THORNHILL COLLEGE

DATES FOR THE
DIARY
THORNHILL COLLEGE
NEWSLETTER
Summer 2011
YEAR 14 STUDENT ANNE KEARNEY WINS
SCHOLARSHIP TO STUDY SPANISH AT
QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY BELFAST
Anne Kearney of Year 14 has been awarded 1st prize in the
Santander Spanish Essay Competition. This prize includes
£1,000 scholarship to study at QUB and £500 worth of book
vouchers to support the teaching of Spanish in Thornhill College.
All A2 Spanish students who applied for a place to study Spanish
at Queen’s in 2011 were invited to enter the competition by
writing an essay in Spanish. The essays were judged by Dr
Jesús Fernández and María José Eguskiza from the Spanish
Embassy in London.
This is a dream come true for Anne, who, from a young age, was
drawn to the splendour of the Spanish language: “I have always
loved Spanish and it sounds like a beautiful language. When I
was younger I always heard my brother and sister speaking
Spanish and this encouraged me to opt for it as a subject in Year
8.” According to Anne, choosing Spanish at A Level was
inevitable: “Languages have always been my passion, so it was
easy to continue on with something I love.” Anne chose to study
Spanish at QUB as her brother studied there a few years ago:
“My brother loved the Spanish Department at Queen’s so I
wanted to go there to have a similar experience. I am looking
forward to the year abroad, in my third year, as it will give me a
chance to explore South America.” After university Anne plans to
pursue a career in translation or interpreting. She says “I can’t
imagine working without languages in my life.”
Wednesday 29 June
End of Term
Monday 29 August
Staff Inset
Tuesday 30 August
Sixth Form Registration
Wednesday 31 August
Staff Inset
Thursday 1 September
Year 8 pupils only
Friday 2 September
All pupils except Year 8
Monday 5 September
All pupils
Monday 31 October – Friday 4 November inclusive
Mid Term Break
CELEBRATING WORLD BOOK DAY
Thornhill College has
again marked the
annual celebration of
reading and literacy on
Thursday 3rd March,
World Book Day. As
one of its fundamental
principles, the school
aims
to
cultivate
effective communication skills and afford the pupils opportunities
to develop high order literacy skills. On a day such as World
Book Day, Thornhill College takes full advantage of the
opportunity to profile literacy and wide critical reading throughout
the school. Both teachers and pupils are involved in activities to
identify their favourite books and share this information with the
school community. Various competitions are held and pupils are
invited to design bookmarks, posters and leaflets which reading.
So it is fair to say Thornhill College is alive with the Bookworm
Buzz!
Keep reading during the summer
holidays bookworms!!!!
YEAR 11 DRAMA AWARD
Thornhill Drama students won the award for ‘Best Moment in
Drama’ following their performance of an extract from ‘Blood
Brothers’ by Willy Russell at the second Northwest Schools
Drama Festival at the Alley Theatre, Strabane.
Pictured above - Blathnait Dalzell, Aoife Cooke, Lauren Hegarty,
Rachael Bell, Hayley Quinnell, Bethan Warby, Seanann McLaughlin,
Hannah McMullan, Jessica Devine, Aisling Devine, Megan Shields,
Erin Friel and their teacher Ms Maeve Connelly.
YEAR 13
PRIMARY NUMERACY OUTREACH PROGRAMME
As a Specialist School in Mathematics, Thornhill College runs a
Primary Numeracy Outreach programme with three local
schools, St Thérèse’s, Hollybush and St Paul’s. Students from
Year 13 go to the P5 classes in these schools for part of their
enrichment time to mentor a group of about 4 primary pupils as
they work on mathematical activities and games. Feedback from
the year 13 students indicated that they found the mentoring very
enjoyable and it helped them develop their communication and
leadership skills. The primary school children benefited greatly
from the individual attention and they really looked forward to the
girls coming. One said “We get two treats on a Friday, one is
golden time (when they can pick their own work) and the other is
that the Thornhill girls come!”
MONEY TALKS
Ms Joanne McLaughlin and Ms Aoife McEleney
from the Northern Bank pictured with Year 10 students
following the’ Money Talks’ presentation.
Year 10 students enjoyed a ‘Money Talks’ presentation from
Joanne McLaughlin and Aoife McEleney from the Northern Bank.
This was part of a financial capability programme, designed by
Northern Bank in conjunction with CCEA, which recognises that
good financial capability is a vital life skill for young people.
Topics covered included banking, income, credit, debt,
budgeting, savings and consumers rights.
The following feedback from students indicates how useful and
worthwhile they found the course.
Jenny Cully working with three of the pupils at St Thérèse.
Laura , Aisling & Mairead from 10D wrote –
‘After the DVD we discussed the consequences of not handling
your money correctly. We talked about different ways to save
money and how this would benefit you in the
future……..Throughout this whole talk we learned how it is
smarter to save and avoid debt. The talk was both enjoyable and
informative for us all and we also got a free Northern Bank
memory pen!’
Niamh, Katie-Marie, Shannon, Rachael and Taylor wrote ‘The activities encouraged teamwork and improved our
knowledge of banking and financial support.’Abbie, Marie, Cara, Niamh and Laura wrote ‘We learned a lot of things like what to do if you get into financial
difficulty and about how to get good loans. Overall it was
interesting, useful and really enjoyable.’ –
Chandeece Marshall and Catherine Simpson helping students to
navigate mathematical learning programmes.
Ms Joanne McLaughlin and Ms Alicia McWilliams
with students from 10C
Ms Aofie
McEleney
pictured
with 10F
Deidre Abbott helping students to operate the B Bot.
