Hazelwood College

Debating is alive and kicking in Hazelwood College!

Part of the Transition Year 08/09 Updates

Debating is alive and kicking in Hazelwood College!
Confidence in oneself is what most people aspire to gain throughout their lifetime, and in Hazelwood College we witness young students blossom into confident young adults through the medium of public speaking and debating. We are proud of our healthy debating culture which is both admired and respected by both the staff and the student community. Last year brought outstanding success to Hazelwood when our VEC Debating team brought the Jim Mc Carthy Perpetual Trophy home after coveting the success of winning the final of the County Limerick VEC Debating Final. Our “Concern” Debating team also coveted outstanding success when they were a hare’s breath away of securing a quarter final place in the National final!
This year’s Concern Debating team are following the trend of previous years by defeating CBS Charleville with the motion “Genetically Modified Food is essential in the fight against World Hunger”. The next challenge was when Hazelwood met The Patrician Academy, Mallow with the motion “The Bebo Generation Cares Little for the Developing World”.
Once a student catches the “debating bug” they soon learn that it is much more than just meeting a team and refuting facts. All students involved in debating are in fact preparing themselves for 25% of the Leaving Cert English exam. What better way to study essay writing!
Heather Coffey a senior student in Hazelwood shares her experiences of debating:
“Starting out in third year and the last thing you expect happens! You become second speaker in the VEC debating team! I was never one for sports and the fact I could be involved in an extra curricular activity was a great achievement in my opinion! In the beginning I attended a debating meeting as I was interested in it due to the previous years debaters saying their speechs during our classes! The competition was high as loads of students applied and i was surprised to be picked as one of the four!
Little did i know 7months after this achievement we would have won the VEC competition!
This year I was part of the Concern debating team as the captain! We first went against Charville CBS and successfully beat them 3/0 this was a great success, then we went against Patrician Academy 2/0 which was a very difficult debate on the bebo generation cares little for the developing world. In the second term we changed captains and Donal O Callaghan took over. Unfortunately we were narrowly beaten by Colaiste Mhuire Buttervant who were a more experienced team! We then managed to get into the knock out phase where we yet again were beaten by Mercy Mount Hawk who just about succeeded in defeating the motion! This was a very sad and difficult night for the team as we had thought we had the victory in the bag but unfortunately we were wrong! This did not slow us down as we are now sending in our application to the legal debating society in Griffiths College and hopefully we will be heading up to Dublin in the end of March!
Debating is a great experience, it helps you to become more confident and it truely helps you speech! I would recommend it to all Junior and Senior students!

Semi Final Camogie Match Report

Great excitement as Hazelwood College reach their first Camogie All-Ireland Final

Dromcollogher was the venue on Saturday last for the All Ireland Semi-Final clash between Hazelwood College and St. Brendan’s, Birr Co. Offaly.
Despite the wind and rain the girls from Hazelwood hurled as if their lives depended on it! The score-line does not reflect the intensity which existed throughout the sixty minute game. Despite having much of the possession for the first ten minutes Hazelwood were unable to break through Birr’s tough defensive lines.
Sarah Moloney opened the scoring with a well taken point and shortly after caused the white flag to be raised again. Niamh Cagney then found the back of the net with a rasper of a shot which the Birr keeper had no chance of stopping. Niamh continued her scoring spree with two well taken points.
Sarah Moloney had the game of her life finding the net after twenty minutes, also scoring from both placed ball and general play throughout the game.
Becky Ryan added to Birr’s misery sending over a fabulous long distance point. The back line of Joanne Murray, Sarah O’ Sullivan, Caroline Watson, Loretta Hanley and Katie O’ Sullivan were simply majestic in defence and did not allow the sliotar even touch our goalkeeper, Amy Ryan’s hands throughout the first half.
Niamh O’ Brien was sensational throughout the entire game both in defence and attack. She finished the half adding a point to the score-line from a 45. The halftime score-line read 2-7 to 0-0 in favour of Hazelwood College.
Birr emerged a different team from the dressing room, trying everything to break the Hazelwood defence, however the Hazelwood defence did not succumb to the more physical approach adopted by Birr at the start of the second half. Máire Flanagan and Aideen O’ Flynn covered every blade of grass throughout the game. Kallie Hodgson was a constant thorn in the side of Birr’s defence, weaving and wriggling way from each back that attempted to mark her.
Katie Dillane and Aisling O’ Brien delivered fast and furious ball into the goalmouth and both were very unfortunate on several occasions not to find the back of the net.
The introduction of new players worked extremely well and had the desired effect of diminishing Birr’s dream of reaching an All-Ireland final. Within minutes of joining the field of play, Grainne Sheehy had her name on the score board. Niamh Cagney again found the back of the net in the second half, bringing Hazelwood’s final score to 3-9.
The camogie played on Saturday last was of an exceptional high standard. No matter what Birr tried they simply could not cope with the skill and determination of the Hazelwood College team.
Saturday 28th March is the date for the All-Ireland Final versus St. Pauls, Kilroy, Derry. Despite this great wind each of the players knows that no silver wear has been won yet and the commitment and intensity at training in the past few weeks will have to continue in order to capture this All-Ireland title.
Special thanks to Dromcollogher/Broadford GAA for the use of their field.
Well done to all involved

