Open Night 2012
Open Night 2012 was held on 26th January and as always, it attracted a large crowd of interested Primary School pupils and their parents.

Killicomaine JHS choir and orchestra started off the evening, then there was a welcome address by our principal, Mr McCarthy.

All the classrooms were open and there were interesting and fun things going on throughout the school. It was a most successful evening.

You can see all the Open Night photographs here.

Ulster Team Place in U16 Volleyball
Sarah O’Reilly, a Year 10 pupil of Killicomaine JHS and member of Portadown Volleyball Club, has been selected for the Northern Ireland U16 Team.

The squad is made up of a number of girls from all over the country, who train in Belfast. The team will be playing against the other British squads in the International Tournament as well as touring to Slovakia in the summer.

As a school, we are very proud of Sarah and wish her every success with this sport.

PM Big Band Charity Fundraiser
Funds for the Neal Turkington Nepal Project received another boost due to the success of the PM Big Band Concert held in Killicomaine Junior High School on Friday, 4th November 2011.

Killicomaine JHS choir also took part in the fundraising event.

You can see all the concert photographs here.

 

We toured the school and presented them with an information pack over coffee in the staff room. 

They were very impressed with the behaviour of our pupils, the friendliness of the teachers and how well our school is cared for as well as our facilities.

You can see photographs from their visit here.

NDCS (The National Deaf Children's Society) presented the Commercial Connections Cup for 'Outstanding Dedication and Support' shown to a deaf child.  Mrs McBurney was nominated by Catherine Doogan.

Catherine said of Jenni; "She is positive, encouraging, kind, understanding and does so many things which mean so much to a deaf child".

There were many deserving people nominated but it was Mrs McBurney who won the cup which was presented by the Lord Mayor of Belfast.

Community Concert
Funds for the Neal Turkington Nepal Project received a massive boost due to the success of the Community Concert held in Killicomaine Junior High School on Thursday, 14th April 2011.

The evening was very well supported and was possible due to the generosity of all the performers who gave their time and talents completely free of charge.  £4500 was raised on the evening.

You can see all the concert photographs here.

Christmas Charity Fundraiser
Killicomaine had a non uniform day with a Christmas theme on Monday 13th December

Some pupils put in a lot of effort with their Christmas look.  The Santas are pictured here with Mrs Camblin and Ms Fulton who organised the fundraising event.

Money raised (over £700) went to Multiple Systems Atrophy (MSA) and the Buddy Bear Trust

Prison Me No Way
Killicomaine pupils discovered what life was like behind bars when the Prison Service visited the school in November 2010.

The successful "Prison? Me? No Way!" initiative involves prison officers speaking to young people in schools and youth clubs.

You can see all the Prison Me No Way photographs here.

Firework Safety
The BEAM Theatre Company visited Killicomaine in October 2010.

The whole school attended the play which was about about Firework Safety.

The pupils were totally captivated with the extremely professional performance put on by the BEAM actors, and their message was loud and clear:

fireworks are not allowed without a licence, fireworks are not allowed unless you are over 18,
it is illegal to make your own fireworks
PSNI & Courts will not look well on any regulations broken & punishments will be severe

Prize Night
Prize Night 2010 was held at the end of June.

Pupils won awards for sporting achievements, endeavour and academic achievements.

You can see all the Prize Night photographs here.

Poetry Prize Winner
Well done to Catherine Dougan who won two big shiny silver cups for poetry in the N.D.C.S. (National Deaf Children's Society) competition.

The competition was in conjunction with the Belfast Telegraph.

Catherine's poem is entitled "My World" and it is all about the things that she likes and things that have happened in her life.

Open Night 10
Killicomaine held their Open Night on 26th January 2010.

Parents and P6 & 7 pupils were able to visit the classrooms and take part in many fun activities throughout the school.

It was a very successful evening and all the photographs are here.

Oliver
Killicomaine put on a very successful performance of Oliver in Jan 2010.

The play received great reviews from those who attended one of the two sell out evening performances and the primary pupils who attended during the day time seemed to be looking forward already to the roles they would play in future KJHS performances.

Over a hundred pupils took part through dance, drama, music and backstage.

The photos can be seen here.

Choir at Rushmere
Killicomaine School Choir entertained shoppers at Rushmere Shopping Centre in the run up to Christmas 2009.

The choir all wearing Santa hats or reindeer antlers sang Christmas carols for over an hour.

You can see more photographs from the morning here.

Queen's Baton Relay
Pupils from Killicomaine Junior High School

Some of our pupils ran with the baton around the Killicomaine area of Portadown.  The run will was watched by all of our own pupils and the pupils of Bocombra, Edenderry, Seagoe and Portadown Independent and Portadown Integrated Primary Schools.

You can see all the photographs here.

Killicomaine has a really talented group of musicians this year.

The group frequently help out in assembly.

Their enthusiasm is incredible and their egos know no bounds lol.

Click to enlarge.

Motor Sport
Pupils were able to examine a rally car for themselves in October 2009.

