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Upper Sixth pupil Chris Williams explained, ”Pie is a real highlight of the school year here in Wallace and all of Upper Sixth have thoroughly enjoyed scripting and rehearsing this year’s show. This year we took the very topical issue of the credit crunch and wrote an hour long show based on the theme. ”

Phoebe Preston went on, ”The breadth of talent displayed by our from was amazing. The choreography of Jason Irwin, Tonee Cummins and Emily Sloan meant that the dances to this year’s big hits “Disturbia” and “Womaniser” were incredible and the band were amazing too. We had such fun during rehearsals and it was great fun working creatively together. ”

Head Boy Richard Johnston added, ”Thanks must go to several teachers including Dr Fulton, Mrs McIvor and Mrs Flavelle. A special mention must go to Mrs Dumigan and Miss McGarry whose patience and support every step of the way made our experience amazing. Pie simply wouldn’t have taken place without them.”

Directors Julie Dumigan and Gillian McGarry concluded, ”It was a pleasure to work with such a bunch of talented young people. Christmas Pie raised £1700 for Childline/NSPCC and thanks must go to the generosity displayed by the entire school community in raising such a fantastic sum, as well as the Upper Sixth pupils for their hours of extra curricular commitment over recent weeks.”

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The show was hosted by Sixth form students Jordan Humphries and Michael Forde and saw teachers stand on their heads, play musical instruments and dance to disco classics such as “YMCA” and “Dancing Queen”. Head of History Dr Carol Fulton also went form class to class, dressed as Queen Elizabeth, collecting money from her loyal subjects.

Charity Coordinator in Wallace, Grace Bill, commented, “I was delighted that so many staff took up the challenge to “do something different” and that our pupils responded with such generosity, raising almost £1000 for Children in Need.”

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Children in Need

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Each performance, lasting over one hour, had been scripted and choreographed by the pupils as the result of several weeks of extra curricular effort. “Pie” Committee member Janine Mathews explained, “We decided to base our charity show on “Jamie’s School Dinners” television programme, interspersed with a witty look at daily life in Wallace High.

The past few weeks have been brilliant. Whilst it has been hectic getting everything ready for the performances, our year group has had such a laugh during rehearsals. Everyone looks forward to seeing Pie each year and taking part in it is a real highlight of Sixth year at Wallace.”

Jamie Brown went on, “Musical performances of this year’s big hits including “Umbrella” and were really enjoyable and our dancers really showed the talent of our year group.”

Assistant Head of Year Julie Dumigan concluded, “Congratulations must go to the steering committee, cast and crew for their wonderful performances. I hope our pupils will remember this experience for many years to come. It has been a pleasure to work with such a motivated and talented group of young people. Over £2000 was raised for to give educational opportunities to those less fortunate– an incredible sum which is testament to the generosity of the entire school community.”

Much to the delight of pupils, several members of staff also performed a short sketch based on the 1980’s show “ ‘Allo,’Allo”, which added greatly to the end of term festivities.

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Marty explained, We were amazed by the wealth of talent in our school. Many acts auditioned and it was very difficult reducing the shortlist for the evening to only fifteen acts. There really was something for everyone at the show, with everything from dog tricks to unicycling, a harpist to a saxophonist.

Stephen went on, “A highlight of the evening was a short video we had made which showcased teacher’s talents. Our judging panel of teachers Dr Fulton, Mr Yamin Ali and Miss Ferguson , along with past pupil Keith Lunn, had a very difficult job.

They selected three finalists – Year 8 rappers Jon McGrath and Jake Clements, Upper Sixth singer and pianist Nathan Jess and Lower Sixth Irish Dancer Chloe Sudlow- and then it was up to the audience to vote for the winning act. Jon and Jake were chosen as they had wowed the crowd with their performance of Numb.”

Marty concluded, “We would like to thank the many people who helped make the evening such a success. Our Parent Teacher Association very generously donated the prize money of £100 and our Moving Image Arts Department and Sound and Lighting Team provided invaluable assistance.

The energy and enthusiasm of Miss Bill also ensured the evening was so enjoyable and raised so much money for such a worthwhile cause.

