A big thank you to Mr Don McCarthy, Senior Trainee Advisor for the West Cork area who visited SCS to speak to Leaving Cert students about the fantastic options available to them in the area of Apprenticeships.
Don encouraged all students to consider the "earn while you learn" option and advised them to put time into researching all kinds of apprenticeships. See www.apprenticeships.ie for useful information.
Skibbereen Community School’s Farming Club organised a Charity Tractor Run on Sunday, Dec 5th in aid of the Oncology Ward at Crumlin Children’s Hospital. The idea was the brain child of Ricky Barrett, 3rd Year, who put the plan in motion with the help of the Farming Club teachers Mr. PJ Fitzgerald and Mr. Peter Swanton. Mr. Con O’ Donoghue from the Drinagh Tractor Run gave sound advice.
The Club, the entire school and the local community rallied around the idea. 4th and 5th Year Students gathered names and made warning signs. The Office staff dealt with registrations and the BAM Staff and Chris O’ Brien prepared the building. The SEN Department organised a giant raffle with school staff supplying all the raffle prizes. Ms. Pauline O’ Callaghan and her team made over 140 refreshment bags for all the participants. Many thanks to Biggs and Fields for their food sponsorship.
This was a great community event with students driving or students riding shotgun with their parents. Many thanks to the local Gardai who provided traffic management, the Civil Defence who provided medical support and the Coast Guard who provided the lead vehicle.
The weather was glorious with bright winter sunshine and blue skies when the 54 Tractors pulled out of the school car park. Ricky himself was the Grand Marshal and he led the cavalcade out the Tragumna Road, around Toe Head and back through Skibbereen town. The event was captured by Dominic Casey and Trevor McCarthy on their drones. Many thanks to all the teachers, parents and students who acted as marshals along the route and to Damien Long Travel who dropped and collected them.
Unfortunately due to Covid restrictions the building could not be used for refreshments. After the drive, Ricky addressed the crowd in the car park. He thanked everyone involved for their very generous donations and for all of the organisation involved. To date the event had raised in excess of €3500. It was truly a memorable event.
Many thanks to Ms. Gwen O’Sullivan, a French native, who came to SCS yesterday to impart her baking skills through French to bake "les fondants au chocolat " with Ms. O’Farrell’s TY French class and Ms. McCarthy’s Home Economics class .
Pictured below are the winning students from the Science Week poster competition.
Well done to all!
Congratulations to Home Economics students, Katie Kingston 2nd Year and Claire Griffin 4th Year on their fantastic success in the Kenwood Young Baker competition.
Katie won first prize for her cake entitled ‘My Olympic Dream’ in the junior category of the Kenwood Young Baker competition. She baked a vanilla flavoured sponge with buttercream icing and decorated to reflect the theme of the Olympics. Katie is a keen athlete with Skibbereen Athletics Club, and it is her dream to attend the Olympics. She was inspired by the success of Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy winning Olympic gold in the men’s lightweight double sculls in Tokyo earlier this summer, putting Skibbereen firmly on the map. Katie wins a Kenwood mixer for herself and a zoom cookery course with celebrity chef Shane Smith for her second year Home Economics class. Her prize also includes equipment for the Home Economics Department.
Claire won second place in the senior category of the Young Baker competition for her creation ‘Journey of Dreams’. She baked a vegan based rosé prosecco cake with strawberry filling and prosecco buttercream. Enid Blyton’s magical stories inspired Claire’s cake decoration. Her creation included echoes of an enchanted garden with aquafaba toadstools and gold dusted walnuts creating a stair leading to a luxurious duvet covered bed, symbolising sleep, and dreaming. She also included a mythical Pegasus, butterflies, and a dragonfly to symbolise fantasy and freedom often associated with dreams. Claire has won the prize of a Kenwood chefette to continue to inspire her creativity and baking.
It is a huge achievement for both Katie and Claire to win prizes both the Junior and Senior categories in this national competition. The volume of entries, from all over Ireland, exceeded the expectations of the competition organisers to such a degree, that judging had to be extended and results were delayed for over a week, so well-done Ladies! You have done your school proud!
Pictured below are the award-winning creations.
For the first time in its history, our Senior Boys Football Team have reached the Quarter Finals of the Corn Ni Mhuiri, Munster Schools Football Championship. They beat Coláiste Choilm, Ballincollig today in Rossa Park by 2-10 to 12 points. The School Community is extremely proud of the players, it’s team coach Mr. David Whelton, its selectors and mentors. Many thanks to all the parents and members of the local community who came out to support. The Quarter Final draw will be made at Christmas and the team are out again next Tuesday against Spiorad Naoimh, Bishopstown in the first round of the Simcox County Cup.
