Vol 30 No 22     12 Mar 2025

Interschools Music Festival Success!

The High School’s talented musicians once again demonstrated their exceptional abilities at this year’s Interschools Music Festival, achieving remarkable success across multiple categories. Their dedication, hard work, and passion for music were evident in every performance, earning well-deserved recognition and praise.

A special note of congratulations to the Senior Quartet and Chamber Orchestra, both of whom secured 1st place in their respective categories, showcasing outstanding musicality and teamwork. The Junior Chamber also performed brilliantly, achieving a well-earned 2nd place, while individual performers Éabha Deely and Scarlett Xu both impressed the judges and took home 2nd place awards for their solo performances.

Further adding to The High School’s success, the Orchestra, Sean Adetona, and the Rock Band all claimed 3rd place, demonstrating the depth of musical talent within our school community. Meanwhile, Sofia Gonzalez, Oisín Mulcahy, and Faye Trench-Thornton received Highly Commended awards for their outstanding performances.

These fantastic results are a testament to the dedication of our pupils and the support of their teachers and mentors. We are incredibly proud of all who participated and look forward to seeing their musical journeys continue to flourish. Congratulations to one and all!
Ms Bourke and Ms Phillips

Leinster Schools Senior Cup Final 

Congratulations to The High School Senior Cup Team who have qualified to compete in the final round of the Leinster Rugby Girls Schools Senior Cup for the first time in the history of the school.  The fixture will be played against Loreto College, Mullingar at Donnybrook on Thursday 20 March at 2.30 pm when support from the wider school community will be welcome.  We warmly congratulate the team on the significance of its achievements in 2024-25 and wish all members of the squad continued success this season.
Mr McDermott

Form 5 French Excursion

Photographer: Eoghan Joyce

During half term, the French classes of Form 5 embarked on a trip to Paris. We spent four days exploring and immersing ourselves in everything this incredible city has to offer. Our journey officially began with a quick transfer to the Palace of Versailles, followed by a memorable river cruise down the Seine, despite the cold weather. The following morning greeted us with sunshine as we set off for another exciting day. Our first stop was the Louvre to admire some of the world's most renowned masterpieces, including the Mona Lisa. We then climbed up to Sacré-Cœur and enjoyed panoramic views from Montparnasse, a 59-storey tower overlooking the city.

The perfect conclusion to our day was witnessing the Eiffel Tower illuminated at night, creating a magical atmosphere where we sang along with a guitarist and even had some members of the group perform. The next morning, we rose early for a Metro ride to visit the newly reopened Notre Dame Cathedral, marvelling at its exquisite craftsmanship. After exploring freely in the area, we regrouped for a walking tour and an engaging scavenger hunt that put our conversational French skills to good use.

On our final morning, we checked out of our accommodation and travelled by coach to the Stade de France - another highlight of the trip and our ultimate destination. A special note of thanks goes to Ms Lally, Ms Roullet, and Mr O'Brien for their exceptional organization and guidance throughout this unforgettable experience in Paris. We will forever treasure these wonderful memories - merci beaucoup!
Poppy Comerford  

Form 2 Skiing

Our Form 2 visit to Poland began on Saturday 15 February. We arrived at the airport full of excitement, looking forward to the eventful days ahead. After a long journey we arrived in Poland and had a three-hour drive to our hotel. Once we arrived we went straight to bed, eager for our first day of skiing.

Each morning we took a gondola up to the slopes, surrounded by gorgeous mountain views. We were divided into groups based on our skill levels, and though the first few days were challenging, we constantly improved as the week went on. Afternoons were filled with fun activities, including bowling, swimming, and walks around the town and going shopping. On our last day, we went snow tubing and ended the night with a pizza party.

On Thursday, we had an early start as we made our way to Krakow Airport for the journey home. It was the end of an unforgettable trip, filled with great experiences and lasting memories.
Deleesha Samaranayaka

IMTA Senior Maths Quiz

Recently, three teams from The High School competed in the Irish Maths Teachers’ Association Quiz in Mount Anville. There were four of us on each team, and I had Conor, Maebh, and Ben with me on my team. We only had six minutes to work out the answers for each round of two questions, and there was a timer at the top of the hall to tell us how long we had left.  Needless to say it was very stressful! There were no marks given for your method, so we had to be meticulous with our calculations. In my team we divided up the questions between the four of us and then passed our solutions around to check each other’s maths. Our team managed to win third place with 16 out of the 20 questions right. This result got us through to the national final in a few weeks which is against teams from across the country.  
Finn O’Fóghlú 