THORNHILL COLLEGE
HEAD GIRLS, DEPUTY HEAD GIRLS AND PREFECTS
2011/2012
HEAD GIRL
Aislinn Taggart
DEPUTY HEAD
GIRLS
Sarah Bergin
Katie Boyle
Deirdre McAteer
Kirsty McCarron
Sarah McGonagle
SENIOR PREFECTS
Nicole Breslin, Ciana Darrall, Jill Gallagher, Megan Kehoe, Lauren Maguire, Eimhear Nig Uiginn,
Chelsea McCallion, Rachel Millar, Aisling Ni Mhora, and Chelsie Rowland.
JUNIOR HEAD GIRL
Niamh Rowan
DEPUTY HEAD
GIRLS
Daire Lamberton
Emer Logue
JUNIOR PREFECTS
Lauren Katherin Beckett , Niamh McDevitt, Jennifer Harkin, Aoibheann Doherty, Gemma Magee,
Jayne condren, Stacey Murray , Eimear Jonson , Emma O’Hare, Aoife Graham, Erin O’Kane,
Ella Cosgrove and Niamh McMonagle.
THORNHILL COLLEGE - OUT OF AFRICA.
SIOBHAN PORTER FROM OUR BOARD OF
GOVERNORS RECOUNTS HER
AFRICIAN EXPERIENCE
Pictured above Siobhan Porter front row third from the right
At the opening of the new Miwaleni Health centre, we were
heralded into the village under a canopy of palms held aloft by
jubilant villagers, to a background of hypnotic African music. The
clinic was open for business- an orderly queue of mothers in the
now familiar traditional dress and babies with listless eyes
awaiting their turn to see the doctor. A familiar sign in health
centres the world over, except that Apex built this particular
centre and is making hard lives that much easier.
We sat under awnings in blistering heat with villagers and
dignitaries, and listened to the story of how good things can
happen if the right people get together.
We ate goat, were given gifts and danced traditional dances
including an Irish hokey cokey. Villagers viewed our arrival as
one of the biggest events in their lives – the luck of the draw as
to where you live was very much on my mind.
Next day we came back to the village and saw how they lived in
their everyday lives. The atmosphere in the village was relaxed,
we were welcomed with smiles. Young children, overcoming
shyness and driven by curiosity came out to see the strangers in
their midst. The magic of digital cameras delivering thrills again
and again. Mud huts scrupulously clean with a few precious
belongings neatly stacked on simple beds. Meals cooked in a
small pot on an open fire with chickens dozing by the walls.
The thrill of seeing a mud hut being constructed with simple
sticks held together with nails and beer top washers. In the
village garden, women coaxing small green shoots out of arid
soil. Boys herding goats and cows through the village looking for
the next grazing ground.
Wandering down to the nearby woods, we came across the
lifeline of the village – the spring. A pool of water about six foot
across and eighteen inches deep with six visible glugs of
bubbling water – if these bubbles disappear then life for the
villagers will change forever. Young girls, surprised at our
appearance, laughed and giggled at our obvious interest in the
mundane daily task of filling water bucket. Downstream, another
group of women washing clothes smiled at the girls’ antics as
they helped one of our group balance a heavy bucket on her
head.
A quiet dissenting voice in perfect English told me that life here
could be hard, very hard. I knew she was right – in a few days I
would return to my life of comfort. She would still be washing
clothes in a stream and be totally dependent on that spring.
THORNILL STUDENT DEE ABBOTT VISITS
TANZANIA WITH HER FATHER
THORNHILL TEACHER KEVIN ABBOTT
This Easter break saw the visit of fourteen supporters, including
my father and myself, to Tanzania on a seven day cultural visit to
see Children in Crossfire in action. The trip was organized by
Matthew Banks, Children in Crossfire’s Tanzania Regional
Director, who does fantastic work coordinating projects there. In
Dar Es Salaam, our first stop, we saw the Children's Cancer
Care Programme. This project is run by an inspirational Irish
doctor called Dr Trish
Scanlan, and provides
life-saving care to very
sick children. This ward
is the only facility of its
kind in eastern Africa as it
offers free chemotherapy
treatment
to
young
children suffering from
cancer and because of
this project there has
been a huge increase in
survival rates.
Mr Abbott enjoying his work in Tanzania.
We also had the privilege of visiting a Community Disability
Centre, near Lake Victoria, where Children in Crossfire is
working in partnership with a local organisation to reduce the
occurrence of disability in young children. We had a lovely day
there, meeting the staff and pupils. There was a whole day of
activities including a soccer game against a team from the
centre, a tug of war match and a chicken chase which involved
catching a chicken released on the football field! Lake Victoria is
very beautiful and we saw lots of wildlife.
Another visit was to the remote village of Miwaleni, near Mount
Kilimanjaro, where generous donations from Children in Crossfire
supporters have helped construct a health clinic. Before the
opening of the clinic, the villagers had little access to medical
facilities and often had to undertake an extremely long journey
which was impossible during the rainy season. The villagers now
have access to health facilities on a regular basis and advice on
issues such as nutrition and well being. At Miwaleni we also met
Fr Maningi who is a good friend of Children in Crossfire and has
visited Derry and Thornhill College before. He hosted a lovely
dinner for all the visitors, including Irish dancing and singing in
Kiswahili.
The group was accompanied on the visit by Children in
Crossfire's own Richard Moore and John Ryan McLaughlin, who
acted as guides and also provided entertainment each evening.
It was a fantastic trip and a wonderful experience for us all. We
met some fantastic people, were made to feel very welcome, and
we made some great friends. We hope to keep in touch and see
them again. We would just like to say a great big thank you to all
who helped us with our fundraising.
Dee Abbott, 13J
diligence, organisation, enthusiasm and leadership that each and
every pupil demonstrated throughout the year. They have been
a real pleasure to work with and I would encourage any pupil in
Year 12 to consider participating in this award next year. Well
done girls!!!
