Issue 48 I Winter 2014

Duke of Edinburgh Awards evening

Meet Peli the school mascot!

1 From the Quadrangle Winter 2014

Photography AwardCongratulations to Finella Forsyth-Grant (S1) who has won a prize in this year’s Focus Environment Photographic Competition. Her photgraph, ‘White Horses on the Beach’ won a commended prize in the Nature’s Moods catergory. Finella was invited to attend the Awards Ceremony at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh in November.

PipingCongratulations to Lewis Maitland (5S1) who was awarded 1st place in the Solo Piping Competition, in the best dressed competitor category, at the Lathallan School Highland Games.

PhysicsCongratulations go to Luke Travis and Cong Lu (S6) who both achieved a Merit in the British Physics Olympiad 2014-2015 A2 Challenge Competition.

Enterprising Maths The Enterprising Mathematics Competition is a contest between schools held at George Watson’s College in Edinburgh which tests pupils’ skills in Mathematics. The Robert Gordon’s teams taking part were: RGC P – Miriam McDonald, Isobel Green (both S4), Timothy Groves and Magnus Ferris (both S3) and RGC Q – Nick Cameron, Rishi Purkayastha (both S4), Samuel Hay and Calum Shepherd (both S3).

The day started with a variety of challenging questions that tested our aptitudes to the limit; we were then split into groups of four and we took part in activities that sometimes involved physical shapes and puzzles. Finally there was a relay between members of teams.

Although we were not the winners of this competition, it was an educational experience that tested our skills thoroughly. Rishi Purkayastha (S4)

TrampoliningHannah Lowe (S3) has become the Scottish National Champion in Trampolining after competing in the Scottish Gymnastics Trampoline Championships held at the Bells Sports Centre in Perth in October.

Hannah was already the North Of Scotland Champion for her category, ASM 13-14 yrs, and competed in the same category in the finals at Perth and out of 14 participants took first place. On top of this she also became Scottish National Champion for the overall ASM “G” category across all age groups ranging from 6 - 19 years old as she had the top score out of 53 competitors.

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tsChessStuthi Hegde (S3) and Atharva Dhabolkar (S1) have been selected to represent Scotland at Chess in an international match involving England, Wales and Ireland in December. Congratulations also go to Euan Gray (S2) who will be playing in the Scottish U-16 team Chess Olympiad in Hungary this month.

Highland DancingFreya Oswald has passed the qualifying examination in Highland Dancing with a commendation, following a theory and practical exam in October. The qualification, given by the Associaton of Teachers of Dancing, allows her to begin teaching Highland Dancing.

MathematicsTimothy Groves (S3) gained a Bronze Medal and Certificate of Distinction from the UKMT Junior Mathematical Olympiad earlier this year.

UKMT Senior Maths ChallengeGold: Jalaj Khandelwal, Yash Nirmal (S5), Luke Travis, Catriona Soden, Cong Lu (S6) Silver: Luke Stuart, Matthew Fossett (both S5), Ben Lyons (S6)Bronze: Sarah Johnson, Sean Cann, Andrew Skidmore, Jack Noble, Aisha Taylor-Sinclair, Sophie Aitchison, Hannah Tyldsley, Carragh Rabbitte, Callum Angus, Charles Lawrie, Dotty Bailey (all S5), Lewis Webster, Lewis Seaman, Lise Theron, Amy Clark (all S6)

Congratulations go to Luke Travis (6C2), Cong Lu (6S2), Yash Nirmal (5S1) and Jalaj Khandelwal (5S1) who won the Regional Team Challenge at the UKMT Senior Team Challenge. They have now qualified for the National Final which takes place in London in February.

