Newpark Newsletter May 2011

May 2011 No. 27

Subin Lee wows the Judges!

On April 13th 2011, the TY Business Class hosted Newpark’s Got Talent in aid of Barretstown. With a total of nineteen acts from twenty-seven students, it was a night filled with singing, music, gymnastics, freestyle football and unicycles!

The night kicked off at 7pm sharp with a welcome from Ross O’Sullivan and Laura Tierney, the two managing directors of the show. Mr Byrne (MC for the night) took over to introduce the acts. First up was ‘The Band’—comprising of John McCabe, Amy Corcoran, Leigh Eccles, Estelle Reeves-Long and Charlotte Lachaussee.

These talented TY students kicked off the night with a flawless performance that wowed both audience and judges.

Next was Ross Coleman who sang Miley Cyrus’ ‘The Climb’ followed by Joanna Byford on guitar and singing ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’ by The Script.

Alfie Hudson Taylor and his back-up took to the stage and performed one of their own songs which had everyone out of their seats.

Second Year Alexis Fitzgerald played the bodhrán: his talent was enchanting with the Winner Subin Lee lights and special effects thanks to Colm Nolan and Michelle Barry. Madison Porter played the piano and sang and stayed to support the next act Debbie O’Brien who performed a cover of Train’s ‘Hey Soul Sister’ with Joanna Byford on guitar.

The judges’ comment here: “You don’t know how GOOD you are”. Kirsty Nolan sang “Hallelujah” with the help of Claire Mullin on the piano—both these First Year ladies have a prosperous career ahead. [continued on page three]

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As this is the last newsletter of the year it is time to reflect on a very busy and active year.

The school building project has made a significant move forward with the granting of permission by An Bord Pleanála last March. The Design team are now moving ahead, working on the tender documents which should be completed at the end of the summer and sent to the DES for their approval. The Board of Management will liaise closely with the architect to ensure that the project moves ahead as quickly as possible although there will be implications in terms of parking and canteen facilities which will need to be addressed.

In response to the Whole School Evaluation which took place in October 2009, this year’s timetable was enhanced by the provision of extra class periods in Irish, Maths and Languages for the Leaving and Junior Certificate years. Also extra class groups were provided in other subjects. It is hoped that despite further cutbacks in the provision of resources from the DES that these changes can be continued in the coming school year.

This year also saw the introduction of Film Making and Japanese into the Transition year timetable providing further choice for the students involved.

There was a significant improvement in the provision of ICT in the school this year. This was introduced mid-year which caused certain logistical difficulties but the benefits to students and staff will become evident as this new technology becomes embedded in the school curriculum. I would like to thank all those involved for the huge commitment of time and energy they have given. This is an area which will see further significant development in the coming months and years.

Tied in with these developments will be a thorough examination of the way in which the school communicates with parents. The school office has suffered a significant loss in personnel over the past year due to the moratorium on appointments in the public sector and therefore all aspects of the way in which information is exchanged must be examined so that available resources are used as efficiently as possible.

I want at this point to put on record my thanks and appreciation to all the staff in the school for their work during this school year. Against such a difficult background economically the commitment of the staff in the school in supporting students to reach their potential is tremendous whilst ensuring that the syllabi are completed.

So many opportunities have been offered to students across a wide range of co-curricular and extracurricular activities.

From Rugby, Hockey, Basketball, Tennis, Cricket, Athletics, Swimming, Soccer, Drama, Chess, Comics Club, Debating, 2 French week, German week,

Mr Derek Lowry

Seachtain na Gaeilge, Irish club, Christian Union and Amnesty there has been fantastic activity. Evening study has provided an opportunity for 3rd, 5th and 6th year to get valuable study time straight after school.

We have had the excitement provided by the HT30 drama, art and music events celebrating past, present and future of the Hunter Theatre, and the phenomenal explosion of Newpark creativity at Newpark’s got Talent. This talent show was organised by Rachel Steele’s TY business class and raised over €1000 for Barretstown. Meanwhile Owen Kelly’s TY artists are in the final stages of preparation for their multi-media exhibition at the Grainstore in Cabinteely. All this h a p p e n s b e c a u s e o f s t a ff commitment to the students in their care. I believe that there can be considerable, inaccurate and unfair criticism of those working in education without any real understanding of the way schools work.

This year sees the retirement at the end of the school year of Brigid McCarroll. She has taught PE and French in the school since 1978. Brigid has been a thoroughly professional teacher with a very intuitive understanding of her students. She has always shown great commitment and helped put in place systems to ensure that students’ pastoral needs were looked after.

Building on her experience prior to coming to Newpark, Brigid played a key role in the development of Special Needs education in the school. Together with Anna Johnston she facilitated the entry into Newpark of the first student with a diagnosed condition of Asperger’s Syndrome. She and Anna organised his timetable and liaised with his parents and outside agencies to ensure that his needs were met within a mainstream environment. The structures now in place are built on the work done in those early years. The excellent reputation which the school has in this very important area is testament to Brigid’s pioneering work. I wish Brigid and her husband Brendan a very long and active retirement and thank her for her contribution to the school.

I wish all Leaving, LCVP and Leaving Cert Applied students the very best of luck in their upcoming exams and in their future careers. Hopefully mid-August will bring good results and access to the courses applied for or opportunities in the job market.

I hope too that the Junior Certificate students will do themselves justice and build a good platform for doing well in the future in Transition year and beyond.

Finally I want to take the opportunity to wish all students, parents/guardians and staff a very happy, and enjoyable summer.

[continued from page one]

Saoirse O’Coineen’s performance on the harp of ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ was stunning and was followed by a brilliant performance by Leigh Eccles on the classical guitar.

Amy Corcoran delighted us with her version of ‘Linger’ by the Cranberries. Then Subin Lee of First Year performed ‘My Heart Will Go On’, the theme song from Titanic.

This took everyone by surprise - such a BIG VOICE that had the entire theatre silenced (there were even some tears).

First Year’s Leo the gymnast dazzled the judges with Mr Ludgate commenting on how easy he made back-flips look.

The following two acts, John McCabe and Dylan Ingram Roche performed their own songs and the final act of the night was ‘Ben & Jerry’s’. This was a unicycle-riding and juggling group of three who amazed the judges with their unusual talents.

The Talent Show finished but, as the Judges deliberated, Ross took to the stage and began the auction, with feisty bidders all battling for the signed IRFU Jersey…. Ms Smith was outbid by one of the Judges! After the auction and the raffle, The Results came in. In third place was Alexis the bodhrán player, second was Alfie Hudson Taylor and first, without question, was the fabulous Subin Lee whose encore was impossibly even better!

One thing is for certain, Newpark definitely has Talent!!

