Kilgraston Young Enterprise Team historic win
Hungry For Honey, a young enterprise company founded by 23 Kilgraston pupils, has created a buzz with an unprecedented victory at the Young Enterprise Scotland (YES) regional competition. The team swept the board at the event, picking up all eight awards on offer including the top prize ‘Tayside Company of the Year 2024’ for their children’s book ‘Barbee and Her Adventures’ – a result never before achieved by any other school. The team also scooped the seven other awards including for ‘Best Company Report’, ‘Best Trade Stand’ and ‘Best Presentation’. The team, comprised of Upper and Lower Sixth pupils, impressed the judges with their innovative and sustainable approach to their business, as well as their exceptional marketing and presentation skills.
Hungry for Honey was created to compete in the annual YES Company competition. This provides students with hands-on experience in setting up and running their own businesses. Since the start of the 2023 school year, the Kilgraston team has worked hard to develop their book ‘Barbee and Her Adventures’ including a novel-writing workshop with local children’s author, Lindsay Hirst.
Kilgraston School’s Headteacher, Mrs Tanya Davie, expressed her pride in the team’s achievements, saying, “We are absolutely thrilled with Hungry for Honey’s success at the YES regional championships. Their hard work, creativity, and dedication to sustainable business practices have truly paid off, and we can’t wait to see what they will accomplish at the national level.”
Now as they prepare for the national finals in May, Hungry for Honey continues to inspire the Kilgraston School community and demonstrate the power of young people to create positive change through entrepreneurship and innovation.
The team’s book is available to buy in several local shops, including The Rose House in Perth, Broadslap Fruit Farm in Dunning, and The Wee Book Shop in Dollar. A beautifully illustrated children’s book, it tells the story of a special bee called, Barbee. The company’s team collaborated on the story, with some taking on the role of illustrators while others focused on writing. The team also utilised social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook to market their book and reach a wider audience.
Kilgraston pupil and Hungry for Honey CEO, Rebecca, Upper Sixth, said: “We’re thrilled to see our hard work pay off with this success and we are excited for the finals. Our team has worked tirelessly to create a high-quality product that appeals to children, and we’re excited to share it with even more people through the YES competition and expanded retail opportunities.”
Hungry For Honey’s future plans include expanding their reach to more shops and nurseries, as well as developing additional products that align with their mission of educating and entertaining young readers.
For more information on Hungry For Honey and their products, follow them on social media at Instagram handle is hungry.for_honey, Twitter handle is hungry_4_honey, Tiktok handle is hungry_for_honey and Facebook handle is Hungry For Honey
Kilgraston YES team 2023 win regional final
Kilgraston YES team 2023 win regional final - find out more:
On Thursday 23rd March – the Young Enterprise Team (MIKA) and fellow supporters from the sixth form travelled to Forbes of Kingennie Country Resort in Dundee to compete in the Tayside Young Enterprise Regional Finals Competition.
Prior to this we had been interviewed by a panel of judges and submitted a company report to the judges. On the evening we had to present our company journey to a room full of competing teams, supporters and local businesses. MIKA put forward Kate, Rebecca, Jessica and Flora, all Lower Sixth to present and afterwards Jessica, Upper Sixth, took questions from the audience.
MIKA came home with 5 out of the 9 awards on offer during the evening.
We won:
• Best Interview
• Best Company Report
• Best Link Teacher – Mrs Docherty
• Most inspirational journey – Sara, Lower Sixth
• Company of the year
We are delighted to have won the Tayside Regional Final Competition and look forward to competing at Scottish Nationals at Hampden Park on 31st May.
Flora, Lower Sixth
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
Women and Business - career inspiration at Kilgraston School
Preparing our pupils for their future starts from the first day of Reception, with the focus on professions becoming more focussed from aged 12 when girls start to work with the Unifrog careers platform.
Everyone agrees that the adult workplace can be a bewildering arena. To assist girls with these crucial choices, Kilgraston’s innovative Women and Business lecture programme was implemented.
Throughout the academic year, senior pupils – Lower and Upper Fifth and Sixth Form – enjoy talks from industry experts from a myriad of professions. Hearing first-hand from experts in their field is frequently the catalyst on which a whole life can pivot. Despite social distancing restrictions, our lectures continued online, often encompassing an even wider school audience.
