She also found the time to finish runner up in the doubles competition at the same tournaments, as well as playing hockey for the school under 13A team who currently remain unbeaten.

Alannah is obviously delighted with her selection. “It is a great honour to be selected for the Irish under 17 squad especially as I am one of the youngest ever to get picked. I’m really looking forward to playing against the top players from other nations and can’t wait for the big challenges that lie ahead.”

Former Wallace pupil Tony Stephenson (Alannah’s older brother) recently returned home for a one week break from playing full time in Denmark. “I’m training two or three times a day with on court badminton sessions and lots of time in the gym. Its been very enjoyable so far and hopefully will take me to a higher level of performance. I’m also really proud of Alannah and her selection for the Irish team.”

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The Lisburn lads had to pre qualify for this prestigious tournament and only recently sealed their place with a nervy 5 – 3 victory over Methodist College Belfast. This left them in a tough group for the competition which was hosted superbly by Campbell College in Belfast, their opponents being Midleton College (Cork) and the two previous winners Cookstown High and St Andrews (Dublin).

Wednesday saw Wallace play in the first game at Campbell where they faced up to a dangerous Midleton side including several underage interpro and international players. This did not seem to worry the squad at all as they swept them aside 4 – 0 with a ruthless display of attacking hockey. Matthew Murphy led the way with a brilliant hat trick and announced himself quickly as one of the players of the tournament, whilst the industrious Michael Keery weighed in with the other.

Onto Thursday and two crunch games were played at Queens against well respected opponents. Again their opponents were outplayed by skilful, fast passing hockey and both games were won by the same 4 – 0 score lines. The goal scorers in the first game against Cookstown High were Timothy Crean, Matthew Murphy, Peter MacDonnell and Stephen Hunter. Peter’s goal in particular will live long in the memory of those who were there as he beat several players before unleashing a ferocious shot into the roof of the net.

Scorers in the second game against St Andrews were Matthew Murphy with a well executed drag flick, Jonathan Crean and Peter MacDonnell (2) who again stole the show with a wonder goal on the reverse stick.
A large crowd from Wallace and the wider Lisburn hockey community gathered at Campbell early on Friday morning to witness the semi final against the traditionally strong Ashton Grammar School from Cork. Despite being awarded an early penalty stroke which was then mysteriously over turned the Wallace boys again produced an enterprising performance to triumph 4 – 1. Matthew Murphy underlined his international credentials with another stunning hat trick whilst MacDonnell continued his own outstanding form with another goal.

As the players went to Queens to get away from the final venue, the school community rallied and five buses were quickly booked and filled for the 2.30 final time. Banners of support were hastily made, song sheets produced and a hockey band was assembled. This created a superb atmosphere at the ground as the four figure crowd waited in anticipation for what was sure to be a great final. This is exactly what happened as the Wallace players gave their all against a Wesley team packed full with Irish underage international players.

The score at half time was 1 – 0 in favour of the Lisburn lads as Stephen Hunter (who earlier received 5 stitches for a nasty facial wound sustained before the semi final) scored a well worked penalty corner move. They also felt slightly aggrieved at having what looked like a legitimate goal from Peter MacDonnell being ruled out for feet.

Into the second half and Wesley played some excellent hockey to take a 2 – 1 lead but again the Wallace players summoned up the physical and mental courage to reply, the same penalty corner move with the same finish from the outstanding Hunter.

Wallace were also thankful for their goal keeper Luke Williams and his defence led by the brilliant Richard Arneill and also containing Adam McCann, Glenn Reid and Stephen Murray.

This meant that the game went into silver goal extra time. Wallace won a penalty corner with 4 minutes remaining in the half but Murphy’s initial shot was well saved by the Dublin keeper and Michael Keery’s follow up was rather luckily deflected for a long corner.

The powerful Wesley forwards then went straight up the other end and with two minutes remaining scored the winning goal from a second phase penalty corner after another brilliant save from Williams.

The dream was now over as only one minute remained on the clock and when time ran out the Wesley players were justifiably ecstatic whilst the Wallace players were deflated after their extraordinary efforts in playing 5 games in just over 48 hours.

