St Gerard's Senior School Summer Newsletter 2016

2016 Edition

Mathematics Competitions

Tom Geraghty Headmaster

Dear Parents, Teachers and Students, As we bask in the glorious sunshine of early June and once again appreciate the true meaning of summer days, we reflect with great satisfaction our 97th year of education here in St. Gerard’s School.

In May, 1919 St. Gerard’s School must have been a magical place for boys to explore and to enjoy, nurtured in the ethos of a new school in such wonderful settings and almost 100 years later our own students are truly fortunate and appreciate the beauty of the school and aesthetics of our stunning facilities. We should be very proud of our school and daily we witness the positive determination on our student’s faces who toil to meet the challenges of 21st Century education.

We wish our Leaving and Junior Certificate students every success in their ongoing examinations and we wish both the students and staff travelling to Zambia in July every good wish on their unique journey of discovery through our Outreach Programme.

As one reflects the Academic Year, one can only be inspired by the commitment of all involved. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, the parents, for entrusting your children in our care and thank you for the support which you offer the school on a daily basis through your actions.

I wish to thank my colleagues for bringing their rich experience of education to the classroom and to all things St. Gerard’s on a daily basis – it is always a privilege to work so closely with such a talented and motivated staff. I thank the Board of Governors for their continued energy and commitment to the school. We are a school that has been blessed by St. Gerard through daily ‘minor miracles’ and I look forward to the continued development of the provision of excellence for St. Gerard’s School as we approach the celebration of our Centenary in 2018-2019.

The success of St. Gerard’s School is truly based on teamwork and on prioritising the ‘you’ above the ‘me’. I thank the students for being unique and for doing the ordinary in an extraordinary way.

This has been a particularly busy term for the Mathematics department. In January two teams of senior students took part in the IMTA Team Maths Quiz.

Competing against 46 other teams, team green - comprising of Kevin Allen, Jack Freeney, Emily Loughman and Conor Wilson – came third, and team blue comprising of Aghogho Atiyota, Oisín Cronin, Sadhbh McCarthy and Fiona Newsome - came seventh.

In April, five of our students got through to the finals of the Pangea Maths competition. Fifth Years, Max Freeney and Isabel Marsh and Second Years, Daniel McGonnell, Adele O’Reilly and Oskar Rachwal, were among the 120 students to make it to the final round in Trinity College, from a total of 5,000.

Also in April, our Third Year Maths Team, comprising of Emma Beashel, Kate Havenga, Rory Wilson and Emily Steyaert, took part in the Pi Quiz. Thirteen other schools were present and the top four teams were neck and neck throughout the eight rounds. In the end we came joint third and must be congratulated for a good performance.

University College Dublin Ad Astra Scholarship Elena Tice – (Head Girl) has been awarded an Ad Astra Scholarship to UCD. This scholarship is awarded for her achievements in hockey and cricket. Congratulations to Elena.

I wish you and your family a lovely summer and I hope that the glorious sunshine of early June will continue for many weeks to come!

Tom Geraghty Headmaster

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Éirí Amach na Cásca

BT Young Scientist Competition In January 2016, two Transition Year students, Evelyn Clinton and Joshua Dargan Hayes, represented St. Gerard’s School in the BT Young Scientist Competition in the R.D.S. Evelyn’s project was entitled ‘Understanding the form of data input which people gravitate towards and the implications it has on future technological evolution’. Joshua’s project was entitled ‘Connect Shade: Development of a smart, portable, solar-powered, USB charging shading device’. Joshua won a highly commended prize for his category and he won a sponsored prize from Alcatel Lucent for combing ICT with sustainability.

ISTA Junior Science Quiz St Gerard’s entered two teams into the Dublin Branch of the ISTA Junior Science Quiz at Belvedere College in April. 28 teams took part in the competition, including two from St. Gerard’s. Team Blue consisted of; David Byrne, Neil Denvir, Brendan Farrell and finished second overall in the competition.

Team Green consisted of: Roby Kierans, Peter O’Flynn and Emily Steyaert and took fourth position.

Prize Giving - Sixth Year Prize Winners 2016

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Soroptimists’ Public Speaking Competition Soroptimist International is a global volunteer movement working together to transform the lives of women and girls. At the annual Soroptimists’ public speaking competition for girls in secondary schools, six students represented St. Gerard’s. Transition Years, Anna Byrne, Georgia Ferguson, and Jane Loughman, Fifth Year, Brid O’Donnell and Sixth Years Ciara Cullen and Emily Loughman. Speaking for six minutes on her chosen topic, Anna Byrne did very well and made it through to the regional round at Dungarvan, in County Waterford.

