Kilgraston Senior School 2023 Show – Fame!
Kilgraston Senior School 2023 Show was a legwarmer and leotard spectacle as pupils backflipped across the stage for top musical Fame!
It came fresh from the amazing performances by Junior Show pupils in ‘Annie’ and pulled together in little under a week, the show was testament to the incredible drive and focus of Kilgraston staff and pupils.
Pupils were unrecognisable in the outstanding costume and makeup and the Kilgraston Theatre transformed with the handiwork of the scenery team led by Mr Lapeyre.
Audiences were wowed by the talents of our pupils and in particular the crowd-pleaser and title track of ‘Fame!’. Well done to everyone for the colossal efforts and thank you to everyone who bought tickets to support this.
‘til next year…all together now…Fame!
Upper Fifth trip to Alton Towers
Early on Monday morning while everyone else was still asleep the Upper Fifth group of staff and pupils packed their belongings onto the coach ready for the adventure of their short lives.
The long journey south to Alton Towers was spent with cheerful chatter about what was going to happen, some dozing, singing and lots of snacks to keep our energy levels up. As well as an energetic rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ to Daisy.
Once we arrived at the Alton Towers Splash Landing resort it was time for a rapid change into our swim wear to experience the delights of the hotel’s own waterpark. As we passed through the swing doors the heat hit us like a tsunami instantly transporting us to a tropical oasis. The waterpark consisted of three flumes, a lazy river, pirate themed play area and lots of inflatable beach balls. Time was spent racing each other down the flume that snaked around the restaurant or bobbing about on rings in the lazy river – watching out for Ms Dutch trying to steal your rubber ring. This was a refreshing way to end the day especially after the long five-hour bus journey. Everybody had a total splash!
Day two dawned bright and early and after a full breakfast we made our way via monorail to the theme park in glorious sunshine with Mrs O’Hear constantly reminding us to make sure we had sunscreen on. At the park gates we checked in then we were off to sample the adrenaline ride.
The first ride most of us did on the first day was the Wicker Man. It is one of the newest rides at Alton Towers however has been cleverly engineered to seem extremely ancient. Some of us were even brave enough to have another go on this ride the next day. All the rides at Alton towers were thrilling and so exciting however Galactica was most certainly the favourite of Upper Fifth’s Ambika.
Next, we were onto Nemesis was Mrs O’Hear’s favourite up until this trip. This held you from the top and took you into the pits of your wildest nightmare towards an alien’s den. The thundering roar and screams could be heard across the park – some donuts provided a much needed energy boost as we disembarked.
Next in line was ‘Rita Queen of Speed’. After a swift queue through the gloomy forest, we were seated in drag race style cars excitedly awaiting the Rita experience. Suddenly without notice we were catapulted forward from 0 to 65 miles per hour in just 2.5 seconds! The fastest acceleration on any roller coaster with your body being put through a G-force of 4.7.
The initial shock from the hydraulic launch system quickly turned into such a thrill as we raced around high-speed corners at rapid acceleration. The unstoppable momentum of the rollercoaster made us instantly race back to re-join the queue for another go.
We left Alton Towers on the third day heading north towards Scotland full of laughter, memories and merriment. Friendships were strengthened and some new ones were formed, all in all a lovely successful time.
Thank you to Upper Fifth pupils who contributed to this article:
Jessica, Ambika, Sarah, Rebecca, Laura, Charlotte and Erin.
Kilgraston Lower Four visit York
As Sixth Form jetted off to Paris and Upper Four and Lower Fifth enjoyed a medley of activities close to home, Kilgraston Lower Four took a trip to York:
On Saturday the 12th of June 2022, a severe amount of last minute packing consumed all of us Lower fourth students. I begged my mum to drop me off extra early that morning just in case I had forgotten something. Then we were all gathered by our extremely helpful teachers who will definitely not be as willing to volunteer to take us next time! The previous few weeks prior to our exhibition the whole Lower Fourth class created uniquely coloured tie dye shirts which we wore from the morning of our departure until that same night.
