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NURTURING THE SEED The First Ten Years of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust

Síol Newsletter Edmund Rice Schools Trust • Winter 2018 • Issue 16

By now I hope most of you will have first school in Waterford 216 years ago, represented with no less than 30 received our Celebration Book to mark our lit a flame that was, over time, to give languages being spoken on a daily basis. first 10 years as the Edmund Rice Schools opportunity to hundreds of thousands We know that there is a strong demand Trust. Also, I hope that you will agree of children living in Ireland and around for the broad range of schools within that it is a vibrant representation of just the world. Where there were no options, our Network. The Edmund Rice Schools some of the amazing activities that have he provided a solid choice which started Trust has opened a number of new taken place over the past decade across with a set of values enshrined in the schools over the past decade, based on our Network. Catholic faith. parental demand, and we look forward It is impossible to capture everything In 2008, the Christian Brothers to expanding and opening more over the that has happened. If we were to put generously handed on responsibility for coming years. together a book on sporting, artistic, their schools in Ireland to the Edmund While we know that it is impossible academic, and charitable contributions Rice Schools Trust, to hold the schools to predict the future, there is perhaps and achievements alone, we would need in trust, so that they would continue one thing that we feel will stay constant a library! We hope that it gives a little to provide Catholic education, in the into the future. We are confident that taste of what it means to be an Edmund Edmund Rice tradition. It is precisely the fundamental tenets of our unique Rice School, as a welcoming, caring because of this – and in the spirit of Charter will continue to reflect the values home for all. Edmund himself - that our schools are so of quality teaching and learning, care, Our schools are our lifeblood. open to everybody. equality, leadership and faith that are at The creativity, diversity, energy and Perhaps one of the most striking things the heart of Edmund Rice Education. innovation within our Network is simply about our schools over the past decade is Our aim, as the Patron/Trustee body amazing. As a Trust team we are here to the growing and flourishing diversity that for our dynamic Network, is to support do one thing, and that is to provide the distinguishes us. We are truly educating our schools to bring these values to framework that supports and facilitates together. Our students represent every life and to make them an integral and the teaching, learning, support and culture, every ability, every economic meaningful part of modern school life encouragement that is an integral part background. Edmund Rice Schools are and experience - in the classroom, on the of your school life. notable for our welcome for, and inclusion playing fields and in the community. For I want to reflect too on where we of, children whose families have recently now and for the future. have come from. Blessed Edmund Rice, arrived in Ireland. In one of our South the extraordinary man who founded his Dublin schools, there are 44 nationalities Gerry Bennett, Chief Executive Scoil Mhuire na mBráithre, Tralee

Eigth Green Flag

In 2018, Scoil Mhuire na mBráithre, Tralee were successful in achieving their 8th Green School Flag. The Green Schools Flag is designed to raise students’ awareness of environmental and sustainable development issues through classroom development. The Green Schools Committee, led by teacher Ms. Niamh O’Dowd, carried out various activities throughout the year, such as art projects using entirely recycled materials, organic composting and an annual spring clean to name but a few. Scoil Mhuire na mBráithre were also involved in W.O.W. initiative where each pupil made a special effort to walk to school on Wednesday during the National Walk to School Week. Angela Wall from An Taisce called to our school to help us celebrate their 10th anniversary of National Walk to ffThe Green School Committee doing the annual Spring Clean, Scoil School Week. Mhuire na mBráithre, Tralee. Scríobh Leabhar

Second Class pupils from Scoil Mhuire The Second Class pupils had the enthusiastic about it” said Ms. Siobhán na mBráithre, Tralee took part in the opportunity to write about any topic Ryle, Second Class teacher. The children Scríobh Leabhar Project this year for the or theme that interested them. Once wrote and designed books about various first time. The Scríobh Leabhar Project the books were completed, they were topics, such as, Mé Féin, Spóirt and is run by various Education Centres swapped with another school so other Cluiche Ríomhaire. All pupils received in conjunction with Foras na Gaeilge. children get an opportunity to read a small prize for taking part and two The project aims to awaken children’s books written by children of a similar pupils; Milly and Krzys were selected to interests in the Irish language, by age group. receive a ‘Gradam Award’. encouraging them to design and write “It was our first time taking part in their own books as Gaeilge. the project and the children were very

ffMilly receiving her ‘Gradam Award’, presented ffProud Pupils with their books completed for the Scríobh Leabhar Project. by Captain of the Ladies Irish Rugby team, Ciara Griffin.

Síol Page 2 Scoil Mhuire na mBráithre, Tralee Arklow CBS National Walk to School Week in Scoil Mhuire na mBráithre, Tralee

Mixing with Royalty On June 15th, 2018, Sixth Class pupils from Scoil Mhuire Arklow CBS na mBráithre got the opportunity of a lifetime to meet with The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall Gala Concert during the royal tour of the Republic of Ireland. Pupils from Sixth Class had to write a letter stating On Thursday 18th October the Parents’ Council of Arklow why they would like to meet Prince Charles and Camilla, C.B.S. held a gala concert and had the great privilege of the Duchess of Cornwall. “Pupils were very creative in both Garda band headlining the event. The concert was held in the their writing and presentation, some even used wax seal!” Arklow Bay Hotel and all those who attended were treated to a said Ms. Patricia Sharpe, a teacher at the school. fantastic and magical night of entertainment. Scoil Mhuire na mBráithre, Tralee, were honoured to Our school’s music teacher Ms. Jennifer Lee opened the be part of this historic day for the town of Tralee. Prince concert with our school choir who sang and played a variety of Charles and his wife, Camilla, shook hands with the songs and musical instruments. The audience were in awe of pupils and exchanged a few words with some pupils and the talent of our students, some of whom are only in first year. teachers. The children really enjoyed the experience and Following on from this were two more very talented students said it is one they will never forget. of C.B.S., brothers Ryan and Cian Harper. These multi award winning music students impressed the audience with their skills on the banjo and the concertina. The audience were then introduced to the members of the Garda Band who delighted the audience with a wide and varied program of music and instruments. Cor Na hAbhann, a local mixed voice choir, again under the excellent guidance of Ms. Jennifer Lee were a wonderful treat to follow the Garda Band. A past member of Arklow C.B.S., Stephen Walker, thrilled the audience by performing a number of outstanding solos. One of the highlights of the night was when four members of the school choir, Brian Fennell, Sean Molloy, Ryan Sheridan and Ryan Tolan, were invited back on stage to play their brass instruments. They gave a brilliant rendition of ‘Alleluia’. In summing up the night Mr. Peter Somers, Principal paid tribute to Mr. Fintan Fanning, Assistant Commissioner who organised the Garda Band, to Ms. Lee for her dedication, commitment and passion, to the hard working Parents’ ffExcited pupils from Scoil Mhuire na mBráithre as Council, who did an excellent job in organising the event and Prince Charles approaches. of course to all the singers and musicians involved who worked and rehearsed tirelessly to ensure the success of the night.

Winter 2018 Page 3 CBS Carrick-On-Suir, Tipperary European Parliament Ambassador School Programme

ffTY students attending EPAS Awards Ceremony in Bru Boru, Cashel on Friday 4th May 2018.

This year for the first time, our school has been involved in delivering this E.U. Ambassador programme for Transition Year students. The main aims of the programme are to raise awareness of the origins of the E.U., how it functions at institutional level and how it influences our daily lives. The students get a sense of the genesis of the European project from the initial European Coal and Steel Community to the present- day expansion of twenty- eight member states. The introduction of the Euro, the Erasmus programme, the flag and anthem as well as policy areas and values are all explored through video clips, class discussion and a workbook. Raising awareness of the E.U. with the wider student cohort took the form of setting up an E.U. Information Point; holding an E.U. based quiz with last year’s First Years; producing brochures and hosting a European Breakfast Morning with last year’s T.Y. girls from Scoil Mhuire, Greenhill to celebrate European Languages Day. Another related initiative has been an e-twinning project with a second level school in Dussledorf, Germany where our students exchange letters with their German counterparts. A further aspect of the programme was a visit to our school by Mr. Sean Kelly, M.E.P. to mark Europe Day when he talked to the lads on various aspects of the E.U. and held a Q&A session with the students. On Friday, May 4th, a group of students from the T.Y class (the Junior Ambassadors) attended an Ambassador School Award Ceremony in the Bru Boru Centre in Cashel where the school was presented with the E.P.A.S. plaque and one of the lads made a short presentation on his experience of the programme. Each of the Junior Ambassadors also received a certificate. The feedback from the programme has been very positive. It is being delivered throughout the E.U in most member states.

Síol Page 4 CBS Carrick-On-Suir, Tipperary

First Years Read-a- TY thon for MS Ireland

Both Ms. Murray’s and Ms. Mulcahy’s 1st year English Barcelona classes did some outstanding fundraising for MS Ireland just before Christmas 2018. They set themselves the task of reading as many books as they could over a period Trip of a month and managed to raise just over €1,100 in sponsorship money. This was a fantastic achievement and April 2018 the boys thoroughly enjoyed reading for pleasure. Arriving to school at the unusual hour of 1:00 am, 34 TY Ms. Murray’s students and 3 teachers sleepily made their way to Dublin Airport to begin their trip to Barcelona. It was an action 2017/2018 2nd year filled 4 days with the group getting to visit many famous sites right across the city. classes letters to Day 1 was filled with sightseeing at interesting places like the National Palace, the Olympic Stadium, their heroes Gaudí’s unfinished Sagrada Familia and a stroll along Las Ramblas to sample some local food. Day 2 kicked off Letter writing may be a thing of the past for some, but with an early bus ride to the picturesque historical site of Ms. Murray set her 2nd year class a challenge and they Monserrat, followed by a tour of the home of Barcelona really did excel. In February the boys put pen to paper FC, Camp Nou. Some recreation and downtime came on and posted a letter each to an Irish person that inspired Day 3 with a fun filled trip to the Port Aventura theme them. In their letters they told their inspirations all about park. We had a lot of thrill seekers in the group who themselves and asked for some helpful advice. Many dared to ride the infamous Shambhala and Dragon Khan students were thrilled to receive a response letter back roller-coasters to name but a few! The sun shined from from people like the President of Ireland; Radio and TV start to finish and it would have been unforgivable if we stars – Marty Morrissey, Ray Darcy, Ryan Tubridy and didn’t take a dip in the warm Mediterranean waters at Joe Duffy; the band The Academic; sporting legends – the beach down by our hotel in Salou. Our final day saw Brian Cody and Eoin Murphy and many more. Some of us heading into Barcelona where some of the boys took the class were lucky to not only be sent a letter back but to the shops for some retail therapy, while others took a were gifted things like jerseys, sweets, and even tickets to stroll to see the spectacular Gothic Quarter. All told this see their hero in person. It really made a dying tradition was a wonderful experience and memories were made come alive. by all.

