St. Gerard's Senior School Winter Newsletter 2019

St.Gerard’s School

Celebrating 100 Years

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Leaving Certificate 2019 The class average CAO 2019 Points is an excellent 470 Points per person (previous records 477 points in 2018, 489 points in 2017).

• 37% attained in excess of 500 points • 61% attained over 450 points • 77% attained over 400 points • 88% attained over 350 points • 99% attained over 300 points • Six students attained in excess of 600 points Congratulations to the Class of 2019 and we wish you every success in your third level pathway.

Oíche Nollag Máire Mhac an tSaoi

Junior Certificate 2019

Le coinnle na n-aingeal tá an spéir amuigh breachta, Tá fiacail an tseaca sa ghaoith ón gcnoc, Adaigh an tine is téir chun na leapan, Luífidh Mac Dé ins an tigh seo anocht.

Congratulations to the Junior Certificate Class of 2019 in attaining the second best Junior Certificate results in the school’s history. The average number of Honours attained is a superb 8.9 per student.

The Sky tonight is lit with the candles of Angels, The bite of the frost is in the wind from the hill, Raise the fire and get yee to bed, The son of God will lie in this house tonight.

• 93% % of all papers taken at Higher Level • 92% Honours attained on Honours Papers • 51% attained 10 or 11 Higher Honours • 67% attained 9 or more Higher Honours • 80% attained 8 or more Higher Honours • 95% attained 7 or more Higher Honours 500 A & B grades were attained at Higher Level – an average of 5.44 A/B per student.

Tom Geraghty Headmaster

Ad Astra Scholarship Congratulations to Rory Wilson (Class of 2019) who has been awarded the prestigious Ad Astra Scholarship by University College Dublin for his attainment of six H1s (625 Points) in his Leaving Certificate.

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DCU Academic Scholarship Award Congratulations to Danielle Crowley (Class of 2019) who has been awarded an Academic Scholarship Award to Dublin City University. Danielle is studying Global Business in DCU. Certificate exams.

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Trinity Entrance Exhibition Award 2019

UCD Entrance Exhibition Award 2019 Congratulations to the following students on being awarded an Entrance Scholarship to UCD; David Byrne, Isaac Philips and Rory Wilson. These students have received this award in recognition of their achievement in the Leaving Certificate exams.

Congratulations to the following students of the Class of 2019 on being awarded an Entrance Scholarship to TCD; Eilis Breathnach, Odran Farrell and Benjamin Hutchinson. These students have been awarded the Trinity Entrance Exhibition Award as a result of their achievement in the Leaving Certificate exams.

Irish Junior Science and Maths Olympiad

BT Young Scientist Competition

Congratulations to Amy Ward who was invited to take part in the Irish Junior Science and Maths Olympiad. These invitations are sent to high achieving students who excel in both Science and Maths in the Junior Certificate exams.

Congratulations to Evan Dargan Hayes (Transition Year) who has been selected to compete in the BT Young Scientist competition in January. His project is a study of how a new graphite based electric paint can be used to insulate a building. Best of luck.

Irish Mathematical Olympiad Congratulations to Transition Year students Marcus Pippet, Ruanne Whitelaw and Timothy Wilkinson who achieved full marks in the first round of the Irish Mathematical Olympiad.

These students will join other successful candidates who will be offered further training in U.C.D. and from which an Irish Olympiad team will be selected.

Senior Science Quiz Three teams of Sixth Year students took part in the Leinster ISTA Senior Science Quiz and they came First, Third and Fifth in the competition. First Place; Ben Hogan, Colin Molloy & Max Merren. Third Place; Tadhg O’Connell, Oskar Rachwal & Michael Moore. Fifth Place; Ryan Glynn, JP McErlane & Michael Flynn.

The first two teams went to the National Final which took place during the last week of November in Trinity College, Dublin.

At the event the students performed admirably but did not get placed.

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Model United Nations Once again this year St. Gerard’s students entered both the Terenure College and Rathdown School MUN conferences. MUN provides a framework for participants to build an understanding of current global challenges and consider solutions for what are some of the world’s biggest problems. The St. Gerard’s students represented South Africa, India and North Korea. At TERMUN Fifth Year students Emilia Connolly, Matthew Thornton, Bernard Byrne and Ilana Philips all received a Distinguished Delegate award. At RADMUN Emilia received her second Distinguished Delegate award and was joined this time

by Transition Year student Lucy O’Connell. Next on the calendar is the Mount Anville conference which the teams are already looking forward to.

Junior Debating Junior debating continues to thrive in St. Gerard’s.

It all starts with Tuesday morning Debating in the library. This is open to all First, Second and Third Year students. Topics discussed on these mornings range from the topical such as Brexit and Global Warming to the less serious topics of whether pet ownership should be outlawed. Students have participated in external competitions such as the MACE debates and The UCD Debates. There was stiff competition to represent the school in these competitions and those selected have performed excellently. Finally, preparations are underway for the annual Gillian Lynch Memorial Debating Competition. Following last year’s success, we are looking forward to another wonderful competition where students have the opportunity to showcase their debating ability.

