CHRISTMAS NEWSLETTER
2021
D I G I TA L E D I T I O N
Leaving Certificate Results 2021 The Board of Directors, the management of the school and all of the staff wish to convey our sincere congratulations to the Class of 2021 on a remarkable set of Leaving Certificate results. The Class of 2021 exceeded all expectations through their resilience and hard work, and I am extremely proud of their achievements despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. The teaching staff deserve enormous credit for their dedication to their students with four years in a row of academic averages of above 467 points, highlighting the consistence of excellence throughout both the Senior and Junior School.
Oíche Nollag
Máire Mhac an tSaoi (1922-2021)
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. 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.
The class average CAO 2021 Points is a remarkable 496 Points per person (A new record – this group also attained the best Junior Cert results also in 2018.) Previous records 4 year records of 467 points in 2020, 470 points in 2019, 477 points in 2018, 489 points in 2017. • 15% attained in excess of 600 points • 53% attained in excess of 500 points • 73% attained over 450 points • 84% attained over 400 points • 99% attained over 300 points •
TOM GERAGHTY Headmaster
13 students attained in excess of 600 points, including 4 students attaining 7 H1 grades (725 points!)
St. Gerard’s School are proud of our mixed ability ethos and we are delighted to celebrate the success of all our students. The holistic development of our students is equally important to their academic progress, so that we can continue to produce young men and women who are educated, thinking and caring individuals.
Faye Durkan Head Girl
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Sean Treacy Head Boy
We wish the students of the Class of 2021 every success in their journey in life. We wish them well in the knowledge that the spirit of St. Gerard’s School will remain with them forever as they strive to be the best that they can be, and that “Memor”, to be mindful of others, will be forever present in their hearts.
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Student Council Things have been busy since our return to school in September. We held our 1st year elections online at the end of September and after a tightly fought battle, we have our four elected reps’. They are Isobel Bownes, David Harmon, Brett Gordon and Grace Rush. There was huge interest in joining the council this year and we hope that the present 1st years put themselves forward for the elections next year. The student council have been very active this term. They have been meeting with Mr Geraghty and the liaison teacher, Ms Fanning on a monthly basis to discuss school matters. They organised a non-uniform day in aid of Purple House cancer support and raised 2,394 euro for the cause. We intend on creating some fun in the school in mid-December by distributing goodies to all those who complete the Duolingo language challenge as well as organising a Christmas themed non-uniform day in December for Dementia Ireland. We will run elections for the 2nd - 5th years in early January and we look forward to welcoming some new representatives on board.
Student Leadership Team Over the last few months, several meetings were held between leadership teams and Mr Geraghty. These consisted of meetings with prefects, student leadership teams, the ambassadors for ‘Memor’ and the student council. Talks were given to students from 1st to 5th Year by the Student Leadership team offering advice for the forthcoming academic year. The student council meetings were chaired by a Deputy Head Boy and Girl and facilitated by Ms Fanning. These meetings were intended to bring student issues to light, maintain the happiness of students and discuss the daily running of school life in the face of Covid. ‘Memor’ meetings were aimed at highlighting the importance of mindfulness and being kind to the younger years. We made significant progress in keeping litter at bay, liaising with charities for future fundraisers and taking the concerns of younger years on board. Prefects were given the duty of doing morning temperature checks and lost and found on a rotating basis. During these meetings, we also looked into alternatives for the traditional Christmas Bazaar and Carol Service to spread some Christmas cheer throughout the school during this difficult time. By Amelia Flynn & Matthew Thornton
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Bray District Soroptimist International Public Speaking Competition
On the 11th of November four senior students, Amelia Dolan, Kaitlyn Glass, Scarlett Glynn and Aisling Lyons participated in the Bray District Soroptimist International Public Speaking Competition. The competition aims to encourage young women to play a more prominent role in public life, improve the art of communication and develop their selfconfidence and personality. Each student wrote a six-minute speech on a topic which they felt passionate about. Their informative language and presentation skills were impressive and out of fourteen students, two overall winners would be selected to go to the regional finals later in the year. Scarlett Glynn (5th Year) came overall first with a unanimous decision from the judges. Well done Scarlett, and best of luck in the regional competition!debating competitions outside of school.
