Mercy Secondary School, Kilbeggan – Kilbeggan, Co. Westmeath, Ireland.

Senior Boys Rugby

MSSK Senior Boys Rugby Team scraped through their first round Leinster knock out game. The lads made great improvement in the second half to get back into the game, and arrived at the final quarter only two points down. They showed superb teamwork and resilience to work the ball the length of the pitch when down to 14 after a very unlucky yellow card. The hard work paid off as we scored a penalty in front of the posts to go 18-17 ahead with only two minutes remaining. Following this, they held out on a defensive scrum to turn over the ball and see out the game by the tightest of margins. Well done to the boys and the management team.

Transition Year German Show

On Friday 18th October, our TY Deutsch students put on a wonderful display of German Kultur for 1st year German students. TYs learned two different traditional German dances Waldegger and Schaulustig as well as two German songs das Fliegerlied and das rote Pferd. The 1st years' were well impressed, especially with the traditional German hats. They thoroughly enjoyed the showcase. Our TYs then took over the reins for Ms. Corcoran and Ms. Lynch and taught the 1st years a few moves and lyrics. Danke to all involved!

6th Year Careers

Our Leaving Cert Class recently attended an Information Talk from Maynooth University given by Kay Mitchell. Such talks are a very valuable in providing information, thus enabling our students to make informed decisions about the their options after they complete the Leaving Certificate in June 2025. They have already had a very informative Talk from TUS Athlone. Talks from University of Galway, University of Limerick and ATU Sligo will be continuing during this academic year. There will also be an Information Talk from LWETB, which will concentrate on giving information about the Apprenticeship Scheme.

Ms. McArdle & Ms. Stenson continue to meet our Leaving Cert class individually to explore and guide them on the pathway they intend to take following completion of their final exams.

International Music Day

On Tuesday 1st October the Music Department celebrated International Music Day with a variety of fun activities for the whole school to enjoy. These ranged from a Music quiz on the intercom to musical performances at break times and a “Drop everything and Dance” at the end of the day!

6th Year Student Dylan Smith at Ericsson

Well done to our 6th Year student Dylan Smith who partook in the 50th anniversary celebrations as part of the INFUSE Team at Ericsson on the 11th of September. During the event, Dylan had the opportunity to present the impressive project he completed during his summer work placement at Ericsson. His presentation was well-received by everyone in attendance. Dylan represented both our school and his own work with great professionalism and skill. This experience provided an invaluable opportunity for Dylan to showcase his talent and helped to highlight the importance of companies investing in Future Engineers.

First Year Courtlough Trip

On Monday, September 9th, our First Years and Sixth Year mentors travelled to Flynn Park Adventure Centre in Courtlough, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin for their bonding day. Thankfully, the sun was shining and it remained dry. They got a chance to try out the aqua park, which consisted of inflatable trampolines, slides and climbing walls on a small lake. They also had a go at Splatmaster. This is similar to Paintball, just without as many bruises! The students were split into teams and they must try to target members of the other team. If you get hit, you are “eliminated” and you can “respawn” at a certain location.

Between the activities, students enjoyed a picnic lunch in the picturesque surroundings of Flynn Park. Much fun was had and friendships strengthened. A great day was had by all.

Junior Cycle Wood Work

The Wood Work projects from the Junior Cycle 2024 classes of Mr. Cox and Mr. Horan.

First Year Boys Football Triumph

Our First Year boys have been crowned Division C Leinster Shield Winners after defeating Naas Community College 4-18 to 2-09 on Tuesday, May 14th. Our boys put on a very impressive display of attacking football. This group have great potential and should kick on from this in the Juvenile ranks next year. Well done to their mentors on the day: Mr. P.Duffy, Mr. L.McNamee & Mr. A. O'Sullivan.

Third Year Castlecomer Trip

Our Third Year students had a great day out in Castlecomer on Monday, May 10th. As you can see from the below gallery, it was a fun-filled and energy packed day out. A huge thank you must be extended to all staff members who facilitated this outing.

