Vol 29 No 06     06 Oct 2023

Form 1 Outdoor Activities

On Tuesday 3 October pupils in Form 1 went on a bonding day to Causey Farm, to help us get to know each other better.  We had a brilliant day.  The first thing we did was split into groups: the Adventurous Alpacas, the Brave Bees, the Courageous Cows, and the Daring Ducks! Next, my group - the Daring Ducks - went to see the animals.  We petted chickens and fed grass to horses.  Then having washed our hands we had lunch.  After that we made brown bread from fresh farm ingredients.  The aroma was enticing.  Then we tried The Haunted Corn Maze, which consisted of a path in a corn field with little huts containing stuffed "bodies" inside them.  At intervals, the path ran above an area of trampolines.  We also passed through a series of tunnels with three different levels: easy, medium, and difficult.  We had to wriggle ourselves through them which was a tight squeeze in places.  One of the most exciting parts though was when we travelled in the trailor of a tractor which brought us to a brilliantly oozy, sticky bog.  And we jumped in! Again and again.  Some got stuck which was very funny and even some teachers joined in.  It was so much fun.  The whole day was a great success and everyone was exhausted on the bus journey home.  We'd definitely return.  Thanks to all our teachers who joined us on the bonding day, especially those who joined us in the bog!
Dylan Thompson and Ella Fitzsimons

Junior Rugby Bonding Trip

On 2 October the junior girls rugby team went to Gorey on a bonding trip.  Here we completed an obstacle course/mud run, played crazy golf in Pirates Cove, and enjoyed pizza for lunch.  We travelled down to Gorey in a small bus.  We left at 9.00 am from the school and got back later that day at 4.30 pm.  We had to bring a spare change of clothes because we all got a bit muddy and wet crossing a river!  The water was freezing at the start but everyone warmed up quickly because it was just a dip.  It was pretty hard to get up the vertical wall using only a rope, but luckily there was someone to help us up over the top.  Everyone helped one another and we kept each other going.  There was much singing on the bus down to Gorey and on the way back too.  It was such a worthwhile day: I felt much closer to everyone by the end of it because we bonded as a team.  We had so many challenges to complete; we spent lots of time together.  We had so much fun and made great memories with our new team mates!
Esme Fowler

Chess Tournament Success

Congratulations to The High School Chess Club who entered three teams into the St Andrew’s College Chess Tournament on Monday 25 September.  Over five hundred pupils from over forty schools participated in the largest tournament ever held in the school.  One hundred and three teams each with four players took part in what was a fantastic exhibition of Dublin’s most enthusiastic and gifted chess players.  Our senior team of William Wu, Nicolas Rus, Stefan Maier, and Conor Reilly had an excellent run, coming 4th place out of 103 teams!  Well done to our other contestants - Darryl Ng, Daniel Fu, Cheney Chen, Danylo Prokhorov, Finn Leonard, Finn Stenson, James Reilly, and Alan Thomson for doing a fantastic job on their first ever chess tournament.  Chess Club is run by Ms MacGowan.  New players are very welcome to join.  Please get in touch if you are interested.
Ms MacGowan

Form 1 Hockey Blitz

On 4 October Form 1 girl's hockey teams went to Kilkenny for an exciting blitz against Kilkenny College.  We won five matches, drew two, and only lost one!  In the end we were very pleased with ourselves; we hope to do the same in the future! 
Jessica Millar

Form 4 Gaisce Hike

Just a few days shy of International Hobbit Day, a fellowship of High School pupils and staff bid farewell to the suburbs and made their way to the summit of Djouce Mountain, a steep climb off the Wicklow Way trail.  This is the first in a series of challenges that pupils in Form 4 must complete as part of An Gaisce/The President's Award.  Dressed in suitable attire, they form a long line, silhouetted against the sky. No blustering wind or low lying cloud could deter this band of happy hikers.  All along the dim, misty mountain, the sound of High School voices rang out, telling stories of adventures had and yet to come, dreaming of their journey's end.  A chill wind circled the summit while pupils enjoyed a long-expected rest, feasting on second breakfast until the food ran out and it was time to move on.  One clear voice rising above the others descried the dragon-shaped cumulus cloud heading their way, but Mr Rankin dispelled their fears with one stern look. High spirits soon returned with the promise of a glowing fire and warm, dry bed and the party of friends set off once again. The challenging descent was over in half the time just as a soft rain began to fall. Weary wanderers one and all, they bid farewell to the majestic mountain taking the south road home, tired but content to have made it there and back again, just in time for supper.
Ms Burrowes

Senior Basketball 

Last Wednesday The High School Senior Basketball team came head to head with St Louis High School which turned out to be a terrific battle of skills.  Though the result was ultimately not in their favour the senior girls enjoyed the competition and are looking forward to playing their next game in the near future.
Mrs Murdoch

Form 2 Rugby Hike

Form 2 rugby players enjoyed a hike to Ticknock on Wednesday as part of a team building activity.  Great fun was had by all.

HSD PA AGM

The HSD Parents' Association Committee has scheduled the 2023 AGM for Tuesday 24 October at 7.30pm - 8.30pm in the Demonstration Theatre followed by refreshments.  As well as the normal agenda this year there is also a proposal to change one section of the HSD PA Constitution, specifically the number of parent members of the HSD Parents' Association General Committee from twelve to fifteen.  The proposed amendment is driven by the idea that we should aim to have two representatives from each year group and also, the larger cohort of pupils coming through Forms 1-4 justifies a broader membership on the committee. Furthermore, the Board of Management is currently reviewing membership of the four Board sub-committees and it is likely that HSD PA representation will increase from one to two members per sub-committee.  We look forward to seeing you. Further information is available from 
committee@hsdparentsassociation.com
The HSD PA Committee

Higher Options Education Exposition

Last month Form 6 pupils attended the Higher Options Education Exposition at the Royal Dublin Society.  Pupils enjoyed one-to-one conversations with college representatives and information bodies in addition to a full programme of talks.  It was a very worthwhile experience for all who attended.

Zion Parish Harvest Supper

Traditional Irish Music Group

P.S.  If you have some information or news that you think we could feature in our school newsletter, please let us know.  Click here to get in touch.
Ms Burrowes 
Communications Coordinator