All posts by Mrs Constable

Whalsay School & AHS Ski Trip 2025

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Whalsay School joined Anderson High School on a joint school trip to Italy in March 2025!

 

It was a rough start on the Northlink ferry with high winds and large waves to endure on the crossing to Aberdeen. Everyone grouped together to support each other throughout this journey, forming new friendships from the very start.

It was a long coach journey through the UK, France and into Italy but all remained in good spirits with many funs and laughter along the way.

When we arrived in Italy, it was straight to the Ski resort to get kitted out for the week of ski activities ahead. It was very amusing trying to coordinate walking around in ski boots! We then settled into our hotel to prepare for the week ahead.

 

Day 1 – Skiing & Town tour with ice-cream

A mixture of nerves and excitement to get started on the slopes. We got our skis on and sorted into our mixed ski groups. We met our instructors who started us out on the baby slopes. We were all really poor in our abilities to begin with – lots of falls, laughter and uncoordinated limbs! Skiing was not an easy skill to quickly master! With great encouragement, guidance and support from the instructors, and each other, we all progressed to safely navigate the first slope of the trip! Success!!

With a lot of tired legs, we stretched our muscles with a long walk through the town, making a stop along an ice-cream café for a treat. The Italian ice-cream was brilliant!! Some managed to squeeze in an extra-scoop or two J

The town was beautiful and calm with some musical entertainment provided along the way. The weather was nice and warm considering we were on a mountain!

Day 2 – Skiing & Bowling with Arcade

Some groups progressed to different levels on day 2, to further challenge each ability. This brought the added challenge to coordinate ski lifts fur advancing further up the mountain! The ski lifts provided some great views of the mountains, and some much-needed rest for the legs! Ski instructors were great at explaining how to navigate the slopes – using pizza position for slowing/stopping and chips position for stopping across hills.

This ski day was followed by a trip to the bowling arcade, which did not disappoint! The bright lights of the arcade thrilled all with a pupil commenting “everybody was crazy”! This was a great night with everyone mixing together, having laughs and making treasured memories.

 

Day 3 – Skiing & Pizza evening

Everyone gained more confidence in their skiing abilities on day 3, with more groups advancing on to trickier slopes (red!). The red slopes were slightly steeper and longer than the blue slopes. The red slopes were further up the mountain with more powdery snow. Skiers also had the chance to take a scenic route through the trees. Everyone loved this route!

Everyone was treated to an all-you-can-eat pizza night at an Italian pizzeria. The freshly made pizzas were delicious, with many scrambling to eat as many slices as possible! This was great fuel for our final day on the slopes.

Day 4 – Final Skiing Day & Presentation Evening with hot chocolate

On the final day of skiing, since all had gained confidence in their skiing abilities, pupils were granted permission to take their phones on to the slopes to take some photos. One ski group navigated the full way down the mountain on the last day, completing all the red slopes!

The final day was great fun but overwhelming with emotions on the success of all pupils on the trip and the fact it was almost time to head home! The ski instructors presented pupils with their ski certificates. All pupils gained a recognised skiing level based on their skills demonstrated on the slopes. This was a great presentation with the scenic mountains as a beautiful backdrop for group photos. All were treated to a deliciously thick hot chocolate to round off the ski trip.

After our final trip down the gondola, we took a quick trip to a supermarket and another walk through the town. The supermarket was massive, you could pretty much buy anything from a new tv to a rotisserie chicken! It was really good to experience other cultures and try out some new treats! It was also great to walk through the town again, buying some souvenirs from our trip.

All the staff at Interski spoke highly of the pupils, stating that they rarely see this rate of advancement of ski groups up the slopes in a few days of skiing. They commented on the positive attitudes and behaviour from all and we are all very proud of their accomplishments.

 

This was a great combined trip by all pupils in both schools. New friendships were formed, staff met with new pupils, and there were plenty of laughs, cheers and celebrations throughout the week! With great new friendships formed, all pupils mixed together whilst travelling, playing cards and having fun on the boat on the way home. This trip was overall a great success between both schools!

 

Check out our slideshow from the trip using the following link:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGo3VO41zk/poYhJIUa8seCJdZdTgX2tg/watch?utm_content=DAGo3VO41zk&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=hd04687d6b5

STEM visit – Drones

Science, Uncategorized, , ,

S1 and S2 were visited recently by Emma Chittick from Skills Development Scotland, who delivered a Drones Workshop to engage pupils in STEM subjects by applying them to the world of work. S2 pupils commented that “we learned teamwork/communication skills and being observant along with being able to drive the drone” and learned “what jobs were involved with drones.”

