SPORT  (GIRLS)

HOCKEY (2004/2005)

Representative Honours:

            Lesley Doyle                 -           Ulster U18 team.

ATHLETICS

Kathryn Carson qualified for the Ulster Championships where she was placed 2^nd in the 100m and 3^rd in the 200m.  She qualified for the Irish Championships in the 100m.

Kathryn also represented Northern Ireland at the U.20 Inter County Internationals in Derby.

CHESS

Dylan Wylie won the Year 8 section of the Northern Bank Schools’ Chess Tournament.  The school’s Year  8 team played in their division of the Ulster Schools’ Chess League.

A sum of £177.50 was raised for Barnardos by most of the regular club members during National Chess Week.

NETBALL

SOCCER

SWIMMING

Ulster Minor Schools’ Swimming Championships (Area Heats)  October 2004

Melissa Ruddock           :           3^rd in 50 m Backstroke

                                                3^rd in 50 m Freestyle

TABLE TENNIS

Eleven teams were entered in the Ulster Schools’ League and Cup competitions.

            Winners:           U.15 Girls’ Cup and U.19 Girls’ Cup

The U.15 Girls’ team also went on to retain the All-Ireland Schools’ Cup (three years in a row!).

The U.19 team gained Bronze medals.

In the Ulster Schools’ Individual Championships, bronze medals were won by:-

            Elaine Campbell            (U.14 Girls)

            Ciara Corbett                (U.14 Girls)

TENNIS

SPORT (BOYS)

RUGBY  (2004/2005)

Representative Honours:            Scott Shannon               -           Irish U19 XV.

                                                Andrew Linton              -           Ulster Schools’ XV.

ATHLETICS             

The following boys qualified for the Ulster Championships:

Junior Boys                   Gary Coulter – High Jump and Long Jump

                                                (won both events and set a new Ulster record in the High Jump) 

                                    Kyle Moore – 100m (1^st)

                                    Michael Shannon – Shot

                                    Daniel Pugh – 100m     

Senior Boys                  David Pugh – 100m

Kyle and Gary qualified for the Irish Championships and both won their respective events of 100m and High Jump.  Gary was also 2^nd in the Long Jump.

Gary represented Ulster at the Celtic Games in Wales where he won the High Jump and represented Ireland in the Schools’ International Competition where he came 3^rd.

CRICKET     

Cricket season memorable largely for two reasons:

Also pleasing was the resurrection of the 2^nd XI after a few years’ hiatus.

Workhas now begun by our Ground Staff (following their completion of acricket groundsmanship course) on re-laying our main square, a projectwhich will be spread over three or four years.

GOLF             

The Senior Boys’ Team played in the Ulster Schools’ Golf League and Cup competitions.  The Junior team played in the NEBSSA competition, qualifying for the final at Castlerock.

JUDO             

During the year Zack Mitchell, a pupil in 8.F, enjoyed considerable success in Judo.

• Bronze medallist            :          Irish Closed Championships (Under 16)

                                                :           Golden Cow Youth Games (Under 16)

• 5^th place                        :           London International Tournament
• Gold medallist                :           Edmund Rice Schools’ Competition (Under 16)

                                          :           British Cadet Championship (Under 55 kg.)

Zack is currently ranked number one in the U.K. for his age/weight and is well-placed for selection in the 2006 Great Britain Cadet Squad.

SOCCER       

The school entered two boys’ teams and two girls’ teams in various competitions.  

SWIMMING  

Ulster Minor Schools’ Swimming Championships (Area Heats)  October 2004

Boys’ Relay Team        :           2^nd in Freestyle Relay

                                                2^nd in Medley Relay

Matthew Harkness        :           1^st in 50 m Backstroke

                                                1^st in 50 m Freestyle

Jordan Boyle                 :           3^rd in 50 m Freestyle

Ulster Minor Schools’ Swimming Championships (Finals)

Matthew Harkness        :           1^st in 50 m Freestyle

                                                4^th in 50 m Backstroke

Irish Minor Schools’ Swimming Championships (Finals)

Matthew Harkness        :           1^st in 50 m Freestyle

                                                5^th in 50 m Backstroke

In May 2005 Matthew won a place on the Irish National Swimming Squad.                     

MUSIC

The Music Department’s extra-curricular programme continues to cater for the musical needs of a vast number of pupils.  Whilethe large ensembles provide music-making opportunities for over threehundred pupils on a weekly basis, the flourishing of smaller groups –such as String Quartet, Dixie Band, Chamber Choir, Brass Quintet –raises the standard of the school’s best musicians through outsideengagements.

The busy schedule of events began with delightful performances by the Junior and Senior Choirs on Prize Day.  Shortand sweet perhaps, but Prize Day gives the opportunity for the testingof new voices in a public arena before the onslaught of rehearsals forChristmas.

The Northern Ireland Schools’ Wind Band Championships this year in the Ulster Hall were as competitive as ever.  The Junior Band achieved a creditable ‘runner-up’ place, yet again having been pipped at the post by Regent House.  TheSenior Band took a sabbatical given that the competition was heldduring the holidays and a large number of pupils were off to spy outprospective universities.

After Halloween attention was focused on an elaborate programme for the Carol Service in St. Patrick’s Parish Church.  This year’s order of service included excerpts from Handel’s Messiah and a new arrangement of Joy to the World for joint choirs by D.R. Ledgerwood.

The Annual Spring Concert concluded the extra-curricular programme.  It was a feast of substance, variety, quality and once again huge numbers of participating pupils.  Highlights this year included Palladio and Adiemus by the Welsh composer Karl Jenkins.  Alsoof particular note was the emergence of a brand new traditional jazzband, the members demonstrating more than modest ability in the skillsof improvisation.  A new percussion ensemble alsoperformed with reassuring confidence and subsequently toured a numberof primary schools in the summer term.

