‘Brilliant!’ was the resounding response from the critics after the Eithne Ryan Lecture in Classics on 12th April.

Professor Lynda Mulvin’s lecture, entitled ‘More Than Pomp (Pumpe) and Circumstance: The Woman of Pompeii and Herculaneum,’ was an undoubtedly enjoyable experience. We all gained great insights into the lives of powerful women who lived in the ‘time capsules’ of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Unfortunately, the majority of surviving history presents us with a male-dominated world. So we were very lucky to get the chance to see the valuable contributions that women made in the Ancient Roman Empire; most notably, their additions to the surviving art and architecture, such as the domus of Julia Felix, buildings in the forum commissioned by women, and ornate tombs, which show the extent of wealth and influence possessed by great women of the time. It was incredible to learn about the powerful women who are so often overlooked in the study of Imperial Roman History.

The lecture concluded with an entertaining quiz and great prizes. It’s safe to say that, as always, the Eithne Ryan Classics Lecture was a huge success!

Rachel Kavanagh and Ariane Natin (6L).

The post The Eithne Ryan Lecture in Classics — Professor Lynda Mulvin appeared first on Alexandra College.

Congratulations to the 2018/19 Prefects.

Head Girl: Anna Hayden   
Deputy Head Girl: Jemima Hurley

Ellen Browne

Maria Byrne
Niamh Courtney
Stephanie Foley
Lucy Grindle
Venus Ip
Katie McCarthy
Aoife McMorrow

Head Girl: Anna Hayden   
Deputy Head Girl: Jemima Hurley

Ciara Nerney
Hannah Nuzum
Alexandra Rojas
Eleanor Rushe
Aoife Sadlier
Felicity Turley
Aisling Whelan
Ally Yu

The post New Prefect Assembly 2018 appeared first on Alexandra College.

Alexandra College past pupil Ailbhe Gerrard grew up on the shores of Lough Derg, in Coolbawn, a hidden paradise in Co. Tipperary.

The love of her place of birth never left her, despite leaving Ireland to pursue a successful construction project management career.

Drawing on inspiration from her late environmentalist mother, Ailbhe had a vision to reconnect people to agriculture.

She followed her dream and studied Sustainable Development at University College London, followed by a course in Organic Farming at the Scottish Rural College.

In 2010, Ailbhe returned to Ireland and bought Brookfield Farm located beside her childhood home.

After purchasing Brookfield, she transformed the tillage farm into a biodiverse, sustainable operation and launched two unique projects – ‘Hiveshare’ and ‘Hivegifts’ – in December 2014.

The genius behind Hiveshare is that customers who buy shares in it can then enjoy delicious honey from their own personally assigned hive on Brookfield Farm.

They also receive seasonal updates and invitations to the annual ‘Honey Celebration’, thus connecting them to the hive and farm life. A gift pack of honey, lip balm and hand-crafted beeswax candles is delivered to each Hivesharer’s home.

Ailbhe is currently lecturing at Gurteen Agricultural College and is one of few people in Ireland to be awarded the Nuffield Agricultural Scholarship for excellence in agricultural leadership.

She has featured in the Irish Farmers Journal, the Sunday Independent, RTE, Image Interiors and Living Magazine and Town and Country Magazine USA.

Her hand-crafted beeswax candles have won her many fans, and rave reviews from US Vogue Magazine.

Ailbhe hosted a stand at ‘Showcase Ireland’ in the RDS in January 2018 and is finalising plans to export Brookfield Farm’s beautiful beeswax candles.

We interviewed Ailbhe to get some insight into her time at Alex.

What is your favourite memory from your school days at Alexandra College?

Much to my amazement, I won two academic scholarships. The Entrance Scholarship, which covered half of my academic fees from First to Fourth-Year. The Governess Association Scholarship paid for half my academic fees in Fifth and Sixth Year. This was of great help to my parents, who were afflicted with seven children, four of whom studied at Alexandra College.

I also remember practising tennis on the gym wall at weekends and improving my backhand immensely!

Which teacher has had the biggest impact on you and why?

Dr. Kirkpatrick, my first-year form teacher, and my history teacher for six years at Alex inspired me. I have many memories of his teaching. For instance, I remember learning about ‘the Hungry Gap’ which he said had a dramatic impact on smallholder farmers during the Famine and still impacts on vegetable growers to this day. He used the Socratic method of questioning the class to tease out when exactly people and animals would have been hungriest. We all guessed the winter, but in fact, it’s springtime/early summer when harvest stores are used up before summer crops are ready. I’ve never forgotten that.

How do you feel Alexandra College shaped your career path/ambition?

Alexandra College made me believe there were no limits to my career possibilities, even in the 1980s. This was a remarkable and heady glimpse of freedom.

What is the overarching message that Alexandra College gives to its pupils?

I was particularly impressed by the quality of the teaching in Alexandra, and the possibility to learn about one’s areas of specific interest. When I was a pupil there, there was an abundance of gifted female and male teachers with higher degrees and doctorates. I’ve followed their example with three Masters degrees in Construction Project Management, Sustainable Development and Organic Farming!

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?

Deciding what path to follow was a challenge. Luckily, I have found that careers can take twists and turns, and if you are persistent and hardworking and allow creativity to spark, life will work out in its own way. This is a great lesson for unconfident and nervous youth to learn.

How has the Alumnae Network helped you?

I am delighted to be part of such a strong women’s network, knowing remarkable and successful women such as Ivanna Bacik and Domini Kemp. I look forward to being more connected in the future, and I am particularly looking forward to the Alumnae dinner on May 12, 2018, which is coincidentally my birthday!

