TY News
Skiing In Kilternan
Skiing at the Kilternan artificial slopes was a brilliant experience for everyone involved. We went to an hour and a half class every Thursday for four weeks from the end of October into the start of November.
When we first arrived at Kilternan we were split into groups according to our skill levels. We got our gear and went straight out onto the slopes. There were two small slopes for beginners and two main slopes for the more advanced skiers. I was in one of the beginner groups and so spent week one learning the basics. On week two we quickly moved on and started tackling the higher slopes. By the end of the four weeks we had all progressed hugely from where we had started. We had gained a lot more experience and skills and I certainly felt a lot more confident on the slopes.
I think for many who took part, Thursday skiing lessons were a highlight of the week and we all looked forward to them. This is all thanks to everyone who made our trips to Kilternan possible, including our instructors who were very welcoming, Ms. O’Reilly and all the teachers who accompanied us every Thursday afternoon. I think we will all remember this activity as a fun and exciting experience!
Doireann O’Brien 4M
The excitement was building as we boarded the bus that would take us to Kilternen. For most of us skiing was a completely different world. When we arrived we got all the appropriate gear, skis, poles, boots and gloves. The people who had skied before were put in one group and the rest of us were split up and sent to the baby slope.
In our first lesson we learned the basics, which were to put on our ski’s properly and do the ‘snow plough’. The ‘snow plough’ is a technique where you put your skis in a ‘V’ shape to slide down the slope. With butterflies in our stomachs we cautiously went down the slope. Some of us suffered minor falls but no injuries so we were straight back up to our feet!
Throughout the lessons we progressed to turning and the bigger slopes. We learnt how to use the’ button lift’ and got to ski down steeper slopes. The ’button lift’ is a device where you lean on a small seat and it drags you up the slope.
We would like to thank the teachers for organising and accompanying us on such an enjoyable experience. I am really looking forward to a real skiing holiday now that I have the hang of it!
Claire O’Halloran 4G
4B really enjoyed their skiing trips to Kilternan. On behalf of my class mates I would like to thank our tutor Ms O’Reilly for taking us there. Whether it was that we never wanted to return to the slope or that we would like to start skiing or that we had already been skiing, all of us learned something in the past few weeks. Len was very kind and co-operative; he thought us a lot and made our skiing classes fun and enjoyable.
Ciana Spelman 4B
Heineken Cup Trophy
On Wednesday 15th September 2011 the fourth years had a visit from Jack and Geraldine of the Leinster Branch of the IRFU. They brought the Heineken Cup Trophy which Leinster won last year after overcoming Northhampton in the final in May. We got to hold the cup ourselves, if we wished, which turned out to be surprisingly heavy and contained dents allegedly made by Jamie Heaslip. The aim of the visit was to encourage Transition Years to get involved in sport, especially rugby, since Ireland were competing in the World Cup in New Zealand and to promote tag rugby which we participated in, in Physical Education.
Eimear Linehan, 4M
4M Grandparents Mass
By Doireann O’Brien 4M
The 4M class Mass on Wednesday 12th October to celebrate our grandparents was a very special occasion for everyone involved. It was a day where we honoured all of our Grandparents, those who are with us and those who have passed away. We have been preparing for this Mass with our Religion teacher, Ms Hickey since September. What made it even more special was that we planned nearly the whole Mass ourselves. With the artwork, offertory, music, readings and prayers of the faithful to organise we were kept very busy!
The day itself went very well. The theme of our Mass was “Grandparents hold our hands for a while, but our hearts forever.” A large number of grandparents were able to attend. It was lovely to see girls with their grandparents and the pride that came with it. It was clear to see that the family bond between grandparents and their grandchildren is something extremely special. Even for the girls whose grandparents were unfortunately unable to attend it was still very enjoyable. During this time we not only celebrated the grandparents we have with us but also we remembered those who had passed away. We did this by releasing 24 balloons with the names of our deceased grandparents attached to them.
After the celebration of the Mass all of the class along with the grandparents, parents and teachers who were in attendance had a very enjoyable lunch together.
It was clear that the presence of our grandparents brought something very special to the Mass we celebrated last Wednesday. We will look back on it as being a very happy and memorable day.
We would like to express our thanks to Fr. Jim Noonan for celebrating the Mass with us; Ms Hickey our class teacher, Ms Fitzpatrick the school chaplain, Mr Hobson, Year Head and Ms Barrett, Principal for taking the time to attend. We would also like to thank Gerard’s Deli for dealing with us so generously.