Mrs Collins
£7,900 THE FIGURE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF!
STRIPES FOR AFRICA APPEAL
Dee Abbott with some of the children she met on her visit.
Thornhill students have done it again. £7900 was raised during
Lent through activities organised by form classes. This fabulous
amount has exceeded our expectations. The money, as always,
will be halved between Trocaire and Sister Deirdre who gives it
directly to one of the Mercy projects in the developing world.
Without the tremendous support and generosity of students, staff
and parents, this would not be possible.
Thank you all so much for your efforts.
Miss Bríd Flanagan, Maths teacher,
will travel to South Africa for six
weeks in the Summer to volunteer
with Friends of Africa. Bríd will spend
her time helping children in
orphanages and hospices in South
Africa. To help raise funds, Year 8
students held a ‘Wear Your Stripes for
Africia Day’ which was thoroughly
enjoyed by all. Pictured are some of the year 8 students wearing
their stripes.
Pictured above Sister Deirdre with Mrs O’Neill,
Aislinn Taggart (Head Girl) and Miss Hamilton receiving a cheque.
JOHN PAUL II AWARD 2010-2011
Throughout the year eighty five pupils within Year 13 have been
actively involved in participating in this award both inside and
outside of school. The award encourages young adults to be
involved in their own faith development by contributing to their
local parish and raising awareness of social issues within their
local community. Each pupil will develop many interpersonal
skills throughout the year such as leadership, communication
and working with both peers and adults. It is a most enjoyable
but very busy time as the group fundraises throughout the year in
school and they have donated money to many local charities
including, Children in Crossfire, Trocaire, the North West
Romanian Appeal and the White Swans. This fundraising has
involved bun sales, candy cane sales, tuck shops, loose change
appeals and the organisation of the Junior Fashion Show which
raised in total £1200. Each pupil has also been working within
their local communities with work such as volunteering in local
hospices, care homes for the elderly, volunteering for numerous
bag packing events around Derry and working in charity shops
such as Barnadoes. I have been most impressed with the
CLASS OF 2011 CHARITY PRESENTATIONS
Once again the generosity of the Thornhill Senior Students has
reached a new high with a total of £1200 being donated to
charity. Sister Deirdre in November 2010 received a £1000
cheque from the Formal Committee and this money will be used
for the education of young women in war torn countries. The
money was the proceeds of their school Formal and monthly Bun
Sales which took place in the Sixth Form Study. During the
Leavers’ Mass Clodagh Devine, our Head Girl for 2010/11,
presented Miss Hamilton with a further donation of £200 to help
establish the New Thornhill Trust Fund. This money will be used
to assist Thornhill students throughout the coming school year.
Thank you and very well done girls.
Mrs Anne Moohan
P.A.L.S
As part of the third term enrichment module seventeen prefects
in the Senior School took part in the “Prefect & Leadership
Training Module (P.A.L.S)”, a programme delivered by Mr
Barney McGuigan, Co-ordinator of REACH Across.
SOMETHING SPECIAL CELEBRATION
AT THORNHILL COLLEGE
Something Special students were invited to Thornhill College to
receive certificates for work completed during this year.
This is the third year of a partnership between Thornhill College
and Something Special. A Learning Disability Charity in Eglinton
whereby Year 13 Thornhill College students assist with the
delivery of a literacy and numeracy programme to Something
In this module students completed elements in Leadership Skills
& Behaviours, Roles and Responsibilities of Prefects,
Relationships, Working Practices and Procedures.
This seven week module culminated in the students organising a
Cross Community Primary School Games Session on
Wednesday 4th May 2011. Our Senior Prefects were joined by
twenty prefects from Lisneal College and seventy children from
four local primary schools; Newbuildings, The Fountain, Long
Tower and St Columba’s. The children accompanied by their
teachers visited Thornhill College for a morning session of fun
activities organised by our students.
The children were able to take part in four scheduled activities
which comprised of Parachute Games, Laser Quest, Team
Building Activities and Face painting. This was a wonderful event
which was thoroughly enjoyed by both the children and our
students.
Ms Liz Armour, Chief Inspector for DENI attended the event and
congratulated all involved in this wonderful initiative.
Ms S Mallett Head of Senior School
Special students who are working towards an ASDAN
qualification. This project, facilitated through Thornhill’s
designation as Special School, is not just about qualifications. As
Miss McIvor said in her welcoming speech, ‘The sheer enjoyment
of learning is evident but there is always time for fun and
entertainment.’
Thornhill students have found the experience invaluable. As
Zara Doherty, a year 13 student said, ‘Even though the main aim
of our Something Special partnership is to deliver a numeracy
and literacy programme that is not the whole picture. We work
hard but we also have time for
fun. The memories that we will cherish are the ones of us
singing, dancing, drawing, painting, playing musical instruments
and forging friendships.’
¡Olé!
Thornhill College has had the good fortune to have the
best Spanish Language Assistant in the UK this year and it’s official! Ana Fe Rodríguez Fuldauer was
formally acknowledged by the Spanish Ministry of
Education when she was awarded the prestigious ‘Mejor
Tandem’ prize by María José Eguskiza who travelled
from the Spanish Embassy in London to make the
presentation.
The award recognises the collaboration between
Language Assistants and Language Departments and
highlights the benefits of teamwork in this area. The
school has a thriving Spanish Department with over 120
students taking GCSE in the language and more than 30
pupils studying the subject to A’Level this year.
Pictured right are pupils, staff and visitors who attended the
prize giving ceremony.
