,

Warden Blackburn

Sunday 17th November 2019 is the 100th anniversary of a sad event in the history of St Columba’s College.

The Warden in 1919 was Reverend William Blackburn. He came to the College in September 1909 from Oriel College, Oxford, where he had been Chaplain for some years (he had previously gone to school at Repton in Derbyshire). On arrival he paid from his own funds things needed at the College, including the refurbishment of the Warden’s Drawing Room, and as G.K.White writes in his history of the College, “the ten years of his Blackburn’s Wardenship were something of a golden age in Columban history, “with numbers rising to a record 118 during the War”. In addition, “the financial position remained sound throughout, proving that the Warden was a good manager” and for once the College did not suffer from a financial crisis. He was “a born schoolmaster with an impressive personality and infectious enthusiasms… [his] popularity sprang chiefly from his friendliness, approachability and sense of humour.” In 1919 also the Masterman Library opened, thanks to the efforts of Mrs Blackburn, née Masterman, in memory of her brother, who had died in the Great War.

And then “in the prime of life, in the full flood of activity, apparently in perfect health [he] died in his sleep in the early hours of November 17th 1919.” At breakfast that Wednesday, the Sub-Warden, Mr Attwood, stood up and announced to the boys that the Warden had died during the night.

The black-framed Editorial in The Columban magazine of December 1919 reads: ‘It is with deep grief that we record the sudden death of the Warden, Rev William Blackburn, 40 (he was actually 41], M.A., which took place in the early morning hours of November 17th. In losing him we have been deprived not only of a master but of a true friend. He knew us all intimately, and watched over us with kindly care. He was always ready with wise counsel in all the trials and difficulties of school life… The funeral took place from the College to Whitechurch on November 20th. The first part of the Burial Service was read in the chapel, the Rev R.M. Gwynn conducting the service. The hymn ‘On the Resurrection Morn’ was beautifully rendered by the choir. The school then went in procession to Whitechurch, the bier being pushed by all the prefects, where the service was concluded.’ Warden Blackburn was buried beside Warden Morton (who died in office in his early 30s). On December 1st Mrs Blackburn and her children left the College and Ireland, moving to Brighton.

For the second time, Reverend ‘Robin’ Gwynn became Acting-Warden. In July 1920, there is one item in The Columban under ‘Birth’: ‘Blackburn – June 11th 1920, the wife of late Warden Blackburn, of a son.’ So Mrs Blackburn had been just two months pregnant when her husband died.

The memorial to Warden Blackburn was installed in Chapel on Easter Eve 1921 (around the same time as the Old Columban Memorial for the Great War – the Chapel Square cross and the plaque in Chapel). It is on the reredos (the screen covering the wall behind the altar), being is a figure of The Risen Christ in a mosaic by Sarah Purser (1848-1943) of the stained glass co-operative An Túr Gloine (she also restored the Founders’ windows in the Dining Hall) with below it a brass plaque reading:

TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN THE MEMORY OF
THE REVEREND WILLIAM BLACKBURN,
WARDEN OF THIS COLLEGE, 1909-1919.

Warden Blackburn’s grave in Whitechurch features an inclined granite cross in a kerbed space for two graves. By this century, the lettering on the cross had become severely eroded, so much so that the lower parts of it were unreadable, so the College decided to mark the centenary of the death by restoring it. However, family permission was needed for this, which was challenging: the (English) family left the country one hundred years ago.

There was one promising avenue of inquiry. At the time of her father’s death, Barbara Blackburn was 9 years old. In the 1980s under her married name she become famous as a TV ‘celebrity’ on the BBC as Barbara Woodhouse (1910-88), presenting ‘Training Dogs the Woodhouse Way’ and appearing in many other programmes. Eventually the College was able to be in touch with her daughter Judith, and thus received permission to improve the grave.

The restoration has now been completed by M. Roe and Sons, with the cross cleaned, smoothed and re-engraved, and the kerb also cleaned (the grass in the picture is natural for graves in Whitechurch). At a short ceremony, the College has just marked this with prayers and a simple commemoration by Canon Horace McKinley, Rector, our Chaplain Reverend Daniel Owen, the Warden, Sub-Warden, former Chaplain Reverend Michael Heaney and two Prefects, representatives of the pupil body. On Sunday 17th itself the Sub-Warden will give a presentation to the College at the start of Evensong on this part of our history, with ‘On the Resurrection Morn’ again being sung, by the Chapel Choir.

