Volunteering in Puerto Rico

During the first two weeks of last June, my brother and I travelled to Puerto Rico, an island in the Caribbean near the Dominican Republic. We volunteered with a non-profit organization called CRES (The Coalition for the Restoration of Santurcean Ecosystems). Their mission is to preserve and restore biodiversity in San Juan, the ever-developing capital city of Puerto Rico.

CRES aims to promote sustainable practices that ensure the health and integrity of the local ecosystems which are vital for sustaining many native plant and animal species. For two weeks we worked every week day with the local team. It's a relatively small organization and we mostly worked with three amazing and interesting people—Ferni, Yvette, and Juan—all natives born on the island.

Our main task was at their plant centre where we planted native species and cultivated them until they were ready to be transferred to their "urban jungle." This green space had been created in an abandoned construction site where building had stopped after only the foundations were laid. The area was now an urban forest with trees and plants growing among half-built concrete pillars. It was located right on the coast, practically in the city centre, and was bustling with wildlife like lizards, chickens, and birds.

We worked for about 3-4 hours each morning and then had the afternoons free to explore. We stayed in a hostel with our own room and a communal kitchen where we cooked our own meals each day. The beach was just a five-minute walk away so we spent every afternoon swimming in the crystal-clear waters in 30-degree weather.

Throughout the trip we enjoyed numerous activities like paddleboarding in the marina with manatees and turtles swimming beside us while 30-story buildings loomed in the background. We also rented electric scooters to explore the lively La Placita square.  One of the highlights was attending a Puerto Rican national football team World Cup qualifier against Anguilla which the former won 8-0.

For me, the best experience was a private tour of El Yunque whcih is the only rainforest in North America. Ferni and Yvette, who also offer private tours, took us and another volunteer from Virginia deep into the jungle. We hiked to three different waterfalls, making it one of the most picturesque days I've ever had. The scenery was breathtaking, and the company couldn’t have been better. Afterwards, they took us to a local food shack, packed with locals, where we enjoyed some of the best food I’ve ever tasted—authentic Puerto Rican dishes with ingredients I couldn’t even name!

We booked our trip through IVHQ (International Volunteer Headquarters), which offers hundreds of volunteer opportunities worldwide from preserving marine species to building homes and teaching in underprivileged schools. They were incredibly helpful in organizing our trip and remained available if we needed assistance during our stay in Puerto Rico.  All in all it was an incredible experience and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone looking for a unique and meaningful adventure. 
Callum McLoughlin

One Hundread Years in The Making - President Jimmy Carter

This week on the first of October 2024, Jimmy Carter the 39th President of the United States reached his 100th birthday, becoming the first ever US President to do so! Born in 1924 in Plains, Georgia - the first US President to born in a hospital - James Earl Carter Junior went on to craft an impressive and posite legacy worldwide that has been felt far beyond his four years as Commander in Chief, one that is still remembered and celebrated today; and for good reason. Carter had an eclectic range of jobs before becoming the 39th President. He had served in the US

Navy in the Second World War, been a nuclear technician and a Sunday School teacher. Most famously though, Carter was a long time peanut farmer - something he and his hometown of Plains is still remembered fondly for to this today. In fact peanuts are such an iconic staple of Carter's life that massive peanut carvings of himself and his wife Rosalynn greet visitors to the entrance of his presidential library! Carter got into politics by running for the Georgia State Senate on the platform of abolishing segregation in the American Deep South, and strongly dedicated himself to civil rights. In 1971 he became the 79th Governor of the State of Georgia, and then in 1976 ran as the Democratic Party candidate for 

President alongside Walter Mondale against incumbent Republican 38th President Gerald Ford and Vice President Nelson Rockerfeller. Carter promoted his origins as a humble peanut farmer and a political outsider as a fresh and necessary perspective in Washington following the Watergate Scandal and the resignation of 37th President Richard Nixon. Though the campaign was tough on both Carter and Ford, the two would later become close friends; Carter eventually delivered the eulogy at Ford's funeral in 2006. Carter won the 1976 election and was sworn in as President on January 20th 1977. He devoted his presidency to the advancement of human rights domestically and internationally, and also supported envionrmental protection and international diplomacy initatives. Carter prioritised transparency of government following the political turbulence of the 1970's, and famously told the American public that if he was ever caught telling them a lie, they should force him to resign.

Carter's presidency faced its fair share of difficulties. The United States faced a serious petrol and diesel shortage and was entering a period of severe economic stagflation (where unemployment is high and the economy is stagnant with high inflation). Most troubling was the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979, where 52 American diplomats were held hostage by Iranian protestors who siezed the US Embassy in Tehran. Carter also experienced a great success in 1978 with the Camp David Accords, where Carter personally mediated and brokered a peace deal between President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister of Israel Menachem Begin, bringing a formal end to the Yom Kippur War. After the challenges of the Iranian Hostage Crisis and the turbulent economy of his presidency, Jimmy Carter lost the 1980 presidential election to 40th President Ronald Reagan and his Vice President George Bush Senior. Carter spent his final moments in office finalising agreements to have the American hostages in Tehran released - none of whom has been harmed. The negotiations were a success, but the government of Iran refused to release them until Reagan had been sworn in.