Wallace 1st X1 coach Gareth Kidd was understandably proud of his players for their performances over the course of the three day tournament. “What an unbelievable journey we have been on over the past few days. I can’t praise this group of players enough for their commitment, skill levels and efforts not only at the tournament but throughout what has so far been a very busy season. Our representative players stood up and were counted whilst the other players grew as the matches got tougher, a sign of a good team and mentally tough individuals.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our superb supporters who sent messages of support and who created a brilliant atmosphere at the semi final and final. Believe me; the players will never forget the experience of playing in front of such a large and positive crowd.

Also, a massive thank you to the teaching staff for their support and attendance at short notice at the final and particularly to the Principal Mrs O’Hare for her support and attendance at the games. The boys would also like to thank their parents for their continued support and encouragement whilst I would like to thank manager David Simpson and Assistant Coach Neal McKnight for their excellent input throughout.”

The Wallace players will now get a well deserved ten day break before going into three important McCullough group games which they must win to top their group and thus qualify for the semi finals of this particular competition.
The Wallace squad for the Irish Schools was as follows:

Luke Williams, Richard Arneill, Adam McCann, Glenn Reid, Stephen Murray, Peter MacDonnell (co captain), Stephen Hunter (co captain), Michael Keery, Jonathan Dunn, Matthew Murphy, Stephen Hood, Timothy Crean, Conor Kelly, Jonathan Crean, Seb Buser and Chris Rowland.

Gareth Kidd (coach), Neal McKnight (assistant coach) and David Simpson (manager)

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Mrs Deborah O’Hare used the occasion to re – emphasise the CORE values of commitment, opportunity, respect and excellence in both curricular and extra curricular activities and also to list the many achievements of individuals, groups and teams last year.

She also thanked her predecessor Mrs Anne McBride for her “dignified, proud and effective leadership” and also “the warmth of welcome on the occasion of my appointment.”

Mrs O’Hare was proud to recognise the significant academic results achieved as well as “the expert and dedicated contribution of teachers and support staff in their successes. At GCSE almost 80% of grades were at A*, A or B, whilst 40 students gained the equivalent of 10 straight A or A* grades in points score. Almost 70% of grades at AS level were A or B, whilst at A2 level almost 90% of grades were at A, B or C.”

Sporting successes were applauded whilst Mrs O’Hare commented on the “range of extra curricular and curricular activities which stretch, motivate and support our young people, building in them advanced thinking skills, teamwork and highlighting employability pathways.” These included the school’s “renowned use of ICT”, as well as Young Enterprise, Young Innovators, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, STEM funding, Public Speaking and the range of musical opportunities on offer.

Chairman of the Board of Governors Mr Graham Sutton used his remarks to praise the Association for Quality Education (AQE) for developing its own Common Entrance Assessment for a large group of Grammar schools which includes Wallace. He said “I would like to place on record our recognition of the magnificent efforts of those at the helm of AQE in bringing these plans to fruition and also to the staff here for the work in ensuring we are fully prepared for 275 P7 children to sit the three papers here. In my opinion it has been an all round truly exceptional achievement by everyone involved.”

The Guest of Honour, Mrs Joan Christie OBE, Lord – Lieutenant for County Antrim, presented the awards and took time to speak to all prize winners. She was particularly pleased to be invited as her sister Yvonne Black was a distinguished and long serving member of the Wallace Prep teaching staff for many years and thanked all at the school for their warm welcome. She praised the “breadth of opportunities available at Wallace” and encouraged all the gathered pupils to “develop their talents, set goals, lead by example and persevere at all times.”

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Vice Principal Mr Alastair Craig addressed the pupils and guests and was full of praise for the achievements of all 171 prize winners.

BBC Sports Journalist and former Wallace pupil Denise Watson presented the awards and enjoyed the evening immensely. “I am very proud of my connection to Wallace and was delighted to be asked back to present prizes at their first Junior Prize Ceremony. I can remember when I was at school being presented the House Cup by Irish rugby international Willie Anderson so to be asked back to do something similar is quite an honour.”

Prizes totalling £1700 were generously donated by the PTA for categories in Effort, Improvement, Subject Prizes and Outstanding Academic Achievement. Commenting on this Mrs Beverly McClean, Chairperson of the PTA said “We are delighted to support the pupils and to celebrate their achievements in all areas of school life.

