Kilgraston’s Inspiring ‘Fearless Women’ Webinar
Fearless Women Webinar: A Powerful Session with DCI Gina Brennand
At Kilgraston, we are committed to fostering an environment that encourages our students to be bold, ambitious, and fearless. As part of the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA) series, we recently hosted an extraordinary ‘Fearless Women’ webinar featuring the remarkable DCI Gina Brennand. This event was an inspiring and thought-provoking experience for all who attended.
DCI Gina Brennand, a trailblazer in her field, shared her journey of smashing stereotypes and rising through the ranks in a predominantly male profession. Her story is one of resilience, determination, and breaking down barriers. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated that being fearless doesn’t mean the absence of fear, but rather the courage to push through challenges and pursue one’s goals with unwavering determination.
During the webinar, DCI Brennand discussed the importance of challenging societal norms and stereotypes. She emphasized that true strength lies in the ability to stay authentic and true to oneself, even in the face of adversity. Her insights were particularly impactful for our students, who are at a pivotal stage in their lives where they are shaping their identities and aspirations.
One of the most touching aspects of DCI Brennand’s talk was her deep compassion and respect for the families she encounters in her work. She shared heartfelt stories about entering people’s lives during their darkest hours and the profound responsibility she feels to handle these moments with sensitivity and care. Her empathy and dedication to serving the community left a lasting impression on everyone.
The ‘Fearless Women’ webinar not only provided valuable life lessons but also inspired our students to reflect on their own paths and the impact they wish to make in the world. DCI Brennand’s message of fearlessness, combined with empathy and respect, resonates deeply with the values we uphold at Kilgraston.
We are incredibly grateful to DCI Gina Brennand for sharing her wisdom and experiences with us. Her journey is a testament to the power of resilience, empathy, and the importance of challenging the status quo. Events like these reinforce our commitment to empowering young women to pursue their dreams fearlessly and make a positive difference in the world.
At Kilgraston, we will continue to provide platforms that inspire, educate, and motivate our students. The ‘Fearless Women’ webinar was a remarkable success, and we look forward to hosting more events that celebrate the achievements of women who lead with courage and compassion.
Kilgraston hosts Fearless Women webinar
Find out more about a career as Detective Chief Inspector with the Kilgraston Fearless Women webinar. Hosted by Kilgraston Headteacher Tanya Davie, it will feature a talk by Detective Chief Inspector Gina Brennand who works in Greater Manchester Police Major Incident Team. Predominantly, Detective Chief Inspector Brennand investigates Category A murders which are cases where the risk to the public is high, and the offender is not identified immediately. Detective Chief Inspector Brennand leads a team of 25 staff and works closely with Crime Scene Investigators, Forensic Science Service, Digital Investigation Unit, Force Intelligence Bureau, Source Handling (informants) and Visual Evidence Recovery Team .
Detective Chief Inspector Gina Brennand is an inspiring and fearless woman who describes it as a privilege to deal with people at the worst moments of their lives and who believes passionately in justice for victims and their bereaved.
If you would like to join our webinar to hear more from Detective Chief Inspector Gina Brennand about her interesting career, please complete the form by following the link https://forms.office.com/e/x1A2R64Zvx.
A Teams joining link will be emailed to you nearer the time.
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.
Sixth Form visit CERN
This September, a small group of Higher and Advanced Higher Physicists lead by Kilgraston’s Head of Physics Mrs Hewett and Head of Modern Languages, Mme Depreux set off at dawn for Edinburgh airport, bound for CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland.
CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire), is where Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web (originally for sharing data between scientists) and home to the 27km circumference Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s largest and highest-energy particle collider.
Friday was our big day at CERN. After an early start, we set off from the Old Town on Tram 18 to the CERN site on the border with France and Switzerland. After a brief but captivating visit to the Globe of Science and Innovation, we met Professor Makoto Ikeda (who suggested we call him Mac) and over three fascinating hours he took us on a tour of some of the main CERN sites, patiently guiding us through the history and the science of what happens at CERN and questioning the girls to make them think and work out the physics involved.
He talked about the early days of research in the 50s, when the calculations carried out by their first computer were checked by a Dutch maths genius as the scientists were sceptical about the new technology! The huge amount of data generated was (and amazingly still is) stored on magnetic tape.
