Vol 25 No 18     14 Feb 2020

Model United Nations

The High School recently attended a Model United Nations (MUN) conference at Blackrock College. The delegates from The High School represented the Russian Federation, Austria, and Slovakia over the two-day event.  Upon arrival we headed straight to our committee where many different topics were discussed including honour killings, reducing bee population, and the small arms trade. On the second day of the conference the formally-dressed pupils made their way to General Assembly where all those attending the conference gathered to debate a topic from each committee.  The High School received a Distinguished Delegate Award at the closing ceremony.  All in all it was an incredibly enjoyable and stimulating conference.  If you wish to join MUN please join us at 8.15am in A24 every Thursday.
Jake O’Loughlin

Garda Visit

The High School was pleased to welcome Garda Shay Kilbride who gave a presentation to a range of pupils on Friday 7 February.  Garda Shay spoke about the dangers and effects of illegal drugs and the outcomes for young people who get involved in criminality.  He finished his talk with a discussion about internet bullying and offered a timely reminder that what goes online stays online – whatever your activities are it is possible for experts to retrieve information even if you believe it has been deleted.  Garda Shay interacted with the pupils and each session ended with a lively question and answer session.  Thank you to Garda Shay for his time, experience, and good-humoured presentations about these important topics.

Mock General Election

A group of Form 4 volunteers ran a mock General Election at The High School last week in anticipation of the 2020 General Election. All pupils from Forms 1 to 5 were invited to take part in a secret ballot and vote for a range of political parties. After six counts The Green Party reached the quota with 51% of the votes cast and emerged victorious; Fine Gael were in next place with 32%. Thank you to all pupils who voted.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable and educational experience.
Kayla Kennedy

Form 4 PE Bouldering

This week and last pupils from Form 4 attended a bouldering class as part of their Physical Education course at The High School.  Bouldering is all about problem solving. This makes it a productive activity not just for the body but also for the mind.  The range of complex decision making - combined with physical exertion - can help improve memory function, concentration, and creativity for participants.  Pupils enjoyed the experience and look forward to attending further classes in the future.
Mr R Sullivan

Classics Theatre Visit

Senior Classics pupils visited The Gate Theatre last week to see a performance of Medea.  This play is based on the ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides which is believed to have been first performed over 2400 years ago. The story of Medea and her terrible crime is enduring and in recent years there have been a variety of new interpretations, often psychoanalytical or feminist, trying to give an answer as to how or why Medea was capable of infanticide. This updated version sets the events in modern times and puts the emphasis squarely on the experience of the children as they try to make sense of an adult world. It was written by Kate Mulvany and Anne-Louise Sarks and first performed in Sydney in 2013. 

HSD Past Pupil Success

People are very excited about the upcoming release of the debut novel by HSD past pupil Naoise Dolan (HSD, 2005-11).  Exciting Times was acquired in a seven-way bidding war by Weidenfeld and Nicolson and has already made the 'One to Watch in 2020' list in The Bookseller magazine.  The novel is set in Hong Kong and follows the adventures of Ava, an Irish TEFL teacher; Julian, an English banker; and Edith, a Hong Kong-raised lawyer.  It explores love, class, colonialism, language, and more.  Naoise wrote the book while working as an English teacher in Hong Kong.  After leaving The High School, Naoise studied English at Trinity College, Dublin before completing a Master’s degree in English literature at the University of Oxford.  We wish Naoise all the best with the book launch on 16 April.

Form 4 Photography 

Pupils who study photography in Form 4 have created these beautiful Colour Studies.  Click on the video to take a look!

Rathfarnham Parish Fundraising Event

There are only two performances on Saturday 4 April:  Matinee - 2.30 pm and  Evening - 7.30 pm.  Tickets are available from the following: The War Memorial Hall on Sundays 4.00 pm, Reception in Rathfarnham Parish National School, Washington Lane, following Sunday services in Rathfarnham Church or Ms Missen at The High School.  Tickets are €20 for adults and €10 for under 15s.  If purchasing tickets from Ms Missen pupils should bring an envelope with name, exact money and number of tickets required to C7.