Comedy Show
By Ellie Bourke
On the 14th of March, the Transition Year students took to Old Connaught Road and made their way into the Mermaid Theatre in Bray for a live comedy show!
The comedian, Ger Carey, came in and put on a hilarious, relatable and at times touching show
He told the story of the tortures of the teenage mind through some really amusing anecdotes I think every student appreciated the lessons being taught throughout the show. We could all relate to Ger’s jokes about teenage behaviours so everyone had a good laugh together while realising we could all be feeling the exact same way as each other bit of an eye opener that!
We all had a wonderful time From the comedy show to our McDonalds meals, it was a great day out for the TYs!!
Junior Seagulls
By Katie FenelonSince the beginning of September, I have been volunteering with a group called “Junior Seagulls” at Greystones Rugby Club to assist children with additional needs. By the end, I will have completed twenty-six weeks, as I am doing it towards the Gaisce Award. The group was set up by Pam and Oisín and training took place every Sunday morning from twelve until one
“Junior Seagulls” provides the opportunity for children with additional needs to enjoy team sports, to socialise outside of school, to learn new skills and to build their self-confidence, but most importantly to have fun! I chose to become involved with this team, as my younger brother Conor has Down Syndrome, so I was motivated to get him involved also!
Each week the children would improve on different skills such as throwing and catching as well as kicking. Numerous games were set up to keep all the participants moving and engaged The parachute towards the end of training was ultimately their favourite, their faces lit up with joy when we did it. I helped Conor through the drills and taught him what to do (while learning an immense amount myself).
I was moved by the improvements made by all the children. The majority of them went from needing a huge amount of support to being able to complete the tasks on their own. It was such a lovely experience to be a part of, it made my bond with my brother closer and I made good relationships with the children and adults that attended. It was rewarding to see the children enjoy themselves and have pleasure.
Killary
by Bella Wilkinson
After the high of “Grease”, our year group was closer than ever and excited to spend the week in the West. With enough luggage to last us a month we loaded onto the bus and prepared for a 4 and a half hour bus journey. It is safe to say that by the time we arrived at Killary Adventure Centre we were happy to be off of the bus!
After our rooms were assigned and our phones were taken, we prepared ourselves for our first activity. Some groups had to get ready to start off strong with the bog run while others had high ropes and raft building activities. Many fears were faced on the high ropes and laughs were shared in the bog as they struggled through the mud. There was a great buzz at dinner on the first night after everyone changed and warmed up as they talked about what they had done that day.
On day two, four more groups got up and ready for a morning in the bogs, while the remaining groups prepared for their high ropes course. There was a lot of fog but thankfully the rain held off for most of the morning! Most people were barely recognisable as they exited the bog, covered head to toe in mud before taking a dip in the fjord to wash off. For most it was a race back to the centre to ensure they were the first in the showers. For those who were not so quick, it was a not so glamorous wait before they could properly wash the mud from their hair! The high ropes groups were luckier as they went straight for lunch. A warm bowl of soup was just what everyone needed to heat themselves up and prepare for the afternoon activities.
The “Killary Challenge”, orienteering, “The Big Swing” and even katakanuing awaited the TY’s as the skies opened and rain poured. It was safe to say that by the end of it, no one had escaped being drenched and so after the afternoon of adventure activities, people quickly changed straight into comfy clothes or pyjamas before dinner and evening activities.
The evening activities were a great way to bond as a year group and I think I can speak for everyone when I say that the heated building was greatly appreciated as we worked as a group away from the rain! With only an hour before lights out, the year unwinded sitting on the couches sharing stories from their day while others participated in pool tournaments gathered around the pool table. It’s safe to say that by the time we were sent to bed we were all exhausted!
Day three of Killary saw more rain, a trend of Lemsips for sore throats and a lot of laughs! A freezing cold morning meant that katakanuing was canceled for the last group and gorge walking was arranged instead! The final high ropes group commenced their climb and many screams were heard from the group doing the “Big Swing”!
By lunchtime hot cups of tea and warm soup was greatly appreciated as everyone tried to heat up from the morning rain. It was a quiet lunch hall as everyone was exhausted from the morning and slightly dreading going back into the rain, however, as the rain cleared up and we set out to the fjord for the last time that day, spirits lifted and laughs were shared as everyone enjoyed their activities safe from rain and hail storms! Our last evening activity was a night-time walk around the fjord. This was a great way to talk to people who weren’t in our activity groups and burn off energy before bed. Conscious that it was our last night together, the energy in the year group lifted and everyone really enjoyed their evening. Before bed, the same pool tournament recommenced and the living room area was a hub of chatter as we reflected on our week in the West. I think most people agreed that there were many ups and downs during the week but we were confident that we will look back on our time together fondly
On the last day we got up and ready for our very last adventure activities It was clear that everyone was really enjoying the day as the sun shone down on us for the first time all week! There was a bittersweet atmosphere as we returned to the center for the last time to load the bus home. While everyone was ready to go home and rest in their own rooms, it was sad to have our Killary experience and week together come to an end While it was not always easy, Killary was a great opportunity for us to bond as a year and push ourselves out of our comfort zones, and I am sure it will be a week we look back on with great memories.
First Aid
By Ellie Bourke
From the 22nd to the 24th of March, the Transition Year students took part in a three day First Aid course This was an extremely important course for students to take part in and probably the most beneficial course of TY Who knows when we might have to save a life? Pulse Medical Ltd sent three different first aid experts to teach this course Once we were given our instructors we had them for the entirety of the three days They did an excellent job of teaching us really valuable information that could potentially save any of us someday.
