Soccer

Congratulations to our Senior Boys Soccer Team on their victory over Mercy Ballymahon in the Midlands League Final on March 13th. The game was won 4-3 on penalties. The scoreline stood at 3-3 at the end of normal time, with us having led 3-1 with five minutes to play thanks to a classy hattrick from Shane Corcoran. We conceded two in quick succession in the closing stages, one through playing 'ping-pong' in our box and another direct from a free kick. Despite that disappointment, the boys responded well in extra-time and still looked the stronger side. We couldn't break through, so penalties ensued. With penalties dispatched from Jake Gannon, Shane Corcoran and Cillian Rochford, and with Conor Mullins having made two saves, it fell to Jacob 'Jazzy' Browne to seal the victory. No mistake. The boys did it. The trophy was then presented to our captain Dylan Franzoni. It was a fantastic way for some of our Sixth Year boys to end their Soccer journey at Mercy Kilbeggan, having won the equivalent title way back when they were in First Year!

Team: 1. Conor Mullins; 2. Dylan Franzoni -C; 3. Arthur O'Rourke; 4. Jacob Browne; 5. Ryan Weston; 6. Jake Gannon; 7. Ben Maguire; 8. Steven Fennessy; 9. Shane Corcoran; 10. Cillian Rochford; 11. Josh Gannon. Subs used: 14. Daragh O'Brien; 13. Cian Kinnarney; 15. Neil Pierson.

Rugby

Pictured below is our MSSK First & Second Year Boys Rugby Team that played in a development blitz in Mullingar RFC on March 12th. The lads showed tremendous commitment and effort with great handling on display in tough conditions. They won all three of their games. There is lots more to come from this great squad in the future. Well done to Mr. Corrigan and the boys.

Pocket Forests Visit to our School

On Thursday the 14th of March, as part of our school’s journey to receive its Biodiversity flag, our Green-Schools committee were visited by Pocket Forests and KMK Metals Recycling Kilbeggan. The students planted different species of trees and fauna, all of which are local to Kilbeggan.

A Week of Words 2024

Well done to all of the students and staff who took part in our very successful 'A Week of Words'. This was a fantastic week which celebrated all aspects of literacy through a range of events, such as poetry competitions, talks, library visits and creative writing workshops. A massive thank you to everyone who took part and to the English Department for organising. We are already looking forward to next year.

Junior Boys Football

Commiserations to our Junior Boys Football Team who were defeated in the NL Final on Friday, March 8th at Kinnegad GAA Grounds. Our boys put in a good display but narrowly lost out to Boyne C.S. on a score line of 4-09 to 3-07. Well done to Mr. Egan, Mr. Henson and Mr. Coffey for the work they have put in throughout the year with the squad.

World Book Day

On Thursday, 7th March we had a very enjoyable day celebrating World Book Day. The main event was a whole school DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) class for all students, which allowed them to read a book of their choosing for the duration of their 10am class. Well done to all students and staff for taking part. Also, a massive well done to our English teachers who dressed up as characters from famous books. It really added to the day and helped the students get into the spirit of the day. We're already looking forward to next year 😀.

Trad Groups

Well done to our two Trad groups who competed in the Wesley Interschools Music Festival on March 2nd. Our 13 Trad group members range from First to Sixth Year. They put in tremendous effort in practice and performed a lovely arrangement of tunes. The competition had 16 groups and there was a very high standard. Both of our groups were awarded a 'Highly Commended' by the adjudicator. Comhghairdeas libh!

Westmeath Enterprise Awards

Congratulations to Odhrán Claffey who won the Intermediate Category of the Westmeath Enterprise Awards and will now go on to represent Westmeath in the All Ireland Final. A massive congratulations to Marie Claire Maxwell and Freya O Reilly who also took part and were highly commended on their business enterprises, with Marie Claire winning best display in the senior category.

Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition

Press Release...

FINALISTS FLY TO BELGIUM FOR STUDY TOUR WITH CERTIFIED IRISH ANGUS

28 pupils and their teachers from 5 schools who are participating in the Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition are flying out to Belgium this week for a farm to fork study tour. The four-day trip is part of a skills development experience for the finalists in the 2023 competition which is organised by the Certified Irish Angus Producer Group, ABP and Kepak.

