EICHENZELL VISITORS TO CCM
On Wednesday, 15 March, we hosted our foreign language partners from Eichenzell, Germany, which is twinned with the municipal district of Wicklow. We were delighted that Cllr. Paul O'Brien, current Cathaoirleach of Wicklow CC, invited BirgitKömpel, former member of the German parliament, and Andrea Stifft Harms as our liaisons to drive further links between Eichenzell and CCM.
As part of the visit, Mr. Donoghue welcomed our guests, thanked them immensely for visiting our school and gave a synopsis of school life in CCM. The German department arranged for an excellent presentation on Wicklow town by First year German students Luka Bennett and Emma Bank. Sixth year German students Rían Byrne (Headboy) and Simon St. John gave examples of the German Leaving Certificate Oral, with a performance of a roleplay and picture sequence assisted by our own German language assistant Lena Kuehn. The music department provided a music performance of 'Danny Boy' on guitar by Rory Hannon, along with a modern piece from "The Last of Us" video game/TV series by Adam Clarke and, finally, a bodhrán solo by Sean Maguire. We finished the tour of the school with an indoor hurling show by TY German students, Lorcan Byrne, Emmet Ronan and Luca Coppola. Our esteemed guests enjoyed a turn at some hurling which now seems to be a tradition of visiting politicians to Ireland!
We enjoyed showing a peek into school life in CCM and look forward to building further links with Eichenzell into the future. Many thanks to Ms. Fanning for organising the event, which was greatly enjoyed by the CCM senior management team and our guests.
FIRST YEAR HISTORY TRIP
Last Thursday, 16 March, First year students were given the opportunity to attend The Irish National Heritage Park in Wexford as part of the history course. They were transported back in time to see Neolithic and Bronze Age Ireland. They explored the Scriptorium, Refectory and Crannógs while investigating how people lived during these times. The students were also allowed to sit inside a Viking boat. A great day was had by all. Well done to everyone involved and thanks to the History department for arranging it.
UCD GUEST SPEAKER
On Monday, 20 March, Jean McQuillan, the UCD Schools' Liaison Officer, gave a presentation to all Fifth year students and any Sixth year student who is still undecided regarding college or career choice. Jean presented to the students an overview of the 130 undergraduate courses on offer at UCD. She encouraged the students to register their details on the 'MyUCD.ie' webpage to receive alerts and notifications of upcoming events inclusive of open days, as well as information sessions specific to particular programmes and courses. She explained how students can book a campus tour, and she informed them about the variety of scholarships that are on offer to them through UCD. Jean highlighted to the students the access routes for entry to UCD through the HEAR, DARE, QQI and Open Learning routes. Jean showed a number of videos to the students which demonstrated the wide variety of extracurricular activities and societies that UCD offer prospective and current students. To view the UCD undergraduate prospectus and details of upcoming events, as well as information pertaining to UCD scholarships, extracurricular activities, clubs and societies, visit: https://www.myucd.ie/
UCD STUDENT EXPERIENCE DAY
Nine Fifth year CCM students travelled up to UCD early on Tuesday morning, 21 March, to take part in the UCD Student Experience Day. The first half of the day allowed the students to experience taster lectures across a wide variety of subjects that they were interested in, including medicine, computer science, nursing, architecture, Greek and Roman civilisation, food science, sport and exercise science and quantum physics.
Students then enjoyed a campus tour of UCD from current UCD students, this allowed them to see all the facilities on offer which they were impressed with. This was followed by lunch in the student restaurant. In the afternoon, students sat in on an information session regarding pathways into UCD, such as HEAR, DARE and the UCD Open Learning Programme. They learned about scholarships and bursaries on offer and received detailed information regarding student support available in UCD. A valuable experience was had by all.
MODEL EU DEBATE
The future of our planet is in good hands, such was the Model Council Debate at Dublin City Hall on Tuesday, 21 March, on 'Accelerating the EU's renewable energy transition'. Of the twenty-seven council members taking part, only three were against the proposal. Estonia, represented by Evan Fitzpatrick and Kate Saunders from CCM, were vocal in proposing a modernisation fund to help with and ensure equity among all council members in their endeavours to transition.
It was an excellent event chaired by Martina Fitzgerald and opened officially by MEP Maria Walsh. The students thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to negotiate and network with other delegates over lunch. Thank you also to Aldrin Omaña who kept up Estonia's presence on social media throughout the day. The proposal was passed by a strong majority at the end of the debate, well done to all the schools and students involved.
#ModelCouncil #RePowerEU
YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR BOOTCAMP
TY students finished their five-week Young Entrepreneur Bootcamp training last week. On Thursday, 23 March, five teams of students presented their business ideas to a panel of four adjudicators, followed by a question and answer session. Team ‘Jel’ successfully presented their business plan for a bike attachment designed for carrying sports equipment and was awarded a Certificate for the Strongest Pitch. Team 'Solar Energize' presented their business idea for a solar-powered phone case and was awarded a Certificate for the Strongest Research. Team 'Feet Fryers' presented their business plan for a battery-powered insole and they were awarded a Certificate for the Strongest Teamwork. A huge congratulations to all TY students who participated in this event.
CCM COMMUNITY GARDEN
The hard work of the CCM Community Garden team is beginning to take shape. This venture has been supported by management, the Leaving Certificate Applied students in collaboration with Hazel Joly and Joly's Garden Centre, the art, woodwork and horticulture departments, the students, SNAs and staff of G53 and the Sodexo staff among many others.
Students have worked tirelessly to construct and instate new raised beds, weed, dig and plant as well as landscape and plan for the outer garden area.
It is anticipated that CCM Community Garden will be an outdoor hub that promotes wellbeing, builds life skills, fosters social connection and brings members of the CCM community together through a shared vision. The initiative to date has certainly achieved this.
The team is always looking for new members to share their enthusiasm, ideas or gardening skills. Parents, grandparents, or students willing to be part of this can contact the school or email carolinewallace@wicklowvec.ie.
GREEN SCHOOLS
The Green Schools committee is running a poster competition among all year groups. Our school is currently on the water theme flag this year, and the committee would like to invite students to submit a poster based on the water theme. The water theme flag focuses on raising awareness of water conservation and how we can protect and save water on a daily basis. The deadline for this competition is Thursday, 30 March, and prizes will be awarded for the best submissions on Friday, 31 March.
Reminder - Green Schools meeting every Wednesday at 11:00 in F55 for anyone who would still like to join the committee.