4th Year Outdoor Adventure Trip to Bundoran
On the 31st of August 2011, my class 4B and 4G went to Bundoran, Co. Donegal for the 4th Year Outdoor Adventure Trip. When we arrived at the Donegal Adventure Centre, at about 1 o’clock that afternoon, we were first introduced to all our instructors for the day and the manager of the hostel we stayed in, Collie. They were all lovely and made us feel right at home straight away. We then went to lunch before starting the activities for the day.
First, we did abseiling and other climbling activities such as rock climbing and tight-rope walking. In the evening, we pulled on wet-suits and walked down to the coast for cliff-jumping, which was great fun, even though there were lots of jellyfish in the water.
We began the next day with things like trapeze and Jacob’s Ladder, before heading down to the beach again for surfing. Personally, this was my favourite activity of the whole trip, as it was something which I had never done before and was also a great laugh and a huge amount of fun! That evening, we did ‘Nightline’, a blindfolded obstacle course involving lots and lots of mud, which we were all covered in before the night was out.
On our last day there, before we went home, we did some group based bonding activities and then another obstacle course. When we got on the bus to go home, we were all utterly exhausted and though we were happy to be going home, we were also very sad to be leaving the DAC, the entertaining instructors and all the fantastic activities. We had a brilliant trip, which will hopefully be one of many great memories of 4th Year.
Rachel Sweeney, 4B
TRIP TO PETERSBURG ADVENTURE CENTRE, GALWAY
On the 31st of August until the 2nd of September 4M and 4T went to Petersburg Adventure Centre in Galway. The trip lasted 3 days. When we arrived at the centre we were welcomed by the instructors. Our first activity was gorge walking. It got off to a great start as it was our favourite activity of the 3 days. That evening we got into groups of 4 for an adventure race. This consisted of a scavenger hunt, orienteering race and a puzzle at the end. My team came 2nd!!!! The next day we did canoeing and rock climbing on an actual rock face which we had never done before. The last night due to the rain we played lots of team games. Later that night we all gathered in the common room, lying on pillows beside the fire taking shelter from the still lashing rain. We had a sing along and to top the night off a Tae Kwondo lesson from Chloe Aboud-our very own Irish Champion. Suddenly it was our final day and we got to do an obstacle course out on an island known as ‘ oileann dearg ‘ –red island. Overall it was a great trip but I think we were all glad to be home as we were so exhausted. It was a fantastic way to start the year.
Eve Campbell 4M
The bus left for Petersburg Adventure Centre on the 31 August at nine o’ clock. On the bus were the excited 4T and 4M class groups. We were all told to bring one travelling bag containing our sleeping bag and clothes - that didn’t happen! On average, everyone had two to three bags each! You would swear we were going for a month not two nights! The bus journey was long and tiring but after four hours we finally reached the centre. We were shown our rooms and after lunch we were split into groups of 8-16. The groups were mixed, so it was a great way to get to know some of the other girls - for each activity the groups were changed so by the end of the trip everyone was friendly with everyone!
Each day we did three activities. One in the morning after breakfast, one in the afternoon after lunch and one in the evening before going to bed. The activities were great fun and enjoyed by all! They consisted of abseiling, canoeing, sailing, gorge-walking, wind-surfing, orienteering, obstacle courses and fun games in the evening. Everybody had a chance to try each activity, the favourites being the water activities!
The trip was fantastic and everyone had a good time - a huge thank you to all of the teachers Mr.Hobson, Ms. Purcell and Ms. Vavaseur who accompanied us on the trip! It was certainly one to remember!
Chloe Aboud & Shauna Wu
TRANSITION YEAR - HORTICULTURE
Under the instruction of horticulturalist Ms. Dympna Kirke, photogrpahs show Transition Year students sowing spinach seeds in the raised beds which have been built in the school grounds this year. The girls also sowed lettuce seeds in the greenhouse which will be, in a few weeks ‘picked out’ into modules and later still planted out also in the raised beds.
A selection of winter lettuce : Cos Lettuce, Mixed Salad and Corn Salad (commonly called Lambs Lettuce). These pictures show how the different types of lettuce have different growth rates and also how well the girls did in preparing their seed trays as most of the seeds seem to have germinated and they were very evenly distributed. Job well done!
