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Dominican College are delighted to support a Dominican School in Myanmar
24-Sep-2018 |  |  |  |
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Dominican College are delighted to support a Dominican School in Myanmar as one of its designated charities this year.
Our annual School Beach walk will be held on the afternoon of Friday 28th September and, once again, our entire school community, in line with our school ethos, will walk together in support of social justice.
Over the past fifteen years we have raised in excess of £150,000 for our sponsored charities. This is due to the generosity of parents and friends of Dominican and to the commitment and dedication of our students. We want to thank everyone who contributed or helped in any way. During the course of this school year we are asking again for your help and we would like to continue to support a range of charitable causes including the following:
Over the past fifteen years we have raised in excess of £150,000 for our sponsored charities. This is due to the generosity of parents and friends of Dominican and to the commitment and dedication of our students. We want to thank everyone who contributed or helped in any way. During the course of this school year we are asking again for your help and we would like to continue to support a range of charitable causes including the following:
Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust
The KBRT aims to help alleviate the cost of returning the bodies of loved ones who have died tragically or suddenly abroad. The charity helps families in Ireland.
The charity was founded by the family of a late GAA player who died in an accident in America and have raised over £100k to help other families who find themselves in the same tragic situation. Kevin Bell, from Newry, died in June in a hit-and-run accident in New York.
This is our first year supporting the KBRT.
This charity was very involved in helping, among others, the family of Craig Church, a past Dominican pupil who passed away suddenly in China this summer.
The charity was founded by the family of a late GAA player who died in an accident in America and have raised over £100k to help other families who find themselves in the same tragic situation. Kevin Bell, from Newry, died in June in a hit-and-run accident in New York.
This is our first year supporting the KBRT.
This charity was very involved in helping, among others, the family of Craig Church, a past Dominican pupil who passed away suddenly in China this summer.
This is our second year supporting this charity.
St Vincent De Paul Society
St Vincent De Paul Society
SVP aim to turn concern into action. This charity helps the disadvantaged, marginalised and vulnerable in our local community. The charity was founded by Frederick Osman who was inspired to fight poverty in Paris.
Our school has its own SVP society and we have worked closely with this charity for a number of years.
Our school has its own SVP society and we have worked closely with this charity for a number of years.
Dominican Myanmar.
Our final charity this year was specially chosen to reflect the Golden Jubilee of boys arriving in the school in 1968. We have decided to support a Dominican School in Myanmar.
The house that the present school situated was established in June, 2014 by the Master of the Order, Brother Bruno Cadore, with the permission of the Archbishop of Mandalay, Msgr. Paul Zinghtung Granwg. It is located in the middle of Myanmar, in the region of Mandalay Division, near the Mandalay City. The official name of the house is St. Martin De Porres.
For this reason the school has been given the name of DOMINICAN, ST. MARTIN DE PORRES’ BOARDING SCHOOL. The school is just running as a supplementary course. Most of the students have to go to the government school during the day and come to study with us at night. The school is now in the fourth year of running. There are about 100 students each year.
There are 103 students studying in four levels this year: 20 students in the fourth grade, 15 students in the eighth grade, 27 students in the ninth grade and 41 students in the tenth grade. All students (44 boys and 59 girls) from different grades study 6 subjects respectively even though the subjects are not the same. Half of the students are Catholics and the rest are Buddhists. The majority of the students are 14 to 15 years’ old in the average. Football and Cane ball are the sports that the students usually play. A small amount of money is required for each student in accordance with their grades.
From the very beginning of its opening till the present, therefore, the school needs to depend on the Province financially. The school normally begins in May and ends on March. There are 10 teachers all together including night-guide students. The last grade (G – 10) is very important and rather difficult for all students to pass. Unless they pass this grade, they cannot join the university. Therefore, they have to try very hard in order to pass this level. Most of the students who pass this level will join the university or go to the higher education.
The house that the present school situated was established in June, 2014 by the Master of the Order, Brother Bruno Cadore, with the permission of the Archbishop of Mandalay, Msgr. Paul Zinghtung Granwg. It is located in the middle of Myanmar, in the region of Mandalay Division, near the Mandalay City. The official name of the house is St. Martin De Porres.
