Bullying Awareness Week poetry competition

For the coming Bullying Awareness Week, we are organising a poetry competition, with winners getting vouchers and having their poems read out in Chapel on Friday 20th October. The deadline for entries is Wednesday 18th.

Your teacher will explain to you the tasks, with P, I and II having a go in class/prep. III, IV, V and VI are invited to write a poem in the form of Brian Bilston's 'Refugees', a 'two-way' or mirror poem. More in class soon.

Eason Creates Competition

Congratulations to Third Former Nyla Jamieson, who has been shortlisted in the Eason Creates writing competition in the Junior Cycle category for her story 'The Larcenist'. There is a public vote, which ends on April 29th, so we're encouraging all pupils, staff and parents to vote for Nyla here before that date (one vote per email address). The winner will be announced on May 1st.

'Teaching English' poetry ceremony

Today in the Laois Education Centre Olivia Plunket receives her joint third prize in the annual senior national poetry competition run by the SLSS for Teaching English magazine. Michael Kemp was also Highly Commended for his poem 'I am'. Olivia wrote her poem in response to the stunning 1599 painting 'Judith and Holofernes' by Caravaggio (click here for a large image):-


'Judith and Holofernes' by Olivia Plunket

Draping curtains as red as blood
The maid will encourage Judith
As she enters the realm of reality.

Holofernes’s hand clenching
The blood-stained sheets
Upon which his body lies.

His shoulder arching forward,
His muscles pulsing.
Outside the frame his legs are thrashing,
As he tries to fight his fate,
Screaming to his saviour in the heavens.

Short Story Competition 4

The last of this collection of Junior Cert stories, all starting with the same sentence. Sadhbh Sheeran wrote this story, which opens :-

From the other side of the wall I could hear the footsteps getting closer. It was definitely now or never. I took a few deep breaths to steady myself. Then I started to hit and kick the steel door hoping to grab the person’s attention. The echo of my attack on the door was starting to come back, creating a pulsing feeling at the back of my eyes and my knuckles throbbing but I ignored the pain. I wasn’t going to let my glimpse of freedom slip away.

Read Sadhbh's full story here.

Short Story Competition 3

Now another of the 'wall' short story competition entries: Nicole Cosgrove from III form wrote a story based on something very much in the news at the moment, the 20th anniversary of the breaking of the Berlin Wall :


On the other side of the wall I could hear the footsteps getting closer; it was definitely now or never, and the air of anticipation hung heavy that night in the City. No words were spoken. None were needed; we all knew what the others were thinking. People went about their business that night as usual, nothing was said, but everything was understood.

Read Nicole's full story here.

Short Story Competition 2

The second of the Junior Cert form stories, started on Saturday, is by Julian Coquet-Benka, and is called 'Yes, or No?' Again, it starts with the set opening : From the other side of the wall, I could hear their footsteps getting closer. It was definitely now or never! I ran down the hall, using the shadows for cover.

Read Julian's full story here.

Short Story Competition 1

Recently, we launched a short story competition for World Book Day 2010. Winners will be chosen early next year by the Librarian, Mr McConville, and given book-tokens and published in the March edition of The Submarine. In the next few days, we'll post some from II form entrants (Junior Cert pupils).

First is Kaine de la Haye's story set during the 1916 Easter Rising, which starts with the set first sentence:-

From the other side of the wall, I can hear their footsteps getting closer. It's now or never. The doorway stands before me, casting its dull light onto the silent street. I step out and tuck my rifle tighter to my body, and then another step and I am running. My legs are cold and tired but my heart is pounding my ribs. My eyes scour the rooftops for the glint of a rifle scope off the moonlight that might cut short my life, but none comes. The streets of Dublin are empty but for the bodies of the unlucky, the air silent but for the occasional crack of a rifle or the scream of a dying man.

Read the full story here.

'Teaching English' magazine, Autumn 2009

The autumn edition of the English Support Service's always interesting Teaching English

magazine is just out, and can be read above via Issuu (click and click again for larger views, and to scroll through the mag).

