The East of Ireland Open, the 5th of Ireland’s 6 Senior National Circuit fencing events, was held on the weekend before Easter on 23rd & 24th March in University College Dublin. Three SU fencers took part: Amelia Penny, Cassidy Ogle and Myles Wilkinson. Also taking part were 2 ex-SUFC fencers, now fencing for Oxford University: Victoria Morris and Alexander Penny. In the women’s foil, held on the Saturday, Victoria and Cassidy both made the quarter-finals, Cassidy winning her last 16 fight 15-12, Victoria winning hers 15-13. Victoria was placed 7th overall, Cassidy 8th, while Amelia finished 12th after a narrow 13-15 defeat in the last 16. The men’s foil event on the Sunday saw Myles and Alexander lose tough last 32 fights, Alexander finishing 17th and Myles 24th. For Myles and Cassidy, as under 16s, this was valuable experience in their progression from junior to adult competition. The next event for SUFC fencers will be the Irish National Championships in Dublin on the 20th and 21st April. David White SUFC Coach 05 April 2024

3rd XI Gibson Cup: Congratulations to the 3rd XI for getting to the semi-final of the McDowell Cup. The girls faced Ballyclare High in very cold, wet conditions just before half term. They went 1-0 up very early in the game but Ballyclare came back strongly and equalised in the first half and grew in confidence in the 3rd quarter, but Sullivan defended valiantly. Sullivan dominated the last quarter and came so close to scoring that all decisive goal but unfortunately were denied so the match had to be decided on a series of run-ins. Ballyclare eventually emerged as winners but the girls can be extremely proud of their determined and competitive performance and they certainly showed what a very strong 3rd XI team they have become over the season. Year 8’s: The year 8’s attended the Annual Grosvenor Grammar Tournament and played some good hockey coming away with draws with MCB, Down High, Antrim Grammar and a fine 3-0 win over Wellington College. U14 Junior Shield: The U14’s faced Victoria College in the semi-final of the Junior Shield. The match was very competitive with Sullivan dominating most of the play, making the stronger start and being very unlucky not to capitalise on a few good chances in the first half. They continued to dominate possession in the 2nd half but unfortunately Victoria were the team who capitalised on a quick break and scored in the far corner of the net. Sullivan did not give up and kept fighting to the final whistle but unfortunately could not get that all important goal they so deserved. A tough end to a great game dominated by Sullivan. Huge commiserations girls. 1st XI Senior Shield: Massive commiserations to the 1sts after loosing out 3-2 to BRA in the semi-final of the Senior Shield. It was an exceptionally competitive, entertaining, end to end match. BRA took the lead but Sullivan equalised with an amazing individual goal from Lucy A. Both teams had chances denied until BRA eventually edged ahead 2-1 in the 4th quarter and quite quickly doubled their lead. Sullivan continued to put on the pressure and Hannah L finished off a well worked attacking move up the right hand side to make it 3-2. Despite throwing everything at it in the dying minutes, Sullivan were unable to capitalise on any final attacks and BRA remained strong to the end. An excellent display of school girl hockey. Well done girls and commiserations on an excellent performance. Leavers: This super bunch played their last matches for Sullivan. Thank-you so much for all your commitment, dedication, hard work and fun over the last seven years. Great role models, great memories. All the best for the next chapter….we’ll miss you. (Jessica, Lois and Indie missing) Last matches: We are delighted that we have had over 220 girls involved in playing girls hockey this season. Well done to everyone and we look forward to what next season has in store.

At the end of February, the girls 1st and 2nds squads head on tour to Glasgow. After an early Stenaline crossing to Cairnryn our tour started with two great games v StAloysius College. The 1stXI lost 2-1 (Niamh F) and the 2nd XI had a super 5-1 win (Maddie x2, Ella, Niamh McC, Selena). We finished our first day with dinner at the Hard Rock Café. The second day our Scottish tour consisted of exploring the world of VR, overcoming some fears on a high ropes course, a quiz and some very competitive games involving some singing Day three saw us competing in a very exciting selfie scavenger hunt around the city involving big hats, flags, eating haggis, irn-bru and bagpipes. After squeezing in the viewing of the Ireland v Wales rugby match, we had a very competitive set of matches v Western Wildcats ending in a draw for the 1sts and a loss for the 2nds. The day ended with a visit to La vita Sputina for some great Italian food and of course no evening would be complete without some ice cream Our final day plans changed slightly due to a frozen pitch which meant we couldn’t play our planned match v Scotland Over 35’s but that didn’t dampen our spirits, so instead we headed off for some ten-pin bowling, before heading back to Cairnryn. Some interesting techniques and bowling actions on display, so I think it’s safe to say we’ll stick to the hockey! Thanks to everyone for helping make a very successful and memorable tour.

