ews Vol. 9/ No. 33 June 2016

‘music@stran’ 2016

S tudents from the Stranmillis Music Society took to the stage in early May for the annual ‘music@stran’ event, this year entitled Nocturne.

A quiet and contemplative evening, the theme involved music associated with the night and give rise to some evocative and emotive performances from individuals, ensembles and the College Choir and instrumentalists.

Compered by Students’ Union President, Adam Leahy, the production featured piano solos from Sara Beattie and Beatrice Kane, a violin piece from Rachel Gamble and an impressive vocal performance from Naomi Dodds. Ensemble highlights were provided by Year 4 music specialist students, ladies’ and men’s choral groups, with the Staff Chorale returning for another offering.

As has been the custom at this event, the ongoing professional work of a former student has been recognised, and this year it was a privilege to welcome back former students, Graham Hawthorn and Vice-principal Heather Stewart, along with two other colleagues, with their award-winning choir from Roddensvale School in Larne. The enthusiastic pupils treated the audience to a wonderful selection from their repertoire, and were given a rapturous reception.

The evening was another triumph for the students and the university college, and a testament to the support and commitment of music staff Jayne Moore, Frances Burgess as well as Norman Richardson, and lighting technicians and floor manager Andy Brown.

Page 1

music@stran

Pages 2 & 3 FOCUS ON… ALUMNI

Peter Hamill

Bill Connor

Emma & John Robb

Colin Atkinson

Jacqueline Coulter

Page 4

Pastoral Care

Symposium

Adam’s ‘MindWise’

Marathon

ECE Symposium

Dates for Your Diary

‘Leading

innovative

professional

practice’

Peter Hamill (Grad 1988)

S tranmillis graduate Peter Hamill is the Secretary to the Board of Education to the Church of Ireland in NI. He explains below how he got to where is today:

‘I graduated from Stranmillis in 1988, with an upper primary / lower secondary degree. This gave me the opportunity to teach in both primary and secondary schools and I spent a few years subbing in local schools in North Down. I then took a turn into more informal education and took a job with the education department of the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, running their then brand new residential facility.

This began a career in the youth sector and subsequently I have worked for the youth department of the Church of Ireland, the South Eastern, and the North Eastern Education and Library Boards. I still maintained a love for teaching and I gained further qualifications in vocational training. I had a short spell in business training, using those skills I learnt at Stranmillis in the context of commerce. In 2003, I brought all this experience together in a new role as training co-ordinator for Connor Diocese in the Church of Ireland.

In 2015, I was appointed as Secretary to the Board of Education to the Church of Ireland in NI. This role involves representing the Church of Ireland in Education, supporting Children’s Ministry and the management of Safeguarding issues. It has been a challenging and exciting year. Education in Northern Ireland is for ever changing and this makes it a demanding environment to work in, but being able to make a difference and lobby for the rights of welfare of our children is a privilege.’

Bill Connor (Grad 1980)

F ormer Stranmillis Union President Bill Connor explains his career ‘journey’ from Enniskillen … to the Australian outback … to North Sea oil rigs … to becoming the Chief

Executive of science education organization Sentinus:

‘I graduated from Stranmillis in 1980 and, after serving as Students’ Union President for a year, took up a teaching post in Enniskillen High School (now Devenish College), teaching Technology & Design and Maths. In addition to normal teaching duties I got involved in other aspects of school life, including after school sports and the school production. After 18 months I left the High School to fulfil a boyhood ambition to visit Australia, where I travelled and worked for a number of months in the outback and spent some time in Sydney and Melbourne.

On returning to Northern Ireland, I decided I was not yet ready to go back to teaching, so I headed for Aberdeen, the oil capital of Britain, to seek employment in the offshore oil industry. This was to be a temporary measure as I had a real desire to go back to Australia. Nine years later, however, I found myself still working in the hostile environment of the North Sea, 100 miles north of Shetland.

In 1993 I took up a temporary teaching position in Park School and a short time later was appointed Field Officer with NISTRO (later to become Sentinus) to organise and deliver programmes engaging young people in science and engineering and raising awareness of the value of the STEM subjects. After a period of four years I was promoted to Projects Director with responsibility for management and delivery of all of the organisation’s programmes, engaging more than 50,000 young people each year. My experience of both education and industry were invaluable in bringing science and engineering to life for pupils, as well as understanding the needs of employers. In 2013 I was appointed Chief Executive of Sentinus, charged with overall responsibility for the running of the organisation.

