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9 July
3 July
My congratulations: In this week’s Headmaster’s Assembly, which was again held on Thursday, we congratulated James, Grant and Scott on winning CREST Technology Gold Awards: and Lewis on gaining a Silver Award.
Arts Honours (Drama) were awarded to Jack (for his role as Menteith in ‘Macbeth’, and for his consistent musical support to productions in the past three years); and to Charlie (for his consistently excellent performances in a variety of productions, including ‘Die Fledermaus’, ‘Oliver’ and ‘Macbeth’). Major Games Ties were awarded to Raleigh (Athletics) and to Simon and Rhuari (Cricket). Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards have been gained by Andrew (Silver) and Fraser (Bronze).
25 June
My congratulations: Our congratulations this morning were wide-ranging! Service
Service
16 June
My highlights: I have three from last week. First, our athletes are achieving tremendous success at the moment and it was wonderful to see four full teams competing on the Arena against Stewart’s Melville last week, namely our O17s, U17s, U15s and U14s. Moreover, at the weekend there were some excellent achievements in the Scottish Schools Athletics Championships and these will be recognised fully in next week’s Assembly. Secondly, Mr Dixon ran the final Cecil Stagg Society meeting of the academic year: the Pringle Division boys were introduced to 13 famous pieces of art. They were then told to write a story based on the art they had seen. Each piece of art was shown for 2 minutes, during which time they had to write the next chapter of their story. The resulting narratives ranged from the impressionistic to the surreal… Thirdly, it is always a great pleasure and privilege to attend the Forbes Bowl and McLeod Cup Music Competitions. Mrs Hunter and I, alongside pupils and staff, listened to 20 musicians playing the following instruments respectively: the clarinet, cornet, flute, piano, recorder, saxophone (alto and tenor), trumpet and violin, as well as two pupils who sang. We look forward to hearing the winners, Marco and Fingal, playing in Headmaster’s Assemblies in forthcoming weeks. And so week 10 sees the wonderful opportunity of the visit of author Nicola Morgan; the Lower Sixth English trip to Stratford; the Lower Sixth Business Dynamics course; the Third Form Geography field trip; and fixtures in golf, cricket and tennis. 9 June
 My highlights: I have two this week – all from Saturday! First, I am delighted that Pringle parents were invited to attend a workshop led by our Director of IT Services, Mr James Bisset, entitled “Safe Use of the Internet and Other Modern Technology”. Mr Richard Lucas, the Third Form Housemaster, gave a presentation to Second Form parents, followed by lunch. My second highlight was the return to School on Saturday of Merchistonians! The popularity of our Merchistonian Touch Rugby Tournament is growing and 120 Merchistonians enjoyed playing the game. Equally, in the evening there was a reunion for Merchistonians who left the School in 1999, and I smiled wryly as they remembered the School song! I am grateful to our Development Office (Mrs Carolyn Thornton and Miss Ellie Tracey) for organising these events, but, as ever, our boys who acted as guides to the Merchistonians should also receive plaudits. As we move on to week 9, we have a good number of GCSE and A level examinations and many other boys are attending revision skills’ classes in preparation for their internalexaminations. Our Lower Sixth are enjoying work experience; on Friday we have the McLeod Cup andForbes Bowl Music Competitions; and the important and challenging CCF Piping and Drumming Competition will take placeat Strathallan this year. There will also be fixtures in cricket, athletics, tennis and golf.
2 JuneMy thoughts: The first half of term was very fulfilling, although it finished sooner than expected. So, we are extremely relieved that the boys, for the most part, have returned for the second half of term in very good health. Unlike many other schools, we do not have a week’s half term as I like the pupils and the staff to get back into the routine of teaching and learning, sport and co-curricular activities before the restart of the public examinations, which happened yesterday. At the end of half term, we held the Shell Parents’ Meeting and it was good to see the conviviality among the parents and the staff as they discussed the pupils’ progress. Equally, Professor Waterhouse and I enjoyed chairing the Parents’ Forum.
