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| Flat | Work Experience | Croagh Patrick | Bio-Energy | First Aid | Mini Company |
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On a cold, wet morning in December, seven
very excited girls entered the 'little sister ' flat of Mount
Saint Michael, Claremorris. We were all out on work experience
at the time and looking forward to our first adventure of living
away from home.
Every morning we had a discussion about what we should have for our evening meal. Everyone had her own suggestions and eventually a meal was decided on. We then estimated the cost of the meal and the money was taken from the 'kitty'.
That evening when we returned from our work experience we were cold and tired and the prospect of preparing our own meal didn't seem appealing. Nevertheless we set to work on cooking our dinner. About forty minutes and a few burnt saucepans later we had something that was kind of edible. We had established that there were no budding chefs among us.
As night-time approached we all sat around the fire and began exchanging stories about our work experience and we played a couple of games of cards. Our supervisor arrived about eleven o' clock and we all went to bed exhausted after our long day.
The week continued much as it had started and by the end most of us were saddened by the prospect of leaving. Our cooking had improved and we didn't even notice the absence of the t.v. anymore.
On Friday morning our bags were packed and we left the flat disappointed at the fact that it was over.
Caoimhe Casby TY1
As a part of transition year we go on four different work experiences during one of these we have the opportunity to stay in the flat .The flat consists of 2 bedrooms with 2 bunkbeds each it also has a bathroom ,a kitchen and a living room, not much room for seven girls but we managed. We are given a set amount of money (£105) to live on for a week, which has to pay for the food, the fuel and the electricity.
When we were finished work we'd have to come home put on the fire,
clean the kitchen, cook the dinner and prepare the budget for
tomorrow's shopping
A few minor incidents happened during our stay in the flat such
as the breaking of the door on the first night, the wok going
on fire and meeting the scary joggers at 11 o, clock at night.
Our stay in the flat was very enjoyable and was a great experience.
By: Nikki Bell
As part of transition year, students get the opportunity to stay in a flat for a week while on work experience. The purpose of staying in the flat is to experience the independence of living without your parents, having a job, getting along with the others staying in the flat and getting to know people whom you didn't know before.
At the start of the week the group was given £100 To buy
food and pay for electricity although a lot of the money was wasted
on chocolate and sweets. While staying in the flat we had to cook
our own dinners, make our own beds (which seemed a very hard task
for some people) and keep the flat tidy - one of the hardest things
to do when you came home from work as all everyone seemed to do
was just lie around and complain about their day (well some people)
Staying in the flat is one of the best experiences of transition
year as we developed a special bond with the people we stayed
with in the flat.
By Regina Gavin and Joanne Fenwick.
For my work experience I went to work in a national school with children aged between 4 and 13. I helped teach the children their maths, English and other subjects. School started at 9.20 and finished at 3.00.
The teachers in the school were very grateful for my help because
it was Christmas time and each class were preparing for the Christmas
concert.
Each class had to act out a fairytale. They varied from Beauty
and the Beast to Cinderella. On the day of the holidays, there
was a big concert where the children's parents were brought in
to watch. It was a huge success!!!
I also helped making crafts. We made Santa Claus candle holders,
wall hangings and Christmas tree decorations. They were made from
paper and Plaster moulds. The mould got everywhere with everyone
running out of clean clothes! It was brilliant fun.
I loved my work experience in the school and I would love to go
back if I got the chance!!!!!
By Susan Burke.
For our Transition Year course we all had to take part in a project to help raise money for the elderly of our community. It was decided that we would climb Croagh Patrick and get family, friends and neighbours to sponsor us. The bus had been arranged but unfortunately the weather let us down so we were unable to climb that day. Our teacher decided that we would climb the next day the weather was fine.
It all began on a Tuesday morning. It was a calm day and everyone
was anxious about the climb. We left after first class and all
headed off on Gerry's bus to Westport. It was very quiet on the
way down because people were wondering what lay ahead of them.
As we arrived everyone gathered together and began to climb. We
were told to be very careful and to watch out for loose stones
etc. Four adults accompanied us on the trip. After the first hill
nearly all of were knackered. Many wanted to give up but the teachers
kept egging us on. There were numerous stops along the way, it
seemed like it was never going to end but finally after a couple
of hours we reached the top. Once there we all sat to for a hard
earned rest but it was difficult to relax because it was extremely
cold and windy.
Now all we had to do was get back down! This was the most memorable
part of the whole day because we didn't have to take one break
and we were really quick as well. However it was very dangerous
because the stones were very slippy and you could easily lose
your balance. After everyone had returned back to the bus we headed
straight home. It was a very enjoyable day for all who took part
even though it was one of the most painful things we ever did!!!
By: Feena Corr
Elaine Carey.
