May I echo Tiphaine, our Head Girl and welcome
you to St Joseph's, our community’s college and
thank you for joining us on this cold January
evening.
I am Desi McNeill, the Principal of the College. This
is my 3rd year here,...my 3rd Open Night where if
anything goes wrong it’s my fault...
St Joseph’s College is fast approaching its 50th
anniversary which means that many of you will be
involved in the celebration of Coalisland’s post
primary school in 2 years’ time...CCMS backed the
College publicly last January by going on the
record as stating that the future of this College is
secure, that pupils entering our College would
have a guaranteed access to post16 study and
that once our enrolment is back to 500, we will be
considered for re- designation as an 11-19 Catholic
managed school.
Open Nights are very important especially at this
part of your child's career in education...When
choosing a post primary school a number of factors
are considered, ..will my child be happy,...will my
child be taught by motivated teachers,... will my
child get the chance to experience a wide range
of extra-curricular activities,... and will my child be
stretched to fulfil their potential or better?
Our ethos is guided by five core aims: nurturing our
catholic faith...facilitating learning in an
aspirational environment...promoting
partnerships...creating a caring community...and
inspiring leadership...so we attempt to make each
child feel as happy as they can be while making
new friends and learning new skills and knowledge.
I have found in my 2 years here a highly motivated
and professional staff. My job has been to
introduce and encourage them to try new
strategies.. and our GCSE results have been
improving. We have a wide range of extra
curricular and after school activities open to all our
pupils, skiing, like the group away at the minute,
gaelic games, music, and many more. We have
invested in being able to fund an iPad for our Yr8s
so that they can experience a new type of learning
tool and in new testing that allows us track the
potential of each pupil and deliver tailored
learning for them. ...We have also introduced a
number of GCSE equivalent courses that will allow
students who find examinations difficult, a platform
to display their ability and learning,.. while at the
same time we recognise the importance of
achieving at least a ‘C’ grade in Maths and English,
...that’s why we have extra periods in all years for
these subjects.
I have been involved in Open Nights for over 20
years, selling my department, then selling my
school and as the prospective parent. Open nights
are a big deal.
Most schools follow a similar format- you endure the
Principal's address- trying to sell their schoolcheck...you trudge around listening to a wellrehearsed patter, -hopefully...You see activities
and then move on, bustling up corridors and
navigating stairs. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a
new format for you, but do hope we have
‘tweaked’ it to your satisfaction.
I want our students to show and tell you about their
and your potential experience here. Some of you
have experience of St Joseph’s, as a past pupil, as
a parent of existing pupils, and some of you will be
seeing/hearing/feeling St Joseph’s for the first time.
I hope you experience an enjoyable journey and
get a ‘feel’ for how we operate during the day.
Our pupils who are all volunteers tonight will tell
about their time here with us if you ask them. We
have planned a route around the buildings to allow
you see as much as possible.
We will all leave the Assembly Hall in groups and will
have approximately 8 minutes in each stop. The
bell will ring every 10 minutes to encourage you to
move on, except the 2nd last stop, where we will ask
you to leave an evaluation of what you have
experienced.
When the final bell rings, your guides will escort you
to the canteen for refreshments. This is the time
when you can ask any unanswered questions or
concerns to the staff.
The first change to our Open Night is that my
address will not be going on and on and on… the
second is that we are going to do a... Question
Time from St Joseph’s.
I would like to welcome on to the stage our panel
this evening…
Cathal O'Neill, 10AC, Caitlin McCourt 8PS, Roisin
Campbell 10 EM, Ellie O'Neill 8 PS and Aimee
Hughes 8 PS
The questions have been supplied by some of the
P7s when Mrs Barrett was going around the primary
schools promoting this evening
Question 1 from Brian Hampsey from
Primate Dixon
What is the football like? Is it hard to
get on the team?
Cathal O'Neill
Question 2 from Lily Devlin from St
Brigid's Brocagh
How long does it take to get to know
people when you start in St Joseph's
and is it hard to make friends?
Caitlin McCourt
Question 3 from Alicia O'Boyle from
Aughamullan PS
Is the school pressurised or relaxed?
Roisin Campbell
Question 4 from Gavin Cushnahan St
Brigid's Brocagh
What do Form Teachers do and how
are classes picked in Year 8?
Ellie O'Neill
Question 5 from Ryan O'Neill's St
Patrick's Annaghmore
What is the drama like in St Joseph's?
Aimee Hughes