Stewart's Melville College
Encyclopedia
Stewart's Melville College (often referred to as SMC, The College, or Stew Mel) is an all boys (with the exception of sixth form) boarding and day private school situated in the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is one of Scotland's premier academic and sporting educational institutions with a roll of over 700 pupils, Some pupils board on site, but the vast majority live in the surrounding area and are day pupils. A number of scholarships and bursaries are awarded each year.
The school is twinned with the Mary Erskine School ("MES"), an all-girls private school approximately one mile (1.6 km) from Stewart's Melville College. Together SMC and MES have a co-educational Junior School
which caters for pupils from 3 to 12 years old. The Junior School split between the two campuses. Both SMC and MES are managed by the Merchant Company of Edinburgh
, which is also responsible for the co-educational George Watson's College
. Both schools also share a Principal, and most extra-curricular activities are run jointly.
Pupils at Stewart's Melville mainly sit SQA
exams, including Standard Grade
, Intermediate 2
(almost completely replacing Standard Grade), Higher Grade and Advanced Higher Grade levels. A Level
examinations can also be sat in art and music. As is the case with many independent schools SMC has examination results well above the national average. Almost all pupils go on to higher education.
Melville College was founded in 1832 by Rev. Robert Cunningham. Originally named "The Edinburgh Institution for Languages and Mathematics", its name changed when the school moved to Edinburgh's Melville Street in the city's West End
.
Daniel Stewart's College was opened in 1855 by the Merchant Company of Edinburgh, to whom Daniel Stewart, upon his death in 1814, left a sum of money and instructions that it should be used to create a hospital for needy children within the city. The hospital was located on the current Queensferry Road campus (designed by David Rhind
). The hospital was transformed into "Daniel Stewart's College" in 1870.
In 1974 the link with another nearby Merchant Company school, the all girls Mary Erskine School, was formalised and The Mary Erskine and Stewart's Melville Junior School was formed. Nursery to Primary 3 are housed on the Mary Erskine campus, with Primary 4 to 7 on the Stewart's Melville campus. Today the sixth form of both schools is entirely coeducational.
, field hockey
, cross-country
, swimming
, squash
, curling
and badminton
, whilst in summer pupils take part in athletics
, tennis
, golf
, sailing
, fencing
, cricket
and volleyball
.
A number of pupils have been selected to represent district and national teams. Stewart's Melville College has thrice been champions at Under-18 level at rugby, in 1999 (in their first year of entering) and 2006. The cup was won again in 2011 defeating Edinburgh Academy 19-10 in the final. The Former Pupils Rugby club also play in Division 1 of the Scottish National Premier League.
There is also a school rugby club available to pupils and non-pupils of Stewart's Melville, named the Stew Mel Lions, although the majority of players within the club are pupils at the school. This club is for young teenagers keen on rugby and is held at the school's sports ground at Inverleith
.
The development rugby squad (consisting of fourth and fifth year students) go abroad on tour every second year, with past trips to destinations including South Africa, Argentina, Chile and Australia amongst others.
"Ravelston Sports Club", a large on-site sports centre opened in 2000. The sports centre is mainly used by pupils for PE lessons and sports training, but is also open to members of the public with a monthly membership fee. Extensive rugby and cricket pitches and athletics facilities are located at the school's sports grounds in Inverleith.
. The school's Chamber Choir, consisting of 30 students from S5 and Sixth Form of Stewart's Melville College and the Mary Erskine School have recently completed a tour of Rome, performing at a number of venues including St. Peter's Basilica. In the past there have also been tours of Spain organised by the school's prestigious and highly regarded Concert Band as well as numerous school hosted events and an annual Christmas carol service in Saint Mary's Cathedral.
The school's Big Band which came first place in its category in the Glasgow Music Festival while also sweeping the highest score in the day, earning them the "The James McAdam Memorial Trophy". The Erskine Stewart's Melville Pipe Band regularly compete in RSPBA competitions across the country and have toured countries such as Germany and Hungary in the past.
Private music tuition is offered to pupils and normally takes place during the school day. These lessons allow pupils to work towards an Associated Board
or Trinity Rock School qualification. The school is proud of its musical heritage and supports any pupil who wishes to join the orchestras and groups.