The tour commences in Dublin with a visit to Tesco Ireland and then travel across to Bord Bia HQ to learn about the sale and promotion of Irish Angus beef. The teenagers will then get back to the farming side of the trip in Teagasc Grange before moving to onto what is one of the most highly regarded centres for breeding Angus cattle and thoroughbred horses, Gigginstown House Stud and Farm.

In Belgium the pupils will be staying at the Irish College, Leuven. Their trip will be action packed with the students’ making presentations in the European Parliament to Irish political and farming representatives about the projects they are working on as finalists.

On the final day the pupils head to Bruges where they will visit Ter Groene Poorte school which is a training institute for nutrition-oriented studies. The school offers training for butchers, bakeries, large kitchens, and restaurants studies for pupils that would be a similar age to the Irish students.

Charles Smith, General Manager, Certified Irish Angus Producer Group said, “One of the highlights of the Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition for the students is undoubtedly this annual study trip. It provides them with the opportunity to meet some of the leaders in Irish and European Agriculture and we are very grateful to people like Michael O’Leary, the Irish M.E.P.’s and our supplier partners who make time to interact with these students who are going to be the future of Irish Agriculture.

The trip also takes the students full circle, from their own experience rearing the calves as part of the competition to the marketing of a premium product on a global scale. At Tesco Ireland they will learn about what it takes for a product to become one of the exclusive Tesco Finest* brands and the importance of provenance and consistency of quality for the retailer.”

Eoin Robinson, Jack Larkin and Shane King are the students who represented our school and partook in the trip!

First Year Boys Soccer

Our First Year Boys Soccer team have qualified for the league final after beating Banagher 4-0 in an excellent semi-final in Moate on February 23rd. The boys took the lead early and were in control throughout. Our goals were scored by Daniel Masterson (2), Logan Halferty and Darren Corcoran. Well done to the whole squad who can now look forward to another big day out.

Sustainability Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Workshop

On the 20th and 21st of February, our Second Year students completed an SEAI workshop. This workshop is designed to enable students to engage with the theme of energy and it encourages students to think critically. It links with a range of curriculum subject areas including Science, Geography and CSPE. This workshop uses everyday objects to investigate the subject of energy.

Transition Year Forensic Science Workshop

Our TY students got to complete a forensic science workshop on Tuesday, the 20th of February. The case the students were looking at was the JFK assassination. The forensics included ballistics, fingerprints, facial recognition, autopsy, trace evidence & exploring the main theories / links with history. Our students really enjoyed the JFK workshop, they had to use their critical thinking skills to help solve the case. However, they quickly discovered that the forensic evidence raises serious questions about the official verdict!

Irish Guide Dogs Association Visit

On February 19th, our TY students had a talk from Irish Guide Dogs Association speaker, Thresa O'Reilly. They were informed on the work that the Irish Guide Dogs Association does for the Blind and sight impaired community, work such as advocacy, dog training and responding to challenges faced by Guide Dog owners. A group of our TY students (Abi Gill, Edy Silva, Fionn Jackson, Laura Bermingham, Megan Quinn and Rebecca Keegan) motivated by the talk decided to take so action. They held a bake sale in aid of the Irish Guide Dogs Association, raising a total of €130. Thanks to everyone who supported their Bake Sale.

German

Our German students celebrated Fasching (Carnival) on the week beginning February 19th.

FIRST® LEGO® League

Every year, FIRST® LEGO® League releases a new Challenge based on a real-world, scientific theme. This year’s theme was, MASTERPIECE. Students are introduced to the fundamentals of STEM while working together to solve fun challenges and building models using LEGO® DUPLO® bricks. They take their background knowledge of STEM and put it into practice as they work in teams to design and build robots using the LEGO® Education SPIKE Essential. Once they are ready to move into a competitive setting, they join Challenge and apply their STEM skills combined with critical thinking to work with a team, build a robot, and compete in an exciting, mission-based robotics game.Luke Sinnamon, Isabel Scally, Robert O'Sullivan, Oisín Marshall, Cillian Farrell, Freya O'Reilly, Sean Rabbitte, Tomás O'Connor, Emma Fennessy and Daniel Ryan were our team of TY students that entered into the FIRST LEGO League Challenge. This competition took place in TUS Athlone on Thursday, 8th February. Our students had to present their innovation project and robotic design to a panel of judges. They also had to complete three robotic missions. For the missions, there were various challenges their robot had to complete to help add to their score from their interview. When the three rounds were completed, the highest scoring round was added to their interview points.

Our students won the prize for highest scoring team in the robotic missions’ challenge.

