As I write this, I can't stop thinking about how my parents and sister will be here in 6 days - where did the time go??
Anyways, this week was pretty hectic at school. It was the students last week at school, as their summer exams (finals) begin this upcoming week. Much learning didn't occur - students were very antsy for summer! Which, I can safely safe, was felt by the teachers as well!
On Monday, one of the younger teachers at St. Aidans, Aine (who is 24 years old) invited me to get ice-cream with her and her room mates. We went to Blessington, a beautiful village with a lake about 20 minutes from where I am staying. I was hoping to get there before I left so I was glad I got to go. I am so glad Aine has been so welcoming! She is always inviting me places - it is so nice!
Aine and I at Blessington Lake
Blessington Lake - beautiful!
The most memorable thing from this week was St. Aidan's Graduation.
This past
Thursday, St. Aidan’s had its graduation night for 6th years (11th
grade). There are about 100 students in 6th year, and approximately
70 or 80 of them graduated. The drop out rate at St. Aidan’s is very high; most
students drop out sometime during 5th year (10th grade),
some as low as 3rd year (9th grade). With that being
said, graduating at St. Aidan’s is something that students, staff, and
community members find to be a huge accomplishment. Graduating from secondary
school, allows students to continue schooling at universities, go to technical
school, and overall just obtain a better job, than those who drop out.
Attending St. Aidan’s graduation was a very memorable evening for me; the
atmosphere was full of pride!
Before attending
the event, I was really excited to go. I was eager to see how a graduation
commencement is handled in a school where the graduation class is small, let
alone in another country. After attending, I could see that the graduation
commencement is very different than how we handle the ceremony in the United
States. Students at St. Aidan’s do not wear graduation gowns; they wear their
usual school uniforms. Also, they sit in the audience with everyone else, just
off to the side. There also isn’t a valedictorian, or even students who give
speeches.
During the
beginning of the ceremony, a student-singing group started off with an opening
song. Then, there was a symbolic piece, in which 6 students carried different
objects to the stage. For instance, a football to represent all of the hard
work in sports, a jumper to symbolize that although students are graduating,
they should never forget their memories and friends at St. Aidan’s. Other items
included a book, French book, exam papers, candle, and class registration; each
holding some meaning to the class.
After this
introduction was completed, a prayer was done and then there was a reading from
part of the Bible. I expected something like this, since all schools in Ireland
are Catholic (even public ones like St. Aidan’s). After this, there was a
candle ceremony. Then, the Principal and Vice Principal gave speeches. One of
my favorite parts was when the 6th year’s tutor (advisor), read a
poem she wrote for the class. It included every single of one the student’s
names that graduated in it. It was amazing how she was able to include all
students, showing that the class really was very close, and that they all knew
each other by their first names.
The longest part
of the ceremony was the prize-giving portion. What I found fascinating was that
because it was such a small group of students, students could be recognized for
their achievements. For instance, students received awards for “Most Improved,”
or “Most Caring”. My favorite award was giving to a girl who was the first
traveler to graduate following the traditional route of attending all 5 years
of school. Travelers are a group of people in Ireland who move from town to
town, not staying in one place long. With that said, most travelers don’t stay
in school long enough to complete all classes and graduate. The traveler that graduated
looked so proud – it was so inspiring!
The stage
The 6th year class(standing in black)
The 6th year's tutor (advisor) reading her poem
The 6th year students who presented the symbolic gifts
The celebration after the ceremony
I know I have said this time and time again, but I have continued to be impressed by the sense of community that is evident at St. Aidan's. All through the graduation, you could feel the strong sense of community. I love that teachers are also always getting together to do things outside of school. For instance, on Friday the women teachers all went out to lunch. It is so nice being a part of this community, and I hope I get this opportunity when I get my own teaching job in the U.S.
I will most likely be blogging my last entry this Friday, as it will be my last day at St. Aidan's and my parents and sister come the following day. When my parents and sister get here we are off on a week-long tour of Ireland! I am SO excited! I have missed them SO much - I can't believe I haven't seem them in nearly 7 weeks!!
Thanks for reading!
Until next time,
Alli