As we all know these great events cannot take place without the support of parents, teachers and students— it would take an entire page to thank each individual but please accept our sincere gratitude for your support. The grand total raised on the night was €1251— all in aid of an excellent cause— so THANK YOU!!!!! The judges had the most difficult role, so a HUGE THANK YOU to Ms Charis Rowan, Mr Daniel Ludgate, Ms Aileen Galvin and her colleagues Maureen and Anne Marie from Entertainment architects. Many thanks also to our magnificent Master of Ceremonies, Mr Byrne and our business teacher Ms Steele for making it possible.

See you next year at the auditions….. Have you got the ‘N’ Factor?????

Tanya Reid (TY Business class) & Lilly Peachy 3PC

Welcome to the new team

Elections took place last week for the incoming prefects. All Fifth Years and members of staff are entitled to vote to select sixteen female and sixteen male students. The elected prefects then vote for Head Girl, Head Boy and Deputies using the proportional representation system. Mr Hollwey oversees the counts, co-ordinates and liaises with prefects during the year.

Many thanks to the excellent outgoing team (led by Lysette Golden, Ben Melvin, Sophie Brady and Tim Allen) for all their hard work during the year.

Welcome and good luck to the new team whose names are listed below.

Ashley Benson

Sam Anderson

Juliette Cummins

Jonathan Byford

Amy Garland

Harry Connor

Regan Drennan Katie Gordon

Brendan Clarke Tommy Cullen

Sarah Henry

Stefan Gallagher

Rosalie Lockhart

Fergal Howley

Maria Hogan Ciara Moffat

Amy Neville-Fulena

Ronan Healy

Eoin McDonnell

Jamie Middleton

Yvonne Nyingi

Hugh Mulhern

Cale Perrin

Adam Nugent

Siobhán O’Sullivan

Colm Nolan

Lauren Shaw

Alex Redmond

Katie Waine

James Wheatley

Alison Southern

Denis Stranjak

That’s a rap!

Eoin Malin of second year is recording his own rap song with a professional sound engineer at the moment. He talks here to interviewer Siobhán Franks.

I like rap because it’s more like telling a story. My friend Jack was always writing songs and that encouraged me to give it a go. It took me two months to write the song: it’s called ‘We live and die’. It’s about trying to understand why people live and die.

I got the recording chance because I was doing the rap for my friend and his dad overheard it. He’s a sound engineer and has a recording studio in his house. We recorded a backing track of drum, bass and piano which the sound engineer mixed on his computer. We spent about two hours recording the rap. I liked performing it better than writing it.

When we finish the CD single, basically it gets sent into the radio and they might play it. People ring in if they like it. I just have to see how this one goes. Of course I’d like to be a big successful rapper like 2pac!

Siobhán Franks 2SO & Eoin Malin 2SO

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Athletics: Success in Santry

The Annual Community and Comprehensive Schools Athletics Competition, Morton Stadium, Santry Congratulations to all the Newpark students who competed in the Santry athletics competition on Thursday 12th May. There were a number of excellent results starting with the First Year girls Katie Lowry, Juliette McBain, Megan Fitzgerald and Ciara Grogan who ran a superb relay race. Katie Somers finished in third place in the 1500m race. Joshua Beck was fourth in a very competitive boys’ 100m race, Cameron Lynch fourth in the 200m race and Cillian O’Brien, fourth in the long jump event. Jonah Byrne jumped 1.35m to gain a third place bronze medal in the high Jump. The relay team ran a team best of 57.45 seconds (Ngor Tong, Darren Newell, Joshua Beck and Cameron Lynch).

Síofra O’Donnell, Lorena Halpin-Doyle, Katie Halpin and Rachel Kelly were second in their relay with a time of 60 seconds exactly. Síofra also jumped 3m29 for second place at the long jump. Julia Bartuorva entered the 800m, Luan Ridell ran 14.06 in the 100m and Robert Traynor beat his personal best to finish in second place at 1m52 at the high jump. Stephen Mc Cormack cruised over the bar at 1.46m in the high jump for first place. Picabia La Hart and Jacob Woolf were third and fifth respectively in the 1500metres.

After sudden downpours of rain and with the track dotted with puddles, Sinéad Malin steamed to the finish line in 25.79secs for first place in the 200m.

Emma Alden came first with a jump of 3.84m, Inga Gilham came third in javelin, Carla Redmond took third place with a throw of 6m25 in the shotputt and Lauren Downes came sixth in the 100m.

This is the last year for our seasoned Santry stalwarts from Sixth Year and they competed with their usual determination and motivation. Odhran Duignan’s race was thrilling to watch as he closed down all his competitors and dipped magnificently at the finish line to win the closest 200m race I have ever seen.

4 James Kelly cleverly and comfortably won the

Senior boys 800m race in 2 minutes 8 seconds, knocking off two seconds from last year. In the long distance races brothers Ivan and Tyrone Verburght finished and Johnny Byrnes came in fifth. Jakub Jadwiszczak was third with a javelin throw of over 36m, Anton Gromvics took second place with 29.60 in his discus throw, Zac Jungman came sixth in long jump and Aubrey Marshall took the gold with 12m30 in the shotputt.

Finally the Senior Boys’ relay race: James Kelly, Simon Lowry, Zac Jungmann and Odhran Duignan had us all jumping, shrieking and generally losing control when their much improved baton passing and acceleration earned th e m second place at 46.47seconds - a mere .03 behind first place. The team should be immensely proud of their stunning performance beating their time of 47.84 seconds from last year.

Let me take this opportunity to thank all those competitors who reflect what is wonderful about Newpark: that is to compete to the very best of their ability and to support and encourage each other. It really is an honour to work with such students. Many thanks to colleagues Janine Brennan and Margaret Downes for all their help this season.

I particularly want to acknowledge the integrity, incredible enthusiasm and sense of enjoyment from Simon Lowry who from my first Santry ‘experience’ has been outstanding—both to me and his fellow school peers and friends— throughout his time in Newpark Athletics. Thank you.

Gormlaith Ormond, athletics co-ordinator

Newpark Girls go batty with some success!

Knowing their drive from their sweep and opening the face of the bat are just two of the skills Newpark’s First Year and Junior girls’ cricket teams put to good use this year during their first ever appearances in the Leinster Schoolgirls 2011 Cricket League.

Thanks to the invaluable support of Arlene Stanton of Merrion Cricket Club, the Newpark Girls were lucky to have as their part time coach this year, Irish cricket International, Hannah de Burgh Whyte.

As well as playing for Ireland, Hannah is also assistant coach to the Irish U17 and Leinster U15/13 Schoolgirl cricket teams and so the Newpark pupils have been given a great start to what will hopefully become a long cricket playing career for them all. (In fact Hannah’s dad, Peter de Burgh Whyte, is one of Newpark’s first ever pupils in 1972 and he went on to become Ireland’s most eminent international hockey umpire during the 1980s.)

Peter Murphy has also been a fantastic support to the pupils and his coaching insights have particularly improved their match play.

His encouragement has seen a great boost to the girls confidence.

The girls have enjoyed some success. On a beautiful sunny afternoon out in the splendid grounds of the King’s Hospital, the First Year Team registered their first win of the season by beating King’s Hospital by three runs in a long and tense contest.

