Tag Archives: St Joseph’s Secondary School

Pic from John K TULLA has been transformed in recent months by a dedicated team of Tidy Towns volunteers as well as the efforts of individual residents and businesses.  The latest project to be unveiled is the renovation of a boat close to St Mochulla’s National School and the Gort Road junction. “That involved us working with students from St Joseph’s Secondary School who were joining in as part of their work towards the Gaisce Awards,” explained Tim Humphries, Chairperson of Tulla Tidy Towns. “When the students get involved, we really want to give them a good experience and to have activities other than just litter-picking. Their parents also helped out and it was great to see students coming back in their own time to make sure the work got done. Over the course of around a month, they got the work done and it was laborious enough with paint scraping, undercoats and top coats. That area is a busy …

ST JOSEPH’S Secondary School has been recognised for a project designed to raise awareness of mental health supports and resources.  The Tulla school was Highly Commended in the Young Social Innovators (YSI) Ireland Mental Health Awards, supported by the Health Service Executive (HSE). Students were praised for their I-CAN project, entitled Make Our World Healthier. The project was developed in response to a perceived lack of accessible resources to help young people manage their mental health throughout the pandemic.  The students wanted to provide young people with a physical tool that they could use to combat stress and anxiety. They developed the innovative I-CAN – a tin containing advice, activities and information resources for young people to help them cope in tough times. In the future, the team plans to make I-CANs available to other schools in the area and hopefully on a national scale. This year’s YSI programme saw participation from 6,123 Irish teenagers from 209 schools and organisations …

A CLARE-BASED driver education programme has launched Ireland’s very first e-scooter safety course which is set to be rolled out in schools across the country. The Irish School of Excellence, founded by Clare native Kieran O’Brien, has joined forces with Bird, a leader in environmentally friendly electric transportation, to launch the course. The announcement of the new programme comes just weeks after the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI), the Irish Wheelchair Association and the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind highlighted the hazards caused by e-scooters, calling for a ban on their use on footpaths and a reduced speed limit of 12km/h among other proposals. Mr O’Brien, CEO and founder of ISOE, explained that when it came to setting up the new course he was moved by the organisations’ statements to the Oireachtas Committee on Transport highlighting their concerns about e-scooters. “We were going to add e-scooter training as part of our overall driver education programme in schools, Mr O’Brien …

‘DON’T drink and drive’ is the timely message from the TY3 class at St Joseph’s Secondary School in Tulla. Looking ahead to the situation at packed beaches, lakes and rivers around the county, they undertook a Young Social Innovators (YSI) campaign to highlight the role of alcohol in water-based incidents. The team’s research found one-third of drowning deaths annual are related to alcohol. The project is supported by Clare County Council, the RNLI and Irish Water Safety. “We are going to spread our message about the dangers of drinking and swimming in  Lahinch, Kilkee and all along the coast this summer so watch out for our posters coming into the summer,” the team said.

SCHOOLMATES of the late Tulla teenager, Labhaoise Fitzgerald, have raised €10,000 for one of her favourite charities, Barretstown. The 17-year-old passed away in January after a six-year battle with an aggressive brain tumour. The pandemic restrictions in place at the time of Labhaoise’s passing meant fellow students at St Joseph’s Secondary School were unable to fully pay their respects to someone who was hugely popular and highly regarded. When they returned to school in March, they set about a virtual mountain climb in her memory and to support a charity for which Labhaoise was a passionate advocate right up to her final days. “The whole school was involved and really wanted to carry on Labhaoise’s message,” explained class teacher, Donna Fitzgerald. “We set a target of €3,000 and it’s an incredible feeling to have raised more than three times that. Different classes and the staff chose a mountain and had to clock up the steps it would take to climb …

THREE Clare students have put themselves in the picture for award success on the double. Ennis Coláiste Muire students Sybil Perkins and Catherine Gorman, alongside Ella Bliss from St Joseph’s Secondary School in Tulla were among the students from the mid-west region to recently be presented with certificates of achievement from the Kemmy Business School (KBS) University of Limerick. The students were given the prestigious award after obtaining distinctions (90-100%) in Junior Cycle Business in 2019.  The event, held in association with the Business Studies Teachers Association of Ireland (BSTAI), celebrates and recognises excellence in Junior Cycle Business Studies. However, this wasn’t the only win for the talented Clare students. Following the awards ceremony, the Kemmy Business School ran a social media photograph competition asking awardees to submit photographs of themselves with their awards. So enthused by the effort and participation of applicants were the committee that it was decided to expand their prize pool to the 10 best photographs, with Sybil, Catherine …

NATIONAL honours in a competition to raise awareness of how the European Union works have gone to St Joseph’s Secondary School in Tulla. Leaving Cert students Liam Boyce and Eoghan Kinsella won the 2021 Model Council of the European Union at a virtual event last week, beating strong competition from teams around the country. The theme of this year’s debate was highly topical as EU Member States actively look into ways to co-ordinate their health policies to respond more effectively to global pandemics and emergencies such as Covid-19. For the Model Council, each school team plays the role of a particular members state and must research the issues for the country they are representing. Liam and Eoghan were assigned to represent The Netherlands and, as part of their advance research, they held a virtual meeting with Ambassador Adriaan Palm. Mrs Lorraine Glynn, who coached the team said the school is delighted with the win. “In preparation for the debate the …

THE energy of youth and the wisdom of age are combined to great effect through the Cairde group at St Joseph’s Secondary School, Tulla. For more than 17 years, the initiative has brought together students and older members of the community of East Clare for all kinds of activities from baking and knitting to music, song and discussions about life in bygone days. While the pandemic has put the normally popular face-to-face sessions on hold, Cairde has been a lifeline for members over the last year. Students have learned the art of letter writing and correspondence has been exchanged regularly between the 14 older members of the group and their younger counterparts. At 98 years of age, Dun Purcell, from Feakle is the intergenerational group’s most senior member and very popular with the 48 students taking part. And, because some former members of Cairde now live at Raheen Community Hospital, the group has also been staying in touch – remotely …