Just before nine that morning we all lined up on the front lawn, in the most cluttered and disorderly fashion. We took pictures of us all together as our trip began. We travelled on the coach while watching Mamma Mia singing along to every word. We arrived at our first stop (not our destination), Vindolanda at around 1pm, searching and scoping the ancient roman fortress all whilst eating our packed lunch that the school catering kindly made for us all. Then after we had explored for a while, we all hauled ourselves back on our coach to travel the second half of our long journey. Even though our journey was long it was not a sickly one, as our very own, Mrs Bluett told us that if you normally feel carsick on a long journey, all you have to do is sit on a newspaper. As bizarre as it was it worked. For everyone it was astonishing and not even she herself could explain it.
We arrived at our youth hostel at around 5pm. Only half an hour after we arrived, we set off to the restaurant we were going to for dinner, Bella Italia. After a great dinner our first adventure in York began. Our teachers had booked a ghost tour guide to take us through York while telling true fascinating ghost stories of York’s past inhabitants, including Guy Fawkes. The next day started off with the York Minster which took over 250 intricate years to create. It was a wonder to explore and learn about. A while after we were all let loose to go shopping for just over an hour. After lunch we all arrived at the York dungeons, a programme with actors paid to scare and entertain us. After the spooky time we spent in the dungeons we headed off to the very interesting Yorvik Centre.
We were taught in a lively and interactive way to see active sculptures of Vikings in their era. After an already tiring day, we were all dying to eat our amazing Mexican food at Las Iguanas, a delicious experience. When we arrived back at the youth hostel, we all dove to our rooms either to rest after the long day or to take a nap. But about an hour later we were surprised with a quiz constructed by Mrs Bluett who probably regretted it after she heard all our yelling!
The next morning was our departure from York but it was not the end of our trip… we travelled on the coach for about and hour and a half when we were told we had to make a stop at Asda to buy our lunch as we would be too busy when lunch actually came. We all rampaged around the shop picking up anything and everything we could, obviously not realising that our eyes were bigger than our stomachs! After Asda we travelled a while longer until we got to Beamish, an amazing living museum that transported us fully into its Victorian age. We explored old fashioned homes, shops, schools, and fairs, rode on carousels and watched people making liquorice.
At around half past three we set off on the home stretch but not without stopping off at the McDonald’s right on the border between England and Scotland for dinner! We finally reached Kilgraston at eight o’clock, very much ready to sleep in our own beds. On behalf of all Lower Four, thank you to our wonderful teachers, Mrs Murphy, Mrs Bluett and most of Mrs Lyle for organising a great end of year trip.
Lucy, Lower Four
Planet Birdsong - a day of creativity
On Monday Lower and Upper Fourth got the chance to meet part of the team from Planet Birdsong, an organisation that is helping to educate people on birdsong. This includes learning to recognise different bird’s songs and calls out in the real world as well as delving deeper into how the sounds are made up using recordings.
We started and ended the day all together, learning about sonographs (used to show the highs, lows and lengths of different notes) and how birdsong is made up of repeated patterns. This included drawing our own sonographs and creating lyrics to birdsong!
Next we were split into smaller groups and got the chance to walk through the grounds, and — with the help of Peter Cowdrey, the founder of Planet Birdsong, we quickly learnt to distinguish between the different birds we could hear. This included the great tit, wren, blackbird, robin, chaffinch, chiffchaff, wood pigeon and more. We also saw a greater spotted woodpecker feeding its young in their nest, high up in a tree.
In my opinion, the best part of the day was the opportunity to ‘sing like a bird’. This concept might appear strange, but it was the most unique and eye-opening experience I have ever had. Birdsong is far too quick and high pitched for a human to sing, so Planet Birdsong have slowed down recordings of birds, to a quarter or even an eighth of their original speed. Then all you need to do is copy the sounds you hear. After a few practices, this is recorded and sped up again, and you really can sing like a bird!
The day was a great success all round and I am sure that none of us will ever think of birdsong as meaningless twitter again!
