We were able to resume having our annual ski trip following since 2019 due to Covid. The 2022 ski trip left for Aosta, Italy on Friday the 16th of December, with 80 students in tow. A bright and early wake-up was welcomed by a heavy downpour of snow – the first snow of the season. We are sure that this definitely got the students into ski mode even though they were no where near a ski resort! However, the snow caused a few problems with our buses leaving and the departure was thus delayed by an hour. Eventually, 2 buses packed with excited teens, left for their 32 hour drive to Italy.

The bus journey was long. The buses were meant to catch the 10:30pm ferry to France but missed it and caught the midnight ferry instead. Pupils were known to pass the time by playing Tetris with their feet! How very creative.

Finally, they arrived at their destination and immediately got their skis and boots fitted. Thereafter, the group checked into the hotel and found their rooms so they could relax before going down for dinner and meeting the Interski staff who had planned out the activities for the week.

Some of the highlights from the trip, as shared by one of the pupils include a story where one of our pupils flipped over a fence whilst trying to stop and not crash into a group of his peers. Fortunately, he landed on a deep pile of snow. All were in fits of laughter as the instructor was almost pulled over the fence with him whilst trying to help him up. Thankfully, both were unharmed and the group had a good laugh about it for the rest of the week.

One night, the group went out for ice cream. Never mind the fact that they were in sub-zero temperatures, ice-cream it was! While waiting for their orders, some of the younger pupils had a small snowball fight (naturally) that ended up being stopped by a member of staff. After getting the ice cream, the group went on a walk and got to know a bit about the history of Aosta.

On another night, after a day of skiing, the group went bowling, and at the start, some thought they wouldn’t enjoy it, but as the night went on the group got more and more competitive. Let’s just say that although it was cold, things certainly heated up. One group, in particular, ended up with a difference of two points between 1st and 2nd place.

Despite a few mishaps (as expected), the group had a great time skiing and enjoying the beautiful Italian mountains.

Overall, the Queen Victoria School 2022 ski trip was a success, with pupils and chaperones alike having a great time both on and off the slopes. Despite a few accidents, the group had a safe and enjoyable trip and enjoyed skiing in the beautiful Italian mountains. Many students are already looking forward to next year’s trip.

Sunday, 8 May, marked a special day for QVS as we held our May Parade on VE Day and we also celebrated its being named from now on as the Battle of Waterloo Parade.

Throughout the year, QVS has a number of parades, each with its own purpose and affiliation to one of the branches of the Armed Forces. We have the RAF commemorated in the Battle of Britain parade held in September, and the Navy are commemorated at the Battle of Trafalgar parade in October. In November, the Remembrance Parade marks the contribution of all three services – but there has not been a QVS parade that specifically recognised the contribution of the British Army… until now.

Before his retiral on Grand Day, SSM Mr Stacey was invited to consider a name for this May parade, in recognition of his huge contribution to the ceremonial life of the school across his time at QVS – so he put on his thinking cap.

Mr Stacey decided to nominate a parade where the Black Watch Regiment played a decisive role and so from now on, this May Parade will be known as the Battle of Waterloo Parade to recognise those that serve in the British Army and all those who have fought across history – this recognises the Black Watch the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment on foot.

Many thanks to Mr Stacey or ‘christening’ our ‘No Name Parade’ and we will try not to hum the ABBA tune every time the Guard commanders march onto the square.

On Sunday, 27 March our S3s and S4s were whisked off to Wonderland in the first Spring Fling since 2019. It was a magical night with central hall being transformed into a world of Alice in Wonderland, from sprouting mushrooms to clock tables and of course, the Mad Hatter’s Hat!

Our S3s and S4s were also able to enjoy an evening with less covid restrictions and were finally able to enjoy a good dance and party. A huge thank you to all the teachers who contributed to making the night an amazing and memorable experience for our students.

On Friday, 25 March, we had our annual Rookies Parade under a beating Spring sun. The Rookies Parade is a special event in the QVS calendar as it marks the point that our P7s officially become Victorians. 

The parade normally takes place in November, but due to Covid restrictions, this is the second year that we have had to push it out to the Spring term. This year’s P7s worked incredibly hard on their drill and thoroughly enjoyed finally being able to perform in front of the school body, staff and very proud parents. 

What a beautiful day it was too with the sun shining and a real treat as the red of the ceremonial jackets really popped with the green background of the AstroTurf.

A massive congratulations to the prize winners (photographed in the order below):

Parade Commander: Tabitha Clark

Number 1 Guard Commander: Taliesin Jackson

Number 2 Guard Commander – Maximillian Rees

Best Rookie – Daisy Leweni

Best at Drill – Ruby May Gibson

School Sergeant Major’s Prize for overall work & dress – Bernadet Vetanibua

Hardest Worker – Isla Waddington

We give an official warm welcome to Queen Victoria School to all our P7s!

What an emotional day it was for our pupils and staff at QV as our U16 and U18 team played in their respective finals for the Scottish Schools Shield on Wednesday, 9 March.

