SCHOOLS REPORT
LCAStudents fromSt. Oliver’s win
Congratulations to Jordan Kennedy and Emma Carolan in sixth year LCA at St. Oliver’s Community College who are recipients of this year’s Michael Sweetman Educational Trust Award.
Both students have won a trip to Euroscola in Strasbourg.
The winners were chosen from hundreds of applicants nationally and should be very proud of their achievements.
St. Oliver’s StudentsWin StrasbourgTrip
We’d like to extend a huge congratulations to the Transition Year Students of St Oliver’s Community College who have won a trip to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The group of twenty-four students and two teachers will travel to the Euroscola experience in Strasbourg next March.
St. Oliver’s is no stranger to this trip, having already won it in 2014 and 2016. The theme of this year’s competition took its inspiration from the centenary celebrations of the Women’s Right to Vote. Students were required to devise a one minute video clip of their own version of an MEP’s campaign video.
St Oliver’s Community College is a European Parliament Ambassador School and the European Studies teacher, Julie Heeney, expressed her delight at the student’s efforts, ‘ The students got really involved in the campaign. Caitlin O’Reilly, Pia McCann, Karen Sin and Valeria Tiltu should be especially proud of their creativity and leadership. I’m thrilled that the students will get to experience what it is like to be a Member of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.’
StOliver’sCC Basketball Success
U19 ‘A’ playoff
Things remain on the up for St Oliver’s basketball. Building on last year’s successes which saw St. Oliver’s u16 team win the ‘B’ All Ireland final along with the award for Basketball School of the Year, a national award bestowed on them by Basketball Ireland.
This year the progress continues with St. Oliver’s u19 senior boys’ basketball team winning their ‘A’ league All Ireland playoff. They saw off tough competition from Malahide Community College and Coláiste Iosagain Portarlington.
St. Oliver’s vs Malahide
With Malahide fresh off their win over playoff hosts, Coláiste Iosagain, they were confident in the opening quarter of this match and captain C. Daly led their scoring opening up a 4-0 lead over St. Oliver’s and eventually bringing his own scoring tally to 10 points by the end of the first quarter. St. Oliver’s were a little slower to get going but by the end of the quarter they had managed to claw back a two point lead thanks to great scoring from P. Kopec and D. Onianwa. Quarter 1 finished with St. Oliver’s marginally ahead by 2 points with Malahide 13, St. Oliver’s 15.
The second quarter was a low scoring quarter with both teams showing some ferocious defensive intensity. Clinton Ofodile showed some great leadership coming off the bench in Q2 fighting for every loose ball and winning both offensive and defensive rebounds while also breaking the scoring drought contributing 4 quick points. Clintons energy got his team going and great baskets followed with D. Onianwa, W. Esajobor, P. Kopec all making their contributions. St Oliver’s lead was stretched out to 6 points. The first quarter ended Malahide 19, St. Oliver’s 25.
In the third Quarter a tired Malahide struggled to keep up with St Oliver’s. Adedeji opened the scoring for the Ollie’s with a big rebound and put back for 2 points. After this the flood gates opened for St. Oliver’s and Malahide looked like they may have given up as C Ofodile, P Kopec, W Esajobor, Z Timajo and Y Rodrigues Combined for a collective 14 points. Third quarter ended 45-32, St Oliver’s.
The fourth quarter was a display of clinical finishing by St Oliver’s with Captain D. Onianwa opening the scoring with a quick five points. Malahide mounted their attack late in the game with C. Daly and D. Flynn combining for 6 points but it was too little too late. The chemistry and teamwork of P. Adedeji and P. Kopec was unstoppable inside combining for 8 points in the paint.
Final score Malahide 32, St
Oliver’s 56. St Oliver’s VS Coláiste Iosagain
The opening minutes of the first quarter against the host Coláiste Iosagain was a close affair with both teams struggling defensively to stop the other from scoring. Coláiste Iosagain’s danger men; K. Murphy and M. Cunningham lead their scoring eight points between them. As the quarter progressed St. Oliver’s big man P. Kopec went to work scoring three consecutive baskets in the paint followed by a big 4 point play U16 Irish international W. Esajobor who nailed a big three on the buzzer taking contact and converting his free throw. The first quarter ended Coláiste Iosagain 8, St. Oliver’s 15.
The host were not deterred though coming out in the 2nd quarter playing tenacious defence and holding St. Oliver’s to their lowest scoring quarter of the day. Murphy and Cunningham were showing what they were made of leading the scoring for their team. Captain of St. Oliver’s kept his team within contention making two big back to back threes. This quarter ended Coláiste Iosagain 25, St. Oliver’s 25.
Onianwa would start the third in the same way he finished the second with another big three to open the scoring for St. Oliver’s. Kopec kept St. Oliver’s in it winning many rebounds and converting them into points helped by C. Ofodile and P. Adedeji. The 3rd quarter saw St. Oliver’s open up the narrowest of leads, Coláiste Iosagain 38, St Oliver’s 41.
The fourth quarter was a close affair with Onianwa opening again for St. Oliver’s as he scored from the three point line. Followed by another from Esajobor. Coláiste Iosagain answered back every time though creating their own scoring opportunity and converting them. Kopec and Adedeji steadied the ship for St. Oliver’s dominating the boards, they combined for 10 points in the final quarter keeping the teams neck and neck. rim in the dying seconds as he was hacked and went to the line for 2 free throws where he made 1 and the game ended with St. Oliver’s triumphant, qualifying for the all-Ireland quarter finals.
Looking forward
St. Malachy’s who were last year’s U19 ‘A’ All Ireland runners up. St. Oliver’s know that St. Malachy’s will present a significant challenge but they are eagerly anticipating this game with full belief that they can come out on top.