/by
,

Warden’s Thoughts … on Pupil Leadership

I have spoken a lot about service over the last three years and about how to develop an ethos of service amongst our pupils. I am not going to repeat myself now. What I have perhaps spoken about less is leadership, which is actually the other side of the same coin. It is certainly not contradictory or paradoxical to talk about service and leadership in the same breath, because the best leaders are also servants, prepared to sacrifice on behalf of their followers and determined to get the best out of other people. A good leader should not be afraid to empower others, to give opportunities to them and enjoy seeing them grow in confidence and stature. A poor leader will happily see his or her followers stay dependant on the boss and wait for instructions. Ultimately that style of leadership saps initiative and leads to resentment. Of course, giving people responsibility is risky, because they might fail, but there is nothing wrong with failure, as long as you pick yourself up, dust yourself down and learn from it.

When it comes to developing leaders I am thinking right now of the pupils, rather than the staff. How do we help our pupils to become leaders, to take initiative, to be prepared to stand up and not be afraid to fall down? My concern is that when it comes to choosing prefects, for example, those who will lead the pupil body in their final year, we go on hunches and pick those who we think will be good role models, but we have given them precious little in the way of actual training, or encouraged them to stretch themselves prior to their final year. Surely leadership training should not be something that begins in the 6th form, or at the end of the 5th form, but something, a bit like service, that we try and inculcate into our pupils from the 1st form onwards.

What do I actually mean by leadership, particularly in the school context? Well, let’s examine that by looking at what an aspiring young leader at school might look like, divided into being and doing, who they are first and what they do second:

So who are they?

  • They are prepared to stand up for others and to speak out when they see something that they think is wrong;
  • They are not easily influenced by the crowd or their peer group;
  • They don’t mind being a little bit different, because they are thinking about the bigger picture of who they want to become rather than being popular right now;
  • They lead when others are not looking, not just to get attention.

And what might they do?

  • They might volunteer to run or help run activities;
  • They might act as mentors for younger or new pupils;
  • They might put their hand up for jobs that are not very glamorous;
  • They will look out for those around them who are struggling and not be afraid to bring it to the attention of the appropriate people;
  • They might have a quiet word with someone who they think is behaving poorly or making someone’s life unpleasant;
  • They will take on tasks or responsibilities that stretch them, rather than always doing things with which they are comfortable.

And what should the teaching staff do?

  • Allow pupils, right from the earliest years, to take responsibility and then support them…and praise them and lift them up when they fall;
  • Encourage them to take initiative, rather than wait for a member of staff to suggest something.

These are just some initial thoughts and I am sure that it would be easy to flesh them out a lot more. Although prefects in the 6th form are necessary, actually all 6th formers should be leaders and, in fact, all pupils should be encouraged to see themselves as leaders, whatever year they are in. I want to see how we can do that better than we have done, so be prepared for me to be speaking a lot about leadership in the months to come.

/by

First & Second Form Plays

On Sunday night we had the annual First and Second Form plays. These are a relatively low-key introduction to the Big Schoolroom stage for pupils who may so far have little experience of performing, but are important as first steps, given how much drama happens further up the school.

This term the First Form play Hiss the Villain! was directed by Mr McCarthy (he also accompanied on piano, and there was indeed a lot of hissing of the villain). The Second Form play (directed by Mr Swift and Mr Girdham) was an old favourite, King Chicken, the story of a Tarzan who is very far from being the legendary hero of the jungle.

Both productions plainly gave pleasure to performers and audience alike.

Below is an album of photographs taken by the Chaplain on the evening.

First and Second Form Plays, October 2019
First and Second Form Plays, October 2019
37 photos
/by
,

Transition Year House Speeches

Maxim Meddah gives an account of the annual TY House Speech Competition:

On Sunday 29th September, the annual Transition Year House Speeches took place once again in St Columba’s College. Each house was represented by two pupils. The topic the pupils could choose was up to them. Some were serious and some were humorous. The contestants were marked out of ten points for delivery and content and five points on lack of reliance on notes. They each spoke for three to five minutes.  

Glen was represented by Antoine Dulauroy who spoke about how Astrophysics can change your view on the world and Akin Babajide who spoke about why the idea of world peace is naive. Gwynn was represented by Tom Casey who spoke about why the earth is flat and Peter Taylor who spoke about anxiety. Stackallan was represented by Marcus O’Connor speaking about the profound message of Kung Fu Panda and Andrew Maguire on the importance of team sports. Edna Johnston spoke about being a twin and Amalia Falkenhayn speaking about being tall represented Iona. Representing Hollypark were Emma Hinde talking about ‘the power of words’ and Caroline Hager speaking about Flying.  

