Kilgraston Junior Years review of the year 2022 - 2023
Kilgraston Junior Years pupils have visited the Antarctic, burned a Viking ship, were visited by lambs and emergency services, worked hard but most of all had FUN in 2022 - 2023.
Miss Cribbin, Deputy Head of Kilgraston Junior Years, has put together a short video with some of our highlights from this year. Well done everyone, we cannot wait to see you in August 2023.
One of our longest-serving members of staff set for retirement
At the end of this month, Kilgraston is saying a fond farewell to one of our most recognised and longest-serving members of staff, Mrs Lillian Friars, who is retiring. Lillian has worked at Kilgraston for 30 years and has seen many changes.
Lillian said: “When I first started working at Kilgraston, the Grange was just being renovated. There was no equestrian centre, it was just fields full of sheep. There was no science centre or swimming pool either. I’ve worked with five Kilgraston Heads and it has changed a lot but what hasn’t changed is the sense of family in the school.”
In 1992, Lillian initially started working in the school’s laundry which, as every pupil knows, is a vitally important role. She worked her way up and is now Housekeeping Supervisor, managing a team of ten who collectively keep our extensive school buildings – and our boarders - looking spick and span throughout the year, both in and outside of term-time.
Lillian said: “Kilgraston has been a big part of my life for so long, it’s a great place and it’s the sense of family which keeps people working here. I am looking forward to retiring though and to travelling but I will miss the food from the catering team, in particular Helen’s soups which are simply delicious.”
We wish Lillian all the best in her retirement – do send us postcards!
Kilgraston Junior School fundraising for Captain Tom
The weekend saw celebrations to mark fundraising hero Captain Sir Tom Moore on what would have been his 101st birthday - and Kilgraston Junior School took part with a variety of different fundraising events
Lead by the British Army veteran’s family, and supported by charities such as the NSPCC, events were inspired by Captain Tom’s original campaign. For Kilgraston Junior School, the fundraising for this event included running around The Grange one hundred times, walking one hundred steps together around the Atrium, making 100 cakes, brownies and cookies and much more. The pupils raised a worthy £101 for charity in the process.
Captain Sir Tom started his fundraising campaign in 2020 in the midst of the COVID pandemic, when he was 99 years old, aiming to complete one hundred lengths of his garden. He was hoping to raise £1000 for the NHS Charities Together. The campaign resulted in nearly £33 million being raised for NHS charities, with donations coming in from around the world. Captain Tom was knighted by the Queen in a special outdoors ceremony at Windsor Castle on 17 July 2020.
What an inspiration, and Captain Sir Tom’s legacy lives on. Well done to everyone in Kilgraston Junior School for their fundraising efforts.