Learning poetry by heart pays off for Dalziel
Poetry by Heart Competition
A group of nervous Dalziel High students – and their even more nervous parents and teachers – gathered at Glasgow University for the Glasgow and North Lanarkshire heat of the Scottish Poetry Library’s annual Poetry by Heart competition.
Dalziel’s champions were Orfhlaith King and Orla Chambers, both from S5, and each student had learnt – by heart, of course, as the competition title suggests – two poems, which had to be chosen from an extensive selection sourced from the Scottish Poetry Library and its English equivalent.
Orfhlaith King chose The Witch by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge, and Originally, by Carol Ann Duffy, and she gave a performance full of warmth and spirit.
Orla Chambers’selection was A Blockhead, by Amy Lowell, and Aunt Julia, by Norman MacCaig, and her interpretation of these poems was highly accomplished, being witty, powerful and tender by turns.
The standard of the competition was extremely high, with the students from the other schools also giving excellent performances of their chosen pieces, and so it was with a great sense of pride that school learned that Orla Chambers had been chosen as one of two students to proceed to the final of the competition, which will be held soon at the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh.
The teachers involved in coaching and encouraging the students, Mrs Lawrie and Mr Purvis were, of course, delighted with the girls’performances, and will be there to cheer Orla on in Edinburgh. Anti-Bullying Campaign Dalziel High have been working hard to launch an anti-bullying campaign.
DSUTB- Dalziel stands up to bullying has its own logo and a private email address for pupils to contact teachers if they have problems.
This was set up to help people being bullied and to raise awareness of the problems bullying can cause.
By holding events such as kindness week, teacher awareness sessions and anti-bullying assemblies this can help benefit youngsters. Health Fayre The annual Health Fayre this year had a focus on organ donation and the British Transplant Games to be held in and around North Lanarkshire in July.
The full title was‘Super Humans – Giving the Gift of Life’with the winning programme cover designed by Knowetop Primary pupil Jamie McKellar.
Jamie received his prize at the opening ceremony held in the Assembly Hall which was, as always, suitably decorated with information on health related issues.
Present were Jean Jones (Depute Provost of NLC), Melissa Fraser (whose son received a kidney transplant), former Dalziel Janitor John McDevitt (who received a liver transplant), Haggi the Transplant Games mascot and Alison Meenagh (lead fund-raiser for NLC’s transplant games bid).