Latest News
World Police And Fire Games
Congratulations to Grosvenor Grammar School pupil Eve McLelland who has been selected from amongst thousands of applicants to serve as a volunteer at the forthcoming ‘World Police and Fire Games’ in Belfast during the summer. As part of the selection process Eve was required to complete an application explaining why she wanted to volunteer at the event and was subsequently shortlisted for interview from where, thanks in part to her experiences in Hockey and Modern Languages, she was chosen as a member of the ‘Field of Play’ category. The ‘Field of Play’ team will assist with the delivery of the sports events at the Games; they will interact with participants at various Games venues across Northern Ireland and will gain an insight into the event management of a sports event. In addition Eve has also been chosen as a member of the promotional team for the Games. In her role as a 'Pre Games Promoter' Eve will be required to attend large public events and places such as shopping centres in order to promote and advertise the events in the lead up to the Games. The ‘World Police and Fire Games’ take place from 1st to 10th August. It is anticipated that approximately 7000 athletes from 63 countries, along with over 15000 family members and friends, will attend the event. The Games are the third largest competitive sporting event in the world after the Olympics and The Masters Golf, with 56 sports being contested across 46 sporting locations throughout Northern Ireland. There has been £1.7 million invested in sponsorship and £21.4 million injected into the local economy as a result of Northern Ireland’s hosting of the event. Well done to Eve on her outstanding achievement and all at Grosvenor wish her the best of luck in her roles leading up to and during the Games during the summer.
Form Four Drama Trip
On Wednesday 12th June Grosvenor’s Form 4 Drama students were afforded the opportunity to attend a professional performance by The Chatterbox Theatre Company in accordance with the requirements of their G.C.S.E. syllabus. The performance of Owen McCafferty’s ‘Mojo Mickey Bo’, part of a cross-community funded initiative and staged in ‘An Cultúrlann’ in Belfast, featured props and a set comprising merely two chairs, two pieces of paper and one empty toilet roll! Despite the sparsity of the set each of the thirteen GGS pupils in attendance, as well as their teacher Mrs Orla Young, were blown away by the standard of performance that they witnessed and were provided with plenty of inspirational ideas to take away and consider in relation to their own performances which they will be required to deliver next year. Many thanks to each member of The Chatterbox Theatre Company for making the trip so worthwhile and productive.
Year Nine Ulster Inter-District Athletics Championships
Congratulations to a number of Grosvenor’s second form athletes who were selected to compete as members of the County Down District Athletics team at the Year Nine Ulster Inter-District Athletics Championships, held at The Antrim Forum on Thursday 13th June. Perhaps the highlight of the day was Ben Stevenson’s victory in the boys’ long jump, with his leap of 5.33 metres breaking the School record set only earlier in the season. Elsewhere Nathan Chan emulated Ben’s feat by also securing victory in the triple jump, this time with a distance of 10.27 metres, while Jake Laverty achieved third place in the shot with a distance of over nine metres. Well done to Ben, Nathan and Jake, as well as Grosvenor’s other participants on the day, namely: Jos McConkey, Jonny Little and Anna Stanfield, each of whom should take great satisfaction merely from being selected for this prestigious event – we wish each of them the best of luck throughout the remainder of the season.
N.C.U. Representative Recognition
Congratulations to Grosvenor Grammar School pupils Mark Johnston, Stuart Nelson, Craig Irvine and Patrick McGonigle who have been chosen to represent the Northern Cricket Union’s Under 13 and Under 15 sides respectively. At Under 15 level Form Four pupil Mark was selected to captain the side following participation in ten winter nets sessions held at the University of Jordanstown over the winter period. From these sessions the initial 18 person squad was reduced to just 13 at the beginning of June, with Mark joined by fellow Grosvenor pupils Stuart and Craig, each of whose selection is made all the more impressive by the fact that, being Form Three, they have another full season to compete within the age group following this year. The N.C.U. Under 15s will now compete in the annual Interprovincial series, to be held in Dublin from 25th – 27th June. At Under 13 level second former Patrick McGonigle achieved selection following winter training sessions at the Shankill Leisure Centre, from where the thirty boys were selected to attend further training at Wallace High School throughout the spring. Patrick’s selection as a member of the final squad of 13 players will now see him participate in further training at B.R.A. before representing the N.C.U. against R.B.A.I. Under 15s on Friday 28th June as well as in Interprovincial matches from 2nd – 4thJuly. Well done to each of Grosvenor’s representative cricketers on their selection for their respective squads, which reflects the continued success of the sport within the school as well as the hard work carried out by staff members Andrew White, Kyle McCallan and Jonathan Young. All at the school wish Mark, Stuart, Craig and Patrick the best of luck when they represent the N.C.U. during June and July.