Transition Year Community Outreach Programme

Since the introduction of Transition Year to our school, Community Involvement has been a key aspect of the T.Y. programme. Initially it involved linking with the local Social Services to help deliver Meals on Wheels in the Carrick on Suir area. There have also been links with the Junior Vincent de Paul in organising social evenings for the elderly of the area. Added to this, in recent years the Community Programme has expanded to include weekly visits by our students to the Day Care Centre and a local nursing home. In both places the lads help out, chat and play bingo and cards with the residents. Recently we hosted an afternoon event in the school for a number of residents and staff from the Greenhill Nursing Home. The students helped organise the event and with the help of a team of teachers hosted an afternoon of tea and refreshments with cards, board games, music and lots of chat. The Director of Nursing, Ann Fraher gave enthusiastic support to the event and spoke about the enriching nature of bringing the T.Y. class and residents of the nursing home together in such a warm atmosphere. This was truly a win-win for all concerned.

Winter 2018 Page 5 Edmund Rice College, Carrigaline Official Opening of School and School Building

Our school and school building was officially opened on Friday, 14th September 2018 by An Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney TD. The Tánaiste is resident in ffTanáiste Simon Coveney with Eddie Bourke ERST, Padraig Barrett Carrigaline and has supported the establishment of the school Chairperson BOM and Adele Flynn Principal at the Official Opening of School and School Building from the very beginning. He has visited our school on previous occasions and we were delighted to welcome him back to perform the official opening. We welcomed a large number of guests to our school on the day. These included members of the Board of Management and the initial steering committee for the establishment of the school, Principals and Deputy Principals of local schools and ERST schools in the Cork area, local TDs, Senators, MEPs and County Councillors, representatives of local sports and community groups, representatives from the DES building unit and members of the construction crew. A large number of parents also joined our students and staff members in the PE hall for the ceremony. Speakers on the day included Mr Eddie Bourke on behalf of ffTanáiste Simon Coveney pictured with students at the Official Opening of ERST, Chairperson of the Board of Management Mr Padraig School and School Building Barrett, Parish Priest Fr Pat Fogarty, Principal Adele Flynn and Tánaiste Simon Coveney. The ERST charter elements and how they find expression in our school were outlined by students, a member of the teaching staff, a member of the SNA staff and the Chairperson of the Parents’ Association. Music was provided by members of the 2nd year music class. The mood on the day was one of celebration of all that has been achieved so far in the past few years. As Principal Adele Flynn said, “Today we look forward to the future but it is also important to reflect on all that we have achieved in just two years. We have laid the foundations of a strong school community and culture, faced challenges together and worked to overcome them. We have seen our students grow – personally, intellectually and spiritually as well as physically – and have begun to find our place within the local community”. The large and modern school building has a floor area of 95 thousand square feet or eight thousand eight hundred square metres and is on an 8 acre site. The building has 22 general classrooms and specialists rooms for science (4 labs and 2 prep rooms), technical graphics, design and communication graphics, materials technology, wood and construction studies, technology, home economics (kitchen and textiles room), music, art (2 rooms), a multi-media room, a PE hall along with a fitness suite and changing rooms, a first aid room, meeting room, 9 offices, store rooms, preparation rooms, social spaces, a library, a staff room, 7 stairwells and a lift. The school also has a large ASD unit with accommodation for 3 special classes – this contains base classrooms, a sensory room, general purpose area, activity space, office space, daily living skills teaching space and a garden. Externally the school has been provided with outdoor courts, bin storage, material storage building and covered work ffSculpture presented to the school community by the ERST to mark the area, 160 bike storage spaces, 72 car parking spaces, drop off opening of the school and pick up areas.

Síol Page 6 Edmund Rice College, Carrigaline

To date the State via the Department of Education and Skills evident both in the large number of students wishing to enrol has invested more than 12 million euros in the school through in the school and the very positive things he hears and sees site acquisition, construction costs and supply of furniture and in the town in relation to the school. The Tánaiste reminded equipment. This investment is on-going and shortly tenders will students of the importance of respecting difference in each be invited for the supply of the second phase of furniture and other and allowing each student to be themselves within the equipment. The investment of 12 million euros relates to the school community. physical environment only and in addition to this the school is A wall plaque was unveiled by the Tánaiste to mark the supported by the Department of Education and Skills through occasion and he was presented with a gift on behalf of the the payment of capitation grants, teacher and SNA salaries. school community. Refreshments were then served for the large As noted by Principal Adele Flynn on the day, a great number of guests as well as for students and staff. building does not make a school a great school. She said “of All members of the school community in Edmund Rice course, the physical accommodation is important and has College, Carrigaline enjoyed the special day and will remember an impact - a bright, modern, spacious well equipped school it. We would also like to express our sincere thanks to Mr building such as we are lucky enough to have helps – but I Gerry Bennett, Chief Executive of the Edmund Rice Schools strongly believe that the key element in ensuring that a school Trust, and to all of his colleagues in the ERST office for the is a good and effective school is the people within the building support, guidance and encouragement they have given us from and the relationships they nurture”. the very beginning. We were delighted to receive delivery of a Schools are very complex organisations and are built on specially commissioned sculpture several days before the Official relationships – students, teachers, school management, Board Opening. This piece was commissioned specially by the Trust to of Management members, parents, Department of Education mark the opening of our school. It features the heron as a symbol and Skills personnel – everyone involved has to cultivate and of Carrigaine, books as a symbol of our school being a place of maintain healthy working relationships so that the students at learning. The name of the Trust appears on the side of the heron the centre of the school are provided with every support needed in the form of ogham lettering. We were delighted to receive this and every opportunity to reach their potential”. thoughtful and unique gift from the Trust and will treasure it. Tánaiste Simon Coveney paid tribute to all who made the school a reality and said the success of the project is very

ffTanéiste Simon Coveney unveils a plaque to mark the Official Opening ff4. 5. Fr Pat Fogarty, Carrigaline Parish Priest, Mr Fergus Dunne, project of School and School Building assisted by 2nd year student Cian Walsh, manager appointed by ERST and Mr Michael martin TD, Fianna Fail leader Principal Adele Flynn and Chairperson of BOM Padraig Barrett pictured at the Official Opening of School and School Building

ff1st year students Oskar Pilat and Jemima Dambie Ngalula present Tanáiste Simon Coveney with a gift on behalf of the school community. The gift chosen was a photograph of fishermen landing their catch on the Hugh Coveney pier in Crosshaven.. This gift was chosen because of the connection with the Tanáiste’s father and in recognition of the role the Tanáiste has played in recent years in the development of our harbour through his support for the National Maritime College, Spike Island, Camden Fort Meagher, Beaufort ff3rd year student Kevin Fitzgerald Gomez speaks with Tanáiste Simon Research Building and the rehabilitation of Haulbowline Island. Coveney during the Official Opening of School and School Building

Winter 2018 Page 7 CBC Cork Zambia Immersion Project 2018

Ten Fifth Year students travelled to Mazabuka with three of their teachers in June for this year’s Zambia Immersion Project. In addition to raising funds for community-based initiatives, the project aims to raise awareness of social and ecological justice, the value of partnership and inclusion, care and responsibility. Retirement of Dr Larry Jordan

The CBC community came out in force to acknowledge the extraordinary career of Dr Larry Jordan who has retired as principal of the secondary school. It was abundantly clear to all who attended his retirement evening the high regard in which Larry is held. Larry’s relationship with CBC began in 1981 as a teacher of French. In 1994, he was appointed the first lay principal of the college and served in this role for 24 years. In that time, Larry devoted his considerable energies and abilities to caring for the needs of almost 4000 pupils, ensuring that they were given every opportunity to reach their full potential. He has made an indelible mark on Cork life over the last quarter of a century through his passion and commitment, and we have no doubt that in his new role as Principal of the CBC Preparatory School, Larry will continue to share his ffDr Larry Jordan with Larrie Martin, Chaiperson, Board of Management expertise for the benefit of the students in his care.

Naughton Scholarship

Matthew Gibson from the Leaving Certificate class of 2018 has been awarded a Naughton Scholarship. The scholarship programme promotes the study of engineering science and technology at third level. Matthew, who will study Maths Physics in UCC, received his award at a special ceremony in Trinity College Dublin. CBC Cork Past Pupils Union

Síol Page 8 CBC Cork International Economics Olympiad

In September, Fifth Year students Alex Sheehan, Luke Galligan and Gavin Foley travelled to Moscow to represent Ireland at the International Economics Olympiad. The competition aims to develop relationships between young adults of different nationalities, encouraging cooperation and international understanding. We were delighted to hear that Alex was awarded a World Bronze Medal at the closing ceremony.

Leaving Certificate 2018

All in the college were immensely proud of the achievements of Alex Burke who was one of just seven students in Ireland to receive 8 H1 grades in the Leaving Certificate exam. Alex has chosen to study Medicinal Chemistry at University College Cork.

Conference 2018 ERST Principals Conference 2018

The ERST annual Principals’ Conference was held recently in Druid’s Glen hotel. In his welcome address, Chief Executive, Mr Gerry Bennett reminded all that this was a special occasion as we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Trust. Professor Briain McCraith, President of DCU gave an inspiring and motivational keynote address to participants. His talk, entitled, “Fanning the Sparks of Possibility into Flames of ffPádraig Hamill - Principal, Colaiste Ris, Dundalk & Professor Briain McCraith Achievement!” explored how school leaders can enable students to flourish in the dynamic world of the 21st Century. As usual there were some wonderful presentations from our principals highlighting the various initiatives and projects that are happening in Edmund Rice schools. A special presentation was made to All Ireland hurling winning manager and ERST principal, John Kiely to mark his wonderful achievement. In an inspiring reply John outlined how he brings much of what he has learned as a successful sports manager to his work as a school leader. Being presented with the Liam McCarthy trophy by fellow ERST Principal and President of the GAA, John Horan was a proud moment he recalled, made even more special in that the presentation was made from one ERST principal to another. ffSeán Ó Murchú - Principal Coláiste Éanna, Mark Candon – Principal, St Laurence O’Toole CBS, Kate Byrne – Principal, CBS Westland Row & Paul MacEntee – Principal, CBS James’s Street

