Features Links

Advising Students
Student Councils
Junior Press

Environmental Issues
Wild Ireland
Rubbishing Ireland

Issues of Concern
Children's Rights
Child Labour
Child Slavery
Anorexia Nervosa

Educational Issues
Learning the Internet
History Stuff
What is Quidditch?

Getting Involved
Paths to Peace
Concern Debates
Goal Link
The Asgard

Music
JJ72
Napster
Eminem

Sport
Basketball Finals

News
Nationwide News

Student Xpress covered a series of news items around the country last year.

Less Stress, More Success
Less Stress More Success Gill & Macmillan Revision Time competition.

Building Bridges in Cabinteely
To celebrate the Millennium, a group of Cabinteely Community School students embarked on an ambitious project which involved 'Building bridges between the Cabinteely student body and people with disabilities'.

Pot Noodle Awards
Students from secondary schools nationwide were invited to work alone or in pairs to create their own 40-second radio commercial and demonstrate their considerable creative skills. This is the second year of the award scheme and over 1,000 entries were received.

O'Hagen Mace Debating Awards
The O'Hagan Mace Debating Championship is organised by the Literary and Historical Society of University College Dublin and is sponsored by O'Hagan Communications.

Anti-Bullying in Athboy
The course was the first of its kind in Ireland and aimed to develop an anti-bullying strategy for students. Students were taught the language of bullying, how to identify verbal, physical and psychological bullying and how to develop strategies for handling bullying.

IBIS Working for Primary Schools
The Irish Banks Information Service launched their latest resource for primary schools.

Less Stress, More Success

Congratulations to Rachael O'Connor (pictured above) from Roselawn, Tramore who was the winner of the Less Stress More Success Gill & Macmillan Revision Time competition. Rachael won £1,000 'Cash Dash' around the biggest HMV store in Ireland which took place on Grafton Street on Wednesday 18th April.

With less than 90 seconds Rachael managed to grab a Play Station II, five games, 20 CDs, a CD rack, a walkman and finally ear phones. After dashing around an ecstatic Rachael said; 'I can't believe I won this competition, and how much I have managed to get, in such little time, it has been an exciting experience'.

Back to the top

Building Bridges in Cabinteely

Students from Cabinteely CS meet with President Mary McAleese in Aras an Uachtarain.

To celebrate the Millennium, a group of Cabinteely Community School students embarked on an ambitious project which involved 'Building bridges between the Cabinteely student body and people with disabilities'. This included the disabled, both within the school and the wider community. The Cabinteely project was comprised of 4 strands:

• A Disability Awareness Day in the school and a workshop with PWDI (People With Disabilities Irl.)
• Interviews with three Cabinteely students with disabilities.
• A fundraising draw for Cystic Fibrosis which raised £150.
• A Presidential Encounter that included a presentation of the project to President McAleese at Aras an Uachtarain.

Back to the top

Pot Noodle Awards

Pictured with Karl Demmel, Group Product Manager, Knorr Bestfoods is Alan Early, winner of the Pot Noodle Golden Noodle Radio Advertising Awards 2000.

Alan Early (17), a fifth year student in Marian College, Mohill, Co. Leitrim, is the winner of the Pot Noodle Golden Noodle Radio Advertising Awards 2000. Students from secondary schools nationwide were invited to work alone or in pairs to create their own 40-second radio commercial and demonstrate their considerable creative skills. This is the second year of the award scheme and over 1,000 entries were received. Alan was presented with a specially designed Golden Pot Noodle trophy and £500 worth of computer/HI FI equipment. And thanks to him, his school picked up £5,000 worth of sports equipment, courtesy of Knorr Bestfoods Limited, makers of Pot Noodle. Each runner-up was presented with a Pot Noodle trophy.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Mr. Karl Demmel, Group Product Manager, Knorr Bestfoods said: "we are delighted with the phenomenal number of entries in this the second Pot Noodle Golden Noodle Radio Advertising Awards. These awards recognise the enthusiasm and creativity of everybody involved."

Back to the top

O'Hagen Mace Debating Awards

Caroline Wynne and Maebh Harding of Alexandra College receive the winning prize from Fergus Finlay in the O'Hagen Schools Mace Debating Competition.

The O'Hagan Mace Debating Championship is organised by the Literary and Historical Society of University College Dublin and is sponsored by O'Hagan Communications. The success of last year's inaugural championship convinced the L&H that it was time to expand its scope, to take in more teams, to provide a greater level of training for the participating students in debating and to increase its status among the various schools debating competitions.

Last year, 32 senior cycle students from schools in Leinster and further afield were hosted. The Schools' Mace is unique among such competitions in that it involves an impromptu debate rather than a pre-prepared speaking contest. Throughout the competition, the participating students develop and improve their public speaking and communication skills, their powers of analysis and reasoning and, ultimately, their self-confidence.

The Friday afternoon and evening consisted of a debating workshop for the students and their teachers. This was followed by a showcase debate by some of the L&H's most accomplished speakers. The two semi-finals were on Saturday, with two teams from each proceeding to the grand final in Theatre O, chaired by Fergus Finlay.

The motion for the final was that "this House believes in a genetically modified future", and all four teams, representing Alexandra College, Maynooth Post-Primary School, Belvedere College and Loreto College, St. Stephen's Green debated it vehemently. There could be only one winner however, and the illustrious adjudicative panel (chaired by World's semi-finalist and Irish Times individual winner, Rossa Fanning) chose the team from Alexandra College, Meabh Harding and Caroline Wynne. David Whelan of Gonzaga College also won a prize for topping the speaker 'point tab' over the three league rounds and for delivering the best floor speech of the night.

Back to the top

Anti-Bullying in Athboy

Thomas Vaughan (1st. year) receiving his certificate from Noel Dempsey, Minister for the Local Government and the Environment, for having completed an Anti-Bullying course in St. James' Vocational School, Athboy.

Mr Noel Dempsey, Minister for Local Government and the Environment visited St. James' Vocational School Athboy on Monday last to present certificates to first and second year students. The students received their certificates having completed an Anti-Bullying course. The Minister praised the students for their work and stressed the importance of identifying bullying and telling about it. The course was given as part of a pilot project run by the NEHB. The course was the first of its kind in Ireland and aimed to develop an anti-bullying strategy for students. Students were taught the language of bullying, how to identify verbal, physical and psychological bullying and how to develop strategies for handling bullying. Minister Dempsey was told about the work in class but also about meetings with staff and parents, all of which combined to develop an anti-bullying culture in the school. Two special presentations were made by Minister Dempsey to Richard Sherrock and Claire Monaghan for their outstanding contributions during the course.

Back to the top

IBIS Working for Primary Schools

Students at Scoil Aonghusa, Tallaght with MGR Mag, the Irish Banks Information Service (IBIS) latest resource for Primary Schools. Pictured (L-R) are David McIntyre, Deirdre Carroll, Gillian Shiel (Teacher), Aaron Morgan and Deirdre Flanagan, Schools Liaison Officer (IBIS).

Back to the top