The School will be closed on Thursday, March 16th to facilitate staff training.
Seachtain na Gaeilge aims to promote Irish language and culture and is currently being celebrated in Skibbereen Community School. Pictured below are students performing at the event today.
Author David Rudden gave a writing workshop to Transition Years today. David has just written the bestseller "Knights of the borrowed dark". He spoke about how ideas come from everywhere, how to deal with writers block and how he has just sold the movie rights. Many thanks to David for spending his day with us.
The school would like to wish a Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to everybody in the school community. Pictured below include Matthew Monks, Kevin O’Donoghue, Wayne Williamson, Kai Hill, Owen Minihane, Karen Galvin, Eilish Hurley, Mary O’Driscoll, Una McNulty, Orla O’Sullivan, and Maura Cullinane, who were asked to organise a display for Skibbereen Community School for Saint Patrick’s Day and the annual Seachtain Na Gaeilge. No expense was spared with the decorations that were bought in the pound shop in the car park of Drinagh Co-Op.
The students did a great job in sourcing the materials and were justly rewarded with a treat in Field’s Coffee Shop where they were seen meeting the owner Ruth Field.
Organising the display was a mammoth task that involved assistance from the wider school community where particular mention must be given to the BAM staff and Ms Orla O’Sullivan’s Second and First Year classes. A big thank you to Wayne Dwyer, Sean Twomey, Daniel Cotter, Cindy and Matthew Cosgrove who gave up a lot of time to make the fabulous display.
The wonderful array of colours can be seen at the entrance to the school and they have also set the mood for the great week of Irish speaking. Although Saint Patrick did a number of wonderful things, we think the best miracle he performed was giving us an annual day off school! Well done to all 'agus bain taitneamh as Lá Fhéile Pádraig'.
Thirty Fifth Year students attended "The WCYMH Awareness Day" in the Parkway Hotel in Dunmanway today. The students really enjoyed it and participated in all of the activities that were on offer. As well as talks from ReachOut, JIGSAW, CAMHS, and Health & Fitness Coaches, there were also workshops that allowed students to get actively involved. Workshops included: Meditation, Musical Expression, Chakra Dancing, Boxing, as well as active wellness planning for the needs and wants of young adults. Many thanks to Ms. Rosie O'Brien, School Chaplain and Ms.Deirdre Hennigan, Religion Teacher for organising and accompanying the students.
Aujourd'hui, les élèves de cinquième (2nd years) sont allés à Cork avec Monsieur Lynch et Madame Farrell. C'était pour voir un film français en français mais qui était sous-titré en anglais. C'était vraiment une belle expérience! Évidement ils ont trouvé un peu de temps après pour manger un burger et faire un peu de shopping en ville.
Well done to our First Year Boys Basketball team who defeated both St. Michael's College Ballsbridge (46 - 23) & St. Munchin's College Limerick (19 - 16) today.
TY Home Economics students were exceptionally busy in the kitchen yesterday, as they took part in a cook off competition. Pictured below are the enthusiastic judges with the winning students: 1st place: Lisa Harte & Katie Cronin, 2nd place: Chloe Crowley & Rachel Deasy & 3rd place: Brendan Keohane, Paul Keane & Jack Collins.
Our second year boys basketball team go second in the league after a comprehensive win over Coláiste Ghobnatan by a score of 44 to 14. The boys who have put the work in at training since last September were the same boys who performed so well in this contest. Jet- heeled Jack Payne Murphy, top scorer Matthew Brosnan and the skilful duo of Ger MacEoin and Eividas Andreikus combined beautifully to be a constant attacking force, while Szymon Zlob and Robbie Minihane were a colossus at the back, dominating the action.
Our wonderful caretaker Blaise had swept the complex boards until they sparkled before the match and it proved a fitting surface for the pulsating action that followed. Ger MacEoin carved open the Ghobnatan defence and brought a measure of inventiveness to our play, while adding six points to the score. Captain Matthew penetrated from the high and low post scoring at will and ending up being the top scorer with eleven points. The breath- taking speed of Jack left defenders in his wake and notched up eight points from the fast break. The other scores came from Garry Hegarty who had six and Colm Crowley who shot two delightful baskets from the top of the zone.
