Vol 30 No 09     25 Oct 2024

Happy Hallowe'en!

As we approach half term, it is fitting to reflect on the past nine weeks which have been full of lively lessons and fun after-school activities, where staff and pupils have shown real commitment to teaching and learning at its finest.  It is important to take a moment to recognise all this hard work—well done, everyone!

Just a quick reminder: when we return to school on 2 November, pupils will need to switch to their winter uniforms, so please ensure everyone is prepared as we move into the colder months.  Half term is also the perfect opportunity to organise a shoebox for the Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal if you're planning to contribute or donate.  And don’t forget—the Senior Play, Fame, will run from 7 to 9 November, so be sure to make a note in your calendar and buy your tickets as soon as school recommences to avoid disappointment!

We wish everyone a relaxing and enjoyable break, and we look forward to welcoming you back to school, recharged and ready for more learning!

HSD Swimming Victory

We are thrilled to announce that The High School swimmers took first place in the overall medals table at the gala in Athy on Monday 7 October, claiming an outstanding 9 gold, 4 silver, and 5 bronze medals.  This remarkable achievement highlights the hard work and dedication of our team as they competed fiercely against 20 other schools and in over 70 race heats.

In the girls’ events, Mia Good won gold in the 50m freestyle, with Erin Flashman taking bronze. In the 50m backcrawl, Chloe McCreedy secured gold and Katie Buckley earned silver. Erin Flashman also claimed gold in the 50m breaststroke, alongside Rachel Quinn, who won bronze, and Grace Leonard, who took another gold. Katie Buckley excelled in the 50m fly, earning gold, while Lucy Micks and Laura Geraghty both received bronze medals. In the 100m individual medley, Rachel Quinn and Laura Geraghty each took home a gold medal.

On the boys’ side, Danylo Prokhorov competed in multiple events, with notable performances across the board. He swam in the 50m freestyle and backstroke, showing strong efforts in both races. Danylo earned gold in the 50m breaststroke, joined by Daniel Collins, who also won gold in the event. Danylo then secured silver in the 50m fly and finished with a bronze medal in the 100m individual medley.

This tremendous performance showcases the depth of talent at The High School. We wish our swimmers continued success as they prepare for their next gala in December.  It’s never too late to start swimming!  All pupils are welcome to join on Tuesday evenings at Terenure pool.  Please see Ms Jones for further details.
Ms Jones

LGBTQ+ Quality Mark

The core ethos of The High School has always been one that readily embraces our diversity and promote the inclusion of all. We are by tradition and culture a welcoming community of learning for all pupils and staff.  Statistically, in Ireland 6-10% of young people may identify as LGBTQ+. In a class of 25 pupils, 2 may be LGBTQ+, in a school of 500, 40 pupils may identify as members of this community (Source: Dooley, B, O’Connor, C, Fitzgerald, A, & O’Reilly, A (2020). My World Survey 2: National Study of Youth Mental Health in Ireland. Jigsaw and UCD School of Psychology.) As such, they are an important part of who we are.

The Board of Management at The High School has recently supported the registration of the school with the BelongTo national LGBTQ+ Quality Mark scheme. This scheme, supported by government, the school management bodies and the teacher unions, provides a comprehensive approach to developing an LGBTQ+ safe and supportive school that includes:

• Ensuring that staff are equipped to support LGBTQ+ pupils.
• Creating a supportive and inclusive school culture and environment.
• Encouraging pupils to share their opinions and ideas on how to create a safe and supportive school.
• Developing and implementing effective school policies and plans.
• Implementing a curriculum that supports diversity and respect.
• Working with parents, community organisations, and other local LGBTQ+ youth projects or groups to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion.

