Development Report

Thank You!

• £16,050 applied through the 2007 Annual Fund to meet vital needs in the School, the Houses, classrooms and around the grounds.

• Over £1.9 million now generously donated or pledged to the Sixth Form House Appeal, £48,243.50 being raised at the 175th Anniversary Dinner Dance.

Once again Kirstine Hogg (who retired in June), Carolyn Thornton, Elizabeth Tracey and I, on behalf of everyone at Merchiston would like to express our enormous appreciation to all of you

who have generously supported our Sixth Form House Appeal and Legacy Campaign throughout 200720/08.

The immense generosity of so many over the last five years has allowed us to build the magnificent new Sixth Form Boarding House which is now almost complete behind Rogerson and which will be occupied this Autumn: a heartfelt thank you for all who helped us reach this historic moment.  Throughout the Appeal many of you have also most generously continued to support the Annual Fund and its Wish List of smaller needs around the School and once more this year money has been put to worthwhile and immediate use for the benefit of the boys.

Barry McCorkell, Development Director

GIFTS TO THE SCHOOL 2007/2008

Outdoor Education

The Duke of Edinburgh Award continues to be extremely popular at Merchiston with 142 boys taking part at various levels during the 2007-2008 academic year.  Five new ultra lightweight two-person tents have been purchased through the generous contributions to the Annual Fund and will be used at Gold level.

Design and Technology

Thanks to the Annual Fund, the Design and Technology Department was able to purchase two versatile hot wire cutters.  These hot wire cutters are used for shaping and modelling craft foam; this will dramatically speed up quick model making for all students and will be especially useful for the new A-Level Product Design Course.

Bursary Fund

The School Bursary Fund not only gives much appreciated assistance to boys currently at Merchiston who require ongoing support with fees but enables us to offer others the opportunity to experience for the first time the richness of a Merchiston education.  We are once again extremely grateful for all contributions through the Annual Fund to this very worthwhile cause.

New Trees
The appearance of the School grounds has been further enhanced with the addition of more trees kindly donated by members of the Merchiston community. In October 2007 JSA Forsyth (29-34) together with three generations of his family arrived at School to plant a metasequoia glyptostrobides (Dawn Redwood) in memory of Dr J W Dowden.  Dr Dowden was a School Governor until his death in 1936 and was instrumental in brining the School to Colinton in the early 1930s.

Mrs Joan Lemmon, widow of former Common Room member Ian Lemmon has kindly given the School a very fine cedruslibani (Cedar of Lebanon).  This is particularly appropriate as Ian and Joan lived in the Cedars for much of their long, esteemed stay at Merchiston.

In April 2008 Mrs Ann Duncan donated a lovely liriodendron tulipfera (Tulip Tree) which is now planted between the Pringle Centre and the path.  It is a particularly fine autumn tree and the third tree that Mrs Duncan has gifted to the School.

JRB is looking forward to some exciting planting opportunities around the new Sixth Form House.

Gym Equipment

A new state of the art high jump mat, complete with a stud-proof and water-proof cover was purchased in time for summer term athletics. Two new sets of hurdles were also bought.

Drama

Merchiston has a very active Drama department, staging excellent performances throughout the year. The visual impact of these shows will now be greatly enhanced by the addition of a pyrotechnics unit to the technical equipment purchased by generous donations to the Annual Fund.

Music

Thanks to the generosity of parents who have given to the Wish List Fund, the Music Department has been able to purchase a second versatile electric piano, which is housed in the Old Library. This has given Merchiston an instrument which is easily transportable, which is proving particularly useful for events in the Old Library and Dining Hall. To date, it has been used at the Burns Supper, at our Celebration of Merchiston Music, at the Commemoration Day Concert, and has been transported to the Pringle Centre for J4/5 concerts, and to the Edinburgh International Conference Centre for the 175th Anniversary Commemoration Ball.
Geography
The Geography Department was able to purchase the Digital Worlds GIS software thanks to the kind donation from the Annual Fund.   Digital Worlds GIS 2  has completely redefined the GIS landscape for secondary education. It is the first GIS for schools to provide the highest quality maps and data for the whole of Great Britain, including: Aerial photos, Ordnance Survey 1:250 000, 1:50 000, 1:10 000 and MasterMap Census Data Satellite Images.  This package will revolutionise the way in which the Department analyses fieldwork data and it allows data to be presented using innovative and advanced techniques.

Joint Educational Trust Donation

We were especially pleased to be able to donate £500 to the Joint Educational Trust this year.  The Joint Educational Trust (usually known as JET) is a UK charity which helps children who have suffered seriously at home or at school, or are at risk in some way. JET enables these children to attend independent boarding or day schools, or state boarding schools, where they have a real chance of making a new start. 

Memorial Hall Redecoration

Throughout the Lent Term of 2008 the School’s painters and electricians gave the Memorial Hall a much needed re-decoration.  All walls were painted, new lower energy light bulbs were fitted to the pendant lights and new floodlights were installed in the roof and on the stage.  The Memorial Hall is now much lighter and the re-decoration was only made possible through kind donations to the Annual Fund.

Miscellaneous

We were delighted to be able to purchase four hardwood benches which are located at the tennis courts, outside the Spawforth Library and 6A Club.

Chalmers East and West

Through donations to the Annual Fund, Chalmers West and East were able to purchase five new barbeques in time for the Summer Term.

Napier Society

Membership of the Napier Society is offered as a way of thanking those generous enough to contribute to Merchiston’s future by making a provision for the School in their Will.  Since its launch in 2003, membership of the Society has continued to grow, and we are extremely grateful for the generosity of many legacies and bequests.  If you would like to know more about leaving a legacy or bequest to Merchiston, or about the Napier Society, please contact the Development Office.

Pringle Tannoy System

The first Pringle tannoy was installed by Merchistonian Colin Paton in 1987.  It sadly stopped working a couple of years ago and the new system has been designed by our Head of Physics, Paul Nicholls, and installed with the help of our school electrician, Brian Begley, and Paul's son, Duncan Nicholls.  A CD player also allows us to pipe soothing music throughout Pringle!  We are most grateful for the support from the Annual Fund, which has allowed us to reinstall a much missed tannoy system in Pringle House.

Art

The Art Department were delighted to be able to purchase new art books through generous donations to the Annual Fund.

Merchiston Rowers

Merchiston rowers number about 6-10 regulars who, last year, raced well as part of a novice crew in a Schools' regatta.  This year we are hoping to attract a wider age-group and start to offer rowing as part of the Senior School Options, rather than on an ad hoc basis.  Through generous donations to the Annual Fund the School has been able to purchase a rowing boat, which shows real commitment to this fine sport.