The car was brought to the school as part of a campaign to promote Motor Sport in N.Ireland.

You can see all the photographs here.

Best Kept School
Killicomaine have won the "Best Kept School" award for 2009.

Killicomaine won the "Best Kept School" award back in 2006 and the pupils have ensured these high standards are maintained each year.

The enthusiastic 10th year pupils of 2009 have been working harder than ever around the school grounds, weeding, cleaning tidying and replanting to claim the award once again.

The hard working pupils can be seen in action here.

Active Kids Get Cooking
Holly Taylor was the regional winner of Active Kids Get Cooking run by Sainbury’s.
To win she made a Spectacular breakfast.

This was Swiss Inspired compote of seasonal fruits infused in Roobius bush tea served with a dollop of Greek style honey yoghurt served alongside Scottish oat cakes. A red berry smoothie is served with it.

The final was in London on 25th June.

Credit Union Competition
This year all 10th year pupils entered the annual Portadown credit union art competition. The brief was to produce a poster on the theme of “C U at Your Place”.

The standard was very high and Mr Best and Mrs Murtagh had a very difficult job selecting about 30 to go forward for judging. This competition was open to all schools in the area and group winners were entered into the Northern Ireland leg of the competition..

Results werte as follows:

Refurbished Art & Design Suite
Killlicomaine has been pleased to open its refurbished art and design suite. Mrs. Helen McClenaghan, chief executive of the SELB performed the official opening watched Mr. R Gregg, principal architect, Derek Wortley project architect, Vine Haugh, Creative and expressive studies advisor, representatives from the builders, the board of governors, teachers and pupils.

The refurbishment cost £250.000 and transformed the old art rooms, which had not been upgraded since the opening of the school in 1958.

The new environment is bright, clean, airy and fit for purpose, the pupils have a real sense of ownership of the rooms and hopefully enjoy their art sessions as well as learning many of the skills and capabilities inherent in the revised curriculum.

You can see more photographs from opening here.

8th Year Charity Collection
Killicomaine pupils who collected over £50 along with representatives from Barnardos, NSPCC, Cancer Research NI and the Southern Area Hospice.

Pupils who collected over £40 all received an Easter egg and the top 15 collectors also received Easter teddies. The photos are here.

You can see more details of our charity work here.

Football
Killicomaine JHS recently had the pleasure of having the Co-operative Insurance League Cup trophy for a day. More photos of the cup are here.

Recently won by Portadown FC the trophy is one of the oldest in the country and is one of the three senior trophies available to the top teams in Northern Ireland.

Killicomaine JHS would like to thank Portadown FC for giving the kids and bigger kids the opportunity for photos with the cup and to get their hands on the famous trophy, we would like to wish PFC the best of luck in their quest for success.

School Council
Killicomaine has introduced a "Student Council". The Council consists of two pupils from each year group who were democratically elected by their peers. The head boy and girl and the two deputy heads would receive the privilege of automatic selection

The 10 pupils were awarded their badges in assembly on the 12th January by the Lord Mayor of Craigavon, Alderman Sydney Anderson. The Mayor gave the elected candidates a few tips and invited the pupils to visit him in his offices before the end of his time as Mayor.

You can see more photographs from the election campaign and from voting day here.

Kenwood Cook for Life Competition
A number of pupils entered the Kenwood Cook for Life competition, they were asked to design and cook a meal using the smallest number of food miles possible.

They used a variety of local produce to create their winning menus.

The school has received a variety of electrical appliances and cooking utensils as part of their winning prize.

Well done to the winning year 9 pupils.

Reading Partnership
This year as part of the SELB's reading partnership program, we continued into the 2nd year of a reading program within the school. The aim of the 10 week program was to promote reading and increase fluency and understanding through one-to-one sessions.

Following successful training of another 2 reading partners we were able to select 10 pupils who each benefited from 3 reading sessions a week for 10 weeks. The sessions involved reading a wide variety of materials including fiction, non-fiction, poetry and newspaper articles.

The program was a great success and both the pupils and the reading partners (Ms Lyttle, Ms Fulton, Mrs Henderson & Mrs McKeown) enjoyed it. The pupils earned a certificate and a book token.

Ulster High School Rugby
The 8th year rugby team were runners up in the 2009 Ulster High School tournament.

The team won all the matches in their group to reach the final.

The final against Dromore was a tense affair. Killicomaine took the lead and after some good forward work Dromore emerged the winners by three scores to one.

Maths
Killicomaine took part in World Maths Day on March 4th. Over 1 million students from over 160 countries united to set a new world record and answered over 450 million questions correctly.

Laura Sinicaite 9B1 has been the winner for the past two years.

The top 3 classes were:
1st – 9A1, - over 110, 000 correct answers
2nd – 9B1, - over 94,000 correct answers
3rd – 8C1, - over 77,000 correct answers

Youth Enterprise 2009
The "YE NINE" programme was delivered to all year 9 pupils in three sessions.

The sessions expanded the pupils' knowledge of local businesses.

