After active year, TY girls’ enthusiasm is recognised
THE TRANSITION Year students in the Presentation Secondary School attended their annual awards day last week and it was a great cause for celebration.
Following a welcome from school Principal Billy Ryan and TY coordinator Jacqueline Hartnett, some of the students performed hits from well known musicals to get things under way. It was a great way for things to start before the formal ceremony began.
The awards ceremony is one of the most prestigious events on the schools annual calendar and that fact was underlined by the excitement of the pupils on the day and by the acknowledgement given to all of the recipients by their fellow pupils.
Among the first awards presented were the Gaisce awards which are Presidential accolades given to students who undertake four specific tasks during the year.
Speaking to this newspaper about the ceremony Ms Hartnett said the students who received these awards stayed overnight in Glendalough, participated in a physical activity and community involvement, and also displayed personal growth during the year.
The CEIST (Catholic Education & Irish Schools Trust) school bake-off award was presented to Abbie Devereux who is renowned for her culinary skills. Not only did she win the top award in the school but she also came second in the entire country for her culinary expertise and those present at the awards event in Wexford got to experience her talent first-hand as she prepared 120 buns especially for the occasion.
There were a number of very prestigious awards presented on the day including the Nano Nagle award which was given to Freya Murphy. The accolade is bestowed on someone who follows in the footsteps of Nano Nagle and displays a caring, kind and compassionate nature towards others.
The PRES (Perseverance, Respect, Empathy and Social Awareness) award was given to Grainne Berry and Aoife O’Neill in recognition of their interaction with their fellow students and staff in the school while the Spirit of Transition Year award was presented to Clara Bell Browne.
Ms Hartnett said that award was presented in recognition of how Clara embodied the overall ethos of what Transition Year is all about,
Awards were also presented in the Embracing Transition Year category to Valerie Bulavinets, Caobhlinn Gabbett, Shauna Sinnott, Claudia Faraon, Katie Cunningham and Eimear McLaughlin.
‘This award was presented to students who decided to do everything they could to embrace the ethos of TY and what it means,’ said Ms Hartnett.
Personal Growth awards were handed out to Rebecca Breen, Megan O’Leary, Laura Cullinane, Kerry Hickey, Aine O’Leary, Amy Mulligan and Ella Peare.
Ms Hartnett said these awards reflected the fact that each of the recipients grew personally throughout the year.
Sports awards were presented to Sinead Furlong, Ciara Bridges, Eleanor Hammel and Ailis Neville who all excelled during the year.
Portfolio and Interview awards were handed out to Caitlyn Hayes, Shonagh Barry, Laura Cullinane, Caobhlinn Gabbett, Grainne Berry, Jane Prendergast, Abbie Devereux, Jessica Sludds-Byrne, Anne Kearney, Shauna Sinnott and Clara Bell Browne.
The event ended how it began as the girls showcased their musical and theatrical talent on stage and that coincided with some of the girls receiving Hits of the Musicals and Drama awards including: Robyn Black, Aoife O’Neill, Aoife Prunty, Aisling O’Sullivan, Aisling Fanning, Grainne Berry, Aoise David and Anna Kearney.
‘We had a play in the school called ‘Our Town’,’ said Ms Hartnett.
‘It was by Thornton Wilder and was set in the 1920s,’ she added.
‘That was just before Christmas and then we had our Hits of the Musicals show at the beginning of May.’
Ms Hartnett and Mr Ryan praised all of the students at the ceremony for their hard work and said their commitment and approach was reflected by their achievements during the year.
They encouraged them to continue working to realise their full potential.