Newsletter (full version)

Pupil achievement
Queen Baton Relay Events
Well done to the Young Leaders from Prestwick Academy who took part
in Queens Baton Relay events at Rozelle towards the end of last session.
The Young Leaders support was invaluable and they are a huge credit to
Prestwick Academy. Attached are some photo’s from the Rozelle event of
Prestwick Academy pupils.
5 a Side Football Success
Last session, S2 pupil Jenna Gazem took part in a national 5 a side football
tournament in Glasgow for deaf teenagers. Jenna played for Renayr United.
The team was made up of school pupils from all across Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire. They played nine games in total, winning eight games and drawing
one game. The team were very successful and won the tournament. Who
said Friday the 13th was unlucky! (Well, it was for all of the other teams)
Jenna also participated in a six week sailing course at Prestwick sailing club in May and June. She had
not sailed before but very quickly found her sea legs. The skills she learned over the six week course
included naming all parts of a sailing dinghy, tying a figure of eight knot, setting up the dinghy and
learning how to sail a Lazer Bahia dinghy single – handed.
At the end of the course Jenna was presented the bronze award by Gerry Hughes, first deaf sailor to
sail round the world single- handled.
Pupil achievement
Scottish Kodu Kup
Congratulations to James Duncan, Ethan Summers and Jack
Harkness of S2 ,aka Pixel Army, who took part in the first ever
Scottish Kodu Kup. The three boys created a game using Microsoft Kodu called Element Racers, they presented this to judges at West College Scotland, Paisley and came in a respectable
3rd place winning a bronze medal and a host of Microsoft goodies including 2 Xbox controllers and a Kinect for the school.
Sports Success
Congratulations to Andrew Peck S4 who won 3 more gold medals at the
Scottish National Age Group Championships up in Aberdeen, in the U15
boys category, on Sunday 24th August . These were for Hammer, Shot
Put and Discus
He also represented Scotland U16s at Discus in the Celtic Games in
Dublin.
Geographers Go Outdoors!
Since May, many young Geographers from Prestwick have had the opportunity to take part in
a range of fieldwork activities: our N4 and 5 classes have investigated Glasgow’s Central Business District and the growth of housing on the Green Belt; Higher students have been out investigating rivers in Galloway Forest Park; Higher and Advanced Higher classes have also completed a range of topics at Culzean and S2 pupils have been exploring their local environment.
The field study has now become an essential component of the new SQA examinations with
assignments contributing from 25% to 40% of the final exam mark. Students in National 4, 5
and Higher will be busy over this term completing a ‘write up’ to describe and explain their
results. Last session students performed extremely well in the new Nationals using their field
studies to boost their final grades.
Pupil achievement
Mini-Trials news story
by Jessica Hartshorn (4T2)
Prestwick Academy pupils went to Ayrshire court for a series of mini-trials against other schools
in the area. It was an enjoyable experience, with our team winning one trial as defence team and
losing another as the prosecution.
In the first fictional court case, our team first had to defend a 17-year-old student (Joan) who
was accused of a knife attack. Two of our pupils (Abigail McDonald and David Laird) were defending Joan who was played also by one of our pupils (Jessica Hartshorn). Joan’s alibi was
that she was bird-watching with her friend Leslie. The prosecuting team was Queen Margaret
Academy in Ayr. Prestwick Academy won this trial with the majority voting for not enough evidence, this means the jury acquitted and Joan was freed of all charges made against her on this
case. She was free to go home.
The second trial involved a drug crime, with Prestwick Academy being the prosecution. In the
second fictional court case, a well-known drug dealer gave a package to a passer-by and, according to two undercover police witnesses, think they saw the passer-by give the drug dealer money. The fictional passer-by (Patrick) claimed not to know that in fact in the package that he had
got given was in fact ecstasy a Class A drug. Apparently Patrick was giving the package to the
bouncer and claims not to have given the bouncer any money.
His alibi was that he has no money but was at a charity event and was drinking with friends.
Suspicious, well not to the jury. Carrick Academy did a fantastic job of getting their client out of
a 15 year jail sentence for drug possession with-the-intent-to-supply. Patrick pleaded not guilty
by the jury and was made free and got freed of all the charges so was free to go home.
After the two trials had been finished we had a question - answer session with a real judge. We
were able to ask questions to do with their job. It was a very exciting day at Ayr Sheriff Court,
which for many of us proved inspirational. For others, it gave a real insight into a possible future
career path after school.
Pupils involved were as follows:
S4 Pupils:
Daniel Beck
Eve Blaikie
Eilidh Cameron
Kiran Chahal
Shannon Dewar
Morven Findlay
Charlie Hamilton
Jessica Hartshorn
Abbie McDonald
Louise Noon
S5/6 Pupils:
Sarah Anderson
David Laird
Dylan Welsh
Pupil achievement
RBS Enterprise Maths Challenge Winners!!
On Wednesday 8th October, 12 pupils from 3rd year competed against other South Ayrshire schools in the
RBS Enterprise Challenge. Both teams were successful in getting to the final with one team winning the
whole competition and bringing the shield back to the school!