All participants thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the challenges and activities! Most of the pupils had never tried flying a drone before and all agreed they’d definitely like to do it again. An S1 pupil commented “my brother has a drone and I’m going to ask if I can have a go flying that now”. Another said “I really enjoyed it, it was so cool especially when we got the drone to do flips”.

An S2 pupil commented that “We learned what drones can be used for, and how they help us.” After the session the classes had a discussion imagining all kinds of handy uses for drones in the future – the most popular one being the delivery of Chinese take-aways to Whalsay!

Special thank you to Emma for visiting with the drones and delivering a fun and engaging lesson to promote STEM skills and careers.

S4 Christmas Party – Only 10 days to go!!!

Wider Achievement,

The official countdown is on for Secondary A-listers walk the red carpet to enter the Hollywood Christmas Party!!

S4 have been working hard under the guidance of Miss Wilson to make preparations for their Hollywood Christmas Party on Monday 16th December! Miss Carr has helped with the decorations and Mrs Constable with the dancing.

  • All the party games & prizes have been sorted.
  • The food for catering the event is in place.
  • Decorations are done which align with the Hollywood theme.
  • The event is advertised, tickets are sorted and signage to help direct all guests.

Hope everyone has their glad rags prepared for an evening of music, dancing & games to celebrate the festive season!

Tickets now on sale from the Secondary Office – £3.50 each!

Buy now to avoid disappointment!!

 

 

 

S3 Physics outdoor practical

Physics, , ,

S3 Physics took their learning outdoors today to perform an investigation in measuring the speed of sound.

Pupils measured a set distance using a trundle wheel up the old sports day racetrack!

Working together in pairs they took turns in clapping two pieces of wood together and timing how long it took to hear the sound.

They then used their measurements to calculate the speed of sound using the formula v=d/t.

Today’s weather brought a great opportunity to take our learning outdoors! One learner made a great observation when watching a car travel over a cattle grid and how the sound heard doesn’t match up with the sight of the car’s movements over the cattle grid.

 

Shetland Science Fair 2024

Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Science, , , ,

For the first time since 2009, the Shetland Science Fair returned to the Clickimin Leisure Centre! S3 and S2 pupils from all Shetland schools were invited to participate in a mixture of different activities to capture the interest of learners, presented by various groups within Shetland and by some visiting guests.

 

S3 travelled to Clickimin to meet in with other learners from throughout Shetland for the first day of the event. The Whalsay pupils were split into two groups and joined Sandwick JHS pupils in working through some of the different workshops. As well as learning new information in the workshops, the pupils were using problem solving skills and taking part in groupwork throughout.

S2 travelled to Clickimin on the second day of the event and joined learners from Baltasound JHS and Mid Yell JHS in working through the different workshops. These are all faces they will come across again in the Hostel in a few years time, if they continue into further eduction at AHS.

 

In the Activity Zone, learners were split into smaller groups rotating around different stations. Pupils learned about peat restoration and excavation from the Nature Scot Peatland Action group, which included learners having the opportunity to operate a realistic simulator to practice their excavator skills. UHi Shetland provided a Blue Sector VR experience, which allowed users to experience typical workplace tasks from the aquaculture and fish processing industries. Pupils also demonstrated their creative engineering skills in a Lego challenge, aiming to build the fastest wind powered vehicle.

Glasgow Science Centre provided a Spacejunk workshop where pupils explored their potential future in Scotland’s space industry. Pupils used their coding skills to safely navigate a satellite’s trajectory through space, avoiding space junk and other satellites along its journey. They also learned about the diverse careers available in the space industry, from engineers and programmers to mission controllers. Pupils really enjoyed this workshop!

In the Fit Lab, Glasgow Science Centre provided a range of fun, interactive exhibits, which tested reactions, balance, measured heart rates, brain focus, flexibility and loads more. The pupils (and staff) were fully engaged for the whole session. There as even an “Aw” when time was up!

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh ran the Fieldwork and Biodiversity Workshop. Learners discovered the importance of fieldwork in understanding and protecting plant biodiversity. Pupils had the opportunity to enhance their practical biology fieldwork skills, exploring real-world contexts to learn about the RBGE and find out some ways to take action against biodiversity loss.