The school also provides the 'Silvestri Scholarship' to one pupil from Romania each year, encouraging them to learn for a year and participate in the school's wide variety of Musical Activities. Other scholarships provided by the school for Music include the 'Janie Beeston Music Scholarship' awarded to an outstanding string player in the Sixth Form, who is expected to perform in all of the school music groups and perform a solo number in the public Spring Concert, along with smaller awards and bursaries which pay for students' tuition fees on one or more instruments.
was performed in the newly renovated T.F.C. (see below), drawing an estimated crowd of 250 by its final night. In the past, works such as The Importance of Being Earnest
, The Tempest
, A Streetcar Named Desire
, Macbeth
, Journey's End
and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged have been performed. Every year there is a "Senior School Musical" which takes boys and girls from third year upwards who work together with a director, musical director, and choreographer. The most recent musical as of June 2010 was Jesus Christ Superstar
. The musical for 2011 is to be The MacBeth Project, which has been written in-house. Students have taken part in many recent professional performances in Edinburgh including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
,Evita, Whistle Down the Wind
and Swan Lake
. In 2006 the Sixth Form produced a legendary adaptation of The Sound of Music
, raising over £500 for Medicins Sans Frontiers.
The drama department itself runs from a small studio with full lighting capabilities. Although comparatively recently introduced to the school this department has built up a sizable array of pupils, and provides the full range of Scottish Qualifications. The department runs small "Showcases" each year which allow pupils in the exam subjects to show their work to the public. These always prove popular and allow even those who may not normally find themselves commanding large roles to share the stage.
On October 8, actor John Cairney
unveiled the new name for the centre, "Tom Fleming Centre for Performing Arts", named after former pupil Tom Fleming, one of Scotland's leading broadcasters.
of around 120 pupils. This consists of a larger Army
section (affiliated to the Royal Regiment of Scotland, and previously the Royal Scots) and a smaller, Royal Air Force
section. Many pupils also participate in The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
. A popular debating society also exists, under the stewardship of the pupil president and the Coach, which often competes in national events. There are also a large number of smaller organisations which run in the school.
The school circulates an annual bulletin, The Collegian to current and former pupils and staff. It contains a synopsis of school activities, both academic and extracurricular, including activities by school teams, clubs and societies throughout the year. There is also a section devoted to former pupils.
In addition to this, the pupil-produced magazine "STEM2" is published several times each year. The name derives from the original "STEM", which was the school paper in the 1970s, which itself comes from "STEwarts Melville". All the articles are written by pupils, and are also edited by a pupil editorial team. It is self-funded and sold in school to pupils, teachers and parents for 50p. It also includes a 4 page full color supplement, in addition to the four pages of STEM2 in color, created by First and Second Year Pupils.
, a historic castle which has been converted into a Youth Hostel. The trip consists of a number of outdoor activities that vary from year to year including hillwalking, orienteering, golf, kayaking, team-building activities, visits to nearby historic sites and environmental studies of the surrounding woodland. Carbisdale Castle has a plaque of the Stewart's Melville College badge in its foyer above the main door.
Between Second Year and Fifth Year boys, are split into house groups. There are six different houses (named after areas of Scotland):
Each house has a Head of House who is in charge of the welfare of all boys within his/her house. There is also an Assistant Head of House who has specific responsibility for those pupils in the house in each year group. There is an Assistant Head Teacher who has overall responsibility for all pupils in Second to Fifth Year.
There are corresponding houses at Mary Erskine's also. The 'House Challenge' is an annual event involving both the boys and girls in each house. It contains several events covering a wide variety of school societies, ranging from the House Music Competition to the Inter-house Hockey. The competition comes to a climax on Sports Day with a 4x100m relay between each house. The winning house is then awarded a cup at the school's prizegiving ceremony.
Before being changed in 2000, there were eight houses which were named after eight of the firth
s of Scotland: Beauly
, Cromarty
, Dornoch
, Forth
, Lorne
, Pentland
, Solway
and Tay
.
In sixth form students are largely independent. Students have a tutor (twinned with another at the other site) with whom they register in the morning, and who also helps them with their UCAS
applications.
All members of the sixth form are prefects and are expected to help out with duties around the school sites. The maintenance of the prefect body is the responsibility of a Head Boy and a Head Girl, along with five deputy head boys and five deputy head girls.
