The College Foundation hosted a wonderful event in a private members club in London last week, with Old Columbans (young and old) coming together to share their stories, celebrate their connection to St. Columba’s and find out about the Foundation’s exciting plans for school development in the years to come.
The first ‘Columba’s Carnival’ took place in glorious sunshine on Saturday, May 17th. The event was organised by the Pupils’ Council, with support from the Parents’ Association, and saw pupils (and even some staff) taking part in a range of fun activities near the cricket pitch. There was live music, a charity raffle, face painting, novelty games, an ice-cream truck, tasty crepes and even a “slip ‘n slide”. Everyone got in the spirit of the event and the weather played its part too. Many thanks to the Pupils’ Council for their vision and organisation, and the Parents’ Association for their support too. Hopefully, the ‘Carnival’ will be an annual event.
We are thankful to the parents, Old Columbans and friends of the College who spoke at the recent Careers Evening for Transition Year and Form V pupils. The year’s speakers, assembled with the help of the Parents’ Association, all came from diverse careers areas and many would claim an unconventional route to their current role. Pupils rotated between speakers, engaging in a more intimate form of discussion. Later, all speakers and pupils reassembled in the BSR for a question and answer session. We are thankful to the parents who volunteered to supervise the sessions and to the pupils for engaging so positively in the event. This year’s speakers included: Sophie Warnock, Áine Denn, Michael O’Brien, Nicole Cosgrove, Richard Morphew, Billy Sweetman, Ally Bunbury, Sarah O’Neill, David Lynch, Astrid Casanave.
Hands up if you have watched Adolescence. If you haven’t you probably should, if only so that you can have an opinion on it and be part of the debate that is being engendered about the issues that it raises. Really important issues about what it means to be a man, what it means to be a parent. It is a fine drama, but, more importantly, it may be a watershed moment, which is not something that can be said very often in a world where there are endless new productions being released every week on a myriad of platforms.
I am not going to tell the whole story but, put simply, it is about a 13 year old boy who murders a girl from his school who has mocked his masculinity on social media. Although he is the perpetrator of a brutal crime, he is also a victim, conditioned by the online world which he and his friends inhabit and where he has been manipulated by bad actors who churn out filth and lies about what it means to be a real man. I had not heard the word ‘manosphere’ before but I did know what an ‘incel’ was and everyone has heard of Andrew Tate and his like. You get the context.
The most moving part of the series is the effect it has on his mother and father and sister. His parents are ordinary people who have done their best to raise their son and keep him safe. They thought he was safe in his bedroom, staying off the streets, but were totally unaware of the virtual world that he was living in. The portrayal of the father is incredibly moving. I guess the parents are also victims, bringing up their children in a very rough world without the emotional tools to navigate between Scylla and Charybdis (look it up).
I have heard it said before that as parents we find it easy to protect our children in the physical world: how do you cross a road, how do you learn to swim, don’t talk to strangers, wash your hands before eating. Those things are easy and obvious and you would despise a parent who didn’t teach their child these basics. On the other hand, although they can avoid getting hit by a car, we have allowed our children to access a jungle of online influences without imposing any parameters, thinking that the online world was safer than the physical one. We were wrong. Left to themselves it will be no time before children (I used that word deliberately) are watching violent pornography, extremist political or religious content and material designed to get them to question their identity and feel bad about themselves…we know where that leads. And all the while algorithms, developed by the cleverest people in the world, feed them with content that encourages them to develop more and more warped views on the world…or on women.
As a school we have a major responsibility to educate the children here and to put in place rules and guidelines to protect them. Obviously, this is of particular importance for the younger ones. We need to teach those ones how to cross the road or to stay away from the road altogether. Education is better than the imposition of rules, so that we teach young people how to make good decisions, but rules are necessary here, just as they are at home. And rules need to be reviewed, as they will be.
This responsibility is shared with all their parents, who are the ones to buy the phones and other devices to put them into their child’s hands. They could always make the decision not…or to delay. Nowadays it is possible to monitor exactly how much online time they can have, which apps are on their phones and which websites can be accessed. How many parents are actually doing that? Day schools can ban phones and that is a no-brainer, but I wonder how many parents impose their own strict rules at home. Most children go to a school where they spend a maximum of eight hours a day, five days a week. What about the other 75% of their time? And that is term-time only.
Perhaps Adolesence is the wake-up call that society needs as a whole.
How can we change the narrative…what should it mean to be a man at St. Columba’s? It is always better to focus on the positive than dwell on the negative. That is a discussion that I would really like to have.
