February 2013

On Saturday 23rd March, in the Great Hall, Magee College, Year 13 pupil, Clare Bradley, was awarded 3rd place in the Northern Ireland Soroptimist International Public Speaking Competition.  This highly prestigious competition, attracts candidates of the highest calibre from schools throughout Northern Ireland.  Clare represented the North West, having been placed first in the regional heat.  This was the first time that the competition had been held outside Belfast and the Soroptimists were keen to hold the final in Derry, in this the City of Culture year.  Clare received The Margaret Gregg Salver, a gift donated by Newtownabbey and District Soroptimist Club and £50 from the Progressive Building Society.  The school will also receive book tokens to the value of £50.

As part of their Pastoral Programme, Year 9 students recently participated in an Anti-Bullying workshop facilitated by Laura McGuinness from the Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum.  Through discussion of the facts and effects of bullying, students gained practical ideas on how to prevent bullying from taking place both inside and outside of school.

On Monday 11th February 2013, the Geography department was delighted to welcome Mr Paul Dunlop, Lecturer in GIS and Palaeoglaciology in the University of Ulster at Coleraine, Miss Nicole Mc Shane BSc Geography Student at QUB and Miss Ailbhe Brady, BSc Medicine Student also at QUB.  They came to talk to Year 10, Year 12 and Year 13 Geography students about the value of studying Geography in their various career paths.  The presentation was organised by Miss Cusack who is currently on work placement in the Geography department from the University of Ulster at Coleraine.  This proved to be a very worthwhile and informative event designed to give pupils the chance to make a more informed choice about their subjects for GCSE and A ‘Level and for their courses for UCAS.  It is hoped that this will become an annual event.

As part of the Key Stage 3 curriculum, Mrs S Mc Menamin, Miss Cusack and 10B took part in an ‘Environmental Awareness Day' in Seagate on Tuesday 5th February 2013.  They participated in workshops relating to global warming, carbon footprint and ‘reduce, re-use, recycle' and were given a tour of the factory. Eoin Matthewson and Mark Desmond volunteered to try on the protective clothing used in the clean room of the factory and pupils learned about the efforts Seagate are making to minimise waste, reduce their carbon footprint, conserve energy and reduce electricity consumption.  An enjoyable afternoon was had by all concerned.

On Thursday 31st January 2013 a number of pupils from St Columb's College travelled to Lumen Christi College under the supervision of Mr Doherty to take part in a Chess Challenge match against pupils from Lumen Christi College. 

The time was arranged for after school and the venue was set for English Room 3.  Under the expert tutelage of Mr Allan Turnbull 20 pupils, 10 from each school commenced a number of challenge games.  During the challenge matches both teams produced some excellent moves but given the time restraints the overall challenge was eventually declared a draw with a score line of 5 games each.  Throughout all the challenge matches all pupils maintained a high level of concentration and dedication.

Mr Turnbull thanked the St Columb's pupils and teacher for attending and urged them to continue with their commitment to playing chess.

On 1st February, five of our year 12 & 13 students attended a creative writing workshop where they were tutored by successful authors on writer's craft.  The workshop was help in the North West Teacher's Centre in Strathfoyle and was facilitated by local writers including Claire Allen, Dave Duggan, Felicity McCall and Freya McClements.

The students - Sean Herron, Aiden McGinley, Blanaid Barr, Rona Bell and Katie Ball will have their finished pieces printed in an anthology that will feature work from young writers from across the City.  The brief for the short story was to take inspiration from a piece of music and we wish them all the very best with their final draft.

Friday 1st February, marked the Rock up in Red Day for the British Heart Foundation.  Lumen Christi joined in on the fun, as the staff and students wore a red accessory for the day, helping to raise awareness and also money for the charity.  The college is supporting the British Heart Foundation this year.  The charity has supplied resources for the much needed Heart-Start programme that is delivered to Year 9 students (co-ordinated by Miss Paula Fleming).

‘In 2010, more than 2,000 people died from coronary heart disease in Northern Ireland: more than for any other disease.  Over 61,000 people in Northern Ireland have had a heart attack at some point, and a further 97,000 suffer from angina.'

For more information about the British Heart foundation, see the website: http://www.bhf.org.uk

Class 10E attended the "Prejudice: Face On" Award Event in the City Hotel on 13th February 2013 organised by Community Relations Department Derry City Council.  The Award Event was the culmination of the pupils' participation in a series of workshops challenging prejudice and stereotypes.  Each participating school delivered presentations and the multi-cultural band "Beyond Skin" provided an interactive music experience to celebrate the pupils' achievement.  Both the project and the Award Event were extremely enjoyable and enlightening experiences for 10E! 

The Senior Gael Linn Irish Quiz takes place annually in the White Horse Hotel. Year 11 and 12 Irish students from the schools in the Derry area take part. Schools enter teams of four and prizes are presented to the top three teams from both secondary and grammar schools. We are delighted that James Mc Dermott, Niall Grace, Patrick Crossan and Kevin Mc Conomy from Lumen Christi College came third in the Grammar School section this year.

Congratulations to Pearse Bradley, Eoin Casey, Gavin Lougherey and Cormac Gillen who picked up the Post-Primary Team Award at the Derry District Sports Council Awards on Friday, 15th February at the City Hotel.  This is a fantastic achievement for the boys.

The Boys' Intermediate Relay team went from strength to strength last year achieving GOLD medals in both the Medley and Freestyle events at the Ulster Schools Championships.  They went one better in the All Ireland Swimming Championships when they fought off some of the best swimmers in Ireland to gain TWO Gold medals in the Medley and Freestyle Relay competition.