Winter 2018 Page 9 St Mary’s CBS, Enniscorthy Titanic Literacy Event

The ‘Spirit of The Titanic’ was well and that would be consumed on the Titanic truly brought to life in St Mary’s CBS The students linked in with two recently as our school literacy group Enniscorthy Primary Schools - St Senan’s organised a special Titanic themed and St Mary’s -along with the local active day as part of the ‘One Book, One retirement group to create a fascinating Community Initiative’. day where they presented their projects Nicola Pierce’s book ‘The Spirit of and findings. Members of the local New the Titanic’ was chosen as the book that community were invited to come in and would be read by the school, by two local take a look at some of the projects in Symbol to primary schools and by members of the the school library and there were some local community. The aim of ‘Titanic impressive findings. Represent Day’ was to explore different aspects of This was just one of the literacy the Titanic’s story across the curriculum. group’s events as we aim to achieve a our This meant that it was not just a matter of ‘Well-read Flag’ for the school. Among historical significance, but, for example, the other events that have taken place in St Mary’s the science department carried out recent months were a readathon, a poetry a fascinating study on flotation and and short story competition and the In the past year our school decided buoyancy which correlated with the tragic foundation of a book club and the idea is to create a new symbol to represent story of the ship’s maiden voyage. The TY to create a culture of reading throughout our school. We found that we cookery class presented the type of food the whole school community. were using a variety of symbols and we wished to have a single symbol that would represent us on school uniform, school website and other publications. We asked local company, ImageHouseDesign, to prepare some examples based on our ethos and heritage. We believe that the final image fulfils what we were looking for. The Catholic and Christian image of the cross is at the centre of the symbol. The symbol is also reflective of the older Christian Brothers emblem and therefore our new symbol is linked with the Christian Brothers heritage of our school dating back to 1857. The symbol is built around interweaving lines and circles which represent the principles of inclusion, equality of opportunity and holistic education which are at the heart of the ERST Charter. The colours Green and Yellow are significant for our school in the context of its location in Enniscorthy. These colours were introduced to the sportswear of the school in the 1950s when Brother Cripps introduced new colours depicting the furze bushes on Vinegar Hill in full bloom. The new symbol will be used in all publications, signage and uniform from here on.

Síol Page 10 Rice College, Ennis New School Chaplain

Last September at Rice College Ennis saw the arrival of our new school Chaplain. We are delighted to have Fr. Joy join us. He is welcomed from India and is settling into his new surroundings in the Banner County very well. We are very proud of our Junior Certificate class of 2018 who received their exam results in September, all of whom were very happy. A special congratulations was extended to Michael Barrow and Archie Connolly who both received 10 A’s in their exams. New opportunities for leadership were established for two 6th year students this term in the form of Student Presidents. They were democratically elected and voted in by their peers, so they need to have a high profile and be a trustworthy person. This role requires the development of a number of key skills, including public-speaking, as they may have to address assemblies or events. Leadership is an essential quality for a student president. The student body must trust them to be both capable and stand for their concerns. The student president must also be able to lead a student council and able to take decisive action when required. In October the school held a Mental Health Awareness Week from 8th-12th. While a positive and encouraging whole school approach is taken towards mental health all year, this week provided students with very interactive and visual displays of positive ways to well being throughout the school. During ffRetreat in Lough Derg the week we launched our new look stair wells that display positivity and caring messages for all those who walk through our school. Also in October, 32 senior students had the opportunity to attend a retreat in Lough Derg, Co. Donegal. The place of pilgrimage since the 5th Century dedicated to Saint Patrick. This holy island gave them the chance to take time out at the beginning of the school year to reflect on some upcoming decisions to be taken. In sporting news, Ethan Coughlan 6th year student is currently in Italy with the U18 Irish rugby team. Rice College Ennis are now Munster 7’s Girls School Camogie Champions and Rhys Williams is the current European Irish Show Jumping Champion. Comhghairdeas! ffMunster 7’s Girls School Camogie Champions Plaque

Scoil Íosagáin, Aughavanagh Road 4th green flag for Scoil Íosagáin

On the 5th of October 2018 the boys, staff and parents of Scoil Íosagáin, Aughavanagh Road, Dublin 12 celebrated a very special day. They received their 4th green flag and their first active schools flag as well as launching their new interactive bands. Everyone was delighted that the Garda Band were able to join the school community for their special day. This really added to the excitement and ambiance of this special day of celebration in Scoil Íosagáin.

Winter 2018 Page 11 Ardscoil Rís, Limerick John Hooper Statistics Competition

On the 17th of October, both I and 7 of Several hundred projects were submitted all the students, teachers and statisticians my classmates travelled to the National from schools throughout the country in attendance. We were also presented Concert Hall in Dublin for the John and these projects were judged by our certificates by Maria Hurley, Assistant Hooper Statistics Competition Awards. statisticians from many of the countries Director General of the Central Statistics This competition is organised by the 3rd level institutes. We were thrilled to Office. Overall being involved in this Central Statistics Office and the aim hear in May that our project won third competition was a fantastic experience. of the project is to improve students’ place in the competition, winning €400 We all got to deepen our understanding abilities to describe their environment for our school and €200 for our group. of how to collect data, organise data, with the help of statistics and to use Six of our classmates posters (2 groups) graph data, interpret information and statistics as a tool for making sense of received order of merits (top 10) in analyse results to draw conclusions. We daily life. the competition. also developed our IT skills and improved Our John Hooper journey began in On the day of the awards ceremony we our ability to work as part of a team. October 2017 when Ms. Flanagan spoke made a presentation about our project for to us about the project and encouraged us to take part. 6 groups of students decided to participate in the project. My fellow group members were Aaron Leahy and Jack Lynch. Our first step was to brainstorm different ideas for our project. After much brainstorming and discussion, my group decided to investigate how your position in your family affects you. We chose this topic as we wanted to find out if there is actual truth in the stereotypes of the youngest, middle and eldest child, and if your birthplace really shapes who you are and who you become. Other groups chose topics such as “What makes a President” and “Olympic Rowers”. Our next step was to create a survey to collect our data. We did this using Google Forms. We received 130 respondents, 12 of which were spoiled. The data had to then be organised, which we did with the aid of Microsoft Excel. Once our data was organised we then had to discuss the results and form conclusions. The final step was to create our poster which we did using Microsoft PowerPoint. Ms. Flanagan encouraged us and helped us all throughout our projects and she submitted our projects in April.

Maths award at SciFest

On the 3rd May, 2018 Paul Hamilton competed in the Regional round of SciFest@College in the LIT Thurles. His project is titled “How do factors such as school context and gender influence student and teacher perception of effective science teaching?” This project provides a comprehensive statistical analysis of students’ attitudes on what constitutes a good science teacher. He also included the views from secondary school teachers so that he has both student and teacher views. This project is significant because few studies have included student voice as key stakeholders in the future of STEM education in Ireland. Paul won the Maths award for his statistical analysis and then achieved the overall Science Foundation Ireland Best project award. This allows him to compete in the National Final on the 9th November, 2018 in Dublin. This is the day after he returns from India with our school group after attending the Christian Brothers immersion program there.

Síol Page 12 Ardscoil Rís, Limerick Liam McCarthy Cup - Homecoming

Ardscoil Rís in Limerick recently trying to bring the Harty Cup to the Hennessy and David Dempsey along welcomed back 13 of its past pupils who North side of the city for the first time. with coach Paul Kinnerk and selector were part of the victorious All Ireland This was achieved in 2010 after an epic Brian Geary involved, made for a unique winning Limerick senior hurling panel. triology of games in the final against and special occasion for all involved in After a 45 year wait former Ardscoil a spirited Thurles CBS. Limerick stars the school , especially all the teachers Harty Cup winning captain Declan Kevin Downes and Shane Dowling joined involved in coaching hurling in Ardscoil Hannon walked the steps of the Hogan Declan Hannon on this victorious team. Rís. During their schooldays these players stand to collect the Liam McCarthy Cup Indeed, Ardscoil retained the title the were all role models for younger pupils on behalf of a brilliant Limerick side and following year with Dowling and Hannon and are now inspiring young hurlers sparked wild celebrations Treatyside in as joint captains and have since gone on throughout the county. the process. Back on the North Circular to win 5 Harty titles, the first school in The event itself attracted huge interest Road in the city there was a tremendous the history of the competition to win 5 in both locally and nationally and was sense of pride as we witnessed so the same decade. covered by RTÉ as well as ‘Off the Ball’ many of our former students realise a Nestled on the North Circular Road from Newstalk and the Limerick Leader lifetime dream. in Limerick, Ardscoil Rís students come which made it all the more memorable The signs were there at an early age from Limerick as well as neighbouring for the school community. The former that these students were special. Not only Clare and in 2013 the school held a students were accompanied by parents/ are they a very gifted and talented group similar homecoming when past pupils family members, given their significant but they also showed the desire, passion, from the Limerick team as Munster role they played while they were with us dedication and commitment needed to champions along with members of Clare’s in school over the 5 or 6 years, as well as succeed at this level. All Ireland winning panel came back members of the wider school community, Ardscoil Ris have had unprecedented to the school. Last week’s homecoming members of the Christian Brothers, success over the last decade or so on was special though. After such a barren Board of Management and former staff the hurling pitch. In ’09 the school won spell for Limerick hurling, to have 11 members and management. A very proud its first ‘A’ competition in the school’s players Michael Casey, Declan Hannon, day in the life of Ardscoil Rís. history when the Dean Ryan trophy was Cian Lynch, Aaron Gillane, Peter Casey, held aloft by a young Declan Hannon. Shane Dowling, Kevin Downes, William ffPast pupils and members of the Limerick Senior team at Ardscoil Rís with the Liam McCarthy Cup The school then turned its focus on O’Donoghue, Barry O’ Connell, Barry