Image credit: Netflix
Old Columbans, parents (current and former) and friends of the College, who live in (or regularly visit) the UK, are cordially invited to attend reception in London on Thursday 22nd May, 2025 between 6:30 – 8:30pm.
At the event, the Warden will bring you up to date with news of the College and its plans through the Foundation. We will also hear from a number of OCs about their careers and what they are doing now.
This event will provide a great opportunity for our community to get together and is very kindly being hosted by a current parent and OC, at a private members club in London. Joining me at the event will be Sarah Love (Chairperson of the Fellows), former members of staff and current staff members.
Places are limited to 120 people. Bookings are dependent upon the receipt of a £30pp contribution to be made payable via this link. For queries, email Sonia Young using the details below.
The club dress code: the private club has a strict dress code which it describes as jacket and tie for men and for women to dress with equivalent formality. Please see the club’s website for more details.
We very much hope that you will be able to join us for what will be a most enjoyable evening in London.
Mark Boobbyer
It’s that time of the year again – the Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal aims to collect and deliver wrapped and packed shoeboxes, full of toys and essentials, for some of the poorest children in the world. To date, over 2 million such boxes have been handed directly to children all around the world and the College are delighted to have a long-standing relationship with this wonderful charity.
Last year, our Transition Year pupils (ably assisted by Mr Paul Cron) filled over 200 boxes while also volunteering at the Team Hope warehouse, packing additional boxes and loading lorries destined for Eastern Europe and beyond. We hope to top that figure this year but need your help.
Over the half term, we would greatly appreciate if you could make up a box/boxes or collect some fillers for the boxes or even empty shoeboxes and bring them back to school after the break. All completed boxes or fillers can be brought to the collection point in Gwynn or left in the staff common room.
Alternatively, you can build you can donate online (€25) and Team Hope will build a shoebox for you, full of essential school supplies, toys, clothes and hygiene products.
Five simple steps to follow:
Get a shoebox, wrap the box and lid separately with Christmas paper (we have already wrapped 150 boxes, so if if this is too much hassle fill one of our boxes)
Decide to whom you want to give your gift (boy or girl) and what age: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14.
Fill the box = use our 4 W’s as a guide (Wash, Write, Wear, Wow – more details below)
Close the box with an elastic band – please don’t seal with tape as the contents of each box have to be checked to comply with regulations.
This year the College is again taking part in national Culture Night, enabling visitors to the campus to learn about the history of the school, as well as its architectural heritage. Come and visit us on Friday 20th September (from 6.3opm – pupils will guide you from the car parks, and the talk starts in Chapel at 7.00pm, followed by a walk-around).
St Columba’s College has been on its current site since 1849. This tour offers a rare opportunity to see the campus and visit significant buildings. These include the 1880 Chapel (the only building in the Republic of Ireland designed by the great church architect William Butterfield), the 1971 modernist Science Block (architect: Robin Walker of Scott Tallon Walker), the Georgian Hollypark House, and Whispering House (2019), as well as lovely gardens.
The tour starts in the Chapel at 7.00pm, and will be led by the Sub-Warden of the College, Julian Girdham, who will give an overview of the school’s history. Since the boarding school will be in operation during the tour, the event will end by 8.30pm.
No booking is necessary. Please note that the terrain is challenging in terms of accessibility, due to the different levels and steps around the campus.
Last night we welcomed seventeen Old Columbans and parents to speak with our senior pupils (Forms IV, V & VI) about their careers and career journeys. There was a wide range of career areas represented, from business to law to the arts. The pupils were first introduced to all the speakers in the BSR before participating in a round-robin style series of short intimate talks with the speakers. The pupils could choose five visitors to listen to, rotating around every 15 minutes. At the end of the short talks, the pupils and visitors returned to the BSR for a Q&A sessions where more nuggets of advice were shared.
The Guidance Team, Mr Jones & Mr O’Shaughnessy, would like to thank all the speakers for giving their time to speak with the pupils and sharing their expertise and advice. Thanks also go to the Parents’ Association for their help in organising and running the event.