Meanwhile, on another of King’s Hospital three cricket pitches, Newpark’s Junior Team battled ferociously with the home side. Junior level cricket is a significant jump up from First Year as the girls have to get used to using the full size crease, a regularly weighted cricket ball and they must wear the full kit of pads, gloves and helmets. Newpark scored an excellent 82 runs from their 20 overs but it was just a little short of the King’s Hospital’s total. However, they were happy to take lots of positives from this new experience of serious cricket.

The First Year team firmly established its credentials as a future League-winning side by going on to beat St. Andrew’s, Alexandra College and Mount Anville. It was a tough battle on the mat of St Andrew’s but the girls were not intimidated by some hazardous fielding in the long bumpy grass of the rugby pitch and they pulled off a twelve run victory.

Alexandra College was Newpark’s next opposition. Played down in the beautiful grounds of Merrion Cricket Club on a lovely sunny afternoon, it

was an extremely tight match with Newpark winning by just one run. By coincidence, witness to the girl’s success was a past pupil from the old Avoca School, Billy Fenton, who expressed his delight that Newpark had decided to revive its old cricket playing tradition.

He himself played both hockey and cricket for Avoca School and went on to become one of the talented stalwarts of Avoca Hockey Club. He regaled the girls with tales from his schooldays in the old redbrick building.

Newpark’s next match was against Wesley College and on a blustery and cold afternoon up on the edge of the Dublin Mountains, the girls found the windy conditions too difficult to bowl in and lost by four wickets. But they bounced back superbly and two days later notched up an excellent victory by six wickets over Mount Anville. Newpark’s bowling was first rate and their running between the wickets showed excellent judgement. The team waits to hear if it has progressed to the semi-finals as we go to print.

Establishing a new sport in any school can be challenging and to be successful needs a lot of help and support from different sources so we would just like to say a big thank you to those who have helped and supported us and the players this year. Thanks!

First Year Team: Astrid Tidey, Ciara Grogan, Ciara Young, Esme Galloway, Katie Hogan, Juliette McBain, Ellie Tyndall, Diana Gaffney, Megan Fitzgerald, Kayleigh Garland, Dominica Kindyle, Amy Kelly, Lulu Nkuma, Lucy Lee, Amelia Blay.

Junior Team: Toni Childs, Sinéad Malin, Michelle Woods, Roisín Sheridan Bryson, Christine O’Neill, Heather Walsh, Rebecca Sullivan, Amber Maloney, Yulia Baturova, Emma Rooney, Anna Richardson.

Mags Downes & Lil Whooley (coach & manager, Girls Cricket)

Senior Girls: a fond farewell

Out of my six years playing hockey in Newpark this has definitely been the best one. We didn’t win anything but we had an amazing time playing together.

The team has meant so much to me; everyone got on so well and after a stressful day in school it was the perfect way to unwind.

It’s such a shame that we Sixth Years have to leave. I think I speak for all of us when I say that Vicky Meredith was the best coach we could have had.

Not only that but she was also a friend. It’s going to be sad leaving Newpark (especially hockey) as it is like my second home. All my friends are on the team and I love all the Fifth Years too. I wish them a great year next year: make the most of it!

I also wish all the Sixth Years well in the future—you’re all great players and you should definitely carry it on in college.

Thanks again to Vicky, you are amazing and we will miss you.

Naomi Byrne 6AMcC, team captain

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Senior Boys’ Hockey This season was one of the most successful for the Senior Boys for many years. It all started very early in the year when we had the opportunity to qualify for the All Irelands in September.

Wins against Columba’s and Mt. Temple secured our place in the finals along with Kilkenny who also qualified. It was an exciting time for all of us, the first time the school had qualified in twelve years. The competition, which was jointly hosted by Columba’s and Wesley, was an excellent learning experience and really showed us what we needed to work on for the rest of the season. Pitted against the best opposition the country had to offer we played some brilliant hockey and showed that Newpark was well able to compete on the national stage once again.

Then it was back to focusing on the league where we had a strong run of form. The highlight was a hard fought 3-2 win away in Kilkenny, somewhere we had never previously got a result. Disappointingly our cup run ended prematurely with a 3-1 loss to Columba’s in a game which we dominated but where we got punished for not taking our chances. We learnt our lesson though, putting seven past Wesley B team in a game where Jack Walsh scored arguably the goal of the season with his first touch. That win set up a mouthwatering league semi-final tie, away to Columba’s. We were gunning for revenge. The game was an absolute battle with both teams playing free-flowing attacking hockey but it was Park who came through on top, the only goal of the game coming from a short corner with just two minutes to go.

The league final was played in Sutton Park on a blustery afternoon but those who braved the elements were treated to a stunning exhibition of hockey from both Newpark and Dundalk. We surrendered the lead three times before Ruairí Nolan fired the winner into the top corner with just five minutes remaining to secure the league trophy. This is a massive achievement for everyone involved, particularly as we have an extremely young squad mainly made up of Third and Fifth Years.

A massive thank you to our coaches Stephen Cullen and Peter Murphy for their tireless work this season and to Carl Breaden for the huge amount of time he has put into boys’ hockey this year. Finally thanks to everyone who has made hockey possible over the last six years; it has given me many wonderful experiences and it is great to see how Newpark hockey has progressed. I look forward to seeing hockey in Newpark going from strength to strength. Simon Lowry, Senior Captain The following players represented Newpark at National or Interprovincial Level this year Irish U-18: Stefan Gallagher Leinster U-18: Stefan Gallagher & Johnny Byrnes

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Third Year students selected for Leinster U-16 trials: Andrew Ramsay, Jack Walsh, Evan Garland & Johnny McCormack.

Congratulations to all!

Minor A Tennis

The Minor A Girls’ Tennis Team had a very short season due to the short summer term and will play just three matches. In their first match against Holy Child Killiney they were defeated 3-0 – but it was an honourable defeat as a couple of members of the Holy Child Team also play for Ireland.

The team’s next two matches are against Rathdown School and Alexandra College which haven’t yet been played as we go to print – so best of luck girls. Team members include Lorena Halpin Doyle, Mollie O’Sullivan, Katie Lowry, Anna Richardson, Ellie Tyndall and Emer Moore. Their coach is Ms Clarke.

Senior Boys’ Tennis

Led by “The Gaffer” Mr. Norton, the tennis team has powered its way through to the semi finals of the Leinster B Tennis League for the third year running and are determined to go one further this year and grace the courts of Fitzwilliam in the final.

The first match was a tight 3-2 home win against Castleknock, Ben Melvin and Fergus Halpin starting the season with an impressive win to seal victory.

Next up was Terenure and this time it was Alex Redmond’s turn to be the hero, saving match points to go on and win in what was arguably the best performance of a Newpark player in the school’s short tennis history.

