Christmas issue 2013

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The College Press ————-Friday, 20th December 2013 Issue 3 Volume 9—————

The Christmas Issue Back to the 80’s

Christmas top 12! Eat, Sle mas ep, Ch ris ... R epe tat!

It’s C

hristm as!

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College Press Editorial Team Editors: Eveanna Sutton & Amy Farrell Student Contributors:

Special Thanks To: Doyle

Cara Mooney Sam Burke Ciara Maher Sorcha Lavelle Walsh Eveanna Sutton Rachel Thornton Aoife Kavanagh Emily Blake

A Huge thank you to all the cast of “Back to the 80’s” ... You made me very proud :-)

Mr.

Mr Miyagi

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Christmas Message How many gifts are there in total in the 12 Days of Christmas?

If you were to receive all the presents in the song, you'd get 364! Day 1 - receive 1 gift Day 2 - receives 3 additional gifts, making 4 total gifts Day 3 - receives 6 additional gifts, making 10 total gifts Day 4 - receives 10 additional gifts, making 20 total gifts Day 5 - receives 15 additional gifts, making 35 total gifts Day 6 - receives 21 additional gifts, making 56 total gifts Day 7 - receives 28 additional gifts, making 84 total gifts Day 8 - receives 36 additional gifts, making 120 total gifts Day 9 - receives 45 additional gifts, making 165 total gifts Day 10 - receives 55 additional gifts, making 220 total gifts Day 11 - receives 66 additional gifts, making 286 total gifts Day 12 - receives 78 additional gifts, making 364 total gifts received. Happy Christmas everyone, enjoy the holiday and come back refreshed in the New Year. I hope 2014 will be a very productive one for all.

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Budget- friendly Christmas gifts Well here we are friends, bang smack in the middle of CHRISTMAAASSS, prepare yourselves for Christmas jumpers, trees fully kitted out in all their Christmas splendour, the twinkling lights on Grafton street, Starbucks famous Christmas coffee, elaborate decorations, all those same cheery songs stuck on repeat for the festive season and of course there’s no forgetting the long awaited Christmas dinner. Yep, it’s crazy and right about now you’re probably trying to figure out what to give family and friends! So, in the hopes of not spending too much here’s a list of great Christmas ideas on a budget. #1: Christmas Jumpers from Penney’s - this festive gift will only set you back €15 and is a must have this Christmas! #2 Mini Company- why not check out the range of products offered by all transition year students at very reasonable prices. #3: Festive treats- put together an assortment of loved ones favourite Christmas treats;

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they’ll appreciate the thought and effort you put in! #4: Pampering in a jar - warm fuzzy socks, lip balm, hand lotion or bubble bath, and some chocolates. Add a bit of ribbon and a tag, very cute idea for women. #5: Christmas Oreos- this one may not sound too appealing but who doesn’t love Oreos?! Especially winter holiday Oreos! #6: Photo Album- put together an album of all his/her favourite pictures of you together and trust me they will be very happy with their gift! I hope these ideas were helpful for everyone. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

By Cara Mooney

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The Ten Films of Christmas Have I mentioned yet that I love Christmas? No? Well I’m going to now, I love Christmas! If I could marry Christmas, I would (and trust me I’ve looked into it). But the only thing I love more than Christmas is movies. So I’ll cut right to the chase and tell you the ten movies you need to watch this Christmas. Home Alone: When you get past all the slapstick and some of the throw away jokes, home Alone is a very likable Christmas movie. I love the family element in this film, especially the mother and what psychotic lengths she’ll go to get her son back. This could have been just a slapstick comedy, but they treated it seriously, giving it a lot of heart and soul. Miracle on 34th Street (1947): This movie really knows how to portray Santa Clause, in that he’s not just a chubby, jolly guy, he’s sophisticated and dignified. It’s basically about a man who believes he’s Santa and so a court case is drawn out to see if he is or not. The actors are the people who make this film, making it very charming and elegant. A bit of class and taste is just what Santa ordered in this holiday classic. It’s a Wonderful Life: The story of how one man’s life can affect so many people is heartwarming one to say the least. This film knows how to give us what it promises; making us realize what a wonderful life we live, especially around Christmas. Even after sixty-seven years “It’s a Wonderful life” still proves to be a wonderful Christmas movie. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: A lot like Home Alone, this film knows how to combine the annoyances and charm of staying home for Christmas. What makes this film great is that it focuses on a lot of details, like multiple family conversations all happening at once. Funny, detailed and capturing every Christmas moment, Christmas Vacation knew how to expose this holiday for the lovable curse that it is. How the Grinch Stole Christmas: It’s funny how a lot of Christmas films focus on the negative. Take the Grinch for example, he’s literally stealing Christmas, and the whole film is just showing in great detail how he does it. But all the negativity pays off when he realizes that he can’t steal Christmas, and that it’s something deeper than he could have imagined, as he realizes in

