Girl Rising

In religion class, we have been working on our Schools Across Borders project. As part of our project, we have decided to focus on the education of girls around the world. We watched a movie called "Girl Rising" together. The movie contained the stories of eight girls from different parts of the world. This movie really touched us and inspired us to do more. We decided to host an awareness week in our school for girls around the world. We used "Girl Rising" to help raise awareness. We also made our own movies, inspired by Girl Rising, in IT class. Here is my movie. :-)

Junk Kouture!

Today, after months of preparation, we had our Junk Kouture fashion show. Junk Kouture is a project that we did in home ec. We got into groups of three and had to design and make an outfit out of 'junk'. One person from each group then had to model the outfit. Karen and Nicole were in my group. We made an outfit that consisted of a skirt and a top which were covered in leaves. Our outfit was modeled by Karen. I read out the description of our deign while Karen walked down the catwalk. I think everyone really enjoyed the fashion show. :-) 

Karen modeling our outfit

BT Young Scientist Exhibition!

Yesterday, we went to the RDS in Dublin to see the Young Scientist Exhibition. First, we were taken outside to a tent to watch a show where robots were put in an arena to fight. I thought that the show was really good. We then looked at all of the projects that had been entered into the competition. One project that I found really interesting was called "What Makes up your Make-up?" We also saw the project that went on to win the competition. The project was done

The robot show!

by a Dublin student who found answers to previously unsolved mathematical problems. 

Next, we went into the 'Eco room'. There were lots of environmentally friendly stalls there. I thought that the Dublin Zoo stand was very interesting. We then went to see the rest of the exhibition. There were loads of stalls, such as a UCD science stall and lots of stalls from different gaeltachts around Ireland. People from RTÉ were also there and we saw Ryan Tubridy! 

Despite temporarily losing my phone, I had a good time at the exhibiton. :-)

All of the science projects!

Happy Holly-Days!

Today we went into town to raise money for the ISPCC by selling the ISPCC's famous holly badges. First, we went into the hall where Susan and Emma gave us our collection boxes and told us where we had to go. They also told us that the money would go towards the ISPCC's Childline service. We then went off wearing our Santa hats to our designated areas. Aine, Jessie and I went to stand outside the Gaiety Theatre. It was really cold but it was for a great cause and we collected way more money than we had expected to! 

On Sunday, the choir sang Christmas Carols at the Christmas fair at Castletown House. We sang carols for about an hour and some of the fifth years performed pieces that they had been working on in music class. Afterwards we got crepes from a stall at the fair!

 Doing all of this Christmassy stuff has definitely got me even more excited for Christmas! 

Below is one of the Christmas songs that the choir sang. :-) 

                                                                                                                                                     

CJFM

On Saturday, we did a flashmob to promote our school's musical, Calamity Jane! We met up in secret, wearing our checked shirts, before going to the church where lots of people had gathered to see the Christmas lights being turned on. We handed out flyers about the musical until the music started. We then ran into our positions and began our dance. It went really well and afterwards, my friends and I stayed in the village to watch the Christmas lights being switched on. :-) 

Whip Crack Away!

On Friday evening, the launch of our school's musical, Calamity Jane, was held in the Celbridge Manor House Hotel. I sang in the choir at the start. The cast of the musical then performed some of the songs in the play. They were really good, it was obvious that a lot of hard work and practise has already been put into the musical. The launch was very successful. Lots of people showed up and bought tickets. We were all pretty tired afterwards but it was worth it! 

This is one of the songs that was performed at the launch, enjoy! :-)

Road Safety Roadshow!

On Thursday, we went to a Road Safety Roadshow that was held in Punchestown. As soon as we got our wristbands we were free to look around the exhibition that had been set up on one side of the hall. There were lots of different stalls there, such as the Kildare County Fire Service stall. We also got lots of free stuff which was good.

After about two hours, we went into the other part of the hall for the road safety show. At the start of the show, a policeman from New York spoke about the NYPD. He was very funny. After that it got pretty serious. We watched lots of videos about road safety and we saw the consequences of not driving safely. It's safe to say I'll definitely never forget to wear my seat belt again. The show was really interesting and I really enjoyed it. Even though the Roadshow ended at one o'clock, we got to go home as soon as we got back to the school because we had a half day. :-)

Maths Madness

On Wednesday, we went to a new Project Maths trail in Rathbeggan Lakes, Co Meath. We were put into groups to solve lots of different maths problems, such as figuring out the height of the zipline pole and finding out the area of certain places in the grounds. It was really really cold but we still had fun doing the tasks, and we got to wear our wellies which is always a bonus! My group didn't win a family pass, but it would have been nice to win because there is lots of other cool stuff to do there like kayaking and abseiling. 

