Introduction
Having lived through, and with, a pandemic since March 2020, the Christmas Term has seen elements of normality return to Bangor Grammar. We still live daily with copious hand sanitising and the wearing of face coverings, (which oddly has become our accepted, almost robotic normal), but with the understanding that by doing so we continue to protect ourselves and each other - as best we can.
One positive result (no pun intended) this term for the School has been the reopening of all things extra-curricular, allowing the boys to enjoy all aspects of our wider school experience. Each break and lunch time the atrium sees pocketof boys playing chess, the Library is a hub of activity, both the Senior and Junior Debating Societies are meeting weekly and have produced some outstanding debates this term.
The Science Club, Numeracy and Literacy Support, Scripture Union, Drama, orchestras, choirs, various sports clubs have all sparked back into action and the building has truly come back to life. The boys now appreciate considerably more what school is actually all about and, from what I can see, are making the most of it.
The most poignant and special moment of the term for me was without a doubt captured within November’s Remembrance Service. This saw the first opportunity since the start of the pandemic to host ‘an event’ in the School. As ever, the Music Department were impeccably rehearsed, thanks to the relaxation of restrictions surrounding music and singing. There was much anticipation amongst the pupils, staff and guests at once again being able to experience this traditional school celebration.
The moment the chamber choir started to sing, ‘Nearer my God to thee’ will remain with me for a lifetime. Eighteen months of leading Bangor Grammar school through a pandemic with the associated stress, worry and difficulty simply disappeared as the chamber choir sang. To ensure the beauty of said piece is captured and shared, it has been recorded and can now be appreciated by all.
Whilst it has been wonderful to see both the Remembrance and Carol Services returning, current restrictions still prevent us from throwing our doors open to parents and guests in the way we previously would have done. Perhaps the 22/23 academic year will see the school returning fully to life, in the way we all remember it. In the interim, Peter Allen of Year 13 has used his amazing talent as a filmmaker to create a cinematic montage which captures who we are as a school - a happy place where boys have access to a wealth of different opportunities and experiences in a friendly, creative and dynamic environment.
Mrs E Huddleson, Principal
Minister for Education Visits BGS
On 24th November, Bangor Grammar was pleased to host the new Minister for Education, Michelle McIlveen MLA, as part of a whistle-stop tour of local schools. She was met by our Head Boy and Deputy Head, who provided the minister and entourage with a tour of the building. Our guests remained for some light refreshments before embarking on the next stage of their busy itinerary.
Combined Cadet Force
One of the earliest signs of the extra-curricular life of the school returning was in the restoration of Combined Cadet Force training. At the beginning of September, 11 senior cadets completed and passed a First Aid at Work course which was run at Bangor Grammar School. The course consisted of 18 hours face-to-face learning, covering topics such as CPR, use of an AED and a variety of injuries and illnesses. There were plenty of opportunities to put theory into practice, using mannequins, trainer AED’s, choking vests and Epipens. Each of the cadets came away with an accredited and recognised qualification which is valid for three years.
September also saw several Year 13 and 14 cadets from the army section completing their National Navigation Award Scheme Bronze Award. Normally this would be completed as part of their APCA syllabus, but Covid restrictions had prevented this from happening.
Saturday was spent in school, covering the traditional disciplines of navigation - orientating a map, handrailing, measuring distance and the use of a compass. The cadets then prepared a route card to follow for their practical assessment.
The practical exercise took place on the Sunday at Crawfordsburn Country Park. The planned routes took the cadets along the beach to Grey Point and up through the forest to the waterfall. All the cadets passed their assessments.
Sport
It is a sign of how much things have improved, to see our boys able to participate in events such as the Year 8 hockey training day hosted by Grosvenor Grammar School. Held at the Marina Arena on 15th October, the sun was out to witness almost 80 boys enjoying their hockey, developing their skills and learning a lot in the process. We hope that all students will be able to join together in many more inter-school events such as this.
Year 14 Marathon Fundraiser
In October, three Year 14 teams of runners took part in in the Belfast City Marathon Relay to raise funds for the NI Children's Hospice. They succeeded in raising an astonishing £1,385 for this worthy cause and are to be commended for their energy and determination.
