Falkirk High celebrates pupils’ success

The high achievements of pupils at Falkirk High have been recognised at the school’s annual prizegiving ceremony.
Head Teacher, Keith Webster; Rachel Laird, one of the Proxime Accessit; James Morrison, Dux and Juliana Marciano guest speaker.  Pic: Michael Gillen.Head Teacher, Keith Webster; Rachel Laird, one of the Proxime Accessit; James Morrison, Dux and Juliana Marciano guest speaker.  Pic: Michael Gillen.
Head Teacher, Keith Webster; Rachel Laird, one of the Proxime Accessit; James Morrison, Dux and Juliana Marciano guest speaker. Pic: Michael Gillen.

Rector Keith Webster welcomed pupils, parents, staff and guests to the “celebration of the many and varied achievements of our brilliant young people”.

He began his address by highlighting academic success.

Mr Webster said: “I am obviously absolutely delighted that we have, collectively, and I don’t underestimate the importance of strong parental support, built on the very good performances of the last few years and have now elevated ourselves to a position where we are more than holding our own with other schools in the local area, and further afield, the majority of which do not face the same issues as we do emanating from the high levels of deprivation in our catchment area.”

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And it is because of this deprivation the school has put a large amount of resources and energy into removing the barriers to learning and attaining that vulnerable and deprived young people face on a daily basis.

He continued: “There is no doubt that this deliberate strategy is helping such pupils to attain and we are slowly but surely closing the poverty related attainment gap.

“However, equally pleasing is the fact that the evidence is now there to support the assertion that our highest attaining pupils are in no way being disadvantaged by this approach, in fact their attainment levels are as good as they have ever been.”

He spoke of the importance of the varied range of opportunities offered to pupils and praised staff for their contribution to the development of the pupils.

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He went on to pay tribute to Janice Kane, the school’s resource manager, who is retiring in October, describing her as “the ultimate ‘go to’ person who takes great pride in her role”.

He also spoke of his own retirement, which will come in December, and will “bring to an end what has undoubtedly been the most satisfying and enjoyable period” of his almost 35 year teaching career.

He added: “I am as confident as possibly can be that the staff team I am leaving behind are fully capable of, not only maintaining the progress that we have made in recent years, but of taking the school onto the next level.”

James Morrison was named dux, receiving the George C McKenzie Memorial Prize, during the prizegiving ceremony, while Rachel Laird and Chiara Watt were the proxime accessits.

Guest speaker at last week’s event was Juliana Marciano.

The prize winners:

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Whole School Award – Campbell House Bronze S4 – Ben Anderson; Abbie Hume; Harris MacDonald; Jack Morrison; Jenna Scobbie; Kayla Spence; Chloe Wyllie; S5 – Kristopher Cooke; Amy McClung; Alex Mowat; Adam Qurban; Michael Rankin; Lucy Todd; Blair White; Silver S4 – Neve Johnston; S5 – Alida Callaghan; Dylan Dobbie; Molly Findlay; Cameron Heggie; Stephanie Lochrie; Cornelius Olubolade; Molly Pearson; Catherine Pollock; S6 –Kara Ewing; Adam Fairlie; Dean Ferguson; Morven Hylands; Eleanor Laing; Jenna Smith; Gold S4 – Arub Ali; Louise Bryant; Calum Davidson; Mitchell Faulds; Eabha Kerr; Inez MacIntosh; Sophie Murray; Logan Scott; S5 – Courtney Aitchison; Kaleem Anwar; Caitlin Berney; Jason Bird; Myran Blackadder; Rachel Chung; Katie Lenathen; Demi-Louise Love; Craig McDonald; Kerr McLaren; Callum Morton; Taylor Penman; Jessica Smart; Stewart Thomson; Chiara Watt; S6 – Kathryn Knight; Zoe Williams; Rachel Wood; Platinum S4 – Kirsty Carson; Rachel Ferguson; Matthew Larkin; Zara Mason; Abby Rutter; Lisa Watt; S5 – Shalona Anderson; Dom Banys; Callum Hunter; Jack Johnston; Morgan McClintock; Sophie Robertson; S6 – Glen Graham; Carrie Miller; Katie Vause; Taylor Wallis; Cameron House Bronze S4 – Andrew Hannon; Zsanett Lipcsey; Cameron McKinlay; S5 – Coll Braid; Kymberley Clark; Rebecca Grimshaw; Aaron Laurie; Elle McCormack; Lois McKean; Kyle Waddell; Silver S4 – Bryce Bissett; S5 – Hanin Abdallah; Joel Anderson; Skye Burnside; Ryan Campbell; Evan Close; Cameron Fleming; Tylier Hutchison; Adam Ingram; Jade Kinloch; Kieran Longmuir; Calum Scobbie; Callum Stevenson; Ryan Whetham; Josh Whittet; S6 – Ruth Easton; Glen Mason; Ellis Mills; Kieran O’Rourke; Gold S4 –Joshua Blyth; Christopher Boyne; Cara Brodie; Anna Colston; Emma Farquhar; Ellie Lumsden; Jenni Rothnie; Liam Spark; Stephanie Urquhart; Owen Wright; S5 – Karina Borg-Grech; Shannon Brown; Erica Cameron; Cara Clark; Lucy Duff; Josh Hartley; Cameron Irvine; Joe Kromer; Abbie Law; Brogan McKinlay; Arina Saprykina; Amy Upfold; S6 – Amy Geurts; Amy Robb; Kieran Upfold; Platinum S4 – Edward Baker; Jodie Campbell; Jenna Donald; Jennifer Hall; Rachel Hopkins; Louise Johnston ;Ben McKean; Melissa McLuckie; Jack Meaney; S5 – Matthew Lipsett; Jaye Marchi; Lauren Sneddon; S6 – Nimi Akindele; Aimee Alexander; Matthew Lunn; Sol MacMillan; Elliott Snaddon; Chloe Young; Mackay House Bronze S4 – Josh Sheridan; Amy Watson; S5 – Lee Dunnachie; Melody Love; Jack Shand; Ewan Vallely; Silver S4 – Jessica Bailey; Eilidh Black; Connor Chalmers; Emma Miller; Connor Thomson; S5 – Morgan Jackson; Heidi Kelso; Caitlyn Martin; Dylan Moodie; Kyle Neary; Mathew Phillips; Kirsten Scott; S6 – Morgan Anderson; Eilidh Bell; Dylan Brown; Laura McKenna; Gold S4 – Kennedy Brown; Freya Deal; Lucy Dick; Sean Graham; Bryon Irvine; Angel Kesson; Sam Muir; Sarah Murdoch Burt; Eve Pearson; Kai Reed; S5 – Hadeeqa Basharat; Aimee Condron; Jamie Finnigan; Abby Fulton; Matthew Hoy; Calum Hunter; Louise Logan; James Morrison; Dylan Phillips; Cameron Robertson; Ciara Robertson; Joshua Roy; Megan Salmond; Lewis Thomson; S6 – Tiana Ananieva; Rowan Burrow; Claire Crease; Sophie Day; Bradley Snow; Stuartie Wright; Platinum S4 – Euan Arthur; Megan Broadley; Ian Douglas; Lewis Gilvear; Amy MacKinnon; Holly Tetlow; Kasey Turnbull; Dylan Waddell; S5 – Douglas Beattie; Finlay Broadley; Callum Deal; Alexander Johnson; Swopnil Karki; Luke Ritchie; Sean Russell; Inka Savin; Chloe Thorley; Amy Wynd; S6 – Oran Brockie; Elliot Bullough; Heartly Eyeredue; Gregor Johnston; Charlie Kinnon; Cameron MacKenzie; Brad Pollock; Neve Reynolds; Robertson House Bronze S4 – Sno Jabanga; Aaron Millar; Aaron Reid; Kieran Walsh; S5 – Alicia Barrett; Rebecca Bryce; Georgia Laing; Chelsea Morris; Silver S4 – Emily Robertson; Anna Wood; S5 – Robert Laidlaw; Jacob McLuckie; Grant Wotherspoon; Jamie Wotherspoon; Gold S4 – Holly Agnew; Jack Blackadder; Ben Forsyth; Jack Huskie; Chloe Johnston; Erin McGurgan; Orla Park; Emma Purves; Abbie Simpson; Abby White; S5 – Eva Adrian; Cole Cattanach; Cooper Duff; Alice Dunn; Coleen Kearns; Rachel Laird; Jane McGuire; Hazel Neill; Serena Sportelli; Abigail Traill; S6 – Kieren Davidson; Ryan Ferguson; Yasmine Johnstone; John Kemp; Michael Struthers; Quinn Wright; Platinmum S4 – Darcey Adam; Rebecca Cunningham; Calum Ferguson; Megan Hunter; Blair Jones; Lydia Lydon; Kieran Stewart; Jenna Weir; S5 – Boston Blair; Olivia Hall; Eilidh MacLennan; Teegan McKay; Rose Sinclair; Jude Smith; Jay Tapping; S6 – Cameron Croall; Emma Finlay; Amy Gladstone; Jodie Gilbert; Caitlin Girvan; Luke Nelson; Louis Smith; Gold Award for 100% attendance S4 – Holly Agnew; Euan Arthur; Calum Davidson; Jennifer Hall; Bryon Irvine; Jamie McClung; Ben