“Let nothing stand in the way of learning,” Dorothy MacGinty, Head teacher
Industry expertise
Do you fancy creating and marketing a unique blend of tea? Our pupils did with Clare Pinchbeck of Hettie’s Tearoom with the innovative brand being launched at Etape Caledonia in September 2021.
Learning about the role of Daily Telegraph columnist, Judith Woods, gave the girls an insight into life as a journalist at the very top of the game, her route to a national newspaper and some of the characters encountered along the way: “Did she really say that?!”
Mental arithmetic proved a great qualification when tax specialists from international accountancy firm Saffery Champness described the many opportunities available within their field. Within a day, two pupils had signed-up to learn more about apprenticeships within the firm.
Potential legal-eagles were offered the chance to glean the inside track from solicitor, Nyree Conway, of Edinburgh firm Thorley Stephenson and, from the other side of the judicial divide, Procurator Fiscal Karon Rollo, detailed her professional life, representing the Crown Office, including gory stories of bodies on dark hillsides!
Energy and inspiration were clearly in evidence when young entrepreneur Helen Stewart, owner of Badvo Gin, gave girls an insight into starting and running your own rural business.
For those – and there are many – keen to pursue a medical career, Sally Ibbotson was on-hand to detail life as Professor of Photodermatology and Consultant Dermatologist, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School.
The hospitality industry has been much in the news and nowhere more so than in hotels. Gleneagles Hotel’s Commercial Director, Jane McGee, was kind enough to spare the time come to Kilgraston, offering insight into her incredibly demanding and varied role including some of the world’s other top establishments.
Each year, over 60% of Kilgraston leavers proceed to take STEM undergraduate courses. Bearing this in mind, the School was thrilled to welcome Rachel Battilana MIStractE, an engineer with SSE’s hydro scheme upgrade projects who works throughout Scotland, turning up the pressure on Scotland’s waterways.
Dental enthusiasts were entertained by Rhu McKelvey BDS (Glasgow) 1995, FDSRCS 1998, M.Orth (Edinburgh) who is not only a highly-qualified orthodontist but a very successful entrepreneur, starting, running and continually expanding BEAM Orthodontics in Dundee.
Since Spring 2020, being “guided by the science” is a phrase with which we have all become familiar. But for Dr Julie Maxton CBE, Executive Director of London’s Royal Society, life is actually about helping to produce the scientific facts and data that can sway governmental decisions. We were honoured that Dr Maxton was able to join us.
Putting a twist on the traditional is what businesswoman Michelle Maddox of Clootie McToot is all about. Just five years ago, the Perthshire mum took her gran’s clootie dumpling recipe, added flavours such as Plum and Gin and Banana and Toffee (yum), in the process, turning it into a massive commercial enterprise, now stocked by high street giants, John Lewis. Michelle spoke o Kilgraston girls in September 2021.
Medicine is a perennial favourite with Kilgraston leavers, and, in January 2022, Kim Dale - Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vice Principal (International) School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee visited the School to speak with girls about her fascinating journey to become one of the UKs leading experts in her field.
Future speakers
- March 2022 we will welcome social, philosophical and religious commentator, Catherine Pepinster, a research consultant at St George’s House within Windsor Castle. Catherine will draw on her many achievements, including as first female editor of The Tablet review; a development consultant with The Anglican Centre in Rome and an Assistant Editor of The Independent on Sunday newspaper. As a visiting Scholar (Religion, philosophy, politics) at St Benet’s Hall, Oxford University, and an alumnus of Heythrop College, University of London, together with The University of Manchester and City, University of London, Catherine has combined intense academia with a varied and stimulating career.
- June 2022 - Mike Harvey, Technology PR specialist - Mike will chart his successful route from reading French and Russian at the University of Oxford, to working as a journalist on The Times, becoming Communications Director for multi-platform behemoth, Google, and now running his own PR consultant for the technology industry
- September 2022 - Sally Patten, editor of Sydney’s leadership magazine, BOSS, will - with the benefit of many decade of experience of the business-world - give pupils the inside track on life in the boardroom.
