St. Aidan’s C.B.S.,Whitehall, DublinScoil Aodháin, Fionnbhrú, Baile Átha Cliath

News UpdateNews UpdateNews UpdateSpring 2016

Easter Rising Commemorations Week February 29th to March 4th was designated 'Commemorations Week' tomark the centenary of the Easter Rising. Students explored events of theEaster Rising across the curriculum including History, Geography,English, Irish, Music and Maths classes. There was a particular focus onthe 40 children that were killed during Easter Week, which made a bigimpact on the students. TYPN did a fantastic job decorating the school. Itwas a wonderful success and thanks to all students and teachers that gotinvolved.

Reimagining the Proclamation As part of the Centenary commemorations for the Easter Rising, schoolsnationwide were given the task of reflecting on the 1916 Proclamationand using it to write down their vision for the next generation. Historyclasses in the school completed this task with great enthusiasm. 5th Yearhistory students Keelin Lu and Darren Kitching's work was chosen torepresent St. Aidan’s. The results of this National Project are also onScoilnet. We are very proud of Keelin and Darren's work.

www.scoilnet.ie/proclamationtemplate/proclamation/procid/27/

On Monday 8th March 2016 the following students Jacob Collins, RyanHarris, Daire Gray pictured here with Packie Bonner also present weretheir history teachers Ms. A Brennan and Ms. M Ryan represented theschool at Croke Park. They were presented with a copy of the 1916Proclamation of the Irish Republic at a State ceremony in Croke Park inassociation with the Thomas F.Meagher Foundation. The President andhis wife were also in attendance.As part of the celebrations for National Flag Week the school is markingthe event by having a St. Aidan’s Easter Commemoration on Tuesday15th March to raise the flags, you can check this out on our websiteunder latest news.

Every year it happens: earth shakes her sleepy head, still a bit wintered and dull, and feels new life stirring.

Every year cocoons give up their treasures, fresh shoots push through brown leaves, seemingly dead branches shine with green, and singing birds find their way home.

Every year we hear the stories: empty tomb, surprised grievers, runners with news and revelation, unexpected encounters, conversations on the road, tales of nets filling with fish, and breakfast on a seashore.

And every year the dull and dead in us meets our Easter challenge: to be open to the unexpected, to believe beyond our security, to welcome God in every form, and trust in our own greening.

Easter Challenge(Joyce Rupp)

1916 Library ReadingsThe English Department hosted “1916Readings” in the library on Thursday 10thMarch. It was mainly 1st years involved andgreat to see the interest the students have inthe 1916 history and commemorations.

Tanzania Joy€7,000 for the Sinon High School in Tanzaniaon the 12th January 2016. We are so proud ofall the fundraising efforts which led to thepresentation of this cheque!

Here is the link to the video they studentsmade in relation to the trip, well worth alook, terrific video and great photographs.

Well done to all involved!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdIDttvkr3s&feature=youtu.be

We also have a write up on the Edmund Rice Development website, twitter and Facebook pages. www.edmundricedevelopment.orgwww.facebook.com/edmundricedevelopmenthttps://twitter.com/EdmundRiceDev

TY Take To The Streets For 1916

In commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising 100th yearanniversary our Transition Years visited some key places fromthe rising with History teachers, Ms. Z Kennedy, Ms. S Burke,Ms. M Ryan. Giving some Gaeilge on the subject was Mr. DHumphreys.

The guide brought the Transition Year students on a 1916 touraround the significant places of the Easter Rising such asTrinity College, The G.P.O, Moore Street and concluding thetour outside Dublin Castle. The tour was full of historicalinformation and little facts which all the students enjoyed.Seeing the scars left in Dublin City Centre 100 years after TheRising was fascinating with the bullet holes outside the variousstatues and The G.P.O. being the stand out remains. In all theday was a great one with the students learning a great dealabout their country’s history while having fun together. (Rodrigo Soberon Pena TY)

Michael Noonan waspresented with an award forscoring in the top 50 resultsin Dublin for JuniorCertificate Business Studiesat an event hosted in DCU.Big congratulations to hisBusiness Studies teachersMs. J Kealy and Mr. N

Sheridan. Pictured in the photograph are Ms J Kealy and Michaelwith a representive from DCU.

High Scores for MichealHell & Back for NeilA big congratulations to all those that took partin Hell and Back 31st January 2016 for Neil. Hewas overwhelmed by the efforts and generosityon behalf of Team Neil. A big thank you also forall the support from the parents and the widercommunity in the 10k Hell & Back challenge.

“The team braved the ice cold rivers, got shot atwith pellet guns, climbed over a ten foot wall,ran through electric shocks (twice!), crawledthrough trenches, squeezed through tyres,sludged through swamps and carried logs upand down a mountain for good measure! It wasa bit of a mad day but we're all very proud tohave done it and hold a great sense ofachievement! So we all made it back alive butcarrying minor knocks here and there!”