Notable former pupils include:
The school is twinned with the Mary Erskine School ("MES"), an all-girls private school approximately one mile (1.6 km) from Stewart's Melville College. Together SMC and MES have a co-educational Junior School
Junior school
A junior school is a type of school which caters for children, often between the ages of 7 and 11.-Australia:In Australia, a junior school is usually a part of a private school that educates children between the ages of 5 and 12....
which caters for pupils from 3 to 12 years old. The Junior School split between the two campuses. Both SMC and MES are managed by the Merchant Company of Edinburgh
Merchant Company of Edinburgh
The Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh, also known as the Merchant Company of Edinburgh or just the Merchant Company, is a livery company of the City of Edinburgh, originally founded in order to protect trading rights in the City of Edinburgh, which also carries out a significant amount...
, which is also responsible for the co-educational George Watson's College
George Watson's College
George Watson's College, known informally as Watson's, is a co-educational independent day school in Scotland, situated on Colinton Road, in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. It was first established as a hospital school in 1741, became a day school in 1871 and was merged with its sister school...
. Both schools also share a Principal, and most extra-curricular activities are run jointly.
Pupils at Stewart's Melville mainly sit SQA
Scottish Qualifications Authority
The Scottish Qualifications Authority is a non-departmental public body responsible for accreditation and awarding. It is partly funded by the Education and Lifelong Learning Directorate of the Scottish Government, employing 750 staff, based in Glasgow and Dalkeith...
exams, including Standard Grade
Standard Grade
Standard Grades are Scotland's educational qualifications for students aged around 14 to 16 years, which are due to be fully replaced in 2014 when Scottish Qualifications Authority's Higher Still system becomes the main qualifications as part of the major shake up of Scotland's education system as...
, Intermediate 2
Intermediate 2
Intermediate 2 level is Level 5 on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. Though equivalent to the Credit Level Standard Grade, there is an element of debate to this as it is perceived to be more difficult in some subjects, but less in others....
(almost completely replacing Standard Grade), Higher Grade and Advanced Higher Grade levels. A Level
GCE Advanced Level
The Advanced Level General Certificate of Education, commonly referred to as an A-level, is a qualification offered by education institutions in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Cameroon, and the Cayman Islands...
examinations can also be sat in art and music. As is the case with many independent schools SMC has examination results well above the national average. Almost all pupils go on to higher education.
History
Stewart's Melville College originated following the merger of two schools — Daniel Stewart's College and Melville College — in 1972 to become "Daniel Stewart's and Melville College". After the merger the red trim was added to the Daniel Stewart's blazer for general use and the red blazer of Melville College for those awarded colours.Melville College was founded in 1832 by Rev. Robert Cunningham. Originally named "The Edinburgh Institution for Languages and Mathematics", its name changed when the school moved to Edinburgh's Melville Street in the city's West End
West End, Edinburgh
The West End of Edinburgh, Scotland, forms a large part of the city centre. If Old Town is the historic centre, and New Town is the economic centre, then the West end can be thought of as the city's cultural centre, as it boasts many of the city's arts venues. Such venues include Usher Hall, The...
.
Daniel Stewart's College was opened in 1855 by the Merchant Company of Edinburgh, to whom Daniel Stewart, upon his death in 1814, left a sum of money and instructions that it should be used to create a hospital for needy children within the city. The hospital was located on the current Queensferry Road campus (designed by David Rhind
David Rhind
David Rhind was a Scottish architect, born in Edinburgh in 1808 to parents John Rhind and his wife Marion Anderson. David Rhind was married twice, to Emily Shoubridge in 1840, then Mary Jane Sackville-Pearson in 1845...
). The hospital was transformed into "Daniel Stewart's College" in 1870.
In 1974 the link with another nearby Merchant Company school, the all girls Mary Erskine School, was formalised and The Mary Erskine and Stewart's Melville Junior School was formed. Nursery to Primary 3 are housed on the Mary Erskine campus, with Primary 4 to 7 on the Stewart's Melville campus. Today the sixth form of both schools is entirely coeducational.