The PTA plays an important role in helping to raise funds which in turn adds tremendously to the pupils’ enjoyment of their time at school. Our next major fund raising event is the Christmas Dance on Friday 11th December and I would encourage as many people as possible in the Lisburn area to come along and support what is always a superb night.”

Katie Lockhart (Year 9) and Peter Martin (Year 10) received trophies for Overall Outstanding Achievement in their respective year groups whilst Evie Thompson (Year 11) received the Alastair McWilliams Trophy for Overall Outstanding Academic Achievement in her year group. This trophy was presented by the McWilliams family in memory of their son who died tragically in 1994 whilst still a pupil in Wallace.

Principal Deborah O’Hare was understandably delighted and proud of the successes of all prize winners. “I am particularly pleased that there is now an evening to celebrate the achievements of our junior school students who play such an important part in our school life and congratulate all those who have won prizes tonight.”

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With approximately four-hundred pupils aged eleven to eighteen from across Europe expected to attend, this will be the largest MCBMUN conference ever.

At some point over the three days the Wallace delegates, along with the other nations, will have just a few hours to save the world! At the last conference, where they came away as prize winners, they were faced with North Korea holding the world to ransom with primed nuclear missiles. There is also a social life laid on with a Ceildh on the Friday night.

Check out http://www.mcbmun.com/home for ‘the most fun you can have in a suit’ and if you are interested in taking part next time speak to Mrs Karen Ferguson, English Dept.

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The 1stXV fought hard for a 16-15 victory against a physically larger and stronger pack of BRA forwards. BRA had produced some noteworthy results already this season and Wallace produced their best performance of the season to secure victory.

Wallace welcomed back Ulster Schools’ players Rory Stewart and Chris Spence who gave the side an obvious lift. Andrew Gilmore kicked two early penalties in his first outing of the season following injury. However, his return was short lived as he went off injured with a twisted ankle just before half time.

The strong running BRA forwards were able to make considerable inroads into Wallace territory and it took some brave and committed defending to keep the score at 8-6 to BRA at half time. The back row trio of Jamie Clements, Rory Stewart and Daniel Henry worked tremendously hard at the breakdown and were central in preventing further BRA scores.

Wallace enjoyed good territory and possession in the second half and following pressure from the backs Matthew Godfrey capitalised on a BRA mistake to go under the posts for a try which David Scott converted. The Wallace half backs of Nathan Reid and Alastair McCollum began to exert their authority on the game as the forwards produced quality phase possession. The urgency and commitment of the front five was excellent with Colin Munn, Chris Spence, Daniel Henry, Stewart Evans and James Thompson very much to the fore.

David Scott added another penalty to put Wallace 16-8 ahead. BRA drove over for a converted try on the last play of the game to leave Wallace as 16-15 winners.

This was a much improved performance for Wallace and one in which they will have to improve upon again next week as they travel to Regent House.

The 2nd XV beat their BRA counterparts by 31-12. Daryl Corbett showed good pace in scoring two tries while there were tries apiece for Aaron McClatchey, Dean Irvine and Jordan McMullan. Chris Godfrey kicked three conversions.
The 3rdXV beat BRA 19-0 with Patrick Hylands, Johnny Kelso and Matthew Moore scoring the tries. Ross Reaney continued his excellent points scoring season with two conversions.

Last Wednesday the 3rdXV travelled to play MCB 5th XV and came away with a 49-5 victory. Matthew Sinclair showed strong running in scoring two tries and Matthew Moore revealed his power and pace, also scoring two tries. Johnny Kelso and Andrew Wiggam scored a try apiece. Ross Reaney had an accurate day with the boot kicking all seven conversions. The 4thXV lost 22-0 to MCB 5th XV.

All the players and coaching staff were delighted with the inclusion of Kyle McCall in the Irish Schools training panel in Dublin last weekend following his excellent performances for Ulster Schools. The selection of new cap Chris Spence along with Rory Stewart and Kyle McCall for the Ulster Schools game against Connaught was due reward for his hard work in returning from injury. Ulster Schools won both games.

