2025 Founders' Day and Highland Games

St Andrew’s celebrated its 108th Founders’ Day in March with all the best Scottish traditions on display. Always a highlight on the St Andrew’s calendar, it was another great community occasion, bringing together students, staff, parents, guests, and a large group of Old Collegians who returned for their 60 Years On Reunion, together honouring the Presbyterian founders of the College and its formation in 1917.

Highlights of the Founders’ Day Assembly included a dramatic and entertaining performance of Address to a Haggis by Year 13 student, Noah Fanene, and the orchestra’s rendition of Radetzky March by Johann Strauss.

Senior choir, Staccoro, sang a beautiful rendition of the traditional favourite Skye Boat Song, to honour the 2025 Robert Burns Scholars, Tom Simpson and Lila Waghorn (both Year 12), announced at the assembly, who will represent St Andrew’s on a three-week trip to Scotland in the September holidays, visiting a number of Scottish schools.

Guest speaker at the Founders’ Day Assembly was Amiria Rule (OC 2001), an Old Collegian and the current Head of Learning Support – Secondary at St Andrew’s.

A number of awards were also presented at the assembly, including two special Old Collegian awards, which are traditionally presented each Founders’ Day. Thomas White (Year 13) won the G.A.M. Hilson Memorial Accounting/Economics Award, and George Paterson (Year 13) won the Henry Dowling Memorial French Award.

The day wrapped up with haggis tasting, followed by the Highland Games, which was another great occasion of noise, colour, chants, games, songs, and House spirit. The whole school, including the Preparatory School, joined on the lawn outside Strowan House to enjoy the competitive fun, taking part in everything from wheat sheaf tossing, to medicine ball throwing, the two-person dead lift and carry, and Highland dancing. An inter-House haka was another highlight of the Games.

Rector, Mark Wilson said he was in no doubt how pleased the College founders would be to see their original dream grow and develop into the school St Andrew’s is today.

“Let us learn from our founders to have bold and courageous dreams, that we are not afraid to chase and turn into reality, just like the story of our very own school – St Andrew’s College.”

The afternoon wrapped up most appropriately with a wonderful display from the Pipe Band. Founders’ Day was another great community celebration, marking

108 remarkable years of St Andrew’s College.