McKean; Sam Muir; S5 – Alicia Barrett; Coll Braid; Rachel Chung; Callum Deal; Luke Harvie; Callum Hunter;Rachel Laird; Matthew Lipsett; Teegan McKay; Sophie Robertson; Sean Russell; Jude Smith; S6 – Adam Fairlie; Stuartie Wright; UK Intermediate Maths Challenge Bronze – Jessica Bailey; Jenna Donald; Calum Ferguson; Rachel Hopkins; Chloe Johnston; Ben McKean; Melissa McLuckie; Sam Muir; Emma Purves; Holly Tetlow; Connor Thomson; Dylan Waddell; Anna Wood; Silver – Joshua Blyth; British Sign Language Awards Level 1 – Aimee Condron; Calum Hunter; Alexander Johnson; William MacLean; Ellie McCormack; Duke of Edinburgh Awards Bronze – Darcey Adam; Bryce Bissett; Eilidh Black; Megan Broadley; Cara Brodie; Chloe Brown; Kirsty Carson; Katy Davidson; Freya Deal; Rachel Ferguson; Jennifer Hall; Adam MacDonald; Erin McGurgan; Sarah Murdoch-Burt; Orla Park; Eve Pearson; Lisa Watt; Young Applicants in School Scheme (YASS) – Ryan Ferguson; Yasmine Johnstone; Eleanor Laing; Jenna Smith; Sports Leaders UK – Eva Adrian; Kaleem Anwar; Douglas Beattie; Boston Blair; Kristopher Cooke; Alice Dunn; Cameron Fleming; Olivia Hall; Cameron Heggie; Matthew Hoy; Callum Hunter; Jack Johnston; Rachel Laird; Jane McGuire; Jacob McLuckie; James Morrison; Kyle Neary; Hazel Neill; Ciara Robertson; Sophie Robertson; Sean Russell; Shannon Ryan; Jack Shand; Rose Sinclair; Serena Sportelli; Josh Whittet; S4 Subject Awards: Application of Mathematics – Sophie Burnett; Art & Design – Kirsty Carson; Computing – Sam Muir; Dance – Chloe Johnston; Design & Manufacture – Bryce Bissett; Drama – Abby White; English – Freya Deal; Health & Food Technology – Jennifer Hall; History – Orla Park; Modern Studies – Kieran Stewart; Music – Andrew Hannon; Mr & Mrs Elder Prize for Physical Education – Calum Ferguson; Practical Cookery – Jessica Bailey; Spanish – Rebecca Cunningham; Biology – Lydia Lydon; RMPS – Lydia Lydon; Administration & IT – Jenna Donald; The Wm Miller Memorial Prize for Chemistry (Joint) – Jenna Donald & Joshua Blyth; Geography (Joint) – Jenna Donald & Lisa Watt; Business Management – Lisa Watt; French – Lisa Watt; Engineering Science – Joshua Blyth; Graphic Communication – Joshua Blyth; Mathematics – Joshua Blyth; Physics – Joshua Blyth; S5 Subject Awards: Administration & IT – Abby Fulton; Biology – Sophie Robertson; Business Management – Dylan Moodie; Dance – Tylier Hutchison; Drama – Sean Russell; French – Aaron Laurie; Music – Kerr McLaren; Practical Cake Craft (Joint) Rachel Eckford & Louise Logan; Spanish – Callum Hunter; Physical Education –Chantel Thomson; English (Joint) Douglas Beattie & James Morrison; Art & Design – Chiara Watt; Graphic Communication –Chiara Watt; Computing –Matthew Lipsett; Syngenta Prize for Geography – Matthew Lipsett; Elma Steel Prize for History – Rachel Laird; Modern Studies – Rachel Laird; J M Haig Prize for Chemistry – James Morrison; Engineering Science – James Morrison; J Martin Miller Prize for Mathematics – James Morrison; Physics – James Morrison; S6 Subject Awards: Art & Design – Anna Whyte; Administration & IT – Elliott Snaddon; Business Management –Guy Winning; English (Advanced Higher) – Katie Knight; Graphic Communication (Advanced Higher) – Sam MacLeod; History (Advanced Higher) – Sophie Day; Modern Studies (Advanced Higher) – Eleanor Laing; Psychology – Chloe Young; RMPS – Amy Gladstone; Spanish (Advanced Higher) – Kieran Upfold; Accounting – Rachel Wood; Geography (Advanced Higher) – Rachel Wood; Biology (Advanced Higher) – Ryan Ferguson; Calor Gas Prize for Chemistry – Ryan Ferguson; Drama – Bradley Snow; Health & Food Technology – Bradley Snow; Dr W Riggs Prize for Advanced Higher Mathematics – Charlie Kinnon; Dr W Riggs Prize for Physics – Charlie Kinnon; Design & Manufacture – Louis Smith; Engineering Science (Advanced Higher) – Louis Smith; Practical Woodwork – Louis Smith; Service Awards, My World of Work Ambassador – Nimi Akindele; Rowan Burrow; Jodie Gilbert; Amy Guerts; Yasmine Johnstone; Lucy Kelso; Amy Robb; Digital Leader – Christopher Boyne; Calum Davidson; Jack Huskie; Emily Robertson (Silver IDEA Award); Josh Whittet; Work Based Learning – Aimee Alexander; Health Faculty – Eabha Kerr; Michael Rice; Abby Rutter; Louis Smith; The Andrew Scott Memorial Trophy for Senior Boys Tug of War Team – Campbell House, collected by Adam Qurban & Jack Johnston; Sports Day Trophy – Campbell House, collected by Callum Hunter & Sophie Robertson; The John Alexander Memorial House Trophy – Campbell House collected by Kaleem Anwar & Kerr McLaren; The Eco Citizenship Award – Sophie Day & Kieran Upfold; The Sylvia Wilson Memorial Trophy for Service to the School Show – Ruth Easton, Glen Graham & John Kemp; The Lynn Black Cup for Excellence on Two Instruments – Chloe Brown;

