Veritas 2020

1870 - 2020

ST. DOMINIC’S GRAMMAR SCHOOL FOR GIRLS BECTA Accredited St. Dominic’s Grammar School 1870 - 2020 ST. DOMINIC’S SCOIL NAOMH DOIMINIC

Contents Principalʼs Foreword 2 Farewell to Staff 4 In Memory of Andrew Thompson 5 School Vision 6 Junior School Experiences 7 Shared Education 14 Erasmus + Trip to Romania 16 Community 18 Art 20 Business Studies 23 Drama 25 English 28 French 35 ICT 36 Geography 40 History 46 Home Economics 48 Media 51 Irish 52 Mathematics 54 PE 57 Spanish 60 Technology and Design 61 Music 62 Psychology 64 Sociology 65 Politics 66 RE 68 Science 70 Veritas - Mock Bar 76 School Class Photographs 78 Year 14 Yearbook 98 In Our Time 100 Autograph Pages 104

St. Dominicʼs High School, Falls Road, Belfast BT12 6AE Tel: 028 9032 0081 Fax: 028 9031 2682 www.stdominics.org.uk Foreword

St. Dominic’s Grammar School 1870 - 2020

As I write the foreword to Veritas each year, I recall the events young girl from Cabra, Eliza Kennedy, aged 13, Eliza who of the past year, many of which are reflected in the magazine. went on to become Mother Francis was to play a significant At the same time, I look forward with optimism to the year role in the history of the foundation. which is ahead. The timing of the foreword coincides with the brighter days which herald the Spring and Easter, a time of From these early beginnings, the Sisters went on to be key rebirth. Our A level pupils are preparing to leave us and are influencers in Belfast and well beyond. They established what looking forward with enthusiasm to the next chapter of their we now know as St. Maryʼs University College, the former St. lives while next yearʼs Year 8 pupils are looking forward to Catherineʼs Primary School (now St. Clareʼs PS), St. Roseʼs joining us. Dominican College (now All Saintsʼ College), Dominican College, Fortwilliam, the Little Flower (now Trinity College) And so the cycle of the school year comes and goes - a and Dominican College, Portstewart. Their courage, continuous cycle of new beginnings and farewells, a cycle determination, selflessness, dedication and vision have led to which began 150 years ago when a group of Dominican young people, primarily girls having access to a first class Sisters travelled to Belfast to establish “a select school for education and their work still goes on. As a past pupil of St. girls” in response to an invitation from Bishop Dorrian, Bishop Dominicʼs, I feel indebted to the Sisters because without them, of Down and Connor. Fortunately for countless generations of I would never have had the opportunities that I have enjoyed young people, the Dominican Sisters accepted the invitation in my life. They encouraged hard work and inspired and so St. Dominicʼs, Belfast was established on April confidence and self-belief and a vision for a better life. They 24th1870. It is with gratitude that I reflect on the courage and instilled values in pupils and encouraged honesty, kindness, generosity of the Sisters, our founders whose influence in the respect, integrity and character. One of my favourite quotes field of education throughout the world is impressive. is from St. Dominicʼs Annual Report 1929/30 and it epitomises the Sistersʼ philosophy “Character tells more for success in It is difficult now to imagine that in 1870, St. Dominicʼs was life than ability”. This philosophy is equally relevant in 2020 located at the cityʼs edge, almost in the country. The “Select because academic results on their own mean little. While Day School” opened on 24th April 1870 with four pupils and achieving good results is important, it is character and the way four days later, the boarding school opened with one pupil, a in which we achieveand fail that makes us decent human

2 Veritas 2020

beings and nurtures fulfilment. The Sisters demonstrated this character to enable the girls to deal from the schoolʼs earliest days. Today, we seek to emulate their with “a world bristling with dangers” example as we aim to build character and to prepare our pupils irrespective of the nature of the for life. dangers.

In todayʼs world, there are undoubtedly many challenges and While looking forward and planning are as adults tasked with educating young people, we often fear key to success, the illustrious history of for their well-being. We look back nostalgically to a past world Dominican education and all that the which we imagine was a gentler, more straightforward place. Sisters did to enable young people to The 1929/30 Annual Report highlights for us that this was succeed are proof that looking back is also key to success. never the case, that some things are constants. The We laud the Sisters for all that they achieved and enabled challenges of the time are described by the Sisters in the others to achieve, for carving the path which we tread. following words - “Our young people find themselves launched on a world bristling with dangers”. I am minded of the The story which Veritas tells demonstrates that we remain true Seventies when I attended St. Dominicʼs and when the to the vision of our founders. Our school is about encouraging Troubles raged all around us. No doubt the Swinging Sixties self-belief, building character and nurturing talent through the before that also appeared to be a world “bristling with many activities about which you will read. dangers”. Throughout the Troubles and all other times, the Sisters ensured that the school was a safe place for young Many thanks and congratulations to Mrs Aine Frazer for people and so today, as a school, we aim to make our school drawing together this story. Bain sult as an scéal! a safe space. The challenges our pupils face today are different to those of the past and the challenges which pupils Carol McCann will face in the future are beyond our imagination but hopefully, Principal we will continue to build character to enable the girls to deal with “a world bristling with dangers” irrespective of the nature of the dangers but hopefully, we will continue to build

3 Claire Conlon Claire Conlon joined the staff of St Dominicʼs in September 1984 and has left a lasting impression. Claireʼs laugh is instantly recognisable and lights up any room. Her “can do” attitude will live long in the RE department. As Claireʼs “colleagues in Christ” we miss her humour and sense of fun. It is because of her warm, fun- loving and caring nature that anyone who has spent time in St. Dominicʼs will remember Claire. She was always Dr. Hazel Khamanra considerate of new members of staff and visitors to the staff room. She Dr Khamanra joined St Dominicʼs in September 2014, after six years made everyone feel welcome, took time to engage in conversation and teaching in Cambridge House, Ballymena. She hit the ground running, to make people feel at ease. Claire exhibited great compassion and not only in the Mathematics department but also in the Physics, pastoral care in her time in St. Dominicʼs. Technology & Design, Learning for Life and Work and of course, her Claire led a very successful department, encouraging the pupils to do favourite of all…Home Economics! their best and achieve their dreams. She arranged a variety of In her first year, her biggest challenge wasnʼt remembering the inspirational speakers to speak to the pupils about very real issues quadratic formula or reigniting her love of statistics but rather the which occur in all of their lives and arranged wonderful retreats with the Sunday night rehearsals in the kitchen making pastry from scratch or help of the Clonard youth ministry team. The pupils benefitted greatly white sauce for leek and ham pasta. under her leadership. On a more serious note, Dr Khamanra was a fabulous teacher and very Claire was renowned for her speedy exits which can only be compared valuable colleague in St Dominicʼs. We are extremely grateful for her to the racing at Drumbo race track. One such attempted speedy exit flexibility to teach in many departments. Her input in the Mathematics has been the talk of the staffroom for years! Attempting to rush home, department, particularly when establishing links across the curriculum she dashed to her car, hopped into the driverʼs seat and proceeded to was extremely insightful. drive her car over a small wall. Around eight members of staff were blocked in that evening until the crane arrived to haul out Claireʼs car. In her ultimate year, Hazel did a fantastic job in co-ordinating KS3 Claire has given us some laughs over the years! Mathematics. It is no surprise that she has now pursed a leadership role as Head of Physics in Bloomfield Collegiate. The RE department will be bereft without her. She has been a friend, a confidant, a constant support and loyal leader. Claire has always It remains for us to wish Dr Khamanra all the best in her new school and encouraged us, inspired us and brought us so much joy. We will miss to wish her, Frances, Aubai and Mayeni a very happy future together. her and wish her all the very best!

Roisin Connolly (Magee)

Róisin Connolly (née Magee) began teaching in St. Dominicʼs in 1990. Róisín carried out this role with military precision, leaving nothing to Before being appointed to St Dominicʼs, she taught in St. chance so that these events ran smoothly and effectively. Due to Philomenaʼs, outside London and in CBS, Hightown Road. As a past Róisínʼs excellent organizational skills and relentless attention to detail, pupil of St. Dominicʼs, she had very fond memories of her time here the number of applications to the school soared and demand always and being appointed a teacher in the school was undoubtedly a dream well exceeded places available. come true. Róisinʼs association with St. Dominicʼs dates back to 1975. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, Róisín contributed to As a pupil, she immersed herself fully in the life of school, taking all the the schoolʼs strategic and operational planning as well as policy opportunities that came her way. Recalling her time as a pupil, Róisín development but most importantly, Róisín contributed significantly speaks fondly of her participation in the school musical “Lilac Time”, in terms of her commitment and dedication to the job. At the weekly her visit to Poland and the antics of her fellow classmates (the more meetings, Róisín could always be relied upon to bring a bit of light- mischievous ones) who set up camp in the attics above what is now hearted banter to the table. Her West Belfast humour never failed the Upper Study but which at the time were classrooms and how these to impress. When things were going all wrong on any given day in dare-devil students showered paper confetti on to unsuspecting school, she found humour in the situation and soon had everyone teachers. We can be 100% certain that Róisin was in the classroom! laughing, especially at her own antics. She introduced numerous While at school, she played the guitar and was ahead of the times, initiatives and activities for Key Stage 3 pupils but the one which when she and a group of class mates formed a Girl Band who played she enjoyed most was the KS3 Fundraising Talent Competition at the popular nightspot, the Green Briar. She was extremely proud to which she initiated and led. Every week at SLT, she regaled the be associated with the school and so she led the way, encouraging team with stories of the various acts and her enthusiasm was other Magee girls to follow in her footsteps. She was especially infectious. pleased when her daughters, Hannah and Emma came to the school. I met Roisin for the first time at the PPU dinner in 2007. I was As a teacher, she gave outstanding service and commitment. From returning to St Dominicʼs as Principal and Roisin was returning her earliest days, she wanted to give her students opportunities from a career break. My first impression was of her was beyond the school day. She ran a quiz club and a rambling club. Past that she was very friendly and enthusiastic about the school. My pupils fondly remember Miss Magee taking them on long pleasure- early memories are of Roisin singing and dancing maths melodies filled walks on Saturday mornings. over in St Thomasʼs Building. When she joined SLT, she constantly She always went the extra mile as a Maths teacher, a Year Head and reminded the team of her love for Maths, its importance, its most recently as a member of the schoolʼs Senior Leadership Team. relevance in the world and how exciting and intriguing Maths As a member of the team, she worked incredibly hard and always is……… made herself available to support her colleagues, to meet parents late Roisin gave so much to the school that it is hard to imagine how into the evening and to give pupils additional help beyond the school she found time beyond the school day to do anything else but she day. She had very high expectations of her pupils and they responded did find some time for her many interests. Hopefully, retirement will to her encouragement and dedication by achieving outstanding allow her to develop and fully enjoy these interests. outcomes. In addition to her duties as Head of Key Stage3, Róisín had We are grateful for Róisínʼs service and commitment. She has responsibility for a myriad of jobs, the main one being leadership of the certainly left her mark on the school. schoolʼs Open Day and organization of the schoolʼs activity days.

4 Andrew Thompson 13th April 1987 – 1st October 2019

At the beginning of October, the school said goodbye with a heavy heart to Mr Andrew Thompson, an inspirational teacher and musician. Andrew was a highly dedicated member of the Music Department staff for seven years and was incredibly popular with staff and students alike. As well as providing first-class instrumental tuition to many of our young aspiring musicians, Andrew acted as our principal accompanist, thoughtfully and sensitively guiding countless students through grade exams and practicals. Andrew also accompanied the Senior Choir in concerts, competitions and on tour in Prague, bringing both his great wit and his great wisdom to each rehearsal and performance. The thoughts of his pupil, Maria Aaroy, captures the essence of the man: “Mr Thompson was my saxophone teacher for five years and constantly gave me invaluable guidance, taking my classes with kindness and humour. He helped me understand the importance of music and made me passionate about performing. When I came to my lesson he would always open with a funny joke or his ever favourite ʻMaria Themeʼ from West Side Story which he would play when he would see me. Every week, there would be a new story about his son Joel or he would remember something interesting that he read that he thought I would enjoy. Whenever I was worried about what I wanted to study at university, he would always put my mind at ease and remind me to follow my heart and do what I enjoyed. You could never walk out of a lesson with Mr Thompson without laughing! It was always a big highlight of my week when I got to go to my lesson because he was such a kind and lovely person.” Andrew was not just a colleague, he was very much part of the Music Department family in St. Dominicʼs and he will be sorely missed.

“Go n-éirí an bóthar leat Go raibh an ghaoth go brách ag do chúl Go lonraí an ghrian go te ar d'aghaidh Go dtite an bháisteach go mín ar do pháirceanna Agus go mbuailimid le chéile arís, Go gcoinní Dia i mbos A láimhe thú. May the road rise up to meet you, May the wind be always at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, May the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.”

5 St. Dominic’s Vision

Each one of us is unique, created by a unique God, for a unique purpose

St. Dominic’s is a community committed to mutual respect where every individual is valued, respected, encouraged and empowered to reach her/his potential in an atmosphere of love, forgiveness, honesty, openness and optimism.

We are committed to celebrating difference, to promoting equality, self belief and a culture of confidence where success is celebrated.

We strive to unlock our individual and collective potential and to be prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities of the twenty-first century, reflecting our strong Dominican ethos.

6 Starting Out...

My First Day at St. Dominic’s

Nervous as I sleep the night before Excited as I walk through the door Welcomed to my new school – form class on the top floor

Science - first subject of the day Timetable busy - how on earth will I find my way? After English, break time in bistro Right, left which way will I go? Three o’clock, ten minutes until home!

Ella Matthews, 8A

7 Starting School

As I walked into St Dominic’s for the first time, As Starting a new school was hard

it felt like a dream, Teachers helped me on my way The red brick walls and old features,

was I entering Hogwarts? Dancing in the Halloween dance was fun Walking up to form class,

my heart raced like a cheetah, Oh, I really enjoy St.Dominic’s!

My head spun, Making new friends was easy Making my way to first class, I heard … In ICT we learn about E-safety School shoes thumping, Nice teachers Teachers’ high heels clickety-clack,

And students chattering, In PE we do basketball, netball and gymnastics

Cautiously creeping down the corridors, Cooking pizzas in H.E.

The bitter taste of fear in my mouth, Science experiments are the best The bell yelled and school was over,

I rushed home eagerly, Lucy Diamond 8E

flopped down on my bed and lay,

“I did it! I survived the first day!”

Eabha Murphy 8D

8 My First Day First Impressions at Secondary School My first day at St. Dominicʼs was absolutely wonderful. It was daunting at first, with the thought of leaving behind my primary Beep! Beep! My alarm was screaming at me to get up. The rain school friends, meeting new teachers, remembering all of my pattered against my window as I rubbed my bloodshot eyes books, making new friends, getting lost and learning new and woke up. My older sister was groaning in the room next subjects. However, the fear didnʼt last long and soon I was door as I thought to myself, meeting all of my new teachers and enjoying all my new subjects. ʻIʼm going to St. Dominicʼs today!ʼ On the first day we were greeted by 6th year pupils who brought us to the study hall and gave us a name badge. They This was going around my head like a siren. I was ready to sat us in our new class groups. Miss Cassidy (my form tutor) start the day. The rain tapped against my window as I walked introduced herself and took us to our form room. She had out of my messy room to start getting dressed. While I was chairs arranged in a circle and we were given a sheet of paper washing my face and getting dressed, I felt like I had become with fifteen questions as an icebreaker. The room went from so much older and more mature. When I took one step out the silent to everyone talking and getting to know each other. I door, a flash hit me! I couldnʼt really see what happened but have made so many new friends and I enjoy every moment in then the picture became more clear to me. My mum was St. Dominicʼs! standing there with her phone already taking photos! I got a bit frustrated as I didnʼt want to be bombarded with photos but this Leah McNally 8A would not ruin my first day.

Soon enough, I pulled up at the turning circle and this magnificent building towered over me. It had old features to it as well as the new part to the building. My mum gave me a kiss St Dominicʼs is the school my Mummy went to and she loved it. on the cheek as I hopped out of the car and was whisked into a She always had good stories about her time in the school. I sea of maroon. We were a colony of marching ants. was a little nervous when I first started but I knew a lot of girls Throughout the day, my nerves disappeared and I got to meet who play water polo outside school so I knew I could talk to interesting people. My form teacher was brilliant and her name them if I needed a bit of help. was Miss Mc Nicholl. When the time came to go home, I shrugged my bag on my back and waited for my mum to pick On my first day I was a bit worried but my prefects and me up. In a flash, my first day was over! teachers helped me make new friends and settle in. It is now January and I love it. I love all the new subjects and chicken Orlaith Mussen 8D curry Friday!

Polly Short 8B

9 Year 8 Trip to the pantomime!

This year, all Year 8 went to see the pantomime ʻPeter Panʼ. I had a lot of fun because the whole day was so enjoyable and the play was amazing. The actors were all incredible singers and were really brilliant at their roles. It was a great treat before the Christmas break and it really got everybody in the Christmas spirit. Katie McNally 8D

All Year 8 pupils visited the Lyric Theatre to see Peter Pan. When we arrived at the theatre, we made our way up the steep steps which brought us into a fancy lobby. We all waited to take our seats for the show. Excited chatter filled the air and then the speaker in the lobby made an announcement, “Everyone please make their way to their seats.” Everyone was so excited, As we settled down, the lights began to dim. The music started, the stage lights lit up and the show began as Wendy, John and Michael set off on their journey to help Peter Pan in Neverland. When Captain Hook came onto the stage, everyone “booed” and smoke descended on the audience. The show flew by and before we knew it, the lights came back up and we made our way out to the lobby. Before leaving, we took a class photo as a souvenir of a great day. Mollie Rodgers 8C

On the day of the pantomime we went to the Bistro and waited on our buses. When we got on the bus there was a burst of excitement. Everyone was talking about what sweets they brought and there was even some trading! When we arrived at the venue, we went to our seats and watched everyone arrive. I really enjoyed the pantomime as it got me into the festive spirit and I enjoyed spending time with my school friends outside of school. Aoife Rice 8B

Year 10 Fundraising

In September, Year 10 were visited by the amazing CLIC Sargent charity. CLIC Sargent work tirelessly to stop cancer destroying young lives. They work with the young people and their families to provide specialist care all across the UK. Within the first few hours of a childʼs diagnosis they are quickly provided with a CLIC Sargent care team who help and support the family through the experience. The Year 10 pupils agreed to give up their phones for a whole 24 hours in order to raise money for the cancer charity. The girls raised a staggering £2800 for CLIC Sargent which will help so many young people who have been diagnosed with cancer.

10 There was such a variety of costumes, including Mario Halloween Disco 2019 characters, conjoined twins, Harley Quinn and even a jelly fish! Everyone was so excited to watch the performances and all of The annual Halloween Disco was held on the 23rd of October the dances were so unique and well-choreographed. At the in order to raise money for Trocaire. Trocaire is an organization end, after every class had performed the winners were that helps provide assistance to struggling third-world announced. 8E won for their Spooky Skeleton routine and 9E countries. The assistance can be through providing clean won for their Michael Jackson mashup. Both were worthy water, clothing, food or medical supplies. winners! The clear winner for Best Costume was the handmade Every Year 8 and 9 form class came together to choreograph a Gameboy costume from 9D! dance and each pupil dressed up in Halloween costume. The staff and 6th formers put a lot of effort into organising the Everyone paid in and that money went straight to Trocaire. We whole event. The junior classes appreciate all the hard work all got a party bag with our entry so it was great value! The that goes into making this such a fun event each year. The disco took place in the study hall and the staff and 6th formers Halloween disco is a great way for each class to unite and helped to decorate the hall. The study hall was transformed into show off their creative skills. It is a lovely way to wind down a spooky setting with cobwebs, spiders and even coffins lurking before half-term and a great way to raise money for charity! around the room. Lauren Rafferty, Eve Conlon and Nina Barkley 9D

11 Pope John Paul II Award

The Pope John Paul II award continues to thrive! The award is led by St.Dominicʼs in conjunction with the Diocesan Youth Team, Living Youth. The programme requires pupils to complete both faith and community volunteering. Many pupils opt for the Gold Award which requires pupils undertake a variety of faith leadership experiences. To complete their award pupils must reflect on their experiences, exploring how it has aided their spiritual growth and understanding of the faith. Amy commented, “The award was a valuable experience that allowed me to help others. I would recommend the award to anyone who wants to give something back to their community in a very practical way”.

St. Dominic’s holds the Beacon

St. Dominicʼs were delighted to be presented with a plaque for and assist others with their ideas. I enjoy getting the their commitment to the ʻGet Set for Community Actionʼ opportunity to travel to London to contribute to improving the programme. This programme empowers schools to encourage overall NCS programme. This leadership role has made a huge active lifestyles amongst young people, providing access to impact, helping me to become more confident, improving my funding, training and materials to help get their local community negotiation and team working skills and helping me to realise active. These schools become Get Set Beacons, supporting that as young people, we really can make a difference.” youth leadership, youth volunteering and the promotion of a healthy and active lifestyle. Each ʻGet Set Beaconʼ applies to the project with a project plan. After they are accepted, they attend training before returning to their school to start work on their projects. The team coordinator at St Dominicʼs is Miss Connolly. Award funds received from the programme were given to Home Economics department to support their healthy living initiatives and to the PE department to purchase fitness trackers for KS3 class use. National Citizen Service at St. Dominicʼs The core NCS programme consists of three phases. These are ʻBe Epic, Live Life and Do Goodʼ. St. Dominicʼs have a growing number of pupils participating in this extra-curricular programme. In 2019 we had three teams. Our successful participants and 100 hour Millennium Volunteer Awardees included: Lucy Smyth, Soraya Boudhaim, Guia Molina, Jenna Farrell, Niamh Quinn, Olivia Brennan, Ciara Loughran, Megan Smyth, Tiarna Hillock, Niamh Hughes, Laura Loughran-Doak, Rachael Loughran-Doak, Hannah Smyth.