La Chandeleur

This week, Junior Cycle French students celebrated La chandeleur (Candlemas) which marks the end of the Christmas period in France by making and eating crêpes on February 2nd. Everyone had the opportunity to order their toppings in French with a choice of "du chocolat", "du citron" or "du sucre".

First & Second Year Boys Hurling Squad 2023-2024

Athletics

Pictured below is our Athletics Team at an event in the Phoenix Park on Friday, January 26th. Well done to all participants.

 

Girls Rugby

Pictured below is our Senior Girls Rugby Team. They partook in a Blitz on Thursday, January 25th. It was the first time for sisters Georgia (Sixth Year) and Charlotte Young (TY) to play a competitive game together!

Face The Phoenix Competition 2024

Congratulations to TY student Marie Claire Maxwell who won the Student Enterprise competition 'Face the Phoenix' run by Tullamore Credit Union on January 24th. Her business 'Rudai Deasa' was the stand out business on the day. Well done to our other groups who also participated on the day which led to our school winning 'The Most Enterprising School'.

Concern Debating 

The photo below shows Rose O'Brien, Cadhla-Rose O'Reilly, Lilia O'Brien and Shane King - They debated the motion "Properly regulated, AI will be a force for good in our world" in the Knockout Round of the Concern Debates against Tullamore College. For the first time since Covid-19, we welcomed an opposing school team to the school for the debate, which took place on Monday January 22nd. Thanks to all who helped on the day. The debate was recorded, thanks to Shane, and we await the adjudicator's results in due course.

Sixth Year LCVP - Information Morning for TYs

A group of Sixth Year LCVP students organised a subject / careers information morning on January 19th for all our Transition Year students. Each of our 21 subjects at Senior Cycle had their own stand, manned by Sixth Year students. Transition Year students rotated around the stands and found out about each subject at Senior Cycle.

 

Sixth Year LCVP

Our Sixth Year LCVP classes visited a number of local enterprises in Kilbeggan on Thursday 18th January, to learn about the businesses and their products and services. We are very grateful to our local businesses for taking our students on site visits as part of their Enterprise Education in LCVP. Many thanks to KMK Recycling, Locke's Distillery and Shanette Sheds for facilitating the visits and for providing excellent insights into their businesses and sharing their knowledge with our students. We are forever thankful to local businesses for creating and maintaining strong links with our school. A very enjoyable trip was had by all.

 

First Year Boys Soccer

Our First Year Boys Soccer team started their league campaign against Coláiste Mhuire Mullingar on Wednesday, January 17th. Though the lads were defeated 3-1 on the day, they put on an excellent display. There is lots to build on going forward. Well done boys!

Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition 2024

Four of our students, Caoimhe Geraghty, Charlotte Young, Emma McMahon and Jane Colton were at Rockfield House in Kells as part of the Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition. The girls are the third group from our school to be in the competition and they have made it to Stage 2 - Interviews. At Rockfield House they were interviewed by industry experts from the Irish Angus Group, Kepak and ABP on their project ‘Women in Agriculture’.

If they are successful, they will be moving on to stage 3 of the competition which will take place in Croke Park in March.

 

Basketball

History was made on Thursday, January 11th as we hosted our first ever Home Basketball Game at our new school. Our U16 Boys welcomed Beaufort College in the Leinster QF. In what was a thrilling encounter, where our boys found themselves 10 points adrift at the start of the 4th quarter, we turned the tide in the closing stages and powered home - winning 35-30. Congratulations to the entire squad and to Mr. Dempsey and Mr. Duffy.

Concern Debating

Congratulations to the Concern Debating Team of Cadhla-Rose O’Reilly, Rachael Omoyayi, Shane King and Lilia O’Brien who recently defeated Elphin Community College from Co Roscommon in the third round of the Concern League phase. They successfully opposed the motion that “Big Business is indifferent to the SDG’s”. This is their third victory since September. Thus far they have tackled topics such as “Africa will regret its reliance on China” against Gallen Community School, in Ferbane; the topical “African Nations must be allowed to develop their fossil fuel resources” against St Mogue’s College, Bawnboy, Cavan before taking on the latest motion on Big Business and the Sustainable Development Goals. They have won 13 points and are looking forward to participating in the next round. We are most fortunate to have a panel of very talented and committed speakers, comprising of Rose O’Brien, Lily Norigeon-Grehan, Sara Delaney, Lilia O’Brien, Cadhla-Rose O’Reilly; Rachael Omoyayi;Shane King and Megan Quinn.

