Vol 30 No 27     02 May 2025

HSD MUN Conference

On 28 and 29 March The High School held its third annual Model United Nations conference.  Hundreds of pupils from fifteen schools were welcomed on Friday evening to spend the next two days debating the views of their delegations.    

In a Model United Nations (MUN) conference every participating school is assigned a delegation.  Six to seven pupils (referred to as delegates) make up a delegation and these delegates then represent their delegation country in various topics of debate.  Debated topics are grouped into committees (for example, Disarmament and International Security, Security Council, Environmental, and Ecological).  There is no “winning” at a MUN Conference but delegates and delegations are given awards if they are seen to represent their delegation accurately, contribute to a good standard of debate, as well as simply being amiable.  

MUN is a great way for pupils to practise debating, negotiating, and teamwork.  For a group of pupils from The High School it is an opportunity to moderate debate, assist with the facilitation of the conference, and practise public speaking.  Aside from this it is a lot of fun and is one of the most friendly and welcoming communities that I know.  

The MUN calendar winds down after our conference and so for many delegates in Form 6 HSDMUN is their last conference.  This is the case for Leo and Michael—our two wonderful Secretary-Generals—who had this to say as the conference came to a close on Saturday evening:   

“In the past two years Model UN has taken off, our numbers are better than ever, and we have a confident and competent new generation of delegates who are shining examples of the spirt and passion of MUN.  I have absolutely no doubt that Michael and I are leaving Model UN at The High School in very capable hands.”  Leo Shorten 

“I am exceptionally proud of how this conference went and how much work everyone put in to make it run as smoothly as possible.  A massive thanks to everyone because none of this could have happened without the Herculean effort from everyone at The High School.  Thank you all.”  Michael Binchy 
Olivia Leonard

Junior Drama Triumph

This year Junior Drama took to the stage to perform Matilda The Musical Jr, a charming and high-energy adaptation of the beloved Roald Dahl classic.  With such a strong cast of pupils from Forms 1 to 3, it’s no surprise that the one-night-only performance sold out so quickly.  

The production was directed by Ms Forder and Ms Phillips whose dedication and commitment ensured the play ran seamlessly.  On behalf of the entire Junior Drama cast and crew, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to both of them for their guidance and support.  

What makes Junior Drama special, in my view, is the range of pupils who act, plan, and work together to bring the play to fruition.  Having been involved backstage for the past four years, it has been fascinating and rewarding to see the growth in confidence, aptitude, and talent as pupils move through the years.  It was a pleasure to work alongside all of the stagehands and cast this year while putting the play together.  Form 4 pupils play a key role in the planning and preparation of the performance, and I think I speak for all of us to say it has been a pleasure to (hopefully) be the role models we once looked up to ourselves.  

The talent and quality of performance by this year’s cast in the Junior Drama production of Matilda The Musical Jr was phenomenal.  We hope the audience enjoyed watching the play as much as we all enjoyed putting it together!  
Olivia Leonard 

TCD Foundation Scholarship

Congratulations to past pupil Tirzah Hutchinson-Edgar (HSD, 2017-23) who was elected to a Foundation Scholarship in Film Studies and Music at Trinity College, Dublin.  We offer her and all recent past pupils of The High School our warmest congratulations on their achievements and wish them every success in their academic careers.

Rugby Success

Last Saturday three talented High School pupils won the Leinster Metro U18 league final in Ollie Campbell Park. This win comes after already winning the Leinster Youth U18 league a few weeks ago! As well as their school rugby commitments, which cumulated in a first ever Girls Senior Cup Final appearance for The High School, the girls train every Wednesday evening in Terenure College RFC with their teammates from a variety of other schools, and come together with other clubs to play matches every Saturday. Congratulations to the girls on the fantastic achievement of achieving the U18s double.  We look forward to seeing them lift many more trophies on the rugby pitch in the coming years!

