NEWMARKET’S Eimear Kennedy was one of just four students in the country to get top marks in 12 Junior Cert subjects, including an A in Italian, having taught herself the language online.
Principal of St Caimin’s in Shannon, Claire Knight said, “We had one of the highest achievers in the country, a student who got 12 As, Eimear Kennedy. The department were on this morning to inform us. She did Italian on her own through YouTube and got an A in it. She’s a totally self-motivated girl, involved in St Vincent De Paul and all the rest of it. She’s a really good all-rounder.”
Ms Knight added, “She just said she was doing Italian on her own. I assumed she was getting a grind or whatever but she said, no, I’m doing it on my own using YouTube. I think she might have used Duolingo and a few of those things as well but did it herself and got the A in it.”
Ms Knight said, overall, the school’s students had done well.
“There were fantastic results; we’re absolutely delighted. There were very high percentages of As. The English results look a bit different now (due to a new grading system) but we are extremely pleased.”
Ms Knight believes the State exams reward effort. “As we say, hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. The Junior Cert and the Leaving Cert aren’t designed for geniuses; they are designed for kids who work hard. Anybody really can achieve if they are organised and if they follow their study plans and listen to what their parents say and what their teachers say. Of course, they are the wrong age for all that!”
By Owen Ryan
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.