Niamh McNally who was selected onto the NCS National Youth Board was very enthusiastic about the programme saying, “On completing the initial programme, you will have learned to challenge yourself by stepping out of your comfort zone. You try a range of adventurous activities, learn essential skills such as teamwork, communication skills, design and finally develop a social action project that benefits the wider community. I originally joined the Regional Youth Board where I have worked with many people from a wide range of backgrounds, developing social action projects exploring mental health and sexual health education. This experience has increased my awareness of issues within my own community and how young people can play a part in improving this. I now sit on the National Youth Board as a social action leader. This means I have the opportunity to get involved with social action projects

12 Credible Catholics

In December 2019, a group from the United States of America met with representatives from Living Youth. They were introducing a new faith and philosophy programme entitled ʻCredible Catholicsʼ. The group met with educators and pupils attending the Youth Alpha programme, which included a number St. Dominicʼs pupils and our schoolʼs Volunteer Coordinator. Through discussion, they hoped to identify issues surrounding faith which were important to pupils and teachers in Ireland. The US team were impressed by the sheer number of young people attending the YA event and by the massive enthusiasm in the room! There were a lot of great ideas discussed which will hopefully help the Credible Catholic team as they modify their programme to meet the needs of their Irish audience.

Lepra Fundraiser St. Dominicʼs Lepra Fundraiser was held on the 25th of September. The fundraiser was a sponsored workout for all Year 9 pupils. Lepra is a charity that helps raise awareness and funds for individuals suffering with leprosy. Leprosy is an infectious disease that causes disfigured skin, sores and nerve damage in areas around the body. The disease has been documented since ancient times and is often surrounded by terrifying, negative stigmas. Lepra also educates communities about leprosy and other diseases. They inform people on how to access treatment in the hope of tackling the disease through early diagnosis. For the fundraiser, each class was given an envelope to collect sponsorship money. Pupils raised money through a range of activities such as bun sales, door to door collections and litter picking. Everyone was very enthusiastic to help and worked hard to attain sponsorships. When the day for the sponsored workout finally arrived, anticipation and excitement was in the air. Everyone really enjoyed the workout as it was such fun and a great way to spend time together as a year group whilst raising money for charity. It is safe to say we were all exhausted afterwards! After the workout the representatives from Lepra spoke to our Year Group, explaining how the money raised would be used. Last year, they helped over a million people improve their lives. They stress that they always focus on the person, not just the disease. The whole of Year 9 raised £2,000 for Lepra and were very proud of their contribution to this worthy cause. Cara Dougan and Molly Mace 9D

13 Shared Education 2019-2020

This is the fourth year of the Shared Education Signature Project between St. Dominicʼs and Friendsʼ School, Lisburn. Throughout this project, pupils have taken part in many fruitful and exciting activities.

History Politics Shared Education As part of Year 10 History we learn about World War One. Whilst Throughout our time in ʻPolitics in Actionʼ we were provided learning about this topic, we went on a Shared Education trip with with opportunities to engage with Friendsʼ School, Lisburn and Friendsʼ School Lisburn, to the Somme Heritage Centre. debate about Brexit. This enabled us to get a wider perspective Throughout the day we learned about various things, from the on the possible implications and effects of Brexit on our future. weapons that were used to how the trenches were made! On To prepare for our final presentation at Stormontʼs Long Gallery, arrival we were welcomed by the staff and invited into the hall, we met with politicians such as Sinn Féinʼs Martina Anderson where we were seated and then split into two groups, consisting of and DUPʼs Sammy Wilson, as well as visiting the EU pupils from both Friendsʼ and St Dominicʼs. Commission in Dublin and touring the Seanad. We also met with MLAs from across the main parties at Stormont to create The first place our group went was into a room which displayed our SWOT analysis of Brexit and its implications for Northern many weapons that were used during the war. We all took a seat Ireland. We benefitted greatly in developing our analytical and and began to hear stories about the different weapons. They were research skills and increased our political awareness on issues carefully passed around the room and we got a chance to hold that determine all of our futures. In our final presentation, we them and to hold grenades. The next room had a wall filled with delivered our shared view of issues on the all- island economy, propaganda and war posters. This room also had a TV screen that health, rights and identity to a packed hall of political enabled us to listen to some official speeches that were broadcast representatives, parents and friends. It was a fantastic at the time of war. Our tour guide explained the speeches, so we experience for all involved! had a better understanding the meaning behind them. We then entered a role-play area. In this area two pupils acted out a scene Lucy Brogan and Maria Reid with props and costumes. Later, we went into a huge part of the centre that had been transformed into a trench. It felt so realistic and really gave us a feeling of what it must have been like to be in the trenches, with the sound of bombs going off. After lunch, the two groups joined together to make murals out of clay. The teachers came around to hear our ideas and help us if needed. The last thing we did was present our clay pieces to everyone and told them what they were. They all were about how the two communities came together to work as a team. Overall the trip was an amazing experience, forming new friendships and teaching us about our history in a fun and enjoyable way! Ella Weatherup 10C

14 Friends’ School, Lisburn and St Dominic’s Grammar School, Belfast

Shared Education- ICT At the end of last year, Year 9 pupils had the opportunity to participate in a Shared Education course with Friendsʼ School, Lisburn. Over three days, we developed our knowledge on coding and learnt about robotics whilst making new friends. On the first day we travelled to Friendsʼ School, Lisburn where we did some fun icebreakers to get to know the people with whom we would be spending the next few days. Then, we were put into pairs and started looking over the basic coding techniques. For the rest of the day we started connecting the Raspberry Pis to the electronics so we could learn how it works. The second day took place in St Dominicʼs, where we started building our robot. We used Raspberry Pi for the first time as a controller and it was very difficult. Luckily, my partner was an expert and taught me how to use it! The hardest bit of the project was actually building the robot but it was really good to be able to work as a team to get the job done. It took a lot of moving things around but finally, by the end of the second day, we had completed building the robot. On the final day we used all our coding skills to make the robot move! Raspberry Pi was a bit different to what we were used to but once we got the basics it became easier. It took a lot of patience and many trial and error attempts but once we finally got the wheels to move all the hours of being patient paid off! We were then able to make the robot reverse, turn around and do other tricks. I really enjoyed this course and getting the chance to work with different people. All the people from Friendsʼ were very nice and friendly. I also learnt lots of new skills and techniques that I can use in the future.

Aine Doherty 10 C

PE Shared Education As a part of our A- Level course, we worked alongside Friendsʼ School, Lisburn in a Shared Education project which allowed both schools to learn about a new sport. We went to Friendsʼ to learn how to play Hockey and the following week they came to our school to learn how to play Camogie. Over the next six weeks we planned an event which was to be held at Friendsʼ. The event included a tournament for both hockey and camogie. We also coached the Year 8 camogie team and they participated in the event. Maria McVeigh & Jayde McIlhone, Year 14

15 Erasmus + 2019 Trip to Germany

The last part of the Erasmus+ programme was held in Munich, Germany. This included the presentation of the work that has been completed by the pupils involved over the past four years. The St. Dominicʼs team were involved in many activities throughout the week. The four pupils participated in drone and robotic work, video editing, public speaking, problem solving and international culinary lessons! They describe their experiences in Erding, Germany; “We recently travelled to Erding for a week, participating in an Eramus + programme. The week was filled with new experiences, opportunities and lots of fun. The pupils involved came from different locations across Europe. The first day began with Maria and I volunteering to work on a presentation which we would present at the closing ceremony and which would include a final review of all three hosted trips (Belfast, Iasi and Erding). That night we enjoyed tasting traditional food from around the world. We even prepared some traditional Irish food ourselves to share with the group. The evening was filled with music and dance and was enjoyed by all. The next day we paid a visit to ʻAirbusʼ which is a European multinational aerospace corporation. They discussed their international work on military vehicles, drones and planes. Later that evening we visited the mountain town, Tegernsee. It was stunning with the most picturesque views of the lake. It The Erasmus trip to Erding, Germany was one of the most was followed by a horse drawn sleigh ride through the snowy enlightening experiences of my life. We participated in many mountains. It truly was the stuff of dreams. STEM workshops, learning about thermal imaging, drones, programming and many other interesting things! Whilst we The next day, we were rewarded with some free time in which learnt, we studied alongside pupils and teachers from Erding we visited Europeʼs biggest thermal spa. Following this, we and from Lasi, Romania. We learnt so much about their immersed ourselves in the Bavarian culture by enjoying a different cultures and experiences. traditional meal in Erding city centre. One of my favourite parts of the trip was the ʻInternational During the penultimate day of the trip we spent time at the local Nightʼ. We ate a variety of Bavarian, German, Romanian and school. I was involved in giving a presentation to pupils from Irish food and there were many cultural performances by the the local school about the Erasmus+ programme. The night different schools. The Lasi team wore traditional Romanian finished with us giving our final presentation along with nine outfits and showed us a dance from Romania. The Erding team other students from the project. wore traditional German clothes and one teacher performed a song in German for us. The Belfast team wore GAA gear, Then on Saturday we visited Munich city centre. We were performed some Irish traditional music, played African drums given a tour by Hans who shared his great knowledge of the and led a Céili for everyone! It was such a fun, diverse evening city with us. On our tour we visited famous landmarks such as and was enjoyed by all! the New Town Hall (NeusRathaus) and St Peterʼs Church. This trip was a wonderful experience that we will always Towards the end of our trip, we visited Munich which is a remember.” beautiful and historic city. We were given a wonderful tour by Hans Fürig, the principal of Korbinium Aigner Gymnasium in Natasha Dunlop Year 13 Erding. We saw the stunning Glockenspiel and many beautiful churches and enjoyed a traditional Bavarian meal in the My favourite workshops were the video editing and drone evening. It was a perfect end to the trip. groups which required ICT skills and STEM knowledge. Overall, the Erasmus+ programme increased my knowledge of The Erasmus + Programme has been an incredible experience the STEM sector through communicating with the other teams for all involved. It has involved participation from schools and receiving practical experience. It also gave me the across Europe and the pupils that have taken part have gained opportunity to have a better understanding of the various so much from participating. We have memories that will stay approaches to problem solving. I leanrt there is not always one with us for years to come. solution to a problem. I can confidently say I left Germany with more experience, knowledge and a ton of special memories! Emma Bonner

16 Ten Year 13 pupils aim to raise £1235 for Habitat for Humanity Northern Ireland. This is the cost of providing a home for a family Habitat for in the developing world, including those in Malawi where 1.4 million children are orphaned or vulnerable, largely as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The pupils from St. Dominicʼs were Humanity teamed up with a group of Year 13 pupils from Carrickfergus 19/20 Grammar school. They took part in a volunteering day at the Habitat for Humanity Restore in Lisburn. Planned fundraisers include bun sales and taking part in the Belfast Marathon.

17 #Iwill On 4th October 2019, a new team of #iWill Youth Ambassadors Stormont Award Night were welcomed to their highly anticipated role at a ceremony On 19th of November 2019, Volunteer Now held an ʻUltimate held in Birmingham. Three of the selected cohort came from Volunteerʼ award ceremony at Stormont. The event celebrated Northern Ireland, with two of these being pupils of St Dominicʼs the achievements of 16 Ultimate Volunteers. These volunteers – Elen OʼRawe and Danielle Aleria. Miss Connolly attended as were young adults who were making an outstanding one of the selected Volunteer Now team which represents contribution to volunteering across Northern Ireland. Two St. youth volunteering within Northern Ireland, particularly focusing Dominicʼs pupils, Kira Mc Donnell and ElenOʼRawe, were on the experience of schools. recipients of the Ultimate Volunteer award. Elen and Kira have Both Elen and Danielle enjoyed the experience immensely, with been truly outstanding volunteers and richly deserve this Elen claiming, "The #iWill Ambassador event at Birmingham accolade. University gave me the chance to hear inspiring stories from young women talking about incredible experiences, such as beginning a new life in the UK as a Syrian refugee. The event was full of other ambassadors from Scotland, England and Wales. I was particularly inspired by Lanai Phillips who volunteers for Women Against Sexual Exploitation and Violence Speak Up (WASSUP). She is currently working with other young women to raise awareness of domestic abuse. I also had the opportunity to talk first-hand about volunteering within the health sector with people interested in the same areas as myself, such as Abby Lang who recently campaigned to reduce cardiac death in young people and Gabrielle Matthews who, as a person with a long-term health condition, has recently been appointed as the youngest ever person in the NHS Assembly. As part of the event we were involved in various workshops, joining volunteers campaigning and working in range of areas such as sport, gender equality and environmentalism. The day gave us the chance to talk about the importance of youth social action on a global scale".

18 Send My Friend to School 2019

- 262 million children do not receive an education - 2/3 of children are in education but not receiving a quality education - 131 million girls are missing out on school around the world

Currently there are 262 million children without access to an education due to a range of factors, including poverty, gender, ethnicity, conflict and a lack of resources. Send My Friend to School is a campaign led by young people from all across the UK, which focuses on enabling children around the world to access an education. The 2019 campaign focused on the concept of unlocking education. After successfully getting through the St. Dominicʼs internal selection process, Year 10 students Danielle Aleria and Amy McCann applied to be the Campaign Champions for 2019 and after a tough interview they were chosen. They were two of only 20 Champions across the UK to be picked and had the job of raising awareness of the campaign within their school and the wider community. In order to prepare for their roles as Campaign Champions, Danielle and Amy spent the weekend in Loughborough, England. They participated in activities such as research into barriers to education, public speaking exercises, photo stunts, team building and gained many new skills in preparation for their Parliament Action Day in June. On their return they assembled a team of like-minded advocates from their year group and delivered a series of assemblies about the barriers in global education and what the pupils at St. Dominicʼs could do to make change happen. The Year 10 campaign team delivered a lesson to every class in the junior and middle school on the issue of inequality in global education around the world and encouraged them to take action by writing to their local MP demanding action. By May, Amy and Danielle expanded their campaign beyond St. Dominicʼs, hosting a workshop for two Primary 5 classes from their former primary school St. Josephʼs Primary School, Slate Street. They held a range of activities for the P5 pupils, including raising awareness of the barriers faced by children in other countries and how that could change. The P.5 pupils Amy worked on hard-hitting campaign messages in the form of keys. I signed up for Send My Friend to school because it sounded The messages, along with the ones from St. Dominicʼs Year 8 – like an amazing experience and I knew it would be perfect for 11 students, were presented to Paul Maskey MP who kindly mebecauseIlovetotakepartinthingsthatallowmetoshare gave up his time to meet the campaign team and hear their my opinion. I knew I would love it because not only would it concerns. have provided me with a platform to speak about issues such as education around the world, it would make a real difference In June, Danielle and Amy and the other Campaign Champions to those issues. The highlight of my Send My Friend to School took the campaign to Westminster to lobby the UK Government experience was definitely going to Westminster because it felt to ensure that it meets its targets in achieving Sustainable like all of our hard work had come together and our Development Goal 4 – Education. Amy and Danielle met with campaigning really paid off. I was able to ask the Minister International Development Committee members, Stephen Harriet Baldwin a question about what she was willing to do for Twigg MP and Henry Smith MP, for a question and answer the campaign. This definitely made it an unforgettable about the efforts of the committee in scrutinising the experience which I feel so lucky to have been given. I know Government's actions. They also met with a number of MPs - that I could not have done it all without the support of everyone Paul Maskey MP, Jim Shannon MP, Gregory Campbell MP, in the school. Orlaith Begley MP, Mary Robinson MP and Mike Gapes MP to outline their campaign goals and what the MPs could do. A tough question and answer session followed with Minister of Danielle State for International Development Harriet Baldwin MP about I had many highlights during my time as Campaign Champion. the efforts and progress of the UK government on their efforts I really enjoyed teaching the pupils from my old primary school to ensure that no-one is left behind. Whilst Harriet Baldwin was about their right to education as well as about children across reluctant to make an official promise, she did state that the the world. Iʼve met so many people with the same mind-set government was hoping to pledge £75 million over three years, from different parts of the UK. We all have the same aim of which would go a long way in helping the most marginalised trying to make change happen. I enjoyed the challenge of children. The team received a follow up letter from the Prime getting to talk to different MPs and inform them about our Minister Theresa May commending them for their work as well campaign and what they could do to help. Through the as stating the desire to continue the UK governmentʼs efforts to programme, I have developed more confidence in myself and I improve education standards and delivery globally. am proud of my efforts to make a difference.

19 Aoife Lawlor Niamh Hughes

Ciara Black Emer Privilege Macha Norney Niamh McCarthy 20 Mia Gregory

Beth Mullin

Megan Doherty

Cliodhna Martin

Jessica McDonagh Chloe Monteith 21 Shining a light on remarkable women Herstory is History considered or presented from a feminist viewpoint or with special attention given to the experience and perspective of women. The Herstory 20/20 project is dedicated to promoting the achievements of women, both past and present. On 2 February 2020, Belfast City Hall was illuminated with the portraits of ʻPeace Heroines of Northern Irelandʼ. These portraits were the work of professional artists and school pupils. At the event, we were told by the organiser Fiona Lowe that our portraits are a “real inspiration.” The illuminations were really remarkable and it was wonderful to see the portraits that we created exhibited on such a large scale. There are further plans to illuminate our ʻPeace Heroinesʼ portraits onto the facade of the UN headquarters in New York later this year which is a very exciting prospect!

CCEA True Colours Art Exhibitions The True Colours Art Exhibition celebrates the high calibre of creative work produced by CCEA Art and Design candidates. We are delighted that Ciara Blackʼs GCSE Portfolio was selected for this prestigious exhibition. It was displayed in the Ulster museum from early January to late February. Well done Ciara and her teachers! .

22 Business STUDIES

‘On Your Behalf’ Financial Success St Dominic’s Finance Pupils speak The Business and Finance Department are delighted that six of our pupils have received scholarships of £500 each towards Banking on Radio Ulster and Finance degree programmes offered at the prestigious London In this current economic climate, many young people find Institute of Banking and Finance. themselves worrying about their personal finances. According to Congratulations to the following Year 14 students eligible for this the Young Personsʼ Money Index 2019, 84% of students in cash prize as a result of their A grades in the Certificate in Northern Ireland feel they are not getting access to a Financial Studies: comprehensive financial education. They want to learn more about Sarah Campfield the practicalities of managing money – budgeting, debt management, tax and how products work. Molly England In St. Dominicʼs we have been delivering A-Level Financial Studies Chloe McCaffrey since 2017. This enables our pupils to gain an A-Level whilst learning to become more adept at handling personal finances. Jade McCann With student loans on the horizon for many, our A-Level pupils Elisha McNama know how to manage such debt, being versed in an array of financial products for borrowing, saving and investing. Having Fionnuala OʼConnor studied the impact of the 2008 financial crisis, our pupils are aware of the importance of financial sustainability in order to ensure such Our pupils would have the opportunity to undertake a professional systemic failure does not occur again. qualification as part of their degree, thus graduating with two qualifications. This could lead to careers with organisations They were delighted to have the opportunity to discuss their such as Barclays, HSBC, Deliotte, Thomas Reuters and learning experiences with Lynda McAuley during the ʻOn Your Goldman Sachs. Behalfʼ broadcast on Radio Ulster on 21st November 2019.

23 Studying Arabic Year 8 Arabic Club

As part of an enrichment programme funded by Qatar Foundation The Year 8 Arabic Club is going from strength to strength. International, pupils studying A-Level Business Studies and Knowledge of Arabic is important due to increasing trade with the Financial Studies are offered the unique opportunity to study Arabic speaking world. Year 8 pupils have the opportunity to learn Arabic. Business opportunities in the Arabic world are growing for the basics early to help with their employability in the future! our local exporters and there is increasing demand for Business The club is held in Mrs Murphyʼs Business Studies room on graduates who have Arabic language skills and a heightened Monday Period 7A. All Year 8 are very welcome! Here are some cultural awareness. St Dominicʼs has participated in this testimonies of those that already attend. programme for four years, finding it hugely rewarding. “My name is Renad Abusamra and I was born in Khartoum, Sudan. Working in partnership with Methodist College, Belfast, our pupils I came to Belfast in 2011. When I arrived I could speak basic attend weekly lessons with Rym Akhonzada, Director of Interlingua English but I still spoke Arabic at home. I think Arabic club is really Language Solutions. Those involved are working towards an OCN fun and I look forward to it every week. In Arabic club I have made qualification. new friends who also speak Arabic as well as other pupils who In October 2019, our pupils attended the annual Arabic Conference want to learn Arabic for the first time.” in Belfast. Representatives of local companies stressed the “My name is Saly Alissa and I was born in Greece. My Dad is from prevalence of exports to Arabic countries. We also learned of Syria and my Mum is from Tunisia. I came to Belfast when I was important humanitarian work being undertaken in places such as three years old. Arabic club is the highlight of my Monday. I learn Syria and Sudan. The informative afternoon was ended with the more about my own language through the conversations with other sharing of Arabian culture through music and dance. Arabic speaking pupils and by using our new Arabic text books.” A good time was had by all! “My name is Talaa Ali and I was born in Sudan. I came to Belfast three years ago on my Mumʼs birthday. Our accommodation was changed at the last minute so it took us a good while to get settled. I didnʼt mind because I love the rain! I love Arabic club. It makes me motivated to come to school on a Monday!” “My name is Eilada Mohamad and I was born in Syria. We moved to Saudi Arabia and then decided to stay there because of the war in Syria. I came to Belfast in 2017 with very little English but I learnt quickly. I like going to Arabic club so I can remember how to read and write the language and meet friends who also speak Arabic.”

