Achievement is something to celebrate says high school head

Head teacher Lesley Carroll urged parents to celebrate the achievements of their children when she hosted Graeme High School's annual prizegiving night.

In her welcome she said she was “delighted” to see so many of them for such a special evening.

“Your presence is a clear signal to our young people and staff that you value their efforts and achievements.

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“It is not something to hide or be embarrassed or awkward about, but is to be celebrated and give thanks for.

“Good schools, like good families, celebrate achievement and success and Graeme High School is a place where we don’t feel shy or embarrassed about our achievements.

“We’re not boastful or conceited, but confident and proud.”

The head teacher said education is of paramount importance to the future of society.

“I believe education is the number one priority because it has the potential to allow us to better engage with our fast changing world and secures a positive future for ourselves, our families and our communities. It equips us for life.

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“As a school we want to do all that we can to ensure every pupil is equipped for life and achieves his or her potential. In Scotland we have a proud and strong tradition of commitment to the importance of education designed to allow our young people to become responsible, well-rounded, productive and successful individuals and contrubutors to communities and society.

“Success in school should become a vehicle for future success in adult life, but teachers and parents want success to be about more than just exam passes or achievement certificates gained.

“We want the children to have opportunities to grow and develop, to have a clear understanding of our world, locally and globally, and know how they can relate and contribute to communities.

“The school provides opportunities for our pupils to share their gifts and talents, to learn to be creative, to work with others, to solve problems, to be enterprising and develop leadership skills.

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“We’ve got lots of bases covered with real, substantial and engaging programmes in which our pupils can grow and develop if they play an active part.” Deputy head teacher and head of Morrison House, Ken Duncan, who is retiring this summer after 41 years in education presented the awards to this year’s 80 winners including dux Carmen Tran, proxime accessit Rebecca Shaw and junior dux Heather Richards.

Dux Carmen ready for deserved holiday

After studying hard to earn five highers, a certificate of merit and a share of a prestigious special award, Graeme High’s 2016 dux is entitled to be looking forward to her summer holiday.

Top student Carmen Tran is counting down the days to jetting off with her proud family, mum Karlen, dad Dien, and siblings Daniel (18) and Aiden (5) for a well deserved holiday in Singapore and Malaysia.

The teenager maintained an impressive - and remarkable - family tradition by earning the school’s top academic prize, following in the footsteps of big brother Daniel (18) who was the dux last year.

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Carmen also shared the Jessie Kettrick Trophy for service to the school with good friend Rebecca Shaw.

Following last week’s presentation, the delighted 16-year-old from Brightons, admitted: “It was a lot of hard work, but winning has made it all worthwhile and I’m very pleased.”

While Carmen is aiming to enjoy every minute of her break away from her books, she admits her thoughts are already turning towards what she plans to do next.

And she is setting her heights high with a career in aero engineering the goal!

Graeme High School 2016 prize winners

3rd Year subject awards

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Administration, Amie Shirra; Art & Design, Poppy Hepburn, Holly Newlands; Art & Design plus merit certificate, French, Eve Waugh.

Biology plus merit certificate, Computer Science, English, Mathematics, Physics, Heather Richards.

Business Management, History, Physical Education, Jamie Scott.

Chemistry plus merit certificate, English, Charlotte Bruce.

Chemistry plus merit certificate, Geography, Music, Physics, Ross Livingston.

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Design & Manufacture plus merit certificate, Geography, Ruby Emmett.

Design & Manufacture, Saskia Liddell; English, Charlotte Deanie; French plus merit certificate, Modern Studies, Bronwen McGuire; Graphic Communication, Kieran Stephen; Hospitality, Elle Merrilees; Modern Studies, Eve Rennie; Music, Boglarka Balla; Physical Education, Taylor Hamill; Practical Woodworking, Tommy Hardy, James Reid.

4th Year Subject Awards

National 4 - Administration, Kayla Montgomery; Business Management, Melissa Craig; Physical Education, Leona Cunningham; Practical Woodworking, Dylan Finlayson.

