Newsletter
September 2001
PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION - WINNERS OF THE RAFFLE 11TH APRIL 2001 - CAREER NEWS - DEBATING NEWS - JUNIOR CERTIFICATE SCHOOLS PROGRAMME BOOK LAUNCH - Glendalough - ROYAL BREFFNI CENTRE VISIT - MUSIC NEWS - FORTHCOMING MUSIC EVENTS - MERCY COLLEGE HOCKEY CLUB REPORT - HOME SCHOOL COMMUNITY CO-ORDINATOR - AWARDS CEREMONY 2001 - EXAM RESULTS - VALENTINE’S RAFFLE
The
Parents’ Association would like to thank all those who subscribed to our
Envelope Collection. Our thanks
especially to those who gave us a donation in excess of the amount asked for
this will help with costs towards Graduation Mass and teas.
Our
Easter Raffle raised £1,600. Our thanks
to all who supported our efforts and congratulations to the winners.
Well
done to our sellers of the most tickets – Leanne Byrne and Samantha Burke.
WINNERS OF THE RAFFLE 11TH APRIL 2001
1st Prize £250: Tracey Conway Mercy College
2nd Prize £125 Siobhan Kane Mercy
College
3rd Prize £75 D. Moran, 76 Belcamp
Gardens, Priorswood, Dublin 17
4th Prize £25: Philip Foley, 4 Clonrosse
Drive, Dublin 13.
5th Prize £25: Miriam Downey, 2 Aulden
Grange, Santry, Dublin 9.
CAREER NEWS
Good
luck to all 6th years with their college applications. C.A.O. applicants can change course choices
up to 1st July 2001. Many 6th years were eligible to apply to Third Level under the North Dublin Access
Programme (NDA). This scheme provides a
further opportunity to gain access to Third Level. Some Fifth Years had an exciting day at Dublin City Unniversity
(D.C.U.) shadowing Third Level students in various faculties.
Parents
are welcome to make appointments with either Guidance Counsellor at any time.
DEBATING NEWS
On
April 3rd the Debating Society held the final of this years debating
league. The finalists - Caroline
Brennan, Aisling Keenan, Lisa McDonnell, Nicola Fagan, Rachel Jones and Clare
Cooke - debated the motion “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”. Nicola, Rachel and Clare were selected
winners, with Clare chosen as best speaker. A special thanks to Mrs. Mooney who sponsored the prizes.
On
Tuesday 15th May the Society held a teachers v students debate in
aid of Cystic Fibrosis. The students
who spoke were Lisa Clancy, Deirdre Murphy, Louise Costello and Niamh
Whyte. The teachers involved were Ms.
Moran, Ms. Downes, Mrs. McAlister and Ms. Daltún. The motion for debate was, “The Youth Of Today Have It
Easy”. Thank you to all who
participated and to the adjudicators Ms. Quinn, Rebecca Doyle and Karen Flynn.
Finally
congratulations to Deirdre Murphy 6th Year who won this years school
award for debating. Deirdre has played
an active role in the Society since first year and was this years chairperson.
JUNIOR CERTIFICATE SCHOOLS PROGRAMME BOOK LAUNCH
Students
participating in the Junior Certificate Schools Programme were invited to write
a book and enter it in the “Make a Book Project”.
Room
31 wrote a book called “A Guide to Egypt” and room 33 did a book about Irish
Music.
On
Monday 9th April Room 31 and 32 went to Dublin Castle to view all
the books entered for the project. Certificates
were presented by Damien McCall, from Den 2.
It
was a very enjoyable day for both students and staff.
Glendalough
On
12th May 2001 four students from Mercy College and seven boys from
Chanel College along with our Chaplain, Susan Robinson, Chanel College
Chaplain, Jackie Whelan and her daughter Emma left for Glendalough at 8.30
a.m. We arrived at a Youth Hostel and
we had a look around. Then we left the
Hostel and set out on our tour of Glendalough. We visited Kevin’s Well and the Monastic City. We had our lunch and then headed back to the Hostel. We then spent about an hour doing meditation
after which we had an hour or two to spend as we wished. Some of us spent the time sunbathing while
the more adventurous ones went climbing the mountains. At 8.00 p.m. we headed home and I think we
all agreed that it was a very enjoyable day. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Susan, Jackie and Ms.
