Congratulations to Mhairi – she has graduated from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen with a BA in International Tourism Management.
December 10, 2009
December 4, 2009
Colin Morrison
Colin left school in May 2006 and achieved his Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award Shortly afterwards. He has now earned his Green Beret at a Royal Marine Graduation Ceremony held on 28th October. Colin is now serving with 45 Commando (pronounced as “Four Five Commando”).
45 Commando Royal Marines is a battalion sized unit of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of Commander in Chief Fleet.
Roled as a Commando amphibious unit, 45 Cdo RM is capable of a wide range of operational tasks. Based at RM Condor, their barracks in Arbroath, personnel regularly deploy outside the United Kingdom on operations or training. While 3 Cdo Bde RM are the principal cold weather warfare formation, personnel are capable of operating in a variety of theatres including tropical jungle, desert or mountainous terrain. The Commando is a regular participant in the annual Brigade cold weather warfare exercise in Norway having been the first UK unit to specialise in the mountain and arctic warfare role during the early 1970s and deployed to Norway on NATO’s northern flank most years until the end of the Cold War.
All personnel have completed the Commando course at the Commando Training Centre at Lympstone in Devon, entitling them to wear the green beret, with attached personnel having completed the All Arms Commando Course.
Over the next few months Colin will be training in Artic Warfare either in Canada or Norway. Acquiring a green beret is difficult, rare and a major personal achievement! Well done Colin!
December 2, 2009
Steven MacKay
The following news was contained in West of the Glen, Ross-shire Journal. Well done Steven!
First Class Skills — Congratulations to Steven MacKay, Inverasdale, who won the Morrison Construction Services Limited Rosebowl Award for the Best Overall Carpentry and Joinery apprentice at the Inverness College; Steven received the award from Danny Alexander, MP, at the UHI Prizegiving Ceremony in Eden Court Theatre a fortnight ago.
Steven’s talent was also recognized in May of this year when he was runner-up in the Skillbuild 2009 Scottish Joinery competition, held at South Lanarkshire College – a remarkable achievement for a seventeen-year-old.
November 30, 2009
Chloe Ross
Update: The Press & Journal (28/11/2009) and The Scotsman (27/11/2009) indicates that Chloe has graduated with a Master of Letters (Modern Historical Studies) with Commendation from the University of Aberdeen and is now studying for a PhD. Well done Chloe!
The report in the P&J went on to say that Chloe spent the summer searching trade union archives at Aberdeen Council to research her thesis on working class radicalism in the NE of Scotland between 1880 and 1920. She is now conducting a study of Scottish and Irish organised labour from the same period.
Aberdeen University has informed us (September 2008) that Chloe has achieved First Class Honours with a Master of Arts Degree in History and International Relations. Congratulations Chloe!
November 18, 2009
Ailsa Carruthers
Ailsa is a senior aircraftswoman based at RAF Waddington. She was only the 9th female to have entered the fire section of the RAF. Currently (Nov 2009) posted in Afghanistan.
Before she left, Ailsa was involved in a charity event to climb the height of Everest by ladder. You may have heard her on Two Lochs Radio. Click here for a BBC news link.
November 1, 2009
Steven MacIver
Steven, son of Don and Rosemary MacIver, Naast, Poolewe, and a former pupil of Gairloch High School, triumphed at the final stages of the Royal National Mod in Oban (October 2009) and won by three points over his nearest rival. Steven has won the prestigious Gold Medal which can only be won once in a lifetime by any individual.
Steven, a production co-ordinator in the Gaelic department of STV, whose father won the Men’s Silver Medal for his singing at last year’s Mod, said: “This is my fifth time in the Gold Medal competition. I have been in second place a couple of times. I was determined to win it eventually – I am really happy to have won.” He chose to sing the Gaelic love song E Ho Ro Mo Nighean Donn – My Brown Haired Maid – and said: “It’s just got beautiful words and I just felt that I could get them across.”