Back row left to right - Grace Mc Laughlin, Nicole Mc Cauley, Niamh Furey, Lauren Maguire, Lauren Ferguson, Orla Magee, Karen Doherty
Front row left to right - Mrs Fiona Kearney-Spanish Teacher, Mrs Anne-Marie Poynor-WELB representative, Miss Claire Noble-Acting Head of Spanish,
Señorita Ana Fe Rodríguez Fuldauer, Miss Marguerite Hamilton-Principal, Señora María José Eguskiza.
FIRST PLACE FOR THORNHILL COLLEGE IRISH STUDENTS
Pictured left –
Miss Nicola Faulkner, Irish teacher, with
Thornhill College students (Class 8D/8H)
who won first place in the Irish Language
Choral Verse competition and were awarded
the Marie Ivory Cup at Feis Dhoire Cholmcille
2011.
Pictured below –
Mr. Fearghal Mag Uiginn, Ceann Roinne na
Gaeilge, with Thornhill College students
(Class 8C) who won first place in the Irish
Language Drama competition and were
awarded the Derry Journal Cup at Feis
Dhoire Cholmcille 2011.
Pictured below - Thornhill students who won 1st place and
Gaeltacht Bursary in Irish Conversation Competitions at Feis
Dhoire Cholmcille 2011. Gemma Magee (Year 9 winner),
Aoife McKeever (Year 10 winner) and Bethan Doney (Year 11
winner).
A PLACE AT CAMBRIDGE FOR KATHRYN DILLON
SKI TRIP 2011
Congratulations to Kathryn Dillon, who has been awarded a
place at Cambridge University to study Education with English
and Drama. Kathryn is currently studying English, Drama, RE
and Psychology at A2 level and looks forward to attending
Cambridge University in September.
At 6.15am on a wet February morning, forty-five Thornhill
students boarded the bus at Sainsbury’s car park as well as the
five students from the Asda car park in Strabane. That was us!
We were all eagerly looking forward to an exciting adventure
having waited since second year for this day to come!
The bus journey to the airport seemed to take forever. Our
accompanying teachers Mrs McCosker, Mr McClafferty, Ms.
Gillespie, Ms Flanagan and Mr Mc Fadden helped us to check in
without any hitches! Before we knew it we were on the plane and
on our way to Switzerland. From the air we saw some amazing
sights – the landscape below was filled with snow capped
mountains; it was just how we had imagined it!
When we landed at Geneva International Airport, we went out
into the arrivals lounge to collect our luggage and met Ferry, our
tour representative and one of the ski instructors. Wearing a blue
jacket he greeted us with a sign that said ‘Thornhill College’. We
didn’t know what to expect, when he said “Heeloo” in a really
funny voice, and we all thought “Aw, no. He doesn’t speak proper
English!” but when he said “what’s happenin’?’’ we felt right at
home!
It turned out that James Ferry [we called him Ferry] was also
from Derry. He was a real character and so funny! He took us
outside and directed us to the bus. The transfer was about an
hour’s drive alongside the stunning Lake Geneva and on the way
Ferry insisted on learning all our names – fifty-five in all. By the
end of the transfer he knew all of us!
When we got to the Haut Lac International Centre we were
greeted in the salon by Reggie, the centre manager and all her
staff. After the welcome meeting we were served dinner [which
was really good]. After dinner we got showered and organised for
our first day skiing.
Our first morning skiing to be honest, wasn’t too good. We
tumbled, fell, became completely tired out and by lunchtime, we
felt really disheartened. After lunch however, everything
improved. We had been divided into eight ski groups and every
group had a different ski instructor. I had Ferry and Ciara had
Ski-Fi (Fiona). We started off with basic skiing techniques and
gradually improved. Lunch was eagerly awaited and the bread
rolls were the best in the world!
Every morning we got the Montreux-Oberland Bernois train to
and from the slopes in Saanenmoser which were part of the
Gstaad ‘Super Ski Region’. On the train everyday we had a
singsong and everyone joined in - even our instructors and
teachers! We also had sing-songs in the salon at the centre
where I played piano and everyone sang along. It was so
amazing! Every night we had activities - art, ping-pong, dance,
charades and much, much more.
On the last day of ski school we had a slalom race and there
were prizes awarded to the three fastest skiers in each group.
This was really exciting. On Saturday, our final day in
Switzerland, we watched a film at the centre with our instructors
before we said our goodbyes [and cried and cried and cried
some more]. On our return journey to the airport we visited a little
village called La Gruyere [famous for its cheese!] and bought
some presents.
It was so sad leaving Switzerland and I don’t think there was one
person that didn’t cry at least once! We will never forget our ski
trip to Switzerland and it will be forever in our hearts. Finally, we
would like to thank our accompanying teachers for ensuring we
all had such a memorable experience.
INVESTORS IN PEOPLE AWARD FOR
THORNHILL COLLEGE
In 2007 Thornhill College received official recognition of its status
as a school that had been awarded the Investor in People Award.
This award was originally introduced into the business
community in the early 1990’s and focused on the continuous
professional development of staff in an organisation. By the mid
1990’s education authorities realised that this was an initiative
that could benefit schools and so the process began of rolling out
the initiative in a way that was “user friendly” for schools. The
Department of Education in Northern Ireland encouraged schools
to become involved and the Regional Training Unit developed a
programme that allowed individual schools to undertake training
to achieve the IiP award.
In 2005 Thornhill College embarked on the programme and in
2007 received the official award. Recognition for the ‘Investors in
People’ is awarded for a three year period, at the end of which a
school must resubmit and this we did in 2010. In February 2011
the chairperson of the Board of Governors plus twenty one
members of staff representing all areas of the school community
were interviewed over a two day period by the assessor, Mr
Stephen Mathews. As with any interview, people were slightly
nervous of undergoing the process but all those who were
involved agreed that they had been given an opportunity to
speak about their experience as a member of staff in Thornhill in
a manner that allowed them to reflect on their goals and
achievements in line with the aims and objectives of the school.
