Farr High School Engineers Club Collects Top Award

16th September 2006

Pupils at Farr High School in Bettyhill near Thurso have been recognised at the Highland and Islands' leading business awards ceremony for their excellence in engineering.

Farr High School Young Engineers Club collected the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) Highlands and Islands Young Engineers Club of the Year Award at the organisation's Highlands and Islands Dinner and Awards ceremony which took place last night (Friday) at the Highland Conference Centre in Nairn.

This thriving Young Engineers Club involves around 30 per cent of third to sixth year pupils. Among their projects are innovative alarm devices for lambing and also one for vehicles. The award was collected by club members Anna Milligan, Adam Mathieson and Neil Mackay, along with club leader, John Milligan.

Headteacher, Mr. Jim A. Johnston, said: "Mr. Milligan has been running our Young Engineers Club for many years and, in that time, has followed up a lot of interesting ideas in science and engineering with a high proportion of our pupils. There are currently seven former pupils studying Engineering at University. The Lambing Alarm project is particularly appropriate for our school as it springs from one of the main local occupations - crofting and sheep-farming - while potentially having applications well beyond Bettyhill. This reflects a major aim of the school and the science department which is to prepare pupils for the wider world while maintaining their roots in their home area."

SCDI Chairman Shonaig Macpherson said: "Encouraging more young people to pursue rewarding careers in engineering, science and technology is one of the key targets of the education system at present. So it is great to see that, with participation rates of about a third of older pupils, Farr High School is showing how it can be done.

"Farr High School's location is no barrier to the club which this year entered two teams in the UK finals of the Royal Navy Challenge at HMS Sultan in Gosport, the Celebration of Engineering in Glasgow and the finals of the Highlands and Islands ICT Hothouse challenge."

The full list of award winners is:

BT Scotland Award for Excellence in Information Communication Technology
Barchester Healthcare

Caledonian MacBrayne Award for Excellence in Promotion of the Environment
National Trust for Scotland Canna Seabird Recovery Project

Highlands and Islands Enterprise Award for Excellence in Research and Development
KP Technology

Royal Bank of Scotland Award for Excellence in International Business
Orion Engineering Services Limited

Scottish Natural Heritage Award for Excellence in Environmental Sustainability
Johnson Seafarms Ltd

VisitScotland Award for Excellence in Tourism
Toravaig House Hotel

SCDI Award for Highlands and Islands Young Engineers Club of the Year
Farr High School

SCDI President's Award for Outstanding Business Achievement
Alcan Smelting and Power UK