As a young physicist working at MIT in the US, Mac used to carry these tapes back in his hand luggage! The girls asked lots of questions, some of them quite challenging, and Mac did his best to give each question due consideration. We learned that at CERN the majority of direct employees are engineers and computer scientists, whereas the physicists from universities across the world tend to come to CERN to work on specific projects. After our tour we tucked into a hearty lunch from the CERN cafeteria, sitting out on the terrace in the sunshine with many other scientists.
The girls made the most of the rest of our remaining free time, exploring the beautiful city of Geneva, including travelling on trams and the small boats called moettes and even swimming in the lake. The locals, wrapped in coats and hats, must have thought we were a hardy bunch!
We are already looking forward to returning to CERN.
Kilgraston Sixth Form - Bonjour Paris
Kilgraston Sixth Form visited Paris as their final year trip:
On Monday 13th June a group of 35 Upper and Lower Sixth accompanied by Mlle Depreux, Mr Connolly, Dr Phillips and Mrs McCormick travelled to Paris. Starting the day on Tuesday we boarded a Parisian Seine cruise at the impressive base of the Eiffel Tower. We viewed Notre Dame, breath-taking Parisian bridges, l’île de la Cité, and Parisian architecture. Next we took a walk along the Champs Elysées viewing L’Arc de Triomphe, tasting the famous La Durée macarons, Parisian croque-monsieur and window shopping well known brands.
Our next stop began with a magnificent, but challenging climb to the beautiful Sacré Coeur which was truly an incredible experience. The Montmartre area with its charming bistros enchanted us all ending what was a day which was an incredible stimulation of the senses. On Wednesday we spent the day at Disneyland Paris; to get our adrenaline soaring we braved Star Wars Space Mountain, a Disney ‘Big Thrill’ which even Mlle Depreux enjoyed. Ratatouille was a firm favourite amongst the group as well as Big Thunder Mountain the clattering runaway train and for some a big highlight and brave achievement the Tower of Terror. The finale of this day was spectacular firework display around the Disney Princess castle, a magical experience.
On Thursday we divided up to either shop at Val d’Europe or relax and enjoy the Parisian heat wave. What made this trip such a success was the comraderie and sense of team adventure displayed by our girls. The laughter they shared, along with confidence gained from exploring a new city and for those braving to speak the French language including both Mr Connolly and Dr Phillips. The girls represented themselves, their parents and the school tremendously well and have hopefully made memories to last a life time. There was even a chorus of ‘Where Next’ from Lower Sixth.
Mrs McCormick, Head of Sixth Form
Kilgraston’s Head Girl Team 2022-2023 announced
Appointments of Kilgraston’s much-coveted Head Girl Team, for academic year 2022/3, have been announced.
Lexie picks-up the Head Girl baton from Maria, while Jeanie and Amy will perform the Deputy roles.
Commenting on her new role, Lexie said: “We had quite a tough interview, but the new Headteacher, Mrs Davie, immediately put us at ease and was very positive and encouraging.”
The girls will start their positions in August, knowing that they have big shoes to fill: “This year’s team has been brilliant,” said Lexie, “they are all very personable and particularly great with the younger year groups.”
The Head Girl Team acts as a conduit between Senior Management and pupils, frequently suggesting ideas and representing the School on many occasions throughout the year. “Kilgraston has given me leadership skills and lots of opportunities to better myself,” said Lexie, continuing, “public speaking, inter-house debating competitions and interacting with all ages have all been invaluable. After the appointment, I felt I grew in confidence overnight, knowing that Mrs Davie put so much trust in us all.”
Lexie honed her leadership skills through both hockey and netball, being the captain of teams in both disciplines: “I love sport, playing for Perthshire Hockey and the Scotland U18 team, where I’m hoping be selected for July’s Eight Nations tournament in Spain.”
Currently having six hockey caps for Scotland, the current Lower Sixth pupil hopes to increase that number during the next few months, training hard with the Scotland Squad, at Kilgraston and at home: “The regular National Squad training is in either Glasgow or Edinburgh, which is high intensive skills training. I do fitness training at School and run in my own time.”
