BT Young Scientist

This years BT Young Scientist competition is going to be virtual in 2021. and as ever, the Young Scientist group in St Mary’s have ensured that Wicklow schools are well represented on the national stage with a total of five projects making the cut for the exhibition.

Alex Bolger and Aine Kinch’s project is Predicted Grades – Friends or Foe? The students are looking at how the predicted grades process affected students mental health and their entrance into college.

Holly Ryan, Lucja Kasperek and Erica Brun Fitzgearld – Is Ireland in the ‘Dark ages’ in regards to forensics and is there anything we can do about it? This project looks at Forensics in Ireland and to discover how up to date Ireland is with recent forensic upgrades in comparison to other countries around the world and compare it to the public perception of Forensics in Ireland.

Leilani Phillips and Senuri Wickramaratne – – Investigating the Indoor “Silent Killer” During the Pandemic. The project is investigating the levels of Volatile Organic Compounds and Particulate Matter in our homes during and after lock-down and how to eliminate it.

Jenny Quigley and Nelly Hewanalagamage – Does physical isolation have a correlation with an Elderly person overall well-being? The project is to find out if physical isolation, specifically caused by the pandemic effects not just an elderly person’s mental health but overall well-being.

We wish the girls every success  as they finalise their data collection and analysis and finetune their presentations over the next few weeks.

Junk Kouture 2020

On November 26th our Junk Kouture finalists finally got the opportunity to strut their stuff and showcase their design. Last March the Grand final of the national competition was cancelled due to Covid, but Junk Kouture have partnered with RTE to film the showcase for the whole country to enjoy.  It was lights, camera, action as Lucy Bracken and Faye O Sullivan,  now in Form 5, filmed their performance in the beautiful Ballybeg House this week. They created a beautiful gown of cascading roses, made from recycled blue roll. Their focus was on the wasteful use of our natural resources and how it could be better managed. Each rose was meticulously stitched and formed to create the delicate petals. A huge feather backpiece framed Lucy as she performed on the day.  All at St. Mary’s College are very proud of the girls achievements. Their teacher, Ms Charlotte Murray, who coordinates the  Junk Kouture class was very impressed with their artistic talent, dedication and hard work. The Junk Kouture Grand Final will be broadcast on the RTE player in mid-December. Good luck girls!

Christmas Card Competition Winners

Prizes were awarded on Wednesday December 9th to our talented artists who created work for our Christmas cards. There was a great variety of ideas and materials used, with the girls showcasing their talent. Five designs were chosen for the printed cards, each one capturing a different aspect of Christmas. There were special prizes for our Junior winner, Molly Doyle and Michaela Moriarty, our Senior winner. All of the girls received a selection box in recognition of their efforts. These special Christmas cards are available from our School App or directly from school. Each packet contains 10 cards, 2 each of the 5 beautiful designs. Each packet costs €8. Well done to everyone involved

• Junior Winner – Molly Doyle, Form 1.
• Molly used paint to create a vivid scene incorporating our beautiful school building and our crest under a blanket of snow.
• Senior Winner -Michaela Moriarty, Form 5
• Michaela created a watercolour depicting a beautiful Arklow scene, 19 Arches bridge, the Church and the RNLI boat.
• Christina Chen, Form 5, used watercolour to paint a traditional Christmas wreath in rich colours.
• Alex O’Dwyer, Form 2,  painted a monochromatic snow scene with beautiful deer
• Nicole of Donovan, TY, design is a nod to our current climate and gives a creative twist to how we have been living for most of 2020

St. Mary’s Celebrates Christmas

While our more traditional Christmas celebrations including our Carol Service and Christmas Concert have been moved to a virtual format taking place on Dec 21st and 22nd, our school community has been getting in the Christmas spirit throughout advent with our Creative Schools Committee running various creative competitions and adding a very festive feel to our school during this time of Covid restrictions. Our Art classes and Creative Club have been working hard on large outdoor Christmas decorations and all classes have been competing in the ‘Decorate Your Door Competition’. Individual students have been crafting, making their own decorations for the school Christmas tree, or recording their own 20 second Santa-tise socially distanced TIK TOK videos. Our Christmas Card competition winners have had their designs turned into our school Christmas Cards which are now on sale.