Our final group game was away to St Fintan’s and having braved the elements on our walk to the DART, qualification was guaranteed with a comfortable 4-1 win. All that stands in our way of the final now is a tough away trip to Gormanstown, but hopefully this year will be our year for tennis glory.

Many thanks to Mr Norton for all his hard work in organising the tennis again this year.

Simon Lowry 6LT, Tennis Captain

First Year Girls’ Tennis

So far in our league we have played three matches against Mount Anville, Loreto Stephen’s Green and Woodlands, Bray. Unfortunately we did not make it into the next stage of our league. The hardest match was definitely the first one against Mount Anville—but we improved with practice as we went on. Many games were really close but unfortunately the other team just got ahead. We haven’t played with each other before, but we did a good job and we’ll come back next year fighting and ready to win! Many thanks to our coach Ms. Clarke.

Our first pairings are Julliette McBain and Holly Seymour, our second pairing is Lulu Nkuna and Ciara Grogan and our third pairing is Megan Fitzgerald and Robbyn Gray. Well done to all.

Ciara Grogan 1VM

Leinster salutes Newpark

Photo by Inpho

Newpark were awarded the Bank of Ireland Special merit award by Leinster Rugby at the Leinster Awards Ball on Saturday 7th of May. This award was given to the school for ongoing exceptional performances in the Leinster Schools’ Cups and Leagues following two years where they have achieved more than any other Leinster ‘A’ School.

Coaches Morgan Lennon and Andrew Adams collected the award at a very glamorous evening in the Burlington hotel which was attended by all of the Leinster Rugby Stars. Details can be seen on the Leinster rugby website (www.leinsterrugby.ie). The full citation for the Newpark award can also be seen on page nine of this newsletter

And in the beginning…

Teacher Pat Rossiter (now Principal of CBS New Ross) was the powerhouse behind the establishment of rugby in Newpark.

Newpark rugby has experienced a golden age in the past few years. This has not come about by accident.

It never does. The seeds were planted long ago, and have been carefully nurtured.

Rugby in Newpark started off innocently enough. Students who had transferred from other schools wanted to start a team. With the support of Jimmy Kelly, training commenced in Tivoli Terrace, Dun Laoghaire.

Those were interesting times.

Nothing too structured but enough to get the spirit going. Green and white hooped jerseys became the Newpark rugby uniform. In the early days we were dependent upon the indulgence of other schools giving us games. We didn’t win many, but rugby became part of the Newpark DNA. We played in leagues and entered the cup for the first time in 1982, where we lost to St. Conleth’s 27-3. A number of other schools playing in Section ‘A’ back then faded away. Peter Hetherington became the first ever Newpark boy to play for Leinster ‘A’ Schools and there is an unbroken line of Newpark boys playing for the province to this day.

Before long we invented our own jersey. The star on the crest is to remind the wearer that there was no limit to ambition. Key to the progress of rugby in Newpark has been parental involvement. So many parents arrived pitchside or provided transport.

One in particular stands out:

when Albert Adams’ twins arrived in Newpark we had found someone special.

Albert was immersed in Munster rugby from an early age. He provided transport in his Hiace van, he supplied refreshments (sweets mainly) and always had something inspirational to say. He also said things which would be not politically correct nowadays, but he called a spade a spade. All the boys loved him; he was the great unpaid, unofficial pastor to hundreds of boys. He introduced the awarding of caps for our Leinster players and senior captains. He was also highly involved with the Leinster ‘A’ team.

Thankfully his son Andrew and Morgan Lennon have now taken on the mantle of advancing the cause of Newpark rugby. Together with Dermot O’Neill and the other coaches they have brought Newpark to a whole new level.

The cup-winning run of 1992 was fantastic for the school, partly because of the nerve-wracking way it was achieved. Thanks to Simon Thompson, Newpark went on to great things. He was a master coach, who got the best out of all his players. His contribution to the Newpark story should never be underestimated.

Other notable coaches were Dave Donoghoe, Tommy Tormey and Derek Lowry.

While recently emptying my shed at home I came across hundreds of colour photographs which bear witness to all I have said. I will set myself the task this summer of compiling my extensive archive and hand the lot over to the school. Touring was a part of what we did in Newpark. Chester, Otley, Limavady, Cardiff, Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Vancouver were visited and great fun was had. A myriad of memories was created on tour.

We built up connections with renowned rugby schools at home and abroad. I can recall clearly playing Newington College from Sydney on Christmas Eve. They had produced a world cup winning hooker, Phil Kearns. The link with Prince Henry’s Grammar School in Otley was and is special. The current English scrum half, Danny Care, went to school in Henry’s. Like Newpark they have not hidden their light under a bushel.

If the management of the school hadn’t supported the beginnings of rugby in Newpark, the school would not be fielding four teams these days.

John Harris and Michael Classon were very indulgent to the crazy notions of a country greenhorn. Derek Langran was and remains my go-to man. He loves the game, talks enthusiastically about it and gave so much practical support to rugby in Newpark.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to write about my association with Newpark. It was my home for twenty two years. It is hardwired into my DNA and Newpark’s rugby pitch is still one of my favourite places to be.

I hope that the next crop of players coming through live the dream, wear that jersey with pride and remember the hundreds who have had the honour to wear it before you. It is one of life’s pleasures.

God bless Newpark always.

Pat Rossiter

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Prize-giving assembly 2011

Memorial Prizes

Parker Memorial Prize for Music Ellie O’Neill 6EG Parker Memorial Prize for Mathematics Emma Woods 6LT M.E. Devlin Memorial Prize for Engineering Julian Faull 6LT Wilkinson Memorial Prize for Art James Kelly 6RS Phoebe Murphy Memorial Prize for Music Colm Higgins 3CH Kim Stevens Memorial Prize for Home Economics Alison Southern 5DBT Orna Lavin Memorial Prize for Chemistry Catherine Thanaseelan 6AMcC

PTA subject prizes

(These prizes are funded by the Parent Teacher Association)

Languages, Arts and Religion Senior Irish Simon Lowry 6LT Ben Melvin 6AMcC Junior Irish Eric Jordan 3GC

Senior English Catherine Thanaseelan 6AMcC Junior English Sheena McGuirk 3GC Senior French Brian Woods 6LT Senior French European Section Simon Lowry 6LT Junior French Sheena McGuirk 3GC Junior French European Section Kristin Nyquist 3HG Senior RE Hannah Harte 6DM Junior RE James Burrell 3PC 8

Senior German Eoin O’Connor 6DM Seán Windsor 6CQ Junior German Beatrice Ritzen 3CH Junior Art Helen O’Sullivan 3HG a L

History and Geography Senior History Jakub Jadwisckzak 6DM Junior History Colm Higgins 3CH Senior Geography Fergus Halpin 6AMcC Junior Geography Sam Comaskey 3PCL