Royal Russell School International Model United Nations, London This term our Fifth and Sixth Year MUN students had another successful trip the Royal Russell School International MUN. Having travelled to Croydon, the five St. Gerard’s delegates represented Croatia at the conference and collectively picked up a Highly Commended Delegation award. This team consisted of Sixth Year students Jack Cummins, Tadhg O’Connell, Oskar Rachwal, Michael Gleeson and Fifth Year student Bernard Byrne. Overall, they finished ninth out of the 90 delegations. Well done to Jack and Michael who also were awarded individual Distinguished Delegates.

Soroptimists’ Public Speaking Six of our oratorically gifted students participated in the Soroptimists’ Public Speaking Competition in November. Emilia Connolly, Jordan Fahy, Ilana Philips, Lisa Sutton, Jennifer Swan and Louise Sweeney represented the school admirably, speaking on a variety of topics ranging from health to women’s empowerment and the environment. Despite the particularly stiff competition this year, Emilia Connolly wowed the adjudicators and has been chosen as regional representative for the next round of the competition. Well done to all who participated!

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St. Gerard’s Day

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Eucharistic Ministers

Student Council

This year in conjunction with St. Anne’s Parish in Shankill, we were delighted to offer the Sixth Year students an opportunity to become Ministers of the Eucharist. Eight students participated in the course, led by Fr. John O’Connor. The course explored the role of the Minister of the Eucharist and the meaning of Eucharist itself. The students thoroughly enjoyed the experience of discussing and exploring their faith. Fr. John was as ever, most generous with his time and joined us again in late in September to celebrate the mass commissioning the new ‘Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist’. As a group, they will minister at all school masses and in their individual parishes.

This was another busy year for the Student Council with hotlycontested online elections taking place at the end of September. We meet with the Headmaster once a month to discuss life for students at St. Gerard’s and to work on improving the student’s experience. November proved an especially busy month with preparations for the Christmas Bazaar.

Well done to all of the Council members who were highly motivated and enthusiastic about the night. The New Year will see all-hands-on-deck to organise a busy schedule of fundraising events aimed at supporting local charities.

The Student Council members organised a number of events for the Bazaar. The Secret Candy-Cane Gifting Service helped raise much-needed funds for local charities, and at the same time brought a little joy and intrigue to the evening. Almost 400 Candy-Cane sticks were purchased by the students and these were delivered to their chosen recipients by the Council team.

The Council members also organised the Jelly Jar event. To be in with a chance of winning the jar, students had to buy a ticket and then guess the correct number of jellies in the jar.

In addition to these, the Council organised a Mario Car Racing event that saw gamers go head-to-head to claim the top prize. There were some impressive gaming skills on display as lots of students helped support the fundraising by entering the competition.

Retreats The Sixth Years attended their retreat in Dromantine Retreat Centre, in Newry for two days in September. The group valued their ‘time-out’ and the chance to focus on their relationships with God and with one another. Our Third Year went on a retreat to the Priory Retreat Centre in Tallaght. They worked in groups to reflect on and appreciate all the gifts they have been given.

They gained a greater insight into their faith, which will hopefully develop further as the year progresses.

Liturgy The theme of the Mass to open the school year, in this our 100th year as a school community, was ‘Living and Growing in Christ’. Held on the 24th September 2019 mass was celebrated by Fr. John O’Connor. It was a beautiful whole school event, where staff and students came together to ask for God’s blessing on our work as a school community.

The Annual Mass for the deceased members of the school community was held in the School Chapel on the 11th of November. The Mass gave all who attended a time to reflect and pray for their loved ones who have died and are now with God. A remembrance tree was placed in the school and afforded students the opportunity to write names or special memories of those they have loved and lost. The tree was brought to the chapel and formed part of the liturgy. To see so many friends, colleagues and alumni gathered together to light a candle and take a moment of quiet reflection was truly special.

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St. Gerard’s Centenary Mass The theme of our centenary St. Gerard’s Day Mass was ‘Pride in our past, Hope in our future and Faith at our core’. The mass was concelebrated by the most reverend Eamonn Walsh, Bishop of the Archdiocese of Dublin, and Fr. John O’Connor PP. Following the mass, Bishop Walsh formally blessed the new Junior and Senior School Wings. It was a very special night for the whole school community and a true reflection of our ethos.

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Opening of the New Senior School Wing

George Byrne - St. Gerard’s Eldest Past Pupil opens the Senior School Wing

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Music Festival

Congratulations to each of the forty-seven acts who took to the stage in October for the annual Music Festival. The musicians and their teachers in each of the acts worked extremely hard to put on the best possible performance. An impressive level of skill was demonstrated by all of the performers.

Winners on the night were; Leo McNally, Katelyn Glass, Lily-Kate Hearns, Louise Sweeney and Orla Wilson. Thank you to our MC Jack Cummins (Sixth Year) and to our judges, Ms. MĂŠabh Murphy, Ms. Liz Sharkey, and Mr. Paul Sharkey.

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Poetry Aloud Congratulations to Transition Year students, Murray Sheehan and Ruanne Whitelaw who competed in the Poetry Aloud Competition which was held in October in the National Library. Both students gave excellent performances at the event. Congratulations to Murray who took Second Place in All-Ireland Final which was held in December.

