Athy College

Athy College has been chosen by the NCCA from among the hundreds of applicants to be one of the 46 second level schools nationally to form the new Junior Cert Network which will pilot and help implement the new Junior Cert which will be introduced nationally in 2014

The Shackleton Challenge is an initiative to help develop entrepreneurial skills among post primary students emulating the leadership and exploratory skills of explorer Ernest Shackleton.
The programme is being developed and piloted in Athy College for the Athy Shackleton Committee and it is hoped that it can be rolled out to further schools after its development stage.
Students are divided into groups andposed with challenges of developing and prodcing prototypes of different products with a polar theme - food, article of clothing, drinking vessel.  Each group  assigned a mentor who motivates and directs the team.
The preliminary presentation of their work is to a group of POLAR BEARS ( similar to the Dragons in "Dragon's Den) and later a final presentation is made

Well done to students and teachers from Athy College who today gave Minister Quinn living examples of instructional leadership in the classroom.  Students showed the Minister how mindmaps, teams games tournament, placemates and other techniques can assist students in engaging in their own learning.  A wonderful example of teaching and learning in action.

  Athy College to present both to and for the Minister for Education on modern effective teaching methods which it has been developing over recent years as part of a new national initiative.  On behalf of Athy College teacher Deirdre Murphy will demonstrate Instructional Leadership in the classroom by taking a second year class group to Mount Wolsley for the launch and there demonstrating effective teaching method in action.  Developing these methods has been a collaboration with world reknowned educationalist, Prof Barrie Bennett, who visited the school just this week en route to the launch. Nice to see we have been acknowledged nationally for our work in education, nice to have been selected as the presenting school and great credit to the staff and students who have been working to make the classroom a place of learning. Over the coming years and following the launch we should see the rolling out of these methods and strategies to hundreds more schools nationally. Congratulations Athy College.

Many thanks to Athy GFC for their donation of a set of goalposts for use on the pitch.  Four schools one campus is definitely the message as our resources are used to the full by all schools

Along with Athy GFC representatives PJ Lawler and Colm Reynolds are the principals from the four schools and representative students

They came from primary schools all over - Dunlavin.....Churchtown......Athy   and the enjoyed a wonderful day of a Rugby blitz on the All weather pitch.

Thanks to everyone concerned, teachers, coaches referees and most of all the studetns themselves

Our thanks to our school business partner Athy International Concentrates who invited our senior students to a tour of the factory which took place today.  Students were highly impressed and the College is very appreciative of the courtesy offered

Classes recommence on Mon 20th after the mid-term break.  Thanks to the teachers who undertook additional classes (particularly for Leaving Cert students) during the beak.

It may be mid term but the Juniors began by coming back to school - well, maybe not to class but to some basketball training