The BT Young Scientist.

3 groups from St. Wolstans community school were accepted into the BT Young Scientist, sadly I wasn't one of these lucky students but we were all very proud of them and their accomplishments. To show our support Two year groups got to go visit them luckily I myself was in one of the year groups who got to go.  We had been in 2nd year also so we've been before and we know how it works.

Since we had been before it was nothing we hadn't really seen before so it was a bit boring but we had fun.  One thing I hadn't had time or the chance to do before was to experience what it was like to be in a car crash.  In the Young Scientist they have an RSA simulator which gives you the opportunity to see what it would be like if you were in a crash.  They were trying to show the importance of seat belts, and trying to show how they help in an incident where a car was to over turn.  It was a crazy experience and I would recommend everyone to try it if they have the chance. 

Mary Poppins

On Wednesday the 16th of December our whole year went to the Bord Gáis theater to watch the production of Mary Poppins.  I have previously seen the musical on broadway and so I had some of the merchandise which I wore when we were going to see it.

The day started off by getting on the bus at 9:05 and heading into Dublin City.  We got dropped off just around the corner from the theater so it was a short walk to where we had to go.  I was getting a few weird looks off people for wearing my fabulous 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' T-shirt and holding up my umbrella when there wasn't cloud in sight.  

We were allowed to go off for lunch anywhere we wanted as long as we were back at the entrance for 2 O'Clock, so Orla and I went on the hunt for a nice place to eat (McDonald's) but we weren't sure of the area so we didn't want to risk getting lost so we just went to spar.  I got some lovely wedges but I wasn't hungry so I didn't finish them. 

After we ate we had loads of time to just walk around the area so everyone just sat on some benches and took pictures and stuff.  Of course I was the one to sit in some sort of brown/orange mess and I couldn't do anything about it until I got home.  I just hid the stain in all the pictures so it was no problem.  

At 2:00 we all queued up and got our tickets, we went inside and found our seats after walking up about 500 stairs.  There was some hassle with the seats but we sorted it out and it was okay.  The play was very good and I would really recommend it i really enjoyed it and had a great time.  On the way home eveyone was very tired so we all just slept.

Trade fair.

On Tuesday the 15th of December we had a trade fair.  At this trade fair all the mini company's in the year set up a stall is if we were at a market.  Linda, Megan and I couldn't set up when everyone else was because Claire had our product but she came before any parents did so that was good.  Along with our mini company product we also sold candy canes just as something nice to eat if you didn't have a much money for something else.  The candy canes were 50c each.

Everyone was nervously awaiting the first people to come.  I think the first person was Marion's mam and then a few others came soon too.  The trade fair wasn't advertised anywhere outside the school so he only people who knew about it we the students parents which I found kind of silly because then there wouldn't be that many people to sell to.  We sold around 20 of our products whether it was our snowmen or our candy canes. 

                                              

For most of the night most of us would just go around looking at the other stalls and talking to people, I helped Orla to go around and take pictures of the stalls and also did some shopping around and ordered myself a why knot? A why knot is something you attatch to the back of your phone to wrap your earphones around so they don't get knotted.  I ordered mine with a special message of 'BP' on the back of it.

                                              

Afterwards, Anna Orla and I all went to the kitchen to wash all the dishes that had been used at the trade fair from giving people's parents tea, coffee and cakes that we had made in home ec.  It was actually quite fun just having a laugh with the gals even though Orla wouldn't do her share of cleaning👿

Speed dating.

On Thursday the 10th of December, our whole year got on a bus to castle-knock to find our future husbands, jk.  We visited Castle-knock college and as soon as we got off the bus we were split into our language classes, so There we stood, 60 girls covered in make up standing outside a random school in the middle of nowhere.

We walked in and the french students went into the first room and the Spanish students were led into another large hall, we had to sit down across from a lovely young boy.  The German students were playing music and going around taking a video of all of us embarrassing ourselves.  Most of the boys were nice with the odd few who were "too cool" to talk to us.

