Vol 28 No 26      12 May 2023

East Leinster Athletics Championships Success

On 2 and 4 May the East Leinster Schools Track and Field Championships took place at UCD.  The event kicked off in thrilling fashion in a 200m contest where Daniel Martin came out on top to secure the gold medal in the intermediate boys 200 metre competition.   A tremendous jump from Sadhbh Byrne saw her take bronze in the intermediate girls long jump; a brilliant effort saw Brendan Solarin soar to silver in the intermediate boys long jump; and the final win of the day saw The High School boys 4x100 quartet of Sean Aigboboh, David Aigboboh, Samuel Maxwell, and Sean Winslow sweep the field to win gold in the senior 4x100 for the second year in a row.  Day two saw Ireland international Sean Aigboboh race his way to victory in the senior boys 100 metre sprint with his brother David Aigboboh not too far behind taking the bronze medal.  The intermediate boys high jump saw Jake Priestley floating to gold; Harry-Ted Ikolo would soon follow in a valiant effort in the intermediate boys shot putt by throwing himself into the bronze position; and the final medal of the day was awarded to Aidan O’Connor who won gold in the intermediate boys mile in an excellent display of endurance and mental strength.  We applaud the superb efforts and success of all pupils and coaches who participated and contributed in what was a very successful championship for our school and we wish all  those who qualified for for the next round the best of luck in the Leinster Championships.
Sean Aigboboh

Recreation Assembly

Last week we gathered for a whole school Assembly in the Gymnasium to celebrate the achievements of pupils in the Recreation section of the extra-curricular programme (including but not limited to Art, Choir, Debating, Drama, and Orchestra) at The High School in 2022-23.  Well done to everyone who received awards. 

Darkness Into Light

Darkness into Light was once again a moving, eye-opening, and character-building experience.  Having risen at 3.30 am we each left our houses to find a world cloaked in darkness.  The night, however, was neither still nor silent - it teemed with people, all in yellow, all marching on the same destination, all united by a common purpose.  We slipped into our respective local throngs and joined the pilgrims on their way to Marlay Park.  It was here that we met up amidst the sea of eager attendants standing in the car park.  At 4.15 am the walk began and we set off into the darkness, passing the vividly illuminated "Hope" sign, a powerful symbol fashioned from bedsheets.  Tiny golden candles lined the pathway, like shining teardrops, guiding us through the forest. As the walk progressed, the sun began to peek above the horizon, casting an ochre ray of dappled light through the canopy, sparking a twinkle in every droplet of morning dew.  When we finally emerged from the thick woodland and passed under the final gateway, the park was immersed in an auroral glow: truly a magical way to pledge our support to Pieta House and all it stands for.
Gary Meaney
Head Boy

Form 6 English Talk

Talk in the Library was of murder.  Perhaps that was why pupils from Form 6 had gathered there.  That - or maybe they had come to hear Dublin author Gill Perdue talk about the art of storytelling, to be inspired, and maybe pick up a few golden nuggets of wisdom to line their pockets on the eve of the fast-approaching Leaving Certificate English examination.  For some it was just the reverse: they had come to escape academia and be whisked away for a while by a good book because that is what Perdue's first novel for adults promises to do.  Shortlisted for Crime Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards in 2022, If I Tell has gripped readers from the first.  Set in familar surroundings, one unfortunate victim meets their end close the river Dodder which an astute reader might deduce is located at the rear of The High School.  This fact alone fascinated our pupils.  Of course James Joyce famously created Leopold Bloom as a former High School pupil, but this literary connection had far more resonance with our current 6th Form! Their curiosity grew with talk of Special Victim Units and tenacious real-life investigators: we were enthralled.  Their astute questions led Perdue to reveal some of the mystery of her craft with a generosity and openness that we all valued.  Perdue's second novel, When They See Me, will be published this summer by Penguin Books and we hope that after its release she will pay us another visit so we can talk again of crimes committed and murders solved. 
Ms Burrowes

Navan Choral Competition

On 4 May The High School choir took part in the Navan Choral Festival - Youth Choir of the Year competition which was held at St Mary’s Church.  It was the first time that The High School had performed in the competition.  It also happened to be the first time the competition has been held in two years.  We had never competed in any capacity as a choir so it was a very exciting occasion for us.  After a quick rehearsal in the hall, we set off on the bus at around 12.30 pm.  Arriving in Navan, we made our way into the church before 2.15 pm, when the competition would start.  We were up second and sang two songs: "Bring Him Home" and "The Rhythm of Life".  Unfortunately we were not able to stay and watch the rest of the choirs perform as the bus had to take us back to school.  Although we were not placed in the top three, we received an impressive score of 84 out of 100, with the winners scoring 89.  We were all very proud of our efforts and it was an extremely enjoyable experience.  We are very grateful for Ms Bourke’s wonderful direction over the course of the year and look forward to another successful year in 2024!
Ella Roche

Form 4 Media Studies

As part of our Media Studies class, we carried out an interview with two pupils in Form 6, Oscar Maguire and Jack O'Malley, who collaborated last summer on a music video for the former's song, Summer Storm. Here is what we learned about their artistic collaboration which is now available to watch on YouTube... Read more
Saoirse Reilly and Ava O’Brien

Mental Health Week

In preparation for Mental Health Week pupils in Form 1 have been looking at gender equality in SPHE.  They produced these excellent, informative posters.  Well done, everyone!

Form 4 Theatre Visit

On 3 May Ms Forder’s Form 5 English class went on an excusion to see The Shawshank Redemption in the elegant Gaiety Theatre.  It is a play based on the 1982 novella by Stephen King and we studied the film version as part of Leaving Certificate English.  The two main characters, Andy Dufresne and Ellis Boyd Redding (Red), were played by Joe Absolom and Ben Onwukwe.  We entered the theatre at 7.30 pm and the show started shortly after.  It lasted for a total of 2 hours and 20 minutes including the interval.  The whole class thoroughly enjoyed the performance and had a great night.
Evan Kelleher 

Junior Cricket

The Junior boys cricket team have had a winning start to the season with two wins from two and a realistic chance of making the semi finals.  We have a squad of 14 boys from Form 3.  We comfortably beat both Clongowes Wood College and Adamstown Coummunity College.  Benjamin Dillon and Jack Wynne were the pick of the bowlers picking up 3 wickets each.  Ethan Clarke led the run scoring with 50 and 102 not out.  Our excellent fielding restricted both teams from reaching the target set.  It has been great to see how quickly people have developed over the last two years many of whom were playing cricket for the first time.  It has been a good start to the season and we hope to progress though the competition.
Ethan Clarke