Senior Girls Soccer

Our Senior Girls took on a very strong Borris C.S. team in the division Semi-Final last Monday in Portlaoise. The girls were full of confidence after winning their region final convincingly last week in Athlone. We were much the better team in the first half taking the lead after 15 mins. Danielle O'Neill played a delightful ball over the top into the path of Laoise Quinn who lobbed the keeper from the edge of the box.

Borris got a new lease of energy after the goal and put pressure on our back four. The girls soaked up the pressure and defended excellently with Rose O'Brien, Ava Rochford and Lily Grehan commanding the area. Half time came with us still leading 1-0.

A slow start from our girls in the second half was punished with an excellently worked goal from Borris. Borris grew in confidence and soon grabbed a second goal to go 2-1 up. We made a couple of changes which made a big difference, but we could not find the equaliser until a brilliant solo effort from the schools sharp shooter Laoise Quinn got her on the score sheet for a second time.

The game finished 2-2 after normal time and extra time saw harsh weather conditions play its part with neither of the two teams looking like they would give in. Penalties ensued.

Mollie Russel, Grace McNamee, Rose O'Brien and Danielle O'Neill stepped up and with an outstanding performance from our keeper Lily Grehan, we ran out winners on a scoreline of 3-1 on the spot kicks. We now face Athlone C.C. in The Division Final with a date TBC.

Wear Red Day

On Friday, 22nd March, our school participated in the national 'Wear Red Day'. This is an initiative, organised by the Immigrant Council of Ireland and the Football Association of Ireland. The slogan of the initiative is 'Show Racism the Red Card'. Students wore red to show their support and they donated to the Immigrant Council of Ireland. In total 760 Euro was raised. Thank you to the School of Sanctuary committee, who organised the event and thank you to all who took park and donated.

Seachtain na Gaeilge

Bhí seachtain iontach ar scoil an tseachtain seo caite agus Seachtain na Gaeilge á cheiliúradh againn!

Students got to experience all aspects of Irish culture from damhsa to amhránaíocht to ceol traidisiúnta. Students tested their knowledge in a Tráth na gCeist. Leaving students got to practice for their upcoming oral exams with a maidin chaifé. The whole school got in the festive spirit of Lá Fhéile Pádraig with our Lá Glas on Friday.

Maith sibh uilig a ghlac páirt agus ná déanaigí dearmad Is fearr Gaeilge bhriste ná Béarla cliste!

Soccer

On Thursday, March 14th our First Year Boys lined out against Coláiste Mhuire, Mullingar in the League Final. The boys started very well and were perhaps unlucky to go 1-0 down just before the break. CBS started the second half brighter, scoring early and leaving our lads with little option but to open up and go chasing the game. CBS, who were an excellent side ran out 4-0 winners on the day. Despite the result our lads deserve great credit for reaching the Final and for their non stop effort on the day. To a man they never let up and there will surely be better days ahead for this team.

Soccer

Congratulations to our Senior Boys Soccer Team on their victory over Mercy Ballymahon in the Midlands League Final on March 13th. The game was won 4-3 on penalties. The scoreline stood at 3-3 at the end of normal time, with us having led 3-1 with five minutes to play thanks to a classy hattrick from Shane Corcoran. We conceded two in quick succession in the closing stages, one through playing 'ping-pong' in our box and another direct from a free kick. Despite that disappointment, the boys responded well in extra-time and still looked the stronger side. We couldn't break through, so penalties ensued. With penalties dispatched from Jake Gannon, Shane Corcoran and Cillian Rochford, and with Conor Mullins having made two saves, it fell to Jacob 'Jazzy' Browne to seal the victory. No mistake. The boys did it. The trophy was then presented to our captain Dylan Franzoni. It was a fantastic way for some of our Sixth Year boys to end their Soccer journey at Mercy Kilbeggan, having won the equivalent title way back when they were in First Year!

Team: 1. Conor Mullins; 2. Dylan Franzoni -C; 3. Arthur O'Rourke; 4. Jacob Browne; 5. Ryan Weston; 6. Jake Gannon; 7. Ben Maguire; 8. Steven Fennessy; 9. Shane Corcoran; 10. Cillian Rochford; 11. Josh Gannon. Subs used: 14. Daragh O'Brien; 13. Cian Kinnarney; 15. Neil Pierson.

