Sullivan pupils who represented Northern Ireland at the Sainsburys UK School Games in Manchester last weekend. Back from left: Matthew Crookshanks – Hockey, Ella Reid and Emily Maginn – Fencing, Callum Robson – Hockey. Front: Ross Gourley- Wheelchair Tennis. Matthew and Callum won gold, Emily and Ella won bronze and Ross was placed fourth.

Sponsored by Belfast City Council, the selection process began. This included application forms, interviews and team building exercises. The lucky 90, of which I was one, were notified just after Christmas that they were successful. Then the fundraising and sea worthiness training began. The training which was run by Ocean Youth Trust Ireland (OYTI) in conjunction with Sail Training International, included Sea Survival, basic sailing skills and Power Boat handling both theory and practical. I was lucky to then be sub selected to take part in filming for BBC Northern Ireland promoting the festival that was going to take place. Before the ships reached Belfast the Trainees were allocated to different ships. I was assigned to the Bark Europa a Dutch Tall Ship which was built originally as a German light ship in 1911. Due to the fact I am an individual with Asperger Syndrome, I was allowed to take a mentor with me and chose Mr John Robb. When I and 6 other Trainees joined the Europa in Belfast I was full of energy, excitement and nerves! When we left Belfast I was unsure what to expect. After a few days and after I got over the seasickness I began to enjoy the trip more. Sailing on a Tall Ship is a feeling like no other. When you climb the masts and look out and see nothing for miles around it is both scary and exhilarating as you get a feeling of adventure. On board when you were on watch you had two main duties lookout and Helm. Lookout consisted of standing at the bow and reporting any ships or buoys you saw. Helming on the other hand involved you sailing on a heading that was set by the crew in the wheelhouse or sailing by the apparent wind direction. As well as that sometimes the crew would give you odd jobs like maintenance or cleaning to do. So as well as being able to “steer” the ship I learned how to “tar a rope”! There were lots of fun times too. After 10days at sea and travelling over 1000miles, relying on the power of the wind, we arrived in Alesund, Norway. We had a lovely experience there. The traditional Crew Parade and Party were spectacular, as were as the views of the Norwegian scenery. The Norwegian Fjords are beautiful in July and upholds Norway’s title of the “Land of Myth and Legends”. During the trip I gained several new friends and learned lots of new skills along the way. Overall I had a great time on the ship and saw plenty of wildlife thanks to our warning system in the shape of our ship’s dog Sirius. He barked when any Whales or Porpoises came nearby! I was proud to be able to represent Northern Ireland in this magnificent international event. An experience I will never forget. David R Cunningham 13A

Congratulations to Connor Scollan (12G) who has secured a place in the Ulster Rugby U16 Development Squad 2015.

Sullivan 1st XI players Callum Robson (Yr14) and Matthew Crookshanks (Yr13) won Gold medals with an Ulster U17 team at the 2015 Sainsburys UK School games. In a dominant final against England (Blues) the Ulster team won 5 – 0, with Callum scoring two goals.

Sullivan started the season with the usual competition against Campbell, Bangor GS and Regent House, sponsored by Feherty Travel. The Sullivan squad was large and made up of Year 11s to Year 14s, giving the coaches the opportunity to assess as many players as possible. The competition was played over a Friday and Saturday. Sullivan played their Friday match against Regent and had a 2 – 1 victory with goals from R Hancock and J Matchett. On Saturday morning a changed team played Campbell College, this resulted in a win, 2 – 0, with goals from R Hancock & P McDonnell). The final game was a game against Bangor, Sullivan could draw to win the trophy after their previous wins. The game was very competitive and a draw was the final score, 1 all, Sullivan goals was scored by A McAllister. The result meant that Sullivan won. Thanks to Campbell College for hosting the Tournament, a great way for local schools to start off the new hockey season in a friendly and competitive manner. Squad Year 14          R Watts, P McDonnell, A McAllister, B Cree, J Matchett, Year 13          S Hodgson, R Hancock, , M McCone, E Patterson, R Wolsley, W Booker Year 12          T Robson, C Carson, F Gibson, T McCord, Year 11          H Morris, M Morris, M Willis, P Crookshanks

Congratulations to David Philpott (Yr13) who came second in the Topper Fleet at the Fastnet International Schools Regatta held in Schull, West Cork in July. David’s sail number is 34.  He battled for first place with Jack Mawhinney from Friends’ School Lisburn (also included in the photos below).

Rowel Friers, Year 9, has won an organ scholarship – see below.

Jake Stevenson 14G was named on the Ulster Rugby U19 2015 Squad. (See below from Ulster rugby website) The team travelled to Stockport to play the U20s Irish Exiles side on Saturday29 August and came away with a 42-17 win.

Sullivan Past pupil, Michael Robson, has helped Ireland qualify for the Semi-Finals of the European Hockey Championships for the first time ever.

On Wednesday 17 June, the red carpet was out at the Strand Cinema Belfast, for the 2015 ‘Holywood’ Film Awards. Sullivan Upper School held an event to recognise the filmmaking achievements of their GCSE and A-level Moving Image Arts students. Mark Simpson (BBC) was the compere for the evening and presenting the awards was a wide range of VIPs from the worlds of film, TV and education. These included Emmy award winner director Tony Mitchell (The Bible, Atlantis, Primeval), Richard Williams (Chief Executive NIScreen) actor Alan McKee and costume designer Sophie Wallace Special guest speaker was Michael Lennox, the Oscar nominated and Bafta winning Director of ‘Boogaloo and Graham’. The Art Deco venue of The Strand Cinema and Arts Centre was the perfect venue for the glittering event, with the students all rising to the occasion in outfits to rival those on any red carpet in the other Hollywood!

Accelerated Reader competition winners on their outing to Portrush.  The two classes that won were 8K and 9S.

Sullivan Upper School MasterChef 2015 The Challenge Plan a healthy main course meal that includes an interesting or unusual ingredient. Congratulations to the following pupils who reached the final of MasterChef 2015 Nat Bailie                   9S                   Goats Milk Labne with Nettle Pesto in Ravioli Claudia Ballad          9G                   Gyoza with Japanese Cucumber Salad Zoe Brown                9S                   Sullivan Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Butter Peter Camlin             9G                   Roasted Duck Breast with Plum Sauce Lucy Fitzpatrick        9S                   Venison en croute with Blueberry Sauce Adam Lockhart         9P                   Duck Breast, Mash, Wild Mushrooms and Greens Harriet Paterson       9S                   Shark Attack Alfie Tresadern         9W                  Sumac and rose spiced Salmon with salad Robbie Turner          9P                   Tuna Tataki The Sullivan Masterchef final took place on the 18th June and our guest judge chef Conor McClelland from Rayanne House in Holywood had some hard decisions to make. First place                Toby McCandless                9W      Spanish Style Fish and Chips. Second place           Sian Hiscocks                      9G       Ostrich with Blackberry Sauce Third place               Grace McElroy                     9P       Salt and pepper Squid with sweet potato fries Winner – Toby McCandless