singing, dancing and high drama: all in a night’s work for ... · c andidates must achieve 90% in...

THE ABBEYSlí na Mainistreach Volume 15 Issue 1. January 2012

WaySinging, Dancing and High Drama:

All in a Night’s Work for ‘Carmen Jones’

IN THIS EDITION...

• Exam Success• Sport• Abbey-Rathore Christmas Party

• School Show• EU Mock Council

Abbey Way January 2012

GCSE Results

97% of the total grades are A*-C . 80% achieved A*-B grades and anastonishing 46% achieved A*/A grades. 40 students achieved at least8 A*/A grades.

Six students are the ‘Top Achievers’ in this year’s GCSE examinations. Theyachieved 12 A*/A grades. They include: Cailum Finnegan (11 A* and 1 A),Matt Kinsella (10 A* and 2 A’s), Darren Brady (7 A* and 5 A’s), Paul McKeever(5 A* and 7 A’s), Conor Tinnelly (4 A* and 8 A’s) and Cathal Grant (2 A*and 10 A’s).

Following the top performers above, fourteen students achieved at least 11A*/A grades, including: Aaron Beattie, Peter Doran, Declan Garvey, PaulMcCabe, James McCartan, Kieran McKevitt, Connor McShane, Declan McShane,Bryan Murphy, Cathal Murphy, Mark Rafferty, Joseph Reynolds, Paul Sweeneyand Gregory Wallace. Another three students achieved at least 10 A*/A grades:James Gollogly, Cathal McKeown and Patrick Tiernan.

Paul Hearty, Kaming Liu, Caolan McCann and Abeer Shahid achieved anoutstanding 9 or more A*/A grades and another 13 students achieved at least8 A*/A grades, including: Peter Brady, Micheal Campbell, Tiernan Connolly,Caolan Daly, Conor Hoey, Stephen Hughes, Jack Maguire, Ryan Mathers, ConorMcCartney, John McKevitt, Neil McParland, Jonathan O’Hare and Colin Rice.

Students will choose four A levels from a range of 27 subjects available,including: History, Geography, Art, Drama and Theatre Studies, BusinessStudies, Accounts, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Irish, French, Spanish,ICT, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Design and Technology (Systems and Control),Design and Technology (Resistant Materials), Religious Studies, Governmentand Politics, English Language, English Literature, Physical Education, Music,Sociology, Psychology, Engineering and Construction.

A delighted Headmaster, Mr Dermot McGovern, thanked staff and parents andcongratulated all the students who received GCSE results – not only the boyswho had done exceptionally well but also the boys who had done as well asthey possibly could. He believes that a number of factors have combined tohelp with this year’s success, including a very dedicated, committed and highlyprofessional staff who got the best out of this year group. The most valuablegift any teacher can give a pupil in the Abbey is their own time and this wasgiven in abundance.

Support from parents was another area highlighted by Mr McGovern thatfacilitated these results, working in harmony with the Abbey by attendingParent/Teacher meetings and helping to implement recommendations thatwere agreed at ‘Progress Meetings’ that were set up to support students.

Pupils in Year 11 have also performed very well after completing numerousGCSE examinations following their first year of study and can look forward tomatching this year’s GCSE results next year.

EXCELLENT GCSE RESULTS SHOW INCREASEIN TOP GRADES IN ABBEY GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Fifth year students at the Abbey ChristianBrothers’ Grammar School, Newry, learnedthat they have created their own little pieceof history when they received their GCSEresults last week. This group have achieveda new record for the greatest number ofstudents obtaining 5 or more passes and 7or more passes for the whole year group.100% achieved five or more A*-C grades. Thenumber of pupils who achieved seven ormore A*-C grades has increased to 96%.

Abbey Grammar School ‘Top Achievers’ in this year’s GCSE examinations arecongratulated by Mr Dermot McGovern, Headmaster, Mr. Mark Grogan, Year Tutor for

Year 12 and Vice Principals Mr Paul O’Shea and Mr Ronan Ruddy. Six studentsachieved 12 A*/A grades. They included: Cailum Finnegan (11 A* and 1 A), MattKinsella (10 A* and 2 A’s), Darren Brady (7 A* and 5 A’s), Paul McKeever (5 A*and 7 A’s), Conor Tinnelly (4 A* and 8 A’s) and Cathal Grant (2 A* and 10 A’s)

40 students from the Abbey Christian Brothers’ Grammar School achieved atleast 8 or more A*/A grades in their GCSE examinations. Included are: CailumFinnegan, Matt Kinsella, Darren Brady, Paul McKeever, Conor Tinnelly, Cathal

Grant, Aaron Beattie, Peter Doran, Declan Garvey, Paul McCabe, JamesMcCartan, Kieran McKevitt, Connor McShane, Declan McShane, Bryan Murphy,Cathal Murphy, Mark Rafferty, Paul Sweeney, Gregory Wallace, Cathal McKeown,

Paul Hearty, Kaming Liu, Caolan McCann, Peter Brady, Micheal Campbell,Tiernan Connolly, Caolan Daly, Conor Hoey, Stephen Hughes, Jack Maguire,Ryan Mathers, Conor McCartney, John McKevitt, Neil McParland, JonathanO’Hare and Colin Rice. Mr Dermot McGovern, Headmaster, gives this group ofhigh achievers advice on which subjects to choose for A Level . Also included

are Mr. Mark Grogan, Year Tutor for Year 12, Vice Principals, Mr Paul O’Shea andMr Ronan Ruddy. Missing from photograph are: Joseph Reynolds, James

Gollogly, Patrick Tiernan and Abeer Shahid.