Debating In September, over 20 eager debaters ranging from 1st-3rd year fought it out to earn a spot on the school’s team for the UCD debates. Each participant wrote a speech on why ‘this house would lower the voting age to 16’, and at the end after each speech had been carefully adjudicated, six people were selected to represent the school in this prestigious competition. The teams consisted of two debaters. In October, the debates began with the first motion being ‘this house would ban fee-paying schools’. The school’s teams had to adjust to the online setting, but they rose to the challenge and some very strong arguments were made. The second round of the competition kicked off after the mid-term break, with every team hungry to earn a spot in the quarter-finals. This round’s motion was particularly riveting, being that ‘this house would tie political funding to diversity’. Once again, all teams impressed with St.Gerard’s B, Isabelle O’Donovan and Amber O’Donohoe placing 2nd in their group. The third round of the competition will take place before Christmas, with the knockout rounds proceeding after the break. The debates have been a thoroughly enjoyable experience, allowing us to better improve our research, writing and oral skills. A huge thanks to Mr Wall who has worked tirelessly to give us this remarkable experience.
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Under 14 Irish Junior Chess Champion Congratulations to 1st year Kavin Venkatesan who became the Irish Junior U14 Chess Champion after defeating his opponents in October.
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Literary Magazine This year’s Literary Magazine has appeared again in electronic format. The magazine is available to read on our school website. I wish to thank our wonderful magazine team (ably led by our editor Matthew Harbourne) of Amelia Dolan, Hannah Carney, Laoise Kiernan, Larina Yu, Lidia Uhlar Vicente, Marcus Pippet, Matthew Thornton, Murray Sheehan and Sean Treacy. My thanks to all the contributors for providing “a window to so many worlds”. As always the creativity of the cover art never ceases to amaze and this year is no different as Murray Sheehan and Kate O’Flynn have risen admirably to the challenge.
Poetry Ireland Competition On the 20th of September, an invitation to take part in a poetry competition was sent out, in an attempt to scout fresh talent and to inspire a love of poetry amongst Ireland’s youth. As part of ‘Poetry Town Bray’, students were invited to submit poems in six different categories, in either English or Irish. All across the country, schools were contacted and told their category. For St. Gerard’s the category was; ‘the student’s town, a local place or a person from the area’. The students were given ten days to write their composition before it had to be submitted by midnight on the 30th of September. The entries were then judged anonymously, with an independent adjudicator being appointed for each town. This judge proceeded to shortlist the admissions and forward the list to Poetry Ireland before the final decisions were made. After much anticipation from the participants, the results were announced. The few lucky enough to have won, including me, were informed that not only had they received a voucher as their prize, but their poetry was also to be published on the Poetry Ireland website. An exciting and well-deserved result of our hard work and creative talents. By Lucy Curran
Congratulations to the Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle Poetry Ireland competition winners. Students Murray Sheehan, Olivia Vondrys, Amber O’Donohoe and Lucy Curran were all successful in their categories at the Wicklow round of the competition.
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Music Festival 2021 The annual Music Festival, as last year, was “live streamed” on Thursday 21st of October. This popular school event showcases the talent of our students by providing a professional set-up to perform their own choice material. It was encouraging to see the existing talent mature and the new talent emerge. One noticeable difference this year was the lack of group performances possibly due to not being able to mix freely. However, the high standard of previous years was maintained and wowed the judges. Winners on the night were: Senior instrumental Sani McNally
Senior Vocal Amelia Opperman Group Charlotte Finnegan Quirke, Eva Harbourne, Kate Freeney Junior Instrumental Micheál O’Cuinn
Junior Vocal Isabelle O’Donovan Many thanks to all for their help and encouragement to ensure the success of this popular event and hopefully we will be back live again next year.
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International Students
In September, 23 International students were welcomed to our community from across the Globe. Our international student cohort is comprised of students from Mexico, Spain, Germany and the Ukraine who are studying in 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th year. Such a diverse range of ages, cultures and personalities has resulted in a wonderful mix of students who individually and collectively add to our school community. They began their school year with a formal welcome into the school with a Chapel blessing and welcome reception attended by our 6th year Leadership Team. The students were gifted a shamrock pin to symbolize the friendship, hospitality and opportunity that this year will bring them. All students enjoyed their first St.Gerard’s day experience and many commented on the beauty of Ireland as they climbed the Sugar Loaf.
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Every student is actively involved in our sports program. For most students, Rugby and Hockey are new sports and they are excelling in their skill development. Some have even represented the school at matches. The students have immersed themselves in the many activities available this term such as well-being week, science week and a plethora of TY events, excursions and speakers. In November all students were treated to an excursion, exploring County Wicklow and all of it’s natural wonders. It was a fabulous day where the students had time to connect with each other and create lifelong memories. There have been many positive comments from teachers about their participation, effort and contribution and we are so proud of how they have and continue to conduct themselves. We look forward to the New Year and the many more memories and experiences they will share with us.
