Second Year Drawing Module!

The second years are completing a drawing module based on their own faces! Some of the exercises they did were pencil and collage drawings of their eyes, and a charcoal and chalk drawing of their faces. They sat outside with masks off when drawing their noses and mouths!
They will go on to make Lino prints from this work.

Thanks to Ms O Connell for leading this interesting module.

Celebratory Assembly for TY Drama Winners!

"Education is not all about points, books and exams; it also encompasses expression, creativity and enjoyment."

There was a celebratory assembly for the cast and crew of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ today in the gym. This TY group won the All-Ireland TY Drama award last May. Even though there was a small presentation ceremony in Macroom, only one student and one teacher were permitted to travel due to restrictions. So, today, Sacred Heart celebrated this momentous win.

Ms Brosnan spoke about the merits of TY and congratulated the girls on their innovation and hard work. She also spoke highly of Mr Browne for all his dedication and help. Mr Walsh congratulated the girls also.

Aoibhe Daly was presented with the ‘Best Director’ trophy. The stage crew accepted the award for ‘Best Overall Drama’ and ‘Best Costumes’.

Well done to all involved. A truly exceptional achievement!

After school Supervised Study

We are planning to run after school supervised study for the first half term, at SHSS from 27th of September until Thursday 21st of October. On Mondays and Tuesday’s study will start at 4.15pm and finish at 6.15pm. On Wednesdays and Thursday’s study will start at 3.30pm and finish at 5.30pm. The cost is €40. After school study will be supervised by teaching staff of SHSS. Application forms are available from the main office and need to be returned to Mr. B. Walsh by Wednesday 22nd of September.

Parent Information Presentation for Parents/Guardians of First Year Students

An information presentation will take place via Zoom at 7pm this evening, Tuesday 21st of September. The Year Head, Ms. Sexton, Principal, Ms. Brosnan and Deputy Principal, Brendan Walsh will cover a variety of topics that will be useful in supporting the girls in making the transition from primary to secondary school. A link to join the meeting has been sent via email.

Congratulation to the Class of 2021

‘Teachers open the door, but you just enter by yourself’ 

Chinese proverb

Sacred Heart would like to congratulate the Class of 2021 on their fantastic Leaving Cert results. We are extremely proud of every single one of you for all of your hard work and dedication during very challenging times. You certainly embraced our motto: Engage, Inspire, Flourish. Don’t ever forget your own 6th year motto: Don’t stop believing. Continue to develop skills, self-confidence and belief in yourselves. 

Remember that our door is always open and we’d love to feature your journey in our Alumnae Link series someday. 

We wish all of you the best of luck in the year ahead. Well done to all!

Leaving Certificate 2021

Sacred Heart Secondary School National Average

78% ＞400 points 54% ＞400 points

45% ＞500 points 26.7% ＞500 points

26% ＞550 points 15.1% ＞550 points

9%   ＞600 points 5.7% ＞600 points

International Students at SHSS!

This year Sacred Heart welcomes seven international students for the academic year 2021/2022. These students applied to the Educatius Programme to live and study abroad. Their main objective is to learn English, but also to experience life in another country.

Ms O’Regan is the liaison teacher for the students. She took them out for some hot chocolate and cookies today. She hopes to help the girls integrate into Irish school life and support them during their time at Sacred Heart.

We extend a warm welcome to Lara from Italy, Aline from Switzerland, Anna and Inken from Germany, Thuy Lane and Clara from France, and Claudia from Spain. We hope you make wonderful memories and life long friends during your time with us in Clonakilty.

Sustainability at SHSS!

Mr Barry’s TY Sustainability class had fun cleaning up the area behind the fifth year prefabs yesterday. There will soon be beehives, a chicken run and a greenhouse there.

Sustainability provides students with real-life skills, empowers them to carry out effective group work, and crucially, enables them to take action with their peers for a more sustainable world.

Hopefully the rabbits won’t attack the kale this year!

SHSS Alumnae Link - Katie Sexton

Welcome to SHSS Alumnae Link!

This is where we connect with past pupils and find out what they’re up to now.

This week we linked with Katie Sexton who graduated in 2018.

Name and position:

Katie Sexton. I am heading into my final year of Applied Languages (German, Japanese and Spanish) at the University of Limerick.