On the way home we went to Blanchardstown Shopping Centre for lunch. When we were finished we got to look around the shops until it was time to get back on the bus. We had a really good day and I would definitely recommend the maths trail to students who are doing the new Project Maths course. :-)

This is a map of the Rathbeggan Lakes Centre

Fundraising Friday!

Last Friday, all TY and fifth year students in our school had a massive bake sale in aid of the people in the Philippines whose lives are in danger after the disastrous Typhoon Haiyan. Everyone baked as much cakes, brownies, cookies etc as they could and loads of us helped to

sell them all at lunch time. Our bake sale turned out to be a huge success. By the end of lunch, there was nothing left to sell! We raised a total of over €1,500! All of the money raised will be given to UNICEF's "Saving Childrens' Lives" appeal. 

Schools Across Borders Conference

On Thursday we went to City West Hotel for the School's Across Borders Global Citizens Student Conference. There were students from six other schools there. 

When we arrived, Darren Irvine gave us a quick introduction. Then, about four students from each class made a presentation on the progress they had made so far. Aoife B, Ailbhe, Roisin and Karen presented from our class. After this, we were split into different groups with people from different schools to discuss the presentations. I was in group "Justice". Next, a drama group from Antrim called "Quadrangle" performed a play for us. It was called "Burma for One". It was a really effective play about an Irish girl who wanted to raise awareness about what was going on in Burma. We then got to meet some students from Palestine and Burma. 

After lunch, people who work for different NGOs, such as Trócaire and Amnesty International, came to talk to us and briefly explained the work of their NGOs. We then split up and half of us got to go to a different room for an activity fair. I spent most of my time at the graffiti wall activity. When we got back, people from each of the NGOs had set up a stall around the room where they spoke more about their organisation. My group only had time to visit one of the stalls. I went to the Amnesty International Stall. A man called Dan spoke to us about Human Rights, it was really interesting. 

This conference was an opportunity for students from each school to get together and share their ideas and thoughts about the project. Before the conference, I was still confused about the project and what we are trying to achieve but now I have a better understanding of what we are doing. :-)

IBC Contest!

Over the October Midterm Eilis, Ciara, Shauna, Melissa and I got a letter from Beaver Ireland asking us to compete in an online computing competition called the Irish Beaver Computing Contest. On Friday, Mrs L brought us to the library and helped us to log in. We had 45 minutes to complete 15 questions. It was really nerve-wrecking because there was a clock in the corner telling us how much time we had left! The questions were actually fun to complete because it was kind of like a computer game. We will get our results in the next few weeks. :-) 

Trip to Town

On Thursday, our English teachers brought us into town for a WB Yeats themed trip. When we arrived, we split into our class groups before beginning our first tour. 

 A Lunula

One of the Bog Bodies

First, we went into the National Museum with Mr K. Our tour guide showed us lots of artefacts from the Stone Age and the Bronze Age. My favourite artefacts were the lunulae that we saw. They were thin, golden pieces of jewellery that were worn at the start of the Bronze Age. It was interesting comparing them to the jewellery we wear today. Our tour guide then brought us to see the Bog Bodies. I found them really interesting but also pretty creepy. I was surprised by how much our tour guide could tell us about the lifestyles of the people who were found in the bog, just by examining their bodies. 

Dublin Lockout Exhibition

Our tour of the museum finished a few minutes earlier so Mr K brought us to see a 1913 Lockout exhibition. We studied the Lockout in history so it was good to get some more information on it. 

Next, we went to the National Library to see the WB Yeats exhibition with Ms O'R, our English teacher. She gave us a worksheet with lots of questions to answer about Yeats and his life as a poet, so we were busy filling it out for the hour that we were there. The exhibition was really cool. We got to read lots of Yeats' poems and there was a small room set up at the back that was like the backstage area in the Abbey Theatre.

Yeats Exhibit

When we were finished in the National Library, we had about two hours for lunch on Grafton Street. It was really fun. My friends and I had lunch in Mc Donalds. When we were finished eating, we went to look around some of the shops. 

The Disney Shop!

