Vol 27 No 17     11 Feb 2022

All Ireland School Boys Championship 

On Wednesday 2 February The High School Senior 1 team travelled to Wallace High School for their final All Ireland School Boys championship group stage match. The High School had to win the match to reach the semi-finals.  We won a short corner early on but were unable to score.  Wallace came back and also won a short corner; they managed to score from it and took a 1-0 lead.  It was a back and forth game at half time.  In the second half  Wallace won another short corner giving them a 2-0 lead.  It wasn't until the fourth quarter that we won our second short corner which was scored by Ben Pasley.  This brought the match to 2-1.  Marcus Empey scored the second goal for The High School which brought it to 2-2.  Unfortunately it was too little too late and the game finished 2-2.  It was a tough result but hopefully we can improve and win in our other competitions.  We are especially looking forward to facing Wesley College in the semi-finals of the Leinster Senior Cup.
Charles Beatty and Ben Pasley

Claudia Tierney Cup

Congratulations to the Senior 1 hockey team who have secured a place in the coveted Claudia Tierney Cup.  The High School were 1-0 down against Rathdown School in the first quarter then scored in the final quarter to equalise the match which was just enough to qualify for the semi-final.  We are looking forward to a competitive match on 2 March and hope to see lots of HSD supporters there to cheer the team to victory.

Student Council

As members of the Student Council we have been working hard this year to listen to pupils and voice their opinions. The last few years have been challenging for all of us and from a pupil perspective we have been focused on ways to make the school experience as normal as possible for everyone.  A priority for Form 5 and 6 pupils is looking at options that could lead to access to the Senior Common Room.  Restrictions have made this difficult but we hope in the near future this will become a possibility.  Another issue we have been lobbying for is more accessible gender neutral toilets.  So far we have tried to spread awareness and the Bursar has provided better signage for these facilities which we think is a positive step in the right direction.  We also work closely with the Green Schools Committee to address environmental issues with the Senior Management Team.  We think it is important that the two groups are linked to ensure that there are regular communication opportunities for school management and pupil representatives to discuss issues that are important to us.  There are many things on the agenda for the rest of the year that reflect pupils'  ideas about ways to make our school the best it can be.  If you have an issue that you would like us to raise please contact your Student Council representative or any member of the Council.
Alexandra Lenihan and Ena ní Fhoghlú 

Leaving Certificate Registration

The Candidate Self Service Portal (CSSP) is a one-stop-shop for a range on online services for Leaving Certificate candidates.  The CSSP will be used again for the 2022 Leaving Certificate so that candidates can confirm their examination entry details and access other services such as results and appeals.  The portal opened at 12.00 pm on Thursday 3 February for candidates to confirm their subject entries and levels.  It will remain open for this purpose until 5.00 pm on Friday 11 February.  It is essential that candidates register through the CSSP to confirm their subject choice and levels, to allow future access to their results, and to apply for the appeals process.   Click here to log in. 

Form 1 Geography

Form 1 Geography at The High School is paired with a farm in Co Roscommon called Hilltop Dairies which is an initiative organised through the Airfield Estate.   Every couple of weeks Farmer Jennifer dials in on Zoom and shows us around her farm.  It has been a great way to see how the Hilltop Dairies are surviving issues such as adverse weather events, inflation, and increased demand for vegan food. Hilltop Dairies are currently in the middle of calving.   Last week we were given the opportunity to name an adorable newborn calf on 4 February - our class decided on the name Sully!  The class thought that it suited the playful little calf perfectly!  The calf - along with many others - was born a few days earlier than expected.  Jennifer (the owner of the dairy farm) and her husband had been preparing for their cows to calve and it was wonderful when we discovered on arrival to our Geography class that we would be allowed to name such a beautiful animal! 
Lauryn Doyle

St Valentine's Day Charity Event

Preparations are well under way for the special St Valentine’s Day celebrations that are taking place in the school on Friday 18 February.  Form 4 pupils are raising awareness and much needed funds for Breast Cancer Ireland by organising St Valentine's Day post for everyone in the school community.   People can pay a small fee for personalised cards.  The 18 February will be a non-uniform day  so everyone is asked to bring in a minimum donation of €2 for Breast Cancer Ireland.

Junior Drama

This week marked the beginning of rehearsals for this year’s Junior Play.  Until now Form 4 pupils had been running a Junior Drama Club after school with activities including drama games, improvisation, and projection exercises. However, our focus is now firmly on preparations for the Junior Play.  Auditions have been held in the past few weeks with all those interested performing an extract from a poem, film, or novel as their audition piece.  Form 4 pupils will continue to help out with all aspects of staging the play. We have just kicked off rehearsals with a script read through.  So, what is this year's play?  Everyone will just have to wait and find out! Make sure to save the date – Thursday 7 April.  
Jake O’Loughlin 

Form 2 Hockey

Congratulations to the Minor A team who beat Wilson's Hospital School 3-0 last weekend with Chloe O'Neill, Alex-Anne Kennedy, and Zoe Williamson controlling the game in midfield.  The team has now qulaified for the next round of the plate competition which will be played against St Gerard's School.  The match takes place at home on Saturday 12 February at 9.00 am - supporters welcome!

Library Books

If you have a book at home that is on loan from the Library but is overdue then please return it this week.
Ms Wiggle

School Golf Championships

The High School will be looking to enter teams into the upcoming School Golf Championships.  There are limited places available on the teams and they will be selected according to their handicaps.  If your son or daughter is interested in being involved please email me directly here by Friday 11 February. 
Ray Walker 
Sports Co-ordinator

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