Lives:

Limerick.

Best memory of Sacred Heart:

My best memories in Sacred Heart were those with the camogie team. Reaching the All Ireland final in 2015 was a highlight for me and I made great friends with the rest of the players. I also loved being part of the Trad Group with Ms Meade and the hockey team with Ms O'Donovan. 

What were your favourite classes?

My favourite classes were German with Ms Nash and Ms O'Regan.  I loved German right from the beginning of first year and now I am hoping to pursue a career with languages.  I also really enjoyed Irish with Ms Meade and Economics with Ms Hennessy was always good craic.

Tell us about your career progression to date: 

Last year I moved to Japan for seven months and worked at a hotel called Toyoko Inn in Oji, Tokyo. I was supposed to assist with translation for the Olympics, but unfortunately that didn't go quite to plan.  I arrived at the onset of the pandemic and the Olympics were of course post-poned, but I was still able to work as a receptionist in the hotel.  It was a brilliant experience and I was able to really develop my Japanese. 

In February I began teaching for a Japan-based English teaching company called Eigox and shortly after I co-founded an IELTS (English Exam for Non-Native Speakers) preparation company.  I now work with students of all ages, as well as teaching Business English to working professionals. Working as an English teacher wasn't something that I expected to be doing but it has been interesting trying to teach English and German through Japanese. I just returned home from studying in Marburg and it was great to be able to teach online. I am planning to return to Japan as soon as I graduate, and I am currently applying for teaching and translation jobs there.  For the past few summers, I have also worked as an au pair and tutor in Logroño, Spain and Ried am Innkreis, Austria.  

If you weren't in the job you have, what would you be doing?

 If I wasn't studying languages, I would definitely be studying physiotherapy.  I always had an interest in sports and rehabilitation.  

Advice you would give your teenage self:

 Exams aren't the be all and end all!

Favourite quote or motto? 

I will do what you won't today so I can do what you can't tomorrow. 

What is your hidden talent?

 I give a good rendition of the Rattlin’ Bog.

Huge thanks to Katie for taking the time to answer our questions.

See you soon for the next instalment of SHSS Alumnae Link!

First Year Camogie Blitz!

Forty-eight first year students went to Ahamilla yesterday for a Monster Camogie Blitz!

They played sixteen games and had a wonderful day. Huge thanks to Mr Daly and Mr Mulcahy for taking them out.

SciFest Success for SHSS Students!

Congratulations to Máire Murphy and Sinead Crowley who secured 2nd place in the Junior Technology category of the recent SciFest competition held at MTU, Cork. The girls were highly commended for their project titled "RBA in our Lives, Shown with a Smart Bin".

Congratulations to Aisling Dineen, Lauren Eady, and Emily Moloney who secured 3rd place in the Junior Technology category of the recent SciFest competition held at MTU, Cork. The girls were highly commended for their project titled "Radiation-free Step Tracker".

Well done to all involved!

SHSS Alumnae Link - Ellen McWilliams

Welcome to SHSS Alumnae Link!

This is where we connect with past pupils and find out what they’re up to now.

This week we linked with Ellen McWilliams (née McCarthy) who graduated in 1995.

Name and Current Position:

Dr Ellen Mc Williams (Née McCarthy), Senior Lecturer in English Literature, University of Exeter.

 Lives:

Bristol, England.

 Best Memory of Sacred Heart:

Some of my happiest memories of the Sacred Heart Secondary School are of the friends I made there, many of whom I am still in touch with to this day – even twenty years after I left West Cork for the West Country. But I also look back with a deep appreciation at the ethos fostered by our teachers and the culture of the school. Being a young woman in the Sacred Heart Secondary School community meant doing your best to live up to possibilities – we worked hard and took nothing for granted and were taught the importance of collectivism and kindness and the value of achieving something beyond ourselves. We were taught that we could hold our own in any room, whatever the odds, but were also trained to read the room with empathy and respect and wherever possible to try to be considerate and sensitive to others. These are the values I have tried to hold close and they have stood to me as an Irishwoman who has spent over twenty years navigating the hierarchies of British academia.