24 25 West Belfast to West End! We were excited to have the opportunity to go on St Dominicʼs annual Drama trip to London. It was an event we had looked forward to for a long time! The weekend began in the early hours of Friday morning in Belfast International Airport where we met up with the rest of the Drama department and embarked upon our adventure. After a short plane journey, we arrived in London where we were picked up by our private coach and brought to Pineapple Dance Studios in Covent Garden, where we took part in a dance workshop. The workshop was based on the show ʻWickedʼ that we were going to see that very night and was led by a professional who was actually performing in the show. He taught us the choreography of one of the dances in the show, making us all feel very professional! At the end of our workshop, he answered some of our burning questions about the performing arts and show business industry, giving us genuine advice and an insight into working in theatre. Following this wonderful experience, we were given some free time in Covent Garden which, of course, was spent shopping! Feeling tired from all the dancing and shopping, we headed to the Hard Rock Cafe for our pre- show meal. Our coach picked us up and brought us to the Apollo Theatre to see ʻWickedʼ. For most of us, this was our first time being in a West End theatre. As soon as we walked through the doors, we were amazed and overwhelmed by the size of the theatre and stage and were unable to contain our excitement at how close to the stage we were seated. From the moment the curtain rose through to the performersʼ final bows we were in complete and utter awe. We couldnʼt stop talking about it for the entire coach journey back to our hotel. We started our Saturday as we meant to go on ... shopping! We were given some more free time in Covent Garden. It was so early some shops werenʼt open yet, so we decided to have an impromptu photo shoot! Following this we again made our way to Pineapple Dance Studios to take part in another workshop. This workshop was based on physical theatre from the show we would see later that evening - ʻEverybodyʼs Talking About Jamieʼ. During this workshop, we were introduced to the one and only Layton Williams who was playing the lead role in ʻEverybodyʼs Talking About Jamieʼ. He had previously played other acting roles, including Stephen in the TV show ʻBad Educationʼ. We were utterly shocked and as embarrassing as it is to admit, we all had a bit of a fan-girl moment. Once this ʻhysteriaʼ died down we engaged in a Q&A with Layton who told us all about his life and his journey through TV and theatre. After parting from our new found celebrity friend we made our way to the Globe Theatre where we were given an enjoyable and informative tour and allowed to sit in on a rehearsal for an upcoming performance of “Henry VI”. As the theatre is outside, we were thankful for the good weather and enjoyed seeing this show in the making. We walked from here back to Covent Garden and well and truly shopped until we dropped before heading to Pizza Hut where a buffet was prepared for us. From here, we walked to the theatre and after taking (more than) a few wrong turns we eventually arrived to see our brand new friend, Layton, star in ʻEverybodyʼs Talking about Jamieʼ. The performance took us on an emotional roller coaster with laughter and tears and a buzzing atmosphere on the coach journey back to our hotel. The sadness of having to pack to go home the next morning was forgotten as we made our way to the Harry Potter Studios. This tour wassogoodthatitputusallinthemoodtogohomeandwatchall the films back to back! We were shown some of the original set and costumes from the films and the amazing special effects saw objects movingasifbymagic. Sadly, all good things must come to an end and we traipsed back to the coach and made our way to the airport. We were all so grateful for the incredible weekend. The trip was an amazing experience that we will never forget. We plan to go back again this year!

26 Choral Speaking Competition

8A

8B

8C

8D

8E

8F

27 English The Year 9 Book Awards Shakespeare Festival 2019 This year the Year 9 Book Group have been enjoying a In Year 10, we were so excited for the preparations for the selection of novels chosen to generate discussion, debate and annual Shakespeare Festival to begin. After we had finished disagreement. The novels on offer include, One by Sarah our Key Stage 3 exams, our class began to prepare for the Crossan, IamNotaNumberby Lisa Heathfield, The Hate You Shakespeare Festival. We were all very excited, not only from Give by Angie Thomas, OneofUsisLyingby Karen McManus, stories of the year above of how enjoyable it was, but also and The Boy at the Top of the Mountain by John Boyne. So far, because we were doing the play The Taming of the Shrew. Sarah Crossanʼs book is considered a firm favourite and the We were excited as we studied the wedding scene we were level of discussion has been very impressive, focusing on performing. It was a fun and energetic scene and would work narrative style, contemporary themes and poetic language. well on stage. After auditions it was time for the fun to begin- Thanks to Isha, Cara, Kerry, Aoife, Siofra, Emily, Caitlin, the rehearsals! Megan Muir was cast as Petruchio (The Fionnuala, Aoibhinn and Ava for all your interesting Tamer) and I was cast as Katerina (The Shrew). Our class contributions! decided that we wanted it to be funny and enjoyable for people to watch so we made it quite comical. Finally, the day arrived, Wednesday 19th June 2019.Before we knew it we were all getting into our costumes and putting our make up on before having one final rehearsal. Then it was our time to take the stage! The performance was great and the audience and the adjudicator seemed to be really enjoying it. We gave it our all and everything went according to plan. We were so proud of ourselves and so was Ms McAuley. We were all so nervous for the results as there was stiff competition from the other Year 10 classes. Whilst we had chosen a modern interpretation of Shakespeare, others had kept to a more traditional focus and we wondered which the judge would prefer. Finally, it was time for the judge to announce the winner and when he said “10B" our whole class screamed so loudly. We couldnʼt believe it! We had won! Ms McAuley was so happy Books Ireland Awards 2020 along with the rest of us and it was a perfect way to end Year 10. Year 10 pupils from St Dominicʼs are participating in the 2020 Junior Juriesʼ Scheme as part of the KPMG Childrenʼs Books Orlaith Webb and Megan Muir Ireland Awards. Our jury group will engage with the chosen books by taking part in quizzes, debates, discussions, research projects, creative writing and visual art activities which will enhance their reading experience. At the end of this process each group is asked to collectively score the books they have read. Childrenʼs Books Ireland will collate these scores to determine the winner of the Junior Juriesʼ Award. A selection of short-listed books will be read, rated and enjoyed by our enthusiastic readers, Katie, Orla, Ciara, Sarah, Aimee and Rebecca in 10E!

28 The winning class, 10B

29 Faces of St Dominic’s In the 150th anniversary year of St Dominicʼs, our Senior Creative Writing Group thought it would be good to recognise and document the contribution of people who work in and contribute so much to life in the school.

John McCrory - Senior Study Supervisor Patrick Stitt - IT Support

I had many jobs before I came to St I have worked at St Dominicʼs for two Dominicʼs, including voluntary work years. I used to work part-time and left with homeless people in the Morning to find a full-time job in a different Star and the Salvation Army, writing for company. However, I enjoyed working my local newspaper and then as a in the school and decided to come History teacher. I started to work in St back to work full-time. Both the Dominicʼs eight years ago. Iʼve always students and staff have been a felt a personal connection to the school pleasure to work with. because my sister and aunts attended My job is that I am a support system St Dominicʼs and I always feel for the computers and accounts in the rewarded seeing pupils excel. school. It entails managing all the My job entails supervising Year 13 and Year 14 students. I try to computer systems and the school accounts of both pupils and have a nice, studious environment for them to work in. Thereʼs no staff. I do not have a typical day. With technology, you always such thing as a typical day for me; every day is different. I talk to have to expect the unexpected! I try to plan, but if a sudden many pupils every day and have unique conversations with them. problem arises that affects a lesson, I will prioritise that job above As new situations arise every day, it ensures no day is the same. I others. I enjoy the challenge of problem solving and finding a will say,however, that a common feature of every day is that I am solution that helps everyone do their jobs. I work in a very always kept busy! rewarding job where both pupils and staff are appreciative of my efforts and I enjoy my time in St. Dominicʼs. I am glad for my large study room at the top of the school. Everyone who comes upstairs is always out of breath because we Interviewed by Orla McNulty. are so high up in the school. Any visitors are always welcome to take a seat! The later it is in the week, the busier the Upper Study becomes, so I aim to ensure a calm and relaxed atmosphere. My favourite thing about the job is feeling as though I have helped Karen McLaren - Home Economics Technician or encouraged pupils in times when they have had difficulties, either in or outside of school. Determination is a quality I try to instil I have been working in St Dominicʼs for in the girls. It is a very satisfying job and not always an easy one, 12 years, starting in the same year that but I enjoy my room away from the hustle of the corridors. Mrs McCann became Principal. Before I took up my position as a HE Interviewed by Orla Mc Nulty Year 14 technician at St Dominicʼs, I was the Food Safety Manager in Dunnes Stores. Iʼve loved the job from when I first came into the school, mostly Anne Mc Cotter - Classroom Assistant because of the people I see every day. The staff I work with are such lovely people, although I do miss Ms Iʼve worked in St Dominicʼs for 17 and Fionnuala Bradley and Ms Ellis, who a half years. I always knew that I have now retired. One of my best friends in work is Maria McAteer, wanted to work with children and I love who started working here around the same time as I did. In my work as a classroom assistant. As addition, I adore working with Ms McCartan, Ms McElroy and Ms classroom assistants our primary role OʼKane. They never fail to make me smile. is obviously the support of the child but we have a variety of roles depending My favourite part of the job has always been the satisfaction of on the different educational needs of seeing the classroom set up and seeing the pupilsʼ faces light up the pupil. We are included in all as they get excited to cook. I also love my time spent in the school aspects of school life. People are often canteen. Spending time with the canteen staff and interacting with surprised by the level of parental the pupils during their lunch breaks can make my day! contact there is for assistants, both in and out of school. Interviewed by Orla McNulty The thing I enjoy most about my job is working with different children. Being able to support them with their learning makes our job very worthwhile. The most surprising thing to me is how much I enjoy some subjects which I disliked when I was at school a hundred years ago - particularly English and Maths! Interviewed by Niamh O Donnell

30 Two minute Tale The English Department are very proud of Eimear OʼKane in 8B who was a finalist in BBC Radio Ulsterʼs ʻTwo-Minute Taleʼ competition with her story, ʻScarʼ. She was one of only ten pupils chosen from 1300 entries. The winning entries were read on Radio Ulster over the Christmas period, with a special programme on Christmas Day featuring all ten stories. Actor Ian McElhinney from Derry Girls read Eimearʼs story.

Scar Eimear OʼKane, 8B Competition Winner

It was December 25th and Scar had finally seen a deer. The deer led him on top of a roof and when Scar went He was upset that he wasnʼt a white wolf because they after it, the red light became blinding. When he got up he could easily camouflage into the snow but a grey wolf saw nine reindeers. The one at the front had a glowing found other tactics for hunting. He would camouflage into red nose. All of them were connected to a sleigh and to rocks or hide behind trees. Anyway, he hadnʼt seen a each other and the one he was chasing was scrambling deer in ages. It had been three months and he would do into place. Scar was ready to pounce, when a fat man anything to eat that juicy, delicious, meaty, fat reindeer. dressed in red and white, came up the chimney of the He was starving. He knew that this deer was a male house. He looked at the reindeer that Scar was chasing because it had antlers. Strangely, it was eating a carrot. and said to it, When it finished eating, it ran towards a glowing red light between the trees. Scar chased after the deer and it led “Donner, where were you? I was worried about you.” out of the forest and into the city. He didnʼt care that he He then sat in the sleigh and called, “Rudolph! Lead the was in the city because he was desperate for this deer way!” and anyway, all the city folk were fast asleep. But Rudolph neighed at Scar before they left. Then the fat man looked at Scar and surprisingly he gave him a giant wolf dinner (mostly of meat). He flew away cheering, “Merry Christmas!”

31 Letters Into the Void...

Pupils from 10A and 9A had their work displayed in the Robinson Library, Armagh as part of Georgian Day on Saturday, November 30th 2019. This was part of a project called ʻFilling the Voidʼ in which people were asked to write letters to replace those lost in a fire in the beautiful library. Students wrote letters to a variety of people and on a variety of subjects - in some cases to their younger or future selves, to politicians on Brexit and climate change, to loved ones they had lost. The curator, poet Maria Mc Manus, commented on how wonderful the letters were and noted that ʻChicken Curry Friday is definitely a thing in St Dominicʼs!ʼ.

A Letter to the Past A Letter to a Brother in the Present Day

Dear Martin Luther King, Dear Brother, To me, a role model is someone who you look up to and admire for I thought I would send you a letter to let you know how much I love a reason much greater than words can ever manage to express. I you. think of you as being one of my role models, as many other people The first day I held you, I knew that I would do anything to protect do too. you. You were so tiny and when you pulled my hair, I expected you Today I am writing to inform you about how much good you have to make me feel annoyed or angry, but it only reassured me that achieved for millions of people around the world and how much we will always be best friends. better society has become since the 20th century. The day your learned to ride a bike, I helped to teach you. I I was not born during your era but I admire you for standing up for laughed when you fell over yet you still loved me. basic human rights when many others were afraid of change. When you first learned to swim, I helped you put your armbands on. Today may be better than it was before but a lot of people still They were too big for your little arms and when you got in the water arenʼt open to change and acceptance. you started to float away. Dad had to rescue you but I wasnʼt too far Acceptance that is ignorant of a personʼs skin colour isnʼt the only behind. struggle for equality. Today people seek acceptance for gay rights, Our days with mum at the cinema were the best. We ate sweets, equal rights for women and people of different races. bought popcorn and always satat the back of the cinema. We I admire your courage in speaking up. It must have been scary to laughed through all the movies even if we were a bit too loud… express your thoughts on acceptance for the whole world to hear. When you tried on your secondary school uniform, it reminded me of how how much I love you. I hope you feel the same way and Yours sincerely know that this is only the beginning. Aoife Manning 10A Lots of love Hannah A Letter to the Future – My twin sister in 2029 Hannah Mc Laughlin 10A

Dear Christine, How is life going? I hope itʼs going well and that you are not sick or A Letter to Boris Johnson - (before the election) anything since that would be sad. Dear Mr Johnson Did you go to university? If so, which one? Was it close to home or faraway? What did you study? Did we go to the same one? I I am writing to express my concerns about Brexit as a thirteen- hope that we did. year-old girl living in Belfast. How is your love life going? Are you still a single pringle or are you As a young person I feel that our voices are often not heard. We taken? Whether you are or not, I just hope that you are doing okay have opinions that should be valued as equally as that of everyone and remind you that I will always be there for you. else. How is your career going? Has our dream job become true? Are Having grown up in a country that has held its peace since before we close? If we are not, we must not give up! We shall continue we were born, the thought that everything our parents and until we get there! grandparents had to live through might once again come back to haunt us, is frightening to say the least. I hope our future is bright and loving, There must be another way for the sake of everyone. Ángela (13 years old) Yours sincerely Ángela Ruiz Iñiguez 10A Keeva Todd 10A

32 My Organisation - Protect Our Pristine Seas

On 10th February 2018, I founded an organisation which I called ʻProtect Our Pristine Seasʼ. Once a month, I organise a beach clean-up. My family have been very supportive, helping me to found the organisations and coming along to help out with the beach clean-ups. We encourage as many people as possible to come along. ʻProtect Our Pristine Seasʼ is two years-old. We have collected approximately two tons of litter and hosted twenty beach cleans. In February 2019, I was invited to the ʻLive Here, Love Hereʼ Community Awards, where I was awarded the Lisburn and Castlereagh Litter Hero Award. I was invited to the Youth Eco School Conference which will take place at W5 in March. I have also been invited to take part in a documentary, filmed and directed by Joyce Ferder Rankin, a wildlife photographer. ʻProtect Our Pristine Seasʼ has given me so many opportunities and I love feeling like Iʼve made a difference. I think that itʼs up to us to save our planet. If you want to join a beach clean, search www.protectourpristineseas.com. Check out our blog for details of all upcoming clean-ups. We will see you there! Anna Neal 9A

A Letter to a Lost Uncle

Dear Uncle Ciaran, You probably donʼt know who I am or anything about me but …itʼs now 2019 and your brother Gareth is happily engaged to a beautiful woman named Emma and has two children, one of them being me. My name is Grace and I am thirteen years-old and there is a son who is seven-years-old. Your brother Michael has just recently got back from Australia and has a lovely girlfriend called Sinead and they live together in Galway. Also, your brother Stephen got back from Australia last year and has a good job. He recently moved in with his girlfriend Ravel. Last but not least, your Mummy and Daddy have sold their house in Castlewellan to move closer to us and are now living in their own nice house in Lisburn. PROTECT We are all doing well but there will always be a void in our hearts. We all want you to know that we love and miss you very much. You were taken away too soon - a flower that was picked before it could OUR PRISTINE bloom. Nine years old is far too young for any child. We miss you dearly and hope you are having a good time in heaven and are skipping around in the clouds, as happy as ever. Lots and lots of love, SEAS Grace, your niece xox Grace Doherty 10A

33 My name is Ava McNamara and I am a This year is a massive year in swimming with the European pupil in 10A in St Dominicʼs. Iʼve been Junior Swimming Championships in July and, of course, the swimming since I was very young and I Olympic Games in Japan in August. I would like to continue love it. Being involved in swimming has swimming for the rest of my school career and into adulthood. helped me to make lots of friends. Some swimmers are even offered scholarships to go to University in America! I am the current Ulster Junior Breast Stroke Champion and my relay team in My dream would be to swim for Ireland and Lisburn won the Irish Title in the summer. to make it to an international competition. I have also won the Irish Schoolsʼ Breast Of course I would love to make it to Stroke title twice. I am also the current the Olympic Games. I understand how Ulster Age Group 400m, 800m and 1500m title holder. I swim difficult that is but I also understand for Lisburn Swim Club and am part of the Ulster Squad and the that if I train hard enough, F4-24 Squad. The F4-24 Squad is trying to allow four of us to I will always have that chance. qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics in the 4x200metre relay Even if I donʼt make it, which is very exciting! I will always love I have to train very hard in order to achieve these titles. Unless swimming for all of the you are involved in competitive swimming, it can be hard to friends and happiness understand the amount of training involved. My training it has brought me. schedule starts on a Monday when I train twice in the day. I begin training at half-five in the morning until quarter past seven and then again for two hours in the evening starting at five. On Tuesday I start a half an hour later at six in the morning and train until quarter past seven and again immediately after school for two hours. I also do an hour of weights in the evening. Wednesday is a lighter since it is just a morning swim for an hour and fifteen minutes starting at six in the morning. Thursday is my earliest morning when I start at a quarter- to- five in the morning and swim for two hours. I do an hour of weights on the Thursday evening. Friday is a training day like any other with a morning swim from six to quarter- past -seven with the Lisburn club, two hours after school with the F4-24 Squad in Bangor and an hour of weights that evening. Saturday involves two hours in the morning from seven am followed by an hour of weights. Sunday is the only day I have off! There is a massive level of commitment involved in swimming. A lot of people drop out as they get older. You have to be organised in order to get all your homework done but it is so rewarding. I have made great friends and I love to catch up with them when we meet up at swimming galas. I travel all over Ireland to attend galas with my team and my family. We have had so many good times. The Ulster Schoolsʼ Swim squad train in Tenerife for nine days every November. I am going again this November and canʼt wait. I am also swimming for Ulster in the Interprovincial in April. We have to travel to Castlebar, County Mayo for that and we will be competing against the Leinster, Munster and Connacht Squads. In June, I go to Glasgow to swim with the Ulster Squad against some of the best teams from the UK. In the February half-term I had the chance to take part in a big swimming gala in Bangor where the world record holder and Olympic champion, Adam Peaty, took part with lots of other world class swimmers. To participate in this kind of event is a wonderful experience.

34 French The French Club The French club is run by A-Level French pupils and supervised byMiss Neary. It takes place every Friday at lunchtime in MS2. The A-Level pupils create a variety of exciting activities (games and songs) and they lead all the sessions. It is a nice and friendly way for younger pupils to experience French outside of the classroom. Here are some of the things our pupils have said about the club: “I love French and going to French club makes my Friday even better. It helps me to expand my vocabulary and practise what I learn in French class. We do lots of fun activities including games, singing French songs and quizzes. French club has also helped me make new friends. Itʼs amazing and I enjoy it every week!” Karen OʼRourke, 8E

“I LOVE French club- it is so fun! The sixth formers organise games in French and do lots of different activities. You get a lunch pass so you can take your food to the club and eat it there. You make a lot of friends at French club and we sometimes get sweets at the end. If you win the quiz you get a big prize!” Blessing Nich, 8A

Next year is the French Departmentʼs turn to run a trip abroad! We have already been to the Loire Valley and Disneyland. Where will it be next time… Paris? A château? Watch this space!

35 Digital Youth Event 2019

ICT pupils enjoyed a day out at the Digital Youth Event in February 2019. Queen's University, Belfast is now one of the leading tech clusters in the UK. Pupils had the opportunity to speak with leading experts in the fields of animation, gaming, digital marketing, cyber security and programming/coding. They had fun using Virtual Reality Headsets and video recording equipment.