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Christmas Bake Sale
Christmas Jumper Day
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eal Hope Shoe Box App
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Guide Dogs
Coco’s Law
Joe Bollard and his guide dog John came in to talk to the Transition Years about the role of guide dogs for people with vision impairment. He spoke about the training and funding for the dogs. The Transition Year will hold a fundraiser in the New Year for the Irish Guide Dogs.
Jackie Fox spoke to 6th and 4th years about the impact that bullying can have on a person. She bravely told the story of her daughter Nicole and how she was bullied and what that meant to them as a family. Jackie campaigned to get legislation changed so that bullying is now a criminal offence. It was a very powerful and emotive story.
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SVP Hamper Packing Christmas hampers packing also took place with TY students, under the tutelage of experienced 5th-year students. In total, over four hundred and fifty Christmas hampers were packed and distributed throughout Wicklow. We were most appreciative to the many parents and students who volunteered to help with the delivery of these hampers. Without their help this would not have been possible. A huge thanks to Ms Ciara O’Connell for organising both the Hamper Packing and Letter Drop.
SVP Letter Drop Our annual tradition of helping the Dean’s Grange SVP letter-drop continued this year. Twenty four TY students donned their masks and gloves and volunteered to deliver over 2,500 letters to homes to appeal for additional funds to help families in crisis at this time of year. Our efforts over the last three years have resulted in a total of €38,000 in donations from the local community.
Liberty Soup Run The TY students attended a presentation by Chris and John from the Liberty Soup Run about the homelessness issue in our country. These volunteers spoke about the work they do for the homeless in Dublin. The homeless crisis is so serious and our students felt so strongly, they decided to hold a clothes and dignity bag appeal. The TY students organised and collected over 400 dignity bags, non-perishable foods and clothes for the homeless on the streets in the city centre. Many thanks to Ms Eibhlín Ní Fhéinneadha and Ms Cliona Buckley for organising these initiatives.
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Our Transition Year Our Transition Year experience has been so enriching and exciting so far. With the pandemic, our Transition Year experience has been different to what we could have ever expected, but we really appreciate all the accommodations that have been made by our Year Head, Ms Ciara Ní Mháirtín and the Co-ordinators, Ms Jill Roy and Ms Niamh Scallan, to give us the best possible year.
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Barista Course The barista courses were run by the Dublin Barista School in the sports hall. Firstly, we learned how to work the coffee machine and the grinder and the names of everything (which they tested us on throughout the day). One of the most anticipated parts of the day was learning the method of making latte art, making leaves and hearts in the milk froth! Finally, it was time to test our barista skills by getting a taste for an actual cafe environment. We opened our doors to our fellow students, making all sorts of coffees for them. Afterwards, we looked around to realise we had made a bit of a mess so everyone worked together to clean up as quickly as possible. By Ruby Geelon
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Food and Beverage Course Throughout November, the students of Transition Year took part in a one day course run by Hospitality Skills Ireland. The Food and Beverage Skills course is a big part of the Transition Year programme in St Gerard’s and we were all excited to participate. We were also given various tips and tricks to help us work quickly and efficiently. These came in extremely handy in the afternoon when the students were thrown into a restaurant simulation in which we had to take orders and serve our classmates. Amanda and Fiona, who run the course, were wonderful. Not only did they teach us everything we need to know to work in any bar or restaurant, but they were also incredibly patient and willing to help us with whatever we needed. By Charlotte Finnegan Quirke
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Law Ed In October, the first Law Ed course took place, facilitated by Kate Fleming the founder and director of ‘Law Ed’. She showed us how the law affects us every minute of every day, from going to school to the food we eat. It was fascinating. We learnt about different types of courts and the various jobs in those courts. Ms Fleming told us all about the history of law and the reasons behind certain traditions in law like the wigs they wear in court. We discussed and debated lots of cases. With lots of opinions, it made the day very enjoyable. At the end of the day, once we understood the basics of the different roles in a court, we commenced a mock trial. We all took on different aspects of the court case; the judge, the barristers, the accused, the witness, the jury and so on. The course as a whole was marvellous, really giving us an insight into possible careers to be found in the world of law!. By Sadhbh McGloughlin
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Sign Language The Transition Year sign language course ran all day. It was a course with the aim of not only teaching us the basics of sign language but a little bit about the history of Irish sign language and what correct terms to use when talking about a person who was hard of hearing. The course started by asking us a few questions to see how much we knew about sign language. Then we were taught names and basic things like “Hello, how are you?”. We finished off by saying our names and what we had for breakfast. By Ultan Woods
Divers ED The Irish Driving School of Excellence hosted a Drivers Ed workshop for the Transition Year’s in October. It consisted of two parts; an indoor and outdoor lesson. The outdoor lesson consisted of three segments; driving, replacing a wheel, and wearing ‘beer goggles’ while attempting to complete simple tasks. During the indoor course, we learnt how to calculate insurance premiums and attempted the theory test. The most exciting part of the day was driving the car! We learnt how to start a car and switch into first gear, along with being allowed to drive in circles down at the bottom car park. It was much more difficult than we had anticipated! By Ultan Woods
Driver Ed
Photography The photography course was presented by the qualified multi-award-winning professional photographer Úna Armstrong. During the day, we assumed various roles in our groups, these were: the model, the photographer and the person holding the reflector. This course is quite relevant to our personal lives, as we frequently take photographs with our phones and many students have their own cameras. By Charlotte Ballagh
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TY Trek Transition Year is all about getting to know new people and stepping out of your comfort zone. That’s exactly what the Transition Year Trek was; from clambering up steep hills that seemed to have no end, to chatting to people you had never gotten the chance to talk to. We started our journey on the grounds of Killruddery, before the climb up to Bray Head. We could see down to the sparkling sea and across the bustling town of Bray.
