Atop the Sightseeing Bus

J4 have recently been learning about the city of Glasgow in class and managed to put their knowledge to the test when they boarded the Sightseeing Glasgow bus on November 2nd. 

The cold and wind didn't daunt their spirits and it appears there are some budding photographers in our midst! 

“I love the city chambers in George Square. The tour was amazing!” Adam 

“I loved looking at the University of Glasgow and going through the Kelvingrove Park!” Kieran 

“The best part of the trip was seeing the old buildings and the museums around Glasgow” Abbie

“I loved seeing the sculptors on the city chambers and waving to people!” Callum 

A Ski Trip to Italy to Ring In the New Year!

Stuart F. dropped off a paper of his recollections of the student expedition to Pila:

I felt the trip to Italy in the New Year was a great success. Over the course of the trip, friendships were established; there was great skiing, as well, of course! On our first day of skiing, we were all put into groups dependent on how well we could ski. It was quite foggy that day but that did not stop us from enjoying the skiing. The snow was outstanding for it! Some of the days were colder than others and some were sunnier. Most people went on red or black runs, some went off piste. As well as the skiing, there was great entertainment in the evenings. There was a disco, karaoke and wandering around town on the second-last day. Overall, the trip was enjoyable and a great success!

The Scottish Diaspora (and its effect on the world)

Boris Pitchoka recently wrote in: 

The History Department took Higher History candidates on a festive trip to attend a lecture by one of Scotland’s most eminent historians: T.M. Devine on Monday 12^th  December. Professor Devine is a Personal Senior Research Professor in History at the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at University of Edinburgh. His topic was the Scottish Emigration in the late 19^th and early 20^th century, which is the topic our Higher candidates are studying for in preparation for Paper 2 of their examinations. In particular, he looked at the Scottish exodus of the 1800's and 1900's, examining why so many Scots fled the country during a time of Victorian prosperity, as well as the consequences it had on what is now one of Europe's greatest emigrant peoples. Pupils enjoyed the evening with Mr Pichotka’s “favourite” historian. 

You can watch the lecture in full here. 

November 2011: Environmental Understanding In Action

Sarah and Rich from S5 and S6 report in about November's science excursion:

S5 & S6 Biology and Geography pupils travelled to Kindrogan Field Centre near Pitlochry. Over their three day stay, the pupils were involved in a number of interesting field studies and activities.

These ranged from investigating the effects of grazing and pollution on ecosystems for the biologists, to soil and river analysis and land use mapping. This allowed students to experience firsthand the varied techniques covered in the Advanced Higher course and beyond.

On the final evening, the students and Mr. Hardwick participated in a team-building exercise which involved climbing to the top of and jumping off a 10 metre high post, supported by ropes held by other pupils -- which proved to be more enjoyable for some than others!

The accommodation and food were also of a high standard. Overall, we would recommend this trip to next years’ Geography & Biology classes.

The glamour of soil science!