On this occasion, all of the nineteen member squad got court time but this is a luxury we may not be able to afford in the games coming up.
The sense of defending disarray that was so palpable against Rosscarbery was thankfully missing here but Mount Saint Michael are a more potent force and there is no doubt we will meet them in the knockout stages if we overcome Schull on Friday. Thankfully the dedicated members of the recently expanded panel are working hard to put our defensive frailties right, while others treat training as if it was an à la carte menu popping in to sample a morsel when the appetite strikes or more accurately when news of an approaching game comes to their ears. The way our team plays as a whole will determine our success. Let's keep the SCS flag flying.
Pictured are TY students, John McCarthy, Kate O'Donovan, Samirah Thomas, Jessica McCarthy, Darren Nolan, Micheál Maguire, Alan Knott and Matthew Brosnan taking part in Mr. Lynch's Team Challenge last Thursday. The challenge was to complete an Eiffel Tower!
The school was delighted to welcome Bishop Buckley today. He visited every class and gave a blessing and prayer card to exam students. He is pictured with 5th Years, Katie Harte and Dermot Hegarty who kindly gave him the grand tour.
Pictured are Mr. Tom Foley and two of his first year students, Kai Hill and Niall Collins with their recently completely Metalwork projects.
Whatever about politics, a week is certainly a long time in an SCS Skipathon. When James McNulty took a wrecking ball to the old 159 record and set the new 168 record in concrete, the hopes of other contenders turned to dust. But not for long. The main contenders for the skipping throne have ignited in rival fashion from the day when the first record was set. True sporting champions like Rebecca Beamish, Killian Forde, James and Mike McCarthy do not lie down in the face of adversity, they step up and create records of their own.
Confronted by news of James' 168, Rebecca appeared relatively composed. On Monday morning, the flue had weakened her resistance and she failed to reach the target. On Tuesday, her best attempt brought her within touching distance and a score of 165. This strengthened her resolve and gave her the belief that she could do it.
On Thursday she tried again. On this occasion, she had decided to take the challenge by the scruff of the neck. A congregation of fifth years stared downwards through the lens of the sports complex window. We wondered was the great Mike among them. The sight of spectators added a faint anticipation to the air and Rebecca skipped like she had never skipped before breaking the record and achieving 172. There followed a moment of mad celebration. But she was not finished yet. In her next attempt she added ten more rocketing to 182. Ten minutes later, Rebecca skipped an astonishing 188 skips in a minute, smashing her own 182 and that is where the record stands.
Our leader may have opened the sluice gates but there is a growing number of challengers skipping at her heels. Two of the very best come from Class 2A. On hearing about the new record, Killian Forde stepped up to the challenge achieving a brilliant 172. One week ago, that score would have placed Killian right at the top. A week on, it propelled the talented second year into second place. All those who watched KIllian knew they were watching something special. Having just completed the 1000 meter rowing challenge, an exhausted James McNulty took the rope but not surprisingly he could not beat his own 168 relegating him to third place. For now. We have not heard the last from these two talented athletes.
The top skipping class of the school is the Leaving Cert girls class with four members of the year in the top ten in the school. The amazing Elena Forde skipped 145 in her first attempt giving her fifth place, Caoimhe Leonard goes into sixth with 140, Naomi O'Donovan takes eight place with 128 and five others had scores over 110. Ms O'Mahony welcomes all classes to challenge!
The highly motivated and talented first year boys basketball team swept to victory in their league encounter with Coláiste Ghobnatan, making it four wins in a row. The latest match was a one-sided affair but there are tougher challenges ahead.
A stunning display of teamwork orchestrated by the brilliant Eividas Andreikus in the first quarter set the tone for the action that followed. The high tempo defence created by James O'Neill, Tomas O'Mahony and Adam O'Regan nullified Coláiste Ghobnatan's scoring attempts and kept the SCS scores ticking.
