Vol 28 No 28      19 May 2023

Sports Day

The sun beams down on the sprawling green fields as our school grounds transform into a vibrant hub of excitement and friendly competition during Sports Day.  The weather is overcast to begin with but the clouds quickly burn away allowing the sun to joyfully oversee events from afar, an unobserved spectator.  Throwing themselves into their games the pupils demonstrate their athletic prowess.  From sprints to sack-racing the school community escapes into the open air.  The treasure trove of gold, silver, and bronze medals diminishes along with the hours.  Then the crowning event of the day begins - a sea of blinding white shirts worn by Form 6 pupils rushes around the track, giddy with anticipation.  Friends, mentors, and family members line the final stretch of the charity colour run.  A cornucopia of colour launches into the air creating art on this living canvas.  Bursting out of the polychromatic haze wreathed in a rainbow glow, this senior year beams in the sun as the day comes to a close.
Jack McGinn 

Concern Debates

On 4 May The High School’s Senior Debating team competed in Concern Worldwide’s All Island Debating Final at The Helix in Dublin.  This was the climax of a competition that started in October and following eight debates, seven victories, and just one loss later the team was fully prepared to give it their all on the biggest debating stage for Irish secondary schools.  Their only remaining obstacle was the team's toughest challenge yet: Largy College from Monaghan who had won the competition multiple times, most recently in 2019.  The moment finally came - having narrowed it down from over 180 schools to just two - to debate the final motion and decide the winner of the All Island 2023 competition.  The High School were proposing the motion that ‘For the Global South, the international community is a mirage’ and Largy College were in opposition to the motion.  As both teams entered the arena, they were greeted with a sea of cheers and applause from both sets of supporters.  The tension was palpable as the chairperson officially opened the debate and the battle that followed was both intense and skillful with both teams exchanging points on issues including the environment as a global issue, art and literature from the global south, and the very structure of the United Nations, as well as references to Alice in Wonderland and Star Wars to add to the complex metaphors from both sides.  As The High School finished with their final speech, a sense of awe at the incredible standard of debate from both sides and an air of uncertainty as to who could have won this incredibly close contest was felt by everyone in the audience.  As the adjudicators deliberated for an extended period of time, the nervous excitement of everyone in the crowd and on stage became more and more obvious.  Then at last, under the blinding lights of the stage, the head adjudicator arrived to deliver the final verdict.  After a moment that felt like an eternity, The High School’s debating team, crowd, and audience watching the livestream from home were all crestfallen to discover that the motion had failed and that Largy College were once again champions of the Concern Debates.  While this was not the result any of us were hoping for, it did nothing to deter the sense of achievement for the team having reached the final having debated topics ranging from Genetically Modified Organisms and the Sustainable Development Goals, to nuclear power, and whether Irish schools develop global citizens (The runner up prize of a trip to The European Parliament for the team may have also helped temper the sense of disappointment).  This dream of a run through such a prestigious competition has cemented the importance of debating as an extracurricular activity in our school and we can all look forward to a new team building upon this success next year. And of course, none of this would have been possible without Ms Hutchinson Edgar, the senior debating coordinator, who helped the team every step of the way, and its safe to say the team would never have achieved its potential without her support and that of everyone else at the school.
Barry Kennedy

Form 6 Reflection

Six years.  It might not sound like a lot of time, but when you're passing through secondary school, six years are as transformative as a lifetime.  Gary in Form 1 would never have expected himself to be anything like the person I am now in six years; my peers doubtless feel the same.  To him, six years felt impossibly vast; he didn't know a single other person in the whole school on his first day, and was utterly terrified to strike up a conversation with anyone, really.  To the present Gary, six years are as ephemeral and fleeting as the blink of an eye.  Both interpretations are correct, in a way.  Six years ago I was surrounded by intimidating strangers; now I am surrounded by friends whom I love dearly.  That is the essence of the secondary school experience; to plunge in, petrified, only to come out wishing you could do it all again.  To the younger pupils: enjoy every moment here, you'll miss it one day!  To my peers: thank you for the most wonderful six years.
Gary Meaney
Head Boy

Rugby Victory

Success came the way of seven members of The High School’s Senior Rugby Team on 7 May.  Sam Neilly, Matteo Sanvito, Finn Mclean, Noah Heslin, Elliott Tuite, Christopher de Lacy, and Milo Lavelle all played a club cup final for Wanderers FC against St Mary's RFC in Donnybrook.  After a long and physical game Wanderers came out on top securing the win by 36-10.  The team was a hodgepodge of players from Newpark Comprehensive, St Andrew's College, CBC Monkstown Park, and Gonzaga College. As a new comer to the team it was enjoyable getting to play with many skilled players from other rival schools, many of whom we had played against throughout the season.  It was a lovely way to end six years of playing rugby at The High School for the two Form 6 players involved and an elusive win at Donnybrook Stadium was the icing on the cake.
Christopher de Lacy