International Hockey

A couple of recent past pupils of The High School - namely, Ben Pasley (HSD, 2017-23) and Conor Empey (HSD, 2011-17) - were playing for Ireland in the Pro League against India and Germany. Unfortunately, the men lost all four matches. However, Ben was commended by the commentary team and Ireland coach Mark Tumility on how well he has been playing in midfield for the Ireland Mens team as a 20 year old who has now earned seven international caps.
Ms Gray

Leinster Schools Interprovincial Swimming 

A talented team represented The High School at the Leinster Senior Schools Swimming Competition on 2 February demonstrating skill and dedication. Well done to Espen Brady, Katie Buckley, Clara Diamond, Daniel Fu, Jake McCarthy, Danylo Prokhorov, and Tiantian Wen for their efforts. A special congratulations to Katie and Danylo, who won medals at the gala and have been selected for the Leinster Schools Interprovincial Team. They will proudly represent The High School in upcoming competitions. Additionally, both swimmers competed over the weekend in an international swimming event, further showcasing their commitment and talent in the sport.
Ms Jones

JCT League Victory

Congratulations to the The High School Junior Cup Team (JCT) who have won the final round of the Leinster Schools League 1B competition by defeating St Andrew's College by 27-18. The JCT also delivered an outstanding performance in the final of the Father Godfrey Cup, facing off against St Gerard's School. Despite our players’ relentless efforts, the opposition ultimately secured the victory. While the result was not in our favour, we are immensely proud of the team for their remarkable achievement in reaching the final. Their dedication and hard work throughout the tournament have been truly commendable.  
Mr McDermott

Indoor Hockey Success

The High School has enjoyed success in indoor hockey with Corinthian Hockey Club. Charlie McFeely, Peter Kenna, Karac Tipping, Ciaran Lyons, Ethan Clarke, and Jake Tipping won the U18 Boyne indoor hockey tournament. Peter, Karac, and Charlie also won the U16 tournament. Mr Howard and Form 5 pupil Ciaran Lyons were also competing in the Senior Leinster and National Ireland Indoor Hockey Leagues. They successfully won the Leinster indoor league in a nail-biting final against Three Rock Rovers and came out on top after a series of 1v1s. They finished as runners-up in second place in the All Ireland National Indoor League where their opponents in the previous final managed to score a goal with 40 seconds left on the clock to win the game.  A huge well done to all involved: the future of indoor hockey looks bright!
Ethan Clarke and Ciaran Lyons

Senior Hockey

The Senior 1 Girls hockey team were defeated by Rathdown School in the Plate quarter final round, losing in a one-on-one showdown. On the other hand, the Senior 1 Boys emerged victorious against Mount Temple Comprehensive School. They are set to compete against St Columba's College in the semi-final round of the Cup at HSD on Wednesday 12 March at 2.30 pm.
Ms Gray

Seachtain na Gaeilge Competitions

As part of Seachtain na Gaeilge, we are excited to host a series of creative competitions celebrating Irish culture, language, and heritage. Open to both Junior and Senior pupils, these competitions offer a fantastic opportunity to showcase artistic and literary talents while embracing the spirit of the Irish language.

Pupils can take part in a variety of competitions, including writing a haiku about Ireland or the Irish language, designing a poster on the theme ‘Celebrating Ireland’, and reimagining the school logo in the intricate style of the Book of Kells. For those who enjoy puzzles, a crossword competition will test knowledge of the Irish language, while aspiring poets can create and illustrate an acrostic poem using the word ‘Gaeilge’.

Entries will be judged on creativity, effort, and originality, with winners announced at the end of Seachtain na Gaeilge and prizes awarded for the best submissions. We encourage all pupils to take part, celebrate Irish culture, and let their creativity shine. Bígí linn!
Ms Dietz

HSD Honey

Recently, I entered The High School competition to design the label for the school’s honey jars and was pleasantly surprised to learn that my design had won the competition!  On the front label, I incorporated The High School crest in my design and included drawings of bees, a ladybird, and a flowering plant. These represent the varied wildlife on The High School campus. For the lid design, I drew a bee pollinating a flower to remind us of the crucial part bees play in our food chain. I think it is great that the planting on the school grounds is very bee and insect-friendly and this is evidenced by our school’s productive bees. I used a mix of coloured markers, pens, and pencils to create my design.  
Thea Moran 

Zion Parish Fête

Trinity Musical Theatre Society

Congratulations to former pupil Laura Cole (HSD 2016-22) who has secured the starring role in the Trinity Musical Theatre's production of Into The Woods at  Smock Alley Theatre between 19-22 March. Tickets are on sale now. 

Ms Burrowes 
Communications Coordinator