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The College Press

————-Friday, 30th March 2012 Issue 4 Volume 7 —————

The Easter Issue

Hunger

Games

Review!

Irish Olympic Qualifiers!

French

Exchange!

KONY

2012!

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College Press Editorial Team

Editors: Sorcha Lavelle –Walsh

Ciara Maher

Student Contributors: Róisín Flynn Page 4

Sarah Coller Page 7

Sam Burke Page 10

Grace Buckley Page 12

Aisling Wyer Page 16

Gráinne Carr Page 18

Shauna Howard Page 22

Special Thanks To: Mr. Doyle

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Editorial

Hi Everyone,

The Easter holidays seem to have approached

quickly after St. Patricks weekend and this is our last

break before the Summer Holidays. Hopefully the

weather will last! For all of those faithful people who

stuck to their lent promises... Enjoy the well de-

served chocolate!

We hope everybody on the French Exchange are

enjoying themselves, we’d love to be there with you!

Although many of us will spend this final term

preparing for exams there is still a lot to look forward

to! Punchestown, Uisce for T.Y.’s, concerts, lunch

times in the sun on the banks, etc! :)

And of course, hard luck to the Junior Cup Team. Al-

though we didn’t come away with the victory, you all

still did the school very proud.

Until next term,

Sorcha and Ciara :)

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Hockey Trip to UCD

Who says boys don’t play hockey?? This month the

Men’s Irish hockey team certainly put any rumours about the

‘masculinity’ of the sport to bed. For those of us lucky enough to wit-

ness their 1-1 draw with Korea (ranked 6th in the world), it was the

best game of hockey most of us have seen in a long time.

Dressed in green we all piled onto the bus after school on March 13th,

UCD-bound and not quite sure what to expect. Those of us aware of

the challenge that Ireland

faced playing a team ten

places above them in the

world rankings (a team with

a combined number of caps

over 1000 more than the

Irish team have accrued, as

well as the fact that many of the Irish players play for clubs on the

continent making training as a team more difficult) were almost

nervous!

After having a quick tour through the corporate area to snap a few

photos with giant hockey sticks and to bemoan our lack of money for

Irish hockey merchandise, we took our seats. We were surrounded

by other hockey schools from all over Ireland all there to cheer on

“The Green Machine”. Right from the anthems we cheered the boys

in green with all our might, so loudly we actually put cup song

practice to shame (rugby cheerleaders take note). Many of us actu-

ally ended up losing our voices as a consequence, but we were too

excited to care.

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The game was really end-to-end stuff, the two teams could not be

separated apart from the fact that due to their physical stature, the

Irish men probably had the edge (fitness and strength-wise). With

our eyes firmly on the game (and not on the senior boy’s hockey

team seated below us) we watched with admiration as the Irish team

patiently built up attack after attack, with unfailing patience.

We held our breath as the Koreans took several short corners, shots

from which either missed the Irish goal by inches or were saved by

Irish goalie Davey Harte (who had an absolute stormer and was

named man of the match). It was almost impossible to follow the

short corners due to the speed at which they were taken, and as

someone who sometimes pushes out short corners, I quietly cringed

thinking of my own far inferior technique!

Unfortunately, in an example of just how fast the international game

is, Davey Harte’s twin Conor took an extremely hard ball to the head

defending a short corner and had to be stretchered off. He was kept

in hospital overnight for observation and we later learned that after

receiving medical advice, he would play no further part

in the tournament!

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With the Irish team leading 1-0 thanks to David Ames at half time the

atmosphere among the Irish fans was positively electric. Despite this,

the small group of Korean supporters continued beating their drums

and singing as loud as they could, and they finally got something to

cheer about when Hyun Woo Nam (yes I did have to look that up)

scored an equaliser from a cracking short corner.

With the final score at a goal apiece there was definitely a feeling of

“the one that got away” among the Irish supporters, but everyone left

feeling elated all the same. After the match it was off to the Tallaght

McDonald’s where we all descended like vultures on the wonderfully

unhealthy food, cramming in as many yummy E-numbers as we could

manage. So, safe to say everyone had a great time- thank you to the

hockey coaches for organising the trip!

By Róisín Flynn

Check out the Hockey Facebook Page for Pictures!