All who were involved acknowledged that the professional
manner in which Mr Mathews conducted the interviews
contributed positively to the discussions that took place. The
outcome was that three weeks later we received word that we
had secured recognition, gaining a bronze award. A
comprehensive report was published explaining how we as a
staff have met, and continue to meet, a number of broad
indicators that are the benchmarks for this award. The report was
extremely complementary about all aspects of the school,
commenting on the College’s investment in leadership
development, the sense of community that is obvious and the
fact that staff members are proactive in embracing change. One
phrase from the report is particularly pleasing “Thornhill is not
just about getting results, it’s about giving every student the very
best opportunity in life.”
Giving our students every opportunity is at the heart of all we do
in Thornhill and we take a certain pride when we see this
acknowledged in print as the result of rigorous assessment and
informed discussion.
The IiP process makes us reflect on our practice, on how we
offer development opportunities to all members of staff and how
we foster a spirit of continuous improvement throughout all areas
of the school community.
By Hannah Mc Cosker and Ciara O’ Neill (10C)
SKI TRIP 2011
TYNDALL LECTURE
AT THORNHILL COLLEGE
SCHOOLS’
ANALYST COMPETITION
Earlier this year Thornhill College was delighted to host the
prestigious “Tyndall Lecture”. The renowned physicist, Professor
Peter Vukisic from the University of Exeter, visited the school as
part of the Institute of Physics’ Tyndall lecture programme. GCSE
and A level Physics pupils from a number of schools in the region
attended the talk entitled “All Things Bright and Beautiful: The
Science of Light and Colour”.
On Saturday 26 March 2011 three Year 14 Chemistry students,
Catherine, Laura and Naomi travelled to Stranmillis University
College, Belfast to represent Thornhill College in the Northern
Ireland Schools’ Analyst Competition organised by the Royal
Society of Chemistry. The competition aims to enhance the
practical, analytical and problem-solving skills of Sixth Form
students. Our young analysts performed most impressively and
thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. Thank you girls for
your time and dedication in preparing for this event!
Professor Vukisic highlighted the importance of light and colour
in many areas of science and technology. These lectures are
normally only delivered at a select number of Irish Universities
but Sandra O’ Connell, Institute of Physics Co-ordinator and
Head of Physics at Foyle and Londonderry College, was pleased
to arrange the event at Thornhill College because of its
specialism in Mathematics and Physics.
Catherine Higgins, Naomi Holmes and
Laura Mansfield practising for the competition.
Pictured above
Dr Damien Mc Laughlin Head of Science Thornhill College
Mrs Sandra O’ Connell IOP Co-ordinator and Head of Physics Foyle and
Londonderry College
Professor Peter Vukisic University of Exeter
Naomi Holmes, Catherine Higgins
and Laura Mansfield with their
Royal Society of Chemistry Schools’ Analyst Certificates
Students attending the lecture.
THORNHILL COLLEGE STUDENTS REACH
THE FINAL OF THE
‘CREATE SPORT CHALLENGE’
Thirteen students from Thornhill College reached the last
eight in the Institution of Civil Engineers ‘Create Sport
Challenge’. As a team, the students were required to design
a sports stadium to be placed on the old Fort George site.
The judges were extremely impressed with the high
standard of the presentation by Thornhill College students.
LEGO LEAGUE
WHERE TO CREATE & INNOVATE?
The First Lego League is a competition where teams from
schools across Northern Ireland present their unique solution to a
particular problem and compete in a challenge where they
program a robot to perform a number of prescribed tasks.
At the Junior Technology Club
The 2010 Thornhill First Lego League team competed in the
Northern Ireland regional finals where the girls performed
extremely well in the robotic programming challenge and
presented their unique research into the potential development of
touch sensitive synthetic skin.
Our students were awarded a trophy for the team which
displayed the greatest ability and innovation in overcoming
technical challenges. The girls involved in this success were
Roisin Cooke 12G, Shannon Doherty 12B, Lauren McDermott
12B, Niamh Desmond 12B, Dearbhla O’Donnell 12B, Rebecca
Boast 11C, Lauren O’Doherty 11J, Kira McCauley 11J and
Delarose Peoples 10A. Dr Liam O’Donnell and Dr Nigel
Morewood (Physics Teachers) assisted the pupils with their
work.
This year the members of the Junior Technology Club have been
striving to design and manufacture as many products as
possible. The laser cutter and CNC Router have been used
extensively by the students keeping them up to date with new
technology.
Many innovative products such as globes, jewellery boxes,
nameplates, model helicopters, personalised key-rings and
Easter egg baskets were developed by the students. In their
work they have developed a range of new skills and knowledge.
Mr Michael Healy, Club Tutor set the project brief entitled, “How
best to promote the Junior Technology Club in the Wider School
Environment.”
Correna McLaughlin, Karalina Zebrowska and Grace Gough (8B)
were the winning design team. Their original signage proposal
and design, shown below, is now in place in the main school
corridor to direct people to the Technology club. Instead of the
conventional text and arrow, the winning group decided on a
twist which ensures that the reader has to think a little in order to
decipher the sign.
The Junior Technology Club is organised under the auspices of
the Homework Club, and takes place every Tuesday after school
in Systems Room 1 in the Technology Department.
Students and individual projects manufactured when the ‘on loan’ laser
cutter was with the Technology Department.
Grace Gough, Karalina Zebrowska and Correna McLaughlin with their
finished design products, Signs for Creativity & Innovation.
YEAR 10
SCIENCE FAIR 2011
This term Year 10 young scientists presented their projects to range of judges from education, industry and business. Students completed
their projects over a six week period during which time they investigated a wide range of scientific principles and applied many of the key
skills developed over their three years in Key Stage Science.
