St. Colmans Newsletter

September - December 2020

Newsletter team: Shauna McNamara, Hannah Breen, Darragh Roche, Rachel Desmond, Natalia
Pasiut , Gabriela Osiej, Max Booth, Aideen Higgins, Katie Brown, Ella Dennis. Genevieve Ogbeni

St Colman’s Stands Up
Against LGBTQ + Bullying

On November 16th to 20th, St Colman’s celebrated its first Stand Up
Week. The pride flag was displayed proudly in the assembly area and on
Friday of that week, students were invited to come to school wearing a
jumper or scarf in one of the colours of the rainbow.
Stand Up Week is an anti-LGBTQ-Bullying campaign. This year, it was
celebrated by many schools all over Ireland. Teachers were provided with
free resources and many classes were taught about LGBTQ+ terminology, how to be a good ally, and how to
support someone when they are coming out to you.
Many people within our school community agreed that this topic was not discussed nearly enough in schools.
Teachers stated that though they believed that Senior Cycle students had a passable understanding of this
topic, Junior Cycle students were dangerously uninformed. They also explained that the first course of action
they must take when spreading awareness to the student population is to educate themselves.
Students also had strong recommendations for the school. Many discussed the need for posters and an-
nouncements on the intercom to explain the celebration and its importance. Others wanted different flags
to be flown within classrooms, for example the lesbian, transgender and asexual flags as well as many others.
Other suggestions included games such as terminology bingo and learning the history of LGBTQ+ rights in
Ireland. Overall, all students were adamant that this campaign be celebrated again next year.
In conclusion, it was obvious that both students and teachers had very valid and important opinions in regard
to creating a safe and inclusive environment within our school. By coming together to celebrate Stand Up
Week, we showed how important fulfilling this goal is to our school.

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The TY Christmas Party

On December 11th Transition Year students held a Christmas celebration during the last four classes of the
day. e festive occasion was organised by the TY year head and the four class teachers from the year.
Students sat at their desks, were socially distanced and wore their masks except while eating for the
duration of the affair. e party started aaer lunch, which for Transition Year students runs from 12:25 to
1:05. e joviality began with a Christmas Bumper quiz which was contributed by Ms.McCaughley. e
class representative from each of the Transition Year classes answered the questions on a Google quiz with
the help of their classmates, the winner of the Bumper Quiz was TY Hyde. e majority of the TY classes
took part in Secret Santa, one per class speciically. With Secret Santa you are given the name of one of
your classmates and have to buy them a present without letting them know that it is you who is doing the
buying. It is all anonymous until the day the presents are given out.

e next stage of the party was very well-received by students. Each class sat down to watch a Christmas
movie when the pizza was delivered by Pizzeria San Marco, margarita pizza to suit everyone. Shortly aaer
the pizza was delivered, boxes with mini desserts were delivered by BiteSize to each class. ankfully, all the
food that was delivered was enjoyed thoroughly by everyone. e pizza speciically was a fan favourite from
students, it was especially appetizing. e BiteSize confectionery were all full of avour and were enjoyed
immensely.

e nal stage of the party was the Christmas jumper competition between all the TY classes. ere would
be one winner chosen between the four classes. ere was a nominee chosen from each class and then the
winner was chosen between those four. e winner of the competition this time was Natalia Pasiut from
TY McAleese. Overall, the day was thoroughly enjoyed by students.

Hannah Mary Ann Breen

Christmas jumper
Fridays

Christmas cheer has come to St. Colmans..is
year the school decided to host the Christmas
jumper friday over the 3 weeks in December.
In previous years there was only one Friday
that has been used as the Christmas jumper
day and it was the last Friday of the Christmas
term. According to the interviewed staff
members this year’s Christmas jumper fridays
have been done to brighten up the mood in
these hard times of COVID-19. Students have
a choice of wearing a Christmas jumper every
Friday in December. It has been not
connrmed but there might be a prize for the
Christmas spirit of St. Colman’s