Library The autumn term has been a hectic one in the Library. On Tuesday the 21st of October awardwinning author Julia Kelly (“Matchstick Man”) held three writing workshops for our Fifth Year students.

A highlight of these events was that Julia personally edited and offered positive commentary on students’ written pieces from the day. Julia was impressed by the creativity and originality of the pieces she read.

Halloween saw the Library Monitors add spooky decorations to the room to display some equally spooky book titles.

It was the turn of the Third Years to participate in a creative writing workshop on the 12th of November.

This time our author was Denise Deegan (“Through the Barricades”). Denise conducted three vibrant and thought-provoking sessions that will no doubt whet the students’ creative instincts as they prepare for their CBAs. A special mention goes to past pupil Caelainn Hogan who published “Republic of Shame”, which has been shortlisted for the An Post Book Awards. Caelainn signed copies of the book for the Library. The Christmas decorations were next out of storage as the Library continues to play host to busy lunchtimes with students borrowing their favourite titles, the Chess Club preparing for their forthcoming tournaments or intense Scrabble matches paused only to hurry back to class before the second bell tolls!

A huge thanks as always goes to our Fifth Year Library Monitors who give up their lunchtime each week to facilitate the whole school community. A special word of thanks to Emilia Connolly, Emily Barrett and Roisin Farrell for their excellent Library E-Magazines and work-covering and cataloguing titles.

A special mention goes to past pupil Caelainn Hogan who published “Republic of Shame”, which has been shortlisted for the An Post Book Awards. Caelainn signed copies of the book for the Library. The Christmas decorations were next out of storage as the Library continues to play host to busy lunchtimes with students borrowing their favourite titles, the Chess Club preparing for their forthcoming tournaments or intense Scrabble matches paused only to hurry back to class before the second bell tolls! A huge thanks as always goes to our Fifth Year Library Monitors who give up their lunchtime each week to facilitate the whole school community. A special word of thanks to Emilia Connolly, Emily Barrett and Roisin Farrell for their excellent Library E-Magazines and work-covering and cataloguing titles.

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Sorolla Art Exhibition The Sixth Year Art students travelled with their teachers to visit the Sorolla Art Exhibition in October. This was a wonderful opportunity for the twelve students to study and enjoy the work of the Spanish impressionist, who is referred to as the ‘Master of Light’. The event took place at the National Art Gallery with over 50 works on display from across the artist’s prolific career.

St. Vincent de Paul Bag Packing Congratulations to our Transition Year students who spent Friday 11th October bag-packing in aid of St. Vincent de Paul, in both the Cornelscourt and Newtownmountkennedy branches of Dunnes Stores. A remarkable €4,000 was raised between both centers.

Focus Ireland Sleep-Out Congratulations to the following TY students who took the initiative and organised a Focus Ireland ‘Sleep-Out’ in October in Greystones raising €1,500 for the charity; John Butler, Jim Cullen, Scott Dalton, Gabriel Dooley, Evan Fogarty, Jack Holland and Tim Wilkinson

St. Vincent de Paul Christmas Hampers The St.Gerard’s SVP Conference organised their annual Christmas outreach event in the Sports Hall on Tuesday 17th December. Following a presentation from Ms. Clare Manders, the SVP Youth Cocoordinator, our Fifth Year and TY students packed 350 hampers. These were then delivered to families in the local area by the Fifth Year Conference members and their parents. Thank you to the Junior School for arranging the toys for the Hampers.

Well done to all of the students who helped out and their parents who gave generously of their time to help with deliveries.

Particular thanks go to Mr. David O’Reilly, Ms. Ciara O,Connell and the Board for their support.

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Bake Sale for Ripple Zoo Congratulations to all of the students and staff for raising in excess of €1,400 through a Bake Sale in aid of the students of Batoufam, in Cameroon. Particular thanks go to Ralph (Sixth Year) and Ava (Third Year) Ledwidge for organising this event in aid of Ripple Zoo, which is a charity for young people in Cameroon.

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Young Social Innovators Christmas Shoe Box Appeal Congratulations to our Young Social Innovators on their Christmas Shoe Box Appeal for the Hope Foundation. Approximately 450 boxes were donated and presented to the Team Hope Christmas Shoe Box Appeal with all of the shoeboxes going to children on Christmas morning in Ukraine, Lesotho, and Malawi. Congratulations to the YSI Committee for organising this remarkable collection. This is the largest donation from any one school that the Hope Foundation has received.

The YSI in association with the Simon Community also collected Dignity Packs for the Homeless which were distributed over the Christmas period. In December the group organised a Carol Singing Service and braved the evening cold to spread the festive spirit. Over 25 students accompanied by their teachers helped to brighten up O’Connell Street on the steps of the GPO. Finally, the YSI group has arranged for the proceeds from their Cake Sale at the Christmas Bazaar to go to the Simon Community. Well done to all who gave up their time.

