Summer Newsletter 2012

Friends’ School LisburnFriends’ School Lisburn Summer Newsletter 2012Summer Newsletter 2012

Mr Michael Waring Mr Michael Waring, Head of the Art Department, also joined the staff of Friends’ School in 1978, beginning his career working with Mrs Barbara Smyth. Mr Waring became Head of the Department in 1992 and, in this role, built on the reputation the Art Department at Friends’ School enjoys not only for achieving the highest standards but also in nurturing creativity and providing pupils with the foundation for successful and fulfilling careers in the arts. The beautiful artwork on display around School reflects the talent fostered in the Department. Mr Waring’s work extended beyond the classroom. As a Year Teacher, he was meticulous in following the progress of the pupils in his care and in seeking to support each one. For a number of years, he took part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, and he also ran a Camera Club. His own skills in photography were evident in striking covers he produced for a number of school publications. Mr Waring’s contribution is interwoven into the fabric of school life and he has our very best wishes for the future. Mrs Lois Bailie Mrs Lois Bailie joined the staff of Friends’ School in 1978, immediately after qualifying, as a teacher of General Science, specialising in Biology. Her thorough, practical and hard working approach made her a valued colleague. Mrs Bailie’s roles as an Assistant Timetabler and as Co-ordinator of Health Education only served to underline her contribution to teaching at Friends’. Mrs Bailie played a full part in the wider life of the School. Her understanding and care for pupils perhaps grew from her work as a resident Boarding Mistress in the Boarding Department in the early years of her time here and the good relationships she enjoyed with those she taught were a natural consequence of her involvement in extra

curricular activities, whether through science or with the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Lois Bailie has our very best wishes for the years to come. Mr Terry Jones Mr Terry Jones, Senior Teacher, joined the staff at Friends’ from Antrim Grammar School as Head of the English Department in 1996. At the heart of his teaching was an abiding love of literature, an endless enthusiasm for books and reading, that enriched and enlivened all in his classroom over the years. At the heart of his work in School were kindness, warmth and good sense – qualities that drew the best from pupils and fostered the good relationships so important in our community. A man with many interests, those good relationships extended throughout the staff at Friends’ and Terry Jones was a most highly valued colleague and friend. Calm and steadfast in upholding what is really important in education, Terry Jones made an immense contribution and his example will be a pattern for those who worked with him here in years to come. There is no doubt that retirement will be busy and fulfilling and Terry Jones has our thanks and very best wishes for the future. Mrs Geraldine Hill Mrs Geraldine Hill first joined the Art Department in 2004, teaching for one day a week. Mrs Hill was a talented and creative teacher and always sought to develop the skills of the junior pupils in her classes across a range of media. In that way she enabled those who might not have thought themselves gifted artistically to produce work of which they could be proud. Mrs Hill has our best wishes for the future.

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Mr Michael Waring Mr Terry Jones

Staff News

Summer Newsletter 2012

Mrs Arlene Hannigan Mrs Arlene Hannigan left at the end of the summer term, having taught part-time in the Home Economics Department for nine years. Mrs Hannigan had also taught Religious Studies and Learning for Life and Work to junior pupils during her time at Friends’. Thanks were expressed to Mrs Hannigan for her enthusiasm and hard work, her good cheer and her willingness always to be of assistance. Mrs Gina Millen Also departing is Mrs Gina Millen, who has enjoyed such success coaching netball at Friends’. The Northern Ireland netball finals held at Alpha Badminton Club at Easter this year illustrated the strength of netball at Friends’ – with the Minor Team in the Plate Final, the Intermediate Team winning the Northern Ireland Cup and the Senior ‘A’ team narrowly losing the Northern Ireland Cup final. Moreover, earlier in the season, the Senior ‘A’ team had won the Northern Ireland League final. Such strength is due in no small part to Mrs Millen’s dedication and hard work and the way in which she could inspire the girls. There is no doubting the affection and respect in which she is held. Mrs Millen hopes to be able to work with the Senior team next year and has our very best wishes for the future. Temporary Members of Staff At Final Assembly pupils expressed their thanks to a number of members of staff who had been teaching at Friends’ in a temporary capacity over the last year. Goodbye was said to Mr David Bolton, who taught Junior Technology part-time and who undertook the duties of our Technology Technician, Mr Paul Hunter, during his absence in the earlier part of the year. Mr Bolton also assisted with boys’ hockey. Appreciation was expressed to Mrs Alison Green, who was covering the maternity leave of Mrs Ciara Lowe in the English Department and who had helped