The Wallace High School U12’s began their competitive rugby fixtures last Saturday morning against BRA with three victories. In the first match Wallace won by 45-10. The scoreline flattered Wallace as the half time scoreline was 10-10 with some good rugby played by both sides.

However, the introduction of Ikenna Nzewi totally transformed the game as he scored two breathtaking tries from his first two touches of the ball. He added a third later in the game as Wallace dominated the second half. The energetic Tom Baird also scored three tries while there was a try apiece for Zach Scott, skipper Jonny Stewart, Ben Finlay and Ryan Garnham.

In the second match, Ikenna Nzewi scored three tries while the strong running of Andrew Morrow also heralded three tries. Toby Kerr’s footwork allowed him to dance through the defence for two tries while Joshua Magill got in on the act with a score. Wallace won 45-10.

Ross Portis was man of the match in the third game scoring a remarkable four tries while there were also tries for Josh Victor, Connor Sinclair and Curtis Connery. Wallace won 35-0.

This Saturday, The Wallace High School 1stXV (10.30am) are away to Regent House at Ards Rugby Club. The 2nd and 3rdXV are also away to Regent (10.15am). The Medallion A,B and U13A,B XV’s are at home to Regent House(10.15am.)

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The game was a superb advert for local schools hockey and it is a shame that both sides could not progress. The Lisburn lads took an early lead when Ulster under 18 interpro player Matthew Murphy scored an excellent reverse stick goal. Methody then had a spell of pressure where they equalised and also watched on in disbelief as Luke Williams in the Wallace goal made two stunning saves. Murphy then scored just before half time to send Wallace into the half time interval with a much needed confidence boost.

Into the second half and Wallace dominated the first 15 minutes as Methody barely made it out of their own half. This pressure was reflected in two goals, Michael Keery and Peter MacDonnell on target, whilst the opposition keeper made several superb saves from Murphy at penalty corners. Some over elaboration with 10 minutes to go gave Methody a sniff of coming back but Murphy completed his hat trick with a well taken first time shot to confirm Wallace’s passage to the tournament proper. Adam McCann deserves mention for a stunning take off the line whilst a late goal for the Belfast side took some of the gloss off an otherwise superb display.

This victory followed on from an excellent 2 – 1 victory for the Lisburn lads over top Dublin school Wesley College last Wednesday at Lisnagarvey HC. Murphy was again on target whilst the under rated and hard working Stephen Hood got the winner.

There were many other games for all teams throughout the week. The 2nd X1 lost their unbeated Prior Shield record at Newry High School conceding two late goals to lose 1 – 2. For the record Stuart Black was the goal scorer. They also travelled to Shaws Bridge on Saturday to take on RBAI and a similar tale of late goals led to a 0 – 2 reverse.

Three junior sides were also in action against RBAI on Saturday, the action here taking place at Queens. The under 15s played a full part in an entertaining game before eventually losing out 2 – 3 to their determined and skilled opponents, Jonny Dalton and Ross Kelly on target.

Both the under 14 and 13 sides produced tremendous displays in defeating their illustrious opponents 7 – 0 and 6 – 0 respectively. Daniel Nelson (3), Mark Acheson (2), Jack Wilson and Luke Chambers were the scorers for the 14s whilst captain Sean Murray led the way for the 13s with four superbly taken goals. Callum McCandless was also on the score sheet with the other two in this game.

There is little rest for the 1st X1 who travel this week to holders Cookstown High in the McCullough Cup hoping to make it three wins out of three in this competition although they realise how tough the task will be. They must then prepare for their third year in a row at the prestigious Irish Schools Tournament where they are in a tough group. On Wednesday at Campbell they face Midleton College 12 noon start, whilst they start on Thursday against Cookstown High School at Queens at 9.30am. Their final group game is against holders St Andrews on Thursday at Queens, 1.30pm start. All support is very welcome from the local hockey community.

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Getting Ready to Move from Primary to Post-Primary School : A Guide to Parents

The following are some answers to questions raised in the Department of Education’s recent communication to parents:

Where and when will the tests be taken and how will they be organised?

The AQE tests take place on Saturday 14 November 2009, Saturday 28th November 2009 and Saturday 5th December 2009 from 10am to 11am. Our Familiarisation Morning is Saturday 7th November 10am -11am.

