Lewis Mcpartlin | Reporter
It was in the early months of 2017 that our school, St Andrew’s and St Bride’s, was selected and funded by South Lanarkshire Council and the Elizabeth B Mitchell Memorial Trust to produce a documentary. The subject of the documentary was to highlight the greatness of our town, its wonderful history and residents as it hits its 70th anniversary as a New Town.
Two classes were the main participants, and producers in this documentary, 2F2 and 2D. Producer and co-ordinator of the show, Mr Wilkie, gave us a statement sharing his thoughts:
“This has been an exciting process for all involved – teachers and pupils alike, I have been impressed by the level of talent in my class, 2F2, 2D, and all six primary schools. Celebrating the history of our town through film has been a fantastic learning opportunity for us, and I hope the pupils carry these skills forward in the future.”
We have had an abundance of help from all the feeder primary schools in our learning community, as they documented the journey of all the stages in our town and how it has flourished through these short seventy years.
In the film, we also hear from the people who have lived in East Kilbride from the very beginning, and have watched it go through various stages of the town’s growth. They will tell us about what it was like to come from a city like Glasgow, to this beautiful vast open space.
The primary schools tell us about The Village, Whitelee Wind Farm, Langland’s Moss, and other well-known landmarks.
This was also an opportunity to educate the young residents of their town’s vibrant history. Pupils were allocated various roles to fulfil including acting, presenting and interviewing, as well as behind the camera duties including directing, filming, scripting and editing. This has, perhaps, given some of the people in my year some idea as to what they may want to do in later life.
We now have a second quote to share, this one from our Head Teacher, Mrs Mullen:
“Our participation in the Elizabeth B. Mitchell Trust this year has allowed us to work with the associated primary schools in marking the 70th anniversary of East Kilbride in an innovative and exciting way. Primary 7 pupils along with the pupils in second year, have shown tremendous talent and enthusiasm for the project and should be very proud of the work they have produced with the help of their teachers.”
The documentary is now finished and will premiere in late September, where the full cast is invited. To mark the occasion, many special guests have been invited from the council to view the documentary.
For all the classes that participated this was an enjoyable experience and time well spent. We look forward to seeing the finished product.
If you are interested in watching the final product – ‘Around and About EK’ – then the premiere will take place at 7pm on Wednesday 27th September in the school. All welcome.