UCD Visiting Artist

Lorna Dolan is the artist in residence in UCD, a Golden Fleece winner, a tapestry and textile artist, and graduate from UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science where she studied molecular biology.  A couple of week's ago she visited us at The High School to speak to pupils about her very interesting work which
combines her interest in both biology and art.  She creates beautiful tapestries  and displayed two pieces in the Demonstration Theatre -  a finished one and one that she is currently working on.  The completed tapestry was huge and took her about a year to make.  It was full of wonderful colours, but the different hues of blue stood out to me the most.  It depicted a picture of her opened Science notebook resting on a table which faced an open window.  However, it was the movement of the floral curtains as they swayed in the breeze which fascinated me most of all.   The notebook itself was breathtaking, lying on the golden tablecloth, it was full of interesting notes and diagrams to do with biology.  The warm colours made it look magical, like a page from an ancient Irish illuminated manuscript.  It was fascinating to hear about the process of making tapestries and how science can be interwoven into art in such a literal way.  She also brought in a handmade model of a protein whose centre glowed when a blue light shone on it.  It was fashioned from yarn using a similar technique to the one used while making her tapestries, and I thought it was a wonderful example of how art and science can join together to create amazing things.  I really enjoyed the talk and felt inspired and encouraged by her truly beautiful work. 
Leah McGrath

Form 4 English

As part of our English class, we studied several children's authors and illustrators and were inspired to write and illustrate stories of our own, creating a collection of tiny books which are now on display in the school Library.  We hope you get a chance to stop by and take a look.

Form 4 Law Society

Last weekend, a group of Form 4 pupils participated in a mock trial.  We were all awaiting this day for a long time after a remarkably successful public access to Law Day held at The High School on the 21 February.  A distinguished barrister, Mary Bunyan, came to the school and taught us about all aspects of the law.  She explained to us how the court system works and talked us through court cases. We then practised one of the trial cases with her and she gave us some highly useful insights that we used on the day of the National Mock Trials.  On 12 May thirty of us met on the stairs of the Central Criminal Court.  Our group included twelve jurors who went to trials that we were not participating in to make the vital decision of guilty or innocent.  We had six barristers, two for each of our cases and a solicitor to prepare all our legal arguments.  We also had five witnesses who had the all-important role of acting out their statements and one person who was accused of murder!  He was eventually found guilty, much to our dismay. We also had three court staff who ensured the day ran smoothly by swearing in the witnesses and keeping track of time.  There were three competitions held on the day which we participated in.  A pupil drew an incredible depiction of the mood in the court, another prepared and recorded a television news report, and a final pupil wrote a newspaper report. The results of the competition have not been released yet.  We argued three cases, two murder cases (one prosecution and one defence) and prosecuted a bank robbery. Although we didn’t win any cases through the jury decision, the competition was not assessed based on guilt or innocence, but rather on the merits of our skills by a serving judge.  Through this process, we won one of our cases and the other two were extremely close.  It was a fantastic day and I speak for everyone when I say that it was an incredible experience to witness the inner workings of a court and see all sides of the legal system.  I really hope that Form 4 pupils get the same amazing experience next year!  We are grateful to Ms Scott for making it all possible and giving up her weekend to allow us to enjoy the experience.
Ciara Morton

Form 4 Outdoor Education

The pupils make their way through the urban complex of Dublin city.  The smell of the big colourless corporate buildings and dirty water filled the air.  We got kitted out into the damp skintight wet suits and uncomfortable safety gear.  The instructors were incredibly pleased with our enthusiastic desire to get into the water straight away. We boarded out into our kayaks and paddled away.  The water instantly flooded our worn-down shoes and kayaks as we twisted, turned, and inevitably capsized.  We raced, laughed, and had an enjoyable time captaining our little ships around the Docklands.  We tied our kayaks and leaped across into each other's collapsing on one another before mooring on the steps by the shore to jump straight back into the water.  We flipped, dived, and saw who made the biggest splash for a wonderful experience.  The inflatable vests made it very hard to swim.  The groups swapped activities and we got on the big blue paddleboards in squadrons ready to battle around the course and back to crown the champions.  It was a tiring race: our arms were aching and shaking by the end of it.  I had the time of my life when I could lie down on my board and enjoy the fresh air, the beautiful blue sky, and the fleets of birds flying around me.  We tied our paddle boards into a square and raced around it in a relay loop.  I struggled to balance on the flimsy boards while my team was cheering me on.  It was a most enjoyable experience and an unforgettable memory from one of the best days of Form 4.  
Mark Doyle

Mental Health Week

Last week  8-12 May the Wellbeing Committee, made-up of pupils from Forms 3-6, organised a week of events to highlight the importance of taking care of your mental health. Monday's theme was ‘Connect’ . We invited people to acknowledge the importance of connecting with yourself and the people around you. Tuesday's theme was ‘Give’.  Giving can be as simple as reaching out to your friends and family and offering a moment of your day to check in, but also giving yourself time to rest is key to our overall wellbeing.  Wednesday's theme was ‘Take Notice’. Ee had a lovely Evening of Memory and Reflection with music and spoken word from pupils and staff reflecting on good and bad times, bringing people together in the understanding that we have so much in common and that we are never alone. Thursday's theme was ‘Be Active’.  Keeping active gives us a sense of purpose and helps us to stay healthy.  We had a gratitude wall to help people recognise what we can be actively grateful for each day. and to emphasize that physical and mental wellbeing are of equal importance. On Friday we finished the week with ‘Keep Learning’. This involved educating people about the facts of mental health, how you can support your friends and family, and how you can support yourself.  It was really special to greet everyone each morning with music, balloons and sweets to help lift people’s spirits throughout Mental Health Week. 
Daisy Kirk Gillham and Sophie Donnan