Category Archive: News Archive

Sports Day Success

Sunday, 16th June may have been on the chilly side, but the weather didn’t stop a fantastic Sports Day taking place here at Kilgraston.

Lots of new records were broken, but more importantly great fun was had by all.
Many thanks to all staff for helping to make it a resounding success.

The final scores were:

Moncreiffe: 140
Kinnoull: 117
Inchcolm: 98
Arran: 84

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2013 Tennis Tournament

On Friday 8th and Saturday 9th June, Kilgraston proudly hosted the Junior and Senior Invitational Tennis Tournaments, two glorious days in the sunshine with some fantastic tennis action. A huge thank-you to the players for making it such a successful event, it was fantastic to welcome so many players from the various schools taking part.

Inspirational Dr Sax

Principal Frank Thompson says the visit to the school on Friday by the world-famous expert on single-sex education Dr Leonard Sax was inspirational.

Pennsylvania-based Dr Sax came to Kilgraston on Friday, 10th May to meet pupils, parents and staff.

Mr Thompson said: “Dr Sax spoke passionately on the benefits of single sex education by combining his years of experience, his meticulous research and his common sense to show that, because of puberty and even brain size, boys and girls mature differently and develop best in a single-sex environment.

“Our girls, their parents and our staff all came away inspired in different ways.

“His presentations helped our girls to understand the value of Kilgraston as an all-girls school.

“For our staff, he confirmed things many already knew instinctively and which encouraged them to explore further their own teaching methodologies. His findings on how eye contact, body language and classroom layout need to be very different for boys and girls was particularly useful. The approach to teaching Physics he had encountered at a highly-successful US girls’ school will also give us a great deal to discuss in our Science department and beyond.

“And for our parents, it was affirmation that they have made the right choice for their daughters. As he told them: “Adolescent culture is going the wrong way and you have to assert your authority to keep your daughters from following the herd. The best possible thing you can do to help your daughter is to get her into a girls’ school.”

A Double Royal Success

Both Bernadette McElhinney and Erin MacGregor have qualified for the Royal International Horse Show at the recent Ayr County Show. Bernadette is pictured with her 122cm show hunter pony Doylan Chilli Pepper.

Along with her pony Abbeybells Queen Adelaide, Erin MacGregor (second photo) has also qualified for the Royal International Horse Show in the M&M Open Lead Rein Class and the m&m Pretty Polly Lead Rein Class.

Congratulations to both girls for their fantastic achievements.

Equestrian Championships

TWENTY-THREE schools from all over Scotland contested the prestigious Kilgraston Scottish Schools Equestrian Championships held at Gleneagles on Sunday.

This Combined Training competition is split into three different age groups - 12 and under, 14 and under and 15 and over - with competitors first completing the highly technical dressage phase before tackling a course of show jumps, first to prove accuracy and jumping ability and then against the clock.

Teams in each section are made up of four riders from the same school, with the best three scores being taken into account to make the final team score. Each competitor is also entered as an individual for which there are also awards for best Dressage, Jumping and Combined Training respectively.

Kilgraston hosted the day which has been running for the last nineteen years. The school’s Equestrian Manager Kim Seaton said:

“The 15 and over competition was exceptionally tight, with very high standards set in the dressage arenas. Kilgraston’s senior team of Sienna Elles, Rosie Allen, Olivia Morison and Sophie Stanistreet managed to hold off Robert Gordon’s college by just 0.4 of a penalty to win the team dressage competition and went on to stand head of the overall combined training by keeping a clean sheet in the show-jumping phase.

“Second overall were Strathallan who also proved to be the strongest team in the show-jumping. Individually, Katie Smith of George Heriot’s took home the Jenny Storer cup for the best individual show-jumping and Kilgraston’s Olivia Morison won her Arena for both dressage and combined training.

“Connie Snowie of Dollar Academy also had a successful day, winning Arena B with a dressage score of 20.

