Category: Transition Year

Transition Year News

Picture 1: Hazelwood College Transition Year Student Darragh O’Brien (centre) participates in a ‘Strength and Conditioning Course’ under the supervision of trainer Trevor Sexton (left) and fellow student Lyon Lenihan (right).

Picture 2: Transition Year student Rachel Collins learns about slings as part of a First Aid course all Transition Year students participated in, under the supervision of the Irish Red Cross.

Picture 3: Members of the Hazelwood College Concern Debating team (left to right) Alannah Matthews, Grace Morey, Julia O’Doherty and Lara Grufferty, after defeating Presentation Convent Listowel. Hazelwood College’s Concern debaters narrowly lost to St. Mary’s Charleville before drawing with Mercy Mounthawk. They continue in the Concern Debating League in the new year.

Picture 4: Chloe O’Connell (left) and Catherine Corbett (right) participate in the regular ‘Integrated Dance’ sessions which include Hazelwood College Transition Year students and the residents of Rathfredagh Cheshire Home

Picture 5: In the course of Hazelwood College’s Transition Year Induction Day, held at Ballyhass Lakes Activity Centre, J.J. Browne (left) managed to chat to his class teacher Mr Noel O’Grady (right) in the course of the activities.

Picture 6: Some of Hazelwood College students prepare to go kayaking in the course of the induction day for Transition Years.

Picture 7: Hazelwood College Transition Year student Ryan Coffey gets to grips with some of the activities during his induction day at Ballyhass Lakes Activities Centre.

Picture 8: Lyon Lenihan, Transition Year student at Hazelwood College, is safely strapped in and aiming for greater heights in the course of the obstacle course at Ballyhass Lakes Activity Centre, during the Transition Year Induction Day.

Picture 9: Lyon Lenihan, TY2 at Hazelwood College, examines a nettle as part of his ‘Alternative Medicine’ programme of studies given by Ms Christine Best, a local herbalist.

Picture 10: Íde Forde (left) and Áine Fitzgibbon (right) brew up their own unique concoctions as part of the ‘Alternative Medicine’ programme given by Ms Christine Best to all Transition Year students at Hazelwood College.

Picture 11: Darragh O’Brien, TY2 student at Hazelwood College, participates in the First Aid Programme given by the Irish Red Cross.

Picture 12: As part of the Transition Year Programme, students at Hazelwood College participated in a series of Zumba Dancing Sessions.

Picture 13: In the course of the their Business Module, Hazelwood College’s Transition Year students embarked on a ‘Build a Bank’ competition. As part of their advertisement drive, customers Loretta Hanley (centre) and Ciara O’Shea (right) were greeted by a very festive Callum Donoghue (left), who is part of the ‘Build a Bank’ project.

Picture 14: Callum Donoghue (centre) was in festive cheer as Hazelwood College’s ‘Build a Bank’ team continued their work before the Christmas break. Among the customers of the programme were Becky Sheehan (left) and Íde Hennessey (right) both fifth years at Hazelwood College.

Picture 15: Another group of Transition Year Business students created their own mini-company, which appealed to all those who had a Christmas sweet tooth. Among those who worked to create the ‘Sweet Selection Cone’ were (left to right) David Fenton, Sinead Coleman and Darragh O’Brien.

European Parliment

Hazelwood College Transition Year student Sam Long was confirmed last Thursday as having secured a four day trip to Strasbourg, to witness, first hand, the workings of the European Parliament. Sam won one of the twenty four coveted spots, reserved for Irish students, in a competition sponsored by the South and East Regional Assembly. The competition focused on the civic awareness of students. Sam was assisted in his entry by his teacher Ms. Margaret Griffin.

Sam, and the other 23 Irish students and three supervising teachers, will visit Strasbourg in the spring and attend sessions of the European Parliament, before participating in Euroscoia, which is a youth parliament comprising of students from all twenty seven member states. Euroscoia members debate issues relevant to young people from across the European Union and the role of the institutions of the European Union in charting a course to improving the lives of its citizens.