MusicAssociated Board Royal Schools of Music ExaminationsS1: Ella Fluck - Grade 3 Viola with merit; Anna Scott - Grade 2 Singing with merit; Hayley Roger - Grade 2 Cello with meritS2: Priyanka Ram - Grade 4 Piano with merit; Emma Morrice - Grade 4 Clarinet with distinction; Samuel Hill - Grade 3 Flute with distinction; Ryan Milne - Grade 3 Clarinet with merit; Aidan Parkinson - Grade 4 Flute with merit; Elizabeth Ruszka - Grade 3 Flute with distinction; Mharni Stephen - Grade 5 Violin with merit; Kirsty Oldham - Grade 3 Flute with merit, Thomas Capderou - Grade 3 Trumpet with meritS4: Samjay Vijayan - Grade 7 Oboe with distinction and Grade 7 Treble Recorder with distinction; Sarah Montgomery - Grade 4

SwimmingPenny Winton (P7) took part in The Scottish Junior Championships for Physically Disabled and Sensory Impaired Swimmers which were held in November in Grangemouth. She swam brilliantly and came home with two golds and one silver medal.

Congratulations to Olivia Tait (P5) who represented RGC in a Biathlon event at the International School in Aberdeen in September and won a silver medal.

Singing with merit; Dexter Fawcett - Grade 7 Piano with distinctionS5: Caitlin Boon von Ochssee - Grade 6 in Clarinet with distinction

Trinity College Music ExaminationsS1: Jonathan Reeks - Grade 2 Trumpet with distinction; Lucy Rachel Spalding - Grade 3 Saxophone with meritS2: Holly Greenhalgh - Grade 2 Trumpet with distinction; Daniel Lowden - Grade 4 Trumpet with distinction; Euan Gray - Grade 5 Trumpet with merit; Grace Milne - Grade 3 Saxophone with merit; Emily Purcell - Grade 1 Trumpet with distinction; Henry Lyons - Grade 3 Saxophone with merit; Euan Seaman - Grade 4 Trumpet and Grade 5 Trumpet with merit; Andrew Bain - Grade 4 Trumpet with distinction; Christopher Fitch - Grade 4 Trumpet with distinctionKaty Johnson - Grade 4 Trumpet; Robbie Eost - Grade 5 French Horn with merit; Harry Spalding - Grade 5 Trombone with distinction S3: Bethany Bell - Grade 3 Cello with merit; Jamie Fuery - Grade 4 Cello with merit; Holly Hay - Grade 5 French Horn with distinctionS4: Holly Oswald - Grade 7 Trumpet with merit; Ryan Morrice - Grade 7 Euphonium with merit; David Peacock - Grade 6 Saxophone; Ewan Bruce - Grade 5 Bassoon with merit; Rishi Purkayastha - Grade 4 French Horn with distinctionS6: Hayleigh Mathers - Grade 8 Trumpet with distinction; Max Kaufmann - Grade 7 Saxophone; Niall MacRae - Grade 6 Euphonium with merit; Bronagh Evelyn Miller - Grade 7 Flute with merit; Catriona Soden - Grade 7 Flute

Olivia Tait Penny Winton

2WInter 2014 From the Quadrangle

Calamity Jane is a huge successThe whole school performance of Calamity Jane at the Aberdeen Arts Centre has proved to be a huge success, following last year's production of Stardust.

Tickets sold out for the final Friday night performance extremely quickly, with Wednesday and Thursday's performances following suit. The pupils put on a stunning performance which received a high level of praise from the audiences of each night.

Head of Drama, Mr Milarvie and Head of Music, Mr Haggart, have been heavily involved in the production and have been impressed by the teamwork and enthusiasm from all involved.

Mr Mills, Head of College, commented: “The investment into drama and music is part of our ongoing commitment in supporting pupils to become well rounded citizens of the world. Some of our former pupils have gone on to enjoy careers in West End stage, Movie and TV productions. The dedication to the show from the pupils and departments has been remarkable."

Duke of Edinburgh Awards EveningPupils who participate in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme were recognised at an official awards ceremony in the MacRobert Hall on Thursday 27 November, the first event of its kind for the school where pupils were presented with their awards.

Alex Cummings (the Assistant Director of the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme) presented the Gold awards to Alice Jaspars and Hayleigh Mathers (both S6) who had impressively managed to complete their Gold Award in time for the event.

The Guest Speaker was Neil MacDonald who has climbed Mount Everest and spent a considerable amount of time on expeditions in the Alps. Neil’s daughter, Darcey (S1), suffers from Type 1 (or Insulin Dependent) Diabetes and he has used his expeditions to fundraise for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). There was a collection organised on the night as a thank you to Neil for his time presenting to the audience which raised £330.77 for JDRF.

