Vol 31 No 28    08 May 2026

East Leinster Track and Field Championships

On Tuesday 28 and Thursday 30 April The High School athletics team travelled to Santry to compete in the East Leinster Track and Field Championships. With many weeks of preparation completed hopes were high that we could win a number of elusive champioship medals. A total of 63 schools take part in the competition so to win a medal of any colour is an exemplary achievement.

The first day brought success in the shape of not just one but 3 gold, 8 silver, and 1 bronze medal. Ellen Oldrey, Brendan Solarin, and Luke Jensen won their competitions with stand out performances in the 300m Hurdles, Senior Long Jump, and Minor 800m, respectively. Brendan’s winning jump of 6.44m was received with rapturous applause by the spectators. Luke Jensen ran from the front from the gun and was never caught. The ever consistent Elisa MacGabhann produced a fine throw to secure bronze in Senior Javelin. The Senior girls relay team of Juliette Hannigan McCloskey, Sadhbh Byrne, Siobhán Layte, and Rhea Malone showed their maturity and class with two fine performances to finish second overall. The day concluded with the Junior Boys team of Luke Stuart, Kevin Wu, Ronan Byrne, and Patrick McCrory producing a superb run in the Junior Relay to win silver. The day saw many relay finalists and top 5 performances.

The sun was shining and hopes were high on the second day. The morning began with a well earned silver medal for Jake Priestley in the Senior High Jump who cleared 1.88 metres. Robert Tallon flew to a gold medal in the Senior Pole Vault. Ellen Oldrey dominated her preliminary rounds and the overall final to win gold in the 300m. Ewan Kennedy produced a classy run in the Senior 1500m winning bronze. The Minor Boys team of Shuqian He, Luke Stenson, Matthew McGrath, and Daniel McFeely ran two fine races to win silver in the final. Last, but definitely not least, Aidan O’ Connor closed out the competition with a fabulous silver in the 2,000m Steeplechase. Congratulations to all our pupils who competed in the championship; they did HSD proud. I wish our Leinster Finalists the best of luck. In the end The High School won 5 gold, 14 silver, and 2 bronze medals over the two days - what an achievement for HSD in competition with 63 other schools!
Ms Fallon

Student Council

On Wednesday 22 April the Student Council welcomed Stratford College Student Council to The High School. This was our second meeting with them this academic year. There was a lovely buzz as they arrived and we took them on a walk around the areas of our school where we are developing biodiversity and environmental initiatives. We showed them our new anaerobic digester, bee hives, chickens, wormery, and our water harvesting. As this coincided with Biodiversity Week we aimed at leading discussions in this area. Other topics discussed in our meeting which continued in The W B Yeats Library were Prefect elections, Senior Cycle Redevelopment, the annual Mitzvah Day, their recent visit of Tánaiste, Simon Harris, TD, the ISSU, and Bí Cineálta. We then had some chat over light refreshments with lovely homemade biscuits going down a treat! We really enjoy and benefit from our connection with Stratford College through these meetings, and find that the same issues arise for their pupils as well as our own. It is a great opportunity to share ideas. I am very grateful to their Student Council teacher Ms Kenny for her help in arranging these joint meetings. 

Ireland 200m Record Holder

Our talented past pupil, Sean Aigboboh (HSD, 2019-25), set a new Irish 200m record last week in Texas with a superb run of 20.27 seconds (+2.0m/s). Competing at the Cameron Burrell Alumni Invitational, the 20-year-old Dubliner broke the previous time of 20.30 seconds recorded by Paul Hession which had stood since 2007. His performance also smashed Robert McDonnell’s Irish U23 record of 20.51 seconds for the distance.

The University of Houston athlete has enjoyed an excellent outdoor season and recently recorded a personal best of 10.27 seconds over 100m. Aigboboh reached the final of the men’s 100m at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships in Peru and was also part of Ireland’s men’s 4x100m relay team that broke the national record last summer at the European Athletics Team Championships in Slovenia. We are incredibly proud of what Sean has achieved and look on in wonder as he goes from strength to strength.  Well done, Sean!

Fencing Ireland National Champion

Congratulations to High School pupil, Erika Sanvito, who has won the Fencing Ireland Foil National Competition and is now the Fencing Ireland Senior Women's Foil National Champion! This comes at the end of an intense season which has seen Erika competing nationally and internationally, including participation at the European and World Cadet and Junior Championships.  We are very proud of Erika and commend her for her dedication and achievements.

Dance World Cup

Maria Donnellan recently qualified to represent Ireland at the 2026 Dance
World Cup! Maria came first in two solo categories including a ballet
solo representing Monica Loughman Elite Ballet. In addition to the
ballet solo Maria will also be competing solos in lyrical and jazz
categories and in ten group routines with her dance school Westside
Performing Arts. The Dance World Cup is being hosted this year on 8-18 July in the Convention Centre in Dublin where organisers are expecting up to 10,000 participants. We wish Maria the very best of luck as she represents The High School and Ireland in July!

