Hard work pays off for Junior Cert students
THREE years of hard work came to a happy end last Wednesday for students across the Enniscorthy district as they collected their Junior Certificate results.
There were tears of joy at FCJ Bunclody last Wednesday morning as almost 150 students collected their Junior Cert results.
Principal Frances Threadgold said the staff, students and parents were delighted with the results achieved at the school.
‘ The results were very good and we had plenty of excitement here on Wednesday after the results were handed out. We had a huge amount of high achievers. This year was the start of the new Junior cycle and English received a descriptor word such as distinction or merit rather than a grade.
‘We had one student, Grace Kehoe from Enniscorthy, who topped the poll in all her chosen subject.
‘We also had a huge amount of students, more than 20, who received five A grades or more.’
There were close to 150 students sitting the Junior Cert at FCJ and Frances said that the work put in by the students over the last three years are reflected in the results.
‘We have a wide range of students here with wide ranging abilities and all of the students performed exceptionally well.’
Over at Bunclody Vocational College principal James Murphy was similarly proud of his charges.
‘We were very pleased with the results. They were very good and in line with the last two years where the results are getting better year on year. The previous two years were the highest on record here for results and this year’s results look set to match that.
‘ The students were delighted with their results and at the end of the day that’s what matters. It’s a long wait on them for the results and they have worked very hard to achieve the results they did.’
Dr Iain Wickham, principal of Enniscorthy Vocational College was delighted with the results achieved by the 99 students sitting the Junior Cert at the school.
‘We were very happy’, he said.
‘ The students received very good results and a lot of students took higher level papers and got good grades in them which is important preparation for the Leaving Cert exams.
‘Some of the less academic students did very well and fulfilled their potential which is a great achievement for them. Those who put in the long hours of student were rewarded. This year saw the start of the new Junior Cert cycle in English and we had a good few students who received a higher merit in English.
‘Overall the students were very happy and it’s onwards and upwards for them now.’
Principal of St Mary’s CBS in Enniscorthy, John Ryan, said they had had plenty of ‘ happy chappies’ on the morning of the results.
‘ The lads were delighted with their results and so were the staff. It was interesting because it was the first time we had the new Junior cycle marking in play where students didn’t receive a traditional grade. We were very pleased with the new results and the boys seem to have done very well in English which was great to see because you were working in the unknown to a large extent in the lead up to the Junior Cert. Across the board the results were very good here and everyone was very pleased.
‘ The new syllabus is a big innovation but it seems to be working well.
‘We were very pleased with the spread of A’s across the board and it was very pleasing to see all the students doing well and working to their potential.’
Kiera O’Sullivan, principal at Colaiste Bride in Enniscorthy said the results at the school had been superb.
‘We were totally delighted and so were the girls. The results were very, very good and they were all thrilled and delighted.
‘In fairness to both the Junior Cert and the Junior Cert cycle those who wok hard certainly came out with excellent results. What’s nice about it is that those who may naturally struggle were certainly well rewarded.
‘ The students couldn’t have been but very, very happy. We were delighted for them and so were their parents. Sometimes the parents are nearly more nervous than that pupils.
‘We are very proud of them and hope that they are truly proud of themselves. The teachers are delighted for them and the level of support and cooperation the students received from teachers certainly played a part in the good results.’
Kiera said that one student at the school received 10 A’s while a good number of students received eight and nine A’s.
Norah Harpur, principal at Meanscoil Gharman, said the students were thrilled with the results.
‘ The Junior Cert went really well for the students. We had 38 students in total and they all did extremely well. Nearly all the students took all higher level papers, we just had a couple taking ordinary level Maths. They all got great results and we were especially thrilled with the Irish results.
‘Of the 38 students 34 of them got A’s. ‘What we weren’t happy with was the way the English exam was marked. It has such a broad range now in the new marking system and we weren’t very happy here especially as it was the first year of the new system and everyone was at sea with it. It was very difficult but the rest of the results were fantastic. Maths was really good and the students were generally very pleased with the results.’