Irish Aid in Mozambique

Over the summer I had the fantastic experience of travelling to Mozambique, Eswatini, and South Africa where I worked at the Irish Embassy in Maputo. It was an interesting and enlightening experience, and I enjoyed meeting a wide range of people from both Ireland and Mozambique who work in the field of diplomacy. It was particularly inspiring to see the good work done by the Irish Embassy and Irish Aid while in Mozambique, and the highlight of my trip was visiting the Marracuene primary school in the municipality of Guava near Maputo. 

The Marracuene primary school is the largest school in Guava and

accommodates 3,600 pupils.  The national primary teacher-pupil ratio in Mozambique is one teacher to sixty pupils, compared to an Irish average of one teacher to thirty pupils. In practice, some classes I visited with embassy staff were accommodating up to 120 pupils per teacher. The nearest secondary school to Guava was not within walking distance so despite being a primary school Marracuene unofficially catered to secondary school aged pupils as well. Due to the large number of pupils attending the school three shifts were held each day of 1,500 pupils for three hours of classes.

The work done by the Irish Embassy and Irish Aid in Guava was meaningful and inspiring: the Embassy had funded a renewable energy plan and installed solar panels in the school to provided electricity to the classrooms and neighbouring homes. Irish Aid had also funded a well digging project, built modern and hygenic toilet blocks for pupils and staff, installed water pipes, supplied the school with new blackboards, bins, and built a football field for the pupils to use during their breaks.  I also enjoyed meeting and speaking with the Marracuene School Council, an organisation made up of pupils, teachers, school administration, community leaders, and local politicians who meet regularly to discuss issues affecting their school and community. 

Visiting Marracuene was an important experience in learning about what other schools across the world are like and how they operate. Though there were many differences, there were also lots of similarities between our two schools, and the staff and community in Marracuene work very hard to provide and care for their pupils, even in difficult circumstances.  The Irish Embassy in Maputo has over 50 major aid and development projects that help schools and communities like Guava across Mozambique, Eswatini, and on the neighbouring island of Madagascar.  If any pupils are interested in international relations and how Ireland interacts with the world, I would encourage you to participate in the Model United Nations club at The High School to learn more about our world and the international community!
Leo Shorten

Ella-Marie Explores The Deception and Chaos Wrought by Love Triangles in Explosive New Single Cat Eyes

Classically trained pianist, award winning lyricist, and recent High School past pupil Ella-Marie Cullen (HSD, 2018-24) is back with a powerful new single that evokes flavours of Fleetwood Mac and Fiona Apple. Dynamic is an understatement as Ella-Marie transitions seamlessly from vulnerable breathy falsetto to fearsome belts that perfectly paint a complex picture of heartbreak, love, and loss.

Ella-Marie’s gentle piano gives way to crashing drums and guitar as we’re dragged through the unfolding drama, and ultimately come to rest having felt like we’d experienced every late night text, every overthought catastrophised imagining, and every agonizing moment of self doubt right along side Ella-Marie herself.

When asked about the inspiration for the song Ella-Marie state that “The song Cat Eyes is equal parts about intimacy and jealousy. It’s a battle between craving intimacy from someone but also regretting anything happening at all. This song paints an image of another woman type situation. Being tormented solely by another woman’s existence while trying to maintain any rational thinking at all is near impossible.”

Working with the Beardfire Music Production team of Rohan Healy, Al Quiff, and David Virgin - who in their collective eight decades in the music business have shared the stage and studio with the likes of Nick Cave, INXS, Cat Power, and Billy Bragg, to name a few, and whose productions have garnered millions of streams, film and TV placements, and chart success – Ella-Marie hopes to continue to find new ways to express her prodigious talents and is garnering fans around the world.  Cat Eyes is out now 2024 on all major platforms.

Cat Eyes is out now 2024 on all major platforms.

Ella-Marie’s Contact and Socials:

Email - ellamarie424@gmail.com

Instrgam - https://www.instagram.com/ellamariecmusic/?hl=en 

Sean Aigboboh Takes Bronze at the National Athletics Championships

 Watch recent High School past pupil Sean Aigboboh take bronze at the National Athletics Championships during the summer. Well done, Sean!

Israel Olatunde just manages to hold off Bori Akinola to win the men's 100m at the National Athletics Championships #RTEsport pic.twitter.com/oHME5KotDR

— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 30, 2024

Toilet Twinning Project

On Friday 19 April, The High School Dublin Parents Association presented a cheque for €280 to the Student Council, marking the end of several months of fundraising for a charity called Toilet Twinning. Funds have been raised in The High School and by the Parents Association this year for Toilet Twinning, a charity that builds safe, sustainable, and clean toilets for families living in extreme poverty. Working with Toilet Twinning, who are partnered with Tearfund Ireland and Cord, we will now be able to 'toilet twin' eleven toilets in our school with other toilets across the world. This means that our toilets are linked to modern and hygienic latrines across the globe, connecting our school to the global community and opening doors for a new wave of understanding for pupils, staff, and visitors to The High School. Our twinned toilets will now have framed pictures of our international toilet twins outside their doors, along with pictures of our twins and GPS coordinates included so we can locate them on Google Maps! Soon, student and staff toilets at HSD will be twinned with latrines in Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan Malawi Nepal Zimbabwe Zambia Uganda Tanzania Côte d'Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Together as a community we have raised just over €1,000 for Toilet Twinning!