Wesley College Model United Nations In February, a number of Transition Year students, (Ciaran Caulifield, Harry Curley, Zenia Corson, Joshua Dargan Hayes, Georgia Ferguson, Laoise Geraghty, Isabel Kelly, Cian Kelly-Lyth and Jane Loughman) participated for the first time in Model United Nations in Wesley College. They were accompanied and guided by the more experienced Fifth Year delegates (Cameron Brady and Mark Cullen). The teams walked away with several awards and we look forward to seeing them in action again next year.

CIMA All-Ireland Business Quiz

A talented team of Third Year students represented the school at the AllIreland final of the CIMA Business Studies quiz in LIT Thurles. Having successfully qualified from the Dublin heat and against stiff opposition the team, including Kate Havenga, Sophie O’Riordan, Emma Beashel and Marc Finn managed to secure a joint fourth position.

Lions Debating

A strong Fifth Year team of talented debaters (Gavin Dowd, Killian Beashel, Brid O’Donnell and Eoin Blunnie) fought valiantly to hold on to the Bray Lions trophy this year. They won the first round of the competition but were knocked out in the quarter-finals.

Opposing the motion: “The Republic has failed to fulfil the ideals of the 1916 Rising”, it was an interesting and topical debate that showcased the debating talent we have here in the school.

St. Andrew’s International Model United Nations The St. Gerard’s team represented Liechtenstein at SAIMUN 2016. Running for twenty-eight years and the key event of the MUN calendar, the competition was held in the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire. With over six hundred delegates the competition for prizes was intense. Despite this, the Fifth Year team of Liam Noonan, Gavin Dowd, Brid O’Donnell, Cameron Brady, Callum McGloughlin, and Sam Shepard, managed to pick up four distinguished delegate awards and the coveted “Highly Commended Delegation”. A great allround performance by the St. Gerard’s delegates!

mace debating

Bond Traders Challenge

Alannah Crowley, Killian Beashel, Hilary Gallagher and Gavin Dowd competed at the Bank of Ireland Bond Trader Challenge at the Aviva Stadium in April.

Student Enterprise Awards

Congratulations to Joshua Dargan Hayes, Rachael O’Connor and Anna Byrne who won ‘Best Pitch and Presentation’ at the Wicklow Student Enterprise Awards in March.

Fifth Year Business Talk from Mark Van Den Bergh

In April, Mark Van Den Bergh discussed his experiences as one of the founders and managers of Max Benjamin Candles with the Fifth Year Business class.

The Bar of Ireland TY Programme Congratulations to Daniel Harbourne in Transition Year who successfully completed the Bar of Ireland TY programme, gaining a valuable insight into the Irish legal system with Chief Justice Ms. Denham.

Young Economist of the Year 2016

Cian Kelly-Lyth and Rian O’Mahoney in Transition Year reached the final of the Young Economist of the Year. The boys were one of ten entries out of 300 to make it into the final. The boys also won gold in the category “Creating Economic Awareness” for their video project on ‘Corruption in U.S. Politics in the 21st Century.’

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St. Gerard’s S e n io r S c h o o l

History & Geography TY

London Trip

In April the History and Geography departments brought 21 students on a three-day tour of one of the world’s greatest capital cities; London. The ‘red-eye’ starts, tube hopping, bustling streets, skyscrapers and a host of world-class attractions, ensured that all were treated to an exhilarating London experience. The dinosaurs of the Natural History Museum enthralled and amazed, the Imperial War Museum and the Churchill War Cabinet Museum transported the students back in history, and the night-time tour of Jack the Ripper’s Victorian London sent shivers down their spines. After delving deep into the terrifying London Dungeons, the Emirates Cable Car across the Thames provided some elevated relief! Journeying upwards into Europe’s tallest building, The Shard, gave a truly unique insight into the city layout and infrastructure and, of course, some breath-taking views over the London Metropolis. As ever, the last activity was one of the favourites, with a thrillsand-spills water level tour of London in the ‘Thames Rib Experience’.

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Natasha Bernon

Orla Wilson & Ross McParland

Stephen O’Connor & Emilia Connolly

Abbie McCarthy & Lily-Kate Hearns Cameron Moylan

Luke Shanahan & Lily-Kate Hearns

Claudia Bond

Cameron Brady

Oscar Punch

St. Gerard’s Theatre Group The St. Gerard’s Theatre Group had a busy term, putting on two productions in front of packed audiences. The First Year production of ‘The Exam’ by Andy Hamilton was a refreshing and enjoyable presentation of an all-too-familiar topic. The Second and Fifth years put on a production of ‘Becoming Shakespeare’. The audiences of over 350 people were treated to an excellent performance by the cast, who appeared in full period costume, helping to depict a real sense of this time in history.

