Mercy Ballymahon Notes

Leaving Certificate 2021

We are very proud of our Leaving Cert Class of 2021. Their results overall were excellent. Four students achieved over 600 points with one student receiving 7H1s and another student receiving 6H1s. Our principal, Ms. Donohue, would like to congratulate the students as well as their teachers, SNAs, parents and guardians for their great work and support. The LC 2021 Class had a very different experience over their two senior years but throughout the two years they were a hardworking and good humoured group who were a pleasure to work with. They showed great resilience and care for one another which will help them as they move on to college, apprenticeships and the world of work. We wish them the very best.

Ploughing Championship success

Congratulations to 6th year pupil Daniel Haughey who won a silver medal at the National Ploughing Championships last week. Daniel competed in the U21 Conventional Junior Plough Class and was presented with his medal on Thursday last.

Athletics news

Congratulations to Aisling Lane, transition year student, who has been selected for the Irish Schools Athletic Association international squad that will travel to Derbyshire, England to compete in the SIAB Track & Field Championships on Saturday 25th September. This selection is based on Aisling’s gold medal performance on the Connacht Schools Squad in the Intermediate Girls 3000m Walk at the Irish Life Health Tailteann Schools Inter-Provincial Games which recently took place at Morton Stadium in Santry.

Student Council

Student council elections are being held in the school this week. Representatives from each class group will be elected to the council. Best of luck to all students participating in the elections and thank you to Mr O’Gara for organising.

TY activities

Thank you to Longford Sports Partnership for facilitating a cycle along the Royal Canal Way in Ballymahon for our TY students on Thursday last. A very enjoyable day was had by all in the fresh air.

Mercy Ballymahon Notes

Public-Speaking workshop

TY activities kicked off last week with all students participating in workshops with actor and public-speaking coach Alan Devine. The workshops, which took place over three days, helped students to work on confidence, preparation and technique when speaking in front of a crowd.

TY students attending public speaking workshops with actor and performance coach Alan Devine.

National Bike Week

This week our Transition Year students are celebrating National Bike Week which takes place from the 12th-18th September. The students will take part in a cycle in association with Longford Sports Partnership this Thursday. Thank you to Mr. Seery for organising.

Best Buddies

Our 1st year students have now been paired with their 6th year ‘buddies’ as part of our annual Best Buddies programme.  Each ‘buddy’ will act as a mentor for the first year students, giving them help and support as they adjust to secondary school life. Thank you to Mr. O’Gara for organising.

Sporting Success for past pupils

Congratulations to past pupils Sarah, Tracey and Rachel Dillon, Jenny Rogers and Emma Ballesty who represented Westmeath in the All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies football final on Sunday 5th September. The ladies, who hail from Milltown GAA club, were victorious over Wexford on the day. We wish them continued success on the field.

Mercy Ballymahon News

Opening of the Year Mass

On Friday last we celebrated our Opening of the Year Mass. The mass, which took place on Mercy Day, was streamed to all classrooms via zoom. Thank you to Fr. Liam for celebrating the mass and to all students who participated in it.

Return to Sport

Our students were delighted to return to school sports last week. Our u16 and senior ladies were back on the field with trainers Ms O’Reilly, Mr Seery and Mr Bohan. Likewise, Our 1st and 2nd year boys had training with Mr Farrell and Mr Sammon, u16 boys with Mr Larkin, Mr Nerney and Shane Kenny while our senior lads were out with Mr Kenny and Mr Jones. We look forward to seeing all sports return in the near future. Thank you to all coaches involved.

Information evening for parents

Last Wednesday we hosted an information session for parents of first year pupils. The meeting, which took place on Zoom, was hosted by Ms Donohue, Mr Kenny, Ms Gaffney (Year Head), Ms O’Neill (Guidance Counsellor) and Mr Larkin (Guidance Counsellor) and focused on topics such as the role of the Year Head, class tutors, guidance services and study skills. Thank you to all parents who attended.

TY activities

On Monday 20th September our Transition Years participated in a team-building day at Lilliput Adventure Centre, Westmeath. Students were kayaking, rock-climbing, bog jumping and more! Thanks to supervising teachers Mr Seery, Mr Jones, Ms Moran and Ms Duffy. Students also recently engaged in Microsoft Dreamspace. During this school visit, students received a virtual tour of Microsoft HQ, were introduced to coding and explored various technology-led careers.

Future Leaders

This year our Transition Year students will again be participating in the Future Leaders programme. This programme runs in association with the GAA and the PDST and is designed to encourage maturity, initiative, responsibility and leadership skills in students. Thanks to Mr Larkin for organising the programme.

Singing lessons

Female students aged 16 and above are invited to participate in singing lessons in Bridgeways Family Resource Centre, Ballymahon. The singing group has been set up as part of the "Our Story, Our Voices" programme to promote integration for women from new communities. This is a free 10 week course which runs on Wednesdays from 7-8:30pm.