Then we made our way through rocky paths and little country roads to Belmont Demesne Cafe, where we sat down to have some lunch. Next, it was off to the summit of the Little Sugarloaf. Sweaty and red-faced we made it! We could see the Great Sugarloaf across the valley. Tired, we descended from the mountain down to the forests of Killruddery and back to where we started completing what was a memorable day. By Sadhbh McGloughlin
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Alive Outside Alive Outside was our first trip as a year group. This trip helped us all showcase our strengths and allowed us to become comfortable with each other. Whether it was paddling around in a kayak or jumping off a gigantic pier, you were guaranteed to have some fun. Survival skills was another activity we will all look back on fondly, but it was our last activity that was to put us to the test - the obstacle course from Hell and Back and Ireland’s Fittest Family! We hung on for our lives doing ‘Hang Tough’, made it through the tyre and haybales before attempting to run up the ginormous ramp. All-in-all, it was a tiring but great day. By Charlotte O Dwyer
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Wellbeing Week 2021
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Wellbeing week was a welcome opportunity to add some fun and light heartedness into the school. The theme of CONNECTING was chosen to promote Positive Mental Health for us all. Everyone got involved with energy and enthusiasm. The 6th year students were particularly active and engaged with the younger students with initiatives such as Speed Friending, Mindfulness Walks, Rugby and Hockey Demos and much more. Each of the activities that took place were tailored to the school setting and thoroughly planned and executed - from the creation of hundreds of individual ribbons for each year group to “Buckle down with Buckley”, the five minutes of mindfulness led by Ms Buckley which took place every morning over the intercom. Every aspect of the week really boosted the morale among both the staff and students, and there was a palpable sense of ease and optimism floating through the hallways every day. Students participated in lots of fun activities such as Samba drumming, a fun “Rock, Paper Scissors” competition and TaiChi. Mr Drummy’s and Mr Dungan’s DJ ing skills were epic! While others quietly attended Benediction. We hope that the spirit of RECONNECTING, MINDFULNESS and WELLBEING continues to remain high, to support us in achieving a positive and healthy school community.
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St. Gerard’s Day Although we couldn’t enjoy the festivities of St Gerard’s day in the usual manner that we have in years gone by, it was still an unforgettable day for the school community. St. Gerard’s Day is a significant day in the school calendar and it is thoroughly enjoyed each year without fail. The morning started with the annual mass, which was live-streamed as it was last year, and the feedback from our peers was enthusiastic. The annual St. Gerard’s Day Quiz took quite a different form this year, as students gathered in their individual base classrooms to put their general knowledge to the test, rather than flocking to the traditional venue of the Junior School Hall. However, Mr Drummy, Ms Roy & the 6th Years ensured that the experience would be of no less value to the students, providing them with some unique and refreshing rounds. For example, we had Marcus Von Teichman (of partially German descent) present us with a true or false round of “Marcus’ Marvellous Facts from Munich”, while Cuan Riordan and Christina Bray harked back to their Transition Year days of ‘High School Musical’ as they explained how their musical theatre careers have progressed since their glory days on the Junior School
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stage. Having the 6th Year so involved in the subjects of the Quiz this year truly made a positive difference for all the students, at least for us anyway! This year, we were fortunate enough to embark on our St. Gerard’s Day walk up the Sugar Loaf. The beautiful bright day reflected the attitude shared by everyone as we realised how much we have missed this tradition. We set off on a different path around the Sugarloaf and it was a fantastic opportunity to catch up with one another out in the fresh air. This year all of the Prefects in 6th year took on a new role which truly embodied their presence as the most senior students in the school, as they wore coloured bibs and led the younger year groups around the walk. This solidified the reality of this day being our last St. Gerard’s Day, and it made every one of us appreciate the day even more. By Faye Durkan and Sean Treacy
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St. Gerard’s Day Mass
Retreats 6th Year Retreat - This year the 6th Year Retreat was ‘Paradise’ and was delivered in-house by the Mustard Seed team. It proved to be a welcome distraction from all of the Covid restrictions and pressures that come along with entering their 6th and final year in St. Gerard’s. The students had the opportunity to focus on their relationships as well as their relationship with God and to examine the role that faith may have in their resilience at this time. It’s particularly poignant as it’s the last whole year activity and the journey that they go on together before their valedictory and leaving certificate. 1st Year Retreat - The 1st Year Retreat was held in school and was delivered by the team from Glencomeragh Holy Family Mission. The team was run by Fr. Pat and other members of the school Retreat group. This Retreat is an introduction to all the new students in St. Gerard’s to the benefit of Retreats. Each student gets the chance to evaluate how they are doing in St. Gerard’s and to recognise the friendships they have made and the ones they are yet to make.
