This year, Prize Night took place on 3 October in the Sports Hall. An excellent programme of music by the orchestra opened the proceedings. Our Head Girl, Iseult Dawson, welcomed everyone to the event. Mr White, Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors, then spoke on behalf of the whole school community and expressed our deepest sympathy to the family of Catherine Buchanan, who so tragically passed away on 21 September; he assured Catherine’s parents and sister that our thoughts are with them at this time of great loss. In his wide-ranging report Mr Manning spoke of the notable range of successes the school has experienced and paid moving tribute to Catherine, who had been a prize winner at every prize giving throughout her school career. The Vice Chairman of the Board, Mr White, then introduced our Guest of Honour, Professor Dame Judith Hill, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Hospice. Professor Dame Judith Hill presented the prizes and awards. She then congratulated the prize winners and also expressed her condolences to Catherine’s family and the Strathearn community on the loss we have all experienced. She spoke of styles of leadership, wh ich have so often been male-defined, and gave a thought-provoking speech on the changes in the opportunities open to women in her lifetime, reminisced on her own career path and urged the girls to stay true to their own transformational leadership styles. She used the acronym SHAPE to remind them to develop and use their Special gifts, seek motivation from the Heart, use the Abilities they so clearly have, work in a manner consistent with their Personalities and use all Experiences to develop resilience, moral values and a sense of compassion. Professor Dame Judith Hill reminded us of the history of the Hospice Movement, which had drawn on all of these attributes as it sought to find the best ways of helping those brave people dealing with life’s biggest challenge. She then thanked the Strathearn Community for pledging its support for the ‘Wall of Hope’ Hospice Appeal, which aims to build a state of the art hospice at Somerton Road in Belfast. She then urged all of the girls to take up the opportunities life offers to help shape our future, spoke of the inspiration of Hannah Nelson’s speech at the Waterfront Hall during the visit of President Obama and his wife, Michelle and concluded by urging them to: ‘Live to make a better future’. After a presentation to our Guest of Honour by the Deputy Head Girls, the Chamber Choir brought the evening to a conclusion with a great performance of The Seal Lullaby and Clap Yo’ Hands.

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Congratulations to Lauren Graham who is the winner of the Sythes Award for prose writing the third time! Congratulations too to Eva Wallace and Sarah Lamont who were highly commended.

The Class of 2013 returned to Strathearn on 5 September to receive certificates, prizes and awards at an informal ceremony in the Assembly Hall. Refreshments were served in the Sixth Form Common Room and it was a pleasure to congratulate the girls in person and to wish them well as they move on to the next phase of their lives. We hope to keep in touch with the Class of 2013 at other school events!

For the first time the Chamber Choir entered the RTE Choir of the Year Competition. After weeks of hard work, the Chamber Choir recorded a CD to be entered for the competition. On 10 October the girls were informed that they had been selected as one of the twenty choirs to perform at the Regional Heats. RTE came to the school to make a promo to be shown before the choir performs in the Regional Heat programme. There was great excitement as the TV crew made their way round various classrooms to take shots of the different activities happening at Strathearn. On 21 October, the Chamber Choir competed against St Michael’s Grammar, Lurgan, Belfast Royal Academy, Victoria College and Sullivan Upper at the Regional Heat in The Braid Theatre in Ballymena. The girls had the opportunity to see how a TV programme was made as well as hear the choirs from the other schools. The choir gave two excellent performances of The Seal Lullaby by Eric Whitacre and Clap Yo’ Hands by Gershwin. All of their hard work paid off, as Strathearn School was announced as the winner of the Regional Heat! The choir will compete at the Grand Final at the Titanic Belfast on 24 November against three other schools from Ireland. The regional final will be broadcast on 3 November on RTE One.