As a woman in business what has been the greatest obstacle, you’ve encountered?

I have inadvertently worked in two male-dominated industries (construction and agriculture) and I have found that as a woman I have been underestimated. This is an obstacle and an asset – having something to prove is a great asset to achievement.

How do you feel Alex promoted women and the workplace?

I remember seeing interesting talks and presentations from students’ parents. A particular moment stands out during mock interviews – when a father questioned a student closely in a marketing interview about market share. His questions made me understand very clearly what market share is, and why it is important.

What advice would you give to a fellow Alex Alumna looking to start up in business?

Consider your idea very carefully. No one owes you a living. Once you are convinced, the spark will be there to carry you through the difficult times. Thereafter, be persistent.

Did you feel the Alexandra College nurtured your entrepreneurial spirit?

Actually, there was not much consideration of entrepreneurship as Alexandra was more focused on exams and professions like law and medicine when I was there.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced being an entrepreneur?

Cashflow! Crucial to plan for lumpy income. Pricing is also key – if the price is not correct for your production and the market, a business will quickly fail.

What advice would you offer others planning to run their own business?

Research, work in the area first. Make sure you have enough cash to carry through the lean first years. Be nice, be collaborative, be thankful and let people know they are appreciated.

What is the most important value you were taught in Alexandra College?

Respect, particularly for those from a different culture, religion, etc.

What is the best thing you learned from your classmates at Alex?

Comradeship, negotiation and fun!

The post Alumnae Success Stories – Ailbhe Gerrard appeared first on Alexandra College.

The post Culture Club – Stereotypes appeared first on Alexandra College.

The Alex Alumnae Network is hosting a series of events called ‘Alex Does’. These events focus on a specific industry and feature a panel of Alumnae who are all experts in that field.

The first event in the ‘Alex Does’ series was ‘Alex Does Food’. Alex Alumnae from the food, restaurant, retail and cookery industries shared their tips for success and their own personal success stories.

This week the second event in the series took place. ‘Alex Does Finance’ was held in Cullen & Co where MD and Chief Country Officer of Deutsche Bank, Fiona Gallagher, was joined by a panel of four Alumnae, all stemming from the finance industry; Claire Cawley, Executive Director, USB Asset Management, Fiona Marshall QFA, Financial Advisor, New Ireland Assurance, Tara Mandal, Chief Risk Officer, JP Morgan and Katie Ledbetter, Vice President, Deutsche Bank.

It was a brilliant evening to see Alex women sharing ideas and celebrating the brilliant education we received and Alex continues to provide.

The panel shared their experience of how they became involved in Finance, the challenges they found trying to balance work and family life and advice to younger women on how to enter the world of Finance.

The ‘Alex Does Finance’ event was attended by the Principal, Barbara Ennis, and the President of the Alumnae, Susan Whelan.

The event was a great success and it was great to see so many Alumnae attend the event.

Thank you to Suzanne Gilhooly and Charlie Cullen for their hospitality (Cullen and Co) and Maples for sponsoring the event

The post Alumnae Network – Alex Does Finance appeared first on Alexandra College.

Dates for Your Diary

Saturday 28th – JACA Social Evening – Westin Hotel – 7.00pm

Monday 30th – J3 Speech and Drama exams

 

May

Tuesday 1st  

• Swimming J2 (last one)
• J4 Speech and Drama exams

Wednesday 2nd

• AIJS Debating Competition – St. Conleth’s (J5/J6 teams)
• Class/Group photos for the yearbook
• No Club Gaeilge/ J6RC class today

Friday 4th – J4 go to National Sports Campus

Monday 7th – Public Holiday – School closed (Boarding remains open)

 

From the Office

Please note: Wednesday 2nd May – There will be no Club Gaeilge or J6RC class as the teachers are attending an in-service training that afternoon. Prep/After Care and all other after-school activities will go ahead as normal.

Yearbook Photos: All class/group photos will be taken on Wednesday, May 2nd. J2-J6 must come to school in brown uniforms. Sports teams need to bring their red uniform into school to change into for team photos.

After Care/ Prep Invoices: As it is a long last term, invoices will go out next Wednesday in school bags. Please pay promptly – cash, cheque or online.

Camp Alex: Please note that school has made the decision that Camp Alex will no longer take place in Alexandra College during the Summer/Easter/Mid-term breaks. It is no longer financially viable to run the camp. The Olympians will run their camp in July and August so check their website for more information.

Lunch Card Top Ups: Lunch cards are running into arrears again! Please make sure to keep your daughter’s lunch card topped up – Daily €4 (KGLr, KGUpr, J1) €4.20 (J2-J6). Top up online through easy payments or send cash/cheque into Ms Higgins in the JS office. The older girls can top up their cards with cash on the card machine in the Dining Hall.

  

New Library

The Junior School students really like visiting the library to check out books. It is thanks to all the parents in the JS that we got to totally refurbish the existing library to accommodate both the Junior and Senior School students.

 

 

AIJS Music Festival

Our JS Orchestra enjoyed their afternoon at the AIJS Music Festival in Rathdown School last Friday afternoon.

Comments from the judge: “ Excellent harp solo, great selection of instruments, every student participated beautifully and the orchestra played really well together as a group”.

Well done girls and a special thank you to Ms Hakanen-O’Rourke for all the work that she has done with the orchestra this year and to Ms Evans for accompanying the group on the day.

