Daughters of Kentigern Celebrate Flora MacDonald Day

The green, red, yellow, and blue flags dancing above the crowd of excited girls signalled that another Flora MacDonald Day was about to commence. Parents lined the Top Field, cameras at the ready, for the parade led by our College Pipes and Drums to begin.

As is tradition, the shrill sound of the piper begins a parade around the Shore Road campus, our invited guests leading the girls in their clans on a scenic route concluding at the gym. There, guests, and students celebrated their adopted Scottish heritage as Daughters of Kentigern – reflecting on the heroine story of Flora MacDonald, listening to the lilting lyrics of Mairi’s Wedding, and enjoying a traditional sword dance performance by the two talented Broun sisters.

At the gathering, Principal Mrs Marianne Duston shared her vision behind a Scotland legacy badge that she announced each girl would receive at her commissioning a few weeks prior. Glasgow’s patron saint, Saint Kentigern, was a Christian minister who pioneered a church in the city later to be the site of the Glasgow Cathedral built in his honour. As a capable leader affectionately known as ‘Mungo’ (translated to mean ‘dear friend,’) his memory will be worn on the blazers of our girls and all those to come through the school, reminding them of his leadership, friendship, and their shared responsibility as students of Saint Kentigern.

With formalities concluded, the girls enjoyed a quick morning tea of shortbread before beginning their activities rotations. Each girl, together with her House, clan, and big/little sisters, participated in field games, Scottish dancing, inflatable obstacle courses, and a unicorn-crafting activity they could take home. The day was complete with continuous laughter erupting from the students throughout the afternoon as they nailed a hit during the water fights or jigged to the music.