Royal & Prior Comprehensive School

Junior Prize Giving  was held on the  19th^th March 2010 and guest speaker was a past pupil  Dr. Gareth Davidson lecturer in Sports studies at the University of Ulster Jordanstown Campus.

See Gallery for photos.

Past-pupil Dr. Gareth Davison was the Guest Speaker at the Junior Prizegiving. Gareth attended the school from 1986 to 1991. He received a number of prizes whilst at the school including the Crawford Trophy for Athletics. He was captain of the School Athletics team and it was in the sports area that he decided to pursue his Third Level studies. Gareth obtained a Diploma in Health and Exercise from Limavady College and later an Honours Degree in Sport and Leisure from the University of Ulster. He moved to Cardiff in Wales to complete a PhD, returning to a lectureship position in Exercise Physiology in 2002 at the University of Ulster.

In May 2006 Gareth briefed MP’s at Westminster on links between DNA oxidation, exercise and disease. The event, held at the House of Commons in London was part of a special reception for a group of young researchers working in the area of Biosciences.

His research revealed that unaccustomed exhaustive aerobic exercise – which involves taking the heart rate to approximately 85% of its maximum for more than 10 - minutes releases dangerous free radicals that can adversely affect normal biological function in unfit individuals. This means that you should not exercise to these limits sporadically but work your way up to it. Trained athletes appeared, from the survey to be protected from any adverse effects.
The research also showed how important ‘healthy eating’ was especially foods containing antioxidants, which can be found in a balanced diet consisting of foods such as broccoli, spinach and berries. Cellular damage was induced by the test exercises but the group on antioxidants had been protected to some extent.
However the research team were keen to stress that these results were not to be used as an excuse to take no exercise as there is a wealth of evidence that shows that exercise of a moderate intensity is protective against many chronic diseases.

Dr. Davison’s current research interests include cellular and peripheral free radical production in exercise, health and disease, in particular the effects of antioxidant supplementation in exhaustive exercise and diabetes mellitus.

In his address Dr. Davison commended the education system and the value of schools, praising the education he had received here. He spoke about how examinations were about ‘taking opportunities’ in a changing world, and how a solid education “cuts through all changes”.

He also spoke from a personal perspective of the great conundrum of balancing education and sport, recounting personal experience of the choice between ‘learning the Irish poem’ and training with his athletic club.

He referred to schools as second homes and the value of dedication in school, sport and life.

Junior Prizewinners

Class Prizes

1A  Julie Moore, Dillon O’Loughlin, Arianna Stewart, Kirsty McKinney

1B  Sameed Arshad, David McClean, Christopher Kelly, Jade Pearson

1C  Rachel Robinson, Ellen Patterson, Kerrie Wilson, Naomi Wasson

2A  Niamh Woods, Cian Curran, Mark Buchanan, Sam Oliver, Amy Lowry

2B  Helen Roulston, John Kelly, Colin Goudie, Megan Clay

2C  Rachel Bailey, Marcie Curran, Kyle Russell, Shane Kilpatrick

2D  Rachel Gibson, Iain Crockett, Jordan Parke, Nudrat Khalid, James Duncan

3A  Munazza Arshad, Patrick Manning, Owen McGirr, Kelvin McClean

3B  Gavin Lecky, Jonathan Blackburn, Matthew Edwards, Adam Johnston

3C Sarah Patterson, Shaun Woods, Ian Blackburn, Matthew McNulty

3D Zoe Moore, Rachel Tinney, Tory Devenney, Richard Long

Special Prizes

Religious Education:  Sarah Bates, Iain Crockett, Samantha Finlay, Karen Johnston, Matthew McNulty, Helen Roulston

JCSP:  Second Form:  Natasha Gordon, Margaret McKnight
             Third Form:  Emma Cole, Nissa Henderson

Attendance:  Sarah Bates, Cian Curran, John Kelly, Kim Magee, Holly Mason, Naomi Neely, Helen Roulston

Royal School House:  Lorna Moffitt, Simon Russell

Library:  Sarah Bates, David McClean, Safwan Wasif

Sponsored Walk Prizes:  Kirsty Barnett, Samantha Finlay, Brad Moore

Kevin Kelly Memorial Cup:  Caroline Scott