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Performing Arts showcase & Young Musician of the Year 2024

Performing Arts showcase & Young Musician of the Year 2024

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Performing Arts showcase & Young Musician of the Year 2024

On the 20th June we finally we were able to hold the performing arts showcase led by the Performing arts faculty; a brainchild of Dougie Trueman (Faculty Head) with his team including Louise Hunter (music) and Hannah Walker (Drama).

At the performing arts showcase event we also held the Young Musician of the Year Competition 2024.  The night was split into 3 spaces; the main stage was in the canteen area and had a full set list showcasing all our bands, choirs and solo acts who have been working on their craft for the last year.  In the theatre we had a theatrical extravaganza from drama performances as part of SQA work to acts by the drama clubs.  Finally in the staff room we held the Young Musician of the Year competition.

We had 11 pupils in the competition ranging from S1-S6 who performed for our 2 judges Jon and Jen Wilson. Feedback from those watching the event was the highest it has been in praise for the talent of our young people and the confidence shown was exceptional.  To perform in such a way is always a challenge at such a young age but these folk showed great professionalism and dedication to their practice.  Sharon Hassan (local music instructor) compared the evening and Laura Bleck & Dougie Trueman accompanied musicians on the piano.  Thanks must go to all 3.

The judges had a very difficult decision to make and this year they had the toughest challenge yet but the winner and runner up were quite phenomenal and well deserved.

Winning the Alford academy Young musician of the year 2024 was Thomas (S4) who played the guitar and then had to rush off to perform with the band and in various other acts through the night.  He was also playing at the awards nights.  Our runner up this year was Fionn who played a set on the fiddle which was also exceptional.

The Young Musician of the Year Competition is supported by the Rotary Club of Alford and as such we were delighted to have them present at the night and not only did they present the prizes but they also donated the gift cards each winner received! Thank you!

The showcase was closed by our own star Stuart who sang his song Mars which not only did he perform himself but also wrote all the music and lyrics as well as recording all the backing music and vocals.  A real talent!

Higher Biology River Field Trip 2024

Higher Biology River Field Trip 2024

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Higher Biology River Field Trip 2024

We were delighted to have Keilidh Ewan (Education officer) and her colleague Jamie from the River Dee Trust visit the school on the 13th June to talk to the Higher Biology pupils about their work in conserving the Rivers local to Alford.

Part of the higher curriculum focuses on understanding invasive species and using techniques to sample indicator species.  The River Dee trust specialise in this and took time to work with pupils to complete sampling tasks on the River Don.

Keilidh completed a pre visit with both classes before facilitating a site visit on the 14th June where 38 pupils took part in a range of activities to support classroom learning.

The 2 main tasks completed are as follows:

  1. Kick Sampling & Biodiversity Scoring

The presence or absence of invertebrates in our watercourses can tell us a lot about the health of our river systems. Pupils had the opportunity to try kick sampling. Life jackets and nets were provided as well as trays and identification sheets at the riverbank. Pupils scored the diversity of invertebrates to see what they can tell us about the main stem of the River Don. We established that the water quality was high and many clean water indicator species were seen as well as catching smaller fishes.

2. Invasive Plant Identification & Recording

Many invasive non-native plants have found their way to the riverbanks of the Don. Following on from our learnings in class, pupils surveyed the riverbank in search of non-native species with identification sheets at hand. Where non-native species are found, the class will complete survey forms, including details such as quantity / patch size and location for submission to the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative.

Himalayan Balsam has been found upriver of the Haughton Country Park which is at risk of spreading downstream, while non-native varieties of Butterbur are known to occur throughout the Park.  We also found a new patch of giant hogweed which will now be officially reported as it can be dangerous to humans.

We are so grateful to have these opportunities to enhance the classroom environment for our students and help bring these topics into a real world context.

Bioblitz 2024

Bioblitz 2024

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Bioblitz 2024

The aim of a bioblitz is to record as many different species as possible for a site in the space of a day. On the 13th of June three Science classes worked with nature specialists to find out which plants and animals live in and around the Alford Academy campus.

Everyone involved recorded wildlife and every piece of information adds to our understanding of biodiversity. Our pupils used different ways to record the plants and animals we found and why it is important to gather the data. This data can now be used to help us to protect and promote nature on the school campus. The data will become a useful part of the North East Scotland Biological Records Centre (NESBReC) database and can be used by the school to see how the campus develops for nature in years to come.

Everyone involved recorded wildlife and every piece of information adds to our understanding of biodiversity. Our pupils used different ways to record the plants and animals we found and why it is important to gather the data. This data can now be used to help us to protect and promote nature on the school campus. The data will become a useful part of the North East Scotland Biological Records Centre (NESBReC) database and can be used by the school to see how the campus develops for nature in years to come.

We had 3 specialists support our students; Judy Baxter from the Cairngorm ranger service, Caitlin McLeod from Buglife and Aileen Salway from NESBReC.

60 pupils from Mrs Rees-Jenkins BGE classes (S2 and S3) took part in this mini bioblitz to gather baseline data from the school.  In future years all our S2 pupils in Science will be taking part each year to track changes and hopefully see an improvement in biodiversity.

The summary of our findings are as follows:

Mammals Birds Invertebrates Plants Fungi
Common pipistrelle Blackcap Sawfly Creeping buttercup Russula fungi
Red squirrel House martin Snipefly Yorkshire fog  
Roe deer Pied wagtail Ground beetle Sessile oak  
Rabbit Robin Tree bumblebee Sycamore  
Roe deer Carrion crow Scorpion fly Larch  
  Oystercatcher Millipede Cleavers  
  Starling Spider Birch  
  Goldfinch Large white butterfly Alder  
  Blackbird Soldier beetle Rowan  
  Willow warbler Scorpion fly Daisy  
  Goldcrest Silver ground carpet moth Broad leaved dock  
  Swallow Caddisfly Broom  
  Wood pigeon Wolf spider Nettle  
  Common gull Hoverfly Heath bedstraw  
  Herring gull froghopper/Cuckoo spit Germander speedwell  
  House sparrow froghopper/Cuckoo spit Pignut  
  Willow warbler Green lacewing Rosebay willowherb  
  Blue tit   Cleavers  
  Carrion crow   Elder  
  Yellowhammer   Red clover  

In successive years we can monitor how species diversity changes over time as we work to improve the school grounds.  We have a new outdoor learning group who will be working with our partners to develop ideas with our pupils to make the grounds more enjoyable and a better home for nature.

Partnership with Chloe’s Kitchen Creations

Partnership with Chloe’s Kitchen Creations

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Partnership with Chloe’s Kitchen Creations,

We have had a great couple of meetings with Chloe from Chloe’s Kitchen Creations to develop our partenrship working.  Chloe has pledged to be a Young Person Guarantee employer which shows her commitment to our young people and developing their skills.  We are excited to be developing how Chloe supports the school with work placements, mentoring, community networking and with curricular enrichment.  If your business would like more information about the Young Person’s Guarantee please get in touch.

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