Mercy Ballymahon Notes

Welcome Back

We were delighted to welcome staff and students back to the school last week. A special welcome to our first year students who enjoyed a day of activities and a barbeque on their first day. Welcome also to our new staff members Ms. Moran, Ms. Brennan, Ms. O’Rourke, Ms. Lowry and Mr. Farrell. We wish our whole school community a safe and enjoyable year.

Leaving Certificate 2021

Congratulations to the class of 2021 who received their Leaving Certificate results on Friday last. We are so proud of the spirit, courage and resilience you showed in the run up to your exams following two challenging years. We wish you all every success in your chosen paths.

Paralympics 2020

Congratulations to past pupil Patrick Flanagan who represented Team Ireland at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo last week. Patrick swam in both the 100m Backstroke and 400m Freestyle events. Well done on this spectacular achievement.

Mercy Ballymahon News

At the end of the school year we celebrated the achievements of our students by hosting two awards ceremonies which were live-streamed into classrooms. We are very lucky to have such talented, creative, hard-working students in Mercy Ballymahon and were delighted to award these students for attendance, leadership, sporting success, creativity and more. Congratulations to all of the deserving award recipients. All photos can be seen on the school's Facebook page.

Student of the Year Award - Emma Ballesty (Nominees: Norris Philips, Tara Gunning, Sarah Murtagh, Clodagh Lohan, Aoife English)

Mercy Award - Katie Devlin

Leadership Award - Aimee Chalmers

CEIST Award - Diarmuid Kelly

Mercy Ballymahon News

Graduation Mass

Our 6th Year Graduation Mass took place on Thursday last to celebrate the Leaving Cert class of 2021. Thank you to Fr. Liam Murray who celebrated the mass, to our religion department for organising and to all students who participated in the mass. We wish this wonderful group of students every success in their exams and in the future.

 TY activities

Transition Year students had an extra busy schedule last week. On Tuesday, all students participated in a soccer tournament. On Thursday, students celebrated their end-of-year graduation ceremony followed by a pizza picnic! Their ceremony included a pre-recorded year group dance. Well done to Aimee Chalmers who led and choreographed this for her year group. Thank you also to Mr. Dromey, Ms. O’Reilly and Mr. Seery for their work with the TY students throughout the year.

 End of Year Activities

On Tuesday last our 3rd years had a day of sports and activities. Thank you to Ms. Daly for organising. Furthermore, 6th year students celebrated their last day of school on Friday with a barbeque and sports day; a well deserved treat for a fantastic cohort of students.        

 Fundraising events

A massive ‘Well Done’ to our Certified Irish Angus beef schools competition team Aileen Briody, Ciara Gavigan, Rachel Maguire and Kate Mulvey who presented a cheque of €1220 to Cian’s Kennels following their Christmas calendar sales. The girls also raised €250 for Embrace Farm Support following their ‘Mercy’s Fittest Farmers’ event last month. Well done to the girls and their teacher Ms. Murphy on all they have achieved during the year.

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 RTE Film Festival Competition

Well done to TY students Weronica Hapak, Rachel Kelly, Karl Mc Inerney, Oliwia Sierotnik, Thais Alves, Sean Brady, Hannah Daly, Scott Hewitt, Cian Hughes and Leah O Donoghue who were shortlisted in the 'RTE Film Festival Script Writing Competition 2021'. Congratulations to all students and thank you to their English teacher Ms. Quinn for organising.

TY students who were shortlisted to represent Mercy Ballymahon in the 'RTE Film Festival Script Writing Competition 2021'. The successful students were Weronica Hapak, Rachel Kelly, Karl Mc Inerney, Oliwia Sierotnik, Thais Alves, Sean Brady, Hannah Daly, Scott Hewitt, Cian Hughes and Leah O Donoghue.

Young Economist of the Year

Well done to Ms.Walsh's 5th year Economics students who were very successful in The Young Economist of the Year competition this year. As well as a silver winning team and two bronze winning teams, Michelle Laffan, Aoife Duffy and Katie Brogan were awarded the special commendation Central Bank of Ireland award while Alex Mulvihill McNamara has been chosen to represent Ireland on the 2021 International Economics Olympiad Ireland Panel.

F1 in schools Competition

The F1 in schools competition came to a close last weekend. Our team, ‘Ground Effects’, which consisted of Ella Hogan, Ellyn Montgomery, Tymek Miklas, Shane O’Rourke Grant, Scott Hewitt, and Sean Brady, placed a very impressive 21st overall and got the 12th quickest time in the time trials. Well done to all students involved and their teacher Mr. Nerney.

Summer Holidays!

As the 2020/21 academic year comes to an end, we would like to wish all of our staff, students and the wider school community a great, safe summer. We wish our Leaving Cert students the very best in their exams and look forward to seeing our other year groups again in August.

