Unique insight into top schooling experience

Excitement is building at Cistercian College Roscrea as the Midlands-based secondary school prepares to host an ‘Open Evening Experience’ for prospective students and their families, from 4-8pm on Friday, March 4.

The event has attracted widespread interest from across the country and it will provide the best chance yet for interested parents and their sons to witness first-hand the impressive transformation the college has undergone in recent years.

Cistercian College has a rich sporting tradition that continues to this day, with the recent launch of their new Long Term Athletic Development Programme expected to deliver far reaching benefits for both recreational and elite competitive athletes attending the school. The school’s partnership with Irish-based N-Pro, producers of high-tech headguards for rugby, has been a further key step in safeguarding the welfare of the college’s sports-mad student body. The investment in its sports facilities has included new 3G outdoor pitches, a second strength and conditioning gym and an indoor golf room, with a Trackman Golf Simulator, artificial green and even an indoor bunker. The addition of a 3G astroturf surface and floodlights to the college’s two outdoor ball alleys is a noticeable investment in the future of hurling, at one of the few boarding schools still competing at the top level in the sport.

Meanwhile, on the educational side, while the school continues to consistently rank highly in the national league tables, the holistic focus of its ‘A Place To Grow’ mission has really come to the fore during the challenges of the recent pandemic. In the last two years, the highly-regarded Cistercian College TY programme made light of the Covid-19 impact to deliver far-reaching community projects across the beautiful 360 hectare campus that it shares with Mount Saint Joseph Abbey.

These projects included the reclamation of the monastery’s historic Walled Garden, including the creation of a unique outdoor classroom, in addition to the development of a Prayer Path and Esker Walkway. Meanwhile, the renovation of the college’s oratory as a sensory room, with cutting edge AV photobiology technology, also created a fantastic focal point for the its innovative Mindfulness and Wellbeing programmes.

Starting from the 2022-2023 academic year, the college will implement a one-to-one student device programme, bringing technology to the forefront of the school’s educational strategy into the future, leveraging technology to enhance the teaching and learning experiences for all students. As part of this exciting initiative, all new five-and seven-day boarding students joining the college for the next academic year will be provided with a free Google Chromebook.

The college is also introducing a market-leading reporting tool for all boarding students, which will provide real-time progress tracking to parents across key development areas such as self-management, study, research and other skills.

New College President Gavin Clark, who commenced in his position late in 2021, is looking forward to welcoming guests for a unique insight into daily life at one of Ireland’s leading secondary schools.

Mr Clarke said: “For our upcoming ‘Open Evening Experience’ event, we’re really looking forward to welcoming all interested students and their parents for a fantastic, interactive showcase of the college as a unique place to learn, develop and grow. So much has changed since the last time that we’ve been able to fully showcase the college’s offering and we believe that our recent and planned future developments mark Cistercian College out as one of the most exciting places for students from across Ireland and overseas to consider for their second level schooling.

“The format for the event will include a guided tour of our newly redeveloped facilities, led by current students and staff, plus group activities showcasing our cross-school programmes, in sport and extra-curricular activities. And no visit to Cistercian College would be complete without sampling our famed hospitality, with all guests invited to partake in a delicious and nutritious evening meal served by our dedicated staff in the college Dining Hall.”

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