Double ‘Tops’ For Kilkenny CBS 2 / The Encounter Programme Ardscoil Rís, Limerick 2 / Sierra Leone 2009 St. Mary’s Enniscorthy 3 / National and International Glory St. Mary’s Academy, Carlow 4 / CBS Garden is a Winner CBS Primary, Kilkenny 5 / St. Laurence O’Toole’s CBS 5 / Na Braithre Criostai, Roscommon 6 / Ennistymon CBS 6 / Thurles CBS Zambian Immersion Project 7 / Two Christian Brothers’ Secondary School Mitchelstown Novels 8 / Scoil Ailbhe 9 / Cuairt an Aire ar an Main!!! Scoil Mhuire Fatima, North Mon, Cork 10 / Build a Bike St. Vincents Secondary School, Glasnevin 10 / St Kevin’s School Gym Opening 11 / CBC Monkstown Co. Dublin 11 / Synge Street CBS 12 / Sexton Street CBS 12 / Naas CBS 12 ‘The Seed will Grow’ Blessed Edmund Rice Edmund Rice Schools Trust Newsletter / Issue 2 / Spring 2010 Greetings from the Fáilte Edmund Rice Schools Trust Happy New Year to all! When reading the news items that have come into us from our schools I am reminded of the words of Thomas Addis Edison who said “If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves”. Well, I can certainly say that I am delighted to see our students involved in so many projects, contributions and successes! Well done to each and every one of you for contributing to your schools and communities in such a positive life-giving way. Also, a very special word of thanks to the teachers, who encourage your involvement in all these activities and who give so generously of their time. It is inspiring to read of the so many positive contributions of our schools to their wider community and in some cases the global community. There is so much each of us can do to make a difference, but we can achieve even more when we work together. According to an old Irish proverb, “Ní neart go cur le chéile – there is no strength without unity”. Your school has a history. An essential part of that history is that it belongs to a network of many schools who share an approach to life; that every person reaches his or her full potential. As you benefit from this, you might look out across your community, the country and the world to see how you might share your good fortune. You might gather together friends to make one small difference for one part of our shared humanity. It is what we are about. All of us. We have updated our website www.erst.ie. We hope you will visit the site regularly where we will continue to display these and other interesting news items from our schools on an ongoing basis. My very best wishes for 2010. Gerry Bennett Chief Executive The Edmund Rice Schools Trust See page 5 for more details 2 / Síol / Edmund Rice Schools Trust Newsletter Double ‘Tops’ For Kilkenny CBS Kilkenny CBS It is an enviable and extremely noteworthy achievement when one of your Leaving Cert. students is selected as the top achiever in a Leaving Cert. exam in any given year. When two are chosen as kingpins in a subject-exam…. Well that becomes an achievement of extraordinary proportions. However, this is exactly what transpired for Kilkenny CBS in the Leaving Certificate Exams in 2008. The first part of this unique and unprecedented double success story emerged in November last year when Harry Griffin received the Glenda Hurst Memorial Medal. This prestigious medal is awarded to the Leaving Cert Student who achieves the highest grade in the Leaving Cert Geography Exam each year. The jubilant Harry received his award at a ceremony in Trinity College Dublin accompanied by his proud parents Maura and Niall, and his Geography Teacher Ms. Catriona O’Brien. Part two of this tremendous double achievement for the CBS arrived when another of our academic maestros Thomas Moore was informed that his Leaving Cert Business Studies exam had been selected as the National number one. For the past 20 years the Irish Banking Federation has hosted the Business Studies Teachers’ Association of Ireland (BSTAI) Student Achievement Awards, which recognizes the achievements of students in Accounting, Economics and Business at Leaving Certificate level and Business Studies at Junior Certificate level. Thomas received his award in Dublin from Tánaiste Mary Coughlan accompanied by his parents Richard and Brid from Thomastown and proud teacher Ms. Deirdre Roche. Left to Right; Ms.Deirdre Roche (Business Studies Teacher), Thomas Moore Congratulations to all concerned and particularly to the young men themselves who were (Best Business Studies Exam 2008), exemplary students throughout their Second Level careers in the James’s Street Academy. Mr. Dermot Curran ( Principal , Kilkenny Harry is currently pursuing an Engineering Degree in TCD and Thomas is in the throes C.B.S. 2008), Harry Griffen (Best Geography of Medical Studies in UCC. Their outstanding achievements serve to demonstrate that Exam 2008) and Ms.Catriona O’Brien lightening sometimes does strike twice! (Geography Teacher). NB / Do you want your next fundraising news, school g.a.a. or football jersey picture to appear in our next news? Is there a teacher retiring? Has a student been awarded something that we would love to hear about? Submissions now being taken for the next newsletter. Email: [email protected] The Encounter During the period Oct 15th – 17th, the Programme in Ardscoil comradery witnessed by 50 students was beyond belief. We went down to Ballyloughran Rís, Limerick House, Co Kerry as fifty individuals and came back on Monday morning as fifty friends. This Encounter gave us a chance to experience The Encounter Programme began in a unique transformation where participants Ardscoil Rís, Limerick in 2006 when evolved and flourished in terms of self- a group of four teachers and six fifth awareness and an increased ability to empathise year students travelled to Vancouver to with others. The Encounter provides an experience the student led retreat first hand. Since then the school has undertaken environment through which participants six successful Encounters. The retreat develop confidence, maturity, responsibility and revolves around three relationship themes: companionship. We have never seen a group of - relationship with self teenage boys of our age, act with such respect, - relationship with significant others in sensitivity and emotion. We are certain that this your life will help in turning us from young lads into fine - relationship with God. adults in years to come. Participants work together in a safe, caring and supportive atmosphere that is created This experience does not remain on Encounter by the student leaders and respected by all. rather it is carried forward by the students 6th Year Encounter Leaders A variety of activities contribute towards the “encounter” during the weekend; small into school and one can only hope into the group discussions around the three themes relationships we develop in the future. which are led by a student leader; large group discussions; morning prayer; Gospel To conclude in the words of one impressed sharing and Eucharist. participant “They say money can’t buy happiness The best way to truly describe the effect but the money I spent to come down here has “Encounter” has on our students is to hear definitely bought me some this week.” it first hand from the students themselves. (Sixth Year Students) Issue 2 / Spring 2010 / 3 Sierra Leone 2009 St. Mary’s Enniscorthy Article written by Oisin Dunbar, a sixth year student in our school, who visited Bo in Sierra Leone with 5 other students and 4 teachers last February. Before we departed for Sierra Leone, I have to admit I was slightly apprehensive about going. I had no idea about what I was going to be doing or facing. Upon arrival in Freetown, after getting on the bus after much difficulty and realising that we had six hours of a bus journey to our accommodation I began to wonder what the hell am I after letting myself into. I can safely say that was the only time I questioned the trip. These 10 days were the best days of my life. It’s hard to put into words just how much I enjoyed it. The people were just so friendly and welcoming to us everywhere we went. When we arrived at QRS School I have never experienced anything like the reception we got. The students and teachers made us feel like celebrities or someone important but the only reason we were there was to experience their culture and learn from them. That is something I will never forget. Everywhere we went the people were so friendly towards us. I do not think I met one person who wasn’t being genuinely nice to us. Meeting Q.R.S. Teachers QRS BO, the greatest school in the world. What is being done over there and the chance given to those girls is incredible. The work done by the Sierra Leone teachers of QRS is some of the greatest work done. What I am trying to say is that these teachers have not been paid for months, maybe even a natives have this year and they still continue to devote their lives to the teaching of the students in QRS. They get up in the morning around 6 am, head off wonderful warmth to the school and teach all day and then when the school day is over the teachers remain behind to give extra lessons to the girls and some about them and even then head off to teach in other schools. These people should be canonised for the work that they do. they have a very Outside the school, the general public in Sierra Leone were so kind upbeat and positive to us.