Second deputy principal starts at Nenagh school

Over 700 students at CBS secondary

St Joseph’s CBS Secondary School in Nenagh now has two deputy principals after the school’s student population recently expanded beyond 700.

Michelle Russell took up the appointment at the beginning of the current term. Hailing from the townland of Camblin between Roscrea and Templemore, Ms Russell welcomed the opportunity to come home to north Tipperary having been based in Dublin for the last nine years.

“It was always my intention to come back to Tipperary and I feel I’m very lucky,” said the new deputy principal, who wanted to move back home and be close to her family. When she saw the new position advertised at Nenagh CBS, her reaction was: “this sounds like it was nearly meant to be”.

But Ms Russell’s appointment was based on a lot more than fortune. A past pupil of Our Lady’s Secondary School in Templemore, she went on to build a background in education that makes for impressive reading.

Her qualifications began with an arts degree in English and Economics in Maynooth, followed by a H Dip in Accounting and Corporate Finance, and a diploma for teaching with English, Business, Accounting and Economics. She subsequently went on to add a MA in Educational Leadership in Maynooth.

Teaching English and Business at Ard Scoil Rís on Griffith Avenue, Ms Russell became the Dublin institution’s School Self-Evaluation (SSE) co-ordinator. She then co-ordinated her former school’s Transition Year and Leaving Cert Vocational Programme, worked with newly-qualified teachers on the Oide programme, and became a member of the curriculum advisory committee. She was also a member of the ICT committee at Ard Scoil Rís, a role that really came into its own during the Covid pandemic when management needed to introduce online learning technologies to the school.

NEW ROLE

Ms Russell described Ard Scoil Rís as a “city version” of Nenagh CBS and said there are many similarities between the two schools. She liked the setup of the all-boys Edmund Rice school and was looking for something similar in pursuing the career move that led to Nenagh.

Her appointment came about after the school cohort rose above 700 pupils last year, entitling the Nenagh school to a second deputy principal. It is now home to some 720 students.

She now joins a senior management team of Principal Karen O’Donnell and Deputy Principal Dermot Brislane, the latter taking charge of Second, Fourth and Sixth years while Ms Russell has responsibility for First, Third and Fifth. Her remit includes SSE, Adult Educational Needs (AEN) education, the Mild General Learning Disabilities (MGLD) class, autism classes, students with resource teaching, school improvement plan, literacy strategy, discipline and attendance.

SETTLING IN

It is a wide and varied brief, but Ms Russell is looking forward to the challenges it brings, including that of the new Senior Cycle, as well as working on a school improvement plan and self-evaluation. She also spoke of relishing the opportunity to work with the AEN department in the school.

“We have really good committees here and different groups for learning teaching, so I’m really looking forward to working with all of them to make sure that we are giving the best opportunity to the lads in the school,” the new deputy principal said.

She took the opportunity to thank all concerned for the welcome she has received at Nenagh CBS. Given that her role is more office than classroom-based, she said she has not yet had the opportunity to meet all the pupils in the school but hopes to get to know more of them in the months ahead. “It’s been lovely coming here because there’s always that nervousness,” she said. “After being in Dublin for nine years and so settled and knowing everybody there, I was so nervous about starting here.

“You hear stories sometimes about people starting in new schools and they find it very hard to settle in, but Karen and Dermot especially have gone out of their way to help me settle and feel like I’ve always been here. And I want to feel like I’ve always been here. I don’t want to be the new person.”