Callum Cowan of fifth year has added another Bagpiping accolade to his long list of achievements. Callum is a well-established member of the North Lanarkshire Schools’ Pipe and won many individual piping awards. Callum has now been successful in securing a place in the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland. This band takes only the very best pipers and drummers up to the age of 25 from across the entire country. Callum can now expect to play at a number of very high profile concerts in Scotland and abroad.

Recently, pupils representing 8 of our 9 partnership primary schools provided one of the best ever Partnership Primary School Public Speaking Contests. In front of a packed theatre, the pupils wowed both the audience and the judges with the breadth and depth of their topics and the dynamic style of delivery.

The panel of judges comprised Mr Ian Sommerville, Head Teacher, Mrs Elizabeth Clarke, a former member of the Clyde Valley staff and the Reverend Graham Raeburn, School Chaplain. In summing up the thinking of the judges, Mr Sommerville extolled lavish praise on the young speakers and was delighted to confirm Kara Rutherford of Wishaw Academy Primary School as the individual winner. Her speech on the forthcoming Scottish Referendum edged her ahead of an impressive band of speakers.

In the Clyde Valley Junior Public Speaking event, Liam Dunnachie, representing Houldsworth House, won the overall individual title with a witty reflection of the battles of medical science with a speech entitled ‘We Are at War’. Leah Hannah was Jordan’s Houldsworth team mate.

Sneddon captured the House title with impressive performances from Rebecca Gault and Amy McLeod. Bobbi Kennedy and Caitlin Smith from Curran House helped ensure this year’s Junior School event was also the strongest for many years.

Clyde Valley’s Junior Public Speakers (from left to right): Caitlin Smith, Bobbi Kennedy, Rebecca Gault, Amy McLeod, Leah Hannah and Liam Dunnachie.

Last week, S3 Geography pupils accompanied by Mrs Barrie, Miss Logan and Mr Conway visited Culzean Country Park on the Ayrshire coast. In the morning led by the Country Park Rangers, pupils carried out fieldwork along the shore line to find out about the geology and the processes which formed the various landscape features. They identified stacks, arches, raised beaches and headlands and a number of other land formations.

The Country Park Rangers were very impressed with the pupils’ knowledge and how well they answered questions. After lunch pupils carried out a visitor survey and were delighted to meet people from Australia, San Francisco, England and towns in Ayrshire. The pupils were a credit to the school and will now use the information they gathered to do follow up work in class.

Third year Geography pupils working on the Ayrshire beach, below Culzean Castle.