Sport
The school is involved in a wide variety of sports, most of which are coached by mixture of staff from general departments as well as the PE department staff. Sports, are sectioned into winter sports and summer sports. Winter sports include Rugby UnionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, cross-country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
, curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
and badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
, whilst in summer pupils take part in athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
, fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
.
A number of pupils have been selected to represent district and national teams. Stewart's Melville College has thrice been champions at Under-18 level at rugby, in 1999 (in their first year of entering) and 2006. The cup was won again in 2011 defeating Edinburgh Academy 19-10 in the final. The Former Pupils Rugby club also play in Division 1 of the Scottish National Premier League.
There is also a school rugby club available to pupils and non-pupils of Stewart's Melville, named the Stew Mel Lions, although the majority of players within the club are pupils at the school. This club is for young teenagers keen on rugby and is held at the school's sports ground at Inverleith
Inverleith
Inverleith is an inner suburb in the northern part of Edinburgh, Scotland, on the fringes of the central region of the city. It is an affluent suburb. Its neighbours include Trinity to the north and the New Town to the south, with Canonmills at the south-east and Stockbridge at the south-west...
.
The development rugby squad (consisting of fourth and fifth year students) go abroad on tour every second year, with past trips to destinations including South Africa, Argentina, Chile and Australia amongst others.
"Ravelston Sports Club", a large on-site sports centre opened in 2000. The sports centre is mainly used by pupils for PE lessons and sports training, but is also open to members of the public with a monthly membership fee. Extensive rugby and cricket pitches and athletics facilities are located at the school's sports grounds in Inverleith.
Performing arts
It should be noted that the school is involved in a number of activities, such as debating, which are not enlarged upon here.Music
The school runs a large number of choirs and orchestras have performed in a variety of prestigious venues, for example the annual Spring Choral and Orchestral Concert in the Usher hallUsher Hall
Usher Hall is a concert hall, situated on Lothian Road, in the west end of Edinburgh, Scotland. It has hosted concerts and events since its construction in 1914 and can hold approximately 2,900 people in its recently restored auditorium, which is well loved by performers due to its acoustics...
. The school's Chamber Choir, consisting of 30 students from S5 and Sixth Form of Stewart's Melville College and the Mary Erskine School have recently completed a tour of Rome, performing at a number of venues including St. Peter's Basilica. In the past there have also been tours of Spain organised by the school's prestigious and highly regarded Concert Band as well as numerous school hosted events and an annual Christmas carol service in Saint Mary's Cathedral.
The school's Big Band which came first place in its category in the Glasgow Music Festival while also sweeping the highest score in the day, earning them the "The James McAdam Memorial Trophy". The Erskine Stewart's Melville Pipe Band regularly compete in RSPBA competitions across the country and have toured countries such as Germany and Hungary in the past.
Private music tuition is offered to pupils and normally takes place during the school day. These lessons allow pupils to work towards an Associated Board
Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music
ABRSM is an internationally recognised educational body and charity that provides examinations in music The organisation, based in London, UK, runs exams in centres all over the world...
or Trinity Rock School qualification. The school is proud of its musical heritage and supports any pupil who wishes to join the orchestras and groups.
The school also provides the 'Silvestri Scholarship' to one pupil from Romania each year, encouraging them to learn for a year and participate in the school's wide variety of Musical Activities. Other scholarships provided by the school for Music include the 'Janie Beeston Music Scholarship' awarded to an outstanding string player in the Sixth Form, who is expected to perform in all of the school music groups and perform a solo number in the public Spring Concert, along with smaller awards and bursaries which pay for students' tuition fees on one or more instruments.
Drama
The school also places a strong focus on drama, most recently Of Mice and MenOf Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men is a novella written by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it tells the tragic story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers during the Great Depression in California, USA....
was performed in the newly renovated T.F.C. (see below), drawing an estimated crowd of 250 by its final night. In the past, works such as The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations...
, The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
, A Streetcar Named Desire
A Streetcar Named Desire (play)
A Streetcar Named Desire is a 1947 play written by American playwright Tennessee Williams for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948. The play opened on Broadway on December 3, 1947, and closed on December 17, 1949, in the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The Broadway production was...
, Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
, Journey's End
Journey's End
Journey's End is a 1928 drama, the seventh of English playwright R. C. Sherriff. It was first performed at the Apollo Theatre in London by the Incorporated Stage Society on 9 December 1928, starring a young Laurence Olivier, and soon moved to other West End theatres for a two-year run...
and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged have been performed. Every year there is a "Senior School Musical" which takes boys and girls from third year upwards who work together with a director, musical director, and choreographer. The most recent musical as of June 2010 was Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
. The musical for 2011 is to be The MacBeth Project, which has been written in-house. Students have taken part in many recent professional performances in Edinburgh including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...
,Evita, Whistle Down the Wind
Whistle Down the Wind (musical)
Whistle Down the Wind is a musical based on the 1961 film Whistle Down the Wind with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Jim Steinman, known for his work with Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler.-Stage Premiere:...
and Swan Lake
Swan Lake
Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger...
. In 2006 the Sixth Form produced a legendary adaptation of The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
, raising over £500 for Medicins Sans Frontiers.
The drama department itself runs from a small studio with full lighting capabilities. Although comparatively recently introduced to the school this department has built up a sizable array of pupils, and provides the full range of Scottish Qualifications. The department runs small "Showcases" each year which allow pupils in the exam subjects to show their work to the public. These always prove popular and allow even those who may not normally find themselves commanding large roles to share the stage.
Tom Fleming Centre for Performing Arts (Formerly "Performing Arts Centre")
The school's Victorian assembly hall was comverted to the "Performing Arts Centre" between 2005 and 2007. This £3.5 million project, was paid for in part by donations from the parents of the schools current pupils and former pupils. The Centre itself has 800 seats that fold back into the wall, providing a variety of possible configurations. Although its first usage was for the S3's Intermediate 2 English exam in April 2007, the centre was officially opened on the 23rd of August 2007. It is also available for use by the public and is used as a venue for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.On October 8, actor John Cairney
John Cairney
John Cairney is a Scottish film and television actor.-Partial filmography:* Ill Met by Moonlight * Miracle in Soho * Windom's Way * A Night to Remember * Operation Bullshine...
unveiled the new name for the centre, "Tom Fleming Centre for Performing Arts", named after former pupil Tom Fleming, one of Scotland's leading broadcasters.
Extracurricular
There are many activities available for pupils outwith the classroom. The school has a large Combined Cadet ForceCombined Cadet Force
The Combined Cadet Force is a Ministry of Defence sponsored youth organisation in the United Kingdom. Its aim is to "provide a disciplined organisation in a school so that pupils may develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self reliance,...
of around 120 pupils. This consists of a larger Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
section (affiliated to the Royal Regiment of Scotland, and previously the Royal Scots) and a smaller, Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
section. Many pupils also participate in The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award , is a programme of activities that can be undertaken by anyone aged 14 to 24, regardless of personal ability....
. A popular debating society also exists, under the stewardship of the pupil president and the Coach, which often competes in national events. There are also a large number of smaller organisations which run in the school.
The school circulates an annual bulletin, The Collegian to current and former pupils and staff. It contains a synopsis of school activities, both academic and extracurricular, including activities by school teams, clubs and societies throughout the year. There is also a section devoted to former pupils.
In addition to this, the pupil-produced magazine "STEM2" is published several times each year. The name derives from the original "STEM", which was the school paper in the 1970s, which itself comes from "STEwarts Melville". All the articles are written by pupils, and are also edited by a pupil editorial team. It is self-funded and sold in school to pupils, teachers and parents for 50p. It also includes a 4 page full color supplement, in addition to the four pages of STEM2 in color, created by First and Second Year Pupils.
Carbisdale
Since 1973, the school has organised an outdoor education programme for the boys of SMC and the girls from MES in the third year. It is located in the north of Scotland at Carbisdale CastleCarbisdale Castle
Carbisdale Castle was built in 1907 for the Duchess of Sutherland and is now used as a youth hostel, operated by the Scottish Youth Hostels Association. It is located on a hill above the Kyle of Sutherland in the region of Ross and Cromarty in the Highlands. The castle is situated north of Culrain,...
, a historic castle which has been converted into a Youth Hostel. The trip consists of a number of outdoor activities that vary from year to year including hillwalking, orienteering, golf, kayaking, team-building activities, visits to nearby historic sites and environmental studies of the surrounding woodland. Carbisdale Castle has a plaque of the Stewart's Melville College badge in its foyer above the main door.