The event started with the announcement of the first speaker Edna Johnston by the evening’s MC, Guy Fitzgibbon. Edna then commenced with her speech which was about being a twin. She talked about her least favourite response to people finding out she has a twin which was “Oh I know a set of twins” and her favourite response being when people look in shock with their mouths wide open. In retrospect, her speech was really about being her own person and that she and her sister are not one and the same person but two individuals that merely look alike. The next speech was by Antoine Dulauroy. He talked about the two different ways someone’s view of the world could be affected by astrophysics, showing us how big the universe really is. The first point was that you feel tiny in such a huge world and that nothing matters. The second being seizing that feeling of feeling small and meaningless and use it as a pretext to trying scary and challenging new things. In the end, he mentioned his dream, or rather his objective of becoming an astrophysicist.

The third speech, a humorous one, was given by Tom Casey and he talked about the earth being flat with the example of a grapefruit. His first reason was that if the earth was round an aeroplane which flies from the northern hemisphere to the southern one should arrive upside down, which quite evidently does not. He also reasoned that all the water would pour down the face of the earth if it were round. His speech entertained the audience well and by the end of his speech the whole room was filled with laughter. Next up was Amalia Falkenhayn talking about being tall. She started her speech with a quote from a recently released Netflix movie called Tall Girl. She compared how the movie portrayed being a tall girl and how it really is. But what her speech was really about was that you should feel comfortable in your body and be confident about something you simply cannot change like your height. The next speech was about the power of words and was held by Emma Hinde. She began with reciting a fact about bird species being extinct in the Amazonian rainforest sounding quite convincing but then telling us that that was not true. She then continued her speech about how someone can sound convincing spreading lies and how powerful that could be and then talked about how these powerful words could also be used to comfort people and make them feel good. The next speech was by Andrew Maguire who talked about the importance of team sports. He talked about his first days in the school not knowing anyone and not being able to make new friends during class because he was not allowed to talk but then proceeding to the hockey pitch and finally being able to talk to someone. He talked about how the friends he made on the hockey pitch that day later came to be his best friends. He talked about how team sports binds people together and strengthens relationships.

Then Caroline Hager talked about how she has always dreamed of flying an aeroplane, not the big commercial airline planes but the four-man acrobatic planes in which she could do loops and nosedives. Marcus O’Connor followed, and talked about the profound message of KungFu Panda. The message here was that there is no secret ingredient, no quick way to earn success and that you should always believe in yourself and focus on being your best self and not someone else and that you should believe in others and that they can change for the better. The next speech about a controversial topic was by Akin Babajide. He talked about why the idea of world peace is naive. He talked about how human society is based on conflict and that it is a primal part of us we cannot simply ignore. He said that for millennia humans have been at war and millions of people have died because of this but yet we still continue waging war on each other with no end in sight simply ending one war does not mean peace it just means a temporary agreement to a ceasefire. He said that because war has always been there that it is impossible to keep away. The last speech was by Peter Taylor who talked about anxiety. He talked about the effects this disorder can have on a person and how it can affect their life, and how some of the most courageous people have the highest level anxiety and as an example, he mentioned his friend who is one of the bravest people he knows having crippling anxiety.

While the judges were deciding on the placements of the contestants there was a very entertaining performance of Irish dancing performed by TJ Hopkins. When the placements were announced it was announced that there would be a tie for second place. Both Tom Casey and Peter Taylor were awarded this position. First place was given to Akin Babajide. Thank you to Ms Kilfeather, Raphaela Ihouma and Reverend Owen for their excellent adjudication of the event.

/by
,

The Learning Rainforest Fieldbook

The College is delighted to be one of 30 schools featured in Tom Sherrington’s new book, The Learning Rainforest Fieldbook, just published by John Catt, with illustrations by Oliver Caviglioli. This is a follow-up to Tom’s hugely successful The Learning Rainforest: Great Teaching in Real Classrooms, and focusses on how schools around the world (mostly in the UK but also in the USA, Lebanon, South Africa, Thailand and of course Ireland) are building on the principles in that book. The stories of these very different schools are fascinating, with in each case articles by teachers and pupils giving vivid accounts of teaching and learning, and of the wider particular ethos.

The section on St Columba’s has articles by the Sub-Warden Mr Girdham, Mr Jameson (on reading), Dr Singleton and Mr Jones (on the re-design of our Science Block in 2016, and the subject of their recent researchED Dublin talk), as well as featuring pupils Shannon Dent and Sam Lawrence.

We are honoured to be included in this book, and appreciate Tom Sherrington’s words in his introduction: “It never occurred to me that the Learning Rainforest might find resonance in anything physical but, for sure, the labs at St Columba’s are probably the best classrooms for teaching science I’ve ever seen; another aspect of ultra-modernity nicely juxtaposing the school’s deep traditions. From reading the school mottto to hearing that one of the alumni is U2’s Adam Clayton (how fabulous is that?!) – there’s no end to the charm and quirkiness of this fabulous school.”