My time at the Sacred Heart outran the limiting stereotypes of the Irish convent school in the 1990s – it was a determinedly progressive and future-looking education. I was not the most academically confident student, but I was encouraged to find the things I was passionate about and not worry too much about the rest. The author of the original Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft, reminds us that ‘we reason deeply, when we forcibly feel’ and at the Sacred Heart Secondary School we were encouraged in the development of an intellectual life, but also raised to be alert to feelings and to the feelings of others. You were made to feel valued for who you were – and particularly in the early days the quieter girls among us were made to feel a part of things and gently encouraged over time to find our place. 

  What were your favourite classes?

I enjoyed my English and History classes in ways that led to studying English and History at University College Cork and, eventually, to the work I do now. I had some stellar teachers at Sacred Heart, including Ms Norma Fitzpatrick and Ms Fiona Maher, in the early years, Ms Niamh Pattwell  (now Professor Niamh Pattwell of the School of English, Drama, and Film, UCD) and Mr Dennis Kingston were nothing shy of a meteoric influence in the years running up to the Leaving Certificate and were the reason I chose those subjects at undergraduate level.  

It is telling that I also enjoyed the subjects I struggled with. Irish and Maths were a constant uphill battle, but still had their rewards. Mrs Mary Wycherley, who will be so fondly remembered as a kind and gifted Irish teacher by generations of Sacred Heart women, found a way of making the Modh Coinníollach comprehensible and Mr Liam Nash taught Maths with great patience and understanding. They were always compassionate and encouraging – low marks in these subjects on the end of year report were accompanied by an acknowledgement of the hard work that had gone into achieving them, even if no trophies were collected. 

 Tell us about your career progression to date: 

After I completed my BA and MA at University College Cork and the University of Constance, I went on to do a PhD at the University of Bristol. I later worked at Bath Spa University and spent time as a Fulbright Scholar at Fordham University in New York before joining the Department of English at the University of Exeter. 

 If you weren’t in the job you have, what would you be doing?

My plan was always to train to be a secondary school teacher – I had no notion of becoming an academic. I have friends who teach at secondary level and have a great appreciation of the imagination and stamina of teachers who work across different subject areas and year groups and have to constantly adapt to a changing curriculum and the vagaries of the Department of Education. The generosity, vision, and tireless commitment of the teachers I met at the Sacred Heart left an impression – they remain some of my most important role models in my own efforts to make the university seminar room a safe, equal, and intellectually exciting space. 

 Advice you would give your teenage self:

Everything will get easier in time. At some point you will stop growing at a rate of half a foot a year. You will find the things that that you care about and that are interesting and exciting to you and talking to people when you meet them for the first time will no longer be such a tortuous challenge. 

In the meantime, trust your teachers – they really do have your best interests at heart. There may be times when the world feels friendless, but you will find your clan in the end. Try not to let the pressure of exams and the unforgiving Leaving Certificate Points System overwhelm you and, if you can, keep looking up to the horizons beyond. Take your time in figuring out what is right for you – there is no rush. Trust your own instincts rather than anyone else’s expectations of you. And don’t worry about going to the graduation dance at Fernhill alone because you were too shy to ask anyone to go with you. There will be other opportunities. 

 Favourite quote or motto?

‘The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.’ Oscar Wilde (one of our finest)

 ‘There's only one very good life and that's the life you know you want and you make it yourself.’ 

Diana Vreeland (writer and editor of Vogue in the 1960s and 1970s) 

 What is your hidden talent?

I make very good shortcrust pastry.

Ms Ann Marie Brosnan was appointed when I was in my second year at the Sacred Heart and was a charismatic presence from the start. She was also one of the teachers who revolutionised the subject that was called Home Economics when I first joined the school, but later became Home Economics: Scientific & Social. Over the years, in addition to being taught how to sew, cook, and bake and trained in how to make the kind of pastry that is the perfect base for any tart or quiche (everything – including the mixing instruments – must be cold) we learned about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Labour History, Family Law, and the Women’s Liberation Movement in Ireland. 

All of these subjects were fascinating to my sixteen year old self and I carried their lessons with me – but a well-made shortcrust pastry has its own value and is not to be taken for granted. 

Huge thanks to Ellen for taking the time to answer our questions.

See you soon for the next instalment of SHSS Alumnae Link.

