7 June 2019
Transition Year (TY) Graduation Ceremony – report by Ms. Mullen (Programme Co-ordinator)
On Tuesday, 28 May the TY students had their graduation ceremony. This was a very special occasion as it was the first such event to be held in our new school.
Rachel Power took control of the MC duties in what was a celebration of the year for the students. Niamh Fahy led our prayer service with a student representing each 4th year class bringing up a candle. Ms. Mullen spoke to the year group about how the year had gone and thanked Mr. O’Shea, Ms. O’Reilly and Mr. McGinnity for their support at all times. She also thanked the teaching staff and SNAs who had generously given up their time during the year to go on trips and work on school based programmes. We had some wonderful speeches from Eileen Roe, April Keeling, Hannah P. Murphy, Philome Power, Lilllian Lewanowski – Condon, Ciara Allen, Muirinn Carty and Tanyalee Rossiter about the activities in which the year group had taken part.
The TY students did a lot of charity work this year and we had representatives from the 4 charities in attendance to receive their cheques. Joe from The Ronald McDonald House Charity spoke to the group and received a cheque for €7,368. A cheque was given to the Ask Campaign for €362. Carolyn from the Wexford Rape Crisis Centre received a cheque for €1,208.25 and Pauline from the Women’s Refuge received a cheque for €210. This was followed by the presentation of the TY Certificates.
Mr. O’Shea, as always, gave an inspirational speech and complimented the students on their work throughout the year. He also once again thanked the staff, but especially the TY Coordinators, Ms. Mullen, Ms. Kennedy and Ms. Martin for all their work and organisation throughout the year.
Our ceremony ended with a Rap which was composed by Amy Barron, Grace Cousins and Anna Browne and performed by some of the rest of the year to loud applause. A video montage was also played which Noon Abubakar had compiled with help from Ciara O’Gorman, Martha Larkin and Niamh Colfer. This was a fantastic video and really emphasised all that TY was about. Mr. Kavanagh, along with the whole year, started the summer with a medley of songs and a new TY version of ‘Dancing at the Cross Roads’!!
It was a fantastic year. Thanks to all the staff and students who contributed to it!
Poetry Award for Sinéad O’ Reilly (2nd Yeart student) at Trócaire / Poetry Ireland Competition
For the third year in a row, Sinéad O’Reilly, a 2nd year student in this school, has won an award at the annual Trócaire / Poetry Ireland Poetry Competition. The awards ceremony took place recently in the National Library of Ireland.
The theme of this year’s competition, now in its eighth year, was ‘Land is Life’. Poets were encouraged to take a local-to-global perspective, with winning poems exploring themes relating to “migration, conflict, climate change and mankind’s connection to land”.
There are six categories in the competition: two for adults (published and non-published) and four for children and teens (Primary junior and senior and Post-Primary junior and senior). Sinéad won her award in the Post-Primary Junior category with her poem ‘Morrissey’.
The winning poems have been published in an attractive booklet. These are distributed at events run by Trócaire and Poetry Ireland, including poetry readings, literary festivals, campaign launches and school workshops.
Sinéad, who won her category in the same competition last year with her poem ‘The Olive Tree’, is quietly gaining a reputation as a young poet of substance. She has been invited to read with acclaimed poet Paula Meehan at September’s Write By The Sea festival in Kilmore Quay.
The school is very pleased to congratulate Sinéad on this recent success.
Morrissey
Morrissey leaned on his spade,
Looked around and liked what he saw.
Sun on his brow, feet in the damp soil,
Immersed in nature’s quiet symphony.
Morrissey would give us carrots,
Crumbed with clay, tied with twine at the stalks.
We’d fight over the forked one as he looked on,
Crinkles of contentment mapping his face.
Morrissey slumped with a sigh and a smile
Into Dagda’s warm embrace and heard
The softening of nature’s coda.
Summer stillness, man and nature as one.
