Éile Ní Chianáin reports on the latest session of the Fifth Form virtual politics debating club:
Today we discussed ‘the legalization of all drugs.’ Sinead Cleary introduced the topic and highlighted why she suggested this motion. We decided to begin each of our meetings with a quick vote before the discussions began on whether we were for or against the motion. Interestingly, we were an even split. 7 of us were for the legalisation of drugs and the other half against. In our discussions we encourage everyone to contribute through stating opinions, outlining ideas or hopes for this future idealistic world, responding to others points or asking questions.
This discussion raised thoughts and questions on:
should we decriminalise drug users?
the power drug cartels hold over society and governments
whether the sale of illegal substances gives rise to secrecy and mistrust in society?
can substance abusers and addicts get the help they need for rehabilitation and recovery within prisons?
is reforming corruption in governments that facilitate drug trafficking the solution?
if drugs were legalised what restrictions would be put in place?
the practicality of implementing drug legalisation is LEDCs
The real-life effect of the legalisation of drugs in Portugal
In our next meeting we plan on voting at the beginning and end of the debate to see if members have been swayed by others’ arguments.
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Congratulations to pupils who have been awarded Art Prizes this year (the annual prize exhibition could not be held this year in March). You can see the work of these pupils in the album lower down the page.
Senior Earl of Meath Art Prize
Arizona Forde (Coursework notebook pages and lino)
This weekend would have seen our Transition Year pupils participating in our 5th Pieta House ‘Darkness into Light’ walk in Marlay Park. Despite the cancellation of the event, we continued the tradition and supported this amazing charity by asking TY pupils and staff to show solidarity with those affected by suicide by getting up at 5:30am on Saturday 9th May to watch the sunrise from their homes. See the many evocative photographs in the album below.
After the first virtual Artist Talk last week, Maybelle Rainey had the idea of getting a guest artist to speak every week. So this week we had “Art Maker”, Street Artist, Illustrator and Teacher, Niall O’Lochlainn, to talk to the pupils about his art work. It was really interesting for pupils to hear about his work and processes. It was also great to hear about the range of work and commissions he does and how each one leads to the next.
Tania Stokes writes:
Last Thursday we had the great pleasure of listening to a talk from Niall O’Lochlainn. Niall is an art maker based in Dublin who specialises in street art, illustration and design. If you want to familiarise yourself with his work, his Instagram is a good place to start… though you might also try hunting around the city for his fantastic murals.
In his presentation, Niall shared some iconic experiences with us that were made possible by his art. He talked about how a small artistic favour done years ago for an anonymous rapper led to him getting recommended for a job for Wu-Tang Clan. He got to create the promotional poster for a Berlin concert they were putting on, and he considers it to be among his proudest works. “One of my musical heroes got to see a piece of my artwork through this… That was a cool moment.”
Niall’s involvement in the street art community has had its share of highlights too. Doing professional work for various clients has helped broaden his horizons. He told us he had never been sporty, but that on one occasion he was commissioned to paint a hurling wall at Stradbally, which got him involved with the club there for a few days. “It’s nice when you can link in to a culture that you’re not good with… through art you can get into that culture.”
Likewise, his own personal art has opened up new worlds for him. Painting on walls in the streets at all sorts of strange hours of the day has resulted in some memorable encounters. “You don’t get that sort of stuff when you’re in a studio”, he says, telling us about the time when a homeless person bought him a smoothie out of appreciation for a giant mural of a granny he was painting. Hearing about the characters Niall has met along his journey put a good few smiles into our day.
I love Niall’s art, with all of its personality, quirky shapes and the interesting stories behind each piece. It was truly inspirational hearing him talk so passionately about it, and I want to end with a quote from him that I think sums it up very well: “I like to think that these pieces all have a bit of me in it. Y’know, that little bit of hip hop.”
Fifth Former Tita Schack and friends are organising a charity fundraiser for the Chittagong eye infirmity (CEITC), which is the largest eye clinic in Bangladesh. They would be grateful for any contributions to this worthy cause. You can see plenty more details, and a link for donations, here. You can follow also on Instagram here.
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The “crashcoursedebateclub” is a Fifth Form discussion group. We discuss current affairs, political and social issues. I set up the club in the midst of this global pandemic because I was keen to discuss and make sense of what was going on around me. I realised that when I spoke with my peers at St Columba’s that I learnt new things and I was influenced by what others had to say, sometimes to the point of reversing my initial opinion on a topic. This is why I thought it would be a good idea to establish an official club.