On the 25th of January we had a visit from Mr Tom Griffin who was from European Institute of Bio-Energy. We thought it would be really boring because nobody knew what it was all about. But little did we know.
Tom explained that human beings and all living organisms are made up of a powerful organised energy, which is responsible for keeping us alive. Based on his experience of having treated people all over the world Tom showed us how energy vibrates electrically through the body. He demonstrated on some of the girls in our class. It was funny watching them fall about the place but I don't think they found it that amusing.
The best thing he showed us was how radiation effected the brain and how it effects the whole body. On his phone he had a MPC (Mobile Protection Chip). When he held his phone up to his ear and put his hand in the air it couldn't be pushed down. When one of the girls held her mobile up to her ear and held her hand up in the air it could be pushed down really easy. Scary but true.
He told us about one woman who came to him for help when she was 6 months pregnant. She had been told by numerous doctors that the baby was going to be born deformed. She went to Tom and his co-worker for help after about a month of treatment she later had a perfectly healthy baby. Amazing.
It wasn't so boring after all. It was definitely worth listening to.
By Sandra Connolly & Rita Corley
First Aid is emergency treatment given in the event of an accident or an urgent case. First Aid ranges from cuts/burns to serious cardiac arrest. It is an essential skill that everybody should be equipped to do. There is no greater gift in this world than life itself.
Sometime in our lives, we could be in the middle of a dangerous
situation or someone you mightn't even know would need your help
and you could be the missing link that could save their lives.
First Aid is very much a part of our lives. Recently, a member
of the Red Cross came to our school, we had an opportunity to
gather more knowledge as we had a two and half days to learn the
basics of First Aid. The first day and half, we learned the relevant
amount of theory. Practical work always comes after theory because
it is vital to know all the basics before you can put them into
good use.
First Aid shouldn't be taken lightly as in some cases/accidents
it can be a matter of life and death. The course was very interesting
as we learned about the functions of the body the circulatory
system and the skeleton. The body is quite a complex system. There
is a whole world of Anatomy out there that we don't even know
about.
Then we went onto the practical side of the course involving bandaging
and C.P.R (Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation). There are various
prodecures used in bandaging different limbs of the body. C.P.R
is the procedure used in the case of a casualty having no pulse
or not breathing. However, if a casualty has a pulse, external
cardiac massage should not be used. There is a lot of First Aid
to be explored and you would never stop learning.
At the end of the course, we sat a test based on what we had learned.
Personally, I believe that the course was extremely beneficial
and I hope to undertake a further course in First Aid. I would
urge people to explore First Aid. You never know you could be
a lifesaver.
Compiled by Edel Byrne
As part of our transition year course we had to participate in
setting up a business/company within our school. Mainly the class
funded the company but we also got teachers to become shareholders.
Our main objective was to sell products to students within the school but first we had to think of a name. We spent many hours going from "serendipity" to 'saoirse" but eventually ended up choosing the name "Comyt" which stands for transition year one mini-company, if you take the first letter of each word and rearrange them.
Many ideas for a product were suggested but were dismissed. Finally we came up with the idea of making lip balms. This would be our main product but throughout the first and second terms we sold ice cream and muffins, headbands and sweets to gain capital to fund our lip balms. It is now coming up to Valentine's Day so we have decided to sell chocolate love bombs which we hope will make us a good profit so we can make more lip balms at Easter.
We spent many classes making the lip balms and we will continue to do so until we have enough profit made to pay back our shareholders. We have enjoyed this experience and we feel that it will help us in later life!
Article written by:
Managing Director: Sarah Dixon
Head of Sales: Elaine Carey
Sales: Feena Corr
The NoName club was set up in Ireland in the
1980's. It is a type of youth club aimed specifically at students
between third year and leaving certificate. The club has an initial
adult committee and a group of hosts and hostesses. The hosts
and hostesses are the actual club leaders and they are then guided
and supervised by the adult committee. One of the first jobs of
the hosts and hostesses is to take membership from the students
in their area. It is a strict rule of the club that members be
between third year and leaving cert.
The club promotes a non-alcoholic environment for its members.
The club organises discos, quizzes, sports competitions and many
other outings for its members. Each member has its own identity
card which shows their name, address, phone number, expiry date,
rules of club and club symbol. The main rule of the club is that
alcohol is strictly forbidden.
The Claremorris NoName club.
The Claremorris NoName Club was founded in 2001 when a member of the founding committee contacted the local priest Fr. Fergal Cunane. Fr. Fergal then contacted other adults in the area and the adult committee was formed.
The adult committee are:
Chairman: Sean Kenna
Secretaries: Laura Deehan & Emily Gallagher.
Treasurer: Kevin Prendegast
P.R.O.S: Anne Whittle, Con Nolan & Fr. Fergal Cunnane.