36 Lego Smart City Lab Year 12 Trip to Allstate NI

Incredible Innovation Labs In February 2020, Year 12 Digital Technology pupils visited Queenʼs University, Belfast has four Innovation Labs which Allstate NI. After a tour of the building, they participated in facilitate student projects, broaden student experience and interactive sessions with employees of Allstate. This enabled support outreach events. These have a range of incredible them to gain a greater insight into the differing roles of Allstate technologies, including the Virtual Reality Lab, Q-LAB NI employees and proved very informative for the pupils Makerspace, Lego Smart City Lab and the Learning Lab. involved. St Dominicʼs pupils who have an interest in Coding and Programming enjoyed the opportunity to visit the Lego Smart City Lab in April 2019.

37 Safer Internet Day Coding in Year 8 As part of a school drive to promote greater internet safety Year 8 pupils are enjoying their computer programming classes awareness amongst pupils, Mrs Mulhollandʼs Year 8 Computer this year. They use the BBC Micro:bit and are creating their own Programming class created “Safer Internet Day” powerpoints in websites using HTML. HTML involves using coding in notepad to class. They delivered their message with a series of informed create webpages. Most pupils have access to notepad at home. and well delivered presentations. HTML is a markup language using simple tags to markup and format content. These tags are enclosed in angular brackets like tag informs the browser that a HTML document has been started. Similarly denotes the end of HTML document. All information written inside these two tags are sent to the browser.

3D Printing

During my time in St.Dominicʼs I have enjoyed using computers in ICT and my other subjects. When I heard about the Year 10 3D Printing Club I had to join! This club has given me the opportunity to meet new friends, challenge my abilities and improve my ICT skills. We created and built a 3D Printer from scratch and it was such a pleasure to see our hard work come to life. I found it interesting to wire the components to the circuit board and I was pleased to have it finished by half term. Next term we will be calibrating and then finally printing with it. It has been a unique and challenging experience. I would absolutely recommend this club. Nadia Boudhaim Maguire 10A

38 CyberFirst Girls’ School Of Electronics, Competition 2020 Electrical Engineering and

The ICT Department have entered this competition in the past. Computer Science Pupils enjoy it very much and have experienced much success Digital Technology pupils, accompanied by Mrs Mulholland, visited in the past. The competition features challenges in the areas of the new Computer Science Building in Queenʼs University, Belfast problem solving, networking, programming and cryptography. in April 2019. It was part of the Erasmus Belfast Week. During This year our Year 9 hypertext assassins (Evie Browning, that visit they had the opportunity of Lego Learning, using a device Rachel Benoy, Hana Hassan and Mia Clarke) got through to called the Arduino. They were given a tour of the Computer the semi-finals .Unfortunately, they dropped to second place in Science Building and tried their hand at the VR games. In the the final minutes of the competition and did not make it to the afternoon the pupils completed Lego paired projects. We were finals. The pupils loved participating in the competition saying, delighted when Queenʼs University gave each pupil their own “Our experience in this cyber competition was really good fun. Arduino device to take away with them. This will allow them to We worked hard and strengthened our computer skills. We are develop their programming skills and was greatly appreciated by all looking forward to more programming events in the future.” the pupils. The Arduino device has the following:

• 10 multi-coloured lights, • Sensors to detect motion, temperature, light, sound, • Buttons and switches • Mini speaker

• 8 contact points (around the outside) which can send or receive information.

39 Geography

40 AS and GCSE Eco Club attend Stormont Youth Geography Fieldtrip Environmental Consultation

As the threat of Storm Gareth passed, it was time for the joint AS On Friday 17th January 2020, the Eco Club and Committee and GCSE Geography Fieldtrip to set off to Magilligan Field Centre participated in a youth consult held by Stormont in order to create to conduct essential data collection for their June exams. new environmental policies. Throughout the day we enjoyed buns and juice whilst discussing the climate policy failures and The Year 13 collected their data on sand dune succession and successes across the world. We also had a tour of the historic examined the changes in the soil as they moved inland. The Year building and had an opportunity to sit in the Stormont chamber! 12 pupils conducted a river study on the Curly Burn river, collecting The event acted as an excellent platform for new ideas and a data on the river's depth, width, bedload and velocity as it moved gateway to involving more young people in politics and local downstream. activism. After hearing our speakers, including Nichola Mallon, Minister of As well as enhancing their fieldwork skills, the trip allowed the Infrastructure, we set about doing our work. We discussed a classes to apply the theory that they study in the classroom to the variety of ideas ranging from an end to single-use plastic to filtering geography of the great outdoors. It really brought our learning to our draining systems in order to protect the sea creatures from life and a great day was had by all! plastic pollution. As a club we have tried our best to represent all views on environmental strategies. If you feel you would like to make an impact, visit www.myni.life/environment-strategy

41 Ocean Assembly

St. Dominicʼs pupils, Leah Dougan, Ciara Loughran, Maria Aaroy, Maeve McCormick and Anna Neal participated in the Ocean Assembly in October which was organised by Green Schools in Dublin. The pupils visited Ashbourne Community College, Co. Meath to see an Eco-School first hand and to learn about the work that they have carried out. There were opportunities to participate in a variety of workshops, including working at Portmarnock beach to study the coastal ecosystem. The pupils also began creating their own ocean awareness campaign. Anna Neal currently runs and manages a website, www.protectourpristineseas.com and is passionate about ensuring a safe environment for our marine life by regularly carrying out beach clean ups around Northern Ireland. This was an excellent opportunity and experience for the pupils involved. .

Eco Club Christmas Workshop The Eco Club rounded up 2019 by participating in a workshop facilitated by Michael McCrory from Belfast City Council. Our members created eco- friendly Christmas decorations using wooden slices, decorating them with stamps and pens. We later placed the decorations on our school Christmas Tree. Festive and eco-friendly! Eco-Committee Elected In December 2019, pupils were invited to apply for St Dominicʼs Eco -Committee. From this application process, six representatives were chosen to represent the junior, middle and senior school, with a further eight pupils being selected for various roles, such as recycling and public relations. These eight students will take it in turns to sit on the main committee when decisions are being made. The eco-committee will be working on many issues throughout the year. . 42 Bulb Planting and Willow Weaving (Oct & Nov 2019)

St Dominicʼs Eco Club has been planting daffodil and crocus bulbs around the base of the trees at the entrance to the school. Belfast Hills Partnership provided the bulbs and helped the group with this activity. These flowers will not only look pretty in the spring but will also provide much needed nectar for bees at a time of year when food is scarce for wildlife. In addition to this, the Eco Club has been working on a willow weave around a tree to the left of the entrance which will be planted with bulbs to encourage wildlife. Belfast City Council has led this project, providing the willow and their expertise. We are grateful to both groups for their help and guidance.

Plastic Recycling Bins In October 2019 St Dominicʼs Eco Club installed their plastic recycling bins in three locations around the school - on each floor beside the lift and water fountain. The Eco Club fundraised last year to generate enough funds to purchase these bins. In a bid to reduce waste going to landfill, pupils are encouraged to use the recycling bins for plastic bottles only. Posters are displayed around the school and in every classroom informing pupils about the scheme and its importance in saving our planet. To date, this scheme has saved approximately 1000 bottles from being sent to landfill!

43 44 Year 9 STEM Trip (Geography and Science) St. Dominicʼs pupils, Leah Dougan, Ciara Loughran, Maria Aaroy, Maeve McCormick and Anna Neal participated in the Ocean Assembly in October which was organised by Green Schools in Dublin. The pupils visited Ashbourne Community College, Co. Meath to see an Eco-School first hand and to learn about the work that they have carried out. There were opportunities to participate in a variety of workshops, including working at Portmarnock beach to study the coastal ecosystem. The pupils also began creating their own ocean awareness campaign. Anna Neal currently runs and manages a website, www.protectourpristineseas.com and is passionate about ensuring a safe environment for our marine life by regularly carrying out beach clean ups around Northern Ireland. This was an excellent opportunity and experience for the pupils involved.

Geography Pupils Visit Carlingford On Saturday 30th March, 24 Year 11 and 12 pupils set out on their annual trip to Carlingford Outdoor Adventure Centre. In the morning the group took part in kayaking in Carlingford Lough. We made the journey across the harbour and back again, stopping half-way to play team games on one of the small beaches. In the afternoon, we took part in Carlingfordʼs answer to the ʻCrystal Mazeʼ. Three teams competed in various team challenges that tested our physical and mental skills in a quest to win precious (plastic) crystals. It was great fun for all involved! We rounded up the day with ice-cream and sweets from the quaint little shops of Carlingford. We really enjoyed our day and came home absolutely exhausted! Katie McNally

45 History

150 Years of Fashion!

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of St. Dominicʼs the History department decided to hold an exciting competition for Year 8. Students were asked to design a special outfit to wear to a school celebration for the 150th anniversary. They used fashion styles from the past 150 years as their inspiration and explained their ideas. Students submitted a fantastic selection of entries inspired by designs from the past. The sombre style of the Victorians, the daring designs of the twenties and the fabulous fifties were all evident in the entries we received. The standard was incredibly high and it was a pleasure to judge the entries. All those students who took part received a certificate of recognition and special prizes were presented to the winner from each Year 8 class and the overall winner from Year 8. Our competition highlighted the superb creativity of our students and their desire to give their best.

Open Day 2020

Once again, the History Department have enthusiastically embraced Open Day. In previous years, Mrs McPeake has creatively recreated Anne Frankʼs bedroom, World War One trenches and a Suffragette rally. All these interactive displays are designed to reflect the History curriculum at Key Stage Three. This year, the theme centred around the Kindertransport, complimenting the Year 8 study. Mrs Mc Peake again worked her magic and the room was a delight to see and received many compliments.

46 Victorian Style History pupils visit Christmas Cards Somme Heritage Centre

Before we left for Christmas break, we made Victorian Year 10 History pupils have a long tradition of working in Christmas cards to give to friends and loved ones. They were partnership with Friendsʼ School, Lisburn. This year, we again all beautifully decorated by each individual person with different partnered with the school as part of the Shared Education designs. I decorated mine with a photo of an old-style Santa Programme. Our pupils enjoyed a day at the Somme Heritage and put mistletoe around the edges. I made my card for my Centre. This study of the experiences of soldiers in World War Granny and Granda and they loved it. I thought that it was One ties in with the curriculum they study in Year 10. really fun to do this activity because we got to express our creativity and we also got to see how Christmas cards have developed over the years. Orlaith Mussen 8D

In our History class just before Christmas holidays, our History teacher suggested that we make Victorian style Christmas cards. We were all excited and started to think of how we would make it. On the day, our teacher had brought in some Victorian style pictures and stickers. There were beautifully designed feathers, Santa Claus images, presents and children looking merry. We also talked about the sort of formal greetings used on Christmas cards from this time. We had such a fun time creating our own Christmas. Aleena Vellikkara 8D

In History class, we made some cards for Christmas. They werenʼt ordinary cards. They were Victorian style cards. We made them with Victorian scrapbook paper that looked so antique, fine and delicate that I thought it would shatter in my hands as I picked it up. The pictures helped to create the Victorian look. Our teacher said we could make it look any way we wished. I had a little boy on the front of mine and a girl inside. I was shocked because we were able to get it done in only one period. The end product was amazing. Sarah Heaney 8D

47 Home Economics

48 Parent Daughter Cooking Class I went to the Parent Daughter cooking class with my Mum and And from the parents... it was really fun. It was after school on a Tuesday. On the first week we made chicken curry and spring rolls. Iʼm a very picky eater so I wasnʼt going to try the food but eventually I did and it I really enjoyed spending time with my daughter and seeing was really good! I actually had it for dinner. It was almost where she learns in Home Economics. My favourite recipe was Christmas time so on the second week we made mince pie the spring rolls as I had never made them before. Brianna swirls and shortbread. Iʼm planning on making these recipes at loved the chicken curry and now it is a family favourite. I learnt home soon. The teacher was really nice and she gave you a new skills in how to make spring rolls and pastry twists. It was a choice of toppings so that everyoneʼs food was to their great way to get to know the school even better and lovely to personal taste. I really enjoyed it and it taught me a lot about meet other parents and daughters. following a recipe and safety in the kitchen. Mum of Brianna Glymond, 8E Eva Kelly 8D I enjoyed spending time with my daughter with no distractions. Parent daughter cookery class was an amazing experience for The cookies were my favourite recipe and it was useful the way me. I was glad it was on two nights so my Mum and Dad both they were adaptable to other ingredients. I didnʼt learn any new had a chance to go with me. I am a vegetarian so I thought I skills because we cook and bake at home. However, it was a would not be able to cook some of the recipes but they great experience. It is a good way to meet your daughterʼs provided vegetarian alternatives so I would not be left out! My friendsʼ parents and make yummy food. favourite recipe was the cranberry and white chocolate chip Mum of Karen OʼRourke 8E cookies. My entire family really enjoyed the chicken curry rice we made on the first night. My dad said I was a natural at cooking. I learnt many new skills and I would recommend this to any Year 8! Eve Kempston 8C

I found it very enjoyable to learn new recipes and how to cook things such as curry, spring rolls and bakes. I also got to meet my new friendsʼ parents and HE teachers. I would highly recommend this experience. I really enjoyed it and had an opportunity to learn new things. I had a lovely time making the dishes with my Mum. Ellie Smyth 8D

The thing I enjoyed most about Parent Daughter cookery class was the amount of fun we had whilst doing it. We listened to music and had a chat while we cooked which made it a lovely relaxed environment. My favourite recipe was white chocolate and cranberry shortbread because it was really fun to make and the end product was absolutely delicious. My Dadʼs favourite recipe was the chicken curry because he learnt a lot and it was delicious! I learnt many new skills like how to slice chicken and vegetables.. I learnt how to roll pastry for the mince pies and how to fry rice. It was a really enjoyable experience and very helpful. Rebecca Sloan 8D

The thing I enjoyed most about Parent Daughter cookery was cooking with my Mum. My favourite recipe was the cookies as they tasted really nice. My parentʼs favourite recipe was the chicken curry. I learned many new skills such as slicing, rolling pastry, working the cooker and making sure things were cooked properly. I would recommend anyone to go as it was fun and the food you make is really nice. Shannon Leith 8D

49 After School Cookery Class

I enjoyed everything about this class. I really enjoyed how much I was involved in the cooking. My favourite recipe was the cookies because it was simple and easy but it turned out delicious! I learnt a lot of new skills, like preparing ingredients, how to use the electric whisk and cleaning up properly. This is a brilliant way to start your journey at St Dominicʼs and I am sure you will love it. It is also a great opportunity to spend time with your friends. Katie McNally-Varela 8D

I enjoyed baking things that I have never baked before. My favourite recipe was making the buns because they were light, fluffy and delicious. I bake a lot at home so my baking skills are good and I now have the new recipes so that I can make them again. This class is really fun and the treats you bake are really yummy! Eva McCurdy 8D In December, I went with my friends to the After-School Cookery Club. We made chocolate chip cookies. My favourite part was getting to make the cookies from scratch . It was a really enjoyable afternoon and there was Christmas music playing in the background. I loved the cookie recipe because they were quick and easy to make but tasted delicious. I learnt new skills like how to rub in the butter and flour and measure the right amount of ingredients. I also learnt how to manage time whilst cooking. Blaithin Drain.

I really enjoyed attending this class after school. It was so exciting to try the freshly baked food as it always tasted delicious. My favourite recipe was cookies. We added chocolate chips and syrup to give it a sweet flavour. When the cookies came out of the oven they were hot, soft and tasted lovely. I learnt how to stay safe when cooking or baking food. I also learnt how to turn on and use an oven properly. I would encourage pupils in St. Dominicʼs to participate next year as I think it is a great opportunity to learn new, delicious recipes and have lots of fun with your friends. Méabh Lewsley10C

Flapjacks Method 1. Light the oven to Gas Mark 5 190C. Recipe 2. Grease baking tin or dish. 3. Put the oats and sugar into a bowl and mix together. 4. Put margarine into a small pan, add 1 round tablespoon of golden syrup and warm on a very low heat. As the INGREDIENTS EQUIPMENT syrup warms, it will come off the spoon. 125g Rolled oats Mixing bowl 5. When the margarine is melted pour over the oats and mix well. Press into the tin and flatten the top. 50g Sugar (any kind) Wooden spoon 6. Bake for 20-25 minutes. The flapjacks will not be crisp 50g Margarine Small pan until they cool. Do not cook until crisp or they will be 1 Tablespoon of golden syrup. Tablespoon too hard. Baking tin 7. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes then cut into slices.

50 media 51 Emer Turley Mary O'Grady Sarah Campfield ́odhna Martin ́odhna Jorja Notman Cli Niamh McCarthy Ciara Captain Niamh Donnelly Emma Fitzsimons An Ghaeilge

Turas Gaeltachta 2019 Ag tús na bliana, thug an rang AS sʼagam aghaidh ar an Bhun a bhí ar fáil dúinn, an spórt uisce mar shampla. Ach níl léamh Beag chun snas a chur ar ár gcuid Gaeilge agus chun ár n- ná scríobh ná insint béil ar an chraic a bhí againn ar an turas eolas a leathnú maidir le teanga agus cultúr na hÉireann. Níl báid, buaicphointe an turais, i mo bharúil. Ar an bhád aon dabht go raibh idir spórt agus spraoi againn go léir le linn dʼfhoghlaim muid faoi stair na háite ar nós an bhean ghlas a an turais. chur idir eagla agus iontas orainn. Sin ráite, tháinig muid abhaile saibhrithe mar ghaeilgeoirí mar gheall air seo. Ar an chéad lá, nuair a bhain muid Tír Chonaill amach, thug Cé go raibh deireadh seachtaine sultmhar, suimiúil agus muid cuairt ar thrá cáiliúil an bhun bhig. Chaith muid ár gcuid spleodrach againn, dʼfhoghlaim muid a lán rudaí úsaideacha ama ag baint suilt as na radhairc áille, is ag éisteacht le ceol fosta. Ní amháin go raibh ceachtanna gramadaí againn ach cois farraige. Ansin, chuaigh muid chuig an teach tábhairne déarfainn gur fhoghlaim muid níos mó faoin teanga ón áitiúil, áit a bhí lán de chultúr, ceol, Gaeilge agus bia blasta teagmháil sʼagainn le muintir na háite. Léirigh Bean an tí dúinn chomh maith! Bhí ceol beo, traidisiúnta ar siúl agus léirigh nach bhfuil teanga ar bith ar aghaidh an domhain níos deise ná cúpla cailín sa rang a gcuid buanna dúinn nuair a ghlac siad an teanga Ghaeilge. Dʼfhoghlaim muid freisin go bhfuil an páirt sa seisiún ceoil. Roimh i bhfad fosta, thosaigh muid céilí Ghaeilge beo, go bhfuil daoine i gcéin agus i gcóngar go fóill á agus bhí spraoi againn uilig ag damhsa. úsáid agus gur chóir dúinn bheith bródúil asti. Is fíor é an seanfhocal, ʻBeatha Teanga í a Labhairt!ʼ Maidin Dé Sathairn, chuaigh muid chuig Ionad Cois Locha, seoid an cheantair! Bhain muid uilig sult as na gníomhaíochtaí Natasha Dunlop 13C

52 Raidió Fáilte Tráth na gCeist

The Irish A2 class had the opportunity to visit Raidió Fáilte last Earlier this year my Irish class were given the opportunity to attend an December. Raidió Fáilte is a radio station which broadcasts Irish language quiz organised by Gael Linn. Gael Linnʼs aim is to help through the medium of Irish to almost 15 thousand listeners across support the use of Irish on a daily basis amongst young people. The Ireland and other countries throughout the world. It offers quiz was held in the Falls Leisure Centre and many schools from the programmes for Irish speakers, young and old and even offers local area competed. We had such a great experience especially as training free of charge for those interested in a broadcasting career we got to spend the day with our friends from other schools who share through the medium of Irish. the same love for the Irish language. It provided us with the opportunity to celebrate our Irish language and culture amongst peers. There were During our visit we had the opportunity to meet with the presenters five rounds in the quiz which included various questions about sport, and those who work behind the scenes. We were also given a tour music and politics. Afterwards, Gael Linn organised a céilí and of the new state of the art building. We even had the chance to use everyone joined in to dance. It was a fabulous cultural experience that the equipment used in real radio broadcasts. At the end of the trip, highlighted how the language is very much celebrated amongst the we spoke with the manager, who invited us to use the facilities youth of Belfast. available at Raidió Fáilte whilst studying and advised us that those who worked there would be happy to assist us in our studies of the Clodagh Thompson Year 10 Irish language. The trip was very enjoyable and we learned a lot about the opportunities for Irish speakers in the media, home and abroad. It is clear that a great sense of pride is met with hard work at Raidió Fáilte and that organisations such as this one play a vital role in the promotion and conservation of our native language. Kerry Mallon 14B

53 M+them+tics =

Queen’s University Maths Challenge Year 8 In December of 2019, four Year 14 pupils travelled to Queenʼs University for a Maths Competition. In the first round we were handed a page of problems and were asked to solve as many as we could in 45 minutes. This proved to be very challenging as the problems were extremely complex. However, we Maths Day embraced the challenge and it turned out to be a fun exercise and the time truly did fly by. Some of the problems really seemed impossible but we managed to get some tangible August 2019 solutions which awarded us marks! We had lunch in the café on the university grounds. Unfortunately, I didnʼt get to finish my salad as it mysteriously ended up spilling all over Ms Magenis! This left us all on a high note as we went back into the competition, still laughing at the salad incident. The next two rounds of the competition were multiple choice. We did extremely well in this round. We worked as a team, discussing our reasoning and trusted in each otherʼs mathematical instincts. The third round was the most enjoyable. We watched a video of Einstein and Heisenberg having a discussion and were told to pay attention to every detail. We were then quizzed on the details of the clip, which was very funny as some questions were as silly as, “What colour was the clock on the wall?”. We were so focused on their discussion that we failed to notice the minor details in the background! This entire experience was one none of us will ever forget (especially Ms Magenis!). It was a very enjoyable and interesting day in which we were mathematically challenged and also learnt some very valuable skills, such as team work, problem solving strategies and paying attention to detail! Gina Craig