English Department Fifth Year Trip London and Stratford-Upon-Avon Straight after mid-term a group of 40 Fifth Year students took part in the English Department trip to London and Stratford-upon-Avon. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed we leapt on the Tube and headed for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, where we partook in a ‘Hamlet’ workshop.

For some respite, we then visited the eclectic Camden Market and finished the evening with a foot-stomping production of ‘STOMP’ and an exhilarating tour of Jack the Ripper’s EastEnd. At the crack of dawn we hit the M40; our first stop was to visit the majestic Warwick Castle before heading to the home of Shakespeare, Stratford-Upon-Avon where we watched a production of ‘Don Quixote’ in the Swan Theatre. The following day, we toured the town and visited Shakespeare’s home and final resting place in Trinity Church. The trip was as educational as it was enjoyable.

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St. Gerard’s S e n io r S c h o o l

French Exchange This year’s exchange involved 21 students from Transition Year. They were accompanied to Libourne, near Bordeaux, by Ms. Carrigy and Ms. Finane. Their exchange involved daily classes, living with families and cultural trips.

There is no exaggerating the value of these exchanges, both culturally and linguistically.

Most of the students will long remember this experience.

Camino de Santiago Following on from the wonderful experience of last year’s pilgrims, 2016 saw 28 Transition Year students travel to Spain to make a weeklong voyage along the Camino de Santiago. The beautiful scenery along the ‘Way of St. James’ inspired the students. Many found that travelling the route taken by Spain’s patron saint provided a unique retreat for their own spiritual growth.

lvio & Charlotte Fu

ning

Molly Sten

Cameron Brady

Art Competition Winners First Years

Art Competition A wonderful selection of art pieces was submitted this year into the St. Gerard’s School Parents’ Association Art Competition.

The standard of work submitted by our talented pupils continues to impress. The winners this year were America Totsuka (First Year), Charlotte Fulvio (Second Year), Caroline Blennerhassett (Transition Year) and Cameron Brady (Fifth Year).

Seachtain na Gaeilge Seachtain na Gaeilge, as is traditional, was held in close proximity to St. Patrick’s Day. The activities were many and varied and the enthusiasm of the junior classes was reflected in their colourful postcards and posters representing Irish seanfhocail. All enjoyed the week’s entertainment of music and conversation - all through the medium of Irish. BEATHA TEANGA í A LABHAIRT.

St Gerard’s Book Club The St Gerard’s Book Club has been running since January for Junior Cycle students. It is a great opportunity for students to discuss books and ideas without the formality of the classroom environment. Students can eat their lunch whilst they discuss what they think and debate with their peers on different topics, themes and authors. So far this year we have read ‘The Book Thief’ and ‘Listen to the Moon’. The last book is ‘City of Fate’. This is an excellent way of getting students to explore different types of books and read outside of their classroom texts whilst developing their literacy skills.

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Second Year Girls

Sam Shephard

Sophie O’Riordan

Quartet

Harry Curley

Choir

Hugh O’Reilly

Jilly McGrath

Lauren Harkin

Summer Concert In May the school put on its annual Summer Concert. Musical Directors, Ms Jackie Olohan and Ms. Diane Owens ensured once again that all the performers achieved high standards. Choirs and soloists were prepped and ready to entertain their audiences. The wonderful variety of performances was enhanced by the brilliant accompanying of Mr. Vincent Lynch who fitted in so well with the joint expertise of our musical directors and, of course, performers.

Arklow Music Festival & Feis Ceoil In April Sani MacNally in Transition Year won the U18’s Piano section at the Arklow Music Festival. Sani has also won first prize in the recent Feis Ceoil, winning the Junior Pianoforte Solo section and the Isabel Bryan Spratt Memorial Cup.

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St. Gerard’s S e n io r S c h o o l

Home Economics Trips In February, 48 of the Second Year students travelled with the Home Economics Department to Rome. The students took in many of the amazing sights that Rome has to offer over the four days and also participated in an enjoyable ‘Pizza Workshop’.

Also in February, the Second Year and Transition Year Home Economics students travelled to Butler’s Chocolate factory and then in the afternoon to the Baking Academy in Palmerstown. The trip consisted of an educational factory tour, a presentation on the ‘History of Chocolate’ and in the afternoon a hands-on session making yeast bread and decorating cup cakes. As well as enjoying the day the students returned home with some delicious treats to share with their friends and families.

