St. Mary's Secondary School

New Ross, Co. Wexford

Recent Events

2006 - 2007

Recent Events

Highest Award for Therese Grace:

Last week the Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin, T.D. presented a commemoration medal and certificate to Therese Grace from Ballyanne who was awarded the Joseph Mary Plunkett Easter Week Scholarship for 2006. This Easter Week Scholarship rewards Therese for her exceptional performance in last year’s Leaving Certificate Examination where she achieved the highest marks out of all those who sat the Leaving Certificate in higher level Irish, English and Accountancy. It is an astounding achievement to come first in the country in even one subject out of a cohort of 51, 000 students but to do so in three subjects is a phenomenal success. It goes without saying that everyone in St. Mary’s takes great pride in what we have helped Therese to accomplish. Therese is a wonderful ambassador of St. Mary’s and an excellent role model for all of our students.

The Joseph Mary Plunkett Easter Week Scholarship commemorates one of the signatories of the 1916 Proclamation of Independence and was first awarded in 1966, the fiftieth anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Minister Hanafin described the scholarship as the Department of Education’s most prestigious and coveted award and paid tribute to Therese, her teachers, her family and her community. Therese started her education in Scoil Naomh Aine , Rathgarogue before moving onto St. Mary’s. The Principal of St. Mary’s, Mr. Gene O’ Sullivan, represented St. Mary’s at the function which was held in the Department of Education’s headquarters in Marlborough Street, Dublin. He acknowledged the great joy Therese’s achievement brought to the whole school community and particularly to the teachers of the subjects that earned this award: Mr Paul Deavy (English), Ms. Brid Ni Fhogartaigh (Gaeilge) and Ms. Colette Tinnelly (Accountancy).

Teachers, as educationalists, not only delight in academic excellence but in nurturing a well-balanced personality and in this regard Therese is also a star. While keeping up with her studies Therese was involved in a full range of school activities. She was a Prefect, a volunteer in the Credit Union, and an excellent member of the school’s debating and public speaking teams.

Therese was accompanied at the prestigious Awards Ceremony by her proud parents, Eileen and Sean, as well as her sister Joanne and brother Michael. Her other sister, Oonagh, missed the wonderful occasion due to upcoming college final examinations.

Therese is now attending Trinity College studying BESS (Business, Economics and Social Studies) and was also honoured with an Entrance Exhibition Award by that university. Within a few days of receiving her award, Therese returned to meet her former teachers in St. Mary’s to share her delight with them and to express her appreciation for the excellent teaching she had received in St. Mary’s. We are very proud of Therese. She has shown what can be achieved in St. Mary’s.

Who will be next to follow in her footsteps?

Celtic Enterprises County Final 2007

Over the past number of months, students have been working hard on their mini-companies. They came up with their ideas last September and months of market research, production, selling and profit making ensued. A huge number of junior students got involved in the after-school activity and took part in a very successful Market Day in December. After Christmas, those students that wished prepared a business report, detailing all aspects of their business and what they have learned about running a business. They then went on to prepare a presentation, delivered to 3 judges in Enniscorthy as part of the County Final. Congratulations to all students involved in the programme – they worked hard all year and gained a valuable insight into the world of entrepreneurship. Below are the students who took prizes on the day:

Niamh O’Leary & Sinead Murphy – Merit Award

Anna Grace, Laura Bennett & Olivia MacDonald – 2^nd place Junior Category

Ciara Foley – 3^rd place Intermediate Category

Bernadette Foley, Pearl Prendergast & Nichola Sinnott – 2^nd place Intermediate Category.

Multiple Award Winner - Stamps 4 Charity Mini –Company

This unique mini company was formed in November 2006 Since then with the help of the entire school and many others outside the school community they collected over 23,000 used postage stamps. Their novel idea saw their company make a handsome profit not for themselves but for a Mission charity when they handed over €350 – the proceeds of the sale of the used stamps.

