Elgin Academy, Scotland

Infobox Public School
background = #f0f6fa
border = #ccd2d9
name = Elgin Academy


"Sic Itur Ad Astra"


type = State school
established = 1801| religion =
enrollment = 1028
head_name = Headteacher
head =
city = Elgin, Moray
country = Scotland
homepage = [http://www.elginacademy.co.uk EA]
colors = Black, Navy and Wine.

Elgin Academy is a secondary school situated on Morriston Road in the city of Elgin, Moray, Scotland. Pupils at this school are in years S1 to S6.

History

The first Elgin Academy was built on the adjacent corners of Academy Street and Francis Place; this site is now the location of the local youth cafe. The second academy, built in 1801, is now Moray College. [Moray College Homepage] The current Elgin Academy was built in the late 1960s.

Starting at Elgin Academy

Most of the pupils arrive at Elgin Academy in S1 (First Year). Many come from the vast selection of nearby primary schools such as Bishopmill Primary, West End Primary, East End Primary, Seafield Primary and St Sylvesters to name but a few. There are, however, many other pupils who have arrived in later years, mainly because of the nearby Royal Air Force bases at Lossiemouth and Kinloss.

Examinations

Standard Grades
At Elgin Academy, SQA Standard Grades are nearly always sat in S4 after two years work. Standard Grades may however be phased out in the future and be replaced by the Higher Still system which includes Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2.

Intermediate 1 and 2 and Access
The school has a wide range of Intermediate 1 and 2 and Access courses available from 3rd through to 6th year students.

Highers
These exams are undertaken by 5th or 6th year pupils after one year's work.

Advanced Highers
These courses run depending on interest and numbers of pupils. They run for one year for 6th year pupils.

Activities Days

Years S1, S2 and S3 partake in three days of activities, some of which take place abroad, each May during the exam period while S4-S6 are on study leave from the school. In 2006, pupils enjoyed a trip to Holland. Other activities take place in and around Elgin and Moray such as quad-biking, archery, golf, fishing and more, much more.

The Building

The current Academy was built in the late 60's. It comprises several areas.

The Tower Block
The Tower Block is currently the tallest building in Moray and comprises seven floors with "The A Floor" being the lowest level and "The F Floor" being the highest. Each floor in the tower block is dedicated to a particular subject, except "A" which contains a variety of subjects such as Biology, Computing, Religious and Moral Education, Business Management and Home Economics. The school library is also situated on the A floor, and access to the Physical Education department can be found here as well.
B - Chemistry
C - Physics
D - Drama
E - Social and Vocational Studies
F - Art

There is also a station on top of the tower block which is used mainly by the Geography department to study the weather and other geological factors.

The X&Y Floors
The X floor is situated below the Y floor. English, Modern Languages and the Support for Learning base are housed on the X floor, while Maths and Social Sciences (History, Geography and Modern Studies) are located on the Y floor. The staff room can be also accessed from the X floor.

The X floor is on the same level as the Assembly Hall and Reception but is raised off the ground on large "stilts". The section under the X&Y floors has been, for decades, colloquially called "The Skins".

The Basement
The basement is not, as its name suggests, situated underground. It houses the two common rooms - one for S6 and another for S5 - and are used purely for social purposes at lunchtime, at interval, before and after school. They house lockers for both years. Access to these rooms requires a deposit by the two year groups, which is usually refunded at the end of the year if no damage to the rooms has been caused. The basement also houses the First Aid room and School Nurses (Mr. Mark Swinglehirst) room. It also contains the office of Deputy Head Teacher Mrs. Rennie as well as the entrance/exit door for S5/6

Awards

The Elgin Academy Awards Ceremony is held annually at the beginnng of the last week of term before the summer holidays begin.

The Dux of Elgin Academy
This award is presented to the sixth-year pupil with the best performance across all undertaken subjects.

The Dux of S5
This award is presented to the fifth-year pupil with the best performance across all undertaken subjects.

Merits
Merits are awarded for general good work and behaviour or sometimes for completing a more specific task. Merits are recorded in each pupil's student planner and on the completion of a set number of pages certificates (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum) are awarded.

Music

Elgin Academy has a good history of music with a flourishing orchestra and a yearly talent show, held before the break in October. A Battle of the Bands was also held in March 2007, featuring some popular local bands including Tempus and Standard Format. The Battle was won by Robi.

Talent Show Winners:
2002 - "T.B.C." (Adam Peardon-Cook, Colin Comfort, Jamie Jackson and Vikki Wallace) - Just A Girl
2003 - Tom Doney - Man On The Run
2004 - Rochelle Smith, Stewart Fotheringham and Ian Garioch - I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)
2005 - Jemma Knox and David Rankine - Timpenspiel
2006 - Erica Marriott and Emma Miller - Romanace
2007 - Martin, Matthew, Emma and Cheryl - Love Profusion

Sport

The school has many sporting organisations and teams, including: Badminton, Football, Hockey, Table Tennis and Volleyball.

Swimming

In 1991 Cameron Bruce, Andrew Goodall, Sandy Scott and David Bryce won both gold in the Medley and Freestyle relays at the Scottish Schools Swimming Open Finals.

Headteachers of Elgin Academy

Norman Strachan
Norman Strachan was headteacher from 1986 until his death in 2001.

Alistair Brown
Mr. Alistair Brown served the school as headteacher for 5 years from May 2001 to October 2006, leaving the school to join Her Majesty's Inspectorate. He was succeeded by Margaret Cowie from Berwickshire, who took up office in December 2006.

Mr. Alastair Rossetter served as Acting Headteacher during the changeover period.

Margaret Cowie is the first ever woman to head the school in its 205 year history.

References

Links

[http://www.elginacademy.co.uk Elgin Academy Main Website]
[http://www.moray.ac.uk/ Moray College, first site of Elgin Academy]

External links

[http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/scottishschoolsonline/schools/elginacademymoray.asp Elgin Academy's page on Scottish Schools Online]