Summer 2010
Oatlands College News
Outstanding Year of Success and Development
SENIOR C.B.S.
All ireland relay champions
The refurbishment programme is now complete. The new building contains two Science Laboratories,
a Technology Room, a second Computer Room, a Drawing Room, a Music Room and two Classrooms.
Planning approval has been received for the new Sports Hall and work is expected to begin in
October.
Oatlands College has once again experienced outstanding success in every aspect of school life over the
past year. This newsletter is a celebration of the achievements of the Students and the dedication of the
Staff of the College. Congratulations and well done!
gaelic blitz winners.
u14 Dublin hurling finalists
holocaust TALK
Fifth and Sixth Year students
were privileged to hear the
testimony of one of the last
survivors of the 2nd World
War Concentration Camps.
As a nine year old child Tomi
Reichental could remember
playing football in Bergen
Belsen in circumstances it
is difficult to hear about, let
alone live through. A video, featuring his life, from early childhood in Slovakia through to to his war time experiences
and an adult life spent working in Ireland, will be sent to all Second Level Schools this September. Mr. Reichental’s
is an important voice as he bears witness on behalf of so many who did not survive and reminds us of a terrible
tragedy from the past in order to prevent it being repeated in the future.
TRACK CYCLING
Third Year student
Daragh Long won
the 250 m. Time
Trial in the U 14 All
Ireland Track Cycling
Championships
at Sundrive Park,
Crumlin recently.
enterprise board victory
The visiting group on the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem
During February midterm break 2010, Daniel
Egan and Dillon Mulligan
joined two other students
from Dublin on a unique
experience. They travelled
with the Schools Across
Borders team to Israel
and Palestine. This was
the first time that any
Irish students visited both
Israeli and Palestinian
students.
Daniel and Dillon at one
of the Israeli schools in
Jerusalem
Oatlands past pupils, Nicholas Devereux and
Rory O Carroll, (pictured on left receiving his Man
of the Match Award) starred on the Dublin team
which won the U 21 All Ireland Gaelic Football
Championship in Breffni Park in May. Rory went
on to play a leading role in the Dublin Senior
Football Teams success this summer.
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Emmet Jennings won the
Steeplechase in the All
Ireland Schools Athletics
Championships in Tullamore
and represented Ireland in
the World Student Games in
Canada this August.
SCHOOLS ACROSS BORDERS
DUBLIN ALL IRELAND U 21
GAELIC CHAMPIONS
Oatlands College
ALL IRELAND
CHAMPION
01 2888533
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For the first time Oatlands entered a 1st year team in the
“Enterprise Awards” competition run by the Enterprise
Board. KeyKong Ltd was a mini company set up and run
by 101. They won the “Presentation Skills” element of
the competition thanks to the professional presentation
delivered by Benhur Mathai Benjamin, Stephen Butler and
Andrew Hughes.
Y.S.I. Fun Run
The Y.S.I. Fun Run Initiative raised a sum of €2,250
for the Children’s Medical Research Foundation.
email: admin@oatlands.net
•
www.oatlands.net
Bowling
On Wednesday, 26th May, First
Year students were brought to
Stillorgan Leisureplex for some
bowling and a bite of lunch by
Mr. Kelly and Frau Schonfeld as
a traditional end of year treat.
FUN RUN
TY2 ran a very successful “Run 4 Fun”
campaign as part of their YSI project.
Over 1/3 of the school community of
students and teachers took part in running
a marathon over a 6 week period. The
first students to complete the 26k were
Pablo Oderiz, Dermot O’Kelly, and Nicki
Flannery. Ms. O’Shea ook up running as a
result of the “Run 4 Fun” campaign and
proudly completed the Women’s Marathon
in aid of The Jack & Jill Foundation.
Seachtain
na Gaeilge
D’eagraigh Iníon Tóibín agus Iníon
Mullany Seachtain na Gaeilge sa
scoil ag tús mhí na Márta. I measc
na n-imeachtaí a bhí ar siúl bhí
Tráth na gCeist, Scannáin Ghaeilge,
Tóraíocht Taisce agus Ciorcal
Comhrá. Mar a deir an seanfhocal
‘Beatha teanga í a labhairt.’