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the end. A Christmas Carol: Which one? Any of them. There are literally dozens of versions to choose from, and even some of the crappy one’s have some element of good in them, simply because their using a story that’s timeless, memorable and unforgettable. Live action, animated or even using puppets, the films are perfect any time for any generation. The Nightmare Before Christmas: You know what I love? Tim Burton. And no film of his shines brighter than this spectacular, musical classic. Just about everything in this film is memorable, the characters, the songs even the sets. Owe it to yourself to sit down and watch it, it’s one of the greats. Elf: What’s the one thing that makes this movie work so well? Will Feral. Everything about his character is likable, is innocence, his naivety, his energy, every time you see him doing something stupid on screen you can’t help but smile, he’s just so delightfully annoying. Nothing much to say other than sometimes one funny man can make a really funny movie. Die Hard: It counts, it counts! It takes place at Christmas therefore it’s a Christmas movie. For anyone saying “but this movie has nothing to do with the spirit of Christmas”, to that I say, “it’s Die Hard”. This movie kicks ass, but it kicks even more ass at Christmas. It even ends on the song “let it snow”, how many action movies end on “let it snow”?.....aside from Die Hard 2, but Die Hard is better. A Christmas Story: This is a Christmas movie that seems to have everything, heart, innocence and above all, a lot of humor. It manages to capture everything there is about being a self centered but also innocent kid at Christmas, the excitement, the build up even the daydreaming. It’s like a dream and a memory, trying to keep the spirit of childhood innocence alive as we all get older, and it hits it right on the head perfectly. By Sam Burke

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EAT SLEEP CHRISTMAS REPEAT 5 things to do over the Christmas season.

#1 Sleep Two weeks can be a very long time, particularly when spent mostly in a house that is preparing as though they got the dates for Christmas and Armageddon confused. It is advised that in the interests of selfpreservation you retreat to your bedroom and spend as much time as possible in the happy world of dreamland. If at any stage you wake up and it is not December 25th, simply turn the pillow over and sink back to sleep. Disadvantage: it is more difficult to eat while you are asleep (see point #3)

#2 Prepare for the New Year The trick to this task is to remember to aim low and avoid disappointment. Use the extra time over the holidays to set your goals for 2014 and all the ways in which you will self-improve. Admirable resolutions include exercising (your imagination) every day and remembering to write 2014 instead of 2013 as the date.

#3 Food, Glorious Food Christmas is a special time of year where mankind joins in heightening spirits and spreading goodwill through the miracle of food. If it is green/ red/white, has the word “pie” in it, or contains more sugar than you are advised to eat in one day, it is not only acceptable but compulsory to consume it. Selection boxes have been scientifically proven to taste 73% better when you reassure yourself that “I’m going on a diet for the new year” … even when it’s January 2nd.

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#4 Do what you’ve been putting off The past few weeks have been filled with “productive” school activities, “beneficial” learning and “necessary” studying. Such tasks have no doubt been taking away from other aspects of your life, so use this time wisely to catch-up on things you’ve been slipping behind on. If you have yet to watch an entire season of Breaking Bad in a day, haven’t spent a minimum of three hours clicking every suggestion YouTube offers or asked yourself if a chocolate Santa breaks in the forest, does anyone even eat it, it is time to re-evaluate your priorities.

