Vol 31 No 09     07 Nov  2025

All Ireland Schools Hockey Championship Final

The Senior 1 hockey team recently travelled to Limerick to play in the All-Ireland School (Boys’) Championship. Our group consisted of Friends School, Lisburn; The King's Hospital School; and Villiers School. We played Friends on the first day of the tournament. A great performance capped off with a goal from Karac Tipping in the second half gave us a 1-0 win and a strong start to the group. The next day we had two games. First up was The King's Hospital in the morning. Despite plenty of chances in the first half the game was 0-0 until Robert O’Brien scored from a corner in the second half. This gave us another 1-0 win leaving us top of the group with one game to play needing just a draw to qualify for the semi-finals.

The final game of the group was against Villiers School. We got off to a strong start with two early goals. We kept the pressure on throughout the whole game and ended up wining 7-0. This left us top of the group qualifying for the semi-finals the next day. We were drawn against St Andrew's College. The game was very close. Tobias Britnell gave us the lead early in the second quarter. Despite chances the score remained like that until there were five minutes remaining when Peter Kenna scored to put us 2-0 up. Despite a late consolation goal for St Andrew's, we won 2-1 putting us in the final of the All-Ireland Championship for only the third time in the history of the school. The final was a close game with both sides having chances throughout the match but Wesley College came out on top. However, qualifying to compete in the final of the All-Ireland Schools Championships was a fantastic achievement for everyone associated with The High School squad. The final was a close game with both sides having chances throughout the game but Wesley came out on top. However, the experience of competing in the final of the All-Ireland Championships was a fantastic achievement for all of us.

We played extremely well throughout the tournament and performed effectively as a team with superb performances from individuals as well as valuable contributions from the entire squad. Thank you to the team, school supporters, our parents, teachers, sponsors, and especially to our coaches Mr Fitzpatrick, Mr Howard, and Ms Gray. 
Ethan Clarke
Vice Captain  

Happy Hallowe'en

Hallowe'en Cup Cake Decoration Competition Winners!

It’s a long-standing tradition at The High School to join in the fun of Hallowe'en, and each year our pupils embrace the spirit of the season with creativity and enthusiasm. We actively encourage pupils to express their imagination through festive activities typical of this time of year - from carving pumpkins to composing spooky verses!

This year was no exception. In Home Economics and Agricultural Science pupils crafted pumpkins and created wonderfully inventive seasonal displays. Budding bakers in Form 1 also showcased their talents in a Hallowe'en Cup Cake Decoration Competition, producing some frightfully impressive creations that captured the essence of the holiday. 

Up in the Art Room, pupils in Form 1 also enjoyed a Hallowe'en-themed photography session focused on composition as part of their visual research for a painting project, finishing the class with a well-deserved fun party complete with music, cupcakes, and treats from their “Boo Bags.”

In Form 4 English pupils compiled a list of scary book recommendations for senior pupils - the perfect reading list for the spooky season! You can find it on our school blog here. In Form 4 Irish pupils explored the origins and customs of Samhain, the ancient Irish festival that marks the beginning of winter and inspired many modern Hallowe'en traditions. Meanwhile, in the Library pupils took part in a Hallowe'en Haiku Competition, channelling their creativity into eerie and evocative poetry.  

Well done to everyone who took part and helped make this year’s Hallowe'en celebrations such a success. It’s always a highlight of the Autumn term - and a fantastic way to celebrate the imagination, energy, and community spirit of our pupils!

Hallowe'en Haiku Competition Winners

Here are the winners of our Library Hallowe'en Haiku Competition! Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who submitted a poem.
Ms Wiggle
W B Yeats Librarian

Anti-Bullying Week 2025   

The highlight of the week before the half term break was the culmination of efforts from a group of pupils that saw the successful launch of a campaign for the prevention of bullying behaviour as part of Anti-Bullying Week.   

