Page 31 - Bellfort Magazine 2025

I want to draw upon some key achievements.

Highlights of the School Year include, our excellent production of ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’, when
the Dunclug College Players played to a week of full house matinees and evening performances.

The College ‘House Colours Day’, in November celebrating the houses of Rathmore, Pinegrove,

Ballyloughan and Harberton celebrating teamwork and connections across the school whilst
recognising diversity and the role that everyone has to contribute in the shaping of society.

Pupils travelled to ‘Barcelona to visit the cosmopolitan capital of Spain’s Catalonia region, which

is known for its art and architecture.’, there was a trip to ‘Madagascar’ at the Belfast Opera
House, the Spring Concert where pupils shone through voice, instruments and performance.

‘Shared Education Visits’, the ‘Many Enrichments and Competitions’ not forgetting the life skills
developed through the ‘Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions’, the ‘Successful Sports Day’ and an

excellent end of year ‘Exam Series’!

The calendar was enhanced with Regular ‘Sporting Achievements’ in football, rugby, hockey and
netball to name a few… with the Dunclug Supporters travelling to the Kingspan Stadium to

cheer on our First XV rugby team who made it through to the High Schools’ Cup Final.

As Principal and as Staff we were overwhelmed by the messages of encouragement for the Under
16s First XV Rugby Team.

The strapline was ‘Kingspan here we come!’
With unwavering determination, we reached the final of the High Schools’ Cup – going toe to toe

with Bangor Academy, to play at Kingspan, an achievement that only the few get to experience.
Supporters travelled to Kingspan… all 600 hundred!

We played with gusto…
In my view (not to be biased) we knocked it out of the park…

On this occasion we didn’t bring back the silverware….

However, we put Dunclug College, the Town of Ballymena and High Schools’ Rugby well and truly
on the map…
Rugby is a game of two halves, there are days when the wind is behind you and the game plan

clicks into place, there are days when you have to dig deep, taste the turf and grind out the game

plan. I can confidently say that we brought it all, plus a little extra!
Early on we got the measure of Bangor Academy… and played them at our best. Bangor Academy

realised they had to work as Dunclug went into half time with a 10-8 lead. Dunclug retained the
lead with 17-15 on the score board and in the last ten minutes of the game the Bangor Academy

backs carried the ball to the try line bringing in an end score of 17-30.