Winter 2018 Page 13 Coláiste Rís, Dundalk

Preparing for Coláiste Rís Prize 150 Years of Scoil Giving 2018: na mBráithre, Special Guest at our annual Prize Giving in May 2018 was Dún Dealgan: Michael Lambert. Michael was invited as guest speaker to mark his retirement as Principal of the CBS Primary School at Christmas 2017; he had served on the staff for over 41 years and According to school archives the first students entered as Principal for nearly 19. the doors of Dundalk CBS on May 11th 1869. So the turn The Brother Yorke Cup commemorates the first Principal of of the year will mark the start of the celebrations of 150 Dundalk CBS. Br. Yorke’s contribution to the town was regarded years of an enormous contribution to education in the as so significant that the town closed for his funeral in 1907.The town of Dundalk. Cup is presented to the best first year at the annual Prize Giving This work started with a community of four brothers, led ceremony. The recipient this year was Rachel Rice. by Brother Yorke, and continues today with the CBS Primary Rachel is one of approximately 200 girls in the school’s School and Coláiste Rís Secondary School. Between the population. The school was originally for boys only; the first Primary and Secondary Schools over 1200 children are 13 girls came to the school in 1987. The girls have grown in currently being educated. Both schools are coeducational numbers and contributed very significantly since. and are thriving in the central town site where the brothers Rachel is from Bellurgan, north of the town on the Cooley set up their original Monastery and Schools. peninsula. The school serves the town itself and a semi-circle In preparation for the upcoming celebrations Fergus (of 10 mile radius) North, West and South of the town. (East McArdle from the school’s Board of Management enlisted would also be gladly served but Dundalk Bay/ the Irish Sea has the help of past pupil, Celli O Donoghue, and between eliminated that possibility.) them they undertook to have the school’s Board Room decorated and dedicated to the memory and work of the Christian Brothers in Dundalk. The Board Room is the former Dining Room of the Christian Brothers Community – the last Brothers dined there in 1989 shortly before the final four Dundalk Brothers left town for the last time. As part of their plans Fergus and Celli commissioned a painting to celebrate the Brothers’ work in Dundalk and they asked past pupil, Jimmy Kinch, to do the painting. Jimmy – a shoe designer by profession – emigrated with his family to Australia in the early seventies. He was a lifelong friend of Celli’s and maintained very strong links with the Dundalk area. Jimmy pursued his passion for painting in his Southern Hemisphere base and his paintings have gained major acclaim nationally and internationally. Jimmy kindly agreed to do the work and his beautiful painting now hangs in the refurbished Board Room. Fergus and Celli also insisted that the school’s icon commemorating Blessed Edmund Rice be placed in the Board Room to highlight the school’s dedication to his name and to his work. Sadly the painting was Jimmy’s last work as he died in October 2016 shortly after the completed work was shipped from his Adelaide home to Dundalk. It was his hope to return and to hold an exhibition of his work in the school. In May 2017 Jimmy’s wife, Marie, did just that and an exhibition of Jimmy’s work was held in the Coláiste Rís Gymnasium. The event was a major success with all 34 original paintings selling; the school benefitted significantly from the occasion and the refurbishment of the Board Room was now paid for in full. This was a significant demonstration of the good will and appreciation of the Christian Brothers contribution to Dundalk over the last 150 years. ffPhotograph of Michael Lambert presenting the Br Yorke Cup to Rachel Rice

Síol Page 14 Coláiste Rís, Dundalk School Musical 2018:

In carrying out research for the Táin Arts Centre (formerly known as Dundalk Town Hall) past teacher, Joe Corcoran, tells us that a very significant contribution to the arts in the town was made by the early members of Christian Brothers Community. In cultivating a love of drama and participation in musicals they had a very significant impact on this element of the town’s development. When memories and contributions are brought up this is a very interesting fact that is often overlooked. In keeping with this very proud tradition the school now puts on an annual TY Musical. In May a production of All Shook Up was staged at An Táin Arts Centre. The show, directed by teacher Evan Markey, played to full houses. It was a great success and would truly have made the early Brothers proud that this great tradition is continuing to the present day. Mar focal scoir news has just broken (at the time of writing) that this year’s production will be the celebrated Queen Musical We will Rock You. The cast will take to the boards of the town hall stage in the second week of May – 150 years on to the week after the first students entered Dundalk CBS.

ffAll Shook Up Poster – May 2018

ff 2 scenes from the Production All Shook Up

Winter 2018 Page 15 CBS Kilkenny

CBS Kilkenny TY students visit James Stephens Barracks

In October more than one hundred TY students from CBS Kilkenny enjoyed a hugely memorable visit to the James Stephens Barracks in the city. Members of the Defence Forces treated the students to a rich tour of their history, culture and engagements. The students were very enthused by the modern training methods also which were demonstrated on the day. They are photographed here with Cpl Fionn, the unit mascot.

Climate Action Week at CBS Kilkenny

ffClass 3Colmcille adopted a penguin during Climate Action Week

James receives Maynooth Scholarship

Leaving Certificate 2018 student, James Bourke, was the proud recipient of an Entrance Scholarship to Maynooth University. These scholarships are awarded on the basis of excellent Leaving Certificate results. James is now studying Theoretical Physics and Mathematics in Maynooth. On the day of the Award Ceremony, James’s parents, Miriam and John, and Principal Tom Clarke were present to congratulate him and to wish him well in his studies. We are very proud of the Class of 2018, and we wish them all well.

Síol Page 16 CBS Kilkenny

Huge support for Goal from CBS Kilkenny

In October, CBS Kilkenny hosted #jerseyday in aid of CBS Kilkenny Goal’s international work to relieve famine and poverty. A very impressive €1135 was raised from the generous host annual Jim support of CBS Kilkenny students who never fail to support a good cause. A great day was enjoyed by all. Langton Tournament

Every year, CBS Kilkenny hosts the Jim Langton Tournament which is held in memory of one of our most famous hurling stars. Jim Langton was a member of the CBS Kilkenny Senior Colleges hurling team which made history by winning the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship title for the first time in 1935. Jim went on to play with the Kilkenny Senior team from 1939 until 1954. His inclusion on the GAA Hurling Team of the Millenium marks him out as one of the greatest players of all time. In his memory, seven teams from ERST schools competed ffMembers of Cumann ERST organised an excellent line up in October for the Jim Langton Cup, with Midleton CBS for Climate Change Week defeating CBS Thurles in a thrilling final.

Billy earns All- Ireland Silver

Well done to Billy Drennan on reaching the All Ireland Colleges 60 x 30 U17 Handball Singles Final in Opening School Mass 2018 October. Billy earned silver on this occasion, but playing a year young In October, once the year was settled in and underway, the CBS Kilkenny school he is still eligible for this grade community gathered in the beautiful environs of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Kilkenny to again next year. He is pictured here celebrate this school year and to pray for God’s blessing on students and staff of the with GAA Handball President, Joe school. As is traditional, the CBS Kilkenny music department greatly enriched our Masterson being presented with his celebration with their talents. Principal, Mr Clarke, welcomed everyone and wished All Ireland silver medal. them well in the busy year ahead.

Winter 2018 Page 17 CBC Monkstown The Trip The Zambian to Zambia Immersion Project On 4th June 2018, eight teachers and seventeen students left Dublin airport to travel 12,000KM to Lusaka. 2017/18 We were returning to the N’Gombe Compound to visit our Zambian friends who run a Home-Based Care Centre The Zambian Immersion Project returned to CBC in June this year (2018). We had last which visits and supports needy families travelled to Zambia in 2015 but had continued our connections and fund-raising for in Lusaka. They are a group of 50 the projects there via our school’s Charity Committee. volunteers who visit the sick and needy. With 45 students across 4th and 5th Year applying to travel and only places for 17, From their visits they recognise the needs it is always a very difficult task to select the fortunate students for the travelling party. of children and adults and support the In order to travel to Zambia students must: families. Children orphaned are sent * Submit an application letter by the deadline date, outlining charity work and Social to the feeding centre called Kondwa, Placement work that they have done; meaning ‘Be Happy’ and run by Angela * Undergo an interview which asks them about their reasons for wanting to travel to Malik. Angela manages a team who Zambia and exploring their commitment to helping others; nurture small children being raised by * Commit to fund-raising for the year to get the group to Lusaka and for the projects grandmothers who have lost their own that CBC support there; children through HIV and AIDS. Kondwa * Commit to reflecting on the journey to the Developing World; and supports 110 children. From there they * Immerse themselves in Zambia for 2 weeks. go to Pakachele School, named after the Students were selected in early October 2017 and the process of fund-raising Kachele Tree - its branches spread out and reflection then began in earnest. A big thank you to all the teachers who gave to shade the community from the harsh up weekends, lunchtimes and their holiday weeks to supervise and help with the sun. Pakachele is a primary school with organisation of the project. Thanks also to all the CBC students who applied for the 500 students all of whom have come from project and to the team selected. Each and every one gave their all to raise funds and Kondwa over the years. work with our friends in Zambia. For many more children in the community, fees are needed to pay for uniforms and school basics. With no The Zambia Team 2017/18 social welfare in place, families with little income cannot afford a uniform Leaders Students and children cannot travel to school. Ms. H. O’Connor (Co-ordinator) Theo Brady Toma Conlon Cahill The ZOCS (Zambian Open Community Ms. K. Lorigan Eoghan Fay Eoin Fitzgerald School) in N’Gombe is supported by Mr. E. Ó’hAnnagáin Luke Hallam Bill Hughes the local Catholic parish and does not Mr. G. Cox Mark Kavanagh Alex Lee require a uniform. They also aim to feed Ms. S. Finn Donal Madden Finn Moloney the students who would not get food at Ms. F. O’Connor Ewan McConnell Vinnie McMahon home. Our project has been supporting Mr. A. Doyle Raphael Jiminez Sean Power this school which takes in the children Ms. J. O’Dowd James Reynolds Cian Tallon of families identified by the Home- Harry Wall Based Care group. This school has 600 Ms. H. O’Connor children up to 17 years of age reaching CBC Zambian Immersion Project Co-ordinator higher primary level (approximately Junior Certificate). Each time we visit Zambia, we support areas of development in the different centres that require support. This time the areas we concentrated on were: Developing the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Classes at Pakachele – Since the opening of Pakachele School in 2008, the need to employ a teacher for the deaf students and the development of deaf classes was an area we felt CBC could be instrumental in developing. Since then we have supported the teaching and ffCBC Immersion Team in Zambia learning of deaf students and from one