Emily MacCormack (8B) and Anna Atkinson (8E) placed 2nd in Under 14 novice pairs. Erin Playfair (10C) and Mia McConnell (9D) placed 5th in under 14 pairs. Sophie Kingston (9D) and Megan Goldring (9D) placed 3rd in under 14 pairs. Patrick Lee (13C) and Sophie Kingston (9D) placed 1st in under 19 pairs and have qualified to represent Sullivan at the British finals in stoke-on-Trent. Erin Farrell (11B) placed 3rd in under 19 tumbling. Amelia Rodger (11E) placed 2nd in under 19 tumbling and has qualified to represent Sullivan at the British finals in stoke-on-Trent. Megan Goldring (9D), Mia McConnell (9D), Sophie Kingston (9D), Leah Atkinson (10D), Rosanna Smith (8B), Caroline Mcdaid (8E) placed 3rd in the under 14 groups. Elsie Buckley (11A), Erin Farrell (11B), Grace Yeates (11F), Amelia Rodger (11E), Erin Playfair (10C), Effie Lappin (11C) placed 3rd in the under 19 groups.

The Mathematics Department held their annual pi-day competition on Thursday, March 13th (3.14). The winner is the pupil who can recall pi to the greatest number of decimal places.  We had pupils across Years 8 to 12 taking part, with this year’s winner being Ethan Dilworth in Year 9 with 459 decimal places.  Ethan is typical of many of the entrants who improved their score from the previous year. In fact, his score improved more than 150 decimal places from last year. All the pupils who participated impressed us with their memory.  Special mention should go to Amy Walker in Year 8 with 240, Jody Robinson in Year 9 with 146, Amy Doyle in Year 10 with 135 and Kate Reavy in Year 11 with 350. The Amys were unlucky as both had learnt pi to more decimal places but the pressure on the day resulted in an unfortunate error.  We hope, they and others, take up the challenge again next year.

March has been another busy month in the Library as we celebrated World Book Day on Thursday 7th  with displays, quizzes and competitions and the now annual Inter-House Book Quiz, which was once again won by Praeger after a tightly fought contest. This team was made up of Emilia Huey & Emma West-Hurst 8C, Lila-Grace Coleman 8E and Harry McConkey 9E.  Competition between the Houses has extended into this month’s Accelerated Reader with Year 8 & 9 pupils who score 85%+ in their quizzes going up on the scoreboard. At the time of writing, it’s Praeger who are in the lead! Pupils can also gain house points by entering this month’s Book Review writing competition, which is due for submission by April 9th. Accelerated Reader quizzing has continued well this month with pupils achieving individual word and points targets plus continuing to add to their class totals to see who will win the coveted day trip to Portrush: 8C and 9A are currently leading their respective year groups. So far 114,074,312 words have been read and 2,198 quizzes passed, and we have 27 word millionaires, including 5 of whom are multi-millionaires.  Many pupils continue to complete their 10 x100% cards for which they win a prize from Mr Heaney, Head of the English Department. March also sees the return of the annual Yoto Carnegie Medal Shadowing Book Group which is an internationally established scheme where pupils ‘shadow’ this illustrious book award for children’s writing. Those taking part this year have had their initial get-together and discussed their expectations of the 8 shortlisted books before picking the first to read from a list that proves to be an interesting one. Discussions will take place over the next couple of months before we submit our winner at the end of May.  Next term the group will meet during Tuesday lunchtime and new members are encouraged to come on April 9th if they wish to participate in this during the summer term. It’s a great opportunity to read books you might not normally choose, as well as sharing ideas with like-minded others. There have been a variety of displays in the Library this month from promoting newly acquired books in our ‘Spring Into Reading’ selection, to celebrating Irish writers, to supporting Neurodiversity Celebration Week plus our regular Pupil Librarian recommendations, ‘Fortnightly Focus on’ different authors, and lots of helpful posters giving ideas on ‘What to Read Next’ / ‘If You Like…, Try ….’ Finally, but most importantly, March is traditionally our sponsored read month in which all Year 8, 9 and 10 pupils are encouraged to read as much of whatever they like for pleasure and in turn donate some money to the Read for Good children’s charity.  This charity not only encourages children to read but through their hospital programme provides brand-new, carefully chosen books and regular professional storyteller sessions to the UK’s 30 major children’s hospitals, thus supporting seriously ill children’s disrupted learning, and giving them and their families precious distraction and comfort at a time when it’s needed the most. No matter how small the amount, your contribution is greatly appreciated and your continued support very much valued, and we would encourage everyone to donate something to this very worthy cause. The easiest way to sponsor your child is at https://readathon.secure.force.com/sponsor  where you can donate online. However, if more convenient, you can send cash with the sponsor card to school. Regardless of how you donate, it would be appreciated if all sponsor cards be returned to your child’s English teacher when we return to school after the Easter holidays (by 12th April)  so that that the charity can claim Gift Aid which increases the value of donations by 25%. These are just some of the things that have been happening in the Library this month which is always promoting reading for pleasure and the benefits it brings. To keep up to date please follow us on X @SullivanUpp_Lib