Mercy Ballymahon News

Irish Angus Competition

Well done to Dan O'Shea, Kevin Byrne, Luke O'Boyle and Conor Farrell who were selected as one of the top 35 groups as part of the Irish Angus beef schools competition this year. As a result of their highly impressive performance, the team was awarded "Highly Commended" and received a special unique plaque to mark their achievement.

 Success for TY students

Congratulations to Ellyn Montgomery who received an award from Grow Remote Longford and Harp Media for best cinematography in the Creative Film Project, a project to celebrate our local communities through a creative lens. Congratulations also to Matthew Hilliard who won 1st place in the 'Harp Media Script Writing Competition 2021' and was awarded with a plaque, certificate and €250 in prize money.

Matthew Hilliard who won 1st place in the 'Harp Media Script Writing Competition 2021' and was awarded with a plaque, certificate and €250 in prize money. Pictured with his English teacher, Ms. Quinn.

Bake Off champions

Last Friday our Home Economics department hosted the annual TY Bake Off competition final. Congratulations to joint winners Dylan Hanly, who baked ‘Colourful Cupcakes’ and Giselle Siebelink, who created ‘Chocolate Biscoff Brownies’. Congratulations also to runners up Rachel Kelly, Dan O’Shea and Dylan Murtagh. Thank you to Ms. Minogue for organising.

Water sports

On Monday 17th our Transition Year students had an excellent day participating in water sports at Brannigan Harbour. Activities included kayaking and paddle-boarding. Thank you to Longford Sports Partnership for facilitating the day. Thanks also to Mr. Seery and Ms. O’Reilly for organising.

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 5th year sports day

On Wednesday last our 5th years enjoyed a day in the sun at their sports day. Thank you to Mr. Bohan and Ms. Murphy for organising. The day was a welcome treat before the students’ summer exams.

 GLOBE

Well done to Transition Year class Rang an Phiasaigh who participated in the GLOBE April 2021 Air Quality Campaign. The TY group mounted NO2 Diffusion tubes at 3 locations around our school to monitor traffic pollution in our air. The tubes were returned to a UK laboratory. Their results, along with many others from around the country, give the GLOBE air quality campaign information which the EPA can use to complement official air quality monitoring. Thank you to Ms. Brady for organising.

 ‘Rory’s Stories’

On Tuesday, our TY students received a talk from comedian Rory O’Connor, best known for his social media presence as ‘Rory’s Stories’. The talk focused on wellbeing with Rory giving a personal account of hardships he has encountered, how he overcame them, and how he has risen to fame on social media.

Gaisce

A number of 6th year students have received their Gaisce Bronze awards this week. Gaisce is a self-development award which celebrates empowerment, inclusion & equality, respect and excellence. Thank you to Mr. Mulvihill, Ms. Halligan and Ms. Fitzmaurice for coordinating the programme.

Mercy Ballymahon News

Mercy’s Fittest Farmers

Mercy Ballymahon students and Irish Angus Beef schools competition finalists Aileen Briody, Rachel Maguire, Kate Mulvey and Ciara Gavigan (l-r) pictured at their “Mercy’s Fittest Farmers” school event recently.

A ‘lamb-azing’ surprise for Mercy Ballymahon students at their recent “Mercy’s Fittest Farmers” event!

On Tuesday 11th May our Certified Irish Angus teams and their mentor Ms. Murphy hosted the Mercy’s Fittest Farmers’ sports event for our 1st and 2nd Year students. Activities included welly-throwing, jumping fences and meal-bag racing! The event was in aid of Embrace Farm Support. Great fun was had by all.

Look into Law 2021

Well done to six of our TY students, Aimee Chalmers, Saoirse McLoughlin, Ellyn Montgomery, Ross Doherty, Kevin Byrne and Steven Bawle, who recently took part in the Law Library ‘Look into Law’ TY Module from the Law Bar of Ireland. They have now completed the module and are awaiting their certificates.

Young Economist of the Year

Well done to Michelle Laffan and Alex Mulvihill-McNamara who were successful in the first round of the Young Economist of the year quiz. They are awaiting results from the second round with the hope of representing Ireland in the EU Economics Olympics.

TY Future Leaders

More events have taken place in the school as part of the TY Future Leaders programme. Well done to Rang De hÍde who organised a volleyball tournament for their year group and Rang an Phiarsaigh who hosted their Olympic Handball event.

Inspiring Leaders

On Tuesday 11th May Ms Gaffney’s 5th year English class had a Zoom call RTÉ news presenter “Brian Dobson” as part of the “Inspiring Leaders” schools programme. These interviews aim to inspire young people through sharing real life stories of well known people, the ultimate intention being that our students will find inspiration for their own lives.

Summer Assessments

May assessments are taking place this week for our 3rd Year students. Assessments for other year groups will begin next week. Wishing all of our students the best of luck.

LCVP exams

Well done to those Leaving Cert students who sat their written Leaving Cert Vocational Programme exam on Saturday 8th May. We wish all of our Leaving Cert students good luck as they continue to prepare for their written exams in June.

