Kilgraston pupils celebrate Chinese New Year
One of the great privileges of having international students at Kilgraston is the opportunity to share traditions and culture from other countries. Just before half term, we were thrilled to celebrate the Lunar New Year across the Senior School as we transitioned from the Year of the Rabbit to the Year of the Dragon. Our Chinese students, Jenny, Ava, Candy, Sofia and Naomi led a fascinating assembly on the origins of some of the traditions of New Year. We also learned that this year was not only the Year of the Dragon, the most auspicious of all the Chinese zodiac animals, but more specifically the Year of the Wood Dragon, the most creative and visionary of the dragons.
People born under this sign are thought to be the most creative and visionary of the dragons; they are optimistic, ambitious and adventurous; they like to explore new ideas and challenge themselves and they are also generous, compassionate and loyal to their friends. They sound just like our wonderful Kilgraston students!
To celebrate, we decorated the school building with beautiful lanterns, the ESOL corridor is bedecked with red and gold banners and bunting and on the last day before half term, the Senior School worked in Form Groups and produced wonderful crafts hung in Glass Square. Lower Fourth and Upper Fourth produced beautiful red banners bearing traditional New Year greetings in Chinese using black and gold ink, led by Naomi, Naia and Reny. Lower Fifth and Upper Fifth created amazing traditional Chinese cut paper decorations made from red tissue paper, guided by Ava and Candy, and Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth produced a splendid dragon collage from a large sketch done by Eve and using a variety of materials such as tissue paper, beads, feathers, ribbon and a great deal of creativity and imagination.
We are already looking forward to next year’s celebration for January 29 2025 when we enter the Year of the Snake!
Kilgraston alumnae news from Ecuador
We are extremely proud of our Kilgraston alumnae and are delighted to share news from Manon Kempermann.
Manon came to Kilgraston for Sixth Form, leaving in June 2022. She is currently working on projects in Ecuador. Here she shares her amazing experience, there is a link at the bottom on the educational project in the indigenous Kichwa community.
Today marks already half of my time in Ecuador and I almost cannot believe how fast the time is going. The last five months have been incredibly enriching and full of wonderful experiences. I am very grateful to be here and to do this voluntary service. I think, if I had just travelled around, I would not have had the opportunity to gain such deep insights into the culture and the life here.
Apart from being now able to speak Spanish fluently, I have learned so much about myself and how privileged I actually grew up. Until now I supported the English teachers and sometimes taught English alone in two different schools in Tena. Seeing how poorly trained the teachers here often are and how less attention is actually paid at students progress really makes me appreciate what a good education I so far received. Many students especially girls have very low perspectives after school. A number of girls at my age already are married and often have a child. At the same time I feel like I achieved to spark some more interest for English in some kids and with some of the university students I live with I practice English on a regular basis and they are making significant progress. My work in the student house is very diverse and I love the cultural exchange with the indigenous students.
Two weeks ago we started a new project in an indigenous community. We want to send one volunteer to teach English in the primary school of the village. The demand is huge, neither of the two teachers speaks English, but it is still in the curriculum. When the students later go to the senior school in the next city, they have almost no chance to catch up with their class mates, who received at least a little bit of English classes. As no one really cares for them in the school, they often drop out of school early. Now we are building a little hut for the volunteer to live in with the parents of the children. I spent the last two weeks in the indigenous village helping to build the hut. The people are really kind and hard working, but most live in poverty and have almost nothing. I hope we can finish building the house soon and start helping in the school.
Many parents have great hopes that our work can at least improve the perspectives for their children’s future a bit. To realise this project we are currently fundraising on Gofundme. I am very grateful that so many of the Kilgraston family have already supported me at my cake sale last year, but it would be amazing if some of the Kilgraston family wants to support this specific project as well. Thank you already for your support.
Apart from my work in the rainforest, I often use the weekends to travel to the Andes and hike up mountains. So far I have summited three mountains over 5000m over sea level and a couple of over 4000m mountains as well. The landscapes often remind me of Scotland with the green and grassy hillsides and the lagoons in between. I often think back to my time at Kilgraston and what a wonderful year it was. You all really have empowered me and showed me my potential. Looking back, it was definitely my best year of school and you have made me so much more confident as a girl loving STEM subjects. Without all your effort I would not have achieved such results. I know decided to apply for bioinformatics at the University of Saarbrücken.
Here you can find our Gofundme for the educational project in the indigenous Kichwa community:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/haus-fur-volontare (The description in English is below the German)
Many regards to all of the Kilgraston family!
Manon
International Evening 2021
Staff and pupils at Kilgraston enjoyed International Evening 2021; an evening of International Food, information and entertainment.
Representatives from France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria, Poland, China, Hong Kong, Iran, Syria, Mauritius, Wales and Mexico decorated tables in the Theatre with items from their homelands and we learned about their legends, traditions, history, national and regional dishes and tourist sights to see. The audience’s knowledge was tested in a series of quizzes and we all enjoyed dancing the Macarena at the end of the evening, ably led by our Spanish students.
After missing out due to Covid last year, it was a wonderful way to celebrate our diversity at Kilgraston, and a welcome opportunity for staff and students to spend some fun time together.
You can find out more about international admissions here.