Table Tennis – Senior Schools’ Six Nations And European Junio
Congratulations to Grosvenor table tennis star Emma Ludlow, form 5, who has been selected to represent Ireland at the Senior Schools’ Six Nations’ competition on The Isle of Man from 28th – 30th June, as well as at the European Junior Championships in the Czech Republic from 12th – 20th July. Selection for these prestigious events comes as little surprise given Emma’s consistently outstanding performances throughout the season, during which she was placed first at The Fermanagh Junior Open, second at the Ulster Invitational Championships and third at the Ulster Junior Open. In addition Emma was also selected to represent Ulster and Ireland in the Junior British and Womens’ British Leagues 2012/2013 respectively, while she is also currently a member of the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Table Tennis Squad 2013/2014. Well done to Emma on her continued success in the table tennis arena and all at Grosvenor now wish her the best of luck in her next major target of gaining selection to compete at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Form 4 Biology Field Trip
On Tuesday 4th and Wednesday 5th June all of Grosvenor’s Form 4 Biology students, totalling over 140, participated in the department’s annual field trip to Crawford burn Country Park to complete activities related to their GCSE studies. During the trips, which saw half of the year group attend on each day, pupils participated in quadrat sampling, kick sampling in the river, pond dipping, sampling of insect in long trees and the completion of transects which looked at the effect of light on plant groups. All of the activities related to the Ecology section of the Biology GCSE at, to this end, proved highly worthwhile. Many thanks to all of the members of the Biology Department, led by Mrs Janet Auld, whose organisation of the trips made them possible.
Sports Day 2013
Friday 7th June saw Grosvenor stage its annual Sports Day as athletes from Forms1 – 3 took to the School’s athletics track where a number of notable performances were recorded. Thankfully all participants were blessed with glorious weather and this resulted in some excellent times, distances and heights being recorded. Perhaps the standout performance of the day came in the 2nd Form boys’ long jump, however, where Karl Depayso leapt to an incredible 4.80 metres to narrowly defeat existing School record holder Nathan Chan by 10 centimetres. Well done to all of the competitors who performed so well on the day, as well as the School’s P.E. department whose meticulous organization helped to ensure that the event ran smoothly and efficiently. All at the School now wish its elite athletes the best of luck throughout the remainder of the season.
Ni Direct Smartphone Website Launch
On Monday 3rd June Grosvenor pupils Aimee Knox was selected to feature in the launch of the mobile friendly version of NI Direct Government website. The Government website nidirect.gov.uk will now bring services and information to people wherever they are with a version of the site designed for mobile phones. The nidirect website can now be accessed via iPhone or Android mobile device, automatically taking users to web pages which are easier to read on smaller screens. Officially launching the mobile-friendly version, Finance Minister Sammy Wilson said: “This round-the-clock service has now become even easier to get hold of thanks to a new smartphone-friendly format of the site, which was designed in-house by my Department’s Web and Design Team. It contains all the same information as the version you see on your computer but is easier to read on a phone’s smaller screen.” The Minister highlighted the growing trend of accessing the internet via mobile phones. He continued: “People are increasingly using their mobile phones to get information on the internet. More than 40% of visitors to nidirect are now using a mobile device, and that is only likely to increase. “nidirect should now load faster too, allowing people to get what they need more quickly and improving their experience of interacting with government.” Well done to Aimee for her participation in the launch of this worthwhile service and we wish her the best throughout the duration of her current G.C.S.E. examinations.
Six Nations’ Grand Slam Trophy Presentation
On the morning of Friday 3rd June Grosvenor welcomed representatives from Ulster Rugby to the School where they displayed the Grand Slam trophy won by Ireland’s womens’ rugby team during this year’s Six Nations’ competition. The trophy was displayed during morning assembly with Joy Sparkes, womens’ development officer for Ulster Rugby, speaking to those present about the significance of Ireland’s achievement in winning it as well as the general development of womens’ rugby across Ireland. The purpose of the presentation was to encourage more females to get involved in rugby as Ireland aim to achieve selection for the 2016 Olympiuc Games in Rio. This year’s Grand Slam victory was all the more significant for Grosvenor as two members of Ireland’s winning squad, Lauren Day and Nicole Caughey, are former pupils of the School. Many thanks to Ulster Rugby for visiting Grosvenor during its province- wide parade of the Grand Slam trophy; hopefully it will see the School continue to build on its impressive performances in girls’ rugby over recent years.
Aviva Irish Schools' Athletics Championships 2013
Congratulations to Grosvenor’s Senior Girls’ relay team which secured an impressive silver medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the Aviva Irish Schools’ Athletics Championships, held in Tullamore on Saturday 1st June. The team of Holly Dornan, Naomi Campbell, Nicole Muirhead and Anna Lockhart, which also placed second at last year’s event, secured their medals with an impressive run of 45.5 seconds to narrowly miss out on gold in a nailbiting finish which went right to the line. Elsewhere middle distance runner Andrew Wright finished fourth and fifth respectively in the 800 and 1500 metres while the Intermediate Boys’ Relay team of Gareth Thompson, Gareth Lammey, Matthew Hedley and Andrew Proctor finished 5th and Senior Girls’ javelin thrower Karen O’Hare placed 11th in her event. Congratulations to all of Grosvenor’s talented athletes who qualified for this elite event and more than held their own on a day in which, even by Irish Schools’ standards, particularly high standards of performance were in evidence, with some twelve records broken in total. Well done also to Grosvenor coaches Mrs Karen Kirk and Mr Andrew Gibson whose hard work during training has resulted in consistent success at Ulster and Irish School’s level over recent seasons. We wish all of the School’s athletes the best of luck throughout the remainder of the season.