15% of the revenue from all sales will be donated to the Thandulwazi Science and Maths Academy in Johannesburg. This is run by St Stithian’s, one of the Fieldbook schools. The money raised will support the training of specialist teachers working in the public schools in Johannesburg, clearly a very worthy cause in an education system under great pressure.

/by
,

researchED Dublin reaction

We were delighted to host researchED Dublin on October 5th: a wonderful day with 350 people on the campus thinking about evidence-based practice, and networking.  Since then we’ve sent out a feedback survey, and below are some of the comments that were made.  They were overwhelming positive, with only a few minor criticisms, and some helpful feedback should we put on researchED again. We’ve removed references to individual presenters, but there were huge numbers of these too, and very appreciative they were. For more reaction online, click here. For a long follow-up  article in the Irish Times, click here.

  • 94% of all present had never been to a researchED event before.
  • 89% indicated they were ‘extremely satisfied’ overall with the day (ie, 5 out of 5).

Some reactions:

  • Delighted to be at your inaugural ResearchEdDub which was organised exceptionally well. The communications leading up to the event, the staff on board to direct, the presentations and speakers coupled with the hospitality was superb. I very much look forward to the next one. Congratulations to you all!
  • All of the speakers I attended were outstanding and it was an absolute pleasure to spend the day in their company. There was such a good buzz around the entire day and I can not think of a single negative. I am so glad I attended.
  • Well timed sessions and despite the weather for the second half of day it was good to be able to move around, get fresh air en route to another presentation and meet new and interesting people. All of that on a beautiful campus. I feel like I am writing an ad for a travel brochure! Well worth the travel and a day out of my weekend. Well done to all concerned.
  • Best education event I have attended.
  • A fabulous event and really hope that there will be another opportunity for a researchED in Ireland again.
  • Organisation was impeccable/ hospitality was second-to-none.
  • The change-over time was ideal. The speakers making a start on time was appreciated.
  • Excellent, loved it! Totally refreshing in an era where we are all being told to teach the same way with stickers and group work, in an age where the entire standard of education is being lowered, this was the one inspiring hopeful event I have been to. I will definitely consider going to more. It was very funny too, with enormous content. Thank you. Very well organised, beautiful and convenient venue.
  • All of the sessions were interesting and inspirational. It was good to have current practitioners delivering as well as the ‘big names’!
  • I enjoyed it even more than I thought I would and have told many colleagues about it and shared my reflections from the day too. Thank you.
  • It was great to have so many high-profile UK-based speakers. I’m looking forward to next year where I hope that there will be more Irish speakers who are engaging with cog-sci + education debates, but who are speaking to an Irish context … I’d be really interested in being part of a researchEd Dublin (Ireland?) community – to share ideas etc during the year. Such a great day – thank you again.
  • It was an amazing day, I left feeling energized and have used some of this in my classes already this week. I will definitely be attending again and would consider attending abroad.
  • The event was inspiring, invigorating and packed with relevant, research-based strategies and techniques…no one could fail to learn something from the many excellent speakers present.
  • Good variety of sessions, well timed and spaced to allow transitions. I really enjoyed the opportunities to make connections and plans for supporting others as we move forward. I’ve already planned a couple of meet-ups that wouldn’t be happening without researchED with potentially significant impact across  Thank you.
  • It was thrilling to have education CPD of this quality in Dublin. The appetite for it was tangible and I hope it’s the first of many researchED events in Ireland. Well done to all involved for an important and thoroughly enjoyable day.
  • It was an amazing day of learning. So many stand out moments and take away. Well worth the journey from Belfast. I came away fizzing with ideas and things to think about. Can’t wait until next year!
  • Would have loved to have attended them all.
  • Amazing day! Very inspiring!
  • Very well organised, great venue, extremely helpful and friendly organisers.
  • What a wonderful Conference, set in the most magical of places. I hope to see a researchED event return to Ireland again. In light of new and ongoing changes on the Irish educational landscape, I expect there will be an ever-increasing demand from teachers for evidence-based practice and, quite frankly, a bit of common sense. I suspect it would be difficult to overstate its importance at our current junction.
  • Spectacular day, and very inspiring! Thank you very much! It would be excellent if speakers did a couple of sessions each, as often there were numerous places I wanted to be at once! Although I know logistically this may not be possible as more rooms need to be available, and it might be pushing the good will of the presenters.
  • This was the best CPD ever!! I learnt something from every session. The whole experience was so positive and motivating – I just wish I could have gone to every session. Many thanks to everyone involved for organising such a professional and inspiring day.
  • Thank you for all the time you put in to organising this. Having organised conferences myself, I know all too well the logistics. Well done.
  • Thank you to  the organisers , the academic and ancillary staff at St.Columba’s for the excellent organisation and facilitation of the day. It was a quality, ambitious, positive day of genuine CPD (continuous professional development) – as far from exhausting, counter productive ‘Croke Park’ hours as one could get!
  • The day at researchED Dublin was inspirational. I left with a ‘yes, I can teach in ways that get better learning from and for students’. A most positive experience.
  • It was really great to have such a mix of speakers. There wasn’t a single time slot where I was stuck to find something to listen to.
  • I was really impressed with the professionalism of all the presenters and the level and kind of supporting research given not just by the main speakers but also by ‘working teachers’.
  • Beware of education myths and of shiny expensive packages- the teacher is the greatest resource in the classroom. Very well organised and very inspiring. All sessions ran on time and were focused and relevant.
  • It’s honestly impossible to single any one presenter out as each presentation I attended was excellent.  It seems like there’s often a polarising debate between ‘knowledge’ and ‘skills’, and while some presenters stated their views in forceful sound bites I really appreciated the nuanced approach to all the issues discussed, from behaviour to curriculum.
  • Very practical CPD – one of the best that I have ever been to!!  Excellent range of speakers – lots to take back to the classroom.
  • Excellent presentations on how to improve teaching and learning in the classroom, classroom behaviour etc.
  •  Very encouraged to see researchers motivated to embed findings in practice. Also encouraged to hear their willingness to share existing research with teachers including negative findings which are as informative as the positive ones.
  • Excellent presentations. Very well organised. Great fun. Great to meet other teachers at coffee break/lunch.
  • The school community were top class hosts. It was a privilege to hear so many leading lights in one place on one day. Please come back soon!
  • I thought the organisation by the school was v impressive.
  • Excellent day with very engaging speakers. Very well organised and a lovely atmosphere. I’d definitely attend again.
  • A thoroughly useful and positive day. It has made me realise I’m not ready to retire yet as ‘the fire still burns’!
  • This was an amazing, inspirational, rejuvenating Saturday after a long and very challenging week for me in the world of my classroom and school. I enjoyed every minute and thanks so much to St. Columba’s College, an educational world so far away from where I teach.
  • I would highly recommend a ResearchEd conference to any educator but it would be extremely beneficial for new teachers to understand the science of learning, before being inundated with educational “fads”.
  • I am teaching 13 years now and beginning to feel burnt out trying to keep on top of all these “new bright ideas” for the classroom. I love to teach, I know what works best for my students and having listened to these inspirational speakers I am now much more confident in my own teaching and what I am doing. The whole day was inspiring for all of us who have taken up this profession aiming to teach our students and bring the best out in each of them. Thank you to all involved.
  • Excellent day with very engaging speakers. Very well organised and a lovely atmosphere. I’d definitely attend again.
/by