The most significant statistic from these results isthat more pupils at the Abbey are obtaining thetop grades. Almost 50% of all results were gradeA, 74% were grades A*, A or B and 93% gradesA*-C.

Another highlight for the ‘Class of 2011’ is that aquarter of Upper Sixth achieved at least one A*grade. The examining boards introduced this newlevel only last year to acknowledge ‘super A grades’.Candidates must achieve 90% in their A2 exams tobe awarded this. As competition for ‘high demand’university courses rises, candidates are underpressure to meet third level offers. With 10% oftotal grades being A*, Abbey pupils havecontinued to obtain their first choiceuniversity course.

A total of 25 pupils achieved 3 or more A’s.

Nine pupils achieved at least 4 ‘A’ grades. Twopupils couldn’t be separated with an outstandingfour A* grades and an A grade (AS). DanielMcCullagh obtained A* grades in Biology,Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics. He added tothis impressive haul with an A grade in AS FurtherMathematics. He shall be studying AerospaceEngineering at Bath University. Ryan Walshobtained A* grades in Biology, Chemistry, Physicsand Mathematics. He also excelled with an A gradein AS Further Mathematics. Ryan wishes to take aGap Year this year. Dean Carolan obtained A*grades in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and BusinessStudies. He shall be studying Medicine at Queen’sUniversity, Belfast. Hua Jian Liu obtained A*grades in Biology, Chemistry, Physics andMathematics. He shall be studying Medicine atQueen’s University, Belfast. Stephen Dohertyobtained A* grades in Biology and Physics, Agrades in Chemistry and Mathematics. He shall bestudying Medicine at Queen’s University, Belfast.Niall McCavitt obtained an A* in History and Agrades in Government and Politics, EnglishLiterature and English Language. He shall bestudying Law at Queen’s University, Belfast.Garbhan McKevitt obtained an A* in Psychologyand A grades in Geography, Spanish and EnglishLanguage. He shall be studying Psychology atQueen’s University, Belfast. Callum McLoughlinobtained an A* in Biology and A grades inChemistry, Physics and Mathematics. He shall bestudying Medicine at Glasgow University. AdamMagill obtained A grades in History, Governmentand Politics, English Literature and Irish. He shallbe studying Law at Queen’s University, Belfast.

Another 16 pupils achieved at least 3 ‘A’ grades.John Joe Aitken obtained A grades in Biology,History and Government and Politics. He shall bestudying Ancient History and Politics at Queen’sUniversity, Belfast. Jack Bradley obtained A gradesin Biology, Chemistry, Physics and a B grade inMathematics. He shall be studying Medicine at

Dundee University. James Burns obtained A gradesin History, Sociology and Construction. He shall bestudying Quantity Surveying at University of Ulster.Patrick Burns obtained A* grades in Biology andPhysics, an A grade in Mathematics and A grades(AS) in Chemistry and Further Mathematics. Heshall be studying Actuarial Science and RiskManagement at Queen’s University, Belfast.Conleth Cull obtained A grades in Government andPolitics, History and Business Studies. He shall bestudying History and International Politics atQueen’s University, Belfast. Conor Devlin achievedA grades in Physics, Technology and Design andMathematics. He also achieved an A grade in ASFurther Mathematics. He shall be studyingMathematics at Queen’s University, Belfast. GavinDonnelly obtained A grades in Biology, Physics andMathematics. He also added an A grade in ASFurther Mathematics. He shall be studying Physicsat Queen’s University, Belfast. Kevin Gribbenachieved A grades in Government and Politics,History, Mathematics and a B grade in Physics. Heshall be studying Accounting at Queen’s University,Belfast. Owen Jones obtained A grades inTechnology and Design, Physics and Mathematics.He also added a B grade in AS Government andPolitics. He shall be studying Electrical Engineeringwith Computer Science at University College,London. Rory Keenan achieved A grades in ICT,Physical Education and Construction. He shall bestudying Quantity Surveying at University of Ulster.Mark McAlinden achieved an A* grade in Sociology,A grades in Government and Politics and Historyand a B grade in English Language. He shall bestudying Law at Queen’s University, BelfastTurlough McEvoy achieved A grades in History,Religious Studies and Sociology. He shall bestudying Environmental Planning at Queen’sUniversity, Belfast. Paul McNulty obtained an A*grade in Biology and A grades in Chemistry and ICT.He also added an A grade in AS Mathematics. Hewishes to take a Gap Year this year. DermotMcVeigh achieved A grades in Biology, Geographyand History. He shall be studying Land Use andEnvironmental Management at Queen’s University,Belfast. Aidan McVerry achieved A grades inBiology, Physical Education and Construction. Heshall be studying Business Management at Queen’sUniversity, Belfast.Conor O’Hare obtainedan A* grade inMathematics, A gradesin Biology andChemistry and a B gradein Physics. He shall bestudying Dentistry atDundee University.

