These are very strange times in which we find ourselves and many of the things that we thought were certainties are no longer so. Students in our school and across the country are significantly feeling those losses at this time - graduations, end-of-year celebrations and even our Leaving Certificate examinations have been postponed or cancelled. It's a strange time for us all. One group of people who are really feeling it at this time is our Meitheal Leaders.

When we left the school on 12th March we couldn't have imagined the changes that would come and we certainly couldn't have predicted that we wouldn't get to see our First Years again, or at least see you again as 'our First Years'. Your first year in Presentation College may have come to an abrupt end, but let’s not forget the fun we had in it!

When we first met this time last year you were sitting your entrance exams, you were quiet and shy and as good as could be! After the summer, we met for your Orientation Day. You were a little louder, a little less nervous but full of questions! We played games and really enjoyed getting to know you and as we did, that nervous bunch of people became unrecognisable. Now our biggest problem was trying to keep you quiet!

In the next few months, we had our Sports Day, our Halloween Party and of course the First Year Disco. With each event, we saw your year group bond and come together. It was both with sadness and with great pride that we realised how you were needing us less and less.

Next was the Cinema Trip to see Frozen 2 where I think it’s safe to say some of the Meitheal Leaders were more excited than the First Years!

By the time we got to Christmas, it was clear that you were fully integrated into the school community. Now, when we wanted to have a check-in, we not only had to check our schedules but we also had to plan around basketball matches, GAA, the Student Council and all sorts of other clubs that you were a part of. It was safe to say our job was nearly over. The only thing left to do was have one last trip.

Leisure Max not only ended up marking our last days as your Meitheal Leaders but also our last days in school together. We as a Meitheal Team couldn't be more proud of you all, and we look forward to seeing you sometime, somewhere in the future.

Since our Leaving Cert. was cancelled, we never got to show off all of our knowledge! But this is from a poem on our English course:

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I took the once less travelled by, and that has made all the difference."

Enjoy your time in Presentation College! We did!

Meitheal Team 2019-2020