I sent out emails to teachers who would help establish this club and I asked the Warden for permission. They were all in full support of my idea. Ms. Duggan and I decided it would be a good idea to start a virtual discussion while the school campus wase closed, so we meet via Google Hangout now. Sveva Ciofani and I gathered the initial thirteen Fifth Formers (the number has now grown to sixteen) and things started from there. If you would like to join our weekly discussions, please email me or Ms Duggan. The whole team is very grateful to Ms. Duggan for helping us set up this club.
12 Fifth Form pupils yesterday met virtually to discuss the impact of Covid 19 on the twelve countries they researched and have personal experience of: the UK, Nigeria, Turkey, Singapore, Hungary, Australia, Spain, Italy, the United States, China, Sweden and of course Ireland.
Each pupil wrote 500 words on his/her country and this was shared with the group in advance of the discussion in order for the chat to be evidence-based. They plan to pull together some form of publication of the research and the findings of the discussions
The topic for next Wednesday’s session is: “Imagining a better post-covid world- what changes should we make and how can governments implement them?”
If anyone else would like to join the discussion, please mail Ms Duggan.
Despite the pandemic and global lockdown, there is some positive news regarding the environment. The waters in the Venetian canals have cleared, LA smog has disappeared and in Thailand restrictions keeping humans and harmful waste off beaches are having a beneficial effect on the numbers of endangered leatherback sea turtles.
Today, April 22nd, is the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, an annual event celebrated around the world to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, it now involves over 10,ooo environmental groups across 183 countries.
This year St. Columba’s has joined the digital community to raise awareness, and in support will host a College Kahoot Quiz.
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You can listen on this page to the Chapel services taking place this term (check the bottom of the page for the three which happened earlier in March/April). A handful of resident staff attend, adhering to distancing regulations.
Pianist: Mr Peter McCarthy. Organist: Mr Tristan Clarke.
You can subscribe to the services via Spotify and podcast players by going here.
Trinity Term 2020
Friday 19th June (the Chaplain reflected on worship in Chapel throughout this term. Hymn: ‘Praise My Soul the King of Heaven’).
Today, Monday 20th April, we start term again (albeit not on the physical campus). The SPHE Department will be running a fortnightly photo challenge for pupils (and teachers and parents too!), to help them think about their wellbeing during the next six weeks. We’ll post entries on our Twitter and Facebook accounts, and they’ll be gathered in the album you can see below. Pupils have been contacted by Firefly about this already.
Thanks to Ms Maybury and Dr Rice for kicking things off…
Though the campus is closed, subject teachers will continue to make 2020 Prize Awards (a lot of prizes have already been awarded in the Michaelmas and Hilary Terms). This post will list those who receive prizes this term (some will wait until June, when pupils will have a chance to spend more time on some remaining subjects).
Many congratulations go to:
Tania Stokes: Peter Dix Memorial Prize for Poetry
Raphaela Ihuoma: Geology Prize
Eliza Somerville: Willis Memorial Prize for Shakespeare
Hannah Swanepoel: Junior Poetry Prize
Keelin Bradley-Brady: John Bevan Classical Studies Prize
This morning a small number of residents again met in Chapel with appropriate ‘distancing’ for an Easter Sunday service. You can now listen to this 17-minute service via the player below, and follow it by the text below that, including the words of the hymns if you’d like to join in.
The service is conducted by the Chaplain, Reverend Daniel Owen. The reading is by Caleb Owen, and Mr Peter McCarthy is the pianist.
Easter Day – The First Sunday of Easter
12th April 2020
The Greeting
Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! Luke 24:34
Introduction from the Chaplain
O Lord, open our lips And our mouth will proclaim your praise.
O God, make speed to save us. O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.
Praise the Lord. The Lord’s name be praised.
Hymn 244
1. There is a green hill far away,
Without a city wall,
where the dear Lord was crucified
who died to save us all.
2. We may not know, we cannot tell,
what pains he had to bear,
but we believe it was for us
he hung and suffered there.
3. He died that we might be forgiven,
he died to make us good,
that we might go at last to heaven,
saved by his precious blood.
4. There was no other good enough
to pay the price of sin,
he only could unlock the gate
of heaven, and let us in.
5. O dearly, dearly has he loved!
And we must love him too,
and trust in his redeeming blood,
and try his works to do.
Cecil Francis Alexander (1818-95)
The Reading
John 20:1-18, The Resurrection of Jesus
(Followed by short address by the Chaplain).