Mr Dermot McGovern,Headmaster,congratulated thisexceptional group ontheir results. Heindicated that virtuallyevery boy achieved hisfirst choice universityplace. He was alsodelighted with theLower Sixthperformance in their ASexaminations as they

now have the potential to outperform this year’sA-Level results next year. He paid tribute to hishard working staff, both teaching and support staffand thanked them for all their efforts anddedication to the welfare of their students. He alsoacknowledged the strong school-parental links thathelped the boys to achieve their best.

Abbey Way January 2012 Page 2

A’ Level ResultsOUTSTANDING A-LEVEL RESULTS AT ABBEY GRAMMAR SCHOOLThe Abbey Christian Brothers’Grammar School, Newry, iscelebrating yet anotherexceptional set of A-Levelresults.

Mr Dermot McGovern, Headmaster, congratulates pupils who achieved at least 4‘A’ grades in their A-Level examinations at the Abbey Christian Brothers’

Grammar School, Newry. Included are: Daniel McCullagh, Ryan Walsh, DeanCarolan, Hua Jian Liu, Stephen Doherty, Niall McCavitt, Garbhan McKevitt,Callum McLoughlin and Adam Magill. Also included are Mr Padraig McKeever,

Upper SixthYear Tutor and Mr Ronan Ruddy, Vice Principal.

Pupils who achieved at least 3 ‘A’ grades in theirA-Level examinations at the Abbey Christian

Brothers’ Grammar School, Newry, arecongratulated by Mr Dermot McGovern,

Headmaster. Included are: Daniel McCullagh, RyanWalsh, Dean Carolan, Hua Jian Liu, Stephen

Doherty, Niall McCavitt, Garbhan McKevitt, CallumMcLoughlin, Adam Magill, John Joe Aitken, JackBradley, Patrick Burns, Conleth Cull, Owen Jones,Rory Keenan, Mark McAlinden, Paul McNulty,

Dermot McVeigh and Conor O’Hare. Also includedare: Mr Padraig McKeever, Upper Sixth Year Tutor,Mr Ronan Ruddy, Vice Principal. Missing from

photograph are: James Burns, Conor Devlin, GavinDonnelly, Kevin Gribben, Turlough McEvoy and

Aidan McVerry.

Art & Design

Last year I and three other pupils in my year travelled toWinchester to compete in the UK School Quiz Finals. Thiswas an extremely enjoyable trip as this allowed us toenhance our general knowledge and to visit the localtourist attractions.

To qualify for the UK School Quiz Finals we had to win the NorthernIreland School Quiz Final which was held in the Sacred Heart GrammarSchool. Due to Mr Gamble’s assistance in preparing us for thiscompetition and our determination to succeed we qualified for theUK School Quiz Final in England’s ancient capital of Winchesterwithout much difficulty. Despite our delight in qualifying for the UKSchool Quiz Final we realised that the competition in Winchesterwould be considerably more challenging and that more preparationwould be needed for the UK School Quiz Final just a few weeks later.On 18th June we travelled to Southampton Airport from DublinAirport. To get to our hotel from the airport we got on a train whichlasted only 10 minutes. When we arrived at the hotel we went to therestaurant to get our dinner and went to bed early so we would befully awake for the quiz the next day.

We awoke early and had our breakfast. We then travelled by trainfrom Southampton to Winchester where the quiz would be held. A

few hours later when the quiz began we immediately realised thatthe standard of knowledge was extremely high but despite this wetried our best to answer as many questions correctly as possible.Unfortunately, we lost a tie-break question against a school fromPlymouth which would have qualified us for the semi-finals. However,this was an extremely enjoyable trip of which I can use the knowledgeI have developed through this experience in further quizzes and ineveryday life. After the quiz we had a few hours to spare before ourtrip home so we decided to visit the tourist attractions in Winchester.We visited the Round Table; the only remaining part of WinchesterCastle and Winchester Cathedral; which contains tombs of earlyEnglish Kings. Winchester is a city which has lots of history andheritage and I would recommend to everyone to participate in thiscompetition as it is an enjoyable and beneficial experience.

Every week, ten 7th year studentsgo to Rathore Special School toengage in activities with thechildren there. Half of the groupdo science experiments, whilst theother half do P.E activities.