For this reason the school has been given the name of DOMINICAN, ST. MARTIN DE PORRES’ BOARDING SCHOOL. The school is just running as a supplementary course. Most of the students have to go to the government school during the day and come to study with us at night. The school is now in the fourth year of running. There are about 100 students each year.
There are 103 students studying in four levels this year: 20 students in the fourth grade, 15 students in the eighth grade, 27 students in the ninth grade and 41 students in the tenth grade. All students (44 boys and 59 girls) from different grades study 6 subjects respectively even though the subjects are not the same. Half of the students are Catholics and the rest are Buddhists. The majority of the students are 14 to 15 years’ old in the average. Football and Cane ball are the sports that the students usually play. A small amount of money is required for each student in accordance with their grades.
From the very beginning of its opening till the present, therefore, the school needs to depend on the Province financially. The school normally begins in May and ends on March. There are 10 teachers all together including night-guide students. The last grade (G – 10) is very important and rather difficult for all students to pass. Unless they pass this grade, they cannot join the university. Therefore, they have to try very hard in order to pass this level. Most of the students who pass this level will join the university or go to the higher education.
Start of Year Mass 2018 announcement
11-Sep-2018
Start of the Year Mass Friday 21st September 2018
To commemorate 50 years of educating boys at Dominican College Portstewart we are celebrating our special Start of the Year Mass at 11.00am on Friday 21st September in Star of the Sea Church, Portstewart.
We hope all students will be present but if, on grounds of conscience, you do not wish your son or daughter to attend this service please write to me to indicate this.
We will respect your wish & will make an alternative study arrangement.
Yours sincerely
Ms R Ronan
(Principal)
Yours sincerely
Ms R Ronan
(Principal)
GCSE success 2018
03-Sep-2018
Outstanding success for our GCSE Students
Our Year 13 pupils to school today fresh from their outstanding success in this year’s GCSE exams.
100% of our pupils achieved at least 5 or more A*- C grades in their subjects with 98.6% achieving 5 or more A*-C grades including English and Mathematics.
The school is delighted that all, with all our pupils achieving 5 or more A* to C grades, our entire Year 12 cohort met the criteria to continue their studies at Dominican College.
The following pupils, pictured, attained at least 7 A* Grades:
Emmett Richardson
Luke McKergan
Jake Duddy
Aoife Culkin
Rachel Mitchell
The following Year 12 pupils, also pictured, attained at least 7 GCSES at Grade A or better:
Ellen Armour
Matthew Armour
Emily Brownhill
Ciara Campbell
Bart Drozd
Charlie Flack
Matthew McCloy
Ruairi Porter
Frieden Rawding
Alan Thompson
Lauren Thompson
Mr Lynch, VP, explained, “These fabulous results reflect the commitment and motivation of our Year 12 students who we hope will go on to renewed success in their AS and A2 subject choices. As a school we are absolutely delighted with the outcomes achieved by all our students. These results would not be possible without high quality teaching and learning and I want to pay tribute both to the dedication of our Dominican teaching staff and also to the wonderful support offered by our parents. Well done to each and every one of our pupils. We also are delighted to welcome many new pupils in our Year 13 cohort.”
100% of our pupils achieved at least 5 or more A*- C grades in their subjects with 98.6% achieving 5 or more A*-C grades including English and Mathematics.
The school is delighted that all, with all our pupils achieving 5 or more A* to C grades, our entire Year 12 cohort met the criteria to continue their studies at Dominican College.
The following pupils, pictured, attained at least 7 A* Grades:
Emmett Richardson
Luke McKergan
Jake Duddy
Aoife Culkin
Rachel Mitchell
The following Year 12 pupils, also pictured, attained at least 7 GCSES at Grade A or better:
Ellen Armour
Matthew Armour
Emily Brownhill
Ciara Campbell
Bart Drozd
Charlie Flack
Matthew McCloy
Ruairi Porter
Frieden Rawding
Alan Thompson
Lauren Thompson
Mr Lynch, VP, explained, “These fabulous results reflect the commitment and motivation of our Year 12 students who we hope will go on to renewed success in their AS and A2 subject choices. As a school we are absolutely delighted with the outcomes achieved by all our students. These results would not be possible without high quality teaching and learning and I want to pay tribute both to the dedication of our Dominican teaching staff and also to the wonderful support offered by our parents. Well done to each and every one of our pupils. We also are delighted to welcome many new pupils in our Year 13 cohort.”