Written by Upper Four’s Phoebe
Subject Spotlight: English at Kilgraston
Ms Hall tells us more about: English at Kilgraston
English is a subject that has at its heart discussion; Kilgraston is the place that allows discussion to flourish with the girls assertively articulating their views in an environment that encourages full participation. It is a source of pride that we do not have quiet classrooms with passive listeners. Much of the discussion arises from the sparks that literature provides us with in abundance. Advanced Higher students have delighted in discussing class divisions, the position of women and the unconventional and aspirational hope for love in marriage following their close comparative study of ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Higher students, as they do each year, relished the study of Tennesse Williams’ ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ with the conflict between two characters, representing two contrasting world views, inspiring much heated debate. Blanche, the central female character, is arguably one of the finest dramatic creations that ranks alongside the likes of Lady Macbeth, and she never fails to provoke powerful reactions in our girls.
The Lower and Upper Fifth girls similarly enjoy the discussion that arises from their study of ‘Of Mice and Men’. Curley’s wife’s character is always understood by the girls who feel the injustice of her treatment keenly. Likewise, the plight of all the characters leads to in-depth and enriching discussion on race, the futility of the American Dream during the Great Depression and the enduring power of friendship. ‘Journey’s End’ also leads to great interest in WWI and it is wonderful to see the girls using their knowledge gained from History to inform their understanding of this most poignant play. Other texts studied at National 5 include ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and Ms Hall’s favourite for the philosophical debate it provokes on the nature of humankind, ‘Lord of the Flies’.
Texts in the early years of the senior school are equally academic in their rigour with the likes of ‘Animal Farm’ and ‘The Merchant of Venice’ being studied. These are mighty texts that the girls derive great enjoyment from. Pleasure in reading is central to what the English department does. Subsequently we balance these classics with modern writing that is of the highest calibre and is simply brilliant to read. Upper fourth, many of whom were staunch ‘Non-readers’ at the beginning of the year, all read and loved the thrill of ‘Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror’, wonderfully crafted short stories, written in an accessible gothic style. Lower fourth had the pleasure of Louis Sacher’s modern classic, ‘Holes’, a carefully crafted novel that plays with time and narrative perspective and yet remains a page-turner; it was eagerly devoured by the girls.
We are fortunate at Kilgraston to be able to be responsive to the reading needs of our girls. Our small classes enable us to know our pupils and their needs fully enabling us to choose texts that we know would be most suitable for them. We do love our classics and delight in making those texts accessible (many parents will certainly recognise a few that we study!) but we are not wedded to them; the needs of our girls come first and we take greater satisfaction in finding just the right text that will unlock that love of reading.
Ms Hall, Head of Kilgraston’s English Department
SQA CfE discussed by Kilgraston’s Deputy Head
The Scottish Government’s Curriculum for Excellence - introduced in 2010 - is under scrutiny from several quarters.
Overseen by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), the curriculum’s content and structure is currently being widely reassessed.
Commenting on the situation, on page six of the Independent Schools Magazine, April edition, Kilgraston’s Deputy Head, Carol Ann Lund, says: “We should not be surprised that a curriculum, years in the making and implemented for over a decade - has now passed its sell-by date.”
Kilgraston’s Eco-Committee - the Plastic Free School award
Kilgraston’s Eco-Committee delivered an assembly this week on Surfers Against Sewage. Read more below:
Surfers Against Sewage was set up in 1990 by a small group of people who were appalled by the conditions of some of Britain’s coastal waters.
Since then, they have been constantly active, organising beach clean-ups and campaigning for better regulations, and are now turning their attention to the marine plastic problem.
More than 12 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the ocean every year, and Surfers Against Sewage are now campaigning to stop that.
One of Surfers Against Sewage’s newer projects is the Plastic Free Schools Award, towards which Kilgraston is now working.
We have already cut down on the number of single-use plastics used in school, but the Eco-Committee have more in store to help us to become as plastic free as we possibly can.
Please help by cutting down on your use of single-use plastics, and by donating to Surfers Against Sewage at: www.sas.org.uk/donate.
Written by Eco-Committee members Upper Four’s Phoebe and Alexandra