with debating and public speaking in School. A fond farewell was also said to Mr Jonathan McNerlin, who taught in the Chemistry Department during the maternity leave of Dr Sarah Collins and who also coached rugby and cricket. Staff Appointments Ms Paula McPoland has been appointed Head of the Art Department. Mr Robert Murray will join the Art Department from Methodist College in September as a teacher of Art and Design and will also prepare for the introduction of Moving Image Arts at GCSE level in September 2013. Mr Gareth Davidson will teach Business Studies during the 2012-2013 school year during the maternity leave of Mrs Ashea Bell. Pupil Appointments Following consultation with Year 13 pupils and with staff, the following pupil appointments were made for the 2012-2013 school year. Head Boy: John Logan, Head Girl: Courtney Johnston Deputy Head Boys: Peter Ferguson, Matthew Getty, Ross Robinson and Nathan Steenson Deputy Head Girls: Courtney Hill, Flora Lawson, Julie-Anne Maxwell and Keady Smith Final Assembly Awards In Final Assembly, presentations were made to the top boy and girl in each year group in the Key Stage 3 examinations. The McNally Award, for academic achievement in Year 8, was presented to the top boy and girl in the year – Lauren Irwin and Joel Dawson. Alexandra Hunter and Matthew Lewis were the top achieving pupils in

Final Assembly Awards

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Academic Achievement, Year 8: Lauren Irwin & Joel Dawson Year 9: Alexandra Hunter & Matthew Lewis

Summer Newsletter 2012

Year 9 and, in Year 10, the awards were presented to Susanna Montgomery, John Dawson and James Milliken. Sharon Savage Award for Creative Writing In the Junior School, the prize for creative writing was awarded to Andrew Gordon of Year 8 and, in the Senior School, to Brendan Corr, Year 13. Junior Debating Society The Club Members’ Cup was shared between Ben Sidor, Year 8, and Andrew Joyce, Year 9. The Beth McFarland Speakers’ Trophy was awarded to Ross Welsh, Year 9, with Ruth Wells, Year 10, receiving a Certificate of Commendation. The Boarding Staff Shield for Endeavour in KS3 was awarded to Ross Irwin, Year 10. The Big Pedal Over 100 pupils cycled to School on 21 March as part of ‘The Big Pedal’ initiative. Such were the numbers taking part that Friends’ was one of the winners of the competition. The School received a Big Pedal trophy, 12

copies of the book ‘The Boy who Biked the World’ by Alastair Humphreys and two BMX bikes from Halfords. The Eco Committee was behind our participation and has been working to promote environmental awareness in School. Lisburn City Annual Arts Competition The Art and English Departments in School entered the Visual Arts, Short Story and Poetry categories in the Lisburn City Arts competition for local schools and Friends’ was placed 1st overall in each of the three sections. John Dawson, Year 10, won the Outstanding Individual Award for Short Story writing with a wonderful homage to one of his favourite writers, Arthur Conan Doyle. John’s “new” Sherlock Holmes’ tale was characterised by a faithful recreation of Conan Doyle’s famous detective stories in terms of style and atmosphere but wittily spiced with a cheeky humorous tone, absent even from the originals. Year 11 pupil Emma Stewart won the Outstanding Individual Award for Visual Art with her powerful piece based on a photograph she took of a group of children she had met when visiting the remote village of East Tsavo when in Kenya with her family several years ago. Emma decided to make the pastel study as part of her Core Portfolio for her GCSE in Art and Design. She was delighted to see that her art work had been framed for the ceremony. Prizewinners from Friends’ were as follows: Visual Arts Competition Year 9 1st David Elliott HC Susannah Boyce Year 10 1st Gemma Sefton HC Susan Rutter Year 11 1st Emma Stewart 2nd Sarah-Jane Jamieson