On a day when baskets were easy to come by, James, Tomas and Adam each scored six points and Eividas contributed eight. Eoghan Barry and Teddy Gallagher added more heroics of their own and popped in four points each. Keith McCarthy shot a delightful basket from just inside the three point line and Stevie Redmond scored a drive from the right.
The highlight of the game was the man of the match performance from Robbie Minihane who dominated the boards, top scored with ten points and tormented Coláiste Ghobnatan's faltering offence time and time again. While the basketball world is raving about Oklahoma's Russell Westbrook, Robbie has become SCS's triple double expert.
The unexpected has become the expected from the versatile Tomas who displayed skills in the point guard role we didn't know he possessed. His relentless defence often ran to a gladiatorial pulse.
With two very tough teams awaiting us in Limerick in less than a fortnight, having the inspirational Ger MacEoin join our team for the cup matches will offer us an enormous boost. He is the epicentre of everything that is good in SCS basketball and is a fantastic addition to our expanding panel.
The Information Evening for the Parents of Incoming First Years will be held on Wednesday, March 1st at 7.30pm.
The 5th year Parent-Teacher meeting will be held in the school tomorrow Thursday, February 16th 2017 from 4.15pm to 6.45pm.
Skibbereen Community School hosted a First Year Boys Football Blitz at home to Kinsale Community School today. The event was organised by our football coaches, Mr. Maurice Moore, Mr. Colman O'Driscoll and Mr. James McCarthy. The squad was divided into 3 teams with everyone on both sides getting a game. It was a very competitive tournament. Thanks to Kinsale for travelling.
Happy St. Valentine's Day to all! Pictured here is Karen McCarthy in Third Year, who made this beautiful Valentine’s card in her Religion class!
Pictured below are our first year girls basketball team in their new school gear.
It seems an eternity since James McNulty skipped into the lead in the school skipathon with a score of 116. On that occasion, the excitement was contagious and a new seed had palpably been sewn. The 116 record did not last long as his younger brother Sean snatched it from him adding two to the score. Sean's 118 lasted a mere five days.
Cheered on by a very excited group of sixth years, the brilliant Rebecca Beamish stepped up and with steely determination skipped her way to the top with a formidable 138. In the weeks that followed, many students tried and failed to beat Rebecca's score. Clodagh O'Neill, Naomi O'Donovan, Shelley Brickley and Áine Seymour produced impressive scores in the high 120s but could not reach the elusive 138.
But there was a fifth year by the name of Mike McCarthy lurking in the wings and ready to make his assault on the title. On a freezing cold Wednesday evening, news was circulating through the school gossip vines that Mike had smashed the record and scored an unbelievable 159. The seemingly impossible had been achieved and the 138 record was ground to a powder.
Rebecca had also heard the news and a new determination was taking root. Ms. O'Mahony feared for the sixth year thinking an extra 21 skips would be almost impossible. But Rebecca has never been a girl to take refuge in excuses and she was not about to doubt herself now. On her third attempt, Rebecca achieved the magic number and equalled Mike's magnificent 159. It was now honours even to the fifth and sixth year. During the same P.E. class, the multi-talented Caoimhe Leonard skipped into third place with a very impressive 140.
Amazingly the story did not finish there as Class 2A are a vibrant, effervescent group who love to have their say. Here, the rope quickened and our hearts beat faster. Despite four break downs, the lightning fast Killian Forde stormed into third place with 148. No doubt about it, there is more to come from Killian.
In the midst of a hushed silence, James McNulty coolly took the rope, adjusted the length and focused on the task in hand. Energised by strange, unspoken glory, James returned to the top of the leader board with a score of 168. 2A have set the ground rules and James is a tough act to follow.
The SCS Skipathon is proving to be an epic contest of will and skill, a compelling battle where heroes are emerging all the time. Any student who wants to enter this epic contest should go to Ms O'Mahony to be counted.