Our Lady’s Hospice Coffee Morning A sincere word of thanks to all of the student body and the members of staff for ensuring the success of the Irish Hospice Coffee Morning which took place in October. Particular thanks go to the Fifth and Sixth Year students for their organisation and preparation of the Coffee Morning. The event raised €2,430 which is the largest sum collected at the Coffee Morning to date. Well done to everyone involved.

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Wellbeing Week Wellbeing Week proved to be a very busy and successful endeavour this year with activities such as Samba Drumming, the CARA Breakfast and speakers such as Adam Harris from “As I am”, Eamon Ryan TD and Wellness Workshops for Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Years. The Religion Department’s Benediction and Meditation was also a wonderful contribution to the student’s Spiritual Wellbeing.

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Between the 24th of July and the 5th August 21 students, accompanied by four members of staff participated in the St. Gerard’s Zambia Outreach Programme. This was a truly transformative experience. It served as an eye-opener to the inequality that people face, and how we individually and collectively, can make a difference. The group experienced if only for a brief moment, what life was like in the Zambian orphanages, schools, and hospitals. We also got to see first hand the difference that the St. Gerard’s Outreach programme is making. transformative experience. It served as an eye-opener to the inequality that people face, and how we individually and collectively, can make a difference. The group experienced if only for a brief moment, what life was like in the Zambian orphanages, schools, and hospitals. We also got to see first hand the difference that the St. Gerard’s Outreach programme is making.

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2019

Zambia Outreach Programme 2019

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Gael Linn Debate At the beginning of November, Matthew Harbourne, Ailbhe Lunn and Murray Sheehan represented the school in the “Gael Linn” Senior School Debating competition at the John Scottus School. The motion argued whether we respect animals or not. It was an interesting motion as there were many hotly debated points for both sides. Deis iontach a bhí ann bualadh le daltaí eile agus ár nGaeilge a fheabhsú. It was a good opportunity to meet students from other schools and to use our Irish. Beatha teanga í a labhairt.

An Triail Chuaigh ard-rang na hArdteiste go dtí an drama ‘An Triail’ san Amharchlann ‘Axis’ i mBaile Munna. Is sár-dráma tragóideach é agus ba léiriú iontach é. Ba thuras fiúntach é.

Gaeilge 24 2019 Dé Máirt, an dara lá déag de mhí na Samhna, ghlac na ranganna ardleibhéal sa séú bliain agus muintir an chúigiú bliain páirt san fheachtas ‘Gaeilge 24’, eagraithe ag Conradh na Gaeilge. Bhí orthu agus ar na múinteoirí Gaeilge an lá a chaitheamh trí mhéan na Gaeilge. Bhí sé dúshlánach, le roinnt geáitsíochta, ach bhí an-spraoi ann freisin. Bhí bricfeasta Gaelach ag an séú bliain, tráth na gceist ag an gcúigiú bliain agus d’eagraigh an cúigiú bliain céilí don chéad bhliain. Bhailíomar €740 ar son Conradh na Gaeilge agus Cairde an Domhain. Gabhaimid buíochas le gach duine a thug an deis dúinn chun ár dteanga a labhairt ar an lá.

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CĂŠilĂ­ 2019

Careers Evening Careers Evening was attended by Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Year students. The evening is intended to assist students in understanding different career areas and pathways. The students were privileged to have advice from an extensive list of professionals who were experts in their field. These included Engineers, Doctors, Health Professionals, Lawyers, Scientists, PR consultants, Interior designers, Graphic Designer, Marketeer, Architects and many more. Past pupils were also available to advise on the different college courses they were attending.

Past pupil Olivia Flanagan graduated from UCD with a degree in Psychology and is now working in KPMG talking with some Transition year students.

Debutantes 2019

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A taste of the Transition Year’s Autumn term ...

Contributions from the Newsletter Team; Niamh Burke, Guy Corson, Evan Dargan Hayes, Amelia Dolan, Faye Durkan, Laura Harmon, Ciara Moroney, Lucy O’Connell, Isabelle Owens, Marcus Pippet, Aoibhe Quigley, Dylan Sheehan, Murray Sheehan, Jenn Swan, Matthew Thornton, Sean Treacy, Ruanne Whitelaw & Larina Yu.

Camping Trip The first event for Transition Year was the camping trip to Lough Dan. We departed for our trip on Wednesday 11th, but the excitement regarding the trip really began a week before. This was a great opportunity for everyone in our year as it encouraged us to rely on one another and work as a team. Much to the teachers’ surprise we managed to pack the bus quickly and efficiently. The journey was short and everyone was giddy with excitement. When we reached Lough Dan the bus parked up beside a beautiful green field with the sunlight beaming down on it, and on the serene lake just around the corner. Our first challenge was to pitch our tents and make ourselves some lunch before the walk ahead. Some people had no trouble setting up their tents whereas others, shall we say, were not so proficient. There was no need to worry, however, as everyone on the campsite was willing to help. That evening we set out for the first of our two walks. The sun was still splitting the stones and it gave everyone a taste of what was in store for the next day. Back at the campsite we had a shower, changed our clothes and proceeded to make dinner. There was a real sense of a strong bond and comradery, as everyone helped each other to cook and wash up. Sitting together at the campfire it was clear that everyone was happy to be in each other’s company. The next morning we had a bite to eat and then departed on our 22Km hike. The scenery was fascinating and the great weather highlighted the beauty of the area. We surprised the teachers again as not one person complained about the walk, which proved demanding at times. Again, everyone was full of smiles and laughter. I think one image that will resonate in everyone’s mind after the trip will be the rainbow that cascaded over the lake as we walked across the mountains.