Pupils’ Council 2019-20

PUPILS’ COUNCIL: the following have been elected for 2019-2020 –

  • SIXTH FORM: Tassilo Thürwachter, Katherine Kelly
  • FIFTH FORM: Caspar Ladanyi, Elise Williams
  • FOURTH FORM: TJ Hopkins, Evie Pringle
  • THIRD FORM: Harry Harbottle, Kate Higgins
  • SECOND FORM: Josh Branagan, Phoebe Landseer
  • FIRST FORM: Euan Flanagan, Holly Murray
/by
, ,

researchED Dublin Report

On Saturday last, October 5th, the College hosted a researchED conference, the first time this international educational movement has been to Ireland, South or North. 350 educators, including 30 speakers, were joined by 25 of our own staff from morning to late afternoon going to presentations by world-class speakers from England, Scotland, Sweden and Belgium, as well as many presenters from all over Ireland (Derry to West Cork to Wexford to Dublin to Armagh). The programme can be seen here.

researchED Dublin (joining venues in the UK, USA, Australia, Sweden, Holland, Italy, Dubai, Chile, Switzerland and South Africa, with China coming) opened in the brand-new Whispering House at registration, with delegates arriving from 7.30am on (most of course were Irish, but we did have visitors from Switzerland, the UK and even Australia), collecting programmes and having coffee and eats provided by our superb caterers Sodexo. Then the conference proper started in the Big Schoolroom, with everyone being welcomed by the host and organiser, the Sub-Warden. Tom Bennett, founder of researchED, spoke about his delight in being in Ireland at last and gave an account of researchED’s purpose. He then handed over to the keynote speaker, Daisy Christodoulou, author of Seven Myths about Education and Making Good Progress? She showed how cognitive science has had a profound impact on teaching and learning.

