February 2014
Year 14 Students Receive Pope John Paul II Award
Year 14 Students Receive Pope John Paul II Award
17 Year 14 Students received the Pope John II Award from the Papal Nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown at a ceremony in the Millennium Forum on Tuesday 25th February.
They are pictured with Archbishop Brown, Bishop Donal Mc Keown newly appointed Bishop of Derry and Fr Francis Bradley.
Well done to all of them.
War Memorials, Fashion Designers and Cheese! French Exchange 2014
In the early hours of Thursday 13th February myself and 18 other students from Yrs 12-14 accompanied by Miss Mc Menamin and Mrs Coyle set off for Avranches, Normandy on the second leg of the French Exchange. The first thing I noticed upon stepping off the plane in France was that the weather there wasn't very good either. It would, luckily, go on to get much better for most of the rest of the week, but for the moment Nantes airport was very similar to the Dublin we had left - windy, wet and cold. Perhaps a few degrees warmer! What this made me realise was that we really had not travelled too far - despite staying in the far south of Normandy (in fact the airport itself is further south still), the climate was very much Irish for the time of year.It was only when we got to Avranches and became reacquainted with our exchange partners and taken to the houses we'd be staying in that I realised we had in fact travelled very far indeed. Despite being close to home, even this small corner of France is so different from the Ireland I left behind. Firstly, it is incredibly flat. Where hills do exist they are shallow and slow, and they come one at a time, rather than all on top of each other like in Ireland. The buildings are nearly all built out of the same kind of warm grey stone. Also evident is the impact of the Great Wars on Normandy. In Avranches alone there are numerous war memorials to both wars, not excluding Patton Square, dedicated of course to General Patton, whose famous campaign for the Liberation of France was spearheaded from Avranches itself.
On to the exchange! Well, I'm just going to have to say it. The French are rich! Well, our partners were. This is unsurprising considering they attend a private school. On one occasion we went to one of the French girl's houses (her name is France, somewhat confusingly). It was only in the silence as I was wondering why it was taking her so long to come to the door of her apartment that I realised the building I was standing in front of was a single, detached house! I myself had a room with a double bed and an adjacent bathroom to myself in my correspondent Adrien's house, which was much more than I needed or hoped for. It is hard to overstate how hospitable and welcoming Adrien himself and his family were. I was provided with everything I needed, everything I desired and then some. And then some more! His parents were very friendly and throughout the week we managed to achieve a very good level of conversation by utilising a mix of my French and their English - sometimes switching mid-sentence. This just sort of happened, rather than having been agreed upon. We talked about many things. The French traditional foods I had on the different days were explained to me, I was asked if I wanted more cheese, Adrien and I shared aspirations for the future. Mostly we joked about the winter Olympics: Adrien and I appeared to be the only people present in France at the time that actually enjoyed Curling.
So home life was all good and sorted. An overwhelmingly positive experience. In terms of the rest of the trip, I couldn't have enjoyed it more. On our free weekend Adrien and his father took me to see the D-Day (French - "Jour J") beaches and sites which I have wanted to see all my life. They were every bit as amazing as I had imagined. I also gained an ally in the household that weekend - the family cat, Mourcade, loved to sit with me, even sat on my lap when I was reading in bed.
On Friday, (La Fête de Saint- Valentin), our dancing skills (ballroom not Irish!) were put to the test as we attended a dance workshop delivered by a former dance teacher of the school. Up until his retirement, formal dance classes were an integral part of the curriculum culminating in a bal (formal dance) in the pupils' final year, a chance to showcase all the moves they had learned! I was amazed at how talented, both boys and girls were in all varieties of dance, from the quick-step to the Charleston, from salsa to waltz! Maybe Strictly Come Dancing will come calling sooner than I think!
On Monday, we visited the Abbey at Mont Saint Michel, which was very impressive indeed. According to the guides there the place is over a millennium old. Here, is also where I spent most of my money on souvenirs. On Tuesday our bread-making skills were on show at Château de la Baudonnière. All shapes and sizes of bread were produced, tasted good though!
We also visited the port town of Granville (where many of our French correspondents keep their personal sailing boats) which was a very pretty town. Some of the views were amazing from up high (out to sea and over the city) and we even managed to find an Irish shop where, if we so desired, we could pay five Euros for a Cadbury's chocolate bar. Also in Granville we visited the house of fashion designer Christian Dior which was not as bad as it sounds. Or I should say as bad as it may sound to some. I actually liked it, if I'm allowed to say that. Adrien's mother suggested it was "pour les filles". Maybe it was. In any case the gardens outside the house were very impressive as was, again, the view.
On the day before we left we visited Saint Malo, city of the Corsairs (like pirates, but French, and supposedly legal - sort of like mercenaries who raided ships of nations with which France was at war. Usually England.) And as I sit here eating my French chocolate as I write, I really am having trouble thinking of a way to describe it other than pirate-like. The colours, the architecture and the coast all fitted perfectly in the picture of how you would imagine a coastal cove to look like. This was a legal (and real) Pirate Bay. Oh, also we visited the aquarium outside the city, which was a nice experience to go with what seemed to be the nautical theme of the day.
There is so much more to share and so much more to tell, but unfortunately I think I have run out of time.
I have a lot of funny stories to tell and nice places and especially people to remember thanks to the exchange and I will definitely be back to France at some point in the future. Adrien's family themselves wholeheartedly welcomed me back and I the same for them. I may indeed have to capitalise on the offer.
Thanks for reading, and I would just like to say that I would encourage anyone to go on an exchange like this one.
Sean Herron- Yr 13
Success at the Irish Chemistry Olympiad
Congratulations to Amanda Liu Year 14 who competed in the Irish Chemistry Olympiad in Dublin City University on Saturday 15th February and has won a place in the second round of the competition where she will compete for the chance to represent Ireland in the International Olmpiad this summer. Well done!
Year 10 Entrepreneurs Impress at Step N Zones Competition
Mr A Hamilton the Chief Executive of Invest NI presenting the students with their prizes and congratulating them on their efforts at the Step N Zones Competition Regional Final in Belfast where they won third prize.
• Mark Gallagher 10D
• Thomas Lunney 10D
• Rebecca McGrath 10D
• Domhnall McKinney 10D
• Peter Sharkey 10D
• Ava Wilson 10D
Year 12 and Year 14 Retreat
The Year 12 & Year 14 groups attended the Carmelite Retreat Centre on Thursday 30th & Friday 31st January 2014 for their annual retreats. The retreats were facilitated by the NET Ireland Team. The NET Team are made up of young men and women who have given up a year of their lives to come to Ireland and spread the Gospel among other young people of similar ages. Both days proved to be extremely enjoyable and reflective experiences.