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Lisburn’s new Mayor, Councillor Trevor Lunn, carried out the official opening of the event. He commented, “I am delighted that one of my first official duties as Mayor of Lisburn was to assist The Wallace High School’s “A Walk in the Park”. I was very impressed by the enthusiasm of the Wallace pupils – it’s always good to see young people making an effort for such worthy causes.”

Charity Coordinator in Wallace, Grace Bill added, “Our thanks go to Lisburn City Council for their assistance in coordinating this event. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed our day in Wallace Park and we hope to raise several thousand pounds for our chosen charities, Tearfund and Childline NI.”

Principal of The Wallace High School, Mrs Anne McBride, concluded,”The aim of this week’s activities is to enable our young people to continue their education beyond the classroom and to develop new skills. The opportunity to contribute to charity and at the same time take exercise through the sponsored walk combines the school’s emphasis on generosity of spirit and healthy lifestyles.”

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David commented, “We are all busy preparing for our A levels at the moment but it’s great for us as a form to organise events for a good cause. We were delighted that so many of the form took part and that so many supported us in this venture by coming along.”

Joel added, “We’d like to thank several people who supported us in the organisation of the event. Miss Bill, the Charity Coordinator in Wallace was very helpful as was Miss McGarry who choreographed the show. Christine Irwin from Upper Sixth acted as back stage manager and made sure everything ran smoothly. As always, , the sound and lighting team were very professional.”

Miss Grace Bill concluded, “The fashion show, along with the annual performance, “Christmas Pie” and a Valentine’s Disco for Junior pupils, has raised over £2000 for a range of local charities. Our school community is unfailingly supportive of charity ventures and it is a pleasure to work with such generous and innovative young people our Sixth years in the organisation of such events.”

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The annual Carol Service held in Hillsborough Parish Church raised over £800 for the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children whilst the audience of the Prep Nativity show kindly donated money to Muscular Dystrophy. Pupils in Prep 5 also held a fun day for Muscular Dystrophy, with a wonderful total of £1000 being raised for the charity.

One pupil explained, “We organised several activities for our Fun Day including a bun sale, skittles and a “pin the tail on the donkey” game . It was great fun and I’m really pleased that we were able to raise so much money.” Prep pupils also took part in their annual “Operation Christmas Child” shoebox appeal, filling 80 boxes for children in less privileged parts of the world.

Year 8 were also involved in charitable work, recently presenting several Christmas Hampers to Women’s Aid. Each of the six Year Eight class sets in the Clonevin Park School gathered items during November and December to be placed in gift wrapped hampers, with Year 12 pupils coordinating the appeal.

Emma from year 8 commented, “The hampers looked very festive and everyone in our class set contributed to the appeal.” Head of RE in Wallace, Jude McLaren added, “We have managed to complete seven wrapped boxes for Women’s Aid who are happy to distribute these in the local community. This pilot scheme has been a great success and we would hope to include other year groups in our appeal next year. Thanks must go to the pupils and their families for their generosity.”

The entire school community also thoroughly enjoyed the Upper Sixth charity show, “Christmas Pie” which raised over £1500 for The Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

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The audience enjoyed the lighthearted atmosphere and the superb technological expertise on display. Auctioneers were Joel Robinson and David Mulholland. Combined with the weekly collcetion, a grand total of £500 was raised for Children in Need.

Meanwhile in the Prep Dept , Liberty in P3 held a very special Pudsy Bear Birthday party. Generous Liberty asked for donations for Children in Need and raised an amazing £375. Well done to Liberty and all of P3 for their fundraising.

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The “KIDZPOSITIVE” project generates income for HIV/AIDS affected families. Northern Ireland fundraiser Kathy Goumas from the Service Improvement Unit of theDepartment of Health and Social Services visited Wallace High this week, taking morning assembly to raise awareness of the project. She explained, “I visited South Africa last year with work, providing training for medical personnel in Cape Town. I was invited to meet the mothers involved with the Kidzpositive Beadwork project And was very impressed.

The Beadwork project centres around an outpatient clinic for children with HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately, medical staff had discovered that many mothers simply couldn’t afford to take a day off work to bring their children to the clinic to receive vital treatment. The beadwork project gives these mothers the opportunity to work in the clinic, whilst their children are being treated.South African people have a clear sense of personal dignity -the mothers are delighted that they are able to earn money to support their families. 90 women are currently earning due to this project -so over 200 children are now receiving medical care.”

