Time to say goodbyeeee

This week was our last full week of TY. Looking back I really enjoyed the year and will miss it. For our trip on Wednesday we went to Xtreme, an outdoor adventure centre. It contained loads o highrope courses and rockclimbing etc.. I was in a group with the first half of class Belle, with Megan and Méádhbh and others. We had to put on two harnesses that we could attach the ropes to. 

First we did the second high rope course which was terrifying as Im scared of heights and it was super windy. Then we did a free fall jump where the rope stops you a couple of metres from the ground. Then we did this challenge where 4 people stand on crates and you have to build a tower. We also did another higher high ropes course and rock climbing which was great.

We also got the option of taking an interactive baby for 24hours but i declined as the baby would cry through the whole night. In the end it did for all the girls who toke them. Méádhbhs baby's head fell off and cried alot xx

On Monday we have our TY Grad Night and then we have bowling on Tuesday but thats it. I'm so sad that TY is nearly over, I am not looking forward to fifth year, Im so jealous of the Tys next year . So bye TY 

Anna xx

Sci Fest, Dancing & Retreat

On Tuesday the winners of the schools finals went to Sci Fest in IT Tallaght. We had to present our project on pack mentality to a number of judges. Unfortunately we didn't win a prize but it was a good experience. The food was nice and we had the option to go to lectures about different sciences. I went to a talk about preventing and treating a sports injury in GAA. I found this very interesting as I have had trouble with an ankle injury due to playing Camogie.

We also had our TY retreat on Wednesday. We thought it was going to be quite religious as it was held in St Patricks college ( the priests college) in Maynooth University. Thankfully however it wasnt, we played games which some people slightly vicious and competitive. Overall it was really interesting as we got to talk about issues affecting us such as gender bias and the role of parents.

In PE we are doing Hip Hop which is taught by a dance teacher. We are preparing a dance for our TY Graduation night which is in two weeks. My half of the year are dancing to Beyonce and Uptown funk and the other group are dancing to Ariana Grande.

Anna xx

Swim a Mile, Gaisce Hike part II

This week we participated in the Ian Daly Swim A Mile with a Smile challenge. The task is to swim a mile (64lengths). You can go in a group or by yourself. I completed the mile by myself as i thought I could push myself as it is a worthy cause. The money raised goes to Our Ladys Childrens Hospital in Crumlin and Barretstown. It was a really fun day and after we got to go to Blanchardstown for food which was desperately needed as we were all tired and hungry after the swim

Two Fridays ago we went on our Gaisce Hike to the Wicklow Mts. It was a 25km hike. We left school at 2 and drove straight towards Kippure estate. We left our bags at our different houses and set off for a 15km leg of the hike. It was boggy, rocky and uneven terrain. It was very steep but we completed the hike and returned at 9. We then washed and made spaghetti for dinner. There was a forest fire the previous 2 days so all our clothes and shoes were covered in black ash. 

The next morning we woke at 7;30 and had to be out of the houses by 9. We had a mixed breakfast of pancakes, waffles, toast, cornflakes and fruit.

The first thing we did were highrope activities like the leap of faith and also things like archery. It was freezing and lashing rain. We went back to the one house with all our things and put on lots of extra layers. We were then split into 3 groups , slow, medium and fast. The pace of the group would decide when each  group would get on the shuttle bus to the starting point. I was in the fast group so we left an hour and a half after the first group and 45mins after the second. Méadhbh slept on the floor for that time.

When we got to the base of the mountain it started to lightly snow, even though it was nearly summer. There were sheep every where ( shout out to orla for  asking were the sheep). The ground was wet and it started to snow so heavily that everywhere was white and it was like a blizzard. IT was really boggy and amy and sinead both got stuck at points. The worst thing was that you wouldn't realise when it was bog and you would end up thigh deep in bog. The instructor was really nice and gave our group this little pop up tent and coffee which we had on the side of the mountain.

Overall I think this was one of the best experiences of TY, I would recommend it to anyone doing TY even if it seems miserable its really fun.

Anna Grylsssss

Anna xx

Santry & Gaisce Hike

This week was Santry West Leinster Athletic Championships. I was meant to go on tuesday to compete in javelin but i was sick. I went on Thursday however to do high jump, i think I came 6th/7th but im not sure. At the end of the competition our school won best girls school based on points earned by placing in the top 6 in an event. Its the 8th year in a row that we have won this award.

Today at 2pm about 35 of us are going on our overnight Gaisce ( the Presidents Award) Trip to earn our bronze medals. We had to 13 weeks of a physical, skill and community service activity and another 13 weeks of one of the activities. Our hike is a 40km hike in the Wicklow Mts and we're also going to zip lining aswell.

Driving time

So this is then start of our last term of TY. The thought of 5th year is just terrifying . Anyway on Tuesday we went driving in the Leinster Driving Campus in Maynooth. First we were split into two groups and my group started by learning driving theory. We also got to wear drunk goggles and try put two cones on top of each other. For some reason the goggles made everyone's eyes really big. Then we got to actually drive the cars. It was way easier than I thought, we had to drive out on a straight of road outside the main campus and other non learner cars were there aswell which was slightly nerve racking though.

See ya next week

Anna xx

Ball, Show and 'Healthy Cooking'

On Friday I went to the Temple Street Ball organised by the one and only Sarah Mc. We all dressed up all fancy in long dresses and the lads in suits. It was a great night and it raised €3000 for Temple Street Childrens Hospital.