A Week of Words 2024

Well done to all of the students and staff who took part in our very successful 'A Week of Words'. This was a fantastic week which celebrated all aspects of literacy through a range of events, such as poetry competitions, talks, library visits and creative writing workshops. A massive thank you to everyone who took part and to the English Department for organising. We are already looking forward to next year.

World Book Day

On Thursday, 7th March we had a very enjoyable day celebrating World Book Day. The main event was a whole school DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) class for all students, which allowed them to read a book of their choosing for the duration of their 10am class. Well done to all students and staff for taking part. Also, a massive well done to our English teachers who dressed up as characters from famous books. It really added to the day and helped the students get into the spirit of the day. We're already looking forward to next year .

Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition

Press Release...

FINALISTS FLY TO BELGIUM FOR STUDY TOUR WITH CERTIFIED IRISH ANGUS

28 pupils and their teachers from 5 schools who are participating in the Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition are flying out to Belgium this week for a farm to fork study tour. The four-day trip is part of a skills development experience for the finalists in the 2023 competition which is organised by the Certified Irish Angus Producer Group, ABP and Kepak.

The tour commences in Dublin with a visit to Tesco Ireland and then travel across to Bord Bia HQ to learn about the sale and promotion of Irish Angus beef. The teenagers will then get back to the farming side of the trip in Teagasc Grange before moving to onto what is one of the most highly regarded centres for breeding Angus cattle and thoroughbred horses, Gigginstown House Stud and Farm.

In Belgium the pupils will be staying at the Irish College, Leuven. Their trip will be action packed with the students’ making presentations in the European Parliament to Irish political and farming representatives about the projects they are working on as finalists.

On the final day the pupils head to Bruges where they will visit Ter Groene Poorte school which is a training institute for nutrition-oriented studies. The school offers training for butchers, bakeries, large kitchens, and restaurants studies for pupils that would be a similar age to the Irish students.

Charles Smith, General Manager, Certified Irish Angus Producer Group said, “One of the highlights of the Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition for the students is undoubtedly this annual study trip. It provides them with the opportunity to meet some of the leaders in Irish and European Agriculture and we are very grateful to people like Michael O’Leary, the Irish M.E.P.’s and our supplier partners who make time to interact with these students who are going to be the future of Irish Agriculture.

The trip also takes the students full circle, from their own experience rearing the calves as part of the competition to the marketing of a premium product on a global scale. At Tesco Ireland they will learn about what it takes for a product to become one of the exclusive Tesco Finest* brands and the importance of provenance and consistency of quality for the retailer.”

Eoin Robinson, Jack Larkin and Shane King are the students who represented our school and partook in the trip!

Sustainability Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Workshop

On the 20^th and 21^st of February, our Second Year students completed an SEAI workshop. This workshop is designed to enable students to engage with the theme of energy and it encourages students to think critically. It links with a range of curriculum subject areas including Science, Geography and CSPE. This workshop uses everyday objects to investigate the subject of energy.

Transition Year Forensic Science Workshop

Our TY students got to complete a forensic science workshop on Tuesday, the 20th of February. The case the students were looking at was the JFK assassination. The forensics included ballistics, fingerprints, facial recognition, autopsy, trace evidence & exploring the main theories / links with history. Our students really enjoyed the JFK workshop, they had to use their critical thinking skills to help solve the case. However, they quickly discovered that the forensic evidence raises serious questions about the official verdict!

Irish Guide Dogs Association Visit

On February 19th, our TY students had a talk from Irish Guide Dogs Association speaker, Thresa O'Reilly. They were informed on the work that the Irish Guide Dogs Association does for the Blind and sight impaired community, work such as advocacy, dog training and responding to challenges faced by Guide Dog owners. A group of our TY students (Abi Gill, Edy Silva, Fionn Jackson, Laura Bermingham, Megan Quinn and Rebecca Keegan) motivated by the talk decided to take so action. They held a bake sale in aid of the Irish Guide Dogs Association, raising a total of €130. Thanks to everyone who supported their Bake Sale.

