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Structure, stress and basic engineering • Pobalscoil Iosolde in • ...but some school YOUNG MALE engineering neering for girls — and signs Palmerstown starts councillors still offer students cannot write properly, are good that the anti-female cannot follow written instruc- science bias is ending, even re- them young with met- 1950s-style list of tions — and turn in projects versing. Even better, a new alwork “Girls’ Jobs” late or not at all, an insider in scheme called ECubers is visit- • Pioneer Keith to bring • Male engineers five one of Ireland’s top Engineer- ing those schools, offering brick-based engineer- times more likely to ing schools has told Local ever-younger girls and boys a News. fun way to learn the basics. ing skills to boys and neglect college course But several west Dublin Amongst those Engineer- girls work schools are pioneering Engi- continued on page 2 The Hire Shop Main Street, Dunboyne, Co Meath. 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Yet sometimes at- tecture — if other [sci- both genders — trav- Mount Sackville Sec- “I have a list here told of male students ing. The rest are boys, They also way beyond titudes offer a bigger ence] subjects had elling, if necessary, ondary School in of 19 freshman boys being neglectful and and some of them will Physics and Biology barrier than the lack of been available.” from school to school Chapelizod, both of who are simply not careless, while their be expelled if they for the Leaving Cert by labs or money. She says these to spread the message. whom offer a wide doing their work, and girl classmates don’t improve.” including Engineering Some of the ad- prejudices quickly be- Keith Moran and range of sciences. But are in danger of being zoomed ahead in all But do men not and other sciences. vice given to female come part of school- Shane Loughlin, it will be the girls, not kicked out,” a Dean of branches of Engineer- have an innate Engi- “They can all start former students of girl folklore: bosses of top tech firm the boys, who will take Engineering insider ing, including Me- neering aptitude? very young, with met- Caritas College and “Physics is too SL Controls, have de- Those who think so alwork and wood- Deansrath Commu- hard”; “Technical veloped ECubers, a will be shocked to work,” Principal nity College, for exam- Drawing is a boys’ Lego-based fun way of learn how badly their Lorraine Crean told ple, seems startlingly subject”; “Home Eco- learning the basics of buddies in UCD and Local News. Ms Crean out of date. Past pupils nomics is for girls” load, stress, structure Pat’s Hair Salon TCD are doing. did not suggest that reported being and so on can be as- and design. While they still those youngsters were pushed away from sci- sumed as fact if stated “We use Lego to outnumber girls in the 50-50 by gender — but ence and into “girls’ often enough. demonstrate how you 34 Years in Engineering faculties, the point was that the subjects”: And Ms Kennedy can build, pro- times are changing. choice was open, and “I specifically re- is adamant that no gramme, invent and girls school should And the small-but- at a young age. call meeting the career project manage,” Mr Business guidance counsellor plead poverty, or say growing 25 per cent of Was it not unusual Moran told Local girls are zooming past in Caritas,” recalls ex– they lack the teachers to include Engineer- News. the lads in day-to-day ing so early? Caritas College stu- or the labs: But would we see results, and are more “Not any more. dent Jennifer “They should ECubers outside leafy likely to get first class And the best way to Kennedy. amalgamate [classes] EXPERTS Dublin 4? And in girls’ honours at the end of introduce basic engi- “She asked me, with a school that schools? it. neering ideas is to ‘So will you be a nurse, does.” “Absolutely! We IN Meanwhile start them hands-on, a teacher or go into She is not alone in want to expose engi- Palmerstown’s long before the Leav- business administra- her experiences. Tay- neering to as many COLOURING Pobalscoil Iosolde and ing Certificate.” tion?’” lor Murphy, who went Mount Sackville Sec- Similarly, the all- Local News un- to Deansrath Commu- students as possible.” ondary School in girls Mount Sackville derstands that things nity College in Clon- An early, hands- Chapelizod are work- Secondary School in have changed at Cari- dalkin, was astonished on taste of the topic, WE ARE OPEN ing hard to add to the Chapelizod offers tas College — yet Jen- at what she was told he said, was “essen- tiny numbers of girls many Leaving Cert nifer says her about metalwork: tial” for students to Tuesday to Thursday sitting Leaving Cert science subjects, in experience there is rel- “I was told I could have the slightest chance of taking it up 9.30am-5.30pm Engineering. They ac- addition to Applied atively recent. not take metalwork at count now for just 6 Maths. There also “I think that, espe- school, and that at third level. Friday per cent. have a Science Club, cially in all-boys and French or Music was • Would you or But that bias is open to juniors and all-girls schools — ‘better suited to girls’,” your schoolmates like 9.30am-7.00pm changing so quickly seniors. However, they [teachers and Ms Murphy recalls. to learn engineering, that, by 2025 or 2030, Mount Sackville is a counsellors] cater to “This is despite ECubers style? Con- Saturday there may be a short- relatively well-off pri- societal expectations,” the fact that it was a tact ECubers at SL 9.30am-5.00pm age of men, not vate school. Schools in Jennifer suggests. mixed school, and Controls — or have women, in the so- working-class areas She says the atti- Construction Studies your Principal request called “hard sciences”. like Ballyfermot, by tude of school man- was offered on the a visit from the ECu- Mill Lane, Leixlip. Tel 01 624 4700 Pobalscoil Iosolde contrast, offer only a agement can have a curriculum.” bers. See offers practical hands- limited range of sci- powerful influence: Two men are de- slcontrols.com THE LOCAL NEWS | 3 that We are pleased to announce the following services and products FREE of charge large fresh flower Coffin Spray 4 | TH E LO CAL NEWS Sun-starved Irish still throw caution to the wind in the sun SUN-STARVED for freckles, uneven skin throwing caution to ture aging and wrin- ascertain the so patients can see before committing to able for treating sun most of the year, tone and even pre- the wind when it kling, I advise daily amount of sun dam- themselves after a a treatment at all. A damage depending come the first rays of mature wrinkling. By comes to putting on SPF of at least 30. age, even if it is not laser or chemical range of different the summer, Irish the time the signs sunscreen. I still see SPF 50 is even better, readily visible with peel, for example, treatments are avail- on the severity. people are out in and symptoms of many patients who and the SPF 15 found the naked eye. Dur- force, failing to real- sunburn appear, skin tell me they don’t in many make-ups is ing the consultation, ize that Irish sun can damage has already wear sun protection probably not enough a tailored treatment NEW CHILDREN’S PLAY be as strong as and occurred. According factor every day be- protect the skin on a plan is made and the even stronger than to renowned cos- cause they don’t go daily basis.” treatmetns them- sun abroad.