What topics will the papers cover?

The AQE CEA paper will take account of the English and Mathematics components of the present primary school curriculum. An example paper and details of the CEA specification can be accessed by following these links: Exemplar material | CEA specification

How will the tests be marked?

Each paper will be marked twice, by different markers and quality assurance measures will be carried out by a third marker. Marking will take place in two centres in the presence of chief examiners.

What sort of grades or results will issue and when?

AQE Ltd will publish your child’s score in the CEA on Saturday February 6th 2010. This will be a standardised score with the average being 100.

How will results be used?

For those applying to The Wallace High School the scores will be grouped into bands of 5 score widths starting with those children whose scores fall between 140 and 136. All these children will be accepted before those in the next band of scores from 135-131 and so on until the band above the one in which the 170th applicant is located. In this band, which contains the 170th applicant, all applicants will have the other criteria applied to allow the Admissions Committee to allocate places exactly to 170 children.

What happens if my child is sick on the day of the test or has some other problem on the day of the test? Will there be a reserve or supplementary paper?

In the event of such circumstances you could claim for Special Circumstances to be taken into account. The arrangements for dealing with Special Circumstances are set out in Appendix 1 of the School’s Admissions Criteria. There is no supplementary paper as AQE Ltd has set 3 assessments to minimise the need for the application of Special Circumstances, the best two scores of the three assessments for each child being used to calculate the final score.

What happens if my child is affected by a medical problem or other problem throughout the entire period in which the papers are taken?

This is dealt with through The Wallace High School’s Special Provisions procedures to be found in our Admissions Criteria.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Principal for any further clarification.

While the Board of Governors has endeavoured to ensure that the information published here is accurate and correct, the Board cannot warrant its completeness or accuracy nor that it will not be revised in future. The Board cannot commit to ensuring that this website remains available, nor that this website is kept up-to-date.

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While there was much to be excited about, there was also lots of hard work to be done. Many new pieces were to be learnt, and some old favourites (need I mention “Dulaman”?) had to be learnt by newcomers, with only nine months to do so, on top of everything else that GCSE and A-Level students must prioritise, including the difficult task of coming up with (and carrying out!) original fundraising ideas . But, we did it! On June 24th, we turned up at the gates of Wallace High School, suitcases in tow, just hoping that the bathroom scales were right and that the suitcase did only weigh 19 kilograms, eagerly awaiting 2.15 pm (New York time), when we would touch down in the States.

Upon arrival in Newark, we were whisked away onto a coach for a further three hours of travelling to reach our first destination – Boston, Massachusetts. Since the only food we had eaten that day was breakfast, and plane food, we decided to go in search of hot food. I can only imagine how pleased the waiters were to see fifty hungry teenagers.

Next morning, we hopped onto another coach for our very own tour of Boston, during which we made pit stops at the Public Library, Harvard University, and the harbour where we even got on to a World War II navy boat. Soon after, it was time for our first performance in the Old North Church, where we performed McGlynn’s Christus resurgens, Dulaman and Gaudete, Britten’s Hymn to the Virgin, Suantrai, Mary’s Magnificat and Allegri’s Miserere.

The Honours group also performed as a separate group with two of Rutter’s Childhood Lyrics. For dinner, some of us headed to the famous Sam’s Café, where everybody knows your name… And, in keeping with a Capella tradition, we did a spot of spontaneous singing on the side of the street, after which we decided it was time to start heading back to the hotel. Of course, we managed to retain a less fun tradition –not knowing our way back. We got there eventually, around half past midnight or so.

On Friday morning, we were onto another bus by 10 a.m., ready to hit the Big Apple. On arrival in New York, we went on a walking tour to see the sights. We went to Times Square, to shop and take multiple photos, and spent a considerable amount of time in Macy’s Department store. We had intended to climb to the top of The Empire State Building, but unfortunately there was a lightning storm that night, preventing us from doing so.

On Saturday, we left the hotel and walked to St Mary’s Times Square to begin our rehearsals for our first concert in New York. During the very short break between the rehearsal and the concert, some of the choir found the time to squeeze in some shopping, keen to make the most of their trip to Manhattan.