The Robertson Trophy for Excellence in Performing Arts – Sean Russell; The Tom Hunter Memorial Trophy

for Photography – Glen Graham; The Mr Miller Prize for Industry & Perseverance – Senior Award – Levi Hannah; The Stuart McDonald Trophy for Endeavour in Technical Subjects – Kieran Walsh; The Miss Hunter Prize for Determination & Effort – Jessica Bailey; The Moira Dunn Trophy for Resilience – Jamie McClung; The Cathie Finestone Shield for Promoting Communication & Understanding of other Languages and Cultures – Calum Hunter; The Duncan McClements Memorial Trophy for Service – Ruth Easton; The Duncan Clark Prize for Public Speaking – Sophie Day & Katie Knight; The Invicem Servite Trophy for Service – Yasmine Johnstone; The Head Teacher’s Prize for Service – Jenna Smith & Louis Smith; The Walter Niven Memorial Prize, Falkirk High School Vice Captains 2019/20 – Karina Borg-Grech; Skye Burnside; Cole Cattanach; Callum Hunter; Rachel Laird; Aaron Laurie; Catherine Pollock; Sean Russell; Rose Sinclair;

Lauren Sneddon; The School Captains’ Prize 2018/19 – Jenna Smith, Louis Smith; The Centenary Trophy, School Captains 2019/20 – Boston Blair, Alice Dunn; The Joint Prize of Proxime Accessit – Rachel Laird & Chiara Watt; The George C McKenzie Memorial Prize, dux of Falkirk High School – James Morrison.