Easter Collect
Almighty God,
through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ
you have overcome death
and opened to us the gate of everlasting life:
Grant that, as by your grace going before us
you put into our minds good desires,
so by your continual help we may bring them to good effect;
through Jesus Christ our risen Lord
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Prayers
Concluding with:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Hymn 288
1. Thine be the glory risen, conquering Son,
endless is the victory thou oe’r death hast won;
angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave-clothes where thy body lay:
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son, endless is the victory thou oe’r death hast won.
2. Lo, Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
let the Church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,
for her Lord now liveth, death hath lost its sting:
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son, endless is the victory thou oe’r death hast won.
3. No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of Life;
life is nought without thee: aid us in our strife;
make us more than conquerors through thy deathless love;
bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above:
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son, endless is the victory thou oe’r death hast won.
Edmund Budry (1854-1932), Tr. R.B. Hoyle (1875-1939)
Concluding Prayer and Blessing
Living God,
for our redemption you gave your only-begotten Son
to the death of the cross,
and by his glorious resurrection
you have delivered us from the power of our enemy.
Grant us so to die daily unto sin,
that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his risen life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
The blessing of God Almighty,
The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
be with you and remain with you always. Amen.
Go in the peace of the Risen Christ. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thanks be to God. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Finally, listen to ‘O vos omnes II’ by Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548-1611) sung by some ‘distanced’ residents on Good Friday below:
Numerous institutions, including the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, have taken up the challenge of recreating their favourite artworks with whatever they can find in their homes, with some amazing and interesting results…
Pupils, parents and staff: take a look at the examples on these two Instagram feeds:
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One thing that has not been delayed is the production of The Submarine magazine. While it won’t appear in paper form, you can read the Hilary Term edition now here.
Editors Avi Johnston and Edna Johnston have put together an attractive mix of writing and art work by pupils, including Sinéad Cleary, Paz Guitart, Arizona Forde, Iris Foster, Tita Schack v Wittenau, Aiyuni O’Grady, Mika Sacolax, Georgia Goodbody, Eyitore Gbenga-Ajayi, Vivian Tuite, Jasper Wilkinson, Aran Murphy, Aeladh Bradley-Brady, Ayodeji Ediale and Rory O’Dowd. And there’s an appeal for more material for the next edition, too (see the final page).
The Warden is sending a letter to Sixth Form, preparing for their Leaving Certificate. Here it is:
Dear 6th Formers
I hope this letter finds you in decent spirits. It is very hard to maintain morale at this time and I hope you are managing to stay positive.
Let me start by saying how much I and all the staff here miss you all at the moment. Yes, it is holiday time right now, but it has already been a while since you all left and the prospect of an extended break from school is really depressing. The school grounds can feel very peaceful in holiday time but it doesn’t feel like that right now…instead it just feels very empty.
I am sure that you are following the various pronouncements from the Irish government every day. As things stand there is a determination to proceed with the Leaving Certificate exams in June, but how realistic that is I don’t know. It may just be bravado, although one cannot rule out the possibility that in two months’ time the worst will be over and that conditions will allow you to come in each day for exams. There are arguments from some saying that it would be unfair to make you sit exams in the present environment, while there are others who say it would be unfair to deprive you of the opportunity to sit those exams. I don’t know who is right, but we have to be prepared for either eventuality.
What I can say with certainty is that the College will be here to support you fully through whatever happens. If exams need to be sat, then we will make sure that, if you live a long way away, or even abroad, and we are not allowed to accommodate you in school, the wider Columban community will help out in every way possible. We will do everything that we possibly can to ensure that you end up with the grades that you deserve and get into the courses at the universities on which you have set your hearts. I know how unsettling and stressful it must be for you, having to carry on with your revision, while being unsure as to whether the exams are actually going to take place or not.
This is Easter week and, although my biblical interpretation may be a bit contrived, it could be seen to mirror the current situation. On Palm Sunday Jesus rides into Jerusalem, acclaimed by the crowds, who hail him as the king. By Thursday he has been deserted by everyone and betrayed by a close friend and everything looks as dark as it can be. On Friday Jesus dies on the cross, his disciples flee and he is mocked and despised by passers-by. However, that is not the end of the story and on Sunday he rises from the dead, the culmination of the Christian story.
You may or may not be very religious but you will still agree it feels now like we are going through a very dark time. The excitement of the approaching summer term, with its sunny weather, sports day, prize-giving, graduation and emotional farewells to friends, has given way to a sense of betrayal and huge anti-climax. I imagine that that is how you feel. However, I do believe that we will get through it, as a College and as individuals. I can tell you now that, if we are not able to have a graduation ceremony in late May, we will still find an opportunity, when the time is right, to invite you all back to the College to celebrate your time here and to say goodbye in a fitting manner.
