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Monthly Archives: June 2017
A Sense of Place: The Roman Presence in Cumbernauld
A Sense of Place: The Roman Presence in Cumbernauld
A special project sponsored by the HLF Scotland
S1-S6 Art & Design pupils enjoyed finding out about the Roman presence in Scotland, especially in the Cumbernauld area, during a series of visits to Bar Hill Roman fort and the Antonine Wall, The National Museum for Scotland, Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, and The Hunterian Museum. These trips all took place in June and were fully funded by a generous ‘Stories, Stones and Bones’ grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund Scotland as part of The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017.
The local heritage sites identified for the project were Bar Hill Fort and the Antonine Wall, which lie a few miles from Greenfaulds High School near Twechar and Croy. A small group of fourteen S1-S4 pupils visited these heritage sites on Thursday 15th June for the afternoon. Along with Mrs Macdonald and Miss Armstrong, pupils walked to Bar Hill fort from the access route at Twechar. The fort is at the highest point on the Antonine wall and pupils had to climb up a steep hill to reach the site. Pupils took part in a scavenger hunt and they had to explore the fort and read the information displays to find out more about Bar Hill and the Antonine Wall, which are part of the Roman frontier and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Today, little remains of the fort and the wall. The wall was constructed from turf with a stone foundation in AD 142, and when the Romans abandoned the fort they dismantled a lot of it. Archaeologists in the late 1970s/early 1980s found building columns and wooden beams had been thrown into the well of the fort and they also unearthed lots of other objects too, such as leather shoes, coins, amphora and alters. Many of these artefacts can be seen in The Hunterian museum in Glasgow.
The pupils found out lots of facts about the fort and the wall. For example, they were built by the Twentieth and Second Legions in the reign of Emperor Antonius Pius. The wall stretched for 37 miles across Scotland, running from the Clyde in the west to the Firth of Forth in the east. By visiting the site, the pupils discovered that different parts of the fort are still visible, such as the principia (headquarters), bath house, and well. At the end of the trip, they walked along the remains of the Antonine Wall towards Croy, just missing the rain shower! Well done to Erin More (S2) and Niomi Lee (S2) for winning the scavenger hunt!
On Monday 19th June twenty-nine S1-S6 pupils visited the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh with Miss Armstrong, Mr Daniels, Mrs Macdonald and Mrs O’Neill. Pupils visited the Early People gallery and took part in a series of teacher-led Roman artefact handling sessions and then drew Roman artefacts, such as cavalry masks, amphora and coins. The National Museum of Scotland had lots of artefacts and displays which provided information about the Roman presence in Scotland. Pupils saw lots of Celtic and Pictish artefacts in the Early People gallery also, and later visited the rest of the museum to see the artefacts and displays – everything from world cultures to natural history to technology! Pupils had a great day out and their drawings of Roman artefacts were brilliant. Congratulations to Alex Gordon (S2), April Chapman (S3), and Jamie Buttenshaw (S4) for winning prizes for their drawings!
On Tuesday 20th June thirty-four S1-S6 pupils visited Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum and The Hunterian Museum with Miss Armstrong, Mr Daniels and Mrs Macdonald. Pupils were given an informative guided tour of Rome’s Final Frontier exhibition at The Hunterian Museum by Liz D’Arcy (student of Classical Civilisation and Celtic Studies at The University of Glasgow) in the morning and afternoon, and they saw objects which had been found at Bar Hill fort and the Antonine Wall near Greenfaulds High School. These artefacts included statues and distance slabs with Latin inscriptions. They also visited Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and enjoyed seeing the artefacts and artwork on display there, including watercolours by Joseph Crawhall and oil paintings by Henry Matisse, Vincent van Gogh and S.J. Peploe.
You can find out more about the Antonine Wall at the website www.antoninewall.org
Next session, S2-6 pupils throughout the Art & Design department will take part in different practical activities which will allow them to learn about Roman culture and the Roman presence in Cumbernauld. Activities include drawing and painting, ceramics and printmaking (August-March). The Scottish artist and illustrator Kate Leiper is going to visit the school to hold a day’s workshop with pupils in August, which will help them create characters for an illustrated brochure about the local heritage sites, and a workshop (Roman feast wall art) will be held at Redburn School to help the pupils there learn more about the Romans too. From term two onwards, exhibitions of the pupils’ artworks will take place in Greenfaulds High School and at the local museum in Cumbernauld to engage the wider community with their local heritage. The Art & Design department look forward to seeing you at these HLF Scotland sponsored exhibitions!
