On Sunday, 23rd February, Ms. Donohoe and Ms. Mahon brought a group of 5th and 6th Year Classical Studies students to Rome to see at first hand Roman architecture, art and artefacts. They all had a magnificent time, helped by glorious sunshine. Thank you to Ms. Donohoe for organising such a brilliant trip!
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Ms. Finnegan, Mr. Desmond with most of the TY students and a scattering of 5th Year students went to Italy on this year's skiing trip. The weather was quite balmy for this time of year, the skiing was excellent and the food hearty and filling! Lots of laughs were had and everyone had a ball! Thanks to Ms. Finnegan for organising such a terrific holiday.
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The annual end-of-term Table Quiz, organised by the 5th Year LCVP students, was a very colourful affair this year as students and teachers all dressed up as their favourite animal. The 3rd Year CSPE students organised the dress-up day as part of their Junior Certificate project which involves fundraising for the D.S.P.C.A. The table quiz was also a fundraiser for Barretstown. The 3rd Years raised approximately €300 and the 5th Years about €200. Well done to all the students concerned and to Mr. Desmond in particular. Well done to Team 5 (Ms. Gordon, Ms. Kenny, Andrew Enright, Rory O’ Neill, Kara Stein, Kate Dempsey, Chad Greenblatt, Gina Cohen and Bogdan Dumitru) - the eventual winners!
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On Friday, 29th November, Stratford College hosted an Israeli Youth Orchestra from Haifa. The first half of the programme involved a number of Stratford College students playing a variety of Irish music. The second half of the programme was a delightful selection of traditional and modern Israeli music. The highlight of the morning was "The Typewriter" which you can watch on Stratford's YouTube channel. You can also listen to some Stratford podcasts! Thanks to Mr. Missanelli and the co-ordinators from the Haifa-based school for organising the event.
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There was great anticipation for the school musical - an adaptation of Mamma Mia! - and the wait was worth it! ABBA music seeped through the corridors in the days before the performances and students could be seen in 1970s garb as they prepared for the dress rehearsal. There were two performances - Wednesday, 27th November and Thursday, 28th November. The photos and video are from the second performance which everyone deemed to be "superb". Well done to Ms. Coogan, Ms. Mahon, the stage production team, the performers, all the teachers involved in the musical and of course, Brendan who had the hall glistening.
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Stratford Schools - both the National School and Stratford College - opened its doors to visitors on Sunday, 17th November. As in previous years, we had many, many visitors come to see around the school and the playing fields, as well as talk to teachers, students and past-pupils. Everyone was treated to a small preview of Mamma Mia! which was later performed on the 27th and 28th November.
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Ms. Reynolds gave the opening speech for Arts Week - an excerpt which follows - that adequately describes the variety of activities and excitement generated throughout the week, and as Ms. Reynolds introduced the keynote speaker and award-winning author, Alan Gibbons. "We have an exciting and broad ranging arts week planned for you. You'll be in the fortunate position to meet with a selection of artists: from writers, to rap artists, to poets and dramatists and to visit our national museums that celebrate art, history and classics. Why have an Arts Week? Is it celebrated nationally, like maths week and science just passed? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Hopefully soon, our government will recognise the value of Art in society but in the mean time we are in the privileged position of holding our own Arts Week because here at Stratford College we value the Arts and the benefits it brings to our students. What is the value of Art in our society? Sophocles provided a rather coherent response, 'Whoever neglects the Arts when he is young has lost the past and is dead to the future.' Not only does art bring beauty into our world but it can transport us to a different time and place and provide us with a mutual understanding of people from different cultures, backgrounds and languages. I hope this week will encourage your self expression and enrich your awareness of current Irish and international artists." See the subject blogs for comments from students and to see a short video on our YouTube channel with highlights of Arts Week 2013.
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The annual Awards Ceremony was held on Friday, 25th October in the school hall. Students, teachers, parents and past-pupils were treated to a wonderful musical interlude - you can listen back to them on the podcasts on the homepage. Student Council compered the ceremony with aplomb and Sister Louise O'Sullivan brought the house down with her speech when she quoted music by The Script! Well done to all the students who received an Award on the day and to all students for their own personal achievements as acknowledged by Sister Louise.
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Maths Week kicked off in Stratford College on Monday, 14th October with Drop Everything and Measure at form time. Throughout the week there were puzzles in the Library, including "Guess-the-number-of-Maltesers-in-the-jar" and of course Manga High - online maths games. On Thursday the whole school enjoyed the tremendous Maths Quiz, followed by Friday's Lego car challenge in each Maths class. Well done to Ms. O'Sullivan, Mr. Clancy and Mr. O'hAlmhain, and to all the Maths teachers and students who participated in the activities.
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The TY students went to Delphi earlier than usual this year, going in late August rather than mid-September. Only just back from the summer holidays, the TY students spent a glorious few days in Delphi doing lots of different activities - including canoeing, surfing and climbing. Thanks to Ms. Finnegan for organising the trip and to Ms. Cooper for also coming on the trip.
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