Student Council The Student Council has been very active since the New Year. They have met every month to discuss topics raised by the student body. An Ice-Cream Day was organised by the Council at the end of May in aid of Down Syndrome Ireland. Well done to all therepresentatives who made such an effort for the fundraiser. A special word of thanks goes to the Sixth Year students who are leaving us, having had such an active voice on The Council during its meetings.

CSPE Bake Sale for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Congratulations to 2C CSPE on raising €600 for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital through their successful and enthusiastic ‘Bake Sale’ in February.

Zambia Outreach Programme The seventh St. Gerard’s Outreach Programme will see 24 students travel to Zambia for what is sure to be a life-changing experience. The students, who are heading away at the end of July this year, have individually raised the funding for the trip and will be accompanied by Jill Roy, Catrina Rogers, Eamonn Carr and Rory O’Connor.

Parents’ Association Golf Competition Presentation of cheque from proceeds of Winter Ball To The Jack & Jill Foundation - €21,974

Jack & Jill Foundation In February we welcomed Mr. Jonathan Irwin, CEO of Jack & Jill Foundation and Ms. Deirdre Walsh, Fundraising Director, to receive the cheque from the proceeds of the Winter Ball. Jonathan spoke with passion and emotion in relation to the story of his son, Jack, who would have been 20 on the Leap Year date of 29th February 2016. The above donation to the Jack & Jill Foundation will fund 1,400 hours of private nursing care for the children with whom the Jack & Jill Foundation nurses work.

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Powerscourt Golf Club played host to this year’s PA Golf outing on Friday 15th April. Competitors had all four seasons in one day! Despite this they braved the elements to complete their rounds of golf on this beautiful golf course. A very enjoyable evening followed where many non - golfers enjoyed an excellent barbecue despite the weather. Our raffle this year was a great success raising €3,700 for Temple Street Children’s Hospital.

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Valedictory Evening

The Sixth Year Valedictory Ceremony took place on Wednesday 25th May, with Father Monson celebrating mass. The theme the group decided upon this year was Love, Mercy and Friendship and the students showed reverence and commitment to the celebration. Aislinn Byrne and Shane Kenneally delivered entertaining Valedictorian speeches. The evening ended at midnight with their ‘Ceremony of Light’ and a final blessing as the class of 2016.

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2016

St. Gerard’s S e n io r S c h o o l

Catholic Schools Week Catholic Schools Week is an All-Ireland annual event, which invites Catholic schools to consider the ethos of their Catholic education. It is a celebration of the Catholic faith in our schools, acknowledging the contribution Catholic schools make to the mission of the church. This year we celebrated the year of ‘Mercy’ in our school. Each year-group took time to reflect on what this means in their lives and as a school community. First Years were involved in a poster competition and Second and Third Years partook in a liturgy in the school chapel. Our senior students listened to presentations by the Knights of Columbanus and Ms. Catherine McDermott.

Minister of Eucharist Course In April, 33 students in Fifth Year participated in the course provided by Shankill Parish.

They will partake in a Commissioning Mass in September as they commence Sixth Year.

This is a wonderful opportunity for the students who will be Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist in their parishes and at school masses.

Retreats The First, Second and Transition Year students took part in a retreat this term. Our First Year students took part in an in-house retreat, spending time reflecting on the theme of ‘belonging’. The Second Years travelled to the Emmaus Retreat Centre in Swords. They worked in groups and reflected on their relationship with God. The Transition Year students completed their year with a retreat to Esker. The three-day visit included time spent in prayer, meditation and reflecting on issues that impact their life.

Medjugorje In April, the religion department accompanied a total of 43 Fifth Year students on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. Students undertook a journey of faith and discovery at this place of miracles.

The students are chosen for this trip because they are at a period of transition in their lives, between adolescent faith and mature faith. The trip involved time spent reflecting and questioning many of the issues that they face as young adults. Many returned with a new positive attitude and are sharing it with the rest of the St. Gerard’s community.

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Tran sit io n Y ear Review

Transition Year Review When we all finished our Junior Cert exams, we were excited to start Transition Year. We were tired of work, and ready for some relaxation. But our expectations of TY were very wrong; this year was to be the year of constant activity, work, opportunity, and achievements. It was to be the time to learn, try out new things, get out of our comfort zones, travel, make a difference and make many memories.

