Student awards of the year

The coveted Student of the Year and the Spirit of Newport College awards for the 2024/’25 school year have been presented to the students, as another successful year at the second level centre of education comes to a close.

Completion was very close in all grades and the students were advised that all were winners in their own right for being excellent students and model ambassadors for the college throughout the year.

Recipients of the Student of the Year awards were selected for their academic excellence as well as recognition of their hard work, responsibility, and determination demonstrated throughout their studies during the year.

The awards went to James Ryan (First Year), Killian Van De Ven (Second Year), Eva Gleeson (Third Year), Alison Comber (TY), Darragh Cummins (Fifth Year), and Abby Gillespie (Sixth Year).

CORE VALUES

To give context to the prestigious Spirit of Newport College award, the accolade is to students who embodied the tenets of the ETB’s Core Values including care, community, respect and equality.

These students were motivated to get involved in events and initiatives taking place around the school, conducting themselves in an exceptional manner and always treating others with respect and kindness, showing themselves as truly inspirational in both in action and conduct and an asset to the entire school community.

The awards were presented to Patrick Conroy (First Year), Alison O’Connor (Second Year), Liam Oalkey (Third Year), John Crofton (TY), Ryan Shinners (Fifth Year), and Abigail Bates (Sixth Year).

A great importance is also placed on extra-curricular activities at the college and the pursuit of success outside of the classroom.

Many students who shone brightest up on the stage or out on the pitch were celebrated as much as the academic achievers.

For this reason, Seamus Bridgeman (Third Year) and James Moloney (Sixth Year) were presented with Extra-Curricular Awards for their efforts in many of the school’s sports teams throughout the year.

Every year, two students from each ETB school in Tipperary receive the very special Tipperary ETB Core Values Award to recognise their efforts to embody the core values of Tipperary ETB.

Two students - one from the Junior School and one from the Senior School - Mary Hickey, Junior School, and Michael Foley, Senior School, were presented with the awards of which only 22 students from the entire county will receive his year.

Mar Mitjans Vazquez was congratulated on receiving the International Student of the Year.

On the same day as the student awards, Newport College held our annual Transition Year graduation for the TY class of 2024/’25 who have achieved a wide variety of goals both inside and outside the classroom.

Not only have they matured before our eyes, but they have also become closer as a group. This was very evident in the teary-eyed farewells to the exchange students from Spain who have participated in Transition Year this year and have made some lifelong memories and friends.

Students travelled extensively with excursions to Keeper Hill, a comedy show in Thurles, an overnight Gaisce Trip to Waterford, Ardnacrusha Power Station, the Ploughing Championships, swimming in UL, a school tour to Lake Garda in Italy, a trip to Archerstown Further Education and Training Centre, a Drivers’ Education trip to Loughrea, as well as a trip to ‘Hell and Back’ obstacle course in Alive Outside in Wicklow.

Later that evening at the Leaving Certificate Graduation, College Principal, Donal Madden, spoke of the value of the relationship between Newport College and the community at large praising the students for what they had achieved throughout their time in Newport College - the impact they have left on younger students, on teachers and on him as principal.

Head Boy Damien, and Head Girl Heather, addressed the students while a poem written by Aisling Gleeson in LCA encapsulated the bittersweet feelings of moving on to the next stage in life and Claire Sullivan, vice principal, spoke about memories she shares with the Class of 2025.

She praised them, stressing how much they had grown in her eyes in such a short time and left the students with advice to never give up, to strive for excellence in all that they do and to never settle as they can achieve whatever they set their minds to wishing the entire group success in their future endeavours