Vol 27 No 16     04 Feb 2022

Vinnie Murray Cup

Have you ever been to Donnybrook when The High School Senior Cup Team are playing? If so, then you will recall what it feels like to see the boys still fresh from their English and History lessons, don the school colours of red and black like so many have before them.  Remember too how you look on with a tense knot in your stomach knowing that a battle is about to begin.  And so it was on Tuesday when the Senior Cup team of 2021-22 poured on to the pitch at Energia Park for the second round of the Vinnie Murray Cup.  The next 70 minutes would be everything. 
This year it seemed to matter even more.  Having missed the chance to play there for the last two years, the gods conspired just in time to lift the restrictions and enable several bus-loads of HSD pupils to gather en masse to cheer on the team. For some junior pupils it was their first outing in support of the school and their faces said it all when the first songs struck out from the stands. Chant after chant followed as Andrew Farrelly and Alex Bowden took two penalty kicks propelling The High School into the lead.  Again and again the singing filled the air, spurred on by the wildly waving arms of the school mascot.  But before half time an ill wind stole our early lead and for the rest of the game The High School chased after the elusive try.
Have you ever been to Donnybrook when the a win looks unlikely? If not, it is something to behold, because that is when the singing really matters. The Form 6 pupils lead the loudest rendition yet of 'Rathgar Red and Black' and the team on the pitch responded in kind.  It was pure determination that drove Sam Neely to lunge inches from the opposition's try line and with the sound of 'We Follow' ringing in his ears Arthur Feeney gave the supporters what they were looking for: a glorious try for The High School soon converted by Andrew Farrelly. 
If you have never been to Donnybrook ... well there's always next time.
Ms Burrowes

Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year from everyone at The High School!  If you follow the Lunar Calendar, 1 February marks the beginning of the Year of the Tiger and heralds the beginning of the Spring Festival (春节) which continues for more than two weeks with feasts, family reunions, street parades, and visits to shrines.  In Chinese culture the tiger is the symbol of bravery, wisdom, and strength.  As part of their CSPE class pupils in Form 1 learned about community activism and drew these colourful tiger drawings.  Happy New Year!

Ulysses at 100

This week marked the 100^th anniversary of the publication of James Joyce’s Ulysses. Something you may not know is that the protagonist of the novel, Leopold Bloom, attended The High School!  In the novel, Bloom attended the Erasmus Smith High School, a fee-paying Protestant institution sponsored by the Church of Ireland. In 1904, it was a boys' school on Harcourt Street in south central Dublin, not very far from the Bloom family's house.  Today it is co-educational and located in Rathgar. Both then and now, the school was known simply as The High School.  Bloom reflects on The High School throughout his odyssey and offers insights into his experiences there.  As Bloom is celebrating Halcyon days with five classmates, he exclaims: "Again! I feel sixteen! What a lark! Let’s ring all the bells in Montague street. (He cheers feebly.) Hurray for the High School!".  “Vance in High school cracking his fingerjoints, teaching. The college curriculum. Cracking curriculum.”
Jake O’Loughlin

St Valentine's Day Charity Event

On Friday 18 February Form 4 pupils are organising a St Valentine’s Day celebration.  The day is about spreading positivity and raising awareness for Breast Cancer Ireland.  The pupils are organising that everyone in the school community - pupils and teachers - will receive Valentine cards.  At lunch times there will be a station where you can request personalised messages for specific people.   Each message will incur a small fee to generate more money for Breast Cancer Ireland.  The 18 February will be a non-uniform day and pupils may come to school wearing home clothes featuring pink or red colours.  We also ask that everyone bring in a minimum donation of €2 for Breast Cancer Ireland.

Father Godfrey Cup

Last week The High School Junior Cup Team played St Fintan’s High School in the first round of the Father Godfrey Cup.  It was a tough game but we were determined to win.  The High School missed two key starting players but the substitutes played very well.  It was a hard match against an experienced opposition who were already in the league cup final.  The match kicked off with HSD receiving the ball and from the start our opponents put pressure on us, turning the ball over and making a good run to get an early try.  The High School players stepped up their game for the last ten minutes of the half, pushing Jamie Morton Bailey over the line for a super try.  We continued with a decent defensive effort but in the end the game didn't go our way.  Man of the Match for The High School was Freddie Robinson.  
Oisin Burgess 

Poetry Aloud

Two pupils from The High School have reached the finals of Poetry Aloud. This is an all Ireland poetry speaking competition organised by the National Library of Ireland in conjunction with Poetry Ireland. Tirzah Hutchinson Edgar has reached the final in the Senior and Jake O’Loughlin in the Intermediate sections, respectively.  We wish our pupils the best of luck for the upcoming finals.
Ms Wiggle
Librarian

Mock Leaving and Junior Certificate Examinations

Form 6 and 3 pupils begin their mock Leaving and Junior Certificate Examinations next week which last until 18 February.  We wish our pupils every success and hope that they take some time every day to look after their mental health during what can be a stressful time for all concerned. 

Senior Trophy Success

On 26 January the Senior 2 team travelled to Kilkenny College to play in the quarter finals of the Senior Trophy competition.  We started strongly in the first half, retaining possession and creating chances but we could not break the deadlock before half time.  We broke through with a goal scored by Hugh Geraghty in the third quarter.  A strong defensive performance combined with another goal from Ryan Boyd won the match with a clean sheet kept.  We are now through to the semi-final round where our opponents will be Wesley College.
Cillian West

Form 1 Hockey

On Thursday 27 January the HSD Form 1 C team played a match against Wilson's Hospital School.  The game got off to a good start when the first goal was scored by Cian Lynch and that was followed by a great second goal from James Weldon.  We continued our hard work throughout the game.  The third goal was scored by Cillian Behan during his debut performance.  We earned many short corners during the game and created lots of opportunities.  We had a triumphant win and every player played to the best of their ability.  The last goal came from a short corner and was scored by Michael Gabbet-O’Kelly. 
Cian Lynch 

Creation Story Myths

For the past two weeks our class has been looking at creation stories and myths with our teacher, Ms Hutchinson Edgar.  Many of the myths or stories had a similar message which could be summarised as: Look After the Planet.  So for the last two lessons we have been making posters to raise awareness about some of the terrible things we are doing to our planet.  The posters covered everything from littering to overfishing and we had great fun making them.
Brannagh Cullen  

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