Vol 28 No 17      20 Jan 2023

League Table Success!

We are delighted to report that The High School was ranked as one of the top 5 mixed feeder schools in Ireland by The Irish Times making it the leading Protestant school in the country in 2022.  This is only one measure of success, but it reflects the academic dedication and diligence shown by our teaching staff and pupils in a national context.  It is especially reassuring to be reminded of the success of previous year groups as we approach the mock examinations at the end of the month.  We wish all of our pupils and their families well as they prepare for their examinations and offer them whatever support and encouragement that they might need during this busy time.

Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2023

Last Friday a small group of pupils in Form 4 joined pupils in Form 1 on a very exciting excursion to the Young Scientist Exhibition.  I was part of a team from The High School who put forward an entry, but we did not get beyond the heat stage this year.  Still, we were determined to enjoy the day.  When we arrived we all dispersed and explored everything the exhibition had to offer, from viewing the incredible projects to exploring the Exhibit Hall and enjoying a plethora of events.  The part that resonated with me the most was the “Sustainable Outer Space 3D” . This was an enlightening experience that addressed the issue of how anthropogenic activities have distributed debris and rubbish throughout space, threatening our capacity for open space exploration.  Overall, the Young Scientist Exhibition is an extraordinary educational platform that exhibits the capability of Irish students to bring their curiousity and knowledge to life and I would like to encourage High School pupils from every year group to participate in this nationwide science competition!
Enaya Samaranayaka

Form 6 Art

As part of our Leaving Certificate Art course pupils have to complete a five-hour practical examination.  In preparation for this we completed a mock practical examination a few weeks ago.  Our class was given three themes to choose from: Reflection, Super Natural, and Performance.  I chose Reflection.  In reality five hours is a not long time when you are trying to complete a work of art, but we did our best, prepping beforehand, researching ideas, and considering whether to do a painting, lino, or etching.  I chose the latter.  Overall, it was a very enjoyable experience even though we were working under time constraints.  Spending an entire day doing Art at school was such a treat and it was very rewarding to see the results.  Now we all have a better understanding of what is involved in the Leaving Certificate Art practical examination.  
Leah McGrath

Leinster Rugby 

Congratulations to Emma Murphy (HSD, 2008-14) who has been selected for the Leinster Rugby Women’s Interprovincial Series Squad.  We wish our past pupil every success as she competes for further honours at provincial level.
Mr Malin

Swim Ireland Water Polo

Congratulations to Daniel Collins in Form 3 who has won a place on the Ireland Water Polo training squad.  With any luck Daniel and the team will be heading to the European Championships in July.  We wish him and the team every success in all future competitions.

Interprovincial Hockey Success

On Sunday 15 January I travelled with Leinster’s U18 hockey team up to Banbridge in Northern Ireland to play an Inter-Provincial match against Ulster’s U18 hockey team. The game had worked out in the standings that if Leinster had won or drawn the match they would have won the Inter-Pro tournament and if Ulster had won the match they also would have won the tournament.  I played alongside three fellow High School pupils, including my brother who was the captain of this Leinster team.  The game was a really tight match with not a single goal coming in the whole first half.  The first goal came early in the second half with Leinster scoring a stroke.  Soon after that Ulster got 2 goals back going 2-1 up.  We then went and scored another goal from a drag flick making it 2-2.  At this stage we could have kept this score line and still won the tournament but we  went on to score another goal.  The final score was 3-2 which meant that we had won the Inter-Pros!
Oscar Pasley

Sports Psychology Talk

On Tuesday afternoon a shared passion for sport brought together senior pupils from a myriad of athletic disciplines.  Rugby players sat among rock climbers and golfers rubbed elbows with basketball players.  We were all there to listen to the words of Dr Olivia Hurley a respected sports psychologist and IADT lecturer.  Her expertise shone as she advised us on how to acquire "mental fitness" - that is, laser-like focus and resolute mental fortitude among other qualities.  This counsel was reinforced by an illuminative breakdown of the hormone science behind exercise.  It was an excellent resource for our young athletes.
Gary Meaney
Head Boy

HSD Basketball Success

Congratulations to pupils in Forms 1 and 2 who won both of their basketball games against Wesley College this week.  Mr Joey Boylan, the school's head basketball coach, has been working with the players on game play and developing their skills.  The High School side dominated every quarter so much so the score had to be stopped.  Anyone interested in joining basketball should contact Mrs Murdoch.  Training takes place on Saturdays at 12.00 pm.  The future of the sport looks very bright given these excellent results.  Well done, everyone!
Mrs Murdoch

HS&D PPU Annual Dinner

Team of the Month

Junior players were not included in this list as their matches were cancelled due to poor weather. 

Mock Timetable 2023