It is with a heavy heart and much sadness that I share the news that Zac Gunn passed away on the evening of Monday 9th June, surrounded by his mum, dad and gran. Zac received a lung transplant in Great Ormond Street Hospital on 17th May and put up a brave fight right to the end.
During his short life, Zac lifted the spirits and brought deep joy to more people than most of us could ever hope to touch in our lifetime. Zac was, quite simply, the most beautiful, gracious and courageous boy I ever encountered and he never failed to live his wee life to the absolute full. Zac leaves a huge hole in each of our hearts and in the Cathedral school community. He will be sorely missed.
We send our sincere condolences to Zac’s family, particularly to his mum and dad, big brother and gran, assuring them of our love and prayers at this sad and difficult time.
There wasn’t a more devout wee boy than Zac. We ask Jesus to receive him into his loving arms in heaven, where there will be no more tears, pain or suffering.
Eternal rest grant unto Zac, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May Zac’s soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Mr Young
Motherwell player (and Cathedral parent), Stephen O’Donnell, attended Cathedral’s weekly assembly on Monday 9th June to assist Coach Willie in presenting this year’s football awards. Prior to the awards ceremony, Stephen was interviewed by Primary 7 learner and keen footballer, Harry O’Connor. In answer to one of the questions, Stephen spoke about the importance of working hard and doing your best, no matter what you decide to do in life.
Every change and improvement we make in Cathedral is ultimately about improving outcomes for our learners, so it’s vitally important pupils are directly involved in the school’s ongoing improvement process. Learners had the opportunity to explore Cathedral’s 2025/26 improvement priorities at our whole-school assembly on Monday 9th June and will help take these forward from August through Smart School Council.
As part of the school’s 150th anniversary celebrations, Cathedral hosted a friendly football tournament on Friday 6th June. The two Cathedral teams were joined by teams from St Brendan’s Primary, St Teresa’s Primary and Our Lady and Saint Francis Primary. All four schools played exceptionally well and showed great sportsmanship. However, it was St Brendan’s who ultimately came out top and lifted the trophy. Many congratulations!
Back on 12th March, these four Primary 5 athletes came first in their category in the North Lanarkshire cross country finals. They were delighted to receive an engraved shield in recognition of their fantastic achievement on Friday 6th June and headed straight to Mr Young’s office to show it off. Well done, once again, boys!
These terrific twins were recently awarded a trophy for a drama they performed together at Girls Brigade, all about looking after our environment. While showing off their trophy, they were also keen to tell Mr Young that a favourite Girls Brigade song is one we also sing here at Cathedral: ‘Our God is a great big God’. Mr Young has decided to include it during assembly on Monday 9th June!
This Primary 5 learner had a big night on Wednesday 4th June when he signed as a goalie for Partick Thistle Academy. What an exceptional wider achievement to add to your Rose Trainer Achievement Award record card!
The boys and girls beginning Primary 1 at Cathedral Primary in August had their second induction visit on Thursday 5th June. The children enjoyed an exciting adventure trail around the school with their new Primary 7 buddies. This gave them the opportunity to visit lots of different spaces including the dining hall, the library, the playground and even Mr Young’s office where they each received a sticker. Our young learners finished off in their new Primary 1 classroom where they had their height measured and added their name to the chart.
Primary 3 learners made the scenic journey to Largs on Wednesday 4th June to spend a fascinating day at Vikingar. Our young historians
found themselves in an 8th Century Norwegian longhouse where they experienced a day in the life of a Viking. A Viking storyteller told the children how Vikings lived, what they ate and drank, where they slept and the reasons that caused them to leave their homelands. The children loved trying on replica helmets and armour and even got to hold swords, shields and axes.
Inspired by her current novel, ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’, this Primary 7 learner visualised how the setting of the story would look from both sides of the fence. She accessed the resources in her learning street’s Creation Station and created this fantastic 3-D model showing the contrast between the concentration camp and Bruno’s house and garden. Impressive learner-led learning!