Vol 28 No 21      03 Mar 2023

Form 2 Ski Trip

As our group of skiers walk into the crowded restaurant I’m careful not to fall in these new snow boots.  I make it to the table where my friends already sit and what first strikes me is the view.  Trees protrude from the ground askew weighed down by the ever-determined snow.  In some cases their branches are no longer visible where the snow has settled as if clinging to the tree for permanency.  Behind the trees are hills and mountains - the trees a coffee brown and the ground only visible in weighty-white patches where the conifers are less prominent.  A dusty-grey sky with wispy clouds highlighted by the light creating subtle blue and purple undertones becomes the backdrop for this scene.  It’s as if the tones reflected in the sky were taken from the scenery all leading to a beautiful collage of colours and textures that look like they’ve been taken from a National Geographic magazine.  A waiter from the restaurant brings plates with food for our table and I make an effort to say thank you in Polish, albeit with abysmal pronunciation.  Cheerful chatter and snippets of conversation can be heard all around the tables with people discussing the events of the morning – “What did you think of your instructor?” and “How many times did you fall?”  As lunch carried on and people regained their energy the mood shifted to even greater excitement for the afternoon and the skiing to come.  We soon go outside to have a snowball fight leaving everyone tired for the rest of the afternoon.  The ski trip to Poland was an amazing opportunity for the fifty or so pupils who went.  Many including myself had not skied before or even seen this much snow.  Spending four days skiing (five days away), the trip provided a chance for everyone to try their hand at skiing or to improve existing skills.  With snow tubing, a games night, trips into the local town, shopping, and a prize night – there were plenty of activities to keep us occupied during the evening as well! I would like to take this opportunity to thank the teachers - namely, Mr Fitzpatrick, Ms Forder, Mr Kingston, Mr Miller, and Ms Quinn who took so much time to organise the trip and spent valuable mid-term time with us.  I think that everyone thoroughly enjoyed the trip: it was an amazing opportunity.  
Olivia Leonard 

Ireland Rugby Selection

Congratulations to Ryan Baird (HSD, 2011-14) on his selection as part of the Ireland match day squad for the Six Nations fixture against Italy on 25 February.  We wish our past pupil every success as he competes for further honours at international level.

Ireland Karate Representation

Last weekend Alex Heneghan competed at the Copenhagen Open 2023, formerly known as the Ishoj Karate Cup, an international karate competition in Denmark.
He won gold in the team event and bronze in the individual event.  We are delighted for our pupil and wish him every success in future competitions.

Concern Debate

Congratulations to The High School Senior Debate team on reaching the third round of the knock out phase of the the Concern Debate competition. They are one of only 16 teams out of over 180 teams to reach the third round of the knock out stages.  Their last debate was against St Michael's School, Finglas and was on the motion 'Groups like Just Stop Oil should follow Extinction Rebellion’s lead and give up on disruptive action’. We opposed the motion. The team for this round was Jake O'Loughlin (Captain), Daniel Tallon, Barry Kennedy, and Eoin Kelly.  Our next debate is against Sandford Park School and is on the motion "Nuclear power is essential for a clean energy future.’  We wish the team the every success as they try to progress further in the competition.  Other members of the Senior Debating Team are Tirzah Hutchinson Edgar, Christopher de Lacy, and Ena Ní Foghlú who have contributed to the team reaching this knock out phase. Congratulations to all involved and best of luck in the next round of the competition. 
Ms Hutchinson Edgar

Form 4 Law Day

On Tuesday 21 February over two dozen Form 4 pupils took part in a public access to law day presented by Mary Bunyan.  The pupils gathered in the Demonstration Theatre at 9.00 am and spent the morning being introduced to different aspects and areas of Irish law. Later in the afternoon we ran a mock trial which everyone really enjoyed.  This was in preparation for the National Mock Trials competition which will be held in May.  We look forward to preparing and competing in the trial.
Ms Scott 

Form 4 LIFT Programme

Pupils in Form 4 are currently completing the LIFT (Leading Ireland’s Future Together) programme which teaches us about important values like honesty and respect.  LIFT Ireland is a not-for-profit initiative aimed at increasing the level of positive leadership capabilities in Ireland. LIFT does this through its eight-part group learning programme.  Schools are a vital component of LIFT Ireland.  To create a nation of leaders we need to show pupils from an early stage what it takes to be a leader.  LIFT Ireland’s leadership learning process is based on eight key leadership values.  We began the year teaching the course to each other with the help of the LIFT leaders in our year group and now we are sharing our knowledge with pupils in Form 2.  This course has been really beneficial to us as a year group.
Rosa Bell-Megaw

UCD AD ASTRA Scholarships

We are delighted to have been advised by the President of UCD that Kayla Kennedy and Emily Pryce (both HSD, 2016-22) have been awarded Ad Astra scholarships in the Performing Arts and Academic categories, respectively.  We offer our warmest congratulations to our past pupils and wish them every success at third level.