The event also showcased some of the other exceptional extra-curricular talent at the College with two performances from the Robert Gordon’s College Dance Club and a violin recital by S4 pupil Morna Holmes, and her partner from Bucksburn Academy.

Green Week 2014Another busy and successful Green Week has taken place. Back by popular demand, Dr Alan Owen of RGU presented on WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, Democratic) Energy to S1/S2 and S4 pupils. Our caterer, Entier served up a lovely green thai curry and the library was buzzing with pupils trying to list as many words as they could with the word ‘eco’ in them. PSE classes were treated to visiting speakers and workshops on a variety of themes including first aid sessions from University of Aberdeen medical students as part of their work for Heartstart. Continuing the theme of Health and Wellbeing pupils from S3 to S6 had a talk from Sexpression to encourage digital citizenship and promote positive body image. Calum Shepherd (S3) designed a Form Class Eco-Quiz and the Computer Club for Girls (CC4G) held a competition to design a screensaver.

The highlight of the week was our Electic Car Showcase and thanks go to Mr Jamieson for organising this exciting event which led to the Quadrangle housing a Twizzy, a BMWi8, a Nissan Leaf, a Renault Zoe, a Mitsubishi iMEV and the co-Wheels Nissan Leaf. S1 in particular were treated to Electric Vehicle presentations by Mr Doug Robertson, Rev. Peter Thomson and Mr Alan Simpson (Aberdeen City Council). S1 also enjoyed the House Competition to design our very own RGC ‘Switch it off’ stickers for our light switches - watch this space to see the winning design. If you feel you could contribute in Green Week 2015 please get in touch with GreenPages@rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk

Pupils name the school mascotMrs MacLeod recently introduced a new member of the Gordon’s community to pupils. Talking to the Primary Two children about the values of our Founder, Robert Gordon and the importance of the Pelican symbol, Mrs MacLeod invited the yeargroup to name our new Pelican mascot (pictured) which has been kindly donated by the Parents Association.

Look out for Peli at some of our upcoming school events and do say ‘Hello’.

RGCPA NewsOctober and November continued to be a busy month for the volunteers on the PA with the organising of the Christmas Fair - an important event for the PA which everyone enjoys getting involved in. Things have gone well with a good selection of craft stalls and activities for the kids.

We have also revamped our marketing materials and had the opportunity to use our new pop up banner when talking to parents at the recent Open Morning on 8 November. This was a great event for us with a lot of interest shown by parents in what we do.

Following the Summer Ball we are finalising discussions with the College regarding how the money, raised by the parents of RGC pupils, will be used. It is exciting to see everything coming together now on the new building.

Finally we were very happy to support the College with the purchase of the dolphin in the Quadrangle and the new mascot, Peli the Pelican.

Please contact us on chair.rgcpa@gmail.com should you have any queries or ideas for us to be involved in or you would like to help out.

3 From the Quadrangle Winter 2014

RMPS visit prisonThe Higher RMPS classes were lucky enough to secure an invite to visit HMP Grampian, the new 'superjail' in Peterhead. RGC was the last school to visit Craiginches, Torry, before it closed last year, and exactly one year on we were the first school to be granted a visit to the new prison. Gaining entry involved a complex security process, and with 33 in the party it emphasised the measures that all staff go through every day just to come to work at HMP Grampian. We were impressed by the new facility, which has a heavy emphasis on education, reform and rehabilitation in an effort to prevent reoffending once prisoners are released.

This was followed the next week with a trip to Aberdeen Sheriff Court, at the invitation of Sheriff William Summers. He talked to us in Court 6, explaining the role of the Sheriff and the range of sentences available to him, as well as the legal and moral considerations he weighs up in determining appropriate sentences.

