Arklow CBS School News March 7th 2019.
Senior Gaelic
Arklow CBS took on Colaiste Chraobh Abhann in Kilcoole on Thursday in the Senior B semi-finals. The weather Gods didn't smile down on us for this particular match, but none the less both teams were involved in an epic game which ebbed and flowed for the full 60 minutes. In a hugely physical and combative match Colaiste Chraobh Abhann raced into 5-point lead. Playing against extremely strong gales Sean Crowley and Liam Moore did very well to put scores on the board. Then a moment of magic brought the game to life for the Arklow lads. Joe McGeary received the ball on the half way line and burst through three tackles like they were made of paper rattling the back of the net at the end of the move. This piece of magic evoked memories of Michael Donnellan’s great solo effort against Kerry in the 2002 All Ireland final. Luke Delaney pulled of some fine saves to keep the CBS in touching distance. Des Byrne and Brain Fennell coped admirably with the constant bombardment of high balls coming in from midfield. A determined and brave first half performance from the CBS lads made sure that the opposition team never got out of sight. Arklow went in at half time trailing by 7 points but the lads knew they had it all to play for with the wind to their backs in the second half. The wind had an electrifying effect on the Arklow lads and none more so than Seán Crowley as he took control of the midfield. Liam Moore kicked some sublime points, his accuracy levels were such that at times he could have been mistaken for the great Russian sniper Vasily Zaytsev. More points were added by the ever industrious Mark Fitzgerald. After a scramble in the box it was Chris Furlong straining every sinew of his body who got the final touch to put the ball in the back of the net to leave CBS trailing by a point. Powerful and perceptive Ben Fennell gave a regal performance at centre half back. Mossi Lynch covered more miles than a CIE bus as he ran from box to box, while Dylan ‘Akinfenwa’ Furlong put in a big physical performance. In the dying seconds super sub Oran Walker got on to the end of a high lobbing dropping ball and was inches from scoring a goal that would have been reminiscent of that famous 1982 Seamus Darby goal that robbed Kerry of an unprecedented fifth all Ireland in a row. Credit to Colaiste Chraobh Abhann as they kicked a few points against a strong wind to run out 2.11 to 2.10 winners at the final whistle. Unfortunately, our quest for two in a row fell short but I was extremely proud of this group of young men who had given so much for me over the last five years on and off the football pitch. I was overcome with emotion the like of which I hadn’t known since I first watched the incinerator scene in Toy Story 3. Thanks to a great bunch of lads for some memorable and magnificent memories over the last few years.
Careers speakers
Many thanks to Ms. Whelan for organising two extremely interesting and beneficial talks for the senior students. The first speaker was from Bangor University in Wales and is a lecturer in Law there. She spoke about the different areas of Law and the opportunities available to study in Bangor through the UCAS system. Areas such as Psychology, Medicine, Radiography, Physiotherapy, PE teaching, Primary teaching and many more courses are available. It was explained that the current fee system will apply until 2021 despite BREXIT.
Ms Breda Mc Carthy, a parent of one of our students spoke to the students on behalf of Chartered Accountants of Ireland. It was an excellent presentation about the different avenues into accountancy including trainee apprenticeships with Accountant Technicians Ireland and other routes. She herself is an accountant with Wicklow County Council so it was great for the students to have the opportunity to speak with someone actually working in the field. Many thanks to Ms. Mc Carthy for giving up her time to come in and talk to the students.
TY trip
The TY students went on a Campus Tour in UCD which was an extremely informative day. They were given an initial presentation about UCD and life in UCD and a detailed account of the different 60 courses on offer at undergraduate level, in 14 different areas. Afterwards they were taken by student ambassadors in groups of 5 around the university. The day finished with a trip to the Leisureplex in Stillorgan for bowling and food. Many thanks to Ms. Whelan for organising the trip and to Ms. Garvey and Pauline for accompanying.
Mock Interviews
The fifth year mock interviews took place last week. These are an annual event in the school calendar. These interviews give students a sense of what a real life job interview is all about. Ms.Whelan puts a huge amount of time into organising these interviews and they are hugely beneficial to the students who participate. Many thanks to the interview panel members who give of their time so generously.
Basketball
Our second year basketball team recorded a good victory after a shaky start against St. Davids Greystones. Arklow CBS played well in the first quarter with numerous attacks but couldn't convert them into scores. Kyle Kelly and Mark Crean were the only players to find the net and CBS could consider themselves unlucky to be 5 4 down in the first quarter although they left Evan Brady of St. Davids with too much free space and time to score a three pointer. In the second quarter the CBS roared into life scoring 14 points. With Sean McCarthy in serious shooting form scoring 6 points in the quarter. Wiktor Gajeck and Niall O'Donovan also got themselves on the score sheet with 4 points each. The defense was much tighter in the second quarter with St. Davids limited to just 4 points, and two of those came from free throws. The third quarter was a lower scoring affair with Niall O'Donavan and Wiktor Gajek keeping the scoreboard ticking over with a basket each while St Davids managed 6 points. Arklow did enough in the fourth quarter to hold out for the win scoring 5 points to St. Davids 6, courtesy of a Sean McCarthy free throw, a Conn Kinsella rebound and Kyle Kelly lay up. CBS are awaiting the final results from other games in the league to see if they will go through to the next round.