20 May
My congratulations: In yesterday’s Headmaster’s Assembly I congratulated Roy, Tom and Scott on achieving Gold Awards in the AS Physics Competition. In shooting, the Merchiston A Team of James, Patrick, Nick and Duncan came third, out of over 100 teams, in the recent Country Life Competition. In addition, special My highlights: Mrs Hunter and I particularly enjoyed the Primary Schools Concert. It was a joy to listen to 150+ boys and girls (from South Morningside, St Peter’s, Bonaly and Balgreen Primary Schools, as well as St George’s) first of all joining together to sing “Come to the Cabaret” (from "Cabaret"); then each school sang its own programme; and we finished with a rousing finale of “Love changes everything” (from Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Aspects of Love"), with audience participation! Readers of ‘Headmaster’s Headlines’ will know that we start Headmaster’s Assemblies with some singing practice, and, piece by piece, the boys at Merchiston are beginning to sing as a whole choir, ie the whole School! Secondly, I was so pleased to 13 MayMy thoughts: What a tremendous start to the term we have had! Yes, this is a pressured time for many of our year groups as they sit public examinations (they are working very hard for these), but the campus looks beautiful and I enjoy watching the boys making full use of it – whether in organised sports sessions or just letting off steam after prep! It is very noticeable that so many members of staff are providing extra lessons and seminars for our public examination candidates.
 My highlights: This week’s highlight is Headmaster’s Assembly! We were delighted to welcome visitors from Hearts and Balls (John Evans, Jim Littlefair and Harry Richmond), and so many parents who had participated in the recent Bupa Great Edinburgh 10k Run as part of the Merchiston/Hearts and Balls team. We also had Patrick and Ali on the stage. First, we watched a recording of some parts of the run on our big screen, to the sound of the Spencer Davis Group singing “Keep on running”! Ali, who is a close friend of Nick, spoke about his fundraising for Hearts and Balls: he approached his parents to ask them if they would consider matching what the School raised. So, we are most grateful to Ali’s parents for their most generous donation of £20,000 to Hearts and Balls. Patrick, as the leader of this venture, also spoke to the School, saying that he had never expected his proposal to grow so huge, like the biblical mustard seed, and I was so pleased to award him a Commendation for Achievement. A cheque for £52,500 was presented to Hearts and Balls. Jim Littlefair spoke about the importance of Merchiston’s fundraising efforts to the charity and he presented a specially inscribed pen to Patrick. Moreover, I  congratulated Jack, Josh, Gavin and Monty on their participation in the Loch Earn Rowing Race and for their contribution of £500 to Hearts and Balls. I also mentioned that Adam and his Dad will be walking the West Highland Way to raise funds for the charity. Finally, I congratulated Mrs Joanna Bisset (a former nursing sister at Merchiston) on completing the Maggie’s Monster Bike and Hike Challenge on the same day as the Great Edinburgh Run. The Assembly concluded with one of our outstanding Lower Sixth Formers, Tom, playing Chopin’s Etude No 5 (photo below). This was a moving moment as Tom, who is a leading academic, games player, leader and musician, has accepted an early entry offer from the University of Hong Kong to read Medicine – this university is one of the world leaders for this subject. Thus he may not be returning to  Merchiston after the summer holiday for his Upper Sixth year. After the Assembly, there were refreshments in the Old Library and as I watched the sense of camaraderie among the parents and the buzz of conversation, I thought to myself that we must never take for granted the wonderful ‘magic roundabout’ of the relationships at Merchiston – between the pupils and the staff, both within and outwith the classroom, and between the School and the home of each young man. Week 6 sees various public examinations, as well as our local Primary Schools Music Concert, a Students’ Forum meeting, and a Beating Retreat rehearsal at Redford Barracks. At the Beating Retreat on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle on Thursday 21 May (8pm), we believe that we will be seeing a Merchiston first: Gavin will be leading the Scottish Schools CCF Massed Pipes and Drums as Drum Major. As ever, there are many sports fixtures, let alone all the teaching and learning in classes and preps.