TY Bake Off

Our Home Economics Department is currently hosting their annual ‘TY Bake Off’ competition. Well done to all students who have progressed to next week’s final. Ensure to check out the school’s social media platforms to see some of the students’ culinary creations.

Mercy Ballymahon News

Scholarship of Excellence Award

Congratulations to past pupil Sean Mulledy who was presented with a Scholarship of Excellence Award from Athlone Institute of Technology on Monday last. We wish Sean every success in his Accounting studies.

Return to sports

Last week saw restrictions ease for underage sports and our 1st and 2nd year boys return to the football pitch. The students were delighted to get a chance to play together and showcase their skills under the mentorship of Mr. Larkin and TY Future Leader coaches.

Autism Awareness

Last week students from our Bláthú and Narnia classes took part in an inclusive game of rounders with our Transition Year students. Well done to our TY students for hosting this fun event in support of Autism Awareness.

Young Economist of the year

Congratulations to our 5th year Economics students who entered the Young Economist of the year competition under the supervision of their teacher, Ms. Walsh. Two teams, consisting of Alex McNamara, Frank Olszewski and Cian Molloy as well as Michelle Laffan, Katie Brogan and Aoife Duffy were awarded silver medals. Two further teams consisting of Cathal Farrell, Jack Gallagher and Eimantas Dargevicius as well as Daragh Campbell, Duileach Ryan and Cormac McDonagh were awarded bronze medals. All four teams have now progressed to the International Economics quiz with the chance of representing Ireland in the EU Economics Olympics.

Tony 10

Last week our TY students had the pleasure of attending a Zoom call with Tony O’Reilly, also known as ‘Tony 10’. Tony is an addiction counsellor who shared his personal, powerful story of gambling addiction and its impact on his life. Students were gripped by his honest account of his fascinating story.

Trócaire Poetry Competition

Well done to all students in class 1C who have submitted entries to The Trócaire / Poetry Ireland Poetry Competition 2021. The theme of the competition was “Pathways to Peace”. Best of luck to all students and well done to Mr. Jones for facilitating.

TY Future Leaders

As part of the Future Leaders programme, Transition Year students have completed a sports journalism module with their teacher, Ms. McCarron. The group have been busy creating a video montage of sporting events on the school grounds in recent weeks, taking on roles as journalists, reporters, camera personnel and editors! Well done to class De hÍde for hosting a very enjoyable volleyball competition as part of their event management module last week.

FUSE Anti-bullying Programme

This year our second year students have participated in the anti-bullying and online safety programme FUSE. This programme was developed by the Anti-Bullying Research and Resource centre in DCU to enable students to tackle bullying and raise awareness of online safety. Thank you to 2nd year Year Head Ms. Ryan for introducing this valuable programme to our students.

Mercy Ballymahon News

ASD Awareness week

Last week we hosted an Autism Awareness Week as part of the AsIAm Autism Friendly Schools Project. A number of activities took place throughout the week to make our school community more Autism aware. A special thank you to students and staff in Narnia and Blathú who organised the week's activities, including autism awareness classes and teacher training.

CEIST Zoom event

On Tuesday last members of our student council attended a Leadership Group Gathering event held by CEIST. Thank you to Mr. O’Gara for facilitating. The event highlighted students’ resilience and fortitude over the last year and students were joined by guest speaker Professor Luke O’Neill who shared some advice and encouragement amidst easing covid restrictions in Ireland.

Careers

Thank you to Accenture Ireland for facilitating a talk with our 5th year students last week as part of Tech Week in association with Midlands Science. Thank you to Mr. Larkin and Ms. Keenan for organising.

TY virtual activities

Transition Year students have taken part in a number of online activities over the past couple of weeks. Students have engaged with the AXA Roadsafe show in association with Longford County Council, “Tackle your feelings”, a mental health campaign run by Rugby Players Ireland in partnership with Zurich from the Irish Rugby Wellbeing Programmes and the Law Society of Ireland TY Programme.

TY Public-Speaking

Thank you to Alan Devine, public-speaking coach, who facilitated workshops for all of our Transition Year students. From Glenroe to King Arthur, Hamlet, Veronica Guerin, The Tudors, Vikings and Fair City, Alan has over twenty years experience working as an actor in Ireland. He helped students work on confidence, preparation and technique when public-speaking.

Money Smart Challenge

Well done 5th year Economics students Eliot Egan, Cormac Mc Donagh, Cormac Casey, Daragh Campbell, Jack Gallagher, Shane Hanley,Thomas Gruselle, Gary Murtagh, Roan Duffy, Sean O Donohue, Cathal Farrell and Diarmuid Conlon who took part in the ‘Money Smart Challenge’, a Bank of Ireland quiz that sees students learn essential Financial Wellbeing skills.

LCVP soccer event

Well done to Mr. Burke’s 5th year LCVP class who organised a badminton event for 5th year students on Monday last. 60 students participated in the event.

