Vol 28 No 11      18 Nov 2022

Remembrance at The High School

Every year Senior Prefects at The High School attend the national service of commemoration at St Patrick's Cathedral on Remembrance Sunday.  This year was no different: Mr Forrest, Moya Quigley (Head Girl), Tirzah Hutchinson Edgar (Deputy Head Girl), Matteo Sanvito (Deputy Head Boy), and I represented our school to commemorate all those who have died in conflict.  The congregation included the President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins, Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy, and Ukrainian Ambassador Gerasko Larysa.  After a ceremonial laying of wreaths the Revd Canon David Oxley gave a sermon which quoted J.R.R. Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring: “I wish it need not have happened in my time”, said Frodo.  “So do I”, said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times.  But that is not for them to decide.  All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us”.
Following the service, the five of us received an unexpected but serendipitous invitation: tea at the Deanery!  The Deanery is the residence of the Very Revd William Morton, Dean and Ordinary of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.  It quickly became apparent to us that we were not the first to be invited as we realised that President Michael D. Higgins was there too!  He greeted us warmly and shook each of our hands.  The entire experience was surreal and none of us would have ever predicted it.  We are all immensely grateful for this experience, which we will surely not forget for a long time!  You can learn more about past pupils of The High School who died during the First World War here.
Gary Meaney
Head Boy

Senior Play Triumph

Five Mondays, eleven Tuesdays and Wednesdays, two Thursdays, eight Fridays, ten Saturdays, and three spectacular nights were spent planning, rehearsing, and performing our senior production of Legally Blonde The Musical which was performed to a total audience of about 800 people between 10-12 November..  Although the production run has ended now, this experience has been something that each and every one of us is going to remember forever.  The story of Elle Woods and her journey attending Harvard Law has never been so heart-warming.  Thanks are due to Mr Milofsky for bringing this special group of people together to work on an even more special production.  We’re so grateful!  Each song, dance, scene and every individual line was adored and cared for by our cast and crew. The reaction we received from the audience reminded us of all the effort we put in, and why we loved doing what we did over the past three months.  From casually blocking out scenes in the beginning of September to rehearsing with costume, lights, and sound before the opening night the show brought us all closer and has been a fantastic opportunity and experience.  There was never a dull moment on or off stage!
Daisy Kirk-Gillham

Religious Education

On Monday 14 November our Leaving Certificate Religious Education teacher Ms Hutchinson-Edgar arranged for us to meet with seven members of the Dublin City Interfaith Forum.  Our guests came from multiple major world religions, encompassing Hindu, Buddhism, Orthodox Judaism, Progressive Judaism, Orthodox Christianity, and Bahá'í.  The purpose of this meeting was to learn about these religions via a committed believer in each of them.  Furthermore, we were able to ask our guests general questions about their faiths in order to truly understand what their religions taught and what they were about overall.  When they were introducing themselves to our class, they one by one succinctly spoke about what their faith was, what the main tenets of their faiths were, and what other teachings were manifested in their religious traditions.  Out of the many questions asked, the most enthralling of all was the views that the faiths had about morals, ethics, and sin in their religions. They kindly answered our questions in great depth which I found to be very enlightening.  Overall, I found this meeting to be a wonderful privilege.  It was a wonderful way for us to understand these faiths better and opened our eyes to how rich the world is in its assortment of different faiths and traditions. 
Alex Gordon

Form 1 Rugby Blitz

Last week thirty of our Form 1 pupils participated in a rugby blitz.  They had a thrilling day of sport and won almost every game.  Well done, everyone!
Ms Garland

Form 5 Agricultural Science

A month ago Agricultural Science was introduced as a new Leaving Certificate subject at The High School.  The class began with just a few people but has since grown to ten pupils.  We have been learning about crops and different farm animals.   A few weeks ago we planted crops which you can see growing in raised beds on the school campus.  These crops include cabbage, lettuce, garlic, stubble turnips, and winter barley.  The last time these crops were planted in Danum was probably in the 1960s when the school grounds was still a dairy farm.  We all played a part in planting the crops under the guidance of Mr Langrell.  Some of us prepared the seedbed while others broadcast the seed and others fitted nets to the raised bed so rabbits and foxes cannot devour the seedlings after they germinate.  All in all it’s been a very exciting and fun few weeks in Agricultural Science.
Tom Whelan

Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal

The Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal has been incredibly successful this year.   Over sixty Form 4 pupils volunteered to spread the word on how pupils and staff can help this brilliant cause.  Every day for three weeks there were pupils outside The Reynolds Hall at every break collecting donations for Team Hope and handing out leaflets outlining how to make a shoebox.  This week the shoeboxes were collected and loaded onto a van and brought to the Team Hope warehouse where we hope they will begin their journey to give vulnerable children a very happy Christmas.
Ava Deacon

Media Studies

Recently pupils in Form 4 visited the archives of The Erasmus Smith Trust as part of their Media Studies class.  They learned about the history of The High and Diocesan School and were given access to some old black and white photographs which they made copies of.  Then they returned to the Computer Room and colourised the images using online software.  The results are quite impressive.  Seeing these old black and white photographs in full colour brought them to life for the pupils and helped them to identify with faces from years gone by.
Ms Burrowes

Form 1 Wood Technology

Form 1 pupils studying Wood Technology have finished their first project of the academic year: a simple yet modern phone holder design includes a slot for the charger.  Over the past few weeks they have been learning how to utilize the hand tools and machines that are used to make the cross halving joints that form the piece.  They have also tried some pyography - burning individual designs on the wood.  This project is a fine example of STEM activity at The High School and was completed just in time for Science Week.  Well done, everyone!
Mr Kingston

Form 1 Hockey Cup Win

The High School Minor A team played Donabate Community College in first round of the Minor Cup.  The match in Donabate became very tactical especially in the second half.  The match finished 5-1 with all the HSD goals scored in the first half.  The main focus of the match was keeping possession and recycling the ball.  The work rate of both teams was very good and the Minor A squad now proceeds to the second round of the cup.
Ellie Kirkpatrick

Form 1 Hockey

The High School Form 1 hockey B team played Kilkenny Collage on Wednesday.  Everyone had a great time representing the school. The final score was a High School victory: 5-1.  Everyone got game time and at the end we congratulated one another. 
Séamus Walsh-Kimmis 

Science Week Activity

Tuesday, lunchtime.  The atmosphere in the Gymnasium is electric.  Chatter fills the air; I can practically taste the excitement.  The spectacle responsible for this hubbub was, of course, The High School's inaugural Ultimate Paper Airplane Showdown.  Spearheaded by Ms Thorp and Mr Hilliard this event was the second (and most anticipated) fixture of Science Week; a contest to determine who could engineer the paper airplane that would fly the furthest.   At 1.30 pm, pupils from Forms 5 and 6 flocked to the Gymnasium in droves, each with an aircraft of their own making.  Ultimately, Nicholas Rus's entry would soar to victory, flying a staggering 18.2 metres.  Two pupils from Form 6 (pictured below) joined him on the podium with second- and third-furthest throws.
Gary Meaney (Head Boy)

Rugby Team of the Month