Business Studies, Technology, Science, Maths, IT and HE Senior Physics Jakub Jadwisckzak 6DM Senior Biology Ben Melvin 6AMcC Construction Studies Robert Donohue CQ6 Junior Material Technology Wood Stephen Young 3PC Junior Technical Graphics Alicia Reid 2JMcC Conor Noonan 2MT Junior Mathematics John Cummins 3HG Junior Metalwork Colm Higgins 3CH Junior Home Economics Beatrice Ritzen 3CH Junior Business Nathan Huggins 3HG Senior Business Simon Lowry 6LT Senior Accounting Claire Cooney 6LT

ECA Awards Basketball

Senior Girls Michelle Barry 5SH/PH Senior Boys Alex Doyle 6CQ Junior Girls Carla Redmond-Fernandez 3CH Junior Boys John Soriano 3HG

Hockey

Nigel Kingston Cup (Schoolboy of the year) Tommy Cullen 5MK Leslie Van Hoey Smith Cup (Schoolgirl of the year) Yvonne Nyingi 5SH/PH D. Richardson Cup Naomi Byrne 6AMcC Denis English Crystal Andrew Ramsay 3GC Beattie Cup Sinéad Malin 3GC M.P. Cullen Cup Cian Funge 2MT T. Cooper Cup Lorena Halpin Doyle 2SO S. Cullen Cup Hannah Drumm 1KC J. Cole Cup Daire Hibbert 1KC Special congratulations to the Minor Girls’ team who won the top Leinster League and the Senior Boys’ team who won the B league.

Rugby

Adams Cup (Under 13 player of the year) Josh Sherlock 1EL Most improved Junior Julio Gaffney 2JMcC Rossiter Perpetual Cup (Junior player of the year) Stephen Young 3PC McAvoy Cup (contribution to rugby) Ross O’Sullivan 4TC Most improved Senior Rafe Garland 6RS Senior Rugby Cup (player of the year) Aubrey Marshall 6DM Leinster U19s: Two players had the honour of representing Leinster at full U19s level: the first Newpark players to do so.

Sixth Years: Zac Jungmann & James Kelly.

Leinster ‘A’ Schools Sixth Years: Fergus Halpin, Aubrey Marshall, Odhran Duignan, Rafe Garland & Sam Crowe Fifth Year: Fergal Howley.

Leinster Rugby Award 2011 Bank of Ireland Special Merit School Newpark Comprehensive Newpark continue to make significant progress as a rugby school. This year their Senior team won the Section ‘A’ League for the third year in a row, as well as the Vinnie Murray Plate and the McMullen Cup. They have made huge strides as a rugby force in recent years under the direction of Morgan Lennon and Andrew Adams and have produced significant numbers of players to the Leinster ‘A’

Drama

Contribution to Drama David Magee

Most Memorable Performance Killian Sundermann & Joe Doherty The Importance of Being Earnest

Congratulations to Fifth and Transition Year students who won three awards at the St Andrew’s One Act Drama Festival for their production of ‘Richmonde Avenue.’

Best Production Best Ensemble Best Actor (Denis Stranjak)

Chess

Newpark Grandmaster of Chess 2011 Anton Gromovics 6AMcC

Perpetual Trophy for outstanding achievement in a sporting event

This award goes to a player who combines incredible natural ability with relentless drive and determination on the pitch.

Not only has she has played for the senior hockey team but has represented Ireland on the u17 Irish Girls’ soccer team.

Congratulations on your wonderful achievement

Emily Cahill 4TC

Rhiannon Lee Doyle Award for outstanding contribution to the Arts

This young woman is a remarkably creative individual and has shown great flair in the fields of art, drama and creative writing. She has a real talent in costume making and showed great initiative, vision and commitment in making the costumes for ‘The Importance of being Earnest’. She has excelled with her incredible imagination and has created exquisite works of art in her writing and visual art and is a very deserving recipient of this special award.

Aoife Higgins 6EG

Rebecca Little Award

This annual award was created some years ago by a group of Third Years in memory of a former student, Rebecca Little, who died tragically aged 20. Rebecca’s kindness to these students during their First Year made a lasting impression. Tatiana Fortune presented the award on behalf of the First Years.

Rebecca McMurry 6EG

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Newpark Run for Sport April 2011

Congratulations to the staff, parents and students who took part in the Great Ireland Run on the 10th April 2011 to raise funds for equipment for extra-curricular sport in the school. In spite of intense heat, lack of water, sore knees, bad backs and dodgy feet, the heroic athletes made it around in very respectable times.

Tyrone Verburght was the fastest Newpark student, with James Macklin not far behind him.

The event was challenging and fun for those who took part. A good number of our participants used the event as a focus for their training, and improved their fitness as a result. We have collected a substantial four figure sum so far. If you still have your sponsorship card and money, please drop it in to the front office in the school.

We hope to make this an annual event, so watch out for more news.

Mr Ciaran Byrne

Second Year takes European Silver for Shore Angling

Congratulations to Jake Forsyth of 2SO who came second in the junior section of the European Federation of Sea Anglers’ European Shore Championships 2011 Q: What was the competition and where did it take place?

A: The Competition took place down in Wexford and it was a European competition. There were three people in my group, I was in the Juniors. I was one of the first juniors to take part.

Q: How is the competition judged?

A: It is judged on the amount of fish you catch and how long they are. You have five hours to do it.

Q: What equipment do you need and are there any special rules you have to keep t?

A: Fishing rod, traces (hooks), weights and bait. No littering on the beach and once you catch a fish you have to throw it back in after it’s been measured, not keep it and re-measure it.

Q: How and when did you get into fishing?

A: My dad. I have been fishing for three years.. I 10 compete at fishing most Saturdays now.

Q: Have you fished anywhere abroad?

A: Yes, Thailand, South Africa, Spain and Lapland.

Q: What’s your favourite fish to catch? And why?

A: Flounder, because it’s easy to catch. If I could catch any fish in the world it would be a shark.

Q: What’s the most you have caught in five hours?

A: Nineteen fish.

Q: What bait would you use? How do you get it?

A: We use worms from the beach, sand-fish, crabs, squid and mussels. We dig for them on the beach.

Q: What’s the funniest or most embarrassing thing that has happened to you when fishing?

A: When I went to cast out (throw the line out) I hit somebody on the back of the head; he was standing beside me.

Thanks for the interview Jake.

Best of luck competing in the future.

Aaron Mc Laughlin 2SO

Staff student football

On a blustery spring afternoon, lines were drawn in the astroturf as the staff and Sixth Year students went toe to toe for bragging rights in the annual football match. In a game where little respect was shown by either side to their illustrious opponents, the tackles flew in making for a frantic first half. The students were pushing hard for an opener when a free kick was awarded 30 yards from goal and the imposing figure of Mr Lennon stepped up to fire a rocket into the box which took a slight deflection and wrong footed the keeper. One nil to the staff. With James Kelly in the engine room and Noel McKenna and Ben Melvin ably supporting with touch and vision, the staff saw out the first half comfortably.