TY Future Leader events

As part of the Future Leader programme all TY students have completed an event management module. Over the coming weeks, each TY class will host a sporting event for their year group. This week’s sporting event is Badminton.

Artist of the week

Each week the Art Department hosts an ‘Artist of the Week competition in the school. Students’ work is displayed in the school and on social media. Well done to recent winners Kiera Lily Farrel, Robin Óg Murphy, Shauna Ann Maguire, Teni Dania, Sarah Shea, Tegan Denniston, Setanta Flood and Keara Shattell. These students have shown wonderful talent, creativity and flair in their art classes.

Mercy Ballymahon News

Cian’s Kennels Fundraiser

On Friday last we were thrilled to welcome Evelyn and Enda Neary, parents of our beloved late pupil Cian Neary and founders of the charity Cian’s Kennels, to the school. Evelyn and Enda were accompanied by Cian’s dog Cooper who brought great excitement and joy to the school.

We are encouraging all members of the school community to participate in the #CiansHi5 challenge. All you have to do is DO a Hi5 with your pet, DONATE €5 to Cian’s Kennels and NOMINATE 5 others to participate. All details, including the go fund me link, can be found on the school’s social media platforms or on their website www.cianskennels.ie.

Evelyn, Enda and Shane Neary from Cian’s Kennels pictured with their dog Cooper on a visit to Mercy Secondary School, Ballymahon, last Friday. Please support the #CiansHi5 challenge.

Mercy Ballymahon student Zara Mulvihill giving a Hi5 to Cooper as part of the Cian’s Kennels #CiansHi5 challenge.

Literary Success for past pupil

Congratulations to award-winning author and past pupil Adrian Duncan who has recently published his third book, a collection of short stories, Midfield Dynamo. A student of the Leaving Cert class of 1995, Adrian won the inaugural John McGahern award for his debut novel Love Notes from a German Building Site in 2019 and his second novel A Sabbatical in Leipzig has recently been shortlisted for the Kerry Group Novel of the Year Award 2021. We wish him every success.

Grow it Forward

Well done to all students in our Bláthú class who are taking part in the Grow it Forward programme in partnership with Longford County Library. Grow It Forward is a national programme designed to help people #KeepWell by growing their own food. Our students will be growing fruit, vegetables and flowers in our garden over the next few weeks.

TY Future Leaders events

As part of the Future Leaders programme all TY students have completed an event management module. Over the coming weeks, each TY class will host a sporting event for their year group. Last week, Rang Uí Chíosóg kicked things off with their rounders event. Great fun was had by all.

TY Formula 1

Mercy Ballymahon Transition Year team “Ground Effects” who are participating in the international STEM competition “F1 in Schools”. Pictured are back row (l-r) Scott Hewitt, Shane O’Rourke Grant and Sean Brady and front row (l-r) Tymek Miklas, Ella Hogan and Ellyn Montgomery.

Well done to the TY F1 team ‘Ground Effects’ who have made their final submission to the ‘F1 in Schools’ STEM competition. Best of luck to Ella Hogan , Ellyn Montgomery, Tymek Miklas, Shane O’Rourke Grant, Scott Hewitt and Sean Brady who completed their car under the supervision of Mr. Nerney.

Careers

Thank you to Sonia Hoey from Cavan Institute who spoke to our 6th year students about Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses. Furthermore, thank you to speaker Tom Grennan from Longford/Westmeath ETB who apoke to students about apprenticeship opportunities available to Leaving Cert students.

Green Schools Poster competition

Thank you to all students who participated in the Greens Schools Competition in association with Green Schools Ireland and Irish Water. Well done to the following 10 students whose work has been selected to go forward to the regional finals: Sophia McGreal (1st Year), Tanna Kruger (3rd Year), Sarah Hughes (1st Year), Wiktoria Bialoszewska (1st Year), Julia Rosolowska (1st Year), Valerija Mackojt (1st year), Doyle Sweeney (1st Year), Niamh Keane (1st Year), Aoife Bannister (1st Year) and Julia Kazek (1st Year).

Mercy Ballymahon News

Return to School

Last week saw remote learning come to an end as we welcomed 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Transition Year students back to school. Well done to all students for their engagement while learning at home. It is wonderful to have everyone back in the school building. We wish everyone a happy and safe last term.

1st Year Parent -Teacher Meeting

Thank you to all parents of 1st year students and students themselves who attended our virtual Parent-Student-Teacher meeting on Thursday last. The meetings took place via Zoom. A very positive evening was had by all.

Leaving Cert Orals and Practicals

Well done to those 6th Year students who began their Leaving Cert exams over the Easter holidays. Oral language exams were held as well as the practical exam for Music. Keep up the great work as you continue to study for your written exams in June.

Easter Raffle

Congratulations to student Ben Carroll who was the winner of our Easter Hamper Raffle. The raffle, in aid of The Irish Cancer Society’s Daffodil Day, raised a total of €794. Thank you to everyone who entered and supported this very worthy cause.

