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Lucan Community College
Talk by Dr. Richard Hogan: A fantastic evening last week in Lucan CC with Dr. Richard Hogan speaking on some important topics including anxiety, bullying, boundaries, resilience and technology in teens' lives. A very insightful and inspiring talk with lots of tips to take away. A big thank you to the Lucan CC Parents Association for organising the evening.
1st year Boys Soccer: Well done to the 1st year boys football team who had a fantastic 6-2 win against local rivals Colaiste Phadraig. It was a brilliant all round team performance but a special mention to team captain Ryan Breslin who led by example throughout. Goal scorers were Samuel Varzevicious 2 goals, Scott Kinsella 2 goals, Harry Walshe 1 goal and Adam Murtagh Walsh 1 goal.
Silver Gaisce Awards: This prestigious President's Award recognises months of dedication, effort, and community spirit. Our 10 students completed a two-day adventure journey in Glendalough, hiking over 50km, as well as 26 weeks of personal skill, physical activity, and community involvement. This group is especially notable as they are the last to receive certificates signed by President Michael D. Higgins. A brilliant achievement and a testament to their hard work and commitment, well done everyone. Pictured are Shane Vaughan, Abel Joseph, Matthew O'Brien, John McAndrew, Ben Heffernan, Aoife Dowling, Ciara Glynn, Lily Crocker Dunne and Sadhbh Poter.
3rd year student makes Irish U15 Squad: Congratulations to our 3rd year student Kian Lee who was selected to play for Ireland Under 15s in Spain over the midterm break. A fantastic achievement showing his hard work and dedication.
St Joseph's College Lucan
A diary from Chicago PAL trip
Chicago day 1: The hotel is gearing up for hosting the competition from tomorrow so great excitement all around. Today, we are going to the Field Museum and the Skydeck Observation Tower so it will be nice to be out in daylight and to see Chicago. We are all still in disbelief that we are here but so appreciative of the opportunity. Hannah Jordan is celebrating her 17th birthday so that will be one for her to remember! We have met some members of the Texas team and we are scrimmaging against them tomorrow.
Chicago day 2: We had a great day out and about yesterday - the feet were walked off everyone from early until late. The students travelled across the city to the Field Museum (Natural History Museum and , among many attractions, met Sue, the most complete Tyrannosauruses Rex ever discovered. After lunch at the much sought after 'Raising Canes', we travelled to the Skydeck attraction - the highest observation deck in the US at 1,353 feet above the city. The students had an opportunity then for some quality shopping at a local Mall complete with Sephora - Mr Smyth and Mr McCabe were very impressed. Today is down to business and the team is scrimmaging against a school from Texas. It is a great opportunity to practise before tomorrow's opening Rounds. The students have been brilliant so far, and are enjoying the different experiences each day. We have our opening ceremony later where the National Anthem will be played (Pre-recorded and submitted by the team). We have met the team from Presentation College, KIlkenny also who flew in late last night. The students will be meeting all the other teams later and are exchanging Flag Day Badges and Cadburys chocolates with them as a token from Ireland!
Chicago day 3: We are finally ready for off in Court for Round 1. We were drawn against South Korea last evening and the team will begin prosecuting in Round 1 shortly. There was a busy day scrimmaging yesterday, followed by the Opening Ceremony last night. Students had time to meet the students from the other 43 teams, exchange their gifts from home and watch each other's video introducing themselves. This morning, all students are wearing their courtroom attire and are all set for the off.
Round 1 Prosecuting Team are:
Yutika Nair - Presenting the Pre-Trial arguments
Grace Jose – Attorney,
Tilly Molloy - Attorney
Claire Guest - Witness
Grace Abiola - Witness
Naiara Carton - Witness
Round 2 Defending Team are:
Eva McGarty - Pre-Trial
Sandra Shibu - Attorney
Hannah Jordan - Attorney
Isabelle Mullarkey - Witness
Julie Heynen - Witness
Elena D'Alba - Witness
Chicago day 4: A busy day yesterday with two rounds of the Empire Mock Trial Competition. The first round took place in our hotel and the second in another hotel close by. The Federal Shutdown closed the courthouse that was originally planned to be used. Our two teams did brilliantly, up against a team from South Korea and in Round 2, against a team from Oregon. We were narrowly defeated in both but members of our team have been selected for possible individual prizes. The students have learned so much and have adapted without much difficulty to all the required protocol and procedures that is very different from what they were used to at home. They certainly are a credit to the school. The temperatures have dropped and snow is on its way today. Luckily, we have our snoods with us. We have two more rounds of the competition today - yet to be confirmed who we are up against.