Schools' Cup Cricket - Quarter Final Victory
Congratulations to Grosvenor’s 1st XI cricket team which secured victory over Belfast High School to secure a place in the semi-final of the Ulster Bank Schools’ Cup on the afternoon of Wednesday 29th May. Grosvenor, the competition’s defending champions, took to the field first where they restricted the hosts to 68 all out from 25.4 overs, with opening bowler Peter Davidson the pick of the bowlers with 4 wickets for the loss of just 8 wickets, impressively supported by Patrick Carser (4-21) and Matthew Lindsay (2-13). Setting about their run chase Grosvenor was dealt an early blow when opener Mark Johnston fell for just three runs in the opening over. Despite the additional loss of three middle order wickets the team has Marks’ brother and fellow opening batsmen Aaron Johnston to thank as his unbeaten 32 steadied a wobbling ship to see the team home to achieve victory by six wickets with over 13 overs to spare. Well done to the entire squad, as well as their coaches Mrs Kyle McCallan, Mr Andrew White and Mr Jonny Young on their victory which now sees the Schools’ 1st XI compete in its fourth Schools’ Cup semi-final in the past five years. The team’s semi final match will be away to Campbell College on a date which is yet to be determined; all at the School wish its players the best of luck for this fixture.
Active Kids Award Scheme
Home Economics again took part in Sainsbury’s ‘Active Kids Award Scheme’ this year, which now operates a star system instead of bronze, silver and gold awards. To achieve the one-star award First Form pupils had to design and make a nutritious toasted sandwich or baked potato. There were some very interesting and exciting entries but many pupils met the criteria to receive the award, with the successful participants receiving their certificates from Head of Home Economics Mrs Barbara Farris as well as Head of Form One Miss Jenny McDowell on the morning of Thursday 30th May. Mrs B. Farris (Head of Home Economics)
Grosvenor ‘Mini Olympics’ 2013
On the morning of Wednesday 29th May Grosvenor welcomed over 150 pupils from four different Primary Schools as it staged its annual ‘Mini Olympics’ event for local Primary Seven pupils. Competitors from Orangefield, Brooklands, Andrews Memorial and Lisnasharagh Primary Schools were divided into teams of twelve in which they competed initially in tag rugby, hockey and kwik-cricket, each contesting four games. Following a short break the pupils then competed in six athletics events arranged by Grosvenor teacher Mrs Karen Kirk. The event was the culmination of a highly successful programme which has seen Grosvenor’s P.E. student Luke Campbell visit local primary schools on a weekly basis to deliver coaching in a range of sports. Well done to all of the primary school pupils who competed so well on the day. At the climax of the event the standings finished with Orangeifeld in first place with 55 points, narrowly defeating Brooklands who finished with 50 points, followed by Andrew memorial (30 points) and Lisnasharagh (12 points). Many thanks to Luke Campbell for his hard work throughout the year, as well as staff members Kyle McCallan, Andrew Gibson, Andrew White, Charlene Hunter, Ruth Gray, Karen Kirk, Neil Adams, Scott Irvine, David Kerr and Amanda Berry who helped to make the day such a success.
I.F.A. Girls’ Football Tournament
Congratulations to Grosvenor’s Senior and Junior girls’ football teams which competed impressively at a one day football tournament, held at Queen’s University on Wednesday 29th May. In the Junior section Grosvenor’s team played impressively to reach the semi-finals whilst the senior team went one better, demolishing all of the teams in their section before winning both their quarter and semi-final matches by four goals to one, only to suffer a 2-0 loss to Hunterhouse in the final. Well done to all of the Grosvenor pupils who competed on the day, as well as Head of Girls’ P.E. Mrs Linda McIlvenny who accompanied them to the event.
Swimming Gala 2013
Congratulations to Form Classes 1E, 2S and 3V which were placed first in their respective year groups a this year’s School Swimming Gala. The event, held at the nearby Robinson Centre, saw over a hundred pupils in Junior School compete in a range of events on the morning of Tuesday 28th May. Congratulations to all who competed so well on the day, as well as the School’s P.E. department, assisted by a number of G.C.S.E. P.E. students, who organised the event successfully. The full list of Form class results from the Gala is listed below. Form One 1E – 47 points 1G – 40 points 1R – 35 points 1N – 30 points 1V – 29 points 1S – 29 points Form Two 2S – 40 points 2V – 39 points 2R – 36 points 2E – 36 points 2G – 26 points 2N – 25 points Form Three 3V – 52 points 3G – 40 points 3N – 27 points 3E – 27 points 3R – 16 points 3S – 14 points
Congratulations to Claire Caruth and Anna Lockhart who have been selected for the Ulster U18 Hockey Development Squad for next season. Both girls played on the Belfast Schools' Hockey Squad that won the NI Area Tournament on Thursday 7th April.