Quinn for organising the trip.
ROYAL BREFFNI CENTRE VISIT
On
the 22nd May 2001 the five First Year classes went to the Royal
Breffni Centre in Cavan. We left at
9.00 a.m. and arrived at 11.00 a.m. First we went on the Crystal Maze Advenbure. This activity is a mental and physical challenge and was very
much fun. Afterwards we went to a cow
shed which had an inflatable mattress with podiums which two people stand on
and fight with giant sponges. After
lunch we went on a mountain hike which was tiring but was also fun. At the top there was a view of six different
counties. Then we went back down, got
back on the bus and went to a forest. In the forest we followed a nature trail. The highlight of this is when we all had a water fight in the
paddling pool. It was great fun and we
all enjoyed it. Mick’s team won and we
got a trophy and some sweets.
MUSIC NEWS
After
the success of their Christmas Concert with St. Mary’s Brass and Reed band,
Maynooth, the school choirs have had busy Spring and Summer terms.
The
Department of Education and Science Choir Exams took place directly after Easter. Seven choirs from the school took part and
were highly praised for their performances ranging from popular movie songs to
more serious classical pieces. Mr. John
Fitzpatrick, director of the Cork International Choral Competition, acted as
examiner on behalf of the Department of Education. The choirs received excellent marks and many favourable comments
in their reports.
The
school choir were invited to sing choral evensong in Christ Church Cathedral on
Saturday 19th May. On their
arrival, the students received a very warm welcome from the cathedral staff and
clergy. They sang the entire service
and received a special blessing and thanks from the Rev. Dermot Dunne, the
Dean’s Vicar in the Cathedral. The
girls sand beautifully and were delighted to see many parents and friends in
the congregation. Thanks to all for
their continued support! The choir has
been asked to return to the Cathedral next year.
The
school choir also sang at the school awards ceremony on Monday 21st May and at the sixth-year Graduation mass at the end of the school year.
FORTHCOMING MUSIC EVENTS
The
school choir is looking forward to singing in St. Brendan’s Church, Coolock for
the annual Mass in honour of St. Therese. The festival lasts for 3 days and the girls of Mercy College will sing
on the closing night. The choir is
delighted to welcome Judith Gannon, a past pupil of Mercy College (2000) who
will accompany them on the organ.
The
Mass will take place on Wednesday 26th September at 7.30 p.m. All are welcome.
The
choir will sing Evensong at the Ecumenical Harvest Service in St. Doulagh’s
Church, Malahide on Sunday 14th October at 7.00 p.m. Come along and join in the hymns!
MERCY COLLEGE HOCKEY CLUB REPORT
This
year has seen the number of members playing hockey increase. The Junior team played in the Leinster
League. They were unfortunately pipped
at the post for a place in the quarter finals.
After
Christmas the Northside Leagues began. Our First Years played two matches and drew both. They played very well and show great promise
for the future. The Minor Team were
going at a great pace when unfortunately all matches were cancelled due to the
foot and mouth scare. Never mind girls,
there is always next year. Our senior
team never got to play any matches. The
school league was played over the past few weeks. There were some very good matches. We had to wait until the final match to decide 1st and
2nd places.
Congratulations
to Angela Quinn’s team – the winners and to Melissa Hickey’s team – runners up. A very exciting trip to Eurodisney Paris has
been planned for October mid-term 2002. There will be some places available to the incoming First Years.
At
the suggestion of the Fourth Year hockey players a Testimonial Match was held in
honour of Alison Gown Sixth Year. A
good time was had by all and we wish Alison and all the Sixth Years every
success in the Leaving Certificate. We
would also like to wish all the Junior Certificate students the very best in
their examinations.
Lastly
on behalf of the Hockey Club many thanks to Ms. Harrison for all her help this
year. Have a lovely summer holiday.
HOME SCHOOL COMMUNITY CO-ORDINATOR
My
name is Maria Somers. I am the newly
appointed Home School Community Co-ordinator and hope to continue the excellent
work carried out by Ms. Phyllis Keogh. On September 21st Mercy College is hosting the Team Theatre
Showcase production “Burning Dreams”. Parents and teachers from the participating schools are invited to
attend on that date. We’d love if as
many adults as possible would join us for this enjoyable production. The performance starts at 9.30 a.m. and the
showcase ends at 11.45 a.m. on September 21st. There will be follow up workshops for some
Fifth Year students.
