Last week a man named Clay came in to talk to us about the dangers associated with drugs. It was a very interesting and informative talk. I learned a lot about how dangerous drugs can be and how many different drugs are on the market. The real danger of illegal drugs is that they are not regulated so the user is not able to be sure as to what is in them. Overall it was a good talk and I'd like to thank Clay for the very informative talk.
0 Comments
Every year the transition years put on a musical. For the this year's musical we did a production of 'Legally Blonde' The auditions began in December and involved acting out snippets of scenes to see if you would be suitable for a part in the play. We also had singing auditions. After we returned from the Christmas break rehearsals really began. Each class was learning dances everyday and the principle characters were busy learning the scenes and their songs. By late January rehearsals became full time for everybody. We were practicing the dances non-stop.
The musical shows ran from the 7th to the 9th of February. In total we put on 7 shows. Although I did not have a character role in the musical I still danced in 3 songs. Initially when I heard about the musical I was not impressed but it turned out to be a lot of fun and an experience that I will always remember. It was nice break from routine and good chance to get to know everyone a bit better. Recently some workers from the Tiglin Addiction Centre came in to talk to us about homelessness and addiction. They discussed the growing problems in the homeless community. John, one of the guest speakers, had been homeless for over 10 years. He told us about his challenging upbringing in a rough area with a soldier for a dad. He told us how he had turned to drugs to escape his reality. He told us about how he slept rough and what horrible things he had seen during that time. He is now fully rehabilitated from his heroin addiction and is doing well now in his own home. He wanted to explain to people that homeless people are not 'scum' but rather just people who are in dire need of help. The talk was very moving and got me thinking about what I could do to help the homeless community in Ireland.
On the 23rd and 24th of October our entire year group participated in a martial arts self defence course. The main aim of the course was to teach us about how to assert yourself to an potential attacker, how to react to an attack, how to be alert and be aware of the signs of a potential attack and how to defuse a potentially dangerous situation. When we arrived in on Monday we were brought into the halla nua. In there we listened to a talk given by the instructor who also showed us a presentation and some videos in order to explain the idea behind the course and what we might have to defend against. After the presentation we went to sports hall where we began the practical techniques. First we learned the palm punch. It is basically an open fist punch that is just as effective as a standard punch but does not carry the risk of hurting your hand. Then we were taught how to block against a punch. After being shown a few more manoeuvres such as the hammer punch, the straight kick and the knee strike. Then we did some practice drills and incorporated all we had learned into them. That was mainly what we did on the first day of the course as well as some ground wrestling called "grappling." On the first day we learned all the basic moves but the next day we applied them to real life situations. On the second day we used what we had learned on the first day to learn new combinations of techniques and advanced moves. We learned more about being assertive and being alert also. However the most useful part in my opinion was when we were shown how to defend against weapon attacks such as knife attacks, attacks with other sharp objects such as broken bottles and also guns. I thought these were helpful because I would have not known what to do in these situations. At the end of the day we did the assessment exam which was a test of endurance and your capability to fight when you are fatigued. It was quite tiring but was over pretty quickly. Overall it was a very helpful course and I think that it is very necessary. I would like to thank to the instructor for teaching us about this topic.
On the 17th of October my class and I took a trip to Maynooth to partake in the Kairos TV programme workshop. It was a full day course where everyone undertook a role in a TV studio and by the end of the day would have produced a ten to fifteen minute long TV show. Our class chose a panel-show format for our programme. We had interviews, a fashion show and a weather forecast lined up. When we arrived we were shown around the studio and then split up into our roles. I was put in charge of sound for the show. Ger, the man who was giving the workshop brought me to the sound desk and show me how to operate it. My first impression of the job was that it was going to be boring but I was later proved wrong. Essentially my job was turn on/ off the correct microphones at the right times and add transition music in between shot changes. I found the job technical but overall very enjoyable. By the end of the day we had created our show. A copy of it was going to be sent to the school so that we could watch it. I would definitely recommend this experience to another school looking for more transition year activities. The workshop made me appreciate how much work goes in to the production of a TV show on and off camera.
