Lockerbie pupils visit university which lost 35 students in Pan Am bombing

Ailay Carruthers, Ella Howatson and Lilian Ong met the relatives of Christopher Jones, one of the Syracuse victims

Ten students from Lockerbie Academy have visited a US university which lost 35 students in the Pan Am bombing in 1988.

They were among 259 passengers killed on board when the plane exploded over Lockerbie, alongside 11 residents on the ground.

Every year since then two young people from Lockerbie Academy have been chosen to spend a year studying at Syracuse University in New York state.

However no scholarships were awarded for the 2025/26 school year and instead 10 students were selected to visit the campus for their renowned remembrance week.

Syracuse University has said that the scholarship will restart in autumn 2026 and run until at least 2028 but it is unclear who will fund the programme.

During their week at the university the students took part in a series of remembrance events, including a rose-laying ceremony and a service in Hendricks Chapel.

They spent time with the families of the Syracuse victims and met the 35 students who have been chosen as this year's Syracuse University remembrance scholars.

The scholarship is one of the highest honours that students at the university can achieve. They receive $5,000 (£3,750) and spend the year learning about a victim, their interests and their time at Syracuse, and often meet the family.

The group also took charge of the social media accounts of Lockerbie's Dryfesdale Lodge Visitor Centre and Tundergarth Kirks Trust, as a way of bolstering their relationship with the local remembrance sites.

They were at Syracuse for a week of remembrance events

Kerry Currie, the depute headteacher of Lockerbie Academy said the trip was a huge success on both sides of the Atlantic.

"I could not be prouder of this group," she said. "They have been the most respectful, honest, caring, kind and enthusiastic ambassadors for Lockerbie.

"They grabbed every opportunity each day, asked questions and shared their reflections.

"They've made memories and friendships that'll last a lifetime. I'm really excited to continue this unique and important relationship we have with Syracuse University."

Pupils took part in a rose-laying ceremony to remember the victims of the Lockerbie bombing

On return from their trip to America, Ms Currie asked the pupils how they would summarise their experience.

She said: "The kids told me that they wouldn't know what to say to their friends, because although they could show them photos, no words could ever describe what they had experienced."

The week-long trip was fully funded by Syracuse University, with the year-long scholarship previously jointly funded between both the Lockerbie and Syracuse Trust and Syracuse University.