#5 Nothing Doing nothing is cheap, easy and often you can eat while you do it (at this stage eating shouldn’t count as doing something because it should be like breathing to you. If not, you’re doing it wrong). The cold weather makes it the perfect time to chill… ouch.

By Ciara Maher

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I think I can speak on behalf of everyone when it became known that this year’s musical was ‘Back to the 80’s’, many of us and myself included, didn’t really know what to expect! Once again I think I can safely say how pleasantly surprised both the audiences from the matinee and evening shows were! The show kicked off as an explosion of colour hit the stage with ‘We’re the kids in America’. As each performance progressed, the cast, who had been working tirelessly for weeks, seemed to get more and more into their characters and even some ‘add-libbing’ was introduced with a subtle “I bruise like a peach!” from the heroic Fergal (Austin Mahony). New and previously undiscovered talents were displayed such as Billy (Tom Finn) who put the mean girl of the show Cyndi (Jade Silke-fetherston) in her place with his truly electric dance moves. Also I think the shrieks from the audience on Friday night will support me when I say there was a moment of “wow” when Mr. Cocker (Charlie Lawlor) sang his first note. It was also great to see two new faces playing the leading roles of Corey Palmer, both the younger and older version. (Mike Joyce and John Boyle) And of course some familiar displays of talent from Tiffany Houston (Bronagh Nugent).

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Of course this spectacular display of energy wouldn’t have been possible without an endless list of support from teachers, from Ms O’Brien and her high range of contribution including prompting, directing of the band, oh and I suppose a bit of piano in between, to Ms Lenehan and her annual display of expert organisation that at times would put Monica Gellar to shame. However, I feel a special mention should go out to one particular teacher who cameo-d in the fight scene between Fergal and Michael Feldman (Cian Lavelle-Walsh)… For those of you who unfortunately missed the show, I would like to inform you of a distinct and familiar voice that boomed through the sound system, creating immense tension, all hidden behind the name Mr Miyagi. I will now reveal to you that it was none other than…… Mr Ger Doyle who also directed the musical. (And basically re wrote the entire second act) The “Doyle Stamp”, as I like to refer to it, was sprinkled throughout the show with lines such as “#britney” thrown in. Overall it was really a fantastic show. I was lucky enough to see all five performances and it seemed to get better every night! Very well done to everyone involved and to those who can, we hope to see you performing again next year! One final word… As the first matinee came to a close a junior infant student came up to me and said “That was the best day of my life! Can we watch it again?” Job well done! By Sorcha Lavelle-Walsh

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T.Y. Mini Company Fair

Last Wednesday, 11th December 2013, transition year students held their mini-company fair where a wide variety of products were sold and purchased by the students and teachers of the school. From the start of the year, the T.Y. mini-companies have put in much hard work and effort to think of, create and source the product which they believed could make a successful business. One may think this is easy, but trust me, it is not! Firstly, thinking of an innovative yet realistic idea is much trickier than it sounds, especially in a group of people with different interests. Then continuing on to find the funds and supplier to get/make your product is even more difficult. However, despite these obstacles, many students managed to turn a creative idea into what will be a successful business and this was shown at the fair. Although many products deserve a mention, there were a few that stood out and if you haven`t heard about them already, I`m sure you will be very impressed by what some groups have achieved. Polar pockets, a company who created a thermal pocket for the inside of sports shorts so that consumers hands can keep warm during matches and training on harsh winter days. In this group we have Jordan Duggan, Michael Dillon, Paul Crummey and Kevin Dunphy all in TYA. It goes without saying that this is an inventive idea and one which I`m sure will be very popular with those who play sports. Shorts are supplied by Kukri, a top brand which would make them a very wise invest12