Kilgraston wishes the girls every success for their exciting, fulfilling and enjoyable year ahead.
You can read more about Sixth Form at Kilgraston, our outstanding exam results and our leavers’ destinations here.
It’s in the bag: Kilgraston wins Tayside Young Enterprise Regional Finals
Dundee used to be known as the home of the three Js: jute, jam and journalism and last night it held true to form with its jute heritage bagging top prize.
After a tense evening, Kilgraston’s Upper Sixth team scooped first place in the 2022 Young Enterprise Tayside Regional Finals.
Beating tough competition from across the county, Zara B, Anna T, India D, Tegan O, Poppy P, Robin B and Genevieve N, won with their ‘Joy in a Jute’ company programme, a mindfulness jute bag for young children.
Held at the Forbes of Kingennie Country Resort, north of Broughty Ferry, the team travelled early in the day to set up their stall and go through several assessments and presentations before the final announcement by Bruce Donaldson, Chairman: “The Young Enterprise Company Programme is an extremely valuable journey for students to undertake,” he said, “and, if entered into fully, creates an experience that will last with them for the rest of their lives.”
Winning eight out of ten categories - best trade stand, best marketing, best presentation, best business report, best business mentor (thank you Hannah Ovens!), sustainability, most inspirational journey and, of course, the 2022 Tayside Company of the Year - ‘Jute Joy’ was repeatedly commended for its “thorough” and “mature” approach.
Asked by an audience member if the enterprising experience had changed her thoughts on a future career, Kilgraston’s Upper Sixth, Zara, responded with a quick and clear, “No, but it has certainly cememted my decision to follow business management at university!”
Hear, hear to that and we wish the girls every success for the national championships in Glasgow on the 2nd of June.
25.3.22
Sixth Form Ball 2022
The Kilgraston Sixth Form Ball, without question has always been a highly anticipated and central event in the school calendar for not only the girls in Lower and Upper Sixth but for the Kilgraston staff as well.
The 2022 Ball followed a Parisian theme, titled as ‘A Midnight in Paris’ with a spectrum of elegant ball gowns on display. Whilst Central Hall was decorated with hanging gold stars from the balcony and shimmering fairy lights, the Theatre was renovated into an illuminating French atmosphere incorporating wine bottles with candle wax, Pot Pourri and more, with each table named after an iconic Parisian place: Le Louvre, La tour Eiffel, Le Moulin Rouge etc. Around the ambience were not only self-constructed lampposts but also a hand-crafted 3D Eiffel Tower with inside lighting, replicating the famous landmark at night time. In his first year at Kilgraston, Head of Art Mr Lapeyre, with his ‘can do attitude’ sprung to the opportunity of expanding the Upper Sixth’s creative side and artistic potential. Many girls volunteered to stay late on a weekly basis in the days leading up to the Ball to finish constructing the props and items we had envisioned months ago.
The dining experience first began with Grace and a touching reflection from Deputy Head Girls India and Yolanda prior to the main course of ‘Roast Chicken Supreme’ with cured French bacon being served. Next up was the delicious dessert, ‘Chocolate and Armagnac mousse’ prepared by Dougie and the Inspire Catering Team.
After the meal came the comedic and light-hearted ‘Vote of Thanks’ speech by Head Girl Maria who used the occasion to thank those around her and elevate spirits for the dancing that followed. For the last share of the evening, all guests adjourned to the grange for a period of dancing and entertainment with music by the incredible band Soul Inferno and mood lighting by Mr Pryke.
The success of the evening and transformation of turning Perthshire into ‘A Midnight in Paris’ was undoubtedly down to the work and commitment of several individuals, who all radiated enthusiasm and dedication to the Ball. Mrs McCormick and Mrs McFadden, as always, were fundamental in helping the night operate like clockwork with their wide expertise and guidance; it is fair to say they know a thing or two about Ball planning!
Collectively, it was the Upper Sixth, and in particular the Ball Committee and Head Girl Team whose hard work was on show during the event. It was a lovely moment for the 2022 Upper Sixth to unite together, admire their efforts and moreover grow in excitement for the Leavers trip to Paris this June.
A hugely successful and superb ‘nuit’ had by all, merci!