Debating is a very beneficial activity, allowing students to hone their argumentative, research  and critical thinking skills, not just in their Senior Cycle studies, but also as a life skill going forward. The topics also allow students to empathise with those less fortunate and to gain an insight into life in the Developing World. Best of luck to the debaters in the new year. L to R: Shane King, Rachael Omoyayi, Sara Delaney, Lilia O’Brien, Cadhla - Rose O’Reilly, Rose O’Brien.

Girls Soccer

Our Senior Girls Soccer Team welcomed Clara to Gainstown on December 19th. Our girls proved too strong for their opponents on the day running out 9-2 winners. The whole team as well as the substitutes that came on were excellent. Danielle O'Neill scored 5 goals, Laoise Quinn scored 2, Molly Russel and Rachael Omoyayi scored 1 each. Next stop... Semi final!

Our Choir, Orchestra & Trad Group Performed in Golden Island, Athlone on 18/12/23

Christmas Market 2023 - Well Done to all Involved

Multicultural Day

On Tuesday, 12th December, the School of Sanctuary committee organised Multicultural Day. The various nationalities, cultures, heritages and languages of our school community were represented. Students from Poland, Brazil, Sudan, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Ukraine, Lithuania, India, Latvia, Nigeria, France and Romania presented their displays. Thank you to our international students and their families for all the work put in for Multicultural Day.

Champions! - U16 Midlands Boys Basketball 2023. Well Done Boys, Mr. Dempsey & Mr. Duffy

Nikolaustag

On Wednesday, 6th December German students celebrated Nikolaustag. This is the feast day of Saint Nicholas. Students were visited by Nikolaus and his companions and received sweet treats in their shoes.

Greenschools

Mercy Secondary School Greenschools Committee are collecting used batteries to support the Laura Lynn Children's Charity. Please encourage all members of your families to start collecting. There are collection boxes outside room 125, in room 50 and in Finola's Office. Spread the word and start collecting!

Transition Year Languages Trip

On Tuesday 28th November, Transition Year students attended screenings of a French and a German film in Athlone. The German film 'Lola rennt' is set in Berlin and follows multiple timelines, which diverge based on a seemingly minor decision. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the release of this iconic film. The French film '16 ans' follows Nora and Leo, who fall in love despite their different religious and social backgrounds. This was a great opportunity for students to appreciate European cinema.

Library Club

Thursday, the 23rd of November marked the first day of our newly formed Library Club. The club meets at lunchtime and all students are invited to use the library for some quiet reading time. It was a fantastic start and we are looking forward to seeing it grow over the coming weeks.

Geography Week Photography Competition Winner - Josh Hynes

School Library

Our new school library is now fully stocked and ready for use. This is a fantastic resource for our students and we are delighted to be able to offer a diverse range of books to encourage reading. A massive thank you to the English Department for their work in completing the library and also to those TY students who were very involved in helping get the library ready. Finally, a massive thank you to our Art and Woodwork Departments for ably assisting us in decorating the library.

Concern Debating

Our Concern Debates Panel are busy this term with 2 debates under their belts already. In October, they took on Gallen Community School Ferbane, Co Offaly and successfully opposed the motion that China is good for Africa. This past week (ending Friday 17th November) they debated against St Mogue's College in Bawnboy, Co Cavan. They proposed the motion that African Nations should be allowed to develop fossil fuels to help lift their people out of poverty. Debates take place on Zoom and adjudications can take up to 2 weeks. So fingers crossed for this motion! Next month they take on Elphin Community College and debate if Big Business is Indifferent to the SDGs.

Student Council 2023-2024

10th Nov: TY Engineering Workshop with Cian Farrell, a Lecturer in Structural Engineering

Junior Girls Football

Our Junior Girls Football Team move to two wins from two games after defeating St Mary’s Edenderry on November 8th. The score was 4-05 to 2-04. The girls previously defeated Mountmellick C.C. 5-19 to 1-05.

Lego League

Pictured are some of our TY students as they compete to be the team that represents our school in the FIRST LEGO League. This is a global STEM challenge for teams of young people, to encourage an interest in real world themes and develop key skills that are crucial for their future careers. The challenge consists of a number of elements including: designing and coding a robot to perform a series of tasks in a robot game (relevant to the 2023/2024 MASTERPIECE theme), an innovation project, and demonstration of core values.