Panel:
Marie Flanagan – Captain (Milford); Joanne Murray – V captain (Kileedy), Aisling O Brien (Knockaderry), Niamh O Brien, Aideen O Flynn, Katie Dillane, Ciara Fitzgibbon, Helen Bradley, Grainne Sheehy, Kallie Hodgson, Caroline Watson (Milford) ; Gemma Barrett, Orla and Emer Cunnigham (Kileedy); Sarah O Sullivan, Loretta Hanley, Katie O Sullivan (Feenagh- Kilmeedy); Niamh Cagney (Ballyagran); Sarah Moloney, Becky Ryan, Kara Clifford, Amy Ryan, Katie Coughlan, Aine O Sullivan (Newtownshandrum); Norma Kiely (Dromcollogher)

Let The Words Flow

Part of the Transition Year 08/09 Updates

Let The Words Flow
T.ys this year have been fortunate as we began a creative writing class. Once a week every week we do a class to improve our personal writing skills. Since starting this class we all noticed how little writing we do outside the mandatory English essays. This class has really shaken us up and has gotten more about writing on topics or feelings because we want to instead of having to like homework. The class is provided to us by a poet who encourages us every week.During the classes we really get taken out of our comfort zone in a good way as we have to read aloud stories or poems we have written during the week. We write about whatever comes into our heads or we can write about pictures or items that were shown to us. All I know is once you start writing you cant stop as your creative side bubbles out. From this class we even learn that writing a poem does not have to have rhyming words at each end this is slowly surely growing us out of our primary school haunts!

Junior Camogie All Ireland Semi Final

Saturday 7th March @ 1:15 pm in Newtownshandrum is the time and venue for the All Ireland Camogie semi final clash between Hazelwood College, Dromcollogher and Birr Community School, Co. Offaly. Games do not come much bigger than this. Hazelwood have been waiting with excitement and anticipation since their Munster final victory over Laurel Hill on 24th January. All the players on the panel have trained with great tenacity and commitment over the past few weeks. Whilst there is a great healthy rivalry amongst the players at Club and County level, with players from Ballyagran, Feenagh – Kilmeedy, Kileedy, Knockaderry, Milford, Newtownshandrum and Dromcollogher when they put on the maroon and white jersey of Hazelwood College a united team spirit is very evident amongst all the players. This huge diversity of clubs has brought an exceptional level of skill to the school team. It is fabulous to see the great friendship and rapport between all members of the panel. There is no doubt that Birr will be formidable opponents having beaten Colaiste Mhuire, Johnstown, Co. Kilkenny in the Lenister final. This semi final clash promises to be an exciting close affair.

The very best of luck to all of the Hazelwood College Junior Camogie team!

Saddle Up!!

Part of the Transition Year 08/09 Updates

Saddle Up!!
Every Wednesday, for the past two weeks we have gone horse riding. The name of the horse riding school is Kilabraher riding school in Dromina, Co. Cork. The people that were helping us were Alex and Lucy they were very helpful and they took everything slow so that we could keep up. When we got there we went and got our helmets. The two horses we would be riding would be riding would be Kal and Supremo. Then they split us up into two groups, the people have ridden before and the people who hadn’t. The first thing we did was just some walking and then we did some trotting. Then we came back the next day and today the horses we were using were Misty Supremo and Kal and today the people who had ridden before were riding without anyone leading them! The people who hadn’t were perfecting their trotting. Once we had finished we thanked them for everything, it was a great experience and is something I would love to do again!

Stop and Stare

Part of the Transition Year 08/09 Updates

Stop and Stare
The stop and stare theatre group came to school to work with the transition year class on Wednesday, the 5th of November. Using up nearly most of the school day with the help of Liam Doherty, Brien and James, the transition year students had to put together a number of scenes and have it ready to present it to the first years. Behind all these scenes, there was a meaning to them. The meaning was telling us and the first years about the peer pressure and the choices that our friends put on us such as your first cigarette, Bullying and how that we don’t try our best because the people we hang around with don’t try their best.
The different scenes we performed for the first year pupils taught us that we should choose very wisely who we should and shouldn’t hang around with because they will influence us in our lives whether it’s a good influence or a bad influence that will be the choices that we will make in the future.
Before we began going through the script, we had to take all the tables and chairs out of the room and set up the lights. We also had to do vocal exercise by talking out as loud as we could while looking at a certain point on the wall. After everyone had a go at the vocal exercise, we then began going though the different scenes and then Liam chose people for the different parts. After people had received their characters, we then started to go through the scenes and started acting them out. We practiced for about 4 hours, and after all of that we then brought the first year pupils in to perform the piece we had prepared for them.
By Suzy Boyle, Lewis Hodgson and Margie O’ Conner.