The school year has got underway with the usual range of university open days. Many girls attended an event at the Jordanstown campus whilst others attended the Saturday sessions at Coleraine and Magee campuses of the University of Ulster. All girls in Upper Sixth attended the Open Day at Queen’s and Options XXI Careers Event at Methodist College. These events allowed pupils to confirm decisions and obtain any last minute information they may have required. Mrs Hearst, our Careers Adviser, has been running a series of specific guidance sessions for personal statements and will be running interview workshops after the Halloween break. Almost all UCAS forms have been completed before half term and no doubt, some girls will have secured offers by Christmas, depending on the courses and universities to which they have applied. As usual for this time of the year, we welcomed several speakers: a lecturer from Stranmillis University College spoke to students about the teaching profession, a tutor from Queen’s School of Nursing & Midwifery came to talk about nursing careers, a lecturer from the University of Ulster gave a presentation on Art and Design courses and a speaker from Project Trust talked about gap years. Lower Sixth girls have been busy organising their work experience for the week of 13 January and we would encourage them to finalise arrangements in the next few weeks as there is considerable competition for places from other schools. We were very fortunate in securing two places for L6 girls to attend the New York Stock Exchange careers event in Belfast and some Form Three classes have already had sessions in the careers suite to begin preparations for their GCSE choices. Form Three also had their usual Careers Planning Day which was hosted by Sentinus. Form Five have had two careers talks from guest speakers (both former pupils) relating to careers in the law and medical professions and some pupils have already had a careers guidance interview with a careers adviser from the Department of Employment and Learning; other pupils will have their interviews during the rest of this and next term.

Freya Axten, 1A, who represented Northern Ireland at the Tetrathlon Championships in Milton Keynes.

Emma Craig, 1A, who passed her Grade Three Speech and Drama Examination.

Sophia Hamilton, 1A, who passed her Grade Two Violin Examination.

Hannah Hornsby, 1A, who has been given an award from the Education Board and the Northern Ireland Arts Council for her achievements in Performing Arts. Hannah also recently played the part of an orphan in a performance of Annie at the Grand Opera House.

Laura Killiner, 1A, who passed her Grade Four Clarinet Examination.

Sophie Mitchell, 1A, who passed her Grade Three Flute Examination.

Amy Olivia, 1A, who passed her Grade Four Saxophone Examination with Merit.

Nina Reid, 1A, who passed her Grade One Saxophone Examination with Distinction.

Rebecca Welsh, 1A, who performed Scottish dancing at the Belfast Tattoo in the Odyssey. She also won first place in a NICMAC competition.

Bethany Craig, 3A, who achieved a Distinction in her Grade Three Music Examination.

Emma Beattie, 3T, who passed her Grade Three Piano Examination.

Shannon Rietveld, 3T, who passed her Grade Five Piano Examination.

Beth Minnis, 2A, who achieved a Merit in her Grade Three Piano Examination.

Rachael Campbell, 2A, who passed her Grade Three Flute Examination.

Emma Gibson, 2A, who passed her Grade Five Flute Examination.

Bethan Andrews, 2A, who passed her Grade One Drum Examination.

Orla Bannister, 2A, who passed her Grade Six Piano Examination with Distinction and her Grade Three Flute Examination with Merit.

Sarah Brown, 4S, who was first in a Comber Badminton competition.

Gemma Wilson, 4S, who was first in a 80cm Derby at Gransha Horseriding.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award continues to be a popular and successful venture. This month saw the launch of all levels of the award – Bronze, Silver and Gold to Forms 4-6. We have over fifty-five girls starting their Bronze Award in Form Four with some opting for hill-walking and others opting to canoe. As with last year, we are offering our Form Five the opportunity to complete their Silver Award and, for the first time, we are now offering girls in Sixth Form the opportunity to complete their Gold Award. We now have a number of groups started into both Silver and Gold Awards. We wish everyone well as they complete their awards and we have enjoyed celebrating the success of those who have received their certificates from last year’s groups.

This year the Strathearn Drama Festival took place on 23 October in the Assembly Hall. Congratulations to all of the Houses for the standard of drama which they sustained despite the constraints of the space. Boucher House presented After School Special by D Bright, Barbour House presented The Perfect Roommate based on Meet the Roommates by J Rand, McCaughey House presented 30,000 Feet written by pupil director, Meghan Herron, and Watts House presented You're Dumped based on It's not you, it's me by D Zolidis. This year we welcomed Mr Richard Mills as our Adjudicator, and he allocated the awards as follows: the Frances Mulley Rose Bowl for Best Actress was awarded to Naiose Webster in Boucher House; the Ievers Shield for Best Cameo Performance went to Lydia Millar in Watts House; the McNeill Cup for Directing was awarded to Meghan Herron in McCaughey House; the McMinn Cup for Best Supporting Actress went to Janey and Leah Deehan in McCaughey House; the Gillian Douglas Drama Award was awarded to McCaughey House for the Best Technical Performance and the Inter-House Drama Award went to McCaughey House for 30,000 Feet.