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Spo rts Overvi ew
St. Gerard’s Sport After a long hiatus from school sports fixtures, it has been a delight to have competitive fixtures back into our everyday school lives. There has been a great focus on match play and ensuring all players feel confident returning to competitive fixtures. There has been excitement across all teams with every year group taking the pitches with enthusiasm and excitement. We have had plenty of fixtures for our hockey, rugby and equestrian teams throughout the first half of the season.
Equestrian Our equestrian team is up and running once again with solid numbers. We have students from multiple year groups participating and representing the school at the Interschool competitions. There have been five events so far this season. Most recently we had our novice team compete in Naas. The team finished second out of a massive field of 20 teams. The team for the day was Arabella Whelehan, Ariana Durkan, Darby Condren and Sloane Rangitaawa. We also had fantastic individual results with Florence Jackson Pratt finishing fifth out of 48 riders at Barnadown Equestrian earlier in the year. Well done to all students who have participated on the equestrian team so far this season.
GOLF Annual Parent & Child Outing
This year’s annual event was again played in Powerscourt Golf Club on Sunday 3rd October, on a very cold and windy day! It was great to see so many families represented, and despite the weather, there were a lot of smiling faces. At least on the first tee anyway!! The overall prize and Claret Jug went to Oscar Bradshaw and his father, Dylan. A big thank you must go to our main sponsors, Mark Wyse from Underarmour, Keith Barton from Titleist and the Parents’ Association for supporting the event so generously.
School lessons
As part of our Extra-Curricular Activity programme, we were again able to hold our school golf lessons in Dun Laoghaire Golf Club. We had two overall winners from pupils from both primary and secondary schools attending the block of eight lessons with the PGA pros in the golf club. It was a great success, and we hope to host another block of lessons in the Spring, all going well.
Boys Senior Soccer The senior boys have made a great start to their Metropolitan League campaign, winning their first match against Stratford College in Rathgar. With two more league games this side of Christmas with Ringsend College and St. Laurence College, they are in a very positive position. A big welcome to our new football coach, Alan McDonnell, and we wish him and the squad the very best of luck over the coming months.
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S po rt s Ov e rv i e w
Representative Spor ts Honours
Golf Congratulations to Brandon St. John who represented Leinster in the U18 Interprovincial Championships in Mount Wolseley in October. It was a very high standard of golf over the two days, seeing Brandon securing two points for Leinster against Ulster in the third and fourth place playoff; winning his foursomes 8&7, and his singles 4&3. Prior to this, Connaught had proved too strong in the semi-final, winning 6½ to 3½.
Soccer Abby Tuthill (5th year) and Mia McGonnell (3rd year) have had huge successes in their respective soccer endeavours. Abby Tuthill trained throughout the summer with the Irish U19 Women’s soccer squad. Abby was then selected to compete in a four nations tournament in Portugal in September. This was a very competitive field with Ireland taking on Norway, Denmark and Portugal. Mia McGonnell has been training with the Irish U16 Women’s soccer team. Mia was selected to play in a match series against Wales in November. The team had great success winning both fixtures. Mia played in both games, having stellar performances in the defensive line. Congratulations to both Abby and Mia and best of luck going forward.
Equestrian Congratulations to Caragh Charlton Phelan (6th year) and Ciaran Foley (4th year) who have had a brilliant season so far. Both Caragh and Ciaran represented Ireland at the World Youth Finals in the Netherlands earlier this year. Ireland finished 4th out of 13 nations, a remarkable result. It was a huge achievement to have two St. Gerard’s Students representing Ireland at such a prestigious event. Ciaran also won the young rider of the year award, another outstanding achievement.