The course content included: Patient Assessment, Incident procedure, Cardiac First Response (CFR) including defibrillation, choking and stroke, Common Medical Emergencies (asthma, diabetes, seizures, poisoning and stroke), Injury Management and Shock (bleeding, bone injuries, sprains, strains & dislocations, shock), burns and scalds, electric injury care, Hypothermia and Hyperthermia, Information Management, Communications and the well-being of the first aider.
Taking part in the practical work of the course seemed to be the most enjoyable part for everyone Once we knew how to perform CPR, bandage wrists, and put our arms into slings, we started acting out real life scenarios We were put in high pressure situations and were forced to put our new skills to the test
On the final day of the course, we all took an exam This exam tested us on our new knowledge of first aid, how we should react in these situations, but also how important our safety is It was stressed to us that above all else we must look after ourselves no matter the circumstance In the wise words of our instructor Brian, “No one wants a hero” We’re all so grateful we got to take part in this course as we never know when these skills will b d d th ld save a life someday!
Football Marathon
By Katie Fenelon
On the 24th of January, the TY students held a football marathon in aid of Focus Ireland. The marathon took place for twelve hours and we all played for at least an hour each We paid a twenty euro entrance fee to participate and we also paid an additional five euro for a breakfast roll supplied by the catering team in the school, which set us up for the competitive morning ahead of us
I was involved in the organisation of this event, and divided the year group into different teams, generally consisting of two girls and three boys. I played multiple matches throughout the day, despite the fact we only had to play one. When I played with my assigned team, we won our match There was also a bakesale, which raised a further sum of money.
Overall, we raised just over €2,000, which was incredible, as it surpassed our initial goal. I really enjoyed this event as it allowed me to get to know other people in the year group better while also helping a really noble cause!
The Luca Gheta Memorial Debate
By Pippa BellowsThis year marks the first year of St. Gerard’s in-house debating competition, held in memory of Luca Gheta, an avid debater and dearly missed part of our school community. He brought debating to life in the school, even winning the Gillian Lynch Competition in second year so this was a lovely way to honour him.
The competition consisted of three knockout rounds, with each team consisting of one fourth, fifth and sixth year It was a fantastic opportunity to get to know the other years a bit better and learn about some different topics. I found it really helpful and really enjoyed debating with familiar faces as it wasn’t as intimidating.
Our finalist teams consisted of Tim Langan, Scarlett Glynn and Ruby Geelon and then myself, Charlotte FinneginQuirke and Aaron Corry. Our debate took place on the 30th of March in front of quite the audience, and was about wealth tax in Ireland
Aaron and Charlotte had debated in previous competitions so it meant that we were really prepared for this. Yet, it was still nerve wracking standing in front of the 6th years, but as soon as I stood up to speak the nervousness vanished and I grew in confidence. To have an audience captive listening to the arguments I was making really amazed me It felt liberating to stand and speak in front of the 6th years.
After some impressive speeches and rebuttal, team Tim, Scarlett and Ruby took home the Luca Gheta Cup, which was so well deserved. All round it was a great experience that everyone enjoyed and in memory of a wonderful person, and on a personal level, to compete in such in such a competitive debate was a real eye opener. The skill and depth of knowledge on show was quite impressive
ConsentTalk
ByGraceRoche
On the 7th March, the TYs had a talk on sexual consent I found this talk very informative and some of the statistics they mentioned really opened my eyes to how serious and prevalent sexual assault is in our society.
The talk started off with the lady introducing herself to us and telling us what her job is and what it consists of. She works in SATU which stands for the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit and they offer free healthcare, medication, forensic work and physiological help for anyone over the age of 14 who seeks their assistance
During the talk the lady handed out different scenarios and questions and, in groups, we came up with answers for the questions, or voiced opinions on the scenarios posed My group's question was “where can you go and who can you tell if you think you have been sexually assaulted?”, and our answers were hospitals, GPs, trusted guardians, SATU or the Gardaí.
The last thing that was covered was the kit that is used for forensics when someone is being tested and having evidence collected in case they want to press charges. The kit included swabs, tubes/containers for blood or urine tests, glass slides, sterile water and saline, envelopes, boxes, labels and paper bags
We then did a Kahoot to recap and see what we remembered from the talk and this was really fun and a nice way to end quite a sombre but informative talk
DELLTalk
ByNicolaHarmon
All TY students had a Digital Futures Talk in the new wing presented by two representatives from DELL Technology Company. First, they informed us about the business itself and that DELL employs over 150,000 people worldwide. This is an incredible number of people to employ across several continents Next we discussed the impact technology has had on our lives and the many negative and positive effects technology comes with. They also spoke about computer science and what job opportunities it offers in modern day life. To hear about opportunities to help through technology was an eye opener for many of us The usual discussion is always the dangers and the strengths, but this gave us an idea about making a difference
We learnt that there are not many jobs technology is not used for In fact, we tried to list jobs that technology is not involved but we couldn’t list many This came as a shock to most people We learnt that life would not be the same if technology had not progressed in the way it has in the last century Which makes sense: we have to explain phones to our parents and grandparents We even have to help Mr Wall put this newsletter together!
Overall, The Digital Future’s Talk given by DELL was very interesting and eye-opening It was inspiring to many considering working for a technology company or in computer science in the future.