NEWS
Central Dance Championships
Greenfaulds High School entered into the Central Dance Championships, hosted by Larbert High School and the Central Dance Championships team. This is the second year of the Competition and the second year Greenfaulds have entered. We have managed to emulate the success of last year with a number of winning performances. We won the Mixed Street Division with a performance including Shannon Stewart, Amy Kane, Abbie Kane, Aimee McCallum and Natasha O’Neill. We won the Mid Contemporary Division with a performance by Amy McPhee, Aimee McCallum, Laura McPhail and Christy Paterson. Abbie and Amy Kane won the Mixed Street Duo division. Shannon Stewart won the Senior Street Division. Aimee McCallum got a silver medal for Mid Street category. Christy Paterson and Laura McPhail got a silver medal for their mid contemporary duo. Laura McPhail got a bronze medal for mid contemporary division. Well done to all competitiors for displaying such a high level of performance and representing the dance talent within the Central Belt.
Youth Philanthropy Initiative
The S2 students have recently participated in our annual Youth Philanthropy Initiative in which they research and work with small charities. The aim is to help the charity secure an additional £3000 of funding by delivering an innovative and engaging presentation. The S2 students worked very hard on this and established contact with over 40 charities. Many visited the charities to learn more about their work and others volunteered to help the charity. The final was held on the 8th of June and the audience and judges watched excellent presentations that highlighted the important work of a number of local charities. Ultimately, as the saying goes, there can only be one winner and this year it was Strathcarron Hospice. The students who delivered the winning presentation were Chloe Balfour, Elise Clark, Melissa Henderson and Shanley Russell.
Awards Ceremonies
Greenfaulds High School held their Awards Ceremonies and a Celebrating Success event on Wednesday 14th, Thursday 15th and Friday 16th June to celebrate our pupils’ achievements. The awards included Outstanding Attainment in Subjects, Youth Achievement Awards and Significant Contribution to the School Community through Leadership and Citizenship. The school band was present at the Awards Ceremonies and our talented soloists performed on stage to a captivated audience. Thanks to our inspiring guest speakers: Mr McMurtie from Rights Respecting Schools and Kieran Aitken from Orbit Enterprise.
NEWS Junior Awards 2017
2017 JUNIOR AWARDS
Jamie Buttenshaw (Junior DUX)
From left to right: Sports Superstars Elise McCormick and Calum Little with S3 Highest Attainment Jamie Buttenshaw and Dylan Anderson
S1 to S3 Highest Attainment
1st Year
S1
SUBJECT PRIZES
9 Nominations
Max Hunter
Emma Prach
8 Nominations
Melissa MacLeod
Ewan McKenna
7 Nominations
Christy Brooking
Annalena Jack
Isabella Knox
Edward Lee
Ciara MacLennan
Callum Train
6 Nominations
Hollie Adams
Jemma Barbour
Matthew Bissett
Darcie Burnett
Josh Crimin
Leona Jaap
Sophie Liddell
Breagha Miller
Connor Podesta
5 Nominations
Beth Barjonas
Mitchell Curtis
David Love
Eilidh McIntyre
Eilidh McLaughlan
Ruben Sandhu
Fraser Young
4 Nominations
Josh Adams
Darcy Crossan
Ava Duffy
Jessica Malcolm
Amy Martin
Amy Matthews
Euan McDowall
Ben Mearns
Ryan Nocher
Lia Pettigrew
Eilidh Robinson
Hannah Russell
Emily Watt
3 Nominations
Joshua Anderson
Ben Craven