The second half was a different matter with the students beginning to string some passes together with Sam Crowe, Joe Doherty, and Johnny Byrnes dictating the pace from the centre of the pitch with neat touches and one twos. The staff defenders had other ideas however, with the tireless Mr Breaden and Mr Holmes both putting in a shift and repelling countless attacks. Then a moment of inspiration, as Zac Jungmann produced a sublime piece of skill as a scissor kick levelled the score. In a moment of drama similar to last year’s match, there was some controversy but the ever reliable referee James Macklin confirmed it was indeed a goal. Game on.

With both teams desperate for a winner, they pushed men forward and the staff keeper Simon Lowry released Mr Adams down the right who whipped in an inviting ball for Rafe Garland. The ball fortuitously rebounded to Mr Ludgate and from a yard out he buried it under pressure from Elmo. 2-1 to the staff.

In the dying moments the students threw everything they had at their senior opposition with memorable blocks and heroic defending by the staff personified by Ms Meredith, Mr McCarthy and Dylan Quinn. As the final whistle sounded it was relief for the staff as their greater experience and guile won out in the end. Great game, thanks to everyone who took Daniel Ludgate part and supported.

Fancy a Bratwurst, anyone?

Alex Grobler and Michael Scholtz and their team of helpers braved the elements last Friday to run a German barbeque in the grounds outside the art-room. Spirits were undampened and students and staff enjoyed Bratwurst hot-dogs.

Thanks to all who participated and helped out, to Ms Mackey and Ms Dempsey for their support and to Mr Lowry and Mr Cookman for making it possible (they also came and enjoyed the food!)

Vielen dank und bis nachstes Jahr!

Alex Grobler 5CC & Michael Scholtz 5AH/PH

Les Atomes Crochus

On 6th April 2011, Ms Odongo and myself welcomed the French researcher Dr Richard-Emmanuel Eastes from Paris who came in to address our Newpark Students. Dr Eastes is a specialist in organometallic electrochemistry and he gave a presentation on Les Atomes Crochus. This association aims to make science more accessible to teachers, students and the general public through shows, fairy-tales, workshops, conferences, clowns and much more.

Dr Eastes will return to Newpark in November 2011 for Science week and also next March for French week.

Laetitia Tessier

Le programme Jules Verne: Qu’est- ce que c’est?

In line with European policy, Newpark Comprehensive School has welcomed a French teacher under the Jules Verne programme for the second consecutive year.

Pascal Lao joined the European Section team enabling valuable and rewarding interactions with the students.

Heather Farlow: having a native French speaker in class is great. It adds to the atmosphere in the French cookery classes and this teacher can concentrate on working with the fluent French speaking students while I help those who need to learn the basic words and phrases.

Laetitia Tessier : Working with Pascal has been an enriching experience both on a professional and personal level. The Jules Verne program allows teachers to share knowledge and skills but also techniques. His presence greatly benefitted students and teachers; we appreciated his dedication and flexibility within the European section. We look forward in the future to work with Pascal again maybe in the framework of a correspondence, a competition or a European section project.

John O’Neill: It is very unusual to have an exchange teacher who is qualified in technology. It provided an opportunity to team-teach which enriched the learning experience for the students involved.

Pascal Lao: This time spent in Ireland helped me to learn new teaching methods and improve my English. Many thanks to all the staff for their warm welcome and their kindness to me.

Hopefully we can keep the continuity next year with another French teacher. Le progamme Jules Verne also allows Irish teachers to work for a year in France: anybody interested should keep an eye out!

Books for the summer

I just read thirteen books by Tamona Pierce set in her Tonball universe. Once you read one you can’t stop. Each follows a young female but the protagonists are distinctive with very different characters and sets of ideals. Themes include a delicious mix of politics, feminism, magic and love. Try one!

Bryony Cameron 6EG

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Chess – The Final

The search to find Newpark’s Grandmaster of Chess came to a thrilling conclusion last term. After seeing off worthy opponents such as Big Joe Wheatley; Harry ‘the hitman’ Connors; the brothers Verburgt, Aindriú ‘I’m taller than a 6th Year’ Lennon and Aubrey Marshal Law – Anton Gromovics and Eoin Hanan entered into a titanic battle in the Grand Final.

Not simply a clash between competitors, this was a war of styles: the speed and aggression of Hanan versus the meditative creativity of Gromovics.

Newparker Figures it out

Congratulations to Claire Mullen 1VM who represented Newpark in a national maths competition for First Year students in Ireland. This competition is organized by the Irish Mathematics Teachers’ Association, and all First Year students at Newpark participated in the first round in February.

The exam was very challenging, demanding mathematical knowledge, creative thinking, and problem-solving skills.

Claire’s strong performance meant she was invited to participate in the final round of the competition.

Claire travelled to the competition at Castleknock College on the 13th of May, supported by teachers Ms Meredith and Ms Lawless. Clare did Newpark proud.

Newpark Maths Competition

Hanan started strong. Moving with lightning speed and intimidating aggression, he quickly gained control of the board, limiting Gromovics’ scope of attack. This furious assault seemed to overwhelm Gromovics who soon found himself boxed in on his king side.

Hanan eroded Gromovics’ defences and trapped the King in a claustrophobic ring of powerful pieces.

The snare was tightening. Next to the twenty minutes Hanan had left on the clock, Gromovics’ paltry two minutes suggested that a check-mate might not be needed at all. It seemed all over. But the wily Latvian had a plan.

With incredible poise and outrageous cool, Gromovics nimbly deflected Hanan’s attempts at a quick check-mate. Hanan soon found himself over extended, his pawns wandering in no-man’s land. First came anxiety – then panic – then despair. Hanan eyed the clock; could it save him? – 60 seconds, 55, 40. But no.

Gromovics brought his queen in behind Hanan’s pawn line – check mate. Anton Gromovics was Newpark’s Grandmaster of Chess.

Hugh Holmes

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Congratulations to the most recent winners of the Newpark maths competition, Paul Sharpe 1EL, winner of the first year competition and Shaun Turner 6LT winner of the senior competition. Well done to all other winners and participants throughout the year.

Newpark maths competitions are designed to allow students to apply their knowledge in the classroom to solve fun and creative problems. Each competition has a senior question, open to all Newpark students, a junior question for years 1 – 4, and a question for First Years only. Look out for new questions in September – all students are encouraged to have a go!

Ellen Lawless

Nuclear Eternity www.4od.com

Ever wondered what happens to all the spent nuclear fuel in the world? There exists more than 250,000 tonnes of it—an amount that grows every day. It is lethally dangerous: toxic, unstable and capable of sterilising the earth for one hundred thousand years.

Whether or not you support nuclear energy is irrelevant. This is a problem already. In Finland a project to store some of the waste is underway.

This is a huge network of tunnels 500 metres under the granite surface. If it survives intact it will have lasted longer than the human race is old. If not, the earth could suffer for just as long. How do we tell people a hundred millennia from now not to disturb it? Will there be people that far in the future? How can we stop human curiosity from opening this unspeakable tomb?