National 5 - Administration, Eilidh Hunter; Art & Design, Design & Manufacture, Nicole McGuire; Art & Design, Christy Thomson; Art & Design plus merit certificate, English, History, Iona Wallace.

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Biology plus merit certificate, Care, Chemistry, Mathematics, Modern Studies, Kenze Allison; Business Management, David Wilson; Computing Science, Callum Smith; Drama, Samantha Gordon.

English, Hannah Anderson; French, Charlotte Wright; Geography, Conor Whitehead; Graphic Communication, Ben Hunter, Rachael Thornley; Hospitality, Jade Morton; Music, Madeleine Brown; Physical Education, Lindsey Blues, Jonathan Mitchell; Physics, Matthew Capes, Flynn Gray; Practical Woodworking, Jack Bell; RMPS, Rebecca Mustard.

Philosophy Higher, Ashleigh Crawford.

Scottish Football Association, Jonathan Mitchell, Brayden Docherty.

5th/6th Year Merit Awards

Jacob Macaloney, Sam Muirhead, Fraser Newlands.

5th/6th Year Subject Awards/Advanced Higher

National 5 - Administration, Matthew Christie; Early Education & Childcare, Emma Plenderleith.

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National 4 - Hospitality, Thomas Baff, Konrad Wojtczak; Practical Metalworking, Roddy McMurtrie, Kyle Fullerton.

Higher - Chemistry plus merit certificate, Geography, Graphic Communication, Mathematics, Physics, Carmen Tran.

Administration, Anna Collins; Art & Design, Kirsten Collins, Kimberly Waddell; Biology plus merit certificate, History, Rebecca Shaw; Biology, Physics Advanced Higher, Daniel Wong; Business Management, Kara McCormick, Stewart Wilson.

English plus merit certificate, Andrew MacLeod; French, Rachel Cairns, Geography, Fraser Green; History, Morgan Malarky; Modern Studies, Megan Bruce, Laura Snedden; Music, Kelsey Miller; Philosophy, Heather Dowds, Christopher Park; Physical Education, Samantha Kerr.

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Computing Science, Callum Brown; Design & Manufacture, Sarah Baird; Drama, Zane Campbell, Lewis Johnson; Modern Studies, Lewis Johnson.

RMPS, Caitlin Gallagher, Jaimee MacDonald plus merit certificate; Sports Leader, Amy Duvall, Ryan Stewart.

Sports Leader, Amy Duvall, Ryan Stewart.

6th Year Advanced Highers

Art & Design, English, Kristy MacFarlane; Biology, Mathematics, Daniel Tran; Chemistry, Keir Muldoon; Graphic Communication, Naomi Cairns; Music, April Duncan.

Special Awards

Robert Banbury Award, Charlotte Bruce, Kay McPherson; Andrew Steel Prize, Amy Duvall, Connor Robb, Daniel Tran; PTA Shield for Outstanding Achievement, Robby McCormick; Bob Nimmo Prize, Lewis Dawson, Amie Forsyth, Kara McCormick.

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Class 98 Prize for Outstanding Achievement, Katie Dickenson, Amy Duvall; Jessie Kettrick Trophy for Service to the School, Rebecca Shaw, Carmen Tran; School Board Shield for Outstanding Achievement, Reece Bunning, Jaimee MacDonald.

The Mhairi McDonald Award for Outstanding Achievement in Science, Samuel Muirhead; The Catriona McDonald Award for Outstanding Achievement in Mathematics, Connor Robb.

Sports Awards

Junior Sports Award, Under 13
 football team, Greig Moore, Kyle Russell. The Viv Scott Award for Sporting Excellence, Lindsey 
Blues.

Junior Dux/Proxime Accessit/Dux

Junior Dux Shield and The WK Morrison Prize, Heather Richards.

The James B. McHardy - Scolarest Prize Proxime Accessit, Rebecca Shaw.

The Graeme High School - The Class’98 Prize Dux of the School, Carmen Tran.