Daniel Cruden
Danielle Cummings
Rebecca Donald
Carmen Farrell
Alex Gordon
Kiera Handley
Finlay Hawthorne
Kaitlyn Lang
Finlay Main
Amy Matheson (+ Contribution to School Community)
Max McCafferty
Amber McInally
Reece Robertson
Ben Senior
Carter Smith
Sean Wallace
Ellis Williams
Sports Superstars
Amy Kennedy
Jamie Connolly
2nd Year
S2
SUBJECT PRIZES
8 Nominations
April Chapman
7 Nominations
Alyesha Akhtar
Kieran Coggins
Alastair Condie (+ Outstanding Language Learner of the Year)
Ross Govan
Katie Howland
Lucy Phillips
Eilidh Simpson
Hannah Wallace
6 Nominations
Kate Buttenshaw
Harry Govan
Jack Hamilton
Sam James
James McKee
Kate Watson
Rebecca Winkler
5 Nominations
Emma Adams
Jay Brown
Ben Carmichael
Leah Gillan
Nathan Hillon
Georgia Knox
Andrew Lowrie
Jamie McMorris
Erin Smith
4 Nominations
Iona Aitken
Chloe Balfour
Cameron Bradbury
Paige Dougall
Jordan Fisher
Elliott Fraser
Lucy Hawkes
Megan Hutchison
Cameron Knight
Natasha McCallum
William McMurtrie
Aidan Pritchard
Karleen Rennie
Shanlay Russell
Abby Shand
Keira Smith
3 Nominations
Sophie Bruce
Ben Campbell
Jack Devlin-Rutherford
Rachel Forsyth
Finlay Gordon
Nina McBride
Abby Quinn
Rachel Simpson
Lauren Smith
Sports Superstar
Hannah Wallace
3rd Year
S3
SUBJECT PRIZES
9 Nominations
Jamie Buttenshaw (School DUX)
8 Nominations
Dylan Anderson
6 Nominations
Chloe Hawthorne
Amy O’Keefe
Michael Ward
5 Nominations
Sam Gordon
Amy Ward
Lisa Young
4 Nominations
Kiaya Imrie
Sophie Lawson
Cameron Macindoe
Ciara McKay
Douglas Mitchell
Sam Ritchie
3 Nominations
Raegan Bryson
Ross Cantley (+ Duke of Edinburgh)
Josh Hampson
Jake Lindsay
Calum Little
Simone Low
Ava MacKinnon (+ Language Ambassador of the Year)
Aimee McCallum
Elise McCormick
Leah Newman
Rebecca O’Reilly
Rachel Ross
Denise Stark
Mhairi Stewart
Alannah Whyte
Sophie Wilkins
Sports Superstars
Calum Little
Elise McCormack
House Award
Ness
Innovation Award
Bruce
Primary Cross Country Award
Ravenswood Primary
Technical Challenge
Condorrat Primary
Dux
Jamie Buttenshaw
NEWS Senior Awards 2017
Awards Ceremonies
Greenfaulds High School held their Awards Ceremonies and a Celebrating Success event on Wednesday 14th, Thursday 15th and Friday 16th June to celebrate our pupils’ achievements. The awards included Outstanding Attainment in Subjects, Youth Achievement Awards and Significant Contribution to the School Community through Leadership and Citizenship. The school band was present at the Awards Ceremonies and our talented soloists performed on stage to a captivated audience. Thanks to our inspiring guest speakers: Mr McMurtie from Rights Respecting Schools and Kieran Aitken from Orbit Enterprise.
2017 Senior Awards
S4 AWARDS
Joshua Barker (3rd Music)
Lewis Blain (3rd Business Education)
Caitlin Brammer (Core Skills)
Tom Bulloch (2nd Woodworking)
Lauren Campbell (2nd Hospitality)
Sam Campbell (1st Biology)
Sophie Carus (2nd Drama)
Evie Clark (1st Modern Studies, 1st Music, 2nd Biology, 2nd Spanish, 3rd Mathematics)
Leia Clark (1st Business Education, 1st Drama, 2nd French)
Victoria Clark (3rd Gaelic)
Ellie Cooper (3rd P E)
Andrew Croal (2nd Business Education, 2nd English)
Rebecca Cunningham (1st Art)
Cheyenne Dunn (3rd Accounting and Finance)
Lucy Fraser (2nd Accounting and Finance, 2nd Modern Studies)
Charlotte Glennie (2nd Mathematics, 3rd Biology)
Abby Graham (3rd Hospitality)
Shannon Inglis (2nd Art)
Sophie Kirkwood (1st French)
Scott Macdonald (3rd Woodworking)
Steven McMaster (3rd Art)
Jordan McNaught (2nd Physics)