It includes two poems by our pupils from last year's poetry competition, who were Highly Commended (the awards ceremony was some weeks ago - see Ms Smith's report here). Oliver Glenn-Craigie's 'Teapot' is on page 9 in the Junior section, and Thomas Emmet's 'The Old Guitarist' on page 6 in the Senior section.

There are also articles on:

• The texts prescribed for the Leaving Certificate in 2011, including the three we have chosen - The Kite Runner, Dancing at Lughnasa and How Many Miles to Babylon?


• 'Approaches to Learning and Teaching in the First Year English Classroom' by Catherine O'Sullivan and Una Smith of Virginia College, Cavan.


• Brian Hanney with some interesting thoughts on the visual elements in Paper One of the Leaving Cert exams.


• The first part of a series of reports on narrative writing, 'Making Visible the Judgments used in Assessing Students' Writing' by Kevin McDermott, followed by examples of short stories.

WBD Short Story competition

Entrants for the World Book Day short story competition being promoted by your teachers should have their stories ready by Wednesday 11th November, so that we can email them to Evans Brothers by Friday 13th. The competition will be judged by the writer Stewart Ross (pictured, left).

The first line of your story must be 'From the other side of the wall, I could hear their footsteps getting closer. It was definitely now or never'. We'll also be running our own parallel 'local' competition for World Book Day 2010, since Mr McConville will be choosing the best three for Library book-token prizes next March, and publication in the WBD edition of The Submarine. Below, via Issuu (click and then click again for larger views) is last March's copy of that magazine, with WBD 2009 material.

'Write a Poem' competition

Congratulations to two pupils who have been Highly Commended in the Teaching English magazine 'Write a Poem' competition this year. Both poems have already been posted here: Thomas Emmet's 'The Old Guitarist', based on Picasso's painting (and which he read at the Voices of Poetry evening on Sunday) was commended in the senior cycle competition, and Oliver Glenn-Craigie's 'Tea Pot' was commended in the junior section. Thomas and Oliver have been invited to the awards ceremony in Portlaoise in September.

World Book Day competition results

Just over a week ago, the Library marked World Book Day 2009 with activities run in conjunction with the English Department. The results are now out (the prizes are book-tokens):-

• Congratulations to Milo Reddaway, who won the junior short story competition and whose entertaining and other-worldly story will be published here next week (after we return from the St Patrick's Day Exodus on Wednesday morning), as well as in the next edition of The Submarine, the Library magazine due out at the end of term. It's worth waiting for - a story involving this school, Zoroastrianism and guest star Xerxes, King of Kings, Emperor of Persia ..
• The favourite book open draw was won by Philipp Arndt, who chose Daniel Kehlmann's Measuring the World. Next week we'll have Librarian Tom McConville's breakdown of and comments on the results of the College survey for this year's favourite book (not too surprisingly, Stephanie Meyer's Twilight).
• The senior crossword competition book-tokens go to Miriam Poulton, Celeste Guinness, Joey Millar and Oli Smith.
• The Junior Library Quiz book-tokens go to Sam Bewley, William Tidey, Stephanie Cafolla and Lily Guinness.

(top - one of the designs on the reverse side of the WBD bookmarks).

This is the 600th post since SCC English began in July 2006.

'Tour', by Carol Snow

The 36th Poem of the Week is our shortest so far : Carol Snow's 'Tour', which can be seen here on Billy Collins's Library of Congress Poetry 180 site ('a poem a day for American high schools').

This morning our 15 entrants for the Poetry Aloud competition are at the National Library in Kildare Street reciting their poems. The poetry of Thomas Kinsella features prominently, in celebration of his 80th birthday this year.

Gathering Leaves, by Robert Frost

Our 34th Poem of the Week is Gathering Leaves (here) by Robert Frost. Above, one of our Wordles, based on this poem. Today is All Ireland Poetry Day - see events on the Poetry Ireland website here.