MARK WOODS
EVENING ECHO REPORTER
Skibbereen CS 2-10
Colaiste Choilm, Ballincollig 0-12
SKIBBEREEN Community School ensured there will be three west Cork sides in the quarter-finals of the Corn Ui Mhuiri (Munster Post-Primary Schools SFC) after a hard-fought win over Colaiste Choilm in Skibbereen on Tuesday.
They join Clonakilty Community College and Hamilton High School, Bandon, in the last eight, which is made up of five Kerry schools, including Tralee CBS and St Brendan's, Killarney.
Captained by Castlehaven senior player, Robbie Minihane at midfield, Skibbereen also have three former Cork minors in attack, Jack O'Neill, Niall Daly and Jamie O'Driscoll.
But, battling Colaiste Choilm, who were inspired by dashing centre-back Conor Dodd, can count themselves unlucky because they hit the crossbar twice in a wind-assisted first-half and were also denied by a fine save from Skibb keeper Shane Kingston in injury-time.
The west Cork school led by 1-5 to 0-6 at half-time, the goal arriving after 21 minutes following a flowing move involving Fiachra Collins, Daly and O'Driscoll for Luke Shorten to palm home at the far post.
And a couple of minutes later, they were almost in for a second only for Daly's effort to rebound from a post.
The goal-frame also denied Colaiste Choilm's Darragh O'Mahony and Michael Muphy.
Wind the strengthening wide at their backs on the resumption, Skibb would have been expected to drive on, but it was Colaiste Choimh who seized the initiative.
A couple of Diarmuid Dillon frees and one from Murphy from play made it a one-point game, 1-7 to 0-9, after 40 minutes.
But the visitors lost full-back Nathan Davis to a black card for a hand-trip shortly afterwards and Colaiste Choilm were grateful for keeper Jack Forde brilliantly stopping Shorten's effort.
The decisive second goal came after 53 minutes, when substitute Oisin Daly was fouled and Minihane expertly tucked away the penalty, 2-9 to 0-9.
But, Colaiste Choilm showed great heart to hit back with the next three points, including Evan Horgan's second, only for an O'Neill point, six minutes into injury-time, making the game safe for Skibb.
Scorers for Skibbereen CS: L Shorten 1-2, 1f, R Minihane 1-1, 1-0 pen, 1f, N Daly 0-3, S Browne, J O'Driscoll, F Collins, J O'Neill 0-1 each.
Scorers for Colaiste Choilm: D Dillon 0-4, 3f, M Murphy 0-3, E Horgan 0-2, C O'Driscoll, P Kelly 0-1 each, D Coakley 0-1f.
SKIBBEREEN CS: S Kingston (Tadhg MacCarthaighs); S Carey (Ilen Rovers), J Bohane (Castlehaven), H O'Donovan (Clann na nGael); S O'Connell (Castlehaven), T O'Mahony (do), C Hegarty (Tadhg MacCarthaighs); T O Donnabhain (Clonakilty), R Minihane (Castlehaven), captain; J O'Neill (do), N Daly (Ilen Rovers), S Browne (Castlehaven); F Collins (do), J O'Driscoll (do), L Shorten (Tadhg MacCarthaighs).
Subs: O Daly (Tadhg MacCarthaighs) for O Donnabhain 42, L McCarthy (Kilmacabea) for Shorten 59, J O'Brien (O'Donovan Rossa) for Collins.
COLAISTE CHOILM: J Forde (Eire Og); D Keane (Inniscarra), N Davis (Ballinora), C Clifford (Eire Og); E Horgan (Ballincollig), C Dodd (Canovee), B Thompson (Ballincollig); C O'Driscoll (do), D Coakley (Eire Og); M Murphy (do), J McGinn (Kilmurry), P Kelly (Ballincollig); D O'Mahony (do), D Dillon (Eire Og), C Quigley (do).
Referee: T Sheehan (St Mary's).
Congratulations to our U16 and U19 girls basketball teams that beat Carrigaline yesterday.
The U16 team won by 61-11 and the U19 team won 51-24.
Well done to all!
Pictured below is our First Year Ladies Football Team who played in yesterday’s West Cork Blitz in the Marsh Skibbereen.
SCS beat Sacred Heart Clonakilty and Presentation Bandon before losing to St. Mary’s of Macroom. They took the Runners up spot.
Well done to all involved.
Congratulations to 2nd year student Caoimhe Flannery who has been named as 1st sub on the Republic of Ireland U17 cross country team for the Celtic Cross country international meet.
This follows Caoimhe's performance at the All Ireland U16 Cross country in Dublin last weekend, where Caoimhe won an individual medal (10th out of 152 athletes) .She also won a silver medal with the Cork County team .
The Celtic Cross country meet will take place in Belfast in January and will include teams from Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
As part of the Mentoring Programme, TY students met with their 1st year groups this week and organised board games and other bonding activities.