Síol Page 18 CBC Monkstown

Fund-raising for Zambia

Students, with the support of their parents and teachers, fully commit themselves to fund-raising for the project, to help the different communities in N’Gombe Compound, Lusaka. Many thanks to all the parents, grandparents, uncles, aunties and friends of the project especially from the Ladies of Home-Base Care in Lusaka. They are always amazed by the efforts our community makes to support their needs. In the words of Angela Malik who runs the Kondwa Feeding Centre and Pakachele School for over 500 children: ‘We thank God for the day CBC Monkstown came into our lives’. The Zambian Immersion project group work as a team to hold fund-raising events across the school calendar. These events include the following; ffMaking friends at Seko House Orphanage Items Needed for the Communities – CBC travels to Zambia each time with presents for the children and their carers. It has been a long-standing tradition to bring a brand new set of clothes for each child. It means so much to a child who has very little that our parents and school cares for them. The families of CBC load up our luggage allowance with fabulous outfits for the children, babies, teachers and carers there. This time we travelled with 450 outfits for the children and lots more for adults. The ladies there have kept the individually wrapped clothes for the children for their Christmas present. CBC supports the children in Pakachele School, the orphans in the Kondwa Centre, the sick and needy in the N’Gombe Centre and the young children in the Seko Orphanage. Donations – Many thanks to all the individuals who donated to the project and also to the companies who also supported us in raising this money. ffMs O’Connor from CBC teaching a science experiment student in 2008 our support has grown with the teachers in Zambia and main umbrella group that we assist is to facilitate two classes with two teachers teaching classes themselves at times, our Home-Based Care, modelled very much in and thirty students. The deaf students are CBC students gain an insight into the the guise of the SVP (St. Vincent de Paul). an integral part of the school now and all difficulties in education in Zambia and Fifty native volunteers visit areas of the assemblies and gatherings have signing in many circumstances an insight into N’Gombe Compound to identify people in language for the whole school. their own abilities. The leaders in Zambia need of care. They are a Catholic group Development of Science Teaching feel that the participation of our boys in of 48 ladies and 2 men who view acting & Learning – The Zambian school classes is the ultimate encouragement to out their faith in the form of offering care curriculum is developing science as part get a good education and strong bonds for others. We received a lovely welcome of their higher level of education and are made between our boys and the from the ladies before we went with them as a group of educators, CBC wanted to students there. As part of the support for to visit the poor and vulnerable in the support this endeavour. We allocated part the school, we painted four classrooms community. This then showed our boys of our funds to purchase some equipment that were in very bad condition. Our the needs of the community and over for the laboratory and our team also support for the schools also extended the next two weeks they headed to local assisted with some science lessons to aid to supporting the salaries of teachers. homes to clean and help in whatever way the teacher/student training process. We As all the schools in Zambia depend on they could. The majority of the funds painted the laboratory and kitted it out donations, many teachers do not often get raised by CBC goes to the Home-Based for practical experiments and bought one paid for months. However they continue Care as it is the native group that helps class their full set of science books and to commit themselves to these schools so most of the community. posters to aid learning. our support is vital for them. Supporting Projects Identified by Teaching Classes – Through working Supporting Home-Based Care – The the Zambian Immersion Team – The

Winter 2018 Page 19 CBC Monkstown

CBC Immersion Project team decide after the two week trip which areas require the most support and we divide up our remaining funds accordingly. We also send out the remaining funds once we return home to support those projects. Having had the full two week experience with the people of N’Gombe, we all realised the need to support the wonderful work they do as they can identify the areas most in need. Returning Home and Looking to the Future

When we landed back in Dublin on the morning of June 19th, it was definitely the case that we all had shared in an amazing experience. We had worked with and supported our friends at the projects in N’Gombe. The students had witnessed a very good overview of the difficulties and issues that have to be faced daily by the people in Zambia. As we plan for the future, we will shortly start the application process for Zambia 2019. Thanks to all those who put themselves forward to help others by going to Zambia and being with the poor in Africa. ffHaving fun in Kondwa Centre

Ennistymon CBS Creative Engagement in Ennistymon CBS

Creative Engagement is an initiative funded by Department This now was starting to generate great interest with feature of Education and Skills. Essentially creative engagement pieces in the Clare Champion and the Clare People. A big crowd is a fusion between a local artist, poet or musician and the attended on the official launch night on April 28th with well school community. over 100 people at the event held in Teach Ceoil, Ennistymon. The last number of years Ennistymon CBS had singer Everyone was delighted to see Luka Bloom and the lads songwriter Micky McConnell and Gabriel Fitzmaurice on board perform together. to help us out with our projects. This year we were fortunate to We have been invited to the National Exhibition of Creative get help from renowned singer songwriter Luka Bloom. Luka Engagement in Dublin on October 3rd next year where the boys and his brother Christy have defined the Irish Folk scene for the will showcase their talents. Many thanks to all involved in this past 20 years. Luka who has over 20 albums to his credit agreed year’s project, to all the teachers who helped out on the launch to come on board as our mentor, producer and director for this night as well as to Mary Lyons and Michael Clohessy for their year’s Creative Engagement. support. Indeed without all this encouragement the project The students involved in the creative engagement were Niall would not have taken place. Hegarty, (banjo), Adam Daniels, (poem), Evan Flanagan, (Banjo), Eoin Rouine, (Banjo), Ben Whelahan, (Guitar and Vocals). The students and Luka met for the first time in early October and eagerly set about writing a four track EP/CD under the direction of Luka. They went into the recording studio over the February Mid Term Break and recorded the EP/CD “Home on my Back”. The title track “Home on my Back” was written and composed by Colm Collins and is a wonderful reflection on the refugee journey in Ireland today. “Light at the end of a Tunnel” composed and performed by Ben Whelahan is an anthem of hope. “The Ceiling” by Aaron McGannon is a thought provoking poem of universal relevance to so many people today. The CD/EP finishes with traditional music arrangement “Trip to Durrow” and “Red Haired Lass” Once the CD was ready post production we set about a launch date over the easter holidays. The students were featured on Clare FM Morning Focus with Pat Flynn including live music and an interview. This was a wonderful experience for all. ffCreative Engagement Group CD Launch

Síol Page 20 The Abbey, Tipperary Wellness Zone

The Wellness Zone is an evolving space. Initially it grew from the idea of creating a ‘non-academic’ room for the students where they could relax, read and meet. In its first year, the space hosted an art exhibition, the Kenneth Branagh Shakespeare Exhibition, and the games club. We look forward to seeing this space develop as wellbeing grows, as an integral part of our school development. Principal John Kiely brings Liam McCarthy to The Abbey School

Past and present staff and students welcomed The Abbey School Principal and Limerick Senior Hurling Manager, Mr. John Kiely and the Liam McCarthy cup back to the Tipperary School on September 4th last. The celebrations also honoured the Tipperary u21 James Nowlan Cup winners and the Shannon Airport Munster Minor Cup winners. Nicky English a former pupil, teacher and a previous All-Ireland winning manager also attended the celebrations. It was a very proud day for the school and it was wonderful to see the great excitement that these sporting achievements have brought to the school. ffBack Row L-R; Jerry Ring (Former Teacher and School Photographer), Michael Hanley (Teacher and Coach), Kieran Hickey (Teacher and Backroom Staff member of Limerick Senior Hurling team 2018), Nicky English(Former pupil, teacher and All-Ireland Hurling Winning Manager of Tipperary 1989), Mr. Pat Donavan (Deputy Principal), Dan Riall (Teacher and Coach), Paddy Kelly (Former Teacher WellRead and Coach). ffFront Row L-R; Conor O Brien (Past Pupil and All Ireland Medal winner with Tipperary 2010), Shane Award Neville (Past Pupil and All-Ireland u21 Medal Winner with Tipperary 2018), Ciaran Breen (Past Pupil and All-Ireland u21 Medal Winner with Tipperary 2018), Mr. John Kiely, (Principal and Limerick Senior The Abbey School are delighted to Hurling Manager), Jonathan Ryan (Present Pupil and Tipperary Minor Hurling Captain 2018), Mr. Sean Mullins (Teacher and Coach), Michael Martin (Past Pupil and current Board of Management Chairman have been awarded the Wellread of The Abbey School). National Award. The Award Ceremony will take place on Tuesday 27th November in City West Hotel, Saggart, Co.Dublin.

Winter 2018 Page 21 Doon C.B.S ffDoon C.B.S. Primary School on a recent visit to Croke Park, pictured with the Sam Maguire Cup (All-Ireland football Trophy) and the Liam Mc Carthy Cup (All-Ireland Football trophy) Also in the picture, back row: Bro. James Dormer , Liam Magee, President of Cumann na mBunscol, John Horan, President of the G.A.A., Tina O’Connell, Denis Moloney and Donal O’Connell (all Doon C.B.S.)

ffAt the presentation of the Leader Cup medals at Doon C.B.S. were , Eddie ffThree boys from Doon C.B.S. Primary School who had full school attendance Bourke of E.R.S.T., Elizabeth Breen, Deputy Principal of the school and during the last school year 2017 / 2018, pictured with the school principal. Brendan Ryan Ms. Joanne O’Connell. Liam Ryan, Micheal Ryan and Paddy Ryan

ffAthletes from Doon C.B.S. Primary School that participated in the Tipperary Primary Schools cross country running competition held at Thurles Crokes athletic club.

ffDonal Coughlan - Doon C.B.S. Primary School ffDoon C.B.S. Primary School Hurling team winners of the Limerick Leader Cup for a record fourth - who has been selected to play in the I.N.T.O. successive year, pictured with team mentors, Donal O’Connell, teacher, Tina O’Connell, SNA, Joanne / G.A.A. mini games in Croke Park at the All O’Connell, School Principal and Denis Moloney, teacher and team trainer. - Ireland Hurling Semi-final on Saturday 28th July 2018

Síol Page 22 Scoil Mhuire, Fatima North Mon Primary School Council

This is a photo of the newly elected School Council having been presented with their school council pins. The School Council consists of 2 councillors from each class (II class from February). They are voted for by their class and hold the post for half of the school year. Any pupil who became a school councillor prepared a speech and addressed their class with their suggestions. Every class voted and elected their own councillors and the school councillor brings the class’s opinions to the council. The School Council is chaired by one of the VI class councillors under the watchful eye of a teacher coordinator to offer guidance (in the short term) and the Principal also attends. The School Council meets monthly. The VI class pupils take minutes which are displayed in the corridor and distributed among the other class councillors to read out to ffBack row left to right Ms. Cotter (School Council Coordinator), Nathanael Mbouwoua Deumany , Marwan Omar, Barry Hickey, Mark their class. VI class pupils also visit the II classes to explain Crowley, Mr O Brien (Principal) the work of the council. Front row left to right: David Suslow, Alan Drozdek, Kamil Rutkowski, School planning, development issues and school policies Darragh O Sullivan. are discussed as well as items that each class wishes to raise. The School Council plays an important part in shaping The prayer room is being revamped because the school new initiatives. council decided that II class and VI class pupils should Some of the great ideas that the students are currently make more use of the prayer room when preparing for the working on include the need to make use of baskets outside Sacraments. The school council intends reducing the amount the class room doors for photocopying, notes, letters and of plastics that are being used in the school to avoid Mon handouts to reduce the number of interruptions during the Boys adding further pollution to the oceans. Their intention school day. Another great suggestion was the need for pupils is to go to the Green School Committee to see if a joint who are always well behaved to be rewarded in some way. venture could be undertaken.

CBS Ennistymon CBS Ennistymon Leaving Certs on tour in Austria

A trip to Vienna is always an adventure especially when you include sixteen young men from CBS Ennistymon! Accompanied by teachers Esther Campbell and Margaret Molloy every day was jam-packed with opportunities to see and experience the beauties of this city. The strong connection with The Wiedner Gymnasium continues with a morning spent in the school and a Tour of the Ringstrasse with retired English and History teacher Gerda Scholz. Highlights of the trip were many and included Schloss Schönbrunn and the Musical evening in The Raimund Theater. However what really made this trip special was having our former Language Assistant “Jana Kilx” join us from Germany. Danke Jana.

