Academy Trail brings out the best in Moray

Tanya McLaren

PUPILS at Forres Academy held a special event at the school to showcase some of the industry and best assets of the Moray area which they have been studying.

This colourful character welcomed visitors to The Moray Trail at Forres Academy

The ‘Moray Trail’ event was organised by teacher, Douglas Connors for S1 pupils who have been studying a new integrated social studies course this year which he said has proved to be a success with both pupils and teachers.

“The aim of the special evening was to give parents the opportunity to take the Moray journey and experience first hand some of the learning and the fun that has been going on in classrooms over the first part of the year,” he said.

The module which focused on Moray was a joint approach by teachers from the History, Modern Studies, Geography and Business Education departments.

They decided to hold a special evening at the school last Tuesday (January 31) with displays and presentations on farming, fishing, the RAF in Moray, the whisky industry, tourism, and others.

The modules included study on natural resources that make Moray a pleasant place to live, with a focus on industries and amenities, such as the whisky industry, farming and fishing methods and the communties that have developed around them.

The role of the RAF in Moray and the impact of closure of RAF Kinloss was also a hot topic for debate. The positive focus was on the tourism industry and how to attract more people to the region, with pupils also asked to design and market a Moray Brand which would sellin the area they live in.

The event was extremely well attended with lots of parents going along to see the exhibits and work that their children have been doing during sessions of the new module.

Visitors who were piped into the event, also enjoyed coffee and home-made bakes, made by the pupils with help from staff at the Home Economics department.

Head teacher, Laurence Findlay said that it was a great event and parents were positive about the whole experience.