Sacred Heart girls in Cork Minor panel that reached the All Ireland Final

Well done to our 3 Sacred Heart students who were part of the Cork Minor Camogie set up that reached the All Ireland Final. Although beaten by Kilkenny in the final on Sunday 5th of September, we are very proud of their great achievement. Well done to Caoimhe Murphy, Eimear O’ Brien and Emma O’ Driscoll.

First Year Welcome Liturgy

The new first year students enjoyed a ‘Beginning of the School Year’ liturgy in the gym today. Organised by the RE Department, this short ceremony welcomed the new SHSS girls and blessed them for the year ahead.

Thanks to Ms Holland, Ms Harrington and Ms Harte for organising this special event.

Leaving Certificate Results Day

Congratulations to the class of 2021 who did themselves proud today, on receipt of their magnificent Leaving Certificate Results.

The results can only be described as fantastic and you can all take a bow in recognition of your achievements. 

We wish you well on your next adventure, wherever that may take you. The door at Sacred Heart is always open and we look forward to seeing you back in the future.

All the staff at Sacred Heart wish you the very best.

First Year Barbecue!

The first years enjoyed a barbecue today to welcome them to Sacred Heart. Fifth year peer mentors, Katie O’Driscoll and Aoibhín Ryan, cooked sausages while the other peer mentors handed out drinks, bread and biscuits.

Thanks to year head, Ms Sexton, for organising the event.

SHSS Alumnae Link - Alannah O'Sullivan

Welcome to SHSS Alumnae Link!

This is where we connect with past pupils and find out what they’re up to now.

This week we connected with Alannah O’Sullivan who graduated in 2011.

Name and position:

Alannah O Sullivan- Digital Manager.

Lives:

Sydney, Australia.

Best memory of Sacred Heart:

I loved the school plays and trips. High School Musical was a stand out show for me. The movies were so popular and I can remember being so excited we were able to do that show. A trip to Kerry in fourth year was also a great highlight.

What were your favourite subjects?

I think looking back I used to enjoy learning about History. I also liked the literature and plays we studied in English class.

Tell us about your career progression to date:

The career I have now I really never knew anything about when I was younger. There is a joke that everyone tends to “fall” into media. That is really what happened to me. I studied TV, Radio and New Media in IT Tralee and used to think I wanted to get into the TV or radio business. I did a few internships in Dublin after college and one of them was for Joe.ie and Her.ie. I was working with all the top Irish brands on digital campaigns on the websites. From there I started to really excel and enjoyed learning about digital media and advertising.

I then got a job working as an Account Executive for a media agency called Mediacom. My main client was Sky and I worked closely with the UK team, executing digital campaigns for the Irish market. In 2019, after a few years in Dublin, I got the travelling bug and moved to Sydney. Little did I know it was probably the best time I could have left and went travelling before Covid hit. I now work for another global media agency called PHD and my clients are Audi and Skoda cars. The car market is booming out here and I am really loving the new challenge (and also impressing my dad with my car knowledge).

If you weren’t in the job you have, what would you be doing?

If money was no object I would love to be a DJ . I love music and travelling so I could mix the two together for my dream career!

Favourite motto:

Have more confidence in your ability and be kinder to yourself.

Favourite quote:

Everyday might not be great, but there is something great in everyday.

What’s your hidden talent?

Well it’s not something I hide, especially at karaoke or the afters of a wedding, but I love to sing. Still looking forward to the day I get to sing with my brother David, when we are reunited.

Huge thanks to Alannah for taking the time to answer our questions!

See you soon for the next instalment of SHSS Alumnae LInk.

SHSS Welcomes First Years!

Sacred Heart was delighted to welcome the new first year students on campus today. The students had their induction with their year head, Ms Sexton. Then, they had a Covid safety talk with Mr Woods, followed by dancing on the astro turf with Mr Browne. After that, a quick tour of the school and their new classrooms.

Fifth year peer mentors were on hand to guide and help the new students. They played games with the girls and made sure that they felt welcome.

Well done to all involved and we look forward to the year ahead.

SHSS Alumnae Link - Erin Kennedy

Welcome to SHSS Alumnae Link!

This is where we connect with past pupils and find out what they’re up to now.

