Thanks to everyone – pupils, parents and guests who helped to make Monday’s “Knox Idol” event such a success. It was a massive opportunity for the school to demonstrate its commitment to partnership working – especially with Canon UK, and for the pupils to show off their presentation and interview skills. All the pupils acquitted themselves with aplomb and I think that it was a hard task for Angela Leitch (Chief Executive of East Lothian Council) and Stephen Bates (Managing Director of Canon UK and Ireland) to choose which team’s pitches for improving the school was the best. The theme of the morning was “Confidence, resilience, prescience” – the attributes that employers are looking for in our pupils and the teams demonstrated these characteristics in spades. Eventually they chose Mark Sandford, Gordon Scott, Hannah Metcalfe and Gavin Sandford. The team focused on developing apps that would link pupils to online course work, monitor performance and help parents to see how their young people were doing – an interface with school for all the family! The winners said they were all ‘really chuffed’, found it to be a ‘really good experience’ and were looking forward to going to Canon’s UK HQ at Woodhatch, Reigate, Surrey – the main part of their prize. Canon UK will be flying them down for a day to meet senior managers and gain an insight into the ethos behind this global brand. Congratulations also go to the other pupils who took part: Iona Freckleton, Fiona Dickson, Angela Lynch, Chloe Craig, Adam Linton-Main, Leon Doig, Douglas Meikle, and Declan Jones.
Max Sykes, Account Director – procurement, Canon, said: ‘Knox Idol is a great thing for personal development and for personal statements and CVs and for developing skills and self-confidence. It’s a unique opportunity to gain certification, which will be a powerful credential for future employment. East Lothian Council Chief Executive
Angela Leitch said: ‘The three teams were all very confident, came up with some terrific ideas and were all pretty close but there were just some key issues that differentiated the winning team from the other two.’
Stephen Bates added: ‘For me, it was a wonderful experience of seeing the young people in action ... letting them expose themselves to people like us – the “dragons”. They were confident, they were articulate, and they were creative. I was very impressed with them and I was very pleased the teams stood out and delivered the goods on the day.’
On Monday night the Higher and Advanced Higher pupils enjoyed the surprises contained in the promenade production of The Devil's Larder by (multi-award winning) Grid Iron Theatre Company at Customs House. It was rollercoaster ride of a performance that will no doubt inspire them in their next unit of work and will provide material for their performance analysis essay in their exam. Our pupils were, as ever attentive audience members and a credit to Knox.
I also heard this week about a former pupil, Holly Betts, who has attained her MSc, in Palaeontology and Evolution (1st Class) from the University of Bristol. It’s a wonderful achievement, and I send my heartiest congratulations to Holly. I would ask any other former pupils to get in touch with their news so that we can let everyone know.
It’s getting to that time when we start thinking about Christmas and, in particular the Christmas Dance. The dance will be held on the 10th December and tickets will go on sale at the beginning of December. In order to be allowed to attend the dance pupils must have -15 House Points or better. All staff were issued with their tutor group’s individual House Points totals and pupils should make an effort to check their points. Pupils can gain merits (which convert to points) through performing well in class and going the extra mile in terms of conduct and helpfulness. The dance is a lovely event and I’m looking forward to pupils enjoying themselves and getting into the Christmas spirit.
S Ingham
