FUNdraising for Children in Need

05/01/20 - 15:37

MLeitch

This year’s Children in Need events were a huge success, raising almost £2,500 in total! Although the bake sale was earlier in the week, the main event was Friday with many fundraising activities. From sponsored reads to our very own ‘Would I lie to you?’, everything raised a great amount of money for Children in Need and a lot of fun was had while doing it. Much of the day was organized by the Charity Captains of the school, Ben Heaney and Tom McEwan, who did a great job. Here is what they had to say about the experience:

Tom

The Children in Need vision is very simple. “Every child in the UK has a safe, happy and secure childhood and the chance to reach their potential.” When putting forward the ideas for Children in Need it was incredibly important to remember what this charity fundraiser was actually about. The motive will always be there for events like this because who doesn’t want to play a role in making a child’s life that little bit better? Chucking a few pound coins in a bucket seems like nothing but put it on a national scale like Children in Need does and you come to making almost fifty million pounds! This day can be stressful and exasperating at times but that should never put us off as a school. It was an immense joy to have a key role in it. From seeing the game show, bake sales and sponsored reads go from our paper plans to reality brings a certain happiness and gladness in yourself. Charity is a simple act which makes a difference to not only others but yourself. I encourage everyone to pick up a role of being charitable, not only through your school years but throughout your whole life. Small acts from the individual really can become powerful events like Children in Need.

Ben

Overall, I think children in need was a success. Not only did we manage to raise a lot of money for a good cause, but we did it in an entertaining manner which was fun for all those who took part. From the “Would I lie to you?”, to the captains dancing around the classrooms dressed as Harry Potter characters to Matthew Burke reading nearly 3 entire novels in one sitting. I am very pleased with how all the fundraising went and how much all those involved enjoyed it. I would also like to give a big thanks in particular to Sam Albrow, who did an amazing job despite every technological problem going wrong on the day.

Another enthusiastic member of the captaincy team, Ella, was super involved with all the amazing activities – here is what she thought about it. “Raising money on non-uniform day for children took many forms. One of the most enjoyable, I would say, was running about the corridors and into classrooms dressed as a member of the Malfoy family (it’s still up for debate which one). Having watched captaincy teams over the past 5 years make classes laugh and dance, I was more than thrilled to take on one of the many perks of having a striped blazer. A very fun part of Children in Need this year was taking part in Bearsden Academy’s ‘Would I Lie to You?’. Turns out I am not as good of a liar as I thought I was (maybe this is a good thing). Also, sorry Tom, I didn’t live up to your expectations, although you picked a good lie, I do seem like the ‘thought I was Rapunzel’ type. As much as my teammates and I tried to spot the liars, we came second (sounds better than last). Although, we still had a ball!”

And our very own head boy Fraser let us know his thoughts on the success of the day too. “I found Children in Need a brilliant experience to raise lots of money for a great cause and have fun at the same time. It was good to see the majority of pupils in school wearing non-uniform and wanting to donate to charity. I also thoroughly enjoyed helping out at the coffee morning with many of my peers- it was also an opportunity to eat lots of tasty cakes!”

All in all, I’m sure you will all agree that Children in Need 2019 was a roaring success – hopefully, we will have plenty more opportunities to do even more events and raise money for a variety of charities if all you pupils are still up for joining in too of course!

The Time of Their Lives

08/11/19 - 11:07

MLeitch

I’m sure most of you either saw or heard about our school show this October, ‘Back to the 80’s’ which was in my opinion a thrilling experience just sitting in the audience. But what is being part of the production actually like? For any aspiring actors, musicians or people interested in being in a future show, here are a few things that some cast/band members gained from their difficult yet equally enjoyable rehearsals and performance and their experience being part of school shows over the years.

The rush of waiting to perform on the stage on opening night was like no other. The lights shining on our faces, setting the mood of the beginning scene was an exhilarating moment that I wish I could have captured and kept forever. Performing for an audience is the one thing I will never tire of doing. Words cannot describe what the feeling was truly like. The cast were my favourite part of being in the school show this year. With all the memories made and shared, it is definitely one of the most enjoyable parts of school. Whether it’s the backstage jokes, helping each other practice our lines, or eating a pre-performance Chinese, it brought us all together and I really loved being a part of it. I’m going to miss being able to do it again in the future.

I loved being a part of the ‘Back to the 80’s’ band. Although over the months it was tough at times, it was worth it. Working alongside the rest of the cast was an amazing experience to put on such a fantastic production!

My high school experience wouldn’t have been as amazing as it has been without being involved in the school productions. 4 shows later and I have acquired the most amazing friendships a person could ask for. From playing a small but aggressive Shakespearean lead, to a teacher from the 80s, I’ve had the opportunity to explore so many different roles and really challenge myself, whilst also having the most fun I’ve ever had. 20 years down the line, it won’t be the biology test that I did well in that I’ll remember, it will be the friendships, rehearsals, the singing and dancing, and let’s not forget, the phenomenal outcome of the performances that (not to brag) sold out every night. Nothing beats a standing ovation.

Back to the 80’s provided fun and laughs at every given moment I was a part of it but it required a high level of dedication, respect and teamwork from everyone involved. The final product, which blew audiences away, made mem feel so proud of the exhilarating performance we had worked tirelessly to put together.