Prize Winners
Winners of the Behavioural Sciences Section
Project Title: Do Different Styles of Music
Affect Concentration?
Winners of the Chemical Processes Section
Project Title: The Effect of Liquids on Tooth Decay.
Winners of the Physics Section (Seagate Award)
Project Title: Does Temperature Affect
the Bounce of a Tennis Ball?
Winners of the Section One Biology
Project Title: The Pollution Institution
Winners of the Section Two Biology
Project Title: The Cleaning Effects of Different Soaps.
Winners for the Best Display:
Project Title: How the Angle of a
Light Source
Affects its Heating Ability.
Overall Runner-Up
Project Title: Is the Shortest
Shadow at Noon?
OVERALL WINNERS OF THE KS3 SCIENCE FAIR 2011
Project Title: How Dye Damages Hair.
SCHOOL MEMORIES
There are various other special items in the archives including a
Certificate for Pitman Shorthand issued in 1937 when Sister
Celine taught commercial subjects. She had been a secretary
before entering the convent. There is also an early copy of a
report which not only had marks in subjects but also had a
section to record marks for Application, Reliability, Personal
Appearance and Politeness! There have been several designs of
the Thornhill Christmas Card including those designed by Sister
Winifred and Miss Kelly. The Thornhill News, starting in March
2005 was a series of leaflets giving the news and gossip for each
term edited by Mr. McNickle. Today there is the bi-annual
Newsletter edited by Mrs. Brown.
Major landmarks in the history of the school are recalled in a
number of special publications including The Golden Jubilee
Booklet produced in September 1982 by the Past Pupils’ Union.
They also produced The Boarders’ Jubilee Booklet for a reunion
in 1985 and the Diamond Jubilee Booklet in September 1992.
Special leaflets were published to mark our leaving of the Old
School and the official opening of the new in 2004. These contain
articles and photographs highlighting the history of Thornhill
College. Today the events and achievements of Thornhill College
are reflected in the Prospectus, the Year Book and the
Newsletter.
When did you last look through your family
photograph albums?
Hopefully many of the past pupils reading this article will do so
and e-mail copies of their Thornhill photographs to me. Another
way of recalling school memories is by looking at school
artefacts. Recently we had a display of such items but more
artefacts are needed as they are an important part of the
collection of items in the school’s archives which help to remind
us of the history of the school.
School badges have changed over the years. The navy enamel
badge was worn when the colours of the School Uniform were
blue and yellow. The Year Badges used to have the school crest
on them. Each different colour represented the different year
groups that wore this type of badge.
If you have any relevant items from the past, large or small,
please consider donating them to the school archives. These
could be, for example, formal tickets, opera programmes, school
badges, items of uniform, as well as photographs. Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated. For further details contact:
Miss Margaret O’Hara: School Archivist and Alumni Officer
142 Culmore Road, Derry. BT48 8JF
Tel: 028 7135 5800 Fax 028 7135 3311
www.thornhillcollege.org.uk
email: [email protected]
THORNHILL COLLEGE
WELCOMES THE WATOTO CHOIR
Down through the years there were several version of the school
crest. At one stage on the school notepaper there was a circle
around the crest to match the metal badge being used at the
time. Later on the school crest used to be in gold on school
notepaper. The stained glass window in the new building reminds
us of the crest when the uniform used to be blue.
Various magazines and year books reflect the life of the school
over the years. Three editions of the Contact magazine were
published from 1972 to 1974. If anyone has a copy of the first
Contact magazine, I would be delighted if you would contact me.
There were eleven editions of the Habit published from 1981
onwards. Mr Downey was the driving force behind this
publication. Twelve editions of the Black and White Year Book
then followed between 1987 and 1998. This saw the beginning of
our accumulation of information on past pupils and collection of
artefacts. The first coloured Year Book was published in 2008
edited by Dr. Jefferies.
The first Thornhill College prospectus contained photographs of
the buildings and the grounds and was possibly published in the
1930’s. A small black and white prospectus was produced in
1987. These publications contrast greatly with the current
coloured Prospectus.
THORNHILL AUTHOR
Congratulations to Dr Jefferies on his latest
publication - a textbook for A Level Irish History
students. It deals with the troubled years in
Ireland leading to the 1916 Rising and Irish
independence and to the partition of Ireland and
the establishment of Northern Ireland in 1921.
The period is probably best known to people
through the dramatic movies, “Michael Collins”
and “The Wind That Shakes The Barley”.
DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARDS
Year 12 students were presented
with certificates after completing the
Duke of Edinburgh Award at Bronze
level. The girls had to undertake a
physical activity, acquire a new skill
or develop an existing skill,
volunteer to work within the
community and train for and
complete an expedition, in order to
achieve the Bronze Certificate. All of
these activities involved a minimum
six month commitment from the girls.
The girls are Emma Cusack,
Lauren Magee, Amy Callaghan,
Megan McCann, Amy McShane,
Shannen
O’
Hara,
Brona
McLaughlin, Kerri Dunleavy, Rosie
Lynch, Emma O’Brien, Sarah Gee, Zara McDaid,
Laura Nicholas, Michelle McCarron,
Danielle McNicholl and Mairead McFadden.
Pictured above with the award students are Ms Marguerite Hamilton, Principal,
Mr Emmett McClafferty, Duke of Edinburgh Award Co-ordinator
THORNHILL COLLEGE GOLF TEAM
EXCEL ON FINAL DAY
Wednesday 15th June brought to an end a fantastic first year for
the Thornhill College golf team. Four students, Aiofe McKeever
10E, Eimear O’Donaghue 10E, Sarah O’Hagan 10A and Roisin
Ni Cearin 10C travelled to Banbridge Golf Club to compete in the
final day of the ‘Darren Clarke Schools Golf League’. This event,
now in its fourth year, provides a platform for the introduction and
development of golf for boys and girls aged 11 to 18.