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Congratulations to Finn Jolly and Isabella Stewart who have both been selected to their respective U14 and U16 Golf Ireland Development Panels for this coming season.
Hockey Congratulations to Ciara Moroney (6th year) who is a member of the Leinster U20 Women’s interprovincial team. Ciara has played in both interprovincial games so far this season. They have had much success beating both Connaught and Munster. We wish Ciara and the Leinster team the best of luck with the rest of the season. Congratulations to Hannah Duffy (2nd year) who is a member of the Leinster U16 Girls interprovincial team. Hannah has played in a number of friendly matches against Leinster South and South East. Well done to Hannah on all her hard training and best of luck with the rest of the season.
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Spo rts Overvi ew
Elena Tice – Tokyo Olympian 2021, Irish Hockey Team A huge congratulations to past pupil Elena Tice who has had a remarkable year with the Irish Women’s Hockey Team. Elena, who now has over 100 caps, had an extremely busy summer competing at the European Championships in The Netherlands. This tournament was then followed by the Olympic Games in Japan. This was historic as it was the first time the Irish women’s hockey team had ever competed at the Olympic Games. The Irish team closed out their season in a World Cup Qualifier in Italy. Ireland’s results have secured a spot at the next World Cup. We are incredibly proud of Elena and to see a past pupil become a hockey Olympian has inspired all of our students and particularly all of our hockey players!
jack Conan – British and Irish Lion 2021 Huge congratulations must also go to our past pupil, Jack Conan, who following a long and arduous bout of injury, has returned to the game in the manner in which we knew he would always compete. From his return to Leinster duty, Jack continued to rack up the statistics; this year alone, a very special one indeed, he gained his 100th cap for Leinster in their Pro14 win over the Dragons in February, and later was named as man-of-the-match in the Pro14 Grand Final win over Munster in March. While some might have been surprised when it was announced that Jack was selected in the British & Irish Lions squad, it was no surprise here, only an outpour of emotion and pride in our former pupil. Jack played in all three tests and four of the tour matches and very much proved his selection. His year was not over yet, with the Autumn internationals in sight, and that mouth-watering clash with the All Blacks. Jack indeed proved to be a very influential member of the Irish squad throughout the series and is truly an inspiration to all the pupils in the school. What a year! The 100 cap milestone, a Lion, and an emphatic victory over the best in the world. It is an understatement to say, all here on Thornhill Road are very proud of you, Jack!
Jack Conan
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S po rt s Ov e rv i e w - H OC KE Y
HOCKEY Senior Cup Team Our SCT squad have had a fantastic season so far with some great results. The squad have been training hard since August and they have shown great improvements across the board. With the return to fixtures, there has been a good focus on gameplay and match tactics. All the players have worked hard individually in the gym and on the pitch. Our goalkeepers have benefited from position-specific training with our new goalkeeper coach Aoife Glennon. Some notable results so far this season include victories against Loreto Abbey, Dalkey and Rathdown School. The team had a tough start to their league campaign suffering a loss to a strong Wesley College side. The team refocused and bounced back magnificently. They faced The Teresians School in the first round of the Leinster cup in what was a close match. Teresians had multiple short corners in the dying minutes with our girls showing great resilience coming out with a 1-0 victory. There was a quick turnaround with St. Joseph’s Cluny as our next opponent in the league. This match was played on a bitterly cold Wednesday evening with the team pulling off a great team performance. All 18 players in the matchday squad played a vital role in our convincing 3-0 victory. With this win, we move on to the Leinster Cup quarter-final stage. We now wait to see who we face in the quarter-finals. There are some exciting times ahead for this team!
2nd Year Hockey Minor Hockey has not been what we all expected, but the girls are working really hard. In these peculiar times attitude and effort is key and the minor girls are pushing themselves. The attitude and effort put in from all the girls has been super. Students have adapted well to the pods and this has resulted in some excellent competitions amongst the students. The Wednesday relays bring out the best in the girls and the competitive streak has really shone through. What’s super to see is the thirst to improve: when one girl shoots off her reverse the rest want to know how to do it; when one flicks a pass everyone else wants to do it. They are constantly pushing themselves forward. What’s been great too is the fact that they all get out into the fresh air to relieve the day’s stress. Exercise is key to mental, physical and emotional wellbeing so it is fantastic to see such
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Sports Overview - HOCKEY
Senior 2 Our Senior 2 team have good numbers this year making training sessions and matches both competitive and enjoyable. We have several players joining the squad who are new to hockey which has been great to see. The squad have played several fixtures with many matches drawn so far this season. The team has great enthusiasm and brings great energy to training every day. The Senior 2’s league campaign got underway in October where they faced Mount Sackville. This match was endto-end with both teams working hard to score. Unfortunately, it was a 2-0 loss in the end but there were a huge number of positives to take away from the game. The Senior 2 team still have Loreto, Beaufort and The High School to face in the league which are two fixtures we are very much looking forward to.