Leigh Mitchell (3rd French)
Sophie Mollan (1st Biology)
Kiana-Lee Munro (1st Practical Craft Skills & Jimmy Bryson Award)
Fraser O’Brien (1st Accounting and Finance, 1st Geography, 2nd P E, 3rd German)
Zoe Roy (2nd Administration, 2nd Chemistry, 3rd Spanish)
Kirsty Rutherford (1st Administration)
Fraser Simpson (1st Chemistry, 1st Gaelic, 3rd Modern Studies)
Dane Sweeney (1st Graphics, 2nd Biology, 3rd History)
Diane Tennant (1st English)
Ryan Thomson (3rd Chemistry)
Zoe Train (1st Hospitality)
Belle Ward (3rd Administration)
Ben Warnock (1st History, 1st Spanish, 2nd Biology, 3rd Physics)
Elizabeth Watt (1st German, 1st Mathematics, 1st Physics, 2nd Music, 3rd English, 3rd Graphics)
Michael Wright (1st Design and Manufacture)
Craig Yule (2nd Gaelic, 2nd German)
S5 AWARDS
Gianluca Adamo (3rd Philosophy)
Euan Arthur (3rd Music)
Melissa Barr (3rd History)
Liam Bebbington (1st Mathematics, 2nd Physics)
Lauren Black (2nd Geography)
Olivia Chan (1st Business Education, 3rd Accounting)
Mia Clark (2nd Business Education)
Jessica Cooper (1st Biology, 1st French, 2nd Mathematics)
Emma Currie (2nd Gaidhlig)
Josie Curtis (1st History)
Linsey Dick (1st Business Education)
Caitlin Ferguson (3rd Photography)
Kerr Gilmour (Peer Mentoring)
Amy Gulline (1st Geography & Bob Kay Memorial Award)
Lewis Hall (2nd Design & Manufacture)
Erin Harper (2nd Art)
Jennifer Harvey (3rd R.M.P.S.)
Ellie Henderson (1st English, 1st Philosophy, 1st Politics, 2nd Spanish)
Holly Hunter (1st Administration, 1st P E)
Alan Justice (2nd Accounting)
Tegan Kerr (2nd P E)
LouisYung Kim (3rd German)
Jenna Kinlan (3rd Travel & Tourism)
Joanna Land (3rd Drama)
Gillian Lee (2nd Photography)
Robbie MacGregor (2nd Practical Metalwork)
Harry McCracken (3rd Business Education)
Ross McInnes (2nd Graphic Communication)
Katie McKee (2nd English, 3rd Spanish)
Natalie McMeeking (1st Photography)
Lisa McMillan (2nd Travel & Tourism)
Aaron McNeill (1st Metal Work)
Marc McQuade (1st Physics & Bill Samson Memorial Award, 3rd Mathematics)
Eilidh Miller (3rd Gaidhlig)
Jessica Muir (1st Gaidhlig, 2nd Music)
Kieran O’Donnell (2nd Design & Manufacture)
Niamh Pritchard (3rd Geography)
Joanna Reid (1st Art & Zoe Tait Memorial Award)
David Richford (Transition)
Emily Robertson (1st Music)
Ben Shaw (1st Spanish, 2nd French)
Kelsey Urquhart (2nd Biology)
Brodie Wallace (3rd Biology)
Adam Watson (3rd Physics)
Beth Watt (2nd Administration)
Kirsten Wylie (2nd R.M.P.S.)
Sarah Wright (2nd History, 3rd English)
Emma Weir (1st Modern Studies, 3rd Art)
S6 AWARDS
Jenny Bradley (2nd Modern Studies)
Keryn Brady (3rd Administration, 3rd Design & Manufacture)
Ruth Brammer (2nd Environmental Science)
Abby Bryant (1st H Psychology)
Emily Carroll (1st Adv H Graphic Communication)
Andrew Halfpenny (1st Adv H Chemistry)
John Hamilton (3rd P E)
Zoha Iqbal (2nd German)
Jennifer Killens (3rd Modern Studies)
Beth Leishman (1st German & Outstanding Contribution to Languages)
Hugh MacDonald (2nd Drama)
Rachel Mackay (1st Design & Manufacture)
Lewis McIlroy (1st Adv H Design & Manufacture)
Jason McIntosh (1st Travel & Tourism, 2nd Administration)
Rory Marshall (1st Administration)
Caitlin Mckay (1st Drama)
Shauna McKay (1st Adv H Art, 2nd Philosophy)
Lisa McManus (1st Adv H Music)
Rozelle McMillan (1st Environmental Science)
Kirsty McTurk (3rd French)
Shannon Moffat (2nd Modern Studies)
Ismail Mohammed (3rd Modern Studies)
Rachel Murray (3rd Environmental Science)
Alana Prophet (1st R.M.P.S.)