Natttii Paaauu

Orienteering: The New School Sport in a Post-Lockdown World

The first of many to come, a
group of Second Year students
gathered in Ballyannan
Woodland Walk car park on the
19th of November to participate
in an activity that -until recently-
had been attended by only a
select few. There were no cones scattered around, no
footballs or basketballs, no helmets, and no rackets.
Why? Because these students were competing in a
4km orienteering course.
Orienteering is an international sport which
combines running with navigation. It is a timed
race in which competitors use a specially created
map to navigate to multiple checkpoints along their
course. Before Covid-19, most events used needle
punches or dibbers -electric punching- to mark your
progress through the trail. However, with the pandemic still ongoing, the use of these checkpoint markers are not
recommended. Lucky for us, the Irish Orienteering Association (IOA) has adapted to allow us to continue to engage
in this sport in a safe environment. Placards were erected in place of the usual checkpoints with codes inscribed on
them. Upon arriving at the starting point, participants were given a map inside a poly pocket and a sheet of paper on
which to write down the different codes. All participants brought their own pens.

Upon arrival at the Ballyannan Woodland
Walk, all Second Years were taught map
reading and instructed on how to go about
doing their assigned course. Five Transition
Years helped teachers to supervise them as
they completed the course. Overall, it was a
great success. Most of the students were able
to complete the course with ease and reached
the finish line in good time. Similar outings
will take place in the coming days for other
classes.
With many of the school’s sports clubs being
closed due to Covid, perhaps more students
will turn to orienteering as a way of keeping
fit, socialising and exercising new skills.
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Warhammer Club

Warhammer is a tabletop hobby in which you assemble, prime and paint a variety
of miniatures that can be used in a tabletop strategy game. If you have any interest
in painting, strategy, tabletop or stories, you should consider the Warhammer club.

The Painting & Assembly Side:

Half the fun of Warhammer is creating the various models used in the game. With
so many armies, models and units there’s bound to be something for you. Models
come on plastic sprues that you cut out yourself. From there, you prime and paint
them! You can assemble, paint and prime them however you see fit, creativity is
encouraged.
Sprue vs completed model:

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M45- Pleiades - the Pleiades is often called the Seven Sisters
How I photographed it! - by Gavin McGrath
It consists of 3 hours of data (4×45) minutes. To keep the telescope tracking at the right
speed it is autoguided with a secondary telescope and camera. The main imaging camera is
cooled to -10°C to keep heat related noise to a minimum (the process of converting photons
to an electrical output creates heat). I set the telescope to dither every 4 frames (move around
by a few pixels to avoid pattern noise). To further remove noise and heat signals on the sensor
I took calibration frames (dark frames are the same length, temperature, gain and offset as the
frames on the target). It is mostly automated with different programs all working together, so
I can be indoors while it takes photos. I located the target using plate solving to analyse where
my telescope is pointing and where it needs to point. I then stacked the photos with the dark
frames to get the final image.

The Orion Nebula - below

It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky.





Science in action

Ty students collecting for the St Colman’s #givingtree

THE DOORS OF

ST. COLMAN'S

TY students hit the ground running with the Architect in Schools program, with Local Architect
Michael Carroll from Horgan Carroll Architects @horgancarrollarchitects and Mr O’Neill
facilitating the workshops. To date, pupils have been learning about architecture, Irish Architects
and architectural buildings throughout the globe. Last week, having taken a tour of the school
building, the pupils decided the area that they would like to focus on for their design ideas was
the 5th and 6th year courtyard. Thank you to Michael Carroll and Mr O’Neill for facilitating this
fantastic initiative. Design ideas incoming, watch this space

Architects in Schools program

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St Colman’s TY Architecture students have completed putting
their ideas on paper and now the time has come to make models.
Students are using a range of materials to create their designs, from
cardboard to plasticine and matchsticks. Models are quickly starting
to take shape with some excellent teamwork on display.