As a school, we launched the project to obtain the quality mark this week during Assembly. The process will take 18 months and will be co-ordinated by Ms Forder, Mr Whiteside, and Mr Tobin supported by a working group made up of additional teaching staff and pupils. The project will require a number of actions to be undertaken by the school over the next year or so in order to be eligible to apply for the Quality Mark. A first step was the recent participation of staff in an e-learning training module as part of our recent staff training day. The next step is a process of whole school self-assessment (Board of Management, Staff, Pupils, Parents/Guardians) to map where we are in terms of our journey towards accreditation. This will affirm the things we already do well and also identify areas for development and improvement. This survey will be repeated at the end of the process to assess our progress. The first survey for staff, pupils, parents/guardians, and school management will issue after the half term break. We would very much appreciate your engagement with this process and to complete the survey when you receive it. We look forward to working with you as parent/guardians and other school community members over the next few months to achieve this goal together and thank you in advance for your support.

Leaving Certificate French

On Thursday 17 October myself and other pupils who study Leaving Certificate French took part in a Multilingualism and Language Learning Opportunities course run by the European Commission.  We got to hear from many different European Commission linguists.  We got to hear all about multilingualism, learning languages, and new opportunities.  They shared their experiences about how languages have impacted their lives.  At the end of the course we were put into breakout rooms and were allowed to ask the linguists questions to better understand what the job is like.  Overall it was a great learning experience and an amazing way to discover all the opportunities surrounding modern languages.
Helen Meade

Form 6 Politics and Society

On Thursday October, Form 6 pupils studying Politics and Society were honoured with a visit from Mr Art O'Leary, a distinguished figure in Irish public life.  Mr O'Leary engaged the pupils on a broad range of topics, including his role in organising the Citizens' Assembly, his diplomatic travels to meet world leaders, and his decade-long tenure as secretary-general to President Michael D Higgins.  His work with the Electoral Commission also provided pupils the opportunity to pose insightful questions on recent and forthcoming elections as well as his professional experiences.  Mr O'Leary offered a comprehensive perspective on the inner workings of Irish politics, addressing questions that extended well beyond the scope of the Leaving Certificate curriculum.
Daniel Moane

Black History Month

Black History Month, a time to unite, 
To honour the journey, the struggle, the fight. 
We celebrate leaders, the bold and the brave, 
Their legacies echo, from the past to today. 
With stories of triumph, resilience, and pride, 
We lift up their voices and stand by their side. 

At school, we're buzzing with activities bright— 
A poetry contest where words take flight. 
An art competition, where creativity flows, 
A potluck of dishes where our culture glows. 
And don’t miss the Black Power Quiz, 
Find the symbol, claim your prize—it’s all in the mix! 
Aoife Adetona 

Senior Rugby Success

Congratulations to the Senior XV girls rugby team who secured their third consecutive victory in the Leinster League this week at Clondalkin RFC!

Ireland Air Quality Campaign

Form 4 Geography pupils have been busy taking part in the GLOBE Air Quality project.  Over 200 schools around Ireland are taking part in the NASA sponsored project to assess traffic-related air pollution.  Each school has received three  tubes to measure nitrogen dioxide outside their school.  The pupils did a brilliant job of mapping their best locations for the tubes and installing them in the chosen locations: one beside Orwell Road, one near the car park, and one beside the Gymnasium.  We're looking forward to seeing the results and comparing them to other schools in Dublin and across Ireland!
Ms Wilson

Dublin City Interfaith Forum 

On Tuesday 30 April our Religious Education (RE) teacher, Ms Hutchinson Edgar organised the annual Dublin City Interfaith Forum (DCIF) visit for our RE class. Founded in 2012, DCIF aims to foster a positive and progressive space for people of all faiths to build important relationships with organisations and residents across Dublin.  DCIF’s diverse community includes members of the Bahá'í, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, and Jewish faiths, among many others. Initially, I thought the discussion would mainly focus on our upcoming Leaving Certificate projects and the Religious Education curriculum in Ireland, but we ended up talking about a multitude of topics and challenges that the Interfaith Forum faces.