Rachael Redmond (1st Accounting)
Shannon Stewart (Personal Development Award, Stuart McKie Award)
William Stewart (3rd Politics)
Josh Strickland (1st Modern Studies, 2nd Business Education, 2nd Politics)
Jane Wright (1st Adv H Biology, 1st Adv H Graphic Communication, 1st Adv H Mathematics)
SPECIAL AWARDS
Nicola Caldwell Award for Citizenship – Reece Newlands
David Johnston Award – Jodie Thomson
Adam Gillespie Award for Contributions to the School Community – Ismail Mohammed
Leadership Awards – Isla MacLeod
Captains’ Awards – Jenny Bradley, Hugh MacDonald
School Dux Awards – Jane Wright, Rachael Redmond, Josh Strickland
Free School Meal & Clothing Grant Form
Click on the link below to access the latest Free School Meal & Clothing Grant Form.
The form is also available on the parent’s drop down menu.
Vulnerable Road User Campaign: 19 to 25 June 2017
Between Monday 19th and Sunday 25th June, in conjunction with our Roads Policing colleagues, Lanarkshire Division will be engaging with the public to educate, enforce and positively influence road user behaviour.
There will be various strands to the campaign which will include:
- educating children and young people walking and cycling on roads
- motorcycle safety
- speeding
- inconsiderate driving behaviours
Our aim is to reduce road incidents. As such, we wish to engage with as many people as possible. Working with our community planning partners, we would like to cascade the message and encourage children, young people and adults alike to take responsibility for their own safety and to be mindful of the hazards walking and cycling on the roads present.
You can find out more about what we’re up to on Facebook and Twitter using the hash tag #GoSafeRoadSafe.
With your help, we can reduce the number of children, young people and families affected by road collisions. A Scotland where no one is seriously hurt or killed on the roads is our ambition.
Our partners at www.roadsafetyscotland.org.uk and www.cyclingscotland.org are excellent sources of information and resource.
Over the week, our local problem solving team officers will be liaising with local schools and delivering appropriate advice to staff, pupils and parents alike.
Lanarkshire Division appreciates the assistance the local authority gives as a partner to keep people safe in North Lanarkshire
NEWS
Awards Ceremonies
Greenfaulds High School held their Awards Ceremonies and a Celebrating Success event on Wednesday 14th, Thursday 15th and Friday 16th June to celebrate our pupils’ achievements. The awards included Outstanding Attainment in Subjects, Youth Achievement Awards and Significant Contribution to the School Community through Leadership and Citizenship. The school band was present at the Awards Ceremonies and our talented soloists performed on stage to a captivated audience. Thanks to our inspiring guest speakers: Mr McMurtie from Rights Respecting Schools and Kieran Aitken from Orbit Enterprise.
Trip to Ecuador
On Friday 16 June, eleven pupils and two members of staff from Greenfaulds have left for a trip of a lifetime to Ecuador. They are spending a week in the tropical rainforest taking part in important ecological surveys. The results are to be used to convince the Ecuadorian government about the importance of preserving these wild regions.
The party are then making their way to the Galapagos Islands where they will take part in further research projects aimed at protecting marine environments.
Everyone is really excited about the trip and the positive contribution they can make to conservation in these remote areas.
Greenfaulds Geography 30 Days Wild #adventuresoutside
Greenfaulds High School is taking part the Wildlife Trusts 30 Days Wild- the UK’s first ever month long nature challenge. The idea behind this challenge is to do something wild in the outdoors each day for the month of June. You can climb a hill, take a photo or plant a wild garden.
As our school breaks up near the end of the month the competition in GHS will run from May 25th to June 23rd. Pupils will be issued with a checklist of tasks to complete within the 30 days; the first three S1 pupils to complete all of the tasks (with a photo as evidence) will take home prizes. If no pupil has completed all tasks by Friday June 23rd, then the pupil with the most challenges completed will be announced as the winner on Monday June 26th.
Pupils should document their adventures with a photo as evidence – or they can tweet @GHSGeography with their name, task number and the #GHSwildchallenge
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
The school closes for the Summer Holidays on Wednesday 28th June at 1:00pm. Buses have been arranged for 12:30pm. Lunch will be available at 12 noon.
NEWS
Trip to Ecuador
On Friday 16 June, eleven pupils and two members of staff from Greenfaulds are leaving on the trip of a lifetime to Ecuador. They are spending a week in the tropical rainforest taking part in important ecological surveys. The results are to be used to convince the Ecuadorian government about the importance of preserving these wild regions.