The following pupils performed  and were successful in the Belfast Music Festival this month: Daniel  McBride (Year 8) second in the following classes - Boys Vocal Solo and Treble Boys Solo Eric McBride         (Year 8)  joint second in the following class - Boys Vocal Solo Emma  Burns (Year 13) second in the  Open Vocal Solo

Following a successful Junior Debate in February on the motion ‘The world would be a better place without humans’, the Society focused on Public Speaking this month. Senior students led a series of games with members to help build confidence in speaking aloud – no matter what the subject. Some thoughtful and poignant deliveries of song lyrics and the Shipping Forecast were very well received. Then, speakers were invited to address the group on a subject of their choosing, but in the School Hall where we practised projection. Students spoke about: over payment in the Premier League; Corruption; Conspiracy Theories (Are we being governed by reptiles?!); the perils of some forms of gaming and social media; learning languages and the toll homework takes on students and teachers alike.

The 5th and final round of the 2023/2024 N Ireland Junior Foil Series was held last Sunday 3rd March in the Sullivan Upper Sports Hall. Twenty two SU fencers took part across 5 of the 7 age group categories. U12s In the boys’ U12s Eric Hutchinson and Flynn Woolsey-Jensen progressed through to the semi-finals, though both were knocked out at this stage and finished joint third. Cormac McCleary and Zach Fyffe made the quarter-finals, finishing 6th and 7th. U14s Five SU fencers made the quarter-finals in the boys’ U14s: Ethan Dilworth, Sam Snoddy, Adam Sugar, Oliver Stevenson and Patrick John. Ethan and Sam went through to the semis, where both were beaten, finishing joint 3rd, while Adam, Oliver and Patrick were all one fight from the medals in 5th, 7th and 8th. Hugo Hazle, Tom Morrow and Rory Fosker finished 9th, 10th and 11th. In the girls’ U14s Erin Keough made the semi-finals, but lost there to take bronze. U16s Amelia Penny, Cassidy Ogle and Lois Donald all made the U16 girls’ semi-finals, Lois going through after a tight 15-14 quarter-final win. Cassidy and Lois went out in the semis, leaving Amelia to take a convincing 15-3 win for the gold medal in the final. The boys’ U16s had 5 SU entrants: Myles Wilkinson, Noah Currie, Lennox Brown, Theo Beggs and Tom Woolsey-Jensen. All 5 made the last 8, with Myles, Noah and Lennox going through to the semis and Theo and Tom finishing outside the medals in 5th and 7th. Noah and Lennox lost their semi-final fights, finishing joint 3rd, while Myles continued through to the final. This was a close fought affair right up to the end, and with the score at 14-14 Myles won the deciding point to take the gold medal. This was another excellent SUFC competition turn-out, with a total of 2 gold and 9 bronze medals won. Sullivan Overall Series Results After totalling of points from all 5 NIJFS rounds, Sullivan fencers finished in the following series positions. This was an amazing year in terms of junior competition results for SUFC, finishing with 2 SU fencers taking N Ireland junior fencing championship wins: Amelia Penny (U16F) and Myles Wilkinson (U16M). Also, another 9 SU fencers won 2nd and 3rd place championship trophies: Grace Tsang (2nd U12F), Sam Snoddy (2nd U14M), Cassidy Ogle (2nd U16F), Noah Currie (2nd U16M), Naomi Baird (3rd U12F), Eric Hutchinson (3rd U12M), Erin Keogh (3rd U14F), Ethan Dilworth (3rd U16M) and Lennox Brown (3rd U16M). David White SUFC Coach 06 Mar 2024

