St. Gerard's Senior School Summer Newsletter 2017

2017 Edition

St. Andrew’s International Model United Nations A team of Fifth Years from St. Gerard’s represented the delegation of Syria at SAIMUN 2017. 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 St. Gerard’s delegation of Max Baxter, Harry Curley, Joshua Dargan-Hayes, Cian Kelly-Lyth, and Rian O’Mahoney managed to pick up two distinguished delegate awards. A great allround performance by the St. Gerard’s delegates!

Tom Geraghty Headmaster

Dear Parents, Colleagues and Students,

McKinsey Leadership Programme Well done to Gavin Dowd, Hilary Gallagher and Michael Noonan (Sixth Year) who have all been accepted into the summer leadership programme. The Leadership Academy takes place in Wellington College in Berkshire in July, and is a two day residential programme for students in their final year of secondary school studies. It is designed and delivered by global management consultancy firm McKinsey and Company and is a chance to build a toolkit of practical leadership skills and to find out more about management consulting within a community of like-minded peers.

At the end of this our 98th year of education in St. Gerard’s, one can only be extremely proud of the commitment, dedication and enthusiasm of all of our students, colleagues and parents, as witnessed at the many whole school events during the month of May. Our Junior and Leaving Certificate students are now totally immersed in their examination programme and indeed they can see the end of their journey and look forward to their well merited break. I congratulate them on their commitment to their studies and look forward to their educational outcomes in the Autumn.

It is a truly exciting time of innovation in St. Gerard’s, in particular with the planning phase for the major new extensions to both the Senior and Junior school progressing vigorously. The Senior school extension will house four new Science Laboratories, new Home Economics Room, a new Music Room and a number of new large Classrooms, together with additional recreation spaces for the students and enhanced locker facilities. Both the Art Room and the Design & Communications Room will be greatly enlarged and enhanced, together with other refurbishments to the current Senior School.

The work on the new water-based Hockey Pitch has commenced as has the development of our new Geo Dome, adjacent to the Pavilion. It is hoped that both of these large projects will be completed by the end of August/early September 2017. I wish to acknowledge the immense support of the Board of Directors for their innovation and vision in governing these major projects.

I wish to thank all my colleagues in every faculty 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 team of colleagues. On a campus with 750 students we will always need St. Gerard Majella to be there for us, to bless us and to ensure that the daily minor ‘miracles’ take place and we look forward with immense enthusiasm to the continued development of the provision of excellence in St. Gerard’s School as we approach the celebration of our Centenary.

Trinity College Scholars Congratulations to Sean Murray and Aine McCabe (Class of 2016), who in April were both awarded Trinity Scholars in Engineering and Science respectively.

Scholarships are awarded to students showing outstanding achievement in a set of non-compulsory exams that are typically taken in their Senior Freshman year.

Ad Astra Elite Athlete Scholarship, UCD Well done to to Elena Tice (Head Girl 2015-16) who has been awarded an Ad Astra Elite Athlete Scholarship

by University College Dublin. The presentation to the Ad Astra Scholars was made in UCD in February.

Soroptimists’ Public Speaking 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, three students represented St. Gerard’s. Fifth Year Anna Byrne and Transition Years Emma Beashel and Eleanor Freeney represented the school admirably in this tough competition. Speaking for six minutes on her chosen topic, Emma Beashel did very well and made it through to the regional round of the competition before being chosen to represent the district in the national round of the competition. A great achievement- well done Emma!

Sophie O’Riordan and Emma Beashel participating in the Wicklow Student Enterprise Awards Competition, which took place in April.

The Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards 2017 Congratulations to CJ Cummins (Sixth Year) who has been awarded a Certificate of Merit as a result of his commitment to serving his community. The award is in recognition of his volunteer work and in particular the dedication he has shown in his involvement with the Special Olympics.

Past Pupil, Stephen Miller (Class of 2011) visits the Sixth Year LC History class in March.

Stephen took the time to give tips on the upcoming exam and discuss university life as undergraduate.

Stephen himself has just completed his B.A.Hons reading HIstory at UCD.

Our children and our families are our lives. The recent horrific terrorist attacks in both Manchester and London have touched the hearts and souls of everyone in a truly meaningful manner. Thus, may I take this opportunity to wish everyone in our school community an enjoyable summer break with your families. The Summer bestows on us the time to appreciate and to value the most important things in our lives.

“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” Archbishop Desmond Tutu

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Mathematics Once again, this term has been particularly busy for the Maths Department. We fielded two teams in the IMTA Senior Maths Quiz which was held on the last Friday in January in Rathdown School.

Team A consisted of Hilary Gallagher, Max Freeney, Michael Noonan and James Peters while Brid O’Donnell, Alannah Crowley, Susie McParland and William Moore made up Team B. Both teams acquitted themselves very well with our A Team coming joint fifth out of 40 teams.

In early May, our Junior Cert maths team, comprising Ben Hogan, Tadhg O’Connell, Ken O’Grady and Oskar Rachwal took Fourth place in the Pi Quiz which was held in Wesley College for South Leinster schools. Marcus Pippet, Karl Murray, Tim Wilkinson from first year got through to the Irish Junior Maths Competition which was held in Oatlands CBS. Following that, two students from second year – Emily Barret, Matthew Whelehan - and two students from fifth year - Ciaran Soden and Nicholas Pochinkov- qualified to take part in the national round of the Pangea Maths Olympics which was held in Trinity College. Pangea is a reputed competition organized in 12 European countries and this was the first time it was held in Ireland.

Well done to all our teams. They and our teachers must be commended for the extra preparation done for each of these competitions.

