St. Gerard's School Transition Year Newsletter 2016 - 2017

TY

St. Gerards School

Transition Year

2016-2017

A Reflection on TY » Emma Beashel In September of last year, one of the first tasks we were assigned for Transition Year was to write about our expectations for the exciting year ahead. Up to that point, school life had revolved around academics, sports and examinations. After making it through the Junior Cert, TY was sure to be a breath of fresh air. Between creating a musical show, “Beauty and the Beast”, YSI, Gaisce and witnessing childbirth, it has been a busy and exciting year. To sum up such a year in a limited number of words is an impossible task, yet I will try my best to do TY justice.

The fun kicked off with the camping trip and my friends and I got caught up in the excitement of packing enough provisions to last us months! This was a wonderful way to start off the year. The first two terms passed quickly in a whirlwind of activity. Though TY is not academics-centric, in our classes we focused on some interesting peripheral topics. We also received many talks on a variety of subjects, from mental health to IT. We were inundated with projects, essays and presentations from the very beginning.

The school organised some wonderful events for us. The London trip was incredible, though I felt I would collapse after the first day, having been out and about for 23 hours! I also loved Carlingford, despite spending most of the time in a state of hypothermia, and the trip to a play in the Abbey Theatre, when I became an honorary member of 4C for the evening. And of course, how could I not mention the Musical.

I enjoyed every minute of it! I enjoyed every minute of it, even trying to perform the dance steps while dressed as a human cushion!

Throughout TY, I had the opportunity to develop as a person through my work experience and community service. My time at Bray Lakers was truly incredible and I will continue to work with them at their summer camp this year. I learned about the media through Irish at a “Gael Linn” course, where through sheer chance I met a girl who had gone to primary school in Belgium with my friend Sophie. My weeks of work experience were all very memorable. I saw what Grey’s Anatomy is like in real life at the Eye and Ear Hospital. I loved my time at the Four Courts and the CCJ, particularly as the murder trial I witnessed was from Wicklow. I also attended a more bizarre trial that involved laughing at names, drunken behaviour and a bitten-off thumb! My final week of work experience was at the botany department in Trinity College. I made lots of friends, visited the National Botanic Gardens for the first time and we received a private tour from the director of the gardens Matthew Jebb. However, I would have to say that the best of all of these was the Mini Med week at the RCSI, where we witnessed a caesarean section, saw a virtual reality surgery, received lectures by experts in all aspects of medicine and practised our surgical skills!

In fact, no other year can really compare to TY and it truly was “unforgettable”. The fun is not over yet, as I plan on making the most of these final few weeks. I will go on an exchange to Spain, travel on the religious retreat to Esker and walk the final 100km of the Camino in June. This journey will end in Santiago de Compostela, and so will my journey through TY. The experiences I have had this year will always remain with me, and though I am sad that it is over, I feel like a new chapter in my life has only just begun.

BT Young Scientist »

PETER O’FLYNN

From the 11th to the 14th of January I attended the BT Young Scientist exhibition with my project titled “To investigate the torque output of a 2-stroke internal combustion engine while varying the compression ratio”.

During the time I spent there I had a lot of fun both with my own year coming to visit and with the other competitors that had stalls near mine. After briefly setting up and talking to a few other stalls we were given judging cards with the times we would be judged.

I was a little nervous as I wasn’t sure what to expect since it was my first judging session of three.

Eventually my first judge came and introduced himself as Ronan McNulty, a Professor of physics at UCD. Overall I was pretty happy with how it went. Over the next few days we had a further two judging sessions which were a bit harder than the first but they still went well.

The prizegiving ceremony felt like it went on forever with all 120 prizes to be given out. However there was a few small Irish bands playing in between to keep us entertained. At the end of the prize-giving ceremony we all went home ready for the last day of the exhibition. Overall I definitely enjoyed my time at the BT Young Scientist Exhibition.

Music Festival

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St . Ge rard ’s S en i or S c h oo l

Soroptimists » Emma Beashel One of my favourite subjects for the Junior Cert was undoubtedly English, and I have always had a passion for creative writing. In Transition Year I would finally have the time to enter competitions. So, when Ms. Kavanagh came around to ask if anybody would be willing to enter in the Soroptimist public speaking competition, I gave my name without a second thought.

I chose to write my speech on the subject of “Democracy”. Of course, my initial thoughts were on censorship in countries like North Korea. Yet I knew it was likely that others would speak on such topics, so I felt it was important that I stood out.

At the time of the local heats, the US election had at long last concluded, the globe still in a collective state of shock over the result. I thought of how Donald Trump has always sought to discredit the press, undermine the mainstream media and of how fake news had potentially gotten him elected. This would be the inspiration for my speech on the freedom of the press.

Happily I got through the local heats, and the day before the competition was my sixteenth birthday, also the day of

President Trump’s inauguration, making my speech more relevant than ever. In a hotel in Maynooth, I spoke to a much larger audience than at the local heats. This time, there was the added challenge at this stage of preparing an impromptu speech on the word “glasses”. To my delight, among eight girls I managed to progress to the final round, the National Finals in Castlebar. This was a wonderful achievement, and I was so glad that I was getting this chance to improve my skills as a public speaker, something which will be useful in later life.