Prize Night
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3rd Year Ecology Trip
Prize Night took place in the Stillorgan
Park Hotel on Tuesday, 18th May, and
featured a talk from Guest of Honour,
Mr P.S. Raghavan, the Ambassador
of India to Ireland. Mr. Raghavan
explored some of the historical links
through which the two countries have
forged a special bond despite their
sharply contrasting profiles: India
with its massive population of 1.2.
billion and relatively much smaller
diaspora in comparison to Ireland’s 5
million citizens and massive diaspora
of over 70 million.
Andrew Barker and Andrew
Montgomery each spoke on behalf of
the Students’ Council and expressed
a warm appreciation of their time
at Oatlands. Mr. Ryan welcomed
the Sixth Years into the broader
community of Oatlands Past Pupils,
two of whom were honoured for their
achievements in the 2009 Leaving
Certificate. Aaron O’Connor was
presented with his Gold Medal for
First place in the Leaving Certificate
Technology Examination and Anish
Raghavan received the Summa Cum
Laude Award from his father for his
exceptional overall performance in
the exam . Mr. Ryan went on to reflect
on the achievements of the year
group and the evening concluded
with the presentation of some of the
most important Prize Night Awards.
Leadership Awards went to Padraic
Fitzpatrick, Emmet Jennings, Alec
Moloney, Bill O’Carroll and James
O’Keeffe. The Principal’s Awards were
presented to Andrew Barker, Darren
Lawlor and Stephen Sinnott. Emmet
Jennings and Jack Doughan were
nominated as Joint Sports Stars of the
Year. Alec Moloney was the recipient
of The Michael P. Courtney Award for
Academic Excellence and the Student
of the Year Award went to Báetán
Teague.
One of the more enjoyable
aspects of the Junior
Certificate Science Course
is the annual Ecology
Trip. This year the Third
Year students went to
Curtlestown Wood to study
the plants and animals in
their natural environment.
Glendalough Woods Nature Reserve
Fifth Year students went on a Geography Field trip to Glendalough Woods
Nature Reserve as part of their Project Work for the Leaving Certificate. Taking
precise measurements in fast flowing water can be a bit of a challenge!
Photo on back Page: 1. Sports Award winners
James O’Keeffe, Daniel Mc Namara and Darren
Lawlor with Guest of Honour Mr. P.S. Raghavan.
2. Soccer Award winner Padraic Fitzpatrick. 3.
Sports Star of the Year and French Award winner
Emmet Jennings with Mr. Browne. 4. Summa
Cum Laude, Chemistry and Biology Award winner
Alec Moloney with Ms. O‘Shea. 5. Mathematics
Award winner Christopher Song with Ms. Garrett.
6. English and Economics Award winner Bryan
O’Farrell with Mr. Enright. 7. Principal’s Award
winners Darren Lawlor, Andrew Barker and
Stephen Sinnott with Mr. Ryan and Mr. Raghavan.
8. Social and Scientific Award winners Linas
Tarvydas and Olawale Hassan. 9. Senior Gaelic
Award winner Bill O’Carroll, Mr. Mulvaney and
Báetán Teague 10. Student of the Year Báetán
Teague. 11. Leadership Award winners Bill
O’Carroll, James O’Keeffe, Alec Moloney, Emmet
Jennings and Padraic Fitzpatrick. 12. Hurling
Award winner Keith Hogarty. 13. History Award
winner Eoghan O’Dwyer. 14. Irish Award winner
Báetán Teague with Ms. Mullany. 15. Art Award
winners Aaron Deevy and Paul Sheridan with Ms.
Mc Namee. 16. German Award winner Darren
Lawlor with Mr. Ellis. 17. Joint Sport Stars of the
Year Jack Doughan and Emmet Jennings. 18.
Accounting Award winners James O‘Keeffe and
Hugh Mc Mahon with Ms. Hare. 19. Students
Council President and Deputy President Andrew
Barker and Andrew Montgomery. 20. I.T. Award
winners Michael Kehoe and Denis Burke.
