Schools news round-up: Space, tennis and more

Peter Ranscombe rounds-up the latest news from Scotland’s schools.

PUPILS from The High School of Glasgow met former astronaut Anousheh Ansari at the Glasgow Science Centre.

Ansari became the first female space tourist, the first astronaut of Iranian decent, and the first Muslim woman in space when she spent 11 days on the International Space Station in 2006.

Back on Earth, Ansari now runs “Xprize”, a series of competitions to “solve humanity’s grand challenges”.

Daniel Went, head of physics at The High School of Glasgow, said: “The pupils loved meeting Anousheh, she is a huge inspiration to all and this experience will leave a lasting impression on those considering a career in the space industry.”

Edinburgh Dance Academy (EDA) has been ranked as the highest in the UK and Ireland for the second year running at the Dance Inspirations competition in Blackpool.

EDA’s Jenni Inglis won the “most inspirational choreography” award for the second year in a row, while dancer Kiera Anderson was handed top prize in the “most dedication, passion, and talent” category.

Julie Mitchell, principal and founder of EDA, said: “Achieving this success across so many categories for the second year really underlines the commitment and dedication of both our pupils and our team.

“We now look forward to taking part in June’s Dance World Cup in Portugal where EDA competitors will proudly fly the flag for Scotland.”

Strathallan School pupil Marcus McLaren has won a tennis scholarship to attend the University of Stirling.

“It means a lot for me to get this chance to study at Stirling,” he said.

“I’ve wanted to go there ever since I started training five years ago.”

Tommy Ogilvie, head of tennis at Strathallan, added: “The sacrifices he has made and the support from his family have been so important in achieving this scholarship.”

Sticking with Strathallan, pupil Rachel Fagerson has been selected for Scottish Hockey’s hational emerging girl’s squad.

“To get the chance to go abroad and get that type of training will be great,” she said.

The school’s director of sport, Jim Thompson, added, “Over the [past] few years, we have seen successes across the whole school, both indoor and outdoor, which has been fantastic to see.

“We are really proud to see Rachel and a number of other girls and boys going onto play at regional and national level hockey.”

Read more stories from Scotland’s schools on Scottish Field’s education pages.

Plus, don’t miss musician Phil Cunningham’s credo in the February issue of Scottish Field magazine.