Thank You Transition Year! – My Year in Review

As my Transition Year in Crana College draws to a close, I look back on one of the most interesting and inspiring times in my school life. The year has by far exceeded any expectations that I ever had, encompassing everything and anything inside the Irish Education System.

I think that it is fair to say, that I had an action-packed, yet educational year in TY. Like many other skeptics, I came into the year, with an idea of prejudice in my head, thinking that the year didn’t yield any opportunities or chances for me, and I couldn’t have been further wrong! Within a matter of weeks, I realised that TY In Crana College (and in many other hard working schools around the country) is one of the best organised programmes, that aims to get the most out of each and every student, based on the effort and commitment that the students dedicate to the programme.

Transition Year, has improved me for the better. I have became a lot more confident in this year. Through this, I have countless unforgettable memories, but of these, the most prominent include:

Speaking on behalf of TY Ireland at the National Parents Council of Post Primary Secondary Schools annual conference in the INEC, Killarney.

Participating in the 5K Mud Run!

Making the Eir Junior Spiders – Giga Spiders – Best Induvidual Project Shortlist.

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Being ‘Highly Commended’ in the National Career Skills Competition with CareersPortal.ie 

Transition Year has been simply, amazing, and has made me much more ‘well-rounded’, and confident person. I feel that this year has benefited me greatly, and that I have taken every opportunity possible to get the very best out of this year. I would urge any student who is doing TY next year, to firstly, push themselves in TY, secondly, take every opportunity available to you, and thirdly, enjoy TY – It will be amazing!

Above, is only a snapshot of what has being going on in my Transition Year! I’m sure that if you were to read through this blog, or my Twitter Feed, you would see a much bigger picture of what my Transition Year was all about.

Writing one of my final blog posts of TY has really saddened me, not only has this blog been an ongoing assessed piece of work for my Media Studies Module, but it has been a space where I can freely write about a topic that I have grown to love! A special thanks has to be given to absolutely everyone who have supported me in this journey – My TY Coordinator, Teachers, Staff, Employers, Co-Workers, Transition Year Ireland, Volunteers, Guest-Speakers, Fellow Bloggers & Twitter Users, Family & Friends , and everyone in between- each and every one of you have helped make my TY that extra bit more special!

Thank you Transition Year!

The Eir Junior Spiders Shortlist

TY’s at the Colosseum

The TY Boys Walking in Sorrento

The Trevi Fountain

The Colosseum

Me & Ciarán Touring Rome

5th Years at the Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast

The Streets of Sorrento

‘Rome’-ing about with Roisín & Tiree

The TY Boys on a Boat Trip

Selfies at the Trevi Fountain

Outside St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican

‘Frescos’ in the Vatican

The Time Elevator

Subject Choices for Leaving Certificate 2018

TY First Aid Training

Promoting Inishowen’s Tourism Industry

Skiing Tour Key Ring Design

Rome Tour Key Ring Design

My Cover of ‘O Fortuna’

Starting the Architecture Module!

Me and my little sister Dearbhla, pictured just after my last day at work experience at her “Big School”

My ‘Space Study’ for Architecture

Blog Challenge – Six Word Story

Ice Skating in Belfast

Hill Walking Trip

Hill Walking in Uriris

Christmas Market Poster

Drugs & Alcohol Conference

Disability Awareness Module Part 1

Our Greatest Scientist – Nikola Tesla

Completion of the Cube Project

TY Panel at the National Parents Council Post Primary Annual Conference in the INEC, Killarney

TY Panel at NPCpp Annual Conference

‘Chain Reaction’ Key Rings – TY Enterprise Mini Company

Semi-Completed Cube

Prize-giving – Co-Junior Student of the Year 2014/2015 & Co-Recipient of the ‘Bríd Boner Memorial Plaque’

TY Panel at the National Parents Council of Post Primary Secondary Schools

Irish Wheelchair Association Collection

What I’ve been learning about in TY Geography – The Human Development Index (HDI)

‘Chain reaction Keyring’s’ first product!