Playing in the show band was an amazing experience, it tested and improved my ensemble skills and musicianship. It was amazing to work as a part of such a large production and how everyone could work so well to deliver a show which was so enjoyable to the audience.

Taking part in the school show ‘Back to the 80’s’ this October was a privilege, and an unforgettable experience. As a student who has never taken either drama or music as a school subject to exam level, performing in the show allowed me to acquire so much confidence when performing on stage. The process of taking part of taking part in dancing, singing and drama lessons most days after school for what seemed like months on end was a tiring process, but the hard work and dedication paid off and the thrill each and every one of us received from performing on stage in front of an audience is incomparable.

Introduction

07/11/19 - 22:30

MLeitch

Hi, We're Rachel and Maisie - the editors of the News section for the BAbble, so will be bringing you exciting articles about the latest events at Bearsden Academy. We encourage you to get involved not only by reading, but letting us know any things we could cover - we appreciate any ideas you might have. :)

P7 Science Transitions

15/03/19 - 13:07

SMacLellan

Our S5 Science Leaders successfully organised the P7 Science Transition Programme. Pupils across 5 primary schools were invited to Bearsden Academy for four sessions to experience life within our Science Department. The P7 pupils were involved in a series of fun and exciting lessons in our Biology, Chemistry and Physics labs.

Well done to our dedicated leaders!

Duke Of Edinburgh (DofE) Award #dofe

15/03/19 - 13:01

SMacLellan

Our third year pupils have been training extremely hard over the past 7 months to prepare for their DofE expedition in May. Pupils will have their first overnight camping experience on either the 21st-22nd March, or 17th-18th April. We can't wait to hear about how they get on! #bearsdendofe

Follow @bearsdendofe on Twitter for updates.

Zoology Club

15/03/19 - 12:53

SMacLellan

The biology department are delighted to introduce their three new axolotls, Soci, Dezi and Gari, as well as our new hamster, Darci. They join our current residents which include two different species of stick insect, two terrapins, fish, our giant African Snails and our other axolotl, Aristotle.

Our animals are looked after by our dedicated team of S6 Zoology leaders and other Zoology members.

Science Week at Bearsden Academy

15/03/19 - 12:27

SMacLellan

The Bearsden Academy science department will be celebrating the 150th year anniversary of the periodic table during Science Week. This will involve all S1 classes taking part in a number of exciting periodic table related activities including the “Periodic Table Escape Rooms”. 
S1 pupils are excited to tell you about this experience in next months BAbble upload.

Pupil Malawi Committee

15/03/19 - 12:25

SMacLellan

Bearsden Academy's newly formed Pupil Malawi Committee have been working hard to raise awareness and funds to help cover the costs of dormitory renovations in our partnership school Ngumbe Secondary in Malawi. Working with Classrooms for Malawi and The Scottish Malawi Partnership our members vision is to develop our partnership and as a school we aim to increase engagement with the community to improve learning, equity and wellbeing. In the near future our members will be visiting assemblies to inform you of the ways you can help and support our partnership with Nagumbe Secondary.

A big thank you to all who supported our most recent bake sale!

STEM Ambassadors

15/03/19 - 12:24

SMacLellan

Our S3 Graphic, Design and Manufacture students were visited by a STEM Ambassador, Alex McRoberts from Jacobs. Pupils were given an insight into the exciting role of a Visual Media Specialist. Our S3 Engineering Science cohort were also visited by Rishabh Sinah who studies Engineering at Glasgow University.  The pupil's gained an understanding of career pathways and with both STEM ambassadors provided an opportunity for our learners to link their classroom leaning to real life contexts.

Design and Technology STEM Competitions

15/03/19 - 12:19

SMacLellan

Go4SET Competition

Over the course of the next ten weeks our enthusiastic team of six budding engineers will be participating in the Go4SET STEM competition, run by the Engineering Development Trust. This is a fantastic opportunity for our young individuals to work alongside Engineers to design and develop a storm proof building. Our team meets weekly to research possible solutions, design concepts, manufacture models and write their report in preparation for the assessment day. Participating in the competition gives our pupils the scope to gain an Industrial Cadet Award and develop their team work, problem solving and STEM skills. Good luck to our 2019 group! 

 

Engineering Education Scheme

A team of six future engineers from our senior Engineering Science classes have been participating in the Engineering Education Scheme. Pupil's were provided with a brief to designing a laser based communication system and they have worked closely with Leonardo, one of UK's biggest suppliers of defence equipment, to arrive at their solution. We wish them the best of luck for their up and coming assessment day!

Welcome to the Bearsden BAbble

08/03/19 - 22:30

MBurton

Welcome to the Bearsden BAbble everyone!

 

I’m sure you’ve all been counting down the days to this momentous occasion but the wait is finally over, the BAbble is LIVE! From now on we’ll be bringing you regular updates on every aspect of school life from news and events to pupil opinion and sports, the BAbble has it all. The most important part about the BAbble is it’s written by students for students and everyone can have their say. So set reminders on your phone, bookmark the website and most importantly GET INVOLVED!

 

From your editors,

Matthew & Sara