5 May
My congratulations: In today’s Headmaster’s Assembly, I congratulated three shooting internationalists:
29 April
My highlights: I have two from last week. Firstly, it was a great pleasure to walk around the pitches on Saturday afternoon and see the boys playing cricket. What was also so noticeable, was the incredible beauty of the campus with the blossom on the trees and the different colours of the leaves as Spring begins to arrive. Secondly, I am delighted that 22 April
 My highlights: Whilst we have not yet completed the first full week of school, I have four highlights! Unfortunately, I was unable to attend Sunday’s Chapel Service as I was recovering from a cartilage operation, but I was delighted to hear that the Service was well organised and led by the Captain of School, Tommy, and his Senior Prefects, that the address provided much food for thought and that the Choir sang very well. I am also very pleased that so many parents took up the offer of a tour of the Merchiston ‘Journey’ by visiting the boarding houses, and that 17 sets of parents enjoyed a typical School Sunday lunch! As I said in yesterday’s Assembly, it is also really important to acknowledge our pupils who acted as guides and doormen. My second highlight is the Careers Convention yesterday, organised by Mrs Chispa Prini-Garcia. It was wonderful to see representatives from Higher Education establishments within the School and our sister schools were invited to participate in this event. Third, we welcomed Edinburgh University students John Gribben and Toby Jones to speak to the School about voluntary service projects being undertaken in Africa by University of Edinburgh Global Partnerships. There are six such projects this  year and John and Toby’s group will be in a Kenyan village, working on harvesting rain water, improving boreholes, fixing latrines, teaching English and environmental awareness, and also providing HIV/AIDS counselling. We will be supporting this venture with our termly non-uniform day later this term. John and Toby are seen here with some of our boys from Africa (photo above). Finally, it was a great pleasure to welcome Mr and Mrs Nick and Fi Blair, together with Joanna, Jonathan and baby William (photo left) to yesterday’s Assembly, and Mr Anderson gave William a special blessing. This week (2) sees public examinations in French, Mandarin, Art & Design, and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). There are many sports fixtures, the 1st meeting of the Cecil Stagg Society, a theatre trip, the Junior Schools Challenge Quiz and the Fourth Form Parents’ Meeting on Sunday.
Archive: Autumn 06, Lent 07, Summer 07, Autumn 07, Lent 08, Summer 08, Autumn 08. Lent 09 |
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My thoughts: In the last week of term, there were so many opportunities for the pupils. In sport, there was the U14 cricket tour to Malvern College and Worcester Royal Grammar School; the U15s played in their annual cricket festival against Glenalmond, King’s Bruton and Nottingham High School, at Glenalmond; our 1st and 2nd XIs played against a touring side from the Sunshine Coast Grammar School, Queensland, Australia; but, unfortunately, the important 1st XI game against the notable MCC was rained off half way through the match. The Third Form took part in a careers’ day and the Fifth Form went on an end of term trip to Xscape, Braehead! Many boys met their new Housemaster and saw their new House for next year at ‘moving up’ meetings. A reception was held for Third Form parents after the enjoyable Pringle Celebration of the Year, and Chalmers East and Chalmers West boys and parents enjoyed a buffet supper in the marque after their ‘moving up’ meetings. Term concluded with the Whole School End of Term Service and First Prizegiving on Friday evening, and then Prizegiving and the Upper Sixth Graduation Ceremony on Saturday. The weather in the last week of term was very hot and humid, but it was a pleasure to see boys (and staff) enjoying the School grounds in the sunshine. 
Thank you to one and all in the Merchiston community for the joys of the past year and for the way in which you have helped us overcome its occasional challenges. I wish parents and boys some very happy family time over the summer holiday. Finally, thank you to all those who graduated on Saturday – the leavers of 2009, and indeed their parents. I am sure the boys will remember my clichés, two of which are “Nobody forgets the stamp of style” and “Difficult is worth doing!”
