On behalf of Jones House, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all those new pupils joining this year, and I strongly encourage you to engage in all aspects of your co-curricular and academic life here at Inst. These following years for all of you is essential in your growth as young men, and I hope you will all partake (as Luke and I did) in all the opportunities the school has to offer.
We have had a disappointing year in the House Championship, coming in tied 4th place overall, despite the dedication of all the groups. Successes were particularly evident in the Senior Sports day, where we achieved 1st place, and with the Larmor Cup (Rowing) we also came 1st. Notable mentions also go to the Yrs 11-14 Volleyball, where we placed a close 2nd, and in the Junior Sports day, where we came joint 3rd.
Throughout the year, many pupils have participated in school activities, and equally have achieved their own individual feats. In 8J, Ryan McCormick competed in Newquay at the England National Championships for Boxing and Ted Geary competed in the Tetrathlon in the England Junior Championships. It is very encouraging to see multiple new pupils excelling already in their respective sports, and I have little doubt that they will contribute positively to the House in the coming years.
In 9J, in Hockey, Zak Larmour was selected for the Ulster U13 squad & the UK Lions at U15 level. Fionn Moohan won the Down U13 County Shield with his Hurling team, Carryduff GAC and Tobias Robinson won the Northern Ireland Cup with the Glentoran U15 team.
In 10J, Christopher Allsop, representing Ireland, won Silver at the Secondary Schools International Table Tennis Competition held in Isle of Man in June. It is remarkable to see Christopher continuing his table tennis at an elite level, as when he was Y8, he and his school team were crowned champions at Ulster U13s.
In 11J, Keelan Burgess and Billy Whitten, along with Luke Acheson from L6th, were members of the school’s Robotics team that won the IET First Tech Challenge, defeating last year’s winners Friends School Lisburn in the final. The team qualified for the UK Final in Cambridge where they finished a very creditable 9th place out of 42. Meanwhile, Elliot Magowan was selected as the Captain of the U16 Ulster Rugby Squad and won a prestigious Queen’s Future Star Award, following his try-scoring winning performance in the Medallion Shield Final. Representing the Ireland U15 Cricket team, Ben Walsh was on a tour of England and Scotland. He also participated on the NCU U15 team for the interprovincial tournament in Cork. Nathan Harbinson performed the role of Caesar in the drama production of Antony and Cleopatra and was also a member of the school expedition to Iceland. Furthermore, he was awarded “Most Improved” as a Rowing Club member, whilst his Belfast Phoenix Dragonboat team won 3 regattas. A busy year for Nathan!
In Year 12, Matthew Elliot represented the Ulster U17 Rugby team in the interprovincial tournament, and he also went on an Exodus Mission Trip to South Africa, where he worked as an intern coach at George Sports Academy. Charlie O’Connor played in the Ulster U18 Rugby team in the Interpro matches against Munster and Leinster. Charlie was also a member of the 1stXV Schools’ Cup winning team. Adam Middleby played in the Ireland U19 American Football Team against GB. In cricket, Luka Bates played for the NCU U17s in the U17 Interpro Series; played for the Ulster Schools U19 team against Leinster schools; and participated in the Scotland Tour playing Eastern Knights and Western Warriors. James West played for the Irish U17 team against Jersey and Scotland and participated in a two-week series in Dublin and Belfast. He was later selected to represent the Ireland U19 team.
In Hockey, both James and Jacob McIlhatton were members of the school 1stX1 Burney Cup-winning squad whilst Jacob was also selected onto the Ulster U18 squad that played in the UK School Games. Meanwhile, John Cunningham participated in the UK School Games for Hockey, playing for Ulster U18 team where the team won their tournament. He also played in the Irish U21s team in the Hockey Euro Championships in Barcelona – a great achievement for a 16-year old. John was also instrumental in the school 1stX1’s fantastic Burney Cup win.
In the L6thJ group, in Rugby, Jay McCord and Zak Molyneaux were members of the 1stXV Schools’ Cup winning squad, with Zak being selected for the Ulster U19 team for the interprovincial tournament. He was also a member of the Instonians Club team that won the Carrick 7s tournament. Jay McCord and George Craigan were members of the 2nd XV squad that won their respective Cup. George Craigan was also a member of the 1st X1 school Cricket team that won the Schools’ Cup. Cameron Colgan was member of the 1st X1 Burney Cup winning squad and participated in the drama production of ‘Annie’ alongside VCB. Cameron also attained 7th out of over 800 runners in the annual 5k ‘Run in the Dark competition’, managed by former pupil Mark Pollock (1987-94). Jacob Boal was a member of the school Rowing Double Team that won the Bann Regatta. Youssef Abdelfattah was selected for the NI U18 Archery team that competed in the U21 GB Festival, winning the bronze medal in the team category. Zakk Surgenor was a member of the CCF School team that competed in UK Shooting competition at Bisley, finishing a very creditable 17th out of 86 teams and the team also won the Irish Cup and Queens Cup.
Youssef Abdelfattah, Luke Acheson, Yago Azuara-Lois, Cameron Colgan and Callum Grant successfully completed their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s award expedition to the Lake District during the summer and they are all looking forward to finishing the award and getting a trip to the palace later this year. Luke and Cameron also attended the Essex International Jamboree, alongside 8000 other scouts, girl guides and leaders. The week was jam-packed with various activities like shooting, archery, abseiling and survival skills.
This report also gives us the opportunity to highlight and appreciate the particularly strong academic success of Jones House this year. There were some outstanding GCSE results, with James West achieving 6A*s and 4As; Oliver Howe-Joyce with 4A*s and 6As; Jack Gibson with 4A*s, 6As and a 9; John Cunningham with 5A*s, 4As, and a B; and finally, Finn Mantell with 3A*s, 5As and 2Bs.
At AS level, the L6th group excelled with many great results, namely Luke Acheson, Cameron Colgan and Thomas Green who all achieved A* and 3As; Youssef Abdelfattah with 4As; George Craigan, the newly appointed Head of School, 3As; Callum Grant, who achieved 3As and William Geary with an A and 2Bs.
The academic success continued with the Year 14s, who had some superb results. Tom McGale produced 2A*s and an A; Ethan Clydesdale with an A* and 2Bs; Maks Holowienko and Harshit Kokate who attained 2As and 1B, and finally Ben McIntosh and Rory O’Connor; A, and 2Bs. We would like to congratulate all members of Jones House who received results this year and we applaud them for their amazing perseverance and commitment to their studies.
In conclusion, on behalf of all the students, I would like to thank Mr Wilson and all our tutors for an excellent academic year, and to all the boys who excelled in their extra-curricular endeavours this year. I wish everyone the very best, and I hope our impressive set of results are replicated this coming year.
