Vol 26 No 17     05 Feb 2021

Black History Month

Portrait by Louis Dunne Form 5

Black History Month has been observed in Ireland since 2010 before achieving official recognition in 2014.  This made Ireland only the fourth country in the world to officially recognise Black History Month.  The event is celebrated in February in the United States and Canada while in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands it is observed in October.  However, in order to give you a flavour of the celebrations taking place across the Atlantic at the moment I am going to offer you some book, movie, and music recommendations from various black creators that deserve much more recognition than they currently enjoy.  Read more...
Wumi Obi

Welcoming Spring!

To mark the beginning of spring pupils in Form 1 Irish learned about St Brigid and created these inspired pictures of the female patron saint of Ireland in her powerful cloak.  St Brigid is also known as Muire na nGael or Mary of the Gael which means Our Lady of the Irish.  Her feast day is the 1st of February.  Thank you to Finn Dixon, George Hewston, Rhea Malone, and Erica Brennan for sharing their artwork with us. 
Ms O'Sullivan

Green Schools and Science Club

In December Averil Gannon and colleagues from Dublin City Council gave members of the Green Schools committee and Science Club a talk on the pollution, conservation, and use of the water from our local rivers, specifically the Dodder.  In the session we analyzed the structure of a river, how our drainage systems work, and all the factors necessary for a healthy, clean river.  We talked about how waste we pour down our drains can damage our water sources.  Washing cars, pouring harmful substances down drains, and rainwater which collects fuels and pollution off the ground all enter our rivers through drainage systems.  As we learned from the talk, this becomes problematic for the environment, both for humans and animals who need to use water from our rivers.
In order to compare the quality of water from different rivers, samples of different river waters were brought into the school for us to examine.  It was intriguing how different organism species can determine how clean the waters are and how different each river samples were.  We analyzed the water from the Dodder, the Tolka, and from a river near UCD.  Different types of insects, known as macro invertebrates, were present in all of the water samples.  Depending on the species of macro invertebrates present in the water samples we could determine the quality of the water as certain species can only be found in high quality water.
After concluding the examination, we looked at various examples of how we could make a difference as High School pupils. We discussed how we could be more aware of our waste water impact on the Dodder and how we could reduce The High School’s unnecessary water consumption.   Some of the suggestions for solutions included creating green walls and natural corridors as well as building a rain garden in an unused area of the school.   Overall it was a great talk and we are currently trying to think of ways to conserve water.
Tamami Gill, Eoin Kelly, and Emna Hajaji

Soundcloud Album

Last spring we made an album on Soundcloud called Isolation 2020.   Since we find recording a lot of fun we decided to make another album called Isolation 2021.  There are seven tracks in this collection which features performances by pupils from Forms 4 and 5, covering songs that are both old and new.  This project was so enjoyable: it was a great way of using technology to connect with friends while we are at home.  You can listen to it here!  We hope you like it.
Leah McGrath

MUN Online

Despite restrictions Model United Nations (MUN) is continuing in a virtual setting.  The range of topics is as broad as ever but focused on current issues with the spotlight sometimes falling on Covid-19.  It is thanks to the great perseverance of MUN participants that the programme has continued despite the challenge.   As ever MUN is an insightful and fun activity which I would encourage any pupil to join.
Daniel Fiala-Li

Form 1 Energy Conversion 

This week pupils in Form 1 learned about forms of energy conversion in Science. As a part of studying forms of energy conversion, we did projects on energy conversions experimenting how one form of energy is converted into another form of energy. Some examples of experiments we did are: crossbow (elastic energy – kinetic energy), dominoes (kinetic – potential energy) and many more experiments like these. We chose an item to make and we noted what energy conversions were taking place.  For example: in a crossbow the energy conversion taking place is elastic energy to kinetic energy.  This happens when you pull the elastic band back on the crossbow, this is storing elastic energy.  When the elastic band is released the skewer flies forward from the force of the elastic band and it changes to kinetic energy (because the skewer is moving).  We learned that energy cannot be created nor destroyed.  It simply changes from one form of energy to another.  Some forms of energy that we learned about are: kinetic energy (the energy of a moving object), potential energy (gravitational potential energy and elastic potential energy), and heat energy (the energy that causes temperatures of things to rise).  We had a lot of fun learning about energy conversions.  
Harshita Agarwal

NB It is important to note that these experiments should only be carried out under adult supervision.

Form 4 Development Studies

Form 4 pupils in Development Studies and Global Issues have been studying the benefits of a plant-based diet. Pupils studied a report from the UN Environment Programme which highlighted the global food system as the biggest driver of the destruction of the natural world and a shift to predominantly plant-based diet would help to halt this damage and encourage development within low-income countries. As part of their study, pupils participated in a plant-based diet for one week. Pupils had to plan, shop, prepare and cook three plant-based meals for their family. Pupils took photos of their meals and created a diary log to share with their classmates. Pupils learned key skills in this process and most importantly the environmental benefits of reducing their meat intake on the developing world. It was a very worthwhile activity for all.
Ms Lowry

Student Council

The Student Council meets every second Wednesday morning and have continued doing so remotely with twice weekly video calls.  Those who attend include the President, Vice President, Head Boy, Head Girl, and at least one representative from each year.  The Student Council is especially important at the moment as it provides pupils with a way of giving feedback on their online learning experience and suggest what is working well and how things could be improved.  If there is anything you would like to be brought up at the meetings you can contact a representative in your year group or any other council member.
Oisín Stapleton Doyle
Head Boy

Well-Being