Vol 23 No 10    17 November 2017

Stand Up! Week at The High School

It is Stand Up! week at The High School.  This involves a range of activities organised by Form 6 pupils in order to tackle homophobic and transphobic bullying by increasing awareness, friendship, and support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) pupils.   Many LGBT young people develop their sexual and gender identities within supportive families and communities and are leading happy lives.  However, other LGBT young people experience serious levels of homophobia, transphobia, and exclusion in their schools, youth clubs, and local areas.  The Stand Up! campaign calls on young people across Ireland to support their LGBT friends.  Bullying does not just happen to teenagers: it can happen to people of any age, race, sexual orientation, gender, and in any walk of life.  We decided to challenge ourselves at The High School by creating a week of events that would be as informative as possible, including lunchtime activities, daily assemblies, cake sales, and a special surprise on Friday.   
Edward Meredith (Deputy Head Boy)

UCD Entrance Scholars

We are delighted to have been advised by the President of UCD that a number of immediate past pupils from The High School have been awarded Entrance Scholarships in recognition of their high levels of performance in the Leaving Certificate examinations.  The awards are made to first year students who have achieved 560 points or more in their Leaving Certificate examination.  In 2017, Conor Empey, Eoin Faust, Yuliya Mikulchyk, Ronan O'Byrne, and Aela O'Flynn achieved this notable distinction and were awarded Entrance Scholarships.  We offer these and all recent past pupils of The High School our warmest congratulations on their achievements and wish them every success in their academic careers.

Remembrance at The High School

The High School commemorated all those who died in conflict during the twentieth century in an Act of Remembrance on Thursday and Friday last week.  The Head Boy and Head Girl placed poppy wreaths at the War Memorial window to remember those pupils from The High School who died in both World Wars.  

The High School Wins National Wellread Award

The High School is delighted to have received the Wellread National Award in recognition of its programme to promote and foster a love of reading in the school community.  The initiative was designed and organised by the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) and seeks to involve pupils, teachers, ancillary staff, parents, and the wider community in a range of reading and associated activities.  A committee worked together to create activities and initiatives; the theme of “Reading for enjoyment” was at the heart of our application.  A wide range of activities such as World Book Day celebrations, Shakespeare's birthday, Drop Everything and Read (DEAR), Speed Dating with a Book as well as linking with the local community was organized.   A total of 123 schools applied for the award (of whom 17 were ultimately successful) so it was with great pride and pleasure that The High School was presented with the Wellread National Award on 7 October.  The award confirms that a strong reading culture has been established at our school. 

German Visit

On Friday before the half term break, my German school, the Wittelsbacher Gymnasium from Munich, visited The High School.  We drank coffee and tea together and some of the Prefects joined us for a quick chat.  Afterwards we went to the Library where I told them about Transition Year, some Form 6 pupils spoke about the school life, and Mr. Giles' Form 1 German class asked the Bavarian pupils some questions in German!  In the end we watched some hurling played by older pupils.  Everyone enjoyed this friendly cultural exchange.
Patrick Westphal

CSPE Action Project

Pupils in 3GR at The High School will engage in a 24-hour fast in aid of Concern as part of their CSPE Action Project on 23 November.  Concern works with countries across the world to abolish poverty and hunger.  You can get involved too by taking part in the fast or sponsoring someone.

Class of 1987 Reunion

If U2 can rekindle their 1987 Joshua Tree album and tour 30 years after its original release, what are the chances of The Class of 1987 having our 30 year reunion this year?  We may not need Croke Park for our event but we have Old Wesley RFC booked on the 28 December for anyone who left in 1987 and wants to come along.  This will be our sixth reunion since leaving the school and it's great catching up with former classmates and taking a walk down memory lane.  If you want to check out some photos from our previous reunions or find out more information about the event check out our Facebook page here.