“Going to Rathore is a thoroughlyenjoyable experience, and seeing thesmiles on the kids’ faces is incrediblyfulfilling”, says Ciaran Davies, a 7th yearstudent.

On the 7th of December, the students fromRathore School came here to the Abbey fora Christmas party. After having their lunchin the 7th year canteen, they did artactivities, made a Christmas decorationand were entertained by a number ofstudents involved in poetry, music, singingand dancing. This gave us a greatopportunity to get to know the childrenbetter and everyone had a great day.

Quizzes

2012 Newry & MourneEnvironmental Calendar

Competition

UK Schools’ Quiz Finals

Congratulations to DanielCatterson, Donard 2, who won1st prize in The Newry& Mourne EnvironmentalCalendar Poster Competition.

Daniel’s winning design focuses on thetheme of “Keeping Newry & Mourne Green”.The popular competition received hundredsof entries from all the local schools bothprimary and post primary. Daniel’s designwill feature on the cover of the 2012 Newry& Mourne environmental calendar. Daniel waspresented with a voucher for £100 to rewardhis skill and hard work by the Newry &Mourne Council. Congratulations Daniel onyour success.

Mayor Charlie Casey is pictured with competitionwinner, Daniel Catterson.

Page 3 Abbey Way January 2012

“We really enjoy the science experimentsespecially knowing that the pupils arelearning something each day.” – Sam, Jake, Daire, Henry and Rory.

“Doing the P.E activities is really enjoyableas we get to interact with the pupilsplaying games in which we all have aninterest.” – Neil, Ryan, Ciaran, Paul and Ciaran.

Rathore

The Successful Abbey Quiz Team.

Music, Science and All Round Fun at the Abbey-Rathore Christmas Party


Students, Staff, Past Pupils and Friends of the Abbey Deliver a Memorable School Show

I was privileged enough to be chosen as oneof the lead cast members in this play, and Iwas able to work alongside some great actorsand some great friends. We all pulledtogether, learning the dances, the songs, thelines and trying to get out of as many classesas possible. The dancing was tough, thesinging tougher - especially for me as I’dnever sang before, Joel and Emily hadprevious experience which really put thepressure on me. Some of the boys who had

never danced before discovered some hiddentalents and all the juniors where reallyenthusiastic and added a lot to the show. Itwas tight though. We had a short time to geteverything together, but as Mr Smyth said wewere going to use the ‘adrenaline to motivateourselves.’ From ‘Dat’s Love,’ to ‘Stand Up An’Fight,’ the cast worked hard to perfect thesepowerful songs, and we put in an incredibleamount of effort in the week leading up toit. And that was it. The night of the first

performance;the fear had gripped everyoneand when Mr Ruddy finished the safetyprocedures and the orchestra warmed up, wejust had to hope that all the practice and allthe rehearsals were worth it. I stepped out,the lights went up, the cast flooded the stageand the show went on. I hope you enjoyedthe show nearly as much as I did. Getting alead role was an honour and the perfect wayto end my last year in the Abbey. As BrianHenderson said ‘watch out Broadway, theAbbey’s on its way!’ - M. Haddad

Carmen Jones: what a fantastic experience! From the initialdays of sitting in a circle in Mr Smyth’s cold room readingthe script, to the final panic of the dress rehearsal, the showwas an unforgettable journey.

A Word From the Lead...

Meet the Cast

Rachel Killen - Dancer WorkerJoel McCaffery - CarmenMaeve Morgan - FrankiePaul McAleenan - SoldierKeith Connolly - ForemanHanna Patterson - GeneralShannon Killen - Dancer WorkerRebecca Killen - DancerEmelye Rooney - CindyKatie Quinn - Dancer WorkerConnor Love - BarmanCormac Begley - SoldierThomas Carvill - SoldierCiaran Henry - PolicemanBryan Henderson - HuskyLeo McSweeney - PhotographerSean Fegan - Max DrummerShane McCormick - SoldierMichael Haddad - JoeRoss Elmore - DinkCathal O'Donnell - PresidentDeclan Gregory - GeneralChristopher Connor - Murrel SoldierAndrew McGivern - RumBlinne Murphy - DancerCatherine Heaney - Dancer

Choir

Michael LindenFerdia O MalleyCormac MallonDeclan McGuinnessJosh KeenanDaniel BurnsCaolan ClarkeJames McGovernOscar HenshawMatthew LinnieJames McCartanThomas O HareJonathan ReynoldsDaniel FeenanJames VintEoin HannawayCalam TonerKilian ThortonChris Kenny

Band

Trumpet 1 - Pat MathersTrumpet 2 - John Cosgrove

Trombone 1 - Daniel CampbellTrombone 2 - Andrew HughesTrombone 3 - Conor McCusker & Conor Henry