Oisín i dTír na nÓg – Mindmap

TY Panel at National Parents Council

Month In Review – October

My Work Experience Report, written in ‘The Drumfries Times’

Monthl

Foyle Hospice Coffee Morning Donation

National Road Safety Week

Ireland Trip

TY1 Post-Surfing Selfie

Cube Project

Surifng

Surfing

Foyle Hospice Coffee Morning

Cube Project

Music Appreciation Module

Room 13 – Pre-Coffee Morning Setup

TY1 Receiving the iPads

Junior Cert Results

Irish Mythology presentation

European Day Of Languages

 

Month in Review – April

April has been one of the busiest, yet most enjoyable months of my Transition Year. To recap on this month, I will reflect on my top 5 highlights of April.

1. The Mud Run

Possibly one of the most enduring, yet memorable aspects of my Transition Year, had to be the Mud Run, in which TY Students were to trek through 5 kilometers of mud and dirt! On the day of the run, it was extremely cold, and was raining, which only added to the experience. Surprisingly enough, it was actually quite enjoyable to undergo this activity, and it was something that I had never imagined myself doing! The mud run, has been one of the best experience of my Transition Year, and it was something, that I will remember fondly, for a long time! It was such a sense of achievement, when I completed the 5k. Despite it being freezing cold, the mud run was unforgettable, and left everyone who really did try throughout the 5K, with a great sense of achievement.

2. The Eir Junior Spiders Awards

Getting shortlisted for  the Eir Junior Spiders, was an unbelievable achievement, and was a personal highlight of TY for me. I was truly honoured to make the Top 7 in the country to be shortlisted for the ‘Best Individual Project’ in the Giga Spiders category, for the work carried out on this very blog. The event itself was also amazing, and it was a great experience for all, not to mention the TV interview which I had with Nick Sheridan for RTÉ2’s ‘news2day’. (click here to watch the interview). The Eir Junior Spider Awards gave me a great insight into Digital Media in Ireland, especially among the youth of Ireland. It was an unbelievable experience!

3. Finishing the IAF Architecture Module.

 As frequent readers of my blog will know, the Irish Architecture Foundation’s TY Architecture Module has not only been a prominent part of this blog, but also a very important and prominent part of my Transition Year. Since December, each student was facilitated with a ‘Design Journal’ which would help us to create and design an idea for our Design Task, which would be created in March & April. I really enjoyed filling put the Design Journal, as it allowed me to become more aware of architecture all around me, as well as of the architecture that is found in everyday life. Throughout this project I learned many new valuable skills, and experienced architecture first hand! I became more aware of aspects such as  height, elevation, planning, functionality, and design, all of which form important aspects of design. I also learned about various architects and their work dotted around the world, and allowed me to create my own designs! The Architecture Module, has certainly been one of, if not the most enjoyable module’s of my Transition Year!

4. Portfolio Preparations.

Believe it or not, preparing for my TY Summer Portfolio of Assessment, has been a very interesting experience for me. Putting it simply, the Portfolio of Assessment is the backbone to Transition Year in Crana College. Each TY Student must prepare 2 portfolios throughout the year (one in November, one in April.). The portfolio is to function as a grading system for TY, as we have had to have a graded piece of work form every module studied, displayed in the folder. The portfolio also contains work carried out from each of the students’ three work experience placements throughout the year, as well as various other assessments and certifications. I have really enjoyed preparing my portfolio as it allowed me to reflect on all that I have done over the past few months, similarly to my ‘Month in Review’ series of blog posts!

5. ISSU / ICTU Worker’s Rights Talk. 

Transition Year, and Leaving Certificate Applied Students, were gathered together to be given this talk, by a representative from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), and the Irish Second-Level Students Union (ISSU), of which have developed the website, and advisory service – youth-connect.ie, which aims to advise Irish Teenagers, about a wide variety of areas, and items of importance to Irish Teens. We were advised on areas such as Minimum Wage, Legal Working Hours & General Working Rights, as well as responsibilities of the Employee & Employer. The talk given to us, has been one of the most helpful, of all the talks in my Transition Year, as it has given me a very important insight into the working world, which I will begin to experience now more frequently, and will allow me to make confident and smart decisions about where and when I will  begin working!