Winter 2018 Page 23 CBC Preparatory School, Cork A busy start to the year in Cork

The boys at CBC Preparatory School, Cork have had a very busy start to the 2018/2019 school year. Our Junior Infant boys are settling in well to Mrs. Lowry’s classroom and enjoying life at CBC Prep. 3rd Class had the opportunity to visit UCC and had a great tour of the historic college. The class visited the Quad, Honan Chapel and Crawford Observatory, as well as learning more about UCC and its famous history. Our 3rd and 4th Class boys started a Chinese studies module this year, which is being offered in conjunction with UCC. In 5th and 6th Class, the boys are learning French, German and Latin, in addition to the national primary school curriculum. They also attend Science lessons in one of the secondary school labs and have been learning about capacity, density and flotation in a practical and enjoyable way. Our rugby and GAA teams have been hard at work at training sessions on the pitch and we are delighted to have reached the Sciath na Scol Football Final for the 3rd year in a row. The whole school looks forward to supporting the team in the final in Páirc Uí Rinn after the mid-term break.

ff3rd and 4th Class CBC Prep learning Chinese Martial Arts as part of their Chinese Studies module.

ff5th Class boys learning about lab safety during Science in the secondary school

ffCBC Prep have reached the Sciath na Scol Football Final

ffMrs. Lowry with some of the new Junior Infants ffCBC Prep supporting Cork Pink Week

Síol Page 24 Ardscoil na Mara, Tramore.

News from Ardscoil na Mara

News from throughout different departments and a taster of all the many activities and events that take place every day in Ardscoil na Mara.

ffStudents from T.Y in Ardscoil na Mara enjoying their Bonding Day at Fota Adventure. Fantastic fun was had by all involved.

Art Classes

1st year students from Ardscoil na Mara Tramore enjoying their Art Classes during the taster system in the school which allows all first year students to try all subjects before making their subject choices. A lot of talent emerging from these budding Artists.

ffA fantastic day was had by staff and students when the school got involved this year with Trick or Treat for Temple Street. Great fun was had on the day with all monies raised going to a very good cause. Pictured are staff and students from Ardscoil na Mara celebrating Halloween with Trick or Treat for Temple Street.

Maths Week 2018

2nd years visited Castlecomer, Kilkenny as part of maths week 2018. All students participated in a maths trail and orienteering; taking ffIt was a wonderful achievement when 10 Ard Scoil na Mara students graduated from NUI Galway with a certificate in ‘Youth Leadership and Community Action’. They attended a graduation ceremony on fun, hands-on challenges that in Galway . They have worked for over 3 years to achieve this and completed 3 modules of Foróige’s were linked to many aspects of the Leadership Programme. They are Mia White, Jamie Corbett, Joshua Garvey - 6th Year. Katie Power, Faye Junior Cert. curriculum. White, Erina Mooney, Niall O’Boyle, Kayla Butler - 5th Year. We also had two who finished in Ard Scoil last year, Dylan McCarthy who has gone on to WIT and Aaron Attlee who has gone on to WCFE this year.

Winter 2018 Page 25 Gaelcholáiste Mhuire AG, An Mhainistir Thuaidh, Corcaigh. Nuacht ó Ghaelcholáiste Mhuire

Tá an-chuid éachtaí bainte amach ag daltaí Ghaelcholáiste Mhuire AG, an Mhainistir Thuaidh, Corcaigh le déanaí. Bronnadh gradam spóirt na n-óg ar na cispheileadóirí Daithí Ó Liatháin, Séamas Ó hAnnagáin, Séamas Ó Coileáin agus Seán Mac Craith. I mí an Mheithimh chuaigh na buachaillí seo go dtí Béalgrád chun páirt a ghlacadh i gCraobhchomórtas an Domhain sa chispheil, an chéad Gaelcholáiste riamh chun cháiliú don chomórtas seo. Shroich siad an ceathrú craobh inar chaill siad don tSeoirsia ar phointí difríocht. Ní hamháin ar son cispheile a eagraíodh an comórtas seo, ach chun lánpháirtiú agus ilchultúrthacht a chur chun cinn. Ghlac na buachaillí páirt i gcomórtas cultúir chun an Ghaeilge agus an iománaíocht a léiriú don lucht féachana . Tá súil acu cáiliú don chéad comórtas eile san Ind i 2020. Táimid an-bhródúil freisin as ár ndalta den scoth Conchúr Ó Murchú a fuair seacht ngrád H1 san Ardteist. Tá Conchúr dulta le leigheas i gColáiste na hOllscoile i gCorcaigh. Ina theannta sin, fógraíodh le déanaí go bhfuil Conchúr ag fáil scoláireachta JP McManus as ucht a dtorthaí iontacha! Bronnadh an gradam ‘Excellence in Education’ ar Ghaelcholáiste Mhuire AG ag an ‘IT Cork Leaders Awards’ ffDaithí Ó Liatháin, Séamas Ó hAnnagáin, Séamas Ó Coileáin agus Seán Mac Craith, cispheileadóirí. 2018. Bronnadh an gradam seo orainn mar aitheantas do na tionscnaimh teicneolaíochta go léir sa scoil. Tá teilgeoir, ríomhaire glúine agus callairí i ngach seomra ranga. Tá ríomhlann le tríocha dó ríomhaire inti, chomh maith le tralaí ipadanna. Is sinne an t-aon Gaelcholáiste sa tír ina bhfuil ríomheolas ar fáil mar ábhar don Ardteist agus tá gearrchúrsa curtha ar fáil don Teastas Sóisearach sa chódáil. Tugadh aitheantas faoi leith don chúrsa a dhéanann an Idirbhliain gach bhliain i gcomhar leis an gcarthanacht Age Action ina múineann ár ndaltaí scileanna ríomhaireachta do dhaoine aosta ón gceantar. An bhliain seo chaite tháinig DreamLine media isteach sa scoil chun físeán a dhéanamh den rang seo, tá sé le feiceáil ar youtube ar https://youtu.be/AWUFa6W2BDA.

ffDónal Ó Buachalla, Príomhoide, Sarote Ní hAilpín, Aoife Ní Dhuinnín, ffConchúr Ó Murchú a fuair 7 ngrád H1 san Ardteist lena mháthair Tracey Stiofán Ó Murchú, Gradam Excellence in Education. agus a dheirfiúr Tara

Síol Page 26 St. Vincent’s CBS, Glasnevin Br Heffernan Retires from Board of Management

The students, staff and parents of our school made a presentation to Brother Heffernan on his retirement from the Board of Management of our school. Br. Heffernan served twenty seven years as chairperson of the Board. During his time, he has worked with three principals and countless staff and students. The school held a short ceremony to thank Br. Heffernan for his work. The ceremony was attended by members of the Student Council and staff members who had served on the Board of Management over the years. Student Council member, Adam Daly made a brief presentation on behalf of the students, and Ms. Quinn thanked Br. Heffernan on behalf of the Staff. He was presented with a piece of artwork designed by Edward Clarke. Br. Heffernan is former Principal of both Roscommon CBS and St. Aidan’s CBS. He is a science graduate from NUIG and a lecturer in Maynooth University. ffBr Heffernan

Sexton St CBS Primary School

ffNew pupils at Sexton St CBS Primary School, Limerick, pictured with Mr Thomas Liddy, class teacher, Ms Sinead Barry, class teacher and Mr Denis Barry, School Principal.

ffStaff of Sexton St CBS Primary school with the All Ireland Hurling Trophy ffPupils of Sexton St CBS Primary School with All Irealnd Trophy

Winter 2018 Page 27 From the ERST Office

Charter Advocacy Renewal Programme Pilot Programme

In 2018 we celebrate 10 years of the Edmund Rice The Edmund Rice Schools Trust has been searching for an Schools Trust and those of us who were in school in opportunity to be distinctive, to give our students an education 2008 remember the launch of the Charter and the that is unique and valuable and which will equip them to make excitement around the “model of education” described a difference in the world in which they are growing up . It will therein. 10 years down the line is an opportune time foster in our students, not only a sense of social awareness and a to revisit the charter with our teachers. A two hour social conscience, but also the desire and drive to do something programme, exploring the Charter, has been undertaken to make a difference. in a number of schools since late August. The aims of the A pilot advocacy programme has been launched this year programme are in ten of our schools. This programme is led by students and 1. To explore the implications of being an Edmund teachers in Ardscoil Rís, Limerick and Ardscoil na Mara, Rice school. Tramore. At a meeting of students and teachers from these ten 2. To affirm the work being done in our schools in the schools the plan for the year was discussed. It was decided that spirit of Edmund. the ten schools would explore the concept of advocacy and then 3. To re energise and renew commitment to take on two themes which together they will advocate on behalf charter values. of during the year. 4. To review the charter values and their relevance in the The themes for this year are world today. 1. To work to reduce the use of plastics in schools. In this programme, staff are led through a process of 2. Equal opportunity to education for all. reflection and sharing, bringing them to a consensus They will hold events to raise awareness about their chosen on what comprises the heart and soul of an Edmund theme and it is hoped that all our schools will row in behind Rice school. In our work throughout the last year with them at one major event at the end of the year. We see advocacy Principals, Deputies, RE teachers and Link Teachers a as something that can become an unique feature of ER schools desire and need for such a programme has been clearly and hope to extend this programme to further schools next year. expressed. It is great to see so many of our schools Students will be alerted to the work of the United Nations availing of these sessions. To book this programme please Human Rights Council in Geneva and will get the opportunity to email [email protected] giving your preferred date. link in with the work of the Christian Brother Community there.