I began the discussion by asking whether the Irish government and committees ever consult DCIF on legislation relating to religious diversity and faith, such as the recent hate crime bill, and whether they are increasingly asked for input due to the rise in right-wing politics and Islamophobic or anti-immigrant sentiments.  I learned that, yes, the Irish government does reach out to DCIF regarding legislation and passing bills.  They also acknowledged that the rise in Islamophobia, antisemitism, and anti-immigrant beliefs has been accelerated by social media. While DCIF feels represented by the Irish government to some extent, they wish for more regular conferences and improved communication, rather than occasional meetings.

Social media and its connection to the rise in prejudice toward religious communities became the focus of much of the discussion.  Reverend Myozan Kodo Kilroy, the founding teacher of Zen Buddhism Ireland and president of the Irish Buddhist Union, pointed out that bigotry has always existed, but online forums have amplified the voices of those who would otherwise not be heard.  It is only now, through the internet, that we realise the extent of the discrimination minority groups face on a daily basis.

One of the pupils asked about conflict and disagreements within the forum.  The representatives collectively agreed that there was little to no disagreement in the group.  Paul, a Roman Catholic priest, shared his experience in the Philippines, where he worked to bridge the gap between the Islamic and Christian communities.

Hilary Abrahamson, a representative of the Jewish Progressive Community, shared that the first reference to Jewish people in Ireland dates back to 1079, when the monks of the Annals of Inisfallen recorded that five Jews came bearing gifts for the King of Munster but were sent back.  Hilary also mentioned that on the census, there was no box for ‘Judaism,’ so she had to select the ‘Other’ category. This is because of the significant decline in the Jewish population in Ireland.  The census also showed a decrease in people identifying with religion overall but an increase in religious diversity across the country.

Overall, the Dublin City Interfaith Forum demonstrated that, despite the bigotry found online and in the real world, we can overcome it through open discussions like this.  By building mutual understanding, we can celebrate the uniqueness and diversity that exists in Dublin!
Freya Sykes

Form 4 Cultural Excursion

Recently, pupils in Form 4 enjoyed an exciting scavenger hunt through Dublin’s city centre.  The year group was divided into three teams, with two forms in each. Starting points were set for 10.00 am at various iconic locations—Dublin City Hall, Christ Church Cathedral, and Bewley’s Café.  Pupils were encouraged to make their own way to the starting points as part of Form 4's focus on fostering independence.

The objective of the scavenger hunt was to visit ten different landmarks within about an hour with the task repeated twice more throughout the day.  These landmarks ranged from well-known spots like Ha'penny Bridge and the Spire to Trinity College.  Our group began at Dublin City Hall.  At each landmark, we took a "selfie" as proof of our visit, and we were also given questions to answer about the history and significance of the sites.  We recorded our answers on worksheets provided at the start of the day.

The weather was ideal for the activity—unseasonably warm for an October morning.  During the lunch break, many pupils enjoyed a meal at local fast food restaurants.  The day concluded around 3.00 pm with everyone once again making their own way home.  Overall, it was a fun and informative outing, where we not only learned more about the history of the city and its landmarks, but also enjoyed a fantastic day out with friends.
Gethin Kelleher and Fionnan Coyle 

Form 1 Rugby

Congratulations to our Form 1 girls who triumphed over Wesley College in a fancy dress rugby blitz at HSD on Monday!

Home Economics at Hallowe'en

In the lead-up to Hallowe'en, pupils studying Home Economics have been especially creative, carving pumpkins, and preparing spooky treats. Form 1 pupils put together a particularly impressive selection of Hallowe'en-themed cakes as part of a class competition to see who could design the best Hallowe'en cupcake. Mr Hanan was kind enough to drop by and judge the winning creation adding excitement to the competition.

It was a fun and festive way to celebrate the season with pupils showcasing both their culinary skills and creativity.  We hope pupils and their families get to enjoy these colourful treats and everyone has a wonderful Hallowe'en!
Ms Bergin