St Benildus College is a hive of activity

St Benildus College Dublin welcomed a new crop of first years on Thursday August 22nd and a new school year began to grow. Since opening in late August, the school has been a hive of activity. Below, we share some of the highlights so far.

Opening Mass

The annual Opening Mass was held in the Church of St Laurence O’Toole, Kilmacud on Wednesday September 11th. Led by the Religion and Music departments, the whole school community came together to reflect on the year and celebrate the year to come. This is the only time each year we get to join all together, which makes it a very special occasion.

 Leaving Certificate Results

This year, the class of 2024 really impressed and exceeded all expectations. We are so proud of all our students, but particularly proud of our seven students who achieved 625 points. Well done to Harry Nolan, Gagik Avetisyan, Zeki Acka, Oscar Moran, Sean Ryan, Cillian Foy and Stephen de Veale. Eighteen students joined them in getting over 600 points, while an incredible 55 students achieved over 500 points. We wish the class of 2024 all the best in their new adventures, and remind them they will always be St Benildus Boys

Transition Year

Transition Year has already been full of fun, with students participating in Bonding Trips on Friday 30th August. Students went to Baysports in Athlone, Footee in Tallaght, Zippit in the Dublin Mountains and Surfing in Wicklow. Since then, TYs have been playing Ultimate Frisbee, Kayaking in Dun Laoighaire, Cooking in the Kitchens and much more. They are also busy preparing already for their TY Musical with St Raphaela’s Secondary School, which this year is Popstars!

 Gaisce Hike

Many of the Transition Year students completed their Gaisce hike the week of the September 17th. This included a 25km hike through Wicklow and an overnight camp in the mountains. With lots of activities along the way and the experience of camping with friends, a great night was had. A big thank you to the teachers who gave up a night in a bed to allow this to happen.

Reading Week

From Monday 16th to Friday 20th of September, Reading Week took over St Benildus College. All members of the school community were invited to take part, with competitions, activities and guest speakers. Particular thanks to Niall de Burca, Briana Fitzsimons and Alan Waldron for visiting us and sharing their experiences of storytelling. TY Librarians lead the way with book cover and writing competitions, as well as a “Where’s Wally?” hunt throughout the school.

Extra-Curricular Fair

Each September, first year students attend the Extra-Curricular Fair to view what activities St Benildus has to offer. From History Club to Rugby, Soccer to Choir, Golf to Writing Club, there is something for everyone. It is fantastic is to see student ambassadors of each activity proudly sharing their passion and expertise and answering attentively the first year’s questions. At this point of September, all extracurricular activities are up and running and its great to see whole school involvement.

Individual Sporting Success

Well done to a number of our student athletes who achieved amazing individual success recently. Congrats to Oisin Toomey (3rd year) who was selected to play for Dublin and Ireland in basketball over the summer and continues to compete at a high level. Congrats also to Conn McCluskey (2nd Year) who won silver in the 1500m and the high jump in the National Athletics Junior Championships. Congratulations to Ben Fitzsimons (5th Year) who is competing at a high level in Mountain Biking and Ryan Daly (4th Year) who is the U16 Irish National Championships in Mountain Biking. Well done to Luca Rohan (6th Year) who was the youngest participant in the Liffey Open Swim and who won his age category. Finally, congratulations to James Hickey (6th Year), who competed as a Junior in the Northern European Championships, reaching the Pommel Horse final and winning a silver medal with the Irish men’s team in the team all-round competition.

Other events from this term so far:

·         Leaving Cert Ag Science trip to the Ploughing Championship

·         Study Skills for 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th years

·         2nd Year CSPE trip to Cloughjordan Ecovillage

·         Class of 2024 Debs in Leopardstown Pavilion

We are looking forward to:

·         Run for Life 2024 – our big charity event of the year

·         6th Year Camino Pilgrimage

·         Healthy Mind Week

·         Open Day

·         6th Year Theatre Trip

·         TY Trip to Mountjoy Jail