Administrator Reading / Book Club 0 Comments
Today Dalriada School had 2024 reasons to celebrate reading, after pupils read their way through hundreds of books to rise over £2,024 to support a local children’s cancer charity.
During October the school took part in the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund
for Children’s (NICFC) sponsored ReadOn initiative, which challenges pupils to read as many books as possible in a week, to help local children living with cancer.
Administrator English 0 Comments
‘The Scottish Play’ was brought to life this term when Junior Drama Club decided that Shakespeare deserved its attention. With Marcus McLean as a convincing Macbeth and Laura Abernethy’s haunting performance as Lady Macbeth, the plot unfolded for the Year 9 audience in the John Armstrong Hall. The performance in the round gave our young actors the new experience of having audience on three sides and they coped admirably. Emma Jones as Banquo, Calum Telfer as Duncan and Aoife Cameron-Mitchell as Macduff kept us all intrigued from beginning to end, while the three witches, Megan Myer, Constantine Arnscheidt and Kamila Marszalek created a tangible sense of the sinister by infiltrating almost every scene. The Scottish Thanes Jonah Myer, Sam Gault and David Willis along with Lily Meldrum and Rachel Beckett who played Duncan’s sons, Gage McAlister as Fleance and Andreas Karmiotis, the Porter, all told the story of Macbeth’s downfall with energy, pace and obvious enjoyment. Well done to every member of the cast and a big thank you, too, to Thomas Hancock our prompt.
Drama Club is now starting a new programme with a new intake of pupils, so if you are in Years 8-11 come along to B5 at lunchtime on Tuesdays. We look forward to you getting involved in our next performance!
Administrator Volleyball 0 Comments
After a tense two days and 10 matches for our Under 16 Volleyball teams, the Year 11 Girls recorded their first win yesterday and the Boys also had a win against Markethill.
The Year 12 girls emerged victorious over Markethill, Craigavon and St. Mary’s, Lurgan. Captain Kerry Kirkatrick and her girls remain undefeated in all of their games so far and having beaten last years Northern Ireland Champions they are odds on favourite with three matches left. Congratulations!!!
In the Under 18 section Dalriada Girls also top their table having beaten off all opposition so far including last years champions Armagh.
Coaches Dr Walker and Mr Nelson are hoping for a repeat of 2008 when both girls teams qualified for the All-Ireland finals and went on to win.
Administrator Bar Mock 0 Comments
On Saturday 20th November the Bar Mock team travelled to the High Court to compete in the Belfast heat of the Bar National Mock Trial Competition.
Administrator English 0 Comments
On Thursday 18th November, a team of six Dalriads competed in the annual Soroptimist International Public Speaking competition. It was held in the Tweed Conference Room of the Robinson Hospital in Ballymoney, and was a very enjoyable evening for all who attended. The girls gave their views on a wide range of topics, including Facebook, Beauty and the Welfare State. After a very high standard of speeches were delivered, the judges took time to deliberate while the nervous pupils enjoyed some light refreshments. Congratulations to Annabeth McDowell who placed second overall after speaking about Facebook, Abigail Curry who spoke about Beauty and placed joint third and all the girls that took part. Thank you to Ms Timmins for arranging the evening and practising and perfecting the speeches with the girls.
Abigail, Rebekah and Annabeth, Year 12.
Administrator Rugby 0 Comments
Dalriada beat the highly rated and ranked Campbell College in a thrilling game 20 -18 in Belfast. The game really emphasized that this Dalriada team has the ability to beat any of the school sides in Ulster and the victory was built on skill, intelligence and sheer will not to give up when down.
The benefit of the tour to Gloucester shone through; the confidence gained by taking on the best in the four nations at school’s level meant that no team in Ulster is really feared. What makes this victory so outstanding is that it came from being 18-3 down. John Laughlin hit several good kicks and couple of tries from Johnny McMullan, one a trade mark interception brought the score to 18-17 and with only time on the clock for one more play, Dalriada patiently took the ball through the phases right up to the Campbell try line. This same scenario was played out the previous week against Neath on the Gloucester tour, one score one play left. That day the side kept the ball through fourteen phases got over the line but could not ground it. However on Saturday the drama unfolded with a different outcome.