Form 3 Art

These are the first four pots made using our new pottery wheels in the Art room! Pupils in Form 3 are taking turn to learn how to throw pottery on the wheel.  While the rest of the class decorate with glaze their hand built pots which have been bisque fired to 1000 degrees - that's five times hotter than it takes to cook a pizza in your oven at home! We have pupils and staff who have pottery skills so watch this space.  We hope to have a ceramics club starting soon with a booking schedule to participate as we only have two wheels. Beginners will be welcome!
Ms Killane

Biodiversity Week

We held our annual Biodiversity Week at The High School between 20-24 April. This was led by the Green Schools Committee and our two biodiversity champions. We put up displays in Reception and the Library, and held Assemblies on biodiversity that aimed at educating pupils on this very important issue. We learned about the importance of leaving room for nature, how important ecosystems are, the value of having a variety of plants, insects, birds and animals and how this helps us to combat climate change and contributes to a healthy environment for all of us. The week was also an opportunity to launch our wonderful High School honey which is still available in Reception though selling fast. On Thursday 23 April two of our pupils spent the day at the Airfield Estate for the final part of their biodiversity champions programme. They learned about ponds from expert Collie Ennis, had a nature walk, shared ideas with pupils from other schools, and presented their posters on pollinators, focusing on wasps and solitary bees. They were both wonderful ambassadors for the school. To end Biodiversity Week Mr Langrell announced forthcoming competitions for National Biodiversity Week. We look forward to working on more biodiversity initiatives based around the three Cs: our campus, our curriculum, and our community.

Form 2 Classics

On Monday 13 April we gathered in the Reception area at HSD. Once everyone was there and ready to go we got on the minibus and travelled to UCD. When we arrived we grabbed our lunches, made our way to the Newman Building, and entered the Classics Museum.

There, we met Sasha, who taught us a little about Greek history and mythology. She showed us a pot from Mycenae where Agamemnon from Homer’s Iliad lived and then she showed us a sculpture that is supposedly of Paris from the Iliad. After learning about Greek history, we moved on to Roman daily life. We first looked at pots and how they were used to show off to other Romans! We saw a bucket-shaped bowl used for mixing wine with water which the Romans saw as the civilised way to drink wine at their symposiums. We also looked at crypts; bottles used for ointments and perfume; grave markers with a place for libations (drink sacrifices); a cheese or cake stamp; and so much more.

I would say the best part was the items we were allowed to touch: coins, little statues, oil lamps, and even a strigil used for cleaning. After a while, we returned to The High School having learned a lot and enjoyed lots of fun on this Classics trip!
Oisín Gabbett O'Kelly

HSD Journal Competition

Would you like to draw the cover of next year's High School Journal? If you have a passion for illustration then Ms Killane and Ms Rogers in the Art Department would like to hear from you. The theme this year is inclusion. The deadline for submissions is 15 May and the winner will receive a €100 voucher. Entries may be sent by email to art@highschool.ie or handed in directly to Ms Rogers or Ms Killane.  So what are you waiting for?
Ms Rogers

Form 2 Science

Form 2 pupils studying Science made their own models to explain the interactions of the Sun, Earth and Moon. They showed each other the phases of the Moon as well as solar and lunar eclipses.
Dr Budd

Summer Concert

The High School Summer Concert will take place on Wednesday 13 May in The Reynolds Hall beginning at 7.00 pm. All are very welcome to attend this free event which will feature a wide selection of performances by our pupils. 
Ms Bourke and Ms Phillips

Library Association of Ireland School Libraries Group Conference

On Wednesday 14 May The High School will host the 2026 Library Association of Ireland (LAI) School Libraries Group Conference in our W.B. Yeats Library. The conference, supported by Outside the Box Learning Resources, will bring together educators, librarians, and specialists to explore how schools and libraries can better support neurodiverse students.

This year’s theme, Beyond the Book: Supporting Neurodiversity in Schools and Libraries, will focus on creating inclusive learning environments and sharing practical strategies that help all students thrive.

The conference will run from 9.30 am to 3.30 pm and will feature a range of guest speakers and contributors from the fields of education, psychology, occupational therapy, and school librarianship.

Guest speakers include:

• Tara Mulhern, Mental Health Occupational Therapist with Jigsaw
• Margaret Flood, Assistant Professor in Inclusive and Special Education at Maynooth University

The day will also include presentations and discussions led by library and education professionals, including:

• Robin Stewart (JCSP Librarian, Marino College)
• Joseph Peelo (JCSP Librarian, Kylemore College)
• Sarah Purcell (JCSP Librarian, Ellenfield Community College)
• Katie Dickson (Wesley College Librarian)
• Patsy McCaughey (Educational Psychologist, The High School)

Following lunch, attendees will participate in a facilitated round-table discussion, offering an opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences with colleagues from across the education sector.

The afternoon will conclude with the LAI School Libraries Group Annual General Meeting, where members will have the opportunity to vote for and stand for positions on the 2026–2027 committee.

HSD Parents' Association Events

The High School Parents' Association have finalised dates for two events that might be of interest to you as follows:
22 May -  HSD PA BBQ
20 June - HSD PA second-hand book and uniform sale
Peter de Lacy
Chairperson

Rathfarnham Parish Fête