St Modan's High School

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St Modan's RC High School is an S1-S6 Catholic High School In Stirling, Scotland. The schools roll currently stands at over 800 pupils, who travel from areas outwith the usual catchment areas, however as it is a Catholic School, it is exempt from usual boundaries. Pupils travel from the Denny, Banknock, Alloa, Tullibody, Sauchie, Alva, Raploch, Cowie, Bannockburn and Riverside areas. The school has a locally famous music department in Scotland, with the choir being invited to sing at various government locations in the United States in 2004. In the music department pupils who get instrumental lessons also get the chance to play in the school swing band and orchestra. The School's Head Teacher is Frank Lennon OBE who has transformed the school into, arguably, one of the best comprehensive schools in Central Scotland. As of 2006 pupils at St Modan's had the highest pass rate in exams than any other comprehensive school in the whole of Central Scotland.

The school's mixed choir have been invited by the BBC Symphony Orchestra to perform the full Requiem Mass at the Stirling Albert Halls The School's English Department had, arguably, one of the best debate teams in Scotland in the late 1990's early 2000's however the school has since dropped the debate team, although it did make a brief return in the 2005 term, this time headed by Ms Tracy Anthony, however when Anthony left the school at the end of last term the debate team ended once more.

The School does however still hold an annual Debate competition for S1 and S2. There has been talk of a return of the debate club under returning teacher Ms. Gibson however the plans fell through. On the 10th of November 2006, the Assembly Hall caught fire and was severely burned and damaged, which caused all of the pupils to be sent home. The school has since resumed teaching, although the PE department has had to move their classes to play in the other halls instead.

[edit] School productions

Before 2006 the schools most recent productions have been the three very successful and widely acclaimed musicals South Pacific, Guys and Dolls, , and Godspell. The director for all three was the PE department's Mr Bill "The Big Man" Black supported by a wide selection of the school's teachers and also by some parents of children at the school. The three shows ran for 3 nights all to sold out audiences. Plans for another musical were abandoned after the retirement of Bill Black as no other teacher was deemed strong willed enough to carry on the task of organising a musical.

[edit] The play

In June 2006 the school hosted its first play in five years. William Shakespeares A Midsummer Night's Dream was performed for two sold out nights in which the cast received a standing ovation. The play received positive reviews, including one from local newspaper the Stirling Observer, a nominal feat as it is considered a rarity for a school play to even be reviewed by "The Observer" let alone praised. The director was the English department teacher, Ms Kerry Douglas, who was highly acclaimed for the show, the schools first full Shakespeare play in its 73 year history.

"It was a fantastic production, loved by everyone in attendance. The actors did not only say their lines with perfection but their facial expressions would put some professionals to shame. One scene was exciting, the next had you in the aisles laughing. There was not one down side. Truly a great bit of directing at work." Stirling Observer

An upcoming production of The Canterbury Tales is being produced and Directed by Ms Douglas.

[edit] New school

In 2008 St. Modan's High School will move to a new site as part of Stirling Councils £10 Million Public Private Partnership regeneration of schools. The new site was originally planned for a field adjacent to Bannockburn High School however due to Historic Scotland objections and also parental concerns over sectarian violence (Bannockburn being a secular high school with a high Protestant catchment area), the new site was announced as being in Springkerse Retail Park in Stirling directly opposite the Travel Lodge Hotel. The school is also next door to Forthbank Stadium home of Scottish Second Division side Stirling Albion which gives the school access to a huge list of new sporting activities for pupils to participate in. The school day will also change when the new school is opened implementing an experimental "Period 7" (As opposed to the usual 6 in Scottish high schools)which will take place 3 days a week during which all pupils S1-4 will participate in a range of timetabled creative and physical activities in art, sport and music. These will be optional to S5/6 although there will be no means of school transport available until Period 7 ends so pupils may have no option but to take Period 7 "cough.. excuse me". Pupils will choose their Period 7 options.

The school hopes to move premises by the start of the 2008/2009 school term.