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Transition year student Shauna McNamara from TY Hyde took part in the Open House worldwide
discussion. Open House Worldwide is a network of 46 organisations hosting festivals and dialogue
about architecture, design and cities across the globe.
Shauna spoke about the increasing challenge of space within our cities. Her chosen topic of
discussion was on the possibility of semi-submerged housing, with living quarters at the top
with natural light and the likes of bedrooms at the bottom. She also spoke about the increasing
homelessness we are facing and the importance of living more sustainably.
Shauna spoke brilliantly, and it was evident that she had researched and planned out her discussion
very clearly. Well done Shauna

The Perks of Going Underground

The world is facing a huge climate crisis, and in this post, I intend to identify one way that architects
can create more environmentally-friendly structures, using my chosen theme, ‘Use of Space’.
I chose this theme because I feel that it is extremely relevant to the current climate crisis. How we
use and shape the space we have is very important. If we design our cities and towns correctly, we
could avoid wasting money, time and resources, and break our cycle of over-dependence on certain
construction materials.
I intend to identify how using different kinds of architecture, we can create greener and more
sustainable cities that allow our wildlife to flourish, put less strain on our environment and provide
feasible, comfortable living to those who need it.
I will start off by including an extract from one of my favourite books by JRR Tolkien.
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms
and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a
hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”
However, underground architecture is not just at home in the world of fiction. In fact, they are one of
the first types of architecture in the history of human-made construction, having evolved from caves to
underground, semi-buried and earth-sheltered structures.

Festus’ Cave House in Missouri provides a brilliant example of using an area’s natural resources to
create an aesthetically pleasing structure. The Kaymakli Underground city is another great example.
The cave system provides accommodation for its occupants without ruining the landscape. Even in
Ireland, there are many underground houses, for example, the semi-buried house in County Mayo.
In Ireland, we are facing a huge homeless crisis. In September of this year, there were 8,656 people
homeless, including both adults and children. The number of homeless families has increased by 232%
since July 2014 when the monthly figures started being published. While underground or semi-buried
houses mightn’t eradicate homelessness, they offer the potential to provide cost-effective, sustainable
and comfortable living. Underground housing uses natural materials and in the long run, it requires
less heating which makes it a more sustainable and eco-friendly structure.
Many cities could benefit from building semi-buried or underground houses. Not only could it
allow for more space outside the houses, but it could also cause them to be more sustainable and
environmentally friendly. The thermal mass of the earth surrounding the building would cause
dramatic declines in the need for heating, putting less strain on families with low income, and semi-
buried buildings would include many windows on the overground walls to lessen electricity use on
lighting.
Not only are underground and semi-buried houses more sustainable in terms of energy consumption,
they also create the opportunity to introduce more plant life into our cities and towns by using the
rooftops for gardening or farming.
Underground structures are not new in Ireland. Souterrains were often built below houses during the
Iron Age to store food or to use as a hiding space during an attack. It’s almost like going back to our
roots and recognising the benefits of going underground.

We would like to introduce you to 10 of our new first years. These are 5 sets of
socially distancing Twins.

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Fota Adventure

All TY classes had the opportunity to have a trip to the Fota Island Adventure and were greeted by an ex-military soldier
Terry. The first activity was to give everyone a brand-new name going in alphabetical order.vThe names verified from
country names to objects or even the Greek alphabet. Right after being ‘baptised’ all TY’s had to do 20 push-ups and
additional 5 for any mistake they did. Then all participants got divided into 4 groups Alpha,Beta,Charlie and Delta.
The first group activity was building a shelter and lighting up a fire, groups had to divide into the people that went looking
for the wood and people that were the designers of the shelters. After completing the shelters the time to grade them on
their design and functionality came. Right after grading the shelter Terry commanded the groups to go to bed and snore
for additional points.
The next activity was archery in which you had to hit the dummies to win. The TY’s were given a bow and around 5
arrows and there were 7 dummies to hit. In front there were 3 human like dummies and 4 small squares at the back.
After the archery the groups divided into groups that were doing the obstacle course and the groups that were doing a
voice oriented trust exercise where one of the participants had their eyes covered, and they had to go through a minefield
just by the commands of the other group member. This exercise tested out if the TY’s can communicate with each other
and be as descriptive as possible in a short amount of time.
Obstacle courses in groups had its ups and downs. Every group member received an empty ammo box, and they had to
run the course with it. There were checkpoints at which all ammo boxes had to be placed so as to progress with the course.
When all teams were done with the obstacle course people that wanted to do the course once more could do it and get it
timed to see how fast they can do the obstacle course. This trip was an amazing experience for everyone, and we all hope
that other classes would do it too.