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Dominican College proud to be awarded Irish News Post Primary School of Year.
05-Jun-2018
Following on from this year’s stunning success in the JJ O’Reilly U-16 Ulster Colleges competition, Dominican College have recently been awarded the Irish News Post Primary School of the Year Award.
This award is in recognition of the work the school has invested in Gaelic sports over the past few Years and the rich dividends this work is now witnessing. The success in The Irish News competition was also ion recognition of the unique way in which the school, in line with its strongly inclusive ethos, engaged with pupils from a non-traditional GAA background and created a winning team from a range of players from diverse backgrounds.
Pupils from the school are now learning how to coach and the school has the vision that these pupils will help mentor and coach our local primary schools and the Post-Primary award recognises and rewards this superb work being carried out both on and off the field.
Mr Carey, our Gaelic coach and past Dominican pupil, was himself captain of the 2010 Derry-Championship winning Eoghan Rua team and he has used his experience to build a winning team in his own school over the past few seasons.
“Some of the lads come to us and have only a bit of background in GAA through their primary school or perhaps through Eoghan Rua or Glenullin, but many are coming from feeder primary schools that have either a soccer or rugby background. So, beginning in first year, we just try to introduce the game. They have certain physical attributes and basic technical skills that they can apply to Gaelic games, but it’s only really now after two or three years of playing and developing in seven-a-side and nine-a-side blitzes that we are able to get together a full- sized squad to compete at Ulster Colleges level.
This year we won our first Ulster Colleges title which was obviously a huge success for a school such as ours. The real reward in all this is the work done behind the scenes in the school to develop Gaelic games and make them inclusive for all. It is lovely for it to be recognised that there is good work going on in Dominican College, Portstewart. To have won this award on the fiftieth anniversary of boys first entering the school in 1968 makes this success all the sweeter”
In playing terms the challenge for the school is now to build on this season’s JJ O’Reilly Cup victory and next year we will draw on some of the U-16 talent to enter a sixth form team for the first time in our history. Our Year 11 squad, many of whom also played at U-16 level are also just about to compete in an Ulster Colleges Semi-final.
Richard Carey is pictured receiving the Post-Primary award with Dominican College Vice-Principal, Mr Gerry Lynch.
Also pictured are five members of the successful U-16 team are:
Alan Thompson Ryan Taggart, Lewis Hawthorne, Lorcan McMullen, and Jake Wallace
This award is in recognition of the work the school has invested in Gaelic sports over the past few Years and the rich dividends this work is now witnessing. The success in The Irish News competition was also ion recognition of the unique way in which the school, in line with its strongly inclusive ethos, engaged with pupils from a non-traditional GAA background and created a winning team from a range of players from diverse backgrounds.
Pupils from the school are now learning how to coach and the school has the vision that these pupils will help mentor and coach our local primary schools and the Post-Primary award recognises and rewards this superb work being carried out both on and off the field.
Mr Carey, our Gaelic coach and past Dominican pupil, was himself captain of the 2010 Derry-Championship winning Eoghan Rua team and he has used his experience to build a winning team in his own school over the past few seasons.
“Some of the lads come to us and have only a bit of background in GAA through their primary school or perhaps through Eoghan Rua or Glenullin, but many are coming from feeder primary schools that have either a soccer or rugby background. So, beginning in first year, we just try to introduce the game. They have certain physical attributes and basic technical skills that they can apply to Gaelic games, but it’s only really now after two or three years of playing and developing in seven-a-side and nine-a-side blitzes that we are able to get together a full- sized squad to compete at Ulster Colleges level.
This year we won our first Ulster Colleges title which was obviously a huge success for a school such as ours. The real reward in all this is the work done behind the scenes in the school to develop Gaelic games and make them inclusive for all. It is lovely for it to be recognised that there is good work going on in Dominican College, Portstewart. To have won this award on the fiftieth anniversary of boys first entering the school in 1968 makes this success all the sweeter”
In playing terms the challenge for the school is now to build on this season’s JJ O’Reilly Cup victory and next year we will draw on some of the U-16 talent to enter a sixth form team for the first time in our history. Our Year 11 squad, many of whom also played at U-16 level are also just about to compete in an Ulster Colleges Semi-final.
Richard Carey is pictured receiving the Post-Primary award with Dominican College Vice-Principal, Mr Gerry Lynch.