New Teachers - Welcome to the Edmund Rice Network

During October a Welcome to the Edmund Rice Network session was held at two venues, Carrigaline and Marino Institute of Education. These sessions were offered to teachers new to Edmund Rice schools and focused on exploring our Charter and on the uniqueness of Edmund Rice education. The sessions were well attended and there was great engagement, discussion and sharing of ideas and practice. Further sessions are planned for later in November at a number of venues. ffTeachers new to the Edmund Rice Schools at an introductory session in Marino

ffPictured with Helen O’Brien, ERST with a group of teachers new to Edmund ffTeachers new to Edmund Rice College, Carrigaline at the Welcome to our Rice Network in Gaelcholáiste Mhuire, Cork. Network Session

Síol Page 28 From the ERST Office ERST Student Council Training

EREBB This year ERST offered a training programme for Student Councils in our schools. The training programme is done during a two and a half hour session in the school with Congress the full student council. Elements of the programme include · Developing an understanding of the Edmund Rice School · The students as partners in the school community (European · Exploring the concept of leadership · Representing the student voice effectively · Understanding practices and procedures in organising and running meetings Region) · Leading a project in your school · Promoting the Edmund Rice Community Project EREBB was set up 4 years ago to bring together the various Edmund To date we have had wonderful sessions in 16 different schools and look forward to re Rice schools across the world to visiting these student leaders later in the year to view progress. Any school wishing to share their work in the spirit of avail of this programme should contact [email protected] Blessed Edmund and to plan a future together. The Edmund Rice schools in the European Area, (Ireland, England and Northern Ireland) have organised a Congress of school leaders and teachers as follows: Venue: Emmaus Retreat Centre Dates: January 31st and February 1st The congress will begin at 5pm on Jan 31st and finish at ffStudents from Ennistymon CBS who took part in ERST Student Council training recently 3pm on February 1st. Overnight accommodation will be available in Emmaus and in B & B’s close by. We would love to have two teachers from each of our schools in attendance to meet with and plan for the future of Edmund Rice education with our European colleagues.

ffStudents from St Mary’s Academy, Carlow, at ERST Student Council training session.

Scoil Iognáid Rís, Daingean Uí Chúis

ffTeachers new to the Edmund Rice Schools at an introductory session in Marino

ffBuachaillí Scoil Iognáid Rís, Daingean Uí Chúis ag bronnadh seic ar Bhrú ffBuachaillí Scoil Iognáid Rís a ghlac páirt i bhFéile na nÓg agus a bhuaigh ffTeachers new to Edmund Rice College, Carrigaline at the Welcome to our Columbanus i gCorcaigh duaiseanna dá gcuid amhránaíochta agus scéalaíochta. Network Session

Winter 2018 Page 29 Coláiste Phádraig CBS Lucan Awards Night

The annual Coláiste Phádraig Awards Night was held in the school on Monday 21st May. The Sports Hall was packed with over 600 in attendance as parents, family, friends, students, staff and special guests gathered together to celebrate a whole host of award winners at the biggest and most important event in the school calendar. The Coláiste Phádraig music club, run by Ms. Cooney, opened the night with their annual performance. Christopher Marnell wowed the audience with a hauntingly beautiful rendition of “Send in the Clowns” on his trumpet. This was followed by a powerful and upbeat group ffDáire Byrne and Calvin Davis with a proud principal Mr. Brady performance of “Eye of the Tiger” from the movie “Rocky (in tribute to guest get his inspiring message across to the their studies so these special awards were speaker Michael Carruth). The musicians students in particular. well deserved as they have excelled in Josh and Lucca O’ Sullivan, Elee Kalee, The most important guests on every subject since 1st year. James McClelland, Christopher Marnell, the night though were the students The majority of awards on the night Robert Maloney and Jamie Doolan put on themselves who were all in attendance were non-academic with those involved in a great show for the audience. as they had been selected for an award any extra-curricular activity in the school Olympic gold winning medallist of some sort in recognition of some getting some recognition for their efforts. Michael Carruth was the special guest commendable achievement in the school Student of the Year awards from each speaker on the night and he gave a throughout the year. class were also given out while there wonderfully inspiring speech about never Some of the awards were for academic were a large number of co-operation giving up. Michael used an example excellence so well done to all of these and courtesy merit awards presented to from his own life when he won a gold winners from the various year groups. students who have impressed with their medal in boxing at the Olympic Games 6th yrs Dáire Byrne, Alex Pierce attitude throughout the year. Player of in Barcelona in 1992. Michael actually and Calvin Davis both won special merit the year awards from the various sports defeated the Cuban Juan Hernandez in awards for academic excellence in all were also presented, as well as awards to the final with two broken hands! His subjects. All three students are extremely students who have represented the Dublin personal anecdote was a superb way to diligent, ambitious and very committed to Minors in both football and hurling.

ffMichael Young Daire Newcombe Luke Walsh James Harold and Ciarán O’ Brien with Michael Carruth

Síol Page 30 Coláiste Phádraig CBS Lucan

The final 5 awards presented on the night were the main awards. Congratulations to 6th year Luke Walsh who won the coveted Sports Star of the Year Award in recognition of his outstanding displays for the senior football and hurling teams throughout the season. Glen Keating won the Transition Year Student of the Year in recognition of his enormous contribution to TY. Jack Byrne, Michael Young, Basit Ali, Andrew Ennis and Alex Tracey all won coveted From Each, His Best awards for their various year groups in recognition of giving of their best at all times in every aspect of school life. 6th yr Alex also won the overall award so a special well done to him. Dáire Byrne and Benedickt Mbamu were the joint winners of the Padraic Naughton Award for all round ffMain award winners-L to R- Alex Tracey Benedickt Mbamu Dáire Byrne Deividas Grudzinskas Glen Keating and Luke Walsh contribution to school life. This award is named after the 1st lay principal of Coláiste Phádraig (1989-2002). Padraic did the vast majority of the groundwork in laying the foundations for the Open Night 2018 wonderful new school building and facilities that the students now enjoy so Coláiste Phádraig CBS Lucan’s Open Night was held on Thursday 4th October. the award recognises someone who does The school was packed with enthusiastic primary school students and their a lot for the school in their time here. parents all eager to see the excellent array of modern facilities on offer in the The main award of the night, The school. Most of the classrooms were open on the night and it was great to see Tommy Brennan Student of the Year, so many of the school’s own students in attendance interacting with parents was won by Deividas Grudzinskas so and the primary school students. In truth, they were the biggest selling point on well done to him. The award is voted for the night as they demonstrated the calibre of student that attends the school. by teachers and management and it is They spent time engaging the primary school students in the different subject always a tough choice. Fifteen 6th year areas and made sure they felt welcomed and valued. They answered a lot of students were nominated for this award questions about the school from parents and their children in a mature, positive but eventually a winner has to be selected and informed manner and helped them navigate the corridors and different and Deividas was selected due to his classrooms on view. The parents were especially appreciative of the guided tours infectious positivity and leadership skills. they received from the students and they were very complimentary about their An enjoyable night was had by all friendliness, positivity and helpfulness on the night. and thanks to Mr. Phelan and Ms. O’ The 6th yr Prefects were also a tremendous help on the night as they took Leary, who did a great job introducing attendance rolls, distributed important brochures, guided parents and students and presenting the awards throughout around and helped clear up at the end of the night. Some of them were still in the evening and to Ms. Casey for her school at 10:30pm putting chairs and tables back for the next morning so their fantastic work preparing and distributing initiative, leadership and dedication were much appreciated. the awards. Many thanks also to Vivienne Rachel Crehan addressed the crowd in the Sports Hall on behalf of the Parents Ralph from Diamond & Gem Jewellers Association while principal Mr. Brady spoke about what Coláiste Phádraig has to in Tesco Shopping Centre in Lucan who offer prospective students. Alex Knowles and Sabah Uddin-Aleem were presented provided all of the fabulous awards for with 50e vouchers for achieving 9As in their Junior Cert while five of the students the ceremony and was a constant support who attained over 500 points in their Leaving Cert also got vouchers. right up until the last few frenzied hours Sheila Purcell, the assistant Registrar from NUIM, was also in attendance as of preparation! she presented twelve current 6th yr students from the different subject areas It was a very positive evening for all certificates and prizes for academic excellence in those subjects. in attendance and the parents can be The Coláiste Phádraig Parents Association again were pivotal to the night’s very proud of their sons for whatever success as they provided an abundance of refreshments to complete a wonderful award (or awards!) they were presented evening for all in attendance. Coláiste Phádraig look forward to welcoming these with during Coláiste Phadraig’s highly prospective new students to the school in the coming years. successful Awards Night 2018.

Winter 2018 Page 31 Coláiste Phádraig CBS Lucan Exam news

Congratulations to all the Leaving Cert students of Coláiste Phádraig who received their exam results recently. As usual there was a mix of emotions as students opened the dreaded envelopes but in general most students did better than they expected. In many subject areas, the uptake at Higher Level at Leaving Cert and Junior Cert level, was well above the National Average as many of the students pushed themselves to the maximum of their ability. Well done especially to Dáire Byrne and Calvin Davis who both achieved the maximum 625 points. Dáire was one of only eight students in the country to achieve an incredible 8 H1s in his exams. He just missed out on being the only student to ever get 9H1s as he “only” got ffAlex Knowles agus Sabah-Uddin Aleem a H2 in History. Dáire’s grades secured him a place in Edinburgh University in such style. achieved 9As in Higher Level subjects. where he is currently undertaking a Both students have been incredible These results were just reward for their Masters in Mathematics. He is planning ambassadors for the school in their 5 application and hard work over the past to complete a four year Masters there years here and have contributed greatly three years. There were also a significant before moving on to do a PhD in Oxford to the school community. They were number of students who attained University or America if all goes to on the winning team in the prestigious over 5As. plan. He is hoping to get a job in finance National Tráth na gCeist Final three times Management were particularly or tech upon the completion of his in the past four years. They have also pleased with the high proportion of As studies, with Google or Apple being his been involved in numerous other extra- in the core subjects of Irish and Maths likely destination. curricular activities such as BT Young and Distinctions (90-100%) in English, Calvin achieved 7H1s in total and he Scientist Exhibition, Young Enterprise, while over 20% of students attained just missed out on and eight as he got Debating, Ciorcal Cómhrá, French an A in Higher Level History. Overall, 86% in his English exam, just 4% off conversation class, Business competitions every student who sat the exams another H1. He secured a place in UCD and Science quizzes to name just a few. passed their Junior Cert which is a very where he is now studying medicine. Both students also served as Prefects commendable achievement. Calvin had targeted this course since for a year so they made a big impression Congratulations also to those students his 1st day in Coláiste Phádraig and on students, teachers and staff, both in who worked with the school’s Learning his teachers are very proud that he has and out of the classroom, in their time at Support Department. Each one got a very achieved his goal. Like Dáire, Calvin Coláiste Phádraig, good Junior Cert and their teachers are applied himself to his studies from day In the Junior Cert this year, Sabah- very proud of them all. one and it was great to see their hard Uddin Aleem and Alex Knowles both work, dedication and application pay off Soccer trip

60 students from the school travelled to the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday 16th Oct for the UEFA Nations League match between Ireland and Wales. Despite the disappointing 1-0 defeat, the students enjoyed the atmosphere on the night as they were seated close to the singing section in the West Stand. They had a great view of the match and gave raucous support to the Boys in Green throughout. The defeat hasn’t dampened the students’ spirits as most of them plan to return for the hugely anticipated friendly against Northern Ireland in November.

