Blog Transition Year
February 22, 2012
A big congratulations to TY students - Diarmaid Kelly, Katie McCrea and Rory O’ Neill - who made it through to the national finals of the European Youth Parliament (EYP). Well done! The Leinster heat was very competitive with over 400 delegates taking part and only 100 going through to the national final.
In conversation with the students, Diarmaid Kelly explains that, "each of us were on a separate committee based on our own choice. Katie was on the Culture committee, Rory on the AFET (Foreign Affairs) committee and I was on the Economy committee. On the first day each committee had to draft up resolutions based on our chosen topics. On the second day we had to debate and defend our resolutions in General Assembly. These were then put to the floor for a vote. Katie and Rory's resolutions were passed, mine wasn't..."
Rory O'Neill felt that "it was really good being put to stand up in front of a big crowd, with no restrictions on what you could say. It gives you great confidence". Katie McCrea thought that it was great "being able to debate with your peers".
The national final will take place between 2nd March to 4th March next. Best of luck!
Mr. Culliney
[Image: http://eypireland.com]
Categories: Transition Year.
Tags: 2011-2012, European Youth Parliament, Leinster heats, national finals.
February 21, 2012
For three days, from Tuesday, 31st January to Thursday, 2nd February, the TY students were a hive of creativity in Song School writing songs, making videos of the songs and a separate film trailer. The class was split into four groups. Some of the TY students recount their experiences.
"We created our own songs. We recorded them and then filmed them altogether as a group. It was entertaining." Sarah Cunningham
"We made a song and we made a music video. I helped film the music video. I learned to be steady with the camera. The best thing was making songs and looking at how the music was created." Stephen Fehily
"Editing was excellent. It was fun the way you can change things. The video made me laugh the most." Liam Hennessy
"It was ok. It was fun making the music videos and the film because it was easier. Making the songs was more difficult because people had different artistic ideas." Elan Bondi
"It was an interesting experience. My group made a hip-hop song. We also got to make a music video - that took a day to get together. We had to write a song, make a music video and make a film trailer." Michael Lawlor"
[Image: www.sxc.hu]
Categories: Music, Transition Year.
Tags: 2011-2012, film, song, Song School, video.
February 1, 2012
Best of luck to Rory O’Neil, Katie McCrea and Diarmaid Kelly from TY who are taking part in the Leinster heat of the European Youth Parliament (EYP) this weekend(4th and 5th February). It is being held in St. Michael’s School, Donnybrook, Dublin 4.
The European Youth Parliament was founded in 1987. The aim of the international organisation is to encourage youth all over Europe to be active European citizens. EYP promotes the European dimension in education and gives students and teachers an opportunity to participate in a practical and positive learning experience.
As well as being a very social event, participating in EYP helps to foster important skills such as communication skills, teamwork, research skills and the appreciation of different points of view.
Mr. Culliney
[Image: http://eypireland.com/index.html]
Categories: Transition Year.
Tags: 2011-2012, European Youth Parliament, Leinster heats.
December 21, 2011
Consisting of sprints, javelin throws, wrestling and armour races – the Classical Mini Olympics was an enjoyable (and tiring) event that was enjoyed immensely by all. (Click on thumbnails to open an enlarged version of image.)
As they were based on the Ancient Olympics which started in Greece in 776BC, to honour Zeus (King of the G-ds), we abided by Classical rules (with some adjustments) and only took part in events from the original games. We each gave ourselves Classical names and psyched ourselves up for each event by screaming our names and areas as loudly as possible. Ms Donohoe started each event by shouting “Apte!” (the Greek for “go”), and whoever came first was the winner (as Classical rules only award one winner – second place was deemed to be a disgrace).
On Tuesday 13th December, we all took part in the sprints and the javelin throws. The winners of the 200m sprints were Alice Murphy and Rory O’Neill; and the winners of the 100m sprints were Abi and Paul Ingoldsby. These winners all competed against one another, and the overall winners were Abi and Paul. Liam Hennessey won the javelin throw after beating Seán McGuinness in the final.
On Tuesday 20th December, we all took part in the wrestling matches in the hall. There were three different types – squat wrestling, push-up wrestling and arm tug wrestling. Rory O’Neill and Adina Kilroy won the final of the squat wrestling, Daniel Kelly and Alice Murphy the push-up wrestling and Toms won the boys’ arm tug wrestling final, while Adina Kilroy and Sarah Cunningham were left in a tie.
Finally at lunch time on Wednesday 21st December, we all took part in the prestigious armour races – the most important event of all, where we had to run 200m whilst carrying heavy weights. Abi and Toms were crowned the winners – Abi being the first person to win both the sprints and the armour races, and Toms finishing by running into the fence and injuring himself after tripping over Daniel’s weights.
Overall it was great fun and I would definitely like to take part again.
Rachel Jones (TY)
[Photos: Ms. Donohoe]
Categories: Classics/CSPE/History, Sports, Transition Year.
Tags: 2011, Ancient Olympics, Classical Mini Olympics.
December 13, 2011
Transition Year English Class have recently started a public speaking module as part of our curriculum for the year. Many of us were apprehensive about the module before starting, however, it has proven to be a most rewarding experience.
For the module, we have covered a wide range of public speaking activities, including debating, improvisation and presentations. Despite having debated before, it had been some time since I have had to write and deliver a speech. Thus, the module proved a valuable refresher. Many students were nervous about the prospect of standing up in front of the class and debating, but I think people soon began to realize that it isn't as daunting as it may seem. The general consensus was that once you have completed your first debate, the notion of public speaking becomes far easier. Those who were previously terrified of speaking in front of their peers found themselves slotting in quite naturally in to the debating environment. It exhibited everyone's argumentative skills and, I believe, went a long way towards improving people's confidence when speaking.
We also had to give a one minute speech on a random topic assigned to us. What became apparent is that this is certainly not as easy it looks. With nothing prepared, we were forced to rely purely on our own abilities and confidence as speakers. Whilst challenging, this was very enjoyable. We are also preparing for the final part of our public speaking module, which is subject to choice. Suggestions range from dramatic monologues, PowerPoint presentations and demonstrations.
We have all relished the opportunity to expand our skills as public speakers, and thoroughly look forward to finishing the module. (Click on thumbnails to open an enlarged version of image.)
Rory O'Neill (TY)
[Photos: Ms. Reynolds]
Categories: English/Drama, Transition Year.
