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Ard Scoil na nDéise "Reaching our Potential with Respect, Care and Friendship" |
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Ard Scoil na nDéise Annual Awards Night
Last Friday, October 9th, Árd Scoil na nDéise held its 25th Annual Awards Night. Students, parents, teachers and distinguished guests were welcomed by the school’s Irish Traditional Music group as they gathered in the Junior Hall for the special event. The evening was hosted by Mr. Tommy Collins, who made it quite enjoyable with his usual humour. Students were recognised for their participation in music, sports, art, public speaking, writing, elocution, German, volunteering and academic achievements. Our guest of honour for the evening was Ms. Doireann Conway, who made an interesting and inspiring speech for all. If there is one thing to take away from her speech, it is ‘reach for the stars!’ Closing remarks were made by Principal Dorothy Hughes, who acknowledged the achievements and thanked all of the sponsors. Light refreshments were served by the Parents’ Council in the Senior Hall after the awards ceremony (the highlight of the evening!). Amy Reynolds, Transition Year Awards Night Guest Speaker Our Annual Awards Night took place on Friday, October 9th. This was a very happy occasion at which our students’ talents and achievements were celebrated, and we will have photos and full details for next week’s news. Our Guest Speaker this year was Doireann Conway, a past pupil of Ard Scoil na nDéise who started her secondary education with us in 1990, when the new amalgamated school began. Doireann was an excellent student in every respect, but she had a particular love of languages. Having achieved one of the highest national results in Junior Certificate German in 1993 she was awarded a Summer scholarship to study in Germany in 1994, the first of her many outstanding academic achievements. Doireann studied German and Spanish at U.C.C., during which time she was awarded the title of U.C.C. College Scholar in October 1996, based on achieving the highest German results in the First Year examination. In 1997 she was awarded a one year scholarship to study at Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany, and in 1999 she was awarded a two year University of Konstanz/U.C.C. scholarship and lectorship, based on achieving the best U.C.C. degree results in German that year. Doireann was also awarded a one year scholarship by the European Social Fund to study for a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Languages and Business at the University of Ulster in Coleraine which she completed in 2000. She followed this with an M.A. in Applied Languages and Business at the University of Ulster, and an M.B.A. from Coventy University in 2004. From 2000 to 2001 Doireann worked in Nürnberg in Marketing Communications at Siemens Production and Logistics, and since 2001 she has been a Lecturer in Languages and Marketing at Athlone Institute of Technology. Doireann began her talk by congratulating all the award winners. “Tonight is your night! Tonight we celebrate your talents, your hard work, your dedication, your perseverance, your achievements. Tonight is a very proud night for your Mums, Dads, guardians and families, whose love, encouragement, patience and support helped to make these achievements possible”. Doireann has happy memories of her time in the school and she said she was proud to be an Ard Scoil girl. “What stands out for me is the patience, encouragement and kindness of the teaching staff, who inspired me to pursue a career in lecturing”. During her speech Doireann said: “A very wise woman - my Mum - often told me "your education is your fortune" and how right she was!” Our students listened attentively as Doireann spoke of the merits of a good education. She encouraged them to consider continuing their study of languages, as Irish graduates with a second/third language are in short supply, and languages open doors to a world of opportunities, in addition to being fun to learn. She finished with a quotation from the great Nelson Mandela: "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to a man in his own language, that goes to his heart." We were delighted to welcome Doireann back to Ard Scoil na nDéise to speak to our award winning students and their families, and we hope that her encouraging words will help our present students to “reach for the stars” too. Dorothy Hughes, Principal
Principal's Message I would like to congratulate all our students who received awards at our annual Award Night. I also wish to thank the parents/guardians and the teachers of the students for their encouragement and support which enable the girls to experience success in so many ways. I am very grateful to our Parents’ Council who hosted the refreshments after the ceremony, and to everybody involved in the preparations and on the night. We would like to thank the following sponsors for their generous support of our Awards Night: Anonymous Ard Scoil na nDéise Parents; Ballymount Accounting; Clearwave I.T. Networking; Copymoore; Brian Dewick (Kilnatoora Cleaning); Easons; Eddie Parks (Gem Cleaning); Ger Wyley Sports; Jitterbeans; John Regan Construction; Parents’ Council; Radley Family; Sip’n’Surf; Solve IT; The Park Hotel; David Walsh Office Supplies. Dorothy Hughes, Principal |
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