Woodmill High School
Encyclopedia
Woodmill High School is a local authority run High School
in Dunfermline
, Scotland
. It is one of four High Schools in the town.
The school opened in 1958, to serve the expanding estates of Abbeyview, Touch and Garvock. The name Woodmill comes from the former purpose of the land it was built on. It was initially a Secondary School
, but was upgraded to full High School status in 1968. Woodmill is also the designated High School for children from the coastal villages of North Queensferry
, Limekilns
and Charlestown
.
Woodmill has the smallest number of pupils of any of the local High Schools, and as a result has one of the smallest teacher-to-pupil ratios in Fife
. Despite its relatively small size, Woodmill has built itself a reputation for punching above its weight, and has achieved great success in recent years, especially in technological and engineering competitions. The school basketball
team has also enjoyed great success, and won the Scottish Schools Cup twice during the 1990s.
Woodmill's most famous alumna is the singer and actress Barbara Dickson
, who attended the school in the early 1960s. She famously dedicated her debut album to one of her former music teachers at the school, who apparently claimed she "was not the best singer in the class but certainly the loudest".
Iain Mackie, the former Olympic and Commonwealth 100 metre sprinter
, also attended Woodmill.
Woodmill also has a long tradition of pupils going on to join the military.
Sadly, the school has recently had to deal with losing one these former pupils. Stuart Gray an NCO
in the Black Watch
, was killed whilst serving in Iraq
in November 2004.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Dunfermline
Dunfermline
Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is one of four High Schools in the town.
The school opened in 1958, to serve the expanding estates of Abbeyview, Touch and Garvock. The name Woodmill comes from the former purpose of the land it was built on. It was initially a Secondary School
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
, but was upgraded to full High School status in 1968. Woodmill is also the designated High School for children from the coastal villages of North Queensferry
North Queensferry
North Queensferry is a village in Fife, Scotland, on the Firth of Forth, between the Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge, and from Edinburgh. According to the 2008 population estimate, the village has a population of 1,150. It is the southernmost settlement in Fife.The Scottish Gaelic name...
, Limekilns
Limekilns
Limekilns, a village in Fife, Scotland, lies on the shore of the Firth of Forth.Unlike the neighbouring village of Charlestown, Limekilns is an extremely old settlement dating back to the 14th century. The oldest building in the village is without doubt The King's Cellar, a large and somewhat...
and Charlestown
Charlestown, Fife
Charlestown, Fife is a town in Scotland on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, adjoining Limekilns and Rosyth. Like Rosyth, Charlestown was home to a sizable shipbreaking industry in the mid twentieth centuryCharlestown is home to the The Scottish Lime Centre Trust which was established in 1994...
.
Woodmill has the smallest number of pupils of any of the local High Schools, and as a result has one of the smallest teacher-to-pupil ratios in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
. Despite its relatively small size, Woodmill has built itself a reputation for punching above its weight, and has achieved great success in recent years, especially in technological and engineering competitions. The school basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team has also enjoyed great success, and won the Scottish Schools Cup twice during the 1990s.
Woodmill's most famous alumna is the singer and actress Barbara Dickson
Barbara Dickson
Barbara Ruth Dickson, OBE is a Scottish singer whose hits include "I Know Him So Well" and "January February"...
, who attended the school in the early 1960s. She famously dedicated her debut album to one of her former music teachers at the school, who apparently claimed she "was not the best singer in the class but certainly the loudest".
Iain Mackie, the former Olympic and Commonwealth 100 metre sprinter
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
, also attended Woodmill.
Woodmill also has a long tradition of pupils going on to join the military.
Sadly, the school has recently had to deal with losing one these former pupils. Stuart Gray an NCO
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
in the Black Watch
Black Watch
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The unit's traditional colours were retired in 2011 in a ceremony led by Queen Elizabeth II....
, was killed whilst serving in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
in November 2004.