This page will keep a running brief on the activities within the school. Reports on sports, tours, outings, competitions of various kinds and just about anything newsworthy, should be found here. The list should grow as the year develops, with the more recent events at the top of the page.
Some of the students had fun and frolics in the Gym on Dec. 20th, to celebrate Christmas season in style and end the First Term on a high note. Here are some photos of those taking part:
28/11/2001
The Basketball League is now in full swing and matches are played every week.
The Seniors have so far played St. Enda's and St. Nessan's schools and, having won both matches, are now playing Askeaton next week. The Juniors (2nd Year) have played Castletroy, where they lost (narrowly!) and Scariff (a great victory!). Next week they play Killaloe. The Minors (our First Years) have played Scariff (a great win!) and now face Salesians next week. This group of girls have been training hard and have the potential to be a very good team into the future.
On the swimming front, one of our 3rd Years, Nicola Hassett, who trains with Limerick Swimming Club, has been very busy recently, following from her success winning Silver and Bronze medals in Cork. She will now represent the school at the Munster Schools Swimming Championships in Bishopstown, on Saturday, December 9th. Total commitment and hard work are needed to compete at this level in swimming, so we wish Nicola every success, and hope that she will make the qualifying times for the Irish Schools Championships next February.
The School Open Night took place on Monday, November 19th. The evening was arranged especially for parents interested in sending their daughters to our school in the near future. It was gratifying to see so many interested people turn up for the event and we thank them for coming.
September Sports Report: (19/09/01)
Our first competition of the year kicks off on Sunday, September 23rd, when Karen Grimes and Judith Scanlon represent the school at the first round of the Schools Golf Championships at the Lee Valley Golf Club. We wish both girls the best of luck.
Basketball training has begun again and we should have news soon on our annual schools tournaments. We look forward to the new season with great enthusiasm.
Some great news! Emily Cleary, a talented soccer player, who played in school, inter-pro and national level, has had the privilege of being selected to play in the USA Cup this past Summer. The games were played in Blaine, Northern Minnesota and over 250 teams competed. We were delighted to see the medals she won in the USA, and we pay tribute to the hard work and training that led to her success.
Date: 14th-15th Sept., 2001.
The new school year got off to a cracking start with the LCA2 group when they went to the Burren, in County Clare. The Burren, as the following photos show, is a landscape of bare, crumbling limestone rock, criss-crossed by channels cut by constant erosion from Irish rain. Underground rivers and caves are commonplace here and are accessible to the intrepid explorers we have in this group. Below are photos of the highlights of the expedition.
This was by all accounts a tough climb. Here are some of the climbers stopping for a breather about half way up. Some seem to be wondering if they should call it a day and go back to base...
"...I had just climbed half way and I was wrecked!"
At
the Summit of Abbey Hill. One of the exhausted climbers remarked: "...hillwalking?
Well, I would call it a mountain!" Views from the top though, were
considered worth the climb. Here are the climbers with their teacher, guide and
dog beside the cairn at the summit.
At the summit the group held a three - minute silence in honour of the victims of the terrorist attacks in the U.S.A.
This
photo (right) was taken on the way down from the climb. The smallness of the
group (and the dog) give a hint of the vast greyness of the Burren landscape.
in
the Burren:This was a getting-down-to-earth experience, or getting under it! The group donned "...raincoats, wellies, helmets with lamps and batteries" for the journey to the Centre of the Earth. These photos show some of them reemerging, muddied but smiling, after the experience: "...the caving was very good... it was a great laugh...".
Some of the students
found this to be the most fearsome of all the activities. Once the fear of
heights and of falling were overcome, safety harnesses were put on and
everyone enjoyed the feeling of a controlled descent down the side of a cliff.
Here are comments from some of the brave spirits who tried it:
"...coming down was the hardest part, but once you're half way down, you're fine"
"I was really scared climbing up in case I fell... but it wasn't bad when I was up there..."
"It took me 20mins. to get down, but it really wasn't that bad"
Setting up
the sleeping accomodation.Nothing was made easy for our explorers. At nightfall, they were given heaps of orange and yellow fabric and told these were their tents for the night! After much confusion and collapsing, the tents were finally erected with a little help from the instructor. The tent-making turned into a speed contest and the last to set up tent made the tea for the others.
Above, the
instructor shows the group how to construct a tent, and right, five tired but
happy people try out their accommodation for the night.
On September 17th, we embarked on our mini expedition to Achill. We were to participate in many outdoor activities. On our four-hour trip to Achill we were all very excited about what we were going to do. Little did we know what we let ourselves in for! We were told that we would be surfing, kayaking, hill-walking and orienteering. What they didn't tell us was that we would be dunked in lakes, pushed into mud, and into bogs. The following photos were taken while we were doing our activities.
Learning how
to use the surf board. J. S. clearly isn't impressed by it all! Maybe
hill-climbing is easier. Yeah, right!
Taking a breather after the trot up a mini-Mount Everest! Tara was planning a frolic in the fields later! Beautiful white quartzite stones adorn this part of the hillside.
"Like ducks to
water..." The surfing was great. It just took a bit of time to get used to.
A group of us on the long trek with boards down to the waters edge. Of course the tide was out when we wanted to get there!
"Don't
stand there - climb that there hill!"
It was a lovely morning, the sun was shining... why were we out of bed? This photo is of a group about to tackle the hill behind.
Meanwhile, back on the beach... beached surfers! Next time, a duck pond!
Meanwhile,
back on the hill again! Natalia and Sarah pause for breath with a new friend.
"Another step back and we're dead!"
This is a breathtaking view from the top of the hill. It is a long, long way to the bottom!
All hitched up and ready
for the big climb.
Between a rock and a hard place... Taking a much needed rest on the hill-climb beside those white quartzite rocks.