Planning for the week began in early December 2024.  The Student Council was approached by School Management to discuss the new Bí Cineálta procedures - a programme by the Department of Education designed to help schools in Ireland prevent and deal with bullying.  We were tasked with developing a student-friendly version of The High School's Bí Cineálta policy (which was in development at that time), as well as leading a messaging campaign about the key points of this development.   

The Bí Cineálta student-friendly adaptation gives pupils an insight into the practical steps they can take to help prevent bullying occurring in the first place, but also what they can do if they encounter bullying in the future.  This has been available in homework journals since the beginning of the year, but as of Anti-Bullying Week, is now accessible digitally on MS Teams, in Reception, and outside the Guidance Counsellors’ offices.   

If you’d like to read it, you can do so by clicking here 

The highlight of the week was the release of an animated video series on bullying as part of our messaging campaign for the key points of our Bí Cineálta adaptation.  These five videos were all conceived, scripted, and animated by pupils at The High School.  They were shown either in Assembly each morning, or in a pupil’s first class of the day.    

These stories are based on real stories of bullying in Ireland, but not of bullying in The High School.  Each video contains an interview with a character who has gone through bullying at some point during their time at school.  What we wanted to convey was that bullying can look different in different cases, that it can occur at different points in school, and that there are many different people a pupil can talk to if they or someone they know is being bullied.   

The three animators for this series - Lauren Collins, Lauryn Doyle, and Veronica Stroie - all took time out of their summer holidays to work on these videos.  The work that went into creating the videos was detailed by Lauryn Doyle on behalf of the animators at Assembly. If you would like to take a look at the videos, you can do so by viewing the video attached to the end of this report or by clicking the link below which will take you to a playlist on The High School's YouTube channel.

Posters were put up around the school which—just like the videos—highlight the key messages of our Bí Cineálta adaptation document.  An Anti-Bullying Week poster competition was also held on the three core themes of our adaptation.  Victoria Harte came first in the Junior category while Zihang Li was the senior winner.    

The week was finished off with a flag-raising ceremony for The High School’s new Bí Cineálta flag marking the conclusion of the development and implementation of the school’s Bí Cineálta policy and procedures.  The ceremony was attended by pupils involved with creating the student-friendly Bí Cineálta adaptation and messaging campaign.  Also in attendance were representatives of the Board of Management, Ms Donnan; the Parents’ Association, Ms Pyle; Deputy Principals, Ms Connolly, Ms Packham, and Mr Tobin; Student Council Liaison Teacher, Ms Hutchinson-Edgar; Finance and Estates Bursar, Mr Ellis; and the Principal, Mr Forrest.   

Everyone involved with planning for The High School’s inaugural Anti-Bullying Week hopes it has been successful in bringing awareness to what we can all do to prevent and address bullying behaviour.  We are incredibly grateful to all of the teachers and School Management who have supported the facilitation of the week and owe a special thank you to Mr Tobin for his support and assistance with the campaign.   
Olivia Leonard 

Senior Drama

This Thursday, Friday, and Saturday Senior Drama is taking to the stage to perform the 1980’s classic Footloose, a sensational and uplifting production. The enthusiastic cast of pupils from Forms 4 and 5 is excited to perform for you all. This is a performance you can’t miss!

The cast, ensemble, and crew from this production have put countless hours of work with Mr Milofsky, past pupils Ella-Marie and Beth, and our amazing choreographer Chloe into making Footloose the most special and best it can be.

We hope to see you all there for a unforgettable night that can’t be missed!
Leah Murdock

Form 6 Religious Education

On Wednesday 15 October we were honoured to welcome Kyoko Gibson to The High School where she spoke to pupils from Form 5 Religious Education, Politics and Society, and History classes as well as the Form 6 Religious Education class.

Born in 1948, Kyoko is a second-generation hibakusha — a term used to describe survivors and descendants of those affected by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although she was born three years after the bombing of Hiroshima, her health and life have been deeply impacted by its lasting effects.