I don’t think any school year will top Transition Year. I did so much more than I expected to do, and enjoyed every minute of it. In fact, in many ways, TY wasn’t long enough. One of my absolute favourite things about fourth year was blogging. Instead of filling out logbooks, our year got to account everything we did on our own

blogs. This was easy to get into for me, as I’m already a blogger.

I love writing, photography and all things tech-y. Some people enjoyed the blogging, others not so much, but we all developed our writing skills and got to share our TY experiences online.

We got out of our comfort zones. I became a Ukraine delegate in the Model United Nations, and I made a speech about women’s rights in the Soroptimist competition. Both competitions were nerve wracking!

To gain more fluency in Spanish and French, some travelled to Madrid, Biarritz, Valencia, Salamanca and lots of other cities. Many of us went scuba diving, which is hard to believe, and I want to go again!

We showed off our talents. I was Patty Simcox, not Jane Loughman, on stage for our musical “Grease” - that was one of the biggest highlights of our year. The musical was the chance for our year of singers, actors, and dancers to perform and show that we do have potential Hoziers and Leonardo di Caprios. Some of these stars also performed at the Music Festival, the Summer Concert, in the choir, and at the Bray One Act Festival. Sabine performed in the Smock Alley Theatre, and Sani played piano in the Royal Irish Academy of Music on Culture Night. We also created our own TV shows at Kairos and some set up successful businesses and became young scientists or economists.

We got involved. With many others I joined the Young Social Innovators, I finished my Gaisce, worked on the newsletter team, and I became the co-captain of the Junior B hockey team. We volunteered for Saint Vincent de Paul, became Faith Friends, and we fundraised for different causes through bake sales, hikes, walks and coffee mornings. I helped out in the Bray Lakers arts and crafts classes every week. Some of us did even more Claire volunteers three times a week at Bray Lakers, and did three weeks of community service with them.

We travelled; not just to Spain or France to learn languages, but also to many other places. There were the London and Munich trips, but as well as that, Izzi went to L.A., Mia McCarthy worked in Nepal, Jackie attended the Badminton Horse Trials in Bristol, a group of us went to Ethiopia, Cormac went to France and Switzerland and Gabriel visited Calcutta. And they’re only a few examples. I myself ventured to Munich and Ethiopia; Munich was one of the nicest Christmas weekends I’ve ever had, while Ethiopia was the adventure of a lifetime.

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St. Gerard’s S e n io r S c h o o l

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Transition Year is all about trying things out. I know for sure I’d like to be a writer of some sort in the future, but despite this, I tried out different things to get different experiences, like working in the Mater Hospital. Many of us tried things out by doing work experience in courts, schools, businesses and companies, and Isaac even worked with a band. Nicolaas and Cian studied university courses for the year. At Trinity, Anna did the course in Bioengineering, both John and I tried out the Computer Science courses, Mark Fagan attended the Science course and Sarah did the Nursing and Midwifery course. Georgia, Nicolaas and I took part in the CTYI correspondence courses. Throughout the year, we did many projects and participated in modules like Forensics and Pottery. Our international students have been with us for the year and, I think everyone can agree that they’ve learnt so much since September.

We really loved having you guys here in St. Gerard’s. We’ll miss you.

And that’s not even everything we as a group, or as individuals, did, or everything we’re going to do! In June, some of us are going on the Camino trip, and others are going to France on the exchange, so there’s still something exciting to look forward to!

Reflecting on my year, I wouldn’t make it any different. I have had so many incredible memories, and I wish it wasn’t about to end!

If I was to give advice to upcoming transition years, it is to say yes to everything. It doesn’t matter what your interests are - TY is the year to get out of your comfort zone, get involved, show off your talents, travel and try things out.

To quote Joshua Dargan Hayes, ‘Y.O.T.Y.O’ - You Only TY Once.

Fourth Year was in our control, and we definitely made the best of it.

Jane Loughman

“Difference Days” Festina Lente Sixty Transition Year Students participated in the ‘Difference Days’ with Festina Lente in April.

All of the students had fundraised to cover the cost of all of the materials used for painting, decorating, and repairs in Festina Lente, through their Three Peaks Challenge.

The students spent the day gardening, painting, decorating and enhancing the facilities with the assistance of Mr. Denis O’Reilly and his talented ‘Difference Days’ team.

Green Schools Committee The school has now achieved its fourth An Taisce Green Schools flag for Travel.

This follows on from our previous flags for Litter and Waste Management and, Water and Energy Conservation. To achieve this flag we increased our rate of carpooling to and from school by approximately 15% over two years. The combination of a large catchment area and the work of the Green Schools Committee has resulted in St. Gerard’s achieving one of the highest rates of carpooling in our area. If you do not already carpool you might consider it - if even on an occasional basis.

