Schools' Project
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by Past President Michael Murray
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Update:
Visits in 2008 are based on previous programmes.
Update:
Visits in 2007 have built on the work of 2006.
Visits
to primary schools by Club Directors 2006
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classes in 10 schools were visited during January and February. Each class
was given a talk on the life and work of Burns. Emphasis was placed on
particular aspects of his life and works e.g. his life in Irvine, his
education (his father and John Murdoch), his love of Lallans and his great
contribution to the song writing heritage of Scotland. Many questions
were asked of the Directors who took part in these visits and these showed
that the children are very keen to learn as much as possible about their
National Bard. Some 1000 children were involved in these school visits.
The
photo shows Aaron Stevens-Gray, P1/P2 Boys Winner, with President Raymond
Fitzgerald, Director M Murray and Headteacher Margaret Boyd at Castlepark
Primary School
Visits
by primary classes to the Museum at 'Wellwood'
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Classes from 8 schools visited Irvine Burns Club during January and February,
when they learned much about Burns’ time in Irvine (in the Burns
room) as well as learning about the history of the Club (in the Directors'
Room). They were also shown many of the Club’s valuable artefacts.
The visits, each lasting just over an hour, ended in the Music room. Here
they were given a short talk on Burns the Songwriter and excerpts from
a variety of songs were played. Each group was then given the opportunity
to find a third verse for “Up in the Morning Early”. Burns
had added two verses to the chorus of this old song and the children were
asked to write (in groups of 4) the “missing” third verse.
They
were asked to write a verse similar in thought to the existing two verses
or to write a verse which looks forward optimistically to Spring. This
was to be completed in school. To date around 90 verses have been returned
and a prize is being given to the best received by the end of March 2006.
Curators David Smith and Ian Wight plus at least one Director were present
at each of the visits. David took the groups in the Directors’ Room
and Ian worked with the groups in the Burns Room. It was obvious that
David and Ian had their audiences in the palms of their hands from the
number of interesting questions that were aimed at them. However David
was less than delighted when one boy asked him “Did you ever meet
Robert Burns?”
Some 400
children were involved in these visits. The photo on the left shows a
group sitting down for our audio-visual presentation - the Burns Room.
Verse
Speaking Competition (six categories)
Seven
schools were involved in these competitions, in all of which the standard
was very high. For each of the three days, two Irvine Burns Club Directors
and one member of Irvine Lasses Burns Club made up the panel of judges.
The photo
shows Jake Barbour, M Murray and President R Fitgerald at St Mark's Primary
School.
The winners
were:
P1/P2 Girls
- Katie Barlow (Lawthorn PS)
P1/P2 Boys - Aaron Stevens-Gray (Castlepark PS)
P3/P4 Girls
- Ainsley Templeton (Lawthorn PS)
P3/P4 Boys - Gregor Cairns (Lawthorn PS)
P5-P7 Girls
- Rosie Meikle (Lawthorn PS)
P5-P7 Boys - Jake Barbour (St Mark’s PS)
Each
competitor was presented with an Irvine Burns Club Pin and the winners
were each presented with a quaich, suitably inscribed with his/her name.
The presentations of the quaichs were made by Club President Raymond Fitzgerald
at school assemblies during March.
Photo: Burns
Club Director and President with Ainsley Templeton, Gregor Cairns, Rosie
Meikle and Katie Barlow of Lawthorn Primary School.
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