Gaisce
This is year the majority of TYs took part in Gaisce, the Presidents Award, to the bronze level. This is a personal development programme for people between the ages of 15-25. To achieve this you must do complete 13 weeks of three activities under the following headings ;Community Involvement
Personal Skill
Physical Recreation
You also must choose one of these to complete for double the amount of time - 26 weeks.
As well as these tasks we also had to complete an Adventure Journey which we counted as our camping trip at the beginning of the year.
I thoroughly enjoyed Gaisce as it kept me really busy and helped me to do things I'd never normally do which felt extremely rewarding.
For my Community Involvement I joined the Special Olympics and their Blue Dolphins swim team. Every Sunday I went down to the pool to have a one-to-one swim session with one of the athletes who I'm very proud has come a long way this season. Our job as coaches is to prepare the athletes to go to competitions that we compete in. I really love working with the Blue Dolphins as it's so rewarding and the athletes happiness is something really nice to be around.
I will definitely be keeping this up after Gaisce.
For my personal skill I did Steer Clear here in the school every Tuesday after school for 13 weeks. Here I learned about the theory of driving as well as some practical sides. I really feel like I benefitted from this is it prepared me for the Theory Test that I'll be taking soon.
For physical recreation I joined my local gym and went down for hourly long sessions a couple times a week. I've always wanted to do this but Gaisce helped give me the push to do it and forced me to keep it up and not quit.
I really enjoyed Gaisce as it pushed me way out of my comfort zone and really made me do things that I was really pleased with.
Peter McVerry Community Service
On the week of the 19th til the 24th of November I spent my time in the Peter McVerry trust in Dublin working with clients of the organisation that was set up by the Jesuit priest Peter McVerry to help the unfortunate people around Dublin and the rest of the country.
Monday- On our first morning, we met with four other TY students in the ‘higher threshold’ centre for Peter McVerry. We met with people who worked there to go through with us the do’s and don’t’s of being in the centre. We then left to go to the ‘lower threshold’ centre where we spent our day talking to Peter’s clients who were honest about their stories and were open to answer any questions we had. On this day we met with three different people who made me so excited to come in the next day.
Tuesday- This morning we met in the same area and walked to the ‘lower threshold’ again to talk to more people. Today was a lot more relaxed as people came and went to talk to us and joke around and we met a lot of people compared to the day before. We had a great laugh with them as-well as some horrific stories that were shared.
Thursday- Today we went to the Central Criminal Courts to go in and out to various cases. We ended up seeing many assault cases, a jury been sworn in and the most interesting, a murder trial. Each case was very interesting to listen to and was good to walk around the courts to see what really goes on in court.
Friday- On our last day we visited a help centre for young adults between the ages of 18 and 26. We didn’t meet any of the clients but we did get a tour of the centre. We were also shown emergency accommodations for family’s.
All in all I had an amazing week and will definitely be visiting the trust again.
Monday- On our first morning, we met with four other TY students in the ‘higher threshold’ centre for Peter McVerry. We met with people who worked there to go through with us the do’s and don’t’s of being in the centre. We then left to go to the ‘lower threshold’ centre where we spent our day talking to Peter’s clients who were honest about their stories and were open to answer any questions we had. On this day we met with three different people who made me so excited to come in the next day.
Tuesday- This morning we met in the same area and walked to the ‘lower threshold’ again to talk to more people. Today was a lot more relaxed as people came and went to talk to us and joke around and we met a lot of people compared to the day before. We had a great laugh with them as-well as some horrific stories that were shared.
Thursday- Today we went to the Central Criminal Courts to go in and out to various cases. We ended up seeing many assault cases, a jury been sworn in and the most interesting, a murder trial. Each case was very interesting to listen to and was good to walk around the courts to see what really goes on in court.
Friday- On our last day we visited a help centre for young adults between the ages of 18 and 26. We didn’t meet any of the clients but we did get a tour of the centre. We were also shown emergency accommodations for family’s.
All in all I had an amazing week and will definitely be visiting the trust again.