The National Final was a thoroughly enjoyable event.. Each girl delivered a unique and thoughtprovoking speech, along with an impromptu speech on the word “privilege”.

At the end of it all, there could only be one winner and sadly, for me, it was not to be, but I felt full of pride having made it so far. I also made some lovely friends and learned about the incredible work of Soroptimist International in promoting young women. As I said in my impromptu speech, it truly was a privilege to be a part of this competition, and this experience will remain a highlight of my year.

Mini Company » Robert Byrne & Harry Begley During transition year people take part in different mini companies to help them expand their knowledge of business. Most of the year participated and all the mini companies were done in groups. Before we got started our business teachers Mr Hughes and Mr Kelly taught us the basic skills of having a successful mini company. We also had a speaker in, Serena Bryan, to talk about the student enterprise awards and how we could enter are mini companies into this competition if we wanted to.

Straight away students came up with great ideas and decided which ones to go with, they didn’t only think of ideas for their mini companies but they also thought of ideas as to where the money would go. Most companies gave a percentage of their earnings to charity.

Within the year there were many mini-companies including, Jerseys being sold, coffee production, pumpkin sales, candle making, portable chargers, make up brushes, golf equipment and many more.

A huge help to certain groups their mini company was the resources the school offered to us, these include the Christmas bazaar, places to sell mini company items to other students as well as great teachers to share their knowledge in the area.

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YO UNG S OCI A L I NNOVATO R S . . .

YSI » Donna Looby This year as part of TY 30 students took part in the YSI programme. The YSI is a group of ‘Young Social Innovators’ who work together throughout the year to raise awareness, spread ideas and come up with new innovations revolving around a certain topic.

After countless class debates, presentations and votes, the YSI team decided to focus on loneliness in the elderly as a social issues to raise awareness over. We named our group ‘Tír na n-Óg’ after the mythical land of youth in Celtic legends, as we all believe that that land of youth lives in all of us.

Tír na n-Óg did a tremendous amount of work through the year. We worked closely with Homelink along the way, a call and service provider to elderly people within the community. Homelink came into the school on three occasions, firstly, at the beginning of the year, when they explained and presented who they are and what they do. The second visit was just after Christmas where we met to discuss are progress from the earlier months. And lastly when we met with them in May where in hosted a Tea Party for the service users of Homelink organised alongside the 5th year SVP team.

In the months between we had been very busy working hard together to organise various things including; visiting the Homelink Christmas party, a bake sale, a bazaar Christmas stand and Valentine candy canes. Each year Homelink hosts a Christmas party in the Royal Hotel Bray. A few of the YSI team organised to attend the party after school. There we chatted, danced and sang with the service users of Homelink, we got a first hand experience at seeing the people we were helping raise awareness for.

Next we hosted two bake sales, one during school break and the other was at our school’s annual Christmas Bazaar. There was a great level of enthusiasm and teamwork over the course of the two different days and together raised almost €1000! We probably presented Homelink with this cheque at our next meeting.

After our meeting and in time for Valentine’s Day, as another fund raiser idea we tied together candy canes in the shape of hearts and sold ‘anonymous candy canes’ for your school peers. Again, we raised €200! All this money was donated to Homelink. YSI has been a wonderful opportunity for all TY students to get the choice to partake in such a wonderful society. All of the members have gained value life experience throughout the course of the year!

YSI Homelink

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St . Ge rard ’s S en i or S c h oo l

YOU N G S OCIA L IN N OVATORS ...

YSI Speak Out

YSI » Dillon Ashmore This years YSI group has been working nonstop to raise awareness on their chosen issue. In September the first YSI meeting took place and debating of topics and names began.That idea was to raise awareness about loneliness amongst the elderly. We named our group “Tír na nÓg” and our motto was “Putting the Unity Back in the Community”.

We organised for three guest speakers to come in and talk about loneliness in the elderly,two of the speakers were from Homelink and the other speaker was from Age Action. The Homelink speakers told us about what their voluntary organisation does and the different services they offer to the elderly community. The Age Action Speaker told us about the importance of stopping the isolation of the elderly in the community as well as a few of his personal stories.

YSI Homelink Tea Party

The speakers inspired us to act. We organised a bake sale in aid of Homelink Ireland that raised much needed funds. We raised over €500! That was just the beginning, in December we helped out at Homelink’s annual Christmas party,where we talked, danced and sang with some of Homelink’s members. At our annual Christmas Bazaar we sold treats in aid of Homelink and Christmas cards in aid of St Joseph’s Dementia Care Centre. A group of students went to St Joseph’s every week and decorated their common room with bright colours for the elderly patients. In mid January we presented a cheque to Homelink, made up of all the money we had raised.

In March a series important events was being held for YSI groups across Ireland; The Speak Outs. The Speakout is when YSI groups present their issue to a panel of judges and other groups in the form of a play,speech, song or dance.We presented our findings in the form of a play. It went really well. It has been an action packed year for the YSI and we have raised much needed awareness about loneliness in the elderly community.