The speakers last night included:
Philip Conroy – OC – Market Development Representative, Docusign
Adrian Walker – Parent – Director of Grants & Incentives, Deloite
Cormac Murphy – Parent – Management Consultant
Jenny Green – Parent – Hotelier
Sinéad Ovenden – Parent – Partner PWC
Dante Borillo – Parent – IT Infrastructure
Lorcan Maule – OC – Solicitor
Selina Guinness – OC & Parent – Lecturer in Creative Writing, Writer, Farmer
Ben Huskinson – OC & Parent – Environmental Scientist / Engineer
Kirsty Foynes – Parent – Interior Architect
Georgina Walsh – Parent – Business Psychologist
Janette Dwyer – Parent – European Patent Attorney
Yvonne McGuinness – Parent – Artist
Ashley Sherwood – OC – Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Michael Casey – Parent – CEO Retail & Investor
Ed Sherwood Smyeth – OC – Software Development
Gianni Matera – Parent – Investor
The Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal aims to collect and deliver wrapped and packed shoeboxes, full of toys and essentials, for some of the poorest children in the world. To date, over 2 million such boxes have been handed directly to children all around the world and the College are delighted to have a long standing relationship with this wonderful charity.
Last year, our Transition Year pupils (and ably assisted by Mr Paul Cron) filled over 200 boxes while also volunteering at the Team Hope warehouse, packing additional boxes and loading lorries destined for eastern Europe and beyond. We hope to top that figure this year but need your help.
Over the half term we would greatly appreciate if you could make up a box/boxes or collect some fillers for the boxes or even empty shoeboxes and bring them back to school after the break. All completed boxes or fillers can be brought to the collection point in Gwynn or left at the staff common room. You can also donate online via the Team Hope website.
Five simple steps to follow:
Get a shoebox, wrap the box and lid separately with Christmas paper (we have already wrapped 150 boxes, so if if this is too much hassle fill one of our boxes)
Decide to whom you want to give your gift (boy or girl) and what age: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14.
Fill the box = use our 4 W’s as a guide (Wash, Write, Wear, Wow – more details below)
Close the box with an elastic band – please don’t seal with tape as the contents of each box have to be checked to comply with regulations.
Please include the €4 for transport in your leaflet envelope either on top of the gifts or taped to the inside of the lid.
The College has a rich tradition of supporting the Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal, a wonderful charity that collects and delivered wrapped and packed shoeboxes full of toys and essentials for some of the poorest children in the world. The College community generally wraps and fill over 200 boxes per year, a project driven by the Transition Year pupils and ably assisted by Mr Paul Cron.
Last year, due to the pandemic, there was only an online campaign and the College community donated over €800 from Transition Year fundraising projects, with boxes assembled and delivered to children in need across Africa and Eastern Europe.
This year we are back to doing a normal campaign and we are raising money through mini-companies to buy fillers and asking people to donate fillers (details below).
Over the half term we would greatly appreciate if you could make up a box/boxes or collect some fillers for the boxes or even empty shoeboxes and bring them back to school after the break. All completed boxes or fillers can be brought to the collection point in Gwynn or left at the staff common room. You can also donate online via the Team Hope website.
Five simple steps to follow:
Get a shoebox, wrap the box and lid separately with Christmas paper (we have already wrapped 150 boxes, so if if this is too much hassle fill one of our boxes)
Decide to whom you want to give your gift (boy or girl) and what age: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14.
Fill the box = use our 4 W’s as a guide (Wash, Write, Wear, Wow – more details below)
Close the box with an elastic band – please don’t seal with tape as the contents of each box have to be checked to comply with regulations.
Please include the €4 for transport in your leaflet envelope either on top of the gifts or taped to the inside of the lid.
Our Transition Year pupils took a day off class on Saturday last and instead engaged in a series of new activities to engage their creativity and challenge them physically. There was a wide range of activities on offer including yoga sessions, arts & crafts (including Christmas decoration making and book covering), Gaelic games (some promising “wristy” hurlers), baking and more. All activities took place in a socially distanced environment and we are grateful to members of the Parents’ Association for their help in facilitating some of the activities.
An album of photos from the Transition Year 2020 is below, including some new photos of the weekend’s events.
In COVID-19 times can we still look at the bright side of life? Thoughts by Marc Kaptein, Parent and Medical Director, Pfizer the Netherlands
Dear fellow parents of SCC students, the last couple of months have been a rollercoaster for all of us; children had to leave school in March, parents had to adapt quickly to that reality, children were attending classes remotely, SCC staff had to adjust to online teaching and prepare for the return of students in September. Now that our children have returned to school we need to accept that, despite all measures, staff or students may be infected with COVID-19(if even the president of the USA gets it…) and quarantines are warranted by the Irish authorities. My daughter Julia who, after a “close contact”, tested negative to our relief, is quarantined until October 8th. Despite this quarantine situation I want to quote the lovely German couple that accommodated her; “without this situation we would have never met!” So, always look at the bright side of life!
That’s great, but how and when can we return to pre-COVID normality, you may ask. Basically, there are three scenario’s possible. Firstly, the virus can no longer be contained, a large majority of world citizens will get contaminated, many will get seriously ill and millions die. The end result will be that group immunity is achieved and the virus slowly fades out. This scenario, while I’m writing it down, is not only scary but also unacceptable to me.