Junior Debating Society
It has been great to be able to return to the Junior Debating Society after so long away. Even though we sometimes have fewer boys attending than we would like because of COVID, the atmosphere is still great and it is good to see so many Year 8 students coming to watch and participate. We have debated a mixture of funny and serious motions, entertaining us but also educating us. For example, this term we have debated serious motions such as 'This House Believes that Global Warming is Inevitable’ and ‘This House Believes that Online Gaming Ruins Teenagers’ Lives’ - to funnier ones such as ‘This House Believes that the Sloth is the Greatest of all the Animals’. I am looking forward to the House debates next term and what news stories 2022 brings so we can bring them before the Society.
Mr M Dickson
Senior Debating Society
In BGS, we pride ourselves on having one of the liveliest and certainly one of the oldest debating societies in Northern Ireland. A perusal of the minutes books reveals that not even the Blitz forced the school to cancel debates in the 1940s; and yet COVID, in 2020, succeeded where the Luftwaffe failed. This is why it was wonderful to see the Senior Debating Society spring back to life in 2021.
Social distancing meant we had to limit our audiences, but by moving the venue to the school library, we have been able to accommodate between 70-80 senior students for each debate – and the demand for seats has always exceeded the supply. This in itself is a tribute to the quality of our speakers this year. Ably organised and led by Hon. Secretary Angus Bolton (Year 14), our team of regular speakers has included familiar faces from Years 13 and 14, but also plenty of new talent from the Middle School.
We have tried to mix humour with seriousness, debating everything from the abolition of the monarchy (overwhelmingly rejected) to the return of the mullet (overwhelmingly approved). We also debated motions on Britain’s accession to the AUKUS alliance and on the advisability of COVID vaccine mandates. The energy, enthusiasm and commitment that the boys bring to these lunchtime debates continues to inspire me – and give me hope that we may, perhaps, be returning to normal.
Mr S J Wolfenden
Creative Writing
Aside from his duties in the Senior Debating Society, Angus Bolton of Year 14 is also a talented writer, recently entering his poem, 'Hame' into a competition celebrating the Ulster Scots language.
Rotary Youth Leadership Success
Congratulations to Patrick Davis of Year 14, who won the Rotary Youth Leadership competition. The judges were impressed with his leadership skills, knowledge of current affairs and the European Union. A bright future beckons.
Junior House Orienteering Competition
“Taff, I have an idea!”
During my military days, this phrase would have seen me knee-deep in snow or mud, trying to create a fine dining meal in the middle of a field. But not this time...
This time, Mr Todd had come up with the bright idea of Junior School competing in an orienteering challenge for House points.
“No problem” I replied.
Thankfully I was able to rely on Mr Todd to come up with the logistics to support his idea, in particular the timings. Over three days, Years 8-10 would compete over a 14 checkpoint course which was just under 2km. Each checkpoint would have the traditional orienteering marker and flag, but to add to the challenge, there was also a question attached to each point.
The questions seemed to be more challenging than the actual route - many weird and strange answers came back on their answer sheets. For example:
Question: Who was the wartime Prime Minister during WW2? Answer: Margaret Thatcher.
All three year groups enjoyed the chance to get out of the classroom and run around in the fresh air and gain some points for their Houses. A few boys went missing in action, but we believe a few days or weeks living wild on the BGS pitches will do them no harm; making them stronger and more resilient BGS pupils.
Many thanks to Mr Todd for his cunning plan, and all the House Captains, Deputies, Prefects and Senior Boys who took time out of their busy schedules to help supervise the younglings.
Mr D Watkins
Art
The Junior Art Club continues to grow in popularity at lunchtime; the quality of work and engagement of all involved has been truly inspirational, demonstrating the strong affinity for the creative arts within our school community.
Some of the most notable work this term has come from Year 10, who have been looking at the concept of 'Vanitas' art by a range of artists, and responding to the theme in groups. The students used a range of objects to create a still life vanitas, conveying a narrative and storyline about an imaginary character or situation.
Years 11-12 pupils have been learning about drypoint etching and intaglio printing techniques. These are a few examples of their outstanding self-portraits.
Halloween at BeeGees
In what has now become a much-anticipated tradition, BGS pupils were treated to a deliciously-devilish Halloween-themed menu, courtesy of our talented canteen staff. The atrium echoed to the sounds of The Monster Mash, as a coven of glamorous witches doled out helpings of delicious food to hordes of ravening boys.