54 55 Maths Week Ireland – Maths Challenge Mangahigh Competition People may think that Drama is the only Department to hold auditions amongst aspiring hopefuls, but they would be wrong! Mangahigh is an online competition allowing pupils from all Tensions was high along the Maths corridor, as anyone who over Ireland to compete against other students of the same wanted to try and make the final team sat a test composed of age. St. Dominicʼs pupils compete every year to celebrate ʻoutside the boxʼ thinking questions. The top two Year 9 and ʻMaths Week Irelandʼ. Year 10 pupils were then selected to make a team of four at this yearʼs UKMT Team Challenge. There are many fun games, tasks and challenges in which to participate. When you have collected over 150 points, you earn Those who were successful practiced once a week after school an actual Gold Medal which is posted to your school. This year with an A-level Maths pupil and our teacher. The preparation we achieved a new record of 22 Gold Medal winners! was thorough and challenging and we looked forward to the Congratulations to all! actual competition with relish! The competition was held in Methodist College, Belfast. We first did a ʻcross numberʼ, which Following this great achievement, staff from Mangahigh flew is a mathematical version of a crossword. There was a very over to visit St. Dominicʼs to present the medals to pupils from strict time limit for completion and so we needed to keep up a Year 8 to Year 13. They also taught a lesson to my class, 10C. fast pace. They used their software to show how it could be used as a learning tool and not just for online competitions. We then split into two large groups. We took part in what It was a great experience and lots of fun competing against my resembled a Maths relay race. Two pupils from our team had friends in the class. I look forward to trying to win another to answer a question, run across the hall and gave the answer medal in the competition next year to add to my collection! to the other half of the team, who then used this answer to help answer their question. It was very intense but fun. We did a lot Aimee Brooks 10C of work and running in that round! After the exhaustion of this round, we were split into two Explore Learning Competition different sections of the room. We had to answer questions and run to a teacher who had been assigned to us. You had Four Year 9 pupils were selected to enter the “Explore Learning three chances to answer each question. Each time, the Competition”. We were given interesting problem-solving teacher checked it and if it was correct we got a new question. questions to tackle as a team. Our strategy was to split our If it was wrong, we were sent back with the original question. group into pairs to work faster. If either team started to We needed to be very strategic as it was important to work out struggle, we would reunite to work on the challenge as one. quickly whether or not you would be able to answer the We had wait a week to see if we were successful at a regional question. This way we avoided wasting time on questions we level. It was a nerve-wracking wait! The winners of this round couldnʼt answer, moving on to another question and hopefully would have the opportunity to go through to the finals in maximising our points potential. Cambridge with all expenses paid by Explore Learning. They would compete with the top 5 schools in the UK and have a Overall I had a lot of fun. It was a very exciting competition, chance to win some great prizes. filled with lots of unusual and challenging maths questions and attended by some very highly competitive pupils across the Unfortunately, this was not our year to win! However, I really region! It was a great experience and I hope to do it again next enjoyed this competition. It was fun and helped me develop my year. problem-solving skills. I had never encountered this style of question before and it really challenged me. I would definitely Ana Enrique Gascon 10C encourage our Year 9 pupils next year to take part. Oviyaa Sivakumar 9C encourage our Year 9 pupils next year to take part.

56 PHYSICAL Education

Camogie

Gaelic

57 U16 Gaelic Team

We were delighted with the success of our U16 Gaelic team reaching the Schools Ulster Final against St. Maryʼs Convent, Magherafelt. The team worked extremely hard throughout the game. Sadly, they were defeated by a late goal in extra time. Dúana Coleman was awarded Player of the Match which was extremely well deserved.

St. Maryʼs 4-7 St. Dominicʼs 4-4

Waterpolo The Manchester Trip 2020 On the 24th January 2020, Niamh OʼConnor, Eva Ramsey and Maria McGuigan flew to Manchester to play in the U18 Waterpolo Inter Regional Championships. They played four intense matches against tough opposition over two days, coming out of each match with a strong win. They achieved the greatest number of points out of the five participating teams and returned to Ireland as champions. We are very proud of their achievements!

Basketball

The popularity of basketball continues to grow at St. Dominicʼs. Pupils from across all Key Stages competed in Basketball Ireland Schools League, Vince Halloran Cup, Dominican Cup and various friendly matches. The Minor 2019 team reached the North Region School Finals. In the Spring time the basketball team was invited to Dublin to compete in the Dominican Cup hosted by Dominican College, Cabra. The team consisting of Year 9, 10 and 12 played some very competitive matches against other Dominican Schools from across the country. Some of our players have been selected to play for U14 NI Basketball Team and U15 NI Basketball! Congratulations! Team: Roísin Quinn, Eimear Summersgill Our Year 8 pupils competed in the annual Aquinas Year 8 Blitz. They topped the competition with some very convincing wins. Named as Most Valuable Players Sophia Bell and Abbie Mayock.

Roísin Quinn Eimear Summersgill

Sophia Bell, Abbie Mayock

58 Cross Country Mountain Biking Year 13

Ski Trip Netball

59 Spanish Trip

Spanish Club

In November 2019, St Dominicʼs Spanish Department went to study at Instituto San Fernando, Seville. For a lot of people, this was the first time that they had gone out of the country with staff members and friends, but Spainʼs sunny, November weather had put our minds at ease. We were nervous but excited Some of our tour consisted of for the incredible journey ahead of us. After our flight from listening to the legends and myths Belfast International to Malaga airport, we were relieved to be of Seville in Santa Cruz. This was halfway there. Malaga airport was packed with people from all over entirely in Spanish, but very easy the world. There were tourists, locals waiting for family and many, to pick up as we had become familiarised many new languages - some we had never even heard before. with the language. To see Seville from a different After driving past the beautiful mountains and small towns perspective, we climbed 35 floors in La Giralda to appreciate the in a coach, we eventually arrived at the amazing Silken al surreal and wonderful view. Every floor was worth it when we Andalus hotel. reached the top to see the beautiful city! As well as learning about We began bright and early on Monday morning and headed off to the history of Seville, we were able to experience a tour dealing meet our teachers at the school. Our day consisted of two classes: with Columbusʼ journey to America through a very impressive Lengua in the morning and Cultura in the evening, where we exhibition in the Archivo de Indias, where they keep important learned both the language and the lifestyle of local Sevillians. We documents surrounding the Spanish history, too! I would say that had a lot of free time between these classes and many of us my favourite tour was to La Plaza de España, where we went out ventured off into the commercial area of Puerta De Jerez which onto the boats and recited a wonderful rendition of the Dominican had Lush, Zara and the very popular Sephora! The sun was Magnificat. I hope the other tourists enjoyed it. beaming until night came around and I often loved checking the Spanish-style foods were like nothing we had ever tasted before. weather that we had just missed in Belfast. There were a lot of different places to indulge in the new As Puerta de Jerez is a small area some of our daily tasks flavours,tastes and traditional Spanish tapas. There was something consisted of speaking with locals for our Cultura classes. This for everybody! My friends and I are picky eaters but, nevertheless, seemed terrifying in the beginning as we had never communicated we enjoyed every style of pasta possible. During the day, we had solely in Spanish until then, but as the conversation began to flow, the opportunity to try Taco Bell for the first time and other local our words fell into place and we completed the activities almost delicacies such as chocolate covered churros which were a effortlessly! The people we approached were very friendly and favourite to many! Silken al Andalus supplied us with endless willing to help us out and I feel as though this kindness allowed us amounts of desserts, ranging from fruits to tropical flavoured ice- to feel more comfortable, especially with the help of our lovely creams! teachers, both from Instituto San Fernando and St Dominicʼs, who Eventually, all things come to an end, so our beautiful week in helped us to feel a lot more confident within ourselves. Spain concluded with a day for shopping, exploring our final sights Throughout the week, we visited some amazing sights that are and saying goodbye to our teachers who made the trip as important in the history of Seville. We had the opportunity to see incredible as it could possibly be. The Seville trip has opened my the Torre del Oro, Real Alcázar and The Cathedral, which holds eyestoanewperspectiveoflanguagesandIamsogladthatI some of Christopher Columbusʼ remains and the most beautiful have chosen to study GCSE Spanish! I will always cherish the sculptures and paintings I have ever seen! It was breath-taking. memories of this trip and I hope to go again next time!

60 Technology & Design

Year 10 TD Club

Year 10 pupils taking part in the TD club are taking full advantage of the recently acquired state of the art 3D Printers. Their latest projects have involved designing their own products using a computer aided design (CAD) package and then printing in 3D . The pupils chose hexagon shelves that can be stacked and assembled in any chosen order. They are currently working on designing and producing their own jewellery boxes.

Sentinus Team R+D

Nine pupils from Year 13 are participating in the 2019/2020 Sentinus Team R+D project. Each team has been partnered with a local company. They link up with an on-site engineer to solve a real world engineering problem within their partner company. Each team visited their company site to see the work being carried out and engage with their link-engineer to discuss solutions to their problem. Workshop days at Ulster University allowed the pupils to work collaboratively with technicians and engineers on achieving their goal.

Team One Team Two

Katie McGreevy, Katie Johnston, Leah Dougan, Sarah Clarke Hannah McVarnock, Toni Evans, Sophie Tritton and Lucy and Aoife Belshaw, have been partnered with Collins Thompson have been partnered with Sensata Technologies. Aerospace, Kilkeel. Collins Aerospace are a worldwide leader Sensata are a worldwide leader in tyre air pressure monitoring in aircraft seating manufacture, designing and making seating systems, and produce products for manufactures such as BMW for airlines such as Emirates, Qatar and Lufthansa. The R+D and Mercedez. The R+D team must solve an issue with their team must work together to produce a functioning prototype to meeting & planning rooms in which lighting and heating solve an issue with part of the manufacturing and production systems are using excess energy when not in use. The girls are process. During the food tray assembly, small discrepancies in working on a prototype that detect when units are being used the material surfaces can affect the gluing and adhesion and control these systems only when needed. process. The girls are working on a prototype that will apply an even and uniform load across the material surface.

Itʼs up to the nine girls to produce designs to solve the problem and manufacture a functioning prototype model. They will work collaboratively with Collins Aerospace and Sensata Technologies, presenting their findings during a celebration day

61 MU IC

A Year in the Music Department treats on this evening as well. The A-Level Musicians made their musical debut as they performed an ensemble version of OCome This year, St Dominicʼs Music Department have been busy with O Come Emmanuel which featured Year 13 flautists Miah Lynch Junior, Senior and Chamber choirs and orchestras approaching a and Hannah Gribben, Year 13 violinist Ciara Black and Year 13 busy schedule with typical hard work and enthusiasm. The Music saxophonist Maria Aaroy. The audience also enjoyed a beautiful Department closed the 2018/2019 academic year with an outstanding acoustic performance of Angels We Have Heard on High by Year Spring Concert held in the breathtaking St Anneʼs Cathedral where 14 music pupils, Ciara Kennedy and Eadaoin McAlea. the audience were enchanted by the passionate and professional performances from our talented pupils. These included an awe- For the third year running the Senior Choir was also invited to sing inspiring performance by the Senior Choir which included Singhʼs as part of the Candlelight Christmas at Clonard concert. Members Johnny said “No!” as well as The Blessing by Graham Downes with of the Senior Choir took to the stage to provide show stopping Year 14 soloist Aoibh OʼNeill. Audiences were also treated to the performances of festive favourites. The Chamber Choir had the Senior Orchestra performing Themes from Harry Potter, the Junior pleasure of being invited back to sing carols at the Belfast Harbour Choir singing Adiemus from Songs of Sanctuary and the Wind Band Commission Christmas Event. This is an event that we look forward finishing the first half with a bang, playing Viva la Vida by Coldplay. to each year and we enjoy being able to showcase our talent and Traditional music and Irish Dancing also featured strongly in the sing at this prestigious event, held in such a beautiful setting. concert programme and the audience enjoyed lively sets by both the This year the Senior Choir had the honour of being invited to sing at Junior and Senior Cumman Ceoil joined by dancer Aimee the Belfast Pops Orchestra Carol concert in St Patrickʼs Parish McDonagh. This year we also had a spectacular performance of The church in Belfast City Centre. The choir were able to showcase our Sugar Plum Fairy by Year 9 ballet dancer Niamh Lynch accompanied talent through performances of Christmas classics as well as by the Junior Orchestra. With such a wide variety of pieces as well as modern Christmas carols such as God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen a large number of solo performances, the concert offered something with soloist Paula McStravick and Angels Divine with soloist Emma for everyone, and a truly enjoyable night was had by all. Allsopp. This also gave us the amazing opportunity to sing Dan An integral part of musical life here at St Dominicʼs includes Forrestʼs beautiful arrangement of See Amid the Winterʼs Snow performing at numerous scholastic events. In the past year, the Senior while being accompanied by the fantastic orchestra. This concert Choir has performed at a number of academic and non-academic was truly a wonderful experience and the biggest reward was that ceremonies for all year groups. These ceremonies also give younger we managed to help raise over £2000 for St. Patrickʼs Soup soloists the opportunity to take centre stage and this year has been no Kitchen! exception with performances from Year 12 singer Lucy McNally, Year During the Christmas period members of the chamber choir were 11 singer Sarah Close Ledgewood, Year 10 tin whistle player Blaithin also given the opportunity to participate, in collaboration with Belfast Steele Ni Loingsigh and Year 9 singer Siun McSherry. These fabulous Model School for Girlsʼ choir, in the FISCA choir competition in performances truly made these ceremonies thoroughly all the more Belfast City Hall organised by The Flax Trust. Together we enjoyable for all those who attended. performed ʻSpeechlessʼ from Disneyʼs Aladdin with soloists Paula This year was a particularly busy year for the Music Department McStravick and Lucy Wallace from Belfast Model School for Girls. here in St Dominicʼs. The Senior Choir had the privilege of We also sang the well known Christmas classic Carol of the Bells.It performing in the Gala Concert in aid of Trocaire which took place in was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for all who participated, and Clonard Monastery. We had the pleasure of being able to sing with many new friendships were made with the pupils from Belfast Fr Martin OʼHagan and Fr Eugene OʼHagan of ʻThe Priestsʼ as well Model School for Girls. We also managed to come away with The as soprano Margaret Keys. Together we sang popular songs such as George Quigley Award for the Most Accomplished Senior Choir and Danny Boy and When you believe from the musical The Prince of £500 for our Music Department. Egypt. The Senior Choir individually were able to show off our own All Musicians participated in the annual Christmas Carol Service in talents through renditions of Spring Concert classics such as Johnny St Pauls Parish Church. During this service we performed a variety said “No!” and The Blessing with Year 13 soloist Grace McCluskey. of carols including a variety of solo performances; O Holy Night by We also had the pleasure of listening to The Priests and Margaret Year 13 pupil Grace McCluskey, Mary Did You Know by Year 14 Keys sing their own renditions of songs such as Lord of the Dance pupil Emma Allsopp, Once in Royal Davidʼs City by Year 11 pupil and Que Cera Cera. The night ended on a high, with all groups Neala Cahir and Silent Night by Year 13 pupil Ciara Black. We were combining together to perform an arrangement of You Raise Me Up. also treated to the infamous return of the ever popular staff choir This was by far the highlight of the night and was the perfect way to singing a lively rendition of a We Three Kings/Ding Dong Merrily on end a spectacular night! High medley. It was the perfect way to begin the festive season! As usual, it was pandemonium in the music department leading up This year has been jampacked for the Music Department here in St to the Christmas period with a full calendar and even more choral Dominicʼs, with so many new, exciting experiences and works added to the repertoire to perfect. The Senior and members of opportunities. We look forward to preparing for our upcoming the Junior Choirs were invited to lead the proceedings at the PPU events and concerts, particularly our 150 years celebration concert Carol Service. On this special evening we performed a range of in the Ulster Hall, with the same enthusiasm and dedication. carols including many Christmas Classics such as Once in Royal Davidʼs City, OHolyNightwith Year 14 soloist Paula McStravick and Rebecca Frame, Year 14 O Come all ye Faithful. We were also treated to many instrumental Terése Winter Year 14

62 A Summer of Singing

During the last school year, St Dominicʼs music pupils were offered From Oliver to Nancy… a chance to audition for the Ulster Youth Choir (now known as the National Youth Choir of Northern Ireland) and attend a workshop A Musical Journey Comes which was led by the Musical Director of the choir, Andrew Nunn. A number of us decided to put our musical abilities to the test and Full Circle challenged ourselves to audition. My past seven years here at St. Dominic's have been a whirl wind of We had to wait for what seemed like an eternity before we got passion, emotion and music. From the various performances, word on how we did but, in the end, there were many happy competitions and shows I have taken part in while at St. Dominic's, singers as St. Dominicʼs was well represented across all three music and theatre have transformed me into the person I am today. choirs! We had five girls who were accepted into the main choir, Since joining the Senior Choir in Year 10, we have not only toured seven who were offered places for the training choir and at least around different venues in Ireland but have also journeyed across twelve younger pupils who were offered places in the junior choir. Europe on trips to Prague and Rome, where we performed in We were also lucky enough to join in a very important year for the prestigious and sacred venues. Moreover, this year we had the Ulster Youth Choir as it was its 20th anniversary celebration in honour of being invited back to "Candlelight Christmas at Clonard," for 2019. We were given the opportunity to to perform in a huge the third year in a row. It was here we had the pleasure of singing concert in the Ulster Hall at the end of July. This followed an alongside professional singers such as Karl McGuckin, Niamh Perry intensive week-long residential in Campbell college where we and Fra Free. Having Clonard only moments away from our school learnt at least 11 pieces from various styles and periods to has proved as a huge gain for us, as we have also performed there in celebrate the anniversary. The concert also featured an impressive recent times alongside the famous entertainers “The Priests” and Phil solo from our very own Anna Hinchcliffe, who was chosen to Coulter in several charity showcases. In addition to this, this perform by the conductor himself, Andrew Nunn! Christmas we also had the opportunity to accompany The Belfast Whilst on the course, we had very busy days with full choir Pops Orchestra in a concert in St. Patrick's Church in aid of St. rehearsals three times a day and with multiple sectional rehearsals Patrick's soup kitchen. We had the honour of singing for the first time as well. But the whole week wasnʼt only work! We were also able to with a professional orchestra for a worthy cause and what an have fun as we had a break everyday where we got to do activities experience it was! such as volleyball and sports day! In the evenings there were also This year, 2020, marks 150 years of St. Dominic's and we are fun activities organised such as a bingo night, a quiz night, a currently in preparations for our school concert, taking place on the 1st treasure hunt and a movie night. We also had a formal dinner where April in the Ulster Hall. We look forward to hearing the amazing talents we all dressed up in our finest attire and had a fantastic dinner! of our acts such as the Senior Choir and Cumann Ceol, with addition As I was in main choir, I was offered the opportunity to travel to of some exciting solos and Irish dancers. France to sing in two festivals in Marseille! During this 4-day tour Furthermore, throughout my time at St. Dominic's I have been a part we sang in two Cathedrals - Aix Cathedral and Isle Sur la Sorgue - of every school show possible. The first show I was a part of after but also had some lovely spontaneous singalongs in the back joining St. Dominic's was "Oliver" and I was lucky enough, as a Year 9 streets of Aix-en-Provence. It was amazing to not only get to sing pupil, to portray the role of Oliver himself. Two years later I was in an incredible choir but also to become friends with everyone and chosen to play Joseph in the production of “Joseph and the Amazing really form lifelong friendships! Technicolour Dreamcoat” and most recently played Anita in “West It was truly one of the most amazing experiences I have been in Side Story”. This April, in my final school concert, I will be returning to involved in and I know all the girls who were involved were so “Oliver”, only this time singing Nancy's solo piece "As Long As He impressed by the whole experience. We were very proud to Needs Me" in the Ulster Hall for our celebrations of 150 years of St. represent St. Dominicʼs in all of the choirs and got some incredible Dominic's. feedback from Andrew Nunn. We are all looking forward to this The music department here has been so much more than a subject or yearʼs course with even more excitement and anticipation. We extracurricular activity to me, it has provided a safe haven from the have been practising hard all year to prepare our voices! stresses of school life and has given me a family of like-minded Maria Aaroy, Year 13 singers, instrumentalists and performers who have supported me on my journey. The people I have met and the teachers I have worked with, have each shaped me into who I am today and I am extremely grateful for that. From the first solo I sang in St. Anne's Cathedral as a Year 8 to the final time I will sing as a Year 14 in the Ulster Hall, I thank the department for nurturing my musical soul and ensuring my passion and love for music will stay alive in my heart forever. Emma Allsopp, Year 14

63 Psychology Neuroplasticity and Growth Mindset

Just before Christmas break, Orla Gamble, Lily Denny and I delivered a presentation to a year 10 class about neuroplasticity in our brains and how this relates to growth mind-set. Neuroplasticity is the idea that our brains are constantly changing and developing throughout our lives. We emphasised how important it is to keep trying and not give up on something just because it is difficult. With practice, your brain changes and develops which is important for healthy brains! It was also good to tell the pupils about how important it is to surround yourself with positive people. If you surround yourself with happy people, you are more likely to be happy too! It was a great opportunity to make an impression on the younger pupils and help the school community take a more positive and forward thinking attitude to studies as well as extra-curricular activities like sports or learning new hobbies! We think it is really important for pupils to learn about ideas such as this in order to establish healthy mental habits before they start GCSEs. We believe it will help them take a positive attitude and cope with stress better. It was fantastic to see so many people interested and motivated by our talk. We really believe we have made a positive impact on the wider school community! Niamh Stewart Year 14

64 Studying Sociology

My study of Sociology has enabled me to partake in a Nuffield social science placement which took place over the summer. Queen’s University Lecture Day I was given the opportunity to develop my research skills and As a Sociology pupil, I was lucky to attend a full day of lectures examine the issue of knife crime. I worked with a criminologist with my class at Queen's University, Belfast. We attended a at Queenʼs University and was tasked with analysing the variety of lectures, such as Veronique Altglasʼ “Iʼm spiritual but current levels of knife crime, looking at previous research on not religious” study and Cate McNameeʼs study on ʻModern the topic and how different factors have been affecting these Familiesʼ. These was enjoyable and interesting and similar to current levels. course topics we had studied in class. This has been incredibly useful with A-Level Sociology as this Another lecture we attended at Queens was ʻUnderstanding year we have been studying Crime and Deviance. I was given Crimeʼ which was taken by Rob Webb. He spoke to us about the opportunity to investigate a complex social issue and recent crime statistics in the UK and compared them to crime examine how different factors such as gender, ethnicity and rates from the 1960s. This was beneficial to our A level course age affect an individualʼs likelihood of being involved in knife as we study Crime and Deviance. In this topic we discuss how crime. The research placement required me to analyse data crime affects members of society and how different theorists from multiple official sources such as the Office for National view the issue of crime. Statistics and the Police in England and Wales. I was also tasked with analysing how current sensationalist media articles Our final lecture of the day was given by Jonathan Heaney, could be contributing to a moral panic within society. who gave us an insight into what it would be like to study Sociology at Queenʼs. This was beneficial as it allowed us to One interesting conclusion was that there is significant hear about the topics taught over the three year course and inequality in terms of the ethnicity of the victims of knife crime. what grades are needed to get into the different courses. It also Young, black males are around five times over-represented allowed us to see what student life is like in Queenʼs for against population estimates in knife crime victim data. This Sociology students and what they enjoy about studying at has also been significant in Sociology this year as we have Queenʼs. This was helpful as I plan to study Criminology at been studying inequality within our society. This experience at University. At the end of the lecture we were able to approach Nuffield has allowed me to develop an appreciation for cultural the professors and ask them questions about their studies. diversity and an understanding for contrasting viewpoints. My interest in Sociology has evolved during the past two years and Shanna Hunter I am excited about developing my knowledge further at Year 14 University.