When we all arrived back to camp after the hike everyone was warm, sweaty and fatigued but it didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. We all dropped our bags from the walk at our tents, and sprinted towards the lake. Everyone submerged themselves in the icy water, it was cold but refreshing. As we swam out towards the pontoon there was not one person who didn’t have a smile painted across their face. This was my favourite memory of the trip and one that I hope sticks with me forever. We spent the next 20 minutes or so jumping off the pontoon before the teachers called us in for our burgers, which they had very kindly prepared for us. There was a wonderful sense of freedom that we are now being given. That night sitting around the campfire, roasting marshmallows, we shared stories and listened to music. The bond between our year group continued to develop, and I think I speak for everyone when I say that I would go back and do the whole trip again in a heartbeat.

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Eagle’s Flight On both the 19th and 20th of September, the various forms trooped into the multipurpose room, excitedly looking forward to the activity known as “Eagle’s Flight.” None of us knew quite what to expect, so we were all enthusiastic when the time came to complete the challenges. Upon arriving, each form was split into groups of four or five and each one was handed a wide variety of items, including cards, instruction leaflets, and a board game, set in the era of the Wild West. The idea was for each group to play the board game they had been given, in the hopes of receiving the most gold in order to win the game.

The snag was, if a group did not help another group, it resulted in a team being unable to return home within the allotted time, causing the amount of gold that particular team had mined to be split in half! Eagle’s Flight was our first ‘in-school’ activity as a year group, and it was a great way to discover our leadership skills, as well as our collaboration and planning skills.

Skill Zone As the big day started to creep around the corner excitement began to build up. This was the day that we would get our results for our Junior Cert exams that we had all worked so hard for during the past twelve months. We received our results on the morning of the 4th of October. After this we got to spend a few minutes with our parents and then we proceeded to make our way onto the bus where we went to Skill Zone in Sandyford, which the school had very kindly organized for us. When we arrived we were all split into random groups and the rules were explained to us. During the course of the day we had to accumulate as many points as we could from all of the sporting games provided; this included football, rugby, basketball, tennis and many more. Pretty soon everyone was having a marvelous time encouraging their teammates and working as a team. At the end of the session the results were quickly forgotten but the fun and laughter helped make this a very memorable day.

Kairos Kairos is an exciting activity where you and your friends are tasked with producing a small television show. It is a chance to express our creativity and organisation skills rather than learning information. In order to make the most of time in the studio, you have to write a short script and assign roles in the production of the programme. It proved to be quite a challenge to film as everybody had to work together in order to complete it. Luckily we all worked well together resulting in everything going smoothly. Kairos was a rewarding experience and we were able to come up with an idea and then see it materialise into a finished product.

Barista The Barista course at St. Gerard’s took place towards the end of October and into November and was run by the Dublin Barista School. This course got us our Level 1 work licence.

We split up into three groups with an espresso machine each. It was challenging to remember all the steps needed to make espressos. After this, we made ourselves delicious hot chocolates. After the break we started making coffee going through the menu and making at least one of each coffee type.

The best part of the course was after lunch when we invited our year group down to drink some of our concoctions. Most of our year group showed up for the samples, along with Sixth Years and teachers. It was a really enjoyable experience and one which might even help us get a job over our summer break.

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Scuba Diving

Boxing At the beginning of September we had our first lesson of our six-week boxing course. Available to all TY students it took place on Monday evenings and this year lots of students took part. We started our classes with a warm-up to avoid us pulling muscles before moving into skills and drills. Our coaches are really talented and some of that skill transferred to us. In week one we started learning different punches as well as evasion techniques or “slipping” punches. We also began some drills to improve our reactions. In one of these drills our partners threw tennis balls at us and we had to duck to avoid them! As the course progressed we learned all sorts of punches and moves including my favourite, the jab. Boxing is a great opportunity to let off some steam but as it turns out trying to do homework afterwards isn’t that easy with very shaky hands!

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Photography In October, a small group of Fourth Years took part in a photography course run by a very talented photographer by the name of Una Armstrong. This was an eye-opening experience as we expanded what little knowledge we already had. The first thing we were taught was the different types of cameras and how each one had different function buttons. The main focus of our session was learning how to take classic portrait photos. We were let loose with the cameras and were able to experiment with our own pictures. We could decide what lighting we used, what angle, what colour, and what proportions. At the end, we all got to dress up in costumes and portray more adventurous characters, working on our drama skills as well as our photography. This experience, unusual yet fun, was a great way to end a highly recommended day.