2nd Year Geography Field Trip
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transition year... at a glance
Trips to Airfield House, Carlingford Adventure Centre, Causey Farm, Mondello Park,
West Wood Health Club, the swimming pool at St. Augustine’s and the U.K’S Thrill
Capital, Thorpe Park, in Surrey provided some of the highlights for this year’s
Transition Year. To complement their academic studies, the T.Y. students packed a
lot into the year, from Fund Raising Ventures such as the Rose Week Collection for the
Irish Autism Society and a Soccer Marathon in aid of the School Development Fund,
to First Aid and Samba Drumming sessions, the T.Y. Mini Companies Initiatives, which
produced boxer shorts and a fine Yearbook(available for €10 from the school office),
the highly successful “Run 4 Fun” campaign as part of their Young Social Innovators
Project, the Schools Across Borders encounters with Israeli and Palestinian students
and, of course, the project which inspired the Year Group more than any other: the
school musical, in association with Sion Hill, Little Shop of Horrors.
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Books Bunny!
World Book Day, with the laudable aim
of promoting reading was celebrated
in Oatlands on Thursday 4th March this
year and featured some clever posters
designed by students.
open day
Ceremony of light
This year’s Open Day took place on Sunday 28th February
and proved to be a very positive and enjoyable experience
for both participants and visitors alike. School Principal, Mr.
Keith Ryan, addressed parents on the range of activities
taking place in Oatlands and his words were borne out by a
variety of events, ranging from Technology Demonstrations,
Junior Science, Physics, Chemistry and Biology Experiments,
an Art Exhibition of students’ work, as well as presentations
on the The Cool School Programme, Green Schools, Fair
Trade and the Schools Across Borders Initiatives. The India
Immersion Programme, Young Social Innovators and the
Build A Bank Challenge were also featured on the day.
Visitors were given a preview of the Annual School Musical
(in association with Sion Hill) Little Shop of Horrors and
invited to take part in Sports Exhibition Games, including
Soccer Target Practice, Basketball Free Throws, Badminton,
High Jump and Table Tennis. Light refreshments were served
during the afternoon courtesy of the Parents’ Council and a
school based Quiz and Colouring Competition again proved
popular with our younger visitors.
The Sixth Year Graduation Mass took place
on Monday 24th May in the Primary School
Hall and included the Ceremony of Light
in which a symbolic candle is passed from
parent to child. Mark Bolger and David
Brown, on behalf of the students, spoke
very eloquently about their time at Oatlands
and the Senior Dean, Mr Parr, advised them
that if they go through difficult times in the
future, a predicament he likened to hitting
the wall in a marathon, the important thing
is to get back in the race, and to remember
that the school community will always be
there to support them.
Oatlands chaplain, Father Andrew, told
them they needed three bones in life: a
wish bone, as you do need to aim high, a
backbone, as you also need to have courage
and stand up for what you believe in and,
last but not least, a funny bone, because it
is important, at times, not to take yourself
too seriously.
graduation DAY
Bring Back Day in
aid of Enable Ireland
Zoological Trip Third Year students on a
recent Science Outing to the Zoological Gardens.
Applied Maths
Table Quiz
Fifth Year students Luciano Van Rheenan
and Robert de Bhál, along with Sixth Year
student, Alexey Tarutin, took part in the
Association of Applied Maths Teachers
Table Quiz on Wednesday, 24th March in
St. Michaels, Ballsbridge, and performed
with distinction in their first outing in a
competition in which over 100 teams
participated nationwide.
The Annual Barbeque, organised by the Parents’ Council,
provided the centre piece for the 6th Year Graduation
Day on Tuesday, 25th May, on an afternoon of fun and
games before Leaving Certificate preparation.
Oatlands presented their annual musical, in association with Sion Hill, in The Mill Theatre, Dundrum, for
five sell out nights in March and this year staged ‘Little Shop Of Horrors’. This was the fifth consecutive
collaboration between the schools and it was an outstanding success for all concerned. The production
featured terrific performances all round with Daniel Egan excelling as Seymour Krelborn, the hapless botanist
who nurtures a blood sucking plant intent on world domination. Sean Heffernan was outstanding as the voice
of the plant ‘Audrey II’, Daniel McGovern brought a calm and professional approach to his interpretation of
Mr. Mushnik and Ciara Doyle was a tour de force as Audrey, Seymour’s love interest. Maria Forrest, Rebecca
Holmes and Kyra Dionela were magnificent in the supporting role of the Ronnettes, ably assisted by Andrew
O Malley, Cormac McCarthy, Sam Memery, Cormac Parker Hedderman and Simon McGinty who were all very
solid in their respective performances. This cast was supported by over sixty Transition Year students who
played the chorus and company of the musical, bringing tremendous energy to several key dance routines.
