Lights and lace at the annual Kilgraston School Lily Procession
Lily Processions are celebrated throughout the world as part of the Catholic network’s festive preparations. The traditional ceremony is held at the same time each year to honour Mary, mother of Jesus – Mater Admirabilis. Celebrants learn from Mary by putting their trust in God’s plan and having the courage to stand by their beliefs and values, even when they differ from societal norms.
An Inspector Calls - Mrs MacGinty has spoken with TES about the school’s recent ‘inspection’
Read the full Times Educational Supplement article.
Destination India
Since then, UWS has visited Perthshire three times and this September witnessed Kilgraston girls heading to India for the second time, when, on 30 September, nine pupils and two teachers, myself and Mrs Ferry, were honoured to embark on the second exchange trip.
Earlier that same day, a group of pupils and teachers from UWS had left Kilgraston, to return to India, having spent two weeks’ experiencing life at our school, joining our classes and visiting many Scottish tourist sites.
Our trip took months of planning but all the preparation was very worthwhile as our party was immediately embraced by the school’s Madam Principal (Headmistress), staff and prefects at a welcome ceremony.
During our stay, we experienced a number of traditional Indian skills, including clay sculpture, textile creations, cooking, traditional Hindi and Bollywood dancing and sari draping. In return, we offered our hosts a cultural performance of Scottish poetry, songs and Highland dancing.
Additionally, we were treated to many tourist sites, including the hill station town of Mussoorie, also known as the ‘Queen of Hills’. Mussoorie was once a British colonial retreat to help soldiers recover from serious illness and, from here, at 1,880 metres (6,170 ft), we enjoyed sensational views of the Himalayan range.
In Rishikesh, a city in India’s northern state of Uttarakhand and the yoga capital of the world, an Arti ceremony, taking place as the sun set, over the banks of the River Ganges, offered an unforgettable moment for all of us.
India’s so-called ‘Golden Triangle’, Jaipur, Agra and Delhi, was the destination of our final few days in India. Jaipur afforded us the magnificent palace complex, still a royal residence, and a chance to explore the city, finding ourselves in eclectic outdoor markets, trying hard not to overfill our suitcases with scarves, spices and henna. Evening dining allowed us to experiment with eating traditional meals off palm leaves, crossed legged on the floor. Not always easy!
The majesty of the world-famous Taj Mahal in Agra, a city on the banks of the river Yamuna, was a truly indescribable experience; far more beautiful than any of us could have imagined and hugely thought-provoking for everyone.
In contrast, vibrant Delhi, the capital city of India, was our final destination. Here, our group explored ancient temples, shrines and buildings, each more beautiful and busy than the last.
Leaving this inspiring country, everyone had a new appreciation of its fascinating emotional spectrum. Diamond-covered shrines, towering temples, blissful valleys and endless skies; even a whiff of spicy turmeric now conjures up vibrant memories.
Experiences gained here will live with the girls forever. It has been a privilege to witness them conveying, to both contemporaries and those in the wider Kilgraston community, knowledge gained on this exceptional trip and to watch the girls grow in character. We will be eternally grateful to our hosts at UWS.
Stephen Johnston
Tayside Schools Swimming Success
Last night at the Tayside Schools Swimming Championships Katherine Bailey and Maia Birse-Archbold were representing Kilgraston in Butterfly and Backcrawl.
Maia performed extremely well getting to both finals and coming in 5th and 6th respectively.
Katherine won both the 200m fly and 100m fly in new PB times.
A great event with such strong talent on show.
Well done to both girls.
(Pictured Katherine with her 2 gold medals)
Musical medley throughout the weekend for Kilgraston pupils
Believed to be Scotland’s only school ‘all-girl pipes and drums band, the girls were particularly delighted to have been asked to join the ‘100 strong event’ at Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh – an idea initiated by a pupil back in 2014 - on the morning of the 100th anniversary of the WW1 armistice.
Sunday was a very busy day for our young musicians with the evening witnessing Kilgraston pupils also taking part in the WW1 Centenary Concert at St John’s Kirk in Perth. The concert was a collaboration between Kilgraston, Craigclowan, Strathallan, Forgandenny and Dunbarney schools. Interspersed with pupils from each school reading poignant letters from the Front Line, a moving performance of Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man (A Mass for Peace, Choral Suite) filled the kirk.
Before travelling to the capital on Sunday, Kilgraston’s pipes and drums band had taken part in the school’s annual St Cecilia Concert on Friday night where they entertained a packed chapel with foot-tapping renditions of ‘Green Hills’, ‘Scotland the Brave’, ‘Battle of the Somme’ and ‘The Bloody Fields of Flanders’.