Síol Page 32 Coláiste Phádraig CBS Lucan Friendship Week

A large number of activities were organised to celebrate Friendship Week in Coláiste Phádraig which ran from Monday 15th until Friday 19th Oct 2018. A number of TY students, Kevin McGrane, Tadhg Stones, Samuel Keogh, Adam Whyte, Tighe Everett and Jamie Clarke, worked with Ms. Ryan in the Art Room over the past two weeks designing and making different coloured friendship bracelets. They also took all 1st yr students to the Art Room to make their painted handprint for a specially designed Friendship Tree. They then spent a huge amount of time setting up the canteen before bringing the 1st yrs in and presenting them with the beautifully designed friendship bracelets. The 1st yrs then placed their individual hand print on the friendship tree as a symbol of their commitment to mutual respect, ff1st yrs at the Friendhip Tree well-being, friendship and anti-bullying. The TY students also photographed the Educational psychologist Patricia Well done to all of our students for event and displayed the photos around Fitzpatrick gave a talk to 5th yrs on the embracing the spirit of the events with the school on the TV Screens and Twitter. theme of motivation and well-being. such enthusiasm and respect. Well done especially to these students on A representative from Foróige also Well done also to Mr. Keane for all their initiative, team-work and creativity. spoke to the Transition Years and his hard work planning and organising Derek Hanway from Jigsaw (a provided peer mentoring training for Friendship Week and to the whole staff confidential support service for young them to work with incoming 1st yr for their co-operation and assistance. people) conducted workshops on mental students in 2019. Well-being is everyone’s responsibility health and well-being with all 6th yr Poster and poetry competitions were and we take the issue very seriously at classes. Additionally, four 5th yr students, held for all year groups on the theme Coláiste Phádraig Lucan. Brian Achugbu, Chizo Ajouku, Glen of friendship. Keating and Alex Tsiogas, gave a power point presentation on mental health and well-being to 1st yrs during their SPHE classes. These students had received Theatre trip training from Jigsaw in youth mentoring in preparation for their presentation. 27 6th yr students from Coláiste Phádraig, accompanied by 6 teachers, flew 1st, 2nd and 3rd yr students attended out to England on Saturday 15th September to see a performance of “Les a 90min presentation from Humour Fit Miserables”, the world’s longest running musical, at The Queen’s Theatre on the themes of anti-bullying, substance in London’s West End. The students have all studied the film version of this abuse and racism. world famous musical drama as one of their texts for the Leaving Certificate 1st and 2nd yrs also attended a English Comparative Course. Winner of over 100 international awards and seen French and German breakfast together by over 70 million people so far, this musical phenomenon, based on Victor on Monday. There were lots of delicious Hugo’s classic novel, is an epic tale of passion and redemption in the throes of foods on display, including croissants, revolution. The students were deeply moved by this epic, grand and uplifting pain au chocolat, jus d’orange, du production that packed an emotional wallop. Some students (and teachers!) chocolat and of course German were moved to tears by the heart-warming tale of the unjustly imprisoned Jean frankfurters! Many thanks to Ms. Melia Valjean who breaks parole and is pursued by the ruthless police inspector Javert. for helping with the preparation and The students were surprised by how much the musical affected them emotionally cooking of the food and also to the and they certainly have an increased appreciation for Hugo’s much loved novel. French and German Departments for The group also got to spend an afternoon shopping in one of the world’s top providing the food. destinations for shopaholics, with department stores, street markets, vintage 1st yrs also attended a 2nd breakfast shops and high-end boutiques to satisfy all tastes and budgets. All arrived safely later on in the week and the school music back in Dublin the following day, tired but exhilarated after a memorable trip to club were on hand to perform some London’s West End. beautiful tunes.

Winter 2018 Page 33 Coláiste Phádraig CBS Lucan Talent Show at CBS Lucan

Lucan’s Got Talent was held this year on Friday, October 19th. As always there was great excitement and a great atmosphere around the school on the day of the show. Work got underway early on in the day with TY students helping to set up the venue, the sound system and mentor the nervous acts who would later all take to the stage. Fourteen acts competed in this year’s show. There were an impressive range of talents displayed from singing, dancing, violin and trombone playing to rapping, Rubik’s cube solving and magic. Huge congratulations to magician Jamie Clarke who was an extremely worthy and talented winner. He surprised the whole canteen with his prediction trick. The audience went wild when Jamie stripped off layers of clothes to reveal the items of clothing the judges had randomly picked! In dark green, hot pink and whole-wheat clothes to be exact! The range of talents and skills on show in the final was hugely impressive and the audience were extremely ffAbove: Lucca Sullivan on guitar taken with a number of the acts in particular. However, it was down to the judges Ms. Lynch, Mr. McDonald, Ms. Cooney, Ciarán O’Brien and Leo Finan to select the winners and after a hard fought battle Jamie’s impressive talent won out in the end. The talented Brendan Sibanda aka B Sib came in a worthy 2nd place with his self-penned song, Jealousy. 3rd place went to the extremely talented Tyler Rocamora from 1st year. Tyler performed a beautiful rendition of ‘A Thousand Miles’ on piano blindfolded! Well done to all who competed in the final and had the bravery to stand and perform in front of 250 of their peers. The audience must also be commended for being extremely supportive and encouraging throughout the show. The TY students were a fantastic help to Ms. Bonner throughout as they organised and ran the show to a high standard. The school would like to thank “Megabytes” in Lucan for kindly supplying the sound equipment. It was a wonderful occasion for the school and €100 was also raised for Pieta House. Well done to Ms. Bonner on yet again ffRight: Jamie Clarke-Talent Show 2018 winner putting in so much hard work into this year’s Talent Show.

Síol Page 34 Naas CBS Naas CBS Immersion Project To Zambia

On the 6th February 2019, my school, Naas CBS plans on of three blocks of classrooms, a number of lodgings for the sending nine students and three teachers on an immersion teachers and contributed to covering the costs of the schooling project to Mazabuka in Zambia. It will mark our school’s eight available. Now in 2018 over four hundred children attend school return to Mazabuka. Naas CBS has already fostered a very close on a two-shift school day. Many other projects have gained relationship with the people of Mazabuka. We will be spending momentum from our support including; a mother education two weeks working and volunteering with the Irish Christian programme and the provision of foster homes for some of the Brothers and The Irish Mercy Sisters in Mazabuka. We will many orphans living amidst an aids ravaged region. be working on various aid projects and going to the different There is a need for extensive fundraising throughout the schools in the area to share their skills and knowledge with the school year to fund the cost of travel. We are currently planning children. Throughout the long and difficult days, we will be on holding a concert for Zambia in the school on the 13th of exposed to the harsh realities of life in the developing world. December. The Island of Ireland Choir will be joining us on We hope to be able to take some of the values in Zambia back the night. The past pupils that went to Mazabuka two years home to our school and the local community. We plan on visiting ago will be explaining their journey and giving a song, as well. different schools in the local area by splitting into smaller teams There will be free admission to the event and donations will be and sending each team to a school. One of the schools we are welcomed. We would like to provide information regarding the planning on visiting is The City of Joy. It is the “Home for Girls at Zambia trip to the community on this night. Risk”, founded in 2008 by Salesian sisters. Girls come here from The main fundraiser will be a race night in the Town House a referral by the Social Welfare Sector or by other institutions or Hotel in Naas on Friday the 23rd of November at 8 pm. The individuals who are seriously concerned about the welfare of a race night is always a great night full of fun with some amazing child. The ages of the girls vary between 7 and 20 years old. raffle prizes and good atmosphere and company. There is free Since 2005 the Naas CBS immersion project continues to entry on the night and the event is open to all. We are also make a difference. In 2005, over two hundred children were looking for some race sponsorship for the night from local schooled in the shade of trees in one of the villages we had businesses. If you have any questions or would like to sponsor a visited. Since then our funds have supported the construction race you can email the team at [email protected].

ffBack row (left to right): Eoghán Kelly, David Connolly, Charles Choiseul, Andrew Moore, Daragh O’Shaughnessy Front row (left to right): Joe Eustace, Cathal Ó’Luasa, Sean O’Rourke, Daniel Woulfe

Winter 2018 Page 35 St. Joseph’s, Fairview St. Joseph’s, Fairview, become a Cycle Against Suicide Ambassador School

On Wednesday September 12th, the our school to teach students about community were invited to help us reach student mental health team of St. coping mechanisms and also about the out and promote positive mental health Joseph’s, along with 99 other schools, importance of promoting positive mental in the area. This event truly highlighted attended the annual Cycle Against health. Furthermore, positive quotes were the link between physical activity and Suicide Ambassador School awards put up each week around the school to positive mental health. ceremony. This ceremony is an annual promote a sense of positivity for everyone The Ambassador Schools program event and was held at the honourable in the school community. has provided us with a framework to society of King’s Inn, Dublin. Gear 2: Project work based on the integrate mental health activities into our In order to be awarded with the theme ‘Empower Your Voice’: Our TY school plan. A lot of hard work was put prestigious title of ‘Cycle Against Suicide mini-company made a book called ‘Mind in by all students and link teacher, Ms. Ambassador school’ the students of Joey’s Matters’ based on this theme and also Allison Leetch. Attending the ceremony had to complete the ‘Five Gears’ set out by won the Dublin City Student Enterprise was a great way to reward those efforts the organisation. Under each of the gears, Award with this book. This project was and to instil a passion for the promotion students had the freedom to carry out a centred on mental health and the Cycle of mental health in our society. task of their choice that would ultimately Against Suicide key message. Pictured below (left-right): Cian raise awareness of the message that ‘It’s Gear 3,4 and 5: Community Maloney, Adam Weaver (Actor and ok not to feel ok; and it’s absolutely ok to Involvement, Schools Go Orange musician), Joe McAuley, Sean Higgins ask for help’. and Get Active: The final three gears (Student Leader Ambassador), Matthew The five gears are as follows: were combined by organising a 1st year Boland, Allison Leetch (Link teacher) and Gear 1: Mental Health Education: dodgeball tournament with an orange Lee Cadwell. Guest speakers from various mental theme. This event was organised by TY health organisations were invited to and 5th Year students. Members of the

ffPictured below (left-right): Cian Maloney, Adam Weaver (Actor and musician), Joe McAuley, Sean Higgins (Student Leader Ambassador), Matthew Boland, Allison Leetch (Link teacher) and Lee Cadwell.

Published at Áras Éamainn Rís Meadow Vale Blackrock Tel: 01 289 7511 Co. Dublin Fax: 01 289 7540 A94 YN96 e-mail: [email protected] Tel: 01 289 7511 web: www.erst.ie

Síol Page 36