Gradam 2015

Last night was one of the real high-points of our school’s year. Gradam. The word means ‘ award’, and yet the word itself doesn’t begin to cover just what a special night this is for our students.

I first attended the Gradam awards 10 years ago and was simply blown away by what was

happening. Here we were, gathered as a community, celebrating the best of what our Students had to offer.

And what a celebration it was, and still is.

Over the years we have kept the same successful format for Gradam. Our guests – Students and their families – gather in the library for a reception at 7.30, and then head to our Cafe for a musical performance by our wonderful music department. This performance is staged with the assistance ofCADA , and is always something special. This year, the students performed a selection of numbers from the musical ‘Hairspray’.

Following the performance, the awards are presented. Each year we have a different presenter, and this year it was the turn of Deirdre Creedon from CIT.

And the awards? There were a lot.

Students received recognition for their work in a number ofareas.

From each year group there were students who stood out just by the effort they put into their studies over the course of the previous year.
Awards for Academic Excellence
Awards for Community Involvement
Awards for Artistic Merit
Awards for Sport
Awards for achievement in College
Awards for achievement in Gaisce

Of course, no night like this is complete without a few speeches!

Mr. Kieran Golden, our new Principal, spoke about the values of our school. How we focus on three things:
- Student learning – everyone should learn something every day
- Student Achievement – we celebrate what our students do well, both inside and outside of school
- Student Well-being – we look after each other
Ms. Deirdre Creedon spoke about how students can go onto achieve great things, and how it is so good to be able to look back on our achievements and be able to say ‘I did a good job’
Mr. Paul O’Leary (the Chair of our Board of Management) spoke again about the values of our school, and how it is a place that parents can trust their children to be safe, and to thrive.

This has been my 10th time attending Gradam. I’m still blown away by it, and delighted that we

get this chance every year to celebrate the best of what our students have to offer.

Well done to all of those who received an award, and to all those who were nominated.

John Hurley

Chaplain

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