Horn 1 - Aidan ClarkeHorn 2 - Matthew Dodds

Flute 1 - Carmel MorganFlute 2 - Raymond O'DonnellOboe 1 - Stephen GrantClarinet 1 - Fergal BoyleClarinet 2 - Cormac BoyleBasson 1 - Lucy VellaTimpani - Peter RicePercussion - Ben Sutherland, HenryMcLaughlin and Ross O'Hanlon

Violin 1 - Rosie Ferguson, Jonathon Keogh,Miss Quinn, Edel Griffin, Emma Masterson,Orla Duffy Violin 2 - Mitchel Davis, Colla McParland,Niall O'Flaherty, Jennifer McMahon, BronaghRafferty, Conor Masterson, Martin O'Donnell

Viola - Camille GilsennanCello - Emma Quinn, Amy GilsenanDouble Bass - Orla Rice

School Production 2011

Production Team List

Director & Producer - Mr Joseph SmythMusical Director - Mr Dominic WadsworthAssistant Producer and Stage Manager - Mr Paul McParland Front Of House and Box Office - Mr Ronan Ruddy Publicity and Programme - Mr John Rath Photography and Technical Support - Mr Conor McCormick Logistics - Mr Pat Daly & Mr Willie McCullough

Abbey Way January 2012

Carmen Jones

Carmen Jones

School Production 2011


THE STEM AGENDA Marches On…

The Chemistry Department during the weekof October 24th to 28th, in collaborationwith the RSC, (Royal Society of Chemistry)held its annual MTU event. Picking the rightChemistry course and university has becomebewildering for school students. However,this event gave the 6th Year Chemistrystudents in the Abbey the opportunity tofind out directly about chemical sciencescourses and universities.

The students were able to take part ininteractive online chat sessions withUniversity Lecturers and were able to accessstudent blogs getting a first hand knowledgeof chemical sciences degree courses andUniversity Chemistry Departments.

A 6th Yr student commented about theonline event: “I found the depth ofchemistry courses to be very interesting. Theversatility offered by studying chemistrymakes it a tempting course for me”

On Tuesday 11th October the Technology &Design Department: hosted a full day ofactivities for all Year 8 students in theassembly hall entitled ‘Robotics Day’facilitated by Sentinus NI:

The Maths department has been using theMoneysense programme during the months ofSeptember and October in conjunction withthe Ulster Bank.

This included hosting a guest speaker, MsCiara Morgan with Donard 8 talking about‘Managing your Money’ and the different waysto pay for things, what facilities a bank offer,different types of cards etc.

Furthermore, Mr Francis Morgan has delivereda presentation to both lower and upper sixthstudents about ‘Going to Further Education’and planning for their future. The workcovered budgeting, managing finance afteryou leave school and loans.

October was also a busy month when the Careers Department andBiology Department hosted the second annual visit of the NEELB STEMModule Bus to the school. This year the focus turned to Post-16students and all Year 13 Biology students engaged in a day ofBiotechnology experiments relevant to their AS specification.


YEAR 10 & 12..FORTHCOMING OPTIONS

Year 12 and Year 10 will beinvolved in making Subject Optionchoices as early as the 26thJanuary, 2012.

It is extremely important that Year 10students should choose subjects relevant totheir career choices and indeed Year 12students are strongly advised to read theRussell Group Informed choices availableon the following link before makingchoices for A Levels.

The Russell group represents 20 leading UKUniversities.

Visit http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk formore information.

Post-16 Qualifications:

• Advanced Level Qualifications: A/S and A/2 Levels(27 subjects on offer in Abbey CBS Curriculum)You will study 4 A/s subjects in lower sixth;

• Vocational Qualifications: BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma (1 A level); Diploma (2 A Levels) and Extended Diploma (3 A Levels)

• Apprenticeship NI: A 2/3 year programme in a specific vocational area that involves work-based learning. (Facilitated by the SRC Newry)

Other Options Post-16:

• Employment with Training • Employment without further training • Another school—A level Curriculum—

mixed traditional and Applied subjects.

Operation Christmas Child

Careers

This is a Christian relief and developmentorganisation which works through localchurches and schools to proclaim anddemonstrate the love of God to children andfamilies in need across Africa, Eastern Europeand Central Asia. Pupils have packedshoeboxes with lots of goodies and gifts inthe hope of bringing joy into the lives ofunderprivileged children. Our focus as a

school is to remind these poor children thatGod loves them and that they have not beenforgotten at Christmas. Also included in thephotograph are; Mr William Thompson and MrIvor Hook from ‘Samaritan’s Purse’, Mrs LisaMcKeever, Head of Religion, Mr Pat O’Neill,Religion Teacher and Mr Dermot McGovern,Headmaster.

Year 8 pupils from the Abbey Grammar School have taken part in thisyear’s ‘Operation Christmas Child’.

Charity

Declan Garvey, Eoin Murphy and Patrick Tiernan during STEM week.