Scubadiving
On Wednesday the 22nd of November students partaking in scubadiving had a theory lesson in the Halla Nua. Here we went through the safety precautions and a quick run through of what we would be doing with our instructor. It was brief but we now knew exactly what to do in order for the day to go well and exactly what to do if something went wrong.
The following Monday we all got a bus from school to the National Aquatic a Centre in Dublin. When we got off we were split into two groups that we would be scubadiving with. We went into the changing rooms to get changed and then went with our group out to the pool. At the pool, we got all our equipment ready and got our gear on. We sat by the end of the pool with the gear on, wetsuit, flippers, goggles and any other equipment you could think of.
When it was time to get into the water, we learned how to sink and float, walk on the pool floor and how to swim around. We were in the water for an hour when it was time to swap and let the other group in. We had lunch while we waited for the other group to finish before we got the bus home.
It was a great day and I thouroughly enjoyed it and would love to do something like that again.
The following Monday we all got a bus from school to the National Aquatic a Centre in Dublin. When we got off we were split into two groups that we would be scubadiving with. We went into the changing rooms to get changed and then went with our group out to the pool. At the pool, we got all our equipment ready and got our gear on. We sat by the end of the pool with the gear on, wetsuit, flippers, goggles and any other equipment you could think of.
When it was time to get into the water, we learned how to sink and float, walk on the pool floor and how to swim around. We were in the water for an hour when it was time to swap and let the other group in. We had lunch while we waited for the other group to finish before we got the bus home.
It was a great day and I thouroughly enjoyed it and would love to do something like that again.
EY Work Experience
On the week of the 4th-8th of December I spent my time in the EY designers offices. Here I got a taste of what it's like in the creative side of an office. On our first day we were assigned our project- it was to design a Christmas Jumper specifically related to our given theme. Over the next three days we created an idea of what we would want our Christmas jumper to look like by brainstorming our ideas as well as using Pinterest and the internet to create an online and real mood board. When we had gathered all our inspiration we put our jumper down on paper using materials we created on photoshop. My theme was Scandinavian so I kept my jumper very simple.
After we had finished our project, for the last two days we spent our time looking at what the designers do in the office such as creating posters and videos using online programmes. We also watched videos on artists, my favourite being Shantel Martin who draws to disco music and other cool stimulators.
Along with all these interesting activities, we also helped around the other departments with their filing of documents.
By the end of the week I was wrecked, it really showed me just how tiring office life is!
After we had finished our project, for the last two days we spent our time looking at what the designers do in the office such as creating posters and videos using online programmes. We also watched videos on artists, my favourite being Shantel Martin who draws to disco music and other cool stimulators.
Along with all these interesting activities, we also helped around the other departments with their filing of documents.
By the end of the week I was wrecked, it really showed me just how tiring office life is!
Packing
On the 19th of December, TY students especially those involved in YSI had a busy day involving hamper packing for SVP and Dignity Bags for Tiglin.
We started with the SVP packs with the 5th years down in the sports hall. We started by loading all the food off of the trucks and vans into the hall. We then opened it all and laid it all out in food groups. When everything was organised it was time for each group to get around 30 boxes and then each group member went to go get certain amounts of each food to fill up the box. This process was done carefully to ensure no family got any more or any less than any other family. We double checked our numbers at the end to make sure we made no mistakes. When we were happy the boxes were ready the 5th years went and hand delivered the hampers to family’s in the area.
After a quick break the TYs went straight back to the sports hall to pack the Dignity Bags for rough sleepers who don’t have the resources to get their basic needs. We started by organising all our donations in categories. We then lined each of these categories and got a person to stand with each while the others got bags and walked up through each category getting whatever food or supply into the bag. When we were finished we piled all the filled bags together and donated them to Tiglin the next day.
We started with the SVP packs with the 5th years down in the sports hall. We started by loading all the food off of the trucks and vans into the hall. We then opened it all and laid it all out in food groups. When everything was organised it was time for each group to get around 30 boxes and then each group member went to go get certain amounts of each food to fill up the box. This process was done carefully to ensure no family got any more or any less than any other family. We double checked our numbers at the end to make sure we made no mistakes. When we were happy the boxes were ready the 5th years went and hand delivered the hampers to family’s in the area.