Safety First

Part of the Transition Year 08/09 Updates

Safety First
From September 2008 our six-week first aid programme began. In week 1. We learned how to deal with bleeding and wounds and how to manage an accident scene.
In week 2. We were taught how to deal with an unconscious person. We were thought how to place an unconscious person in the recovery position.
In week 3. We learned the treatment of a choking casualty. When to do C.P.R and we were shown a demonstration of C.P.R and the defibrillator.
In Week 4. We learned how to do C.P.R on a Baby.
In Week 5. We Learned how to Handle Fractures and Broken Bones, Sprains and Strains
In Week 6. We learned all about how to treat burns properly and we had a test on all we did in our 6 week first aid programme.
We enjoyed every lesson thoroughly and would thoroughly like to thank Ms. Mary Martin for her great work and guidance.

Lucca Leadership

Part of the Transition Year 08/09 Updates

Lucca Leadership
On the 20th October the TY1 class from Hazelwood College headed to Curraghchase to participate in Lucca Leadership. We went there unsure of what to expect. All of us went with an open mind and a willingness to participate. On arrival we were welcomed by Rob the CEO of Lucca leadership and our group leader Paul Moriarty, Paul organised the trip and offered the service of Lucca leadership in Limerick. Firstly he briefly outlined the values of Lucca then we signed the rules agreeing to respect them. We then went outside and did some team tasks, one which could be described as jumping off bins – we know this sounds dangerous but trust us, we were safe as houses and it was fun!! We then went inside and discussed our leadership skills and everyone gave there opinion. We watched influential videos to inspire our leadership skills. We returned back to Curraghchase on the 21st to continue on with our course, we furthered our knowledge on how to be a good leader and the qualities needed. We also participated in more very ‘dangerous’ but never the less good fun outdoor activities. Towards the end we discussed putting our leadership skills into practise. We all agreed that Lucca leadership was really enjoyable and extremely beneficial. We would recommend it to everyone. We shall finish this with one key thing we took away from this course “Health and happiness is everyone’s birthright not just the “many” or the “few”.
BY Michelle Lane, Emma Purcell, Aisling O’Brien

The law in our lives

On Wednesday 28th February 3rd year pupils from Hazelwood College were provided with the opportunity to emerse themselves in the legal system in Limerick City. With the assistance of the court clerk Ken Butler a thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking experience was provided.
They gained first hand information on the workings of the court and the different sentences handed down. Several real life cases dealing with offences such as possession of a dangerous weapon, assault, possession /sale of drugs, theft and behaving in a drunk and disorderly manner were witnessed. Seated in the public gallery all listened and watched attentively to the mechanics and procedures of the court proceedings. Key people such as judges, barristers, solicitors, prison officers, court clerks, journalists and the stenographer were all present and accounted for.
Pupils were greatly impressed by the impartiality and common sense shown by the judge. The experience allowed the pupils to see how the laws of the country are enforced through the courts and that failure to obey will lead to some form of penalty or punishment as evidenced. Short hearings were arranged for future dates so the court finished up early and the judge spoke very kindly to the pupils stating that he hoped to see a few of them back in wigs in later years. Here’s hoping… !

“Psycho Spaghetti”

Part of the Transition Year 08/09 Updates

“Psycho Spaghetti”

On Thursday 23rd of October last, Hazelwood College Transition Year group attended a performance in Friarsgate Theatre Killmallock Co. Limerick. The performance had an unusual name “Psycho Spaghetti” which made us wonder what we would be faced with when we got there.
We were to watch the play with a number of other schools. The stage was set up, it contained a students desk and chair, a teachers flip chart and a teachers desk.
A man appeared on stage and introduced himself as Gerard Carey. He began the play by talking about how teenagers act in such strange ways. We then realised that we were the victims and he would be talking about us through the course of the play! The play was about what teenagers go through during their transition from childhood into adulthood. It was about the experiences they have and the apparently how badly they deal with them!
The theatre was full of laughter throughout the play. Gerard kept us entertained with many jokes and some smart comments! All of the transition year group truly enjoyed the play and would recommend it to viewers of all ages.

Written by
Danielle Curtin and Sophie Brouder