Since the Mod Steven has had the opportunity to sing in New York. (Information from the Scotsman and the Ross-shire Journal.)
October 30, 2009
Richard Davy
Richard was awarded his PhD from York University, Toronto, on his 25th birthday. His doctorate is in astrophysics and he was a Member of the Canadian Science Team on the very successful Mars Phoenix Mission.
He has been studying weather and climate patterns on Mars, especially precipitation. He will now be carrying on with post doctoral work in this area. He has been based in Toronto travelling frequently to Mission Control in the USA but now hopes to return to the UK, preferably Scotland, in the near future.
Philip Davy
Philip is based at the University of Hawaii’s medical school in Honolulu and is working towards his PhD. He is a stem cell researcher currently working on a project using stem cells to repair damaged heart muscle. He says that although he lives in paradise he does work hard in his lab – honestly. His house in Manoa literally backs onto the jungle, which is teeming with glorious flowers and birds and looks out over the city to the Pacific Ocean.
Janis Piggott
Janis has just had her third little girl and is a busy full-time mother at present. She had been studying law and plans to return to it later.
David Bush
David is at college in Glasgow studying marine engineering and is really enjoying the course, especially the practical part as he gets to travel on merchant vessels to many different parts of the world.
September 30, 2009
Emma MacLennan
Hi – my name is Emma MacLennan (formerly Brogan having taking on my mother’s maiden name). I moved from Poolewe Primary to Gairloch High School and enjoyed every minute of being in GHS. Our year group in the school was the best (I think!) as we all got on so well and now I am missing everyone so much. I would love to hear from anyone out there.
I have been living in Inverness for the last couple of year and am currently working for HM Inspectorate of Education. This has given me a great insight into Scottish Education. I have learned so much about how schools work and how important it is for us to make sure they are doing things correctly. I am looking forward to attending my first school inspection and it will be great to see what impact we can have on schools. As an Inspection Administrator my job is to contact schools and explain what will be happening during the inspection and help set everything up.
September 11, 2009
Heather Leonard
My mother is from Scotland and a majority of my family lives there as well, so I decided to take on 5th year at Gairloch High School in 2006 when we came over to visit family, and it was the best experience I’ve ever had. The school is absolutely wonderful, there’s nothing like it here. So I ended up coming back to New York after a few months due to family circumstances and I haven’t made it back since. I’m currently attending college to get my Masters in Business Administration, although I wish I could have been able to study in Gairloch longer, I hope to make it back for a summer holiday.
August 27, 2009
July 2, 2009
Tim Causer
Hello there, I thought I would contribute to this after being one of the fortunate few who first went through their entire schooling at GHS in the new building. I left the school in 2000 (it’s quite frightening to think that was nearly a decade ago) to go to university in Aberdeen.
Nine years, and an undergraduate and a masters degree later, I find myself finishing up my PhD and wondering where the time has gone. For the past three years I’ve been researching the Norfolk Island penal settlement (1825-55) with the help of an Arts and Humanities Research Council Scholarship at the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, King’s College London (deep breath). Though I’m glad it’s coming to an end, It’s been a lot of fun – I got a ten month research trip out of it, including eight months in Hobart, Tasmania, about as far south as you can go. I’ve met a load of interesting people, managed to wangle a part as a convict extra in a recent television movie, and have a couple of book publishers interested in publishing my work. Not sure what I’m going to do now the real world is coming calling!
Personally, I blame Mr. Richardson for getting me enthused in history in the first place. Glad to see that the school is going strong, hope all there are well.
June 10, 2009
Tom Widdows
The school was happy to find out from a proud mother that they have a fully – qualified architect amongst their past pupils – that includes passing the exams for registration with Royal Institute of British Architects after working as an architectural assistant for a few years. Tom achieved this earlier in the year – as he says ‘10 years and thousands of pounds later’ he’s done it. Congratulations!