My mini company i.protect was also in the paper twice for wining the innovation award at the Kildare finals.

In Home Ec we made Mars Rice Krispie bars. The recipe in truth is a heart attack waiting to happen with 400g of butter and 12 large Mars. In the end the looked really pretty.

Last night was also the opening night of my dance show in the Helix. Ive been in the Peelo school of dance since I was 4/5, so over a decade. Anyway as it was opening night there were a few nerves however we have more performances over the weekend so we wont have many  nerves for final night.

Anna xx

La le Padraig

Dia duit mo chairde, taim ag scriobh an post seo as gaeilge mar tá blog challenge againn. Ar an 17ú Marta bhí la le padraig. Bhí mé i mBaile Atha agus bhí gach duine as Meircea nó Astrail nó Sasana etc.... Ar an la bhi paraid ar fud na tire agus an domhain. Chonaic mé an parad i gCill Droichead agus chuaigh mé amach le mo chairde, bhí an chraic againn.

Áine ( Anna) xx

Hello everyone, this post is in Irish as we have to do it for a blog challenge. As you might know St Patricks Day was on the 17th of March. I went to Dublin the day before and the majority of people were actually touists from the US, Australia, England etc.. There were parades around Ireland and the world, I saw the parade in Celbridge and I went out with my friends. Overall i had a great day.

Anna xx

Total Eclipse,Work experience

While I am writing this post a solar eclipse is happening, sadly in Ireland its too cloudy to actually see it happening but everywhere went really dark. We still wanted to see it happening so we found a live feed from the Faroe Islands and we saw the total eclipse perfectly.

      

Also I am currently half way through my last work experience which is in Grafton Academy of Fashion Design. Im really enjoying it as I love fashion and everyone is really nice. My main project is making a skirt which is nearly finished...

Anna xx

Cross Country,Scifest,Hockey, Mini company Kildare Finals!!!!

So as I said in my last post we have had so many things going on. In the past week I have been out doing different things everyday. On Thursday I went to be an official at a West Leinster Cross Country race. It was freezing but I got to stay inside the car all day and count the scores. Our school came 1st, 2nd or 3rd in every race and we won best girls school.  The Scifest school rounds were also on. Sarah, Chloe and I did a project on pack mentality and we got through to the finals in ITT in May!

 We also got to the Leinster Finals in Hockey, its the furthest our school has ever got. Sadly we lost to Skerries 3-1. Next year though we will have a great senior team so we have our eyes set on the senior cup.

 Also I forgot to mention that my mini company i.protect got through to the Kildare finals of the competition. It was a great day and we got a full meal aswell. In the end we came 3rd and won  the most  innovative product. Hopefully we'll continue with the company in the future 

Pancake Day, Drumming and Lollipop Day

So the last few weeks have been crazy. We have had loads of trips out and projects due. The first big day we have had was Pancake day on the 13th of February for charity.We made over 200 pancakes and sold them with portions of lemon, sugar and nutella. It was crazy busy and we sold out in under ten minutes. 

We also had a jemba drumming workshop. We learnt traditional African beats on the drums and how to make different sounds on the drumsss.

We also went into Dublin City Centre to sell lollipops on lollipop day in aid of oesophageal cancer. The lollipops sold really well and was a really fun way to raise money for charity.

Anna xx

Briary Gap!!

This week we went to the semi finals of the briary gap drama competition. For the past few months we have been preparing a number of class plays. We had to write, act , produce and direct the plays ourselves. My class play was called Willow where Shakespeare was a girl and went into the future to Nazi Germany which gave her inspiration for the merchant of Venice. We were the first play on so we didnt have much time to prepare. We all had a great time and we spent the rest of the day watching other plays and walking around Mullingar.

Zumba !?!

This week in PE we started Zumba! Its really fun but really tiring. By the end of the class we were all completely wreaked. I laughed so much during it but its safe to say that you look better if you actually go for it and dont hold back. 

Im really looking forward to next week for another hour of zumbaaaaaa fun

Anna xx

Work experience no2 woooo

I recently started my 2nd work experience, Im working in a polymers (glue) company called WI polymers. Im really enjoying it, I work in the lab testing different glues, in the office answering calls and in the factory making huge quantities of glue. Im really interested in chemistry so this is the perfect work experience for me.

Anna xx

Hi buddy the Elf, whats your favourite colour?

So before Christmas we went to see Elf the musical in The Bord Gais Theatre. I kinda forgot to post about it as we have been doing lots in the last few weeks. I also found out that I hadnt properly uploaded any of the pictures on the blog so it took a while to do that. Anyway Elf was really good and about 10 of us got to sit up at the front of the upper circle so our view was fab.

 Anna xx

BT Young Scientist!

This week we went to the BT young scientist competition in the RDS. The second years also came with the TYs. It was packed when we got there and there were huge queues, somehow we were able to go in straight away. First we went to a show about light and its different uses. Sinead and I were a  bit annoyed as the presenter ,when asking for volunteers looked straight at us and then choose someone else. Anyway the exhibition was really interesting and I saw Ryan Tubridy who hosts the Late Late show. :)

The main stage for the Light Show(we got front row somehow).

Outside where the Horse show is held every year, its really pretty but absolutely freezing 

Anna x