Debate Club

One of the best club in Newpark came back!!! Yes! The debate club is here again! What better club is there than this one in which people are screaming at each other, with sandwiches in their mouths, showing their emotions and opinions? Debate club!

What better place to develop your communication skills and overcome your fear of public speaking? Debate club!

Conclusion: the debate club is THE BEST!

Now I hope we’ve convinced you that the debate club is reeeeally worth it and it’s one of the most fun club during lunch time. If you’re disagree… well let’s debate on that, bro!

So, let me get into the details a little bit. Our first meeting had a huge attendance with people from every year, which was great, but half of those people have never come back, we hope this will change! But there are still a couple of survivors who are actively fighting for the truth.

We discussed pretty interesting topics, which ranged from the death penalty to talking about squirrels… . The last one was really absurd, but we are still making fun of it. Every week when we are choosing a debate topic someone always wants to debate on squirrels.

Sooooo, if you’re not interested in the debate club yet, you definitely should be! “Fighting to death”, quite fun, isn’t it? To be serious, this place really improves you as a person, it shows you from different angles and perspectives. Debate club teaches you how to think outside the box and listen to other people’s opinions, make your own arguments and decisions.

Christian Union

For the last two years, Christian Union have continued to meet despite covid. The first year, we met outside on Wednesday mornings before school. Ms Harris, Ms Rowan and Mr Lamprecht supplied us with hot chocolate and pastries to help brave the cold and wet!

Last year, we were allowed inside, but due to staggered lunchtimes, we still had to meet early morning. So it is with great joy that this year, we returned to T11 on

Friday lunchtimes. Each week, students from all years meet, chat, eat lunch and treats, play a game and one of our student leaders, Keziah or Naomi, shares a thought. We have guest speakers and have been on a trip to Greystones to deliver the Christmas shoeboxes. Shortly before Christmas we went to Stillorgan to carol sing in aid of Christian Aid.

Here are some of our highlights so far:

"It’s great, I love the trips" - Holly

"It has such a nice relaxing, atmosphere, it feels like community" - Keziah

"I find it open, welcoming and accepting" - Lucas

"It’s nice to have so many people back and see new faces"Allessia

"It’s been so nice to meet new people" – Lisa

Dance Club

Newpark Dance Club is led by senior students who love dance. It takes place in the theatre at Thursday lunchtime. This is the first year of dance club in Newpark so we have enjoyed the challenge of getting things started. We have had people consistently showing up which has been amazing as we were able to teach them dances and get to know their style. Everyone has been really enthusiastic and creative.

It has been great watching everyone choreograph their own dances, and we are learning just as much as them! We hope to organise an opportunity for our dancers to perform and challenge themselves even more. We are really grateful for the opportunity and facilities to contribute something new to the school.

Students from all years are welcome to join: come along and try it out!

By Clara Stanley, 6th Year

Dungeons and Dragons

D&D club is a brand-new club that started just this year. We run campaigns for people of all skills and ages so everyone is welcome even if you’ve never played in your life. We provide all the equipment necessary so all you need to do is show up.

We meet every Tuesday in the T15 art room to play D&D. We are currently running a campaign, so if you are to come now you might be thrown in the deep end a bit but you’ll soon get the hang of it. I hope to see you there and bring your friends too.

By Oscar McGowan, 1st Year

Lounge at Lunchtime

Lounge at Lunchtime has returned after its Covid hiatus. Students from the Cultural Council approached music teachers at the beginning of the year to bring it back as it was greatly missed by senior students and never experienced by most juniors.

The births of your children, falling in love, getting married, the return of the Lounge at Lunchtime after two years. There’s a certain magic to these moments in life that is near impossible to replicate elsewhere. They remind you that there is light at the end of the tunnel when you are feeling down.

Lounge at Lunchtime made a return to the GPA after two long, cold years. Two years that many students had been heard describing as “lifeless” or “bleak”… This all changed in the autumn of 2022. The school practically vibrated as students upon students poured into the GPA to witness the resurrection of Lounge at Lunchtime. A lot of younger students had actually been heard questioning its existence, they claimed it was merely a story passed down from year to year to invoke a sense of purpose in our day to day lives. But no, in spite of the younger students’ disbelief, it was real.

The atmosphere was electric before, during and after the Lounge at Lunchtime. I was lucky enough to interview a student in second year (who would like to remain anonymous for political reasons) and his exact words were: “That was crazy, I've never actually experienced that sort of atmosphere in my life before, it was… it was… absolutely electric".

The performers were nervous, and they had good reason. They faced two possible consequences following their performances. A successful performance would usually result in eternal eminence, but a poor performance on the other hand would almost all of the time result in exile and lifelong struggle. Luckily for the performers nobody will have to lead a life of shame and humility as many members of the crowd were heard discussing whether or not the Lounge at Lunchtime was “the best thing since sliced bread”. Yes, it was.

By Thomas Wride, 6th Year

Lounge at Lunchtime takes place on Friday lunchtimes where the doors from the music room to the GPA are pushed back and students perform as soloists or in groups for their school mates.

There have been some performances of note including 3rd years’ rendition of “Freebird” by Lynard Skinnard and a TY performance of Bruno Mars

“Runaway Baby”. The Halloween themed week included a 3rd year performance of the classic “Monster Mash” and a 6th year performance of “Ghostbusters”. We look forward to what the rest of the year will bring, the next planned Lounge at Lunchtime will take place on the 24th of February and

By Ms Aoife Fox

I love Lounge at Lunchtime because it really pushes students out of their comfort zones in the best way possible. It makes students feel more comfortable when performing for people.

Music is such a big part of Newpark. Bringing back the Lounge at Lunchtime concerts makes people excited to listen to live music; the smiles on all the students’ faces when watching their fellow students perform are always so nice to see (especially when it’s you who is performing). Lounge at Lunchtime shows how creative Newpark is and how we as a school have created such a supportive school environment.

By Kiama Willard, TY