How do you summarise TY in a blog post- you cant

For 78 young ladies, panic stations are setting in as the reality of fifth year sets in and  Transition Year 2011-2012 comes to an end. We have but 3 weeks, before we separate for the summer once again. As I sit here I reminisce on all the amazing experiences that I have had the opportunity to experience during the year. I just want to make a list of all the things that we have done this year, so that I can put into perspective just how much we have done this year. 

*Carlingford

*Juno and the Paycock

*Don Giovanni opera

*Laura's ballet

*Mini company trips

*Bowling

*Young Scientist

*Mullingar Briary Gap drama festival

*Trip to Kildare

*Lollipop day

*Retreats

*Braveforce 

* Sci fest

*Swim a mile

* MCDONALDS. 

 

These are only the trips that I can remember off the top of my head, no doubt we've been on more! 

All in all it has been an unbelievable year. When I see it summarised, it doesnt even touch on the experiences that we've had. Aside from all the trips we've bonded as a year, grown individually and all matured greatly, in our own unique way. There have been tears and there has DEFINITELY been laughter, but through thick and thin we've shown that we're a resilient bunch - that's for sure and no matter what we'll always be there for eachother. I just want to say a huge thank you to ms Leahy and all our teachers for the incredible opportunities they've given us, and how dedicated they've been to making our TY year the best it can possibly be. 

Hotel Rwanda-a real eye opener

This year, in Religion class we have been focusing greatly on the Millennium Development Goals and Human Rights. Recently we have been doing a module on conflict. As part of this module, class Banba watched two movies "Sometimes in April" and also "Hotel Rwanda". Personally I was extremely touched by Hotel Rwanda. The film focuses on the life of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel worker, who attempts to rescue and lead his fellow Rwandans from the Rwandan Genocide in the Spring of 1994. What really struck me about the Rwandan war is the fact that over a million people were killed and it was completely unknown to me. I almost felt ashamed at my ignorance to the situation. I was perhaps more ashamed of the response of the Western World to the genocide. It has occurred to me, that we as a nation are completely self consumed, "me feiners" some would say. We are happy to turn a blind eye to the issues we face, and indeed we all face them, if they do not directly effect us. No man is an island as they say, but I feel that we are happy to keep to ourselves because of the "effort" of getting involved. Ignore the problems so that we do not have to acknowledge they are there.
  Since beginning TY I have been greatly inspired by my Religion teacher, and her outlook on life. She has a positive attitude to almost everything, and I believe has reached a level of spirituality that comes with wisdom and life experiences, good and bad.  Perhaps what I admire most, her will to be the first to say that which many of us refuse to admit to, our negative traits as a people.
 I feel that I have grown greatly throughout TY, but Religion class has definitely opened my eyes to the World around me, something that I feel will benefit me in the years to come.

el noche de musica !

Hello !! So last night we had our music night in st wolstans! It was such a good night, especially since Ty classes Banba and Eiriu performed their rendition of Floro's Shake it out, and Fodla performed Wake me up. Over all a fantastic night, one of the best parts being the TY's all squished into the demo room watching the School of Rock. The choir also performed I feel Pretty from the fab musical West Side Story. A fab night for all involved and also I would like to say a huge thank you to Ms O'Reilly and Ms Gilsenan for all their work that they did, the whole night wouln't have been possible without all their efforts with each year! :) x

BLAPE TDM!

i love vicky so much shes amazing ! mwahhhhh xoxoxoxoxxooxxoxo oh yeh and my new boif !

revelation of the month- I like children.

Hello everyone ! It's been a while since I've blogged, but that is in fact the nature of TY. Between Lollipop day (which we will get to), work experience and the percussion workshop my absence from my computer has taken its toll on blogging- all is well though class Banba are all currently blogging away in IT class.
 Firstly, TY's are still recovering from the excitement of lollipop day nearly 2 weeks on. For those of you who haven't a notion of what lollipop day is, its an annual event where lollipops are sold aroud the country in aid of oesophageal cancer. It's a tradition in Saint Wolstan's for the TY's to set off to Dublin city in groups of two or three ( which we get to choose) and be put at a random location around the city and sell lollipops badges and also stickers. The Woolies girls took the city by storm and you couldn't turn a corner without running into at least 8 of us on a street. Lollipop day was definitely one of the highlights of my TY year. 
 Next came work experience. Let me make myself clear when I say that I am not (or so I thought) a particular fan of those who are under 12 and over 5. However, I thought it would be a good idea to go to a primary school, Saint Brigid's, for a week to determine whether teaching is really out of the question for me. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into a room of 28 bubbly senior infants between the ages of 5 and 6 and not the screaming anti Christs I had expected. Over the week I developed a great relationship with the class. Each individual had completely different personalities and each had a witty sense of humour. On my second day I was greeted by Orla, a gorgeous little girl with a black bob, who handed me a card ( and yes , there was even an envelope decorated with lovehearts and  the highly valued flower stickers) which read " You will make a grate teecher and I like your glassis"- it was at this point that I realised teaching is a very practical career path and a possible one for me. An overall amazing experience.
 As if the past 2 weeks weren't exciting enough when we arrived into school on Monday after work experience we were welcomed back with a day of free classes because of a percussion workshop. We worked on the African djembé drum ( spelled jembay) for the day which was also a wonderful experience! Ty definitely presents opportunities that I otherwise never would have been offered!

Banter with Brigid

Hello there :) Yesterday as part of our TY religion course, us TY's were shipped off to kildare village to go and see her wells and monastry as well as chapel . It was a VERY tiring day, but it was a nice experience. It's safe to say everybody was only too delighted to be back on the bus.
 We also had the chance to stop in Kildare Village for a wander around a trip to starbucks. The day was a sucess overall !

Fairytales. No wonder we're so corrupt.

After a history class with the wonderfully inspiring ms C  I can't get the topic of Fairytales ( particularly the brothers Grimm versions) out of my head. It never really struck me how corrupt the stpries actually are. Take Hansel and Gretel for example. The topics that the story mainly deal with were the topical problems of the 12th century. Famine , Child Abandonement, and cannibalism. These were the stories that were included in the childhood of most children around the world, though there are of course variations of each story. It has really made me ask the question whether or not these are the stories that we should be telling future generations, and then it hit me , These are the stories that I grew up with , my mother grew up with and my grandmother grw up with, and it didnt do us any harm :P