XFACTOR TALENT Frank Uduma has the XFactor, he made a big

impression on both students, judges and staff at the

annual talent show. He was the overall winner of

the talent show in December. Kevin Rooney took

2nd place and Luke MacArthur came in 3rd place.

There was great excitement and enthusiasm at the

talent show for all students who were brave enough

to take to the stage to show us their talents.

Public Speaking Competition1st and 2nd year public speaking competition took place Monday7th March. There was great excitement in the hall as the contestantsspoke on any topic of their choice with such passion. The winnerson the day were were Bradley De Guzman 1 South and SeanOnwunle 2 East. Well done to all involved.

SAINTS AND SCHOLARS Congratulations to Shaun Ryan andGavin McQuaid who were recentlyawarded Academic Scholarshipsfrom Dublin City University. Bothstudents scored over 550 points inthe Leaving Certificate and received€1,000 each to assist their studies.

Our Guidance Counsellor Ms.McGrath was delighted to join thestudents as they received their Awards in the Helix

The 2nd years presented Neil Hoey with the cheque for the money theyraised from the sponsored walk last November at their 2nd year assemblyThursday 28th January 2016.

There is a lot to be said for the joy of doing and giving when you see allthe smiling faces.

Cheque for Neil

DCU Maths Quiz

Four of our students Ciaran McManus,Robert Kiely, David Petrov and Liam Nallywon the 2nd year maths quiz in DCU on the9th March. The standard was high but ourmaths team are of a very high standard, theycame in first place out of 19 teams!!

As if winning was not enough somesupporters from our school won 3 out of the5 spot prizes with a maths quiz onkahoots.it!!

LCA on TaskThe LCA class have been busy with key assignments in all of

their subjects. These assignments form part of their final

certificate. Recently, the students visited Ballymun library for

one of their Social Education tasks. The aim of this task was to

research about your area in the past. The lads found old

newspaper articles and books about the local area. They were

surprised to find pictures of themselves as children in various

newspaper articles. Afterwards, the class had a well deserved

treat in Firehouse. Well done on completing the first term!

Stop Everything and Read Week The English Department ran their annual Stop Everythingand Read Week from Monday 29th - 4th March. On thatMonday, English teachers read a non-fiction historical textwith all classes and from the Tuesday onwards thestudents were given twenty minutes after break each dayfor S.E.A.R. Students had reading materials with them andenjoyed taking the time out to read.

Tráth na GceistSeachtain na Gaeilge took off withplenty of Irish posters, words, displayedaround the school agus tá an scoil agféachaint go hálainn ar fad. On Tuesdaythe TY’s had a table quiz as Gaeilge.

The winners of the TY tráth na gceistwere Michael Noonan, Louis Cassidy,Ryan Harte, Matthew Martin. In 2ndplace were James Doran, Robert Fahey,Lee Gannon and Brendan Daly. Welldone to all involved including some oflast years TY’s who returned to help out.

The curtain fell on the 2016 U16 Dublin schools footballseason in Irishtown on Friday 22nd January. A titanic battlebegan between the reigning champions St. Aidan’s andColáiste Eoin as the game, between two determined sides,sparked into life from the moment referee threw in the ball.Keith Campbell, an ever present thorn in the opposition’sside, fired home the first point to send them into an early lead. Aidan’s started to impose themselves on the game fromthe very beginning and were quickly into a 3 point lead with scores from full forward Sergei Runin and St. Aidan’sprodigy James Doran. Eoin knew they were in for tough afternoon and began to rally and respond. Eoin had the firstuse of the elements and as the wind got stronger, they started to run at the men in red and white and put Aidan’s underimmense pressure, picking off some fantastic points. The game was once again tied. It was an accumulation of the windand Eoin pressure that forced Aidan’s into playing a style of football that was alien to all fifteen players wearing red andwhite. They needed to regroup and settle. They had been thrown off course and admirably this was something theyquickly realised. They demonstrated the ability to adapt and like well drilled military men, with Captain Matt Moran astheir General, they reorganised and stretched a further 2 points ahead, both scored by the scintillating James Doran whowas incredibly playing in his third consecutive U16 Dublin A’ final.

Aidan’s full back line, consisting of Brendan ‘Chuck’ Daly, Ryan Harte and Eamon Hill all played out of theirskin, with the opposition rarely getting a sight at Mark Kenny’s goal due to their endeavour. An Eoin full forward line,that was ear marked as being particularly strong before the game, was kept at bay and limited to 5 first half points, 3 ofwhich were scored from frees. Mark Kenny is proving to be one of the best goalkeepers St. Aidan’s has ever hadbetween the posts. He helped out his team with point blank saves and precision kick outs. He is a real find and willprove instrumental going into the future. After an epic first half the two sides were inseparable at the break, drawing 5points apiece.