Chicago day 5: We had a great evening to conclude the Empire Mock Trial Competition on Sunday. Two very intense rounds took place against teams from Texas and California. We had an unbelievably competitive round to conclude the competition with our prosecuting side not yielding an inch to a very experienced and quite intimidating Californian Venture High School. After three hours of deliberations, we are so proud of the arguments, objections and points put forward by Yutika Nair, Grace Jose and Tilly Molloy along with witnesses Grace Abiola, Claire Guest & Isabelle Mullarkey. Sadly, we did not place among the top 10 of the 44 schools participating but for the many who did, we certainly matched them in our rounds very evenly. We should be so proud of the distance the students came since their scrimmaging on Friday. They adapted to a system that the teams here are very familiar with and such teams are so experienced with monthly mock trial competitions to keep them on their toes. They were commended very highly by the judge in each round for their expertise, professionalism and knowledge of the protocols and procedures. Sunday evening concluded with a student disco & staff appreciation evening. We were more concerned with seeing the snow outside On Monday, we have a busy day visiting the Irish Consulate, the Whitney Young High School and then for the NBA Chicago Bulls Basketball Game to finish off the day.
Sister Act musical - get your tickets now!
Follow Us on Twitter: @StJosephsLucan
Follow Us on Instagram: @stjosephscollegelucan
Find us on our Website: www.stjosephslucan.com
Colaiste Phadraig
Wellbeing: Last week, our school community came together to celebrate Wellbeing and Friendship Week, a special event dedicated to promoting resilience, inclusion, and the importance of positive relationships. The week was a wonderful success, with students from all year groups engaging enthusiastically in a range of workshops, performances, and activities designed to support their personal growth and wellbeing.
The week began on Monday, when our 6th yr students took part in an insightful Study Skills and Resilience Workshop facilitated by The Super Generation. This session focused on developing practical strategies for effective studying, time management, and stress reduction, particularly valuable as students prepared for their November exams.
On Tuesday, attention turned to our 2nd yrs, who attended a powerful one-man performance by Mike O’Sullivan. His play, centred on the theme of drug awareness, combined drama and storytelling to highlight the real-life consequences of substance misuse and the importance of making positive, informed choices. The performance was both moving and thought-provoking, sparking meaningful discussion among students.
Later that day, 3rd yr students also attended a performance by Mike O'Sullivan - this time focusing on the theme of anti-racism. Through his engaging performance, Mike explored the importance of empathy, respect, and standing up against prejudice in all its forms. Students responded with maturity and reflection, demonstrating great understanding of the message at the heart of the play.
On Wednesday, our 1st yrs were warmly welcomed with a special Welcome Breakfast held in the school canteen.
Thursday saw our Transition Year students take part in a Resilience and Wellbeing Workshop led by Stephen Kiernan. Through interactive activities and discussions, Stephen encouraged students to reflect on their personal strengths, set goals, and build habits that support mental and emotional wellbeing. TY students engaged fully, showing great interest in learning tools to help them navigate challenges with confidence and optimism.
The week concluded on Friday with another excellent workshop from The Super Generation, this time for 5th Year students. The session focused on resilience, wellbeing, and stress management, offering practical techniques to handle pressure both inside and outside the classroom. Students appreciated the opportunity to pause, reflect, and consider how to maintain balance during their senior cycle studies.
Throughout the week, students demonstrated exemplary behaviour and a commendable level of engagement and participation. Their positive attitude and enthusiasm made the event a true success.
Soccer: Our 1st yr soccer team were beaten 6-2 by Lucan CC in their Dublin Metropolitan League encounter. Evan Gill and Karl Horan scored the goals but, despite hitting the crossbar on two occasions, the team were 2nd best to a very good LCC team, who thoroughly deserved their victory.
The team then faced St. Kieran's College, Kilkenny on Tuesday in the 1st round of the Leinster Cup. It proved to be a dramatic, exciting and memorable game with Lucan winning 3-2 after extra-time after a dramatic, nerve-shredding, and unforgettable contest. Luke Whelan, Harvey Muldowney and Evan Gill scored the goals, with Evan’s winning goal coming with just 2mins of extra-time remaining.
Hurling: Our u16 hurling team advanced to the Dublin League semi-finals on Monday after an emphatic 4-19 to 3-7 victory against Colaiste Eanna. Lucan dominated the 1st half, restricting their opponents to just 4 points, while being clinical with their own opportunities. Daniel Godson and the impressive Shane Brennan scored 1st half goals to add to numerous well-taken points from open play from Andrew Kieran, Caoilin Reilly, Hugh O' Neill, Liam Gamble as well as Daniel and Shane themselves.
Lucan played with focus and discipline in the 2nd half, refusing to ease off despite having a commanding lead at half time. Colaiste Eanna upped their intensity but the Lucan players matched them in effort, physicality and work-ethic and eventually their superior quality shone through as they eased to a 15-point victory. Shane Brennan scored a superb 2nd half goal as he amassed a brilliant 2-8 in total. Caoilin also scored a fine 2nd half goal to finish with 1-2 in an impressive performance in the half-forward line.
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