Dominican College Wicklow

SENIOR BUSINESS TRIP

On Friday, October 18, the senior Business students, together with the LCVP and Accounting students visited Caffrey’s Chocolate Warehouse in Dublin. The purpose of the visit was to see the production process in operation and source information on the running of the business. Considerations such as imports, exports, raw materials and costings were discussed throughout the day. The girls were able to relate the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to a real-world situation. The students also had the opportunity to design their chocolate products and take home their creations.

ROTARY INTERVIEWS

The Rotary Youth Leadership Development Competition has several different stages. The first stage begins in the individual schools. This is an interview-based selection process to choose one student to compete in a public event against the students from the other secondary schools in the town. The initial interviews in DCW are now complete. Of seven applicants four students were chosen for interview. The four students were Molly Flood, Aisling O’Neill, Emma Kristiansen and Eva Phelan. Emma Kristiansen was chosen to go forward to the next stage which takes place on November 11 We wish Emma the very best of luck.

ECOLOGY TRIP

Glendalough National Park was the destination for fifty sixth-year biology students on Wednesday, October 23, In preparation for the guaranteed ecology question on the Leaving Cert paper the girls spent quality time studying the woodland ecosystem. It was a very beneficial day as the students were able to apply their knowledge in a practical setting. They identified different flora, collected fauna using different methods and measured abiotic factors affecting the ecosystem. It was a very hands-on experience and a great refresher course for the students. Many thanks to the science department for organising the day.

EQUESTRIAN NEWS

Three of the students from the Dominican equestrian team competed on Sunday, October 20, St Gerards organised the event, and it took place in Boswell Equestrian Centre in Ashford. Jessica Phelan, Casey Neville and Naoise O’Neill were placed sixth in the team event, while Jessica won the individual 1.10m competition. Congratulations to Jessica on her strong performance.

FIRST YEAR GAA BLITZ

On October 25 eighteen firstyear students travelled to the centre of Excellence in Ballinakill, Rathdrum. Here they competed in the super 7’s GAA competition against other schools from around the county. The two teams played exceptionally well, each winning two of their three games. Thanks to Ms Scahill and Mr Cronin for managing the teams.

CROSS COUNTRY

The second of the cross country events took place in Avondale Park on October 22. This time the weather was perfect for cross country running, and the Dominican athletes had a very successful day.

Ciara Mas had a fantastic run and won individual gold in the first year event. In the team competition the first years took the bronze medals. The other team members were Lily Beacom, Shannon Sweeney, Sophie Eccles, Hannah O’Callaghan, Sophie Reynolds, Aisling Nic Cartaigh, Ciara Delahunt, Rosie Armstrong and Isabelle Connolly. In the second year race the Dominican athletes had a clean sweep on the individual medals. Lily Sheehy took the gold, Alex Carey the silver and Kayleigh Keogh the bronze. The team also took the gold medals. Catherine Mitchell, Rebecca Brennan and Megan Neville were the other runners on the team. Well done to all athletes and thanks to their coach Ms Wadden for all her hard work. Training resumes after mid-term.

SENIOR BASKETBALL

The under-19 basketball team travelled to bray on October 22 to play St Kilian’s Community School. They had a great game resulting in a convincing win. With the transition year students away on work experience, three students from the under-16 team were drafted in to play. Thanks to third-year students Laura Griffin, Justine Cronin and Alisha Doyle on stepping up to play with the seniors. The under-19 team now top the league table and await news of further progression to the next stage of the league. Well done to the under-16 team who currently lie second in their league table and await their fate.

HALLOWEEN DRESS UP

On Friday, October 25, the Student Council organised its annual Halloween fundraiser to raise money for the school.

There was a great atmosphere in the school as management, staff and students all got into the spirit of the event and donned their costumes. There was a diverse choice of costumes ranging from the spooky and ghoulish to wellloved cartoon and Disney characters. Some of the staff took on the characters from Peaky Blinders while others dressed as crayons. Well done to the sixth-year students who had the brilliant idea to dress up as different members of staff. Thanks to the student council for organising the event. The hockey and equestrian teams have been chosen to benefit from the fundraiser.

Keeping with the Halloween theme, the fifth-year mentors organised a fun event in Fatima Hall for all the first-years. Each mentor worked with their small group of first-years to decide on a theme for their costumes and choreographed a short routine to present to all the other groups. There was a great party vibe, and the girls enjoyed lots of treats too. Thanks to the mentors for all their hard work.

WIND ENSEMBLE

The wind ensemble is now up and running. The girls meet every Tuesday morning with Ms Murphy at 8.20 a.m. to practice. Students from first to fourth year make up the group with flute, clarinet, saxophone and recorder among the instruments. All new members are welcome.