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YSI Homelin k Bake Sa le

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TRI P S .. .

Camping Trip » David Carroll This year, after receiving our Junior Cert results, we all departed to Lough Dan for three days and two nights anticipating what is described as one of the highlights of the year. Before we left we were briefed on what to bring. This gave us our first taste of the TY program and the maturity that is expected. This maturity has developed throughout the year and camping certainly set the bar high as there were many trials and obstacles involved We all arrived at the campsite feeling happy and began to build our tents and familiarise ourselves with the area. When this was complete everyone displayed their cooking skills and prepared their first meal of the trip. We then took off on our first walk for a couple of hours before retiring back to the campsite for our second meal and a campfire.

After a fitful night’s sleep we prepared for the hike on Thursday that proved to be quite a trek. Accompanied by soaring temperatures eventually we made it back for around 4pm with numb feet and dry mouths we were given permission to cool off in the lake . This was one of the many highlights of the trip as everyone had a chance to talk and enjoy the scenery. On the last day we were given the responsibility to leave the campsite as we found it. We then departed for home concluding the TY 2017 camping trip.

The Zoo » Ben Kelly On Tuesday 9th April, St Gerard’s Transition Year embarked on a trip to Dublin Zoo. The trip was very useful for anyone who had an interest in nature and Biology. The idea of this trip was to explore the conservation of animals and learn about a wide variety of species that are now extinct.

It was an enjoyable trip and we spent much of the day exploring and looking at different animals. Learning about different animal species is fun and is very educational. The year was split into groups throughout the day and each group went off in different directions for the initial session to look at the animals in the zoo grounds. It was relaxing and enjoyable as the groups were able to do their own thing for the first few hours until we had a guided tour of the zoo with various zookeepers. My favourite part on the trip was exploring the world of the mammals because the guide provided a lot of useful information on the background to mammals.

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St . Ge rard ’s S en i o r S c h o ol

TRIPS ...

London » Jack Kennedy and Carla Connolly (CARLA) Most of us woke up at around 3 AM that Sunday, the 2nd of April. When we got to the hotel we didn’t have time to look around, as we dropped off our bags and headed out to the first stop on our tour, The Natural History Museum.

This museum was really impressive and informative and immediately after spending some time here, we went on to visit two other museums, The Natural History Museum and the Imperial War Museum, which featured a really interesting and captivating exhibition on the Holocaust, which we were really taken aback by.

After a quick lunch, we moved on to The London Dungeons, an attraction which featured a walking tour, rides, and many live performances by actors, on many of the stories and mysteries of London’s past. This was a frightening, but really enjoyable experience as we screamed our way through the tour. After the London Dungeons, we went to visit The Shard, the tallest building in Western Europe. This for me was one of the highlights, with its stunning views of the city that left us all breathless. That night we went on the London by night Bus Tour. This was so much fun and really informative.

(JACK) The following day started early and the schedule was packed once again. HMS Belfast kicked off the second day.

HMS Belfast is an old navy war ship which I would highly recommend to see.

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Next up Churchill’s War cabinets where Churchill was a huge factor in masterminded the victory of WW2. The Tower of London awaited us next with its crown jewels. The goal for the visit was to get a guard on duty to laugh. We were told only one student ever has been able to do this so we had high ambitions. Unfortunately no guard laughed even with the help of the charismatic Franco. After this there was a Jack the Ripper tour. Another early start on the final day and time to pack our bags however there was half a day to look forward to in the amazing city of London. The day started with a trip to the Docklands Museum.

This museum shows the history of England’s navy and how the part they played in conquering various countries. Next up; the Cable Car. Although this activity may seem a bit boring when you are with Mr. Jennings nothing is boring. A game was invented and the goal of it was to get a wave from a passing cable car rider. It was great fun and put everyone in a great humour before heading to the Thames for a Thames Rib blast. This was everyone’s favourite activity. To speed up and down the Thames turn and twisting at high speeds through the water was awesome and what better way to end our time in London.

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E XT TRI RA P SCU . . .R R I CU LAR . . .

Carlingford Âť Alex Flynn On Monday morning of the 27th of February we departed for Carlingford.

Everybody was happy and cheerful, looking forward to the week ahead.

When all the bags were checked and squeezed into the tightly packed bus, we headed off on our long but scenic bus ride to Carlingford, Co. Louth.

After being briefed on our week and introduced to the friendly instructors, we were all shown to our rooms. Our first Activity was Laser tag and as we set up the mountain to the forest in out camouflage overalls and laser rifles, the great atmosphere became apparent. We all had great fun and everyone agreed that it was the best activity of the week.

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The next day we were woken up early

by Mr. Armstrong who had a speaker and was playing loud and tormenting music. After a cold shower, we headed down for an early breakfast and then went on a hike to another area with many activities. We started with a game of frisbee golf and some team building exercises. It was great fun even though the rain was heavy and it was very cold.Our night activity was a walk up at the top of the town and around the mountain, The atmosphere was warming despite the bitter breeze.

The final two days were spent ziplining on Ziptopia which was a massive

zip-line park which was amazing and in Skypark which was the same idea, just smaller. We also participated in canoeing in the freezing Carlingford lough and getting dunked into a freshwater waterfall, followed by pierjumping and another cold shower.