During her talk, Kyoko spoke movingly about the emotional and physical consequences of the bombing, both in her own life and in the lives of those directly and indirectly affected. She emphasised the importance of raising awareness about the catastrophic power of nuclear weapons and the continued threat they pose to humanity today.

Her words were powerful and deeply inspiring, and her strength and compassion left a lasting impression on all who attended. We are extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to meet Kyoko and to hear her remarkable story in person.
Cian Lynch

Form 5 European Languages

Recently, Form 5 pupils spent the morning on a Zoom webinar with members of the European Commission learning about career paths starting with language learning. Individuals from various parts of Europe and different age groups shared their experiences and how they eventually became translators at the European Commission. At the moment we are collaborating with Guidance Counsellors for career advice. We found this webinar informative as we start to consider our career paths more seriously.
Bonnie Hart

Happy Diwali!

To celebrate Diwali last month, pupils from 1PH created beautiful and colourful Rangoli patterns, brightening the classroom with vibrant designs that reflect the joy and spirit of the Festival of Lights.
Ms Wilson

Black History Month

Form 4 Culture Module

In Geography class we brought in food from our families' heritage. I decided to bake brownies from my Mum's recipe book. Some people in the class made matcha for us to drink, Kentucky butter cake, crepes, brownies, cookies, fruit, and chips and dip. I really enjoyed this activity to make something your family makes and share it with the form class. I am looking forward to the next Ms Gray Bake Off with 4MY.  
James Geary

Ireland Team Rugby Selelction

Congratulations to Ryan Baird (HSD, 2011-14) on his selection to represent Ireland in test matches against New Zealand and Japan.  We wish our past pupil every success as he competes for further honours at international level.
Mr McDermott

Form 1 Cross Country Race

On Friday 24 October all of Form 1 took part in the Dave Taylor Mile race. There was a great atmosphere as pupils warmed up on the lower pitches before the girls' race and then the boys' race took place. The hill was tough going, nevertheless everyone finished the race with some really strong runners battling it out to be the overall winners. Both races were very close. After the race there was a wonderfully encouraging talk from past pupil Dave Taylor himself who had come in to make the presentations. His personal best for the mile of 3' 54" is in the top 10 fastest times ever run by an Irish man. He then presented medals to the first five in each category and a trophy to the overall winners. A treat was then given to all those who helped bring back the marker cones! The race was a great way to end a long first half of term. Well done to all involved and especially to all our winners. The future of The High School cross country and athletics programme looks very bright indeed! 

National Youth Orchestra of Ireland

We are delighted to share the wonderful news that Form 1 pupil, Linden Chen, has earned a coveted place in the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland (NYOI).

The NYOI brings together exceptionally talented young musicians aged 13 to 22 from across the island for residential courses, concerts, recordings, workshops, and special events.

At just 12 years old, Linden was granted an age exception to audition and has successfully secured a place — making him one of the youngest members of the orchestra this season.

This is an outstanding achievement and a testament to Linden’s remarkable musical ability, dedication, and passion for performance. We are incredibly proud of his success and wish him the very best as he embarks on this exciting musical journey.
Ms Bourke

Form 6 Chemistry

In Form 6 Chemistry we celebrated International Mole Day by hosting a Molympic Games, which was essentially a mole measurement relay race. Mole Day falls on the 23 October because there are 6 x 10 to the power of 23 particles in a 'mole' of a substance.
Ms Finnegan

Form 1 Wood Technology

Our Form 1 pupils have been busy in the Wood Technology room creating their very own wooden boats! They used tenon saws, coping saws, chisels, and the pillar drill to shape and assemble their pieces, creating masts using dowels. Once built, the boats were carefully sanded smooth and finished with a coat of varnish to bring out the natural grain of the wood. The pupils showed great effort, creativity, and pride in their work. Well done to all!

Noticeboard