The Beadwork project creates specially designed items such as lapel badges, bookmarks and key rings. The Wallace boys designed a commemorative lapel badge which combines the South African flag with the school’s initials.

Year 12 pupil Stephen Knowles commented, “These badges will be a lasting mementoof our tour. The entire School community has been very supportive , buying the badges, and it’s great that we have all learnt a lot more about life in South Africa.”

Beverly McClean from the Parents’ Fundraising committee added, “The Wallace pupils’ social awareness has been raised and this project has been an excellent opportunity for them to help oters less fortunate. It is hoped that a few of the tour party will be able to visit the project itself in Capetown to see firsthand the positive impact of their fundraising.”

BBC Sports presenter Denise Watson, , an ex pupil of Wallace High, who is secretary of local Northern Irealnd charity AIDS 2000, also praised the work of the Wallce boys.

“I was involved with the fundraising efforts of the last rugby tour and as a Wallace Old Girl I’m always keen to hear about the innovative ways in which the school raises money for charity. I think the lapel badges made by the Beadwork Project are an excellent idea. AIDS is a worldwide pandemic and I firmly believe awareness needs to be raised. It’s also very pleasing to see yong people helping others who are less fortunate.”

If you would like to learn more about the Beadwork project you can visit the website or you can make a doantion by contacting Gillian McGarry at Wallace High.

Further details of the ambitious Wallace tour can be gained by visiting The Tour Site, where you can see a detailed itinerary and find out more about the Gala Evening being held in the Europa Hotel next Friday, 3 June.

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Several weeks of intensive training by the dances certainly paid off . Some of the pupils involverd are actually pupils of Rebecca’s and have enjoyed working with her in both Lisnagarvey Operatic and Fusion Theatre productions. Ballroom dancing was also on display in Wallace’s recent production of George Beranrd Shaw’s Pygmalion. The gala evening was hosted by Lower Sixth pupils Joel Robinson and David Mulholland and the judges were teachers Debbie Wallace, David Cleland and Jonny Reid.

Following a drinks reception, the eight couples took to the floor for the opening dance with an elegant waltz.Subsequent rounds included the tango and the cha cha cha. Interval acts included “Random”, a contemporary dance group and “Edge City Dancers”, who are taught by Rebecca Leonard. Upper Sixth pupil Kerri Anne Troughton alos gave a moving rendition of Eva Cassidy’s “Songbird”.

Making it through to the final were Vice Principal Elizabeth Ramsey and her partner Gareth Patterson from Year 12 and Head of Year 8 Norma Cairns partnered by Year 12 pupil Richard Hunter . Echoing the BBC format, another couple – Head of Lower Sixth Margaret Mitchell and Deputy Head boy Keith Lunn, had the opportunity to impress the judges following a wild card vote from the audience.

The wild card couple, Margaret Mitchell and Keith Lunn, danced a cha cha cha to the current Number one single ,”Show me the way to Amarillo”, whilst Elizabeth Ramsey and Gareth Patterson entertained the audience with their technically superb twist on a cha cha , dancing to “Summer Nights” from the hit musical “Grease”.

Norma Cairns and Richard Hunter impressed the judges with their American jive to Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood”, and were duly crowned Dance Champions of 2005.
A delighted Richard commented, “The quality of all the dancing was superb and we all took our rehearsals very seriously as well as having lots of fun. I can’t wait to tell Rebecca Leonard , who I’ve worked with for years, about the competition. Her success is a real inspiration and I’d like to thank Miss Bill and the charity committee for their hard work in organising this event.”

Norma Cairns added, “There was a tremendous atmosphere at the event and the audience was very supportive.It was great to be able to help raise so much money for such a worthy cause.”