The Big Pedal

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Academic Achievement, Year 10 : Susannah Montgomery, James Milliken & John Dawson

Some of the pupils who took part in the Big Pedal

Summer Newsletter 2012

HC Arianne McCracken Year 12 1st Paula McMenamin Poetry Competition Year 8 1st Mark Woods 2nd Lucy Fitzpatrick Year 9 2nd Carlie Rosbotham HC Emily Simpson Year 10 1st Susanna Montgomery 2nd Katie Walker Short Story Year 10 1st John Dawson HC Emma Rutter Texaco Children’s Art Competition Two Year 10 pupils, Zara Scott and Alex Taylor, were awarded Certificates of Commendation in the Texaco Junior Art Competition, reaching the final stages of the judging process. There were over 26000 entries in the competition. Music Department Spring Concert The Music Department put on a varied programme of music at the Spring concert, held on 17 April. The concert, which was organised by Mrs Niamh Blakeman, Head of Department, was well attended and involved very many pupils from all year groups in School.

Model United Nations George Watson’s College MUN A delegation from Friends’ took part in the George Watson’s College Model United Nations conference over the weekend of 23-25 March. All delegates performed very well, with the following receiving awards: Best Delegate: Stephanie McKeown, Emily Smith and Daniel Saunders Highly Commended: Amy Kerr Commended: Mark Moorhead, Charlotte McCausland and Sarah Whittaker Wallace High School MUN Twenty students competed at a Model United Nations conference at Wallace High School on Wednesday 28 March. The following students were awarded Best Delegate status: Katherine Bradfield representing Chile, Caroline Finney representing Pakistan, Niamh Toland representing Greece and Brooke Watson representing Pakistan. Sentinus Tomorrow’s Engineers A team of Sixth Form pupils, Sarah Graham, John Logan, Gareth Mercer and Ben Smith, took part over the year in the Sentinus Team R & D programme, working with David McIlhagger of Thales UK plc and Mrs Claire Kingston of the Physics Department. The pupils presented their work

Model United Nations

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Lisburn City Annual Arts Competition Prize Winners

Summer Newsletter 2012

at the Braid Centre, Ballymena, on 24 April and shortly afterwards were delighted to learn that they had been awarded Gold Crest certificates for the high standard of their work. Junior Maths Challenge In the Junior Mathematics Challenge, held in April 2011, Year 8 and 9 pupils received 9 Gold, 30 Silver and 61 Bronze certificates. Gold certificate winners were Alexandra Hunter, Ben Spiers, Ben Faulkner, Lauren Irwin, Conal McKee, Ethan McGee, Sabaa Omer, Matthew Mackinnon and Michael Thompson. Alexandra Hunter and Ben Spiers won Best in School certificates. John rises to the Maths Challenge There has been further success in Mathematics for Year 10 pupil John Dawson. After gaining a Gold Medal in the United Kingdom Intermediate Maths Challenge, John was invited to take part in the UK Intermediate Mathematical Olympiad. For the Olympiad, John sat a challenging two hour Maths paper along with pupils across the United Kingdom up to two years older than himself. John rose to the challenge and was awarded a Certificate of Distinction and a Gold Medal for his score on the paper, gaining one of the top 100 results out of 1600 entries overall in the Olympiad. United Kingdom Mathematics Trust Team Challenge A team of junior pupils, Ben Spiers and Jinkun Zhong from Year 9 and Andrew Murphy and John Dawson from Year 10, took part in the Northern Ireland regional finals of the United Kingdom Maths Team Challenge. Competing against 17 schools from across Northern Ireland, the team finished in first place, repeating the success of last year’s team. At the end of June the pupils travelled over to London to take part in the United Kingdom finals. Competing against 80 schools, the Friends’ team finished in a creditable 30th place. Visit of Sandy Spring Friends’ School 16 Sixth Formers from Sandy Spring Friends’ School