This week we linked with Erin Kennedy who graduated in 2011.

Name and position:

Erin Kennedy – Senior Business Analyst for the ICBF 

Lives:

Clonakilty. 

Best memory of Sacred Heart: 

Oh wow, it is very hard to choose just one. Taking part in High School Musical in 5th year was great fun. I honestly have so many happy memories of my time in Sacred Heart. I was only speaking to a friend of mine lately saying that my years at SHSS were some of the best years of my life. We were and still are a very close year group. 

What were your favourite classes?

French and History. 

Tell us about your career progression to date: 

I’ve always been interested in people so opted to study Social Science at UCC. I found the course really interesting with a huge variety of modules to choose from. It’s definitely a course worth considering if you’re not entirely sure what you want to do. A lot of what I studied has stood to me in my career progression to date. On completing my degree in 2014, I wasn’t entirely sure what industry I wanted to work in, so I spent a couple of years working for a few different companies in the business and finance sector which was excellent and equipped me with lots of transferable skills and knowledge.  

Having grown up on a farm, I was always interested in the agricultural industry. I had heard lots of great things about the organisation and was eager to get a job there. As soon as a vacancy came up, I went for it. Despite not having an Agricultural Science degree, I managed to get a position in the HerdPlus team in an administration role in 2016.

Over the past 5 and a half years, I have worked my way up to a Senior Business Analyst role and I thoroughly enjoy the work that I do. My role is varied and affords me the opportunity to work on really cool projects with lots of very interesting people day to day. For the past few years, I have been running our Graduate Programme and I absolutely love the process from meeting students when they are in college all the way through to offering the position to successful candidates and looking after them for the 12 months.

I have completed 2 x higher diplomas over the last few years 1) PR & Communication and 2) European Studies. I am currently completing a short course in Web Development. I think it is essential to keep upskilling and learning as you progress in your career. 

If you weren’t in the job you have, what would you be doing?

HR or Marketing.

Advice you would give your teenage self:

Have faith in your abilities. You are capable of much more than you think. 

Favourite quote or motto?

• Execution beats luck.

• Consistency beats intensity.

• Curiosity beats smart. 

• Kind beats clever.

• Together beats alone.

What is your hidden talent?

Due to the lockdowns over the past year, I have become the Scrabble Master! 

Huge thanks to Erin for taking the time to answer our questions.

See you soon for the next instalment of SHSS Alumnae Link.

Sacred Heart is hiring

Cleaner required.

20 hours per week.

Please send your CV with references to admin@sacredheartclonakilty.ie

For more details contact 023 8833737

SHSS Alumnae Link - Gillian Moore

Welcome to SHSS Alumnae Link!

This is where we connect with past pupils and find out what they’re up to now.

This week we linked with Gillian Moore who graduated in 2015.

Name and position:

Gillian Moore – Project Developer at a new start-up business, the Clonakilty Gluten Free Kitchen.

Lives:

Clonakilty 

Best memory of Sacred Heart:

Oh, there are so many! From performing The Rubberbandits at the school showcase in 2011, to trips to Cappanalea and Calcutta in Transition Year, to taking part in the school musicals ‘High School Musical’ and ‘Oklahoma’. Monday post-mortem chats & laughs after 18th birthday parties… the list goes on.

What were your favourite classes?

Economics & Home Economics.

Tell us about your career progression to date:

Graduated from UCC with a BA (Hons) degree in Economics and Geography in 2019. I then went on to study a MSc in Food Business & Innovation while working part-time as a student Intern with Blackstone LaunchPad, a student enterprise initiative at UCC. Today, I am a Project Developer at the Clonakilty Gluten Free Kitchen.

If you weren’t in the job you have, what would you be doing?

A secondary school teacher – Oh, to be on summer holidays now!

Advice you would give your teenage self:

Life is short – Make the most of every day. Don’t overthink & leave a little sparkle wherever you go.

Favourite quote or motto?

Forget the risk & take the fall, if it’s what you want, then it’s worth it all.

What is your hidden talent?

I can milk 350 cows to the hour! I learned the hard way while working on a 950-head herd dairy farm in New Zealand. 

Huge thanks to Gillian for taking the time to answer our questions!

See you soon for the next instalment of SHSS Alumnae Link.