Prize Day 2008
posted 18 Sept 2008

Once again the school held it's annual prize day celebration took place on Wednesday 17th Sept.

Pupils from all years were awarded prizes for outstanding contribution to school life and exam achievements. It was great to see the hall filled to capacity with staff, both past and present, parents and of course, the pupils.

Our special guest this year was Dr Robson Davison, Deputy Secretary for Schools and Youth Policy at the Department of Education. We thank him for taking time to come to participate in what is a special day for the school and for his words to pupils and staff - what it is to be a good school.

Thank you also to all the Canteen staff for the excellent buffett afterwards.

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Principal's Speech (Abridged)

Pupils of the school, colleagues, chairman, Dr Davison, ladies and gentlemen I would warmly echo the welcome extended to you all by the Chairman.

Thank you, Dr Davison, for taking time out of your busy schedule to be with us this afternoon. It is indeed a great privilege to have you with us today.

It is also a great privilege to have, Mrs Helen McClenaghen, the Chief Executive of the Southern Education and Library Board with us today. We all know how busy you are Mrs McClenaghen so we really do appreciate you taking time to be with us.

Also with us today is Mr Dixon Rose. Dixon has been President of the Irish Hockey Union for the past two year and earlier this year Mr Rose was awarded the MBE for his services to sport. Dixon you are most welcome in what has been an historic year for our school

It is my pleasure to have the opportunity to speak about the examination success achieved by students of this school because once again they have brought great credit to themselves, their family and our school.

There is much for us all to celebrate at GCSE, AS and Advanced Level.

The Advanced level pass rate was an excellent 98.5% and there were outstanding performances by students across many subjects.

39% of all grades achieved were ‘A’ Grades with 82% of the examinations passed at oneof the top three grades A to C

Top pupils at A Level were Russell D with 5 As at A Level. Natalie C, Rupert R and Rachel K all obtained 4 As at A Level and an A at AS while Harry A, Robert H, Chee Yan S and Sarah W all achieved 4 A Grades at A level.

Of the 64 pupils who sat A Level Examinations 61 made application to Further Education and I am delighted to say that all of these pupils were successful with no less than 55 obtaining their first choice course.

We are very proud of our sixth form pupils who have once again demonstrated their ability to access the most competitive courses at the most prestigious university departments.

A large number of our Lower Sixth pupils have excelled at AS Level. An outstanding 44% of all Grades were achieved at A Grade with 60% of all Year 13 students obtaining at least one A Grade.

Seven of our top students namely Gavin D, Marc E, Robin J, James N, Gillian P, Rosemary P and Stephen S all gained an A in A Level Mathematics in one year and then a further 3 A grades at AS Level, while Alana W obtained 4 A’s at AS Level.

Ryan H, Louise L, Ellen McI, Louise McV, Gareth P, Jessica R, Jonathan S, Christina T, and Cindy Y all obtained 3 A grades.

In September we introduced a National Diploma in Health And Social Care and I am delighted to report that the students have achieved distinctions in all of their modules to date and are on target to achieve the equivalent of two A’s at A Level.

Once again the Year 12 pupils in Cookstown High School have performed exceptionally well in their GCSE Examinations with no less than 78% of all passes at grades A* to C. One in three of all grades were passed at A or A*.

Top pupils this year were Hannah D, Rachael J, Andrew McA and Aimee M who all obtained an outstanding 9 A* Grades and 1 A Grade.

Diane C obtained 8 A* grades and 2 A’s, Andrew B 6 A* Grades and 4 A’s, Edwin F 5 A *grades and 5 A’s Barrie S 4 A* grades and 6 A’s, Owen McG 7 A * and 2 A’s, Alex S 5A* and 4A’s, Nicola V 4A* and 5A’s and Holly J and Gemma S each achieved 3A* and 5A’s.

At this point I want to emphasise that while it is right and proper to praise the very top students, we must also be aware that there have been many other outstanding GCSE performances by the broad range of pupils who attend this school. Cookstown High School is a combined Grammar and Secondary School and it is a tribute to the pupils and staff that the results achieved by our pupils at GCSE, and indeed AS and A level, are always consistently well above the National Average.

We said goodbye in June to Miss Katy Adams. Miss Adams joined the staff 5 years ago in the Mathematics Department. We also said a sad farewell to Mrs Samantha Quick. Mrs Quick joined our staff, in a permanent capacity, in November 2006 and in her short time with us made a very significant contribution to the life of our school.

