Busy final term at St Benildus College
The fact that Term 3 has only lasted five weeks has not stopped the students and staff of St Benildus College from cramming the weeks full of fun! Once back after the break, the focus was on preparing 3rd and 6th year students for their state examinations, while also celebrating the last weeks of these two cycles.
We’ve had great success in the Junior Cycle History and Science Quizzes, Sports Day and of course, the Teachers vs Students match. We also had our trip day, with 1st years heading to Baysports, 2nd year to Bogathon, 3rd and 5th to Kilruddery House and TYs heading to The GAP.
This term has also been a wonderful time to celebrate student achievement, with the 6th Year Graduation, Whole School Awards and TY Graduation. There’s still more to finish the year with, as TYs head to Carlingford and Zambia in the final week.
UCD Ad Astra and JP McManus Scholarships
We are delighted to announce that two of our current sixth year students, Brendan McDonnell and James Hickey, have been awarded Ad Astra Scholarships for their time studying in University College Dublin. The Ad Astra Academy recognises exceptional students when they join, as well as those who develop their talents while studying at UCD. The Academy has scholarships in Academia, Elite Sports and Performing Arts.
Brendan McDonnell has been awarded a Performing Arts scholarship for his talent and dedication to musical performance, while James Hickey was awarded an Elite Sports scholarship. This is an incredible achievement, well done.
We are very proud of past pupil, Daniel Callanan, who received a JP McManus Scholarship last Friday in UL. Daniel was a member of the class of 2024, and received last year's Senior Chemistry Prize. The scholarship is worth €6750 per annum for the duration of his studies of General Science in University College Dublin. This was presented to Daniel in UL during the Easter holidays, and principal Ms Brohan was also invited to attend. It was great to hear and see the benefits of this prestigious scholarship. Well done Daniel for achieving this award.
Awards
Our annual sports and academic awards took place on Thursday, 15th May, and celebrated all the best of our school. All areas of school life were incorporated into the night, with a special focus the Lasallian Award, given to one student in each class that demonstrates our core Lasallian Values. Students in each year were highlighted for their dedication to their studies, with subject awards presented to 3rd and 6th year students.
After a fantastic sporting year, players of the year for each team were announced, with overall Junior Sportsman of the year going to Luke Lynch and Senior Sportsman going to James Hickey. Special Contribution to Sport was awarded to Ben Mahon, who competed with the Ireland u16 soccer team this year and also competes in Athletics at a high level.
The final award of the night was the Principal’s award, which this year had 10 nominees. The overall award was given to Conall Coughlan, who has shown great Lasallian values, dedication to academic excellence, incredible artistic talent and been a fantastic member of our school community for 6 years. As part of this award, he went on to speak on behalf of the students at the 6th year graduation the following day.
6th Year Graduation
On Friday, 16th May, St Benildus said well done, thank you and good-bye to the Class of 2025. An incredible year group, there was much laughter and a few tears as together we remembered the highs and challenges that this group faced. From the Covid Pandemic in 1st and 2nd Year, the urgency of the Junior Cert, the opportunities of Transition Year and the busyness of the Senior Cycle, this group has embraced it all.
This year’s theme focused on the idea that each student paints their own canvass, through this metaphor, the students were encouraged to take control of their fates and decide their paths forward. After a celebratory mass, we heard from principal Ms Brohan, Principal’s Award winner Conall Coughlan and year head Ms Cassidy, and all three beautifully summed up what it means to be part of the Class of 2025. We wish all our 6th year the best in their state examinations, safe travels to those on holidays this summer and best of luck in university next September. We will always be cheering you on!
Healthy Body Week
The week of May 5th was Healthy Body Week in St. Benildus College, promoting the link between physical and mental wellbeing. Junior students enjoyed lunchtime games like badminton, dodgeball, and tug of war, plus walks with riddles and prizes. TY students hosted table tennis tournaments, giving each Junior class a full session outdoors. A sunrise tag rugby blitz took place Thursday morning as part of Darkness into Light Week, followed by hot chocolate and pastries.
Thursday ended with a Teachers vs. 6th Years football match, which was dominated by the students who won 4-2. On Friday, Sports Day featured athletic events and fun games, finishing with a 99 ice-cream treat.
Student Voice Week
Student Voice Week ran from April 28th to May 2nd, showcasing the leadership and initiative of our TY Mentors and Senior Prefects. TY Mentors led lunchtime sports activities for 1st and 2nd years, encouraging participation and team spirit. Meanwhile, Senior Prefects offered revision sessions in English, Irish, and Maths, providing valuable academic support to Junior Cycle students.
Throughout the week, Prefects also visited classrooms to host Spelling Bees, quizzes, and gather insights into students’ learning styles through surveys. The week was a resounding success, giving students a platform to express themselves while fostering stronger connections with mentors and prefects alike.
ISTA Junior Science Quiz
St. Benildus College entered one team of third year students in the Dublin branch of the ISTA Junior Science Quiz 2025. The team consisted of three students: Peter McDonnell, Michael James Ryan, and Nakul Karthik Venkatesh. The quiz was held in Belvedere College on Wednesday, 7th May, with 25 schools competing in total.
After round 3, St. Benildus College was tied in first place with St. Columba's College. As we entered round 6, the team had slipped to third place. However, they showed great determination and teamwork in the final round, pulling ahead to become the outright winners by just one point. It was a nail-biting finish and a brilliant achievement. The team were thrilled with their victory and represented the school with pride. Well done to all involved!
TY Graduation by TY James Fagan
On Wednesday 14 May, we celebrated our TY Graduation. This evening allowed us to show all of our activities from throughout the year. Our TY corridor was transformed into a full museum-like array of TY. Each room had a presentation on various activities, for example, there were presentations on Martial Arts, the Barber Course, Public Access to Law, Dance, Camping, Frisbee, Art, First Aid, the Zambia Trip, Mountjoy and Friday Activities.
After the presentation section, we moved to the sports hall for the official graduation. This was led by Ms Mulligan and Mr. Hanley, who focused on talking about how good we were! We all participated in a group dance, then a few lads did a skit and sang which was really entertaining to say the least.
On behalf of the students, Glen Doyle, Philip Moore, Joe Scanlon and Donnchadh Cunningham talked about their experiences of the year and they spoke very highly about the TY programme. This is something we all agree on – we all had an incredible year and are so grateful to Ms Mulligan and Mr Hanley for all their hard work.
Mr O’Sullivan’s retirement
Finally, this is the 48th and last year for a very important teacher, Mr Pat O’Sullivan. Mr O’Sullivan is a dedicated, hardworking and considerate teacher and colleague, and has helped to form St Benildus into the wonderful school we now know. We have commemorated this key moment with a guard of honour through the school and a Saturday hike up Ticknock for current and past staff. We look forward to a big celebration at the end of year staff function, where we wish him well on his new adventures.