After his presidency Carter and Rosalynn returned to their home in Plains, Georgia, where they founded The Carter Centre - a nonprofit organisation that has been working continuously to this day to promote Carter's strong values of human rights and human development. Carter has had the longest and most active post presidency of any former American president. Working tirelessly for causes he believes in, some of Carter's greatest accomplishments since leaving office in 1981 include eradicating dracunculiasis (aka "Guinea Worm Disease"), preventing an American invasion of Haiti in 1994 by convincing Dictator Raoul Cédras to resign peacefully, monitoring and promoting fair and free elections worldwide - most notably in El Salvador, South Africa and Ukraine, overseeing the distribution of wheat and grain from the World Food Bank in North Korea after a famine alongside Mary Robinson, and convincing the government of the People's Republic of China to drop its policy of outlawing private religious worship. These efforts and more earned Carter a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, becoming the third American president to receive one (Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson before him, and after him Barack Obama). Carter has also famously supported Habitat for Humanity in his post presidency - an organisation that The High School also shares a long history with! Carter continued carpentry as a hobby well into his 90's, and has worked on over 4,900 projects with them since he joined the organisation in 1984. Jimmy Carter has enjoyed a long and successful life, and a peaceful but highly active 'retirement'. Dispite his troubled presidency, Carter has received widespread praise for his humanitarian efforts in and out of office. In 2009 Carter himself refelected that "I believe I had been a far better post president than I was a president". Carter enjoyed his adventures alongside his childhood sweetheart Rosalynn for almost his whole life until she passed away peacefully in November 2023. Rosalynn had developed dementia, but had never forgotten who Jimmy was or how special their relationship had been. Jimmy Carter has been in hospice care since, his last public appearance was at her funeral in Plains. According to his grandson Jason, Carter still likes to keep his mind buisy and has been enjoying listening to a variety of audio books. Reportedly, he is hoping to be able to vote in the 2024 American Presidential Election in November. Jimmy Carter has achieved a fantastic milestone in reaching his 100th birthday, and has lived a long and successful life. If you are interested in learning more about him I would highly recommend two excellent books about him, the first being his definative autobiography, 'A Full Life: Reflections at Nintey' and 'Jimmy Carter: A Comprehensive Biography from Plains to Post Presidency' by Peter G. Bourne. All that's left to say now is: Happy birthday President Carter!! 

Leo Shorten 

Scuba Diving

Over the last two years SCUBA diving has taken me to places I never thought I would see; I have had experiences that I never could imagine and my passion for it has led me to travel the world, and it will continue to do so.  I began my journey into the sport whilst on the Aran Islands with a dive center called “Dive Academy”, I took my first breath underwater with them and I haven't looked back since. I continued with my training in Dublin to get my Open Water certification and later travelled back to the Aran Islands to get my Advanced Open Water certification with the same dive centre I took my first breath with.  

Since then, I have had the pleasure of visiting Egypt, more specifically Dahab and its famous ‘Blue Hole’ where I dived a site called “El Bells”. I have also travelled across Ireland to Cork and for a third time to the Aran Islands for the beauty of the Atlantic Ocean.  Whilst in Dahab I completed six dives where I got to experience the sprawling life of the Red Sea up close: with its vibrant corals and abundance of fish it was nothing like I had seen before. My favourite dive throughout the trip was “The Canyon”.  It begins on a shallow reef shelf which is covered in corals and fish life and slowly descends towards a break in the floor which drops to a maximum depth of 25m.  The walls of this canyon are covered in life and at the back of it is a small space where I witnessed a school of fish swim in unison as the light broke through the cracks in the ceiling and glimmered off their scales.  

Another dive site that I remember fondly is “El Bells”, which is the main dive site at the Dahab Blue Hole.  It begins at the elevator shaft which drops to a maximum depth of 26m.  You exit through an arch into the open ocean where on the right is the wall which from the surface down is covered with all sorts of coral and fish. Almost the entirety of the dive is along this reef wall where you can experience the unrivalled beauty of underwater life, the dive ends with an ascent to 7 metres, and you pass over the saddle of the Blue Hole. As you enter the Blue Hole, you have a full view of the circumference of it and all the life that lies along its inner wall.  The dive ends with a traverse along this wall and an exit onto the shelf.  

Diving is an experience I think everyone should try at least once; you are away from the chaos of everyday life while weightless and surrounded by underwater life.  The only noise you can hear being your own breathing. To say the least it is a very peaceful experience. It might seem daunting at first, but the diving community is the most welcoming group of people I have ever had the pleasure to be around.  They are all there to enjoy the peace of diving and help others to experience the beauty of the sport.  
Anthony Leonard 

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