Debating

The 2011 final was hotly contested on thepertinent issue: “This House believes thatstudent debt is a fair price to pay for aneducation.” Guest adjudicator, Mrs NaomiLong MP, remarked that students were able tomarshal their thoughts and speak effectivelyon each side of the motion and she spokevery positively on the standard of debating.As in the last couple of years, numbersentering the competition exceededexpectations and the engaging spirit of thesemi-final rounds ensured that the finalwould be tough. It was clearly evident thatthe eight speakers were deserving finalistswho could persuade audience members withsubstantive arguments.

The ‘ex tempore’ motions were at timescontroversial (This House believes CourtenayHill takes Ashgrove Road) and oftenhumorous, (This House would make wearingglitter compulsory) allowing the finalists tospeak off the cuff and entertain theaudience. While Year 9 and Year 11 pupilsattended the final to receive their awards forin-house class debating, they alsocontributed to the debate from the Floor,highlighting the confidence in junior andmiddle school debating as it goes fromstrength to strength. The finalists werepushed on their arguments by the oppositionand by members of the Floor. Congratulationsto: Peter Delahunt, who retains the title forthe second year; Niall McArdle, runner-up;Ryan Morgan, whose first year in thecompetition gained him a third place on finalnight; James Dickson, Michael Haddad,

Gregory McChesney, Ross Elmore, and ConnorHogan; all merited finalists.

Lastly, thank you to the parents, guardiansand relatives in attendance that night, oursponsor, Mr Rory McShane, guest adjudicator,Mrs Naomi Long MP, the English Departmentwhose teachers facilitate the class debatingand preliminary rounds, the many membersof staff, teaching and non-teaching, whocontribute and offer support in the run-up toand during the final: your support is alwaysappreciated.

Br McFarland 2012 starts at the end ofJanuary for all students in Years 11-14.Please check the debating notice board onthe English corridor. Alternatively makeenquiries with Ms Reynolds in UG85.

Br. McFarland Senior Debating Award 2011

Peter Delahunt Retains Title

Well done to the senior team whocompeted for the first time in theInstitute of Ideas competition run inNorthern Ireland, Scotland, Englandand Wales. Peter Delahunt, RyanMorgan, Sean Fearon and MichaelHaddad acquitted themselves wellduring what could only be describedas a ‘grilling’ from the adjudicatingpanel.

Peter and Ryan had to propose that, ‘AfterFukushima, we should abandon nuclearpower’ and despite good research and a clearsense of their arguments, they were putthrough their paces by a gruelling set ofquestions from the panel’s learnedadjudicators; Professor Bert Rima (DeputyHead of School of Medicine, Dentistry andBiomedical Science, Queen’s UniversityBelfast), Dr William Crawley (BBCbroadcaster and journalist) and Mr CraigFairnington (Institute of Ideas). As abiological chemist, physicist and theologian,the panel provoked a breadth of questions onall points of the argument; scientific, logicaland ethical.

Following suit, Michael Haddad and SeanFearon had to argue the case for why‘European countries should take a lead fromFrance and ban the burqa.’ Covering humanrights, freedom of expression and religiousbelief the debate was wide-ranging and thedebaters had to maintain their composureunder significant questioning from ProfessorRima, Mr Fairnington and Mrs VanessaGoucher (Belfast Education and LibraryBoard).

Congratulations to all speakers for theircommitment to research, but particularly fortheir consistent willingness to putthemselves in the line of fire to hone theirdebating skills. Peter Delahunt was namedbest individual speaker.

Debating Matters

Abbey Senior Debating Team: Sean Fearon, Michael Haddad, Ryan Morgan and Peter Delahunt.

Abbey senior debaters impressed yet again with theirextensive knowledge and repartee at the Brother McFarland2011 final. Several members of the audience and oursponsor, Mr Rory McShane, concluded it had been the bestoverall standard of debating to date; testament to theconsistent work undertaken by the students concerned.

The 2011 Brother McFarland Debating Finalistspictured with guest speaker Naomi Long and

competition sponsor, Rory McShane.


On Tuesday the 15th of Novemberthe Abbey cross country teamtook part in a race at KilbroneyPark in Rostrevor. There were tworaces, a first year race and acombined race for second andthird years.

Both of the races were 1800 metres long,which was one and a half laps of the course.In the first year race we did very well. ArdanMcEvoy was 5th and Billy Campbell 7th.There were other good performances from therest of the 1st year team and as a result ofthis, when the points were totalled wefinished second in the team event.

In the combined second and third year racewe also did very well,including a brilliantperformance from Oisin O’Callaghan who gotfirst place, Jason Sloane in 4th and TiernanForde 5th. As a result the Abbey team wasplaced first in the under 15 category.

Overall, we had a very successful day and wewent home confident we could build on ourperformance in future events.