- November 2022 - Kathleen Hornby, South African-based entrepreneur, trained with legendary chef Pru Leith in London before returning to her native country, starting and building a bespoke safari company
- Continuing the entrepreneurial theme, young mum Sophie McEwan of the beautiful home wares and interiors outlet and online venture, Quince & Cook, will come to Kilgraston in January 2022 to describe her idea for the business, finding premises, opening-up then - boom - Covid caused lockdown and a swift volte-face to an online business model was required. Resilience and flexibility, two of the core principles taught at Kilgraston.
In line with our on-going commitment to building the next generation of entrepreneurs, in 2019 Kilgraston was also the proud sponsor of the Inspirational Women category at the 2019 Business Women Scotland Awards.
Learning life always goes on.
Women and Business at Kilgraston School - Dr Julie Maxton of The Royal Society
“Nobody has a monopoly on wisdom, always be open to learning.”
Wise words indeed from Dr Julie Maxton CBE, Executive Director of London’s historic Royal Society, spoken via Zoom while giving her inspirational talk as part of Kilgraston School’s Women and Business lecture programme.
Brought up in Edinburgh, and originally training as a barrister at the Middle Temple in London, Dr Maxton talked to girls about her career-trajectory and what had brought her to the position of the first woman in 350 year to hold the post at the world’s oldest, continuous, scientific academy: “I’ve had a lifetime of looking at evidence,” she told girls, “always try to look through the eyes of each side.”
The Royal Society enjoys patronage of scientific super-brains including, Sir Christopher Wren, Sir Isaac Newton, Jennifer Doudna, Dorothy Hodgkin, Sir David Attenborough, Jocelyn Bell Burnell, together with Elon Musk, one of only five, global, centibillionaires.
It’s motto ‘Nullius in verba’ means ‘take nobody’s word for it’: “This is an expression of the determination of members to withstand the domination of authority and to verify all statements by an appeal to facts determined by experiment,” expanded Dr Maxton, “we always look for the facts, we’re the opposite of ‘fake news’”.
Part of Dr Maxton’s job is to administer the RS’s £100m annual grant budget, nurturing a pipeline of over 3,000 young scientists who benefit from the global network of experts offering mentoring, investment and business advice. “I didn’t know a thing about spreadsheets,” laughed the good-humoured speaker, “but I sat down and learnt and knew how to ask if I didn’t!”
Girls also learnt how Dr Maxton’s progression drew on various life- influences, including, in her current position, legal contacts nurtured during time as a barrister: “I knew quite a few judges and one of the recurring subjects was the need for better understanding of the strength of accurate scientific evidence presented in court.” Continuing, she added: “the right questions must always be asked, based on a clear statement of science.”
This thought-process resulted in RS Fellow and renowned University of Cambridge Professor of Public Understanding of Risk in the Statistical Laboratory, Sir David Spiegelhalter OBE, giving several senior judges topic-specific lectures on scientific assessment: “Remember,” commented Dr Maxton, “you must always keep learning; learn anywhere and from anyone.”
As a result of this collaboration with the Royal Society of Edinburgh, benchmark-documents, on subjects such as ‘Forensic DNA analysis,’ ‘Forensic gait analysis,’ and ‘The use of statistics in legal proceedings,’ are now embedded in the UKs legal framework.
Pupils were quick to fire questions at the impressive guest-speaker with one Sixth Former intuitively asking how she dealt with career set-backs.
Answer? “At my first job, I was the only woman in the faculty. Always be analytical and objective, your professionalism will carry you through. Very quickly, I learnt that you have to look after yourself.”
Hugely impressed by the visiting speaker, one Fifth Form girl described Dr Maxton as “inspirational,” adding that it had “opened her eyes to global possibilities.”
Concluding the lecture, Dr Maxton urged pupils not to feel pigeon-holed by following one path: “Be prepared to change career, take opportunities. No one will think for you. Put your own hand up.”
Sound advice indeed.
Kilgraston girls win Young Enterprise Scotland regional prize
A La Mode, one of the Kilgraston teams taking part in this year’s Young Enterprise Scotland’s Company Programme, has scooped the top prize at the regional finals. The company, set up and run by Upper Sixth pupils Molly, Lola, Natasha and Flora, designed, packaged and sold locally sourced, environmentally friendly premium self care boxes. Aside from the top prize, the team also won other categories including Best Marketing and Best Trade Stand. The girls now go into the national Young Entreprise Finals, scheduled to take place in June.
Huge congratulations to A La Mode and all our Young Enterprise teams.
You can vote for A La Mode .