Vol 24 No 07     19 Oct 2018

Bright Futures 2020 - Open Evening

On Monday evening the doors of The High School were opened to 2020 entrants for our annual Open Evening. Throughout the night the school was buzzing with excitement and teaming with activity as it warmly welcomed prospective pupils and their families. Upon arrival visitors were met by Prefects who took groups on tours around the school to show them what is on offer here at The High School. Pupils from every form displayed the range of subjects and extra-curricular activities available to the passing tours.  I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the demonstration of an Archimedes Screw, traffic light sparklers, and singing in the Music Block.  Interacting with the visitors was also very enjoyable and I felt a real sense of pride for my school answering their many questions.  It brought back warm memories of my own Open Evening two years ago.  The atmosphere in the Music Block was electrifying, literally.   A Form 6 rock band, complete with electric guitar and bass, were performing original songs throughout the night and were a real crowd pleaser.  In addition, performances from the orchestra  and choir as well as singing and instrumental solos from pupils made the Music Block a non-stop concert - all to an appreciative audience.  Overall, it was a great night which gave a glimpse of life at The High School.
Jake O’Loughlin

A Day Trip to Dublin Zoo

Last Friday a group of pupils from Form 3 went on an excursion to Dublin Zoo as part of our CSPE action project.  We have been focusing on animal conservation and as Dublin Zoo encourages pupils to consider the role of humans as care-takers or “stewards” of the planet through its "Zooardship" program we thought that it would be a great place to go and learn about the issues.   In the workshop we learned about how Dublin Zoo treats their animals, and played games in groups based on our understanding of stewardship and habitats.  We focused on the Siberan tiger in our work and visted his enclosure.  We also visited the rest of the zoo and enjoyed learning about animal conservation.  It was a wonderful day.
Kim Dunne and Eileen Curran

Form 6 Geography Fieldwork

On Tuesday 2 October Form 6 Geography classes set out for their fieldwork trip.  It was a bright, sunny day and we were all very lucky not to have to wear all the waterproof gear we had packed.  The purpose of our trip was to analyse the processes of transportation and deposition on Shankill Beach.  We all had a great learning experience examining these processes with the guidance of our teachers and it helped all of us to better understand what we had been learning in the classroom.  We gathered more then enough information which hopefully will have set us up well for our Leaving Certificate Geography Projects. Thanks to all the teachers who made the day feasible and enjoyable for everyone.
Orianna Davey 

Kelvinside Academy visit

The Senior 2nd XV played a tough game against Kelvinside Academy 1st XV during the week.  The visiting Scottish team were in Dublin as part of an extensive tour.  Ultimately the game did not go our way, though The High School donminated the second half.  The final score was HSD 19 - Kelvinside Academy 26.  The boys thoroughly enjoyed meeting the Scottish team and we wish them all the best on the rest of their tour. 

Form 3 Study Skills

Last week pupils from Form 3 spent a day learning how best to approach study in the run up to the Junior Certificate examinations.  This involved trying out various study techniques and recognising the importance of eating well as well as getting enough sleep and exercise.  Pupils felt that the experience was very worthwhile and helped them focus on the task ahead as they face their first state examinations at the end of the academic year.