Vol 25 No 14     17 Jan 2020

Happy New Year from The High School!

A very Happy New Year to everyone in the school community!  We are looking forward to another busy and successful year in 2020 during which we will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of The High School with events and activities which will include all members of school community.  We want to highlight the vibrant, warm, and inclusive character of our school and hope that you will join us in celebrating the past whilst planning for the brightest of futures.  Here are just some of the events that might interest you.  We will begin the year with The High School and Diocesan Past Pupils' Union 150th Anniversary Dinner on 25 January - a sold-out event that promises to be an unmissable night for those lucky enough to have obtained a ticket.  All past and current members of staff will be invited to attend a dinner to mark their contribution to The High School on 20 March.  A number of exhibition rugby and hockey matches are being planned beginning with a cricket match against Leprechauns Cricket Club on 24 April.  We will celebrate the musical talent of past and current pupils with a Gala Concert at the National Concert Hall on Sunday 17 May (to be confirmed) which will be followed by a Parents' Association event on 22 May.  The new academic year will commence with a 150th Anniversary Ball at the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road on 26 September to which governors, staff, parents, and past pupils are invited.  On 1 October we will celebrate Foundation Day with a 150th Anniversary Service at St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin: all governors, staff, parents, pupils, and past pupils are warmly invited to attend.  The celebrations will draw to a close with The High School 150th Anniversary Carol Service at Zion Church on 18 December.  A wide range of events for current pupils are being planned and will take place throughout the year.   You can keep up with the latest developments in our weekly newsletter, on our website, and through our social media platforms.  We hope that all of you will join us in honouring our history, celebrating our current successes, and encouraging future achievement at The High School.  
The 150th Anniversary Committee

All Ireland Hockey Championship

Congratulations to the Senior 1 boys' hockey team which defeated The King's Hospital 4-1 to qualify for the All Ireland Schools (Boys) Hockey Championship next season.  The High School previously defeated St Andrew's College to win the All Ireland Schools (Boys) Hockey Championship for the first time in the history of the school.  We warmly congratulate the team on the significance of its achievements to date and wish all members of the squad every success in future competitions.
Mr P Fitzpatrick

Vinnie Murray Cup

The High School Senior Cup Team played two very successful games in the same number of weeks at Donnybrook Stadium defeating St Paul's College, Raheny and Newpark Comprehensive School 49-7 and 11-3, respectively.  This success means that The High School will play Temple Carrig School in the semi-final of the Vinnie Murray Cup at Donnybrook on Tuesday 24 January at 4.00 pm.  We wish all members of the squad every success in the competition. 

Father Godfrey Cup

Congratulations to members of The High School Junior Cup Team who defeated Templeogue College 19-7 to advance into the second round of the Father Godfrey Cup.  The next match takes place on Monday 20 January at 2.30 pm at Terenure RFC against Temple Carrig School.  Thanks are due to the determined troop of devoted supporters who have come out in all weathers to bolster the team.  We wish all members of the squad every success as they progress through the 
competition. 

HSD Rowing Success

Alison and I competed at the Carrick-on-Shannon Head in Leitrim on 7 December. We woke up early to drive to Leitrim with enough time to rig our boats and warm up.  We had two races that day.  For the first race we were in the junior women's quad.  The course was roughly 4 km long.  We were competing against four other clubs, Coleraine Grammar School, Carrick Rowing Club, Galway Rowing Club, and Sligo Rowing Club.  Before the race the wind conditions worsened.  Fortunately, the wind calmed down during our race.  For the second race we were in the junior women's pair, competing against two other clubs, Coleraine Grammar School and Galway Rowing Club.  The wind picked up again so the race was shortened to 3.5 km for safety reasons.  After both races we finally got the results: we had been placed first in the quad and the pair.  Then we derigged all the boats, placed them back onto the trailer, and packed up the oars.  On 3-5 January, Alison and I were invited to attend a high-performance training camp at the National Rowing Centre in Cork.  On the first day the camp began at 2.00 pm with an 18 km row.   Alison and I were in the pair.  We were rowing alongside seven other junior girls who had been also invited.  We finished the session and were off the water by 4.30 pm.  The day ended with a talk on nutrition.  The next day we began early at 7.45 am and did not finish until 5.00 pm.  We had three sessions. The first two sessions were around 30 km in total and we finished the day with a bodyweight circuit.  On the final day, we began at the same time.  Like the previous day it was an 18 km row followed by a weights circuit and stretching to bring to an end a long weekend.
Sarah Daly

Form 1 Home Economics

Form 1 pupils have been busy in the Technical Block cooking a delicious Mexican meal of Spicy Chicken Fajitas as part of their Junior Cycle Home Economics course.  Well done, everyone!