CHILDLINE BREAKFAST

As part of Childline's Breakfast Together Week, the CBS Meitheal team organised a breakfast morning for their 1st years on Friday 11th December. ¤2 from each student went to support Childline and they got to eat their breakfast together. All the students enjoyed their bowl of Cheerios and glass of orange juice with the morning proving to be a great success. The C.B.S and the Meitheal team would like to thank Supervalu, Hackettstown Road, Carlow for supplying the milk and Perry's Cash & Carry for supplying the orange juice. The Meitheal team would like to give a special thanks to Ms. Clonan for co-ordinating the morning and wish all the 1st years a Happy Christmas.

U-19 BASKETBALL GAME

Midlands League Final: St. Mary's Academy C.B.S versus Mountrath College

An outstanding display was made by both teams in a very highly contested match. This was the third meeting between the two this season with both looking for the win to qualify for the all-Ireland play offs and having won a game each to date. The game began with both sides scoring early in the quarter with the C.B.S coming out on top by four points in the first eight minutes. It was the CBS who lead for most of the second quarter but with the opposing side gaining points to give them a lead of two as the whistle blew for half-time.

It was Mountrath who looked the better side in the third quarter but with the C.B.S still fighting strong. The C.B.S missed a few clear cut scoring chances which came back to haunt the Carlow school with Mountrath leading by 3 points in the latter minutes of the last quarter. The last minutes provided an amazing battle between the teams as scores were matched point for point until the final whistle. The C.B.S were coming back strong but time was against them and Mountrath were the victors winning 4139. Congratulations to the coaches, Ms. Tennant and Ms. Dunne, and the U-19 team in St. Mary's Academy CBS for their commitment, hard work and success this year.

SENIOR DEBATING

On Thursday last, the third meet for the Concern Debate promised to be an enlivened, engaging and an impassioned clash of two very strong-willed and driven teams. St. Mary's Academy, C.B.S. Carlow, captained by Sam Riggs, travelled to St. Kieran's College, Kilkenny who were hosting the event for the night. The motion before the house was "The Irish media has a stereotyped and an unfair view of Africa." Passions flared as the debate got underway with each team fronting a well researched, rounded and an enlightened perspective on the topic.

The travelling support from Carlow was enraptured as our team displayed flair, conviction and a huge wealth of knowledge while putting their case forward. Stellar performances were the trend for the night as each team member, proposition and opposition included, took to the podium with such drive and vigour that one could not help but be enthralled.

Unfortunately, the final result of 2-1 was not in our favour. However, commendations go to Sam Riggs, Gareth Murphy, Danny Curry and Stephen O' Brien who represented the school extremely well. Special mention must also be made to Mr. McGovern, Ms. Wall and Ms. Dunne who mentored the team along the way. Sincere thanks to St. Kieran's College for their generosity in hosting the event and providing stiff competition on the night.

COPPER COLLECTION

To drive consumerism, many shops and retailers employ this trend of eye-catching prices which make little sense to the consumer but secure sales all the same. Have you ever questioned why something costs 99 cents and not a nice round sum of ¤1? The question the Peace and Justice Committee asks you is what do you do with that spare cent?

In December 2009, the C.B.S. Peace and Justice Committee decided to raise funds for the Saint Vincent de Paul Society by holding a copper collection. As times are tough for all these days it's difficult to imagine that some are still worse off than others. Thankfully, the spirit of goodwill and generosity is still alive and well today as we have found that all year groups are extremely generous in donating their loose change and coppers from every nook and cranny imaginable.

We do appreciate that times are hard and we would sincerely like to thank all who have contributed but regardless of current climate, fundraising never stops in the eyes of this committee for those who are in need of our help. We would like to encourage all of you to donate the contents of those bags, jars, tubs or wallets which are full of 1c, 2c, 5c coins we all have at home cluttering those presses or far flung recesses where no one wants to venture for fear of what they may find and forward them on to those who are in desperate need of assistance particularly at this time of year.

On behalf of the Peace and Justice Committee, we wish you a very peaceful Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

SCIENCE TRIP

On Tuesday, November 10, the Transition Year students of St. Mary's Academy C.B.S travelled to Dublin to visit the Science Gallery and the Irish Aid Centre.

Our first stop was at the Science Gallery, Pearse Street where we were taken on a tour of the 'What If' exhibition. The exhibition explores the hopes and fears of emerging technologies, and questions what may happen when science and technology advance. We were shown a wide range of exhibits, including what if animals were used as life support machines, which asks whether animals could be transformed into medical devices. An example in the exhibit was of a dog being used as a life support device for renal and respiratory patients. Another exhibit which we saw was the coin flipper exhibit. This tried to rule out the probability, by making a machine that flipped a coin to the right side 99% of the time. The exhibits were very varied in their nature, and overall it was a very interesting tour.

We then went to the Irish Aid Centre to take part in a workshop which was based on a small village in Malawi called Khulungira. We were first briefed on some facts about Irish Aid and the millennium goals before we began our first exercise. We were given a short overview of the life of a community in a small remote village. We were given twelve cards which represented some development possibilities for the people of the village. We had to prioritise the top six options which would most likely help to improve life in the village. We were then given a short summary of a certain family's situation in the village.

We had to rearrange the development cards in order to cater for the family's needs. During this exercise, we learned about the many things being done to help remote villages around the world. We also learned that even though most people in these villages are very poor, one family's situation can greatly differ from another's and one person can be a lot better off than someone else.

Next, we watched an eye opening and inspiring film about a day in the life of Memory, a girl in Khulungira. This film really opened our eyes to some of the hardship which people in remote villages face everyday. I think the reason why this film was so effective was because of the simplicity of it. We ended our workshop by learning about some of the food eaten in Khulungira. We left the Irish Aid Centre with a greater understanding and respect for people living in small villages like Khulungira around the World.