Green Schools In October, four TY students (Faye Durkan, Isabelle Owens, Jenn Swan and Evan Dargan Hayes) were involved in a Green Schools meeting with the Headmaster. The meeting was organised to come up with a plan to earn our next Green Schools flag for ‘Global Citizenship, Litter and Waste’. Our main discussion point involved the use of single-use plastics in the canteen. Also on the agenda were items such as reusable coffee cups for the Sixth Years, reusable school water bottles and an outright ban on single-use plastics throughout the school. We all agreed that this would be a hard change for both the students and staff. However, this is still definitely our ultimate aim. We will be having another meeting next term with Brien Hayes (Head of Catering), and Mr. Geraghty to discuss these issues further.

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S po rts Ov e rv i e w - H oc k e y

Hockey SCT

Our SCT are having a successful season so far.

They have played four league games winning and losing two. They had notable wins against The King’s Hospital and Kilkenny College and Rathdown School. Their league group is extremely tight with a place in the quarter-finals still to play for.

They have also had success in the cup. They won their first round in a close encounter with Loreto on the Green, which eventually was decided in a shootout. The next round of the cup saw the SCT face Mount Temple. Despite a determined effort by the girls, the opposition snatched a goal in the final minutes of the game, winning 1-0. Congratulations to all the squad members for their dedication and commitment throughout the season.

Senior II

Our Senior II girls have played in 11 fixtures this term. They have faced some tough opposition in their league group. They had a notable 2-0 win against Mount Sackville in the league. They have also had well-deserved victories against Rathdown School and Holy Child, Killiney. At the moment they are sitting joint third in their league group with two other schools. All to play for with two more league games to complete.

Senior III

Our Senior III team have had a very busy second half of the season. They have played three league matches but have just fallen short of the win on each occasion. They have a very tight league group with only six points between them all. With three league games left to complete, it is all to play for in the group. The Senior III squad will face Holy Child, Killiney, Loreto Beaufort and Teresians in the New Year.

JCT

Our JCT have faced some tough opposition this term. They had great success in the first round of the cup with a convincing 5-0 win over Santa Sabina in an away fixture. They then faced Mount Sackville in the second round. After a tough-fought battle they fell just short, losing 4-2. The JCT have had a notable win against Rathdown and also drew with a strong Kilkenny College side.

Junior II

The Junior II girls have had a busy first half of the season having played a number of league matches and friendlies. They had a very close encounter with Wesley College in the league where they drew one-a-piece. The girls then faced the group leaders Mount Anville in the league. They lost 1-0 but to hold them to that score was impressive and it was Mount Anville’s toughest league game so far. They still have one more league game to play after the Christmas break.

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Junior III

Our Junior III team will had a busy run into the Christmas break. They have played two league games against the group leaders Newbridge College and Loreto Beaufort. They still have four league matches to play in the New Year. There is a lot for this team to still play for and the team is improving week on week.

Minor A

The Minor A team have had a busy season with the Cup starting very early this year. They won a thrilling match in the first round against Drogheda Grammar. The match was decided on a shootout, which our girls won convincingly. They then faced Loreto Beaufort in the second round but narrowly lost 2-1. There is still a huge amount to play for; they have had one league win and one loss. At the moment they are sitting third in their group and still have three matches to play, a very exciting second half of the season to come.

Minor B

The Minor B girls have had a very exciting season so far. They have worked hard to win a number of tough matches. They have had notable league wins against Temple Carrig and The High School.

They fell just short to Muckross Park and Wesley College in the league but still have two league games to play. They are sitting in third place fighting to make a league quarter-final.

Minor C

The Minor C squad have played some great matches this term. They are in a very tight league group and are sitting joint second in the group with four other schools. They have played four league games, won one, drawn one and lost two. They still have to face Loreto College St. Stephen’s Green and Temple Carrig School in the New Year.

First Year

We have all 48 girls in first year playing hockey which is a record number for St. Gerard’s. It has been a busy first half of the year with our main focus being development. There have been a number of friendlies played already against Rathdown School, Loreto Dalkey, Wesley College and Holy Child, Killiney. We have four eight-a-side league teams this year and all four teams will play one league match before the Christmas break. It will be a busy season after Christmas as well with the rest of the league to play and indeed the First Year Cup.

www r d s .. ii ee www .st .s t gg ee ra rards

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S p o r t s Overview Elena Tice

Representative Spor ts Honours: Irish Women’s Hockey - Elena Tice 100th Cap - Tokyo Olympics Congratulations to Past Pupil and Irish Hockey International, Elena Tice, for gaining her 100th Cap for Ireland. This is a remarkable accomplishment in Elena’s International Career. Elena now joins Ms. Cathy McKean who also attained 100 Caps (and more) for Ireland during her playing career. We wish Elena and the Irish Women’s Hockey Team every success as they undertake their Olympic bid in Tokyo 2020

U20 Irish Rugby/Ireland 7’s

Congratulations to Past pupils, Cormac Foley and Max O’Reilly, who competed in the IRB U20 World Cup in Argentina in June. We also congratulate Max on his selection onto the Irish Senior Sevens squad, and we wish him all the best in Dubai.

Irish Hockey Team Elite Coaching Session

Sincere thanks to Mr. Sean Dancer and to Irish Internationals; Past Pupil Elena Tice and Liz Murphy for taking this coaching session at St. Gerard’s School. The event took place in September and was open to all of our hockey players.