This was one of our favourite trips and we would definitely go again. We reluctantly headed back to school for 10 a.m. on Friday where we were greeted by our parents and headed off tired and happy about our previous week.

St . Ge rard ’s S en i o r S c h o ol

TRIPS ...

Salamanca » Neil Durkan I went to Salamanca in Spain at Christmas time with my family and stayed on afterwards for three months with my grandparents. I went to school in the local secondary school called Montessori, which I had attended before on two other occasions. This time was different as I was there for a much longer period and sat in on all of the classes and did the same work as the other students did. Because I was living in a Spanish home and all of my friends only spoke Spanish I had to speak Spanish all of the time which was a great help to me.

The Spanish language is great thing to have studied as I know I will use it not only with my family but also when I travel as it’s the second most spoken language in the world. I know lots of people who have travelled to South America and Spain on holidays or business and they were able to use their Spanish in those countries. By going to Spain I know that my vocabulary has expanded as I was speaking Spanish all of the time. I know my Spanish has improved a lot and that it will help me in school but more importantly I will be able to write and speak better with my family and Spanish friends in the future as we spend a lot of time in Spain.

»

Brian Jones

On Sunday the 25th of September 2016, I went to Madrid in Spain for the first two months of the school term. I decided to go to Spain as one of my Transition Year goals was to improve my Spanish. I was very fortunate my mum knew a Spanish family. They were a very welcoming family and had a boy called Nacho around my age.

School was hard at first as it took a while to get into the Spanish culture and language but I got used to it quite fast. I got to know everyone in the school and meet Nacho’s friends. I had extra Spanish classes in the school which was really beneficial. One Saturday they gave me a tour around Madrid and I got to see all the sights. Between going to the cinema in Spain, talking to Nacho’s friends and going to a school with no English at all, I improved both my oral and written Spanish which will help me massively for my Leaving Cert. It was an unbelievable experience and I would definitely do it again.

EX T R A CU RRIC UL AR ...

Photography Course » Isabelle Reboul-Geraghty Photography is an extracurricular activity that all Fourth Years had a choice to do at the start of the year.

Between the 17th and 19th of October three groups of students attended a class in the sports hall where we met Úna Armstrong the photographer. Úna firstly introduced us to the

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technical equipment in photography, which informed us about aspects of photography which we had never thought of before. We then split into smaller groups where we proceeded to take portraits where we learned about how to get proper lighting for a photo and how to get catch light in the

person’s eyes using a light reflector for group photos. The purpose of the course was to learn the correct way to take photographs. Everyone who took part in the course really enjoyed it and were really happy that they got to keep the photos they took.

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E XT RA CU R R I CU LAR . . .

Eagle’s Flight » Rory Wilson On Friday 23rd of September our year had the chance to participate in the Eagle’s Flight Workshop. A workshop designed to show people the advantages of cooperation and teamwork.

Our task was to achieve the maximum score in a game called “The Lost Dutchman’s Gold”. We were split into five random teams and informed of the rules. The goal was to travel from Apache Junction (the starting point) to the gold mine and mine for gold before returning to Apache Junction within 20 days.

After a short break we were given a talk on how to improve our collaborative skills and how to work as a team. We learned about how important it is to apply these skills in the real world and business. It was a fun, interactive experience that the whole class enjoyed even if some of us got a little too competitive! Overall I really enjoyed the workshop and found it very beneficial.

Pottery » Lily Rafferty Every Wednesday Mr. O’Connor held a pottery class for any TY student who wanted to participate in extra pottery lessons. Around fifteen people came each week. At the start of every class Mr. O’Connor would give us a piece of clay to work with, we could make whatever we wanted with it but if we ever were stuck for ideas Mr. O’Connor had lots of suggestions. Sometimes people would spend several weeks on a piece and others would make several pieces in one class.

After our pieces were fired we could choose a glaze to put on them. After we added the colour to them Mr. O’Connor would put them into the oven for the final time afterwhich they were ready to take home. We all enjoyed going to pottery each week and loved getting to take home our finished pieces.

Barista Course » William Culliton/Oliver Haydock One of my most enjoyable weeks over the course of my TY was spent in the Dublin Barista School in Dublin city centre. I was interested in becoming a barista after learning that there were a host of job opportunities for young qualified baristas across Dublin and Wicklow. After doing some research on possible ways to attain these specific skills I found DBS to the perfect place for me so I contacted them and discovered their “Qualified Barista Award”, this award is a globally recognised barista certificate that proves I have the necessary skills to create a wide variety of coffees as well as having a knowledge of the origins of coffee.

I learnt about the history of coffee making, all of the different types of coffee and I practiced making every type of coffee that you would find on a common coffee menu “flat whites, lattés, cappuccinos etc” I spent a day working in a proper café located on St Anne’s street in City Centre allowed me to practice and perfect my newly attained barista skills in busy high pressure situations and I was also able to develop my people skills whilst taking orders from customers and operating the till.

