Ms. Cleary, who is the Transition Year co-ordinator in the school, says that “The students took up the challenges presented by the year and were a credit themselves and to the school”.

The following account will provide an insight into T.Y. 2007-8.

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Just before the Easter break a two-week work experience programme, in which all Transition Year students participate, took place. This was the highlight of the year for many students and was a great success.

Students were encouraged to find placements with companies working in areas in which students might wish to pursue a career in the future. The idea was that the experience, albeit brief, might give them an insight as to whether a particular work area was suitable.

Preparation for work experience began in September with students learning how to write letters of application and CVs. Towards the end of October letters of application were sent out to potential employers.

Students were encouraged to find their own placements and most (approximately 90%) managed to do so. All employers were contacted by the school prior to the commencement of the programme to verify details and provide the employer with important information regarding insurance etc. The students sent a job description form to their employers, who filled out the details required.

Students were required to complete a logbook while they were in a workplace, and they will include this as part of their portfolio.

Students secured placements in various sectors of employment. The feedback from the various placement-providers was very positive and complimentary about the students and how they acquitted themselves during the fortnight (You can fool some of the people…! – Ed.).

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The TY have all chosen a specialist subject to dabble in throughout the year; Desktop Publishing, Mini-company, Marine and Mountain and Sport Science have given people an opportunity to explore their own interests in depth which is a chance they would not get if they proceeded straight to Fifth Year.

The Marine and Mountain classes have all taken one week’s sailing lessons and are continuing with the second week, while they have also visited the climbing wall in the Mardyke Arena in order to improve climbing technique.

The Desktop Publishing class has been busy finding their way around QuarkXPress, experimenting with the open-source image manipulation program, the GIMP and trying their hand at a bit of web design.

In December the two Mini Companies in Transition Year took part in the Schools Enterprise Competition for young entrepreneurs, organised
by the Cork City Enterprise Board. Here the displayed their business ideas and products as well as discussing their business plans with the judges of the competition. This Schools Enterprise competition is open to all schools taking part in the Young Enterprise initiative and was held in Blackpool Shopping Centre where each company set up a display stand and sold their products and ideas. Both companies later took part in the regional finals in March.

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On the 15th of October all TY students attended a Road Safety Exhibition in Rochestown Park Hotel. This was an eye-opening experience for all of us. There was complete silence in the packed centre when a woman who had lost two sons in a road traffic accident spoke to us. It was the human stories that really brought the message home. To conclude the event we were given a demonstration of all the rescue services working at the scene of an accident. It was a really good seminar and I'm glad we all got the opportunity to attend on that day.

As a follow-up to that event all students participate in the Drive-For-Life Programme.

(April 2010)

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This year 45 students took part in the Sailing course in Kinsale. It was a fantastic experience even if the wind did not blow strongly enough at times. I really enjoyed the course and I hope to continue with my sailing career.

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(April 2010)

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Twenty-four students attended the Faith, Peace and Justice Conference. The keynote speaker for the event was Mr Brian Keenan.

He told his story of his time in captivity in Beirut and how he survived this horrific ordeal. The image that stayed with most of us from the talk was of the 6ft X 4ft cell… Somehow he managed to keep hope alive and the words 'to strive, to search, to seek, to find and not to yield' became a motto for him.

(April 2010)

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A group of TY students held a coffee morning for the Staff. The mince pies and the scones – provided by Eoghan O’Donoghue 's mom went down a treat with the Staff. Eoghan made a presentation on Fair Trade and suggested that we would become a Fair Trade school, committed to promoting and selling Fair Trade products.

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Representatives from different organisations visit the school including guest speakers from The Simon Community, SHARE, Self Help Development and Trócaire.

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