The party are then making their way to the Galapagos Islands where they will take part in further research projects aimed at protecting marine environments.
Everyone is really excited about the trip and the positive contribution they can make to conservation in these remote areas.
Performing Arts
Last week the Greenfaulds High Performing Arts faculty went on their annual ‘Grand Tour’ of our associated primaries. This ever-popular event was highly anticipated by both the primary school and high school pupils and on Monday morning, no fewer than 90 performers and a whole array of instruments, from xylophones, to accordions and even a flat pack drum-kit were loaded onto 4 buses to begin 3 days’ worth of concerts at Baird Memorial, Woodlands, Eastfield, Condorrat, Westfield and Ravenswood Primaries. This year’s tour featured FOUR bands – the Junior Band, Traditional Band, Jazz Band and Senior Band – plus the cast of our show ‘Hairspray’.
The Junior Band, featuring woodwind, brass and percussion players from S1 – S3, kicked of the first concert in style with the song ‘Best Day of Our Lives’ which got the primary kids singing along from the outset and let the P6 and P7s see the types of instruments that they themselves could begin playing next year. The traditional band followed with a quieter acoustic set, of which ‘The Star of County Down’ was really popular. The show cast then gave primary pupils a sneak preview of some of the songs from this year’s show ‘Hairspray’, which included some incredible soloists (and stand-in soloists), upbeat singing and energetic dancing – get your tickets now for the shows on Wed 21st, Thu 22nd and Fri 23rd, available from the school office, before they sell out!
The Senior Band showed off their new percussion section and even got the primary pupils to help play the tubular bells in their version of Bruno Mars’ – ‘Marry You’! Finally the Jazz Band ended each concert in style with the big singalong numbers ‘The Bare Necessities’ and ‘We Are Family’. With audience members giving comments such as “This was the best concert yet” and “This was the best example of a transition event I’ve seen”, we think it’s safe to say the tour was a resounding success and we WILL be back next year!
Greenfaulds Geography 30 Days Wild #adventuresoutside
Greenfaulds High School is taking part the Wildlife Trusts 30 Days Wild- the UK’s first ever month long nature challenge. The idea behind this challenge is to do something wild in the outdoors each day for the month of June. You can climb a hill, take a photo or plant a wild garden.
As our school breaks up near the end of the month the competition in GHS will run from May 25th to June 23rd. Pupils will be issued with a checklist of tasks to complete within the 30 days; the first three S1 pupils to complete all of the tasks (with a photo as evidence) will take home prizes. If no pupil has completed all tasks by Friday June 23rd, then the pupil with the most challenges completed will be announced as the winner on Monday June 26th.
Pupils should document their adventures with a photo as evidence – or they can tweet @GHSGeography with their name, task number and the #GHSwildchallenge
Greenfaulds High School Art and Design Department
2017 is the year of History, Heritage and Archaeology and the Art and Design Department at GHS have been successful with a heritage lottery fund bid for Stories, Stones and Bones sharing heritage funding. The amount of the bid is £10,000.
The Art & Design project is called ‘A Sense of Place: The Roman Presence in Cumbernauld’ and the key local heritage sites are Bar Hill Roman Fort and the Antonine Wall. The Art & Design department are looking forward to taking pupils on trips to see the Roman fort and Antonine Wall, as well as Roman artefacts in collections at the Hunterian Museum and the National Museum of Scotland. A main part of the project will involve S1-S3 pupils creating a series of large mosaics with the Scottish artist Alan Potter (for display at GHS). Pupils will also be working with Scottish artist Kate Leiper to create illustrations for an illustrated brochure about the heritage sites and the Roman presence in Cumbernauld. The grant will also provide materials for Roman-themed printmaking, illustration and pottery activities for hundreds of S1-S6 pupils at GHS, and staff and pupils at GHS are also looking forward to creating some artworks with pupils at Redburn School. Everyone is excited about showcasing the project at the local Cumbernauld Museum and in special exhibitions at GHS throughout the next year, engaging the local community with their heritage.
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
Looking further ahead to the end of the month, school closes for the Summer Holidays on Wednesday 28th June at 1:00pm. Buses have been arranged for 12:30pm. Lunch will be available at 12 noon.