The St Cecilia Concert was an hour and a half medley also featuring numbers from Annie, The Musical, and The Jungle Book by the animated, and clearly very happy, Junior School performers!
During a weekend of national remembrance, fiddles, clarsach, guitars, soloists and the Chamber Choir ensured every emotion was experienced at the school’s Concert. The Chamber Choir’s rendition of Karl Jenkins’ ‘Hymn Before Action’ was particularly haunting, however the Junior Choir’s WW1 medley – including ‘It’s a long way to Tipperary’, ‘Pack up your troubles’ and ‘Keep the home fires burning’ – lifted the mood and ensured enthusiastic audience participation!
The St Cecilia concert raised £84 for The Inspiration Orchestra which is a Scottish Charity enabling disabled people to access music learning.
Jason McAuley, Director of Music at Kilgraston, said: “On this special and poignant weekend of remembrance, the Kilgraston girls gave so much of their time and talents to help us all remember those who died for us. The girls are a credit to the Music Department and to the school. I was very proud of their hard work and dedication.”
Kilgraston’s all-girl pipes and drums playing in the school’s chapel at the St Cecelia’s concert of Friday 9 November
On the centenary of the Armistice of 1918
A moving and poignant service today, attended by girls, staff and visitors.
Looking to the future - Head of Kilgraston, Mrs MacGinty, speaks to Absolutely Education magazine
Absolutely Education is a highly respected magazine about private education in the UK. Read more about the Senior Curriculum at Kilgraston.
Kilgraston alumni selected to play in China for the GB Under 23 squad
The 22-strong outfit, made up of players from all three Home Nations, will play five games against China, Australia, Germany and a Jiangsu Province outfit between 2-10 November.
Kevin Johnson and Hannah MacLeod will be in charge of the side, with the former emphasising how important events like this to help these players develop into potential medal winning Olympians of the future.
“We are delighted to be invited to make the trip over to China to play in the upcoming Four Nations tournament,” Johnson said.
“Opportunities like these for our players allow them to engage with different challenges and environments which all adds vital experience in their ambitions to play senior international tournament Hockey for Great Britain in the future.
“We have had an promising training block since we came back together as a group in September and at the start of this week had a couple of very useful training games against the Scottish senior women so we feel ready and excited for what lies ahead.”
GB Women’s EDP Four Nations Squad
Beth Bingham – Holcombe
Nicole Bowen – Exeter University/ISCA
Louise Bray (GK) – Durham University
Freya Bull – Birmingham University
Esme Burge – Nottingham University
Nicola Cochrane (GK) – Beeston
Meg Crowson – Cambridge HC
Catherine De Ledesma – Birmingham University
Emily Dark – Dundee Wanderers/University of St. Andrews
Jennifer Eadie – Clydesdale-Western
Caroline Hulme – Nottingham Trent University/Beeston
Holly Hunt – Birmingham University
Alexandra Malzer – Nottingham University
Lucy Millington – Loughborough University
Lizzie Neal – Loughborough University
Izzy Petter – Surbiton
Lottie Ross – Nottingham University/Beeston
Eloise Stenner – Nottingham University/Beeston
Laura Swanson – Edinburgh University
Amy Thompson – East Grinstead
Charlotte Watson – Dundee Wanderers
Alice Wills – Holcombe
Fixtures (all times GMT)
Friday 2 November – GB v Jiangsu (08:00)
Sunday 4 November – GB v Germany (08:00)
Tuesday 6 November – GB v Australia (06:00)
Wednesday 7 November – GB v China (08:00)
Friday 9 November – GB v Australia (03:00)
Saturday 10 November – China v GB (03:00)
Kilgraston shortlisted in UK-wide ‘Independent Schools of the Year’ awards
We are delighted to announce that Kilgraston has been shortlisted in the prestigious Independent Schools of the Year 2018 awards.
The school has achieved a place in both entered categories: the Award for Healthy Eating and the Green Award for Environmental Achievement.
Commenting on the announcement, Head of Kilgraston, Mrs Dorothy MacGinty, said: “I am absolutely thrilled that Kilgraston has been nominated for the Independent Schools of the Year 2018 awards. Preserving the natural environment has been a major topic for us this year. From the youngest pupil in Junior Years, to the oldest in the Senior School, we have all been working to eliminate single use plastics from our site. We are working in unison with our catering team who are trying to source biodegradable cling film while ensuring our diet is as healthy as possible and locally sourced.”
Final results are at the beginning of December.
Advice from leading educationalists, including Mrs Anne Fidelo, Head Of Junior Years at Kilgraston
To read this article (p.57-59), and the rest of the magazine, digitally, click here