Class Act: Castlerea Community School
Gail Murray, Chairperson of Ballintubber Development Association, pictured with TY students during her visit to CCS.
CCS Junior boys recorded a fantastic victory in their Connacht quarter final against Sancta Maria College, Louisburgh, recently. Storm Debi had no impact on playing proceedings as the game was played in the University of Galway Air Dome in the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence. Perfect conditions allowed for excellent football to be played from both sides with the Castlerea students coming out on top on a scoreline of 4-17 to 4-6. Up next for CCS is a Connacht semi-final that will be played on Monday, November 27th. Team: Abdul Sattar, Alan Joyce, Shane Larkin, Cian Fitzmaurice, James Hawkshaw, Liam Finneran, Ross Flynn, Jamie Dowd, Dylan Keane, Dara Curran, Kevin Hester, Sean Donlon, Kaylum Curran, Sean Vaughan, Eddie Finneran. Subs: Timur Tumbek, Martin Gurren, Conor Higgins, Sean Silke, Conor Larkin, Kieran Murray, Ruairi Webb, Ryan Dunleavey, Cian Bruen, Jack Dolan, Charlie Cryan.
In these darker November days, as the evenings draw in and we all have less hours of daylight, it is worth remembering that Jesus told his followers: “You are the light of the world. . . . Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Mt 5:14, 16). With humility, you can claim your identity as God’s light. You can affirm that you matter to God and others. You can help others see God’s light in themselves and bring light into this world in such desperate need of it. It is, in fact, these days that we must truly let our light shine.
The First Year boys’ football team played their first game of the year in Boyle last week when they faced Abbey Community College in the Roscommon Schools’ Competition. A very strong Boyle side dominated the first half and had a good lead built up by half-time. CCS were much better in the second half and played some very good football. All of the boys performed well during this thirty minute spell and there are lots of positives from the game to build on during the year. The final score was Boyle 8-15 CCS 4-8.
CCS: Oliver Jurczak, Declan Sullivan, Bobby Harpur, Shay Burke, Patrick Foley, Callum Walsh, Mark Fleming, John Garvey, Cathal Mockler, Tuari Curran, Kevin Chiforiuc, Daniel Higgins, Patrick Munteanu, Martin Sharkey, Allan Malone and Pedro Alvarez.
TY students recently embarked on their second bonding trip to Delphi Adventure Centre, County Mayo. The trip was organised by TY Co-ordinator Ms Y Ryan and the TY team. The purpose of the trip was to allow everyone to interact with one another, thus becoming closer, as a year group. The trip lasted three days, with various activities organised each day.
Activities included the “high ropes” challenge, canoeing, bog jumping, archery and evening walks. Students had the opportunity, on their last night, to light a campfire and sit around it. This was one of their favourite moments. Some students played guitars while others sang along!
Over the three days, they were completely immersed in the beauty of nature. They also managed to have a social media detox, due to the lack of mobile phone coverage. This gave them quality time together and allowed them to make many memories that will last a lifetime.
Delphi was an amazing trip. It encouraged everyone to get out of their comfort zone and try new things, but it brought the whole class together and everyone really bonded. Thank you to the teachers who made this trip possible, Ms Y Ryan, Ms E Robson and Mr S O’Hara.
Gail Murray, Chairperson of the Ballintubber Development Association spoke to TY students about the importance of volunteering, a key aspect of the TY programme. Gail discussed a number of local initiatives with the students. She is an active member of Ballintubber Tidy Towns and she explained the benefits of volunteering in the local community. One such project that she would like students to be actively involved in, is the redevelopment of the biodiversity garden in Ballintubber village. She brainstormed a number of ideas with the students e.g. sustainability, care for the environment and the importance of preserving what we already have in the locality. Students found the discussion interesting and motivating. Many thanks to Gail for her inspirational words.
TY students continue their busy schedule with their first session of Work Placement. Sincere thanks to all the employers, locally and further afield, who are facilitating these placements including Castlerea.ie, Tully's Totalhealth Pharmacy, Castlerea, Bastion K2tchen Castlerea, Kearney's Chemist, Hester’s Golden Eagle Bar & Restaurant and Johnston’s Pharmacy. It is a valuable learning opportunity for all students.