Dave Rudden – Author visits J5/J6

Our J5 and J6 students thoroughly enjoyed Dave Rudden’s visit to the Junior School.

It was a fast-paced and fun talk about Knights of the Borrowed Dark beards and crisps, with readings, writing tips and insights into the life of a published author. There was a Q & A at the end, with a free signed copy of KOTBD for the best question.

  

AIJS Table Quiz (J5/J6)

On Wednesday the 25th of April, eight girls from J5 and J6 went to St Gerard’s Junior School, Bray for the annual AIJS Table Quiz. The girls really enjoyed working together, answering challenging geography and history questions, as well as listening to excerpts from Ed Sheeran and Beethoven. The girls did themselves and the Junior School proud, and we all had an enjoyable day!

 

Date List Until The End Of The School Year

Monday 30th – J3 Speech and Drama exams

May

Tuesday 1st

• Swimming J2
• J4 Speech and Drama exams

Wednesday 2nd

• AIJS Debating Competition – St. Conleth’s
• Class/Group photos for the yearbook

Friday 4th – J4 to National Sports Campus

Monday 7th – Public Holiday – School closed (Boarding remains open)

Tuesday 8th

• Swimming J1
• J5/J6 Speech and Drama exams

Monday 14th to Wednesday 16th – Drumcondra standardised tests (J2-J6)

Monday 14th – JACA Committee Meeting 7.00pm

Tuesday 15th – Swimming J1

Wednesday 16th

• Summer service J4/5/6 Sandford Church 9.00am
• Bizworld programme for J5

Thursday 17th – Bizworld programme for J5

Sunday 20th – RC Class – J2 First Communion (J3-J6 RC students to sing in the choir)

Tuesday 22nd – Swimming J1

Thursday 24th – J4 go to event “Brave and Bold-Inspirational Women who Inspired History” Smock Alley 10.30am

Friday 25th – JS Sports Day (Info to follow)

Monday 26th – Piano exams – Ms. Errity’s students (J2-J6)

Tuesday 29th – Swimming J1

Wednesday 30th 

• French Day! Wear red/white/blue – activities all day
•  KGLr End of Year concert 9.15am

 

June

Monday 4th – Public Holiday – School closed (Boarding remains open)

Tuesday 5th, Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th – Summer exams (J5/J6)

Tuesday 5th – Swimming J1

Wednesday 6th –  KGUpr End of Year Concert 9.15am

Thursday 7th

• J1 End of Year Concert 9.15am
• J6 School trip (all day)

Friday 8th – J2 classes go on a school trip

Monday 11th – KGLr/KGUpr/ J1 School trip

Tuesday 12th – Swimming J1

Wednesday 13th – Summer reports (KGLr to J6)

Thursday 14th – J6 Farewell Assembly 1.30pm in HWC

Friday 15th – Terms ends for KGLr to J6 at 12.30pm

Wednesday 20th – Preschool End of Year Show (PSW 10.00am and PSR 11.00am)

Tuesday 26th – Preschool term ends at 12.00pm

 

The post Junior School News – April 27th appeared first on Alexandra College.

Results

Cricket

1st. year A v St. Andrews – won

1st. year B v Sandford Park – won

Senior v Wesley College – lost

Tennis

Minor A v Santa Sabina – lost

Minor A v OLT –  won

Minor A v Teresians –  won

Minor B v King’s Hospital – won

Minor C v King’s Hospital – won

Senior A v Kilkenny College – won

Junior A v Santa Sabina – won

Junior A v Loreto Dalkey – won

Junior B v Teresians – won

Junior C v Kings Hospital – won

Athletics

Frist Year Relay – 1st Place

Emily, Lucy, Malley and Niamh

Second Year Relay – 2nd Place

Eliza, Emma, Laura and Lauren

One Mile 1st Years

Sophie (2nd)

Emily (3rd)

Shot Put

Evelyn (4th)

Hamindat Ojo (3rd)

Javelin

Holly (2nd)

Nancy (3rd)

High Jump

Lucy Doyle (3rd)

Long Jump

Rachel (1st)

Sophie (4th)

80m

Maley (3rd)

Emma (2nd)

200m

Emily (1st)

Laura (1st)

400m

Charlotte (4th)

Jodie (1st)

800m

Irene (4th)

Lauren (1st)

The post Sport Results and Fixtures – 27th April 2018 appeared first on Alexandra College.

The European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (EMOG) is an international mathematics competition similar in style to the International Mathematical Olympiad.

Each country sends a team of their four best female mathematicians of school age to participate in the problem-solving competition.

This year all four girls selected to represent Ireland were from Alexandra College. They are Yixin Huang, Ellie Ahn, Tianyiwa Xie and Mandy Xiong.

The girls Yixin Huang, Ellie Ahn, Tianyiwa Xie, travelled to Florence on the 9th April to take part in the competition. Mandy Xiong was unable to attend as she had commitments to the Irish Chemistry Olympiad team training.

They have written a short account below of their experience:

The week of 9-15th of April has been an absolutely magical week for us. Three girls from Alex, Yixin Huang, Ellie Ahn, Tianyiwa Xie had the honour of being selected to repersent the Irish team for the European Girls Math Olympiad (EGMO). We competed in the two-day event, studied, travelled and made lots of new friends.

This was our first EGMO and we were so very excited to learn how an international maths competition would work. The contest consisted of two sets of tough problems, with 4.5 hours to complete each problem set.

We spent a lot of time with the teams from other countries and made friends from Britain, Ukraine, Belgium, Ecuador and Netherlands.