On Wednesday 21^st March their team work, organisational skills and contribution to the environment was formally recognised when they won the L.C.V.P. category environmental award. In addition they won the overall environmental award out of a total of 51 entrants from all the schools in Wexford. As well as this prestigious award they also took second place in the L.C.V.P enterprise section.

This is a wonderful achievement for the girls. Their business acumen was clearly identified by the many panels of judges who interviewed the girls though out the day. Well done – Emma Bradley, Triona Bohanna, Ciara Kehoe, Aileen Murphy, Áine O’Connor, Jamie Whelan and

Prizes: All prize winners returned with a selection of beautiful trophies and some of the prizes also included trips away to Delphi Outdoor Pursuits Centre in Co. Mayo (See photo gallery at the end
of this page)

Lourdes 2007

St. Mary’s will be sending two students to Lourdes as helpers again this year as part of the Diocesan pilgrimage in May. The students who will be travelling are Aileen Murphy and Susan Boyle. Fifth year students are currently raising money by fundraising in the school. They organised a Bake Sale for the whole school community, while a quiz for second years will take place on Tuesday March 27^th and first years will watch a film on Wednesday 28^th March. Many thanks to all the fifth years for their dedication and enthusiasm.

Photography Award

One of St. Mary’s staff recently received an award in photography. Mr Fogarty was one of 24 people from Ireland who were invited to an award ceremony hosted by RTE in the Berkley Court Hotel in Dublin. The awards were given to the finalists in the RTE Weather Photo competitions for 2006. The competition is open to amateur photographers nationwide and attracts over 2000 entries. The finalists’ photos and those of the runner-ups appear during the RTE weather forecast.

Mr Fogarty who has been interested in photography for many years is currently Enniscorthy Camera Club photographer of the year. Through the modules in photography, which he regularly teaches to transition years, Mr Fogarty has shared his interest with the students in St. Mary’s. A number of his photographs are also to be seen in the hallways of St. Mary’s.

ARTS FESTIVAL

The Arts Festival is now well established in St. Mary’s Calendar of events and this year’s celebration was a marvellous occasion. The three day festival was organised and co-ordinated by Ms. Corbett with students and staff introduced to a wide range of professional performers at local and national level. These include Joe Meagher from The Red Kettle Theatre Company, who provided his usual brand of enthusiasm, energy and good humour with his drama workshop. Various forms of dance were well catered for, ranging from the ever popular set dancing classes with Sean Higgins, a contemporary dance workshop by the Wexford based Paul Doyle, while Monica Paz of Artscope gave a lively and pulsating workshop on salsa dancing.

Gerry Foran gave a very well received workshop in Art Construction from recycled and found Materials with his ‘Constructive Waste’ Programme, which the 1^st year students really enjoyed.

Brian Fleming gave a marvellous percussion workshop whish had the school resounding with the beat of drums and cymbals.

Past pupil Siobháin Ward gave a very well received talk and presentation to 5^th years on film production. Siobháin, a Production Manager with Crossing the Line Production, has worked on a number of high profile T.V. Programmes, including Wild Trials, This Notes for You, and a documentary on Liam Clancy for R.T.E. We wish Siobháin continued success with her career.

Brian Murray and friends did a splendid series of Concert / Workshops of traditional and blue grass music, working loosely with the theme ‘Immigrants Tale’.

Well done to all concerned for such an uplifting and enjoyable series of events.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Well done to all the Transition Year Students and their Art teacher Ms. Cantlon for winning the adjudicators award at this years event. The girls paraded in a marvellous variety of creative hats which were visually stunning pieces of art, which were much admired and remarked upon.

Fifth Year Trip to UCD

Fifth Years attended a tour in UCD on the 8^th of March. It was an open day with a difference. UCD have recently started a policy of guided tours for individuals or groups rather than the traditional open day. This type of day provides a more personalised tour and a better insight into daily life on campus.