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Amazing A.B.C. Achievement!

In what was a truly proud day for the College at the

Kildare Enterprise Board Final, your editors Sorcha Lav-

elle Walsh and Ciara Maher – also known as the Co-

C.E.O.s of The Advice Booklet Company (A.B.C.) –

managed to expertly secure a place in the National Stu-

dent Enterprise Awards in Croke Park on the 19th April.

You may have seen them at the Open Night, at the Parent

-Teacher Meetings, liked them on Facebook or simply

seen them advertised right here, but as the competition

for the Kildare Final places revved up, A.B.C. were

everywhere to be seen (thanks to excellent marketing

strategies – take note incoming TYs!).

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The unique range of products created by the talented

twosome included A School Survival Guide aimed at 1st

Years and A Guide To Sitting the Junior Cert. The catch

was that these guides were not written by some ancient

teacher or parent with no clue about how it is nowadays –

it was written by the girls themselves - “By Students, For

Students” as their slogan goes.

After making it through the school

heats along with three other mini

companies (Webipedia, Yummy

Days and Buy Irish), Ciara and

Sorcha upped their game by mak-

ing their products available on the

Kindle Store.

On the 5th of March the girls headed to Killashee to

the Kildare Enterprise Board Final. The standard of all

companies was very high and as the presentations

ran, the tension ran even higher. But calm and col-

lected as ever, Sorcha and Ciara (who are also close

friends) pulled off a highly impressive PowerPoint

presentation beginning “business should be fun” –

there holds their secret!

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Rapturous applause and cheers from all Newbridge

College students and staff in Killashee were heard as

the names of the 2012 Kildare Enterprise Winners

were announced – A.B.C.! Following an award presen-

tation, the girls were interviewed by Clem Ryan on

KFM.

I’ve dabbled in a bit of mini company myself and I’m

aware of the work that goes into creating your own

successful business at the tender age of 16, but I think

we should all be very appreciative and extremely

proud of the girls – ahem sorry –

high flying businesswomen as they

should now be known! We wish

them the best of luck as they repre-

sent the College on the 19th April in

Croke Park and in all their future

business endeavours.

Follow them on Facebook or their website:

www.wix.com/advicebookletcompany/home

...and don’t forget their guides are now available on the

Kindle Store and in Farrell and Neph-

ews Bookshop in Newbridge for €3.95. By Sarah Coller

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The Hunger Games

In the last issue I mentioned that one upcoming movie of 2012 was The Hunger Games and by the time you read this the movie will have been out for a week. For those of you who haven’t read the book and are going to see the movie over Easter, I’ll give you a short synopsis of the plot.

The movie is set not too far in the future, the United States has been split up into 12 districts and every year each district sends two people between the ages of 12 and 18 to compete in a competition that appears on live TV, 24 go in and one comes out.

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On the day that the competitors are being chosen, the sister of the main character Primrose (Willow Shields) is picked to compete, the main character Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) then volunteers to take her place.

The book was written by Suzanne Collins and is the first book in a series of 3, the second being Catching fire and the last being Mocking Jay. The plot is interesting and also seems to resemble another movie that came out in 1987 called The Running Man starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, the plot of both movies are quite similar, it’s a game show that’s purpose is to kill it’s contestants.

The movie has been out for longer in America and some people are saying that The Hunger Games could end up being the next Harry Potter genre of book to movie representations, I personally hope that it does and that the movie does not fall flat on its face. Hopefully after reading this I have con-vinced a few of you to go and see this movie over Easter, I know I will be, though as is the case with movies like this one it would be better if read the book first.

By Sam Burke.

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Bon Iver are a folk band

originating in Wisconsin, USA.

They won this year’s Best New

Artist Grammy and Best

Alternative Music Album for

their album, “Holocene”. Their other albums include For

Emma, Forever Ago (2008) and their self-entitled album

Bon Iver (2011). Check out their songs Skinny Love and

Holocene.

Emeli Sandé released her first album this year after writing songs for many popular artists like Tinie Tempah and Cheryl Cole. Our Version of Events shot straight to no.1 in the UK. Sandé has two

no.1 singles across the UK and Ireland, Next to Me and Read All About It which was a collaboration with Professor Green. I’d recommend listening to her live version of Heaven which she performed on Later with Jools Holland. Did you know that Emeli Sandé studied medicine for 4 years before becoming a professional musician?