“Creating
Harmony in the Family” workshops will continue on Tuesday evenings between 2.00
p.m. and 4.00 p.m. in the Parents’ Room, Mercy College. These workshops are for adults interested in
learning more about Adlerian theory. Vincent Byrne is an Adlerian Psychologist who helps parents understand
how the family works with particular emphasis on how to survive the teenager
years. He explains how each child’s
place in the family i.e. the eldest, the youngest etc., affects how he/she
copes with life and its challenges. Vincent
is always entertaining, informative and has been a great resource to parents
and teachers. Vincent is also available
for parents to drop in to see him in Mercy College on Wednesday afternoons from
2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. There is no
charge for this service.
An
Art class for adults will commence on Thursday September 20th between 10.00 a.m. and 12.00 noon I
also hope to provide Basic First Aid and Math.
Please
let me know what your needs are and I look forward to meeting you in the
Parents Room.
AWARDS CEREMONY 2001
Congratulations
to all students who won awards this year. Pictured below are just some of the students who won awards.
1. HEAD GIRL ALISON GOWRAN
DEPUTY HEAD GIRL LOUISE
HARNEY
2. PREFECTS
ELAINE
ADAMS
PAMELA
BLAKE
LINDA
BRESLIN
YVONNE
CAROLAN
LISA
CLANCY
ORLA
COLGAN
CIARA
GREGG
MICHELLE
HARRIS
JANINE
HEFFERNAN
MAIRE-CLAIRE
HOYSTED
CLAIRE
MOREAU
DEIRDRE
MURPHY
JEAN
MURPHY
ELAINE
MCGAULEY
CAROLINE
McNAMARA
EMER
PRESTON
CAROL
SWEENEY
THAI
TRINH
3. BEST ACADEMIC STUDENT
FIRST
YEAR
ANNE MADDEN R.5JEMMA
KIRBY R.6
AISLING
KEENAN R.7
GEMMA
HOGAN R.8
SECOND YEAR
RACHEL
DOYLE R.20
SINEAD
KEOGH R.10
EMMA
FAGAN R.12
MICHELLE
REGAN R.11
RACHEL
JONES R.9
THIRD
YEAR
CAROLINE
MCCAUL R.21
TARA
RYAN R.22
ELAINE
BURKE R.23
LAURA
REILLY R.24
WINNIE
KANE R.31
FOURTH
YEAR
ANGELA
QUINN 4.1
AINE
HALLISSEY 4.2
FIFTH
YEAR
SUSAN
TRAYNOR 5.1
CLAIRE
SHERIDAN 5.2
YVONNE
DOYLE 5.3
MELISSA
HICKEY 5.4
ELAINE
MCCANN R.32
SIXTH
YEAR
LYNDSEY
SMITH 6.1
ORLA
COLGAN 6.2
LISA
CLANCY 6.3
CAROL
SWEENEY 6.4
4. SUPREME EFFORT AWARDS
FIRST YEAR
EMMA BUTT R.5LAURA
WALSH R.6
JAYNE
HOWARD R.7
SUZANNE
SHIELDS R.8
SECOND YEAR
SARAH
TIPPING R.20
FRANCES
CAFFREY R.9
JENNIFER
COMISKEY R.10
GILLIAN
BYRNE R.11
CLAIRE
COOKE R.12
THIRD
YEAR
SABRINA
WOODS R.21
LOUISE
MANGAN R.22
LESLEY
BRANT R.23
PAMELA
CARR R.24
STEPHANIE
MARTIN R.31
FOURTH
YEAR
JACQUELINE
DANIEL 4.1
LORNA
HOWARD 4.2
FIFTH
YEAR
ORLA
MITCHELL 5.1
SIOBHAN
KAVANAGH 5.2
ANNE
MARIE MURRAY 5.3
NIAMH
O’CONNELL 5.4
JUNE
CRUISE R.32
SIXTH
YEAR
ALISON GOWRAN 6.1
MICHELLE
KELLY 6.2
DEIRDRE
MURPHY 6.3
TARA
KNEPPER 6.4
5. FULL ATTENDANCE
SARAH
TIPPING 2.1
CAROLINE
MCCAUL 3.1
6. BEST LEAVING CERT STUDENT OF 2000
JUDITH
GANNON
7. BEST JUNIOR CERT STUDENT OF 2000
SUSAN
TRAYNOR
8.