This competition has a two pronged approach. The first affords
students the opportunity to play alongside and compete against
students from schools throughout the province. The second is to
raise awareness of the work carried out by the Breakthrough
Breast Cancer Charity which is close to Darren Clarke’s heart.
The format on the day was a four ball scramble, where each of
the Thornhill students made up a team with three students from
other schools. Finishing in third position overall was the team
with our own Aoife McKeever. Coming out on top on the day was
Sarah O’Hagan and her team with a fantastic display of quality
golf in a highly competitive field. A Taylor-Made 56 degree
wedge was the prize for her efforts.
Our year began in October 2010 when we entered the Annual
Tavsitock Trophy, an all girls golf competition, partly funded by
Junior Golf Ireland at Lurgan Golf Club. A match against
Oakgrove College as part of the schools league in April 2011
was an indication of the golfing talent in Thornhill College. Mr
Michael Healy, golf team coach, said “The development of skills
and techniques was evident in their approach to the game. The
experience of playing competitive golf combined with natural will
provide a sound base for the future”.
Pictured above the team who played against Oakgrove College.
L to R: Mr Michael Healy, Team Coach, Lauren O’Doherty,
Roisin Ni Caerin, Mercedes Monton, Margot Downey, Megan
McShane. Front; Rachel Lynch, Sarah O’Hagan, Megan Holmes.
Roisin Ni Cearin and her team on Finals Day
at Banbridge Golf Club.
Aoife McKeever and team mates receiveg prizes from
Banbridge Golf Club and Warrenpoint Golf Club Captains.
The winning scramble team on the day, which had our own
Sarah O’Hagan in its ranks, receiving prizes, alongside the
Banbridge Golf Club and Warrenpoint Golf Club Captains.
Thornhill Finals Day team enjoying
the glorious sunshine at
Banbridge Golf Club
THORNHILL COLLEGE POLITICS SOCIETY
The Politics Society was as active as ever this year in raising awareness of Politics and Society within the student body. We held regular
meetings at Wednesday lunchtimes attended by over twenty students where we discussed a range of issues including university fees. We
lobbied our politicians on several occasions about the issues that were of concern and organised a number of school events to facilitate
student understanding that little bit better.
One such event was the pre-election “Meet the Politicians”
event which was hosted by Nicole Lamberton of Year 14 and
Kirsty McCarron of Year 13. This event was a question and
answer session in a packed lecture theatre involving a range of
politicians including Eamon McCann (People Before Profit) Paul
McFadden (Ind) Martina Anderson (SF) Pol Callaghan (SDLP).
It proved most informative and enjoyable.
Another event was the visit of Joanne Stuart who carried out the “Stuart Review” on student university fees. At this event which was hosted
by Aine Cronin McCartney and Pauline Walker, Joanne Stuart outlined her recommendations for student fees. Ms Stuart was grilled on her
proposals by the politicians and students from both Thornhill College and students from visiting schools who were invited to the event. These
schools included Lisneal College, Oakgrove Integrated College, St Mary’s College, St Columb’s College and St Brigid’s College.
The Politics Society is looking forward to next year already and promises to build on the success of 2010/11.
NEW THINKING FOR A NEW GENERATION
In 2010/2011 the Thornhill College Year 11 Student Council undertook a Citizenship project with Shawland’s Academy an inner city
secondary school in Glasgow. The project sponsored by the University of Glasgow and Celtic FC, involved thirteen students from each
school travelling to stay in each others cities for two nights. The title of the project was ‘New Thinking for a New Generation’ and focused on
issues such as sectarianism, diversity and inclusion. It enabled students to identify similarities and differences between Derry and Glasgow
with the object being greater understanding. The project has proved to be exciting and enjoyable and is still ongoing. It is hoped that by 2012
both schools will have produced a DVD resource which will act as a record and testimony to their learning and achievement.