We travelled all around the beautiful cities of Florence, Pisa and Lucas, enjoying the sights, culture and of course the FOOD!

As a team, we also became much closer and the four of us decided to make a maths study group so that we can keep in touch and improve together. We have learned and improved so much since the process began, not only from this trip but also from the training and enrichment classes we received beforehand in UCD. The teachers taught us more advanced topics than secondary school mathematics and we also got to know so much about other people’s work in mathematics.

We performed very well in the competition and all three of us received an honourable mention.

All in all, this was a wonderful experience that taught us so much. We were so happy and honoured to be a part if it and experiencing it all.

Yixin Huang, Ellie Ahn, Tianyiwa Xie.

The post European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad appeared first on Alexandra College.

Kate Jacob (née O’Flynn, class of 1995), who grew up in Rathsallagh House, Co Wicklow, knows a thing or two about hospitality.

As a girl living in one of Ireland’s premier country house hotels, she picked up her innate sense of food and hostelry from her parents Kay and Joe O’Flynn. In 2006, she moved to Baltimore with her husband, Youen Jacob, whose father, the late Youen Jacob Snr ran the renowned French restaurant, Chez Youen, in the West Cork fishing village.

Kate and Youen transformed the business in 2008, building The Lookout Restaurant above Jacob’s Bar, and opening the Waterfront Hotel, as well as managing a separate casual dining pizzeria & grill, La Jolie Brise. With a reputation for the best of locally caught and simply prepared fish and shellfish, The Lookout combines this with one of the most spectacular views in Ireland.

What did you learn at Alex that has helped you in being a businesswoman?

I think Alex instilled in us an absolute belief in ourselves, an unquestionable strength.

There was a natural healthy competition amongst the girls yet there was an extraordinary level of kindness and respect between all years. To this day I still marvel at how kind and thoughtful the older girls were towards me when I first arrived, a baton which I passed on as I went up through the years.

We were a family of young women I suppose but never at the expense of comparing ourselves to men in our capabilities. This attitude to life combined with the constant influx of outside business representatives giving industry talks in a relatable way set up the foundations for business acumen.

Favourite Alex memory?

I have to say I loved every single minute of my time in Alex. It was an absolute privilege to have attended and I have made solid friends for life there that are as important to me today as they were back then. As for memories, the library, Christmas play, art, the Rec room, burning toast and butter pads, hiding in the wardrobe to avoid breakfast so I could get another 30 minutes sleep, trips into town on the bus, a lot of custard!

“Good Morning Girls……I SAID GOOD MORNING GIRLS!!”.

The most inspiring business person?

I really believe that has got to be my parents. In the early 1980s, farming was a tough business and they both had to turn around and figure out how to keep a place like Rathsallagh going. It is remarkable what they have done over the years.

Is food/hospitality a good business for women?

Complicated question! It can be a good business for women. It depends on three factors; the location of the business, the stage of the business and the stage of a woman’s life.

It is more often than not a long arduous journey, taking the best part of a lifetime to establish. It’s more like a vacation than a job.

With the 24/7 nature of the business, it is hard with these factors to get to a point where you can manage a business around any kind of normal functioning family life.

Favourite meal/drink?

My late father-in-law’s famous Shellfish Platter which we still serve today in our Lookout Restaurant. A bounty of the freshest shellfish, lobster, crab, Galley Head Prawns, Sherkin Island Oysters and steaming hot moules marinière served Breton style: whole, in the shell, on large platters in the centre of the table with loads of crusty bread, homemade mayo and several bottles of chilled Lamblin et Fils Sancerre.

The post Alumnae Success Stories – Kate Jacob appeared first on Alexandra College.

The Artisans Market Day is inspired by the Taste Council and Bord Bia initiative ‘The Future is Food’ which challenges second level students to create an enterprise based on fresh food. The purpose of participating is to provide the pupils with an active learning experience. Students participating experience what it is like to work as an Artisan food producer, developing and producing a food product, while working with established Artisans who act as mentors and guides.

The TY students in Alexandra College set up food companies each spring. They must research and choose their own products and suppliers, and even grow their own vegetables and plants in our poly-tunnel here on the Alex campus. They then design innovative and exciting recipes which are always received well by customers at the Artisan food market.

This year’s Artisans Market Day was held on Saturday, May 28th. Fourth Year student Cliodhna Coakley (4R) wrote about this year’s event.

 

 

On Saturday the 28th of April the fourth years hosted the annual Artisans Market Day at Alexandra College.

There were four different food stalls. “Ko Fu” was Chinese food, “The Sweet Show” was carnival food, The Itty Bitty Burger Bar” ( well, that’s kind of in the name) and finally the “S’Bread Shack” who sold bread and spreads.

 

 

For the last couple of months, we have been preparing for the day. Directors were elected, committees created and ideas were cast. It has been absolutely amazing seeing all our hard work come to life and the day was 100% a huge success.

The Fourth Year Filmmaking Module filmed the stalls and interviewed the four company directors for a short documentary about the event. The documentary will be realised at the Film Festival in May.

Cliodhna Coakley (4R)

The post The 2018 Artisans Market Day appeared first on Alexandra College.

Last Thursday saw the first of our Celebration of Music Concerts and WOW; it was an incredible night of music from the very talented Alexandra College students and teachers.

It has been far too long since the Music Department have hosted their own Music Concert and we feel it is very important that the girls get the opportunity to showcase their talents. The standard of performance from the group ensembles to soloists was exceptional and finishing with a staff item was great fun.