After lunch, we went to the National Art Gallery. First, our tour guide showed us some of Jack B Yeats' artwork. One of his paintings that we saw was called "The Liffey Swim". She then brought us on to see another painting called "The Opening of the Sixth Seal" by an artist called Francis Danby. Danby was trying to portray the end of the world. Next, we saw some of Picasso's paintings. He used a technique called cubism. This was my favourite part of the trip and now I really want to do art for my Leaving Cert!

The Opening of the Sixth Seal

The Liffey Swim

Busy Bees!

Whoever told me that TY is a doss year must have been joking. Since we came back after midterm, we've been so so busy with projects, trips, work experience etc.

We're still working on loads of projects such as Junk Kouture, Mini Company and our Sci Fest project. We are also doing an Irish project on our Family Tree, a geography project on Ireland's Islands and our Schools Across Borders project for religion. We're making clocks in technology. We had a debate in English about social networking and all of the TY maths classes are working on a maths dictionary to help students in our school with the new Project Maths course. We have also written a French essay on Coco Chanel and a history essay on the 1913 Lockout. 

I am still doing work experience at the Liffey Champion newspaper every Wednesday with Jessica. It's going really well and three of the stories that I have written have been printed. I'm definitely considering becoming a journalist when I leave school! It's pretty tiring but I love it, and I'll be sad to leave in two week's time.

Naas General Hosptial

We have been going on a trip at least once a week! We went to Tallaght IT to see a science show and today we went into town for an English trip about WB Yeats. I have also been to some talks in Naas General Hospital that were really interesting. If I eat any more Mc Donald's for lunch I'll probably become terminally ill. Our teachers also have lots of trips planned for us. Next week, we are going on a religion trip to City West and we will be going bowling on the 19th of December.

I joined the St Raphael's Friendship Club at the start of the year and I'm really happy I did. We go to St Raphael's every three weeks to visit the service users for about an hour. We talk to them, play games, and do arts and crafts with them. It's so much fun and I have made friends with a few girls from my school in different years that I had never spoken to before. 

This is the art we did on the open day!

The open day for incoming first years was held last Saturday. Jessie, Niamh and I went in to help out in the art room with Mr H. We did lots of drawing and I worked on my leaf drawing that we are doing in art. Some of the parents gave me really nice compliments on my work which made me really happy. When the open day was finished, we had a party in the music room!

In choir, we're already doing lots of practise for the Wesley Choir Competition. We are singing a song from Phantom of the Opera called "Think of Me". I am a Soprano 2. Our line is pretty tricky but we're getting better! Next week, we are going to start learning Christmas Carols, I'm so excited! Below is part of the song that we will be singing. :-) 

Xtraordinary Science

As part of science week, our science teachers took us to Tallaght IT to see a show called Xtraordinary Science. The show was performed by a man called James Soper, who had a great British accent. When we first got there, we were pretty early, so one of the lecturers showed us around the room where they make bacteria. It didn't smell too good but it was pretty interesting!

The show itself was really cool. I was sitting in the front row so I got a really good view of all the exciting experiments that he was doing (I was terrified that he would make me go up and do a demonstration though, especially because there were TY students from another school there!). He did loads of experiments. My favourite experiment was when he popped a balloon full of hydrogen, producing a massive bang.. I got such a fright and Niamh screamed! 

When the show was over, we got to go to Liffey Valley for lunch. We had Mc Donald's (surprise surprise!). When we were finished eating, we walked around Liffey Valley and looked in some of the shops until we had to go back home on the bus. I had a really good day and I learned lots of interesting things that I never knew before. :-) 

Zumba!

On Thursday, a woman called Gráinne came in to do Zumba with us. Zumba is a dance fitness programme. Our year had to be split in half. I was with the rest of my class and half of class Tabei. We all really really enjoyed Zumba and some of us are even going to join a Zumba class outside of school. 

We are going to be doing Zumba every Thursday for the next six weeks. Unfortunately, we won't be here for our next class because we'll be away on an english trip, but we get to do Zumba on Friday instead. I can't wait! :-)

Tons of Talks!

This week, myself and some other TYs went to Naas General Hospital to attend talks that were given by some of the doctors and nurses there. I went to two of the talks. Each talk lasted about two hours and there were TY students from other schools in Kildare there too.