visited School on Monday 26 March. The Sixth Formers, along with two members of staff, were coming to the end of a two week tour of Ireland and the visit to Friends’ gave them the chance to see the differences and similarities of education in a Quaker school this side of the Atlantic. The pupils divided up to spend time in Sixth Form classes and then had a tour of the School, including the Prep Department and the Meeting House. Athletics District Athletics Championships Friends’ pupils enjoyed a successful day at the District Athletics Championships, with a number gaining medals for their performances. Results were as follows: Minis Rachel Barnes 1st in both 100m & Shot Bradley Mulholland 1st in 100m and 4th in 800m Joshua Armstrong 2nd in High Jump Connor Mason 6th in Shot Ross Gillespie 4th in Long Jump Joshua Armstrong 6th in Long Jump Sophie Clarke 5th in 100m The Minor Girls Relay Team – Rachel Barnes, Sophie Clarke, Tori McGrady and Amy Brown finished 1st

Maths Challenge

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MUN Wallace Conference Delegates UK Maths Challenge Gold Certificate Winners

Sandy Spring Friends’ School visitors

Summer Newsletter 2012

Juniors Mollie Newell 1st in 100m & 2nd in 200m Ryan Hall 1st in 200m and 5th in 100m Zoe Carruthers 2nd in 1500m Chantelle McFadden 2nd in both Long Jump & 100m Eve McCready 3rd in Shot Rheo Hue 3rdin Javelin Lara Hall 4th in High Jump Rian McGoldrick 6th in 800m Eve McCready 6th in 200m Holly Beckett 6th in 800m Sophie Reid 6th in Discus The Junior Girls Relay team – Mollie Newell, Eve McCready, Chantelle McFadden, Naimh Porter finished 2nd. Intermediates Charis Graham 1st in Discus Sarah Coll 1st in High Jump Katie Arthur 1st in Shot & 2nd in Javelin Chloe Howes 1st in 100m & 200m Jessica Robinson 3rdin 200m and 5th in 100m Lee-Anne Reid 3rdin 800m Lauren Gourley 4th in 1500m Emma Stewart 5th in Discus Taylor Muir 5th in Javelin & 6th in 800m Russell Dickson 6th in Long Jump The Intermediate Girls Relay team of Katie Arthur, Chloe

Howes, Lee-Anne Reid and Jessica Robinson finished 2nd. Seniors Chloe Boomer 1st in 100m & 200m Afton Fitzhenry 1st in Javelin Courtney Allister 4th in 1500m The Senior Girls Relay team of Claire McKeag, Kirsty Walker, Paige Brown and Chloe Boomer finished 1st. Team points Mini Girls 2nd with 25 pts Mini Boys 4th with 24 pts Junior Girls 2nd with 51 pts Intermediates Girls 2nd with 65 pts Senior Girls 3rd with 33 pts

Ulster Schools Athletics Championships The Championships were held at the Antrim Forum on 19 May. Results were as follows: Minis Rachel Barnes was 2nd in the Shot and 3rd in the 100m Joshua Armstrong was 2nd in the High Jump Juniors Mollie Newell was 4th in both the 100m and 200m Chantelle McFadden was 4th in the Long Jump and 5th in the 100m Zoe Carruthers was 4th in the 1500m

