Vol 24 No 08     26 Oct 2018

Hiroshima Survivor Remembers

There are moments at The High School that stay with you for a long time and last Wednesday was a case in point.  We were visited by a group from the Peace Boat Hibakusha Project including Ms Michiko Tsukamoto (atomic bomb survivor) who at the age of ten experienced the bombing of Hiroshima. That catastrophic 
event in 1945 killed her father and hospitalised her mother.  The detail that her mother's skeleton had beeen turned red by extensive radiation exposure will stay with me forever.  She recounted her experiences to pupils from Form 4 highlighting the suffering caused to innocent people by humanity's cruellest weapon.  As well as traveling around the world giving testimony about the bombing of Hiroshima, Ms Tsukamoto was also a delegate to the Review Conference of Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons held at the UN headquarters in 2010, which is arguably the most important treaty for the prevention of further use of nuclear weapons.  It is thanks to people like Ms Tsukamoto and projects like the Peace Boat's global voyage that we can hope never again to witness something as horrific as atomic warfare.
Dylan Murphy

All Ireland Hockey Championship

Congratulations to the Senior 1 boys' hockey team who will be competing in the All Ireland Schools (Boys) Hockey Championship for the fourth successive year.  The High School will play Newpark Comprehensive School, Regent House School, and Sullivan Upper School in the qualifying stages of the competition.  
The hockey Senior 1st XI were presented with their All Ireland ties at Assembly last week by World Cup silver medalist and High School hockey coach, Alison Meeke (HSD, 2003-09).  We warmly congratulate the team on the significance of its achievements to date.  We wish all members of the squad every success in the forthcoming tournament which we will be reporting on extensively in our next issue.  
Mr P Fitzpatrick

Art Portfolio

Anca Avasilichioaiei and Avery Angle (both HSD, 2012-18) were successful in their portfolio entry to the Institute of Art Design and Technology (IADT) in 2018.  They both completed their art portfolios in Form 6 which is a huge accomplishment as it is a busy year with lots of pressure.  Anca has gone on to study 3D Design, Model Making, and Digital Art; Avery is studying Animation.  They both developed super portfolios of artwork that showcased their ideas, skill, and creativity.  The Art Department at The High School is exceptionally proud of their achievement and we wish them the very best in their studies.
Ms Rogers

Senior Art Gallery Visit 

On Thursday 18 October Art pupils from Forms 5 and 6 Art visited the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) and Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane.  In IMMA we had a guided tour of the third incarnation of the IMMA Collection: Freud Project titled Gaze.  The Museum has a substantial loan of work by celebrated portrait painter Lucien Freud.  The exhibition showed work from the IMMA collection alongside that of Freud's that explore the act of looking.  We were particularly struck by Lucien Freud's portraits, especially those of his mother and his Double Portrait (1985-86).  Some works from the collection that stood out to us were Young Serbs by Phil Collins, Untitled by Hannah Starkey, and Figure with an Iron Ruler by Mark Manders.  The exhibition as a whole was an interesting insight into into Freud's life and work.  He said himself, “Everything is autobiographical and everything is a portrait, even if it’s a chair.”  We also visited Sunset Sunrise, an exhibition of work by Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian.  The show reflects her life living between the two cultures and histories of East and West.  Her work is full of pattern, reflection, and geometry.  In Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane we visited the Francis Bacon Studio.  The studio was reconstructed in Dublin having been transported from its original home at 7 Reese Mews in Kensington, London.  It was carefully taken apart and painstakingly documented so that much could be learnt about Bacon's artistic processes.  The studio is really messy but Bacon's authentic artistic vision is evident throughout.  His voice echoes around the exhibit talking about how he makes his paintings and how he worked in the studio embracing its chaos. 
Ms Rogers and Mr Hanan 

We're Ready - Are You?

This week our new G3 rugby pitch was finally completed.  The excitement around the school was palpable as the machinery and diggers drew away and the goalposts and railings were put in place.  Everyone was waiting to get a chance to try out the pitch and that opportunity finally came during Senior Games and training after school on Monday.  The captains of all the school rugby teams were the first to walk on the pitch, welcomed by the school mascot, the HSD Panther.  The players all agreed that the new surface was far better than the previous pitch but that it would take a bit of getting used to.  They were delighted with it.  The official launch of the pitch will take place after the half-term break.  

Athletics Success

The opening race of the Cross-Country season was held in Santry Demesne on Wednesday 10 October.  It was a beautiful sunny day which saw the three thousand strong entrants in great spirits.  The High School had competitors ranging from Form 1 to Form 5 competing.  The races were intense and fast-paced from starting gun to finish line with as many as 200 competitors in each race.  It was really inspiring to see so many people running in each race all at different speeds; it seems good weather can really raise people's spirits.  Two noteworthy performances were Luca Hayes and Patrick Tallon both of whom finished within the top 10 in their races respectively. This was a very impressive run from both pupils as the bar was set high in each of their races.  Congratulations to all who competed.
Tom Wang

Ireland U15 Cricket Selection

Congratulations to Ella Pasley who was selected to represent The High School and Leinster on the Ireland U15 cricket squad during the summer.  We wish our pupil every success as she competes for further honours at international level.
Mr A Malin

Simon Community Home Run 

Would all pupils who collected money for the recent Simon Community Home Run please bring in their sponsorship money and give it to Ms Hutchinson Edgar in A23.  If you would rather send the money to the Simon Community yourself, please remember to tell them that the funds were collected as part of The High School's charity drive.
Ms Hutchinson Edgar

Silver Gaisce Awards

Congratulations to recent past pupils Evan Bailey and Nathan Shaw (both HSD, 2012-18)  who received certificates for Silver Gaisce awards at the Helix last week. Well done!