The trip, which is thanks to the sponsorship of the Southern and Eastern Regional Assembly, promises to be a rewarding experience and will allow Sam to increase to meet students from across Ireland and across the European Union, while also developing his knowledge of the political, civic and social outlook for Ireland and of Europe..

Hazelwood Talk the Talk in Concern Debate Competition

Hazelwood College began their 2012-13 Concern Debates campaign with a victory over Presentation Convent, Listowel. Hazelwood’s team, Julia O’Doherty (Captain), Alannah Matthews, Grace Morey and Lara Grufferty successfully proposed the motion that ‘The world has more to fear from President Romney than from President Obama’.

In a robust and charged debate, Hazelwood and Listowel gave an expert demonstration of debating skills. Throughout the course of the evening, the competition was on a knife edge. Despite the debate being the first in this year’s competition, the standard on both sides was very high, especially in refutation and rebuttal. Hazelwood’s team, all Transition Years, will face St. Mary’s, Charleville in the coming weeks.

Camino De Santiago

On 29 May eleven students from Hazelwood College completed the famous Camino de Santiago in Galicia in Northern Spain. This was an historic event as the students were the first group from the school, perhaps any school in the country, to undertake this challenge. In total the students walked over 112 kilometres and in doing so collected a sizeable amount of money for charity.

Planning for the walk began back in October when the tour was first offered to Transition Year students. They undertook an introductory walk and soon afterward began to raise money for their chosen charity, Bounce Back. This charity is especially close to the heart of one of the students who participated on the walk as it was set up by the mother of one of his basketball teammates who committed suicide, in order to help young people feeling under pressure. In addition the students started to collect the equipment they would need for the walk. Here it is necessary to recognise the support of the parents who were the solid foundations upon which this journey was built.

The journey began on 24 May when the students met at Charleville train station at the early hour of 05:00 am where, despite the early hour, the atmosphere was electric. The walk itself began on 25 May from Sarria and continued until 29 May, with the students walking between 17 and 30 kilometres each day. The weather was favourable most days with only one day of rain, but this failed to dampen spirits and instead the students saw it as another challenge. The evenings were taken up with the examination of blisters and sore muscles. However, this did not lead to despondency and in fact a number of evenings were spent playing soccer with the local Spaniards or playing Gaelic football in the plaza in front of the local church. The final day began with breakfast at 05:00am so that the group could finish in time to catch the plane. This necessitated the use of flashlights as the route took the group through the forest, adding to the excitement of the day. Santiago was a welcome sight at the end of the walk and each student was delighted to receive their certificate of completion. Then it was a rush to catch the flight home and a dash across Dublin to get the train in order to arrive back in Charleville at 21:16.

The trip was thoroughly enjoyed by all involved. One student said it was ‘a great bonding trip. The banter among friends inspired us to reach our destination, helping us to overcome the difficulties along the way.’ Another summed it up summed saying ‘we became closer as friends, raised money for charity and did something for a stranger. The most rewarding thing I’ve done so far.’ The teachers too were very impressed with the trip and were full of praise for the students. Mr Finn was delighted and commended the students on their approach to the trip. He said the most common word given by anyone who encountered the students on the walk was ‘wonderful’. Often both Mr. Finn and Ms. O Connor could be heard saying, ‘I feel like a proud parent. They are just so committed.’

Well done to all involved.

BEUN CAMINO!

Picture 1: Hazelwood College students with their teachers Mr Matthew Finn (back row, far right) and Ms Marie O’Connor (front row, second from right) as they departed on the Camino De Santiago. The Hazelwood College group was joined by Fr. Frank O’Dee PP of Dromcollogher and Broadford, standing on the far left.

Picture 2: Transition Year Students from Hazelwood College with their teachers Mr Matthew Finn and Ms Marie O’Connor, who were joined by Fr Frank O’Dee PP of Dromcollogher and Broadford, while they were taking a well deserved break in the Spanish sunshine while participating on the Camino De Santiago.