TY Enterprise

Well done to the Transition Year Enterprise team “Treemendous Decorations” who were awarded 2nd place in the Longford County final of the Student Enterprise Mini Company competition. Team members Aimee Chalmers, Siobhán Egan, Keeva Gillen and Saoirse McLoughlin worked tirelessly before Christmas to produce handmade wooden reindeer decorations.

Certified Irish Angus Competition

TY students Kevin Byrne, Dan O’Shea, Luke O’Boyle and Connor Farrell, who were successful in getting through to the 2nd round of the Irish Angus Beef Schools competition, completed a 30 minute interview online on Tuesday,13th April. The team was interviewed on the benefits for farmers who breed Irish Angus cattle as well as the benefits for consumers who purchase Irish Angus products. The interview was conducted by a panel of four judges with a representative from ABP, Kepak, The Irish Angus Producers Group and an Ag. Science Teacher. We wish the four lads the best of luck!

TY Formula 1

Best of luck to the TY F1 team ‘Ground Effects’ who are in the final stages of building their F1 car. The team, consisting of Ella Hogan , Ellyn Montgomery, Tymek Miklas, Shane O’Rourke Grant , Scott Hewitt and Sean Brady, are participating in the international ‘F1 in Schools’ STEM competition. You can follow the teams instagram page @groundeffectsf1 .

Microsoft Dreamspace

Last week our Transition Year students had the opportunity to attend a virtual Microsoft event, ‘Dreamspace’. Students received a virtual tour of Microsoft HQ in Dublin and participated in an online workshop with Microsoft Tutors. Thank you to Mr. Seery for organising.

Green Schools Competition

Junior Cycle Art students are participating in a poster and video competition in association with Irish Water and Green Schools Ireland. The theme is ‘Valuing Water’ with prizes up to €2000 to be won for the school’s Green Schools Committee. Closing date for entries is next Friday 23rd April. More details on the school’s social media platforms.

CSPE competition

Thank you to Ms. Úna Daly and Ms. Casey who organised a poetry competition for all first year students recently. Students wrote poems based on their positive experiences of remote learning. Congratulations to winners Declan Kinahan, Mia Rowan, Caitriona Dunican and Eimear Farrell whose entries can be seen on the school’s Instagram page.

Letter to Parents from Minister for Education available to download HERE.

We were delighted to welcome students and staff back to Narnia and Bláthú today. It was great to see some of our school community back in the school building. A very positive day was had by all!

Mercy Ballymahon News

Academic Awards

Congratulations to Leaving Certificate 2020 students Urte Vityte and Joseph Kenny who have both been commended for their academic achievements. Urte was one of five Longford students to receive an Entrance Award from Trinity College Dublin while Joseph has received an academic scholarship from GMIT where he is studying Computer Programming. We wish them both continued success with their studies.

Zoom Talks for TYs

Although our Transition Years have been studying remotely, they have attended two Zoom talks with guest speakers over the past couple of weeks. Thank you to Franky Wright who talked to the students about First Aid. Furthermore, thank you to James Cawley from Independent Living Movement Ireland who spoke to students about the social model of disability and his role within a national Disabled Persons’ Organisation.

Leaving Certificate Geography

Thank you to Brian Ross, Senior Executive Engineer at Longford County Council, who talked to our students on Tuesday 2nd February. Brian spoke to students about Ghost Estates in the midlands as part of their Human Geography module.

Catholic Schools Week

Thank you to the RE Department who virtually celebrated Catholic Schools Week with students from Monday 25th - Friday 29th January. The students explored the themes of Faith, Community, Love, Challenges and Hope in their Religion classes and created prayers, diary entries and inspirational posters, some of which can be seen on our social media.

Dúshlán 2021

Transition Year and 5th Year Gaeilge students are participating in Dúshlán 2021 this week. The competition, in association with Conradh na Gaeilge, encourages students to engage with Irish in a fun way outside of the classroom. Their task will be to undertake 30 challenges ‘as Gaeilge’ which they must complete within 50 hours!

Safer Internet Day

On February 9th we participated in Safer Internet Day (SID), an EU wide initiative to promote a safer internet for all users, especially young people. 1st year students celebrated the day in their Digital Wellbeing classes by creating presentations, TikTok dances, posters and more, some of which can be seen on our social media. Thank you to Ms. Noone for promoting this important event.

Cómórtas Óráide an Phiarsaigh

Comhghairdeas to 5th Year student Cathal Keenan who has been successful in the first round of Comórtas Óráide an Phiarsaigh, a Gael Linn public speaking event. Cathal will now progress to the second round where he will compete to earn a place in the regional phase of the competition.

TY Future Leaders

Well done to all students and staff members who have participated in the #GAASolo2 challenge in association with GAA Future Leaders. Make sure to follow mercy_ty_futureleaders on Instagram to see weekly challenges and entries.