Best New Music Acts of

2012

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Lana Del Rey shot to fame after her live performance of Videogames on

Later with Jools Holland this year.

Her album Born To Die debuted at No.1 in seven countries and her songs Videogames and Born to Die have also been in the top ten worldwide. Although about 50% of her face

is fake, there’s no denying the girl’s got real talent.

For the past few weeks Somebody I Used to Know, Gotye

ft. Kimbra has been at the top of the charts all over the

world, so if you’ve been living under a rock or something

and haven’t heard it yet go have a listen.

I guarantee it will be stuck in your head for a day or two.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

By

Grace Buckley

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While we welcome the Easter break, it is important to remember that

the next term is the last before the summer holidays. So let’s not

forget the exam students who will sit their Junior and

Leaving Certs next June. For the Leaving Cert class it will

be their last term in Newbridge College, (Awwww!) after

which they will all go their separate ways. It is also the final

opportunity to prepare for the State examinations. For those

students, this coming term will be crucial – studying,

revising, updating notes, study timetables and generally getting

psyched up for the event. So if you haven’t taken your studies

seriously up to now then get started – it’s never too late. To those

students I would say, be encouraged by the words of Brutus in

Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”, but heed the warning!

Brutus: There is a tide in the affairs of men.

Which, taken at the flood leads on to fortune;

Omitted, all the voyage of their life

Is bound in shallows and in miseries.

On such a full sea are we now afloat,

And we must take the current when it serves,

Or lose our venture.

(Julius Caesar Act 4 Scene 3)

EASTER

What is Easter and why does it fall on a different date each year?

And why does the Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate it on a

different date than the Western Christian Churches?

The greatest festival of all the Christian Churches commemorates the

MISCELLANY

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OFF THE BOOKSHELF

Body Parts by Anne Atomy, And the

Other People by Allan Sundry, April

Fool! by Sue Prize, 40 Yards to the

Latrine by Willy Makeit and Betty

Wont ,How to Succeed in School:

Rita Book , Artificial Weightlessness

by Andy Gravity, End Of Term by C.

Myra Report , The Big White Bird

by Albert Ross, How To Have Fun

by Meryl Lee.

IT TAKES ONE

One song can spark a moment,

One flower can wake the dream.

One tree can start a

forest,

One bird can herald

spring.

One smile begins a

friendship,

One handclasp lifts the soul.

One star can guide a ship at sea,

One word can frame a goal.

One vote can change a nation.

One sunbeam lights a room.

One candle wipes out darkness,

One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey,

One word must start each prayer.

One hope will raise our spirits,

One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,

One heart can know what’s true.

One life can make a difference,

You see it’s up to “You”.

resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. It is a movable feast; hat

is, it is not always held on the same date each year. In AD 325 the

Church Council of Nicaea decided that it should be celebrated on the

first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox of

March 21. In 1582 Pope Gregory XIII completed a reconstruction of

the Julian calendar and produced new Easter tables. One major

difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendar is the "leap year

rule".By the 1700's most of Western Europe had adopted the

Gregorian calendar. The Eastern Christian churches still determine

the Easter dates using the older Julian calendar method. Easter can

never occur before March 22 or later than April 25.

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French Exchange Exchanges have been recognised as one of the best ways for young

people to improve their knowledge of languages, to broaden their

horizons and to make lasting friendships with people from other

cultures And what a better country for students than France?

France is not only a country of food and fashion but it's a country with

a dynamic industrial and agricultural economy. The geographical

location of France, at the crossroads of the

EU and the Mediterranean, together with its

diplomatic and political influence give it a

key role for not only the European Union but

also for potential career paths. Don't forget

that here in Ireland we're in a recession and

some of you may be planning on emigrating. If so, France is not one

to be missed. Speaking French could not only benefit your Leaving

Certificate but also your future career.