The Mud Run

Yesterday, Transition Year students, were away on a trip. This trip was to the ‘Mud Run’, which has honestly been one of the most enjoyable experiences of my TY!

We left the school at 9:30am, accompanied by PE Teachers- Mr McMullan & Mr McArt, and arrived at the site for the mud run at about 10:30. The mud run is a 5 Kilometre trail through, mud, water & grass, and follows a particular track around a specific course. Facilitated by Extreme Adventure Outdoors Activities, we were allowed to participated in this activity.

We then went to go and to get changed into the oldest clothes that we had, as they would get ruined, whilst on the track. I wore the oldest clothes that I had, however I also wore clothes that were tight fitting and that were not heavy, as we were told to, as we would need clothes that would not weigh us down when we were running through large pits of mud!

The run started off okay, and had very little mess, however as we progressed the depth, thickness and volume of mud got more challenging! In the middle of the course there was a water slide that we were all allowed to go down!

Following the water slide, the course got a lot more tougher, as the mud began to get deeper and deeper. Nearing the end of the course, it became really hard to get out of the mud, never mind actually trying to run through the mud! At the very end of the track, Ciara, Michael, Oran, Peter and I were told to go around a longer course, as we were at the front of the group, however, as we progressed in the course, the track became unbearable, and allowed for little to no movement!

Truding our way back to the rest of the group and being very tired, we picked up the pace and made our way to the finish line1 I reached the end with the group mentioned above, and placed inside the Top 5! We were then taken to be power-washed down (yes, we were that mucky that we needed power-washed down!) . We then got changed into a lot cleaner clothes, got heated up by tea and coffee, and headed for lunch, before going home!

The Mud Run, has definitely been one of, if not the most enjoyable experiences  of my TY! I hope some day that I will undergo the 10K Mud Run!

And, the work for Gaisce begins!

Over the past few weeks, ‘Gaisce –  The President’s Award’ has been a hot topic in TY, and yesterday we were paid a visit from one of the Regional Officer’s for the award. Gaisce – The President’s Award, is an award that is awarded to students between ages 15 and 25, who want to try something new, broaden their horizons and make it interesting!

The award is broken up into three strands – Gold, Bronze & Silver, with Gold requiring the most work and effort, and Bronze requiring, a considerable, but the least amount of work. I am aiming to go for the Bronze award this year, as I feel that I should start from the bottom, and work my way up, over the next few years!

The Bronze Award, consists of four sections, that all must be completed in order to achieve the award. These sections are ‘Community Involvement’, ‘Personal Skill’ ‘Physical Recreation’ and ‘Adventure Journey’. For the Bronze Award a minimum of 13 weeks, for each of the first three sections must be met. For each week, one hour must be spent on each section. Each of the first three sections aims to grow and develop the skills of those who undergo the award. Through this, an extra 13 weeks, must be undergone in an area that I feel that I can further develop on, or I can improve on!

The ‘Community Involvement’ asks us to get out into the community for one hour per week, and do something that will benefit the local community in some way. In the ‘Personal Skill’ section, I must either take up a new skill, or try and improve a skill that I already know. This is also for one hour per week. ‘Physical Recreation’, aims to get people out for at least one hour per week, and play or do a physical activity (eg; a team sport, joining an athletics club, going swimming, etc). And, Finally the ‘Adventure Journey’ is a 2 day and 1 night (minimum) journey, that we must plan and prepare – and clock up a certain target, depending on the physical activity chosen.

I am really enjoying my experience with Gaisce so far, and hope to work together with my PAL (President’s Award Leader), to undergo the award, and complete it before the end of my TY!

Month in Review – December

To take note of all that I have done in December, I will review and reflect my top 5 highlights of December.