Miss O’Neill joined us last October to cover a maternity leave and I am delighted to say that she is still with us this year on a part time basis in the Business Studies Department.

Miss Alex Graham also joined us in the first term last year and soon became a key player in the English Department.

Miss Nicola Crooks joined us last September to cover for Mrs Heather Campbell who was unfortunately experiencing ill health. I know that one of Mrs Campbell’s greatest concerns, when she became unwell, was who would look after the pupils in her absence. I am sure Mrs Campbell it has been reassuring to know that your pupils have been in safe hands. Although I am pleased to report that Mrs Campbell’s health has now significantly improved, I am sad to say that she has been advised to retire from teaching.

Words cannot possibly pay tribute in this short slot to the contribution Mrs Campbell has made to the life of this school over the past 23 years. Mrs Campbell has produced many successful netball teams along with all the girls, who as a result of her coaching, went on to represent their country. Heather, I am aware that you are with us today. You will be missed here, by the pupils, by your colleagues and those of us who were privileged to be your friend. I wish you a long, happy and healthy retirement.

Our sincere thanks go to last year’s Head Boy Russell D and Head Girl Rachel C. Russell and Rachel, it was a pleasure to work with you. We wish you and your deputies David B, Peter B, Chee Yan S and Sarah W every success in the future.

We extend our best wishes to their successors Head girl, Jane McC, Head Boy, Marc E and their deputies Rebecca D, Rozi P, Mark C and Ryan H.

The school takes its social responsibility very seriously to try to help those less well off than ourselves through charitable giving.

In total last year the school raised over £22000 pounds for charity. Money was raised for a number of local charities including the Ulster Cancer Foundation, Macmillan Nursing and Action MS with bun sales, coffee mornings and sponsored walks. The mini company Unique sold lots of Halloween items and a unique calendar and raised money for Diabetes UK and the Down syndrome Association.

In September we started a new option for sixth year pupils, called the Certificate for Personal Effectiveness. One of the challenges for the young people taking part is fundraising. Their venture held on St Valentine’s Day was “who would you give your last ROLO to”. Pupils could purchase wrapped rolos, write a little message on a label and the COPE pupils dressed as Valentines Day Fairies then delivered them. This proved great fun and raised money for charity. Surprisingly I even got a rolo but for obvious reasons the person has asked to remain anonymous!

Possibly one of our most significant charity ventures last year was School Aid Romania. In February, 45 Year 13 pupils, from our School and Holy Trinity College travelled to Romania having raised a combined total of £24000.

While there the young people brought practical aid such as food and clothes, they also brought hugs and tender care. The pupils visited Old People’s homes’ orphanages, mainstream and special schools and other institutions. One of the institutions was described as a place for unwanted people. That seems in itself a terrible statement and as you would imagine our young people witnessed some harrowing things but they all said they had no regrets about going to Romania. Not only did they make new friends with pupils from holy Trinity but most importantly they believed they had made a difference, even if only for a short time, to the lives of Romanian men, women and children.

The Scripture Union and Christian Fellowship continue to grow from strength to strength each year. Although this year was not just as action packed as our 50 th Anniversary year, the previous year, we still had well over 100 pupils each week enjoying fun, food and fellowship.

Our Library, or learning resource centre as we now call it, continues to flourish with a team of assistant librarians. The year began with what is now our annual Book Fair. In October the poet Tony Curtis visited, we held a Readers Poll on World Book Day and a Draughts Competition in May.

I am delighted to say that the library, which we recently refurbished, is now filled to capacity before school begins and at Break and Lunchtime.

Today is a very special day for our Home Economics Department as earlier we officially opened our refurbished Home Economics Department. At the official opening a number of people were thanked and I would like to reaffirm our thanks to all who played their part. Can I express appreciation to both the Department of Education and the Southern Education and Library board for their part in the project.

However it would be remiss of me not to thank all the staff in school who coordinated and assisted with the refurbishment. It really was a team effort. The Home Economics Department in this school has always been held in high regard and the large number of pupils choosing the subject, particularly at GCSE level in recent years, is a tribute to the fine teaching the pupils experience. I am delighted therefore that the staff and pupils now have a working environment which measures up to the high standards set within the department.

Our pupils, in the learning Support Centre, continue to be provided with a wide range of opportunities. This year these experiences included trips to forest parks, industry, leisure activities, drama and the world of owls.