Music
Now that normality returns to our school, life occasionally throws up some pleasant surprises. On a gloomy morning in September, the spirits of the pupils and staff in the Music Department were lifted by an impromptu guitar solo, courtesy of Cameron Moody in Year 8. Cameron is currently taking his Grade 5 in guitar, and already demonstrates a formidable mastery of the instrument. We look forward to seeing him develop as a musician.
Another memorable moment occurred when the Jazz Band, desperately wanting to perform one final time, got together to record a cover version of Bruno Mars' hit, 'Finesse'. As seen in the video below, the results were well worth the effort - it's good to have them back.
Moving Image Arts
On 22nd November, Moving Image Arts students from Years 11-14 were invited to participate in the filming of a short film, courtesy of Cinemagic. Over a dozen boys, dressed in dark hoodies, made their way along the Gransha Road, finally congregating in groups outside the Project24 pods on Queen's Parade. Along with extras from other Bangor schools, they were there to play the part of rioters in an exciting action sequence that was being filmed all day. Braving the cold for several hours, students got to see the workings of an actual film set, and gave them an invaluable insight into all the hard work and preparation that goes on behind the camera. One of the highlights of the day was bumping into a former BGS pupil, Luke Alexander, who was present recording behind the scenes footage for Cinemagic. Since leaving BGS, Luke has flourished as a filmmaker and has won awards, both at home and in the USA. Many thanks to Cinemagic for giving our boys this opportunity - the following account by one of our Year 11 students proves the value of this type of practical experience.
'My experience as an extra on the Cinemagic film set taught me many things about how a scene is filmed. Firstly I saw how precisely everything was done by the film crew. The director told us precisely what to do and told us how and when we should do it, whether it was something as small as walking forward a certain distance or making sure that your clothing and position within the scene stayed consistent throughout. The crew had thought of everything.
The attention to detail was another key quality that I witnessed. Every scene was filmed five or six times to ensure that the footage was of the highest quality. Another reason a scene was filmed multiple times was to allow the crew to film multiple angles of a character, or to cut to different characters so as to show the audience multiple reactions to what is happening in the scene.
The most remarkable aspect of the shoot was the length of time it took to film a scene. A single scene could take up to an hour to film. The overall filming of the scenes that day took around three and a half hours in total - to film 2 or 3 scenes. This was surprising to me and the other extras, as we had not expected it to take so long for just a few scenes.
Overall it was a very enjoyable and informative experience and gave me an insight into how a scene is filmed, what it is like on set and the way that a film crew works.'
Robbie Hayes, Year 10
In January, Year 10 pupils had an opportunity to participate in the University of Ulster Screen Academy's pilot scheme, exploring accessible ways for schools to investigate new, immersive types of storytelling in the Moving Image Arts curriculum.
Pupils got to grips with specially designed VR headsets, exploring how this new technology is being used by filmmakers to create immersive cinematic environments.
Children In Need 2021
The level of participation and enthusiasm for the annual Children In Need event far surpassed all expectations; the final sum raised was £3,041.50. Heartfelt thanks to all boys who took part and donated to this event, which brought a sense of colour and joy back into the building.
Senior Dramatic Society
The Senior Dramatic Society staged a social-distanced showcase of scenes from a variety of plays, in their first public performance since the 2019 production of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. It gave the boys, particularly those in Year 14, an opportunity to flex their dramatic muscles once more. We hope that next year will bring the freedom to once again allow full audiences back into the building, to show off the wealth of talented performers we have within our school community.
Conor Smith and Corey Brown of Year 14, performing as two of the Mechanicals from A Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare.
Josh McKee of Year 12 and Alex Shaw of Year 13 in their scene from Lord of the Flies by William Golding.
Year 14 Formal
It is fitting that we end this edition of The Gryphon with a selection of images from the Year 14 formal, which was held in the Clandeboye Lodge Hotel on 18th November.
With the relaxing of the rules around hospitality, the Year 14 boys were determined that they would not miss their formal. For months before the event, the boys had been planning the logistics of the events, which were considerable. With some guidance from Mr Hinds, their hard work and organisation paid off - resulting in a memorable night for all.
Staff and pupils, for the first time in two years, were given a chance to let their hair down and celebrate together. The evening was a great success, and the boys are to be commended for their behaviour and excellent school spirit. We wish them every success for the future.
Floreat!