After that, delegates chose from 6 strands, with sessions taking place in the BSR, the Cadogan, the Science Lab, the Physics Lab and the Biology Lab. Renowned speakers like Tom Sherrington, Mary Myatt, Alex Quigley, Pedro de Bruyckere and David Didau were interspersed with first-time presenters such as Conor Murphy, Kate Barry and Leona Forde. One of the exciting things about researchED events is how academic researchers meet and interact with classroom teachers, and the former here included University of Limerick researcher Dr Ann Marcus-Quinn and Ulster University’s Dr Victoria Simms (she speaks on the video).

A wonderful lunch (the perfect time to network and chat to strangers about common interests) was followed by three sessions in the afternoon, culminating in Carl Hendrick’s excoriating and hilarious dismantling of feeble pedagogy which sells children short. In the evening, the presenters came back together for dinner in town.

Reaction on the day was immensely positive, and online even more so: read this collection to get a flavour of what has been said since.

Many thanks to Ian O’Herlihy for the video of the day at the top of this post, and Daniel Owen for the photographs below.

researchED Dublin 2019
researchED Dublin 2019
48 photos
/by
,

Whispering House Art Exhibition

To celebrate the opening of the College’s new social and cultural centre, Whispering House, an exhibition of Leaving Certificate artwork from 2019 has been displayed. The artwork on display in Whispering House comprises the coursework elements completed by the Leaving Certificate candidates of 2019. Pupils had to produce two works of art for the coursework element, one craft and one imaginative composition. These entirely original works of art were conceived through the development of specific themes; ‘Balance’, ‘Indentation’ and ‘Familiar’.

Eight pupils sat the Leaving Certificate Art in 2019 and all at Higher Level. Their results were excellent – collectively they scored 718 points out of a potential maximum of 800! Two of the pupils have since gone on to study Art at third level.

The artwork was erected yesterday – see photos here.

Exhibitors:

Antonia Bullrich, Lucas Cho, Emily Devereux, Clara Eck, Florentine Kolb, Josephine Krieger, Jeanne Levesque, Isabelle Townshend

/by

researchED Dublin programme

The programme for researchED Dublin at the College on October 5th is now available. Check it out below (to see it in closer detail, click the full-screen icon in the middle and navigate via the arrows).

/by

London Tour, January 2020

We are delighted to announce details of this year’s Cultural Trip to London.  The trip will take place over the January Exodus (Friday Jan 24th to Monday 27th Jan) and is open to pupils in Forms IV and V, but is currently limited to 40 places (but this may increase). Places will be allocated on a “first come, first served” basis. The estimated cost of the trip is an all-inclusive €550, which includes:

  • Return flights between Dublin to London.
  • All bus, rail and underground transfers.
  • Three nights luxury hostel accommodation in Meininger Hotel, South Kensington (adjacent to the Natural History Museum), with breakfast, packed lunch and evening meals.
  • Tickets to a West End musical (show to be confirmed).
  • Ticket to cinema in Leicester Square.
  • A Thames cruise.
  • Dinner in Leicester Square restaurant on one night.
  • All entry fees & tours for museums and attractions including: The Science Museum, Covent Garden, Natural History Museum, Imperial War Museum, National Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum, British Museum, Tower of London, Cabinet War Rooms & Churchill Museum.
  • A visit to China Town during Chinese New Year celebrations.

There is a jam-packed itinerary for the pupils, catering for a wide array of interests, and is a great way to experience London and see all its major attractions and museums.

To secure a place for your son or daughter please complete this online permission slip (please note, passport details are required at the time of booking). A deposit of €220 is also required and can be paid by cheque (made payable to St. Columba’s College). Alternatively, the deposit can be lodged directly into the College bank account (details available upon request).

If you require more information please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Jones or Mr. O’Shaughnessy.

/by
,

researchED Dublin sessions

There are under 4 weeks to go until researchED Dublin, Ireland’s first-ever such event (on Saturday the massive London conference, with 1500 delegates and 170 speakers, was a huge success).

Our event is of course smaller, but certainly very high quality, and below are the titles of the 30 sessions available to delegates. The timetable will be released before long, and there will be some tough choices to make (5/6 sessions run concurrently apart from the first and last ones). More detail on sessions on the @researchEDDub Twitter account during this week. More on the speakers themselves here.

(in alphabetical order by speaker)

Neil Almond: I structure (most of) my maths lessons: putting research into practice

Kate Barry: Retrieval Practice for Long-Term Learning

Edmond Behan: Teaching students to collaborate: the impact of skills training on student engagement in collaborative learning.

Tom Bennett: Behaviour lessons from the best UK schools.

Fred Boss: Open Digital Badges in Formal Education in Ireland.

Pedro de Bruyckere: The Ingredients for Great Teaching.

Daisy Christodoulou: Seven Myths about Education (keynote address).

Daisy Christodoulou: Comparative judgement: an easier way to assess writing

David Didau: Making Kids Cleverer: A manifesto for closing the advantage gap

Stuart Farmer: Networked Learning Communities – the solution to effective professional learning of teachers?