Junior Debating The last term didn’t see any respite for the Junior Debating teams as they continued to pursue their goal of becoming the most effective argumentative young people in Leinster. With this in mind they decided to tackle a new challenge; Mace Debating. Loreto College St Stephen’s Green was the setting and our dedicated second years, Jake Wooton and Mike Gleeson decided to try their hand at this more frantic and frenetic style of debating. They were joined by the first year team of Jennifer Swan and Evan Dargan Hayes. Standing in front of strangers and delivering a speech, while being interrupted and questioned, is most people’s idea of hell. Our students chose to embrace the challenge having received the motion for debate only 15 minutes previously. The topics they debated were: “The house believes that all fee-paying schools should be banned from Ireland.” The second motion was “This house would make it compulsory for all children under 18 to participate in sports.” and the third and final motion was “This house believes that social media is harmful to society.” Well done to our teams who ably represented their school while acquiring a myriad of new skills. The Law Society Junior Debating Competition that took place in UCD recommenced after Christmas with our three teams still in contention. Tadgh O’Connell and Michael Flynn and Elijah Fleming and Jack Cummins, all from third year, were joined by Mike Gleeson and Jake Wooton from second year. Jake and Mike made it to the quarterfinals of this prestigious competition their final debate being on the motion that “This House Would Require the Unemployed to Participate in Community Work to be Eligible for Job Seekers Allowance.” Well done also to all of the members of The Junior Debating Club who have come to the library every Friday to discuss and debate the week’s events. I’ve enjoyed your company and been impressed by your insightful opinions.

Transition Year HIstory and Geography Trip - London 2017 The Transition Year trip to London was packed full of venues all designed to educate and entertain the aspiring Historians and Geographers. We got our first glimpse of London from the air as the sun rose over the River Thames below. After touchdown we boarded our first of many tubes, whisking us along the Piccadilly line into South Kensington, to explore the impressive Natural History Museum and its neighbouring Science Museum. Visiting the impressive Imperial War Museum, we had time to reflect in its sombre Holocaust memorial. Next up was a fear filled hour in the London Dungeons, followed by a walk along London’s action packed Southbank. After a welcome pizza break, we headed up to the 7Second floor of Western Europe’s tallest building, ‘The Shard’, just in time to see the sun set. After taking in this unique vantage point, we boarded an open top bus for a night-time tour of London’s impressive architecture.

Eight hours of rest and a solid breakfast and we were ready for day two! Boarding the Royal Navy Cruiser, HMS Belfast, we stepped back in time to 1944. As we explored the ship we were able to imagine the terrifying sounds of the first shots of D-Day. Continuing with the WWII theme, we headed over to Downing Street, before entering the tunnels of the Churchill War Cabinet Rooms. Having explored the operation center, we emerged once again into the bright sunshine, to be greeted by the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. From here we headed over to the Tower of London followed by a trip to Spitalfields market. After dinner we explored the 19th century streets of Whitechapel during our Jack the Ripper night-time walking tour.

Day three saw plenty of action but at a slightly more relaxed pace, starting with a look around the East India Company’s storehouse museum, at the London Docklands. Next it was time to get up close and personal with the Thames, aboard the highspeed ribs. Having blasted around the Thames Barrier area, we dried off and took to the skies once more in an Emirates Cable Car. Our final stop was for some lunch and shopping at London’s famous Carnaby Street, before heading back to the hotel and finally the airport.

BT Young Scientist Competition Well done to Peter O’Flynn in Transition Year for representing St. Gerard’s in January at the BT Young Scientist Competition. Peter showed off his enthusiasm for mechanical engineering with his project which was entitled, “The torque output of a two stroke engine in relation to the compression ratio.”

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Art Competition

St. Gerard’s Theatre Group

In this years Art Competition there was no specific theme so the body of work submitted was varied and exciting.

Pupils from first, second and fourth year submitted either an artwork or a photograph of their choice. The exceptionally talented Nicky Kruseman was kind enough to judge the work with an objective artist’s eye. A larger number of first year pupils submitted photographs this year and Nicky was so impressed she created a new prize category, First Year Photography. Congratulations to all pupils for their hard work and participation. The winners included: Jasmine Wootton (First Year), Sarah-Lily Lynch (Second Year) and Rachel Cullen (Transition Year). First Year Photography, Isabelle Owens.

St. Gerard’s senior drama spent much of the first and second terms putting on the show “Remote” for the St. Andrew’s Festival. The play was centred around the lives of seven teenagers as they tackled bullying, teenage angst, depression, and apathy. Feeling trapped in a world they were told was theirs for the taking, each character coped with their problems differently. The play brought to light many of the trials of teenage life from all angles, as we saw insecure bullies and unfulfilled, defeated learners. The play was directed by Ms. Carney, and the main characters were played by students in fifth year, assisted by a group of storytellers played by second and third years. The performance in the festival was a huge success, with Georgia Ferguson and Ciaran Soden winning awards for their performances, and Anna Byrne and Jane Loughman being nominated for theirs.

Shakespeare Workshops In May we were delighted to welcome actor and director Simon Coury to St Gerard’s. Simon hosted two workshops where students learned about performance and staging. He looked particularly at Shakespearean theatre and The Merchant of Venice. He asked students to think of the status of the various characters in the play and how they could portray this status to an audience. Others had to react to these characters according to their own social position. We learned to convey status by our attitude, our movements and our tone of voice. Simon’s extensive experience as a writer and commentator on Shakespearean drama provided the students with a valuable insight into how actors and directors bring drama to life, from the page to stage.

Roddy Doyle’s Creative Writing Workshop This year 2B visited Roddy Doyle’s ‘Fighting Words’ workshop as a school trip in English.

The students got the chance to learn about creative writing, using their imagination and writing their own individual stories. Based in the Wicklow countryside, the beautiful setting of the venue helped to inspire the young writers. In addition the workshop volunteers were also very helpful and friendly, sparking ideas and explaining the writing process to the students.