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St. Gerard’s S e n io r S c h o o l

S p ort s O vervi ew

Re p re se n t a ti ve Sp or ts Honours: International Sevens Rugby

Steve Toal-Lennon (Past Pupil) is currently training with the Irish Sevens Rugby squad. They are preparing for the European Championships in Malmo, Sweden and the Olympic Repechage in Monaco in June.

International Ladies Hockey

Elena Tice has been selected as a member of the Irish Ladies International Hockey team and has competed in the Hawkes Bay Cup in New Zealand in April. The team had some great performances, most notably against the world number nine, Korea, in which Elena scored the equaliser with twenty seconds left on the clock. They went on to win the game on penalties.

International Ladies Tennis Federation Cup Team

Anna Bowtell in Fifth Year competed for Ireland in the International Ladies Tennis Federation Cup team in April. Travelling to Montenegro as part of a very young team, Anna marked her Fed Cup debut with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Armenia’s Ani Safaryan.

Another victory over Iceland saw the Irish Ladies’ team finish second in their group behind Macedonia.

U21 Leinster Hockey

Sarah O’Loughlin has been selected for the Leinster U21 hockey squad, and will train over the summer for the Interprovincial Competition in September.

U21 Irish Skiing

Garreth Reilly (Fifth Year) has had a very busy season representing Ireland in 19 international races; including two national championships which were both held in Iceland. Garreth was also selected to represent Ireland in the U21 Alpine World Championships in March, held in Sochi, Russia. From the 110 competitors Garreth finished 45th in the competition.

Leinster U19 Rugby

Congratulations to Marc Baker in Fifth Year who has been selected to participate in summer squad training. Part of a current squad of 31, Marc hopes to be selected for the Interprovincials at the end of the summer.

Leinster U18 Rugby

Congratulations to Cormac Foley (Transition Year) on being selected to participate in the Leinster U18 schools camp. Cormac is now set to represent Leinster in August and September in the Interprovincials.

U17 Irish Orienteering Champion

Eoin Riordan (Transition Year) has been selected on the Irish Orienteering team to compete in the European Championships in Poland in June. In May, Eoin won the Irish U17 Championships in the Comeragh Mountains, having already lifted the Leinster U17 trophy at Trooperstown Hill in Wicklow, in April. Well done for an outstanding season.

U16 Leinster Rugby Summer Programme

Charlie Byrne, Rory Wilson, Oliver Haydock, Ben Watson, David Carroll and Thomas Cahill-Hannigan in Third Year, have been selected to train as part of the U16 Leinster Summer Development Programme.

U15 Leinster Boxing Club Champion

Congratulations to Aidan Long, in Second Year, who won a Gold Medal in the Michael Andrews tournament at the National Stadium in March. Aidan represents Enniskerry Boxing Club and is a member of the Leinster squad. At the All-Ireland Finals in April, despite a good performance, Aidan lost his bout. In May, Aidan travelled to Latvia to compete in an U15 Multi Nations Boxing Competition. Aidan secured victory in the 66 kilogramme class by beating his Russian and Latvian opponents.

U15 Irish Mixed Touch Rugby

Richard Bisgood, Thomas Cahill-Hannigan, Robert Byrne, Michael Connolly and Conor Diamond are to represent Ireland in the U15 Irish Mixed Touch European Championships in Holland on the 19th August. Best of luck to the Third Year students in what is sure to be an exciting event.

U15 Irish Schools International Cross-Country Team

U15 Irish Schools International Cross-Country Team Abbie Taylor & Roisin Treacy represented Ireland in the SIAB International Schools Cross-Country competition in Scotland.

Both girls finished in 3rd place in their respective races. In the All-Ireland competition in May, Abbie finished in second place.

U15 Leinster Athletics Champion

Roisin Treacy (First Year) won the Leinster U15, 1500 metres race in Santry, in May. Roisin will now compete in the All-Ireland Championships in June.