65 TABU Towards a Better Understanding

When I initially heard about TABU, I knew I wanted to take part. The phrase ʻone in a lifetime Politics opportunityʼ is often overused but this seemed like the genuine article. The programme, through the Rotary Club of Belfast, consists of an all- expenses paid exchange trip to Chicago over the Easter break. TABU stands for TowardsA Better Understanding. It is a cross-community trip aiming to create a better understanding between different communities by studying conflict resolution. A small number of pupils participate in the programme and the Orderrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! competition is fierce. I thought the chances of being successful would be very slim. However, I didnʼt let this put me off applying! No person familiar with politics at Westminster can hear this phrase without The application process consisted of 5 main areas which included; hearing the unmistakable tones of the Right Honourable John Bercow. In personal achievements, interest in current affairs and conflict February, we were lucky enough to attend an event with the former Speaker resolution, leadership experience, group work experience and cross of the House of Commons. community interests. I had to write a personal statement explaining how I would benefit from the experience, what attributes I would It took place in the cavernous surroundings of the Waterfront Hall bring and how I would use this experience when I returned home. and we took our seats high in the Gods to watch one of the most colourful characters to grace the political stage in recent years. We found out about the programme at the beginning of October and The format was that of a TV interview with the BBCʼs Karen the deadline for applications was mid-November. Mr Thomas held a Patterson as the host. As they came on stage Mr Speaker was given session after school to help us with our applications, which was very a pop starʼs welcome which spoke volumes about his popularity helpful. After a wait, we learnt that myself and three other girls from among ʻpoliticosʼ. We were not disappointed as he spoke on a range my year had been selected to take part in an interview in The Europa of issues from Brexit to LGBT rights. However, the highlight had to Hotel at the end of November. be his anecdotes and opinions on an array of familiar politicians – which we wonʼt repeat! The interview process was quite daunting. I had to give a presentation followed by a fifteen- minute discussion with the Four John Bercow was consistently entertaining and possessed a Rotarians on the interview panel. Two weeks later I received an wonderful vocabulary, all delivered in the crisp tones that we have all email informing me that I had been selected as a participant for the become so familiar. At the end of an evening in which he had exchange programme. I am so excited for the upcoming experience charmed the crowd he finished with a bellow of “Orderrrrrrrrr - and hope that I will learn a lot from experiencing the models of Unlock!” conflict resolution in the Chicago area. In turn, I will be able to utilise new skills for the benefit of our own community. We were delighted to manage to persuade Naomi Long to meet with the entire group in the lobby after the event. Ever gracious with her Aoife McCallin Year 13 time, the Alliance leader took time to talk with us and was sporting enough to grant us a group photo.

of us as we met at the airport at around 3am. After a quick stop at Politics in Action! Starbucks for some much needed coffee we excitedly boarded our flights. After we landed, we began our tour which was led by Peter Politics in Action has been one of the most rewarding and interesting whose encyclopaedic knowledge of London and endless experiences of my time at St Dominicʼs. I have been lucky enough to connections were invaluable. be chosen twice to take part in the course. The first time I w as chosen was when I was in Year 11and I greatly enjoyed the We took in some of the sights of central London and then ventured experience. I decided to put myself forward for it again this year and to Buckingham Palace. We happened to be just in time to see a was delighted to be chosen to take part. guard change underway, which was made even more enjoyable by the band performing a lively rendition of “Uptown Funk” by Bruno I currently study Politics, Music and Drama and this program seemed Mars. Following this we walked to St James' Park, had tea in like a natural fit for me. Politics in Action is the brainchild of ex TV Westminster Abbey and eventually concluded the first part of our producer Peter Weil and has now expanded to include sixteen tour at the Houses of Parliament, where we were welcomed in and schools. It involves young people coming together on a cross given a tour of each of the chambers. We took part in a workshop on community basis and carrying out detailed research into a project. Select committees and also had the privilege of speaking with The culmination of this project is the production and presentation of Baroness Barker, a member of the House of Lords. We had the a report to local politicians. opportunity to ask her questions about her role. We all found her This year, our partner school was Friendsʼ School, Lisburn. We met extremely welcoming and people were enthralled at her tale of and got settled and Therese (our facilitator from the Politics in Action bravely coming out during her work on same sex marriage organisation) got us to participate in some ice breakers. We then got legislation. down to discussing what our subject of investigation would be. In We made our way back towards the airport, boarding our flight and order to decide what we would be investigating, we were divided into landing little under an hour later. I think we were all glad to see our groups and tasked with coming up with ideas of areas of study. The beds that night! The experience was definitely worth the early start. issue we decided on in the end was Brexit and its potential On behalf of the school and my fellow team members I would like to implications on Northern Ireland. offer sincere thanks to Peter, Therese and the Politics in Action organisation. I would say that the highlight of this programme for me so far has been the trip to London before Christmas. It was an early start for all Miah Lynch 13B

66 an elected MEP since 2004. She created the Young Visitorsʼ À Bientôt to the EU Programme. We also had an opportunity to have lunch with MEP, Sheila Ritchie, a member of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. She Teams- Junior NI Champions debated with us about Brexit and spoke about her final speech as an In late January, I visited the European Parliament in Brussels as part MEP, which was to take place during the Plenary session later that of a Young Visitorsʼ Programme alongside nineteen other young day. This week was a poignant one for the MEPs. By the close of people from across England and Scotland. The programme, now day Friday, they would be losing their jobs. running for the tenth year, is organised by Renew Europe. Renew We visited the European Commission, where we spoke to the Europe is a political group within the EU Parliament made up of Environmental Committee about the EUʼs new Green Deal. It is various Liberal parties across Europe. I attended the programme hoped it will be implemented by 2021 to combat climate change. through the Alliance Party, who work alongside multiple other Liberal We visited the parliament itself, as well as the House of European parties in Europe such as the Liberal Democrats, Fianna Fáil, and History. We debated with the European Youth Forum about lowering Mouvement Démocrate. the voting age to sixteen. The programme offers young people an opportunity to visit the EU For me, the most memorable part of the week was being able to Institutions and gain a fuller understanding of the role that the EU attend the final Plenary session and the vote on the Withdrawal plays in our own political spheres. This visit came at a special time, Agreement. We got to listen to the speeches of both pro and anti- as we attended the parliament over the few days prior to the UK EU MEPs, including Nigel Farage and the Brexit Party, whom many leaving the EU. The involvement in the programme itself was a once hold responsible for the outcome of Brexit. Many of the speeches in a lifetime opportunity, but to be present during the final Brexit were emotional and gave a true insight into the valued role the UK debates and to witness the vote on the Withdrawal Agreement was a played within the EU. Various MEPs ended their speeches with, monumental experience. “We will say À bientôt to the EU - this is not an Au Revoir”- ʻWe will We had a busy schedule. We spoke to various non-governmental say see you soon- this is not goodbye.ʼ organisations such as WWF and Facebook who work to lobby the I would also like to extend my thanks to all those in the EU who EU regarding legislation. We met various MEPs such as Sophie made me feel most welcome and to Naomi Long for facilitating this Veld, a member of the Dutch Democrats, wonderful opportunity. Emily Crudden McIlhatton Year 14

This was a tremendous experience and I would like to record my Tackling the Big Issues - thanks to Peter Weil for not only giving me the opportunity to gain experience in the ʻfrontline trenchesʼ of public policy but allowing young Climate Changes people the opportunity to voice their concerns on the most important issue facing our generation. In November 2019, Year 13 Politics pupils took part in a cross community discussion at Parliament Buildings on Climate Change. It was organised Andrea Hyland Year 13 by Peter Weil and produced a frank and wide-ranging debate. As a result, Heather Murchen and myself were selected to accompany the organiser, Peter Weil from Politics in Action, to a major event in Dáil Éireann. We were tasked with working alongside Portadown College and two Southern schools to discuss possible government action on Climate change that we would like to see translated into legislation in coming months. During our meeting in the Dáil we worked on a manifesto on Climate Change to be sent to all MPs, MLAs, TDs and Senators North and South of the border. We talked about the influences the willingness of the youth to help stop the impacts of climate change and the small steps we can take in schools and at home to lower our carbon footprint. In preparation fot his, we conducted extensive research and met with Caoimhe Archibald (Sinn Féin), Sir Jeffery Donaldson (DUP) in Stormont and Joe McHugh (Minister of Education Fine Gael). We had a unique opportunity to express our concerns and queries to those we felt could have a serious impact. Despite all the hard work, we also enjoyed trips to the Orange Heritage Museum and Leinster House. This enabled us to bond with the other schools,understanding that regardless of our background or culture that we could all come together as young people to protect and preserve our environment and our future. Our manifesto has been drawn up and sent to all elected representatives, North and South.

67 Religion+

The Religious Studies Department is committed to the promotion Thanks to all the pupils who showed such great generosity at of the spiritual and moral development of each student in Christmas. They have fully committed to the true meaning of conjunction with the pursuit of academic excellence. There is a Christmas by giving generously to the St. Vincent de Paul close relationship between Religious Education, the School Ethos Appeal. Thanks to their teachers who encouraged them. and the Pastoral Care Programme. The fostering of the student's The Clonard Youth Ministry team gave a talk to Year 13 pupils self-esteem, the development of self-respect and respect for on Wednesday 16th October. Brendan Dineen spoke of the others as well the promotion of rationality, responsibility and importance of inspirational leaders, exploring the life of St. compassion is central to the focus of the department. Gerard Majella in particular. Brendan also extended an invitation to our students to both visit and join the ongoing Religious Education is a compulsory subject at Key Stage 3 and 4 ministry at Clonard. Aoife Morgan, one of our Year 13 pupils and is a very popular choice at A-Level. RE enjoys a high profile and a volunteer at Clonard spoke of her positive experiences both within and beyond the classroom, for example assemblies, working at Clonard. It is great to have a short time to pause and liturgies, retreats, fundraising activities and community outreach reflect within the busy school day. Thank you to Brendan and projects. We have had another busy year with our students his team of committed volunteers for this opportunity. achieving excellent results at GCSE and A level as well as in various extra-curricular areas. Two teams from St. Dominicʼs are finalists in the Trocaire ʻGame Changersʼ competition. The pupils designed games We are continually mindful of the powerful words of St Catherine focusing on the work of Trocaire and the United Nationʼs Global of Siena Goals. The winning entrants were Orlaith Webb, Meadhbh “Be who God meant you to be Thornbury, Ciara Boyle and Ava Finnegan. Nine pupils from 10E and 10B will be attending the Award final at the Helix (DCU and you will set the world on fire.” Glasnevin Campus) on Wednesday 15th May. The teams will get a chance to showcase their games. Pupils completed the games as part of their RE social justice module. Well done to all our entrants. Here is a snap shot of a busy year for the RE Department. A number of Year 8 RE classes are completing the 40 Acts (of Lent) Challenge by completing a range of positive actions. Acts are grouped by theme including: The RE department was buzzing on Open day with many visitors stopping in to make prayer bracelets with us and • Gratitude add petitions to our prayer board. We look forward to • Care for the Environment welcoming the new Year 8 pupils in September! • Giving Year 14 Faith in Action pupils participated in a short • School Community session to introduce them to the skills of meditation. The • Kindness session was led by Margaret McCrory from the De La • New Friends Salle Pastoral Centre in Belfast. • Doing the right thing Our A-Level RE students attended a Theology Thank you to Mrs Willoughby Head of RE and to our Year 13 Conference ʻUnder the Radarʼ held at St Josephʼs, and 14 faith volunteers for organising the Ash Wednesday Donaghmore. They joined pupils from a number of liturgy. Ash Wednesday marks both the start of the Lenten schools across Northern Ireland to explore religion and season and the start of a range of RE group activities to celebrate the run up to Easter. the big issues in society today. The A-Level pupils explored a range of ethical and philosophical issues A big thank you to all those who contributed items for the including gender ethics, moral relativism and the politics Christmas hampers. These were distributed by local St Vincent of tolerance. Questions posed included: Do snails have de Paul (SVP) groups and Social Services, going to both consciousness? What assumptions underlie cultural homeless shelters and family groups. Your incredible generosity provided many families and individuals with much relativism? The key speakers were Father Andrew needed support this Christmas. Pinsent, a Research Director of the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion at Oxford and Julie Arliss, a ‘Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Cambridge CIE examiner and Farmington Scholar. The Then your light will shine out from the darkness’. pupils ended the conference by participating in a debate focusing on religion and science.

68 Youth Alpha Programme at St. Dominic’s The Youth Alpha programme has been one of the highlights of my past year. For eight weeks, it allowed me the opportunity to meet new people and explore my personal relationships and my relationship with my own religion. All discussions were open and all opinions were valued and respected. They took place in an environment where we all felt relaxed and confident that we could speak without being ridiculed or devalued. Everyone was patient, positive and encouraging. The Living Youth leaders who facilitated the programme were so engaging and approachable. They used media and videos to help us learn and investigate moral issues. As the weeks went by I found myself developing confidence and my friendship group getting bigger. The friends I made at Youth Alpha became friends I would text outside of the programme. When it came to going on our residential I was really looking forward to spending time with everyone. Our residential was fabulous! We participated in many fun activities such as rock climbing, a visit to the beach and archery. We received the Sacrament of Confession, made St Brigidʼs Crosses and attended Mass where I was chosen to read the 1st Reading. It was a busy weekend and I loved every minute of it. I would definitely recommend this programme to others. It is an excellent way to explore your religion and relationship with God. The leaders understood that, as teenagers, we have an honest view of the world and our opinions may sometimes differ to other age groups. They valued our honesty and input and, as a result, we learned so much and deepened our understanding of what God means to all of us. We also learned how delicious pizza and milkshake can taste at 5:30pm after a hard day at school! Ciara Loughran Year 14

69 Science Club

70 Salters’ Festival BBC Young Reporter Well done to Isla Annett, Emma Gormley, Mollai Hughes and As part of the BBC Young Reporter programme, four Year 9 Keeva Todd who took part in the Saltersʼ Festival of Chemistry pupils visited the BBC Blackstaff building for a workshop on in Queenʼs University, Belfast. The pupils had to work as a team careers using STEM (Science Technology Engineering to use chemical tests to solve two practical challenges. The Mathematics) in the media. The girls met web developers who pupils did very well and were commended for their efforts. The design and maintain websites, TV presenters who create pupil also enjoyed an explosion-filled ʻChemistry Magicʼ lecture science content and mathematicians who identify trends in delivered by the Queenʼs University Chemistry Department. what people watch! The students created their own mini scientific information video on the topic of Photosynthesis. They wrote, produced, filmed and edited the video themselves. They also presented to a live audience of their peers, demonstrating and explaining a chemical reaction.

Chemistry/Chemical Engineer TALK The Chemistry department welcomed Dr Nancy Artioli, a Chemical Engineering lecturer from QUB on Wednesday 6th November. She spoke to Year 12 and 13 pupils about both Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. Dr Artoli has worked in leading American, French and Italian universities. She also has considerable experience co-ordinating Study Abroad options as part of certain degree pathways. It was a very enjoyable event coupled with a practical on 'Spherification'. Many thanks to Dr Ken Pringle, QUB for setting up this opportunity.

71 Science Week 2019 RSC Schools’Analyst During Science Week, a number of science classes performed Competition a series of science challenges. Year 9 took part in the helicopter challenge. All groups were challenged to design a Congratulations to Racheal McAreavy, Nuala McNally and helicopter which would be judged on its ability to stay aloft. Confidence Nich who took part in RSC Schoolsʼ Analyst Congratulations to Rhianna McKenna (9B), Erin McElvanna competition. They were highly commended for their practical (9B), Ciara Donnelly (9C) and Ana Enrique Gascon (9C) who skills in Chemistry. won the competition. All pupils thoroughly enjoyed the STEM aspect of this project. .

Sentinus Big Bang Competition

St. Dominicʼs had two teams competing at the Sentinus 2019 Big Bang Competition, which was held in the University of Ulster, Jordanstown on Monday 24th June 2019. It was a gruelling time sharing project ideas with judges and members of the public but was an excellent experience. Catherine Walsh, Sophie McGregor and Cara McFadden won the Northern Ireland Young Scientist Big Bang Award. Their project title was “Could nutraceuticals stop cancer?” and involved investigating which type of nutraceuticals stopped yeast respiring and therefore may stop cancer cells from growing in your body. They won the overall grand award and Senior Biology Olympiad will represent Northern Ireland in Birmingham NEC on the 11th- 14th March. Congratulation to all the pupils involved! This is a The Biology Olympiad is an annual competition, organised by wonderful achievement. the Royal Society of Biology and aimed at the top A -Level Biologists. There were over 3,000 entries. This year five of our pupils participated. The competition consists of 68 multiple choice questions testing all areas of Biology, including many topics not taught at A –Level. It is designed to stretch the most able students. Congratulations to the following girls: Favour Nich (Bronze), Grace Kennedy (Highly commended), Grace Craig (Commended), Rhiannon Brady (Commended) and Elen Oʼ Rawe (Commended).

72 Mole Day in St. Dominic’s Reel Life Science

The Chemistry Department celebrated Mole Day on the 23rd of Reel Life Science challenges Irish schools and community October 2019. Mole Day celebrates the ʻmoleʼ, which is an groups to communicate science and technology via engaging important number used throughout chemistry. The Year 11 Triple and educational short videos. Since being launched in 2013 by Award and Year 14 A-Level classes baked cakes to mark the the National University of Ireland, Galway and a team of occasion! volunteer scientists, this challenge has been met by more than 13,000 participants in 400 schools and groups around Ireland. Winning videos were selected from a total of 191 entries made by over 1,300 participants in 77 schools and community groups around Ireland. The panel of judges included geneticist, author and BBC presenter Doctor Adam Rutherford, BT Young Scientist and SciFest winner Adam Kelly. St Dominicʼs was one of only two schools in Northern Ireland who entered and Leah Young, Sinead Casey and Aoife O Sullivan were highly commended for their video on elements in the periodic table. Well done girls!

I’m a Scientist - Get me out of here 2019!

Iʼm a Scientist, Get me out of Here! is an online event where students virtually meet and interact with real scientists. The format is an X Factor competition between the scientists, with pupils as the judges. The scientists taught our pupils a lot about different topics including a fascinating insight into behaviours and the forming of habits which become difficult to break. The pupils asked the scientists about their career paths and what challenges they faced as their careers progressed. It was an unique way to learn more about pathways and careers in science.