After a quick break the TYs went straight back to the sports hall to pack the Dignity Bags for rough sleepers who don’t have the resources to get their basic needs. We started by organising all our donations in categories. We then lined each of these categories and got a person to stand with each while the others got bags and walked up through each category getting whatever food or supply into the bag. When we were finished we piled all the filled bags together and donated them to Tiglin the next day.
Carol Singing
On Thursday the 21st of December a group of YSI students went to St. Stephens Green shopping centre to do carol singing to help raise money for the Peter McVery Homeless Trust. We got a bus into Dublin dressed in festive christmas gear and set up our area where we would be singing for the next two hours. We sang for two hours all the classic Christmas songs and raised over €2000 for the charity. It was a really great experience to add even more christmas atmosphere into Dublin city and we all had a great laugh even if we weren’t the best of singers!
Faith Friends
This year it was our responsibility to be paired up with a first year or two, to help them with settling into the school and showing them the way of secondary. When we got buddied up with our partners, the pairs were put up on the notice board for us to check who we were partnered with. It was up to us to find our buddy and let them know that we were paired up.
We then met with our buddies in the canteen just to have a chat.
Now, there aren't many meetings anymore, instead we just say hi if we see our buddy in the corridor.
We then met with our buddies in the canteen just to have a chat.
Now, there aren't many meetings anymore, instead we just say hi if we see our buddy in the corridor.
Musical - Legally Blonde
Our TY musical this year was Legally Blonde. It was announced to us on our last day before the Halloween break. As soon as we came back to school we went straight into the auditions. This was a series of singing, dancing and script reading until the numbers were whittled down to the principals. When the parts were announced was when things got serious regards rehearsals. Majority of our days were spent in the Halla Nua with Aisling and Jackie practicing our choreography, lines and songs. We worked non stop especially from Christmas until our shows in February.
Towards the end the pressure was really on to make this production the best one we could possibly do. We got our costumes and sets together and worked non stop to the point of not being able to sleep due to the constant songs buzzing around our heads.
The shows themselves were amazing from the excitement to the hair and makeup to the fun backstage and seeing the audience enjoying our show.
I thoroughly enjoyed the whole musical experience and had great fun and made great memories and it is definitely one of the highlights I will take from TY. As a year group is helped us become so much closer and allowed us to have fun doing something brand new.
Towards the end the pressure was really on to make this production the best one we could possibly do. We got our costumes and sets together and worked non stop to the point of not being able to sleep due to the constant songs buzzing around our heads.
The shows themselves were amazing from the excitement to the hair and makeup to the fun backstage and seeing the audience enjoying our show.
I thoroughly enjoyed the whole musical experience and had great fun and made great memories and it is definitely one of the highlights I will take from TY. As a year group is helped us become so much closer and allowed us to have fun doing something brand new.
Work Experience - Hair Salon
On the week of the 26th of February to the 2nd of March I did work experience in Sophisticuts Unisex Hair Salon in Wicklow. I have been in and out of the salon for years so i was really looking forward to it.
As I already knew everyone who worked in the salon and knew most of the ropes it was easy for me to get straight to work. At the beginning of the week I was mainly washing hair, tidying the place and practicing updos, but as the week went on I learned new advanced skill got to do with colour so I spent the rest of my time doing that. I really enjoyed my work this week and it really helped confirm that this is the career path I want to take when I leave school. |
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Community Service - Convent
From the 10th until the 13th of April I did community service in the convent in Blainroe. I got in there thanks to friends we have working and living there.
On the first day I was up cleaning the sisters rooms and the halls around by hoovering, dusting and wiping down.
On the second day, my favourite day, I was in the laundrey room washing, drying and folding the sisters clothes. We also went around the tea rooms and staff rooms to tidy.
On the last days I was in the kitchen which I was very nervous about because my home ec skills wouldn't be great but I felt so welcomed and in the end I really enjoyed it as it was really busy with stuff to do constantly. I cleaned the kitchen and the dishes, set out the dining room for the sisters and cooked and baked. I cooked quiche for the sisters tea, made brown bread and made pineapple upside down cake for the sisters dessert.
