A very positive start to the new school year!

The management and teaching staff of St. Farnan’s Post Primary School in Prosperous have had much to celebrate as the new school year commences. With a record intake both in terms of their First Year cohort and in all years throughout the school, Principal Andrew Purcell welcomed students from Prosperous and surrounding areas to the school last week.

The school has had a long tradition of excellence in terms of academic achievement, sporting success and community involvement. This year sees St. Farnan’s also celebrating continued valued links with the business world through its links with the World of Work Programme and SAP Ireland, Croí Laighean Credit Union and the Mini-Companies initiative.

The range of subjects taught in the school has been expanded this year to include Politics, Sociology, Technology and Italian and student uptake of these new opportunities has been very strong.

The school’s innovative Transition Year Programme has grown to accommodate two class groups and this year students will enjoy a broad range of options, educational trips and guest workshops. Some of the new options for TY students include Astrophysics, Mural Art, Driving Skills and Politics while students will also engage in a wide variety of modules including engineering, film making, modern languages, heritage studies, fitness, wellbeing, photography, as well as their core subjects. They have much to look forward to in the coming weeks with trips planned to Baysports in Athlone, the National Ploughing Championships and a day exploring the environs of the village with Urban Orienteering. TY students who are working towards their Gaisce Awards will also be assisting the school’s committed staff in running the Breakfast Club every morning.

Another exciting development for the St. Farnan’s school community this coming year is the upgrading of the Technical Graphics room, which has been extensively renovated to provide the highest quality equipment and furniture for our students taking Technical Graphics and DCG at senior cycle.

Planning for the school’s extensive extracurricular provision is already underway. Members of the school’s dedicated staff have committed to coaching and fielding teams in many sports, including gaelic football, hurling, soccer, camogie, equestrian, athletics and basketball, while clubs have also been established for Speech & Drama, Board Games, Conversational Gaeilge, Debating, Choir, Open Mic, Spanish, Science, Art, Book Club and Fitness, among others.

The positive beginning to the new academic year follows on from a very happy Leaving Certificate results day on September 2nd which saw both our 6th years and school staff very pleased with the grades received and the subsequent offers of third level places, apprenticeships, Post Leaving Cert. offers and immediate employment options.

Among the smiling faces were Karen O’Donoghue, who will be studying Physical Sciences in Trinity College, Suzanne Carew, who will be going to St. Patrick’s College to do primary teaching, Lauren McArdle, who will be studying Irish and Psychology in Maynooth University, Sophie Cullen who will be doing Agricultural Science in UCD and Katie Hendrick who is going to TUD to do Applied Social Care. Mark O’Rourke and Cormac O’Connor are both going to the South East Technological University to study Sports and Exercise and Electrical Engineering respectively.

Other students are looking forward to commencing courses in a wide variety of disciplines in institutes and universities around the country and some have already commenced apprenticeships in the locality.

Principal Andrew Purcell reported that students were generally extremely pleased and that many had outstanding results with very high grades achieved in a wide range of subjects. “We are very proud of all of our students”, Mr. Purcell explained, and he also highlighted the hard work of the school’s dedicated staff. “We look forward to another very successful year and we very much value the important collaboration of the students, staff and families that make up our school community”.

Students interested in coming to St. Farnan’s next year are invited, with their families, to attend the school’s Open Night, which will be held on October 20^th. Updates on the school including news and events are posted regularly on the school’s website – www.stfarnans.ie and on its facebook page.