The Exchange Programme between Newbridge College and St

Dominique has been operating successfully for many years. As part of

the exchange programme, approximately 20 students travel to France

for a week in April. They spend it with their French exchange partner,

experiencing French family life and sampling the culture. They can

also get the chance to go on excursions during the course of the

exchange to see some of what the beautiful French Riviera has to

offer. In turn, the French visit during the month of February. Students

from St Dominique, spend a week in the homes of their

"correspondents" in the College and

surrounding areas, experiencing some true

Kildare hospitality.

The cost of the exchange is relatively cheap.

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When hosting a student (including excursions, visits, sports, etc.) the

costs are borne by the host’s families. The participants should bring

pocket money for shopping and small bits and bobs along the way but

in the end the flights are the most costly part of the exchange.

From my experience of the exchange, the success depends on the

enthusiasm of the participants during the stay. It is expected that Irish

students have a positive attitude towards France and their way of life

and not least the food and vice versa. The vast majority of the Irish

will have the time of their lives, some will have an average holiday

and some may get a little homesick. But all will improve their French

if they try. Representatives will be available in both countries

throughout the stay to offer advice and assist parents and students. I

am confident in saying that the Irish students receive a warm welcome.

It is important to notice that French students

are highly motivated and their main objective

is to improve their spoken English. Knowing

this before I went on the exchange (2011) gave

me a huge advantage as I then had set

expectations. In my experience it was one of

the best times of my life. I am even going back

to visit my correspondent over the summer

again. It remarkably improved my vocabulary

as well as my pronunciation. It was a trip of a lifetime that I will never

forget and many of my friends agree with this. My advice to whoever

is going over is to take it all in and be as enthusiastic as you can. I did

get very homesick at first as I hadn't been away without my family that

often beforehand. However, throwing myself in the deep end really

helped me gain a lot of confidence. Being with a family that spoke a

completely different language was hard to adjust to but it was

extremely beneficial. It was an incredible adventure that I cannot wait

to go back to enjoy this summer and I would recommend it to anyone,

anytime! -Aisling Wyer

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Variety Show 2012

Once again the annual variety

show took pride in showcasing

the plentiful talent that the students and teachers of

Newbridge College have to offer, and what better way

to do it then to raise money for charity.

Not only was the show fun for all involved, but it also

raised a generous amount of money towards the Irish

Cancer Society.

Nobody can deny that the teachers act this year was

absolutely hilarious! Who would have thought that Ms.

Scully and Ms. Mahon would take to the floor with their

rendition of ‘Rolling on a River’ and end the routine with

a cartwheel from both teachers and a magnificent dis-

play of flexibility by Ms. Scully doing the splits? And

Mr. Joyce, Mr. Doyle and Mr. King with their version of

the Inbetweeners dance? I doubt anyone realised how

well Mr. Joyce could pull off the character of Neill,

those dance moves aren’t exactly easy! When all the

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teachers came together for their final piece of

‘Everyday I’m shuffling’ the crowd went wild. (And in

case anybody didn’t know, that was Mr. Ger Doyle who

crashed into the side of the stage while wearing a card-

board box over his head, although I don’t think it’s one

of his prouder moments ...)

The rest of the talent in the show was also quite

remarkable. From hip hop to power ballads, from Irish

dancing to comedy, the Newbridge College variety show

really had it all. I’m sure everybody who attended would

have to agree that it was a really great show, and those

who didn’t go .. Well you missed out on a really enter-

taining night!

Special thanks to Ms. Smythe and Mr. Sherlock for

making the whole thing possible, and best of luck to

them and the other teachers taking part in the ‘Shave

or Dye’ campaign. Don’t forget to donate as much as you

can because it’s all going to a very worthy cause.

n.b. (*Editor/Mr. Doyle’s note) There is no actual proof one way or the

other to the identity of mystery person in the box!

By Gráinne Carr

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On March 5th, 2012, a little heard-of of chairty called “Invisable

Children” released a 30 minute video. It’s aim was to make

notorious third world criminal Joseph Kony infamous.

Expected to receive a few thousand views, the video currently

boasts more than 85 million YouTube hits.

We’ve all seen it and discussed it amongst our friends. Many of us

have shared it on our Facebook pages, and encouraged others to do

the same. The majority of us did so without doubting the chairty’s

credibility or the information it gave us, both of which have now

come into question. But who is right; Kony 2012 Campaign’s

supporters or it’s critics?

