On Wednesday 2nd February P5-7 pupils had a visit from a local Fire and Rescue Officer. The pupils were introduced to the ‘Safety Team’, a scheme which highlights various hazards which children need to be aware of, such as, fires caused by electricity, matches and candles as well as the problems caused by hoax calls and deliberate fires.

The pupils enjoyed taking part in activities to show the importance of having a working smoke alarm and being able to find their way out of the room if they were blinded by smoke.   During his talk the officer’s ‘beeper’ went off to tell him there was an incident.   One of the pupil’s Dads is a fireman and the next day she was able to show the class the information sheet he received which told them about a local fire.  The pupils enjoyed listening to the fireman relating real life experiences and are now more aware of the dangers they need to look out for.

Wednesday, November 10th saw the visit of War Veteran Tommy Todd to Mourne ICS. The 94-year old spoke vividly of his experiences in Malta during World War II. He told staff and pupils of his enrolment in the army and how he became an air gunner with a bomber squadron in 1942. With a mix of humour, warmth and sadness in his speech, it was impossible not to be captivated by him. Just one day before we remembered the fallen men of the twentieth and twenty first centuries, he gave us an accurate memoir of what it was like for him.

When asked what was his favourite part of the war, he answered; “Well… I would say getting home was the best part.” Still going strong 65 years after the second world war, Mr Todd was an inspiration to all those in his audience!

Also present was Schomberg Society member Gareth Crozier who described fully the role of the Submarine Spitfire aircraft during the Battle of Britain. Both of these speakers were greatly enjoyed by everyone at Mourne Independent Christian School.

Cameron Sharp – Yr 10

On Wednesday 3rd November the lorry of All-Tex Recycling came for unwanted clothes and textiles which had been donated to the school. A few of the boys helped to load bags into the lorry. There were 980kg of textiles which raised £588 for our school funds.

We would like to thank all parents and teachers who helped out by giving us the textiles to recycle.

Ryan Ward – Yr 11

During Business & Communication Systems on Wednesday 20th October, we had a Fairtrade afternoon. We sampled Fairtrade products such as chocolate chip cookies, milk chocolate, sweets and some of their coffee. Although the produce was tasty we were really there to talk about Fairtrade as an organisation.

Their website says:
“Our vision is of a world in which justice and sustainable development are at the heart of trade structures and practices so that everyone, through their work, can maintain a decent and dignified livelihood and develop their full potential.”

Although some products may be more expensive, we found that that money was used to benefit growers in LEDCS (Less Economically Developed Countries).

This means that communities that the growers live in would also prosper. The company also raises awareness of these growers and their plights in the countries they never think or hear about.

Sarah Imrie – Yr 11

On 11th November Mr. Campbell led our Remembrance Day service. It began with a word from John 18. As the service continued we all stood for one minute’s silence. After this Mr. Campbell quoted a verse from the famous Remembrance poem, ‘For The Fallen’:

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them,nor the years condemn.
At the ​going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

To conclude our service Mr. Campbell led in a word of prayer.

Ryan Ward – Yr 11

On 5th November Rev Angel Alvarez Fernandez and his wife Kelley came to our school. Rev Alvarez showed us a DVD of his work in Alcorcón, Spain, which showed a Roman Catholic parade as Mr. Alvarez tried to witness to some of the Roman Catholics. We saw his small, but growing, congregation and were asked us to pray for his unsaved mother.

After the showing of his DVD he and his wife answered questions from pupils and teachers.

We would ask you to pray for Mr. Alvarez’s mother that the LORD would speak to her, for the work in Spain and for future plans as they try to purchase the building next to the current church.

May the LORD bless Mr. Alvarez and his wife Kelley as they return to Spain to continue the Lord’s work.

Ryan Ward – Yr 11

We recently completed an upgrade to our I.T. infrastructure in Mourne. The addition of 23 new computers and new state of the art educational software have already proved to be a huge success. The existing computer room was refitted and three computers installed in each of the primary classrooms. The remaining computers have allowed teachers to have a computer in each room with Internet and network access.

Some pupils, very kindly, volunteered to help and got hands-on experience in setting up a computer system and learned how computers and networks are deployed.

Funds for the new computers were partly raised at a coffee tasting and cake sale in the winter term and we want to thank the Lord for a successful and fun morning and the parents, family and friends who baked, took part and gave.

Earlier this term we had a visit from Mr Jason Boyle, the American Presbytery’s missionary to Mexico City. At our afternoon Bible reading he gave a presentation and answered questions from pupils and teachers about life in Mexico.

Our prayers will continue with him and his wife as they go to Mexico City this year.

In response to severe drought and crop failure in Kenya, our pupils have been taking part in a sponsored spellathon to raise funds to buy food for the BCFC Academy. It takes £50 per year to feed a child and there are over 600 children at the academy. Pupils have been sponsored per word and are being tested during English classes.