Old Scholars working at Shimna

It has been great this year to have James Magee with us working on our support staff. James graduated last year from Liverpool in Sports Studies and ICT, and is gathering experience en route to a PGCE and teaching career. Rebecca Murphy also has a degree in Sports Studies, this time from Manchester Metropolitan, and also her PGCE as a fully qualified PE teacher. She has been working with us this year both on the teaching and support staff, and next year will work with our students on the Key Programme. Paul Swail, who graduated in Adventure Management, is the tutor running our GCSE PE expedition work this week. We are sure Carla, his sister, and lots more of her year group, must have graduated this year. More when we catch up with them. Fiona Elsholtz, herself studying art at Glasgow University, has a job serving the strawberries and cream at Queens, so she will be able to update us on who graduates there!

Dean at the Barbecue

Great to see Dean Irwin at the barbecue for new year 8s, with his gorgeous daughter Amy. Dean has graduated in Computer Science from the University of Ulster. There with him was his mother, and Shimna governor, Sylvia, who you might remember was one of our very first graduates from Queens, having taken her A levels with Shimna's Parents' Council class. Good to see Noel looking well again after his recent accident. We still remember his nervous phonecall to Murlough House to see if Shimna would be suitable for his wee son. Dean's brother Ross has also been a regular at Shimna events over the years.

More and more

and of course there is Laura O'Hare graduated in Applied Languages (German and Spanish); Catriona Lennon in geography; Karen Bennett in business and Spanish; Selena McConkey opening her own business in Downpatrick; Tanya Ireland on placement with Cooperation North....

Derek Calls in and we Meet Nicky

Good to see Derek Smith looking healthy and happy when he called in last week. He's in the army now, stationed back in his native Scotland. We ran into Nicky Scott, who is delighted to be back working with stone again.

First Class Honours Degrees

We are always delighted to meet up with or hear from Shimna Old Scholars, wherever they are and whatever they are doing. At this time of year, news starts to roll in of degree results and graduations. Two top achievements have come to our notice this week, with Leah McAtamney achieving a First Class Honours degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Ulster and Daniel Carden in Journalism from the University of Sheffield. We look forward to swanky photos and news of what you plan next. This kind of news is a great start for our Old ScholarsBlog.