Remote Teaching and Learning

Ensure to follow the school’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts to see examples of digital technologies being used to assist remote teaching and learning as well as samples of our students’ work. Thank you to all students and staff for the fantastic effort you have made while working remotely since January. #InThisTogether.

Christmas Messages from Minister Norma Foley TD

Dear Students,

Please read a letter from Minister Foley - download here

and you can view a video message from the Minister here

Mercy Ballymahon News

NUIG Scholarships

Congratulations to Meghan Finnan and Amy Cox from the Leaving Cert class of 2020 who have received entrance ‘ Excellence Scholarships’ from the National University of Ireland, Galway. Well done to both students on this fantastic achievement. We wish them every success in their chosen courses of Nursing and Arts respectively.

Christmas Fair

Well done to our Transition Year students who hosted a Christmas Fair last Wednesday 16th December. The fair was an excellent opportunity for our enterprise students to display their mini-company products. Thanks to Mr. Seery and Mr. Dromey for organising this exciting, festive event.

Whole-School quiz

On Thursday 17th December our whole school community participated in a virtual quiz via Zoom. Well done to the student council and their mentor Mr. O’Gara for organising and hosting this event. Coming together as a whole-school community was a wonderful way to finish off our school term.

Order your Calendars!

Rachel Maguire, Ciara Gavigan, Aileen Briody and Kate Mulvey, our 2019/2020 Certified Irish Angus Beef Competition finalists, have designed a 2021 calendar in order to promote the Irish Angus Breed. The proceeds made from sales of the calendar will be donated to Cian’s Kennels, a charity in memory of a classmate and dear friend of the girls. If you would like to purchase a calendar, please email angusbeef@mercyballymahon.ie to place your order.

TY Angus 2021

Congratulations to Transition Year students Kevin Byrne, Luke O’Boyle, Dan O’Shea and Conor Farrell who have been chosen from a large volume of entries to progress to the next round of the 2021 Certified Irish Angus Beef Schools Competition.

Christmas Dinner

On Tuesday 15th December our students in Narnia and Bláthú held their annual Christmas dinner celebration at lunch time. Well done to all the students, teachers and SNAs who organised this special event.

Script-writing

Thank you to Script Supervisor Fiona Lanham (BA Music/English, MA Television and Radio Production, NUI Maynooth) for providing a virtual script-writing workshop to TY students on Monday 14th December. Fiona began her career with an internship on Virgin Media’s ‘Red Rock’ as script supervisor. She also worked on “Dead Still” on RTÉ, as well as with many world-renowned actors such as Blake lively, the Gleeson brothers and members of the Marvel and Game of Thrones cast. She spoke to the TY Film studies class about what it is like behind the scenes, her training in college and the many job opportunities available to any budding directors or actors. Thank you to Ms. Mc Carron for organising.

Well done Sarah!

Congratulations to 2nd Year student Sarah Hewitt whose artwork has been featured in Our Vision Our Voice 2020, a publication by Mullingar Mental Health Association which explores lived experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic through the Arts.

Literacy week

Last week the school hosted Literacy Week. Special events were organised for all year groups in their English classes such as Spelling Bee competitions, Drop Everything and Read time and Vocab races. Well done to Ms. Keane for organising.

Christmas Wishes

Management and staff at our school would like to wish all students and members of the Mercy Ballymahon school community a wonderful, safe, peaceful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Letter from Medical Officer

Please download and read the Letter from Medical Officer HERE.

Mercy Ballymahon News

SELFIE

Our school is taking part in a New European Digital Schools Award, SELFIE. This programme is designed to help schools embed and develop the use of innovative digital technologies for teaching, learning and assessment. This week, management, teachers and students will complete phase 1 of the programme, a whole school evaluation on our use of digital technologies. We are very excited to be a part of this new programme.

#GRMA

Last Friday 11th December we said a huge ‘Go Raibh Maith Agaibh” to everybody in the school community as part of NAPD’s #GRMA day. Returning to school this academic year has been challenging for everyone but we have all risen to that challenge. Our #GRMA day video was created to thank our students and teachers, our Principal Ms Donohue and our Vice-Principal Mr Kenny, our parents, our SNAs, our caretaker John, our secretaries, our cleaners, our bus drivers and everyone in the wider Ballymahon Community. Thank you all for working together to keep our school community safe.

Student council

The student council has been busy planning an end of term whole school quiz which will take place in the school on December 17th. This week 6th year representative Lavender McCormack facilitated a cookery demonstration for 1st and 6th year students. This was part of our ‘Best Buddies’ programme in the school which sees 6th year students being paired up with 1st year students to help them throughout their first year in the school.

Poetry Competition

Well done to Transition Year students Zara Moran, Anna Dowd, Anna Moran, Abbey Doherty, Lorna Quinn, Ella Hogan and Ellyn Montgomery who designed and facilitated a poetry workshop for first year students. The students have all written Christmas themed poems and the TYs will choose and announce their competition winners this week.