All Ireland Indoor Hockey Victory

Recently, the Senior Girls Hockey team participated in the Gormanston College  Indoor All Ireland Schools tournament.  The team practised using and transferring their skills from outdoor hockey into the indoor game. The squad played four pool matches, scoring some incredible goals to win all of them. This allowed our team to place first in the pool meaning we could advance straight to the final. In the final we worked very hard defending and attacking. With all of our efforts we managed to convincingly win the final 5-0 against a very strong St Andrew's College side. Hollaí McNamara Quinn was player of the tournament with her 20+ goals. This indoor tournament was a great experience and we look forward to playing in it again next season.
Zara Deacon

Leinster Junior Rugby Selection

Congratulations to Mr Barnard on his selection for the Leinster Juniors team which played Ulster in Gorey RFC. Mr Barnard came off the bench early in the second half with Leinster 22 points down and despite a brave comeback attempt Leinster lost the game 41-49 in the end. We wish Mr Barnard the best of luck in selection for the upcoming game against Munster on Saturday in Waterpark RFC.
Mr McDermott

Form 2 Cricket Success

This week the Form 2 cricket team played a fantastic match against Temple Carrig School. The High School batted first and set a strong total of 167 with standout performances from Hugo Kerr and Eli Clarke who both scored impressive half-centuries. In response, HSD restricted our opponents to just 90 runs thanks to excellent bowling across the team. Oskar Groves came close to a hat-trick, taking two wickets in two balls. It was a great all-round performance and a proud day for HSD cricket!

Agricultural Science

Before Easter we had some very special visitors at The High School thanks to Mr Langrell: four of the most adorable little lambs and their mother. Throughout the day, pupils had the chance to visit, hold, and even feed the lambs who were only around three weeks old and still drinking milk from a bottle. It was an amazing opportunity to learn about caring for animals up close. Everyone loved meeting the lambs and spending time with them, and we’re all hoping they come back for another visit soon! 
Victoria Harte and Carolina Villar

Form 2 CSPE

Recently, Form 2RP held a bake sale in aid of Focus Ireland as part of our CSPE CBA. There was a beautiful selection of sweet treats enjoyed by pupils and staff alike and it was a huge success. We also held a raffle as another component of our fundraiser for Focus Ireland. Congratulations to Ella Percy O’Brien who won a €50 Dundrum Shopping Centre voucher, Reuben Maxwell who won two tickets Leinster vs Ulster in the Aviva Stadium, and Ms Wilson who won an Ireland rugby jersey signed by the whole team. The bake sale and the raffle combined raised €860 for our charity! A big thank you from all of Form 2RP to Mr McDermott and Mr Brennan who organised the signed Ireland jersey as well as Mr Malin who supplied the tickets to the Aviva. Thank you to all the staff in the cafeteria for supplying gloves and benches for the bake sale, to Ms Phillips for pulling the winning raffle tickets, and the Bursar for supplying the card machine which immensely boosted the sale of raffle tickets. The biggest thank you to Ms Fitzgerald for supporting this whole project - we couldn’t have done it without her.
Charlie Leonard  

Form 3 French

Pupils in Form 3 French participated in an educational game of bowls recently—and we couldn’t have asked for better weather. With the sun shining brightly, it felt just like a day in France. It was a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and practise some French along the way!
Ms Lally and Ms Roullet

Form 4 Media Studies

In Form 4 Media Studies, pupils created an online internet safety poster campaign, applying their understanding of key elements of graphic design. Drawing inspiration from historical styles and techniques used by the masters of the early 20th century that they studied in class, they created eye-catching messages promoting safe and responsible use of the internet.

Form 1 French 

Congratulations to the winners of the Form 1 French poster competition, La maison de mes rêves (The House of My Dreams)! Pupils created imaginative and beautifully designed posters showcasing their dream homes using the French vocabulary and grammar they’ve been learning in class. Félicitations à tous!
Ms Lally

Summer Concert

The High School Summer Concert will take place on Wednesday 14 May in The Reynolds Hall. All are very welcome to this free event. 
Ms Bourke and Ms Phillips

HSD PA Summer Event

Join us for The High School Parents' Association end of year social! Come for an evening filled with fun, food, refreshments, and tunes at our Summer BBQ on Friday 16 May. Don't miss this chance to connect. Save the date now!

When: Friday 16 May at 7.00 pm

Where: The High School

What: Catered BBQ with a pay bar (one meal included per ticket) and DJ

How: Tickets are €25 each and available here.