St. Brigid’s students have had many successes in various competitions.
ENGLISH
Poetry Aloud
“Poetry Aloud” is a poetry speaking competition organised by the National Library of Ireland. The competition has two stages: regional heats which are held during October here in St. Brigid’s; and the semi-final and final which are held in the National Library of Ireland, in Dublin.
The regional heats of the competition are always a great success, with students from all over the Kerry region taking part.
There are three categories: Junior (1st and 2nd years); Intermediate (3rd and 4th years); Senior (5th and 6th years).
Entrants are assessed by a panel of judges on their performance of both poems, and are rewarded for good physical presence, clear tone of voice and appropriate dramatisation.
St. Brigid’s students who have participated in the competition have found the experience to be a most enjoyable one, and all students who take part in the semi-finals are awarded a certificate at the annual awards ceremony at the end of the year.
Students interested in taking part in the competition should contact Mr. Lyons or any other member of the English department.
Debating and Public Speaking
Debating and public speaking are invaluable skills for the future life of our students. As part of the Transition Year module in particular, students are encouraged to take part in such competitions as the Soroptimists and the Kerry Mental Health debates.
Senior students are offered the opportunity to participate in the U.C.C. Philosophical Society’s school debating programme in September of each year, while debating skills also play an important part in the syllabus content of both the Junior and Senior Cycle English programmes.
Any students interested in taking part in competitive debating should approach Ms. Hennigan, Mrs. Houlihan or Mr. Lyons for further information.
Essay Writing Competitions
A number of in-house essay writing competitions are organised each year to allow students a fun way of exploring their more creative sides. In addition, students are encouraged to enter a number of national writing competitions in the course of the year in a wide variety of genres ranging from poetry writing to short story compositions.
This year, second years were involved in the Writer in Residence programme. We were joined by local poet John W Sexton, who encouraged the girls to use their creative skills to engage with sensitive issues
SCIENCE
Science students at St. Brigid’s participate in a number of competitions both internally and externally each year.
The Senior Science ISTA Quiz is held in November.
Many senior science students enter the Annual Sci-Fest crossword competition.
Within the school during Science Week, a number of competitions were held:
- A giant science Table Quiz for 3rd years.
St. Brigid’s have also had representations at the Irish Science Olympiad held in DCU.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Competition
Each year Killarney Rotary Club holds interviews for the Youth Leadership awards. RYLA emphasizes leadership, citizenship, and personal growth, and aims to
- demonstrate Rotary's respect and concern for youth
- provide an effective training experience for selected youth and potential leaders
- encourage leadership of youth by youth
- recognize publicly young people who are rendering service to their communities.
St. Brigid’s students are encouraged to apply each year for this competition. Individual interviews are held in Killarney during the month of November and the winner goes forward to a regional final in Cork. Three students are chosen at this regional stage to represent their country in a week long trip to England and France. A highlight of the trip is participating in the Euroscola European Parliament day in Strasbourg. St. Brigid’s students have enjoyed considerable success in this competition for the past number of years as they have qualified for the regional finals in Cork.
