In addition to the sponsored walk last week, some of our pupils also took part in a sponsored readathon where they read over 1500 pages between them. We also had a lovely visit from Susan from Pets as Therapy with her therapy cat Cleo.

Moniack Mhor is looking for young writers aged 14–24 living in or coming from the Highlands & Islands to be part of UNKNOWN — a new anthology created by a group of young editors, supported by Moniack Mhor and Guillemot Press.

They’re looking for writing inspired by the unknown.

The future. The unfamiliar. The unexplained. The hidden. The uncertain. The impossible.

Or whatever UNKNOWN means to you.

They want your flash fiction, short stories, poetry and creative non-fiction.

You don’t need to be published. You don’t need to call yourself a writer.

Deadline: Friday, 30th October

Well done to the S1 football boys who competed in a 7 a-side festival at Charleston Academy today. Two teams entered the tournament and both saw lots of success. All the boys showed a great determination to win, along with great sportsmanship throughout. The Culloden 2 team were crowned overall champions of the competition, with Henris P scoring a last second goal in the final match to seal the winning points. Thank you to Mr Ferns and the Charleston Academy Team Sports class for organising and officiating the tournament. And well done boys!

The Higher Accounting class had an interesting and inspiring visit from Johnston Carmichael this week.  Pupils learned about life in industry, careers in accounting, and the various pathways to qualifying. Thank you to Andrew, Louise and Lewis for giving up their time to support the school.

Conor Perrins is a former Culloden Academy student, who has just left school. He would be in S5 now.

On the 25th of July Conor’s life changed in a blink of an eye. A very serious mountain bike crash left him paralysed from just above the waist down. He had broken his T8 & T9 in his back, 3 ribs and also 3 vertebraes in his neck.

His family and friends have launched a GoFundMe page to raise funds to purchase a specialised mountain bike. To anyone who knows Conor, riding mountain bikes isn’t just a hobby, it’s his passion, freedom and absolute life. Whether riding local trails in and around Inverness or competing at Scottish downhill and Enduros, it’s what he enjoyed the most.

This campaign is to raise funds for a Bowhead Reach which is an incredible, highly specialized adaptive electric mountain bike.

Since standard bikes are no longer an option, the Bowhead Reach will allow Conor to ride the trails he has always loved.

At school we will support this fundraising by having a Dress Down Day on Friday 30th October. In the meantime, please support this fundraiser by heading to the GoFundMe page to learn more and make a donation.

The under 16 Culloden Academy boys football team are through to the 2nd round of the Scottish Schools Cup after a 3-2 away win to Robert Gordon’s College. After going behind early on the team found themselves 3-1 up at half time. The first goal was an excellent finish from Harvey Francis after a neat cut back from Rudy McClatchey. The second came just after that through a Jack Aitchison header following a pinpoint free kick delivery from Harvey. Then, 5 mins before half time James Maclaren’s high press was rewarded as he dispossessed the defender and was taken down 25 yards out from goal. Harvey stepped and and bent an excellent free kick into the keepers far side. The Culloden team conceded in the final moments of the game but held on for the win. The next round sees them make the mammoth journey to the Isle of Barra to face Castlebay Community School!

A huge thank you to Farmess who arranged for our ASN Department to visit on Monday. We are very grateful and a super time was had by all.

A group of our Higher Modern Studies and Higher Politics students recently attended a conference at Erskine Stewart Melville School, Edinburgh on themes surrounding Social Inequality such as poverty, obesity and addiction.  

Pupils heard from a variety of industry professionals including Dr Linda Bauld – Advisor to the Scottish Government, Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, Social Commentator & Filmmaker Darren McGarvey and Anna Dunn, Chair of Glasgow University Student’s Union. 

This was an extremely interesting trip, and pupils gained lots of insight which will be used in their Qualifications Scotland coursework later in the year.

What could Maths or Economics lead to in the world of work? Our pupils had the chance to explore exactly that on Tuesday when Chris from the Association of Taxation Technicians joined us in school.

Chris spoke with our Higher Economics, S2 Maths and S4 Maths pupils about careers in finance, tax and accountancy, as well as the different routes and pathways into the sector.

Having pupils from across the school involved was a great reminder of how important it is to start those career conversations early, helping young people connect their subjects and skills to the opportunities that could be ahead of them, from BGE right through to the Senior Phase. 

Hopefully, our pupils left with new ideas, a better understanding of where their subjects could take them, and a few more possibilities to consider for their own future. 

A huge thank you to Chris for sharing his knowledge and experience with our pupils.