On behalf of the music team I would like to thank the girls and staff for their hard work in preparing for this Celebration of Music and to you, the parents, for your continued support; it is very much appreciated

Liz Foster
Head of Music

 

Photos were taken by Sthiti Padhy (5L)

The post A Celebration of Music Concert appeared first on Alexandra College.

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Dates for Your Diary

Monday 7th – Public Holiday – School closed (Boarding remains open)

Tuesday 8th

• Swimming J1
• J5/J6 Speech and Drama exams

Thursday 10th – JS Orchestra – the event in Grange Golf Club (during school time)

From the Office

After Care/ Prep Invoices – As it is a long last term, invoices went out last Wednesday in school bags. Please pay promptly – cash, cheque or online.

Camp Alex – Please note that school has made the decision that Camp Alex will no longer take place in Alexandra College during the Summer/Easter/ Mid-term breaks. It is no longer financially viable to run the camp. Olympians and ROCKJAM will run their camps in July and August so check their websites for more information.

Lunch Card Top Ups – Please make sure to keep your daughter’s lunch card topped up – Daily €4 (KGLr, KGUpr, J1) €4.20 (J2-J6). Top up online through easy payments or send cash/cheque to Ms. Higgins in the JS office. The older girls can top up their cards with cash on the card machine in the Dining Hall.

Come and Join Us! International Coffee Morning 

For Whom? Parents who are living in Dublin, but originally from elsewhere, or for Irish nationals who are returning after a period of living somewhere else in the world.

Why? To help parents new to Dublin settle and integrate with school life and beyond.

When?  The last Wednesday of every month from September. An initial meeting will take place on Wednesday 6th June from 8.45am.

Where? Wilde and Green, Milltown Road. 

How? Parents just turn up. No booking or RSVP required. 

Contact: Maria Gadsdon Reddy – maria@reddy-family.net (J1/J4) Sarah Moran (PS, J1,J2/J4) and Olga Murphy (J4/J5)

J3 Trip to Titanic

Last Friday, the girls of both J3 Red and White arrived very early to school. All girls were in the concourse by 7.50am to their great credit. Shortly after, excitement was very much in the air as Ms. Walsh, Mr. Fitzgerald, Ms. Evans and Ms. Donahue accompanied 37 girls on their journey to Belfast.

After a short stop at Castlebellingham, to break up a very long journey, the girls had fun in attempting to guess when they had crossed the border into Northern Ireland. Sophie Mallon, Taylor Perkins, Lauren Rea and Grace Brew were closest with their guess and won a prize each for their effort.

We arrived at Titanic Quarter at 11.15am, just in time for a quick snack and a photo before our tour guides met us and sent us on our way around the huge exhibition centre. Inside, the girls were taken on a journey through time. The story of Titanic is much more than the Leonardo di Caprio version we see in cinemas. It was a story of Belfast and Ireland in the early 1900’s, the shipbuilding industry and also the building of the Olympic Class liners, which brought people to new countries for the first time.

The story of Titanic that was built behind where the café now stands at the centre, was launched there 106 years ago in front of 100,000 people. The girls got a scale of just how big the ship really was by standing on the slipway. To give you an idea of scale, it took most of the girls 2 minutes and 30 seconds to run the length of the ship with Ms. Evans.

Aside from the tragedy of the sinking, the J3 girls got an idea of the people on board the ship, how they lived and what the survivors did after the fateful voyage in 1912. They learned about how Morse code was used to communicate in the 20^th century and how science and robotics were used to find and explore the wreck of the Titanic, 73 years after it sank.

The girls could not pass up the opportunity to visit the gift shop and claim a souvenir of their day before the bus pulled off again and brought all 37 girls back to Alex, on time and very tired after a great day. The girls deserve great credit for the way they represented the school on the day. We hope it was a memorable one for all. 

AIJS Art Winners 2018

Congratulations to the following girls who were winners at the recent AIJS Art competition:

Special Merit: Eva Lalor (KGUpr)

AIJS Art Winners 2018 – Eva Lalor KGUpr

First Place: Gracie Farrell Clancy (J1)

AIJS Art Winners 2018 – Gracie Farrell-Clancy J1

Special Merit: Lisa Nagayanna (J4)

AIJS Art Winners 2018 – Lisa (risa) Nagayama J4W

AIJS Debating Team 2018

On Wednesday, 2nd of May, two teams from J5 and J6 participated in the AIJS Debating Competition. We left the school at 12.00pm and arrived at St. Conleth’s at around 12.20pm. Each team was assigned a different classroom for their debates. Unfortunately, we failed to progress to round two, but we did get the opportunity to do a debate workshop with a famous debater, a former Conleth’s student. The overall winning school was Loreto on the Green. Although we didn’t get to take home the shield this year (Alex has won it for the last two years!), we had a great day.

Lucy Maguire (J6W)

Debating team: J6 -Anabel 0’ Hora, Lucy Maguire, Julia Low and J5 -Nancy 0’ Connell, Ruby Shine, Katie de Marco.

AIJS Tennis Tournament 2018

Well done to our J6 tennis team who played so well last Saturday at the AIJS Tennis tournament. They placed third overall. Many thanks to Ms. Tracey and to Mairéad Wales for organising this very popular event on the school calendar.