Junior Drama Drama this year has been full of great fun and hard work but very rewarding, particularly when the Junior School Hall was packed full of an audience of family and friends cheering us on with fabulous applause. The environment Ms. Carney has created is one where friendships are made and confidence is gained. There a huge dedication by all to produce a fabulous and memorable display of shows.

The second years enjoyed getting into character in their performance of The Mad Breakfast by I.M Gray, which is a comical play set in the 1930s in Britain. The first years also got their chance to perform in a play set on the school grounds, based on the terrifying appearance of a Zombie and a Vampire.

English Department Fifth Year Trip London and Stratford-Upon-Avon Immediately after mid-term in February,a group of 50 Fifth Year students took part in the annual English Department trip to London and Stratford-Upon-Avon.After a red eye flight we took in the Natural History Museum and a trip down memory lane with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons in ‘Jersey Boys’.We were up early again for a “King Lear” workshop at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre,followed by the street theatre that is the colourful Camden Market.We finisjhed our day with a spooky ghost bus tour around the ghoulish cobbled backstreets of Olde London.We hit the M40 on our third day,stopping off at the majestic Warwick Castle for jousting,falconry and a dungeon tour.That evening we all donned our finest attire for the Swan Theatre in StratfordUpon-Avon.Before we took our flight home we followed the footsteps of William Shakespeare visiting his birthplace,New House and Trinity Church,the final resting place of the Bard by the tranquil waters of the River Avon.O and we did hit the shops in the West End too!

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Home Economics trip to Rome & Sorrento Second year Home Economics students travelled to Italy in February. They took in the sights of Rome, Vatican City & Museum, world famous food market Campo diFiori, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and the Jewish Quarter. They also travelled to Sorrento to attend cookery workshops, farms and production plants to see and experience how to make pizza, gnocchi, mozzarella; traditional methods for roasting coffee, making olive oils, while also fitting in a visit to a bee farm and orange & lemon grove.

St. Vincent de Paul In February the St. Vincent de Paul conference in St. Gerard’s organised a very successful ‘Letter Drop Appeal’. This took place in Deansgrange and raised an impressive €11,000 for the worthy cause. Well done to all those involved.

Summer Concert This year’s Summer Concert took place in May and as ever saw a host of talented students take to the stage. Directors Ms. Owens and Ms. Olohan were able to bring out the best in the performances ensuring that the audience were fully entertained. As well as a host of talented soloists, the highlights of the evening included the Senior School Choir and the Chamber Choir.

In addition a thank you goes out to comperes on the evening, Gavin Dowd and Sam Shepard, who also performed on the evening.

European Piano Teachers Association Music Award Well done to Sani McNally (Fifth Year) who achieved second place in this prestigious competition help in March at the National Concert Hall in Dublin.

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Valedictory Evening

Catholic School’s Week

This years Valedictory took place in May with Father John O’Connor P.P. celebrating the mass. The theme of the mass, picked by our sixth year students is, ‘A Journey of faith and hope’. It was a joyous occasion as always, and during the mass, there was a special blessing for the 30 new Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist in sixth Year. Prayers were offered for our graduating students hoping that they would continue to foster and nurture their relationship with God, as they depart from St Gerard’s on the next step of their journey in faith and hope.

Catholic School’s Week took place from January 29th to February Fourth. It afforded us an opportunity to be mindful of our core values as a Catholic school and to learn from invited guests about some aspect of our faith. The first and second year students were instrumental in raising awareness of the week by creating posters that were displayed throughout the school. They chose important symbols and images of our Christian faith and wrote prayers or selected quotes that had special meaning for them. It was lovely to see the students pray for their families and to recall childhood prayers in such a meaningful way. The theme of the week was, “Learning with Pope Francis to care for our common home “ and we were delighted to welcome Fr Tom Casey to the school on February Second who, having had many years experience in living and working in Rome, was full of insights into life in The Holy See. He spoke to us about the life and the teachings of Pope Francis.

Later that week we had an opportunity to learn from Brother Gregory McCrory about St John of God. His talk focused on the life and inspiring vision of the man whose organisation does such invaluable work in Ireland today.

Minister of Eucharist Course Medjugorje

Past Pupils’ Reunion

In April of this year 32 Fifth year students travelled to Medjugorje. While there in a land of deep faith and Religious practice the students were called on to become Pilgrims. During their time there they were faced with many different emotions and questions about their own faith and lives. They were challenged to leave behind any preconceptions and prejudices in order to fully appreciate all that was going on around them. As a group the excelled in several ways but arguably the pinnacle of the trip was when they carried a young man up to the top of the Mountain who would otherwise have never been able to get there. In doing so the showed the spirit of memor and the true meaning of the expression Love Thy Neighbour.

In March, past pupils of the St. Gerard’s Prep School (1944-1959) attended a weekend reunion held at the Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club. A memorial service was also attended by a number of the group and for some it was the first time that they had visited the school since they had left over half a century ago! Well done to our ‘Elder Alumni’ for helping us celebrate the proud history of the school.

Retreats

Camino de Santiago The Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James) is a large network of ancient pilgrim routes stretching across Europe and coming together at the tomb of St. James (Santiago in Spanish) in Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. A group of 28 Transition Years and four teachers had the fortune to journey “The Way” this summer taking in the beautiful scenery of rural Spain on their travels. The Camino experience affords TY students the wonderful opportunity to bond with other members of their peer group in a way that is unique and spiritually enlightening.

Cheerios Childline Breakfast Congratulations to the students of Sixth Year who helped organise the charity breakfast morning for Childline. There was an impressive turn out in support of the event, raising an impressive €1,800. A special word of thanks to the Catering Team for their support of the event.