1. TY Trip in Belfast

I really enjoyed the TY Christmas Trip. , we first of all went to Dundonald Ice Bowl, where we were taken to ice-skate, before being taken to Belfast where we were allowed to shop around, and later on see the Coca Cola, truck, and then head on to Junction One! It was such a good day as everyone had got on so well, and  everyone really enjoyed all aspects of the day. The day was that full of activities, that it went by so quick, and didn’t feel anyway long at all.

2. Hill Walking Trip

I really enjoyed the hill walking trip, as it was a challenge. I was really interested in the walk as it was an outdoors activity, and it something active. It was great to get out and do something totally different to any of the other activities in TY. We left the school after our first class, at 10 O’Clock, and headed on a bus to Leenan, outside Urris in Clonmany, where we were met by our guide for the day – Charlie McCarron, who is also the man who is in charge of the TY Tourism Enterprise project, which we will start this January. We were also accompanied by one of the PE Teachers & TY Tutors in Crana College – Mr McMullan, as well as a group of Spanish Students, accompanied by the Spanish Language Assistant in our school – Julia. I had never walked, or actually knew about the area where we walked, so it was a total change of scenery, and despite the very windy weather, the  views were absolutely spectacular!

3. TY Christmas Market

When writing this post, I realised that I hadn’t blogged about perhaps one of the biggest events that TY organised, not only in December, but in my TY so far! This was the ‘Christmas Market’, which linked to two very different modules in the TY Programme – Enterprise and Performing Arts. The event was organised in my Performing Arts classes, and our mini-companies, which were created through our Enterprise module, were to sell their goods (of possible), at the market. The amount of work that had to go in to not alone organizing a whole event, but also having a mini-company set up, and trading, was huge, however the event was a great success, and I was really happy that TY Students undertook a project that had never been done in the school before!

4. Starting the Irish Architecture Foundation Module

Something, more academic which had really interested me this month, was the starting of a new module, in my ‘Design & Woodwork’ class. This new concept is a new module that we will study called ‘Architecture’, which is brought to us by the Irish Architects Foundation, and is taught by our teacher – Mr Boyle.Since a young age I have been very interested in designing and drawing. I used to spend a lot of time drawing town plans and house design sketches, and I had also wanted to do Technical Graphics for my Junior Certificate, however the subject did not go ahead due to a lack of numbers in interest in this subject. Therefore, this module is of major interest to me! I am really glad, that in TY I get the chance to explore a topic and subject, that is totally new to me, yet a subject that I have a major interest in.

5.  Finishing My First Work Experience

This month I was very saddened to have finished my first placement. I had been in this placement over the past 13 weeks, and was really sad to say goodbye and get ready to start on my second work placement. Since September, I have been lucky enough to work in my past primary school – Scoil Naomh Pádraig in Drumfries. There are only about 60 – 70 students in the whole school, and therefore  I felt like I had grew to know them all well and had built up such a great working relationship with each and every one of them! I would like to thank all the staff & pupils at Drumfries N.S. for making, an amazing work experience placement possible!

 

Transition Year Hill Walking Trip

Hill Walking in Uriris

On Friday, 4th of December, Transition Year students were once again away on another trip. This trip was more local than others, and it was a trip where we went out on a hill walk.

We left the school after our first class, at 10 O’Clock, and headed on a bus to Leenan, outside Urris in Clonmany, where we were met by our guide for the day – Charlie McCarron, who is also the man who is in charge of the TY Tourism Enterprise project, which we will start this January. We were also accompanied by one of the PE Teachers & TY Tutors in Crana College – Mr McMullan, as well as a group of Spanish Students, accompanied by the Spanish Language Assistant in our school – Julia.

We arrived at the foot of the hill, at about 11 O’Clock, where we began to walk. The initial climb at the start of the hill was probably the most challenging for me, as I felt that this was because we were still getting accustomed to the concept of climbing, however we were still walking on a paved pathway, and therefore we had time to get ready to properly begin to climb. As the hill began to get steeper, it started to be easier to walk!

After about an hour and a half of walking, we reached a lake, and we had our a break, where we ate our lunch. It was extremely windy where the lake was and it was very cold, however we braced the elements, ate our lunch swiftly, before moving on with our hill walk. Shortly after our lunch, we had reached the summit of the hill. It was very surreal being at the summit, as it was like being on a very high cliff, looking over Lough Swilly despite being at the summit of a hill.