For the first time our year 11 LSC pupils took part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Normally our pupils complete their practice expedition in the Sperrins but the LSC pupils decided that that was a little too tame for them so off they went to Austria for what must have been the trip of a lifetime. There they experienced trekking in the mountains, canoeing, rafting and of course lots of beautiful scenery.

On their return from sunny Austria they completed their assessed expedition in not so sunny Gortin Glen. Well done to the boys and girls who took part and achieved their Bronze Award.

Once again we also had a very large number of our pupils in year 11 opting to undertake their Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award. Today’s programme provides you with a full list of the successful candidates. The programme also provides you with the names of all the pupils from our sixth year who successfully obtained their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. Well done to all who took part.

Can I take this opportunity to thank all the teachers who help with our Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme both after school and at weekends.

In December the School presented the Wizard of Oz at the Burnavon and what a success that proved to be. In my opinion it was one of our best productions to date and was a hit with both the young and the not so young. It was a sell out at all the performances. This December our society for music and drama will perform two one act productions. The first act, which will have a cast entirely from the junior school, is a slight variation on the traditional pantomime Cinderella.

The second act is a comedy horror featuring many well known characters from horror books and movies. The cast will consist of senior pupils, although it has been suggested that one or two members of staff including myself could have monster parts and that we would save money as we would not require makeup.

Ladies and Gentlemen with so many children involved in our production I would advise you to buy your tickets early.

Our carol Service last Christmas was held in Molesworth Church. This was a new venture for us and it proved to be a very uplifting experience. We have many talented musicians and singers in our school and this was an opportunity for then to shine.

Many of these young people and others have achieved great personal success in music and in music examinations. Although too numerous to mention I would want them all to know how proud we are of their achievements.

In May some of our young people participated in Cookstown Primary School’s 40 th Anniversary. These included Owen L, Andrew B, Ceri L and Cindy Y.

Natalie McFall was asked to sing at a garden party in Hillsborough castle and Gary Lennox enjoyed a year’s scholarship through the SELB music service for grade 8 Trumpet.

At this point I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate Mrs Meta Bell. Meta helped with music and choirs in our school for many years. She was always a true professional and produced some of the finest choirs our school has ever had. It seems so fitting that she should receive an MBE this year for her work in the community through music. Well done Meta from all at Cookstown High School.

Another new venture last June was a combined Art and Technology exhibition of GCSE and AS and A Level students work. The standard of work on display was excellent and I would also wish to thank all the brave performers who provided musical entertainment during the evening.

Our School Council had another busy year. One of their main ventures was to assist with the school’s anti-bullying campaign. To launch this they sold wrist bands which pupils bought and wore to show their support for the campaign.

School Council members also helped with pupil questionnaires. These were designed to find out what bullying issues were concerning our pupils. As a result of their work the Council decided to produce an information leaflet for parents and an advice card for pupils. On behalf of the pupils, staff and governors we would like to express our appreciation to the School Council for their input on such an important matter.

In March Miss Parker and the School Council organised a fun run for Sports Relief. The response from the pupils and indeed the staff was fantastic with over 400 runners and over £ 800 raised.

2007/2008 proved to be without doubt the most successful sporting year in our history. Our trophy cabinet is so full we are considering asking the SELB to finance a trophy room.

Starting with soccer, prior to the Christmas holiday our year 8 boys were crowned Under 12 Coleraine and district Champions. Our Year 10 boys’ team were then also crowned under 14 champions while the Under 13 boys finished runners-up in their competition.

Kyle McC and Stuart G in year 10 obtained trials for the Northern Ireland under 15 soccer squad. Both boys had the opportunity to travel with the squad to play against Liverpool Academy and Wrexham Academy. Following this Stuart was selected for the Northern Ireland under 15 development squad to play against the Republic of Ireland and Wales.

Jamie D was selected to play for the Northern Ireland under 16 squad and this summer Jamie signed for Preston North End Football Club. We wish him well in his future career. Perhaps one day he will follow in the footsteps of another former pupil Aaron Hughes and captain the Northern Ireland Team.

In February Mr Hogg and Mr Kerr lead a very successful joint soccer and rugby tour to England. On the way to Manchester they played Stranraer High School and then Victoria College, Crewe. The trip included the opportunity to see the Sale Sharks play and a coaching session at Manchester City. Following a tour of the stadium they watched the Manchester City/Reading match. From all accounts it was a fun filled four days.

Our rugby teams continue to participate in regular fixtures throughout the season. Special mention must be made about our Under 14 and 15 Teams as both teams had excellent league runs and shared their respective league titles.

