125th Exhibition-A Walk Down Memory Lane
There are few schools or institutions so beloved that you could gather such a range of people in one room to celebrate it. This happened on the evening of June 6th, though, to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Dalziel High School.
The Assembly Hall is a room decorated with prestigious names of the past for young people to look up and aspire to. This evening, many of these names reappeared in the packed rows of seats to commemorate the incredible achievements our school community has produced over the years.
The evening began with a beautiful speech by our current head teacher Jaclyn Martin, which guided us through the history of how the school came to be as it is today. As her eyes moved around the room of the hall, listeners could feel the gravitas of the history woven into the walls.
This was followed by speeches from the last two head teachers, Robert Birch and Brian Miller, both of whom shared passionate and humorous reminisces of their time. Mr. Miller’s speech was made extra special by its location in Menorca which brought just a little bit more sunshine to the occasion!
Basie Grieve returned to the school not for the first time, having been School Captain as a pupil then head of Modern Languages during a distinguished career. She spoke eloquently about the impact of the War Memorial Trust on the school and the importance of carrying the legacy of fallen heroes into the corridors of the school today.
Talks from our current Captain and Vice-Captain Euan Bowman and Euan Blackwood, speaking about what Dalziel means to them now on this momentous year, were then rounded off by a humorous and nostalgic viewpoint from Scott Duguid who not only went to the school as a pupil but has also seen the next two generations of his family attend since. Such perspectives and their continual connection with the school helped to highlight how truly special this is.
Between the heartfelt speeches were some heart rendering performances from the school choir, performing ‘In My Life’, ‘Unwritten’ and excitingly the new school anthem ‘Dalziel Is In My Heart’ written by Andrew Strachan and Nicola McKenzie. This was a rousing performance which reinforced to all those present why they truly are still Dalzielians at heart.
Afterwards, guests were able to walk down memory lane through an exhibition which has been painstakingly created through the tireless work of Linzi Dunlevy over the past number of weeks. This exhibit has a museum like quality, and you could see the range of former pupils and staff of all ages being transported back to their time in the school as they moved their way through.
There is no other school like Dalziel and it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that in another 125 years people will be celebrating the successes of this great institution with just as much passion and enjoyment.
A truly great evening for all.
To view the 125th Anniversary - A Walk Down Memory Lane Photo Gallery, click Here