Overall I surprisingly enjoyed my week as it was very peaceful and I met lovely people while I was out there.
Steer Clear
This year as part of Gaisce I did the Steer Clear course every Tuesday after school. Steer Clear is a driving theory course that we learn about different aspects about driving every week and after our thirteen week course then we get tested on what we have learned.
I really enjoyed the course because not only will it make the theory test easier, but also was really enjoyable as the instructor, Ian Fleming was really nice to work with.
I really enjoyed the course because not only will it make the theory test easier, but also was really enjoyable as the instructor, Ian Fleming was really nice to work with.
Blue Dolphins
As part of Gaisce I joined the Special Olympic swimming team, Blue Dolphins.
Every Sunday from 11:00-12:00 I went down to the swimming pool to coach the athletes normally one-to-one but sometimes also a larger groups of more advanced and older swimmers.
For the majority I swam with the same 10 year old girl and I'm so happy with how much she has progressed over the year. It has been a slow process but seeing her come along in small baby steps is so rewarding when you see how happy her and her mum get when she accomplishes something new.
We train the athletes to compete in competitions across the province, and although the child I normally swim with doesn't compete, I go to the competitions to help out. This can involve time keeping, blowing the whistle, organising athletes and helping with assisted swims.
From these competitions, to the weekly training, I've really enjoyed my year with the Blue Dolphins and I'm delighted I was accepted into it. The rewarding feeling from it out weighs the frustration that can sometimes come with it.
Every Sunday from 11:00-12:00 I went down to the swimming pool to coach the athletes normally one-to-one but sometimes also a larger groups of more advanced and older swimmers.
For the majority I swam with the same 10 year old girl and I'm so happy with how much she has progressed over the year. It has been a slow process but seeing her come along in small baby steps is so rewarding when you see how happy her and her mum get when she accomplishes something new.
We train the athletes to compete in competitions across the province, and although the child I normally swim with doesn't compete, I go to the competitions to help out. This can involve time keeping, blowing the whistle, organising athletes and helping with assisted swims.
From these competitions, to the weekly training, I've really enjoyed my year with the Blue Dolphins and I'm delighted I was accepted into it. The rewarding feeling from it out weighs the frustration that can sometimes come with it.
YSI Speakout
On Tuesday the 20th of March the YSI group went to Dun Laoighre to take part in the annual speak out. This is designed for all YSI groups across the country to come to bring awareness about their chosen topic.
We chose to raise awareness for our topic, homelessness, by performing a short drama. We created it in the weeks leading up to the event by practicing and making props. In our drama it showed how we are all only one pay check away from homelessness.
Other groups spoke out about their topics through songs, poem and various other ways. It was really interesting to see what everyone had been working on through out the year.
Gel nails and Beauty roadshow
The thing I am most proud about TY is I got my gel nail technician certificate that qualifies me to do gel nails. I achieved this by doing a course in Gorey and passing the test. This allowed me to start up from home. I dived straight into doing customers nails and haven't stopped since.
Not only do I enjoy this and it's something I want to do when I leave school, but it also teaches me about keeping books and money as well as an income for me.
When the Beauty Roadshow came around I went on the Monday, here I found a supplier who agreed to join me and supply my products every time I run out which was a huge success. I really enjoyed my day at the beauty roadshow in the RDS because not only did I find a supplier but also learned many new skills regards nails.
Not only do I enjoy this and it's something I want to do when I leave school, but it also teaches me about keeping books and money as well as an income for me.
When the Beauty Roadshow came around I went on the Monday, here I found a supplier who agreed to join me and supply my products every time I run out which was a huge success. I really enjoyed my day at the beauty roadshow in the RDS because not only did I find a supplier but also learned many new skills regards nails.
Operation smile
On Friday the 27th of April , we helped Ben hogan to raise money for Operation Smile, an American based charity that helps children in third world countries with cleft lip pallet. We all baked food, and helped set it up in the canteen and set the prices. At break time the whole school came and bought their break from us. We raised €1,800 through this bake sale alone which will change many children's lives.