Singles:

Orla de Schonen, Ella Mansfield and Lizzie O’ Reilly Hyland

Doubles:

Penny Reynolds and Katie Mullan

Lucy Maguire and Lara Willoughby Bouchery

Ava Hartley and Izzey Tarrant

Danielle Lowe and Alannah Whelehan

Margaret Dunshee and Anabel O’Hora

Dates for Rest of Term

Tuesday 15th – Swimming J1

Wednesday 16th – Summer service J4/5/6 Sandford Church 9.00am

Thursday 17th – Bizworld programme for J5

Sunday 20th – RC Class – J2 First Communion (J3-J6 RC students to sing in choir)

Tuesday 22nd – Swimming J1

Thursday 24th

• J4 go to event “Brave and Bold-Inspirational Women who Inspired History” Smock Alley 10.30am
• JACA Committee Meeting 7.00pm

Friday 25th – JS Sports Day (Info to follow)

Monday 26th – Piano exams – Ms Errity’s students (J2-J6)

Tuesday 29th – Swimming J1

Wednesday 30th

• KGLr End of Year concert 9.15am
• French Day! Wear red/white/blue – activities all day

June

Monday 4th – Public Holiday – School closed (Boarding remains open)

Tuesday 5th – Swimming J1

Wednesday 6th

• KGUpr End of Year Concert 9.15am
• International Coffee Morning 8.45am Wilde and Green

Thursday 7th   

• J1 End of Year Concert 9.15am
• J6 School trip (all day)

June 5/6/7th – Summer exams (J5/J6)

Friday 8th – J2 classes go on a school trip

Monday 11th – KGLr/KGUpr/ J1 School trip

Tuesday 12th – Swimming J1

Wednesday 13th – Summer reports (KGLr to J6)

Thursday 14th – J6 Farewell Assembly 1.30pm in HWC

Friday 15th – Terms ends for KGLr to J6 at 12.30pm

Wednesday 20th – Preschool End of Year Show (PSW 10.00am and PSR 11.00am)

Tuesday 26th – Preschool term ends at 12.00pm

The post Junior School News – 4th April 2018 appeared first on Alexandra College.

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, and so we bid farewell to our Sixth Years at their Graduation Ceremony, which will be held on the 18th of May.

This traditional and highly anticipated event brings together family members and teachers, who have contributed to a student’s growth during their time at Alexandra College.

The day begins with the Farewell Assembly, held in the concourse, which is the beating heart of our school.

Barbara Ennis greets assembled guests with an encouraging and inspiring address to remind everyone of the milestone being marked in our students’ lives.

Reverend Sonia Gyles will then address those present and offer a touching blessing to all the Sixth Years, regarding what lies ahead in their future lives.

In recent years, Sixth Year students have dazzled us with performances such as Mr Brightside by the string quartet, For Good by the Sixth Year Ensemble, Ithaca by the Verse Speaking Choir and renditions of Wherever I Go and I Lived by the Sixth Year Group.

Our head girl Delphi Morris will deliver a speech to her classmates and teachers about her time in Alex, which often provokes both laughter and tears.

Deputy head girl Sarah Dent Cullen reads a passage from the bible, Aideen Corr, Deputy Principal, closes the assembly.

It is very much the girls’ special day, and each of them are presented with a class ring to remember their time in Alex.

Following formalities, the students gather in the quadrangle, for the much-loved tradition of the balloon release, which past pupils say is the highlight of an emotional day.

The new Prefects, who will take over the role at the beginning of the new academic year in September 2018, hand the Sixth Years their balloons as they leave the concourse.

Our newly appointed Prefects mingle with family members as they hand out tea/coffee and finger food in the quadrangle.

We are very much looking forward to this important and once in a lifetime day, at which one chapter closes and a new one begins!

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When Rachel Allen received an invitation to return to her old school, Alexandra College, RTE’s School Around the Corner filmed her as she made her way from Milltown, past the red and white sign and up the hill.

The first stop was the pre-school, which Rachel attended from the age of 3.

“Alexandra College was a big part of my life, I spent 14 years here,” says Rachel.

“When I walked into the junior school I immediately recognised the smell and it all came flooding back. We used to get hot cocoa at lunchtime, it was so comforting.”

Going up to the main school, Rachel was greeted by Gladys Ruddock, who was vice-principal while Rachel was a teenager at the school. Then Barbara Ennis, the current principal, Rachel’s English teacher, showed her and recalled the same characteristics which TV viewers have become so familiar with.

“I remember her fondly,” says Barbara. “She was outgoing, nice, a bit of a divil.”

In the art class, there was a surprise for Rachel when Barbara Dunne, her now-retired art teacher, came back especially to meet her former student.

“You used to come bursting through the door, bouncing, saying ‘hello’!” says Barbara Dunne to Rachel. “You were full of enthusiasm.”

“I remember Alex as being fun,” says Rachel. “I was happy here, it shaped me as a person”.

Rachel then recalled her experiences of one class in particular, which saw her removed from a surprising subject.

“I got kicked out of home ec. for something silly, like making a face behind my teacher’s back, which is so ridiculous considering my whole life is about food.”

Luckily for Rachel, Barbara Ennis gave her an opportunity to make amends and take a home economics class with today’s students. Donning her old uniform, Rachel got the chance to make soda scones with the students. Luckily the removal from the class years earlier didn’t affect her, with Barbara suitably impressed.

“Perfect scones, well done.”

The post Alumnae Success Stories – Rachel Allen appeared first on Alexandra College.

Catch The Hollywood Stars Of The Future At The Alexandra College Film Festival

It’s no secret that Ireland punches well above its weight when it comes to creating magic on the silver screen, with Saoirse Ronan, Ruth Negga and Martin McDonagh amongst the A-list names to emerge from these shores in recent years.

