A couple of weeks ago there was the publication of the first-ever biography of the architect of our Chapel, William Butterfield (1814-1900), and has just been published in a splendid production by Lund Humphries of London. Its author, Dr Nicholas Olsberg, visited the Chapel some years ago, and writes in the book that it is

marvellously sited in a manner as firmly evocative of a new sobriety of ornament and warming space: ancient and modern, structure within and structure without.

The book’s photographer, James Morris, also came to the College in 2019. The featured photograph is looking East; all the furniture currently in the chancel was removed for this to get as close as possible to the look in 1880. See more here; several feature in the book, and read a review here.

In a typically busy first half term, our Transition Year pupils have quickly adapted to the demands of the year. While busy in their classes, there have been lots of opportunities for learning outside of the classroom including this week, where all pupils have participated in structured work experience.

There has been art trips, cookery classes, pizza nights, driver theory lessons, e-scooter classes, House Speeches (congratulations to the winner, Violeta Mykhalova), theatre trips, visiting speaker, charity fundraising and outdoor adventures in Causey Farm.

Over 50 of our TY pupils have signed up to participate in the Gaisce programme and others are hoping to participate in the Hope Foundations Kolkata immersion trip. Several pupils are taking ‘Early University Entrance’ courses at DCU on a range of topics including biology, physics, psychology, engineering and law. Others are participating in the DLR STEM course in Dun Laoghaire.

The Senior XI Hockey squad have had a mixed start to the season with good wins over Terenure and the High School along with some narrow losses. Their recent success followed a fantastic trip to Amsterdam, where they played three matches and won all three. It’s been a tough start to the Junior squad’s season but the Minor girls have played well, with good wins over St. Jospeh’s and East Glendalough. I’d been a similar story in Boys Hockey with the Senior XI missing out on All Ireland qualifiers. They have been plagued with injuries to key players and are having a tricky season so far. There are good signs amongst the Junior and Minor ranks through with good talent coming through.

The Senior Rugby XV are undefeated in the Ian McKinley Cup with wins over Newpark, De la Salle and Oatlands. They have also won their first round McMullen Cup match against St. Benildus and have received a walkover in the next round. They will play either Newpark or Oatlands in their next cup match and will fancy their chances. The 2nd XV have played a number of competitive fixtures and skill levels are increasing.  Our JCT squad, while facing tough competition, are showing great determination and improvement they continue to grow as a team, focusing on skill development and teamwork. They lost their opening cup fixture against Newpark. The ‘Ducks’, our Form I boys, have had a great start to their season, winning a series of friendly encounters. Their league will be starting after the mid term break. We’re excited to see the progress of all our teams as the season continues on.

Senior girls basketball have won all league fixtures to date. They will have two final fixtures after mid term to decide league placings. Senior boys have greatly improved and will complete in the league plate competition after midterm.

Our young golfers are having tremendous success. Danielle Daniy came 2nd in the Leinster Schools U18 All-Ireland qualifier at the end of September, moving to the All Ireland event next May. At U16 level, Form I pupil Alex O’Herlihy had the lowest gross score in his qualifying event. Form V pupil Karl Finkelstein has been playing in the Global Junior Live tour. The Academy golfers have been busy too, playing matches against Blackrock College, Woodbrook and Grange while honing their skills daily with our resident PGA golf professional Josh Adams.

Last weekend, the first drama productions of the year took place. Form I were the first to thread the boards, with their production of Karleen Hayden’s The True Tale of the Big Bad Wolf , a quirky retelling of the famous tale of the three little pigs. The seventeen strong ensemble cast brought energy and enthusiasm to the stage, bring the play’s witty script to life. For many, but not all, this was the first time to perform in SCC, with former Whitechurch NS pupils Daniel BradyJamie Crombie, Ella Girdham, Alex O’Herlihy and Archie Moffett having acted here during their Primary School Pantomime. Stellar performances were delivered by all the pupils but especially from Big Brad himself, played by Harry Dunleavy, who gave an excellent portrayal of a misunderstood lupine hero. The talent shown by all the players bodes well for the future of theatre here in the College. Many thanks to Mr T Clarke for his direction.

Form II gave engaging performance of Sorry, Wrong Number by Lucille Fletcher. The 1943 noir murder-mystery was originally a radio play, requiring the young actors to bring plenty of character to the stage to carry it off – which they accomplished commendably on the night. Georgia Dobb’s apathetic phone operator, Charlie Dunleavy’s lugubrious and donut-enthused police sergeant and Zora O’Rourke’s menacing hitman all drew in the audience’s attention, among many others. At the heart of the performance was the unwitting victim: the “entitled” Mrs. Stevenson, played to excellent effect by Marianna O’Shaughnessy. She capably delivered the lion’s share of the play’s dialogue while imbuing it with entertaining snobbery and rising hysteria. It was a technical endeavour in terms of timing and delivery and all the cast impressed on the night, as well as Xin (Emily) Su who managed the sound effects – no small part for a play that was originally written for radio. Many thanks to directors Mr Stewart and Mr O’Shaughnessy.