My thoughts: As I look back over week 11, the variety of activity has continue apace! First, many boys have been going over their internal examination papers as part of the teaching and learning process. The final of the Edwards Reading Prize was held; the winners were Stewart (Sixth Form), Cameron (Middle School), and Andrew (Pringle). The Pringle Sponsored Walk is an important event and it has raised an estimated £5,000. We have also had numerous trips, including the J4 and J5 trip to Dalguise; the First Form trip to Loch Insh; a trip to the Farne Islands and Bamburgh Beach for the Second Form, as well as a Geography field trip; the Third Form History trip to St Andrews; and the Young Farmers Club visited the Royal Highland Show. The Third Form also enjoyed a Careers Day. 
Turning to sport, I was delighted to be presented with the Lothian Schools Cricket Cup by Oliver; Merchiston has won the Cup five times in the last eight years. Oliver was also congratulated on being selected to play for Scotland in the U19 Cricket European Championships, to be held in Jersey in July; this tournament is also the first round in qualification for the 2010 World Cup. Moreover, I received the 
School Swimming Championships: Seniors: Oliver (Gold); Douglas (Silver); and Keith (Bronze). Chalmers East: Teddy (Gold); James (Silver); and Kirill (Bronze). Chalmers West: Jeff (Gold); Edward (Silver); and David (Bronze)
My highlights: Last Friday was a fascinating day for us at School as we had in our midst a world class athlete, namely Jason Gardener – he attended The Games and spoke at the 
My thoughts: My reflections on last week come a little later than usual simply because we moved Headmaster’s Assembly this week from Tuesday to Thursday to enable as many boys as possible who are returning to School from post-exam leave to be present to receive our congratulations! I am delighted that last week the Lower Sixth participated in a two-day course on Business Dynamics, and that there was a remarkable English trip to Stratford-upon-Avon (for those studying English). The Lower Sixth are now back in School and have started their A2 classes! I am also pleased that our Third Form enjoyed such a good Geography field trip. In this morning’s Headmaster’s Assembly, Shell pupil Adam (Photo left) spoke about walking the West Highland Way with his father to raise funds for ‘Hearts and Balls’. Before moving on to congratulate huge numbers of boys in twelve areas of School life, I read out to the School an article, published earlier this week in The Telegraph, entitled “Mickelson, a true sportsman, shows guts on fairways of life” about Phil Mickelson’s recent performance in the US Open at Bethpage before he takes a break from golf to support his wife as she undergoes treatment for breast cancer. Please click on the link if you would like to
CREST Technology Awards: Gold: James (portable skis); Mark (diesel buggy); Grant (milk drum transporter); all three winners’ entries were also entered as A2 projects. Gold was also awarded to Campbell, Tom, Scott and Craig for their solar measurement system. Silver: James, Alex and Michael (GCSE projects); Lewis (A2 projects); Johnny, Jay, Joe, Scott, Vlad and Richard (Go4Set project). (see 
Junior Maths Challenge. Another year of great success, with 34 of our 42 candidates receiving an award. Of these, 12 were awarded a Gold certificate, placing them in the top 7% of well over 100,000 entrants. Gold and Best in School: Jeff; Gold: Robert, Ben, Dominic, Tom, Euan, Joe, Dougal, Andrew, Donald. Fingal and Kirill.