The concert, which began at 1.15pm, consisted of our full repertoire, which included all of the pieces we performed in Boston plus the impressive Gloria by Rutter. It went spectacularly, and I can honestly say that it was the best performance that I have experienced in my 3 years in Capella.

After the performance we piled into the small shop across from the church to buy our lunch, which we ate in Central Park. After lunch, we spent a few hours shopping in FAO Schwarz, Abercrombie and Fitch and various other stores on Fifth Avenue. Since the weather had cleared up since Friday night, after dinner we made our way back to the Empire State building and queued up alongside many, many other people for a couple of hours until we reached the observatory platform. While the climb was tedious at times, it was well worth it to see the city that never sleeps all lit up against the backdrop of the night sky.

Next morning, we made our way to Grand Central Station to do another performance. We waited in the front hall while Mr Falconer went to find out exactly where we would be singing. We found out that we weren’t technically allowed to put on a concert, but we went ahead and sang Gaudete, Christus resurgens, Dulaman and Miserere in the entrance hall. We may have been pushing our luck with the Miserere though, as it was fifteen minutes long, however, the security guard was kind enough to let us finish before telling us to stop.

During the afternoon, we went on a guided bus tour to see the New York sights that would be a little rough on the feet to walk to. We saw the Statue of Liberty from a viewing point, where the Honour’s group sang The Owl and the Pussycat and Thomas Tallis’s If Ye Love Me. After, we made our way to Ground Zero and St Paul’s Church, the only building in the area not affected by the tragedy. It also acted as a sanctuary to those in need, and contained letters of hope from all around the world and photos of those lost. There, we sang Hymn to the Virgin, which felt especially poignant and left few of the choir with dry eyes.

That night, we headed back to Times Square to decide what we were to do for the night. The original plan was to see a Broadway show, but as some people didn’t want to, and we wouldn’t all be able to get tickets, we decided to split into separate groups. Some went to the cinema, some went to an off-Broadway show “The Fantasticks” and some went to see “Avenue Q”. The shows were unbelievable and it was fantastic to have been a part of the Broadway experience, especially as we had been unsure whether we would be able to get any tickets at all.

All too soon came Monday morning. We awoke early to do our packing before getting the subway to 116th Street for our final performance in St John’s, the largest cathedral in the world – an extremely impressive building. During our performance here, we sang the Miserere and Hymn to the Virgin, the Honours Group performed If Ye Love Me and the boys gave another rendition of Dulaman. After we finished up we got talking to some of our audience, who had actually travelled all the way up to see us in an actual concert after hearing us in Grand Central Station! We spent the rest of the day doing some last minute shopping before making our way back to the hotel to catch our bus to Newark airport. We even managed to squeeze in some more singing before boarding the plane for an overnight flight back to Belfast.

The whole week was an amazing experience, and we were very privileged to have been given the opportunity. Thanks to all who supported us during our nine months of fundraising and the teachers – Mr Falconer, Mr McGeown, Ms Bill, Mrs Mitchell and Mr Saunders – for making the trip possible.

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The girls finished second in their group by virtue of beating Barbados, Scotland and Trinidad and Tobago, whilst they also played against one of the world’s best teams New Zealand.

This put them into the Top 8 phase of the tournament where despite excellent displays from the two Lisburn girls, Northern Ireland lost to Jamaica, Malawi and narrowly to South Africa, thus finishing eighth overall.

Whilst there the girls also had the opportunity to visit a local school who had adopted the Northern Ireland squad for the duration of the tournament and they were also given presents and heard a fantastic rendition of the Cook Islands national anthem.

Commenting on the trip Sarah said “This was an unbelievable tournament to be part of and to play against the best under 21 netball teams in the world was a real learning experience”. Sophie added “The tournament itself was superbly run and we both enjoyed being part of it. Getting the opportunity to visit the school who had adopted us as their country was also an experience that I will never forget”.

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Master in charge of rugby Mr Neil Hinds said “All at Wallace are extremely proud of Rory and Kyle and their magnificent achievement in playing for Ulster Schools. They will act as role models for other rugby players in the school who will be aiming to follow in their footsteps.

It is also brilliant to see three former Wallace and Ulster Schools’ players in the senior Ulster set up, namely Chris Henry, Ian Whitten and Nevin Spence”.