Mr Jameson is holding a preliminary meeting today at 1.30 in Kennedy for anyone interested in contributing to a proposed new school magazine, provisionally called 'Second Bell.'

Our entrants for the Poetry Aloud competition have been decided. More on this after the Exodus, which starts tomorrow, school resuming on Tuesday morning.

Competitions

There are lots of competitions around at the start of the school year, and pupils may like to get involved in one or more of these, such as :-

• the annual Poetry Aloud competition organised by Poetry Ireland and the National Library. Over the next week, we'll be asking pupils to take part in our preliminary round, and then entering the winners for the competition itself.
• the new Spooky Story competition organised by Children's Books Ireland based on Tomm Moore's artwork (above).
• the new Young Emerging Writer's and Artists' Forum, which is publishing an arts journal later this year.

(click on the links for further details: your English teachers will be encouraging you in class ...)

Poem of the Week 17

Our first Poem of the Week this term (the 17th since we started the scheme in the summer term) is by V former Shane Lavin, and is about 'The person I admire most'. This was prompted by Derek Mahon's poem 'Grandfather', and Jon Snow's piece about grandparents for the Guardian Perfect World competition, which we encouraged our pupils to enter :

An exotic braid of wisdom is always visible,
Growing longer as years turn to decades.
It has given her the experience of the highs and lows
We may sometimes look forward to, yet often fear.
Their brittle shells get stepped on and crushed
Until her presence offers wings to those who witness
The smile that can encourage us all to rise to a higher state.
Although heartfelt joy battles the overpowering pressure of life,
The common obstacles continue to become increasingly larger challenges.
But there exists a pulse of strength which scarcely escapes
Her soul through the open windows of her eyes.
One that gives her surroundings an unfathomable desire
To cherish the life we all live,
Yet rarely live for.

Tomorrow we will be launching this year's Senior Poetry Prize competition.

Poetry Aloud finals

Good luck to Rosy Temple, Jessica Dean and Anna Traill, who today take part in the semi-finals of the Poetry Aloud recital competition in the National Library in Dublin.

From the website :
"Following the first round of the POETRY ALOUD Poetry Speaking Competition, which was held regionally in March, the semi-final and final of the competition will take place in the National Library in Dublin on 11 May 2007. 112 students from 19 counties across Ireland and Northern Ireland have been chosen to represent their schools in the semi-finals. The first semi-final will take place at 9.30am and the second at 1.30pm. 30 students will compete in the final of this year’s competition, which will take place at 6pm. The judges for the final are Professor Brendan Kennelly poet and teacher; Thomas McCarthy, poet, critic and Board member of Poetry Ireland, and Dr Pat Donlon, former Director of the National Library of Ireland and now Director of the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in County Monaghan."

Poetry Aloud

This afternoon, four pupils set off for the National Library to take part in the 'Poetry Aloud' competition, which was called 'Yeats Aloud' last year. In the first round, participants have to recite one of three set poems by Louis MacNeice, 'Corner Seat', 'Entirely' or, for the most senior, the evocative 'Soap Suds', and another poem from prescribed lists (2007 is the centenary of MacNeice's birth). In later rounds, there are set poems by Yeats and others. The competition is being run in conjunction with the superb semi-permanent National Library Yeats exhibition.

Twelfth Night poster competition

We are again running a poster competition for the forthcoming Shakespeare Society production of Twelfth Night. The 'theme' of this production is 1920/30s Mediterranean beach society, with setting, costumes and music all reflecting this. Art pupils are invited to take part, and can see here evocative French pictures of the time to inspire them. Please see Mr Watts or Miss Cullen for further details. Entries are due in by half-term (Friday 27th October).

Féile Filíochta International Poetry

We are encouraging our pupils to enter the 18th Féile Filíochta International Poetry competition. In 2003 Alannah Cryer won the under-17 category with her poem Peregrine (here), and last year Rowland Cooper was shortlisted in the same category for his Sestina (here). Full details on the Féile Filíochta website.