We arrived at the college at 11pm and every single girl was impressed by the size of the campus. We were welcomed in the welcome centre by administrators and student ambassadors. Each group was assigned a student to guide us around the campus, introduce us to the social centres of college life and show us each department that we expressed an interest in.

Our tour of the college consisted of all the main buildings in U.C.D, including lecture halls, all the social meeting points and the extremely impressive sports facilities. The tour took an hour and a half.

While the UCD campus was very impressive, many of the girls felt that it was too impersonal and the tour was extremly rushed.

Seachtain na Gaelige

D’éirigh go geal le Seachtain na Gaelige sa scoil í mbliana. Ghlac an chéad bhliain páirt I ndrámaí éagsúla agus bhí comórtas postaeir acu, 2^nd & 3^rd year students went to Good Counsel College and enjoyed the Seachtain na Gaelige Cèilí. 2^nd years organised a No Béarla Day to raise money for the Cancer Unit in Wexford Hospital. To date over €1300 has been collected. Maith sibh a chailíní! Ghlac an cuigi bliain páirt I ndíospóireacht. Bhain na daltaí taitneamh as na himeachtaí seo. “Beatha teanga í a labhairt”.

Trip to Mosque

On Thursday March 22^nd,second year students travelled to Dublin for a guided tour of the Mosque in Clonskea. The tour was very informative and students got to see for themselves various Muslim traditions. The trip meant that the girls could gain a better understanding of Section C- World Religions, on their Junior Certificate course. Before leaving Dublin, the group also paid a quick visit to the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle. Many thanks to the teachers involved – Mrs. Ward, Ms. C Murphy, Miss Fogarty and Miss Walpole.

5^th Year LCVP

A number of 5^th Year LCVP students have recently been awarded a certificate of achievement by the New Ross Lions Club in recognition for the funds that the girls raised for charity earlier this year. Well done to all the students concerned and their teacher Ms. Forde.

Eucharist of Thanksgiving Celebrating 150 Years of Mercy Secondary Education

A wonderful Eucharist celebrating the 150^th Anniversary of the foundation of St. Mary’s Secondary School took place in the School Hall on Friday 29^th September 2006. The deeply symbolic liturgy emphasising continuity of Service was crafted by Mrs. Marianne Ward and Ms. Shirley Walpole. School Chaplain, Fr. Joe Mc Grath P.P. concelebrated Mass with Fr. Brendan Nolan and Fr. Jackie Power OSA.

Gathered together in the magnificent Sports Hall were representatives of all of the stakeholders that work together to further the mission of this great school. Many more people would dearly love to have been able to join us but were unable to do so because of personal and work commitments. The Principal, Mr. Gene O’ Sullivan extended a heartfelt “Cead Mile Failte” to all those who had come together to mark this historic milestone in the life of St. Mary’s or “The MERCY” as our school is more fondly called.

He warmly welcomed the Sisters of Mercy who founded this school 150 years ago and who, year in and year out since then, have worked tirelessly on behalf of the school. Countless good Sisters led frugal lives so that countless generations of girls from New Ross and its surrounding areas could have the best education that money could buy. The school was honoured by the presence of Sr. Ann Maria Carroll from the Provincial Team and Sr. Ella Mc. Guinness from the Mercy Education Office. Mr. O’ Sullivan paid special tribute to the local Mercy Sisters who had true cause to celebrate and rejoice for their hard work has paid off and they have passed the school onto a new generation who continue to maintain the high standards they lived out with such grace. All present and retired Teachers and Staff were honoured guests as it is through their consistent efforts that the school’s Mission is achieved and only through their hard work that the school enjoys the excellent reputation it holds. Many retired Principals of St. Mary’s were present and included Sr. Perpetua Kilroy, Sr. Mary Hartley, Sr. Maureen Freyne, and Sr. Mary Clancy.

Mr Mark Minihan, Chairperson of the Board of Management led members of the current and previous Boards that extended all the way back to the first one established 1987. The very important role that the Board of Management plays in charting the course of the school is central to the success of St. Mary’s and the generosity of their time freely given was acknowledged.