On Sunday we will be recording a short Easter service in chapel. Please do listen to it and join in where you can. In the meantime take care of yourselves and support each other in every way you can.
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Our Librarian, Ms Kent-Sutton, has advice for all pupils and parents about reading now. Many pupils have a great opportunity to deepen and extend their reading both for academic reasons and pleasure.
Note that e-books are available on several platforms (including BorrowBox – see below), and Amazon’s Kindle app can be downloaded for free on all devices (you do not need a physical Kindle). Many classic books are free.
First of all, visit Libraries Ireland who have relaxed their joining policies for the duration of the shutdown. Anyone can join and get immediate free access to their online services with their virtual library card: you need to download some free apps. The Borrowbox app will allow access to audio and ebooks. RB Digital is superb for comics books and graphic novels; the quality of the illustrations is not lost. They also do audio books. And finally in PressReader there is unlimited access to daily newspapers by country.
The Carnegie Medal is always excellent at highlighting the best of YA fiction for the year, and the 2020 shortlist is here. Each title on the list gives an age rating so pupils can access their appropriate level.
The Bookseller also has a Young Adult Book Prize shortlist.
If pupils/parents are looking for a challenge they could try the 16 Before 16 Reading Challenge. Pupils attempt to read 16 “classics” before they turn 16. A sample list is below, which is definitely not exhaustive but a rough guide.
I Know why the Caged Bird Sings- Maya Angelou
Wuthering Heights- Emily Bronte
Misery- Stephen King
To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee
The Catcher in the Rye- J. D. Salinger
The Outsiders- S. E. Hinton
Frankenstein- Mary Shelley
1984- George Orwell
The Crucible- Arthur Miller
Great Expectations-Charles Dickens
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland- C.S. Lewis
Brave New World- Aldous Huxley
Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen
One Hundred Years of Solitude- Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Never Let Me Go- Kazou Ishiguro
Atonement-Ian McEwan
All Quiet on the Western Front-Erich Maria Remarque
Cider with Rosie- Laurie Lee
Schindler’s Ark- Thomas Keneally
I Capture the Castle- Dodie Smith
Next, a list of some time-tested series:-
The Mortal Instruments- Cassandra Clare
Chaos Walking- Patrick Ness
Noughts and Crosses- Malorie Blackman
Throne of Glass-Sarah J Maas
Gone- Michael Grant
The Raven Cycle- Maggie Stiefvater
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before- Jenny Han
His Dark Materials- Philip Pullman
Uglies- Scott Westerfield
Abhorsen-Garth Nix
Lorien Legacies- James Frey
Shatter Me- Tahereh Mafi
Cirque Du Freak-Darren Shan
Artemis Fowl- Eoin Colfer
Young Bond-Charlie Higson
Some notable new releases in the next month, with potential for these to be big summer reads…
The Kingdom of the Back-Marie Lu
The Enigma Game- Elizabeth Wein
Clap When you Land- Elizabeth Acevedo
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Hunger Games prequel) – Suzanne Collins
BAME/LGBTQ+ Summer Reads
On The Come Up- Angie Sage
Black Flamingo- Dean Atta
Kick the Moon- Muhammad Khan
Children of Blood and Bone- Tomi Adeyemi
The Gilded Ones- Namina Forna (Released July 2021)
And the Stars Were Burning Brightly- Danielle Jawando
Clap when you Land- Elizabeth Acevedo
You Should See Me in a Crown- Leah Johnson
Late to the Party- Kelly Quindlen
The Henna Wars- Adiba Jaigirdar
The Falling In Love Montage- Ciara Smyth
Only Mostly Devastated- Sophie Gonzales
And lastly, the following books have been adapted to films (some Netflix) and due for release before the end of the year:-
Dune- Frank Herbert
The Secret Garden- Frances Hodgson Burnett
Artemis Fowl- Eoin Colfer
There’s Someone Inside Your House- Stephanie Perkins (Netflix)
Death on The Nile- Agatha Christie
The Stand- Stephen King
Rebecca- Daphne Du Maurier (Netflix)
Time have a list of the best 100 Young Adult Books of All Time if anyone wants to attempt to read all 100! Goodreads is pretty reliable for suggestions by genre and for suggesting titles/series.
https://www.stcolumbas.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/seniorprefect19-20.jpeg20482048sccdublinhttps://www.stcolumbas.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/weblogo.pngsccdublin2020-03-27 07:40:322020-03-27 09:57:48Senior Prefect’s End of Term Message
Choose your favourite artwork
Find three things lying around your house⠀
Recreate the artwork with those items
