👉 Meitheal Team 2023/2024
Back Row (l to r): Joshua Kennedy, Aidan Goss, Callum Carlin, Charlie Mead, Mark O'Brien
Front Row (l to r): Franciszek Dobronski, Joseph Travers, Jamie Kelly, Sagar Sapkota
Meitheal is an old Irish term that describes how neighbours would come together to assist in the saving of crops and other tasks. Meitheal is a youth leadership peer ministry programme in the Kildare & Leighlin Diocese which has a proud history in St. Mary's Academy CBS. Each year,a group of ten 6th year students work together to aid the transition of 1st year students from primary to secondary school.
This years Meitheal team have been busy helping students settle in to life here in St. Mary's Academy CBS. Their work began on only the second day of the 1st year induction programme in August when the team organised a team building activity day for all first years in the grounds of Carlow Town Hurling Club. This was a great way for so many lads to break the ice, find out more about each other and establish connections with their new classmates. Since then the team has been busy organising activities at lunchtime and beyond to promote a sense of connection with each other and our school. These activities have included:
- Lunchtime soccer tournament
- Anti Bullying classes during Stand Up week
- Quiz and Christmas jumper day
- Check in times at breaktime and lunchtime
👉 Student Council 2023/2024
1H: Tyler Ryan1K: Irshad Hanafi 1L: Gabriel Stoychev
2H: Killian Scully 2K: Antonio Esposito 2L: Gabriel de Sa
3H: Igor Saltums 3K: Eoghan Kavanagh 3L: Alex Donnelly Finn
4H: Joe Kennedy 4K: Eshann Singh 4L: Leon Fitzgerald
5H: Brian Farrell 5K: Nikodem Szalaj 5L: Fred Ndahiro 5M: Paddy Walshe
6H: Cailean Bannon 6K: Chacho Makiwa 6L: Evan Cullen 6M: Alex Neaves
Our Student Council is a representative structure for all the students in the school. Its aims are:
- To support the management and staff in the development of the school 
- To represent the views of the students on matters of general concern to them
- To enhance communication between students, management, staff and parents 
- To promote an environment conducive to educational and personal development 
- To promote friendship and respect among pupils
👉 Peace & Justice 2023/2024
Front Row(l-r): Senan Hughes, David Duru, Cailean Bannon, Franek Dobronski, Erin Alam, Sagar Sapkota, Fardy Alam, Billy Hackett
Middle Row(l-r): Ese Erhabor, Mena Erhabor, Barjam Qiraxhiu, Ailín O'Higgins, Nadar Sufian, Nobie Ahmed, Stanislaw Flezjar, Cian Brennan, Craig Donegan
Back Row(l-r): Keelan Morris, Sharriar Uddin, Taif Akbar, Ricards Kravalis, Alex Donnelly Finn, Sebastian Delno, Jay Wu
The Peace and Justice group is a voluntary group that meets in our school every week. We are part of a growing movement of ERST schools that work for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation and sustainability in the world around us. The group is open to all students in our school. We work to raise awareness of Justice issues in our local community and further afield.
👉 Green Schools 2023/2024
Front Row(l-r): Joshua Zubriggen, Franek Dobronski, Charles Doyle, Erin Alam, Fardy Alam
Back Row(l-r): Szymon Matla, Ailín O'Higgins, Ricards Kravalis, Stanislaw Flezjar
Our Green Schools programme will be working towards our 7th Green flag in the 2022/23 academic year. Exploring the theme of ‘Energy’, our team is planning to analyse our school’s energy consumption and develop strategies to use energy efficiently in our school community. Energy is fundamental to the way we live our life today. Electricity is an amazing resource and should be used efficiently both at home and in school.
This year, our TY Green school groups have been working hard in keeping our school grounds clean and tidy through litter picking drives. They have developed two biodiversity gardens on our school site, using recycled materials. Linking in with our neighbouring primary school Bishop Foley’s N.S, a wildflower garden has been planted in one of these areas. Our Ag Science classes have been involved in sowing potatoes in the other area.
All students are more than welcome to get involved in the programme.
👉 GAA Future Leaders
The “Future Leaders Transition Year Programme” is a joint initiative from the GAA and the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST). It is a cross-curricular programme comprising of a series of modules designed to encourage maturity, initiative, responsibility and leadership skills in pupils. The Programme gives pupils the knowledge and skills to support all roles required in the effective staging of Gaelic Games. As part of the Programme students are challenged to organise and run both on-field and off-field events for younger students.