TY Squad This is the first year our TY squad have played matches as a year group and been entered into a Leinster League. We have had great participation from students with our TY international students trying their hand at hockey. It has been great to watch the team grow and improve over the last few months. There is a great buzz around the team with players very excited to be playing with their peers and getting to know each other better. This team has made huge strides and are certainly one to watch. They have played two league fixtures so far this season facing The King’s Hospital and Muckross College. Both of these matches were extremely even and really could have gone either way. Our TY team have been unfortunate in their league fixtures but have shown great resilience by coming from behind to draw with Rathdown School. The team still have plenty to play for with an allimportant league fixture against Loreto College, Foxrock.
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S po rt s Ov e rv i e w - H OC KE Y
Junior Cup Team Our JCT squad have had a remarkable season so far with some convincing results with huge strides made as a team. The squad has been working relentlessly since August both on the pitch and in the gym. For a team who had not played a huge amount of 11-a-side hockey, due to there being no fixtures last year, the improvements in match play have been astounding. This team has a mix of 2nd, 3rd and 4th-year students with all the girls getting to know each other well and creating a great team atmosphere. There is great competition within the squad with all players vying for selection every week. With nine fixtures played, the team has won six matches, which is a brilliant record. The squad has had notable results against Templecarrig, Rathdown School, Loreto Abbey, Dalkey and Loreto College, St. Stephen’s Green. The JCT team faced Newpark Comprehensive School in the first round of the Leinster Cup. This was a home fixture that built great excitement for the girls. The team had a very convincing 5-0 victory and seized all their opportunities. Next up in the Cup was The High School whom we had played in a very evenly matched friendly earlier in the season. The Cup match versus The High School was another close contest. We went one goal behind but rallied at halftime and equalised in the second half. At full time, it was all even at 1-1 meaning it went to a shootout. After a nail-biting shootout, the final score was 5-4 to The High School. Although this was a tough setback to the team, all players held their heads high as it was a great team performance. The team faces Newbridge College, Rathdown School and St. Andrew’s College in the Leinster League. All of these fixtures are still to be played, meaning there is great excitement in the squad who are looking forward to getting their league campaign underway.
Junior 2 With big numbers in the squad this year we entered into two leagues. This increased the number of games we could play which is great after two years of little to no hockey. The last matches played by this squad were eight-a-side on a half-pitch so the transition to full pitch games has taken some getting used to. Our first league game versus Rathdown School resulted in a narrow 3-2 loss but two weeks later they built on this, beating Wesley College 2-1 in a game dominated by short corners. A tough match in the J3 league ended in a 4-0 defeat to Loreto High School, Beaufort but again the girls kept their heads up and worked hard in front of a big home crowd in a painstakingly close defeat to Holy Child Secondary School before the midterm break. In the J2 league, there have been a record number of short corners in each game, and in the match against The High School, we only conceded two goals in the latter half of the match after holding strong in the first half. Each Pa g e 26
Sports Overview - HOCKEY match has brought new improvements and the girls are developing both their skills and match awareness which we hope will continue throughout the rest of the leagues into the New Year. It has been great to see the girls coming together and enjoying matches after all of their hard work in training last year!
Minor Squads There has been great participation from our 2nd-year girls with three teams entered into Leinster Leagues. This year’s group had never played full pitch 11-a-side hockey until this year so it has been exciting to watch the improvements and quick learning from all players. When teams make the move to 11-a-side matches there are always new tactics and strategies to develop as well as a new level of fitness required. All the students have worked exceptionally hard on all areas of their game this term. Our three teams have had some notable results this season. Our Minor 1 team has faced Loreto College, Dalkey on several occasions. They played in a friendly at the start of the season with the match finishing 0-0. They also faced Loreto College, Dalkey in the Minor Cup where they were narrowly beaten 1-0. The Minor 1 team still has their Leinster league campaign where they will face Muckross Park College, Mount Anville Secondary School and Alexandra College. The team is always improving and getting more familiar with 11-a-side every time they play. Our Minor 2 team have faced some very tough opposition so far this season but are making great progress every week. Players are learning more and more about their positions, tactics and match play every week. They still have lots of teams to face in the league including Wesley College, Loreto College, Stephen’s Green and St. Andrew’s College. Our Minor 3 team have had an encouraging start to their league. They drew with Wesley College 1-1 and beat Holy Faith, Clontarf 2-0. They still have two league fixtures to play and are in a very good position in their group. We are all looking forward to this team continuing their great league campaign
1st Year Hockey This year, we have 39 girls participating in hockey. The term started on a very positive note with all girls showing a keen interest to improve their skills. So far this term we have had a strong focus on match play, building our confidence and working as a team. This has proven beneficial with each team coming out with a win when we have played our friendly matches against Rathdown School, The High School, Holy Child Secondary School, Killiney and Wesley College. It has been great to see the girls come together as a team and support each other.
