It's not often that the pupils enjoy bragging rights after the TY-Staff soccer match...in fact, it's never actually happened before...but it finally happened on Friday, 11th May as the kids managed to stifle a staff comeback to win 3-1. The scoreline doesn't really tell the truth about the game; it was a 50-50 affair, with little to separate the sides (apart from about 300 years...). The eventual outcome pivoted on a missed staff penalty in the first half that would have squared things up; the pupils taking the lead early on. By the time the pupils were two up, the staff (sponsored by Deep Heat) were on a damage limitation exercise. Or so it seemed. But old heads don't drop easily and the staff were back in the game following a cool finish from Shaun McGeoghan. The staff dominated the last fifteen minutes of the contest, pushing forward in numbers to force the equaliser. Mr. John Farren, along with "ringers" John Gibbons and Fergal Doherty, bossed proceedings. But it was the pupils who got the rub of the green and were gifted a penalty with minutes left on the clock. There are only fifteen school days left for the Transition Years to exercise their bragging rights...it's going to be a long three weeks!

Transition Year v Staff soccer match photo album (photos by John Doherty, TY)

It turned out to be "AWESOME!"...the Transition Year Grand Tour of the Áras finished up on Friday, 28th April with "Dancing to the Musicals", a memorable sound-and-lights extravaganza coordinated by Ms. Elaine Farren. Three TY groups competed in the dance-off. No musical was safe, as Grease, The Rocky Horror Show, High School Musical and Thriller among others got the TY interpretation. Cearly, there's an exhibitionist trying to get out of every TY pupil...In the end, Group Three reigned supreme. For those of you unlucky enough to miss it, there's always the photo album (reliably compiled by John Doherty, TY). And yes...that WAS ten members of staff dancing to Boogie Nights!

"Dancing to the Musicals" photo album

The March residential was the fourth time the Transition Year students had attended the KEY Programme, but sadly it was the last time as well. They were accompanied by Mr. Sam Bogan. This time they took part in making products. All three schools were mixed into business groups and given a product to make and sell to the public at a Trade Fair. All teams did excellently and the overall Best Company Award went to The Key Scent, which had Ciara McGonigle and Mark Kelly in the business team. On Thursday night, all students were dressed very smartly as they attended the Gala and disco. They all had great fun and didn't want to leave. The other schools liked it so much they were in tears...but not one student from CCS cried!

KEY Residential (March) Photo Album

Delphi Mountain Resort hosted 34 Transition Year pupils for the last Residential of the year. If you're not familiar with Connemara, just think Mountain Road Carndonagh, for miles and miles...and miles! All agreed that the area was scenically beautiful, although few of the TYs had come along for the scenery. Among the activities on offer were zipline, surfing, wall-climbing, jacob's ladder, an assault course and team-building games. The most challenging test for the pupils however was the 10:30pm lockdown! It's clear that not many pupils are used to lights-out by half ten...or even half eleven. But they had to toe the line! The Resort staff certainly take no nonsense...The group had a lot of fun and also faced a few fears, including heights and following orders! A productive week overall.

Delphi Residential Photo Album

Take Me Out (as seen on UTV) made its debut on stage in CCS on Friday, 9th March. While rumours that the show was also the first rehearsal were untrue, there was a general sense beforehand that the night could turn out to be anything. What it did turn out to be was pure gold! MC'd to perfection by RE teacher and funnyman, Mr. Sam Bogan; coordinated by himself, Ms. Nabla McGeehin and TY pupils, John Gerard Bradley, Daniel McEleney, Philip Toland and Ronan Bradley, the show was a hit from the first minute. The contestants certainly played their part, with some cracking one-liners and a few cheeky jibes thrown in off-the-cuff. The dates, all fairly brief, were hosted in a cosy corner in the Coffee Dock (under the supervision of Ms. Elaine Farren and cameraman, Mr. Niall Havlin). The recordings were then shown to the audience on the big screen in the Áras. A couple of pupils said that the dates were "the cringiest thing I ever did."...After watching the clips, nobody would disagree! Many thanks to all involved in the show, which couldn't happen without the help of caretakers, doormen, ushers, supervisors - members of staff who are rarely seen but always there during productions. Everyone gets the feeling "Take Me Out" will not be a one-off.

Take Me Out! Photo Album (courtesy of John Doherty, TYA)

January's residential was the third time Transition Year students attended the KEY Programme, but the first time they were accompanied by Mr. Sam Bogan. The pupils took part in interviews - being dived into groups and put into three different rooms with students from North Coast and Our Lady of Mercy. At the end of the interviews there was one winner choosen from each of the three rooms. Carndonagh CS girls swept the board, getting all the jobs! The girls were Aoife Ferguson, Aideen Monagle and Kate McCreanor. The TY troop also set up a campsite, made soda bread and went on a ghost walk. The Transition Year students would like to thank Mr. Sam Bogan for accompaning them to KEY.

KEY Residential (Janurary) Photo Album

On Wednesday, 11th January, Transition Years were treated to their second residential at SHARE Activity Centre on the banks of picturesque Lough Erne, Co. Fermanagh. The photo album tells the story of three days of kayaking, combat games, hill climbing, wall climbing, human foosball, archery and insomnia...

Transition Year SHARE (Part II) Photo Album

1. Right-click on Transition Year Profile Template below and "Save As" to My Documents.
2. Fill out document in Microsoft Word
3. Save to Student Server as directed by your teacher

Download Transition Year 2011/12 Profile Template

Residentials play a significant role in what makes Transition Year a popular and successful programme. SHARE Centre near Eniskillen has become a regular on the TY tour and can claim to have all the bases covered when it comes to activities. Team-building games and water-based activities are the mainstay of SHARE, but it's not all about having fun 24/7 (...some sleep deprived TYs do give that a shot). Sixty youngsters doing the washing-up seems unlikely, but it happened! There is an opportunity for pupils to discover and develop new skills specific to a group environment. They can step aside from the day-to-day business of school and home, and push the boundaries a little bit further. Confidence is not something generally lacking in teenagers, or so you'd think. SHARE gives pupils the opportunity to put that confidence to the test. The TYs are now safely back at base; the adventure is to be continued...

SHARE Residential photo album

The Transition Year November residentials have taken place. Photos and reports will be available shortly...

On Wednesday, 21st September, 12 students took their first trip to KEY Residential in Corrymeela, Antrim. North Coast Integrated College, Coleraine and Our Lady of Mercy, Belfast were also at the residential designed to give young people of varied backgrounds the opportunity to address the "North / South" issue together. The students had great fun, particularly during the "Nightline", along with their accompaning teacher, Ms. Fiona Doherty. The worst part was the bus trip home as they didn't want to leave!

KEY Residential Photo Album