Eleanor Service | Editor
On the final day of school in the 2017 session, we take a look back at some of the wonderful achievements of some of our school’s pupils. Without doubt, this has been a year of success and it is certainly something that our fabulous Headteacher, Mrs Fiona Mullen, can be thanked for.
Here at St. Andrew’s and St. Bride’s, we pride ourselves on celebrating the multitude of impressive feats our pupils achieve, in and out of the classroom. From the debating floor to the athletics tracks, our students can do it all.
Earlier in this school year, proud parents and carers gathered to celebrate the achievements’ of their children, at the annual Awards Ceremony. There were far too many amazing students to fit here, but one particularly deserving student is The Oystercatcher’s very own, Erin Seils, winner of the Junior Dux. All of Erin’s hard academic work paid off, as she achieved eight A Band ones in her National 5 examinations, an amazing feat.
The faith values of our school were also celebrated in the ceremony, as Robbie Halliday took the John Russell Award, named in honour of our now retired chaplain. As a participant in Caritas, Robbie really shows what great commitment to the good things faith in our school can achieve.
On Monday 13th November, students from across South Lanarkshire gathered at the Arts Centre in The Village, for the presentation of awards for the 2017 Arts Council Writing Competition. Despite numerous competing entries, Hannah Bryson took home the award for first place in the Senior category, along with a generous £100 EK town centre gift voucher!
Keeping with the theme of writing, Beth Farr recently won the Association of Scottish Literature Society’s Young Writers Competition with her fantastic short story, beating out thousands of other S1 and S2 pupils to claim the top spot. As a reward for her efforts, she received not only an award at the annual conference but a £100 prize and publication in the Burns Chronicle and ScotLit. Well done Beth!
Moving out of the classroom and onto the hockey field, fifth-year pupil Andrew Lochrin has been selected to play for the Under 18s Scotland Hockey team. Andrew’s talent for hockey has surpassed so many young hockey players, and we are all very proud!
But it is not just competition that brings out the best in our students, but the spirit of giving too. At our annual Awards Ceremony this year, Chloe Carmichael was presented with an award for her services to the community. From her extensive work raising money for Live it for Lee, and a variety of other charities, to volunteering hours of her time to help others, Chloe really has shown the Christian values at the heart of our school. In perhaps her bravest charitable endeavour to date, she even chopped her hair off as a fundraiser and donation, an act of kindness and dedication that shows what a wonderful heart she has to offer in our community.