I’m a Scientist -

Clodagh Mallon in 8A won a voucher for asking a series of excellent questions about the use of animals in medical experiments. Clodagh's love and passion for animal biology was evident in her work. Well done Clodagh!

73 European Systems Careers in Biology Safety Society Competition We would like to thank Dr Joseph Quinn, a lecturer Congratulations to Catherine Walsh from Queenʼs University, 10D who was invited to interview for Belfast who spoke to the the Broadcom Masters International Triple Award GCSE Programme 2020. This was a Science pupils about the tremendous achievement as she study of Biomedical was one of only four secondary Sciences at university and school pupils in Northern Ireland discussed different who were invited to interview. She pathways into medicine was commended for her interview which would be available technique but sadly wasnʼt awarded to those pupils. the bursary. A Broadcom Masters Bursary is an all-expenses paid trip to attend the Broadcom Masters Top of the Bench January 2020 Programme which is part of the International Science and Engineering Fair taking place in Anaheim, California in May Congratulations to B Quigg, A Enrique Gascon, L Tyrrell and E 2020. The Broadcom Masters Programme is a week-long Marken who took part in the Royal Society of Chemistryʼs ʻTop experiential programme for up and coming bright young of the Benchʼ competition on Thursday 24th January in QUB. scientists from all over the world. This is the third year that This competition involved pupils taking part in both practical Sentinus has been selected to send a young scientist to attend and theoretical activities. They were placed 3rd in the the event and reflects the quality of the projects that attend the competition. Sentinus Young Innovators Science Fair. RSC Chemistry Olympiad Congratulations to Year 13 pupil Rachel Leyden and Year 14 pupils Grace Kennedy, Grace Craig and Favour Nich who achieved Bronze/Silver certificates in the recent RSC Chemistry Olympiad.

Biology Challenge The Biology Challenge is an annual competition, organised by MISAC Competition the Royal Society of Biology and aimed at the top GCSE Scientists. This year 47,183 students from 527 schools This competition was introduced worldwide participated. Well done to the following Year 11 in the UK in 1985 to enhance pupils who achieved a Bronze award; Niamh Carville, Sorcha pupil interest in the area of McGarry, Ciara Scannell, Aoife Morgan, Emma Donnelly and microbiology. It became an Aoife Marley. They achieved a score in the highest 25% of all annual event in 1994 and the the participants. Well done! MISAC Annual Competition for Key Stages 3 and 4 attracts up to 2,000 pupil entries each year. The topic chosen each year is linked to the National Curriculum. Special sponsorship provides money prizes totalling £1,000 for pupils and their schools. Each pupil entrant receives a certificate. Congratulations to Aoife Morgan whose research and work on fungi was highly commended in the competition.

74 Cells – STEAM (Science, States of Matter Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths) Project Year 8 Science pupils have been busy making model cells to encourage them to think about cells in a creative way. Pupils were very inventive with some baking cakes and biscuits whilst others used sweets, jellies and even an avocado! All pupils enjoyed the challenge and the design aspect of the cells project.

W5-Almac Tour

Twelve Year 13 pupils attended a STEM careers event in W5 facilitated by Almac in October 2019. This session was formatted in a ʻspeed networkingʼ session. The pupils heard about employment opportunities in the pharmaceutical sector from Almac employees who shared their own experiences of working in the field.

75 VERITAS Raising the Bar

On Saturday 23rd November 2019, sixteen of our pupils taking on the role of the prosecution or defence in an attempt braved the cold, wind and rain to participate in The to impress the adjudicators, all of whom were professional Citizenship Foundationʼs National Bar Mock Trial court judges. Competition in Belfastʼs Royal Courts of Justice. After many With 16 schools from across Northern Ireland participating months of relentless rehearsals under the ever-watchful in the competition, our team faced strong competition in the eyes of Miss Morgan and Miss Smyth, the time had finally form of Glenlola Collegiate, St. Patrickʼs Grammar School arrived to don the wigs and silks and fight for (fictional) and The Royal School, Armagh. Despite outstanding justice! performances from all members of the team, we The competition involved us taking on the roles of barristers, unfortunately did not make it to the final. Thankfully, the witnesses, ushers, jurors and other important roles within the egos of our hardworking team were not too bruised and all court in two specially written cases, one involving the onward were extremely proud of our great performances, with many distribution of drugs and the other focusing on grievous bodily of the girls hoping to participate in the competition again harm. Our team had to compete against other schools, next year!

The St. Dominicʼs Witnesses Mock Bar Team Katie McNally Lily Denny Barristers Anna McCaffrey Gina Craig Natasha Dunlop Emma McDonagh Tara Moran Emma Allsopp Jenna Farrell Orla McNulty Eve Twomey Emma McIlhatton Ornait Maguire Paula McStravick Eirinn McAleeser Court Clerk/ Usher Shanna Hunter

76 Magistrates’ Court Mock Trial Team 2019

Following a tough audition process, the 2019 Magistratesʼ performance. Neala Cahir, Year 10, won due to her Court Mock Trial Team was decided. The competition excellent performance as a barrister. After a very dramatic involves pupils assuming fictional roles as barristers, pause, the judges announced that the St. Dominicʼs team witnesses and court staff and participating in mock trials. Our had won! team competed against other schools in the Northern Ireland We travelled to the UK final which was held in the Royal regional final. We participated in two rounds, once as the Courts of Justice, London. The trip consisted of two busy prosecution and once as the defence. days. The first day we had a chance to relax, shop and take After practising every Wednesday after school, the team in the sights of London. The second day we were in the joined Mrs McCann and Mrs Dickson at Craigavon Court on Royal Courts of Justice, London. We defended a case the 9th of March 2019. We were first competing as defence concerning a stole mobile phone against Ecclesbourne against St. Malachyʼs, Castlewellan before taking on the role School and prosecuted a case about an assault on a taxi of prosecution against St Maryʼs College, Derry. driver against John Hampden School. Unfortunately, despite the teamʼs greatest efforts and excellent performance, we At the end of both cases, the judges commented on our didnʼt win the UK title. However, we achieved 7th place in diligent preparation and “excellent all round performance”. the final which pleased us as 4,000 pupils had taken part The judges then proceeded to the awards for exceptional from 300 schools across the UK! Ana Enrique Gascon said that her favourite memory was “getting to meet real judges and be in real courts”. She also believes that the experience helped her confidence and communication skills. Breeya Quigg said that her favourite part was having the opportunity to travel to London. Jodie Quinn, who portrayed the role of the Usher, said that she enjoyed meeting new people and making many new friends. Gianna Irvine said that her favourite memory was “seeing the London Eye”.

The St. Dominicʼs Team

Magistrates Breeya Quigg 9C Ana Enrique Gascon 9C Casey Largey 9E Court Reporter Barristers Defence Holly Rose Fairley 9C Brenna McElvanna 9B Neala Cahir 10A Legal Advisor/Court Clerk Emma Gormley 9B Barristers Prosecution Cara Magennis 9A Usher Keeva Todd 9A Jodie Quinn 9C

Witnesses Court Artist Cara McFadden 9D Molly Lawlor 9E Dervla McAufield 9B Gianna Irvine 9C Sarah Smith 9A

77 Back Row L - R Ella Matthews, Sarah Shannon Marshall, Eimear Sheehan, Emma Crawford, Grace McFarland, Talaa Ali, Blessing Nich, Maeve Devlin, Nicole Mervyn, Eilada Almohomad, Alannah Reilly, Mateya McLean Middle Row L - R Beth Murphy, JoJo He, Molly Glover, Leah McNally, Cara Connolly, Leanna Flynn, Grainne Neeson, Eirinn McCann, Aine McStay, Anna Bittles Front Row L - R Eimear McCrory, Emma Meenan, Amparo Miralles Bravo, Connla Moore, Niamh Ferrie, Andria Prince,

Form 8A Lily OʼHare, Grace McNamee, Emma Dougherty

Back Row L - R Sophia Gallagher, Kaila Patterson, Roisin Quinn, Demi McGreevy, Fionnuala Baker Third Row L - R Cara McNama, Clare Hanna, Katie McGoldrick, Grace Carmichael, Katie OʼNeill, Sophia Brown, Aoife Rice, Cara McKenna Second Row L - R Dearbhla Finnegan, Ava Kennedy, Lauren Early, Polly Short, Ella Weir, Cara Murphy, Aimee McGreevy, Niamh Ward

Form 8B Front Row L - R Nicole Donnelly, Eimear OʼKane, Eryn Long, Caitlin Carlisle, Aoife Nugent, Cara Lynch, Jessica McAreavey, Leah Brooks, Caitlin Cox

78 Back Row L - R Ava McGurk, Sofia Gascon Enrique, Eileen Wen, Amber Cheadle, Alana Gouldie, Amy Wilson-Dobbin, Tara Boyd, Ciara Murray, Grace Fegan, Mollie Rodgers, Katrina Villasfer, Evie Dawson Middle Row L - R Kathryn Reynolds, Abbie Mayock, Roise Lagan, Meabh McAleavy, Ciara Turkington, Emma McCartney, Rosemary Aby, Florence McCarthy, Jaden Chipare, Aoibhín Ni Dhuibhfinn, Erin Caballero Front Row L - R Sophie Stewart, Eve Kempston, Hannah McAllister, Emer OʼConnor, Aoife Deane, Rachel Wilkinson,

Form 8C Aoife Harrison, Abi Donnelly, Niamh Butler

Back Row L - R Isabella Fay, Eva McCurdy, Ellie McDonald, Katie McNally-Varela, Mia Anderson, Laksha Singh Middle Row L - R Ellie Smyth, Meg Mohan, Ella Donnelly, Eva Kelly, Amy Mulligan, Evelyn Martin, Sian Morris, Erin Steele, Aleena Vellikkara, Shannon Leith Front Row L - R Emily McCusker, Diksha Jana, Morgan Kerr-McQuillan, Casey McMahon, Sarah Heaney, Rebecca Sloan,

Form 8D Maria De Meulemeester, Orlaith Mussen and Eabha Murphy

79 Back Row L - R Caodhla Cunningham, Aine Burke, Niamh George, Catriona Fox, Isola Young, Mischa Hampshire Middle Row L - R Imogen Bell, Cadhla Kelly McAteer, Brianna Glymond, Mia-Rose Jamison, Aisling Logan, Sophie Bell, Mia McIlkenny, Renad Abusamra Brogan McKenna, Karen Oʼ Rourke Front Row L - R Carly Byrne, Aoibhinn Graham, Jessica Nolan, Jessica Donnelly, Ruby Graham, Lucy Diamond,

Form 8E Charlotte England, Mia McMullan, Mya McMullan

Back Row L - R Sophia Doherty, Molly Mallon, Brianna Bennett, Kirsten Doyle, Anna McKernan, Niamh McDermott, Niamh McAllister Middle Row L - R Eimear Fallon, Roise Shannon, Mia McConnell, Ellie Dickson, Erin OʼBrien, Jazmin Bellew, Mairead Quinn, Lucy McAloon, Clodagh Holmes, Phoebe Boyd Front Row L - R Kaci Bracken Irvine, Kiera Fennell, Ava Armstrong, Casey Toner, Una Flynn, Erin McCann, Aoife Brady,

Form 8F Hannah Hughes, Deirbhile Killyleagh

80 Back Row L - R Bethany Crummey, Clodagh Mallon, Rianna Young, Anna Christy, Anna Herdman Third Row L - R Beth Doherty, Emma- Jane Farrelly, Di Rose Curato, Lucy Green, Emma OʼCallaghan, Erin Wilkinson, Mukta Deshpande, Karla McCann, Eva McCausland Second Row L - R Abigail Crooks, Connlaith Feerick, Isha Deshpande, Leona Rose Quigley, Caitlin Crookes, Enya Mulligan, Eve Duncan, Mairead De Largy, Grace Nugent, Jenna Ferguson

Form 9A Front Row L - R Maria Casey, Kyla McLarnon, Sophie Meehan, Laura Casey, Anna Neal, Demi-lee Duff, Eva Devlin, Erin Rice, Molly Devlin

Back Row L - R Faith McShane, Sarah Fox, Siofra Lavery, Aoife Doherty, Sophie Murray-Kavanagh, Sarah Skillen, Una Flynn, Fionnuala McCann Flynn, Zara Delander, Emily Rogan, Cara Linden Middle Row L - R Emily Connolly, Caragh Crane, Eva Milliken, Gabrielle Lindsay, Sophie Meehan, Jessica Carlisle, Kerry Ferguson, Laura Daly, Ava Mulvenna Front Row L - R Niamh Gettings, Aoibhinn Williams, Emma Mc Donnell, Katie Rose McAnoy, Laragh Kearney, Caitlin Adams, Lauren Smyth Form 9B

81 Back Row L - R Annabelle French, Katie Browning, Hannah Quinn, Ella Wilkinson Third Row L - R Ellen Twomey, Caoimhe Cahir, Caitlin Brennan, Riham Omar, Mia Clarke, Laura Keenan, Evie Browning, Caragh Loughlin Second Row L - R Rhianna Gillespie, Ruth Prabeen, Kerribelle Kane, Hana Hassan, Rachel Benoy, Aoibhinn Clenaghan, Grace McCann- Burns, Aingeall Lambatan, Eimear Drain, Siún McSherry Front Row L - R Fionnuala Cullen, Eireann McAleese, Lilli Browning, Cara Devlin, Marianna Garvin, Natasha Teer, Form 9C Eve McNamee, Aisling OʼDonnell, Oviyaa Sivakumar

Back Row L - R Ella Fleming, Enya Fitzsimonss, Cara Dougan, Amy Murray, Orla Rozanska, Enna McGreevy Middle Row L - R Cara Kane, Olivia Corr, Saorlaith Brennan, Bronagh McClelland, Grace Culbert, Cuisle Clenaghan, Grace Holbrook, Nishi Kadam, Nina Barkley Front Row L - R Lara Collins, Jana Hassan, Eva Trainor, Cara Lagan, Simra Omar, Saly Alissa, Eve Conlon, Molly Mace, Casey Reid Form 9D

82 Back Row L - R Blinne Walsh, Erin Cooke, Trinity Morrison, Brogyn McKenna, Caitlin Muldoon, Jessica Davis

Middle Row L - R Catherine Broderick, Aimee Sloan, Seainin McDonald, Aoife Smyth, Eva Reid, Cliodhna Martin, Eimear Higgins, Bethany Aspin

Front Row L - R Anna Lowry, Lucy Reynolds, Caileen Voyle, Ciara McCaherty, Iseabeal, Graham, Cliodhna McGoran,

Form 9E Cara McTaggart, Molly Lavery, Ellen Morgan

Back Row L - R Naoise Notman, Grace Doherty, Sarah Condon, Keeva Todd Third Row L - R Clodagh Doherty, Katie Giffen, Ange Abdel-Noor, Naimh Captain, Aoife Manning, Sarah Smith, Ava McNamara, Ellie Boyd Second Row L - R Maisie Green, Sophie Toal, Cara Magennis, Broghan McLaughlin, Aisling Hyndman, Aisling OʼConnor, Nadia Boudhaim-Maguire, Hannah Murray Front Row L - R Thea Magill, Rebecca McConville, Angela Ruiz- Ingles, Hannah Toner, Aine Kelly, Meghan Sewell, Grace McKee-Crossan, Bethany Murray, Hannah McLaughlin Form 10A

83 Back Row L - R Cliodhna Cherry, Niamh Lynch, Jade Loughran, Mollai Hughes, Anna Smyth Third Row L - R Dervla Crilly-McAufield, Isla Annett, Aoideann Boyle, Rhianna McKenna, Aoidheann Regan, Emma Gormley, Andrea Neill, Cara Murphy Second Row L - R Chloe Allen, Sophie Gargan, Amy Lavery, Katie McArt, Brenna McElvanna, Ruby McKenna-Stenhouse, Fiona Christie, Sarah Shortt, Erin McElvanna Front Row L - R Orla Rooney, Katie Voyle, Cait Rooney, Orlaith Rooney, Grace Wallace, Tierna Hoy, Carla Brennan,

Form 10B Eadaoin McCaffrey

Back Row L - R Caoimhí Hughes, Leáh Ferris, Bethany Lockhart, Ana Enrique Gascón, Bláithín Drain Third Row L - R Lucy Flannery, Aoife Reilly, Aimee Brooks, Jessica McGrattan, Grace OʼNeill, Gianna Lumantas Irvine, Hollyrose Fairley, Anya Morgan Second Row L - R Katie McDonnell, Shannon Lawlor , Jodie Quinn, Olivia Napier, Isabella deMeulemeester, Casey McLaughlin, Ciara Donnelly Front Row L - R Eimear Devlin, Ella Weatherup, Bláithín Steele Ní Loingsigh, Méabh Ireland, Sophie Gill Bradley, Form 10C Zoe Tierney, Kimberly Morgan, Amy Gibney

84 Back Row L - R Renise McHugh Baggley, Neala Torney, Danni Mooney, Clodagh Thompson, Niamh Gervin, Sinead Casey Middle Row L - R Eve Jackson, Ava Short, Sinead Farrell, Kara OʼNeill, Sinead McAleavy, Catherine Walsh, Anna Burns, Gearoidin White Davey, Grace Tolan, Ciara Maguire Front Row L - R Darcy McMahon, Aoife Lynch, Saorla McElheran, Sophie McGregor, Leah Young, Aoife OʼSullivan, Emily Anne Ni Labhrais, Cara McFadden, Emma Park Form 10D

Back Row L - R Sarah Kerins, Saoirse Duffy, Cora Cahill, Rhianna Loughran, Aine Doherty, Ella Fox, Charlie Smyth Middle Row L - R Ellie Campbell Brennan, Orla Barr, Scarlett Murray, Maura Gough, Ella Daly, Cliodhna McCool, Eimear Dunlop, Rosanna Raffo, Casey Largey,Aoife Kennedy

Front Row L - R Aimee Lehane, Ciara McLoughlin, Rebecca Donnan, Katie Bel, Tiarna McKeown, Ella Harkley, Molly Lawlor,

Form 10E Ruby Benet, Erin McNulty

85 Back Row L - R Alex Walsh, Orlaith Fleeton, Anna Garrahan, Erin Keenan, Riona Muldoon, Aimee Allsopp Middle Row L - R Shannon Ferran, Martina Lamptey, Aoife McQuillan, Aoife Hamill, Jessica Moore, Ava Finnegan, Blathnaid Loughran Front Row L - R Sibheal McGarry, Aoife Gallagher, Mary-Lou McGuigan, Eimear Shannon, Rhianna Wilkinson, Neala Cahir, Sarah Close-Ledgewood Form 11A

Back Row L - R Cora Mc Fall, Bernadette Donnelly, Jovina Joshy, Annaliese Graham, Lara Armstrong, Aimee Smith, Orla Bunting Middle Row L - R Lauren Mulhern, Niamh Mc Greevy, Eadaion Halliday, Niamh Mc Comish, Grace Holland, Alexandra Slane, Aimee Meenan, Aideen Mc Cambridge, Monica Villasfer, Zara Copeland Front Row L - R Eimear Farrelly, Erin Gettings, Summer McCann, Kristin Collins, Caitlyn Barkley, Sarah Beattie,

Form 11B Sarah Devine, Aoife Rooney, Chantelle Reynolds

86 Back Row L - R Mia Donnelly, Amy McCann, Leah Reilly, Raicheal Mulholland, Lauryn Kane, Niamh Moran Middle Row L - R Julia Szkopinska, Amy Braniff, Robyn McCloskey, Leah Finnegan, Cara Fay, Niamh McVeigh, Aimee Kelly, Aimee Adams

Front Row L - R Tiarnach Fegan, Scarlett McManus, Aimee Lenzi, Bronagh Nolan, Jodie Lynas, Nia Austin, Laura Murdock, Floren Curato, Abby Slane Form 11C

BackRowL-R Muirin Connolly, Aoife Patterson, Hanna Magill, Shannon Karboub, Aderyn McAlea Middle Row L - R Erin Trethowan, Ava Wilkinson, Katelyn Magee, Orlaith Webb, Meadoe Rooney, Megan Muir, Brona Crangle, Olivia Duffy

Front Row L - R Caitlin Lindsay, Abi Rooney, Caoimhe McLaughlin, Ciara Boyle, Bronagh McGuinness, Katie Eeles, Niamh Morton-Campbell, Rhianna Cassidy, Sophie Watson Form 11D

87 Back Row L - R Niamh Ritchie, Gabrielle Monaghan, Rosa Rush, Kearna Donnolly, Hannah Cairns Middle Row L - R Aoife Loughran, Chloe Marsden, Rhianna Graham, Emma McDermott, Laura McKernan, Hannah Nelson, Lara Shevlin, Eva McCabe

Front Row L - R Jean Cunningham, Bobbi-Rose Cummings, Orlaith Dougherty, Aideen Laughran, Niamh Duncan, Naoise Wilson, Tia Wilson, Niamh Mathews, Aimee Hackett Form 11E

Back Row L - R Hannah Niblock, Suzannah Kelly, Meabh Martin, Lauren McClintock, Lucy Tyrrell, Eimear Donnelly Middle Row L - R Meadhbha Nic Ainmhire, Kaela McKee, Colleen McDonnell, Grace Downey, Carly Lowe, Chantelle McBride, Eimear Summersgill, Emma McGuinness Front Row L - R Madison Donnelly, Meadhbh Thornbury, Stella Stott, Amy Wilson, Jamie Harrison, Laoiseach Graham, Danielle Aleria, Niamh McNulty, Ciarrai Culbert Form 11F