Pupils learnt about enterpreneurship, working with others, teamwork, future skills and financial awareness.

You can see more photographs from programme here.

Year 9 Employability
As part of the year 9 curriculum, pupils invite local companies to contribute to the lessons on enterprise and entrepreneurship.

This year representatives of Tayto (Large Local Company) and The Property Spot (Small Local Company) visited the school on the same day and outlined the type of jobs, management organisation, salary structure, promotion prospects, etc of their company.

The effect of the 'credit crunch' on both companies was discussed and other topical issues such as foreign workers, redundancy, etc.

You can see more photographs from the lesson here.

Civic Centre
During October 2008 our school participated in the 'Democracy Week' held at the Civic Centre.

Pupils were invited to sit in the Council chamber where the mayor, Mr Sydney Anderson discussed the various roles of the Council and how meetings were conducted.

A short quiz followed and while it was being judged the pupils were given refreshments in the entertainment area. Prizes were awarded and a representative asked to sign the visitors book in the mayor's parlour.

The pupils found the visit informative, linking well with their lessons in Citizenship. They were also delighted with the warm hospitality shown to them. Click to see more photographs from the visit.

Polish
On Saturday 3rd October members of the Polish Community attended an information morning in school.

Polish children in national costumes performed polish dances and were taken on a tour of the school. Parents listened to presentations from Mr McCarthy and Miss McMillan.

You can see more photographs from the polish information morning here.

Choir
Killicomaine School Choir sang at Newmills Church on Sunday 28th September.

They sang four pieces; Praise Is Rising, Jesus Hope Of The Nations, How Can I Keep From Singing & At All Times.

Soloists were Aaron Blair and Melissa Hoy.

The Choir had a very enjoyable evening and were delighted with the orange and chocolate at the end.

Enterprise Day
On Friday 26th September all year 8 pupils took part in "Big School", a Young Enterprise programme designed to build confidence in their new school through fun, network-generating exercises which build valuable social skills.

Feedback from the Young Enterprise facilitator was very positive with some excellent responses orally and in projects completed.

Time Capsule
As part of Killicomaine's 50th anniversary celebrations some 10th year girls put together a time capsule which was buried in the school grounds.

The capsule was filled with items which the girls thought represented the life of the school in 2008.

The pupils who put the time capsule together can be viewed here.

Competition Win
6 Killicomaine JHS pupils entered a competition in November 2007 to help raise awareness of discrimination. Miss McMillan helped them design and print the poster.

Their poster won them a trip to London where they went on to compete against schools from all over the U.K.

Killicomaine's poster took 1st place in London.

You can see all the London photographs here.

Boxercise
Killicomaine JHS had a visit from Action Cancer during the last few weeks of the summer term.

A series of seminars was given to our 10th year pupils to raise their awareness of cancer and the preventative measures which they can take.

The boxercise classes proved very popular with pupils.

Home Accident Prevention Group Quiz Winners
On Monday 18th of June 2007 Emma Doogan, Joanna Black, Tom Hamilton and Andrew Forde all participated in a Safety Quiz at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre.

The team was organised by the Science department. Hours of revision with Mr McVeigh turned out worthwhile as the team came 1st.

The mayor of Craigavon presented us with a crystal trophy known by us a the 'fruit bowl'.

Bullying - "See Something - Say Something"
During November our school was involved in the national campaign to increase awareness of bullying, both in and outside of school.

Pupils performed their own "bully rap" in assembly.

The campaign urged children to speak out against bullies.

I'm a Councillor - Get me out of here!!
10A1 and 10A2 recently took part in the "I'm a councillor - Get me out of here" event which was organised as part of Local Democracy Week.

Students chatted online with our local councillors on a range of issues. Topics covered were - recycling, green spaces, rates & local facilities for young people.

The event culminated with a lunch in the Civic Centre hosted by the Mayor of Craigavon, councillor Kenneth Twyble. Three pupils represented the school.

We were surprised and delighted when it was announced that Nicola Andrews from 10A1 was the winner of the individual prize for outstanding contribution to the project. We also received a web-cam for the school.

Best Kept School Award
Killicomaine's has won "Best Kept Large School" from the Northern Ireland Amenity Council.

This was thanks to some enthusiastic and hard-working 10th year pupils who entered the competition and worked extremely hard during April and May.

The pupils have gave up their free time to do much of the work. Although rain stopped their work on a few occasions, they battled on bravely; digging up flowerbeds, power washing, cleaning windows and weeding.

More photos can be viewed here.

MouthGuards
8th year pupils are encouraged to protect their good looks by investing in a custom-made mouthguard.
Following the outstanding success of previous schemes, the SHSSB has secured funding for provision of customised sports mouthguards for children entering year 8.
During September and October any 8th year pupil can have a mouthguard made for just £5.
This is a saving of at least £20.
All the pupils need to do is make an appointment to see their own dentist before October 31st.
The P.E. department at Killicomaine JHS strongly encourages all pupils to obtain a mouthguard.

Visit the P.E. department's web pages for further info.