Mrs. Mary Sinnott, Chairperson of our current Parent’s Council along with members of previous Parent’s Councils led a very representative group of Parents to the celebration. The confidence Parents show in our school is truly appreciated and their support and encouragement is truly heartening in the challenging work of educating today’s young people.

Many Principals and Deputy Principals from the many wonderful Primary Schools whose pupils move onto St. Mary’s were in attendance. A special welcome was extended to Ms. Deborah Murphy, Principal of St. Joseph’s, our sister Primary School that was also founded by the Mercy Community in New Ross. A great mark of respect was extended to St. Mary’s by the Principals/ Deputies from neighbouring Post-Primary Schools who joined in the celebrations.

Mr. O’ Sullivan welcomed the Students and recognised that without them there would be no school in existence. He thanked them for coming to school in spite of the temptation to head off the Ploughing Championships! St. Mary’s is blessed in a wonderful group of girls who are tremendous ambassadors for the school in all walks of life. A wide cross-section of Past-Pupils spanning many generations added a great depth to the occasion.

No school can operate in a Vacuum and “The Mercy” has been blessed in the support we have received from the people of New Ross and surrounding areas. Councillor John Dwyer who, as Chairperson of New Ross Town Council, represented the people of New Ross and Mr. O’ Sullivan used the occasion to publicly acknowledge our indebtedness to the people of the town and surrounding areas.

Closer to home – and the Irishtown is our home- a special warm welcome was extended to our patient neighbours for whom the school year means a return to buses and cars parking outside their homes and plenty of teenage activities on their doorstep.

A school such as ours cannot thrive as we do by human labour alone. We are blessed by Almighty God and along with many others, the Sisters of Mount Carmel Monastery constantly pray for us. These Sisters showed a signal honour to “The Mercy” by sending Sr. Mary Brigid and Sr. Breda to pray with us on our big day. We recognise the significance of this gesture and are truly grateful for their friendship and support.

The magnificent hall was transformed into a place of Worship as a fitting place to welcome into our midst Almighty God who has assured us that where 2 or 3 gather in His Name that He is present. An exquisite wall hanging of the Mercy Crest gifted to the school by Mrs. Mary O’ Connor, Mrs. Philomena Wallace and Mrs Eileen Murphy, to mark this Jubilee was given pride of place. A replica of the Mercy Cross was made by Steele & Co. and was beautifully painted by Mr. John Corcoran. An anonymous donor provided all of the floral decorations which complimented the Art The School Folk Group and Orchestra had been well prepared by Ms. Barr, Mrs. Duhig, Mrs. Reidy, Ms.Ronayne, Ms. Stafford and Ms.Tinnelly and their singing and playing was a joy to hear. Ms. Corbett conducted the School Choir in the exquisite rendition of choral pieces.

During the Liturgy the Prefects made their Promise of Service. Mrs Ward’s Refection after Communion captured the sense of continuity where we are standing on the shoulders of those who came before us. This theme was rounded off with the whole congregation singing “The Circle of Mercy”. It was a very fitting end to a celebration of a School with a proud and rich history and tradition that looks with confidence towards the future, full of hope for Mercy Secondary Education in New Ross.

2003 - 2004

Celebrating European Day

Tuesday 11^th of May was a colourful and eventful day for students at St. Mary’s Secondary School in New Ross, when an all out effort ensured "European Day" was marked in style.

Students and staff had worked for weeks in advance to prepare the awareness day, which proved a fitting contribution by the young people of New Ross to Ireland’s Presidency of the expanded 25 member European Union.

The aim of "European Day" at St. Mary’s was to encourage awareness of the European Union ideal – especially in light of Ireland’s welcome to the accession states in 2004 – in a fun but informative manner.

It was a delight to see the school awash with the colours and information of the 25 EU countries. Every class in the school, had been assigned an individual member state to celebrate in their projects. The enthusiastic participation in the poetry and poster competition in the lead up to the day, set the atmosphere. On the European Day itself, the students of each class dressed in the colours particular to the flags of the nations assigned to them – something which added a great swagger to the occasion.