In senior rugby Ryan H was selected to play for the Ulster Youth under 18 rugby team and he played in the youth Interprovincial series. Jamie B, in year 12, is presently training with the Ulster Under 17 Development Squad.

In fishing Stephen McC reached the UK Troutmasters Fishing Final. To reach the UK finals Stephen had to beat a number of fishermen with many more years experience so this was a marvellous achievement indeed.

In the last two years badminton has become one of our fastest growing sports. Last year the school fielded five teams at different age groups and it is clear by their results that a significant amount of progress has been made in a very short space of time. It is only a matter of time before we should expect some silverware to come our way. Well done to all who took part in badminton this year whether for fun or as a member of a team.

Another sport which attracted a large numbers of pupils this year was Table Tennis. It was great to see the rejuvenation of a sport that was once so popular and successful in the past in Cookstown High School.

Although a number of pupils joined simply for recreation others wanted to represent their school. The senior girls and junior boys’ teams participated in the annual Schools Cup Table Tennis Tournament. The senior girls were defeated in the semi-final and the junior boys reached the final. Well done to all involved.

At this juncture I would like to say a very big thank you to all the staff who assist with our extra-curricular programme. Boys, girls and parents the opportunity to enjoy such a range of activities is only possible because of the large number of staff who are willing to give of their time. The activities simply would not happen if it were not for them.

The growing number of pupils involved in sport in this school, whether simply just for fun and recreation or at a competitive level, is a tribute to the enthusiastic staff who encourage the pupils to take part. At a time when concerns are regularly raised in the media about the inactivity of young people it is reassuring to know that as a school we are providing such a breadth of opportunity for children at all levels. There really is something for everyone.

Thanks again to all the staff involved.

Our athletes had yet another successful season. During the winter season four athletes qualified for the Ulster Schools cross country championships. In May, 31 of our pupils qualified for the Ulster Schools Athletic Championships. A special mention must go to the Junior Girls Team who won seven events in the district championships. At the Ulster Championships eight of our 31 athletes were placed in the top eight in their event with 5 pupils obtaining medals and two pupils winning their event.

Our Gold medallists Lorraine B and David A along with silver medallists Ryan Hand Rebecca D and Bronze medallist Mitchell G were then selected to participate in the Irish Schools Championship where David obtained a silver medal in the Javelin. Well done to all who took part.

In Netball our school continues to be one of the top netball schools in Ulster. Our minor team won the PSNI League and Cup. They also reached the quarter final of the Northern Ireland School’s Cup. The Junior Team won their PSNI League and Cup and the intermediate team won their PSNI League and reached the semi-finals of the Northern Ireland Cup, losing to the eventual school’s champions.

Our senior team won the SELB League and the cross community League. They also reached the semi-final of the Northern Ireland Schools Cup and the quarter final of the Northern Ireland League.

Once again a number of girls have received representative honours but special mention must go to Kirstie McC and Stephanie B who were selected for the Northern Ireland under 17 team.

Kyla B had an outstanding year in Netball representing Northern Ireland at under 19 and under 21 level in the respective European Championships. However, undoubtedly her most significant achievement to date was her selection for the full Northern Ireland Squad to play in Singapore last September. We look forward to following Kyla’s international career with interest.

In girls hockey we continue to field as many as 8 teams although we can usually only squeeze four on the bus each Saturday!

As always our junior teams played with great enthusiasm and our under 14 team were successful in winning the West of Ulster League title.

The girls first eleven had a convincing win over Royal and Prior, Raphoe in the first round of the school’s Cup only to bow out in the second round against a strong Carrick Grammar side. Unfortunately the Girls were then drawn against the eventual winners, Banbridge Academy, in the Schools Plate.

The girls did however perform well in the West of Ulster League and finished runners up in this competition.

Perhaps the highlight of the season for the girls was their trip to Edinburgh on tour and the chance to play the Scottish Champions George Watson College. They also achieved a 4-4 draw with Craigholme High and managed to fit in some shopping, sightseeing and lots of fun.

A large number of girls achieved representative honours at regional development level with Megan S being selected to play for the Ulster under 16 B Hockey Squad.

I am sure you will agree that one girl deserves very special mention, namely Rebecca D. Last season Rebecca was selected to represent the Irish under 18’s and then went on to play for the Ulster under 21 team. In August Rebecca captained the Northern Ireland Girl’s hockey team and won a silver medal at the UK Games. In the summer Rebecca also received a call up to the Irish A Development squad. This is a tremendous achievement particularly since Rebecca had to contend with surgery for a knee injury last year. Rebecca’s selection for the Irish A Squad shows that she is very close to obtaining full international selection and we hope that Rebecca achieves this in the not too distant future.