BEST RESULT IN THE JUNIOR
CERT IN EACH THIRD YEAR CLASS
3.1
JENNIFER KENT
3.2
GLENDA MORRIS
3.3
CLAIRE SHERIDAN
3.4
LINH THUY LUC
9.
STUDENT OF THE YEAR IN EACH
YEAR GROUP (TROPHY)
1ST YEAR – AISLING KEENAN
2ND YEAR – CLAIRE COOKE
3RD YEAR – CAOIMHE PROCTOR
4TH YEAR – LORNA HOWARD
5TH YEAR – SUSAN TRAYNOR
6TH YEAR – CLAIRE MOREAU
10.
BEST STUDENT IN EXTRA
CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES (TROPHY)
ART
LUCIA
HARRISON 6TH YEAR
JOANNE
FERGUSON 6TH YEAR
DRAMA
ANGELA
QUINN 4TH YEAR
MUSIC
ORLA
COLGAN 6TH YEAR
DEBATING
DEIRDRE
MURPHY 6TH YEAR
SPORT
MELISSA
MCGUINNESS 6TH YEAR REPRESENTING IRELAND WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
11.
SPECIAL CERTS FOR LIBRARIANS/SPORT/ROOM
CERT/CHEERFUL PERSON AWARD
LIBRARIANS
TRACEY
WADE 2ND YEAR
PAMELA
WARD 2ND YEAR
SPORT
ZOWIE
O’NEILL 1ST YEAR (REPRESENTING IRELAND IN EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP)
CHEERFUL PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD
ANNE
MARIE MURRAY 5TH YEAR
12.
SPECIAL CERT FOR OUTSTANDING
CONTRIBUTION FOR PREPARATION FOR 4TH YEAR
AINE
HALLISSEY
JACQUELINE
DANIEL
13.
CLEAN ENVIRONMENT AWARD
ROOM
30 BUSINESS ROOM
ROOM
4 MUSIC ROOM
ROOM
13 RELIGION ROOM
14.
BEST CLASS SPIRIT (SHIELD)
Room
5 FIRST YEAR
15.
OVERALL STUDENT OF THE YEAR
MARIE
CLAIRE HOYSTED 6TH YEAR
INCOMING PREFECTS
CLARE BAKERGRACE
BIRCH
MARGARET
BRADY
MARIE
BURROWS
SINEAD
CAROLAN
NORA
CASHE
LAURA
CHURCHYARD
MICHELLE
DOYLE
YVONNE
DOYLE
LORRAINE
FEDIGAN
KATE
FOLEY
MELISSA
HICKEY
EDEL
KELLY
REBECCA
KEOGH
BELINDA
MORAN
ANNE
MARIE MURRAY
NIAMH
O’CONNELL
NAOMI
RINGWOOD
NIAMH
RUANE
VERONICA
RYAN
NIAMH
WHYTE
DEPUTY HEAD GIRL
HELEN
CAHILL
HEAD GIRL
KAREN
O’CONNOR
EXAM RESULTS
Leaving and Junior Certificate Examination
results this year were spectacular as usual. Congratulations to all of the girls. Practically all of our Leaving Certificate pupils achieved their first preference
courses in Colleges. We wish you every
success in your future studies. A
special word of thanks goes to all of their teachers and parents who supported
the girls so faithfully. Well done to
one and all.
VALENTINE’S RAFFLE
Rooms
31 and 32 organised a St. Valentine’s raffle this year. All the money raised was used to install an
Internet Line in their classrooms.
It
was a huge success, raising £400.
Many
local businesses have also donated money for this Internet Line and we are very
grateful for their support.
Many
thanks to all students, teachers and staff who also supported us.
Congratulations
to our Prizewinners:
1st Therese Kellett
2nd Emer Preston
3rd Amy Preston
4th Ms. O’Hanlon
5th Caroline McCall
A
special thanks to the Board of Management who have offered to contribute to the
Internet fund on a regular basis.
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