Kilgraston Head of Sixth Form assembly
Kilgraston Head of Sixth Form, Mrs Kirk, shares her first Kilgraston assembly, based on the topic of ‘wisdom’:
When I was trying to think up a topic for assembly, I found it really difficult. So, I asked for help – because that’s always a good idea! Mr Allaker suggested I look at the Sacred Heart goals for inspiration, whilst Mr Campbell told me to talk about Harry Potter – because you don’t need to know me for long to know that I love Harry Potter and all things Hogwarts. So much so that every birthday I get lots of Harry Potter themed gifts, and my birthday last week was no exception. So, when I went to write my assembly, I grabbed my new Ravenclaw notebook and saw my inspiration- ‘wisdom’. That’s what I’ll talk to you about today. Because my favourite thing about Harry Potter is Hogwarts, and my favourite thing about Hogwarts is Ravenclaw – the house where ‘those of wit and learning will always find their kind’ – imagine that – a house dedicated to learning, reading, - hanging out in the library – it’s the stuff of dreams! Because I love learning – I have always loved learning and I teach because it means I still get to learn – from you, every day! But I’ll come back to that in a moment.
Now as I’m new, lots of you might not know what I teach – it is Philosophy. And some of you might not know yet what Philosophy is. Philosophy literally translates to ‘love of wisdom’, so you can see why it appeals to the Ravenclaw in me. It is the subject where you try to answer big questions – Who am I? Why are we here? How do I know the difference between right and wrong? Big questions – with no easy answers. Which is why when I was in school, I really …did not like Philosophy! I had a thirst for knowledge, I liked learning, and I thought that to learn I had to know – and in Philosophy you never stop asking why?! Socrates, a very famous Greek Philosopher, said ‘The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing’ – so how then could a love of wisdom equal knowing you know nothing?
There is a book I read in my Philosophy class called ‘Sophie’s World’ – a novel to help introduce very old and quite complicated Philosophies to teenagers, and there is a quote that I’d like to share with you. ‘To children, the world and everything in it is new, something that gives rise to astonishment. It is not like that for adults. Most adults accept the world as a matter of course. This is precisely where philosophers are a notable exception. A philosopher never gets quite used to the world. To him or her, the world continues to seem a bit unreasonable – bewildering, even enigmatic. Philosophers and small children have an important faculty in common. The only thing we require to be good philosophers is the faculty of wonder.’
And that is why I love teaching – viewing the world through children’s eyes reminds me to never stop asking why (because if you know any little children, you might know that they are really good at asking why!) – to understand, though, that it’s not about getting the right answer, but rather asking the right questions – the fun is in the learning, not the knowing. And I know this can seem a bit at odds in the middle of prelim exams for the seniors, but when you get to the end of the prelims, please don’t focus too harshly on what you didn’t know – instead get excited about the learning journey you can have between now and your final exams – and beyond! And whilst doing so, know that you are fulfilling the Sacred Heart goal to hold a deep respect for intellectual values.
But this year’s goal is Faith, and another Sophie’s world quote is ‘where both reason and experience fall short, there occurs a vacuum that can be filled by faith.’ You see Philosophers who believe we can know things, believe that this knowledge either comes from our reason and logic – inside our head - or comes from our experience, through our senses. But sometimes we can’t find the answers here and for many, when we can’t find certainty, or the path seems unknowable, then faith can be a powerful tool for navigating the unknown and helping to bring a sense of peace and calm during times of uncertainty.
I’d like to end with the message to enjoy the learning journey you are gifted at Kilgraston – it really is a magical school – and to never lose the child like sense of wonder or suppress the desire to keep asking ‘Why’ and seek answers.
Kilgraston assembly - what a wonderful world!
Mr Allaker, our Chaplain, held an inspiring and insightful Kilgraston assembly this week, encouraging us all to start our week on a positive note, and to remember all the things in this wonderful world, in which we all live.
Kilgraston is a Laudato Si’ School, which holds its foundations in an encyclical letter written by Pope Frances. At its heart it highlights the importance of looking after our planet and each other.
As COP26 closed, and the dust settles on what was and was not agreed, in his assembly this week, Mr Allaker asked us to reflect on all the many amazing and memorable things in the universe, from mountains and oceans to planets and animals. But what about each other?
Mr Allaker urged us all to keep love at the forefront of our week and to remember, what a wonderful world this truly is.
Thank you Mr Allaker for a compelling assembly. You can find out more about our assemblies here.
You are so very valuable - Kilgraston assembly
We were treated to a wonderful assembly this morning by Mr Allaker, the Kilgraston chaplain. Discussing the subject of value, he shared some interesting examples. These included: a tub of Justin Bieber’s hair which sold for £25, 024; Pharrell Williams’ brown fedora hat which sold for £26,444; and the cost of Princess Beatrice’s hat worn to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton which cost £81,100.
What value do we each place on these items, asked Mr Allaker? It depends on how important it is to you and how much you are willing to pay for something.