First Year Rugby - League Winners

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Sp o r t s Overview

Second Year Rugby - A’s League Winners

Second Year Rugby - B’s League Winners

Student Appointments 2016-17 Head Boy: Deputy Head BoyS:

Gavin Dowd Killian Beashel Michael Noonan

Head Girl: Deputy Head GirlS:

Claudia Mc Cabe Ruby Neville Hilary Gallagher

Senior Rugby Captain: Daniel Power Senior Hockey Captain: Eleanor Dunne

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school prefects

Eoin Blunnie Claudia Bond Cameron Brady Emily Byrne Shona Callan Michael Costello Alannah Crowley Mark Cullen Leonie Delaney Tom Dempsey Muireann Farrell

Ben Geoghegan Max Geoghegan Cian Gilmore Keelan Glennane Ellie Kennedy Jennifer Magee Callum McGloughlin Susie McParland Eva Moroney Cillian Murray

Liam Noonan Brid O’Donnell Cian O’Flaherty Caleb Powell Art Punch Rebecca Rock Sam Shepard Mark Smith Lucy Warde

St. Gerard’s S e n io r S c h o o l

Sport s O vervi ew

Equestrian Inter Schools Show Jumping Championships This season in the Equestrian Inter Schools Competition, St. Gerard’s competed in the Open Team Championships and in the Novice Team Event as well as in the Individual competitions. St. Gerard’s finished in seventh place in the league. In the individual competition, which produced some superb riding against the clock, Kirsti Connole on Beech Hall finished in 5th place from the sixty entries. At the Mullingar equestrian center in April the notable performance came from Kristi Connole, who picked up 3rd place in the Individual Metre event and in February at Barndown, Shauna Callan, Natahsa Bernon and Roisin Treacy finished 3rd, 4th and 6th respectively in the Open Individual competition.

Show jumping Mr Geraghty & Natasha

Show jumping Mr Geraghty & Roisin

Novice Team: Ailbhe, Harriet, Jordan, Jenny

Domonique, Shona, Natasha & Blathnaid

Jacqueline, Shona & Clare

Cricket In Cricket the U13 and U15 teams entered leagues providing both with a high standard of competition. The players rose to the level but had mixed results. The First Years missed out on a semifinal slot in count back of wickets lost.

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S p o r t s Overview - Hock e y

Hockey Senior I

39 girls participated in this year’s Senior hockey season. Having been crowned Leinster Champions last season, we came back with high aspirations.

Our aim was to retain the trophy for two consecutive seasons and we nearly did, losing in the cup final 4-2 to Alexandra College. For us to be in the final two years in a row is, obviously, a major achievement in itself. In the League we drew with St. Andrew’s, defeated King’s Hospital, lost to Loreto, Foxrock and defeated Loreto, Dalkey. In the Claudia Tierney Cup semi-final, we lost to Rathdown, having been level two all at full-time.

Senior II

The Senior II’s had a great league run, only losing, eventually, to Alexandra College in the semi-final. On the way we had defeated Wesley College, Loreto, Dalkey, Loreto on the Green and The High School.

We drew with Rathdown and, apart from the semifinal, our only loss was to Loreto, Foxrock.

Senior III

SThe Senior III’s had an up-and-down season. We defeated Loreto, Balbriggan and Mount Sackville and lost to Wesley College and Sutton. Improvement was obvious as the season progressed.

Junior I’s, II’s & III’s

J33 girls participated in Junior hockey throughout the season. The Junior I’s grew from strength to strength as the season progressed. With mixed results in the League, we reached the Leinster Plate semi-final. Five of our squad will return to JCT level next year.

The Junior II’s had victories over Loreto, Dalkey and Cluny in the league losing out to Mount Anville and Loreto, Foxrock. Some of the Junior II players should make it to a higher level next year. The Junior III’s achieved several good league results – defeating Loreto, Balbriggan and The King’s Hospital. We went down fighting in our games with Mount Anville and The High School.

Minors

The Minor I’s have the makings of a very good team and we expect them to be competitive next year.

Their hopes of progressing further were dashed with their plate semi-final loss to a strong Alexandra College side. The high points of the year for our other Minor teams were our win over Newbridge and our draw with Loreto, Dalkey. However, we lost to Mount Anville and Alexandra College.

First Years

29 First Year girls participated in the hockey competitions this season.

We achieved a commendable runners-up position in the South Dublin Blitz tournament, and we went as far as the quarter-final in the Leinster League. Mighty oaks from little acorns grow! Our B team also achieved; in reaching the Leinster quarter-final.

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St. Gerard’s S e n io r S c h o o l

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Sp o r t s Overview - Ru gby

Rugby

Rugby SCT I

In Division 1A of the Leinster Senior League the SCT finished second in their group. Notable wins included those against CBC Monkstown, The King’s Hospital School, Presentation College, Bray and Wesley College. In the quarter-final they beat Gonzaga College before losing to the eventual winners, Cistercian College, Roscrea in the semi-final. In the first round of the Schools Senior Cup, the boys again faced CBC Monkstown, losing out by two points from a last minute penalty.