I really benefited positively from my time spent in the Dublin Barista School, the skills I attained will stand with me for a long time and the experience of working in a café in the busy Dublin City Centre was really one that I will remember positively from my TY year.

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St . Ge rard ’s S en i o r S c h o ol

EX T R A CU RRIC UL AR ...

TY Courses » Robyn Kierans This year, some of us had the fantastic opportunity to participate in special TY programmes run by external businesses, that offered a deeper insight into the day-to-day running of these companies, and the work that the different members of staff do as part of their company. Everyone took part in different activities outside school such as the A&L Goodbody TY programme,Blackrock Clinic,Sherry Fitzgerald and Gardai programmes.

Overall, the different TY Courses and programmes that St Gerard’s students participated in this year were well received by all. I know that I am very grateful I was given the opportunity to visit A&L for a week, and I learned so much. I’m sure these experiences from Transition Year will stay with us for the rest of our lives.

First Aid » Marc Finn On Monday the 20th of March we started our three-day first aid course. We first learned how to properly approach the scene of an accident, walking slowly and taking in our surroundings. We were then shown how to do different types of bandages and slings depending on the subject’s injuries. We also went through how to deal with someone who is choking. Many of us were intrigued to find out the dangers of performing the Heimlich maneuver on certain people, as this could potentially injure someone, especially a child or pregnant women. We were taught to do five back slaps, then five Heimlich maneuvers if the victim is still choking, and repeat.

Our second day, we learned how to perform CPR. We quickly realised that it is not as easy as it looks in the movies, it is actually quite tiring. While learning how to perform CPR we were also shown how to use AEDs, they are and they are thankfully very easy to use! Finally, we also learned how to deal with First, Second and Third Degree burns.

Our final day was the following Monday. We were tested on our CPR skills and our use of an AED. We were also tested on our bandaging and sling making skills. Finally, we took a written test. On this there was only twentytwo questions, meaning that it thankfully didn’t take that long. By the end of the course everyone who had partaken in it was a qualified First Aider. It was a worthwhile course and everyone was glad to have done it!.

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E XT RA CU R R I CU LAR . . .

Public Access to Law » Darcy Mullen On the 11th November a group from my year participated in a Public Access to Law course. During the course, we took part in three different mock trials, showing us how the different jobs in a courtroom worked and how to do these different jobs. Each person got a chance to be a defendant, lawyer, judge etc. This course was super fun to participate in. It made us feel like we could actually follow this interesting career. After the course, a few of us got to go to the Four Courts. Mary Bunyan, the woman who gave us the course, showed us around the different courtrooms, which meant we were able to watch different trials; including a murder trial which was interesting but also slightly terrifying.This experience showed me how many people are needed for just one trial and how difficult this job is.

In October 2016 our year travelled to Maynooth University to the Kairos film studio. We went there to record a news and entertainment show. There was great excitement in the days leading up to it and each form was busy preparing what lines to say and what outfits to wear.

Kairos » Anna Balmaine

On the morning of the trip to Maynooth everyone was a bit nervous but the bus was buzzing with anticipation, as we drove to the University. When we arrived we were shown around the studio by a production manager and we also got to see the set, the recording studio, sound studio and we saw how the cameras worked.

After the tour we got in our positions and started rehearsing the sections of the show. Recording the show was so much fun and I’d say that everyone showing on the trip had a great time.

It was an amazing experience and we all thought that the other forms’ shows were really funny!

Scuba Diving » Eoin O’Cleirigh

Boxing » Neil Denvir

On Monday the 28th of November we were given the opportunity to go scuba diving in the National Aquatic Centre with OceanDivers Scuba instructors. We had done our theory a week before and had been looking forward to putting what we had learned into practice.

We began the day with a bus journey to the National Aquatic Centre, where we were quickly briefed on what we would be doing and split into two groups so the pool wouldn’t be overcrowded.

Boxing was part of the Extracurricular Activities in TY and the school kindly organised the courses to take place after school hours. The course lasted for 7 weeks every Monday. The boxing was coached by Neil Bowman who has over 15 years experience with coaching boxing and has worked with some of Ireland’s top boxers. The course consisted of basic and more advanced boxing skills, including punching techniques and how to move in the ring. Neil took each participant of the course for individual sparring on pads which really helped with boxing techniques and general reaction time.

Everyone was fitted to a wetsuit and a pair of flippers. Then finally after one last safety warning we began our dive. The feeling of floating and breathing under the water was really different to what I, or anyone else in the group had ever experienced before and it was truly amazing. The hour where we dived was absolutely brilliant and I would love to go diving again.

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At the end of the 7 weeks there was a noticeable improvement by everyone when it came to sparring abilities. This was down to intense training and great coaching on Neil’s behalf, a testament to how great a coach he is.

Another big part of the course was general fitness, which is extremely important for the sport. At the end of each session we did a fitness circuit which included a number of intense exercises.

Again the improvement at the end of the course was very noticeable which was something that really impressed me about the course, Neil’s ability to create such a drastic improvement in us in such a short space of time. I believe that was the general opinion shared by the people doing boxing, so much so that two participants of the course continued to do boxing outside of school in Neil’s club.