Charity co-ordinator in Wallace High, Miss Grace Bill concluded, “Raising £1355 was a fantastic achievement and I’d like to thank so many local businesses who offered their support for the hospice. The photographer Ed Smyth was brilliant and we also received donations from Green’s , Walls, Bells, Snappy Snaps, Birthdays, Lisburn Museum, Daltons, Tesco, Sainsburys and The Card Warehouse as well as Mrs McCarroll and Mrs Robertson. The enthusiasm, talent and energy of our competitors was second to none and credit must go to our interval acts and our hosts, Joel and David, whose wit rivalled that of Strictly Dance Fever Host Graham Norton. The Charity Committee’s work in organising the whole event was alos incredible. We ‘d like to encourage people to keep voting for Rebecca, thereby raising money also for Comic Relief”

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The show was hosted by Upper sixth pupil Chris Carson, and first to take to the catwalk were Head Boy and Head Girl, Philip Carson and Karen Adams.

This event is the second major fundraiser organised in recent months by Wallace Upper Sixth pupils. Christine Jackson explained, “Our Christmas Show, “Christmas Pie”, is a Wallace tradition which we all were very proud to be part of. It raised over £700 for the Simon Community. We all really enjoy taking part in fundraising activities – we’ll remember the fashion show and “Pie” for the rest of our lives and it’s nice to be able to help charities at the same time as having fun.”

Charity coordinator in Wallace, Miss Grace Bill, concluded, ” The Upper Sixth pupils deserve great credit for their work on this venture. Music, lighting, costume and staging were all organised by the pupils themselves and the show was a great success.”

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David Mulholland from the School’s Charity Committee explained, “We are all very lucky to have so much at this time of year so we thought it would be a good idea to make a concerted effort to help others less fortunate. Research showed us that the Charity World Vision coordinate the purchase of goats for Third World villages in countries such as Mozambique. Goats really are a sustainable and everlasting gift at Christmas – they will provide food and income for villagers for many years.”

Miss Grace Bill , chair of the School’s charity committee, concluded, “We’re delighted that the Wallace pupils and staff gave so generously. We have raised over £1100 which is enough to buy 70 goats.”

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Friday 19 November also saw the grand final of the “Dance mat Dance off”
which raised £800 for Children in Need. Upper Sixth pupil Chris Carson faced History teacher Mr Whitten in the final. For a short video of the day click here.

Pupils in Forms 1 – 3 attended a very special assembly on Wednesday 10 November. BBC TV presenter John Daly came along to accept a cheque for almost £8000 for the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children. John was joined by Jude Austin from the charity who thanked the pupils for their amazing ” Read on ” fund raising efforts.

Preparations are also well underway for the annual Sixth year show ”
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The fundraising event, entitled “Words Worth Reading,” was organised by Marie Curie Cancer Care and The Wordsworth Trust as part of this month’s Marie Curie Cancer Care Daffodil Campaign 2004. It also marks the bi-centenary of the popular poem, written after Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy saw the famous “host of golden daffodils” on the shore of Ullswater. The Wordsworth Trust, based in Grasmere, Cumbria, provides a living memorial to the life and work of one of England’s greatest poets, and actively promotes the public enjoyment of poetry.

The sky was the limit for this world-first but Marie Curie Cancer Care wanted to attract at least 150,000 pupils for the event because this figure represents the number of lives claimed by cancer in the UK each year. The charity was delighted that this total was well and truly beaten with over a quarter of a million young people, from 1200 schools supporting the Charity, and as a result “Words Worth Reading” will enter the Guinness Book of Records.

Wallace pupils from Primary Six and Seven of the Prep Department, along with Forms One to Three of the Grammar, were asked to make a small donation to the charity and received a daffodil badge in return.

The generous Lisburn children donated a fantastic £406 and are eagerly awaiting the next edition of the Guiness Book of Records.

Organiser of the event, English teacher Miss Heather Gracey, commented, “The atmosphere during the reading was tremendously positive – this terrific event provided a rare opportunity to bring a range of year groups together for a very worthwhile cause.”

Yellow Pages, supporters of the Marie Curie Cancer Care Daffodil Campaign, will be providing £5,000 worth of prizes for the top fundraising schools in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Money raised through ‘Words Worth Reading’ will help fund Marie Curie Cancer Care’ high-quality nursing, which is provided totally free to give terminally ill patients the choice of dying at home supported by their families.

