaster
Waking up for school is such a
struggle:
My brain is always in a muddle;
My hair sticking up like hedge-
hog spines;
My quilt wrapped round me like
clinging vines.
I look in my cupboard for a pair
of socks
But all I can find is an old pair of
Crocs.
I drag a spiky brush through my
frizzy hair;
I stare in the mirror, I look like a
pear.
I find a shirt lying crumpled on
the floor,
Spot a jumper slung on the back
of my door.
I fumble around and find a pair
of shoes
It’s nearly 9 o’clock; oh I wish I
could snooze.
Sprinting speedily down many
wooden stairs
I lose my balance and go flying
through the air
I look around for my family
Strangely there is no-one to be
found.
Suddenly, I realise-
Today is Saturday!
Ava Heron
The Wrath of Mrs Mill
I’m walking down the narrow
hall
Chatting away to my best friend
Paul;
Even though he’s a little chubby
He’s always been my best bud-
dy.
I feel a cloud come over me
I didn’t do my homework before
tea!
I have the infamous Mrs Mill
And she has a growl that could
kill.
An excuse was needed to avoid
her wrath
Maybe I could tell her I dropped
it in the bath?
Then I remembered that would-
n’t do
Because Paul needed a good
excuse too.
Aaaahhh!
The dog ate my homework
That mischievious pup
He put it in his bowl
And gobbled it all up!
Mirrin Doolan
S1 POETRY– SCHOOL
Page 21
Check out these
fantastic poems
about school too!
Amélie Davidson has caught up with Mr Cardle to hear what he had to say about his first year as Head Teacher of
Saint Joseph’s Academy.
Have you enjoyed your first
year at Saint Joseph’s?
I have thoroughly enjoyed my first year. Starting at a new school can be tough and there will always be ups and downs but the more I have been here the more I see the wonderful work that staff and pupils are doing and the great support from par-ents. As time has moved on, the more I have enjoyed be-
ing here.
What is your favourite school value and how have you
demonstrated it this year?
My favourite school value has to be “Make a differ-ence.” The reason for this is that we all have the poten-tial, one way or another, to make a difference to some-one, to the school or to the wider community. I high-lighted this to staff in partic-ular at the in-service day in October, also saying that we may never see the difference we can make to a young per-son. I hope that I have demonstrated this in some of the dealings that I have had with pupils and their parents over the course of the year and will continue to strive to make a difference
in Saint Joseph’s.
What are your highlights of
this school year?
There are so many highlights throughout the year. It has been so good to see the dif-ferent opportunities that pupils are offered in the way of educational excursions and it always really pleases me to see them come back excited about their adven-ture away. I loved the Strictly Come Dancing at Christmas time, seeing the pupils and staff perform (some better than others!) Mostly, I have really enjoyed the informal chats in the so-cial area, trying to get to
know pupils better.
What do you think is the most successful change that you have made to Saint Joseph’s
Academy
When I first started in the school I made it very clear to staff that I was not look-ing to make big changes straightaway. I wanted to spend time seeing what was happening in the school and how things worked. This first year has been very im-portant for me and as I move into my second year, I will be looking at how we can make the many good things happening in the school even better. I am very happy with the new staff appointments made over the last year as I firmly
believe that with great staff, the school can only get even
better.
What are your hopes and aims
for the next school year?
I hope to be able to work more closely with the pupils, parents and staff in ensuring pupils are being challenged enough and therefore ensur-ing they reach their full po-tential. Apart from what is happening in the class, there are many other things that contribute to this including attendance, time-keeping, attitude and the support we offer pupils when things get difficult. My hope will always be that we are not only helping the pupils achieve their potential but at the same time developing them into responsible citizens, ef-fective contributors, suc-cessful learners and confi-
dent individuals.
What is your proudest mo-
ment of this school year?
I have been very proud when I see the pupils achiev-ing success in class and at events out of school and al-so being recognised at award ceremonies. More recently, I have been very proud watching various pupils’ mu-sical performances at events, see- ing the success of the school when we recently won the Sir Tom Hunter Challenge Final for
the second year in a row.
CATCH UP
Page 22
ISSUE 8
As we approach the end of
another term at “The Joe’s”,
our diligent reporter Amélie
has been asking each depart-
ment about their highlights.
Here are just some of the
fantastic things that have
happened this year!
Design and Technology
Winning the Sir Tom
Hunter Final yet again!
Some of the excellent
S3 IDL projects
Music
Our showcases
(Christmas and Sum-
mer) have been high-
lights as our extremely
talented pupils are giv-
en the opportunity to
share their ability with
others
Mr Boyle winning
Strictly Come Dancing
along with Miss Glen-
corse
Generally enjoying the
craziness that is the
Music department .
Dancing, galloping and
singing cheesy songs
are all a common oc-
currence!
Home Economics
Taste of Ayrshire
Future Chef
Great Saint Joseph’s
Bake Off
Science
S1 Science Centre trip
where the whole year
group enjoyed shows
and the iMax experi-
ence
S4 Dean Castle and
Edinburgh Zoo trip– all
Biology pupils had
great fun
Maths
P7 Numeracy Chal-
lenge
Cinema trip to see the
new Star Wars
R.E.
The HCPT fundraiser
organised and catered
for by Caritas pupils
31 S6 pupils gaining the
Caritas Award
Social Subjects
Mrs Fulton starting the
Green Gym pro-
gramme to improve
the school grounds
English
S1 Pantomime trip
where we got a shout-
out from Buttons
Modern Languages
S2 Spanish Day
S3 trip to Business
Breakfast to meet local
companies who em-
ploy language experts
DEPARTMENTAL SUCCESS
Page 23
Exciting things to come next year!
New S1 Debates Club with Mrs Hill
New Film Club with Mr Brogan
New study ‘drop-in’ with Mr Brogan
Social Subjects will run a trip to the Scottish Parliament
and the Mock Courts Programme
R.E. will support the Ecuador fundraiser at Celtic Park
in October
Design and Technology will hold a STEM Fayre and
introduce bigger and better S3 IDL projects
More exciting opportunities with the Young Journalist
Society!
Former pupil Natasha King, 21, has become one
of the best young jewellery designers in the coun-
try by gaining 3rd place at the prestigious Gem-
Set2016 competition for her beautifully designed
brooch.
This is a huge achievement for Natasha, especially
as becoming a jewellery designer was not even
her original plan. Natasha had begun to train as a
firefighter but was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos
syndrome and had to change career paths. Now,
in a truly inspirational tale, she is training to be a
jewellery designer at Glasgow Clyde College.
Natasha had this to say about her success:
“Winning this competition makes me feel like
there might be a market for the jewellery I make
and that I might be able to make a go of it as a
career.”
Grassyards Road
Kilmarnock
KAS 7SL
01563 526144
St Joseph’s Academy
YOUNG JOURNALIST
SOCIETY
Until next
time…!
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