Nursing

On Monday, I went to a talk on Nursing. The talk went on from eleven o'clock to one o'clock.  During the talk, different nurses who specialize in different types of nursing also came in to talk to us. There was a general nurse, a pediatric nurse (a nurse who works with children), a a nurse who works with people who abuse drugs and alcohol, and a nurse who works in palliative care. They spoke to us about what they like and dislike about their job. Most of the nurses said that helping people to get better is a very rewarding part of their job, but they said that seeing people die can be very hard. They also told us what universities do nursing courses and how many points we would need to get in our Leaving Cert. I found this talk really interesting.

Physiotherapy 

I also went to a talk on Physiotherapy on Tuesday with about ten other girls from TY. There were two physiotherapists talking to us. They told us about what being a physiotherapist involves. They also told us what universities do physiotherapy courses and how many points we would need to get in our Leaving Cert. I was surprised because I didn't realise how much work physiotherapists do. When the talk was finished, we were allowed to go up and look at all of the equipment that physiotherapists use and they showed us how to use it. It was really fun. 

I'm really glad that I went to the talks because I learned lots of information about nursing and physiotherapy that I didn't know before. We also got to go to Mc Donald's in Naas afterwards! :-)

Voy a ir a Barcelona!

I'M GOING TO BARCELONA! (Aoife Byrne and Roisín helped me with my Spanish hehe).

After the draw for the trip was held last Friday, I was fifth on the reserved list. I was really glad that my name got called out but I didn't think I'd actually get to go! When I was having lunch at work experience on Wednesday, my mam rang me to tell me that I had been offered a place! I was delighted to say the least!

Our trip will be for four days during the Easter break. We will get to do lots of sight-seeing and on the third day, we're going to Port Aventura. I'm so excited!

Only 170 days to go ;-)

WE DID IT

Yesterday, I went to do a charity walk for the Marie Keatinge Foundation in Glendalough,Wicklow with a few other girls in TY and fifth year. We got up really early for the long drive down and the walk started at 11 o'clock. It was much harder than I expected it to be! The first half of the walk was all uphill and we had to take a lot of breaks. We walked up so high that our ears popped! When we got up to the very top, it started lashing rain. We got soaked! The wind was also very strong and at one point, we thought the wind was going to blow us over the edge of the mountain. Luckily, the rain started to stop as we went back down. After the walk we changed into dry clothes and got hot chocolate from the shop.

In total, we walked about 7 kilometers (but it felt like 17 kilometers) and we are still collecting money. I was really tired after the walk but I'm glad I did it as it was for a very good cause. :-)

The scenery on the walk was really pretty!

We got caps :)

Projects!

This is the PowerPoint that Ailbhe, Jessie and I made for our religion project on the Millenium Development Goals. We did our project on the fifth goal, Improve Maternal Health. When we were finished, we had to present the PowerPoint to our class. The aim of our project was to become more informed on the Millenium Development Goals and to find out how we can contribute to achieving the goals. :-)

Millennium development goals project religion from katiedonaghy


This is another PowerPoint that I did for my English project on film studies. I had to pick a scene from my favourite movie and write about the different film techniques used throughout the scene. When I was finished, I had to present my project to my class. :-)

English powerpoint film studies from katiedonaghy

Fun Walk 2013!

On Friday, we had our annual Fun Walk. Every year, as part of Friendship Week, each class must prepare a routine that encourages friendship and anti-bullying. On the day of the Fun Walk, each class must then perform their routine for the rest of the school out on the tennis courts, and a winning class is picked from each year group. 

Our duck costumes!

This year, the colour for TY's was yellow, so my class decided to dress up as ducks. Our tutor, Ms O'R, dressed up as the Mother duck and Lauren Mc dressed up as the Ugly duckling. We had a lot of fun practising our dance and making our costumes! In our performance, all of the ducks were excluding the Ugly duckling at a party, but soon the Mother duck helped us to see that what we were doing was wrong and we became friends with the Ugly duckling. I thought I would be nervous when we were performing, but I actually really enjoyed it!

After our performance, we got to watch the rest of the classes, they were all really good! I was one of the TY's who had volunteered to stand at different points along the route of the walk and make sure that everyone knew what way they were going. There were six of us standing around the same place and we had a good laugh.

When the walk was over, we all went back to the school and got a drink. The prefects put on music and we danced for a while before we went home. I really enjoyed the Fun Walk and we raised lots of money for charities such as the Crumlin Hospital Diabetes Unit. 

This morning we found out that Cornaro were the winning class from TY! We were all delighted that we won and had a party in english class with Ms O'Reilly to celebrate. 

This is a small part of the video that inspired my class' idea.  :-)