TCD Entrance Exhibitions

We are delighted to have been advised by the Board of Trinity College, Dublin that three immediate past pupils of The High School have been awarded Entrance Exhibitions in recognition of their high levels of performance in the Leaving Certificate examinations.  The awards are made to Junior Freshers who achieve the highest points among entrants to full-time undergraduate degree courses at the university from their respective secondary schools.  In 2022, Laura Cole, Katie Dunne, and Oscar Maharg Bravo (all HSD, 2016-22) achieved this notable distinction and were awarded Entrance Exhibitions at Trinity College, Dublin.  We offer these and all recent past pupils of The High School our warmest congratulations on their achievements and wish them every success in their academic careers.

Form 4 Windmill Lane Visit

Last week Form 4 pupils studying Music, Rock-Pop, and Orchestra went on a tour to Windmill Lane Recording Studios in Dublin's Docklands.  It is the largest recording studio in Ireland and one of the most famous in Europe.   Artists ranging from U2 and Hozier to Kate Bush and Van Morrison have all recorded music there.  On the tour we got to see was the demo recording space.  A few of us were lucky enough to have a go at mixing some tracks on the desks there and our guide showed us how to use a programme called Logic to mix music.  Then we went into the main studio in the building and watched a video about the history of Windmill Lane.  The headphones we used gave us 360 degrees of sound which was used in the video to make it seem like voices were coming at us from all directions.  We were able to play the piano in the studio which had been played by the likes of David Bowie and many other famous musicians that had recorded there.  Overall, I learned a lot about the process of making music from the visit -  it was amazing to walk in the footsteps of so many great musicians.  
Finn Ó Fóghlú

Senior Volleyball

The High School Senior Volleyball team played in the second round of the Schools Cup this week losing to Sutton Park School and Dungarvan Community College but defeating Coláiste Eoin.  The team played amazingly well.  We are very proud of their fine achievement in the sport and wish them well going forward.
Mrs Murdoch

Rugby Plate Final

The High School Senior Cup Team will play in the plate final of the Vinnie Murray Cup against St Gerard's School on Wednesday at 2:30 pm in St Mary's Rugby Club.  Supporters are very welcome!

Senior Hockey Girls Win

Congratulations to the Senior 1 hockey team who won their match against Temple Carrig this week.  The final score was 3-1.  It was a wonderful way to end the season.

Junior Boys Hockey

The High School Junior A team played Newpark Comprehensive School in the Leinster School Boys Junior Cup quarter-final fixture.  We had a great start to the game with a goal in the first ten minutes.  Then we scored another two goals from short corners before conceding a goal.  We didn’t let our game drop and scored again to finish the game with a 4-1 victory.  After the win against Newpark we will play against St Andrew's College in the semi-final fixture.
Jason Robinson

World Book Day

It's another World Book Day and I am sure many of you have read several books such as Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or even Sherlock Holmes.  You know who you are as a reader and you know your tastes.  If you are anything like me, you will not read a book that you cannot relate to in some way. so I am going to explain the impact that books have had in my life.  Click here to read more...
Aadya Vig

Form 5 French

On Thursday 9 February Form 5 pupils along with their teachers Ms Roullet and Ms Lally went to see a showing of the movie "Mes Frères et Moi" at the Irish film Institute.  The film was directed by Yohan Manca and was about main character Nour deciding what he wants to do with his life over the course of summer vacation.  It is a beautiful coming of age film that is also quite emotional. It is part of the Irish Film Institute's School 2022-2023 programme and many schools attended the screening. It was very moving and we all really enjoyed it!
Katie Millar

Girls Basketball

Well done to the Form 1 and 2 girls basketball team who are currently unbeaten in the League.  They played against Pobalscoil Iosolde and won 20-2.  The team has one more match to play which will determine whether or not they get through to the quarter final stages.
Mrs Murdoch

International Women's Day

Wednesday 8 March is International Women's Day.   At The High School we celebrate women in all the different areas of life: business, chemistry, sport, science, the arts, humanities, politics.  Pupils will host themed Assemblies next week.  We are a mixed school and all can be involved.  An annual solidarity walk in the locality will take place on Wednesday evening, starting at 6.30 pm.   All are welcome to attend.
Ms Hutchinsn-Edgar

Zion Parish Fête