Natalia Pasiut

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St. Colman’s Debating Club

What the members are saying;
I enjoy coming to the debate club as I think it is a great opportunity to meet new similarly minded people you
wouldn’t usually get to socialise. I enjoy researching new topics that I would not normally think about. I also
have the opportunity to voice my opinion on topics that I am passionate about. Also hearing other people’s
opinions helps me evolve my knowledge and expand my view on the world. Overall the Debating Club has
helped me in many aspects such as public speaking and helped me expand my views on important topics.
The Debating Club is enjoyable because it helps critical thinking skills, problem-solving and public speaking
skills. It is also a great way to meet new people. It is a really worthwhile practice.
Coming to the Debating opens up your mind. You learn a lot. It is enjoyable as there are a lot of great people to
chat to. You can even bring your friends.
I like the debate club as it makes me a better public speaker. And lets me speak my mind about things that are
important.
The debate club is interesting and fun. It is a great place to socialise and learn.
I really enjoy the debating as it helps me a lot with my
confidence, and it widens knowledge of politics and the
world around me. I also like to spend time debating with
other people.
So why not come along to our next debate. Call to Mr.
McHugh or Email him - [email protected]

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National Book Week

The Heart’s Invisible Furies
John Boyne (you may know him from
The Boy in Striped Pyjamas) tells the
story of Cyril Avery as he finds his place
in the world. Through ups and downs,
good fortunes, and coincidence, Cyril
will spend a lifetime attempting to know
himself and discover where he came
from. This book begins in the 1940s and
deals with lots of the issues Ireland faced
from then until the present day. This
novel will have you laughing one minute
and crying the next - I loved it!
Ms D. O’Neill

Not my favourite book but one of the
best ones I read this year.
When All is Said is a beautifully written
novel with the old art of storytelling
front and centre.
Ann Griffin tells us the life story of an
elderly man named Maurice Hannigan,
who sits at a bar on a Saturday night
and orders 5 different drinks to toast 5
different people. These five people are the
most important people in his life and he
tells us exactly why.
Ms. Ní Chonaill starts off our week of
celebrating National Book Week with a
review of an Irish book. Join us all week
for recommendations from both staff and
students.

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Yu-Gi-Oh Club
Lunchtime Club is
enjoyed by many
of our 1st and 2nd year
students. The Yu-Gi-Oh
players continue to perfect
their game at lunchtime club
today.



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Orienteering in Curragh Woods

Orienteering in Curragh Woods

Staff members have great fun as they spend
the afternoon orienteering in Curragh
Woods
Winning Teachers:
Ms. T. Carlos and Ms. K. Mc Carthy
Winning students:
Tadhg Mc Carthy and Maya Buckley



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Art Section

Our Student Art Portraits are a bit different these
days but just as brilliant well-done guys.

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‘Having looked at our local hedgerows in our last art project, we continued with this theme
in preparations for Christmas with our Christmas Wreaths. Works by Juliet Malone, Jack
Don MacFarlane, Carissa Fermoyle, Chloe Ó Connor and Kelvin Waters’.

‘A selection of Lino printing from our 2nd years on
‘The Selfie’ and identity.’

The Deliveroo Gang -
Did someone say Just eat!

