Broadening minds at St Benildus College

Students at St Benildus College Dublin had the opportunity to enjoy many experiences that help broaden their minds through education and living the Lasallian Core Principles.

Digital Awareness Week

From January 13th to 17th, St Benildus College Dublin embraced the evolving role of technology in education through Digital Literacy Week. This initiative focused on AI in education and information literacy, emphasising ethical AI use and the importance of reliable online resources.

Students engaged in a variety of activities, including inspiring talks, hands-on coding sessions, interactive quizzes, and SPHE debates. These experiences fostered critical thinking, digital skills, and a deeper awareness of technology's impact on education and society.

Highlights included Prof. Barry Smyth’s insightful talk on AI and computer science, an “Hour of Code” introducing block coding, and an online computational thinking challenge that united students, parents, and teachers. Interactive digital quizzes also brought excitement and learning to various year groups.

The week underscored the importance of embracing technology responsibly and thoughtfully in our ever-changing world.

History Week

History Week took over the school from 20-24th January. This year exhibitions stole the show, with three key exhibitions across the school. On the science corridor, “As Time Goes By” timeline exhibition highlighted key moments in History. In the Library, we had an on-loan exhibition from the National Library of Ireland, focused on “Heraldry: Coats of Arms Uncovered”, exploring the tradition of crests and coats of arms. The third exhibition was created by first year students, who demonstrated what they have learned this year by making models of moments in Early Christian Ireland.

The "Who Am I?" challenge on the 2nd Year corridor sparked curiosity and competition, as students worked to identify 20 mystery bios. Meanwhile, 3rd Year students participated in a revision quiz during their final history class of the week, with winners securing spots on the HTAI teams.

TY students showcased their creativity and public speaking skills in the ARTiculation competition, delivering compelling presentations on art, artefacts, and architecture. Two students advanced to the All-Ireland Final in March.

Senior students were captivated by guest speaker Kevin Maguire’s insights into life in a Northern Ireland border town during the Troubles, a talk that took place on January 15th.

The week inspired a deeper appreciation of history, blending learning with engagement and creativity.

Zambia Bakesale for Catholic School Week

This June, a group of Transition Year Students and teachers will travel to Zambia to continue work started last summer in developing Nsobe Primary School. Last year, the group built three classrooms and got an amazing opportunity to connect with the local community. This allowed the school to grow, and 50 new students entered the school this month.

In preparation for this trip, students are fundraising. One such successful fundraiser was the Zambia Bakesale this week which raised €706 for the trip. TY and 1st Year students (and their families) baked and produced tasty treats and we are so grateful for the community support.

Trinity Entrance Scholar

Congratulations to past pupil Cillian Foy (Class 2024) who was awarded an Entrance Scholarship award in Trinity College yesterday. Cillian achieved 625 points in his LC and is studying Pharmacy. We are very proud of him.

Visit from Reptile Haven

Fears were faced meeting new reptile friends on Monday 20th January when TYs met the reptiles from Reptile Haven Experiences. The two experience leaders introduced and informed students about snakes, lizards, geckos, iguanas, spiders and more. It was an incredibly memorable experience.

Get Rowing with Rowing Ireland

The St Benildus College Active Flag committee are running programmes with Get Rowing and Rowing Ireland, supported by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Sports Partnership. This involves TYs working on a rowing programme themselves and also leading first year workshops. So far, they have been working on correct rowing techniques, fun relays and time trials.

East Leinster Athletics

Congratulations to all our students who completed in the East Leinster Cross Country Finals held in the Phoenix Park. All our students put in strong performances.

Conn Mc Cluskey claimed 2nd in the Junior A Boys 2500m, with top 15 finishes obtained by both Conor Pimlott and Liam O' Flaherty. 6th year students Jake Mathews and Ciarán Connolly also had a top 10 and top 15 finishes in the Senior Boys 5000m. 

The Junior A team of eight students finished second overall and will now compete in the Leinster Finals in mid-February along with Jake and Ciarán in the Senior Boys. 

There were some great performances from all our students, and it was great to see our First Years participate in the East Leinster's for the first time.  

Junior Gaelic Football Success

Our Junior Gaelic Footballers have started their season well and progressed to the Junior A Dublin Final after a close semi-final against Ardscoil Rís, Benildus 3.08 : Ardscoil Rís 3.07. They look to play the final in the coming weeks. Huge thanks to "Rose Private" and "Corduff Travel" for sponsoring our training kit.

We are looking forward to:

·         Catholic Schools Week

·         TY Work Experience  

·         Incoming 1st Year Assessments

·         TY Ski Trip

·         Mock Examinations

·         Extra-Curricular Quiz Night