ment especially in the cold weather we are having at the moment! Another group with an original idea is Shuggs. Shuggs are fleece lined insoles that slip into any shoe to keep toes warm and cosy in the typically freezing Irish weather. Not only will this product keep your feet nice and toasty (especially useful come January when we`re back in school and you can`t wear uggs) shuggs are also very reasonably priced only costing 5 euro a pair. If you want more details about this company, contact Blathnaid Corless, Laura Hannon, Ornaith Mahon, Kiera Cross or Ciara Kiely all in TYF. I don`t think I could talk about T.Y. mini companies without mentioning Niamh O`Donnels`(TYB) Pink and Smokey make-up brushes. Pink and Smokey is a set of make-up brushes for the remarkable cost of 20 euro. To purchase this product you can approach Niamh herself or you can visit Neeba hair and beauty studio Cutlery Road where brushes are stocked. This would make a perfect Christmas present as while brushes are cheap they are also great quality and have been praised by none other than Ryan Tubridy who Niamh had the opportunity to meet. Unfortunately, there are many other great companies but I cannot write about them all. I think everyone`s hard work should be recognised and I think it is fair to say that overall the fair was a success with a few young entrepreneurs discovered! By Eveanna Sutton

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The Uniform Rule I have a dream; a dream that’s quite clear But I think it applies to every year, Where I can wander the halls and wander the school Without living in fear of “The Uniform Rule” Where I can wear a coat when it’s cold outside Where I can go to class with my tie untied Without getting lectured and treated like a fool, Without living in fear of “The Uniform Rule” There’s no need to be tough, there’s no need to be picky, And you won’t solve anything by flipping the bickie, ‘Cause your bad ticks are soul-crushing, your detentions are cruel, Why go to this trouble for “The Uniform Rule”? So loosen the reigns, cut us some slack, We’ll become a mindless sea of grey and black! You talk about equality; well “equality” ain’t cool, When we’re all equally miserable with “The Uniform Rule” So let us wear Docs and white-toe shoes, Throw a splash of colour on the black-and-grey blues, And we’ll show you style; we’ll glitter like a jewel! When you lighten the weight of “The Uniform Rule” By Rachel Thornton

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CHRISTMAS

Carols bring sung Holly being hung Reindeer flying here and there Icicles hanging everywhere Stockings pinned up by the fire Toys for every heart’s desire Magic dancing in the air Ask for presents – if you dare Santa leaves gifts, to show he cares. By Aoife Kavanagh

Friends Some friends are small, other are tall. Some friends are chubby, others love their mummy. Some friends have fun, others chew gum. Some friends smell, others might go to hell. Some friends doubt themselves, others are just special elves. The one thing that your friends won’t doubt is when you’re around, they are safe and sound. Although they sometimes may not show it, they love you a ginormous bit, and when I sit here, that becomes crystal clear. Merry Christmas ; -) Emily Blake 15


Miscelleny 'Twas The Day After Christmas (David Frank) 'Twas the day after Christmas and all through the house Children sat slack-jawed, bored on the couch. Wrappings and toys littered the floor, An incredible mess that I did abhor. With Mom in her robe and I in my jeans, We waded in to get the place clean. When suddenly the doorbell: it started to clatter, I sprang to the Security-View to check out the matter. The new-fallen snow, now blackened with soot, Was trampled and icy and treacherous to foot. But suddenly in view, did I gasp and pant: An unhappy bill collector and eight tiny accountants. The door flew open and in they came, Stern-looking men with bills in my name. On Discover, on Visa, on American Express, On Mastercard too, I sadly confess, Right to my limits, then beyond my net worth, Over the top I had charged, in a frenzy of mirth. The black-suited men, so somber, so strict, I wondered why me that they had first picked. They stared at me with a look I couldn't miss, That said "Buddy, when are you for paying for this?" I shrugged my shoulders, but then I grew bolder, Went to the cabinet and pulled out a folder. "As you can see," I said with a smile, "It's bankruptcy that I'll have to file!" And with a swoop of my arm, my middle digit extended I threw the bills in the fire: the matter had ended. The scent of burnt ash came to my nose, As up the chimney my credit-worthiness rose. Without another word they turned and walked out, Got into their limos, but one gave a shout: "You may think that's the answer to all of your fears, 16

Well done to the Senior Rugby team, you have done yourselves, your mentors and your school proud.


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