But if you fancy checking out the next generation of emerging talent, we’ve got some good news: you don’t have to travel to Hollywood, Sundance or Cannes, because we’re hosting the stars of tomorrow right here in the College!

The ninth Alexandra College Film Festival will take place on Monday, May 14th, featuring the work of students from this year’s Transition Year Filmmaking module, who have worked long and hard to script, shoot and edit seven fantastic short films.

The module aims to develop confidence, creativity and proficiency around the filmmaking process – both technically and creatively – while the girls are provided with the very best in cutting-edge equipment and software, to help them truly see how it’s done in Tinseltown.

Each year, students produce a very high standard of short films across a whole variety of genres, ranging from music videos to documentaries – this year, it includes such intriguing titles as ‘The Soul Behind The Eyes’, ‘100 Ways To Kill A Worm’ and ‘One Of Us’.

Festival screenings take place during lunch break in the Lecture Theatre, with all students welcome to attend and enjoy the show while they eat.

The ‘Oscars’

The highlight of the festival is the ‘Oscars’ Ceremony, which sees the lecture theatre morph into a mini-Hollywood, and takes place on the final day when the voting is closed and prizewinners are announced.

A selected panel of students from each year, along with a small number of teachers, will determine the recipients of awards for the best Documentary, Short Film, Director, Script, Actress, Soundtrack, Editor and Cinematography. Finally, the ‘Audience’ award – determined by public vote – will be handed out to round off the occasion.

But the fun doesn’t end there! The short films are entered into the National Fresh Film Festival competition, and TY students attend a screening of their films in the IFI Temple Bar, which is always a very exciting and glamorous occasion.

Selected films are then sent forward to the All Ireland Finals in Limerick, giving them a chance to put their work forward on the national stage.

So if you fancy seeing the best of our creative minds in (lights, camera and) action, see you there!

The post Alexandra College Film Festival 2017 appeared first on Alexandra College.

Dates for your Diary

Monday 14th – No J1 or J5 RC classes today

May 14th – 17th – Drumcondra standardised tests (J2-J6)

Tuesday 15th – Swimming J1

Wednesday 16th

• Summer service J4/J6 Sandford Church 9.00am
• Bizworld programme for J5 (Info sent home by email)
• No Dance classes (J3-J6)

Thursday 17th

• Bizworld programme for J5
• No tennis after school (J6/J3)

From the Office

After Care/ Prep Invoices: As it is a long last term, invoices went out last Wednesday in school bags. Please pay promptly – cash, cheque or online.

Dance Classes: There will be no Dance classes after school on Wed. May 16^th as the teacher is away.

Dance Display: Wednesday, June 6^th at 1.30pm in HWC. J1, J2, and J3-J6 who take Dance after school. All welcome.

Camp Alex: Please note that school has made the decision that Camp Alex will no longer take place in Alexandra College during the Summer/Easter/ Mid-term breaks. It is no longer financially viable to run the camp. Olympians and Rockjam will run their camps in July and August, so check their websites for more information.

Lunch Card Top Ups: Please make sure to keep your daughter’s lunch card topped up – Daily €4 (KGLr, KGUpr, J1) €4.20 (J2-J6). Top up online through easy payments or send cash/cheque into Ms. Higgins in the JS office. The older girls can top up their cards with cash on the card machine in the Dining Hall.

AIJS Short Story Competition Winners

Once again, our students performed extremely well in this competition. Congratulations, girls!

Category A: 1st and 2nd Class

1st Holly Kinsella, “When My Mum Turned Into A Monster”

Category B: 3rd and 4th Class

2nd  Caoimhe Walker, “Last Person Left”

Category C: 5th and 6th Class

1st  Anabel O’Hara, “The Voyager”

2nd  Leyla Kilduff, “Now or Never”

AIJS Poetry Competition Winners 2018

Congratulations to the following girls who were winners in the AIJS Poetry competition:

1st and 2nd Class Category

1st – Holly Kinsella

3rd and 4th Class Category

2nd – Kate Gallagher

5th & 6th Class Category

2nd – Lauren Kinsella

A wonderful achievement, well done, girls!

Dates for the rest of the term:

Tuesday 22nd – Swimming J1

Thursday24th

• J4 go to event “Brave and Bold-Inspirational Women who Inspired History” Smock Alley 10.30am
• JACA Committee Meeting 7.00pm

Friday 25th – JS Sports Day (Info to follow)

Monday 26th – Piano exams – Ms. Errity’s students (J2-J6)

Tuesday 29th – Swimming J1

Wednesday 30th

• French Day! Wear red/white/blue – activities all day
• KGLr End of Year concert 9.15am

June

Monday 4th – Public Holiday – School closed (Boarding remains open)

Tuesday 5th

• Swimming J1
• Summer exams (J5/J6)

Wednesday 6th 

• KGUpr End of Year Concert 9.15am
• Dance display 1.30pm HWC (J1/J2 and J3-J6 who go to dance classes after school on Wednesdays)
• Summer exams (J5/J6)

Thursday 7th

• J1 End of Year Concert 9.15am
• J6 School trip (all day)
• Summer exams (J5/J6)

Friday 8th

• J2 classes go on a school trip
• *LAST DAY FOR AFTER SCHOOL CLASSES

Monday 11th – KGLr/KGUpr/ J1 School trip

Tuesday 12th – Swimming J1

Wednesday 13th – Summer reports (KGLr to J6)

Thursday 14th – J6 Farewell Assembly 1.30pm in HWC

Friday 15th – Terms ends for KGLr to J6 at 12.30pm

Wednesday 20th – Preschool End of Year Show (PSW 10.00am and PSR 11.00am)

Tuesday 26 – Preschool term ends at 12.00pm

The post Junior School News – 11th May 2018 appeared first on Alexandra College.