Abbey Runners Shine in Kilbroney Park at Newry and Mourne Schools Cross Country Championship

Cross-Country Running

EU Mock Council 2011

Peter Delahunt, Ryan Morgan and MichaelHaddad were the Austrian delegates for thecouncil debate and each had a field ofresponsibility. Michael focused on e-twinning, a programme for schools to findtwinning partners throughout Europe to shareinformation and establish partner-projects;Peter dealt with the issues of migration suchas tightening EU external border controls andthe integration of immigrant workers, whileRyan led the digital agenda, includingconcerns about user privacy online, cyberattacks and cloud computing.

Jonathan Scheele, Head of the EuropeanCommission in the UK said of the event: "TheEU has had a massive impact on life inNorthern Ireland. The challenge now is todeepen Northern Ireland's engagement withEurope, allowing it to integrate fully with therest of Europe and to play its rolesuccessfully on the European stage. It isimportant, therefore, that young people getto debate major European issues and find outabout the workings of the EU. The MockCouncil provides an ideal forum for studentsto get a taste of what it would be like torepresent their Member State at the

European level.” It was evident from thestudents involved that the opportunity to bea minister for the day was a welcome andrewarding challenge.

You can watch the Abbey delegates online inthis year’s EU Mock Council video at thefollowing links:

The British Council YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/britishcouncil

Vimeo:http://vimeo.com/31023227

Abbey CBS was one of two schools featured in the promotional video for the seventh annual Mock Councilin October. The British Council and European Commission in Northern Ireland organised the EU MockCouncil held in Stormont. The debate functions much like the real thing in Europe with the 27 memberstates and the European Commission represented, and a great deal of horse-trading and compromisesbeing sought before the final votes are taken using qualified majority voting (QMV).

Gaelic FootballCorn na nÓg

Basketball

Next up were group favourites, Omagh CBS,in Eglish. The Abbey had the lion’s share ofthe play in the first half, keeping Omagh tothree points. However, Omagh struck twogoals in the five minutes following theinterval; and despite a spirited Abbeyfightback, Omagh took both points in a 2-6to 1-5 score in favour of the Tyrone men,with Newry Shamrock’s man, Conor McKeown,bagging the Abbey’s only goal. Had it notbeen for injuries to Joe O’Loughlin, Daire

Rooney and Shea Murdock as well as waywardshooting and poor decision making, theresult could have been different. However,the boys will have learned a lot from thisgame which will hopefully stand them ingood stead for the rest of the year.

The defeat to Omagh was followed up byfacile wins over Downpatrick and ColaisteInis Eoghain on scorelines of 2-26 to 0-04and 5-22 to 1-0 respectively. Whilst the

scoreline didn’t have any bearing on groupplacement, it did give the management teama chance to look at other players, many ofwhom impressed particularly Charlie Magill,Sean Og Boyle, Callum O’Neill and SheaConlon; giving management a few selectionheadaches over the Christmas break.

The Abbey now meet competition jointfavourites St. Patrick’s, Dungannon, in thequarter-final at the end of January. Whilstthe panel performed extremely well duringthe group stages, they will know that a lot ofwork must be done before the last week inJanuary. Assistant manager, Ben O’Reilly,claims: “the work done over the Christmasbreak will be the deciding factor in howcompetitive we will be in the latter stages ofthe competition. The slate has been wipedclean and all positions are up for grabs.”

The 2011/12 Corn na nOg squad started their campaign inSherry’s Field, Armagh, against a strong St Mary’s, Magherfelt,side. Playing into a gale-force wind, the Abbey went into thebreak on the wrong side of a ten point deficit. However, strongwords from captain, Daire Rooney, and the introduction ofBurren’s Declan Murdock turned the tide in favour The Abbey whoran winners on a score line of 5-12 to 1-12.


On the 21st of December MrsMcClean and the U19 & U16basketball teams travelled toSt Malachy’s College, Belfast,to play in the UlsterBasketball Final.

The Under nineteen final was the first to beplayed with the Abbey facing St Patrick’sCollege, Dungannon. The Abbey boys playedhard and took the lead from the first scorebut St Pat’s fought back in the first quarteralmost matching the Abbey score for score.The Abbey team fought back with greatscores and assists from team captain, NaillMcArdle, Conor Campbell and Terry Guo. Fromstart to finish the Abbey boys fought forevery score and were relentless in theirattack. Brilliant defence by Adrian Burns,Joe McShane and Henry McLaughlin madescoring at the other end of the court verydifficult for the St Pat’s team. The gamefinished Abbey 43 – St Pat’s 31.

The U16 final tipped off at aquarter to two. The Abbey boysfaced the only team who hadbeaten them in the league so far,St Michael’s, Lurgan. The Abbeyboys had a point to prove - andwith big scores very early on fromAaron Miller, the Abbey wereshowing St Michael’s that theywanted the title. With teamcaptain, Garrett Campbell,running several fast breaks thescoreboard was very one-sided.Brilliant defence by Aaron O’Reillyand Peter O’Hagan prevented StMichael’s form getting to thebasket. The combination of RossO’Hanlon and Gary Black at thetop of the key caused majorproblems for the St Michael’soffence. It was another big winfor the Abbey boys. Abbey 48 – St Michael’s 26.