Zambia Outreach Programme This Summer will see the eighth successive St. Gerard’s Outreach Programme take place in Zambia. Fourteen students will travel at the end of July and will be accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Geraghty, Ms Carrigy and Mr Carrahar. The students have individually fundraised for the trip and are looking forward to what will be a truly transformative experience. The proceeds from the St. Gerard’s Ball will be donated towards the school visit.

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Since the beginning of 2017 the Fifth years Fourth years and Second years have taken part in various retreats. As part of an experiential dimension aiding the students holistic development it is seen as crucial that they are challenged not only academically and physically but also spiritually. The retreats gives each student a chance to reflect and come to terms with the fast moving lives they live. Retreats offer an opportunity to build better friendships better resilience and to connect with God in their lives. Each Retreat is designed to complement their busy schedule and stage on their journey through St. Gerards. The fifth years travelled to Glenstal, the Fourth years travel to Esker and the second years attend the Priory in Tallaght.

20 students took part in the Minister of Eucharist training course kindly provided

by Fr John O’Connor and members of the Shankill parish pastoral team. It took place as a extra-curricular option for Fifth years. The group studied the sacrament of eucharist, the theology behind being an extraordinary minister of the eucharist as well as practically understanding how to minister the Eucharist in both parish and school masses.Fr John spoke to the newly appointed ministers of the eucharist about the privilege they have have been entrusted with as Ministers and the responsibility that goes with such a role.

The students involved will participate in a Commissioning Mass. Their parents and year group will be invited to celebrate the eucharist with them at the beginning of the next academic year. The student ministers of the Eucharist will minister in all school masses and minister in their own parishes on a Sunday also.

Student Council The student council have been very busy all year. They organised a non uniform day in aid of the homeless, the Peter McVerry trust before Christmas. They collected more than 1400 euro for the charity. They then invited Mr Michael Thompson in from the trust to talk to us about the excellent work that they do to help the homeless. On the 18th and 19th of May the council sold ice cream in both the junior and senior school raising valuable funds for down syndrome Ireland . It was a great success. We look forward to welcoming the new headboy, headgirl and deputies onto our council and we will hold elections for new council members at the end of September. A big thank you to Gavin Dowd, Michael Noonan, Killian Beashel, Claudia McCabe, Hilary Gallagher, our sixth year representatives who contributed so much to our meetings.

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Tran sit io n Y ear Review

Transition Year Review I lean back into the camping chair, savouring the taste of roasted marshmallows and appreciating the warm glow of the bonfire stroking my hands; I listen to the soft murmurs of conversations around me and the distant plucking of a ukulele and watch the dim light of the fire dancing on the faces of my friends….

“Buy wonderfully scented candles, in beautiful jars for under €6! Homemade product, locally produced, transition year mini company…” I swiftly wrap the jar in colourful tissue paper, tie it with a ribbon making it look as artistic and professional as possible, find a business card and neatly place it in the bag. I feel the cold coins tumble in my palm, and wave my customer goodbye. I watch the endless stream of people flow through

seems to uncontrollably tremble as I hold it, I look at the encouraging and kind faces of the elders around me, open my mouth and sing the first note as if I was singing on my own.

“Think of me, think of me fondly….”

Face beaming, heart pumping, adrenaline rushing I stand in the centre of the stage, the audience below me applauding and rising to give us a standing ovation. My eyes water from the smoke, or maybe from the bubble of joy bursting inside me.

1, 2, 3...the ‘Silly Girls’ curtsey in unison, our impressive ball gowns rippling, like a lake from a thrown pebble, around us as we bow. As the whole ‘Beauty and the Beast’ cast hold hands, and we slowly raise our arms, and the crowd cheers louder, and the spotlight shines right at us; I gaze at the audience and feel incredibly happy and proud…

These amazing memories are just a fraction, or a taster, of all the unbelievable experiences I’ve had during Transition Year. To tell you the full buffet of experiences I had, I would need many, many pages as I’ve had the chance to do an incredible amount! Where to start?

Well firstly, I believe the concept of Transition Year is a brilliant one.

I see Transition Year as ‘a school year where one can develop as an individual and discover who they are as a person, a year where students have the opportunity to travel and spend time excelling in areas they are interested in, it is a year to bond with classmates and to create a photo album of unforgettable experiences. This year has been more exciting and beneficial than I could ever have imagined!

Blackrock market, some glance at my candles other power-walk by without any sign of interest and others stop to purchase a candle…

I enter the classroom full of Masters students in l’université d’Angers. My tummy tickles with nervousness, my mind goes blank as I look at the students. Seeing the USB stick lying on the windowsill I am reminded why I am standing in front of these university students. “Bonjour, eh, I am Sophie O’Riordan and I’m here for my work experience…” and suddenly a get a boost of confidence and present the story of my life, and learn about their lives, with a stubborn smile plastered to my face!

“A student from St Gerard’s YSI group, who have kindly volunteered to join us today at our annual Christmas party, will now sing us a song from Phantom of the Opera!” The microphone

“Row, and 1, 2, 3, ROW!” water splashing around me, as our canoe slices through the calm water. With our destination right ahead of us, we speed up. It feels almost magical as we approach the silver beach surrounded by turquoise water, and I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore. As I wander through my thoughts for a while, I consider the silver beach as my goal for Transition Year; I had to work hard to get the beach, sweating as I pushed the ore into the water, the sun blinding me at times, my feet frozen from standing in the freshwater but the journey was a beautiful and exciting one as I worked together with my friends to row the canoe through the water, the scenery stunning and the wind encouraging us as it helped us move forward. Once we arrived at the silver beach, it felt incredible and all the hard work paid off!