Looking at our own sense of value, Mr Allaker talked to the school about how it can be easy to let other people influence your own value. Citing Merle Streep’s unsuccessful audition for the film King Kong when she was told, “she wasn’t pretty enough”, Mr Allaker discussed how we all face challenges of people trying to influence us, to pull us down and how we can rise above this and to never forget that we are all valuable and there is no-one like you.
Thank you Mr Allaker for a thought provoking assembly.
You can read more about our assemblies here.
Our capacity to adapt - lessons learnt
The challenges of COVID and lockdowns has taught us much about change and our capacity to adapt and this was the focus of assembly by Kilgraston’s Head of Boarding and Pastoral Care, Mrs Sonja Mueller.
“A lot has changed over the past year,” said Mrs Mueller, “and it’s important to look at how we handle change and strategies we can use to help us.”
Pupils may some questions surrounding the return to school following the latest lockdown. The pastoral team at Kilgraston is always available to pupils for any questions they have may, and Mrs Mueller said now is the opportunity to reflect on change without fear.
Here are tips from Mrs Mueller’s assembly:
- Don’t change everything at once
- Find information and answers
- Recognise the risks
- Predict the benefits
You can find out more about the excellent Pastoral Care at Kilgraston here.
Lessons in how to be a good leader
What are the qualities of being a good leader? This was the topic of an assembly by Sacred Heart Ambassador Ann Miller.
Ann, who usually visits the school in person to hold sessions with Kilgraston pupils, discussed how throughout life we have to learn to deal with a variety of people and how we can all learn to work together can make something a success rather than a failure.
Ann, who recorded the assembly from San Francisco, said: “When I joined your assembly last September I talked about some of the qualities we need in these challenging times: resilience, flexibility and awareness of others. Now, I’d like to say a few things about working with others, particularly those who are difficult to work with.
“What is the first thing we need to know before we can lead others? The answer is that we need to know ourselves. The next thing is we need to know is how we come across to others: do others see us as we see ourselves?”
Sacred Heart Goals are one of the cornerstones of Kilgraston and Ann discussed how these and specifically the Goal of community is the perfect partner to working as a team, working collectively.
Ann then looked at some of the top qualities of being a good leader. These included:
- Taking responsibility
- Treating people with respect.
- The importance of being calm.
- Listening and being a good listener.
- Not giving up.
- Having fun.
Thank you to Ann for an insightful and interesting assembly.
You can read more about some of our other recent assemblies here.
Kilgraston School assembly on…Lego
Aside from top construction and creative skills, what else can Lego teach us? According the Kilgraston’s Head of Geography, Dr Phillips, a great deal.
Showing us his extraordinary ‘Stranger Things’ Lego set (pictured), in this week’s school assembly, Dr Phillips discussed the lessons we could and should all learn from the construction toy firm. Looking back on the history of the company – an interesting angle for our Young Enterprise teams – we learnt that out of 1,000,000 pieces only 18 are unusable, that initially Lego was only made in primary colours to avoid it being used to make army trucks and the like, and that Lego can be used for years before it wears out.
Dr Phillips pointed out aside from the fun and creativity Lego gives us three top tips we could all learn and live by:
1. Setting the highest of standards for ourselves.
2. Planning for the future.
3. Prioritising creativity over conflict.
Thank you Dr Phillips for another captivating assembly. You can read about more of the thought-provoking assemblies here and watch some here.
Kilgraston virtual assemblies - January 2021
Kilgraston’s assemblies are traditionally thought-provoking, and inspiring, and this week’s virtual assemblies are continuing this custom.
In Monday’s assembly, Kilgraston’s Deputy Head, Mrs Lund, asked us what might be the connection between a number of objects including an oyster, a NASA Scientist and an American Vice President.
The answer, Mrs Lund explained, was a pearl: the oyster produces a pearl, an item worn eventually by American mathematician, Kathryn Johnson, whose maths helped NASA astronauts land on the moon, and a pearl necklace is today the signature item of the American Vice President, Kamala Harris. A pearl is a small item and Mrs Lund’s message was not to underestimate the difference you can make as an individual, no matter how small.
Someone who began her campaigning small in years but certainly not in stature is activist, Greta Thunberg, and in Wednesday’s assembly, Head of Geography, Dr Phillips, discussed climate change and how Greta has inspired and motivated a generation of environmentalists. Dr Phillips shared some staggering data of the rise in CO2 in the past century, underlining the human impact on the planet.
Assemblies at Kilgraston can be given by staff and indeed pupils and you can enjoy more of these here.
School assembly - Mrs Bluett discusses the importance of manners
School assemblies give Kilgraston staff and our pupils the chance to show knowledge or even passion about a specific subject.
Recently, our Sixth Form lecture series has covered a wide variety of subjects including European Day of Languages and Protest Poetry and now Head of Latin and Classics, Mrs Bluett looked at the topic of manners.
You can watch her superb assembly here.
assemblies autumn term 2020
Welcome to Kilgraston School’s assemblies autumn term 2020. Each week, we will be sharing with you our assemblies so please have a watch via the list below and do come back each week and find out what our Headmistress, Mrs MacGinty, and our other staff are sharing with you.
Please click the links below to watch:
You can view our assemblies from summer term 2020 here