Clean slate as Transition Year starts on a high note

WRITINGS FROM THE TRANSITION YEAR STUDENTS OF ST MARY’S MACROOM

SLOWLY but surely, the weather is changing, leaves are starting to fall from trees, and the sound of the school bell is something that we are familiarising ourselves with once again.

For the new First Year students here at St Mary’s, it is an exciting new adventure. The rest of us, although often reluctant, will admit that school is a part of our lives that was greatly missed during the long Summer holidays.

As Transition Years, we started our new school year on a high note, auditioning for our Transition Year play. Mrs Catherine Long, who has so kindly agreed to work with us for another year, has put together an absolutely fantastic script, and the arrival of the performance is greatly anticipated throughout the school community.

The Buddy System has successfully started up for another year, in which seven Transition Year students are helping to ease the First Years into Secondary School life. From organising lunchtime activities, to navigating the First Years around the school, the role of a Buddy is taken very seriously, and it encourages the chosen Transition Years to get to know the First Years on a more personal level.

However, as we embrace the new school year, it marks the official end to the year before, and that includes saying goodbye to the Leaving Certificate class of 2016.

As a school community, we are all very proud to confirm that out of over 700 schools nationwide, St. Mary’s Secondary School, Macroom was placed 65th in The Irish Times list, based on the 2016 Leaving Certificate Results.

Being a small school in West Cork, this is truly a marvellous achievement, and it is really a credit to all of last year’s Leaving Certificate students and their teachers.

Here’s to the school year ahead. It’s a clean slate and a fresh start, and I hope that we can all make new memories, achieve our academic goals, and have some fun along the way.