Green schools

This year’s Green Schools Committee members are Subi Deko, Mia Rowan and Nikol Zimocha (1st year), Grace Daly and Terri Kemple (2nd year), Kiera Dunican, Alannah Hannan, Tanna Kruger and Aisling Lane (3rd year), Isabella Fabia Silva Santos, Kira O'Meara and Rachel Ugboko (5th year) and Midia Khalaf, Norris Phillips and Killian Reid (6th year). Thank you to Mr. Burke for organising this committee. Green Schools is a fantastic initiative which encourages our whole school to work together with a vision for a sustainable future.

TY activities

It has been another busy week for our Transition Year students. Two of our classes attended Lilliput adventure centre, Co. Westmeath, on Wednesday and Thursday last. In spite of the cold December conditions, great fun was had by all. Students have also been hosting a range of sporting activities for our 2nd years at lunch time and are excelling in this mentoring role.

Old Convent Visit

Ms. Casey’s 6th year Geography class visited the old convent building on Tuesday 8th December. Thanks to Breda Greaves for facilitating the tour as part of the students’ Leaving Certificate Geography field studies.

Credit union Art competition

‘Imagine More’: Fantastic Artwork by 1st year Mercy Ballymahon student Wiktoria Bialoszewska who has been awarded first prize in the Mullingar Credit Union Art Competition.

Congratulations to first year art student Wiktoria Bialoszewska who has been awarded first prize in the Mullingar Credit Union Art Competition in the age category 11-13. The theme for the competition was ‘Imagine More’. Wiktoria will attend a prize giving ceremony in Mullingar Credit Union on Saturday 19th December to receive her award.

Mercy Ballymahon News

Careers

Last week we celebrated College Awareness Week in the school. Thank you to our Career Guidance team of Mr. Larkin and Ms. Keenan for creating an informative and helpful video for students and parents about the route to third level education. The video can be found on the school’s social media platforms. Thank you also to all 6th year parents who attended our virtual CAO information talk on Monday last.

Winter exams

Winter exams started on Monday here at Mercy Ballymahon. Wishing all of our students the best of luck as they carry out their tests. Reports will be issued to parents in the coming weeks.

GAA Future Leaders

Transition year students are enjoying their participation in the GAA future leaders programme, a joint initiative from the GAA and the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST). Thank you to the following teachers for facilitating the modules Mr. Larkin (GAA History), Ms. Minogue (Nutrition), Ms. McCarron (Sports Journalism), Ms. McDonagh (Wellbeing), Mr. Jones (Performance Analysis), Mr. Nerney (Event Management), Mr. Sammon (Coaching) and Mr. McCormack (Refereeing).

HawkEye Chat show

As part of their GAA future leaders module on Performance Analysis, TY students have been busy working with their teacher Mr Jones to produce a brand new chat show, “HawkEye”. Snippets of the show, which will include analysis and discussion on past matches and predictions for matches to come, will be available to watch on the school’s social media platforms.

Keeping active

Both staff and students have been keeping active here at Mercy Ballymahon by taking part in lunchtime and after school activities. Thank you to Mr. O’Gara and Mr. Jones for organising staff sporting activities and to our TY students who are running lunchtime sporting activities for 2nd year pupils.

Minding our Wellbeing

Well done to all students from our Narnia class who are participating in a ‘daily mile challenge’. The students have been walking a mile every day in spite of the cold weather and improving their physical health. Meanwhile, the students from our Bláthú class have been busy creating a ‘Wellbeing Wall’, a wall which highlights all of the things we can do to mind our wellbeing during these challenging times.

Comórtas Óráide an Phiarsaigh

Comhghairdeas to our 5th year students Cathal Keenan, Isabella Fabia Silva Santos and Aileen Briody who have submitted entries to the Comórtas Óráide an Phiarsaigh competition, a public speaking event in association with Gael Linn. The students submitted their video entries this week for review by a panel of judges. Go n-éirí an t-ádh leo.

“A photo speaks a thousand words”

Students in the school are being encouraged to participate in a photography competition hosted by the Community Policing Unit in Ballymahon. The competition, which is open to all students attending Ballymahon Secondary Schools, asks students to take and submit a photograph and to describe what the photo means to them. This is a fantastic competition and we urge all of our budding photographers to take part.

Logainm na Seachtaine

Thank you to TY students for researching our ‘Placename of the week’ - Baile Uí Mhatháin (Ballymahon). According to www.logainm.ie, the placename translates to the town of Ó Matháin. The name originates from a Western chieftain named Mahon. Mahon fought a famous battle at Shrule, near Ballymahon, defeating O’Rourke of Leitrim and laying claim to the lands in the area.

TY Horticulture students at Mercy Secondary School Ballymahon were busy planting a mixture of Winter and Spring plants and bulbs this week.

Brendan Doyle from Longford Sports Partnership (Back left) pictured with one of the TY classes in Mercy Secondary School Ballymahon who are working to achieve their Level 1 Award in Sports Leadership.