Athletics

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The Year 9 Athletics Teams

Summer Newsletter 2012

Ryan Hall was 4th in the 200m Rhoe Hue was 6th in the Javelin Intermediates Chloe Howes was 4th in the 200m and 5th in the 100m Katie Arthur was 4th in the Javelin Jesssica Robinson was 7th in the 200m Lee-Anne Reid was 8th in the 800m Sarah Coll was 8th in the High Jump Seniors Chloe Boomer won the 100m and 200m, finishing her school career with ten Gold Medals at Ulster Schools’ level. Afton Fitzhenry was 6th in the Javelin The Mini and Intermediate Girls Relay teams both finished 8th in the final The Junior Girls Relay team finished 4th and the Senior Relay team of Chloe Boomer, Paige Brown, Claire McKeag and Kirsty Walker was 3rd. The Friends’ Girls’ were 4th in Ulster in both the Mini and Junior team event and the Senior Girls finished 6th. This resulted in the Girls amassing 89 points in total to finish 5th in Ulster overall. Irish Schools Athletics Finals As a result of her individual performance in the sprints, Chloe Boomer qualified for her 6th consecutive Irish Schools’ Championships at Tullamore. Katie Arthur also got a late call up for the javelin and Zoe Carruthers, as a result of her excellent performances on the track and in cross country, was invited to run in the U16 Girls’ mile race. Zoe Carruthers finished 3rd, beaten only by girls at least one year older and Katie Arthur was 6th in the Intermediate Javelin with a season’s best throw. Chloe Boomer was 4th in both the 100m and 200m in fast times and, two days later, won both the 100m and 200m titles at the Senior NI Championships – a tremendous achievement. Representative Honours Katie Arthur, Year 11, was selected to represent the Ulster Schools’ Athletics team in the Interprovincial Championships in Dublin. Silver and Gold for Friends’ Year 9 Pupils The Under 14 Northern Ireland team competition is held annually for Year 9 pupils from schools across Northern Ireland and the Friends’ teams showed strength in depth by the quality of their performance throughout the area, district and national finals. To begin with, both the girls and boys won their Area heats against the Lisburn schools. In the Girls competition

there were wins for Rheo Hue, Anna McDermott, Eve McCeady, Mollie Newell and Rosie Henderson and a 2nd place for Rachael Mason. The Relay team, joined by Niamh Porter, also finished in 1st place giving Friends’ a winning points score of 49. The boys were equally dominant in their competition with wins for Owen Beckett, Alexander O’Brien, Curtis Dundas and David Newell, a 2nd place for Adam Scholfield and a 3rd for David Stewart. The boys, joined by Daniel Patterson, also won the Relay, making their winning score 46. This qualified both teams for the District Finals. In the District Finals Rosie Henderson and Niamh Porter were unable to compete. However, Petra Reid stepped up to run the 800m and Elisabeth Morrison came in to the Relay team. The Boys team was unchanged. Despite the improved standard of competition, the boys repeated their performance with a team win whilst the girls finished 2nd. David Newell was 3rd in 100m, David Stewart was 2nd in 800m, Curtis Dundas 3rd in Shot, Owen Beckett 4th in Javelin, Alex O’Brien 2nd in Long Jump, Adam Scholfield 3rd in High Jump and the Relay again 1st. The results for the girls were as follows: Mollie Newell was 1st in 100m, Eve McCready 1st in Shot, Rheo Hue 3rd in Javelin, Anna McDermott 3rd in Long Jump, Petra Reid 4th in 800m, Rachael Mason 4th in High Jump and the Relay Team 2nd . The boys and girls were delighted with their Gold and Silver medals. The following week there was more success to come in the Northern Ireland finals at Antrim Forum where the best teams from all the districts competed for the national titles. Against tough opposition, the boys gained 13 points from the individual events. Alex O’Brien was 7th in Long Jump, David Newell 6th in 100m, David Stewart 3rd in 800m, Curtis Dundas 3rd in Shot, Adam Scholfield 6th in High Jump and Owen Beckett 4th in Javelin. The Relay team, David, Owen, Curtis and Daniel then won a closely contested race meaning that Friends’ School finished in 2nd place overall. In the Girls competition Mollie Newell won the 100m, Rosie Henderson was 2nd in 800m, Eve McCready 4th in Shot, Rachael Mason 5th in High Jump, Anna McDermott 3rd in Long Jump and Rheo Hue 9th in Javelin. Anna, Mollie, Eve and Elisabeth won the Girls’ Relay race which meant that the girls finished in 1st place with 30 points. Medals were received in assembly and U14 Girls’ captain, Mollie Newell, accepted the NI U14 team trophy on behalf of the Girls team, a trophy last won by Friends’ in 2007. As a result of their performances Mollie Newell, Eve McCready, Curtis Dundas, Alex O’Brien and Owen Beckett