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Unfortunately Alan Montgomery was unable to compete in the athletics competition through injury, particularly disappointing as the young sprinter had realistic medal hopes in his favoured events.

Swimmer Adam Matthews competed in two events and produced two highly credible performances, finishing eighth in the individual medley and fifth in the relay.

Year 14 pupils Stephen Hunter and Richard Arneill returned with bronze medals in the boys’ hockey tournament where they competed against the international teams from England, Scotland and Wales. Stephen was also honoured as vice captain of the hockey squad.

Commenting on the Games Principal Deborah O’Hare said “Although it was disappointing for Alan to get injured before the event, the school community is very proud of all the pupils who competed in this prestigious event. Their achievements reflect well on their dedication to their sports and also the time that the teaching staff in Wallace have spent in getting them to this level”.

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Constable George Ellis, Principal Deborah O'Hare, Year 8 Head of Year Gillian Carson and Vice - Principal Alistair Craig at The Wallace High School Year 8 Parents information Evening

Head of Learning for Life and Work Mr Paul Beaton and PTA staff representative Mrs Julie Dumigan were also given the opportunity to speak to the large crowd of gathered parents.

After a coffee break where parents were given the chance to speak with class tutors in an informal setting Constable George Ellis spoke about issues for children in the Lisburn area.

Commenting on the evening Head of Year Gillian Carson said,”This is always an important event in the school calendar and the large attendance shows how much the parents appreciate the opportunity to meet their children’s class tutors in an informal setting at an early stage. We look forward to positive relationships developing between parents and the school and encourage them to become active in school life”.

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The Lisburn girls came through a tough qualifying tournament at their home venue Lisnagarvey drawing with Lurgan College, Hunterhouse and Dalriada before defeating Glenola 2 – 0 to clinch qualification, netball star Sarah Montgomery getting one of the goals and captain Lauren Wilson the other.

Last Wednesday the girls were again glad to be on home turf as the finals day again took place at their Garvey home. This time they defeated Omagh Academy 1 – 0 (Ellen Hood) and Foyle and Londonderry by the same score line (Wilson on the score sheet again) before drawing 0 – 0 with Strathearn in the final.

Captain Lauren Wilson was understandably delighted with the performances over the course of the tournament,”The Schools’ Tournament is a great way to start the season with the opportunity to play competitive games against other schools.

We have a young team this year so take great confidence from sharing the trophy. Hopefully this success will stand us in good stead for a long and exciting season ahead”

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Darren commented that the day was “to help the transition from primary to post primary school and at the same time to introduce pupils to business and enterprise skills through a range of interactive activities”.

Paul Beaton, Head of Careers in the school and also the teacher in charge of Learning for Life and Work added, “The pupils all had a great day and particularly enjoyed the interactive nature of the course”.

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The Lisburn girls batted first reaching 100 in their 16 overs, Tessa Stewart starring with 42 and Sarah McCallen a polished 21. In reply Strabane could only muster 77as the Wallace girls bowlers performed superbly.

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Months of fundraising by a committed group of parents led to a jam – packed itinerary, which began in Pretoria at the High Performance Centre where the squad spent three days rubbing shoulders with elite South African athletes and international rugby players from Italy and cricketers from Bangladesh.

Tour manager Ian Latham explained, “Starting at the High Performance Centre gave our coaching staff the opportunity to prepare our players for the much anticipated tour matches. The training and gym facilities were first class and really helped the players prepare for what was sure to be a demanding trip”. A trip to the Valley of the Waves at Sun City gave the boys a well deserved break from training and was much enjoyed by both staff and pupils.

Next on the itinerary was a two day safari at Entabeni Game Reserve. This proved to be one of the highlights of a great trip as all tour members got close to lions, rhinos, elephants, giraffes and many other animals in their natural environment.

Some of the boys were, however, perturbed at the initial briefing when they were told that they would be escorted to their chalets at night by a shot gun carrying ranger just in case any of the animals had wandered into camp. Thankfully the guns were not required and all members of the tour party moved safely onto the next part of the trip to Namibia.

