Mintlaw Academy
Encyclopedia
History
The school opened in 1981 with about 600 enrolled students and a capacity of 1,000. By August 2003, it had about 920 enrolled students. The rectorRector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
is Linda Evans. The school serves the rural communities of Central Buchan and draws pupils from the villages of Mintlaw
Mintlaw
Mintlaw is a small town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland lying along the A952 road and is geographically a route centre...
, Fetterangus
Fetterangus
Fetterangus is a small village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, located just to the north of Mintlaw. Fetterangus is often called "Fishie" though the origin of this nickname is unknown....
, Longside
Longside
Longside is a village located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It lies seven miles inland from Peterhead and two miles from Mintlaw on the A950. Its population in 2001 was 721. The River Ugie flows through it...
, Maud
Maud
As a feminine given name:As a placename:* Queen Maud Land , an area of 2.5 million square kilometers claimed by Norway in 1938* Queen Maud Gulf, Nunavut, Canada* Maud Island, the second largest island in the Marlborough Sounds* Maud, Aberdeenshire, a small town in the Buchan area of the county of...
, New Deer
New Deer
New Deer is a settlement in Aberdeenshire, North East Scotland that lies in the valley of Deer. It was founded after monks from Deer Abbey, Old Deer built a chapel at Auchreddie, which translates as "field of the bog myrtle". Around 1507 the register of Deer Abbey lists its lands in the "new...
, New Pitsligo
New Pitsligo
New Pitsligo is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, quite near Peterhead.. Locals often refer to the village by the name Cyaak.-Overview:A small village in the North East of Scotland, it lies about five miles inland from Pennan and around 10 miles south-west of Fraserburgh. It has a baker, chip...
, Strichen
Strichen
Strichen is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It sits on the A981, connecting it to New Deer to the southwest and Fraserburgh to the north-northeast, and the B9093, connecting it to New Pitsligo about four miles due west. The village got its name from Lord Strichen. It is situated on the River...
, Auchnagatt
Auchnagatt
Auchnagatt is a village and rural area in Buchan, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, situated on the Ebrie Burn and on the A948 road between Ellon and New Deer.- Schools :...
, Stuartfield
Stuartfield
Stuartfield is a small inland village in the Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, situated south of Old Deer. Formerly known as Crichie, a name still in use among locals today.-Services:...
and the surrounding area.
At Mintlaw Academy there are four houses. Brucklay (named after Brucklay estate between Maud and New Deer), Deer (named after Deer Abbey
Deer Abbey
Deer Abbey was a Cistercian monastery in Buchan, Scotland. It was founded by 1219 AD with the patronage William Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Buchan, who is also buried there. There was an earlier community of Scottish monks or priests...
a few miles from the school), Mormond (named after Mormond Hill
Mormond Hill
Mormond Hill is a large hill in Aberdeenshire, Scotland not far from Fraserburgh. The villages of Strichen and New Leeds can be found at its foot hills....
near Strichen
Strichen
Strichen is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It sits on the A981, connecting it to New Deer to the southwest and Fraserburgh to the north-northeast, and the B9093, connecting it to New Pitsligo about four miles due west. The village got its name from Lord Strichen. It is situated on the River...
) and Ugie (named after the river Ugie
River Ugie
The River Ugie or Ugie Water is a river in Scotland. Located in the north east, it flows into the North Sea on the east coast at Peterhead, north of Cruden Bay. There is considerable evidence of prehistoric within the Ugie drainage basin, especially in the South Ugie Water catchment basin...
flowing past Mintlaw
Mintlaw
Mintlaw is a small town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland lying along the A952 road and is geographically a route centre...
). There was another house, Aden,(named after Aden Country Park
Aden Country Park
Aden Country Park is located in Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The park has a caravan area with camping, a small shop, a small cafe near the agricultural museum, a play area, a nature garden and a barbecue area. Aden Park can be accessed from Mintlaw by Station Road or Nether Aden Road.It is...
) though this house was stopped due to a falling role in the school at the end of the 2008/09 school year. In the past there was an annual Activities Day involving various types of inter-house competition and after a number of years without Activities Day, this was reinstated in 2005.
Tradition
Since the school opened there has been an annual ski-trip, usually to SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
but there have been other destinations as well. These trips have always been led by head of Aden house John Peterson. The other main excursion is the German trip for 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...
German pupils. For a long time Mintlaw Academy was the only school in Scotland to have more pupils studying German than French..
Mintlaw Academy has a school newspaper, run solely by pupils. "The Quartet" is released four times a year; it features interviews with new teachers and various other articles.
Once every two years, the school holds a sponsored walk, in which all pupils walk from Mintlaw to Maud and back again, along the old Buchan railway line. Normally this raises in the regions of £15,000 for student facilities.
Also annually is the Burns supper
Burns supper
A Burns supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns, author of many Scots poems. The suppers are normally held on or near the poet's birthday, 25 January, sometimes also known as Robert Burns Day or Burns Night , although they may in principle be held at any time of the...
for senior pupils and teachers. Held in the Ban Car in Lonmay, the mid January celebration of Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
has been a longstanding tradition at Mintlaw Academy.
Sport
The school has a range of extra-curricular activities available to pupils. Activities available as of 2007 include NetballNetball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
, boys and girls hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, boys and girls football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, 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...
, alpha-beta club, debating club, running club, drama club, rugby union
Rugby 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...
, book-explorers club and warhammer club. Also available to the senior pupils are a variety of committees. Burns supper
Burns supper
A Burns supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns, author of many Scots poems. The suppers are normally held on or near the poet's birthday, 25 January, sometimes also known as Robert Burns Day or Burns Night , although they may in principle be held at any time of the...
, charities, amnesty international
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, yearbook, anti-bullying and parents evening.
Known as the best school for Girls Football in Scotland and one of the best in the United Kingdom, Mintlaw Academy has had much success in this area. As of January 2007, the senior girls team has remained unbeaten for over three years.
Alumni events
A small book was released in 2007 to mark the 25th anniversary of the school's opening. The book discussed the last quarter century. Additionally there was a ceilidhCéilidh
In modern usage, a céilidh or ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing. It originated in Ireland, but is now common throughout the Irish and Scottish diasporas...
organised to bring together former students, teachers, current pupils and staff.