The second scenario hinges on significant scientific progress of the treatment of COVID-19 patients above and beyond the current options; virus inhibitors, immune system modulating medication and blood thinners. This would allow for the virus to go around the world population without the devastating effect and reach the much desired group immunity. Unfortunately new drugs, that would make this scenario a realistic option, won’t be available before the end of 2021 (if ever) and health care systems may collapse under the massive patient demand.
The third and most likely scenario in my opinion, is a safe and effective vaccine or, even better, vaccines. This, I guess, is also a good moment for my disclaimer; I am working for Pfizer, so my knowledge is specific to the vaccine we’re developing. Please understand that my view is coloured by the information I have access to. Working in the pharmaceutical sector I am convinced the first corona vaccine may be approved just before or after New Year. However, may I remind you, I always look at the bright side of life!
A question I often get is; how did you guys get your vaccine developed so quickly -and- can we be sure that it is rigorously tested and safe? I will try to answer those questions by pointing out a few key factors that have helped in achieving the almost impossible.
Firstly, the vaccine Pfizer/BioNTech has developed is a so-called mRNA vaccine. The key difference with other vaccine technologies is that the “vector” which is the vehicle that gets the “pay load” (Corona spike protein or genetic mRNA code for that spike protein) into the cell is a fully synthetic, non-pathogenic nano particle, not an inactivated virus. Because we don’t need to produce these “vehicle” viruses in mammalian cell cultures in large bio reactors (which is a tricky and time consuming process) in massive quantities we’ve been able to produce candidate vaccines for testing months quicker. Secondly, we’ve chosen to do multiple steps in parallel. For instance, we’ve combined phase II and III clinical trials and we’ve started manufacturing of the vaccine before we’ve been granted approval. This saves years in development and manufacturing time. Although these decisions increase the financial risks (in case of failure) it does not affect patients safety or rigorousness of our clinical trial program. Thirdly, governments worked alongside with us to accelerate approval processes. Both EMA and FDA have decided on so-called “rolling reviews” which means that they will review data when available rather than waiting for us to submit a full dossier. This saves up to 9 months compared to regular approval processes without affecting the objectivity or rigor of the process.
My personal experience over the last couple of months has been that impossible things were done in days and little miracles in weeks. Unlikely partnerships were forged and friendships started. This also holds true for SCC, we can only overcome this extremely challenging period together. With my own eyes I’ve seen the extraordinary amount of work that Mark Boobbyer and the COVID team have put in to prepare and find solutions for each and every unique students problem or situation. Without COVID-19 I would’ve never been in close contact with the COVID team at school. So I stand with my motto; always look at the bright side of life! I hope you do too!
Marc Kaptein,
Medical Director
Pfizer the Netherlands
Dear Parents
Welcome to our first newsletter of the new academic year 2020/2021.
On behalf of all the parents, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the Warden, the Matron and all her team, and all members of staff, including ground staff, for the way in which they have quickly adapted and are adapting to the new educational environment at SCC. The past few months, have been , without doubt, difficult and trying for both management, parents, and student alike and we appreciate how the staff have worked tirelessly over the summer under the restricted guidelines to ensure that SCC opened its doors in September despite all the challenging Covid-19 protocols that had to be put in place.
On behalf of the P.A. Committee, can we ask parents to try to ensure that we and our children respect the HSE and school guidelines, especially during Exodus and mid-term breaks, so that students, staff and all their families remain safe for the foreseeable future.
The HSE Website is linked below.
www.hse.ie
It is important too, to thank those parents who are housing children during exodus and half term for those children who are unable to return home, and to thank those that have contributed and continue to contribute their time, advice and expertise in answering questions for parents living here and abroad.
If you have any questions going forward , please do post them on what’s app or message one of our P.A representatives personally. If you are still not on the WhatsApp group and would like to be please email sarah.gleeson@icloud.com
PA reps for the coming year:
1st Year – Ciara Hassett
2nd Year – Jenny Pringle
3rd Year – Colette Cully
TY – Aine Carroll
5th Year – Sarah Gleeson
6th Year – Ciara Hassett
Overseas – Irmela Hopkins
Unfortunately all coffee mornings are suspended at present but as soon as restrictions are eased to allow greater numbers at gatherings we’ll get going again and welcoming you for a catch up.
Gilly Goodbody is your contact for the Second Hand uniform shop. There is not an awful lot of stock left, but if any one is need of anything. Please contact her. 086 6077455