The teams had to plan, design, and budget for a wedding event using the materials given to them. They
were then judged on their team working, time management, communication, creativity and budgeting
skills. Well done to all those involved.
Lauren Apicella 3H2
Katie Mathieson 3T1
Niamh Egan 3E1
Alison Malcolm 3T2
Holly Sherry 3E1
Adam Sturgeon 3S2
Natalie Bromley 3H1 Hannah McCluckie 3T1
Brogan Tierney 3S2
Amy Ross 3L1
Yvonne Hoffin 3L1
Jenny Scott 3T2
Young Sports Coach Award
Amy McLeod 6S1 has been awarded the young sports coach of the
year award by South Ayrshire Council. Her passion is dancing and to
achieve this award she has given up her own time to teach dance to
some local primary schools supported by the Active schools coordinator. She taught some Primary 1 and 2 pupils a routine to perform at Rozelle park for the Queen’s Baton Relay festival. She herself
performed at this. She organised a big dance pledge. Within the
school she organised and held an active girls day where senior pupils
signed up for a variety of dance classes. The local paper became involved. She is currently involved in primary transition where she is
teaching dance to groups of primary school pupils within Prestwick
Academy and last week she very successfully took a group of 30 primary 3 pupils. Over the coming year she will continue with the transition program.
Design & technology news
St Ay
iff B
les Sk
oat
The T
eam!
Prestwick Academy’s Design & Technology department will be in partnership with the Scottish Maritime
Museum in Irvine and the Duke of Edinburgh Award to build a St Ayles Skiff and create a Prestwick Coastal
Rowing Club.
The St Ayles Skiff is 22ftin length, with a beam of 5’8″. The standard Crew is four rowers, each with a single oar, and a coxswain.
The St Ayles is not something you just buy off the shelf. It is supplied in a kit form, which means that the
basic hull shape and dimensions will be the same for each boat. However, a great deal of work goes into
trans-forming sheets of precut plywood parts into the graceful shape of a St Ayles skiff. There will be areas for the pupils and volunteers to show their design skills to make the Prestwick Skiff unique. It’s that
work which is enormously re-warding, and will be manufactured by the pupils and the community volunteers of Prestwick.
The concept has been a remarkable success and has now attracted worldwide attention with communities
building and rowing St Ayles skiffs in USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, the Netherlands and
England. In Scotland, there are about 100 boats built, and in South Ayrshire Schools two have been built
in Marr College, one in Carrick Academy and in Girvan Academy who all row every week.
Scottish Coastal rowing website for further information. http://scottishcoastalrowing.org/
Watch this space for progress!
NEW HOUSE TEAMS
ERISKAY HOUSE TEAM - Congratulations to our new House Team and a huge thank you to everyone who
came forward for interview. We heard many excellent ideas over the two days of interviews.
House Captains :
Rhanna Orr 6E1 & David Laird 6E1
Peer Helper Coordinator :
Ryan Laverie 6E1
Pupil Voice Coordinator :
Robyn McAlpine 6E2
Vice Captain:
Robyn Connor 5E1
Vice Captain:
Ben Lomako 5E1
HARRIS HOUSE TEAM – Congratulations to our the first ever Harris House S6 Team and huge thank you
to everyone who came forward for interview.
House Captains :
Andie McConnell 6H1 & Alison Leckie 6H1
Peer Helper Coordinator :
Ryan Johnston 6H1
Pupil Voice Coordinator :
Kerrie Davidson 6H1
Vice Captain:
Olivia Martin 5H1
Vice Captain
Aiden Anderson 5H2
LEWIS HOUSE TEAM – Lewis House is delighted to announce our S6 team as follows:
House Captains:
Scott Jamieson 6L1 & Dylan Welsh 6L1
Peer Helper Coordinator:
Charlie McConnell 6L1
Pupil Voice Coordinator:
Kelsey Green 6L1
Vice Captain:
Chloe White 5L1
Vice Captain:
Nicky Snaddon 5L2
TIREE HOUSE - Congratulations to the first ever Tiree House S6 Team and a huge thank you to all the candidates who performed very well in the interview.
House Captains:
Fraser Cameron 6T1 & Zoe Forrest 6T1
Peer Helper Coordinator:
Richard Howie 6T1
Pupil Voice Coordinator:
Lauren Kirk 6T1
Vice Captain:
Fiona Malcolm 5T1
Vice Captain:
Louis McIntosh 5T1
SKYE HOUSE – Skye House is delighted to announce our S6 team as follows:
House Captains:
Tori Gourlay 6S1 & Lauren Webster 6S1
Peer Helper Coordinator:
Kitty McLaughlan 6S1
Pupil Voice Coordinator:
Claire Robinson 6S1
Vice Captain:
Lauren McBlain 5S1
Vice Captain:
Mark Muir 5S1
Social information
Extra-Curricular Activities 2014-2015
The following activities take place in the PE department.