Abbey now progress to the All-Ireland series in February.

Double Delight for the Abbey

This year’s Mac Rory Cup squad gotoff to a flying start in their openinggame in October.

Playing against the tournament favourites,Omagh CBS, the Abbey led by captain andrecent All-star recipient, Ciaran Mc Cartan,gave a fantastic display of grit anddetermination to win the game by 1-7 to0-5. The Abbey’s goal came courtesy ofDamien Mc Keown’s blistering pace androunded off an excellent individual display.Next up were, St Colman’s, and revenge washigh on the agenda for the Castleowenmen. In the previous two years St Colman’shad had plenty to spare over the Abbey atthis level, thanks largely to the arrival atViolet Hill of Caolan Mooney, who is now,of course, plying his trade in the AFL inAustralia. On this occasion the Abbey madea dream start with Conall Gallagher scoringa superb individual goal. It was a lead thatthe Abbey would never relinquish. Furtherpoints from Cailum Cumiskey and DamienMc Keown kept St Colman’s at arms lengthuntil the College were thrown a lifelinewith a fortuitous goal that hit bothcrossbar and upright before nestling in theback of the Abbey goalkeeper, ConorHanna’s, net. In the second half order wasrestored to the proceedings when goals forRowan Turley and Dromintee’s, ConorMartin, ensured that the Abbey would winthe Frontier battle this time. The winningscore line of 3-7 to 1-8, tells an accuratetale of this derby game. That meant theAbbey had already guaranteed themselvesa quarter final spot, with two games tospare. Whilst the results of the followingtwo were now irrelevant, Abbey’s manager,Jody Gormley, will have been very unhappywith how his charges acquitted themselvesagainst old rivals, Maghera, andcompetition new boys, St. Mary’s CBS. Bothof those games ended in narrow defeatsand gave the Abbey team plenty to thinkabout ahead of their quarter final clash inFebruary, where the Abbey will face a toughChallenge from the recent double RannafastCup winners, St Pat’s of Maghera.

Gaelic Football


Abbey to Face Old Rivals,Maghera, in the Mac Rory

Cup Quarter FinalMacRory Cup Rannafast Cup

Unfortunately, history repeated itself in thisyear’s competition, only this time at the semifinal stage. Abbey had got their campaign offto a great start with a deserved victory overOur Lady and St. Patrick’s Knock. Next upwere, St. Michael’s, Enniskillen, and despitethe concession of three soft goals the Abbeystill had enough to spare over theirFermanagh counterparts to win the gamecomfortably. The final group game was aNewry derby against St. Colman’s. Despitedifficult playing conditions and some bizarredecision making by the referee, both teamsmanaged to serve up a nail biting game. St.Colman’s had the better of the earlyexchanges and took full advantage, scoringtwo excellent first half goals, but the Abbeystayed in touch, thanks largely to the freetaking of Killian Mc Evoy.

The second half was a much better one forthe Abbey as they clawed their way back intothe game. When Ryan Trainor found the St.Colman’s net in the final minutes, it lookedas though this titanic battle was going to endin stalemate. As the final whistle soundedneither side celebrated a victory as theplayers seemed to think the game ended in adraw. In fact the only person who thoughtotherwise was the referee, who scored the

game in a two point victory to St. Colman’s.Examination of the scorers showed that thereferee hadn’t recorded two of the Abbey’sfirst half points. It was a bitterly sore pill toswallow for the Abbey team, who battledtheir way back in to contention after beingfive (or seven) points down at half time. Theresult didn’t have a huge bearing on thecompetition as both teams still progressed tothe quarter final. The Abbey foundthemselves up against Coláistí Inis Eoghain,an amalgamation of five schools based in theInisowen peninsula. Heavy rain had put thisgame in jeopardy but match referee, MartinMc Earlane, rescued the day by getting thepitch at Glen, Maghera, when the pitch inCookstown was declared waterlogged.

The game itself was a one sided affair withthe Abbey team completely dominant and bythe time Rory Lavery found the back of theDonegal net, the game was over as a contest.That victory set up a repeat of last year’s finalwith, unfortunately, the same outcome.Abbey got off to the worst possible startwhen a speculative shot from Paul Gunningseemed to catch out the Abbey goalkeeper,Aaron Campbell, that was followed minuteslater by another goal, this time following adefensive mistake, and the Abbey’s task wasalready an impossible one. To their credit theAbbey battled gamely but were unable to eatinto Maghera’s unassailable lead. Magherawent on to win their second Rannafast Cup insuccession with a victory over Monaghan thefollowing week.

Last season the Abbey made it totheir first Rannafast final since theearly nineties, but finished secondbest to St. Pat’s, Maghera.

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