As part of their study of Crime & Punishment, pupils learned far more than can be communicated in the classroom alone and these trips have been as informative for the staff as for the pupils. We are extremely grateful to the Scottish Prison Service for facilitating our visit.Mrs F McWilliam

During another successful term here at Robert Gordon’s College, pupils were fortunate to have the opportunity over half-term to learn from pioneers of ground-breaking scientific research at Harvard and MIT in Boston, and also to experience the turbulent geo-thermal activities of Iceland first-hand with the annual Geography trip. A new member of the school community came to us this term in ‘Peli the Pelican’ – the new school mascot – who is a welcome addition to our school community as we prepare for the Christmas break.

The annual school production “Calamity Jane” received rave reviews after sold out shows at the Aberdeen Arts Centre, where it entertained parents, pupils and teachers alike. Meanwhile, the College Remembrance services in November served as a poignant reminder of the centenary of the outbreak of WW1. We wish the senior pupils well for their upcoming deadlines for university applications, and we look forward to resuming the school calendar in the New Year.Benjamin Osugo and Mirrhyn Stephen (S6)

From the School Captains

GAIL: a global alliance of teaching and learningInternational education and global citizenship begin at Robert Gordon’s College in our nursery and extend to every part of college life and we are proud to be a member of the Global Alliance for Innovative Learning (GAIL).

In order to extend our experiences beyond our gateway and into the world beyond, we have formed an alliance with schools in other parts of the world whose vision and ethos we share:

• Africa: Prestige College, Pretoria, South Africa• Asia: Woodstock School, Mussoorie, India• Asia: The Western International School of Shanghai, China• Australasia: Scotch College, Adelaide, Australia• Australasia: Kristin School, Auckland, New Zealand• North America: Kimball Union Academy, New Hampshire, USA• South America: The Grange School, Santiago, ChileThrough this alliance, pupils and staff from each institution can experience living and

working together in pursuit of a global objective: to learn from each other, to recognise a common humanity which transcends cultural and religious differences and to see one’s own culture from a different perspective.

It is our hope that everybody at Robert Gordon’s College will benefit from a truly global perspective of teaching and learning. Pupils involved in GAIL will be invited to attend an annual convention at a selected host school. They will gain invaluable experience of different cultures, lifestyles and hopefully make enduring global friendships. The 2015 GAIL student Convention will take place in the Indian Himalayas at Woodstock School.

There will be two staff fellowships every year to one of the partner schools where they will be able to explore, discover and share their research findings amongst the GAIL school communities so as to extend the Teaching and Learning experiences of all.

Economics TripOn Wednesday 5 November Higher and Advanced Higher Economics pupils met at 7:30am at the front gates and headed off to Stirling for the annual Scottish Economics Society Conference for schools. Throughout the day we attended talks on a wide range of topics including the History of Economics, the effects of the Independence Referendum on the economy and exam tips by SQA examiners. We all felt that it was an enlightening day as it was quite different to the SQA exam course. It also gave us an insight into what studying Economics at university would be like. Kirsty Harkness (S5)

Remembrance DayThe 2014 RGC Combined Cadet Force (CCF) Biennial Review began with lunch in the Governor’s Room which was attended by RGC CCF staff and senior cadets, Mr Mills, and the Reviewing Officer, Air Vice-Marshal Lindsay Irvine, Director of Legal Services, RAF, (who is a former pupil of the College). After visiting Allenvale Cemetery to place poppies on the war graves of Gordonians there were presentations in the Conference Room followed by the annual Remembrance Service and Parade. A wreath was placed at the new War Memorial in the quadrangle by AVM Irvine and the contingent was then inspected by him.

To end the day, a reception was held in the MacRobert Hall. We were delighted to welcome Mr George Adam, Lord Provost, attending in the capacity of Lord Lieutenant for the City of Aberdeen, who presented the Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet Certificate to Sgt Karen Thomson. Also present were Mr Gordon and Mrs Meg Campbell and their daughters, who presented Sgt Thomson with the Gordon Campbell Sword, in memory of their son and former pupil of the College Cpl Gordon Campbell, who died in 2006 while serving his country.

Action packed Science visit to BostonForty three S5 pupils and five members of staff travelled to Boston, Massachusetts for a week in the October break. The schedule was tightly packed with a variety of activities each day, giving pupils a taste of technology, science, history and local culture in the city and local area.

