Decscriptive Writing Class using @MSOneNote

College Press: Easter Edition

Eggstra, Eggstra, read all about...here it is!

TY Class Participates and Wins the Liam O’Connell Debate in Kildare County Council

On Tuesday the 24^th of February 2015, the Kildare County Council offices saw six teams of budding debaters arrive to participate in the Liam O’Connell Annual Debate. We sent along two teams, one made up of members Hannah Egan, Roisin King, and Jenna Brannock, and the other Caitlin Breen, Fionn O’Sullivan, and Sadhbh Donoghue. Holy Family, Clongowes, Rathangan and Gaelcholaiste Cill Dara also took part.

This particular debate was established by the late councillor Liam O’Connell. His particular focus was on encouraging the youth to use their voices in relation to politics. His aim was certainly met on the day, with eighteen TY students contributing to a heated discussion. The motion was “Political Protest Aims to Subvert Democracy.”

Each team opened with a six minute statement. Hannah, Jenna and Roisin, as proposition, argued that political protest is not always safe, and that “swarm” mentalities stand to represent the needs of just a select portion of the population. The opposition of Fionn, Sadhbh, and Caitlin contended that political protest is crucial to ensure that all of society is heard and has their needs met. The floor was then opened to a lively open discussion. Once we all figured out how to switch on the microphones, it ran quite smoothly! The prize for best speaker award went to the captain from the Gael Cholaiste.  Roisin, Hannah, and Jenna were then shocked and delighted to learn they were taking home the prize for best over-all team. They received a crystal trophy each, and a perpetual plague for the school. They winning team appeared in the Leinster Leader and on KFM.

The standard from each team was extremely high, and the debate was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for all! Many thanks to Miss Carey for all her help.

By Hannah Egan

College Press: Valentine's Edition

Hi Everyone!

This term has really flown by! Let's hope everyone has held their sanity during the mocks! Summer is drawing ever closer and college life is in full swing.

Huge congratulations to our rugby S.C.T. on their ongoing campaign to bring home the cup! Also a big well done to The JCT hockey and the concern debating team for representing the school with pride.

Hope you all have a great valentine’s day, try not to eat too much chocolate alone or otherwise.

See you all soon, till next issue!

Amy, Cara, Laura

Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin: QkiwSlides by 6th Year English

A fresh option at H.L.L.C. 

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This term I am going through the poetry of Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin for the first time with a 6th Year English class. This will be the first year the poetry of Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin could possibly appear on the Higher Leaving Certificate exam paper. To date, our class has covered three poems: Translation, Death and Engines and The Bend in the Road. The class split into pairs and I challenged each group to create a brief QwikSlide presentation of their poem using Classtools.net. With the help of class discussion, their text book and some great online resources they were able to create their presentations. After we complete the poetry of Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin we hope to return to this exercise and complete our set of presentations.

Translation

Deaths and Engines

The Bend in the Road

The Great Gatsby - Chapter 4 Writing Competition

"The Great Gatsby" Chapter 4 from Lina Ell

Chapter 4 of The Great Gatsby is certainly the rising action chapter of the novel. Gatsby takes Nick to the city and on the way he delivers his well rehearsed fake back story to Nick with total commitment and of course fantastic props. When the two gentlemen arrive at 'a well — fanned Forty-second Street cellar' they meet the fascinating Meyer Wolfsheim. His almost comedic support of Gatsby as 'an Oggsford man' with 'fine breeding' is eerily juxtaposed with the knowledge that he was the man that fixed the 1919 World series and wears human teeth as cufflinks. After Wolfsheim leaves, Nick spots Tom Buchanan and introduces him to Gatsby. In the midst of rather awkward conversation Gatsby simply disappears. Fitzgerald then suddenly jumps us forward to later in the day when Jordan meets Nick. This conversation of course gives both the reader and Nick an insightful look back to Daisy's state of mind just before she married Tom 'Tell ’em all Daisy’s change’ her mine' and sets up the tea meeting at Nick's house between Gatsby and Daisy.

This week I set my 5th year class the challenge of filling in the narrative bridge in the middle of the chapter. I encouraged them to try and write in the style of Fitzgerald. We decided that they could: continue the conversation between Nick and Tom, start a new conversation between Nick and Gatsby or a mixture of both. Below I've included the entries I received from the class along with a poll to cast your vote for the winner (Learning of course being the real winner!). For your convenience, I've included the original text before and after where our entrants inserted their piece. Thanks for taking the time to read the entries and cast your vote!

Original Text

“This is Mr. Gatsby, Mr. Buchanan.”

They shook hands briefly, and a strained, unfamiliar look of embarrassment came over Gatsby’s face.

“How’ve you been, anyhow?” demanded Tom of me. “How’d you happen to come up this far to eat?”

“I’ve been having lunch with Mr. Gatsby.”

 I turned toward Mr. Gatsby, but he was no longer there.

 INSERT ENTRY HERE

One October day in nineteen-seventeen ——

(said Jordan Baker that afternoon, sitting up very straight on a straight chair in the tea-garden at the Plaza Hotel)

 — I was walking along from one place to another, half on the sidewalks and half on the lawns. I was happier on the lawns because I had on shoes from England with rubber nobs on the soles that bit into the soft ground. I had on a new plaid skirt also that blew a little in the wind, and whenever this happened the red, white, and blue banners in front of all the houses stretched out stiff and said TUT-TUT-TUT-TUT, in a disapproving way.

Entries 

Vote Now!