Four giants locked horns in the middle of the park knowing that every point in such a competitive affair wouldprove crucial. The might of Ciarán Murphy, covering every inch of the park and the grit and determination of EoinBerry meant that Aidan’s began to dominate midfield the second half. Sergei Runin was another man who came into hisown during the second period of the game. He bossed the full forward line, setting up attacks, drawing kickable freekicks and laying down a marker with a shoulder only he could deliver. Rumour has it Joe Schmidt is lining the ‘TheSerge’ up for a six nations clash over the coming weeks.Aidan’s settled into the game and the presence of Dan Gorman proved instrumental. He swept up stray ball anddictated play from the half back line. Dylan O’ Connell did an unselfish job that can often go unnoticed, but not on thisoccasion. His brilliance was there for us all to marvel at. Eoin’s wing forward had pace and skill but the perseverance O’Connell showed to track every run and block every shot meant he was limited to just one point all game.

Aidan’s, who were never behind in the encounter, had to show real resolve throughout as Eoin repeatedlyfought their way back into the match, drawing level on four different occasions. Both Jack Murray and Andrew McCauldemonstrated the desire that burns within St. Aidan’s men as they covered every inch of the park. Murray had animportant attacking role but it was his defensive work that was more impressive. McCaul was a constant threat,whether it was through getting out on front or drifting in behind with his blistering pace, he won breaking ball and hecreated opportunities that Aidan’s successfully converted. While his name is not on the score sheet he was worth 5points.

Lee Gannon, excellent and hard working throughout, began to provide an out from the onslaught of the finalfew minutes. His clever movement and intelligence on the park prevented any last ditch attempts of the opposition tosteal a late goal and break the hearts of the St. Aidan’s players, coaches and supporters alike. Aidan’s then had one lasttrick up their sleeve. Jordan Leonard, who had been out all campaign through injury, was waiting to be unleashed andonce he got the opportunity he didn’t disappoint, scoring a point with his first touch of the ball. His introduction, alongwith the plethora of talent waiting on sideline, just shows what strength in depth this squad has. St. Aidan’s is notcomprised of just 15 boys, nor are they reliant on just 15 boys. They’re a panel of 39 men. Who play for each other!

St. Aidan’s were able to breathe a sigh of relief when the final whistle sounded after three minutes of addedtime. They were once again champions of Dublin, winning it for three successive years, and in so writing their namesinto the history books.

I’m sure Mr. Lowry and Mr. Brown speak on behalf of all the team when they say “they did it for Enda” and weall wish him a speedy recovery over the next few weeks.Final score St. Aidan’s 0-14 --- Coláiste Eoin 0-12

Scorers: James Doran 0-06, Keith Campbell 0-05, Sergei Runin 0-02, Jordan Leonard 0-01.

Scoil Aodháin Abú!!

EPIC BATTLE WON AS ST. AIDAN’SSECURE THE THREE IN A ROW

After the highs and lows of last year, the seniorfootballers dusted themselves off and hit theground running into this year’s DublinChampionship. First up was the challenge of St.Fintan’s in Ballymun and the Sutton side were upfor the challenge. It was only after someincredible leadership and teamwork that the St.Aidan’s men were able to pull away. Fintan’shave since gone on to win their quarter final andawait St. Benildus in the semi final on the otherside of the draw.

The next fixture was the school’s “El Classico” , alocal derby against Árd Scóil Rís down in St.Vincent’s. This tie lacked the intensity of theprevious game but the men from Whitehall camethrough the game comfortably kicking somefantastic scores and momentum was building. ADublin semi final was now guaranteed but wouldbe put off until after Christmas.

The focus then changed to the prestigiousLeinster competition, where a fixture withWestmeath’s Rochford Bridge saw our men taketo the road. It must be mentioned that going intothis game preparation was going well but theteam suffered some setbacks with some injuriesto key players. What St. Aidan’s do best is rise toa challenge and this game was no different.Rochford Bridge asked some questions of ourdefence but they always came up with an answer.A quick thinking counter attack and the ball wasrifled into the Rochford Bridge net. This was finalnail in the coffin and a dream home semi finalawaited the team against familiar opposition.St. Benildus took St. Aidan’s to extra time lastyear in the Dublin semi final but their effortswere not enough to stop a fantastic Aidan’s team.This time they would look for revenge in theLeinster quarter final. Up to this gamepreparation went well for St. Aidan’s and some ofthe key players lost through injury were nowreturning to the fold. Serious commitment hadbeen shown by the St. Aidan’s panel throughout

A successful year for us at St. Aidan’s Basketball wastopped off with an outstanding display in the NationalBasketball Arena back in January. We had workedtirelessly as a team throughout the season to reach thispoint, with help from our very own Ms. Peoples andCoach Randall Mounts, the volunteering teachers Ms. EO’Dell, Mr. R. Gill and Mr. J Mc Ginnity. Our hard workeventually paid off. Hours upon hours spent after schooltraining, long days of fundraising and with thecommitment of the volunteering teachers we were able toreach the goal which we had set at the beginning of theyear.

