Vol 27 No 24     08 Apr 2022

Feis Ceoil Victory

The High School Orchestra and many individual High School pupils took part in the Feis Ceoil Music Festival 2022.  This is the first time that the competitions have taken place since 2019 and it’s the first year ever that some of the competitions were held online. After the recent success at the Interschools Music Festival where the orchestra was placed second we had high hopes of competing successfully in the Feis Ceoil.  The High School Orchestra took part in the post-primary school orchestra competition by way of video submission and we played two contrasting pieces called “Merry-Go-Round-Of-Life from Howl’s Moving Castle” by Joe Hisiaishi and “Slavonic Dance No.8” by Antonin Dvorak.  We chose these pieces because we felt that they suited our playing strengths and allowed us to show off our skills and put on an evocative performance.  Thanks to all the hard work and numerous rehearsals we finished in first place receiving an overall grade of 91 which placed us ahead of our competitors by two marks.  In doing so The High School Orchestra has won the Post-Primary School Orchestra Competition and has been awarded the Dorothy Mayer Foundation Cup.  The adjudicator noted that our performance was a skilfully prepared programme which contained constant musical interest.  I should like to thank Ms Little and Ms Harrison who worked tirelessly throughout the year to make this all possible.  The High School also achieved success within the solo competitions where several pupils – including, Kayla Kennedy, Daimee Ng, William Wu, Éabha Deeley and Marco Gonzalez - were highly placed. 
Andrew Whyte

Religious Education Excursion

As a part of the Senior Cycle Religious Education course our class took a trip to the National Museum of Art to view images of Jesus Christ in the world of art on Thursday 31 March.  The Religious Education course is both stimulating and demanding so we were delighted to be able to take a break from the classroom and travel into town.  The National Museum of Art was alive with images of Jesus which helped us to understand the personal viewpoints of each artist that transcended into their work.  It was lovely to go out as a class and see artwork that related to our course. Thank you to Ms Hutchinson Edgar for giving us this opportunity.
Wumi Obi

Form 6 Irish

On Wednesday 30 March Form 6 pupils studying Irish gathered in the Demonstration Theatre to watch a comedy sketch of the Leaving Certificate Irish sraith pictures performed by a group called ‘Caith Amach É.’  With the official oral examinations coming up next week, the Irish Department organised a viewing of this sketch to ease our worries.  The group consisted of two people, John and Paul, but many more characters.  They acted out all the sraith pictures in costumes and wigs to help us remember them on the day!  After the fun was over the pair offered us some useful advice on how to do well in the oral examinations and a variety of methods to prepare for them.  It was a great way to end the day. Thank you to Ms Quinn and all the Irish department for organising this event for us.  As for the future success of Form 6 pupils - is maith an scéalaí an aimsir!
Wumi Obi

Form 1 Lino Prints

Pupils studying Art in Form 1 have completed an impressive collection of lino prints which are now on display at Reception.

Lunch Time Recital

Last Friday musicians and singers from across the school community came together to share their talents during both lunch breaks.  The enthusiastic audience was delighted to hear pieces from many genres of music including traditional Irish and folk; pop, soul and jazz; and from the great American songbook.  It was wonderful to see members of staff and pupils share the same stage and their love of music in a relaxed and supportive environment.  We hope that we can enjoy more lunchtime recitals in the future. 

Computer Donation for Ukranian Refugees 

The High School responded to an appeal for companies or schools to donate older laptops to help Ukranian refugees in Ireland.  On 1 April over two dozen old laptops were sent to Laser Computer Sales from The High School.  These were initially prepared by the ICT Department and went out to families the same weekend.  The company is still appealing to the public for donations of older unused device as there is high demand. 
Mr McBride 

National Tree Week

Pupils in Forms 5 and 1 planted two native Sessile Oaks, one named CC and the other Miguel, to mark National Tree Week.  They have still to find their permanent home on The High School campus but are currently enjoying the activity, noise, and bustle of the courtyard.  It will be great to see these trees flourish in the years, decades, and even centuries to come.
Mr Langrell

Form 1 Geography

Over the past few weeks in Form 1 Geography pupils have been learning about different energy sources.  We all must try to use energy wisely: for example why not try to conserve energy by putting on a jumper instead of turning on the heat or taking public transport or even walking or cycling to school where possible?  We made colourful posters to remind people of the different renewable energy sources that are available like solar, nuclear, geothermal, and wind energy.
Imogen McCreery

P.S.  If you have some information or news that you think we could feature in our school newsletter, please let us know.  Click here to get in touch.
Ms Burrowes 
Communications Coordinator