Athletics

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Summer Newsletter 2012

Alexandra Hunter, Gareth Hill & Robert Allison

Sports Awards

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were selected to represent District B in the Inter District U14 Team competition. Mollie collected another Gold medal as a member of the winning Girls’ team and Curtis a Bronze medal for the Boys’ team. Sports Awards At Final Assembly at the end of the summer term, the following awards were made: The Moore Trophy, Sports Person of the Year, was shared between Chloe Boomer, Athletics, and Caroline Black, Badminton. Athletics Club Member of the Year: Zoe Carruthers Cricket Bowden Trophy for Endeavour: Peter Ferguson Tennis Keag Cup: Olivia Reid Cricket Cup Competitions In a season badly disrupted by the poor weather, the cricket teams gained the following results in their cup competitions. In the first round of the Schools’ Cup, the Friends’ 1st XI defeated RBAI 2nd XI by 8 wickets with Robert Cumins scoring 61 not out. Unfortunately in the second round the 1st XI lost to a strong Down High team by 6 wickets. The 2nd XI also entered the Schools’ Cup. Dalriada 1st XI conceded in the first round and the 2nds then narrowly lost in the second round by 50 runs against Carrick GS 1st XI. In the Duke of Abercorn 2nd XI competition, which they won in 2011, the 2nd XI lost in the first round to Regent House by 5 wickets. The U15XI reached the quarter final of their Cup competition, defeating Lisneal by 4 wickets with Aaron Martin scoring 59 runs, Patric Cochrane 31 runs and

Melvin Jose taking 3 wickets for 19 runs and RS Dungannon by 108 runs with Patric Cochrane scoring 74 runs & taking 3 wickets for 17 runs and Aaron Martin taking 3 wickets for 16 runs. However, they lost to Methodist College in the quarter final. The Under 14XI defeated RS Armagh by 87 runs in the first round of the Derriaghy Cup but lost to Wallace High School in the second round. The U13XI lost in the first round of the Cup to Campbell College by 63 runs but, defeating Regent House and RS Armagh, reached the final of the Plate competition, only to lose to Methodist College. The U12XI were very unfortunate to meet an excellent Sullivan Upper side in the first round of the Centenary Cup and lost by 49 runs with Ben Thompson taking 5 wickets & Ben McCaughey scoring 19 runs. Swimming Triple success for Alexandra Alexandra Hunter, Year 9, recently enjoyed success at the Ulster Age Group Swimming Championships. Alexandra won three Gold medals with winning swims in the 400m Individual Medley, the 400m Freestyle and the 800m Freestyle, becoming Ulster Champion in the 13 year old girls category. On the strength of her outstanding performances this season Alexandra has been selected for the 2012 Ulster Schools’ Swimming team and will go warm weather training in Tenerife in the autumn. Ulster Youth Swimming Championships In the Ulster Youth Swimming Championships Alexandra Hunter had some very impressive swims, recording new personal bests in almost every event, and came away from the gala with a gold in the 400m freestyle, silver in the 100m butterfly and a further three bronze medals in the 200m butterfly, 200m freestyle and 200m Individual Medley. Robert Allison of Year 12 had personal bests in every race and earned two silver medal positions in the 100m and 200m backcrawl events, and Gareth Hill of Year 10 finished a respectable 4th place in the 100m breaststroke event. Boys Tennis Four tennis teams were entered for the Ulster Schools Cup in the different age groups. Although the teams failed to qualify from their group stages, they deserve

