New KGS house names announced

The names for the new houses at Kirkwall Grammar School are Copinsay, Fara and Eynhallow.

Seven names were shortlisted — all uninhabited Orkney islands — after a previous vote to select a theme, which included Norse gods/Norse names and Orkney wildlife. The result of the final vote was announced at a ceremony in the school earlier today.

Pupils pulled the names of the old houses, along with a colour, out of a hat – the Sorting Hat brought to Orkney by Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling last month – to decide which of the old houses would be combined.

Dingieshowe and Scapa have been combined for Copinsay; Berstane and Newark combined for Fara; and Inganess and Waulkmillwill become Eynhallow.