Avoid triggering the spam filter by regularly opening The High School Newsletter No images? Click here Vol 25 No 26 29 May 2020 Farewell to the Class of 2020Due to the Covid-19 pandemic we were unable to hold the traditional graduation service and ceremony at The High School. We made a farewell film instead to celebrate finishing six years together at HSD where we all made friendships and bonds that will last a lifetime. Although it is not quite the graduation we had been looking forward to for so long, we feel very fortunate to be able to celebrate together in this way. We have worked hard on it and we are excited to be able to launch the film so that everyone can celebrate with us. We are truly grateful to all the staff at HSD - both teaching, office, catering, and ancillary - for the wonderful time we spent together over the last six years. When School Is Over, What's Next?Before I go to sleep Activity WeekActivity Week at The High School started with Activity and Sports Day. There were 21 different events including sit-ups, doing the plank, running 1 km, and many others. There were opportunities to compete individually, against different forms, and even against teachers! It was not a fair contest really as Ms Roullet was on the staff team - they were never going to be beaten! To unwind, the Student Council organised a movie night and pupils joined together across MS Teams to watch Paddington 2. Tuesday was Music Day and it kicked off with videos and interviews with famous musicians such as Joe Wall from The Stunning, Flo McSweeney from Moving Hearts, Caoimhín O’Raghallaigh from The Gloaming, song-writer Frances Cooke, with past pupils composer Sebastian Adams and singer Fiadh Rua Gregg. There were also videos of current pupils posted onto the HSD Activity Week Stream. The inaugural virtual Summer Concert took place with 15 wonderful pupils taking part in a live concert broadcast via Zoom. The wonderful talent at HSD was viewed by an online audience of over 120 people and the event was hosted magnificently by Kayla Kennedy and Emily Pryce of Form 4. Wednesday began quietly with a Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) hour followed by numerous Library-based events such as extreme reading, creating poetry using book titles, and - to celebrate The High School’s 150th birthday - pupils were asked to submit the 150th word on the 150th page of the book they were reading. Librarian Ms Wiggle is going to have great fun turning all those words into a poem! The day ended with a gaming competition organised by the Student Council which was won by Orin Hurley. Thursday saw the launch of the first ever Virtual Art Exhibition at The High School. Not one, but two shows exhibited the work of pupils from Forms 1-5 (entitled Mixtape) and Form 6 (entitled In the Making). The Art department also asked past pupils who are now working or studying as artists to be interviewed and these videos were posted on the HSD Activity Week Stream. These included recent past pupils Leah Merriman, Catriona Brennan, and Eva Kenna, as well as printmaker and technician at the Graphic Studio, Ria Czerniak Lebov. Adam Maguire and Isobel Harrison. Mr Hanan interviewed visual artist and archivist, Alan Phelan about his recent exhibition, Folly & Diction, which is still running at the RHA. There were art competitions running throughout the day, and the winner of the 2020-21 school journal competition was announced. The day culminated with a school quiz for both Junior and Senior sections of the school which was run by the Student Council. Finally, on Friday we viewed the Form 6 final farewell film. An Interview with Academy Award Nominated DirectorPast pupil and Oscar-nominated director Lenny Abrahamson (HSD, 1973-83) joined a Zoom call yesterday with a selection of eager pupils from Forms 5 and 6. They discussed the world of filmmaking - including directing, filming, locations, casting, and rehearsing - and everything in between. He spoke about his film projects including Academy Award Nominated Room and the very popular series Normal People. The pupils agreed that it was a wonderful opportunity to speak with such an acclaimed director for more than 90 minutes. It was an insightful conversation with fantastic questions and fascinating answers. What a treat! We should like to thank Lenny for
sharing his time with us so generously. He gave his best wishes to all current High School pupils and sent particular regards to the pupils of Form 6 and wished them the best of luck on the exciting journey that lies ahead. Model United NationsExtracurricular activities continue at HSD. These pupils recently enjoyed meetings of the Model United Nations (MUN) with online debates on topical issues such as The Question of Reducing the Effects of Pandemics. What a fantastic year the MUN team has had. The online debates were so much fun that pupils are already looking forward to their next meeting in the new academic year. Teaching and LearningThis video project was created by Form 4 pupils as part of their English assessments. The task was to create an artistic response to the song 'The Whole of the Moon' by The Waterboys. The combination of poetry, painting, collage, animation, photography, lego landscape, and musical compostion reflects the cosmic nature of the song's lyrics. Congratulations to everyone who participated in this project. Design and Communication GraphicsThis video showcases some of the fantastic work completed by Form 6 pupils studying Design and Communication Graphics at The High School. This project forms part of the Leaving Certificate Assignment in which pupils use CAD software to digitally model existing products and then alter the design or create a new concept of their own. This year the assignment was based on Gaming Headsets which is a popular consumer product. Congratulations to all those pupils who completed the Assignment so successfully. Form 4 PhotographyForm 4 pupils have undertaken a series of photographic projects in this time of social distancing. They have looked at the work of several photographers including William Eggleston, Vivian Maier, and Edward Easton. They have also responded to an appeal for ‘Hearts for Frontline Workers’. This is a selection of the beautiful work they have made during this strange time. |