St . Ge rard ’s S en i or S c h oo l

COM M U N IT Y SERVIC E ...

Fundraising »

Sinead O’Flaherty and Harriet Stevens

Imagine a world where the less fortunate are ignored. Transition Year has presented an abundance of opportunities for us to better ourselves through work experience, physical activities and most importantly, charity.

Everyone in the year has participated in some form of charity and can honestly say that they have benefited greatly from it. Together, we have helped and worked with so many different organisations including St. Vincent de Paul, HomeLink, Festina Lente, Father Peter McVerry Trust and Bray Lakers. Some of us did weekly work with Bray Lakers and Festina Lente as part of Gaisce and gave up our time willingly in order to spend time with people in the community who are otherwise somewhat isolated.

Our Young Social Innovators (YSI) team this year worked efficiently in order to ‘Put the Unity Back in our Community’ and they definitely lived up to that slogan as they had numerous successful bake sales to raise money for charities such as Homelink and Age Action. Before the Christmas holidays, a group of students went caroling in St.Stephen’s Green shopping centre in aid of the Peter McVerry Trust and thoroughly enjoyed belting their favourite Christmas classics for everyone to hear.

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Svp » Emily Steyaert This year all transition year students have had the opportunity to volunteer for St Vincent DePaul. Over the months of October, November and December, we packed bags in Dunnes Stores, completed a letter drop in Deansgrange and packed hampers for SVP. Our way of giving back to the community was participating in at least one of these days, as everyone greatly respects the work of SVP. The bag packing in Cornelscourt was split between the fourth and fifth years over two days in the beginning of October. The packing was divided into shifts over the day. Our hard work and dedication saw us raise €3700 for SVP. This incredible amount benefits so many people and SVP were so grateful with our help.

On the 24th November 11,000 SVP donation letters were delivered by a group of 18 TY’s. The group was divided and each given a designated area in Deansgrange to letter drop. There were a few challenges included in the letter drop, such as barking dogs or missing letterboxes but principally it is such a straightforward task that helps so many.

Finally, our most recent SVP work was the Christmas hamper packing. This was definitely one of the harder tasks but the TY effort and enthusiasm was incredible. The usual strategy of divide and conquer was adopted so that all hampers were correctly packed and completed as swiftly as possible. The hampers had to be rechecked and recounted a numerous amount of times but knowing in the back of our minds, that this hamper will mean so much to someone and bring the utmost joy made it all worthwhile.

Cheerios t Breakfas

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CO MM U NI TY S E RV I CE . . .

Difference Day

Three Peaks Challenge Âť

Claire Aherne

On Friday the 5th of May, our whole year did a sponsored walk to raise money for our difference day at the Sunbeam Home in Bray.

We were all given a card that we had to fill up with sponsors from our friends and family. We started the day at the bottom of The Sugarloaf mountain and walked over the shoulder, to the little sugarloaf and then to bray head. The weather was amazing and everyone had a really enjoyable day in aid of such a great cause.

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St . Ge rard ’s S en i or S c h oo l

COM M U N IT Y SERVIC E ...

Community Service » Alanna Stanley As part of the Transition Year curriculum we all have to take part in a week’s community service. This can involve any type of community volunteering from folding clothes in your local charity shop to sweeping floors in your local church. Once your work is involved within your community and it’s somewhat challenging it counts as Community Service. With lots of preparation I had the opportunity to complete my week within the walls of the National Children’s Hospital, Tallaght. I eagerly waited for this week for a long time prior to the first week in December, the 5th until the 9th.

Some of the work tasks I did consisted of setting up the playroom and being given a list of all the present patients within the children’s wards. I was told which kids were on oxygen and therefore weren’t able to attend the playroom so I had to go around individually to each of their rooms to ask if they wanted any toys brought down to them. The mornings were busy in the playroom and I interacted and played with the kids for a while.

A little boy called Josh that was with me for the majority of the week came in with a backpack on his back, and bringing with him the widest smile on his face. He told me that he was leaving the hospital and going home; he thanked me and gave me the biggest hug. I felt so rewarded as though my job had been completed by making just that one boy happy. Josh may only be 7 years old but he showed me the true meaning of how and why the help, jobs and donations in aid of the hospital are all so important because it is all about getting the kids home happy and healthy at the end of the day.

My time at the National Children’s Hospital had come to an abrupt end. I had the most amazing time completing my Community Service at the hospital. If there is anything that I have learned from working in the playroom is that every day brings something new and no two days are the same. I loved every moment inside the hospital walls and I am so thankful to Catherine Garland the play specialist, Aislinn the hospital school teacher and Ms. Matron Marion Connolly for giving me this unforgettable experience of the opportunity to help in their workplace for a week. Their time for me has been greatly appreciated.

Community Service » Charlie Byrne For my week of community service I went the DSPCA in Rathfarnham. The DSPCA is the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and their goal is to save and rehome animals that are stray or abused or in some cases both. Lisa, who is one of the main co-ordinators there, gave us a chat on the Monday morning just filling us in on what we would be doing for the week. There were four different sections of the DSPCA that we would be dealing with. These were: ISO, which was where all the newly rescued animals were brought, Rehabilitation, which was where the sick or injured animals were brought to and taken care of and finally there was the cat rehoming and dog rehoming sections.