I have tried out many things and developed new skills! I have taken Transition year as an opportunity to do things I enjoy. I have for example, joined Enniskerry football club as part of my Gaisce physical recreation, and I have made many friends there. I adore scented candles, and have created a successful mini company selling homemade candles. From this I have learned marketing and communication skills, I feel my mini company, experience has served as a ladder to allow me to peek through a window into the world of economics and business. I have improved and developed my presentation skills and have become a more confident person. In France, in the University of Angers I have delivered a presentation on intercultural communities and life in Ireland, Holland and Belgium to the students. I have learned debating skills from the Public Access to Law course I participated in. In my humble opinion I have become a more independent person. Experiences such as the camping trip and work experience have helped me develop an independent mind set.

Transition year has made me a better person. I have volunteered to help out with many organisations. I joined our school’s Young Social Innovators group and together I believe we have made a big difference for elderly people in our local community. I helped organise a bake sale which raised over €1000, I helped out at the Homelink Christmas party and spend time talking to the senior citizens there about their lives and their interests. I sold my mini company candles at Greystones Holy Rosary Church and gave all my profits to the Peter McVerry charity. In addition, I went carol singing in St Stephen’s shopping centre in Dublin, to raise money for the Peter McVerry trust. I spent a week at Bray Lakers, recreational centre for people with special needs. I helped pack hundreds of Christmas Hampers for SVP. For my Gaisce community service I spent 13 weeks helping out at Greystones library, which I really enjoyed!

I definitely got out of my comfort zone as the year progressed.

Initially I was worried about joining Enniskerry football club, as I didn’t know anyone and I hadn’t played soccer for a few years, but I didn’t let fear take over me so I joined the club and I am very

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happy I did! Flying to France in my own, and spending a week in a French university was an experience which dragged me right out of my comfort zone, but it was a wonderful experience that opened my eyes to many possibilities for the future and has taught me many valuable skills! One of the most terrifying moments in my transition year was doing an activity called ‘High Ropes’ in Carlingford Adventure Centre. I told myself I couldn’t do it, but my friends encouraged me and once I reached the top, the climb was definitely worth it! Another experience in Transition Year that has made me heart race, and when I doubted my confidence, was opening our Transition Year Musical. However, I acknowledged the fear and with one big leap I jumped over it and welcomed the audience to our musical, Beauty and the Beast, with a confident smile.

Throughout the year, I have also had the chance to travel around the stunning island of Ireland, and abroad. I glided across the sky in a plane to France in December for an unforgettable week of work experience.

A few weeks later I flew to Holland, to visit the Mauritshuis Art Gallery as part of my research for my Art Appreciation Project! In addition, I went to Blackrock to sell my candles, to Maynooth to visit the University, to County Louth for a week at Carlingford adventure centre, to Dublin City for many activities including carol singing and work experience in the European Commission Representation!

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Student Appointments 2017/18 Head Boy:

Deputy Head BoyS:

Transition Year has allowed me to explore Ireland and discover beautiful towns and landscapes that I had never seen before.

I’ve slept in tents, hostels and will be staying in a hotel in London shortly! Thankfully we still have another two months of Transition Year left, and these months will be packed full of exciting activities such as the Camino de Santiago in June, and the History trip to London in April!

If I had to describe Transition Year in one word, it would be: incredible. Transition Year has opened my eyes to countless possibilities for the future. It has given me inspiration and courage, and has helped me to create strong friendships. I have had the opportunity to participate in many amazing activities and I have acquired many valuable skills. If anyone thinks that Transition Year is boring or a waste of time, then they simply haven’t challenged themselves enough, they haven’t embraced all the opportunities presented to them! Your Transition Year is what you make of it

and the more you put into it the more you get out of it! Yes, it does take time and effort to reach your goals and to create a worthwhile Transition Year, but trust me you will eventually appreciate all the work you’ve put into your TY! I believe all the schools throughout Europe should adopt the concept of Transition Year and incorporate it into their school programme as it gives their students confidence and self-esteem and creates a mature and independent group of students. When I reflect on my Transition Year adventure, I remember it with acute nostalgia for all the magnificent experiences I have had, wishing I could do them all over again. When I reflect on it, I also see the last 7 months like I’m watching a movie and I notice how it has been a collection of memorable moments that will live with me forever. The photo album of memories from this school year, inside my mind is labelled ‘Transition Year’ and this album will remain a precious past of the photo gallery of my life.

Head Girl:

Deputy Head GirlS:

Joshua Dargan Hayes Harry Curley Max O’Reilly Georgia Ferguson Amy Carroll Zenia Corson

school prefects Donal Ahearn Max Baxter Natasha Bernon Lara Burke Anna Byrne Carroll Amy Ciaran Caulfield Evelyn Clinton Zenia Corson Harry Curley

Joshua Dargan Hayes Faye Dempsey Mark Fagan Georgia Ferguson Cormac Foley David Furey Laoise Geraghty Zach Glynn Daniel Harbourne

Cian Kelly-Lyth Sarah Kenny Caitlin Keogh Jane Loughman Jacqueline Magee Daniel McGovern Jack O’Caoimh Aimee O’Caoimh Sabine O’Connell Rachel O’Connor

Claire O’Leary Paddy Opperman Adam O’Reilly Max O’Reilly Amber O’Sullivan Isaac Philips Nicholas Pochinkov Eoin Riordan Rachel Whitten

B y S o p hi e O ’R i ord an

French Exchange 25 students participated on the French Exchange this year. This is the fourth year of our partnership with Collège St. Joseph, in Libourne.

The students visited a vineyard in St. Emilion, went on a walking tour of Bordeaux, climbed the highest sand dune in Europe & swam in the crystal waters of Arcachon . They had class with their Irish teachers over the course of the 10 days also. The students get the opportunity to transfer all they learn in a classroom setting into real life experience. It is an unrivalled cultural & academic experience in one of the most scenic regions of France.