On our descent, we took a different route back down the hill. This route was quite steep, and quite slippy, and needless to say some of us managed to fall! Luckily enough I didn’t fall, and remained dry for the duration of the walk! When we reached a more gradual descent down the mountain, we began to walk in pairs or groups, where I made my way back to the bus with Thomas.

We reached the buses at about 2:00, and headed back to school to be in time for our buses home. This trip was really fun, and actually was one of my favourite trips in TY so far. A big thanks to Charlie McCarron, for taking time out of his schedule to guide us on this hill walk!

TY Surfing Trip!

Surifng

On Friday, 2nd of October, both my TY class and the other TY class, went on a surfing trip. The trip  was to Culdaff Beach where we surfed, participated in activities on the beach and had a barbecue! 

When we arrived, my class (TY1) were told that we would be surfing first, while the other class played games on the beach. We were given a wetsuit, shoes for surfing, and a surfboard. We then got changed and went down to the beach where we were given a warm up and were told how to paddle and stand up on the boards. When I went out to the water at first it was freezing, as it was about 10 o’clock in the morning, but I soon heated up!

The surfing was extremely enjoyable, but it was quite hard to stand up on the surfboard. I must have fell off the board and under the water at least five times! Despite the fact that I kept falling off, by the end of the session, I was able to balance and stand up for a few seconds on the board.

After we went back in, we swapped with the other class, and we went to go and get changed out of the wetsuits. We then went down to the beach where we played different team building games such as Team Tag and Guiding People in a Race Blindfolded. We also had to take part in some Trust Exercises, where we had to catch our partner as they fell back with their eyes closed. The final game was a Sandcastle Building Competition, where myself, Gerard, Tomás and Denis, built a castle with a moat.

The day finished with a barbecue where we were all given burgers and hotdogs, as well as marshmallows to roast over the fire. We left the beach, to be back to school for the buses home. The Surfing Trip was by far the most enjoyable experience of my TY so far!

   
 

   
 

TY Surfing Video : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcwlyjprzqs

Settling In, Kayaking, Work Experience & Junior Cert Results!

Settling In

I started back to school on Wednesday the 2nd of September, along with all of the other Transition Year and 5th Year students. We were put into our class groups and were taken to a classroom along with our TY Coordinator, where we were given an outline to the Transition Year course as well as our timetables.

Later on in the first day, we were taken to the gym in the school , where we played ‘ice-breaking games’ – which gave everyone a great chance to get to know each other and to realize what our team-building skills were like.

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Kayaking

Later on , during our first day in TY, the two transition year classes went to a local kayaking center, where I was in a group that had to paddle a 10 man canoe. It was a challenge at first to achieve a synchronised rhythm in order to paddle the canoe, however we overcame this eventually!!

By the time we had sailed around to the beach, we were all allowed to go out and swim in the water, as we were the first group to leave the slipway and arrive at the beach. This was a really enjoyable  activity and I thought that it was a great way to finish the first day of TY!

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Work Experience

As part of my TY programme, I have to participate in work experience every Wednesday, in order to get a sense of what the real ‘working world’ is like. I have three different placements to undergo throughout the year in blocks of 11 weeks.

On Wednesday 9th of September, I started my first work placement in my past primary school, where I got the experience to teach the children music workshops – which I really, really enjoyed, as I have a major interest in music and sharing it with the young people in my area was an insightful experience.

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Junior Cert Results

On Wednesday , 9th of September I had also received my Junior Cert results. After sitting my exams in June 2015, I was really looking forward to receiving my results when I returned to school over the summer. My class which i had been in when I sat my exams gathered with my old Form Tutor , where he gave us our results .When I was opening, my results I was extremely nervous, however the nerves washed away, as I achieved so much more than I had ever expected to have achieved. I then went around to see all of my teachers from Junior Cert and told them my results. Later on in the evening I went out for dinner with my family, before going out to celebrate with my friends!

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