I’m serious, watch Nuclear Eternity: it’s the best documentary I’ve seen. It’s on the Channel 4 website (www.4od.com) for free.

Dillon O’Sullivan 6EG

Junior Plays 2011

Congratulations to the cast, crew and directors of the four Junior plays this year. For one night only all four plays were performed as part of the HT30 celebrations of the Hunter Theatre. The audience responded enthusiastically to the impressive display of writing, directing, production skills and acting talent. Two of the short plays were reprised with great success at the East Glendalough Junior Drama Festival the following evening.

Newpark art at the Grainstore

A word from one of the directors of ‘Bunker’

Directing wasn’t as hard as I expected. Although they took a lot of feeding and there was a certain amount of animosity in the group at the beginning, the cast worked past it and put on amazing performances. I think by letting the cast compose and choreograph their own fight scenes and dance numbers, they felt more involved in the play and their suggestions were always welcome. We tried to make rehearsals as fun as possible and I believe it was the cast’s creative involvement that ensured no one missed a single rehearsal.

I’m so glad Newpark, (and Ms Devis, of course) provided us with an opportunity to write and direct our own plays. The cast’s diligence was necessary to pull off a play full of ukulele solos, cacti and cream crackers. I hope the First and Second Years enjoyed the experience as much as I did. I couldn’t have asked for a more dedicated cast and the final performance at East Glendalough in particular was flawless (except for my improvised lighting mishap) and reflected the amount of effort everyone put in.

Thanks to all the teachers who gave up their free time to supervise us supervising the casts. I expect big things from the cast of ‘Bunker,’ and I await the day I’m invited to their directorial debuts.

Aoife O’Ceallachain.

A word from some of the actors

The Junior Plays 2011 were so much fun. Even the auditions at the start were fun! Although our directors wrote the play we still got to contribute to the writing which brought us closer together as a group. We all made new friends from other years and worked very hard with lots of after school and weekend rehearsals. But it was worth all the hard work. We hope the audience enjoyed the plays as much as we enjoyed putting them on.

The Junior drama festival at East Glendalough School was also a fantastic experience that everyone really enjoyed. Thank you so much to Ms Devis, Ms Keating and all of our directors.

Meadh Hennelly 2MT & Isabel Horner

This TY art project has been a collaboration between the The Grainstore Youth Arts Centre Cabinteely and Newpark. The students have been working on creating life size self portraits in the school and large-scale site-specific sculpture’s for Grainstore buildings. The paintings and sculptures will be shown in an exhibition for three days at the Grainstore gallery from the 22nd to the 24th of May. The opening is on the 23rd May at 6.30 pm.

Everyone is welcome and there will be live music on the night with Amy Corcoran, Madison Porter and Diomhain Ingram Roche’s band.

Owen Kelly, Art Department

‘Acid in wonderland’ [painting pictured below left] A self portrait, I decided not to paint like myself, as I cannot do such things by my own hand. Instead, I’ve fallen into a wonderland. In a curious forest where the moon reflects acid green is where I’d most like to be; somewhere away from here that’s so different .

Manon Gevers

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31st March – 4th April 2011 The 2nd Year Aran Islands trip is best described as an adventure. From start to finish it was an amazing experience—from the twin-engine plane we travelled in to get to Inis Oirr, to looking over a sheer drop at the cliffs of Dun Aengus. The long weekend was packed full of activities. Each and every person on the trip learnt or did something new that they had never tried before—even if it was just helping to prepare dinner.

First thing Thursday morning, we got the train from Heuston to Galway and then we got a tiny, rickety plane to the island of Inis Oirr. Once on the island we went to our hostel and got settled in. Before dinner we went to the beach to go swimming. The water was freezing but it was still really good fun.

On Friday we went hiking around the entire island of Inis Oirr (only getting lost twice). The teachers showed us the island’s graveyard and The Plessy (a shipwreck) as well as telling us lots of interesting facts about island life. The walk was long and windy and when we got home we had dinner and played games.

On Saturday we got a boat to Inis Mór, the largest of the three islands. At Dún Aengus cliff-fort we got a short history lesson before staring at death in the face down the vertical cliffs. The boat back was bumpy and scary. Back on Inis Oirr we relaxed and continued to work on our group project.

On Sunday we went and looked at rock pools and visited the castle on the island. Later we had a choice to play football or go swimming. We played loads of games that night and everyone got involved.

Our final day was filled with unexpected drama. The weather was wet and very windy which meant that our plane to the mainland got cancelled!

Students frantically rang home as teachers made our escape plan off the island. Luckily the wind died down and we managed to get a flight off the island, narrowly making our train back to Dublin.

We highly recommend the trip to all up and coming 2nd Year Students..

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Cian Funge, Nora Goodwin and Heather Walsh

Geography in the field

Ms Kennedy’s Fifth Year Geography students sought to put order on the ‘chaos’ that is mid-morning traffic on Newtownpark Avenue during a recent fieldwork exercise. These geographers were seen on the Avenue between 9 and 10 am on Thursday May 5th.

They attracted the usual quizzical stares and occasional questions from passers-by..

A host of observations were made by the group of twenty-two ranging from vehicle type, car body type, driver gender, number of occupants to the occurrence of speeding and breaking the traffic lights at the new intersection of the Avenue and Benmore Road.

Over 340 cars were surveyed in all. 89% of cars observed had Dublin registration, while 9% were registered in Wicklow. Hatchback cars are slightly more popular than saloon cars. 63% of SUVs are driven by women, while an overwhelming majority of vehicles had only one occupant (79%). 61% of cars recorded were less than 10 years old. Driver age was categorised and observed as young (36%), mature (41%) and elderly (24%). Young drivers were more likely to be driving vehicles less than ten years than older vehicles.

The average speed of female drivers on the Avenue was 50 km/hr while male drivers averaged above the speed limit at 53 km/hr. Men are more likely than women to break the speed limit and the age group most likely to speed are mature drivers, followed by elderly with the least likely to speed being young drivers.

At the Avenue/Benmore intersection 6% of vehicles broke the red light with female drivers being the most frequent offenders. The car type most likely to break the red light is Mercedes Benz, followed by BMW and Volkswagen. 50% of female drivers who broke the light did so while using a mobile phone.

The most popular car manufacturers are European with Volkwagen topping the popularity pole. Asian manufactured cars are the second most popular.

120 number of persons

Aran Islands Trip

100

Driver Gender in mid morning traffic Male Female

80 60 40 20 0

9.00 - 9.15

time 9.15 - 9.30

9.30 - 9.45

9.45 - 10.00

So lone mature female Volkwagen drivers don’t break the speed limit but are likely to break the red light while talking on the telephone?

MK Fifth Year Geography

Staff take to the track

After many years of successful karting trips for First and Second Year Metalwork students, Mr Murray and Mr Power thought that the staff might like a turn (although there is a deep suspicion that Mr Power and Mr Murray had a score to settle between them).

