16 March 2022
Multicultural Festival 2022 – report by Ms. M. Jordan
Last week we celebrated our first in-person Multicultural Festival since 2019 and it was certainly a week to remember.
On Monday, Alan Corcoran from South East Radio visited the school and interviewed Yosra El Hussein, Molly O’ Shea and Auj Khan who represented Syria, England and Pakistan respectively. The girls spoke eloquently about their homelands. Yosra explained how she felt the pain of the Ukrainian people as she had to flee war torn Syria aged four and that we should work towards world peace rather than focusing on one country over another. Molly spoke of her wish to challenge the negativity that may exist between English and Irish because of our shared history by highlighting all that we have in common. Auj praised women who wore the hijab and challenged the misconception that these women are oppressed. You can hear the excellent interview which was aired on Tuesday 8th March here:
https://www.southeastradio.ie/on-demand/
As International Women’s Day fell on Tuesday, 8 March this year, we decided to focus on inspirational women from different cultures as our theme this year. Multicultural Volunteers delivered PowerPoints on influential women such as historical figures like Mary Ann Shadd and present-day heroines like Ghazal Aljarad. All TYs watched the film ‘Hidden Figures’ which celebrates a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.
Music selected by our Multicultural Volunteers was played over the intercom each morning and evening. Cricket Ireland also visited the school on Thursday to introduce PE students to the basics of the game. Classrooms and the GP Area were adorned with the flags of all the cultures. Home Ec students cooked different dishes from around the world in class this week.
The highlight of the week was undoubtedly on Wednesday when we gathered in the PE Hall for the Multicultural Stands and Fashion Show. There was an atmosphere of celebration as students displayed all that is wonderful about their cultures. This year the Justice & Peace Group also set up a beautiful ‘Peace Stand’ with candles, incense, flowers and written notes highlighting the importance of peace in all countries across our global community.
First years and TYs were invited to visit the PE Hall to visit the stands and learn about diverse cultures. Afterwards, they heard from two enthusiastic and engaging speakers. Past pupil Krishna Ramesh travelled from Dublin to speak to the students about her experiences growing up after moving to Ireland from India. Krishna focused on the importance of respecting each other’s cultures and asking questions to educate ourselves. Hira Khan spoke to the girls remotely from Maynooth University where she is the Diversity Senator. Hira focused on the importance of awareness days to start conversations around inclusion and diversity, and it is through these conversations that progress is made. Here is a selection of photos from the day:
School Retreats – report by Ms. L. Jordan
The 2nd and 4th years thoroughly enjoyed their retreats last week. The 2nd year retreat took place in school and was facilitated by Scripture Union. The 4th years travelled to Our Lady’s Island and the retreat was facilitated by Declan Browne, the Diocesan Adviser for Waterford. Through the use of team building games, reflection and meditation the students learned about friendship, respect for one another and self-worth. Great fun was had by all.
