Distinguished Bravery Award

Decky Allister has been presented with a Distinguished Conduct Award for his rescue of three of his neighbours from a burning building earlier this year.  Decky had himself just undergone surgery on his had when he pulled a woman and two men from the burning building in the early hours of the morning.  Decky rescued me once from a smokey junior disco, when the smoke machine went wrong.  That was a very trivial episode compared with the life threatening situation he was faced with last May, but I was very pleased to see him.  I was stuck outside on a winter's night with a horde of wee people dressed only in their disco gear.  We are very, very proud of Decky.

Tanya's in Lille

I was in Oxford at the weekend and thinking about Tanya, who isn't there this year, because she is on her year out in Lille and loving it.  She returns next year to Oriel College Oxford to complete her French degree.

Ollie's Umbrella

Ollie Elsholtz has graduated in music = production, jazz and all sorts of things, and has set up his own recording label, which is going really well. It's absolutely brilliant and I hope he will call him and give us a saxephone blast next time he is home.

Liam's Scholarship

This week's headline in the MO. 'Newcastle student receives prestigious scholarship' and its our Liam Baron who has been awarded and IET FUSE scholarship, which is worth £4,000. Liam is studying MEng Engineering at Durham University and loving every minute of it. The Institute of Engineering and Technology took into account his Distinction in the International Physics Olympiad and the full marks he received in his A level physics module in making the award. IETAwards and Prizes Manager Linda Deleay said the scholarships are only awarded to the most outstanding candidates. "To be in receipt of one of these awards is a particular accolade," she added. Yahoo! (that was me, not Linda Deleay!)

Steven Corin Thomas McVeigh

Steven came in to visit today, and to tell us that he would be setting up in interior design while he consulted about the best route to furthering his career in drama. Steven already had a place at a prestigious drama school across the water, but had decided it was very important to him to stay in Ireland. He called to see his wonderful drama teacher, Catherine Kelly, and while he was there, his mobile went, and he was offered a place in the inaugural year of the brand new Lir School of Drama at Trinity College Dublin, which is a collaboration with the world famous RADA. This is the most fantastic news, and you will all have to paint your own houses now! Stuff interior design! Steven would be the first to say that his success owes so much to Catherine. She left the beautiful purple, greenroom Steven designed for her, perhaps for the last time as wageslave Shimna staff member BUT she is now Shimna associate and friend, and will be back in all sorts of capacities. We wish her all the very best of luck in her own new drama career.

Stephen Samples

It was great to see Stephen Trainor in the picture of CAFRE students from the Loughry campus out sampling the real world of the bakery industry during their visit to the Howell House bakery at Lisburn.

Jonathan Killen on the Underground

Turns out he actually works on the London Underground. He came in to get his passport form signed, and it was great to see him. I wish I had asked more questions though. While I did the signing, he set off for a look round the school to see what has changed. He was very pleased to hear about classmates Kerry Smyth and Ryan Doran.