“In the 14 and under, it was again the home team of Kilgraston (Phoebe Reilly, Grace Reilly, Rachel Menzies and Amber Shillington) who took the top honours, coming top in both the combined training and dressage team sections ahead of Albyn School with Strathallan in third.

“In the team jumping, however, it was Strathallan who won through from Dollar Academy second and Albyn third.

“Individual results were hard-fought, especially between sisters Phoebe and Grace Reilly of Kilgraston. Grace won through in the dressage (Arena A) but dropped a pole in the jumping, leaving the door open for older sister Phoebe to reverse the placings in the combined training. Arena B was headed by Lauren Kerr of Albyn ahead of Trudie Marshall of Dollar with Strathallan’s Iona Wilson winning the show-jumping in an incredible 15 seconds.

“In the junior section, Lilliesleaf again made their trip from Melrose worthwhile by winning the team show-jumping but it was Robert Gordon’s team of Sadie Stephen, Lucy Matheson, Olivia McDonald-Meyer and Kimberley Beath who got to take home the silverware in the combined training and dressage competitions ahead of Lilliesleaf in second and Kilgraston in third.

“The individual placings went to Robert Gordon’s in both Arenas with Lucy Matheison and Olivia McDonald-Meyer, Mary Douglas of Lilliesleaf winning through individually in the show jumping.”

And Kim added: “I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to an excellent day at Gleneagles.”

Full results:

Kilgraston Scottish Schools Championships 2013 Results

Class 1: 12 & Under

Teams

Combined Training

1.Robert Gordon

1. Lilliesleaf
2. Kilgraston

Dressage

1.Robert Gordon

1. Lilliesleaf
2. Kilgraston

Show Jumping

1.Lilliesleaf

1. Robert Gordon
2. Kilgraston

Class 1: 12 & Under

Individuals

Combined Training Arena A

1.Lucy Matheson – Robert Gordon

1. Daisy Job – Lilliesleaf
2. Charley Hamilton – Albyn

Combined Training Arena B

1.Olivia McDonald Meyer – Robert Gordon

1. Emma Cook – Morrisons
2. Mary Douglas – Lilliesleaf

Dressage Arena A

1.Lucy Matheson – Robert Gordon

1. Daisy Job – Lilliesleaf
2. Charley Hamilton – Albyn

Dressage Arena B

1.Olivia McDonald Meyer – Robert Gordon

1. Emma Cook – Morrisons
2. Mary Douglas – Lilliesleaf

Show Jumping

1.Mary Douglas – Lilliesleaf

1. Charley Hamilton – Albyn
2. Daisy Job – Lilliesleaf

Class 2: 14 & Under

Teams

Combined Training

1.Kilgraston

1. Albyn
2. Strathallan
3. Dollar
4. Mary Erskine

Dressage

1.Kilgraston

1. Albyn
2. Strathallan

Show Jumping

1.Strathallan

1. Dollar
2. Albyn

Class 2: 14 & Under

Individuals

Combined Training Arena A

1.Phoebe Reilly – Kilgratson

1. Grace Reilly – Kilgraston
2. Charlotte Stevenson - Strathallan

Combined Training Arena B

1.Lauren Kerr – Albyn

1. Trudie Marshall – Dollar
2. Laila Bedawi - Albyn

Dressage Arena A

1.Grace Reilly - Kilgraston

1. Phoebe Reilly - Kilgraston
2. Charlotte Stevenson - Strathallan

Dressage Arena B

1.Lauren Kerr – Albyn

1. Trudie Marshall – Dollar
2. Laila Bedawi - Albyn

Show Jumping

1.Iona Wilson – Strathallan

1. Antonia Craig – Wellington
2. Aniela Henry – Dollar

Class 3: 15 & Over

Combined Training

1.Kilgraston

1. Strathallan
2. George Heriots
3. Dollar
4. Mary Erskine
5. Madras

Dressage

1.Kilgraston

1. Robert Gordon
2. George Heriots

Show Jumping

1.Strathallan

1. Dollar
2. Kilgraston

Class 2: 15 & Over

Individuals

Combined Training Arena A

1.Connie Snowie- Strathallan

1. Rosie Allen – Kilgraston

3 = Becky Starkey – Kinross

3 = Emma Cheape - Strathallan

Combined Training Arena B

1.Olivia Morison - Kilgraston

2 = Alex Mundell – Mary Erskine

2 = Olivia Strang Steel – Glenalmond

Dressage Arena A

1.Connie Snowie- Strathallan

1. Charlotte Meil – Robert Gordon
2. Rosie Allen – Kilgraston

Dressage Arena B

1.Olivia Morison - Kilgraston

2 = Isabelle O’Bryen – Robert Gordon

2= Connie Wishaw - Earlston

Show Jumping

1.Katie Smith – George Heriots

1. Sophie Bultitude – Robert Gordon
2. Fionnulla Kerr - Wellington

A running success

Last week Susie Lockett completed the 2013 London Marathon and raised over £1100 for her chosen cause.

So far she has collected £1142 for Mary’s Meals, an international movement that sets up school feeding projects in communities where poverty and hunger prevent children from gaining an education.

And by finishing in a fast time of 3 hours 54 mins, she is in the top 30% of the 34170 people who started the gruelling 26-mile race.

Susie had two further reasons to celebrate her fine run. She was over one hour faster than her time for the last London Marathon she did in 2007 and her finishing time was a new personal best – 44 minutes faster than her previous PB set at the 2006 Edinburgh Marathon.

Susie, from Perth, said: “It was an amazing experience – the crowds, support and organisation were all unbelievable.

“I started training for the race on January 2 and ran four times a week. In all, I ran well over 400 miles in generally horrid Scottish winter weather.

“I run regularly with Perth Road Runners and was given my place in their annual London marathon ballot, so I am very grateful to them for the chance to participate and to those who helped me prepare. I owe them a huge debt of gratitude.”

And she added: “I’d like to thank everyone who made donations to Mary’s Meals. I wanted to support the charity because it’s a simple idea that works brilliantly; by providing a daily meal in a place of education, chronically poor children are attracted to the classroom where they can gain a basic education that provides an escape route from poverty. Over 700,000 children receive Mary’s Meals every school day which is just amazing and the money I’ve raised will continue that excellent work.”

Kilgraston’s Head of Prep Kathryn Ebrahim said: “Mrs Lockett is a true inspiration to the girls and a great role model. She was back to work, bright-eyed on Monday morning, so well done!”

Single-sex schools seminar

A world expert on the benefits of single-sex education will hold seminars here at Kilgraston on Friday 10th May. Dr Leonard Sax, an American psychologist, doctor and writer will review his research and also run a series of workshops for students throughout the day. If you wish to attend either of the seminars at 15:00 or 18:00, please email [email protected] to arrange tickets. Please note that we are expecting a large audience, to ensure your place contact Kilgraston asap.

You can find out more about Dr Leonard Sax here

Irene Scott: In Memoriam

12th March 1947 –12th March 2013

Irene Scott, much-loved former member of staff here at Kilgraston sadly passed away on March 12th 2013. Annie Bluett has written a beautiful and fitting tribute to a wonderful lady who will be dearly missed by all:

“Irene will always be remembered for her heroic determination to get a 6th form social centre up and running (happily christened “Scotties” in her honour) for which she and the 6th Form classes raised the money themselves and created the much longed for space in which the Barat and Swinton girls could let their hair down on a Friday night.

Many of us also remember her as a kind and loyal friend and colleague with a wicked sense of humour and a wonderful sense of fairness. Irene treated everyone with the same openness and candour – girls and staff alike – for which she gained the respect of all.”

Irene’s funeral will take place at Falkirk Crematorium on Wednesday 20th March at 1.00pm.

The entire Kilgraston community would like to pass on their condolences to Irene’s family at this difficult time. She will be greatly missed and we send you our love and prayers.