SPORTS
DAY
2011
JUNE 2011 SPORTS DAY RESULTS
YEAR
GROUP
8
EVENT
100m
800m
Relay
Charlene Duffy 8H
Leah Casey 8E
8E
Bridget Coyle
Leah Casey
Emma Mc Nulty
Kerry Ann Connor
Olivia Barr 8A
Charlene Duffy 8H
Danielle Farren 8H
Bridget Coyle 8E
Meabh Cassidy 8C
8C
Shannon Feeny
Aoibhe McCarron
Meabh Cassidy
Caitlin Green
Aoife McDaid 8F
Karolina Zebrowska 8B
Bonnie Quigley 8H
Aoibhe McCarrow 8C
Kerry McCaillion 8F
8A
8F
Olivia Barr
Aoife McDaid
Eva Spencer
Summer Harley
Megan McCarron Amy Doherty
Grainne Doherty Beth Curran
Leah Casey 8E
Olivia Barr 8A
Maria Cooley 8G
Long Jump
Aoife Laverty 9E
Aoife Laverty 9E
9F
Emma O’Hare
Dervla McSheffrey
Cara Martin Johnston
Eimer Johnson
Gemma Magee 9D
Emma O’Hare 9F
Aoife Graham 9G
9D
Eimear O’Connell
Aine Mc Dermott
Gemma Magee
Bronagh Doherty
Eimear Johnson 9F
High Jump
Shot Putt
Cara Martin Johnson 9F
Cliodhna McIvor 9H
Jane Kennedy 9E
Grainne Mullan 9A
Eimear Gibson 9A
Emma O’Hare 9F
9E
Emma Bonner
Naoimh Barnard
Suzie Coyle
Aoife Laverty
Dervla McSheffrey 9F
Eimear Gibson 9A
Aoife Graham 9G
Eimear O’Connell 9D
100m
800m
Relay
Ruth Burke 10G
Aine McGroarty 10H
10B
Shauna Lynch
Lauren Brace
Orla Porter
Catherine Ward
Ciara O’Neill 10C
Amy Breslin 10B
Kayleigh McCauley 10C
Shauna Lynch 10B
Mairead Mortimer 10D
10C
Ciara O’Neill
Tara McCool
Aisling Chada
Dara Devine
Tara McCool 10C
Ciara O’Neill 10C
Evie Peoples 10C
Taylor McElhinney 10D
Kathryn Ward 10B
10D
Taylor McElhinney
Mairead Mortimer
Katie Marie O’Hara
Blathnaid McLaughlin
Amy Breslin 10B
Tara McCool 10C
Niamh Fielding 10D
Roisin Laverty 11H
Emma Black 11D
11H
Roisin Laverty
Toni McDaid
Hayley Quinnell
Meabh Coyle
Roisin Laverty 11H
Alanah O’Neill 11D
Mercedes Monton 11H
Rebecca McMonagle 11G
Emma Coyle 11D
11J
Naoimh Ní Mhianain
Eppie Henderson
Kerry McLaughlin
Caoimhe McDermott
Emma Coyle 11D
Ashlene Roddy 11d
Nicole Best 11C
Bronach Crabtree 11c
Sarah Black 11d
11G
Rebecca Mc Monagle
Dearbhla Nash
Bethan Doney
Sarah Harkin
Eppie Henderson 11J
Emma Black 11D
Niamh Kyle 11C
Long Jump
High Jump
Shot Putt
9
10
100m
800m
Relay
Long Jump
High Jump
Shot Putt
100m
800m
Relay
11
Long Jump
High Jump
Shot Putt
Congratulations everyone!
YEAR 8
NETBALL
TOURNAMENT
Congratulations to the
winners
8G
and to everyone who took
part. It took everyone
getting involved to make
it a great success.
Well done!
SPANISH TRIP 2011
Just before Easter forty eight excited pupils and six even more
excited members of staff set off on a trip to Spain. Upon arrival in
Spain I found the most noticeable difference to be the weather. It
was definitely warmer and the skies were pure blue. We stayed
in the Oasis Park Hotel. For most of the day we unpacked and
relaxed in the sun. In the evening, before having our dinner, we
had a trip to the beach. It was a beautiful, warm day and to cool
off groups of friends ran through a bridge located over a fountain.
Failing miserably at avoiding the sprays of water, most of us
were soaked.
On Saturday morning, our group divided into two classes for
Spanish lessons. Later, we went to a shopping centre for lunch
and to buy souvenirs. The Jungle Trek Adventure Park was next
on our agenda. Here the activities included zip lines and obstacle
courses. In the evening, we enjoyed flamenco dancing lessons
and found it funny trying to complete the routines. A professional
Flamenco dancer then showed us how it was really done and
afterwards we were invited to watch a magic trick. Everyone had
good craic.
On Sunday, we paid a visit to Barcelona and had a tour of the
city. There were many interesting buildings to see and we
discovered a lot about Spanish traditions and culture. Antoni
Gaudi designed one of the most important buildings of the tour,
the Sagrada Familia Church. The construction of this building
began in the 1800’s and continues to this day. When the tour
was over, we stopped in a McDonald’s nearby before continuing
to an aquarium which is one of the biggest in Europe. A main
feature was a glass walk-in dome which was like a huge fish
tank. Later, before our dinner, we attended a Spanish Mass.
On Monday morning, after Spanish lessons, we returned to
Barcelona to visit the home of Barcelona FC at Nou Camp
Stadium where lots of trophies and lucky charms were displayed.
Afterwards we went shopping for souvenirs at Mare Magnum,
one of the biggest shopping centres in Europe. The popular
stores included Zara, H & M and Pull & Bear.
On Tuesday, we had to get up at roughly five in the morning, to
attend our Spanish lessons earlier so we could then have a full
day in Port Aventura. For most of us this was the highlight of the
trip. There were lots of rides and some of the queues for certain
rides, like the Dragon Khan, took up to an hour long.
On Wednesday morning, once again, we had to get up very
early. My experiences in Spain were certainly enjoyable and I
was sad to leave. I would definitely recommend others to go on
the trip, as it is something they would be unlikely to forget!
By Niamh McCann
LEARNING ABOUT THE NATIVE AMERICANS
As part of their study of “The Native Americans” year 8 students in groups designed and built their own tipi. Within their
individual groups students had to allocate tasks to each member in order to complete their project successfully. The pictures below show
their end products! The girls worked very enthusiastically and their teachers were so delighted with the results that their work was put on
display.
Mr Mallon pictured with
students from 8E and their
display of tipis and
presentations
Courtney Kyle, Amber O’ Doherty and Jade Duffy (8D) also
from Mrs Mallon’s class
pictured with their tipi.
Eve Curran, Catriona O’Donnell, Caroline Lindsey, Lauren Fox
and Cait Ramsey (8D)
from Mrs Mallon’s history class pictured with their tipi.
WORLD CLASS IRISH DANCING TALENT
Congratulations to
Brogan McCay 8G
who won First Place in the
World Irish Dancing Championships
this year.
Also, congratulations to
Codie Shiels 10D
who won first place in the European
Irish Dancing Championships
and
Third Place in the World
Championships
Codie showing her
trophies to Miss Hamilton
Brogan pictured with Miss McIvor, Miss Hamilton
her mother and Mrs Kearney
THORNHILL COLLEGE STUDENTS HOST THEIR VERY OWN
CHARITY FASHION SHOW OF THE YEAR