U18 Irish Mixed Touch Rugby Team

Congratulations to Conor Pickering (Sixth Year) in representing Ireland U18 mixed Touch Rugby Team at the European Rugby Championships in Paris in August.

U18 Leinster Schools Rugby

Congratulations to Freddy Happonen (Fifth Year) who was selected to represent Leinster in the Under 18 Interprovincial tournament in August. As the starting hooker, Freddy helped the team to victory in the series.

U17 Leinster Schools Rugby

Congratulations to Oliver Newsome, Thomas O’Connor and Callan O’Reilly who played in both Interprovincial festivals in July and August.

U16 Leinster Junior Golf

Congratulations to Brandon St. John who was part of the Leinster U16 team that won the Interprovincial Championship this summer.

All-Ireland Athletics and Leinster Gold Medal Winner

Congratulations to Ailbhe Gordon on winning Gold in the All-Ireland and Leinster U14 Javelin competitions which took place in September.

National Karting Championship 2019

Congratulations to Sean McCormack (Transition Year) who won his two finals in the National Karting Championship 2019. Sean finished in second place overall in the All-Ireland Championship. Sean again represented the country in the IAME World Karting finals in Le Mans which took place in October.

All-Ireland Open Equestrian Team

Congratulations to our Open Equestrian team of Claire Fisher, Emma Ward, Harriot Bernon and Isabelle Owens who helped secure a third place finish in the All-Ireland Schools League. This meant they again qualified to represent the school at the prestigious Balmoral event in May. The team went on to proudly represent school and country at the National Schools & Pony Club Jumping Championships in Hickstead in July. Thank you to Edwina Bernon and Lyn Clements, and of course the army of parents behind them, who ensure that we have the teams out competing all around the country each weekend!

Congratulations also to Ciaran Foley who again represented Ireland as part of the U14 Irish Nations Cup Team this year, competing in Fontainebleau, France in May.

Max Merren

Irish Tetrathlon Team

Congratulations to Max Merren (Sixth Year) who competed in the Scottish Tetrathlon for the Irish team over the summer. The Irish team came Third. Well done Max!

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St . Gerar d’ s Seni or School News le t t e r W i nte r 19

S port s O vervi ew

Equestrian Our equestrian team have had some magnificent results this term. Competition started at Newbridge College’s Interschool Show Jumping Competition. Our Open team finished fourth. We also had two Novice teams competing; one finishing fifth. The next event for our equestrian squads was in Kildare where three Novice teams competed. One of our Novice teams of Amelie Moore, Leah Hogan, Pippa Bellows and Millie Nowlan won the Team Competition which was a fantastic result. One of our other Novice teams finished third and our final Novice team narrowly missed out on the jump-off. We had three Novice teams and one Open team entered into the Interschools Competition in Barnadown Equestrian Centre. One of our Novice teams of Amelie Moore, Leah Hogan, Pippa Bellows and Amelie Nowlan finished third out of 29 teams, a very impressive result. First year’s Ali Pratt and Pippa Bellows won the 80cm and 90cm individual competitions respectively.

All of our equestrian teams had great success at the St. Gerard’s School Showjumping Competition at the Boswell Arena. Our Open team of Claire Fisher, Harriet Bernon, Emma Ward and Ciaran Foley finished top of the podium which is a huge achievement. Our Novice teams also had success at Boswell with one team finishing second, one fifth and one sixth. On the individual side, Pippa Bellows won the Novice individual. Finally, we had three teams entered into the competition in Broadmeadows. Our teams finished third, sixth and the other narrowly missed out on the ribbons. Well done to all the students and volunteers who have had a remarkable start to the season.

Cross Country Our Cross-country team competed in two events this term; these were the Wicklow Cross-country event in Avondale House and the Mile Challenge in Greystones. A third event was cancelled due to very wet conditions. The St. Gerard’s squad had a very successful day at the Wicklow Cross-country event with three of our four teams winning gold and our fourth team winning silver. We had some notable individual performances, with Mia McGonnell (First Year) finishing second overall. Isobel Lynch (Second Year) finished fourth as did Turlough McCracken Brown (First Year). In the Mile Challenge, Mia McGonnell finished second and Isobel Lynch third. At this event we recorded some great mile times with six athletes under six minutes, 11 under seven minutes and two under eight minutes.

Soccer

Golf

This year the Senior Soccer Team are competing in the Dublin Metropolitan League. November saw the St. Gerard’s side win their first two league games, defeating St. Kevin’s Community College and Mc Tiernan’s College. Well done to all of the boys involved and we wish them well in their remaining League game with Holy Child Sallynoggin. This will secure qualification out of the group!

Our Senior and Junior Golf Teams have been in action this term in their respective Leinster competitions. Unfortunately, our Junior Team did not progress out of their Leinster qualifier, but did play some very solid golf in terrible conditions. Our Senior Team reached the Leinster Schools Stroke Play quarter-final in Castlewarden golf club. After being called off the course halfway through due to rain, they returned in November to play against a very strong CBS Naas side. However, a good win against Pres in their up-coming league game could see them progress out of their league!

w w w .s t g e ra r d s . i e

Parent and Child Golf Competition 2019 Congratulations to all our parents, students and staff who participated in our Annual Parent and Child Golf Competition which took place in September at Powerscourt Golf Club. Thank you to the sponsors, Mr. Mark Wyse and Mr. Keith Bardon.

