The formal ceremony, which included music from the school band and Charis Wallum, was held in the evening for the first time to allow more to attend, and among the dignitaries were: Master of the Merchant Company Andrew Proudfoot, SBC director of education Glenn Rodger, quality improvement officer Alison Robson and Pauline Williams from the parent council.

But it was the pupils who were honoured at the special event aimed at celebrating the success of young people at the school.

In her speech, head teacher Wilma Burgon praised the achievements of pupils this year and was quick to dismiss criticsims of 'the youth of today', challenging staff and older members of the audience to reflect on their own school days.

She revealed how Mrs Hendrie, as a pupil at Selkirk High, had telephoned the school anonymously to explain in muffled tones that there was a bomb on the premises. Also exposed was Mr Shanks who, while a student participant on a school trip, climbed the flagpole at the top of Notre Dame Cathedral.

"Let me be clear," Mrs Burgon continued. "I realise that there are challenging issues that have to be addressed. I acknowledge that there are areas that, as a school, we need to improve and accept that not all pupils are well behaved and motivated.

"However, I sincerely believe that dwelling on bad news, to the exclusion of the opposite, can be, and is, destructive, demoralising and dangerous.

"If we are to bring about improvement, any change should be well thought through, should be supported with reliable evidence that recognises existing strengths as well as weaknesses, and should build on what already works well – and there is a lot that is working well."

She went on to list the many highlights of the year – including field trips, projects, sporting and music successes and strong links with the local community – and thanked staff for their commitment to the pupils.

She also took the opportunity to acknowledge 79 years of service (collectively) from retiring staff Alan Hume, Margaret McKinney, Elma Hendrie and Gavin Harris, whose departure, she said, would be "a great loss to the school".