Leona Forde: Getting research into practice: one school’s story of building a system for teacher-led professional development.

Rebecca Foster: On Bjork’s Desirable Difficulties in the classroom.

Gráinne Hallahan: The Batman Effect: what it does (and doesn’t) tell us about concentration in the classroom.

Eva Hartell: Comparative judgment – unpacking teachers’ assessment practices in STEM education.

Carl Hendrick: The Pedagogy Delusion: When Teaching Kills Learning

Humphrey Jones & Mary Singleton: A Research-Led Approach to School Science Laboratory Design.

Peter Lydon: Some Hard Truths from Gifted Education.

Ann Marcus-Quinn and Tríona Hourigan: Open Education and post-primary education.

James McCoy: Introducing a knowledge-rich curriculum at Key Stage 3: a case study.

Jennifer McMahon: ‘Learning from yesterday to prepare for tomorrow’: teacher perspectives on applying evidence to practice.

Conor Murphy: The Importance of Film: a brief history of its place at second-level, and how we can embed it in our schools.

Dianne Murphy: Seven Misconceptions About Teaching Adolescents to Read.

James Murphy: Six Kinds of Behaviour Problems and How to Deal With Them.

Mary Myatt: Curriculum: Controversies, Concepts and Conversations.

Mirjam Neelen: Teachers teach but do they learn? How to improve your own self-directed learning skills.

Sandrine Pac-Kenny: What they don’t tell you about learning a language!

Alex Quigley: Closing the Vocabulary Gap.

Tom Sherrington: Why are Barak Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction so popular and so good?

Victoria Simms: Evidence-based primary maths: what is research really telling us?

Claire Stoneman: Senior Leadership: how can we help novice senior leaders learn?

/by

Start of Michaelmas Term 2019

Parents will shortly be receiving Calendar information by email. Meanwhile, the main events of the school year are on the College Calendar here.

Wednesday 4th September

2.00-2.30pm: arrival of new pupils at boarding houses, and unloading of luggage, followed by refreshments in Lower Argyle/Dining Hall.
3.30pm: Welcome and address by Warden in Big Schoolroom to all new pupils and their parents.
4.00-4.45pm: Meetings with House staff (different locations).
5.30pm: Parents and day pupils depart by this time.
6.00pm: Supper for new boarders.
6.30pm to 8.30pm: Return of all other boarders to House.

Thursday 5th September

Late rising.
8.50am: Day boarders and day pupils report to House.
9.00am: Warden’s Assembly in BSR, followed by Chapel arrangements and then service, followed by administration periods and lunch.
2.00pm: two afternoon classes, finishing at 3.30pm. Day pupils and day boarders may go home after this time.
Evening: short prep sessions for all boarders.

Friday 6th September

First full school day.

/by

Open Day, Saturday 28 September

Our annual Open Day this year is on Saturday 28th September, and all prospective pupils and their parents are very welcome. No advance booking is needed: just turn up and you will be looked after (pupils will guide visitors from the car parks to the reception point).

Everything starts at 10am: visitors are advised to come between then and 11.30am (the day finishes at 1pm), with regular tours conducted by prefects heading off around the campus. You will see the major facilities of the College like the Library, Chapel, Sports Hall, Dining Hall, Science Block and Cadogan music centre, as well as observing lots of activities, such as the choir practising, science events, public speaking rehearsals and much more. You will have the opportunity of talking to teachers and current parents about the College.

Visitors who would like more information about admissions should contact the Admissions Officer, Mrs Amanda Morris, via the Contact Form, or by emailing admissions@stcolumbas.ie, or by phone at 01-4906791.

/by

Culture Night, Friday 20 September

We are again taking part in the great annual event which is Culture Night, which this year is on the evening on Friday 20th September. As before, visitors to the College will have the chance to have an architectural and historical tour and talk, which will be given by the Sub-Warden, Julian Girdham. Visitors are welcome from 6.30pm (all Culture Night events are free), and should gather in the Chapel by 7.00pm, when the talk will start, followed by a walk-around.

Featuring will be the fascinating historical context of the College (including its foundation in 1843), the 1880 Chapel itself, designed by the great Victorian architect William Butterfield, the Chapel Square and Big Schoolroom, the 1971 modernist Science Block designed by Robin Walker, and the original Georgian Hollypark Building.

All are welcome, and visitors will be greeted by pupils at the main roundabout entrance, and guided to the Chapel.

See our entry on the Culture Night website here.

/by

The Submarine, June 2019

The latest edition of the pupil magazine The Submarine, or rather, given the time of the year, The Summerine, has just been published in school in paper form, and now can be read online here, or in flippable form on SCC English here (click for closer view and navigation, click on the arrows to move through the pages). Below, Noah Leach’s composition (see the back page of the magazine).