SCT II

The Senior II’s had some success in the Forster Cup notably beating both Terenure II’s and Blackrock College Colts. However, despite these wins, they did not progress from their group into the playoffs. The loss to the eventual winners, Mount Temple College, cut short their competitive season.

JCT

Playing in Division 1A of the Leinster Junior League, the JCT managed to come top of their group, winning an impressive five from five. The team beat opposition such as Presentation College Bray, Newbridge College and eventual finalists CBC Monkstown. In the quarter-finals against Kilkenny the team lost by seven points in a hard fought contest. The tour to Ballyclare helped gel the squad but a number of injuries plagued us prior to our cup campaign. In the first round of the Schools Junior Cup, the boys came up against the eventual runners-up, St. Michael’s College, losing 44-12.

U15

In the U15 Central League, the U15 A and B squads, for the first time in their history, have won both competitions. This augurs well for the future and in particular for the Junior Cup squad for next season. The A squad had a convincing win over Gonzaga College (19-3) in their final, whereas the B squad picked up even more points in their final, beating Gonzaga 27-7.

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St. Gerard’s S e n io r S c h o o l

S p o r t s O ve rvi ew - R u g by

U14

This year at U14 rugby, we were able to field three teams. The A and B squads had some convincing wins in their respective league campaigns. The B team led by Max Cleary made it to the Central League final where they played C.U.S. Despite going down to an early score the team roared back into the lead with tries from Alan Gordon and a hat trick from Adam Whitten. A solid defensive effort from the squad ensured that they brought the league trophy back to St. Gerard’s.

The A team led by Saul Fitzpatrick were unfortunate to lose out on a place in the Central league final on points difference.

The C team succeeded in winning all but one of their games including wins over St. Andrew’s College, Kilkenny College and Wesley College.

At the Oratory School Sevens Tournament in March, both the A and B team made it to their respective semi-finals but were knocked out at this stage of the competition.

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S p o r t s Overview

Sailing & The St. Gerard’s Regatta In May, St. Gerard’s held their seventh annual Inter-Schools Sailing Regatta, with a record entry of 59 sailors and 39 boats. Six schools competed for the overall team award, which went to Loreto, Dalkey. The Jack Roy Trophy was won by Sam Hennessy, with Ben Hutchinson as runner-up. Rosie Gibbons was awarded the Lady Sailor trophy for her contribution to the St. Gerard’s sailing teams.

Anna Bowtell

Boys’ Tennis This year St. Gerard’s entered three boys teams into their respective Leinster leagues. Having an overall mixed season, the highlight was undoubtedly the Senior team’s match with Terenure College.

Despite losing 3-2 to the eventual winners, the boys can be proud of their performances.

This year we say goodbye to Tom Foley, Jack Dunne and Dominic Brodeur. These pupils have given their all to the school’s tennis team for the last six years.

Family Tennis

Garreth Reilly - Russia

In what was a wonderful evening of Tennis, the Opperman duo of Paddy and Hubie once again retained their title from the last two years, beating the Bakers, Mark and father, Kevin. The school was delighted to have over 30 parents turn out for the event making for a very enjoyable evening.

Djouce Runners Twenty-two First and Second Year students were selected to compete in the final of the Djouce Run. Jack Kennedy won the competition in a time of 19 minutes 50 seconds with Kenneth O’ Grady coming second in 21 minutes 40 seconds. Rachel Cullen was the first girl with a time of 23 minutes and 12 seconds.

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St. Gerard’s S e n io r S c h o o l

Sport s O vervi ew

Athletics The athletics season started brilliantly with the Wicklow Schools competition in Charlesland track on the 4th April. St Gerard’s tallied up an amazing 7 gold medals, 7 silver and 4 bronze. The East Leinster Schools was the second event of the session, St Gerard’s entered 100 individuals and five relay teams. 26 athletes won medals, which reflects the excellence standard of athletics within the school. Eighteen individuals qualified for Leinster which was a record for the school. Tom Cullen came 4th in the high jump, Conor Furlong 4th in the shot and Louis Lalor finished 4th in both the 100m and 400m hurdles. Abbie Taylor finished 2nd in the 3,000m in a very fast time breaking the championship record. Roisin Tracey had an amazing performance in the 1500m to become Leinster Champion. Finally, St Gerard’s hosted the 30th annual Tony Ward Athletics meet. Unfortunately, St Gerard’s were beaten by a strong Alexandra College side. On Saturday 4th June, Abbie Taylor represented the School in the All-Ireland Championships in Tullamore. Abbie had a great race, finishing second.

Ken O’Grady Djouce Run Winner

Roisin Tracey Djouce Run Winner

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