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S po rt s Ov e rv i e w - R U G B Y
RUGBY Senior Cup Team
After what seemed a very long wait for fixtures to be reintroduced, it gave the squad much time to prepare for the season ahead. With only three pre-season matches under their belt, they began their league campaign. Three wins and two defeats meant a quarterfinal date with Castleknock College. In a game that ebbed and flowed, with both sides very capable of capitalising on the other’s mistakes, it was, unfortunately, Castleknock who won out in the end. The squad have a full fixtures programme ahead of them now in preparation for the Leinster Senior Cup in February. One of these is our annual O’Reilly Cup match with Glenstal Abbey in Donnybrook Stadium in early January.
Senior 2 Very much like the SCT, the Senior 2 squad were well versed in training patterns and welcomed the return of fixtures to their weekly routine. With a promise of their league fixtures starting earlier this year, they were busy preparing for the campaign. Unfortunately, due to many of the schools recommending their own games programmes in different ways, and at different times to each other, the Branch had decided to put the start date on hold. Nonetheless, they have stayed on point, and have had several matches with very strong performances and good results. One such was against Castleknock College, winning 17-10. We are hoping that their senior league will commence the first week after the Christmas break.
TY Squad The Transition Year squad had a very different start to the rugby year than any other squad that had gone before them! They were preparing for their Leinster Junior Cup with Gonzaga College. This match was postponed as a result of Covid restrictions back in February. With the match scheduled for the last week in September, it did not give the squad much time for a much needed pre-season program of matches. With three matches under their belt, they went to Donnybrook to face Gonzaga College. Unfortunately, after a gallant effort, it was not to be on the day. With no Transition Year league being organised by the Branch, the TY squad have now amalgamated with the senior rugby squad and have players involved in all three senior squads. As with the Senior 2 squad, our Senior 3 squad will hopefully begin their league campaign in early January.
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S po rt s Ov e rv i e w - R U G B Y
Junior Cup Team With the Leinster Junior League start date being postponed until October, it gave the JCT squad more time to reacclimatise themselves with the dimensions of a rugby pitch. With four wins, a draw and a couple of defeats, there was much positivity to take into their league campaign. Not everything went their way, however, resulting in a must-win match with CBC Monkstown to get out of the group and qualify for the Leinster Junior Cup in February. An emphatic win saw just that! With cup rugby secured, it is now all focused on the league quarter-final clash away to Newbridge College in midDecember. A big welcome to Vic Ball, who joined the coaching team in September. Meanwhile, when all of this has been going on, the Junior 2 squad have been training hard on the pitch and in the gym and going from strength to strength. All their hard work and commitment is certainly paying off. After seven weeks of matches, they have a 50% win-loss record, with some hard-fought wins against the likes of Wesley College, Clongowes Wood College and Kilkenny College. We are hoping to hear confirmation of their junior league dates, starting in mid-January.
U15 Rugby With one eye on their development pathway to junior rugby, the other one has been very much on getting the pupils back on the pitch and match conditioned. With such a long time away from the pitch, it is incredible to see how the boys in the second year have been so resilient. Much emphasis has been placed on building fitness and skill set back up, while at the same time preparing for friendlies. It is here where evidence of the boys’ commitment is apparent, with both squads collectively notching up eleven wins out of thirteen matches. A big welcome to one of our new coaches to join the team, Daniel Kenny, who along with David Kirk has been working with the pupils since September.
U14 Rugby For the U14’s, emphasis has been placed on fitness and skill-set development of the U14 squad. It is hard to believe that the last time any of the boys played any type of rugby match was in sixth class, or indeed in their respective clubs before March 2020. The pupils are currently trying out different positional play on both squads, gaining much experience in the process. With nine weeks of matches now under the belt, and a few matches still to play before the Christmas break, the pupils will have a full programme of matches well into March. Pa g e 3 0
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