The weather in Namibia was even hotter than experienced in South Africa and certainly made for a pleasant change from home where the boys were regularly updated by parents of the Northern Irish summer. Initially based in Walvis Bay, a small town on the edge of the Namib Desert, this enabled the squad to go quad biking and sand dune boarding in the desert, another memorable and very unique experience for everyone. From Walvis Bay the squad travelled to Windhoek, an old fashioned city where the squad had a chance to relax, play, train and enjoy several enjoyable meals out where the more intrepid tourists tried dishes such as kudo and crocodile.

From Namibia the squad travelled back to South Africa to their final destination of Cape Town, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Whilst in Cape Town the squad spent several enjoyable evenings in the world famous Victoria and Albert Waterfront, including a memorable final tour meal.

All players also enjoyed the guided tour of the Newlands Rugby Stadium and particularly the chance to get pictures taken with the Rugby World Cup which resides in the Newlands trophy room. Our last morning was spent at the top of Table Mountain where clear skies enabled us to see for miles around the city.

A day spent in the Langa Township proved to be an emotional experience for the Wallace students. Tour captain Matthew Godfrey found the trip to be incredibly humbling. “The poverty in the area was startling and it made us all realise how fortunate we are to live in such a privileged society. We had the opportunity to coach the young children in Edendale Primary School and I know that the visit has inspired many of us on tour to fundraise for the area and to explore gap year volunteering opportunities”.

South Africa is really a rugby obsessed country and the pride they take in their national sport was clear every time matches were played there. Results were good and several tough encounters were always forgotten afterwards with excellent hospitality and friendship. For the record results were as follows:
A Squad

Trinity House: lost 7 – 10 (C Munn try scorer, K McCall Man of the Match)

Jan Mohr Secondary School: won 49 – 5 ( R Stewart, J Clements, D Scott 2 tries each, M Godfrey, C Munn, R Irwin Man of the Match)

Rangers RFC: won 22 – 0 (C Matthews, S Evans, R Stewart 2 tries and Man of the Match)

Westerford High School: won 22 – 8 (D Scott, D Irvine, F Foxwell., K McCall Man of the Match)
B Squad

Trinity House: lost 5 – 7 (C Williams try scorer, F Foxwell Man of the Match)

Rangers RFC: won 41 – 0 (F Foxwell 2 tries, R Brownlee, J Kerr, M Moore, C Nimmon, J Connan Man of the Match)

Westerford High School: won 7 – 3 (C Lister)

To sum up, Tour Manager Mr Ian Latham commented, “ This was undoubtedly a trip of a lifetime for both pupils and staff alike, both from a rugby and life experience point of view. I would like to thank the parents for their support in this venture and for giving their boys the chance to experience different cultures in Africa, as well as Mrs McBride for her support in the months leading up to the tour and throughout its duration. The pupils were excellent ambassadors for the school and their behaviour, attitude and rugby ability was a constant source of pride for me throughout the trip”.

Tour Squad
M Godfrey (Tour Captain), J Baird, R Brownlee, S Brownlee, J Clements, J Connan, N Davis, M Donaldson, S Evans, S Fitzgerald, F Foxwell, D Henry, C Hodkinson, R Irwin, A Kerr, J Kerr, K McCall, C Munn, C Spence, R Stewart, C Williams, J Ard, A Gilmore, C Godfrey, M Godfrey, C Lister, D Irvine, C Matthews, M Moore, C Nimmon, N Reid, D Scott, M Uprichard

Staff
Mr I Latham (Tour Manager), Mr G Kidd and Mr D Simpson (Assistant Tour Managers), Mr D Suffern and Mr H McAleese (Tour Coaches)

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Information for Prospective Parents and Pupils:

The Wallace High School is one of a large number of Grammar Schools using AQE tests, designed, administered and assessed by AQE Ltd as a means of assessment in its application of admissions criteria 2010. AQE Ltd has provided the school with the names of young people who have been allocated this school as their test centre.

At the end of September a letter, was sent to the parent(s)/ guardian(s) of all young people sitting AQE tests at Wallace with details about the date and time of the Familiarisation Morning and the three mornings of tests.

AQE Common Entrance Assessment Familiarisation Morning  will take place on Saturday 7th November 2009 10am-11am. Children sitting the tests in this centre and their parents/guardians will receive an invitation by post with further details of this event.

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