I found this week a great experience as it wasn’t like anything id ever done before. As well as being enjoyable it was also eye opening to see the state some of these dogs arrive in and how cruel some people can be.

Bake Sale

Tra n s i tio n Ye a r N e w s 2 0 1 7

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MUSI CAL . . .

Beauty

B

and the

east

This year, the TY students of 2017 were told that our transition year musical would be ‘Beauty and the beast’. The reactions in the room when the show was unveiled were absolutely ecstatic.

After an intense 2 rounds of auditions and callbacks the cast list was finally announced. Marc Finn secured the role of the beast, and the announcement was followed by screams and roars of delight from the boys and a few of the girls in the room. I was fortunate enough to be offered the role of Belle, Mrs. Potts was to be played by Lauren Harkin. Gaston by Rory Wilson, Chip

by Luke Kennedy, Lumiere by Jeremy O’Donovan, Cogsworth by William Culliton, Madame de La Grande bouche by Emma Beashel, Babbette

by Rachael Cullen, Le Fou by David Byrne

followed by many more vital roles in the production.

Week by week the shows shape started to come to light, in a very swift manner. As we only had 5 weeks to put together a musical of this scale complete concentration was essential, this made the process intense occasionally as we would rehearse all day, every school day.

The opening night was drawing nearer and nearer as the costumes and props arrived, dress rehearsals were underway and we had already showcased our efforts for the senior and junior school. After 5 short weeks of preparation the opening night had finally arrived. A couple of new adjustments were made to the end of act 1 and we were ready to go. The subsequent shows seemed to go by in a flash and before we knew it we had all taken our bows and had performed our TY musical for the final time.

The last show was followed by the annual speech from Mr. Geraghty and the presentation of flowers to all who helped make the show happen.

Beauty and the Beast is one of the most special and unique musicals around and I could not be prouder of how hard everyone worked during this time. Throughout this process I grew so much closer with my year group and I believe the arts was a fantastic way for us all to bond and form new friendships and understandings. I am so grateful for this experience and would not change a single moment of it for the world.

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Anabel Sweeney

ANABEL SWEENEY

St . Ge rard ’s S en i or S c h oo l

Work Experience » Odran Farrell The Work Experience programme in St Gerard’s allows Transition year students to gain an insight into life in the workplace. They are given two weeks for Work Experience and are encouraged to take other weeks if they find more interesting and worthwhile experiences. This view into a work job can help the students decide on a future career path.

The programme also helps foster a relationship between the student and the business which can lead to future employment.

The Transition Year students partook in many beneficial work placements this year, from hospitals to the courts the year group was spread across all manner of career paths. The nature of the work experience weeks allow for the students

to try a number of differing jobs and to discover which facet of themselves they most wish to pursue and mould into a future career. The programme also allows the students an opportunity to experience jobs which they may find that despite initial interest, hold little sway over them as a viable job.

Being given the opportunity to partake in Work Experience over the course of my TY was one of my favourite and most beneficial activities. I was lucky enough to do a wide variety of work experiences from working in a private bank in the Isle Of Man “Nedbank Private Wealth” to completing the“qualified barista award” in the Dublin Barista School which lead to me doing a number of work experiences in Cafés across Dublin.

Blog Overview » Sophie O’Riordan First of all, what is a blog? I did a little research and found out that the correct definition of the noun ‘blog’ is: a website containing a writer’s or group of writers’ own experiences, observations, opinions, etc. and often having images and links to other websites. Yes, this is essentially what a blog is, but to me a blog is a collection of memories preserved by words, pictures and videos. It is a library of experiences, each moment in Transition Year stacked under a heading, like books on a shelf. In this library you can find blogs from A-Z, such as ‘Art Appreciation Project’ to ‘Zoo trip’. The spectrum of blogs we have posted start with almost every letter of the Alphabet!

How do we use these blogs? Each student in Transition Year creates their own personal blog, and they have the responsibility of regularly updating their blogs. Everyone fills their blogs with their own experiences throughout Transition Year. No two blogs are the same as each individual participates in different activities and everyone has their own point of view and their own style of writing. These blogs are used to broadcast the amazing experiences we create throughout Transition Year to the world. These blogs allow us to voice our opinions.

our window, it is up to us what they see. A random person in America, or India could be reading our blog, or the president of Trinity College or our future employer could be viewing our blogs. Third year students could be reading them, to discover what Transition Year would be like, or our teachers could be looking at them to find out what we’ve been doing the past few months. In the future we could be reading our own blogs, as a reminder of the incredible time we had in Transition Year.

Why do we have these blogs? That is a questions with multiple answers, and people have different opinions and views on these blogs! In my humble opinion the purpose of our blogs is to have the chance to reflect on our experiences and fully absorb them. The blogs are like a sponge, and each post is a drop of fresh water. Each experience has one thing common, they are all a memory from our Transition Year. Our blogs also contribute to improving our English grammar and writing skills. They give us the opportunity to discover our own style of writing. I also see my blog as an excuse to take many photos at events and on trips! Most importantly we have these blogs to awaken memories, and to ensure they aren’t lost in the avalanche of experiences we will have throughout our lives.