Sport 
Shooting: Medal for being part of the Runners-up team in the Country Life Small-bore Shooting Competition: Harry 
Colours:
Major Games Ties 
My highlights: I have four. First, it was wonderful to welcome author Nicola Morgan back to Merchiston – to the Spawforth Library to be more specific – and the Second, Third and Fourth Forms enjoyed meeting this vibrant author. Secondly, I am delighted that our boys (and girls from St George’s) won the Scottish Schools Tennis Championships for Boys and Girls. This the second consecutive year that Merchiston has won this competition and we must never take such success for granted – I am very pleased that St George’s has won it for the first time. Thirdly, in this morning’s Headmaster’s Assembly Fingal played his winning piece from the recent 
My thoughts: Last week was as action-packed as ever, with the boys below the Fifth Form preparing for internal examinations and our Fifth Form and Upper Sixth continuing to sit GCSEs and A2s respectively. The Lower Sixth have finished their public exams and they were extremely fortunate to be on a work experience week. Many parents helped Merchiston by providing opportunities for the pupils. Sport saw clay pigeon shooting, golf, cricket, tennis and sub-aqua, and in the middle of the week there was a joyful Merchistonian Club Pre-1950 Reunion. It was a great pleasure to welcome Merchistonians and spouses back to the School and to see them enjoying spending a day here, as well as singing the School song in the Old Library! (photo left)
My congratulations: In this week’s Headmaster’s Assembly, Fergus (photo left) was highly commended for his essay submitted for the Vellacott History Prize, Peterhouse, Cambridge. He has been invited to receive his certificate at the Peterhouse Open Day in July. Ahn has been placed on the 12 person
shortlist to win the Royal Economical Society Young Economist of the Year Competition, the final of which will be in August. This is an extremely impressive achievement as 190 of the top UK schools entered their very best pupils. Also, Alex was placed in the list of highly commended essays, putting him in the top 50 of over 460 entries. Tom, Craig, Scott and Campbell were congratulated on winning the Scottish CREST Technology Gold Award Competition. They entered their ‘Engineering Education Scheme’ 
project, which tested the efficiencies of photovoltaic cells to power a practical mechanical operation. They now go forward to the national final. Patrick was congratulated on winning the Merchant Company’s Initiative Award. This is the first year this award has been open to schools not directly connected to the Company. Patrick was nominated on the initiative shown in seeing that the BUPA 10km Run was an opportunity to raise funds for Hearts and Balls. He had to give a 10 minute presentation to a judging panel and was placed in the top 3. In the Scottish Schools CCF Annual Piping and Drumming Competition, Ruari and Aaron were placed 1st and 3rd respectively in the Junior Drumming Competition; and Gavin won 3rd place in the Drum Major 
Competition. Kyle (photo right) was congratulated on scoring a century in the 1st XI cricket match against Fettes and since this is his 2nd century of the season, he was presented with his gloves! The 3rd XI and the U14A & B XIs won against Fettes and Strathallan respectively. At Pringle level, the U10A XI defeated Cargilfield, whilst in the three matches against Riley House, Strathallan, the 1st XI, 2nd XI and U11 XI all won. 
My thoughts: Last week saw our Fifth, Lower and Upper Sixth Formers still in the midst of very important public examinations. We also had numerous sporting fixtures in tennis, cricket, swimming, athletics and golf, and Monday’s ‘excitement’ was a power cut from 9.30am to 5pm! I am delighted that despite this our examination candidates were able to sit their papers in good lighting conditions (which was made easier by the sunlight) and equally that our caterers used their ingenuity to provide nourishing meals for the boys and the staff. 
My congratulations: In Headmaster’s Assembly, James (photo right) spoke about the tennis season so far, telling us about all levels of the tennis being played, from national competitions to the East of Scotland League, and I was presented with an East of Scotland Lawn Tennis Association, Junior Boys, Division 2, U18 Winner 2008, congratulatory plaque. Jonathan spoke about the Scottish Schools 
My congratulations: In this morning’s Headmaster’s Assembly, I awarded a Commendation of Achievement to Rory (photo left). Ever since he joined Merchiston, Rory has been highly committed to so many aspects of our musical life: he has been a member of the Choir, the Choral Society and the Close Harmony Group, and last, but not least, he has made a major contribution to rock music at Merchiston. I sat up when I first heard Rory playing his guitar at the beginning of a Pringle Assembly some four years ago! Since then, he has gathered around him the Mystic Floorboards rock band, and not only have they played at so many School functions, but they have cut their own CD and have performed on many occasions outside the School. Rory is to be congratulated for living his dream and continuing to endeavour to be the best he can possibly be in developing this talent. I also congratulated five cricket sides: the 2nd XI, the U15½As, the U15½Bs, the U14½As and the U14½Bs for their wins against Watson’s at the weekend. Over half term, the Pringle 1st XI won one and drew one of their two matches on tour, and last weekend the Pringle U11s drew one fixture and lost one fixture. The Pringle 2nd XI won against Watson’s and the U11Bs won against Peebles. On another note, we were delighted to congratulate Mr and Mrs Osborne on the birth of their son, Max, and we will invite them to a Headmaster’s Assembly in due course for Max to receive a blessing. Mr Osborne is the Director of Pringle Sport and is making a huge difference in this important area.