The events on Tuesday May 11^th began in the morning with a ceremonial raising of the new EU flag by Brigitta Tschenkyo, a second year student and a native of Lithuania – one of the EU’s newly welcomed member states. Brigitta was presented with a bouquet of flowers in the colours of the Lithuanian flag.

During morning break and lunch-time students went on a "Quiz Hunt" - visiting classrooms assigned to individual member states in an effort to gain knowledge to answer the European Quiz - a fun and exciting way to learn about the physical, political and cultural aspects of all the EU countries.

The celebration was also marked by a culinary extravaganza entitled "A Taste of Europe", where TY students prepared lunch for staff and students with dishes particular to many of the member states ranging from a typical Greek salad, a Hungarian goulash, French bread, pasta, pizzas, Ireland’s smoked salmon and brown bread to the Italian favourite of Tiramisu.

The day proved to be a very impressive expression of the staff and students' interest in celebrating the diversity evident in the European Union. It concluded with a presentation of prizes to the winners of the various European competitions.

The Co-ordinator of the day’s activities was Ms. Siobhán Smyth, teacher of French, German and Italian.

Physics on Stage Festival in the Netherlands

Seven Physics educators represented Ireland at the Physics on Stage 3 festival in the Netherlands last November We were delighted that Mr. Sean Fogarty was one of the Irish teachers chosen to attend the week long series of seminars, displays and lectures. The event was hosted by the European Space Agency at its research and Technology centre in Noordwigk, The Netherlands.

Socrates Minerva Project (LEPLA)

Professor Barbara Pecori and Dr. Maria Lucia Giovannini from the university of Bologna, along with Dr. Colm O’ Sullivan, lecturer in Physics at U.C.C, visited the school in mid-February. LEPLA is planned as a web-based resource for physics teachers and pupils using hand held technology for laboratory data acquisition, specifically using Texas Instruments Graphical Calculators and Vernier Sensors. As part of the evaluation exercise the visiting experts viewed a laboratory class performing an experiment based on the LEPLA materials in our school, with physics teacher Mr. Sean Fogarty. The school’s participation in the exercise was much valued, resulting in a fruitful collaboration of benefit to all involved. It is hoped that opportunities for developmental links will arise from participating schools in Ireland, Poland, Sweden, Italy and the U.K

Arts Festival 2004

The 3rd. Annual Arts Festival took place during the week of March 17th.

A wide range of activities were organised for students this year and their participation in these events provided fun and enjoyment as well as opening up the world of the arts.

A feature of this year’s festival was the introduction to professional artists at a local and national level.
These included the Wexford Dance Group – Pulse, under the direction of Deirdre Grant & Brid Malone.
This project is collaboration between Myriad Dance and the Arts Department of Wexford County Council.

Set dancing was catered for by Sean Higgins.

Students who are budding Poets and writers had an opportunity to meet poets who have published work. These include Sean Clerkin, Fr. Daly & Jim McGuire. Sean has been a Patrick Kavanagh Award winner and Jim won the recent "Rattle Bag Slam" on Radio 1. Joseph Meagher from Red Kettle Theatre Company paid a return visit to do drama workshops.

"The Worlds of Music" concert for all classes explored the relationship between Irish Music, African Song & Rhythm as well as the tunes & rhythms of Salsa and Latin.

St. Mary’s was delighted that Michelle Molloy, Dress Designer & past Pupil, visited the school to talk about fashion design. Two performing artists Aileen Lambert & Michelle Fortune gave a "story making" through film workshop. And a special thank you to Sr. Cecilia who gave a craft workshop.

The Arts Festivals have been a tremendous success in St. Mary’s in past years, and this year was no exception, with students and staff enjoying three days of cultural delights!

The Arts Festival was co-ordinated by Ms. Bernadette Corbett.

Photogallery