The drivers’ roll-call included James Murray, Patrick Faull, Carl Breaden, Pascal Lao, Mick Power, Conal Quigley, Avril Rankin, Niamh Leech, Wanda Murray and Daniel Ludgate.

Kylemore Karting was the venue for the outing, with their fabulous facilities hosting three indoor tracks on multiple levels. They provided helmets and race-suits for us all so that we looked the part. Mr Breaden stood out on the grid with his own bright yellow helmet. It was just a shame that he couldn’t see through his tinted visor. However, it didn’t seem to affect his aerodynamics as he recorded the fastest lap of 24.86 seconds, only 1.5 seconds off the current course record.

Visiting Tutankamhun

On the 15th of April all of First Year went on a history trip to see the Tutankhamun exhibition in the RDS. We walked down to Salthill Dart station, singing, talking and all the usual.

After a few minutes wait at the RDS we went in group by group. Our form (1VM) was last. There were huge crates for us to put our things in. We were each given headphones to test and then we were off. I thought the earphones were too big but I got used to them.

In the first area we discovered about how they found Tutankhamun’s grave. Later we watched a film about his family and relations. We also saw a replica of his room as it was when the archaeologists found it and saw how Tutankhamun was buried and wrapped. We found it very interesting to see what it was like inside the tomb.

Loads of people were outside waiting for those of us still looking at artefacts. Unfortunately we had to leave then as everyone from the earlier groups was waiting to go home. When we parted our ways we were on our Easter Holidays! Hurray!

Thanks to all the teachers for organising and bringing us on the trip.

Kirsty Nolan 1VM & Claire Mullen 1VM

Sponsored Silence

Mr “I was on the racing line” Quigley and Mr Power tied for second place on 25.04 seconds each.

Mr Murray with his ‘magic’ cushion followed this pair closely behind. The gentlemen of the track were Mr Ludgate and Mr Faull, who obeyed all the track rules and despite some provocations, resisted the temptation to shunt their way through the pack. The ladies were just as competitive as the men, but ever so gracious as they left the track five minutes early to leave the track clear so that the boys could be boys in the worst possible way. Apparently testosterone and petroleum fumes are a dangerous combination.

Mr Power claims that on the penultimate circuit of the track he lapped Mr Murray when he overtook him. Mr Murray denies that he was lapped, saying that he caught up with him and retook his position. You decide if the score was settled, but we think the grudge goes on. When we got back to Newpark, there was some post-race analysis and refreshments, which allowed the adrenaline to subside and the friendships to remain.

The Stigs

On Wednesday 4th of May the First Years participated in a sponsored silence to raise money for the education NGO Link Community Development. They raised a fantastic €2300 and Link is thrilled that the First Years were so enthusiastic.

I am travelling on Link’s Global Teacher programme this summer. I will spend five weeks living and working in Eastern Cape, South Africa to share skills with teachers there. I look forward to reporting back to the students about the project next year. Many thanks to everybody that supported this event and congratulations to the First Years for their great efforts.

Vicky Meredith

More books for the summer!

Maus by Art Speigelman—the story of a Polish Jew who survived World War II told in comic form by his son Art. It never fails to be fascinating and even funny in spite of the horrifying subject. [Aoife Higgins 6EG] Spud by John Van de Ruit—this four part series follows the adventures and mischief of his life at boarding school. These are light-hearted and funny books. [Colm O’Farrell 6LT]

The Executioner by Darren Shan—the gripping story of a young boy who wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and become the next executioner.

[Aaron McLaughlin 2SO]

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A word from the PTA

With the end of the school year almost upon us, the PTA will meet just once more before the summer break.

For many students, the focus is on exam preparation these days – or so we hope anyway!

We’ve been liaising closely with the Teaching staff and we agreed to purchase a diversity of new equipment that will ultimately assist teachers and support them in ways that can improve the overall level of education and classroom experience for all students.

The PTA are delighted to inform you that a wide range of equipment has just arrived, and other items are in the process of being purchased, from a digital printer to reference books to an electronic scoreboard.

Mathematics, RE, Music, French, German, English, Science, Woodwork, Art and Basketball are all areas that have used the scheme this year.

Reminder to all students: please go to Lost Property and claim your lost items.

Everything not reclaimed will go to a charity shop at the end of term. Next year we plan to operate a swap system for uniform items.

More news on this will follow in September.

Don’t forget to make use of the Grandstand Sports Loyalty scheme for Newpark. When anybody connected to the school is making a purchase just announce the name of Newpark and Grandstand will credit the Newpark account with 10% of the value spent—ie Spend €50 and €5 credit goes on the school account. When payment is being made please mention Newpark. Grandstand Sports is located on the ground floor of Dun Laoghaire Shopping Centre.

There is just one month left in the PTA limited draw. Congratulations to all those lucky winners over the last months.

And finally, good luck to all our Junior and Leaving Certificate students in their exams. We wish our Sixth year students all the best and hope that their futures are rewarding and fulfilling. To those families who may be leaving the Newpark community this year as a son or daughter finishes Sixth year, we wish you all the very best too and thank you for all you have contributed. We hope to see you at 6th year Graduation which takes place on Monday 23rd May. Newpark PTA

From the slopes of Kilimanjaro

Seán McDermott is a former Director of Adult Education and French teacher at Newpark Seán McDermott has spent the past two years teaching in Mwenge University College of Education which can be found on the lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, East Africa.

There is currently a need for 150,000 teachers in this developing country and McDermott is busy training student teachers to answer this need. Primary school tuition fees were abolished in Tanzania in 2002. This led to a massive increase in the number of children enrolled in primary schools, despite the fact that poverty-stricken families are still forced to pay for uniforms, testing fees and school supplies.

The enthusiasm for education however, is challenged by the lack of resources—class sizes in the university can be a staggering 140 students per class (we have a few more years of ‘austerity measures’ in Ireland before we reach that!) and the university library contains few if any books. Students simply do not have the resources to purchase their own.

During his two years there, Seán McDermott, through his own fund-raising and with support from his colleagues in Newpark Day and Night school, has provided sets of reference books for the Mwenge University library. He is now focussing on purchasing books for a local primary school before he returns to Ireland in May. Newpark, through the CSPE Department, plan to continue this relationship with Tanzanian primary schools by sponsoring the purchase of books in the name of the school and in memory of some of our colleagues and friends no longer with us. Individual pupils, past and present, will be invited to sponsor a book in their own name or in the name of a loved one next year.

A word from the editor

Many thanks to the Sixth Year newsletter contributors leaving us, most particularly regular sports reporters Simon Lowry and Peter Collins who have contributed so many excellent articles over the years.

Go n-éiridh an bóthar libh!

May Newsletter: Anna Johnston, Mags Downes & Ferdia Marnell Thanks to all our contributors this month.

Please email contributions for the next issue to newsletter@newparkschool.ie

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