Laura Moss Education ran the Wilderness Survival Workshop, providing a hands-on experience into the science of survival! Pupils learned how to purify water using only materials found in the wild by creating their own water filtration system. They then were taught how to safely whittle wood with a knife to make a peg or hook. All learners were highly focused during this task, acting responsibly for the safety of themselves and others.

Glasgow Science Centre also ran the Powering the Future Exhibit. They provided a range of engaging energy-themed exhibits to address topics related to energy supply and environmental sustainability. Pupils learned how we can be smarter with our use of energy by exploring different forms of renewable power, including an excellent demonstration of nuclear power using table tennis balls and mousetraps!

The Exploring Energyscapes workshop gave an insight into archaeology, run by Archaeology Scotland. Pupils learned about the use of Magnetometers, and how a dig site is chosen.  Pupils then learned about mills found in the Quendale area and got to design and test their own water mill design. Pupils were also shown artefacts of archaeological finds from Shetland and Orkney.

 

All attending staff and pupils from Whalsay school reported that the event was a huge success, and that they were delighted to have the opportunity to experience relatable learning within the community from knowledgeable and experienced members in their respective fields.

Feedback from the organisers was that the willingness to participate and the good behaviour of the Whalsay pupils had been noted. Everybody agreed they’d had a great time and when asked if they felt this visit was worth the journey and effort, the answer was a resounding YES!!

S3 Shetland Schools Netball Tournament

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On Thursday 26th September, S2/3 competed in a secondary schools netball tournament against AHS, North Isles, Brae and Aith. Whalsay arrived at Scalloway Games Hall ready to take to the court sporting their new kit, from the Whalsay Netball club, which was sponsored by the Tranquility.

Whalsay had a strong start, working well together as a team to win both their games against Brae and Aith.

They faced AHS next and the game started end to end, both teams eager for the win. AHS settled first scoring a few goals in quick succession, but Whalsay battled hard back into the game. The second half was more evenly matched, with Whalsay closing the gap. AHS held strong to win 12-7.

In their final game Whalsay faced Aith. Aith settled quickly with some quick-paced play through the court. Whalsay regrouped during the second half to pull back into the game with some great linking team play. Aith played strongly to win the match and the overall tournament.

Well done to all players involved and thanks to Marie Anderson for accompanying the team on the trip. Thanks to Active Schools for organising the tournament and providing transport. It was a great day out with the players reporting that:

“It was a fun day and it was great to represent our school playing against other school teams from across Shetland instead of just within our own club.”

“It was nice to meet in with other players from other schools.”

“It was great to see all players try their hardest for the team in competitive matches and good sportsmanship was demonstrated throughout the day.”

S3 trip – Young People in Aviation event (DYW)

Science,

On Thursday 19th September, S3 took part in an event organised by Developing the Young Workforce – Shetland. The ‘Young People in Aviation’ event took place in Brae Community Hall, where pupils were split into groups mixing with pupils from Brae High School and Aith Junior High School.

The groups rotated around 8 stations based on different companies who work at the airport. Pupils were involved in taking part in fun activities and challenges at each station while listening to the advice from experts in their fields. Stations included Coastguard Search & Rescue, Air traffic control, Fire service, Security, and the MT department.

Pupils were introduced to the reality behind the scenes within an airport, including all the different roles and responsibilities of the wide members of staff working together for our safety and security. Pupils reported that it was interesting learning about all the different jobs, routes into these posts and learning transferrable skills into different posts. They particularly enjoyed learning about the circuit work in electrical engineering and listening to stories about the physically demanding and high-pressured role as a coastguard.

Thank you to Julie Anderson for accompanying the class, DYW – Shetland for arranging the event and providing transport, and to the airport staff contributing to the different stations.

Pupils quotes from the event:

“Really fun, interesting, cool, and entertaining, really enjoyed learning the phonetic alphabet.”

“Good, useful and interesting learning how many different jobs there are at Sumburgh Airport.”

“It was fun trying on the dry suit and fire suit and realising how heavy it was.”

“I liked learning how to open up an airway and what to do to become a paramedic at the coastguard station.”

“I liked scanning for security – surprising which items could go through in hold luggage and enjoyed searching scans for items in hand luggage.”

“It was surprising learning what airport firemen do as it was a lot different to normal firemen.”