The pupils took in tours of MIT, Harvard and Northeastern University; meeting a range of students, scientists and researchers. They went on a trip to the NERVE Centre, a robot testing lab in Lowell, and enjoyed two hands-on workshops at the MIT museum – one on programming Robots using sensors, and the other on Physics and Photography, before a fascinating glimpse of the many research projects on display at the museum galleries.

It wasn’t all work and no play however; we visited the New England Aquarium after a tour of the city of Boston and also travelled to the pretty New England towns of Concord, Lexington and Salem for a day steeped in history. A huge hit with the pupils was the Boston Celtics basketball game at the TD Garden stadium.

We also met a number of former pupils on our trip from the world of business, science, insurance and education. They were pleased and excited to share their experiences with us, telling us of their careers since leaving Gordon’s. We were lucky to have some of these former pupils join us on our last evening in Boston, aboard the Odyssey cruise ship.

4WInter 2014 From the Quadrangle

Wild Dolphins settle into new homeTwo new additions to the Robert Gordon’s Community have arrived on campus. “Oceanic Dance” and “The Octopus Within” are two of the dolphins which were part of the Archie Foundation Wild Dolphin Initiative.

“Oceanic Dance” was donated to the pupils by the Parents Association and the College’s Gordon’s Today Fund. It was painted by Danielle Callaghan, an Edinburgh-based illustrator who took her inspiration from the vast array of culture which can be found in Aberdeen and is located in the Quadrangle outside the new Science & Technology Centre.

“The Octopus Within”, located in the Junior School Library, was painted by Lauren Fox, also based in Edinburgh and takes a humourous look at what the inside of a dolphin might look like. The dolphin was kindly donated with thanks to the generosity of Governor Dr George Stevenson, a long time friend of the school and member of the Board of Governors.

Charities updateThe Charities Committee busy term kicked off with a collection on Founder's Day, quickly followed by the Macmillan Coffee Morning. They then asked people to donate for a Remembrance Cross to mark every Gordonian who died in either of the World Wars and then arranged the crosses in the form of a giant poppy on the front lawn for 11 November. At the same time they were arranging a Children In Need show which took place in the MacRobert Hall on Thursday 13 November and a Bake Sale for the following interval. They also sold raffle tickets in aid of Grampian Brain Injury Trust before every performance of Calamity Jane.

5 From the Quadrangle Winter 2014

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Green WeekDuring the school Green Week all three Primary One classes experimented with making recyced paper.P1D made theirs from old newspapers, P1Ma made theirs from white scrap paper and P1M made theirs from coloured scrap paper. The children were involved in the whole process from tearing the paper into small pieces, observing the soaking process and then getting to explore the pulp texture before we used the deckles to squeeze and roll the pupl into sheets. We left them in the classrooms over the weekend to dry out and on Monday the children all got to take a small piece of their recycled paper home with them.

Visit to Aberdeen Maritime MuseumP2 pupils visited Aberdeen Maritime Museum as part of their Scotland topic. The visit is an annual favourite of P2 and afterwards the children thanked the Museum Education Officers. Jake (P2C) wrote:

‘Thank you for our Museum visit yesterday. I learned fishermen wear yellow jackets. I also learned fishermen had old foghorns too. I enjoyed learning about the sea and all kinds of fish. When we did the quiz I liked looking for the old hook. My favourite part was when we went up to see the man climbing in the rigging.’

Nursery newsIn November, the children in the red squares key group chose to learn about doctors, nurses and hospitals. To further the children's knowledge we were very fortunate to have some parents who work in the medical profession come in to talk to the children and answer some of their questions. We had visits from two nurses and four doctors who came with a variety of medical tools and equipment. The children got to dress up as doctors and they pretended to look after their patients. One of the dolls in Nursery even got a plaster cast on her "sore arm"! It was a wonderful learning experience for everyone involved.

We all love Children in Need day and have fun whilst we help to raise money too. We made a donation to have an out of uniform day and got to wear our own clothes – especially spotty things!

P1 made their own recycled paper during the Eco “Green Week.”

P2 have been baking shortbread as part of the "Scottish" themed topic.