88 Back Row L - R Aoife Murray, Elena Hardiman, Caitlin Karboub, Cara Oʼ Kane, Tiarna Dougal, Niamh Carville, Abby Mulholland, Olivia Rea Middle Row L - R Leah Reilly, Chloe Shevlin, Lauren McNally, Lara Cowan, Emma Seenan, Cara Burns, Aimee McDonagh, Edel Marken, Niamh Murtagh, Alanna McCaffery Front Row L - R Orla Rice, Cara Rush, Duana Coleman, Amy Lunney, Livi Curran, Alannah Black, Alex Trethowen,

Form 12A Jessica Haughey, Emma-Jane Burns

Back Row L - R Aoife McCloskey, Rachael McClintock, Meabh Bradley, Hannah Allen MiddleRowL-R Erin McCabe, Rebecca Erskine, Ella Grogan, Cara Doherty, Jessica Halls, Emma Donnelly, Anna Cooke, Lucy McNally

Front Row L - R Kerri Dunlop, Sophie Bleakley, Sorcha McGarry, Lucy Crudden-McIlhatton, Meabh Kearney, Megan Laughlin-Millen, Shannagh OʼNeill, Aoife McArdle, Sarah Duffy Form 12B

89 Back Row L - R Broghan Kelly, Niamh Russell, Holly Bone, Brona Barrett, Cora McQuillan, Aimée McReynolds-Fogarty Middle Row L - R Ciara McDonnell, Aoife Morgan, Enya Celestial, Mia Librojo, Ella OʼNeill, Grainne Mervyn, Tara Ferrin, Brianna Steen Front Row L - R Nicole Fisher McCorry, Cora OʼConnor, Niamh Weir, Maud Barr, Erin Lee, Jamilah Chipare, Cara McKiernan, Patricia Coyle, Méabh Nugent Form 12C

Back Row L - R Fionnuala Marley, Niamh Kerr-Mcardle, Nicole Rogan, Eva Ramsey, Grace McNamara, Caoimhe Finucane, Alanna Moore, Rose Tucker Middle Row L - R Megan McGoldrick, Erinn McVicker, Caitlin McDermott, Cassia Notman, Cliodhna Devlin, Cara McKevitt, Molly McGoldrick, Ciara Martin Front Row L - R Cara Moore, Niamh McAllister, Casey Wynn, Niamh Doyle, Rebecca Lavery, Fionnuala McCallum,

Form 12D Erin McAleenan, Zara McGarry, Emma Agnew

90 Back Row L - R Niamh Millar, Leah McAuley, Grace Kennedy Middle Row L - R Niamh Dragonetti, Orlaith McAllister, Christy Hilbert, Eve O'Halloran, Cleah O'Neill, Ana Mulholland, Roise Monaghan, Suibhne Gibney

Front Row L - R Fiona McCormick, Ella Mulcahy, Aoife Marley, Zara Conlon, Mollai Mulholland, Melissa McDonnell,

Form 12E Summer Taylor, Erin Patterson, Niamh Bellew

Back Row L - R Cassie Shannon, Ellie McCaul, Aoife Diamond, Caitlin May

Middle Row L - R Rioghnach McCabe, Rachel Simpson, Katie Wilson, Holly McCluskey, Eireann Boyd, Emma Carson, Niamh OʼConnor, Darcie McCabe

Front Row L - R Caoimhe Kelly, Emma McKee, Ciara Scannell, Jessica Murphy, Mia Campbell, Rianna Gillespe, Mya Toland,

Form 12F Niamh McIlwaine, Caoimhe McArdle

91 Back Row L - R Aine Fay, Eva Graham, Tiarna Hillock, Maria Aaroy, Andrea Hyland, Amy Giffen, Beth Mullan

Middle Row L - R Aoife McCallin, Orla Compston, Naomi Mahon, Rachael Loughran – Doak, Lucy McNerney, Aislinn McSherry, Anna McCormick, Olivia Brennan

Front Row L - R Maeve Lawlor, Virtu Miralles, Aimee Wheeler, Aimee Slavin, Megan McShane, Courteney Murray, Lucy Thompson, Rebecca Kinnaird, Zoe Rainey Form 13A

Back Row L - R Maeve McCormick, Amy Ruddy, Kady McBride, Hannah Wilson, Caoimhe Mullan, Ciara Loughran, Roise Wallace, Cliodhna Wilson Middle Row L - R Chloe Monteith, Sophie Tritton, Ellie Johnston, Roisin McKinney, Laura Brown, Lucy Murray, Rene Armstrong, Miah Lynch, Katie McGreevy Front Row L - R Caoimhe Mallon, Aine Hughes, Niamh OʼConnor, Aimee McPhilips, Maia Laverty, Ciana Bradley,

Form 13B Mia Gregory, Madison Barr, Taylor Smyth

92 Back Row L - R Erin Loughran, Emer Nic Roibin, Eve Twomey, Leah Dougan, Katie McNally; Hannah Gribben, Francesca Lavery Middle Row L - R Emilia Sousa Ua Bruadair, Grace Mulvenna, Riagain Crawford, Jodie Byrne, Molly Merron, Aoife Morgan, Jessica McCluskey, Sophie McAllister Front Row L - R Aoibhinn Hughes, Eimear OʼNeill, Sarah Bartsch, Katie Smith, Katie Johnston, Brogan Brady McGinn,

Form 13C Emma McDonagh, Katherine Salt, Emma Louise Madden

Back Row L - R Sorya Boudhaim, Eimear McComb, Sarah Loani , Aoife McGreevy, Caitlin Murphy, Ella Griffin, Natasha Dunlop, AoifeBelshaw, Cara McErlean Middle Row L - R Rebecca Hughes, Gemma Shanks, Bronagh Walsh, Ornait Maguire, Jenna Farrell, Orlagh McKee, Hannah Smyth, Orlaith McKnight Front Row L - R Megan Smyth, Guia Molina, Anna McCaffrey, Emer Privilege, Connlaith Casey Armstrong, Maia Mervyn,

Form 13D Megan Turner, Sarah Keenan, Eimear Creaney

93 Back Row L - R Erin Culbert, Sophia Lavery, Rebekah Mervyn, Elaine Heaney, Lucy Smyth, Lucy Waugh, Evie McConnell, Niamh Quinn, Rebecca Valente Middle Row L - R Cristin Magennis, Grace McShane, Niamh Hughes, Aoife McKenna, Aoibheann OʼBrien, Sarah Clarke, Zara Brannigan, Wren Crossey, Zoe McShane, Ciara Slack FrontRow L - R Leah Kerr, Sinead Muldoon, Ciara Black, Heather Murchan, Laura Loughran-Doak, Katie McNama,

Form 13E Caitlin McGinley, Riona Dunne, Kirsty Gallagher

Back Row L - R Confidence Nich, Hannah McCartney, Ciara Captain, Aifa Gough, Anna Donnolly, Lucy-Ann Heatley

Middle Row L - R Shannagh Prior, Jessica Mc Donagh, Kerry Mallon, Hannah Kempston, Nikita McCann Murphy, Rachel Leydon, Emma Allsopp, Aoife Walls, Emma McIlhatton

FrontRow L - R Ellie Quinn, Sadbh Thompson, Brogan McAlorum, Emily Crudden Mc Ilhatton, Emma Fox, Maria Monteiro,

Form 14A Fionnuala OʼConnor, Grace Shannon, Lucy Brogan

94 Back Row L - R Ciara Kennedy, Niamh Mallon, Mia Dunlop, Rachael McAreavey, Paula McStravick Middle Row L - R Chloe Henry, Olivia Loughran, Therese Clarke, Jessica Shannon, Alex Cheadle, Niamh Quinn, Cara McNulty, Joey McCafferty, Broghan Donnelly, Emma Saranne Irwin

Front Row L - R Caoimhe Mooney, Niamh Cullen, Amy Toner, Orla Boyle, Jade McCann, Emma McCavana, Nuala Stafford, Rebecca Frame, Maedbh Fennell Form 14B

Back Row L - R Niamh Stewart, Aoife Dylan

MiddleRowL-R Emily Kennedy, Coirle Finnegan, Rachel Mc Garry, Rachel Black, Tara Moran, Chloe McCaffrey, Maria Rea, Aoibhean Trainor

Front Row L - R Megan Connolly Young, Lucy Daly, Orla McNulty, Mary OʼGrady, Chloe Bowman, Emma Mc Art,

Form 14C Ellen Hickland, Cora Leigh Graham, Clodagh McMenamin

95 Back Row L - R Fionnuala Lyttle, Nicole Whelan, Niamh OʼDonnell, Nichole Barnes, Lily Denny, Laura McGleave, Ashleigh Megarry Middle Row L - R Ellen Caldwell, Clare Brennan, Eadaoin McAlea, Gina Craig, Eimear Ward, Ann Tucker, Sionainn McAteer, Aoife Kelly, Niamh McCarthy Front Row L - R Orla Gamble, Caitlin Lappin, Caoimhe Ringland, Tierna Mulholland, Elen OʼRawe, Aideen Nolan, Kerry McConville, Ceara McMullan, Sneha Sibi Form 14D

Back Row L - R Niamh Donnelly, Niamh Guinane, Aoife Lewsley, Nuala Mc Nally, Molly England Middle Row L - R Eirinn Mc Aleese, Jorja Notman, Caitlin McAuley, Carly Woods, Cara McCallin, Katie Taylor Grieve, Niamh McGowan, Gera Doherty, Caoimhe Glenholmes, Leah Mervyn Front Row L - R Sophie Brennan, Shannagh Prior, Grace Kelly, Emer Turley, Chloe Watson, Sarah Campfield, Caitlin McCusker, Aimee Lavery, Anna Robinson Form 14E

96 97 YEAR 14 YEARBOOK

Year Heads Year 14 Farewell

Dear Year 14, Class of 2020 In January, when I learnt I would take over as your Year Head, Firstly, we would like to thank our whole year group for being some I was slightly nervous about following Mrs Willoughbyʼs of the kindest, most inspiring people we know. Throughout our footsteps. However, the nerves soon settled when so many of seven years here, we have made friendships and memories that will the staff of St. Dominicʼs reassured me that you were a lovely last forever. Although we have had some struggles, especially year group to work with. Within weeks of starting the role, your during exam seasons, we have approached our time at St. reputation as a friendly, helpful group was proved accurate. Dominicʼs with determined and positive attitudes. St. Dominicʼs has Over the past few months, you have impressed me with your not only provided us with a solid academic background but has work ethic, manners and commitment to school life - Mrs taught us to be caring, kind and strong, ready for the challenges that Willoughby has taught you well! You are all so talented and life after St. Dominicʼs may throw at us. excellent ambassadors for our school. Thank you for welcoming me into your year group! As a year group, we have fully enriched ourselves with the life of the school and made the most of all the opportunities given to us, from Best of luck for the next stage in your life. competitions, school trips and extra-curricular activities. We have Miss McNicholl had memorable moments during our time here, almost far too many to mention! From the annual Staff Talent Show, the school musical, theShakespeareFestivalbackinYear10toalltheSportsDayswe participated in. There are many people we would like to thank for our time here in A Sense of Pride S.t Dominicʼs. We would like to give special thanks to Mrs Willoughby for being our Year Head for most of our time here in St. It is with mixed emotions that I am writing this article. On one Dominicʼs. We all truly appreciate the support, time and dedication hand, I feel so sad that you have reached your final year and given to us and we will forever be thankful for the kind words and will be moving on and beginning the next chapter of your lives. the time you devoted to each and every one of us. We would also On the other, I feel a real sense of pride. We have worked like to thank Ms Mc Nicholl for taking over the role of Year Head in together for so many years and you have matured and grown the most stressful year of school. We would like to thank both Mr into wonderful young women and I am so honoured to have McArdle and Mr Scott as our Heads of School and the rest of SLT been a part of your journey. You have made such amazing who have given us so much support in their roles. We would like to progress in your time here in St Dominicʼs and I have no doubt that you will make your mark on the world. I know I will be extend a special thanks to Mrs McCann who has always dedicated hearing about how you have all achieved so many wonderful herself to supporting us in our endeavours and to Ms McNulty, who things. You all have very bright futures ahead and whilst you has supported us with kind words, time and dedication to prepare will face new challenges and have difficult times, I know that us for the outside world. you will overcome all obstacles to achieve your dreams. Our time in St Dominicʼs was also made special by all the other staff I hope you look back on your time in St Dominicʼs with fond in St Dominicʼs, including our teachers who have supported and memories, remembering the corridors echoing with your encouraged us throughout our time here. We would also like to laughter, the support and the friendships. I have loved working thank all the administrative and caretaking staff, who have made our with every one of you. Your humour has brightened my day on life in school a whole lot easier. We would also like to extend a many occasions, your kind words have humbled me and the special thank you to the canteen staff who have brightened up our support of you all and of your parents has been greatly days in St. Dominicʼs, in particular Anne, Pauline, Carol, Brendan appreciated. and Irene. We also know we are an energetic year group, so we would like to thank Phyllis in the library for creating such a I wish you all the very best of luck on your next step in life and I comforting area to relax and study. We would also have to thank absolutely want to hear about where the world takes you and John in the Upper Study, who was with us during Year 13 and who all of your adventures! hasalwaysbeensupportiveandcaringtous. “Twenty years from now you will be more It is obvious that our strong friendships will not vanish when we disappointed by the things that you didn’t leave 135-137 Falls Road. We have gone from buttoned blazers and long pinafores to confident, strong young women who are do than by the ones you did do, so throw off ready to take the next step, whatever that may be. the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, Finally, we would like to wish the Class of 2020 the best of luck in catch the trade winds in your sails. their future endeavours. Know that wherever you may go, you must continue to be caring, embrace change, take chances and never Explore, Dream, Discover” Mark Twain forget your way home. The Head Girl Team 2019 Mrs Willoughby

98 From Year 13

Dear Year 14, As far as we know, in all of the 150 years of the school, it has For the year groups before you, it was a week-long celebration never shut in the way it has this year. The school will sit empty that the whole school watched. We all felt the energy and and silent for all of April, May and June. On our last day, we excitement, the anticipation for when everything would come were all just annoyed that our St. Patrickʼs plans had been together after 7 years. A thousand people experienced their last cancelled. How naive were we? days with them. So, itʼs hard to swallow that your final day with us passed without any of us knowing. This is for all the Upper Sixths, who we wonʼt get to say goodbye to. Iʼm sorry that matches were never played, Iʼm sorry I think all of the Year 13s would like to thank the Year 14s for that solos were never sung and Iʼm even sorry that exams were taking it easy on us when we were first year. For showing us never sat and that you never got to prove your worth. The last around and helping us find Maths 5 when we were lost. For time that I saw you all, I didnʼt even know that it would be last being third years that we wanted to be as cool as when we were time. For some of you maybe Iʼll never see you again. Thereʼs second year. For giving us your GCSE notes when we were so many things that we all would have said to you. fourth and fifth year. And for helping us out in Lower Sixth and telling us it was the best year you had so far. For everything Every year I have loved seeing the Upper Sixths move onto over these past six years, thank you for being some of our best bigger and better things, watching their celebrations, their jokes, friends, some of the funniest and sweetest people that we got to them singing at the front of the school every May. Shouting, know, and the first people to welcome us in. We will miss you all laughing, but teachers smiling regardless. Just when you could more than you will ever know. feel the air heating up and smell the cut grass and sun cream and you could see what youʼd been working towards. Although nothing about this is ideal, you have proved yourselves more than capable to make your own way in the You wonʼt get to feel the sun beaming down on your last day world. There is a pride in letting you go and knowing you will and smile with your friends under a blue sky and say that “It show everyone what youʼre made of. We are all rooting for you feels like summer”. and we canʼt wait to see who each and every one of you You wonʼt get to have the parties, maybe you wonʼt even get to become. For us, the hardest part of all of this, is that you will go on that holiday you booked with your friends. never be back here to hear any of us say this. Dear class of 2020, thank you and good luck. You wonʼt get to say goodbye to the friends who you love, but know you wonʼt see again when they move away, Year 13 or when you do. You wonʼt get to peacefully detach and make your peace with the mistakes youʼve made, to make amends with people and fix fall outs that you never meant to start. ...you have proved yourselves You wonʼt get to say thank you to your friends for sticking ‘‘ more than capable to make your by you all these years. own way in the world... You wonʼt get to laugh about all the things you wore in second year and the size of your bag in first year. ’’ You wonʼt get to visit your favourite teacher and thank them for everything. You wonʼt get the closure and acceptance that nothing will ever be the same again.

99 In our time...

2014 Ebola Virus kills at least 10,000 people in Africa Malaysia Airlines Flight 390 disappears over the Gulf of Thailand David Moyes sacked as Manchester United manager. Louis Van Gaal takes over Germany win the world cup in Brazil Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 Is shot down over over Eastern Ukraine 12 Years A Slave wins the Oscar for best picture LupitaNyongʼO wins Best Supporting Actress in the same film. Matthew McConaughey wins the Oscar for best actor in Dallas Buyers Club Rory McIlroy wins the Open Championship and the USA PGA Masters.

2015 Multiple terrorist attacks claimed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Paris, France, result in 130 fatalities. A magnitude 7.5 earthquake strikes the Hindu Kush region and causes 398 deaths, with 279 in Pakistan, 115 in Afghanistan and 4 in India Andy Murray gives Great Britain its first Davis Cup in Tennis since 1936 NASA's New Horizons spacecraft performs a close flyby of Pluto, first spacecraft to visit the distant world. Leonard Nimoy, American actor, Spock in Atar Trek dies in February Usain Bolt owns Beijing again at the IAAF World Championships winning his third straight 200m title Cilla Black, English singer and entertainer dies in August

2016 Oscars: Spotlight about Child Abuse and its cover up won best picture at the 2016 Oscars. Leonardo DiCaprio won Best Actor (Revenant), Brie Larson Best Actress (Room). Carl Frampton beats Santa Cruz to become World Featherweight Title holder and only the second Irish boxer to hold world titles at two weights simultaneously. BREXIT June 2016, The UK votes to leave the European union in the BREXIT Referendum. Northern Ireland and Scotland had voted with a majority to remain. Refugees. Atrocities continue in Syria and thousands of refugees flee the country travelling to the Mediterrean and throughout Europe. Donald Trump beats Hilary Clinton in November's Presidential Election to become President of the United States. North Korea tests a nuclear weapon in September

100 2017 January A frail Martin McGuinnes resigns as Deputy First Minister. March 21st Martin McGuinness dies and thousands attend the funeral in Derry. Teresa May calls election in May. A norow win means that she relies on support from the DUP. May 22 23 people are killed in a bomb attack at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. Chelsea win the Premier League with Antonio Conte as manager. July Grenfell Tower fire causes death of 71 people as tower block becomes an inferno. September North Korea defies the world and continues with nuclear tests.

2018 March Ireland beat Wales to win the 2018 Five Nations Rugby Grand Slam. May19 Megan Markle marries Prince Harry in St Georgeʼs Chapel, Windsor. July France wins the 2018 Soccer World Cup in Russia. September Limerick wins the All Ireland Hurling title and Dublin their fourth All Ireland football title in a row. October Hurricane Michael causes major havoc in the Florida Panhandle damaging hospitals, homes and cutting off transportation. Over one million homes are left with no electricity. November Martin OʼNell and Roy Keane resign from their posts as the management team of the Republic of Ireland after a series of poor results. November Theresa May reaches agreement with the EU on leaving the European Union. BREXIT chaos continues in the British Parliament over a back stop agreement for Ireland. December Indonesian Tsunami kills 430 people, injures 1500 and displaces 22,000 from their homes.

2019 January - December Brexit Upends British Politics Brexit chaos continues throughout the year. Thheresa May resigns in October. Boris Johnson takes over the Conservatatives and eventually agrees a new deal with Europe. In early December he wins a general election with a massive majority and parliament votes overwhelmingly on the 20th December to leave the European Union April Fires raged at Notre-Dame de Paris in France, destroying the spire and most of the roof of the beloved 850-year-old cathedral. June Riots in Hong Kong. Thousands take to the streets to protest against government sanctions. Riots and protests continue over several months. August Deforestation in Brazilʼs Amazon rainforest reached the highest rate in more than a decade, thanks largely to the record number of fires that raged there in August. October First all-woman spacewalk: In October, NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir exited the International Space Station to replace a power controller, becoming the first to complete an all-female spacewalk. November Theresa May reaches agreement with the EU on leaving the European Union. BREXIT chaos continues in the British Parliament over a back stop agreement for Ireland. December The first cases of the Coronavirus COVID-19 emerge in China. Within a short period the disease spreads throughout the world causing many deaths, disrupting world economies and our way of life.

101 102 ANTRIM HEAD OFFICE: TEL: +44 (0) 28 9442 9717 Sarah Jane Robinson House, Rathenraw Industrial Estate, Greystone Road, Antrim, BT41 2SJ, Northern Ireland BELFAST OFFICE: TEL: +44 (0) 28 9442 9717 3 Mount Oriel, Saintfield Road, Belfast BT8 7HR, Northern Ireland DUBLIN OFFICE: TEL: +353 (0) 1 588 68 83 Blanchardstown Corporate Park, 15 Ballycoolin Rd, Blanchardstown, Dublin, D15 AKK1, Ireland

103 Autographs

104

Scoil Naomh Doiminic St. Dominic’s Grammar School Falls Road, Belfast BT12 6AE, Tel: (028) 9032 0081 Fax: (028) 9031 2682 www.stdominics.org.uk