Pastoral
In the first year pupils have a form tutor who is responsible for their well-being. Each form tutor will have approximately 20 students: these students will be in the same Form Class. There is an Assistant Head Teacher who has overall responsibility for the first year.Between Second Year and Fifth Year boys, are split into house groups. There are six different houses (named after areas of Scotland):
- AppinAppinAppin is a remote coastal district of the Scottish West Highlands bounded west by Loch Linnhe, south by Loch Creran, east by the districts of Benderloch and Lorne, and north by Loch Leven...
- EttrickEttrick, ScotlandEttrick is a small village and civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, located around south-west of the town of Selkirk.-Local area:...
- GallowayGallowayGalloway is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire...
- KintyreKintyreKintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The region stretches approximately 30 miles , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south, to East Loch Tarbert in the north...
- LochaberLochaberDistrict of Lochaber 1975 to 1996Highland council area shown as one of the council areas of ScotlandLochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former local government districts of the two-tier Highland region...
- TorridonTorridonTorridon is a small village in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. However the name is also applied to the area surrounding the village, particularly the Torridon Hills, mountains to the north of Glen Torridon. It lies on the shore of Loch Torridon.Torridon is on the west coast of Scotland, ...
Each house has a Head of House who is in charge of the welfare of all boys within his/her house. There is also an Assistant Head of House who has specific responsibility for those pupils in the house in each year group. There is an Assistant Head Teacher who has overall responsibility for all pupils in Second to Fifth Year.
There are corresponding houses at Mary Erskine's also. The 'House Challenge' is an annual event involving both the boys and girls in each house. It contains several events covering a wide variety of school societies, ranging from the House Music Competition to the Inter-house Hockey. The competition comes to a climax on Sports Day with a 4x100m relay between each house. The winning house is then awarded a cup at the school's prizegiving ceremony.
Before being changed in 2000, there were eight houses which were named after eight of the firth
Firth
Firth is the word in the Lowland Scots language and in English used to denote various coastal waters in Scotland and England. In mainland Scotland it is used to describe a large sea bay, or even a strait. In the Northern Isles it more usually refers to a smaller inlet...
s of Scotland: Beauly
Beauly Firth
The Beauly Firth is a firth in northern Scotland. It is effectively a continuation of the Moray Firth westward, and is bounded at one end by Beauly and at the other by Inverness . The Kessock Ferry has crossed at the eastern end since the 15th Century...
, Cromarty
Cromarty Firth
The Cromarty Firth of Cromarty') is an arm of the North Sea in Scotland. It is the middle of the three sea lochs at the head of the Moray Firth: to the north lies the Dornoch Firth, and to the south the Beauly Firth....
, Dornoch
Dornoch Firth
The Dornoch Firth is a firth on the east coast of Highland, in northern Scotland. It forms part of the boundary between Ross and Cromarty, to the south, and Sutherland, to the north....
, Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
, Lorne
Firth of Lorne
The Firth of Lorn is a body of water on Scotland's west coast, in Argyll and Bute. It lies between the Isle of Mull to the northwest and the Isles of Kerrera, Seil and Luing along with parts of the Scottish mainland southwest of Oban on the southeast side...
, Pentland
Pentland Firth
The Pentland Firth , which is actually more of a strait than a firth, separates the Orkney Islands from Caithness in the north of Scotland.-Etymology:...
, Solway
Solway Firth
The Solway Firth is a firth that forms part of the border between England and Scotland, between Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. It stretches from St Bees Head, just south of Whitehaven in Cumbria, to the Mull of Galloway, on the western end of Dumfries and Galloway. The Isle of Man is also very...
and Tay
Firth of Tay
The Firth of Tay is a firth in Scotland between the council areas of Fife, Perth and Kinross, the City of Dundee and Angus, into which Scotland's largest river in terms of flow, the River Tay, empties....
.
Sixth form
When pupils enter the sixth form they are merged with the girls from the Mary Erskine School. Classes take place at both school sites, with buses operating regularly to transfer students between the two. There are approximately 240 students in a normal year group.In sixth form students are largely independent. Students have a tutor (twinned with another at the other site) with whom they register in the morning, and who also helps them with their UCAS
UCAS
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is the British admission service for students applying to university and college. UCAS is primarily funded by students who pay a fee when they apply and a capitation fee from universities for each student they accept..-Location:UCAS is based near...
applications.