It was a great experience to see how the posh schools work, and had great fun seeing everyone doing their best flirting.  The bus ride home was just filled with the girls gossiping about everything that happened and planning what they're wearing to Enrico's.

School Bank.

Our school has teamed up with Bank Of Ireland to set up a school bank.  There are five roles in the school bank; Branch manager, assistant manager, sales and marketing, audit specialist and myself customer service official. Today, Monday the 7th of December was our launch day.  We set up our tables in reception in the class before lunch and we nervously awaited our first customers.

Once lunch started not many people were coming over as they weren't really sure about what it was but soon enough the reception was packed and we were swamped with people.  We knew it was going to be difficult since it was our first week but it was good because we had two representatives from bank of Ireland there to help us.  Along with many registration forms we were also given iPads where students could register online.  It was very stressful at the time but it was a good experience in the end. 

Etiquette workshop

On the same day as our first aid workshop we had an Etiquette workshop also, when I first heard of this I was very very confused because I had no idea what Etiquette was all we were told was to bring in our high heels, so I did.  I asked around to see if anyone knew what it was and as it turned out Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behaviors according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group, which really just means, we had a work shop on how to act correctly or as some people like to say "ladylike" in society.

The first thing we did was play an ice-breaker or two then we were shown a power point and video all about Etiquette and whats right and wrong.  We were told how to were our clothes, what clothes to wear even what underwear to wear.  after that we got up to walk the red carpet, we had to walk with a book on our head to make sure our spine was aligned and then we had to try and do it in our high heels, we were also taught how to sit politely and i found that helpful in an interview.  

Amber Flag

Amber flag is about suicide aware.  Depression is one of the main causes of suicide, approximately 1 in 10 people in Ireland are depressed at any one time.  Amber flag is a way to raise awareness about suicide and depression and informing people how to help in these situations.  Amber flag's aim is to encourage organisations such as schools, colleges or groups to promote and actively bring about a culture change in the promotion of positive mental health within the educational system and other groups and organisations.  

Transition year is the perfect year to do projects and other things that we couldn't do in a more academic based year.  In religion both class Merkel and class Lagarde have come together to work on getting the amber flag for our school. There are a few different groups within our year group there is events, audit, web and pr group.  I am on the web group which means I write on the website with things relating to the amber flag and our events etc.  Anna G and I are currently writing a post about the fun walk it is very well written since we wrote it.

Fun Walk

On Friday the second of october our whole school dressed up in 7 different colours:

• 1st years: pink
• 2nd years: purple 
• 3rd years: green
• transition years: yellow
• 5th years: blue
• 6th years: Black and white

Everyone came in at 9:05 with crazy brightly coloured clothes in so many different colours and they were all being very secretive about their dances and songs they would be preforming later.  We had our first two classes which for my class was a double science so I was happy.  After break we had Irish which we just spent doing face paint and  then a tutor class which i spent learning the dance because I was out but I learnt it in time and our class did very well.

Sadly we didn't win but it was a good day altogether.  After the 5th years had preformed some ty's had to leave to stand at the roads and tell people where to go I was one of them, I was with sarah and our spot was in the middle of st.Rapheals.

For my classes fun walk we decided to dress up as sunflowers and thunder clouds and our tutor dressed up as a mexican sun.  It was a great day and we had lots of fun.

Green Poppies.

In Mr.Kennedy's amazing history class we are currently colouring in green poppies with red in the middle, these poppies represent all the Irish soldiers who died in world war one.  I think it is such an amazing and thoughtful thing to do as nobody ever thinks about the Irish soldiers who died only the English.  I don't have any pictures of the ones we've done, so this will have to do.

We are going to ask students and teachers to wear them on their chests on the 11th of November, sadly the 11th of November is a Wednesday and the TY's who made them wont be in school but Mr.Kennedy will be able to tell us how it goes in our next history class. Professor Keith Jeffery gives a figure of 210,000 Irish men who served for the British in world war one.  Many people think that at least 35,000 died though the figure on the National War Memorial is 49,400.