Re pre s e nt a t i ve Spor t s H on our s : International Ladies Tennis

Following her success with the Federation Cup Team, Anna Bowtell has continued to train with the Irish Women’s Tennis Squad. In April she competed in the U18 International Tennis Federation competition in Nottingham. Anna defeated several tough opponents to make it into the quarter finals. After her Leaving Certificate she hopes to compete in another Women’s International competition in Ireland in July before taking up her Tennis Scholarship at Rice University, Texas, USA in September.

U18 Irish Rugby

Cormac Foley has represented Ireland in the U18 rugby team. On completion of the training camps, he was selected to travel on the 10 day tour over Easter to Cardiff. The team beat both Wales and Italy, before succumbing to a strong English side. Cormac is now looking forward to the July/August training camps, hoping to represent Leinster again in the Inter-Provincial competition.

U17 Leinster Boxing Champion

Following on from his pre-Christmas victory in Poland Aidan Long again achieved success in March, becoming the U17 Leinster Boxing Champion (Light Middleweight). In what was his second successive Leinster title, Aidan continued to represent his Enniskerry Boxing club. This success entitled him to compete in the All Ireland competition in April. Despite a valiant effort he was narrowly defeated in the Semi Final.

National Community Games All-Ireland Champion

Well done to Roisin Treacy (Second Year) who won the 7 kilometer event at the All-Ireland school competition in May.

U16 Athletics Indoor Championships

Congratulations to Roisin Treacy (Second Year) who came second in the National U16 Indoor Championships in February at the impressive new track at Abbotstown.

U21 Irish Skiing

In February Gareth Reilly was the only Irish representative at the U21 World Championships, which this year were held in Sweden. Despite falling on one of his runs, he managed to finish in the top 40..

Irish and Leinster Schools Orienteering Championships

Well done to Eoin and Cuan Riordan (Fifth and First Year respectively) who competed in the Leinster Schools Orienteering Championships in March. The competition was held in Hellfire Wood in Rathfarnham and Eoin finished in second place in the U18 category while Cuan shared first place in the U14 category, having finished in an exciting dead heat. At the later All Ireland event in May, Cuan built on his success by securing second place in the 2,300 m race and Eion took third place in the 5,000 race.

U18 Leinster Hockey

First Year Geography Trip

On Friday 12th May, the First year students embarked on a geography themed school trip to Castlecomer Discovery Park, Co. Kilkenny. The students arrived to Castlecomer as the rain started, but this did not dampen their spirits!! The three groups rotated around three activities which included a workshop on the rock cycle, an interactive coal museum and a 300m long zipline across a lake! A fantastic day was had by all and it was a great way to end the year.

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U18 Leinster Rugby

Ethan Baxter, Charles Byrne and Ben Watson represented Leinster U18 this year. Ethan captained the side, playing at home against the West Park Tigers, where he along with Ben Watson get on the score sheet in a very convincing win. All three also played on the squad away to Northampton Saints over the Easter break. They will all be attending the U18 School’s summer programme, and will be joined by Max O’Reilly who received a call-up.

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Congratulations to Lara Burke, Rachel Cullen and Ella Malone who have been included in the panel of 42 for the Summer Training programme with the Leinster U18 squad.

U16 Leinster Rugby

Congratulations to Jordan Fahy and Jenny Mooney who have been included in the panel of 35 in the Summer Training programme with the Leinster U16 squad.

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Sp o r t s Overview

S ports Ov erv iew

Boy’s Tennis

Equestrian Inter Schools Show Jumping Championships

Captain Chris Finnegan leaves the St. Gerard’s tennis team on a high, having won his match against Blackrock in the School Senior Tennis Championship. Despite this, our senior team bowed out of the competition with a 4-1 defeat. St. Gerard’s also fielded two Junior Tennis teams and a wealth of experience was gained by our Second and Third Year players who competed in the Leinster Junior Second and junior Third Division. Our junior Second team came unstuck against a very talented Kings Hospital team and our Junior Third teams, having beaten CUS were then narrowly defeated by Kilkenny which put them out of the competition. The Minor team were narrowly defeated 3-2 by Clongowes Wood in the Division 2 Leinster Schoolboys Tennis finals. It was a great performance by this team, with the last match going 7-6 in the Third Set.

The 2016/17 equestrian programme proved to be very successful. Our open teams have finished in the top 5 throughout the season, and finished in fourth place overall in the Irish inter-schools league. Good performances in both individual and novice events throughout the year have really helped consolidate the school’s position in the overall standings. A particular highlight was the home event at Boswells in February, with the St. Gerard’s team comprising of Kirstie Connole, Shona Callan, Mark Finnerty and Jennifer Robinson taking first place.

Family Tennis Another highlight of our Tennis calendar was our family tennis night which took place on Tuesday 1Sixth May. We had a record number of pairings and of the 40 pairings that were entered, 35 of them had an adult member. This was another record and added greatly to the excitement for the night. A very high standard was played and witnessed by all and we would encourage even more parents to play next year. The final proved to be a game of the highest calibre where Jean and Aaron Baker beat Emir and Ciaran Kavanagh. The Bakers not only managed to save match points in their semi-final, but managed to repeat the same feat on the way to winning the final. Next year, we hope to get more students involved and I would encourage them to play on Friday evenings with Mr. Drummy from 4pm-5.15pm next year.

St Gerard’s Cricket

Cross Country

This has been a flash bang cricket season, with all matches completed in 3 weeks, of course the fact we had all dry matches helped as well! As always the development of cricket is the school’s main aim, and matches reflected this with a number of first and Second years gaining experience by playing for the senior and Second year team, special mention must be made of Alec Jackson (first year) who played every match for St Gerard’s this season! However the growth of cricket in the junior school has been of particular advantage for the senior teams with a number of outstanding cricketers emerging this year and the results reflect this, we will only be improving as each new wave is supported by the last!

