For my personal skill as part of my gaisce, I joined the drama society in my school. I enjoyed drama so much that I decided to keep it up for 26 weeks. The second 13 weeks of drama were slightly more stressful but definitely more fun. We put on a production of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. We performed twice for the school and a third time for the parents. I played the part of Gwendolen Fairfax.
As a lot of drama students had been away as part of TY, we had quite a short space of time to perfect the play. This meant that we had to come in on weekends and stay after school to rehearse. The play itself is really long, so rehearsals were challenging as they went on for hours. However, performing the play was so rewarding because of all the work that we put into it. We helped to create a beautiful set and brought in props. We were given extravagant costumes and a professional came in to do our hair and makeup. The play was a huge success and everyone really seemed to enjoy it. I am so glad that I took part in drama for my Gaisce. I loved every minute of it and I can say that I am much more confident because of it.
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The Summer Concert is an annual event that takes place in St. Gerards. It is where the choir, soloists, groups and instrumentalists take to the stage and perform in a concert. I take part in this concert every year because it is such a rewarding evening to be a part of as everybody works together to create an enjoyable show. It isn’t a competition so there is a really relaxed atmosphere about the concert.
I am part of the senior choir so I was involved in those songs, which involved excerpts from The Greatest Showman, a tribute to Queen and a Miss Saigon section. I also sang a duet with another member of the choir, “Rewrite the Stars” from the Greatest Showman. My two friends and I also sang “Shake it Out” by Florence and the Machine. There were many other acts such as pianists, violinists, harpists, guitarists and lots of really talented singers. I think the concert was a great success and I really enjoyed myself. I love to perform and it is such a nice feeling when lots of people get up on stage and perform together. I had a great time and I already can’t wait for next years show. At the beginning of the year we were given the option to take part in a first aid course that would take place in April. I thought this would be a really good opportunity to gain valuable life skills so I decided that I would love to take part in the course.
The students taking part in the course were split into their forms. My form had a really nice and helpful teacher named Gerry. Over the course of the three days, we covered a really wide range of topics, including wounds, broken bones, burns, heart attacks and cardiac arrest, strokes, CPR and much more. We were taught how to give proper CPR which we practised on mannequins and also the situations in which CPR should be used. We were also taught how to use a defibrillator, how to create a sling for different types of injuries and how to bandage a bleeding wound. On the last day there was an assessment where we sat a written test and also did a practical exam which involved performing CPR on the mannequins. I feel like the first aid course was one of the most beneficial things I have done in TY. Even though it was only three days long, so much information was covered and I think that I now have so much more knowledge on the subject. I think it is really important that everybody has an education in first aid so that most people have an idea of what to do if an accident occurs. I can say that I now feel more confident that I would be able to help if an accident did occur, and I am so glad that I took part in the course. Every year, TY students in St.Gerard’s come together to put on a musical production. It is without a doubt one of the highlights of the year for many Transition Year students. I really enjoy music and was very excited that it was finally our turn to take part in a musical, as we have watched the productions of older years.