Freaky Friday on Friday October 27th

Junior Certificate Results 2023

Congratulations to all of our students who received their results and a huge thank you to all the hardworking teachers and SNAs for their great work with this group.

Cross Country Running on October 18th

Junior Camogie

Well done to our Junior Camogie team who had a super performance in their win over Colaiste Clavin, Longwood on October 18th. The final score was 4-6 to 1-4. The girls wait to see if they make it out of the group after winning one and losing one.

A Link to TYC's Class Blog, Where They Write About School Trips and Other Interests 

https://padlet.com/daltons5/keeping-up-with-the-t-ys-slizug1t0g9xxoi2

Fifth Year Music

Our Fifth Year Choir Class experienced a most enjoyable day of music at SINGOUT in Esker Theatre, Tullamore on the 12th October. The students took part in a Barbershop Workshop led by American Musician and Singer Melody Hine.
It concluded with a wonderful Barbershop Performance of A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman and Treat People With Kindness by Harry Styles.

Senior School Golf in Esker Hills on 12th October 2023, where Tadhg Connell, Conor Mullins, Adam Cassidy & Ríona Egan Teed It Up and represented our School. Well done!

TY Hiking Trip - Stairway to Heaven, Fermanagh. Wednesday Oct 11th 2023

Showjumping

Our school Showjumpers had a great day out recently in Mullingar Equestrian Centre with some of our riders placing in the top 4 in their classes. Well done to all who took part. Everyone had an enjoyable day and the sun shone on all rounds of jumping.

Junior Boys Hurling Panel 2023

First Year Archaeology

First Year Bonding Trip

On Friday September, 29th our First Year students travelled to Flynn Adventure Park in Dublin for a Bonding Trip. Here students got to partake in and enjoy, team games, archery and an Inflatable Aqua Park. A great day was had in the lovely sunshine, a fitting way to mark the beginning of their journey in Mercy Kilbeggan.

School of Sanctuary

On Friday September 22nd, our School of Sanctuary committee attended an Awards Ceremony in TUS Athlone. We were one of three schools in the country to receive the prestigious 'Champion School of Sanctuary' award. This is in recognition of the work that our committee does, in order to promote linguistic and cultural inclusivity, and create a welcoming, safe space for all pupils in our school. As part of the ceremony, some of our students did a presentation about our School of Sanctuary. The award was presented by TUS Vice President; Frances O'Connell and Places of Sanctuary Ireland Board Member; Mavis Ramanzi. Also present at the ceremony were Programme Manager of Schools of Sanctuary Ireland; Karen Dervane, Board Member of Places of Sanctuary Ireland; Tonye Benson Olatunde, TUS Access Officer; Jenny Burke and Project Coordinator for the Moylish Campus; Mona Khan. We also listened to the stories of University of Sanctuary scholarship recipients, which were very inspiring. We are the first school in the Midlands to receive this award and one of only eighteen schools in Ireland. We look forward to continuing our work this year. Please watch our video on our YouTube channel, created by fifth Year student Shane King, to learn more about our School of Sanctuary.

Camogie 2023/24 begins. Well done to all players for completing their first training session.

Transition Year Bonding Trip

On Friday September 22nd, our TY students travelled to Lilliput for a bonding trip.

National Ploughing Championships 2023

Transition Year and Fifth Year Ag. Science Classes visited the ploughing championships this year. They went to support Eoin Robinson, Jack Larkin and Shane King who were presented with their 5 Irish Angus calves. These students will be rearing the calves and will be doing a project for the Certified Irish Angus competition. They will be competing against 4 other schools in Ireland for the title of overall winner in the Certified Irish Angus competition in 2025.

Chloe Mc Dermott, Mary Colton and Trasa and Sinead Bracken from Sixth Year also came to support the Fifth Year students. They received their calves at the Ploughing championships last year. They are in the final stage of the competition and will be heading to Croke Park in March 2024.

Certified Irish Angus 2023 Schools Competition Finalists

Pictured below at the National Ploughing Championships 2023 are Fifth Year students Eoin Robinson, Jack Larkin and Shane King.

A New Era at Mercy Secondary School Kilbeggan!

Wood Technology

2023's Junior Cycle Wood Technology projects, completed by students in the classes of Mr. Cox and Mr. Burke. The quality of work this year was exceptional. 

Whole School Photo 2023