Vol 27 No 06     15 Oct 2021

The W. B. Yeats Library

On 8 October the Library at The High School was named after the most famous past pupil of the school.  The W. B. Yeats Library honours the life of the great Irish poet who attended The High School for a portion of his school career. Representatives from all sections of the school community attended the opening including pupils, parents, staff (both current and retired), and governors.  The guest speaker at the event was Professor Roy Foster, a highly regarded historian, scholar, and the official biographer of Yeats.  Professor Foster spoke about Yeats’s life in terms of education, discussing the poet’s hunger for knowledge and willingness to constantly learn.  Although little is known about Yeats’ time here, Professor Foster provided us with some interesting insights into the poet as a pupil at The High School.  The library was then officially named by Yeats’ granddaughter, Ms Caitríona Yeats.  She discussed what life was like growing up as a descendant of one of Ireland’s greatest writers and thanked The High School for honouring her grandfather.  Overall, it was a lovely way to acknowledge our links with such a talented past pupil of The High School.  
Jake O’Loughlin

Portrait Artist of the Year

We are delighted that past pupil and former teacher at The High School Rory Draper (HSD, 1996-2002) will be taking part in this season's Portrait Artist of the Year competition which airs on television next week.  The self-portrait featured below was the entry which secured him a place on the show.  Rory is currently a full-time artist based in Wexford working as Artist in Residence at the Presentation Art Centre in Enniscorthy.  An exhibition of his work will run there as part of the European Mental Health Festival from 15 January-26 February 2022.  We wish our past pupil every success in the competition.

Father Godfrey Cup

Yesterday we played The King's Hospital again in the second round of the Father Godfrey Cup.  We needed a bonus point to go through to the final.  Unfortunately we went five points down due to an unlucky bounce which led to a try which they didn’t convert.  We came back fast with Sam Maxwell scoring under the posts from a good kick over the top.  Just before the second half we scored from a maul.  A short while into the second half Oliver Kendrick scored from a pick-and-go right on the line to bring us a try away from our bonus point.  We had to take risks to try get the last try we needed which led to mistakes.  The opposition scored two tries in the last five minutes and a penalty which they kicked to win by two points. 
Adam Jordan

Geography Field Trip

On 12 October Form 6 Geography classes went on a field trip to Shankill Beach.  All pupils studying Leaving Certificate Geography must complete a fieldwork study. This year we set out to examine the impact that the processes of transportation and deposition have had on shaping the coastal landscape.  We chose Shankill Beach to test our hypothesis as it offered an ideal site to carry out our chosen experiments.  The weather was dry and clear - ideal conditions for carrying out fieldwork.  We learned and honed our geographical skills.  It was a worthwhile and enjoyable day and we left with excellent results to examine and write up!

French Excursion

On 11 October Form 6 pupils studying French made our long-awaited return to the Irish Film Institute in Temple Bar to watch a French film: ‘Petit Pays’.   We were all delighted to visit again and to have the opportunity to benefit from such a universal cultural experience.   The film screened was a historical fiction that took place in the 1990s in Rwanda and was highly informative as well as enjoyable. We had a lovely day out; so to all our great French teachers - merci beaucoup!
Kayla Kennedy

City Hall Sculpture

In early October Alan Phelan launched a new sculpture in front of City Hall on Dame Street which has received a lot of press attention.  Alan works both as Archivist at HSD and as an artist.  The sculpture was made over the summer months after many Covid related delays. ‘RGB Sconce, Hold Your Nose’ is an exuberant sculpture that brings together a wealth of references.  It is 5.5 metres in height and made from eco-plastic and covered in paper and paint.  It fills a plinth that once housed a statue of Daniel O’Connell. You can find more information about the project here.

Senior Play

The Senior Play is fast approaching with performances on the 11-13 November (inclusive). This year pupils from Forms 5 and 6 are producing and performing All Together Now and taking part in a global theatrical event which will happen simultaneously in over 3000 schools and local theatres worldwide to celebrate the power and the magic of musical theatre.  From Oliver to High School Musical, Les Miserables to Hairspray, Mammia Mia to Matilda, and everything in between this salute to the ever-marching beat of the musicals of Broadway and the West End is one you don’t want to miss.  Tickets are available from Monday 1 November.  Watch this space for further details.
Mr Milofsky

Form 3 Rugby

On 13 October the Form 3 rugby team played a match against Catholic University School.  This was our second time playing CUS this year and even though the game did not go our way, there were plenty of positives to take away from the match.  CUS started quickly and got an early try.  We fought back to score just before half time and only trailed by two points.  The second half started well and we scored another try which put us in the lead.  Despite several opportunities
we failed to capitalise inside their 22 and ultimately victory escaped us.  I really look forward to what will hopefully be a great season ahead as we improve and build as a team. 
Brendan Kelly 

Wellread National Award

Following the adjudication process for the PDST ‘Wellread National Award – Readers for Life Award’, we are delighted that The High School has been successful in becoming a Wellread Readers for Life School.  The Wellread team which included a selection of teaching staff, pupils, and the The W B Yeats Librarian Penny Wiggle, worked consistently to maintain the standards which allowed us to achieve the initial Wellread National Award in 2017.  It was such an enjoyable experience for us as we worked towards a variety of literacy initiatives that we undertook as a whole school community to get everybody reading.
“The enthusiasm and creativity of all the partners involved were evident in your school’s portfolio. We commend you for bringing your school community together in such an enriching and worthwhile manner and maintaining this award over the years”. (PDST)

Junior Drama

Junior Drama for Form 1-3 pupils is now running every Tuesday after school from 4.05 - 5.00 pm.  It's a great way to get involved in an extracurricular activity and take part in the upcoming Junior Play.  We do a wide range of drama activities and games.  All are welcome, from beginners to those more experienced. For anyone interested, please send a message to Ms Browne or your Form Teacher on MS Teams.
Katie Millar

HSD Confirmation Classes

The High School will host a series of confirmation classes given by the Revd Stephen Farrell in The W B Yeats Library beginning on Wednesday, 10th November at 7.00 pm.  All pupils enrolled at The High School (including those who have no links with a particular parish) are most welcome to attend.  If your son and/or daughter is interested in attending these classes (which last roughly 45 minutes) or if you wish to make further enquiries please contact Deirdre Hoey (Parish Administrator) at zionparish@gmail.com.

HSD Parents' Association AGM

The 2021 HSD Parents Association Annual General Meeting will take place online on Tuesday 19 October at 8.00pm.  Please contact The HSD PA for further details.