Monday:
Before School (8am)
Lunch Time (Games Hall)
Lunch Time (Gym Hall)
After School
S1/S2 Volleyball
S1/S2 (Boys) Volleyball
S1-S6 Cross Country
S1/S2 Volleyball
Tuesday:
Lunch Time (Games Hall)
Lunch Time (Fitness Suite)
Lunch Time (Gym Hall)
After School
S1/S2 (Girls) Volleyball
S1 Boys
S1 Basketball
S1/S2 Basketball
Wednesday:
Lunch Time (Fitness Suite)
Lunch Time (Gym Hall)
After School User
S1 Girls
S1 Boys Volleyball
S1/S2 Netball
Thursday:
Lunch Time (Games Hall)
Lunch Time (Gym Hall)
Lunch Time (Outside)
After School
S1/S2 Basketball
S1 Girls Volleyball
S3/S4 Girls Hockey
Badminton
Christmas Party Dates
S1/S2 Party
Thursday 11th December
S3/S4 Party
Monday 15th December
S5/S6 Party
Wednesday 17th December
Inter-House Games
Our PE Department organised the new Inter-House activities for the whole school during the week before the October holiday, with points going towards the new ‘house points system’.
All pupils from S1 to S6 competed in games for their respective houses. Games included football,
hockey, badminton and fitness. The games created a fantastic friendly yet competitive atmosphere in
the PE department and around the school as pupils were eager to do their best for their house. Congratulations to pupils in Eriskay House for coming first in the October Series. The games will return
before the Christmas break when pupils will have another opportunity to strive for success in different
activities.
Position
House
Points Total
1st
Eriskay
205
2nd
Tiree
165
3rd
Lewis
140
4th
Skye
105
5th
Harris
80
Pupil achievement
Congratulations to Prestwick Academy pupils
Amy Cairns and Fern Murphy, both S4, who won
the Victim Support Public Speaking competition
at the University of the West of Scotland
Wednesday 19th November. They spoke on the
theme of “Off the Rails” and were a credit to
themselves and the school.
COMPUTING SUCCESS
Pupils in the Computing Department recently took part in the UK Bebras Challenge. The challenge is
designed to test a pupil’s ability to solve problems using computational thinking skills. Computational
thinking involves using a set of problem-solving skills and techniques that software engineers use to
write programs and apps. These skills are not only relevant to Computing Science but to a wide range
of subjects and careers. Pupils were placed in one of three age categories and assigned a set of graded challenges which they had to complete in 40 minutes.
Best in school certificates will be awarded to the following pupils:Andrew Shaw
Max Stewart
Mairi MacCormick
5L1
3T2
2H1
A massive well done to Andrew Shaw who achieved full marks and will have his name and school displayed on the UK Bebras Hall of Fame web page http://www.beaver-comp.org.uk/hall-of-fame.html
Pupil achievement
The Young Fundraisers of Prestwick Academy 2014
Prestwick Academy’s fundraising team of sixth years led by Miss Campbell and Miss Patterson from Business Education have made it out of the most hectic two weeks on the school calendar alive. Friday 14 th November was a busy day for the school which was vibrant with activities taking place throughout the day to
raise funds for Children In Need. From sponging and leg waxing teachers and a bake sale, to face painting,
and pupils versus teachers’ volleyball and basketball matches, the pupils had a fantastic fun-filled day making donations which totalled at £1834.18. Thirteen Young Fundraisers pupils were lucky enough to be given
the opportunity to head up to Glasgow on the Friday evening to visit the BBC studios and spend the night as
part of the live audience being filmed with Jackie Bird, making appearances on screen during both Friday
and Saturday’s shows.
Moving on swiftly, the team had to prepare for and finish organising one of the key events of the school
year: the charity fashion show. This year’s show – that filled the academy’s assembly hall to the brims on
Thursday 20th November – was in support of The Brain Tumour Charity and Anxiety UK, raising a grand total
of £2231.70 which will be distributed equally between the two charities.
Professional photography was done during the evening by Air Image; there were speeches from representatives of both charities, Viv McBeth from The Brain Tumour Charity and Neil Cuthbert on behalf of Anxiety
UK, and there were two stunning performances from the latest talent show winning trio Ben Lomako, Olivia
Martin and Kristy Ireland. An army of models of pupils and teachers stormed the runway to premiere designs from the Art & Design Department, dresses from a plethora of shops including Wish, Contessa D and
Ribbons & Lace Bridal Boutique, and menswear from Remus Uomo, MacGregor and MacDuff, and Slaters
Menswear. During the intermission, guests could enjoy complementary canapés and drinks and explore the
range of stalls of local businesses which packed the foyer, with baking from Sweet Talk Cupcakery, hand
knitted scarves by Isabel and much more on sale. Those who had donated to the charity raffle waited anxiously at the end of the night as each name was picked out of the hat and models from the show ventured
into the crowd relaying out prizes to the lucky winners that ranged from The Carlton Hotel, Buzzworks and
Frankie and Benny’s.
The leading teachers and Senior Management Team have commented positively that “the scale of the
event was largely down to the team’s energy, enthusiasm and organisation” and everyone can now relax
and reflect on what was, undoubtedly, an extremely successful night that has truly raised the benchmark
for next year’s fundraisers to challenge.

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