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English - #JC2017 - Luke Casserly

Luke Casserly - St. Mel's CollegeMy first State Exam ever!! I've been pretty nervous about the English exam since the mock, as it was a massive disaster! I left four whole questions unanswered, while my last answer was not much more than a few illegible scribbles.However, I feel very happy with how the exam went today! I managed to get all questions completed and this time around, my frantic scribbles were a tiny bit readable! I flew through the first two questions on the documentary and poster. They were a nice easy way to start. After that, I was nervous about time so went through the questions very fast - So fast I'm struggling to think what questions actually came up. I was happy to see the nice poetry question pop up. I used Lovers on Aran which I had just studied the night before so I was delighted. I spent a good bit of time doing a good dialogue on the last question, which asked you to write about a confrontation between an adult and a teenager.I feel this went a lot better than the mock and am looking forward to seeing the result!

#JC2017  #StateExams #ISSU17
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Home Ec - #LC2017 - Michelle Chiperi Aivazova

Coláiste Einde - Galway.When I opened the paper, I panicked when I saw cheese processing. I didn't do an ounce of study in this, and I came to the conclusion that I didn't even study cheese, even though it's my favourite food :(Other then the cheese mishap, the exam went amazing!I flew through it, writing more than enough. I genuinely thought I'd be absolutely bummed for this subject, but now I think it'll be one of the best!I left the exam fifteen minutes early because I had looked through everything and I don't think there was anything else I could have done. I felt embarrassed walking in front of everyone else doing the exam, but they honestly didn't even look up to see me go.I hope they found it okay in the end!I'm not looking forward to English Paper II, but all I can do now is hope some last minute revision can help.  

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#issu17 election results

Your ISSU NSE 2017/18 is as follows:President - Ben SmithDeputy President - Joe MeeSecretary - Chloe GriffinEducation - Luke CasserlyWelfare & Equality - Maeve RichardsonSports & Rec - Dylan NolanOifigeach na Gaeilge - Sarah ConnollyCampaigns & Communications - Glen KielyStudent Council Support - Oisin O’KeeffeInternational Art O'MahonyHonorary President - Jane Hayes Nally

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Minister David Stanton T.D. Launches the Irish Second-Level Students' Union's Charter for Inclusive Schools

DATE: 22.3.17 - 12pmMinister David Stanton T.D. Launches the Irish Second-Level Students' Union's Charter for Inclusive SchoolsThe Minister with special responsibility for Equality, Integration and Immigration, David Stanton TD was on hand today to launch the ISSU Students' Charter For Inclusive Schools. The launch took place in the Clock Tower Building in the Department of Education on Marlborough Street.Minister Stanton stated “ I applaud the initiative taken by the ISSU in developing the Charter – I believe successful integration can be achieved by migrants and non-migrants working together and that students can be active participants in the process.”In November last year, the Irish Second-Level Students' Union hosted the Tool's For Inclusive Schools event, in conjunction with OBESSU's (Organising Bureau of European School Students' Unions)  'Seeds for Integration' and National Youth Council of Ireland 'One World Week' focusing on the integration of migrant and refugee students in second-level schools across Ireland. The aim of the event was to consult with second-level students and create a 'Students Charter for Inclusive Schools'.Although schools in Ireland are now more diverse than ever (with one in eight students having been born abroad) the Irish Second-Level Student's Union felt that this issue was not talked about or celebrated in schools. The ISSU Student's Charter for Inclusive Schools is an agreement imagined, designed and written by students who want to make our schools more inclusive of students from migrant, refugee, and minority backgrounds. The Charter also calls on key educational stakeholders to take concrete steps to promote inclusion at second-level education.The Charter features points such as:

  • As students, we want a curriculum that adopts a critical perspective towards privilege and history
  • As students, we do not judge or fear differences in viewpoints

And

  • As students, we call on the Government of Ireland to 'cherish all children of the nation equally' and remove any barriers in schools admissions policies.

 The event, organised by the ISSU International Officer, Ellen O'Rourke was attended by representatives from second-level schools and organisations working in the educations sector as well as organisations representing migrant and minority groups in Ireland.The Irish Second-Level Students' Union will distribute a copy of the Charter to any School's Student Council that wishes to display the Charter in their school.-ENDS- 

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Women in Leadership- If She Can Do It, So Can I.

Sarah Harte is our ISSU Regional Officer for the West of Ireland.She was recently elected at our Regional Council in Galway this year. Here, Sarah shares her thoughts on women in leadership.As today is International Women’s Day, it is the perfect time to celebrate and highlight the importance of role models to young women and girls. The power of role models often goes unrecognised but they can have an immeasurable effect on the lives of young people, particularly girls. It is important to be able to see someone who you can identify with in a position to know that you can make it there.Historically, the vast majority of leaders in this country have been men. This often meant that women and their achievements were not acknowledged or written about leading to a lack of women that girls could look up to. That is not the case anymore as more and more women rise to the top of their fields. The playing field is becoming more equal but there is still hurdles facing many women. For example, just 22% of all TD’s at present are women and this is a record high. There are always certain challenges facing people who aim for power but men and women tend to face different attitudes and challenges. Having a lack of self-confidence can hold you back as it is the fundamental basis of any good leader. If you do not have faith in your own ability it becomes difficult to expect others to. This is something that is learned from early on in life. Putting yourself forward to head up a project in school may reflect into putting yourself forward for election in the future. This is something that some of my friends struggle with, some of the most intelligent girls I know underestimate themselves and therefore hold themselves back. As children, we emulate what we see in others and this does not end as we age. If you see self-confidence you will learn to mirror it. We mimic these behaviours without ever realising it from the people we watch. That is why it is important that there are women we can look up to. Another behaviour that we learn is the different ways in which we talk about ambitious men and women. Often, men are commended for taking the leap and putting themselves out there, while women are penalized. There are certain words and phrases that are reserved for strongly opinionated or outspoken women and I have been called a few of these in my time.Personally, I have always been drawn to strong women as people that inspire and motivate me. Films, TV shows and books with women at the helm have interested me since I was a child and in the last few months I have read books by and about Mary Robinson, Malala Yousafzai and Hillary Clinton. I admire these women greatly for their resilience, perseverance and sheer mental strength despite different adversaries. One thing that the above-named women have in common is that they all have varying levels of a high profile, political or otherwise. This is not the case with all role models or even most of them. They do not have to be the first female President of Ireland or the first woman with a real shot at winning the White House. They can be a local politician, a teacher or a Foróige leader. Someone who takes an interest in your future, who wants to see you get on well because maybe someone did the same for them. Their words of advice are the ones that you remember and they are the people you don’t forget.That is why it is just as important to have role models as it is to be one. I know that my 14-year-old sister learns more from me than she’ll ever admit. I feel like I owe it to her to set as good an example as I can. I know that she is watching me. I have had so many people look out for me and I know that they are there for me if I need them and that is something I will always be grateful for. 

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Meet The Officers! 2016-2017

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