We all know that we boast some incredible talent here at Alexandra College – from sports to music, and from arts to academia – and it’s crucial that we give everyone the opportunity to showcase their talents to the world.

That’s why, every year, we host a Festival of Poetry and Drama, to show the world what our girls have got – and they certainly stood up to the task this year!

Every day after school during the first week of the month, students took to the stage to perform in front of a live audience – ranging from poetry recitals to monologues, from solo drama to and improv, and from prepared speeches to impromptu recitals.

And the support was repaid in droves, as performers blew judges, fellow students and parents out of the water with a series of performances that showed wisdom, self-awareness, discipline and dedication far beyond their years.

Impressive talent

Just as it must have been impossible for the esteemed judges, Eva Coffey and Audrey Behan, to select winning entries, it’s hard to pick out highlights from a festival that was so consistently high on quality.

But one name that seems impossible to ignore is that of Inga Bourke Mullaney, who won all three of her competitions before going on to win the Pat McHugh Cup for outstanding performance. Inga performed the character of Nora from ‘The Plough and the Stars’ by Sean O’Casey, Leah from the play ‘Bird’ by Laura Lomas and performed a duologue with Sarah Malone (who won the Senior Adjudicators’ Prize) from a different play called ‘Bird’ by Katherine Chandler.

Two pairs of girls, one from Second Year (Nancy Henry and Pia McElligott) and one from Third Year (Aine Sadlier and Emma Whelan), won their respective duologue competitions with the same piece from Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’.

No one will forget the hilarious performance given by two of our First Years in their piece from Roald Dahl’s ‘The Witches’. The girls Esmée Breakwell and Rebecca Dennison were the perfect double act of Grand High Witch and Minion. Rebecca went on to scoop up both the Junior Comedy Prize and the First Year performance prize.

Working together

Lauren Finnerty and Charlotte Aylmer were awarded the Junior Adjudicators Prize for their performance of the duologue ‘Split Down the Middle’ by David Campton, showcasing yet another highly entertaining piece with expert comic timing and admirable teamwork.

In the prepared speech event, Fifth Year Niamh Courtney won the LSMD Public Speaking Shield with a topical speech entitled ‘The Role of Women in Society Today’. Meanwhile, Beth Doherty brought the crowd to their feet by thinking on hers; she was the first winner of our Impromptu Speech competition, while she also scooped the second and third-year Prepared Speech prize.

And that wasn’t the only off-the-cuff action on display. The inaugural improv competitions for First to Fourth Years brought an incredible energy to proceedings, as the girls were given a mere 10 minutes to prepare for a performance after being handed a surprise title.

And while the spontaneous creations will live long in the memory, it was the enjoyment and energy in the Lecture Theatre amongst the audience and participants alike that sent everyone home on a high after watching the prize-giving.

“What a fantastic festival we have had over the last few days,” said Lynn Brehony, opening the showcase as the festival reached its climax.

“Having grown from last year with 28 hard-fought competitions, along with 325 entries and an incredible snapshot of the talent, commitment and hard work put in by the girls.

“We want to thank you, the parents and friends, for the support that you have shown both the girls and ourselves, over the last three days.”

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On Monday afternoon, Second Year class 2B and their CSPE teacher, An Máistir Ó Conluain, visited the Leeson Park Nursing Home.

We had been planning this visit for a long time. Our intention was to share our talents with the elderly residents of the home and we put together an hour-long programme of entertainment involving poetry and drama recitals, instrument playing and song. We even performed our Culwick Choir piece for the event too.

When our ‘show’ was over, we had another highly enjoyable half hour, where we mixed and chatted with the residents in their beautiful Drawing Room. One woman’s mother had attended Alex, and others had friends and relations here over the years. They shared many memories with us about Alex.

They clearly enjoyed our visit, and we also found it to be a very enjoyable experience. Already we’re talking about a return visit in Third Year. We travelled there and back by LUAS and by foot.

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The Filmmaking Department hosted the 9th Annual Film Festival and Oscar Ceremony in the Lecture Theatre on Monday 14th May.

Six films were screened and the Lecture Theatre was turned into a mini Hollywood, with hundreds of students from all the year groups attended the screenings. Students brought their lunches with them and each person who attended was able to vote for the audience prize.

There was a judging panel of teachers and students present at the screenings so that there was a consistent number of votes for the Oscar Awards. A big thank you to our judges, Ms Brehony, Mr Barret, Ms McDonnell, Ms Fanagan and to the student judges, Erin O’Neil Bailey, Georgia Coveney, Sthiti Padhy and Chloe O’ Brien.

An Oscar Ceremony was held for all TY students on Monday afternoon, the following awards were announced.

The Oscar Awards 2018

Best Documentary: Artisans

Best Short Film: One of Us (watch here)

Best Director: Deirdre Luo (‘One of Us’)

Best Script: The Soul Behind the Eyes

Best Actress: Iseult Law (‘The Soul Behind the Eyes’)

Best Soundtrack: Deirdre Luo (‘Belfast Trip’)

Best Editor: Deirdre Luo (‘One of Us’)

Best Cinematography: 100 Ways to Kill a Worm

The Audience Award: One of Us (watch here)

Well done to all the filmmaking students on providing such great entertainment.

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