The management and teachers at St. Joseph’s Presentation Girls’ Secondary School have introduced a perpetual award for students. Cordal’s Katie Flynn was announced as the first winner of the inaugural Ceist Award.
“When the award was first mentioned we set out to establish what the award entailed; its importance in the context of the school and above all to ensure it was in keeping with philosophy of Presentation Order founder, Nano Nagle.
Once these basic principles were established, criteria were laid down to help identify and choose a student who fulfilled these Ceist principles,” said Principal Katherina Broderick.
Respect for Every Person
The key principles of the Ceist Charter apply to the granting of the award: Promoting Spiritual and Human Development; Achieving quality as a student in teaching and learning; Showing respect for every person; Creating community; Being just and responsible.
Once the guidelines were established, teachers were asked to nominate students who they felt had the attributes to receive this accolade. The nominations were then discussed and the recipient decided upon by school management and the year tutors.
“It is important at this stage to thank the staff and especially the year tutors: Ms. Kennelly, Ms. Cosgrave and Ms. Prendiville for their valued contributions.
Fifth year student, Katie Flynn was announced as the winner of this prestigious award. It was agreed that she displayed all of the attributes identified and Katie was indeed a most deserving recipient of this inaugural award for the 2014/2015 term.
Ethos Wall Unveiling
St. Joseph’s recently welcomed, Bishop Ray Browne to celebrate the blessing of the Ethos Wall in the main foyer of the building.
“The design and creation of the wall celebrates the values we hold and share as a community in Presentation secondary school. As Pope Francis said: ‘we must be the living presence of the Gospel in the field of education, science and culture.’ Principal Broderick explains the thinking behind the creation of the wall:
Jesus Christ in Daily Interactions
“Our school is a professional educational institution, we provide an education which teaches critical thinking and encourages the development of mature moral values but it is much more than this. Our school is a place in which Jesus Christ is both proclaimed and encountered through the daily interactions between staff and pupils. In the past few months we have revisited our purpose which in the daily demands of covering a curriculum, paperwork and planning, assessment and all the other things that have to be done, we always remember that our students need first and foremost to experience the face of Jesus Christ in our daily interactions. The wall gives witness to the founder of Presentation sisters, Nano Nagle. Our Ethos Wall is a visual representation of the connectedness between the spirituality which the school seeks to promote and the daily life of the school.
It is the end result of a most worthwhile process and discussion on what it means to be part of our school. The story of its journey is truly an inspiration.
The commitment and dedication of the Transition year students and teachers to the project is commendable. They have given of their skills and time freely with one purpose in mind – to make this a centre-piece for our school to be proud of and proud of it we certainly are,” Ms. Broderick concluded.