Everyone who attended agreed that it was a very special show of music and celebration. A heartfelt word
of thanks must go to all the staff in Oatlands and Sion Hill for making this production possible, in particular
Robert Browne, David Enright, Ray Ryan, Nicole O’Brien and the many staff members from both schools who
filled many production roles.
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Gaelic Team Triumphs
Michael Davitt Blitz
The Oatlands First Year Team took part in a Gaelic Blitz in Marlay Park
in April and played really well to win the Shield Competition, while the
Third Year Team also performed brilliantly in winning the Michael Davitt
Trophy outright.
Players of the Year in Gaelic were Bill O Carroll (Senior), Mark Hanratty
(Intermediate), Alex Meaney (Junior) and Cillian O Shea (Under 13). Jack
Doughan’s massive contribution to the sport was recognised in that he
shared the Sportstar of the Year Award with Emmet Jennings.
Golf
Deputy President of the Students’ Council, Andrew Montgomery,
organised the Annual Oatlands Golf Outing to Old Conna on
Thursday 13th May, on a day when Council President, Andrew
Barker, won the students’ Prize and Mr. Connor won the
teachers’ equivalent.
South Dublin Soccer Champions
First Year Soccer Team
Hurling.
The Under 14s (pictured on the front page) were the team of the year, reaching the Dublin Final
which they were unlucky to lose, in the end, by a mere four points despite trailing by 12 at half
time. With several players new to hurling starting on the team, this can only be an encouraging
sign for the future. The Under 16 hurlers were also knocked out in the group stages despite some
encouraging displays. The Under 18 hurlers were knocked out in the group stages of the Dublin
championship. However, this team’s chances were dealt a severe blow by injuries to four key
players for the duration of the campaign.
Show Racism the Red Card
During the last term 102 CSPE class, along with Mr. Bonfil and Mr. Lynch, organised some fund
raising events to raise money for the Show Racism the Red Card Charity. The subject of racism
was discussed and studied in relation to the Action Project that the pupils undertook as part of
their Junior Certificate course. We decided to raise money and learn about racism in sport at the
same time, in conjunction with the FAI and League of Ireland players.
Class 102 organised a Jersey Day in school which involved all pupils donating €2 and wearing
a sports top that represented a different culture or team in the world. The staff got involved by
raising money from a staff World Cup Soccer Sweepstake. Mr. Lynch organised a visit by the
Charity and two current FAI players who held a ‘Press Conference with Questions & Answers’
and took the pupils for a soccer training session. The students organised the whole day through
numerous committees with responsibility for reception, refreshments, finance, advertising and
other aspects of the event. The pupils also made Thank You Cards, posters around the school,
a Facebook page for Racism in Sport and collected money for Jersey Day. The players answered
questions and told us of their own experiences of racism in sport and then took the pupils outside
for a two hour training session with games and a tournament in which pupils received prizes.
The day was a huge success and (in total) a sum of €515 was raised. A special thank you must
go to the players who visited; Richie Baker (Bray Wanderers) and Ollie Cahill (Shamrock Rovers)
in particular. Thanks also to Stephen McGuinness, from the FAI, for helping to organise the event.
The pupils have learned a lot about racism in sport, and in life, and, allied to the fact that this
initiative will count towards their Junior Certificate grade, they have raised a significant amount
for a worthwhile charity. Well done to all concerned.
Rugby
Rugby Training for Seniors and Juniors will start in September. A Senior Rugby team
will be entered into a League / Shield Competition. More information to follow.
Another very successful year in
basketball saw the Player of the Year
Awards in their age groups go to Derek
Bracken, Francis Bracken, Paolo Cruz and
Hubert Bielinski respectively. The First
and Second Year students performed
very creditably in their competitions
this Spring with the 2nd years finishing
runners up to Presentation College,
Bray, in their tournament. Best wishes
to our American coach Ian Mc Cormack,
from the European Basketball League,
who returned home to Seattle in April. The training drills he taught our players should be very useful to us this
year. A special word of thanks also to Mr. Kiely for all his support and encouragement.
