Vol 28 No 07     14 Oct 2022

HSD Debutante Ball - Class of 2022

Last week our most recent graduates, parents, and teachers joined together for the HSD Debutante Ball.  This event is a very special one, marking the end of six wonderful years at The High School.  Pupils took a break from their hectic lives to gather one last time as the class of 2022, dressed in their finest attire and looking radiant.  They spoke of new courses and new friends, and how much they missed The High School.  A fresh-faced freshman told me, 'Sometimes you have to leave a place to realise just how special it is: The High School really is a pretty special place.'   We wish them happiness and good health, and whatever their futures hold we hope that they remember us fondly as we do them for many years to come.
Ms Burrowes

TERMUN 2022

Model United Nations (MUN) is where pupils come to emulate real world United Nation procedures and resolutions.  We attended a conference at a local school last weekend.  With many pupils attending from across the country we knew it would be a fun weekend.  After a slightly rocky start the respective committees debate their own resolutions, deciding if it is good enough to debate in front of everyone.  One resolution is selected from every committee to debate as a larger group.  The High School committee had several strong resolutions submitted by experienced delegates with a few pupils chairing committees.  The chairs had the responsibility of maintaining order and running the conference smoothly.  At General Assembly meetings the committees come together to debate their resolutions, make speeches, and mull over the resolution before finally deciding its fate.  The conferences are a fun experience with many participants, giving pupils a chance to meet new people and practise their public speaking skills while having fun.  I wholeheartedly recommend joining the MUN after-school club - just for fun or as a way to learn more about the United Nations. Why not give it a try? Please contact Mr Scanlon or Ms Maher if you are interested. 
Aadya Vig

Honey Jar Design Competition

Congratulations to everyone who entered our The High School Honey Jar Design Competition.  We asked pupils to design a label for the school honey jars and we were delighted by the response.  Pupils domonstrated impressive artistic talent and keen design skills, making it very difficult to select an outright winner. A shortlist was compiled and this week teachers began voting on their favourite honey label. Ultimately, the winner was chosen - congratulations to Veronica Stroie whose cheerful blue and yellow design, and bee caricature stole our hearts.  Well done, Veronica and all our wonderful designers who participated in the competition.

Senior Geography Field Trip

Last week pupils in all Form 6 Geography classes went on a field trip to Shankill beach to carry out our Leaving Certificate fieldwork project.  The task this year was to investigate the role played by the processes of transportation and deposition on the formation of one landform in a coastal setting.  We chose to focus our investigation on the landform of a beach. We chose Shankill as it offered us the ideal setting to carry out our experiments.  It was a great day out for everyone, and it gave us a good opportunity to get a first-hand look at what we are learning about in class.  We got ideal weather conditions and we successfully carried out all our experiments. It was a great opportunity to develop our field skills.  Everyone is all set now to get started on our Leaving Certificate research projects.  Thank you to Ms Fallon, Ms Gray, and Mr Rankin for organising the trip and helping with our fieldwork experiments.
Zoe Robertson

Form 4 Media Studies

As part of the Form 4 Media Studies module pupils had to create a digital landing page to advertise Space Week at The High School.  Pupils used Canva - the online graphic design tool - to complete the project.  They began by watching a short instructional video and then completed their projects using the graphic design tropes traditionally associated with the aesthetics of space and space travel.  The pieces they created are quite impressive.  Here are just a few examples of their work.  Well done, everyone!
Ms Burrowes

Black History Month

Katherine Johnson was the first African American woman to be hired by NASA.  In her autobiography 'Reaching for The Moon', Katherine tells us about her childhood as a highly talented and gifted child, how she she skipped several grades and worked extremely hard for what she wanted in life.  She enjoyed counting and she had a deep passion for mathematics.  Later in her life she became one of the most important people working in NASA.  I really enjoyed how she explains her adventure in immense detail and how she dealt with the dual challenges of  being a black person and a woman in an unequal society.  In my opinion she is a clever, brave woman who was not afraid to stand up for her rights, no matter the consequences. This makes this book a great read especially for Space Week during Black History Month!  Copies of this book are available to borrow from The W.B. Yeats Library at The High School.
Nicole Zisengwe  

Rugby Team of the Month

Minor A Hockey Success

Congratulations to members of the Minor A team who defeated Wesley College 3-0 in their first League match last Saturday.  It was an amazing game of hockey played by a group of very talented players.  This team is one to watch in future tournaments and we wish the every success in their next League match.
Ms Gray

Senior Drama

It's almost time for this year's Senior Play.  Tickets go on sale next Monday - 17 October - at break and lunch times.  Chat with your friends and choose a night that suits you best.  An evening at the Senior Play is one of the highlights of the school calendar so get your ticket early to avoid missing out!
Mr Milofsky

Form 2 Geography 

Form 2 Geography are learning all about Settlements which borrows from their  knowledge of the first settlers in Ireland which they have studied in History class. This is a wonderful example of cross-curricular learning.  Pupils have been thoughtfully planning and designing their own towns - next to rivers on flood plains, beside mountains for protection, and deciding if the settlement should be north, south, east or west facing!
Ms Gray

HSD Parents' Association AGM

The High School Parents' Association Committee has scheduled its Annual General Meeting for Thursday 27 October from 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm followed by refreshments.  An email from the Committee with further details has been sent to all parents and guardians so please check your inboxes.  The meeting will be held in person at The High School and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible there.
The HSD PA Committee