Goodbye and have a happy
retirement

Ms. Mary Cagney has called it a day. We Denis Murphy from Rang Ailbhe was the
would like to take this opportunity on winner of the My Shelfie competition.
behalf of all the staff members and all the Congratulations Denis. Well done.
students in St. Colmans in wishing Mary
both a long and happy retirement.

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Staying safe in times of Covid - 19

Interview with the OG MS McCaughley

about the changes in the school

When this school was first built in 1980, a lot of things were different to the way they are now. We
talked to Ms McCaughley, one of the longest serving staff members in the school about the changes
that she has seen in her time here since beginning in 1987.

How have your teaching methods changed over the years?

She told us that her method of teaching has changed a lot.
At the start, she used a more traditional method she described as ‘chalk and talk.’ This included
writing on the blackboard and explaining the topics, which was exhausting and boring for the students
and the teachers.
She prefers a more inclusive approach to teaching, such as group work and peer assessment. As a
Home Ec. and Biology teacher it was very hard for her to abandon her hands-on approach to teaching,
but she had to come back to the ‘chalk and talk’ due to the COVID restrictions. However, technology
has made it much easier to interact with students using platforms like Google Classroom. It is also
great learning from students especially when they are far more versed in some aspects of technology.
She said that learning can often be a two-way street, students learning from teachers and teachers
learning from students.

Have rules changed a lot?
While basic rules like uniform, respect and
chewing gum have stayed the same, there has
been a major change in the input students have
in the school. Pupils now have a ‘student voice’ in
the student council that was not there before.
Ms McCaughley thinks this is a good thing
because she believes that recognition of feedback
from students and parents is very important in
helping the school run smoothly. The school is a
community, and we recognise the value of all its
members.

What friends have you made in the school?
Ms McCaughley told us about how more
experienced teachers will typically take new
teachers under their wing. For Ms McCaughley
this mentor came in the form of Tom Walsh, who
was one of the original teachers. Unfortunately
he passed away some years ago, but a bench has
been erected in the new school in his honour.
Some key advice he gave her: ‘when you’re in a
parent teacher meeting, always remember that’s
someone’s baby.’

How has the building changed?
The school was originally built in 1930 downtown but in 1980 the beginning of the current school
was built. This was quickly followed by the second part in 1983 which is past the ramp which includes
rooms 38-44 and the PE hall. Ms McCaughley said she would like to point out that she was not here
when this happened!

Originally the computer rooms were classrooms. Room 18 was the ‘typing room,’ but instead of
computers had typewriters. In the 2000s they updated all three rooms with computers.
How have the students changed?
Over the years the school introduced transition year, which added an extra year. This meant that
instead of students sitting the Leaving Cert at age 16 or 17, they are usually 18.
The gender profile of the students also changed a lot. Even still, the older years are mostly male, but
the younger Junior Cycle years have a more even 50/50 ratio.
Teachers were also mostly male, but now there are more female staff members.
What are your pet peeves in the classroom?
One thing we picked up from Miss McCaughley - she HATES whistling. On a more serious note, she
feels sad by wasted potential and likes seeing her students give their very best so that they can
achieve what they are capable of. . . She wants to see everyone use their talents to their best ability.
Finally, how has the uniform changed over the years?
This part of the interview was the most surprising. Our uniform, instead of green, used to be grey! If
you look at some of the old pictures around the school you might even be able to see the old uniform.
The school has changed a lot over the last 33 years, and it’s only continuing to evolve with the new
COVID restrictions.

Mr. O’Connell. Principal of the old School in Connolly St.

A trip down memory lane



Winners of covid Awareness Art Competition
1st - Patryk Szmerdt 2nd - Josh Long
3rd Allison Lehane

Leaving Cert Geography
Fieldwork

Students went to the beach
this week.

This is an essential part of
Leaving Cert Geography

Our New
Gym

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w School

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PE Hall

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Thank you to Ewa, Josh, Callum and Ashanthy who built this
fantastic book tree in the school’s reading corner.

Thank you to Mr. C. O’Brien who 3D printed these figures for the
Warhammer club

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