The money raised by Wallace in this innovative event supplements £1765 raised for Marie Curie earlier this year, when Wallace pupils planted a Field of Hope. This month’ Marie Curie Cancer Care Daffodil Campaign has memory as its theme and the charity is urging everyone to wear a daffodil and fundraise during March to help create treasured moments for cancer patients and their loved ones.

With the Charity’ daffodil emblem at the heart of the campaign, the public is being encouraged to dedicate their daffodil to a special memory. Every donation received in return for a daffodil will enable more Marie Curie Nurses to create positive memories for cancer patients and their families.

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Junior pupils also had the opportunity to take part in the school’s “Read-on”, a sponsored reading week organised by the English Department to coincide with National Children’s Book Week. An incredible £7000 has so far been raised for the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children.

Officers from the local Crime Prevention Unit visited Walalce last week to give advice on protecting belongings and to train the charity Committee in security marking mobile phones. Many pupils and staff paid to have their phones marked, raising £100 for Childline.

Children in Need Fever gripped the school last week with generous pupils sponsoring 15 teachers who had bravely volunteered to take part in space hopper races.

Following a series of hotly contested braktime heats, Friday 21 November saw the Grand Final take place on the school’s tennis courts, with Mrs Barbara Adair, Mr Martyn Agass, Mr Steven Yamin-Ali and Mrs Julia McIvor battling it out in front of hundreds of pupils. Mr Yamin-Ali emerged as the Champion Space Hopper of this funfilled event which raised an amazing £1111 for Children in Need.

Earlier this term, Lisburn residents gave generously during a door to door collection by Wallace Sixth Years, raising £741 for the Glencraig Community, whilst weekly classroom to classroom collections have raised money for Headway, Praxis, Action Cancer and Barnardos, bringing the total raised so far this term to a staggering £11500.

Lower Sixth pupil Sarah Hendron, a member of the Charity Committee, commented, “The entire school community has learnt a great deal about the work of our chosen charities this term and we’ve lots of exciting events planned for later in the academic year.”

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The Wallace High School Charity Committee meets every Tuesday afternoon under the direction of Miss Bill. This year’s committee consists of Rose Montgomery, Andy Taggart, Dave Kennedy, Claire Anderson, Gillian Taylor, Claire Woods, Jonny Clarke, Daniel Orr and Simon Robinson.

To date, this year the school has raised raised over £10000!! through a wide range of events and activities. These activities include ” A spud with a stud” Auction which raised £1150 for Children in Need and a door to door collection for Glencraig special school by upper sixth pupils. The highlight of the year so far has to be the selection of our very own boyband “One True Vote” which raised a considerable sum of money for the Simon Community.

As part of our contribution to this year’s Comic Relief we are organising a non uniform day and will be hosting a number of other special events. This will be a red day to remember!

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To add to the festivities, members of staff performed a short pantomime, “Cinderella”, much to the delight of pupils. “Christmas Pie” is a long standing Wallace tradition, celebrating its 30 th anniversary this year.

One of the producers of the first show in 1973, Miss Carol Fulton, reflected on its origins. ” In 1973 the school’s community service concert group, which performed to elderly people in the area, decided to put on a short show for the school. This was supplemented by a staff panto, including some members of staff who remain at Wallace today.

Mr Howard Thompson was the handsome Prince, Miss Helen Long Bandini and I was the Fairy Godmother. We decided to name the whole event ” Christmas Pie” as it contained a little bit of everything including dance, drama and comedy.

Several well known local residents got their first taste of the stage through ” Pie” – Anthea McWilliams learnt some tap dancing for the show and went on to study choreography whilst Ian Milford is still involved in amateur dramatics. It’s a great Wallace tradition and it really unites the school community and allows us all to let down our hair at the end of term.”

Rose Montgomery, an Upper Sixth pupil on this year’s Pie committee, added, “We’ve had a lot of fun producing pie. The past few weeks have been pretty hectic and we couldn’t have done it without the assistance of several members of staff, especially Mr Wilson. I know that we’ll remember our ” Pie ” for the rest of our lives- it’s great being part of this Wallace tradition.”

Mr Bill Wilson concluded, ” The talent and vitality of this year’s group has been very impressive. It’s good to see that the altruism of our pupils has not faded – thanks to the audience’s donations over £1000 has been raised for the Simon Community – a charity with special importance at this time of year.”

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