Whilst they may not all be together onsite, a group of S6 pupils have stayed connected through Minecraft - a sandbox style game akin to digital LEGO. Alexander D, Hugo G, Katie M, Nida N and Patrick R took on the challenge of recreating the iconic quadrangle on the online game. 

Talking about what inspired them to recreate the campus Patrick said: “It started several months ago when Hugo and I decided we wanted to make a replica of the Auld Hoose for fun. After lockdown began, we wanted to cement the memory of school and spend time together and thought this was a nice way to do so.”

Developing teamwork, persistence and observational skills they each took parts of the school to build and also worked on some areas together. Hugo commented: “As I see it, Minecraft is a team sport, just like rugby or hockey: each gamer working towards the same goal, be it slaying the ender dragon, or in this case, building the school.

“We used mainly the campus map which is available on the school website, as well as working from a few reference photos which we took ourselves. Building during lockdown however proved to be difficult, and we often found ourselves piecing together buildings from various corners of photos from over the years.”

The majority of the group have been playing Minecraft for around 8 years whilst Nida began last year.