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Parents’ Association Fashion Show, which took place in the ballroom of the Stormont Hotel on 10 October. Over sixty girls participated, as did quite a number of staff! The event raised a truly fantastic £4,500, so well done to the Committee members, the parents and friends of the school, the contributing stores, the Stormont Hotel and everyone who took part and attended the event to help raise this great total!

On 13 September all members of Form One, accompanied by thirteen staff, descended on the Ulster Folk Museum for a day of fun and discovery. A tour was organised with treasure hunt style questions, which allowed for lots of singing, dancing and generally making new friends. The weather was very kind and we all had a picnic outside. It was a great day out, with many girls sampling the delights of the historic sweet shop at the end of the tour. The groups all gave a short presentation when they returned to school and it was clear there were many highlights!

Bon Voyage to the forty-four pupils from Forms Four and Five and four staff

who will be going to Saint Raphael near Nice from 20-24 October.

Best wishes to the eighteen Sixth Form girls who head off over the Halloween

half term break to Minneapolis as part of our on-going student exchange with Cretin-Derham Hall High School. The girls will be staying with host families for just over a week, and will attend school, visit local sights and maybe even get in some shopping while they are away. We wish them well and look forward to hearing about their experiences when they return.

Athletics Congratulations to Megan Marrs who has been named as the Ulster Athletics Council’s ‘Star Female Athlete of the Year’ (16-19 years). Megan will attend the awards ceremony on 15 November in Monaghan. During the summer, Megan was selected to represent Ulster at the Schools’ Interprovincials and then was selected for Ireland for the Schools’ Internationals where she won Bronze in the 80m hurdles. At the Tailteann Games, Megan won Gold in both the 100m and the 80m hurdles. When selected to compete in the UK Schools’ Games, representing Northern Ireland, Megan again won Bronze in the 100m!

Tennis July proved to be a good month for Jessica Leeman as she won the U14 CIYMS Tournament and the U14 Munster Junior Open. Well done Jessica! Jessica Moore has also been performing extremely well in tennis. Jessica won the Ulster Tennis Association Masters Summer Match Plays in her age group (Under 12) and also won the Ulster Hard Court Championship. Congratulations!

Squash Congratulations to Hannah Craig who won the Mary Peter’s Trust Award which entitled her to a bursary for future tournaments. Hannah received her award from Mary Peters during the summer!

Equestrian Christine McVeigh, Clare Bankhead and Charlotte De Montmorency-Wright travelled to Cheshire to represent Northern Ireland in Eventing. Clare Bankhead was placed seventh out of 160 people. Congratulations!

Football Congratulations to Catherine Sheridan, who was chosen to represent Northern Ireland’s U19 Squad in the European Championship Qualifiers. The squad travelled to Malta in preparation, and won both of the matches that they played. Although they beat home team Latvia in the qualifiers, their losses to Switzerland and Ukraine meant that they did not progress to the next stage.

The Scholastic Book Fair is almost upon us again, so it is time to start saving up your pocket money, as there will be lots of new and exciting books on offer. The Fair will take place in the Library during the week beginning 11 November. All First to Third Form classes will be brought as a class, but it will be open every day at break and lunch time as well for anyone else. This is a great opportunity to support the Library as we will receive at least 50% commission on all the sales, the result of which means lots more new books for girls to read! So put these dates in your diary.

On 26 September, the second year trip took place. We had an early start in the morning, but we were all very excited to go to Greenhill. We arrived at the Centre at 9.10am - although the activities were delayed because one of the buses had broken down, leaving half of the year behind! Some of the activities we took part in were bouldering, zip-line, high-ropes course, raft building and archery. We all had to do initiatives, which was fun but challenging! Next, we all had lunch. Some of the girls had a shower and most of us got changed because we were soaked by the rain, which just made it more fun! A few people were smart and brought flasks of hot chocolate. Mr Heaney took some photos and then we were off to our second activity, which was also good fun. By the end of our Greenhill trip we were very tired, but it was worth it. It was a great day enjoyed by all! Thanks to all the teachers who gave up their time to organise it and come with us!

By Samantha McCormick, Orla Bannister and Esther Henry, 2A

On 12 October, girls from Forms One and Two swam at the

Ulster Minor Schools’ Championships in Ballymena. Everyone

swam exceptionally well and overall won five Individual and

four relay medals.