Before I begin the part of my address which reports on boys’ hockey I feel that I should apologise in advance. I have tried to keep it as brief as possible but such was the enormity of the success in boys hockey this season I feel I would be doing it a grave injustice if I did not report the significant details. It really was a remarkable year and it is hard to imagine that it could ever be repeated; especially the dramatic way by which the success was achieved.

I am going to begin with our junior teams, who are hopefully our stars of the future. Last year our under 13 team had a very successful year with a superb cup run that earned them a place in the Banister Bowl final. This was a great achievement for the boys and credit must go to the boys and their coaches.

The boys under 14 team were bitterly disappointed when they bowed out of the Ferris Cup in the semi final. Having won the Bannister Bowl the previous season they had been tipped as favourites for the Ferris Cup.

The boys second eleven had an excellent season with a number of the boys having the opportunity to travel with the firsts to the All Irelands and then the European Championships at Easter. The seconds only lost two matches all season and reached the semi final of the Dowdall Cup.

You will notice from your programme that a large number of boys obtained representative honours. Adam H and Ian S were selected to play for Ulster and then the Irish under 16 Team to play against England. Ian was then selected to play against Belgium at Easter and then in he European Championships in Holland in July.

Mark C, Stephen S, Stuart S and Alistair T all played for Ulster and then the Irish under 18 Team in matches against England and Belgium. Their most significant achievement was winning the gold medal in the Home Countries in July.

At the end of the summer Mark, Stephen, Stuart, Alistair, Ian and Jonathon A were all selected for the Northern Ireland under 19 team to play in the UK Youth Games where they finished silver medallists.

David Best and David Ames were selected for the Ulster U21 team and both boys along with Stuart Smyth were invited to train and play as part of an Irish Development Squad.

Then two weekends ago David A was selected to represent the full Irish Senior Team and along with former Head Boy, Keith B he obtained his first full international cap in Cardiff. Hopefully David this is the first of many.

The season began in earnest for the Boys first eleven last October when they travelled to Dublin to play in the Irish Schools Championship.

Success on the first two days with wins over Ashton, Friends and Sutton Park meant that that the boys had won their group and had earned a semi final place against the Munster Champions Bandon.

I had the privilege of travelling down to Dublin extremely early on the Friday morning. However, when I arrived at the pitch the boys were losing 1 nil and by half time they were losing 3-0.The large Cookstown crowd were desolate but the boys were not ready to bow out.

At the start of the second half they hit the woodwork twice and missed a penalty stroke. With only 15 minutes left to play, they finally broke the deadlock and launched a remarkable comeback. Four goals later they had clinched a place in the final.

Just two hours later they took the field against Banbridge Academy and came from behind twice to win the match 4-2 and take the all Ireland Trophy home to Cookstown for the first time in the school’s history.

In December the team put their supporters through torture again when they played in the final of the McCullough Cup. It took a last minute goal by Captain David Ames to force a penalty stroke shoot out and then a sudden death penalty strike by the same player to win the trophy.

With two of the three major trophies now in their possession there was immense expectation on the boys to complete the illusive treble by winning the Burney Cup.

Once more the boys put the large crowd of supporters, pupils, past pupils and most of the population of Cookstown through torture.Although

I think it would be only fair to say that the pressure did get to the boys and they were losing 2-1 with only two minutes left to play. Once again the Captain came to the rescue, scored a corner and forced the game into extra time. Fortunately the team relaxed in extra time and eventually ran out comfortable winners against Royal and Prior, Raphoe to win the treble.

Following our success at the All Ireland Championships, we were invited to play in the European Youth Championships in, The Hague, in Holland at Easter. In spite of the snow storms and terrible playing conditions the boys played some of their best hockey of the season and the boys finished a very creditable third behind the two Dutch teams.

Throughout the season I was overwhelmed by the support the school received from past pupils, the hockey club, local business people and the whole community of the Cookstown District. I have always felt that Cookstown High School is at the heart of our community and this was so apparent last year, thank you.

I am delighted to say that we have with us today the president of the Irish Hockey Union, Mr Dixon Rose MBE. Dixon, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to be with us this afternoon. I am now going to ask the three most senior players in the squad last year David A, David B and Greg A to come to the stage and can I ask you, Dixon, to formally present the trophies to our school.