My highlights: In a shorter week, I have four! First, I enjoyed watching our 1st XI cricket side on Saturday, playing against an extremely strong Gordonstoun XI. Ultimately, Gordonstoun won the match, but it was tremendous seeing our boys handling the challenge of facing an outstanding bowling attack, including the tremendous leg spinner! Secondly, who could fail to have noticed the glorious weather, which has made our campus look even more beautiful! Thirdly, on Sunday evening we were blessed with the presence of the Bishop of Edinburgh, the Rt Revd Brian Smith, and the Rector of St Cuthbert’s Episcopal Church, Colinton, the Revd. Stephen Parsons. We really enjoyed the Bishop’s address on the importance of Pentecost. Finally, this morning we listened to a saxophone quartet led by Rocio (photo right). She has worked part-time in our Catering Department for the last few years in order to help fund her music course at Napier University. She is a very talented saxophonist and, along with her friends, Jack Kane, Emma Morris and Stephen Smith, was invited to play for us this morning, so we had a very musical Headmaster’s Assembly. Again, what I like about Rocio is her passion to pursue her music course, and the way in which she 
has been able to fund this by working at Merchiston. This is a lesson for us all. Week 8 is extremely full: for our Fifth Form and Lower Sixth this is a massive week of public examinations and the Upper Sixth begin their examinations. The auditions for next term’s School play, Treasure Island, start this week. We also have numerous fixtures (cricket, golf, swimming, tennis and athletics) and a boarding-in weekend at the end of the week. It will be a joy to welcome St George’s girls to the Chalmers West Ceilidh and Supper. In addition, we will have two Merchistonian reunions, namely a Tenth Anniversary Dinner and the Merchistonian Touch Rugby Tournament. And the sun continues to shine!
My thoughts: Last week was particularly busy and we must not forget that some really important activities happened in the overall education of the boys. First, our youngsters enjoyed yet another Blakerston Camp and how lucky they are that JRB looks after this aspect of outdoor education in Pringle! Pupils attended a disco at St George’s and, quietly in the background, our Students’ Forum, co-ordinated by Mr Paul Williams, and chaired by Alex, met to discuss a range of issues.
congratulations must go to the Merchiston B Team (Charles, Dominik, Max, Harry and James) who finished runners-up in the same Competition and were therefore awarded medals. In cricket, the 1st XI defeated Edinburgh Academy by 95 runs on Saturday and, earlier in the week, won against Stewart’s Melville in the first round of the Lothian Schools’ Cup. Still with cricket, the 2nd XI also defeated Edinburgh Academy, whilst the U15Bs, U14As and U14Bs won their matches against Loretto. At Pringle level, the U10As, U11Bs and U11As all won their matches v Belhaven and the U11Bs defeated Clifton Hall. Athletics: the School athletics team continued its good run of form by defeating Strathallan 147-97 points last week, whilst the U14 team was successful in its match v Fettes. Tennis: the U18 Club Team beat Dunfermline Tennis Club; the 1st VI won against Stewart’s Melville and Madras (which allowed it to progress to the final of the Scottish Cup).