Senior games against Mt Temple seniors and Presentation Bray were narrowly lost, while the First years won against Mt Temple, by one run taking the Karl Murray taking the last wicket to the dismay of the Mt Temple team on the sidelines. Other notable efforts in this match were Shay O’keefe, scoring the school’s first half century, and Tim Wilkinson taking 3 valuable top order wickets.

In all a successful cricket season again and I look forward to adding to the quality of cricket player we have here to create even more depth next year.

Following on from the pre-Christmas Leinster Schools Open Cross Country, the number of Athletes in the St. Gerard’s Cross Country squad swelled to over 30. The East Leinster Cross Country event was the next major meet, this year held at Avondale. On what was a cold winter’s day, our Athletes put in a great fight against 50 other schools. A special congratulations goes to Roisin Treacy who came fourth in a very tough 3,500metres, which included a handful of internationals. She went on to qualify for the All Irelands in Belfast.

Well done to Isabelle Carroll who came Fifth in the Junior A race and Lidia Uhlar Vicente who finished as our highest ranked First Year (19th) in the Junior B race. The Junior B boys did very well with Matthew Fennelly and Conor Gallagher finishing in Fifth and 8th respectively.

The highest ranked boy in the team was Ross Mason who competed in the Minor B race and finished in Second place!

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Golfer of the Year May 2017 saw the golfer of the year award reverting back to its original format, of a nine hole stableford competition.

28 pupils from First to Sixth year all competed for the top spot, in some challenging conditions Dun Laoghaire Golf Club. Gabriel Dooley in First year won with 19 points, closely followed by Daniel Lordan and Jacob Brodeur who were separated on count back. MAtthew Bardon won Longest drive and Zach Glynn won nearest the Pin.

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S p o r t s Overview - Hock e y

Hockey Senior I

The Senior I finished their Leinster Cup campaign with an emphatic run; beating, in succession, St Killian’s, Loreto Beaufort and, in the Semi-Final, Loreto Foxrock, before finally losing to Muckross in a thrilling final. It marks a superb run for the SCT girls who have now featured in the cup final for three years in a row.

Senior II

The Senior II’s had a brilliant season winning the Leinster league. They had seven wins, two draws, no losses including notable wins over Mount Anville and Muckross. They were unlucky in losing narrowly to Rathdown in the South Dublin League.

Senior III

The Senior III’s had a fantastic season reaching the Semi-Final of the Leinster League, beating The King’s Hospital, Loreto Dalkey, Holy Child, Killiney, Muckross and Newbridge. In the Semi-Final they lost 1-0 to Mount Anville.

Junior I

The Junior I’s had a mixed season drawing 1-1 with Alexandra College, 2-2 with The King’s Hospital, before losing to Rathdown and St Andrew’s. In the cup they were put out by a very talented Muckross Park side.

Junior II

We had a good start to our league campaign with a strong 3-0 win over Our Lady’s Terenure before losing 0-2 to Holy Child, Killiney. Next up was a superb 4-1 win over Wesley College and a 3-1 win over Mount Anville. In the Leinster Quarter-Final we were disappointed to lose to a very good Mount Anville team.

Minor I

The Minor I had a solid run in their league, winning all their matches before losing to Alexandra College in the Quarter-Final of the knockout section. They went on to win the Minor Plate, beating Holy Child, Killiney 3-0 in the Final. They topped off their season by winning the South Dublin League beating Loreto Foxrock 2-1 in the Final.

Minor II

The Minor II had a good run in the league starting with wins over Rathdown and Sion Hill. They drew with Donabate Community College, and defeated Santa Sabina. They had a fantastic game with a super performance beating Loreto Beaufort on penalties in extra time. They met St Joseph’s, Cluny in the Leinster Semi-Final in what was a thrilling match despite losing 2-1 in front of a home crowd.

First Years

This year we fielded three eight-a-side teams who competed before Christmas in the Leinster League.

After Christmas, we went to eleven-a-side and competed with two teams in the Leinster League.

We are delighted with the progress our first years have made this year.

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Sp o r t s Overview - Ru gby

Rug b y

S ports Ov erv iew - Rugby

U15

Rugby

A fantastic season for U15 rugby was capped off with a double league win for both the A & B side’s. The B team, led by Max Cleary, defended the title the won at U14 and indeed went through the Dublin Central League campaign unbeaten, a tremendous feat. The A side led by Saul Fitzpatrick were not to be outdone however, ten point’s down with five minutes to go in their final v C.U.S, the lad’s showed their never say die attitude. An eight phase forwards try finished by Daragh McCaul and a length of the field kick and chase finished by Alan Gordon secured St. Gerard’s a four point victory. It was great to see the progression and development of all players and the squad have already commenced pre-season training for what should be an exciting JCT campaign next year.

Senior Rugby

A good win against a strong Glenstal Abbey side over the Christmas break set us up nicely for our first round cup meeting with St. Michael’s in late January. After a heroic first half which seemed to have laid the foundations for a great win, we lost our way in the second period and now look back on what could have been. On to the plate where wins over Castleknock and Kings Hospital brought us to the final against Roscrea in Donnybrook. Against a much bigger outfit we played ourselves into a winning position only to let victory slip from our grasp with the last play. It has been a season of highs and lows, what could have been and what should have been. As a team we can look back and say we played at the highest level and put ourselves in a position to achieve victory .

We grew into a cohesive unite across the three senior years thanks to the leadership throughout the team but especially our captain Daniel Power and his vice captains Marc Baker and Stephen Bourke.

U14

U14 Rugby fielded two teams throughout this year. The A team, captained by Paddy Harrington, had great wins throughout the year, with combative and talented players such as Marcus Von Teichman, Luca Morris and Callan O’Reilly sure to make their mark on future teams. The B team, captained by Gabriel Dooley and often fielding players new to rugby, battled in every game, securing impressive wins against the likes of St. Munchin’s College, King’s Hospital and Wesley College.