Amnesty International has welcomed

the massive public response to the

Kony 2012 campaign. In a statement,

it said how "Joseph Kony and other

LRA leaders have evaded arrest for far

too long” and praised the campaign

as a “salient reminder of the

continuing crimes by LRA members

and the need to arrest and surrender

their leaders”.

Positive Response

Foreign Affairs magazine published an

article stating that several

organizations, including Invisible

Children, had "manipulated facts for

strategic purposes, exaggerating the

scale of LRA abductions and

murders". It has also been critised for

prizing “feel good, simplistic messages

over complex history."

Negative Response

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The Reaction in Uganda

At a recent showing of the Kony 2012 video in Uganda, locals began throwing rocks

at the screen and leaving in anger. One commented; "There has not been a single

soul from the LRA here since 2006. Now we have peace, people are back in their

homes, they are planting their fields, they are starting their businesses. That is

what people should help us with." The Ugandan Prime Minister has launched an

online response on YouTube. On video, he seeks to correct the false impression

that Uganda is still in conflict, and invites everyone to come and see the country,

assuring that people would find it a very different place to that portrayed by

Invisible Children.

Financing Invisable Children spends 80.46% on

programs that further their mission,

16.24% on administration and

management costs and 3.22% on direct

fundraising. It is independently audited

every year. However, it is only rated 2/4

stars by Charity Navigator.

Progress On March 21, 2012, a resolution

"condemning Joseph Kony and his

ruthless group for a 26-year campaign

of terror" was put forward in the US.

The African Union has announced its

intentions to "send 5,000 soldiers to

join the hunt for Joseph Kony" and to

"neutralize" him. The soldiers will begin

their search in South Sudan and it "will

last until Kony is caught".

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World Book

As some of you might know, World Book Day was

celebrated on the 1st March 2012 and has been celebrated for the past 15

years. It also has been the biggest annual event promoting the enjoyment of

books and reading. Something you may not have known is that their main

aim is to encourage more children to explore the pleasure of reading and to

provide books to children that do not have access to them. Each student

across Ireland receives a 1.50euro book token that can be used in booksellers

across the country.

Top 5 Books for 2011-2012

1. The Hunger Games (series)- by Suzanne Collins

2. Chains- by Laurie Hals Anderson

3. The Help- by Kathryn Stockett

4. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (series)- by Stieg Larsson

5. The Lucky One- by Nicholas Sparks.

With a great list of books like this, nobody has an excuse not to read.

Reading is an amazing way to unwind especially after a long stressful

day at school. It can also benefit you academically, broadening your

vocabulary, allowing you to be more creative and have a better

understanding of how a story is written. An example of this creativity

can be found on the new blog set up by the English department in the

school. They have organised a competition for the best short story

under 140 characters or 1 tweet. The finalists are Robert May, Alan

Kelly, Ellen Higgins, Sam Burke and

Blathnaid Corless. To vote you can either

go onto the blog itself at http://

newenglishirl.blogspot.com/ or follow

@NewEnglishIRL on twitter. The winner

will be announced on the 29th of March.

Every last vote counts, so get tweeting!!

By Shauna Howard

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...Notice Board...

The French Debating team (Lorna Cudmore,

Olivia O'Neill-Brown, Ciara Gardiner and Róisín

Flynn) would like to thank Miss Mitchell for all

her hard work with them this year. The team

reached the semi-finals of the Alliance

Francaise Joutes Oratoires

Competition where they were

beaten by a strong team from

WORLD BOOK DAY 2012

A Huge thank you to Farrell’s bookshop –

main street Newbridge for their help and

resources for this year’s World Book

Day. The shop is jam packed with great

reads to suit everyone’s tastes and you can

really pick up some great bargains. “Like”

their Facebook page!

French Debating

Congratulations to the Newbridge

College teams and to their mentor

Kevin Conliffe, who had a clean

sweep in the Regional Applied

Maths Quiz on Tuesday last.

Applied

Maths Quiz

Congratulations to

Lorna Cudmore in 6th

Yr who was awarded

best overall speaker

at the final of the Alli-

ance Francaise Joutes

Oratoires

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Easter Maze

Enjoy Kiddies ;)