FIRST® LEGO® League

Every year, FIRST® LEGO® League releases a new Challenge based on a real-world, scientific theme. This year’s theme was, MASTERPIECE. Students are introduced to the fundamentals of STEM while working together to solve fun challenges and building models using LEGO® DUPLO® bricks. They take their background knowledge of STEM and put it into practice as they work in teams to design and build robots using the LEGO® Education SPIKE Essential. Once they are ready to move into a competitive setting, they join Challenge and apply their STEM skills combined with critical thinking to work with a team, build a robot, and compete in an exciting, mission-based robotics game.Luke Sinnamon, Isabel Scally, Robert O'Sullivan, Oisín Marshall, Cillian Farrell, Freya O'Reilly, Sean Rabbitte, Tomás O'Connor, Emma Fennessy and Daniel Ryan were our team of TY students that entered into the FIRST LEGO League Challenge. This competition took place in TUS Athlone on Thursday, 8th February. Our students had to present their innovation project and robotic design to a panel of judges. They also had to complete three robotic missions. For the missions, there were various challenges their robot had to complete to help add to their score from their interview. When the three rounds were completed, the highest scoring round was added to their interview points.

Our students won the prize for highest scoring team in the robotic missions’ challenge.

Concern Debating

The photo below shows Rose O'Brien, Cadhla-Rose O'Reilly, Lilia O'Brien and Shane King - They debated the motion "Properly regulated, AI will be a force for good in our world" in the Knockout Round of the Concern Debates against Tullamore College. For the first time since Covid-19, we welcomed an opposing school team to the school for the debate, which took place on Monday January 22nd. Thanks to all who helped on the day. The debate was recorded, thanks to Shane, and we await the adjudicator's results in due course.

Sixth Year LCVP - Information Morning for TYs

A group of Sixth Year LCVP students organised a subject / careers information morning on January 19th for all our Transition Year students. Each of our 21 subjects at Senior Cycle had their own stand, manned by Sixth Year students. Transition Year students rotated around the stands and found out about each subject at Senior Cycle.

Sixth Year LCVP

Our Sixth Year LCVP classes visited a number of local enterprises in Kilbeggan on Thursday 18th January, to learn about the businesses and their products and services. We are very grateful to our local businesses for taking our students on site visits as part of their Enterprise Education in LCVP. Many thanks to KMK Recycling, Locke's Distillery and Shanette Sheds for facilitating the visits and for providing excellent insights into their businesses and sharing their knowledge with our students. We are forever thankful to local businesses for creating and maintaining strong links with our school. A very enjoyable trip was had by all.

Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition 2024

Four of our students, Caoimhe Geraghty, Charlotte Young, Emma McMahon and Jane Colton were at Rockfield House in Kells as part of the Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition. The girls are the third group from our school to be in the competition and they have made it to Stage 2 - Interviews. At Rockfield House they were interviewed by industry experts from the Irish Angus Group, Kepak and ABP on their project ‘Women in Agriculture’.

If they are successful, they will be moving on to stage 3 of the competition which will take place in Croke Park in March.

Concern Debating

Congratulations to the Concern Debating Team of Cadhla-Rose O’Reilly, Rachael Omoyayi, Shane King and Lilia O’Brien who recently defeated Elphin Community College from Co Roscommon in the third round of the Concern League phase. They successfully opposed the motion that “Big Business is indifferent to the SDG’s”. This is their third victory since September. Thus far they have tackled topics such as “Africa will regret its reliance on China” against Gallen Community School, in Ferbane; the topical “African Nations must be allowed to develop their fossil fuel resources” against St Mogue’s College, Bawnboy, Cavan before taking on the latest motion on Big Business and the Sustainable Development Goals. They have won 13 points and are looking forward to participating in the next round. We are most fortunate to have a panel of very talented and committed speakers, comprising of Rose O’Brien, Lily Norigeon-Grehan, Sara Delaney, Lilia O’Brien, Cadhla-Rose O’Reilly; Rachael Omoyayi;Shane King and Megan Quinn.