Kilgraston Language and Activities Centre

OVER one hundred students from seven countries have enrolled at Kilgraston School’s new Language and Activities Centre this summer.

The Bridge of Earn-based Centre is gearing up to welcome students from Russia, Spain, Italy, Slovakia, Turkey, Brazil and Germany, creating a mini United Nations in the Perthshire hills in July and August.

The award-winning school is also finalising arrangements for a number of international students to visit during the Easter holidays.

The Centre aims to provide guests with an outstanding holiday experience while learning English at the same time.

The Centre’s Manager is Dundonian David Stott, a former Scottish High Performance Hockey Coach. He is just back from a marketing trip to Moscow where he enthused Russian agents about the many benefits of Kilgraston’s new summer school.

“We offer a really refreshing experience at Kilgraston, giving our guests the opportunity to learn, grow and have an incredible time in a safe and secure environment,” he said.

“The facilities and surrounding landscape are truly exceptional and the opportunities to explore this fantastic region are very much part of our programme. Also, by limiting the number speaking the same language, students are able to integrate fully in an English-speaking environment - especially in the classroom, during coaching lessons and in the evening activities.”

He went on: “As well as Moscow, I have been to Spain, Italy and Turkey to fly the flag for Kilgraston. My proposals have been extremely well received wherever I go; Scotland’s reputation for high-quality education is widely recognised and that, in addition to Kilgraston being UK Independent School of the Year in 2011, meant that my meetings with agents were very positive.”

And he added: “I believe the secret of our success is stressing that small is beautiful at Kilgraston. Other Centres aim to cater for large numbers of students which can mean tuition is relatively anonymous. But here at Kilgraston, small groups mean individual attention and lots of one-to-one teaching which is clearly beneficial.”

The summer programme meets the needs of all students wanting to learn English – from absolute beginners to those with more developed language skills. Students learn by studying various subjects and topics such as science, technology and drama. And after a morning in the classroom, the Centre offers a wide range of sports including hockey, horse-riding, swimming, football, tennis and golf.

Hockey tuition is in the capable hands of David’s wife, double Olympian Pauline Stott, who won 203 caps representing her country at hockey and captained Great Britain at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney while football will be run by Alistair Stevenson who heads up St Johnstone’s youth development programme.

David said: “We set the bar extremely high. Our entire professional teaching and coaching staff are not only highly specialised in their chosen fields but also qualified to an international standard. Our team is continually enhancing our programmes to ensure that all students, whatever their age and ability, will have a wonderful stay here at Kilgraston.”

Principal Frank Thompson said: “We are very pleased with the interest in Kilgraston from around the world. As well as sharing our school’s facilities with a wider audience, we hope that Mr Stott’s excellent work will encourage more parents to look at a Kilgraston School education for their daughter.

“For some of the girls who take part, spending a number of weeks enjoying all the activities on offer and improving their English will be just the preparation they need to start the Autumn term with us in the main school.”

Our picture shows Mr Stott (centre), with Kilgraston Principal Frank Thompson (left) and Bursar Barry Farrell (right).

Concert 4 Anna a huge success

[singlepic id=2250 w=320 h=240 float=right]On February 24th, a concert was held here at Kilgraston to raise funds for Anna Penman, a beautiful and brave four-year-old girl with both spinal muscular atrophy and leukaemia.

Mum Ann-Marie said: “Anna was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy in July 2011 which means her muscles are very weak.

“She can’t walk and her arm movement is severely restricted so she needs help with everything she’s doing. Anna was then diagnosed with leukaemia last December.”

She added: “Nobody has ever had both conditions before, as far as we know, so there is no precedent for treatment.

“The life-saving chemotherapy has had a devastating impact on the little strength she had left in her legs and we don’t know if, or when, it might return.”

The concert was a huge success and raised over £1,300 towards a state-of-the-art “Snapdragon” chair. The packed audience was treated to a medley of wonderful music and singing from all ages. Here some photos from what was a wonderful night for a wonderful little girl.
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