In the lead up to the big event, the support from the schooldidn’t go unnoticed. Banners were hung, assemblies wereheld and the ‘buzz’ around the school was electric.Without a doubt, this motivated us to do our school proud!After a disappointing end to our school league campaign,we saw it as an extra incentive to bring some silverwareback to Whitehall. When January 27th arrived, we werewell prepared and focused on the job in hand. Prior to thegame, the stands filled up with St. Aidan’s loyalsupporters and the noise was ear piercing. The gametipped-off and we were off to an early lead. With anexcellent display from all of the lads, Ballincollig didn’tknow what hit them. When the final buzzer went, thecelebrations had just started. This was the first time St.Aidan’s had won the All-Ireland ‘A’ Senior Basketballfinal. Surely, without the support of the school and ourfamilies this achievement would not have been possible.

First Ever Senior Basketball All-Ireland Winners

Terrific 2nd year basketball team who are playingso well this year. Keep up the great work boys.

Up and Coming 2nd Year Basketball Team

Senior Football

The senior soccer team are in the semi-finalsof the Metropolitan Cup having beatenRathcoole C.S. and St. Benildus in theknockout stages.Our top scorer is Sean Cummins and he saidthey have worked hard throughout the year

and that there is a great team spirit that no other school could beat.“When things get difficult or when we are losing a game we never giveup. The difference is we do not just want to play for the school, we wantto do what it takes to win and bring back to first ever trophy for the soccerteam.” We wish the team every success on in the upcoming semi-final.

Senior Soccer Team

the year; 7 a.m. training sessions,after school on Friday’s andeven coming in to train over theChristmas holidays. There isnothing this bunch would not doto try and win but unfortunatelygetting off to bad start andchasing the game for longperiods meant that we wouldfall short of our goal of reachinga Leinster semi final for the firsttime. St. Benildus were worthywinners and went on to win theLeinster competition outrightand deservedly so.

This loss left a sour taste for ourpanel but all was not lost. TheDublin championship, of whichwe are the current champions of,is still up for grabs. A semi finalwith Coláiste Éanna wouldmean a chance at another fixturewith Benildus. This game camethick and fast and questionswere asked of this team again. Intrue St. Aidan’s fashion theyrose to the occasion in a bruisingencounter to win the game by 4points. To be back in a final is nomore than this crew deserve.The other side of the draw seesSt. Fintan’s and Benildus in thesemi final and St. Aidan’s awaitthe winners. History beckons asthe school has never put back toback Senior ‘A’ titles togetherand this is a great opportunity toovercome that feat.

Senior Football (cont.)

U-14 HurlersWinning StartThe U 14 hurlers got off to awinning start with a win overSt.Fintan’s in their first groupgame. In the second game theylost out to Ard Scoil Rís in agame played in awful weatherconditions. If the lads keep upthe effort they will be in with agreat chance of making theknockout stages after Easter.

Throughout the 2014/15 season people were beginningto question if St Aidan’s best days were behind them?We hadn't won a major title in a near 10 year dry spell.On the 7th of March 2015, almost one year to the day Iand seven others toed the line in Clongowes WoodCollege in Clane, Co. Kildare as the underdogs whoweren’t expected to feature. By the end of the 6500mrace we caused the greatest upset in Irish school’shistory snatching the senior boys title from St. Flannan’s

of Ennis by no more than a single point, we put our arch rivals in their place thatday.

Fast forward 12 months and we were toeing theline once again, this time on the Sligo racecoursebut for almost all of us for the very last time. Thistime everyone knew who we were, this timeeveryone knew what we’d accomplished, what wewere capable of. This time every head on thecourse turned to look when we were called to theline. Every man played his part that day (as always) the captain’s speech workedits magic.

What we didn’t know at the time was that Alumni from all over the world fromLondon, Los Angeles, Wisconsin, New Zealand and Sydney to name but a few,were awaiting the results alongside us on the other side of the TV camera. At15:03 we made history to win two National titles in a row, something that maynever be equalled.

Make no mistake none of this would ever have been possible without Mr. AO’Neill. He made us realise the importance of team bonding, the importance ofcomradeship and above all the importance of discipline in sport. He achieved theimpossible. Without teachers like him St Aidan’s would not the prestigioussporting schools that it is. For many of us, including myself I face the prospect ofleaving the red and white singlet behind me once and for all this June, but thelegacy and the impact of those six years of competing for our school will staywith us forever. Brian Flanagan, 6th Year

Running two national Titles in a row