Loreto Secondary School

UCD Entrance Awards:

We congratulate Caoimhe Tobin and Ailbhe Cullinane (LC 2024) on the award of entrance scholarships to University College, Dublin (UCD). They are pictured at a special ceremony, held on Thursday, 6 February, with Ms. O’ Donoghue (Deputy Principal).

Past pupil Dr Amy Hassett:

Dr Kelly and Dr Hassett, at opposite ends of their careers in science, share their experiences and reflections on the life of scientists and specifically on women in science.

Both women will speak in Wexford Science Café to mark International Day of Women and Girls in Science and will share high points and low points, hopes and ambitions in their lives in science. The United Nations ten years ago designated 11 February as that day.

Dr Mary Kelly has a PhD in chemistry and long experience in pharmaceutical manufacture, engineering and environmental protection. She served as director-general of the Environmental Protection Agency (HQ at Johnstown Castle) and was chair of An Bórd Pleanála at her retirement from the public service. She is a member of the Royal Irish Academy and a Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering. She is a member of the boards of Wexford Festival Opera and of Trinity College Dublin.

Dr Amy Hassett recently completed her PhD in University College Dublin’s translational medicine programme. She described her fieldwork in marine zoology at Wexford Science Cafe in 2022. She is an active science communicator, presenting RTE TV programmes, Let’s Find Out and Ten Things to Know About. She is co-founder of Disabled Women Ireland.

Event details and booking information can be found here

Diverse Voices:

An important job of the Inclusion Committee is to give everyone a voice. Sometimes we might unintentionally overlook the voices of those from a minority group and miss a valuable chance to learn more about our wonderfully diverse school community. In this new regular feature, we hope to share the interesting stories of students from diverse backgrounds.

As we prepare for Multicultural Week on the 24^th of February, we hear this week from 5^th Year student, Isha Amodu who will represent South Africa.

Name: Isha Amodu

Age: 16

Year: 5.2

Country of birth: Johannesburg, South Africa

Parents country of birth: Mother- East London (Mdantsane), South Africa. Dad- Nigeria.

Tell us about your homeplace:

I lived in Johannesburg until I was 15 years old. I grew up in the city with my parents and my brother. It was fun in the sense that our neighbours were very nice and there was a strong sense of community. We would visit each other’s houses regularly and look out for each other. We all lived in a line of houses along the street. I could walk to the nearby shopping mall with clothes shops and food courts. There was a park nearby too with a public swimming pool where my mother works. The temperature could get up to 40 degrees Celsius in the summer, which is from September to April, so we spent lots of time in that pool!

However, the city could be quite dangerous. From 7pm onwards, it would not be wise to go out alone. Crimes such as car theft, stealing phones and in some extreme cases, kidnap take place in the nighttime hours.

My favourite memory:

One of my favourite memories is of going to my grandma’s house. It took 2 days by bus to get there as she lived in another province in the Eastern Cape. This is because the buses stopped frequently at stations so the drivers could swap shifts. There are also toll gates on the journey that held up traffic for up to 2 hours. We went during school holidays and stayed over. My grandma’s name was Felica, and she loved to cook and bake. She made gorgeous doughnuts and coffee cakes and would have many batches made up for our visits. She passed away in 2018. We miss her a lot.

My thoughts on Multicultural Week:

This is my first Multicultural Week. I’m really looking forward to people trying out all the different foods and hearing the different traditional music styles from all the cultures.

Life in South Africa:

I went to an all-girls school called Jeppe High School for Girls. It was fun but it changed when our principal passed away. There were some issues of racism in the school. We did exams in November and Summer just as we do here. My school didn’t have Economics or Business so I’m glad I can study those subjects here. Aside from English, the only other language studied was Afrikaans. I am now studying French outside of school here in Ireland.

The National Parks are our main tourist attraction. I visited Kruger National Park. It was beautiful and vast. My family and friends went there on a day trip. We had a picnic, played in the open space and we saw giraffes. I was glad not to see any other animals as they are quite scary!

My dad got a job here in Ireland, but we couldn’t all come with him, so my brother and mother are still in Johannesburg. I chat to them every day with a video call. I miss them a lot.

What South Africa is bringing to Multicultural Week this year:

I am a member of the Xhosa tribe, so I am looking forward to modelling the traditional clothing. Above is a picture of my mother in our cultural attire. The clothes are very colourful with beautiful patterns. We wear these clothes to weddings or religious ceremonies.

I belong to the Ama Mpinga of the Xhosa culture. The Ama Mpinga clan is so big that they are found in all provinces of the Republic of South Africa and even outside the borders of South Africa. They are mostly concentrated in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa and have their own Chiefs in this Province. Ama Mpinga do not belong to Jola nor to Ngwanya because Jola, Ngwanya and Dosini came from Ngcwina (were born by Ngcwina). Mpinga gave birth to twins, Mawawa (first twin) and Phahla (second twin).
Mawawa gave birth to Senzwa, then the other generation of Senzwa include Nt’omntwana, Sineka, Nkqoshe, Mbhala and others. Hence some of the clan names of all Ama Mpinga include Mpinga, Mawawa, Senzwa, Ntomntwana, Mbhala-ka-Nkqoshe and so on. It is these people who further gave birth to all the people whose clan name is Mpinga(e). My line is Ama Mpinga, Mawawa and Senzwa.

Umxhentso is the traditional dance of the Xhosa people, and I am looking forward to doing this dance at the Multicultural Fashion Show!

Life at the moment: I am happy with my life here in Ireland. People take you as you are and don’t judge. Also, it is much safer. We are hopeful that my mother and brother Sibabalwe will get to join us soon.

If you would like to feature in ‘Diverse Voices’ or if you would like to represent your culture during Multicultural Week, please contact michellejordan@loretowexford.com

First Year Technology:

Our first year Applied Technology students are proud to have recently completed their pyrography plaque project. This hands-on subject empowers students to develop new skills through practical learning, fostering creativity and innovation. #womeninengineering #STEM #womeninSTEM

TY: Marine Spatial Planning

Last week, our Transition Year students explored an interactive board game on Marine Spatial Planning. They collaborated to discuss, learn, and make decisions about our oceans. Thanks to the Marine Spatial Planning Team & Marine Institute for the great experience!

Sports Updates:

Congratulations to our equestrian team on another superb weekend of competition. In Meath, our novice team placed second and, on Monday, 3 February, the team placed third in Waterford.

Well done to Eva Mullins, Aisling O’ Grady and Julia Barrett on their participation in the Senior Schools Swimming Gala last Sunday, 2 February. Congratulations to Julia on securing a bronze medal in the 100 m breaststroke.