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Scots Schuil o the Year gings tae Banff Academy


By David Porter

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Hands Up For Trad an Creative Scotland celebrated the Scots Leid Awards online wi a weekend dedicatit tae braw Scots music an cultur.

Banff Academy was announced as winners of Scots Language school of the year.
Banff Academy was announced as winners of Scots Language school of the year.

Hostit by Alistair Heather, the Scots Schuil o the Year award wint tae Banff Academy file Scots Performer o the Year wis awardit tae Huntly's Iona Fyfe.

E'schuils Dr Jamie Fairbairn teaches geography usin Scots.

He said: "The schuil his offered e Scots Language Award fae the virry stert in 2014 as a senior elective, competin wi a the ither subjects.

"The census tells us that ower 50 per cent o fowk in these airts can spik Scots, and Banff Academy, sometime cried BXA, gies mony o these bairns the chunce tae engage in their mither tongue at schuil.

"We’ve aye deen Scots widder words in Geography, an the English Depairtment were deein Scottish texts, so fan the Scots Language Award cam alang, I wis encouraged tae stert a cless, an we nivver lookit back.

"Diane Anderson fae Education Scotland gied me a wheen o confidence, then Bruce Eunson pit a wheen o opportunities in front o me, an awa we wint!

"Matthew Fitt veesited, wi help fae funds through Alistair Henderson in the leebrary, an has bin a constant source o encouragement."

On e'win he said: "Tae say that I am fair trickit is just a muckle understatement and in the north-east we're kings of understatemint.

"I'm excitit for e'schuil and wint to say thanks to Hands up for Trad fir daein a fantasic job.

"A thanks go tae aw the ither squeels and domines and ony o'them wid hiv deserved this.

"Its been a delight, as head o' humanities at the stairt of the year hain a trolley full of dictionaries and Itchy Coo publications gain fae ane teacher tae inother helping tae pit in ower 750 hours of teaching."

He expained: "Up til noo 94 brave loons an quines hae passed the Scots Language Award, giein them vital SCQF pynts that coont taewards their future learnin.

"As weel as thon, aboot 1450 junior bairns hae engaged wi Scots in their learnin, scrievin poetry, deein research, learnin vocabulary, studyin culture an gainin confidence.

"We’ve deen Scots Language wikks, far the hale schuil wis covert wi Doric words on ilka door, workshops wi Matthew Fitt, Hamish MacDonald, Shane Strachan, Deborah Leslie, Tom McKean, Peter Chapman.

"We’ve deen projects wi ‘Caged Beasty’ tae mak traivlin exhibitions an a research booklet in Doric, taewards Scots Medium Education.

"We’ve warked wi Duff Hoose an the Oor Hoose Project wi Education Scotland, wi sharin events and mair fun.

"We’ve worked wi the Elphinstone Institute tae dee research aboot Scots, an won a BERA (British Educational Research Award) grant tae help bairns mak brilliant resources."

Iona Fyfe - winner of Scots Performer o the Year.
Iona Fyfe - winner of Scots Performer o the Year.

An fir Huntly's ain Iona Fyfe er wis a win fan she takkit e title o Scots Performer o the Year.

She said: "It's been such an amazing day - lovely to be given an award and tae be in a same category wi Shona (Donaldson) whose been such an inspiration.

"It been such an important year for the Scots language.

She addit: " I’m fired up an passionate in promotin Scots an fir this reason, hae become mair involved wi Scots – jinin Oor Vyce, I’m giy passionate thit oor bairns maun feel comfortable an at ease wi their ain tongue an their ain identity."


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