All of our rugby boys left their hearts and souls on the field and put everything they had into their games. Our U16s played an excellent match against North Berwick and went on to victory with a final score of 33 -17. The team’s youngest member, Jeshon Thapa, scored two of the QV’s five tries, with captain Samuel Leweni scoring the other three and also receiving the Man of the Match.

An elated Sam spoke of what an achievement this was for his team saying that “the boys put in a big shift” and that “this is a milestone for me and the boys, so feeling amazing.” Coach Stuart Wright spoke of the tough battles that the team had to go through to get to the final and how proud he is of his team.

Our U18s had an incredibly tough match to play and were up against a formidable Loretto School. Although our boys were the first to put points on the board with a penalty awarded in the eleventh minute, Loretto soon took the lead. Our boys. however, fought right to the end with Amena scoring the final try of the game and securing the final score of 43-8 to Loretto School.

To say that we are so proud of all of our rugby boys in both the U16s and the U18s is an understatement and we look forward to a new season in the school year. Well done to all the players, you were all amazing!

March 2022

QVS certainly knows how to welcome the start of Spring with our wonderful OV parade. On Sunday, 6 March, we held our annual Old Victorians (OV) parade which is held in honour of those who have come through the school.

We were awarded with the most beautiful weather with not a cloud in the sky and a warm sun to keep us warm. We were joined by Lord Lieutenant Alan Simpson OBE who was our inspecting officer who we are so appreciative of for his kind words to our students and his moving and pertinent speech which focused on the current events happening in Ukraine.

Congratulations to all our students for once again making all the staff and their families proud and for upholding our wonderful traditions.

On Thursday, 10 February, our MAD Group hosted a coffee morning for our staff to raise funds for their chosen charity. This year was the first time in two years that this event was able to be had and was held in our beautiful Central Hall.

In support of Children’s Mental Health Week, the MAD Group nominated Action in Mind as their chosen charity for this fundraiser. Action in Mind is a local Stirling mental health charity that supports young people across the district when they are struggling.

Irene Hamilton, representing the charity, attended the event and has said that she is overwhelmed by the support for the charity and explained that the funds raised at the event will help support volunteers and training in the local area who support families and children struggling with their mental health.

She also expressed her gratitude that the team had ‘thought local’ as the smaller charities (such as Action in Mind) rely entirely on donations and receive no government funding to carry out their work. 

Staff members enjoyed a wonderful cup of tea and coffee with an array of sweet treats and cakes available which were kindly donated by many of our wonderful staff members and £150 was raised through this lovely event. This amount will be added to the amount raised through our non-uniform day on Friday, 25 February and will then be handed over to Action in Mind.

Well done to MAD Group captain, Lily O’Neil and her team for organising an incredibly successful event for a great cause! For more information on the Action in Mind charity, you can visit their website here.

Our very own sprinting twins, Mica and Aaliyah McLoud have been having a busy athletics season with both girls training hard and improving on their personal bests. On Saturday, 22 January, the sisters participated in the Scottish National Indoor Athletics Championships for the first time in the U17s category and truly made their mark. After racing their hearts out in the heats, both girls made it to the finals in 60m and 300m respectively with Mica coming in fifth with a personal best of 8:10 and Aaliyah taking the bronze position with an indoor best of 41.48.

The girls then went on to participate in the Scottish Schools Indoor Championship on Thursday, 10 February and once again bested themselves by split seconds with Mica achieving a new personal best of 8:07 and Aaliyah grabbing the Gold with a time of 41:40.

Congratulations girls! We are so proud of your achievements and will continue to root for you, always.

Every year our P7 group work hard on putting on a nativity themed play just before we break for the Christmas Holidays. Back in the day, before Covid, these performances entertained students, parents, and teachers alike and this year was the first time since 2019 that our P7s had the chance to perform live to a small group of staff and siblings.

This year, the chosen play was Who? by Dave Corbett and it tells the story of Dr Who and Dr What, time travellers, on their mission to discover the meaning of Christmas. Along their journey, they visit a Christmas Shop, Cracker Factory, and a Pantomime before deciding to travel back in time to witness the birth of Jesus.

Our P7s certainly outdid themselves and worked hard at remembering their lines and songs. Their performances were thoroughly enjoyed by all who watched it and we are hoping to be able to enjoy a full audience in December ’22!

OV, Richard McConnell, joined us on Monday, 28 November, to share his experience of summiting the mighty Mount Everest with our students. Richard successfully summited Mount Everest on the 12th of May at 6:15 Nepal time, waving the QVS banner. 

It was fantastic to hear about the big adventure in person and all the more special for the current students to hear about this trip from a fellow Victorian. Richard presented our headmaster, Mr Shaw, with the QVS flag that he flew at the top of Everest which he had framed especially to commemorate his achievement.

Our students thoroughly enjoyed his presentation and it was a special moment when Richard was able to meet a few of his old teachers and it was lovely to hear him giving Mr Shannon, our now-retired head of CCF and Technology, a shout-out as being the person who got him into the great outdoors and inspired his love of adventure. 

A big thank you to Richard for his inspiring talk and for sharing his experience with all of us.