Raising awareness about Toilet Twinning at school these past few months has been a real labour of love for me personally. I discovered this charity during a Model United Nations trip to London in October 2023; I was struck by how original and ultimately fun its concept was. I couldn't shake off the idea and brought it up at a Student Council meeting where many others also liked it. After obtaining permissions from various individuals going through bureaucratic channels presenting an informative video about Toilet Twinning during assembly we organized a non-uniform day on February 9th to raise funds for this cause. Shortly after that generous offer came from Parents Association offering donation too.
I would like to express my gratitude towards every student teacher in school all members of Parents Association who helped spread awareness about Toilet Twinning donated on non-uniform days supported this project. Thanks to our cooperation as community we made significant difference improving lives families worldwide making sanitation safer.
If you are interested in learning more about or making a donation to Toilet Twinning for your own loos as home, please visit www.toilettwinning.org
Leo Shorten

Mental Health Week

As we approach Mental Health Week, it is essential to recognize the significance of this event. Now more than ever, the spotlight on mental health education and inclusivity is crucial.

This week provides a platform for breaking down stigmas and improving our understanding. By raising awareness and encouraging education, we empower individuals to recognize their mental well-being and support others.

Mental Health Week isn't just about acknowledging the challenges but celebrating resilience, courage, and the journey toward wellness. It's a reminder that mental health is a fundamental aspect of our overall well-being, deserving attention, care, and understanding.

This year, we are excited to focus on four core values: connection, awareness, curiosity, and generosity. Each day of the week will be dedicated to exploring and embodying these values.

Tuesday: Connection

On the first day let's prioritize building connections with ourselves and others. Whether through meaningful conversations or acts of kindness or shared experiences.

Wednesday: Awareness

Day two encourages us to be aware of our thoughts, feelings, surroundings. We will host The Evening of Memory and Reflection which will provide an opportunity to honor those who have passed away.

Thursday: Curiosity

Curiosity fuels growth and learning. Today let's approach our experiences with open minds sense wonder Let's explore new hobbies challenge ourselves try something different embrace joy discovery.

Friday: Generosity

Generosity comes in many forms from offering support those in need practicing self-compassion Today let's express kindness generosity towards ourselves others Small gestures can make big difference someone's day."

Saturday: Darkness Into Light


Pieta is largest suicide bereavement support service Ireland Every year Pieta offers vital long-term support over 600 families This counseling also available person via phone video.
Elisa MacGabhann

Junior Drama Success!

 

"My Dinner with Jeffrey" is a particularly special play written by two Form 5 pupils at The High School: Leo Shorten and Max Lyons. The play features an array of bizarre and comical characters, from a formidable mafia boss to a slightly eccentric Antarctician potato seller, who arrive at Jeffrey Mallet’s dinner party. However, the party takes a turn for the worse when murder strikes, leading the eclectic mix of characters to scuffle over the murder of a fellow party-goer as each had grounds to be a suspect.

The aptitude and finesse of this year's cast made the play stand out. The capabilities of both older and younger pupils, along with the strong affinity between cast members, were palpable and impressive for the audience. Enormous effort was put into ensuring that the production ran smoothly: Ms Browne and Ms Forder, responsible for directing the play, dedicated significant work to structuring rehearsals, managing props efficiently, and handling various other aspects. The remarkable application and enthusiasm from the backstage crew added to an exciting and enjoyable collaborative experience.

The flair and talent displayed by this year's cast in "My Dinner with Jeffrey" Junior Drama production were particularly special. The dedication and zeal shown by those involved in directing alongside backstage support were truly impressive. Overall, producing this play proved to be an exciting and satisfying experience. When asked about their writing experience for the play, both writers expressed their happiness with the final product due to all the hard work invested by both cast and crew paying off well. They mentioned having fun during its creation process while hoping that everyone involved also enjoyed making it as much as watching it.
Olivia Leonard

The High School MUN Triumph

 

On 13 and 14 April, 150 pupils from fourteen schools were welcomed to The High School to participate in our second annual Model United Nations Conference. Model United Nations, or as we often refer to it, MUN, involves each school being assigned a country and each pupil debating topics, representing that country. At our conference we had seven committee rooms, ranging from Security Council to Health and Youth, Disarmament and Security to Social Cultural and Humanitarian. We also had a Historical Committee, which debated topics such as the Iranian Hostage Crisis and the Soviet Blockade of Berlin. MUN is a fantastic opportunity for pupils to learn how to collaborate and compromise to solve some of the biggest issues that face our world, such as Nuclear Energy, Terrorism, and the Role of Social Media.  

For our opening ceremony we managed to get a special guest, Ivana Bacik TD, to share her wisdom on the importance of involvement in political affairs. The inspirational speech set the tone for a very productive weekend of debating. The debating was at an extraordinary standard and every delegate was well-prepared on the range of topics we were debating. Although it was an event discussing serious issues, plenty of fun was also had with our in house magazine and joke awards for "best dressed" and "best ship"! 

On Saturday we had a General Assembly which allowed all the attendees to show off the knowledge they had gathered over the weekend and find out what had happened in the other committee rooms. At General Assembly we debated a range of topics such as Soil Degradation, Vaccine Supply and Uptake, and Piracy in International Waters. As is customary, we concluded the conference with prizegiving, which was exceptionally difficult due to the excellent participation of all attendees. The conference was closed in classic MUN style, with the bang of a gavel, signifying the end to another fantastic weekend.  

This conference was a fantastic end to a busy year of Model United Nations. All the pupils and teachers who attended had a fantastic time and we are all looking forward to next year! 
Ciara Morton