Sullivan Upper Fencing Club hosted the 4th round of the 2023/24 NI Junior Foil Series on Sunday 4th of February in the School Sports Hall.  A record 29 SU fencers took part across U12, U14 and U16 age groups, 13 of whom were year 8 or 9 beginners in their first competition. In total SU fencers won 17 medals, 5 gold, 4 silver and 8 bronze, with just under half of these awards won by our beginners. U12s The girls’U12 event was dominated by SU beginners with Grace Tsang defeating Lydia Hamilton in the final, Naomi Baird and Sophia Leathem the beaten semi-finalists in joint 3rd and Amelia Calwell in 5th place. Year 8 Eric Hutchinson took gold in the boys’ U12s in a close fought final, winning 10-9 against the current age group points leader. Flynn Woolsey-Jensen and Zach Fyffe were joint 3rd and Cormac McCleary and Daniel McBride 5th and  6th. U14s Ethan Dilworth, Adam Sugar and Thomas Morrow all made the semis in the U14 boys’ event. Ethan went through to the final but lost there to the U14M points leader to take silver, Adam and Thomas taking home bronze medals. Places 5 to 10 were all filled by SU competitors: Patrick John, Oliver Stevenson, Hugo Hazle, Samuel Snoddy, Ralph Lindsay and Rory Fosker, with beginners Oliver, Ralph and Rory mixing it with the more experienced fencers. The U14F category had only 2 entrants: Erin Keough and Lydia Hamilton. Erin was therefore moved up to fight in U16s, Lydia down into the U12s, then at the end of the competition they fought a U14F final which Erin won 15-8. U16s Amelia Penny increased her series lead in the U16F points table with another win over her SU teammate Cassidy Ogle in the girls’ final, while Erin Keough and Lois Donald finished just outside the medals in 5th and 6th. In the U16 boys Myles Wilkinson had a convincing 15-7 win in the final after knocking out teammate Lennox Brown in the semis. Noah Currie made the other semi, but suffered an injury during the bout and had to withdraw, finishing with bronze along with Lennox. Rohan Nair, Theo Beggs and Tom Woolsey-Jensen all made the quarter-finals, finishing 5th, 6th and 8th. Well done all 29 SU competitors in this the biggest club turn-out in a junior event in the 21 years of Sullivan Upper Fencing Club’s existence. Thank you to the SU staff for preparing the Sports Hall for us and to all the fencer parents for their support. Round 5, the final round of the 2023/2024 NIJFS season, will be on Sun 3rd March in the SU Sports Hall. David White SUFC Coach 07 Feb 2024

The Open is N Ireland’s premier and largest fencing competition of the year and was held on the last weekend of January in the Templemore Sports Complex in Londonderry. Eight Sullivan fencers took part, 7 of the 8 consisting of juniors still competing at U16 level but now either starting or continuing their transition into senior (adult) competition. First up were Alexandra Ong and Cassidy Ogle representing Sullivan in the women’s foil on the Saturday. Alexandra just failed to make the last 8, finishing 9th, while Cassidy went through to win a place in the semis. She then lost to the eventual gold medallist to finish 3rd and a win bronze medal, a notable achievement for a 14 year old in a senior event. The men’s foil on the Sunday had 6 SU fencers entered: Myles Wilkinson, Noah Currie, Lennox Brown, Theo Beggs, Rohan Nair and Harry McNeice. Myles was the highest finisher at 18th, with Noah next at 21st, while Theo, Lennox, Rohan and Harry, all in their first senior competition, in positions 25 to 28. This was a good turn-out of SU fencers in a tough senior competition, giving all 8 valuable experience at the higher level. The next event for SUFC fencers will be for U12s, U14s and U16s at Round 4 of the NI Junior Foil Series on 4th February in the SU Sports Hall. David White SUFC Coach 31 Jan 2024

Round 3 of the N Ireland Junior Foil Series Last Saturday 6th January the Shankill Leisure Centre was again the venue for a round of the N Ireland Junior Foil Series. This was the Round 3 and 14 Sullivan Upper Fencers were in attendance, 6 of whom brought back medals: 1 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze. U14s In the boys’ U14s event SU fencers Sam Snoddy and Ethan Dilworth both made the semi-finals. Ethan went out at this stage, taking a 3rd place bronze, while Sam won his semi with a close 15-14 win. However, Sam then lost in the final, finishing with the silver medal. Adam Sugar ended up just outside the medals in 5th, with Thomas Morrow and Patrick John in 7th and 8th places. The girls’ U14s saw Erin Keough win her 3rd consecutive bronze medal. U16s Amelia Penny, Cassidy Ogle and Lois Donald were again SU’s representatives in the U16 girls’event. Amelia and Cassidy met in the final, a memorable fight with Amelia initially gaining a 9-2 lead but with Cassidy fighting back to take the score to 14-14. The final point was taken by Amelia for a so-close 15-14 win. Lois finished just outside the medals in 5th. The boys’ U16s had 5 SU competitors: Noah Currie, Myles Wilkinson, Lennox Brown, Tom Woolsey-Jensen and Theo Beggs. Noah won through to the semis, and then on to the final where he lost a tough fight to take the silver medal. Tom, Theo, Myles and Lennox all made the quarter-finals, finishing in 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th respectively. This was another excellent SUFC competition turn-out, well done to all 14 entrants. Round 4 of the NIJFS will be on Sun 4th February in the Sullivan Upper Sports Hall. David White SUFC Coach 10th Jan 2024