All members of the sixth form are prefects and are expected to help out with duties around the school sites. The maintenance of the prefect body is the responsibility of a Head Boy and a Head Girl, along with five deputy head boys and five deputy head girls.
Notable former pupils
The school maintains a Former Pupils Club, which organises social events throughout the year. There are branches throughout the UK and abroad.Notable former pupils include:
- James Bertram (Carnegie secretary)James Bertram (Carnegie secretary)James Bertram was the personal secretary of Andrew Carnegie, the industrialist and philanthropist, from 1897-1914. Bertram also served the Carnegie Corporation of New York from its inception in 1911 as secretary and trustee until his death in 1934...
- Michael Boyd (director), Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare CompanyRoyal Shakespeare CompanyThe Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
. - Finlay CalderFinlay CalderFinlay Calder is a Scottish former rugby union player.Born in Haddington, East Lothian and educated at Stewart's Melville College, Calder played at open side flanker and won 34 caps representing Scotland from 1986-91. He captained the British Lions tour to Australia in 1989...
, international rugby player and British and Irish LionsBritish and Irish LionsThe British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
captain. - Jim CalderJim Calder (rugby player)James Hamilton Calder is a former international rugby union player. In 1983 he toured New Zealand with the British Lions and at the time played club rugby for Stewart's Melville FP. His international debut came in 1981 aged 21 against France. Scotland were on the receiving end of a 16-9 loss...
, Scottish and British Lions Rugby Player - John Alexander Cruickshank VC, recipient of the Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
in the Second World War. - Graeme Dyce, tennis player, winner of the Australian Open Boys' Doubles in 2007 along with Finnish partner Harri HeliövaaraHarri HeliövaaraHarri Heliövaara is a Finnish tennis player. His highest ranking is 215th which was achieved on 7 November 2011. He won the 2007 Australian Open boys' doubles title with Graeme Dyce. In singles he has won five ITF Futures tournaments. In doubles he has won one ATP Challenger tournament in...
- Tom Fleming CVO, OBE, FRSAMD, actor and television commentator.
- David FlorenceDavid FlorenceDavid Florence is a British slalom canoeist. He won a silver medal in the men's slalom C-1 at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.-Early life:...
, Olympic canoeing silver medallist. - Dario FranchittiDario FranchittiGeorge Dario Marino Franchitti is a Scottish racing driver. He formerly competed in the CART series before switching to the IndyCar Series where he was 2007 champion, and won the rain-shortened 2007 Indianapolis 500. Franchitti is also a former NASCAR driver for Chip Ganassi Racing, competing...
, professional racing-car driver. - Stuart HenryStuart Henry (DJ)Stuart Henry was a disc jockey on pirate radio station Radio Scotland, then BBC Radio 1 from its start in 1967...
, popular radio disc jockeyDisc jockeyA disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
of the 1960s and 70's. - Kheredine IdessaneKheredine IdessaneKheredine Idessane is a Scottish football commentator for BBC Scotland. and a former athlete. He is commonly heard on Sportsound, providing live commentary of Scottish Premier League matches, but he can also be heard commentating on highlights of Scottish Cup matches for Sportscene...
, sports broadcaster. - Donald MacGregor, Olympic marathon runner.
- David McCall, rugby player
- Finlay MickelFinlay MickelFinlay Mickel is a former Scottish skier. He was educated at Stewart's Melville College in his younger years.Mickel first appeared in the World Cup in Lake Louise, Canada in November 2000...
, Olympic skier. - Doddie WeirDoddie WeirGeorge "Doddie" Weir, born 4 July 1970 in Edinburgh, is a Rugby Union player, in the lock position.George Weir started playing rugby for Stewarts Melville RFC, his former school, in Edinburgh. He studied at the Scottish Agricultural College, gaining an HND, from 1988-1991 . He moved to Melrose RFC...
, international rugby player. - David Wilkie MBEDavid Wilkie (swimmer)David Andrew Wilkie MBE is a Scottish former swimmer, who was Olympic and Commonwealth Games champion in the 1970s.He is a member of the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
, Olympic swimming gold medallist.