Sentinus continues to engage young people of all ages in hands-on science, technology, engineering and maths activities and demonstrates the relevance of classroom learning. A key objective is to enhance young people’s STEM skills and qualifications and prepare them to make a full contribution to the economy when they enter employment. So far, I have enjoyed the challenge the role presents.

Emma and John Robb (Grad 2011) : Love at First Sight at Stran!

Focus On: STRANMILLIS ALUMNI ...

Former Stran student and former Sports Development intern Emma Smyth reminisces about that first meeting with her husband-to-be on their first day at Stran, her wedding last summer and what she and John are doing now – teaching in China!

‘On my first day at Stranmillis back in September 2008, everyone gathered in Chatz for the Students’ Union tour. I could have sat anywhere, but I sat at a small table with a guy called John Robb. We never spoke again for another few years - I just knew him as ‘the volleyball guy’, and he knew me as ‘the hip hop dancer’!

On Monday August 10th 2015 I married John Robb!

Our ceremony was held not far from Stranmillis at Fisherwick Presbyterian church. My family from Canada

made the big trip over and all John’s family gathered in the church for ‘The Best Day of Our Lives’!

Following our service we came to Stranmillis campus for our wedding photos. We chose Stranmillis because it was the place we met, the place we love.

We had a delayed honeymoon as five days after we married we moved to Guangzhou in China to work at the British School of Guangzhou, and we have now been here for five months. I have been working as a Primary PE specialist and John is studying for his iPGCE while also working as a PE teaching assistant. I have never taught primary PE and was initially scared to step into the role, as all I know is secondary PE. Now I can confidently say I LOVE teaching Primary PE and believe I was always meant to be a primary teacher.

…....Where are they now…?

B usiness and Management Studies graduate Colin Atkinson looks back over his many and varied experiences in education since leaving Stran:

‘I graduated from Stranmillis in June 2004 with a BEd in Business and Management Studies with Physical Education as a subsidiary subject. I look back very fondly on my time at Stranmillis and fully appreciate how that time helped to inspire me and transform me from a student into a teacher/lecturer, but not only that, it helped me to develop as a person too.

After my graduation in early September 2004 I received a call from the placement supervisor at my Year 3 hosts – North Down & Ards Institute . They were offering me one month’s work, which I gratefully accepted. At the end of this month a full-time post came up which I applied for and, to my amazement, I was offered the job and have never looked back since. The college has changed immensely over the years, now forming one of the province’s six ‘super colleges’ - South Eastern Regional College. During my twelve years there I have taught at a variety of levels and subject areas: Level 2 Sport, Level 3 Sport, Level 3 Public Services, Level 4/5 FdSc Sport Exercise and Fitness. For six years I was Director of the Ulster University validated ‘FdSc Sport, Exercise and Fitness’, and this experience was invaluable. In February 2015 I was successful in gaining promotion within SERC to Deputy Head of School for the School of Sport and Applied Sciences. This role has seen me gain further management responsibility for Level 3 Sport across our three main campuses - Bangor, Downpatrick and Lisburn, L4/5 Sport on the Lisburn campus and Horticulture in our Holywood campus (yes a little left field but my farming back ground qualifies me, and is an area I really enjoy managing!). I am very appreciative of the job I have and the people I work with, and I firmly believe that Stranmillis gave me the best possible start to my journey, not only in work but also in my personal life. After all I did meet my beautiful wife Alison at the Stran ‘Freshers’ Fair’! I look forward to what the future has

to bring!

J acqueline Coulter is principal of Ballymena Nursery School. She explains below her ‘journey’ to her present position, and is looking for some help to celebrate the

nursery school’s 50th anniversary. Especially if you are a past pupil of the nursery school or know someone who is … read on:

My first job was as a playgroup leader with Broughshane Community Playgroup, of which I was very proud. I completed my NVQ III in childcare with NIPPA (now the Early Years organisation) and I completed two years with the Open University to gain enough qualifications to gain access to the first cohort of BA Early Years part time degree course at Stranmillis in 1996, graduating with a 2:1 in 2000.

I have very fond memories of my time at Stranmillis and I have maintained strong friendships with fellow students. We had a reunion of ‘Cohort 1’ after ten years in 2010 where we recalled our time at Stran and talked about where we had all "ended up". It was lovely evening going back down memory lane!!!

I completed my PGCE in Queen’s the next year and later my MA in Special and Inclusive Education by distant learning from University College Worcester. I was head of Nursery at Ballykeel Primary School until May 2014 and became teaching principal of Ballymena Nursery School in June 2014. I am thrilled to be ‘back home’ in Ballymena Nursery School as that was where I completed my teaching practice during my PGCE in 2000/2001.