Dates for the Dairy
14th June – Awards Ceremony S4-6
15th June – Graduation Prom
16th June – Awards Ceremony S1-3
Mosaic Project with the Art and Design Department and Scottish artist Alan Potter
Mosaic Project with the Art & Design Department and Scottish artist Alan Potter
The Roman presence in Cumbernauld was the inspiration for a recent project involving S1-S3 pupils in the Art & Design department at Greenfaulds High School. This project was fully funded by a generous ‘Stories, Stones and Bones’ grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017. The local heritage sites identified for the HLF project were Bar Hill Fort and the Antonine Wall, which lie a few miles from Greenfaulds High School near Twechar and Croy. Art & Design teacher Kirstin Armstrong explains what this part of the £10,000 grant entailed.
Having received confirmation of the HLF grant at the end of March, a small number of S2-3 Art & Design pupils were asked to create homework drawings based on Roman artefacts and culture to help provide the artist Alan Potter with some inspiration for his mosaic designs. Pupils produced some lovely pencil, pen and colour pencil studies of Roman coinage, arms and armour as well as pottery. Alan then spent time in his studio in April, researching further the Romans and their presence in Cumbernauld and Scotland, and he produced an innovative design for a series of mosaics – intended to decorate the exterior of the school to enhance the environment and engage the local community with their heritage.
Alan worked with lots of S1-3 Art & Design pupils for 18 days in May, mostly groups of 20 for a few days at a time with Miss Armstrong and Mrs Macdonald, and the pupils worked very hard to create the mosaic designs. Pupils worked with tile cutters and multi-coloured tesserae, and they wore safety glasses to protect their eyes as the mosaic chippings pinged here and there (worse than Christmas tree needles, they got everywhere!). Alan had high standards and pupils had to be careful to produce their best work and be prepared to re-cut tiles to improve their size and shape so that they would fit the ‘cartoon’ better. The designs were drawn out in reverse, with the text backwards, and pupils were asked to help cut tiles for the different designs which included a charioteer, a Roman soldier, a Roman man and woman with their feast, and the coinage of Emperor Antoninus Pius (the emperor who ordered the construction of the Antonine wall).
The S1-3 pupils worked successfully with artist Alan Potter to create a fantastic series of mosaics which will help visually illustrate the Roman presence in Cumbernauld: the fort at Bar Hill, the Roman soldiers with their horses, arms and armour, the portrait of Emperor Antoninus Pius on his coinage (who ordered the construction of the wall AD 142), and one aspect of Roman culture, the Roman feast with reclined dining. Text further emphasises the relationship between the Romans and the Cumbernauld area, and states that Roman culture influenced the world and that the Romans sought victory in games and war.
The completed mosaics will be installed by the artist at the end of June. Pupils are all looking forward to seeing them on the front exterior of the school, and pupil feedback about the project was all very positive (apart from a few moans about sore hands from using the tile cutters!).
A big thank you to the Heritage Lottery Fund for the generous grant which allowed this activity to take place! Thanks also to the pupils who worked tirelessly on the project, the staff in Art & Design and those around the school who helped with cover classes, the HT Mrs Park who allowed the pupils to be off-timetable for days at a time, the janitors, office staff and the cleaning staff who dealt with those pesky mosaic chippings!
Here is some feedback from the pupils involved in the workshop:
“The challenging aspect of it made it exciting.” Sophie Liddell S1
“I fun it fun and interesting. It was very rewarding.” Kate Buttenshaw S2
“I enjoyed doing it very much. Alan Potter is very nice. He helped a lot.” Ryan Nocher S1
“It was a challenge. Alan Potter was kind and helpful.” Justin Adams S2
“It was interesting to see it progress.” Holly O’Neill S3
The Heritage Lottery Funded project is not over yet! In June, a large number of pupils are going to visit Bar Hill Fort and the Antonine Wall, as well as Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, The Hunterian and The National Museum of Scotland, in order to see Roman artefacts first hand.
Next session S1-6 pupils throughout the Art & Design department will take part in various other activities which will allow them to learn about Roman culture and the Roman presence in Cumbernauld. Activities include drawing and painting, ceramics and printmaking (August-March). The Scottish artist and illustrator Kate Leiper is going to visit the school to hold a day’s illustration workshop with pupils, which will help them create characters for an illustrated brochure about the local heritage sites, and art activities will be held at Redburn School to help the pupils there learn more about the Romans too. From term two onwards, exhibitions of the pupils’ artworks will take place in Greenfaulds High School (watch out for the exhibitions at parents’ evenings throughout the year) and the local museum to engage the wider community with their local heritage.