Maria E, Head Girl
Kilgraston’s Woman and Business series welcomes journalist and broadcaster, Catherine Pepinster
Who knew that a Ladybird book could alter the course of your life? One woman’s did and that is Catherine Pepinster, journalist, broadcaster, religious commentator.
Speaking to Kilgraston pupils from her base in west London, the journalist was delivering a lecture as part of the school’s Women and Business industry expert series: “I was only about seven or eight at the time and there, in my Christmas stocking, was the Ladybird book of newspapers, featuring a lady with a reporter’s notebook, and I thought, “that’s what I want to do!””
And she did, regaling pupils with stories of a childhood home filled with stimulating political discussion and intellectual reading material, noting, “My parents were always shouting at politicians on Panorama!”
Editing her school’s magazine fully galvanised a career in journalism, prompting Catherine to read Economic and Social Studies at the University of Manchester, before doing a Post Graduate diploma in journalism at City, University of London: “I know that being involved with the student newspaper at university definitely helped with my post-grad application. Work experience is absolutely vital, as is being insatiably curious; essential for a journalist!”
Proceeding to local papers, Catherine highlighted lessons learnt when pounding the pavements, attending courts, council meetings and inquests, explaining: “Very quickly, you learn the power of good contacts and being held to account by your community,” adding, “developing trust and respect lead to more stories being directed your way and that holds true to this very day.”
Moving-up to national newspapers, Catherine’s talent was spotted by The Tablet magazine, becoming its first female editor since its 1840 inception and where she experienced one of her career’s biggest scoops: “I received a tip-off about the resignation of Pope Benedict XV1 in 2013. It wasn’t trite to say this really was the first draft of history.”
The power of working and thinking as an individual – having ideas, following instincts – was counterbalanced with an explanation of how news comes together and the line-up behind production: “Always remember, well-presented, accurate reporting takes a large team of professionals.”
Concluding her talk, Catherine highlighted how her long career in journalism has offered “a reserved” child, self-belief and confidence: “During Downing Street’s Tony Blair era, I was curious to know about the acquisition by the Labour Party of a sizeable London building,” she continued, “Looking-up an old contact, I was able to request – and receive – information evaded by others. You have to hold your nerve and poise so people feel they can trust your judgement.”
Asked about the future of her profession, the focus was on ‘data journalism’, from the likes of Freedom of Information requests, and the creation of stories from available material: “I think that is definitely the way it is heading.” However, the power of the ‘long read’ was, she said, not to be under-estimated, referring to weighty weekly, The New Yorker’s terrific pieces.
‘Long reads’ is something with which Catherine is all-too-familiar, having just completed a 100,000 word book, entitled ‘Defenders of the Faith.’ It was, she concluded, an “ambitious six-month deadline” even for someone for whom words do come easily.
Kilgraston was greatly appreciative of her sharing her words with the school.
4.3.22
Catherine Pepinster taking over the reins of The Tablet. pic.David Sandison, The Independent
Pupils in front of Catherine’s ‘remote’ lecture
Burns Supper with Sixth Form
One of the most popular events on the Kilgraston calendar made a welcome return this year as the Sixth Form enjoyed their post-prelim Burns Supper. Drinks were served in Central Hall, after which Tallie piped the attendees down into the Theatre, paused so that India and Yolanda could say the Selkirk Grace, then continued in her musical duties to welcome the haggis. Mr Campbell recited Burns’ address to a haggis in broad Scots, looking like he was having just a little bit too much fun in brandishing a sharp knife while doing so. A glass of Irn-Bru was raised, and the meal duly began.
Post-supper entertainment was provided by Hannah-Rose and Isabel, who gave a stunning rendition of ‘A Red, Red Rose’, before Ms Hall proposed an immortal toast to Burns’ Immortal Memory. Dr Phillips offered some well-intentioned thoughts on behalf of the gentlemen present in his Toast to the Lassies, and Head Girl Maria replied with some well-intentioned thoughts of her own in her Response. Mr Allaker brought proceedings to a close with his Vote of Thanks, after which there was just time for one final glass of Irn-Bru to ensure that everyone was suitably refreshed before joining in with a version of Auld Lang Syne that made up in volume for what it lacked in finesse.
Until next year’s Burns Supper, fare thee weel awhile.