receive the following email from Oaklands School: I wanted to send you a quick email about one of your pupils who volunteered at the Oaklands School play scheme. Over the Easter holidays Iain (photo left) gave up his free time to help at the Oaklands play scheme which is for children with severe special needs. Over the holidays I have worked with many staff and most of them being twice the age of Iain but none of these staff have been as keen and willing to learn as Iain. He had no issues when it came to working with the children and every day came in with the most positive attitude. He made it clear that he enjoyed being at Oaklands, which motivated all the staff around him. He has a natural talent when it comes to working with staff and children and especially in a group. When Iain is 16 we will gladly offer him a paid position for the school holidays. Iain is a pleasure to work with and his attitude towards people with disabilities is very inspiring. He is a role model for his peers. Thirdly, one of our Governors, Mr Mike Ridley, a former Head of two schools (Denstone College and Royal Belfast Academical Institute), visits Merchiston every term and last week he watched the Fourth Form being taught Biology, History, French and English. He felt that the boys were intelligent and positive and that they were responding with purpose and enthusiasm to the Merchiston experience. He writes: “The quality of teaching and learning was high; the atmosphere in classroom, Dining Hall, and House was one of cheerful commitment. They were an impressive advertisement for the school as were the members of staff. The cricket matches, practices, and nets were being conducted with purpose and enjoyment; the standard of coaching is high and the standard of the players is most encouraging.” We have now moved on to week 6, which sees a huge number of pupils sitting public examinations; indeed, yesterday I watched a batch of 100 boys getting down to their examination papers in the theatre. We have much to look forward to this week: Beating Retreat at Edinburgh Castle; the Art & Design and Design & Technology Exhibitions; the Commemoration Day Service and Music Concert on Saturday; in addition to many sporting fixtures in cricket, tennis and golf. 
My congratulations: In this week’s Headmaster’s Assembly, I congratulated all the cast and crew of the Pringle production of 
My thoughts: I was out and about again for part of last week, representing Merchiston and speaking at Brighton College Education Conference alongside two other Heads on the whole concept of the charity test and public benefit. I also had the pleasure of listening to guest speakers Jonathan Dimbleby and Dr David Starkey. Last week in School, the Piping and Drumming Concert was a great success, and yet again the Chapel Choir represented Merchiston in the community extremely well, singing in a concert at St Cuthbert’s Church, across the road from the School. Moreover, I am extremely grateful to the boys in Pringle, Chalmers East and Laidlaw, who did an excellent job as guides or helpers at Saturday’s Experience Merchiston morning!
Nick and Patrick were selected for the Scottish Small Bore A team in the Home Nations and Channel Islands Competition, and James was selected for the B team (photo right). I congratulated James, Patrick, Nick, Dominik, Max, Duncan and Charles, who were 1st equal with Dollar in the A Division event of the Strathcona Shooting Shield, run by the Scottish Small Bore Association; and also our B Division side consisting of six Chalmers West boys, Sandy, Johnny, Lewis, James, Angus and Jonathan, who won their competition (photo top left). In skiing, I congratulated Euan (photo below right) on winning a Silver Medal and a Bronze Medal in the Scottish Skiing Championships 
Slalom event and Grand Slalom event respectively. In cricket, I congratulated Kyle and Ollie
(photo left) on scoring centuries for the 1st XI in the team’s victory against the Forty Club and, accordingly, both pupils were presented with their cricket bats. It should not be underestimated what an achievement it is for a player to score a century, certainly the ultimate for a batsman. The game lays great store by accuracy and skill for the batsman, as one mistake can see him out. For two players to score a century in the same innings is very unusual and special, and Ollie and Kyle fully deserve our congratulations. It has now happened four times in the last 20 years. The 3rd XI was congratulated on its victory against Fettes; at Pringle level, the U11A side defeated Brockhurst, and the 1st XI won its games against both St Mary’s and Cargilfield. The Over and Under 17 Athletics teams opened the season with an impressive win in the track and field events in the fixture involving Merchiston, Fettes, Edinburgh Academy and Stewart’s Melville. In tennis, the U16 team defeated The Meadows City Tennis Club. Our clay pigeon shooting team took part in the British Clay Pigeon Shooting Championships at High Wycombe.