Also pictured are five members of the successful U-16 team are:
Alan Thompson Ryan Taggart, Lewis Hawthorne, Lorcan McMullen, and Jake Wallace
Year 8 Rugby success
14-May-2018
Dominican College are delighted to share the recent success of two of our first year pupils, Joshua Bryant and Dylan Norton as their team won the Under 12s rugby tournament in SE of England.
Coleraine Under 12s Rugby squad travelled to England the weekend of the 4th- 6th May to participate in the prestigious Camber Sands Rugby tournament. Teams from all over England, Wales and Ireland gave it their all over the two days and got to experience playing on international quality rugby pitches but in the very hot weather conditions the bank holiday weekend enjoyed.
At the end of the tournament Coleraine were top of the leader board and the boys were presented with medals and a large trophy by England and British and Irish Lions Player Lewis Moody. They were given extra special treatment by the crew of the Easyjet flight on the way home allowing the trophy to be presented in the cockpit, cheers from the whole plane and team photos out on the runway!
Joshua has been playing club rugby at Coleraine since P.2 and balances is management of Type 1 diabetes with being a strong member of the 30+ under12 squad.
Dylan has only recently taken up rugby and is learning the game, meeting new friends and enjoying playing.
Dylan has only recently taken up rugby and is learning the game, meeting new friends and enjoying playing.
On Tuesday night, at the Annual Rugby Club Awards Dinner, Joshua was awarded with Player of the Year 2018 and Dylan was awarded Runner up in the Best Newcomer category.
Well done to both our Year 8 boys.
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Leavers Mass 2018
09-May-2018
To make an end is to make a beginning
On the evening of Wednesday 9th May our school chaplain, Fr. Raymond McCullagh, led our Year 14 pupils and their parents in a special Leavers’ Mass.
Fr. Raymond welcomed pupils and parents together for the first time since those tentative first days in September 2011 to celebrate the culmination of the journey that had begun and to appreciate the fine young Dominican men and women they had become. He encouraged pupils to remain an integral part of the Dominican family.
To commemorate the class of 2017 as our centenary leavers each pupil was given a special bookmark.
The theme of the mass was inspired by T.S Eliot’s lines from Little Gidding:
The theme of the mass was inspired by T.S Eliot’s lines from Little Gidding:
What we call the beginning is often the end
and to make and end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from.
and to make and end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from.
In a special ceremony of light pupils and parents passed on the gifts of faith, justice, wisdom and truth and learned that every ending is a new beginning; pupils also reflected on how everything they learned was learned in the company of others.
Fr. Raymond took as the theme of his homily the little-known story of Margaret Devaney who left Sligo aged 19 on board Titanic for a new life in America. Margaret was given the parting gift of a penknife from her brother John, a gift that would prove vital in cutting the twisted ropes of the C lifeboat and saving the lives of Margaret and the other 31 people on board her lifeboat. He explained how this seemingly disastrous end was in reality a beginning as Margaret had a long and happy life.
Fr Raymond compared the penknife to all the values that both the pupils’ parents and Dominican College had passed on and how their Dominican ethos will continue to be a lifeline to them as they begin their journey away from Portstewart. He challenged our class of 2018 in the words of the First reading from Joshua to “Be Strong and courageous, prosper and succeed and know that the God of Justice will be with you wherever you go” and concluded with the word of St Paul that our pupils must above all “Be happy”.
Reflecting his own leave taking of St Malachy’s over 30 years ago, Fr. Raymond concluded by asking our U6 pupils to be all that God calls them to be and to “always come back to DCP as we always love to hear your stories and see where the road ahead leads you”.
Ms Ronan thanked all those who had made the evening such a success, especially the Music and RE departments who had helped lead the pupils in word and song and our Dominican parents for “entrusting us with their most precious gift; the gift of your young people”.
The principal encouraged our class of 2018 to always see themselves as members of the Dominican family and encouraged then to remain in close contact with the school as they begin to contemplate life beyond the walls of DCP.
The school library is open each day throughout the exam period for our leavers to study. Pupils are reminded that they must be in school uniform for all study sessions and for all exams.
Good luck to all our Year 14 pupils over the coming weeks and every success in their work and life beyond DCP.
Below are some images from Wednesday’s Mass.
Below are some images from Wednesday’s Mass.
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