This year, the musical chosen for our year was Legally Blonde. The girls were quite happy with this choice as it is a very feminine musical with many female characters. There were three audition classes with the music teacher and head of the musical Jackie Olohan, and the dance choreographer Aisling. Eventually the roles were cast, with Abbie McCarthy and Luke Shanahan playing Elle Woods and Emmett Forest, the main characters. I got the part of Brooke Wyndham, an exercise guru accused of murdering her husband.I ended up with a second role of Pilar, one of Elle’s sorority friends. Lily-Kate Hearns, Lois Honan, Cillian Soden and Aidan Long were also some of the lead roles. As soon as the roles were cast, rehearsals took up every single day until the musical. I was put out of my comfort zone as I am not very confident when it comes to dancing, and we all had to learn all of the different dances together. We also had acting and singing rehearsals all together so everybody was forced to become confident quite quickly. The all-day rehearsals made the year group become extremely close with each other and people formed strong friendships with people they may have never properly spoken to before. Everybody seemed to come out of their shell and we all became really comfortable with each other. It was such a team-building experience because we all had to work really hard together if we wanted the musical to be a success. The rehearsals were really stressful at times as we were working towards a deadline and we weren’t sure if we would be ready. It was difficult because all 90 students had to take part in the musical so it was really hard to work with that amount of people. The musical itself was also quite challenging, and some of the songs were incredibly difficult to master. We had a full - dress rehearsal on friday the 2nd of February, which was not very successful. However, we managed to pull it together and by the time we got to the evening shows we had produced a really funny, entertaining musical. It was so rewarding when you were standing on stage and the audience responded with laughs or applause, and we were so proud of ourselves by the end of it. We got good feedback from everyone who watched it and it was a really enjoyable show to perform as it was lighthearted and good fun. Although some of the rehearsals were really stressful leading up to the musical, and there were a few arguments along the way, it was a really amazing show to be a part of. I have gained so much confidence when it comes to performing (even dancing!), and I feel like I have really improved my skills in acting and singing. We produced a great show that most people really seemed to enjoy. However, the most important thing to me that has come out of this experience is the progress in our year group. We have matured together and grown so much closer as a group in a matter of weeks. We are so much more comfortable together and I can say that I am surrounded by great friends. I am so thankful that we got this experience and I think it has been the most beneficial part of Transition Year for our year group. Gaisce is the President's award in Ireland. It is earned by taking part in different activities for a certain period of time. There are three awards- gold, silver and bronze. The bronze award is the first and shortest level of the Gaisce award, and it is the level that I am attempting to complete during Transition Year. To earn the award, participants must take up a new personal skill, physical activity and a form of community service for one hour per week over a duration of 13 weeks. After the 13 weeks, you have to choose one of the activities to continue on for another 13 weeks. You also have to complete an adventure challenge, which has to take place over a minimum of 2 days and 1 night and includes at least a 25km walk.
For the adventure journey, my school took us camping in September. We hiked around Lough Dan over the course of two days and spent two nights camping in tents near the lake. It was an amazing experience and encouraged everyone to work together. For my personal skill I chose acting. There are extra curricular drama classes in my school that me and some of my friends take part in for an hour and a half each week. I have always had an interest in acting and I am really enjoying the classes. I can say that already my confidence has grown in being able to speak in front of others and express myself. We were brought to see an Oscar Wilde play, " A Woman of No Importance", in the Whale Theatre in Bray, which was to give us inspiration for our production of "The Importance of Being Earnest" which we will be performing in March. I am thoroughly enjoying drama and will be continuing it for the 26 weeks. For my physical skill, I decided to choose sailing. From September to December I took sailing lessons every Saturday from 2-5pm. I had been sailing before and was looking to improve my skills. I was lucky enough to have friends from outside school also choose it for their physical activity so I was not alone. Although it got unbearably cold some of the days, especially in the later months, I had so much fun during the course and really learnt a lot more about the sport. It was a really good way to get outside and change my surroundings. The 13 weeks were really beneficial and I feel like I have really improved at it. For my community work I joined the Y.S.I committee in my school. Y.S.I stands for Young Social Innovators, and we have chosen the topic of homelessness. There is a Y.S.I class every Friday for an hour. We have done many things to raise money for and awareness about the homelessness crisis in Ireland today. For example, we have had a bake sale, packed Dignity Bags full of vital supplies, went carol singing and had guest speakers talk to the school among other things, and we are hoping to do lots more. Already I feel like we have made a difference and it feels very rewarding to know that little things you do are making a big difference to people in your community. After the first 13 weeks of taking part in Gaisce I can say that it has already given me valuable life skills and I am so glad that I decided to take part. (imagex2) On Monday the 27th of November my year got to go scuba diving in the National Aquatic Centre in Blanchardstown. We took a bus from school to the centre in the morning. When we arrived, we were split into two groups. The first group went scuba diving first, while my group watched them and had lunch. When it was our turn to go scuba diving, we got changed into swimsuits in the changing rooms. We were then fitted into wetsuits and had to gather up all the correct gear for scuba diving: flippers, a mask and all the actual breathing equipment like the tank. We then got into the pool and were split into smaller groups. We had to deflate our vests to allow us to go underwater and we then stayed underwater for the rest of the time. We swam around the pool doing different tricks and learning new useful things such as how to get water out of your mask. The tanks were very heavy and it was almost impossible to carry them when we got out of the water! Scuba diving was a really new experience and I had so much fun. At first it was difficult to get used to the breathing technique and the weight of the tank but once I got used to it I had a great time. I will definitely try to complete the next levels in the PADI scuba diving programme in the future as I enjoyed it so much.
