Message on the stair wall
The Ar t & Design department at Auchinleck Academy have recently completed a mural on the stairwell walls displaying the school’s support for the LGBTQ members of our community.
The mural took a week to paint with the support of the staff and pupils. Each person painted a brick, in the colours of the pride flag, to show their support for this important issue.
The backing the mural received was positive; to see as many members of staff and pupils come during their lunch breaks to help paint a section really shows how much our young people and staff respect the rights of our school members. It was a great team effort that the Art & Design department are pleased to have been a part of.
The completed mural now serves to brighten the stairwell walls, inspire the pupils creatively and generate conversation around the rights of others. Many pupils and staff have shared their interactions with others in the school which is great to hear. Auchinleck Academy prides itself on being inclusive, supportive and respectful of everyone’s rights, the wall is there as a permanent reminder of this.
Also pictured is Jeane Freeman, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley who painted a brick during her recent visit to the school and we will look to include them as a regular part of our curriculum to give our pupils the best chance possible when it comes to seeking employment.
Our Blytheswood Care Shoe Boxes were collected on Wednesday 15th November and we managed to fill seventy three boxes! We also sent £ 72.50 away in donations towards the cost of transporting these. This is a huge achievement for the school and has been down to the generosity of our pupils, parents and staff. A special mention goes to Alice Gemmill, Emma Gemmell, Eillidh Lavery, Zoe Strachan and Amber Goldie who have given up most of their lunchtimes over the last 4 weeks to wrap and fill boxes, they did a sterling job! We were told by the van driver that our boxes are going to Albania this year and I am sure they will make lots of people very happy there. Well done to everyone!
Friday November 10 saw the S4- 6 girl’s handball team travel to Ravenscraig to attend the Scottish finals.
With a younger team than any of the other schools we were always going to be up against it, but the girls did not let this hold them back.
The first game saw us play Belmont Academy, former winners of the trophy, and we took a strong win - three goals to one.
Next we played another school from Ayrshire - Kyle Academy and saw out a one- one draw thanks to a last second penalty from Abbie Brown.
The third game against Cumbernauld was a tough loss two- nil, followed by another loss to tournament favourites Kelvinside.
This left us needing a win to make it into 3rd/ 4th play- off. The girls were strong in defence throughout and with some important goals from Abbie Brown and Sophie Reid we got an impressive six- one win against Deans.
The 3rd/ 4th place play- off match saw us play the last of the South Ayrshire schools - Marr College. After some impressive end to end play and great defensive work, led by Ailey Porter and Amy Murdoch, the girls unfortunately tired at the crucial point and we suffered a two goals to nil defeat.
Finishing 4th in Scotland is a fantastic achievement and the girls were a credit to the school. This is a team we have high hopes for in the future and with everyone back again next year, except our two seniors, Paige McWilliam and Lucy Wallace, there is a lot to look forward to. Top goal scorer and player of the tournament was Abbie Brown with seven goals.
With three key players missing through injury ( Matthew Morrison, Jordan Mouzer and Ruiraidh Airlie) this was always going to be a tough game with the team relying on both of our top point scorers Michael Miller and Ben Medhurst to play the full 40 minutes.
We started well with some strong defence from Hamish White and Michael Miller at the back of the zone and Ben Medhurst at the front, before some great baskets from Jake Griffin, Neil Woods, Ross Marr and Daniel McGhee kept us within two points at half- time. In the end fatigue did become a factor and Ardrossan Academy started to pull away. The final score was a 64- 48 win for Ardrossan Academy, but the boys were fantastic and will go into our Scottish Cup game against Williamwood with much more confidence.
Thursday December 7 – Creative Showcase 6.30pm to 8.30pm.
Tuesday December 19 – Christmas Concert 7pm to 9.30pm Thursday December 21 – Carols By Candlelight 6.30pm to 8pm Friday December 22 – Schools close at 2pm for Christmas holidays.