I am currently looking for help to create a brief ‘Happy Memories’ historical booklet to mark 50 years of the nursery in Ballymena in May 2017. Are you a past pupil of the nursery school or do you know someone who is? The children who would have been the first in the Nursery would be approximately 52/53/54 now.

If you are able to help in any way, please contact me at Ballymena Nursery School, Tel: 028 2565 2011.

Jacqueline Coulter (Grad 2000)

To read more about what Emma and John are doing in China, go to the Stranmillis web site, click on Latest News … and scroll down.

Colin Atkinson (Grad 2004)

To read extended versions of all of these stories, go to

www.stran.ac.uk … click on Latest News and scroll down.

Adam’s ‘MindWise’ Marathon

Students’ Union President Adam Leahy took part in the Belfast marathon in aid of ‘MindwWse’.

Each year, the Students’ Union selects a charity to support throughout the academic year. This year the Union chose to support ‘MindWise’, a local mental health charity working to provide support and reduce stigma.

Adam reflected: ’It was definitely one of the most difficult and yet one of the best things I have ever done. One thing that really hit me (other than searing leg pain and buckets of sweat!) was the amount of people out pushing hard for so many different charities and causes, not to mention the thousands of supporters who provided encouragement, sweets, water, orange slices and high-5s to keep complete strangers going. It brought a real and very humbling sense of community.’

Congratulations to Adam, who managed to raised a total of £700.

‘Imagine That!’ Pastoral Care Symposium

Joined by the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, Mrs Koulla Yiasouma, Stranmillis University College hosted a lively public symposium in March as part of the ‘Imagine! Belfast’ Festival of Ideas & Politics.

Dr Brian Cummins chaired a panel of experienced Stranmillis teacher educators for a session entitled ‘Are Schools Failing Our Kids?’ They drew on the latest policy, research and best practice to discuss what schools can do to address some of the most pressing issues in pastoral care currently facing schools in Northern Ireland.

To a full capacity room, Dr Noel Purdy discussed how Northern Ireland schools are tackling the problem of bullying with reference to the recently introduced Addressing Bullying in Schools Bill (2016), while Dr Bronagh McKee reviewed how schools and Stranmillis itself are working to improve pastoral care for looked after children.

Drawing on his fieldwork in Africa, Dr John McMullen explored the complex pastoral needs of war affected children both abroad and in the Northern Irish context in relation to newcomer children, while Dr Sharon Jones examined how NI education policy and practice should tackle underachievement both with newcomer children and disadvantaged local communities. Taking on the role of discussant, Mrs Yiasouma spoke of her passion for children’s rights and the work undertaken by NICCY with reference to the panellists’ talks, and this was followed by a lively Q&A session with the audience.

Now in its second year, the Imagine! Festival took place at venues across Belfast from 14-20 March 2016, with the aim of providing a high quality showcase for events promoting new ideas on politics, culture and activism in Northern Ireland, encouraging the participation of under-represented groups in political/cultural debate and discussion, and stimulating reflection and debate on difficult and controversial issues.

Males in Teaching Half-Day Conference Friday 17th June 2016 Main Building

Computing at School Conference and Workshops Friday 24th June Central Building

(Keynote Session by Lego Education)

CPD Annual Lecture Wednesday 22nd June 2016 Refectory Building

Lifelong Learning Annual Event Tuesday 28th June 2016 Main Building

Early Childhood Education Symposium

On the afternoon of Wednesday 27th May, the two Early Childhood Education departments Stranmillis - Early Childhood Studies and Early Years Education - invited leading practitioners, researchers, colleagues and students to a symposium centred around this year’s research and scholarly activity on the theme of ‘Playful Approaches: Innovative Contexts’.

The audience heard research-informed presentations on Promoting Early Number Talk [PENT] by Dr Pamela Moffett, an EYE lecturer; Quality For Two-Year-Olds by Karen Hanna, an ECS lecturer; and an innovative final year thesis project by ECS student Catherine Murray, who investigated an early intervention resource, ‘ Talking Mats’, designed to stimulate communication with children with special educational needs. The symposium culminated in a marvellous, practically-orientated presentation on the work of five members of the PGCE year group, centred on the theme of outdoor learning in early years education.

The session was followed by a round table discussion on promoting the impact of research and scholarly activity in the field of EYE and ECS. Stakeholders were very supportive of the College’s plan to extend the dissemination of their material through a new,

forthcoming section of the College’s website - WATCH THIS SPACE!