Soccer Marathon
Senior Soccer
The highlight of the year remains the achievement of the U16 soccer team in becoming
South Dublin Champions although the U 18 team ran them close, only losing out on
penalties in the final of their competition. Teams from the younger age groups have
shown great promise for the future. Soccer Players of the Year were Jack Burke(U 13),
Eoin Cotter(Junior), Iain Goulding(Intermediate) and Padraic Fitzpatrick (Senior).
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Athletics
The athletics season ended as it began, with a host of medals. At the
C.B.S. All Ireland Track and Field Championships in Santry some truly
magnificent performances by Oatlands athletes resulted in a hugely
impressive medal haul of four gold and four silver medals , spearheaded
by Emmet Jenning’s superb performance in winning the 3000m. in a
personal best time of 9 minutes 56 seconds. Ryan Jennings won the
Senior Long Jump with a leap of 5. 74m, Themba Nkoala triumphed in
the Junior High Jump and the Senior Relay team , comprising Eoin Collins,
Ronan Carney, Mark Kavanagh and Jack Memery won gold medals in
the Senior 4 x 100m Mark Kavanagh also won the silver medal in the
Senior 100 m, while Eoin Cotter took silver in the Junior High Jump, a
feat emulated by Peter Linehan in the Junior Javelin and Andrew Martin
in the Minor Javelin.
In the Leinster Schools Track and Field Championships Emmet Jennings
won the 2000 m. Steeplechase in a record time of 6 minutes which
is the best recorded for his age group in Ireland and the U.K. Themba
Nkoala won the U 16 Long Jump in a new Leinster record of 5.91 m. Mark
Kavanagh won the silver medal in both the 100m (11.27 s.) and 200m
(22.00 s). Michael Mc Carthy and Dermot O Kelly also performed very
creditably in this, the highest level of competition in the Province.
Mark went on to win the bronze medal in the All Ireland Schools
Championships in Tullamore in both sprint events, in times of 11.28s
and 22.48s respectively. At club level he became Irish U.20 Indoor
200m. Champion as well as winning the silver medal in the U.19 60m
Championship and was a part of the record breaking All Ireland Indoor
Relay Championship winning team with Dundrum Athletic Club.
Emmet Jennings receiving his Evening Herald Sportstar
The Oatlands Senior Relay team: Eoin Collins, Mark
of the Week Award in the company of Irish Rugby International Kavanagh, Jack Memery and Ronan Carney, who won gold
Luke Fitzgerald and Dublin Gaelic Footballer Ciarán Whelan.
medals in the C.B.S. All Ireland Senior 4 × 100m.
Sports Star of the Year, Emmet Jennings, had another hugely successful
season. In the British and Irish Mountain Running C’ships he came in
fourth and was the first Irish finisher. In Cross Country he won the C.B.S.
All Ireland and was second in the All Ireland Schools Cross Country, as
a result of which he qualified for the European Championships in which
he was the second Irish finisher. As well as winning the aforementioned
C.B.S. All Ireland C’ships 3000m and Leinster 2000m Steeplechase, he
also won The East Leinster Schools 5000m and Steeplechase, and capped
a great season by being crowned All Ireland Champion in the Steeplechase
event in the All Ireland Schools Championships in Tullamore: a towering
achievement by any standards. We wish him continued success in his
future career.
Sports Day
Sports Day took place on Friday, 24th April, in perfect weather conditions. All events were well supported
in a full programme of activities which ran off very smoothly thanks to some fine organisation by Mr.
Beirne and Mr. Bonfil, spiced up, of course, by Mr. Parr and Mr. Browne’s lively commentaries.
In First Year Adam and Dermot O Kelly won two events each, a feat repeated in Second Year by John Paul
Fernandez and, in Third Year, Themba Nkoala went one better by winning the 100 m., the High Jump and
the Long Jump. In Transition Year Mark Murnaghan won both the 800 m. and 1500 m. At Senior Level
proceedings were dominated by Mark Kavanagh, Emmet Jennings and Sebastian Koikkara.
As usual, one of the highlights of the day was the student teacher soccer match which featured a
brilliant free kick by Soccer Player of the Year, Padraic Fitzpatrick, and a headed goal from Sportstar of
the Year, Jack Doughan, but was eventually decided by penalty kicks.
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