BRIDGE

Year9 pupils, Robbie Barr, Matthew Boyd, James Burrows, Anthony Chow, MarkGillen, Roshni Janarthanan, Andrew Laughlin and Oliver Millar allplayed in the Ulster Schools’ Bridge League.

DRAMA        

The past academic year has seen the Drama Department continue to expand and build on its successes.  The‘A’ level class obtained the highest results to date, whilst the ‘AS’and GCSE classes continued to perform at a very high standard.

The 2004 Academy Players presented William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dreamto the usual full houses, again pushing their limits as they created aperformance set in the past, present and future, on stylistic sets fullof symbolism.  The theme of the production was based around The Matrix film trilogy and was extremely well received.  Indeed, this year’s Guest Critic, David Grant (Head of Drama at Queen’s University, Belfast) hailed it, “one of the clearest and most imaginative school productions I have ever seen.”

HonoursTies and Pockets in Drama were presented in October to Nikita Strange,who performed with the Ulster Youth Theatre during the summer, and toMartin Jackson who became our second student to become a member of theNational Youth Theatre, spending the summer with the Company in London.

Thirteenmore Achievement Awards for Drama were presented to Academy Players whohad performed with distinction on and off-stage.

Once again, there have been notable successes for our dramatists outside school:

·         ClareMcCollam and Fergus Roulston had the honour of joining the select groupwho comprised the cast of this summer’s Ulster Youth performance of Red Noses.

·         CurranMcKay and Stephanie McKervill became our third and fourth dramastudents to become members of the National Youth Theatre in London, successfully becoming two of a dozen or so students from Northern Ireland to be selected from around 3,500 who auditioned in the U.K.  Stephanie is the first pupil from the Academy to work on stage management with the National Youth Theatre.

·         Whilsta growing number of drama students leave the Academy to further theirstudies in the dramatic arts, mention must be made of Curran McKay, whohas obtained a place at the prestigious East 15 Drama School – we wishhim well with his future, as we do to all who have worked so hard tofurther the pursuit of excellence in drama at the Academy.

PUBLIC SPEAKING : JUNIOR

The Ballymena and District Road Safety Competition was held in November.  Abigail Nelson (9.C) was placed 2^nd in the A Class and Lydia Richards (9.G) was placed 3^rd.  In the B Class Naomi Lamont (10.E) was placed 2^nd.

Abigail Nelson (9.C) was Highly Commended at the Meningitis Research Public Speaking Competition in November.  She also participated in the N.I. Final of the Environmental Youth Speak Competition in May.

PUBLIC SPEAKING : SENIOR

Two teams of three girls represented the school at the Business and Professional Women’s Competition in November.

Laura Houston (Year 13) was placed 3^rd in the Soroptimist Public Speaking Competition in November.

Rachel Hamilton (Year 14) was placed 2^nd in the C Class at the Ballymena District Road Safety Competition and Fergus Roulston (Year 13) was placed 3^rd.

Peter Coulter (Year 12) won the cup for 2^nd place at the Meningitis Research Public Speaking Competition in November.

Mr. James Boyle and Mrs. Jayne Weir were the adjudicators at the annual Queenie McMullan Public Speaking Competition in April.  Rebecca Knowles (Year 12) won the Overall Section and Laura Houston  (Year 13)  won  the  new  Linda Hunter Cup for the Best Novice Speaker.  Linda Knox (Year 14) was Highly Commended.

Laura Erwin (Year 14) won the Edgar Graham Memorial Competition in May.  Laura, the first girl to win the competition, brought the trophy back to school for the third successive year.

CROSS-COMMUNITY CONTACT

Schools’ Community Relations Programme

Three classes: 8.B, 9.D and 10.E enjoyed a full programme of events with St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt.

Each class participated in two workshops, and a site visit connected to their programme of study in History.  The final meetings focused on team building activities.

Service for Christian Unity

Ten Year 13 students joined schools in the East Antrim area for a Prayer Service at St. MacNissi’s College, Garron Tower.

Spirit of Enniskillen Bursaries

Charlotte Knowles and Malcolm Kennedy were among 60 successful students selected from across Northern Ireland to participate in a seven-month, part-time learning programme entitled “Citizenship for a Shared Future”.  In July they spent two weeks in Maine and Seattle respectively, where they met young people from U.S.A., Israel, Palestine, and North/South Cyprus to explore how cultures can deal with differences.

DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD SCHEME

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme in school continues to grow each year with more and more students enrolling.

AtBronze Award level students are required to undertake a period ofservice in the local community, participate in some form of physicalrecreation, develop a skill and complete a challenging expedition.

At Gold Award level students are required to complete the same sections as at Bronze level, but for a longer period of time.  In addition to these areas, students must also complete a five-day residential programme.

The following is a list of students who have successfully completed the Bronze and Gold Awards

Bronze –  LesleyAllen, Joann Andrews, Ashleigh Bell, Alistair Black, Ellen Brown,Stephen Burnside, Louise Clarke, Thomas Dennison, Aisling Dundee,Jillian Gracey, Peter Graham, Lisa Harris, Rachel Heaney, KatieHouston, Carolyn Hunter, Rona Jackson, Jason Johnston, Naomi Kennedy,Catherine Kyle, Darren McClelland, Alice McKeown, Craig McKervill,Charis McNabney, Mark McNeill, Kathy Michael, Kathryn Millar, KerryNicholson, Carla Overend, Kim Peacocke, Rebekah Pedlow, Rachel Rainey,Carla Robinson, Stephen Scullion, Michael Stewart, Ryan Stirling, LauraSurgenor, Matthew Todd, Colin Walker, Matthew Wilson, Vicky Woodrow,Katie Wray and Matthew Young.