Vol 26 No 24     30 Apr 2021

Form 3 Outdoor Events

This week pupils in Form 3 spent an afternoon enjoying outdoor activites in beautiful sunny weather. Pupils participated in athletics track and field events including long jump, shot putt, and relay races.  There was a delicious lunch followed by ice cream and everyone went home happy and refreshed after a day spent in the open air.  Thanks to all those who entered the many events and helped make the day such a great success. 
Ms Fallon

European Youth Parliament (EYP) Conference 

Over the Easter holidays, three pupils from The High School attended a European Youth Parliament (EYP) conference.  It was a four-day long conference. The conference involved pupils being allocated to different committees.  Each committee was given different global issues to discuss and solve.  I thought this would be difficult due to the session being held online, but we had great fun talking to each other and playing games such as Gartic Phone and Scribbl.io. 
When each group was divided into committees we had an opportunity to work on our proposals.  Each committee was given a series of real-life problems people across Europe are facing and we had to come up with ways to solve them.  Every evening we had fun activities to do such as a Bob Ross painting night and quiz night.  On the Saturday and Sunday we participated in open debates with all the different committees coming together to discuss our solutions and we started the General Assembly.  Then there was a closing ceremony to wrap up the course.  This was a fantastic experience and I would recommend any pupil from Forms 4 – 6 to take part next year.
Ms Lowry

Form 4 Cultural Outing

Taking advantage of the fine weather Form 4 History classes walked along the Dodder to the medieval pack-horse bridge at Milltown.  It is called a pack-horse bridge because of its narrowness and the recess at mid-point for pedestrians to stand in if horses were oncoming.  It is reputed to be the oldest bridge in Dublin south of the Liffey.  Stone was also quarried here for the building of Christ Church Cathedral.  Refreshments were had and all pupils returned before the end of the school day.
Mr Irwin

Technovation Prize

I took part in the Technovation programme run by Teen Turn.  The task was to create an app that solved a social issue related to at least one of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. I took part in this programme with my friend from another school. We chose to do this together to lessen the workload and capitalise on each other’s strengths: mine being the business and marketing side of the app, and hers being the coding aspect of the app.  Our app is called Find Your Bind! a non-profit book exchange app that features solely BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) authors.  The app will not only help the world to see an accurate portrayal of BIPOC people and their cultures but will also cut back on waste by reusing old books thus reducing our carbon footprint. 
With the recent closure of libraries and book shops along with the increasing number of conversations about racism in society, our app aims to promote a positive image of BIPOC people and bring solutions to the reduced access to books in this challenging time.  For twelve weeks we learnt new skills and compiled them together to create this app.  On the 24 April we pitched our app to the judges at Teen Turn and ended up winning the grand prize in the senior division of €1000.  
Omowumi Obi

Form 4 Enterprise

Form 4 Enterprise pupils enjoyed a virtual class this week with Matthew Williamson.  Matthew is a corporate director with more than 25 years experience in top-tier international financial services firms with extensive board experience and a deep understanding of investment having worked in fund administration, finance, risk and compliance. He has worked in Ireland, Luxembourg and the Middle East.  It was great to hear about Matthew's first-hand experience of the world of finance and how his career developed over 25 years. 
Mr Fitzpatrick

Parish Fête

HSD Parents' Association

Many thanks to The High School Parents' Association who provided delicious treats for all pupils in recognition of their resilience during the Spring Term.  We really appreciate this gesture of kindness from valued members of the school community.