On the 29th of September two Dell employees came in to the school to deliver a talk about careers in the growing I.T sector. The main aim of the talk was to show us that not everyone who works in I.T fits into that stereotypical 'geek' personality. They talked to us about the large scope of different careers in I.T, ranging from sales to human resources and even more technical careers such as a server engineer. After Marie and Adrian's presentation we were shown two videos the first of which being an introduction into a job at Dell and what it entails and the second being interviews with people working in different tech companies. I learned that the working environment for these jobs seems like a fun and enjoyable one. This talk strengthened my interest in a career in the I.T sector. Overall it was a great talk with some useful information.
On the 20th of September a woman from the Wicklow branch of the young entrepreneurs Ireland group came in to give us a talk on the mini company competition that many people enter in fourth year. It was was quite interesting. She showed us some of the previous years winners and told us what the competition is all about. The most recent winners project really amazed me at its simplicity. It was just a small rubber string with a loop at each end used for holding up earphones while you're running. I was very straightforward but a very clever idea. They were being sold for seven euro each and were reportedly selling very well. The talk was around 30 minutes long and was enjoyable. The most interesting part was when she asked us to come up with as many products or uses made out of just paperclips. It was a test of creativity. I thought up of around 8 or 9 ideas but couldn't think of anymore. Overall, it was an interesting talk that encouraged me to take part in the mini company competition.
On the 21st of September we had a workshop over in the pavillion called "Eagle's Flight Workshop." It was hosted by a man named Ger who brought us through the workshop. At the beginning we were split up into teams of 5 or 6 and we were told what was going to happen. So, basically we were going to play a team-building game called "The search for the Lost Dutchmans' Gold Mine." It was a strategy based game where you had to rely on teamwork, co-operation, preparation and resource management. The aim of the game was to make your way from base camp (on the map) to the goldmine . While there you had to collect as much gold as possible and then get back to base camp all within 20 days. In order to do this successfully you had to manage resources smartly and plan out the journey in advance. by doing this you could maximise the amount of gold you could mine. You were also allowed to trade resources with other teams and at the three supply depots on the map. In the end our team came back with six pieces of gold but unfortunately had to sell one due to bad planning and lack of resources. We completed the journey back on the 19th day with one day to spare. In conclusion the workshop was an enjoyable experience that taught me to properly plan ahead for work such as projects. I would definitely recommend this experience to others.
On the 13th of September we embarked on our first trip as a year group in 4th year. When I arrived into school I was really excited to get my Junior Cert results. When we arrived we all filed into the LRC to collect our results. I sat there and waited excitedly. I was one of the first names to be called out. I took my envelope from Mr. Drummy and began walking out to my parents who were waiting outside. When I met them outside I opened my results and instantly felt relieved. I was very happy with my results. I relaxed knowing that I had done my best. After that I walked back inside, grabbed my bags and loaded them onto the bus. We then left about 20 minutes later. The bus ride was around 35 minutes long and when we finally arrived we were all happy to be there. My group set up our tent and arranged our things and sleeping bags inside. Then we cooked some pasta and had our lunch. We were chatting and having a good time and then it suddenly started raining. We ran into the tent for shelter and by the time we emerged the rain had stopped and it was time for the first walk of the trip. The walk was around 6km and wasn't that long. It was sunny and everyone was enjoying themselves. When we got back we had our dinner and gathered around the bonfire at the campsite. We were talking and having fun. After a while it got cold and some people went up to the barn to play cards. I stayed down at the bonfire. We spent the rest of the night there. It was great fun. We all headed to bed at around 10.45 and tried to get a good sleep before the hike the next day. The next day we woke up quite early to a beautiful but cold morning. We cooked some breakfast and then prepared ourselves for the hike ahead. We left the campsite at around 11 am and began the hike. The first hour was by far the hardest section but after that it was relatively easy and despite being thirsty I really enjoyed the hike. With around 8 km left we stopped for about 45 minutes for lunch beside Lough Dan. It was a nice break before the marshlands ahead. Walking on the marshes was a bit annoying because everyone was constantly slipping but everyone found it quite funny. We arrived back at camp at around 4.30. Although very tiring, the hike was amazing and great fun. After the hike everyone just sat around, ate, talked, listened to music and played cards as they had done the night before. The next morning we left at around 11.30 and headed back to school. It was a truly enjoyable bonding experience and I am very happy that I got to spend it with my year group.
|
AuthorIm writing this blog on behalf on my transition year programme in St Gerards. Categories |