Where do our blogs go? The websites we have created are embedded onto the internet, each blog we have composed is a strand on the web of sites in the world. As our blogs are available to everyone in the world, they are a toe in our digital footprint. We are essentially leaving a trail of positive information and pictures about ourselves. These blogs we create in Transition Year help to build our social profile, which nowadays is almost as important as our CV or exam results.

Who sees our blogs? The internet is made up of millions of little windows which allow us to peek into the lives of people around the world. Although it is not up to us who look through

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S P O RT . . .

JUNIOR B HOCKEY » Danielle Crowley This year I was the captain of the Junior B hockey team. The team was a mix between third and fourth years who all got along really well with each other and with our coach Haley. We began training in September and trained five times a week in preparation for the league we were part of.

Our first league match was in early October and was against “Our Ladies Terenure” and we won 3-0. This match definitely made the girls on the team a lot more confident in their abilities and skills. The rest of the league was filled with ups and downs

and we won some matches and lost others but managed to advance into a play-off against Mount Anville which we won and advanced into the quarter final. We really did not expect to get so far in the league and were all really happy that we did.

We unfortunately lost our quarter final against Muckross but I was really proud of the girls for playing so well and Muckross had a really strong team. Overall we had a really good season and I was so happy to be able to captain such an amazing team.

RUGBY » Ben Watson After a hard years rugby at Junior Cup level, we were all looking forward to a more relaxed year of rugby but yet still enjoying our time on the pitch and progressing as players. As it turned out, many of our squad were called in to train with the SCT squad over the summer months. This proved challenging as a lot was demanded of us training intensively for four days a week through the summer.

When the school year recommenced, we were all thrown in at the deep end with regular matches in the TY league. We recorded some great wins against the likes of Belvedere College, Castleknock and CUS. Through this form, we qualified for the semi final of the league where we met Belvedere College once again. Unfortunately we came out on the wrong side of the scoreline, going down in a high scoring match 42-37 with Belvedere scoring a late try to claim victory. As well as this, many TY players were needed for Senior Second matches, where we collaborated with the older years to record some hard fought wins against the likes of St. Michael’s

College, CBC and our arch rivals Pres Bray. The senior seconds went on to win there respective league with a large portion of the squad being made up of TY players. It was nice to get a bit of silverware at the end of the year!

Meanwhile Charlie, Oliver and I were called into the Senior Firsts Squad for the year. Myself and Charlie enjoyed a lot of game time with Charlie starting in the backrow and myself at outhalf, with Oliver on the bench. The SCT blossomed in the league, as we topped our group winning five from five. This set up a tough quarter final draw with the ever ready Roscrea. It was not to be for the SCT as we were beaten 18-6 to bow out of the league. In the eagerly anticipated Schools Cup, we were faced with St. Michael’s College in the first round. In the lashing rain and blistering wind, we lost 23-0 to a strong Michael’s team. Overall it was a very successful and enjoyable year for all TY’s participating in rugby, with many highs throughout the year. We are now all really looking forward to Senior’s rugby next year!

Showjumping » Mily O’Loughlin & Blathnaid Boyd This year St.Gerard’s showjumping squad had a phenomenal year coming 4th in the league. St.Gerards had a squad of seventeen riders competing at shows around the country from September through till April. St.Gerards attended 15 different shows in this period. The squad won one show, 2nd in four, 3rd in one and 4th in one. This left us on a fantastic score of 54 points. All these shows were spread out all over the country from Kilkenny, Wexford, Kildare and much further. This meant

DCU Open Day

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that the competitors had to get up at the early hours to travel to the shows.

A huge thank you to all the parents who brought the competitors around the country and also thank you to Dervla Callen for organising the season and insuring it ran smoothly.

We are all definitely looking forward to next year and certainly hoping to finish even higher in the places next year.

History Award

St . Ge rard ’s S en i o r S c h o ol

R E FL EC TION ...

A Reflection on TY » Sophie O’Riordan I leant back into the camping chair, savouring the taste of roasted marshmallows and appreciating the warm glow of the bonfire stroking my hands; I listened to the soft murmurs of conversations around me and the distant plucking of a ukulele while watching 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 wrapped the jar in colourful tissue paper, tied it with a ribbon making it look as artistic and professional as possible, finding a business card I neatly placed it in the bag. I felt the cold coins tumble in my palm, and waved my customer goodbye. I watched the endless stream of people flow through Blackrock market, some glanced at my candles, others power-walked by without any sign of interest and others stopped to purchase a candle…

I enter the classroom full of Masters students in l’université d’Angers. “Bonjour, eh, I am Sophie O’Riordan and I’m here for my work experience…” and suddenly I got a boost of confidence and presented the story of my life, 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!” I looked at the encouraging and kind faces of the elders around me, opened my mouth and sang 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 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! 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!

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!

Tra n s itio n Ye a r N e w s 2 0 1 7

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.

Throughout the year, I have also had the chance to travel 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! 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.

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