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