Pupils held a very successful Bring and Buy Sale - “Waste Not Wednesday” during Green Week

6WInter 2014 From the Quadrangle

Entrepreneur LiveOn 4 November S5 & S6 Higher Business Management pupils attended the Entrepreneur Live 2014 Conference held at the RBS Headquarters in Edinburgh. This was very exciting and beneficial as we were able to see classroom theory put into practice. There were various speakers throughout the day who told us how they made their mark in the business world: Cally Russell who founded the online shopping app Mallzee who illustrated that creating the right business means being passionate about your idea and engaging with the right people along the way. Following this, Louis Barnett inspired us all when he demonstrated that age and education shouldn’t be a barrier to being a successful entrepreneur. Kirsty Henshaw then told us about her perfect pitch on the BBC’s Dragon Den and finally James Brown fascinated us all when he spoke of his business starting from travelling around the world at a young age and sampling different beers which he was keen to make accessible in the smaller UK market. Throughout the day pupils were able to meet the entrepreneurs and ask questions.

We also took part in a business task designing our own healthy food product and we were one of the few groups to make it on the stage and pitch our product idea. Unfortunately we did not win but we learnt a lot from taking part and developed our presentation skills. Overall we thought it was a fun day out of the classroom which had an educational twist to it, enabling us to meet young entrepreneurs and become inspired by their stories. Sarah Mennie (S5)

Skype Session for Social Studies

In a Social Studies lesson all the Primary fours came together and we Skyped with Henry’s Cousin. Our Social Studies project is France and Henry’s cousin Rebecca is currently working in a Secondary School in France as a classroom assistant. We asked her lots of questions because one of our Big Questions is “What is it like to live in France compared to Aberdeen?” I asked her if she liked it there and she said “Yes I like it more than I thought I would”. I enjoyed Skype-ing with Rebecca.Kate Duncan P4J

Geologist visit The P4 pupils enjoyed a presentation from Mr Andrew Craig, a former pupil who is now a Geologist. The pupils heard all about Mr Craig’s adventures as a Geologist and the different countries he is able to visit whilst searching for different types of rocks and solids. The pupils have been learning all about Rocks and Solids within their Science lessons so having Mr Craig meant this topic came alive to them and there are now budding Geologists amongst the classes.

P4 Trip to Glen GariochThe P4 pupils had amazing trip to Glen Garioch Distillery. As part of their Social Studies topic on France, the pupils have been considering aspects of what France is famous for and have identified wine as an example of this. As part of the topic is a comparison between the country being studied and Aberdeen, the pupils decided to compare the French wine industry to the Scottish whisky industry. To help with this they visited Glen Garioch Distillery to learn how whisky is made, the importance such an industry has had on Scottish economy and tourism and the similarities and differences between the two industries. The pupils are now researching within their ICT lessons about the French wine industry.

P4 Trip to Bennichie ForestLast term’s topic in Science for P4 was habitats. To enhance the pupils learning further about this topic the pupils enjoyed a trip to Bennachie Forest. At the forest they undertook a lesson with a forest ranger on the different types of habitats that can be found within a forest. They completed a scavenger hunt, measured trees to identify their ages and looked for evidence of animal tracks and homes. The understanding gained from this trip will support the P4 pupils when they work on a Mini-beast project with the Nursery pupils in term 3.

Matt Dickinson Author VisitAs a part of our English curriculum, S4 and S5 English classes gathered in the MacRobert Hall to receive advice and hear exciting anecdotes from author and film-maker Matt Dickinson. A climbing enthusiast, he spoke to us about some of the astounding moments that he has experienced while putting himself in exciting, albeit life-threatening, situations. Having climbed Mount Everest, he detailed some of the horrors of the trek as well as the triumph he felt when he reached the peak. His climbing has inspired many pieces of his writing, such as ‘The Everest Files’, and he was very helpful in providing us with numerous methods to use when writing short stories, or even novels. We took notes as he explained his planning techniques and had a chance to try them out during the session; they proved useful when putting together our own folio pieces. The talk was entertaining and thought-provoking, so thank you Matt Dickinson for helping us develop ideas and think of new ways of writing.