Debating is a very beneficial activity, allowing students to hone their argumentative, research and critical thinking skills, not just in their Senior Cycle studies, but also as a life skill going forward. The topics also allow students to empathise with those less fortunate and to gain an insight into life in the Developing World. Best of luck to the debaters in the new year. L to R: Shane King, Rachael Omoyayi, Sara Delaney, Lilia O’Brien, Cadhla - Rose O’Reilly, Rose O’Brien.

Multicultural Day

On Tuesday, 12th December, the School of Sanctuary committee organised Multicultural Day. The various nationalities, cultures, heritages and languages of our school community were represented. Students from Poland, Brazil, Sudan, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Ukraine, Lithuania, India, Latvia, Nigeria, France and Romania presented their displays. Thank you to our international students and their families for all the work put in for Multicultural Day.

Transition Year Languages Trip

On Tuesday 28th November, Transition Year students attended screenings of a French and a German film in Athlone. The German film 'Lola rennt' is set in Berlin and follows multiple timelines, which diverge based on a seemingly minor decision. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the release of this iconic film. The French film '16 ans' follows Nora and Leo, who fall in love despite their different religious and social backgrounds. This was a great opportunity for students to appreciate European cinema.

School Library

Our new school library is now fully stocked and ready for use. This is a fantastic resource for our students and we are delighted to be able to offer a diverse range of books to encourage reading. A massive thank you to the English Department for their work in completing the library and also to those TY students who were very involved in helping get the library ready. Finally, a massive thank you to our Art and Woodwork Departments for ably assisting us in decorating the library.

Concern Debating

Our Concern Debates Panel are busy this term with 2 debates under their belts already. In October, they took on Gallen Community School Ferbane, Co Offaly and successfully opposed the motion that China is good for Africa. This past week (ending Friday 17th November) they debated against St Mogue's College in Bawnboy, Co Cavan. They proposed the motion that African Nations should be allowed to develop fossil fuels to help lift their people out of poverty. Debates take place on Zoom and adjudications can take up to 2 weeks. So fingers crossed for this motion! Next month they take on Elphin Community College and debate if Big Business is Indifferent to the SDGs.

Lego League

Pictured are some of our TY students as they compete to be the team that represents our school in the FIRST LEGO League. This is a global STEM challenge for teams of young people, to encourage an interest in real world themes and develop key skills that are crucial for their future careers. The challenge consists of a number of elements including: designing and coding a robot to perform a series of tasks in a robot game (relevant to the 2023/2024 MASTERPIECE theme), an innovation project, and demonstration of core values.

School of Sanctuary

On Friday September 22nd, our School of Sanctuary committee attended an Awards Ceremony in TUS Athlone. We were one of three schools in the country to receive the prestigious 'Champion School of Sanctuary' award. This is in recognition of the work that our committee does, in order to promote linguistic and cultural inclusivity, and create a welcoming, safe space for all pupils in our school. As part of the ceremony, some of our students did a presentation about our School of Sanctuary. The award was presented by TUS Vice President; Frances O'Connell and Places of Sanctuary Ireland Board Member; Mavis Ramanzi. Also present at the ceremony were Programme Manager of Schools of Sanctuary Ireland; Karen Dervane, Board Member of Places of Sanctuary Ireland; Tonye Benson Olatunde, TUS Access Officer; Jenny Burke and Project Coordinator for the Moylish Campus; Mona Khan. We also listened to the stories of University of Sanctuary scholarship recipients, which were very inspiring. We are the first school in the Midlands to receive this award and one of only eighteen schools in Ireland. We look forward to continuing our work this year. Please watch our video on our YouTube channel, created by fifth Year student Shane King, to learn more about our School of Sanctuary.

National Ploughing Championships 2023

Transition Year and Fifth Year Ag. Science Classes visited the ploughing championships this year. They went to support Eoin Robinson, Jack Larkin and Shane King who were presented with their 5 Irish Angus calves. These students will be rearing the calves and will be doing a project for the Certified Irish Angus competition. They will be competing against 4 other schools in Ireland for the title of overall winner in the Certified Irish Angus competition in 2025.

Chloe Mc Dermott, Mary Colton and Trasa and Sinead Bracken from Sixth Year also came to support the Fifth Year students. They received their calves at the Ploughing championships last year. They are in the final stage of the competition and will be heading to Croke Park in March 2024.