In this issue, plenty of interesting writing, and lots of pupil art work. Thanks to this year’s Editor Tania Stokes as she hands over to Avi and Edna Johnston, next year’s Editors, and Emma Hinde, sub-editor.

Image of the Chapel above by Nikolaus Wachs.

/by

Trinity Term Sports Review 2019

Cricket, athletics and tennis are the principal sports played this term, although the pupils have also utilised our fantastic golf course over the past month too. In cricket, the Senior Boys had a decent season, reaching the semi-final of their league but were defeated by eventual winner CUS. The star performance was Daniel Swift’s ‘88’ against Sandford, albeit in defeat. He also produced some decent spells of bowling and was assisted by all-round performances from Thady McKeever and Philip Shekleton. Daniel was selected to represent Leinster Schools’ Development Team against Marylebone Cricket Club yesterday ….. There were some good wins and individual performances in the Form III and Form II boys teams also, with the latter reaching their semi-final but, once again, being defeated by CUS. The Form I boys also had a decent season and showed good promise. They started with a good win against St.Andrew’s and also defeated “arch-rivals” Headfort, thanks to ‘87’ not out from captain Isaac Dijkstra.

The Girls Cricket season was extremely compressed, with all league fixtures played within a ten day period. The results were mixed but all teams showed great promise. The Senior Girls were coached by Laura Delaney, captain of the Irish national team, and their progress over the short season was excellent. The College entered two teams into the Junior and Senior leagues and were competitive throughout. The Form I girls also had a great season, under the guidance of Avril Haughton.

The advent of two weeks preparation before the Easter break ensured a successful start to the Trinity Term for Athletics. Sending a group of pupils to the East Leinster Athletics Championship on the first day of term might sound like a logistical nightmare but it came together and from the two days of competition in Morton stadium, 11 medals were garnered with 9 athletes qualifying for the Leinster Championships; an extremely successful outing! These pupils went on to compete in the Leinsters, facing seasoned athletes and gaining vital experience and knowledge. Avouka Assebian emerged from the Senior Girls Triple Jump competition in 1st place with a ticket to the All-Irelands which take place tomorrow, Saturday 1st June. We wish Avouka the very best of luck!

The now annual College ‘Mountain Run’ took place recently with Tobias Voelsgen and Shannon Dent defending their titles and improving their times on the challenging 8km track. Tobias ran the race in 30min 37sec and Shannon in 38min 10sec.

Tennis is an extremely popular sport amongst the pupils and our fantastic all weather courts see plenty of use. Our Girls team won one, lost one and were given a walkover in our third game (we’d rather have played and lost!). The Boys Team beat Gonzaga III, St. Mary’s College and Terenure College in the pool stages to reach the semi-final of their league but lost out to a strong St. Andrew’s College (2-3). Internally, Hippolyte de Preville won the Beresford Cup, our annual boy’s tennis competition.

/by

Transition Year English Evening 2019

Tuesday evening saw the 26th annual TY English Evening, the longest-established Transition Year event in the school’s calendar. It was presented by the Head of Department, the Sub-Warden, who welcomed his predecessor, Mr John Fanagan, as the guest speaker. He also remembered with fondness Professor Terry Dolan, who died recently, and who for so long was an established visitor at the Evening.

A variety of writing was heard, and afterwards Mr Fanagan commented on the pieces: Aiyuni O’Grady’s personal piece looked back at holiday experiences on Lough Corrib (‘a vivid sense of place’), Maybelle Rainey read ‘The Silver Night’ (with ‘excellent pace and strong voice’), Éile Ní Chianáin’s ‘Learning to Dance’ about a young puffin was ‘a beautiful observation of nature’, Gioia Doenhoff’s ‘Being Underwater’ ‘got across a sense of tension in a very creative way’, Oscar Yan’s ‘The Wells of Silence’ from the eco-fiction module was ‘very thoughtful and philosophical’, Ellen Homan’s entertaining ‘Day in the Life of the Person Beside You’ achieved humorous effects with ‘a light touch’, Raphaela Ihuoma’s ‘A Casket with John and Me’ was ‘very different and very controlled’, Eva Dillenberger’s ‘Perfect’ on images of the female body was a strong piece, and finally Sinéad Cleary’s piece on Ted Bundy and ‘murder-chic’ was ‘really effective, and very hard-hitting.’

Finally, Mr Fanagan announced winners of the Premier awards: Imogen Casey, Éile Ní Chianáin, Sinéad Cleary, Gioia Doenhoff, Raphaela Ihumoma, Charlotte Moffitt, Oscar Yan.

 

[first posted on SCC English]

/by