In the Form One Age Group, Rebecca Tunnah, Anna Heyburn,

Amelia Kane, Freya Axten and Emma Craig won Silver

medals in both Medley and Freestyle Relays. Particular

congratulations to Amelia Kane and Rebecca Tunnah, who

were swimming up an age group. In Butterfly, Anna Heyburn

swam superbly and achieved a Silver Medal in a time of 40

seconds.

In the Group Five Age Group everyone put in excellent swims,

with each girl reaching at least one final. Individually, Olivia

Nelson picked up two Silver Medals in the 100m Individual

Medley and 50m Backstroke; Samantha McCormick won a

Gold Medal, after a tight finish in the 50m Breaststroke and

was placed fourth in the 50m Butterfly; Erin McConnell picked

up the pace in the final and gained a Bronze Medal in the 50m

Freestyle, and Sophie Williams was placed sixth in the 50m

Backstroke. All these girls combined forces for the Freestyle

and Individual Medley Relays, where they won two Gold

Medals. Congratulations to all the girls!

Good luck to everyone swimming on 23 November at the

Grammar Schools’ Gala in Ballymena.

8 November: Exceptional Closure Day & School Formal

11-15 November: Book Fair

14 November: Autumn Musical Evening

18-19 November: Geography Field Trip

25 November: Upper Sixth Practice Interviews

5 December: Form One Consultation Evening 7-9 pm

11 December: Community Service Christmas Party

19 December: Carol Service at Stormont Presbyterian Church

School resumes 4 November at 8.45am

Netball has got off to a great start this season with the fantastic new sports hall facilities

being of huge benefit. All teams from Minor to Senior practise every week, and already girls

have been selected to represent the school at the Belfast Regional Academy Trials (RDS).

On 22 October, Francesca Lynn, Sophie Allen, Katy Miskimmin, Beth Watson, Maddy

Miskimmin, Katie Caldwell, Sarah Brown and Natalie McHugh, represented Strathearn at the

U15 RDS Belfast Area Trials.

The U13 RDS Belfast Area Trials will take place on 12 November. Good Luck to Anna

Corbett, Emma Farrelly, Molly Longstaff, Hannah McCann, Catrina Moore and Sophie Neale,

who have been nominated to represent the school at this event.

This year, all teams have been entered into the Grammar Schools’ League and matches will

commence soon. By continuing with the hard work and dedication seen so far this year, we

hope it pays off in future matches. Good luck!

The hockey season is well underway. All teams have a lot to live up to after last year’s success and are all showing promising starts.

Kelsey O'Donnell will proudly Captain the 1st XI Team this year, with Lois Wilson as Vice Captain. The 1st XI have drawn Dalriada at home in the second round of the Schools’ Cup, which is to be played by 23 November.

Isla Lockhart will be captaining the 2As, with Vikki Wallace and Ali Finlay as her Vice Captains. The 2As will again be competing in the McDowell Cup and have drawn Carrickfergus Grammar away.

Lara Sweet will be the 2Bs’ Captain, with Rachael Thomas as Vice Captain, and the 3As will be captained by Rachel Powderly, with Sophie Hood as Vice Captain.

Both 2Bs and 3As will compete in the Gibson Cup. The 2Bs were drawn in a group with Sullivan, BRA and Wallace, whilst the 3As are in a group with Friends’, Methodist College and Victoria.

This year the U14As will be captained by Victoria Hamilton, with Ellie Biggerstaff as Vice Captain. They face Wallace in the second round of the Junior Cup, to be played by 16 November. The U14Bs’ Captain is Danielle McDowell and the Vice Captain is Evanna Maxted.

The U13A will be captained by Rose Templeton, with Niamh Meredith as Vice Captain and the U13Bs’ Captain will be Sam McCormick, with Vice Captain, Sophie Neale.

Good luck to all the teams who are training hard at the moment and have important matches coming up in various cup competitions!

Maya Savage Newell, 2A, who passed the Killowen Sailing Course Stage Two. Molly Cahoon, 2T, whose team was placed second in a North Down horse riding competition. Sophie Neale, 2T, who qualified for the Northern Ireland Trampolining Championships after coming first in the qualifiers. Ellie Mackey, 2T, who was placed third in the Regatta Fleet in the Northern Ireland Youth Nationals. Olivia Nelson, 2H, who took part in the Youth Development League Finals in the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on 7 September and won the 800m for the City of Lisburn Athletics Club.