Constance Chambré and Jasper Wilkinson report on the recent Form VI Art trip to Newgrange.

After leaving the College at 8:30am and driving for just over an hour we arrived at the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre in Co. Meath. The centre focused on creating a sense of what it was like to live during the Neolithic Period. It was an immersive experience in which beautiful light was reflected on the floor representing the flowing water of the River Boyne; forests were projected on the walls as well as videos playing re-creations of Neolithic people gathering food or cooking.

After leaving the Visitor Centre, we got a shuttle bus up to Knowth, the biggest of all the passage tombs in Ireland. When we arrived we were greeted by the friendliest of staff who gave us a tour and explained the meaning and significance of the tomb. After the tour we explored the site where there an additional 17 smaller satellite tombs. Despite the wind, we were able to stand on the top of the tomb and look down on the hills of Meath and across to Newgrange and Dowth.

Next, we took the shuttle bus to Newgrange where we were divided into two groups. Whilst the first group went inside the tomb, our group got to admire the sheer craftsmanship that went into constructing Newgrange from the outside. As well as the incredible entrance stone that stands at the front of the passage into the tomb, we were also able to view kerbstone 52 which is covered in beautiful linear Neolithic art which is at the rear of the tomb. Once it was our turn to go into the tomb, I was surprised by the sheer size of the entrance passage and the megaliths that had to be transported a huge distance from the Wicklow mountains.

Inside the tomb, the guide demonstrated what it would be like to be in there during the Winter Solstice, when natural sunlight travels deep inside the chamber. One of my favourite parts of my visit to Newgrange was reading the graffiti that people had carved into the walls centuries ago. I think the earliest one I spotted was 1822!!!

After our enlightening visit to the pre-Christian sites, Newgrange and Knowth, we took the bus to the National Museum Dublin. The museum was full of fascinating artefacts ranging over thousands of years. Our focus was of course on the tools and artwork dating to the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. My favourite object was the three-headed Corleck from the Iron Age, dating to around the 1st or 2nd century AD. There were also a number of ‘bog bodies’ which are the remains of people who were killed as part of a sacrificial ritual during the Iron Age. We also managed to have a quick look at The Miosach, a book shrine which has very close associations with our College. After a good hour in the museum we went back to the bus and returned to the College. It was a very enjoyable tour and it was great to see first hand all of the artefacts we have been studying as part of our Visual Studies course.

It’s that time of the year again – the Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal aims to collect and deliver wrapped and packed shoeboxes, full of toys and essentials, for some of the poorest children in the world. To date, over 2 million such boxes have been handed directly to children all around the world and the College are delighted to have a long-standing relationship with this wonderful charity.

Last year, our Transition Year pupils (ably assisted by Mr Paul Cron) filled over 200 boxes while also volunteering at the Team Hope warehouse, packing additional boxes and loading lorries destined for Eastern Europe and beyond. We hope to top that figure this year but need your help.

Over the half term, we would greatly appreciate if you could make up a box/boxes or collect some fillers for the boxes or even empty shoeboxes and bring them back to school after the break. All completed boxes or fillers can be brought to the collection point in Gwynn or left in the staff common room.

Alternatively, you can build you can donate online (€25) and Team Hope will build a shoebox for you, full of essential school supplies, toys, clothes and hygiene products. 

Five simple steps to follow:

Get a shoebox, wrap the box and lid separately with Christmas paper (we have already wrapped 150 boxes, so if if this is too much hassle fill one of our boxes)

Decide to whom you want to give your gift (boy or girl) and what age: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14.

Fill the box = use our 4 W’s as a guide (Wash, Write, Wear, Wow – more details below)

Close the box with an elastic band – please don’t seal with tape as the contents of each box have to be checked to comply with regulations.

Please include the €5 for transport in your leaflet envelope either on top of the gifts or taped to the inside of the lid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1wsi3Pjc-w

Congratulations to the following pupils who were elected to the Pupils’ Council for this academic year.

Form I – Benji Browne, Fiona Zhong
Form II – Herbert Durdin Robertson, Willow Cunningham-Ash
Form III – Carolyn Curry, Jason Otolorin
Form IV – Lewis Curtin, Rebecca Flanagan
Form V – Finn Woolsey, Cerys Mordaunt
Form VI – Euan Flanagan, Melina Paulsen

Mr Stewart has taken over from Mr Jones as the staff liaison.