At the beginning of the year, my school gave us the opportunity to sign up for a TY scuba diving introductory course. The course consisted of two parts: a scuba diving theory talk in school and then actual scuba diving on two separate days. On Wednesday the 22nd of November, Willie from Ocean Divers came in to give us a talk on the theory. He talked us through the types of equipment needed for scuba diving and how to use it. He also taught us some of the hand signals needed to communicate while underwater. He told us the most important rule of scuba diving: don't hold your breath. He also said how to get used to the pressure, by popping your ears. I thought the talk was really informative and I can't wait to go scuba diving.
On Friday the 17th of November we got the opportunity to visit DCU for their open day. My year got a bus from school to the university. We were given a timetable and were told to figure out which lectures we wanted to go to. When we arrived we were allowed to go off by ourselves until we had to leave at 2. The campus was really big and I really liked the atmosphere there. The first lecture I went to was a psychology lecture. The teacher told us what was involved in a psychology course and the criteria we had to meet to get in etc. I really liked this lecture and it was by far my favourite. The next lecture I went to was journalism which was slightly disappointing. It wasn't what I expected it to be like and I didn't really enjoy it. I then went to a law lecture which was also different to what I thought it would be, however I did find it interesting.
I thought the open day was so beneficial as I got to see a university campus and also test out different subjects to see if they would suit me. I really liked the day out and can't wait to visit another university. On Friday the 24th of November I took part in an optional Public Access to Law module. I was really looking forward to this module as I have an interest in law and wanted to learn more about what a law career consists of.
In the morning, the lady taking the module, Mary, began by introducing herself and telling us a bit about herself. She is a barrister, and she told us about all the different types of courts and law that exist. Firstly, she showed us a CSI programme about two murders, which showed how police and scientists examined all the evidence of the case and found the culprit. It was a really interesting programme, however I don't think it really related very much to the subject of law. It was more related to the science side of crime. After lunch I found the module much more interesting as we took part in two mock trials. There were two examples of court cases and a person from the group was given a role to play. There were witnesses, barristers, victims etc. The barristers were allowed to cross- examine the witnesses, which ended up getting very noisy and competitive! The mock trials were a really beneficial exercise as it gave us an insight as to the structure of a real trial and gave us an idea of what the experience is like. I thought the module was interesting and good fun, however I felt that I didn't really gain anymore knowledge as to what a career as a lawyer would be like. On Thursday the 26th of October, my form got the opportunity to go to Kairos for English. Kairos is a TV studio in Maynooth where we were able to create and film our own 15 minute piece. In the classes before we went, we assigned roles to each person, for example the director, producer, sound effects, camera people, floor manager and actors. I was one of the actors. We then came up with the idea for our show : family fortunes. We came up with questions and answers to have on the show and then we also came up with a news piece to add onto it. When we got to the studio, everyone got told their roles and we put together a script. We rehearsed many times and eventually managed to film one full run through of our script without too many mistakes. The experience was new for me as I had never seen a TV studio before and the all of the equipment was really interesting. However, our class didn't get very much time to prepare for our show so the content wasn't as good as we had hoped it would be. It ended up being a bit boring and we struggled to make it longer. As I really enjoyed the day out and the experience , the show that we filmed was a bit of a disappointment.
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