At the Oratory School Sevens Tournament in March, the A team was crowned overall winners, showing determination throughout and some excellent attacking skills to remain undefeated for the tournament. The B team, defeated in only one game, went on to claim the Plate to bring the curtain down on a successful year for U14 rugby in the school.

JCT

The JCT teams had fine seasons this year with both improving both their rugby skill, and decision making as well as their physical abilities through the work of Sami Dowling and both squads thank him for this. The JCT had a fantastic tour up to Ballyclare in Northern Ireland where both teams produced wins in the build up for their respective cup and league run in, adding to this was the chance to attend Ulster v Bordeaux and see the champions rugby played up close.

The teams split and while the first team were disappointed with their cup loss to Gonzaga, they used this as the fuel for their performance against a strong and physical Castleknock team in the plate. The boys went down early before rallying and scoring tries against a fierce wind. Going behind to a late try, the team stayed positive and scored a great try to put them back in front, only for the Castleknock boys to work back downfield and win the game with the last kick of the match.

It was a similar story with the Seconds team, after fine wins against Michaels and other in the league lead up the made the final against a well drilled and skilled Blackrock Thirds team. The boys watch Blackrock score two early tries before deciding to play rugby themselves and did the school proud, falling just short in the final minutes looking for the winning try. As stated in the opening paragraph this group have shown tremendous improvement across the board and I look forward to seeing this continue in the next season.

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S p o r t s Overview

S ports Ov erv iew

SCT Squad

Athletics Report

Sailing Regatta

St Gerard’s Athletics 2017 began with the Wicklow Schools Event in Charlesland on the Fourth of April. The U14 boys and girls had a great turnout, entering 2 students in every event! In total, 55 students completed, some for their very first time. The girls won ‘Overall Best Girls Team’ and the St. Gerard’s medal count reached 21!

The U14 girls won Gold in Tug of War and Silver in Relay (Ciara Moroney , Faye Durkan, Sally Hodgins, Amelia Pierce) alongside the U14 boys who also achieved a silver medal in the relay (Matthew Thornton, Timothy Wilkinson, Ross Mason and Max Hodgins). The U15 boys (Adam Whitton, Scott Younger, Conor Keogh and Cormac Long) and girls relay (Isabelle Carroll, Robyn Purcell, Jenny Mooney and Georgina Wilkinson) both placed Second while the girls showed their strength again in the Tug of War with a Gold medal!

These 11 athletes went on to represent St.Gerard’s in the Leinster competition. Louis Lalor reached his target of qualifying for Nationals as he dipped his head for Gold in the 100m hurdles.

Roisin Treacy and Aaron Donnelly will also be joining him at Nationals, placing gold and silver in the 1,500m steeplechase respectively. Paddy Harrington threw the discus 26.04m, a personal best, to earn himself a bronze medal. Christina Bray also placed third, taking her first bronze medal in the Leinsters, firing the discus 21.92m. Unfortunately, Jessica Knatchbull, who has been a fantastic all round athlete this year, chipped her tibia bone as she attempted the high jump. Her commitment to training has been outstanding and jumped a personal best of 1.45m the day before her injury. We wish her all the best in recovery.

Individuals displayed great athleticism in both the field and track events. Medals in the track events were taken in all years including; Jessica Knatchbull, Isabelle Carroll, Roisin Treacy, Louis Lalor and Aaron Donnelly. In the field events the medals came from Jessica Knatchbull, Ailbhe Lunn, Jasmin Wootton, Max Hodgins, Shay O’Keefe, Scott Younger, Anna Byrne, Rachel

Whitton, Amy Hodgins and Ben Hogan. Well done to all!

Following another month of after-school training, along came the much anticipated East Leinsters. These were held at Morton Stadium in Santry. We had 60 individuals who competed and five relay teams, over the two days. Medal results are below but we had many other athletes who achieved ‘Personal Best’ times and distances.

This year’s sailing regatta was again a great success. 51 competitors in a fleet of 27 boats, from 8 different schools, took to the water in some very challenging conditions in May. The planned 3-race card was completed, despite the weather trying to hinder as best it could, and saw Marcus O’Leary winning the Jack Roy Trophy for the school’s sailor of the day. The Lady’s sailor of the day went to Alanna Stanley and Claire Ahern.

Position Event Name First 100m Hurdles Louis Lalor First Steeplechase Roisin Treacy First Steeplechase Aaron Donnelly First High Jump Anna Byrne First High Jump Jessica Knatchbull Second 100m Adam Whitten Second 400m Hurdles Louis Lalor Second Inter Javelin Rachel Whitten Second Discus Christina Bray Second Shot Putt Jasmin Wootton Third Javelin Luka Morris Third Discus Paddy Harrington Third Senior Javelin Rachel Whitten

These 11 athletes went on to represent St.Gerard’s in the Leinster competition. Louis Lalor reached his target of qualifying for Nationals as he dipped his head for Gold in the 100m hurdles.

Roisin Treacy and Aaron Donnelly will also be joining him at Nationals, placing gold and silver in the 1,500m steeplechase respectively. Paddy Harrington threw the discus 26.04m, a personal best, to earn himself a bronze medal. Christina Bray also placed third, taking her first bronze medal in the Leinsters, firing the discus 21.92m. Unfortunately, Jessica Knatchbull, who has been a fantastic all round athlete this year, chipped her tibia bone as she attempted the high jump. Her commitment to training has been outstanding and jumped a personal best of 1.45m the day before her injury. We wish her all the best in recovery.

Sixth Year Prize Winners

Congratulations to Roisin Treacy (Second Year) who took Silver in the All Ireland Steeple Chase Event.

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