Once possession was secured the Dalriada forwards and backs showed great skill to keep the ball and to work the position up close to the Campbell try line for Ben Henderson to coolly slot the drop goal to win the game, a mark of the maturity and confidence the team possess. The forwards in particular fronted up to the bigger pack and quite rightly for his work rate, Sam Kyle was awarded man of the match
The victory will give the side the confidence for the next few weeks in the lead up to School’s cup and Dalriada will again enter the Cup at the third round.
Administrator Rugby 0 Comments
Dalriada had another profitable day on Saturday with some big wins for their teams over Larne GS.
The 1st XV backed up their win over Campbell the previous week with a very good away performance, running in four tries. The 2nd XV also scored a four try victory, running out impressive 26 – 0 victors. The medallion sealed off the day playing at home with a 61-0 win scoring nine tries in the process.
Administrator Drama 0 Comments
Our dramatic production this year, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, is on Thursday 2nd, Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th December. Tickets are available from the school office (02827663066) Adults £8 and Concession £5.
Update: Tickets are available now only for Friday night, so if you plan to come, book soon!
Year 10 pupils were celebrating great success on the first day back to school. The whole year group entered a UK-wide competition in June, with one of the students, Daniel Kelly, winning FIRST PRIZE. 38 other pupils were also presented with prizes or certificates of special merit for work of a very high standard.
The School’s Bible Project Competition aims to encourage students to encounter the New Testament and do some creative writing based on what they have learned. It is a chance for them to explore the thoughts and feelings of people who were actually present at an event in the life of Christ, and to write about it.
Students were asked to write about either ‘The Crucifixion’ or ‘The women find the empty tomb.’ Each student was asked to choose one of the incidents and produce an essay as if by an eye-witness. Essays poured in from schools across the UK and many were of an extremely high standard, showing a thoughtful and reflective understanding of Christ, and the significance of his death and resurrection.
Daniel has won a cash prize of £500 for the school and a Bible and personal prize for himself. These prizes will be presented at a ceremony in London in the autumn and expenses will be covered for him and a parent and teacher to accompany him.
This is an excellent achievement for Daniel and the other students who have had their work recognised in this competition. A very positive start to a new school year!
Winner
Daniel Kelly
Prize Winners
Kamila Marszalek, Emma Hutchinson, Rachel Fallows, Christopher McLean, Jenny Love, Sarah Huey, Shannon Hayley and Matthew Christie.
Certificate of Special Merit
10M: Cormac Cunningham-Bell, Rachael McPherson, Zoe Carruthers, Ellen Yates, Sam Gault, India Macfarlane, Calum Nemec and Christopher Nevin.
10R: Lynn Macauley, Lydia Pollock, Emma Chestnut, Hannah Frizzell and Leah Boal.
10S: Chloe Ballantine, Peter Adams, Ellen Monteith, Scott Malcomson, Mark McMullan and Nakina Lamont.
10T: Joshua Kane, Zara Loughridge and Aoife Cameron-Mitchell.
10W: David Tang, Amy Simpson, Emma Armstrong, Alice Matthews, Katie Owens, Jonathan Jamison, Thomas Hancock and Sophie Sterne.
Administrator English 0 Comments
Year 8 Readon 27th September – 1st October
Last month all Year 8 pupils took part in Dalriada’s annual sponsored Readon. Pupils were encouraged to read as many books as they could for their own enjoyment and also to raise funds for the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for children. As part of the Book Week celebrations Year 8 pupils set out in very chatty, long crocodiles to Ballymoney Library where Mrs Tweed, the Librarian, told them how they could access the many services the Library offers and entertained them with stories and poems. There was a Book Fair for all Key Stage 3 pupils in the School Library too. In 2009, Year 8 raised £ 2,070 during Book Week – we are looking forward to hearing the sponsorship total this year!