Senior girls win Aberdeen Schools Netball TournamentThe Senior girls won the Aberdeen Schools Netball tournament on Tuesday 4th November held at the Beach Lesuire Centre. The tournament was a round robin format and the girls were undefeated. Lauren Lefevre showed her experience of the game and captained her team superbly. Alix Wrighton, Olivia Haywood and Jessica Harle showed fantastic speed and agility around the court, feeding the circle confidently and taking some fine interceptions. The defensive unit of Jessica Gear, Aisha Taylor-Sinclair and Lauren Caldow proved difficult for the opposition to break through. Our youngsters, Emma Love (current U17 Scottish squad) and Fiona Stewart took the court confidently and showed that they are certainly ones to watch this season. Well done to all involved.

Meanwhile, the Senior B Netball squad has started the season with great success. Playing for the first time together as a team, after welcoming our new S4 players, the team bonded brilliantly both on and off court to secure 1st place in the Aberdeen Schools Senior B Netball Tournament. Seven schools from across the city came together to compete in the tournament and, as always, the girls played with great intensity, enthusiasm and maturity.

7 From the Quadrangle Winter 2014

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Football

Congratulatons to Laurie Cunningham (S4), Calum McKenzie and Cameron Imrie (both S3) who have been selected to play for the Aberdeen District Select Team which is made up of all the best footballers from Aberdeen city schools. The boys attended a trial earlier in the year and were selected to represent Aberdeen city at various levels. Laurie plays for the senior select side and Calum and Cameron for the U16s play for the U16s side.

DanceThe RGC Dance Club is very proud to announce that one of our Dance members, Lucy Cowie (S4) was recently been selected to perform as part of an elite dance group at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the prestigious event, ‘The Proms’. Dylan Smith (S5) was also selected to perform alongside Lucy and both greatly enjoyed this experience.

Lucy also performed at the College Prize Giving, creating a beautiful ballet rendition of Swan Lake with Molly Forsyth (S4). We wish Lucy and all our dancers in Dance Club the best of luck in their upcoming exams.Miss L Robertson

Model United NationsAlthough 6am is not the most auspicious start to a day, especially when you are dealing with a group of teenagers, the Model United Nations Penicuik conference was a resounding success for RGC. With 21 students representing Israel, the United Kingdom or Canada and debating issues such as nationalism, endangered species and size zero models, our delegates all achieved fantastic results. In the general assembly debate on terrorism in the Middle East a particular well done should go to the delegates representing Israel who had their resolution passed, an amazing achievement. Well done to everyone who participated in the conference, especially to those of you whose first conference this was. I would also like to say a huge thank you to all the staff that made the conference possible for us, and especially the staff that had to sit on a bus for 6 hours with a gaggle of loud and opinionated children. Harriet Foreman, Secretary-General

Editorial: pr@rgc.aberdeen.sch.ukPhotography and articles: A big thank you to everyone who contributed to this edition of From the Quadrangle. © Robert Gordon’s College 2014Email: enquiries@rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk In order to avoid email bulletins from Robert Gordon’s College going into your mail system’s Junk Mail folder, please use the appropriate method for your system to add the following addresses to your list of allowed addresses:rgcinfo@rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk jsinfo@rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk

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DebatingThe Winter term is always a busy one for our debaters, and this year has proved no different. Alice Jaspars and Harriet Foreman (both S6) have made it through to the second round of the Law Society tournament, whilst Malcolm Cowie and Joseph Aimard (both S2) have won themselves a place in the second round of ESU Juniors. Most recently, Kyle Spencer and Anthony Walsh, and Aysha Iqbal and Kara Abraham (S4), reached the final of the Aberdeen University Debating Competition, where Kara also won the prize for Best Novice. Fraser Cowie and Murray Coueslant (both S4) won the first ever in-school Elder Cup tournament and were presented the cup by our very own Mr Elder. Meanwhile in public speaking, Daniel Craig (S6) has made it through to the final of the NOSS Public Speaking competition, in which he will compete in March. We wish all our debaters and public speakers continuing success for the months ahead.Miss Hendry