Summer Newsletter 2012

Hockey Representative Honours

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credit for their performances. Worthy of mention are the members of the Senior Team, which defeated Banbridge Academy and Grosvenor Grammar School but lost to the eventual winners of the competition, Bangor Grammar School. Girls Tennis The Year 8 team narrowly failed to progress from their section, losing a play off to Wallace High School. In the semi final of the Plate competition, the girls lost to Down High School. The Junior girls won their section but went out to Victoria College in the quarter finals. After winning their section, the Intermediate girls defeated Belfast Royal Academy in the quarter final, but lost to Strathearn at the semi final stage. Unfortunately the Senior girls didn’t progress through their section, but special mention should be made of Anna Martin for representing the School so well throughout her time at Friends’. Hockey Representative Honours Jack Henderson and Matthew Sullivan were selected for Ireland at Under 16 level in Boys’ Hockey, whilst Andrew Allen was selected for the Irish Under 18 team. Matthew and Jack also travelled to London with the Northern Ireland team for the Sainsburys 2012 School Games. Patric Cochrane, Aaron Martin, Thomas Mathewson and

James Milliken were selected for an Ulster U15 Development Squad, playing the Scotland U16 team. Rosie Henderson, Year 9, was selected for the Ulster U15 Development Squad, travelling to Holland with the team. Reunion of Old Scholar Hockey Internationals The rich heritage of sporting talent at Friends’ School was evident when the School held a reunion recently of senior international hockey players who attended School over the last seven decades. Thanks to Arthur Chapman and Brown Shaw, a unique record of the sport at Friends’ has been preserved in the School’s archive room, and there was much laughter and reminiscence as the visitors looked through a display of old photographs, newspaper articles and the detailed handwritten notebooks kept by coaches J A Benington, F G Shier and Brown Shaw himself over the years. There was particular pleasure in welcoming Ken Haughton, a member of the 1940 Burney Cup winning team, who travelled up from Dublin for the reunion. Ken Haughton played for the 1st XI when he was in the First Form at Friends’ and, remarkably, was given a trial for the Ulster interprovincial team in the same year, being nicknamed ‘The Mighty Atom’ in the local press. Also present at the reunion were Brown Shaw, Walter Mercer and Peter Wilkin, who played for Ireland in the

Thomas Mathewson (Year 11), James Milliken (Year 10), Aaron Martin (Year 11) & Patric Cochrane who were selected the Ulster U15 Development Squad

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Internationals’ Reunion 1960s, Julian Stevenson and Brian Waring, who played for Ireland in the 1990s and the 2000s and Caroline McGall, who, as Caroline Craig, was capped for Ireland 84 times. Jim Kirkwood’s tally of caps for Ireland and Great Britain tops 170, including playing for the Great Britain side which won Gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and he was delighted to meet up with others who had begun their hockey playing careers at Friends’. Current Irish international Jonny Bell was unable to attend as he was away on international duty and best wishes for the

occasion were sent from abroad by Derek Shaw and Eric Priestley. The Old Scholars had particular pleasure in meeting up with this season’s 1st XI hockey Captains and Vice Captains at Friends’, Kirsty Walker and Victoria Kirkwood and Robert Cumins and Haddyn Cartmill, making the link between past and present and providing plenty of inspiration for the future.

Celebrating our Heritage...Building for the Future

Past Internationals and present 1st XI pupils with Elizabeth Dickson

Astro Appeal

Friends’ School has launched an appeal to build an Astroturf hockey pitch at School. With the theme, Celebrating our Heritage…Building for the Future, the project aims to continue to enhance the facilities we offer our pupils at School. The appeal aims to reach out to as many people connected with the School as possible. There is pride in the achievements of our former pupils and the archive material on our website www.fslastro.com is sure to be of interest to many. On this site our YouTube video of Friends’ School cupwinning sides can also be viewed. The School has set up a site for online donations at www.justgiving.com/fslastro as a way of sharing and encouraging others to donate.