My highlights: It is right that I focus on one highlight of last week, namely the 
My thoughts: Much of a Headmaster’s time in the contemporary school is also spent ensuring that he is ‘out and about’ and equally, ensuring that visitors are coming to see what we are up to at Merchiston. Over the course of last week, I represented Merchiston at the Scottish Council of Independent Schools Annual General Meeting and learnt a great deal from the visiting speakers. I contributed to a seminar with two other Heads on the Charity Test and Public Benefit. Other visitors last week included David Lyscom, the Chief Executive of the Independent Schools’ Council. He was extremely impressed with the whole vista of Merchiston, including the demeanour of the pupils, and he enjoyed being shown around by Jamie and Ahn. Finally, over the weekend, I spoke at the morning Chapel Service at Mowden Hall Preparatory School in Northumberland. We have two Mowdenians in the School, Jack and Simon. At yesterday’s Headmaster’s Assembly, I took the opportunity to tell the School the story behind the 
My congratulations: In yesterday’s Headmaster’s Assembly I congratulated, Jack, Lachlan, Matthew, Geordie, Drummond, Cameron, Jamie, Andrew, Matthew, Aadam, Alastair, Ben, Thomas, Matthew, Douglas, Rob and Donald who have had their poems published in the World of Difference poetry anthology (photo left). I congratulated James, who won the East of Scotland Grand Prix Tennis Tournament and I presented him with his trophy. This is his second win this season and he currently sits top of the Grand Prix leader board. James defeated the Scotland number 5 in the final of this most recent event and now holds the top Scottish ranking at U18 level; he is also number 5 in Scotland in the senior list. I congratulated Fraser who represented the Scottish Schools Athletics Association in the Schools International Cross Country match against teams from England, Ireland and Wales . 
Fergus and Scott (photo below left) were congratulated on winning second place in the Novice Double Skulls at the 
David Smith, a young Merchistonian who left the School in 2005, spoke in Sunday evening’s Chapel Service around the theme ‘Going on with Faith’. He spoke about different aspects of leadership and how he had been inspired at School. David is completing the study of Law at Aberdeen University and he is also in the market for a professional football contract! 
My thoughts: Barbara and I hope that all members of the Merchiston community enjoyed some family time together over Easter. The beginning of term, and particularly the beginning of the Summer Term, is always such a rejuvenating experience for all of us! So far, we have already celebrated ‘handshaking’, we are well into the swing of teaching and learning, and we have had theatre trips and a ceilidh for the boarders with St George’s. Yesterday, at Headmaster’s Assembly, we enjoyed hearing from Ben all about the recent Fourth Form Geography trip to Iceland (Photo left). There have been many sporting fixtures, and we have been blessed with some wonderful sunny weather. The blossom on the trees abounds although we did have one of Chaucer’s April ‘shoures’ (showers) yesterday.
My congratulations: In yesterday’s Assembly, I had the great pleasure of congratulating so many pupils. Chemistry Olympiad: Gold Award – Anh and George; Silver – Ruoyu; Bronze –Tommy; and Andrew received a Commendation. This has been our most successful year in the Intermediate Maths Challenge for a decade (and seven boys have also been invited to go on to the next stage): Gold Award (and Best in School) – Horace; Gold Award – Peter, Alastair, Charles, Nicholas, Rong Bing, Tim, Ralph, Lawrence, Edward, Jack, Angus, Terry and Charlie. Fingal was congratulated on achieving Grade 5 Piano with Distinction from The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, in addition to Grade 6 with Distinction in the Treble Recorder. In sport, Fraser represented the Scottish Schools’ Athletics Association in the Schools International Cross-country match against teams from England, Ireland and Wales. In the holidays, Calum won the Waverley Open Tennis Competition in Edinburgh, in addition to the Helensburgh U12 Boys’ Singles. We congratulated Adam on being awarded Football Half Colours, and Alex on his award of Rugby Half Colours. Equally, I congratulated the 1st XI and 2nd XI cricket teams on their respective victories against Loretto, as well as the U10 A and B XIs on their wins against Edinburgh Academy. The U16 tennis side had a good opening win against the Braid Tennis Club.
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