Congratulations to Robert and Robert Hughes who took first place in the event.

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Sp o r t s Overview - Rugby

RUGBY Senior Rugby Congratulations to our SCT rugby squad on qualifying for the Leinster Senior League quarterfinal. Our SCT continued to battle right to the final whistle but unfortunately, Wesley College proved too strong. However, qualification also secures a first round spot in the Leinster Senior Cup. By the time you read this, the greatly anticipated draw will have been made. We play the Vinney Murray Cup qualifier.

Both the Senior II and TY rugby squads have had some competitive matches both here and beyond the confines of Leinster. With the TY narrowly missing out on qualification from their league, they will now amalgamate with the Senior squad and will form the two teams to play in Leinster seconds and thirds leagues postChristmas.

Junior I & II Congratulations must also go to our JCT rugby squad in reaching the quarter-final of the league.

Unfortunately, it was Roscrea that came out the victors in a very hard fought, rain-soaked contest. The Junior Squad will play Newbridge College in the first round of the Leinster Junior Cup in February.

The Junior II squad continue to develop, and will be competing in a Leinster Junior III league in January.

U14 & U15 All four rugby squads have played at least a dozen matches this term, and are competing to their highest level week in, week out. The coaches’ focus for these squads is on individual skill development and of course game preparation.

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S p o r t s O v ervi ew - R u g by

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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY ...

TERM 3

TERM 4

JANUARY 2020

april 2020

DATE

EVENT

DATE

EVENT

Mon 6th

Term Commences - 8.50am

Mon-Fri 6th-10th

TY Work Exp/Community Service (Wk 3)

Thurs 9th

3rd Year Parent-Teacher Meeting - 4.15pm

Mon 20th

School re-opens - 8.45am

Fri 10th

1st Year & TY visit B.T. Young Sc. Exbo.

Mon 20th Incoming 1st Year Parents Evening -

Tues-Wed 14th - 15th 5th Year Retreat to Glenstal Abbey

Mon-Fri 20th-24th

European Languages Week

Thurs 16th

5th Year Parent-Teacher Meeting - 4.15pm

Tues 21st

Sports Photographs

Mon 27th

Centenary Concert NCH - 7.30pm

Wed 22nd

Djouce Race

Mon-Fri 27th - 31st Catholic Schools Week FEBRUARY 2020

Thurs 23rd Photograph Day Mon 27th

3rd Year Parents Info Evening for TY

Thurs 30th

3rd Year Parents Subject Choice Info

DATE

EVENT

Mon 3rd

1st Year Parent-Teacher Meeting- 4.15pm

Tues 11th

2nd Year Retreat

MAY 2020

Wed 12th

Leaving Cert & Junior Cert Mock Exams

DATE

commence

Fri 1st P.A. Golf Fundraising Classic

Afternoon - 4pm - 5.15pm

EVENT

Tue-Thur 11th - 13th Transition Year Musical

Mon 4th

Fri 14th

School ends for Mid-Term - 3.45pm

Wed 6th Interschools Sailing Regatta - 2.00pm

Mid-Term Break

Monday 17th - Friday 21st February Incl.

Thurs 7th

Summer Concert - 7.00pm

Mon 24th

School re-opens - 8.45am

Tues 12th

Senior School Family Tennis Tournament -

Mon-Fri 24th - 28th LC & JC Mock Exams continue

6pm

Mon-Thur 24th-27th Transition Year Outdoor Pursuits

Wed 13th

TY Portfolio Interviews

Thur-Fri 14th-15st

TY Retreat

Bank Holiday - School Closed

Sun 17th Prize & Sports Day - 12 noon

MARCH 2020 DATE

EVENT

Wed 20th

6th Year Grad Mass & Valedictory

Mon 2nd

2nd Year Parent-Teacher Meeting

Dinner - 7.00pm

Mon-Fri 2nd - 6th TY Work Experience / Comm. Service (Wk 2)

Thurs 21st

TY Parents Presentation Evening - 7.00pm

Mon-Fri 16th-20th

Seachtain na Gaeilge

Mon-Fri 25th-29th

TY Work Exp/Community Service

Mon 16th

School Closed

(Wk 3 - Option 2)

Tues 17th

School Closed - St.Patrick’s Day

Mon-Fri 25th-29th Summer Exam Week for 1 / 2 / 5 Years

Thurs 19th

6th Year Parent-Teacher Meeting (No.2)

Fri 29th

Sat 28th

5th Year Careers Interview Morning

School Year Ends

June 2020 april 2020 DATE

EVENT

Thurs 2nd

Senior Rugby & Hockey BBQ - 7.00pm

Fri 3rd

School ends for Mid-Term - 3.45pm

Easter Holidays Monday 6th - Friday 17th April incl.

DATE

EVENT

Wed 3rd

State Exams Commence