AlexPress March 2025
Principal's Update
I am delighted to announce our prefects, Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl for 2025/2026:
Head Girl: Rachel Maloney
Deputy Head Girl: Amelia Jones
- Joy Akwuobi
- Phoebe Boylan
- Catherine Cannon
- Caoilinn Dunne
- Aisling Forbes
- Clodagh Franke
- Michele Henry
- Isobel Johnston
- Fleur Kinahan
- Abigail Moran
- Eva Louise Murphy
- Eabha O’Brien
- Éabha O’Callaghan
- Kate O’Mahony
- Roisin Sheehy
- Caoimhe Taylor
- Thinh Ann Ward
I want to extend congratulations to all the students who have been elected prefects this week. We look forward to seeing how the girls’ leadership will contribute to our school community, and I am confident that they will rise to the challenge.
Hermione Student Art Competition
Alumna Spotlight - Tara Walker
Each month, the Alumna Spotlight highlights the journeys of Alex Alumnae, showcasing their achievements and the impact their experiences at Alex have had on their careers and lives. This month, we are delighted to feature Tara Walker, Alex Class of 1997, cookbook author, and chef tutor.
Special Thanks from the AWC
To the community in Alexandra College, we must extend a Special Thank You for all your support of the school charity at last Friday’s AWC Ladies Lunch. We raised a whopping €43,000 to help women in need in our community. You all heard Lisa’s tough story at the lunch. Thanks to your fantastic support, we can now help many more Lisas in the coming year.
Here is a glimpse of the glamour and beauty of the ladies who attended the AWC Ladies Lunch. Thank you all for coming along!
Community News
Junior School News
This month's Junior School News features Seachtain na Gaeilge, MAD Festival in the Junior School, and more!
Seachtain na Gaeilge
Ar an 7ú lá de mhí na Márta, chuireamar tús le Seachtain na Gaeilge. Ar dtús, bhí comórtas postaeir ar siúl don chéad bliain agus don dara bliain. Rinne siad go leor póstaeir le seanfhocail agus frásaí agus bhí siad le feiceáil timpeall na scoile. I rith na seachtaine, bhí seisiún rince agus céilí againn ag am lóin le rincí cosúil leis “An Dreoilín” agus na “Ballaí Luimnigh”. Ar an Aoine, bhí tráth na gceist ar siúl ag am lóin i seomra 10 agus bhuaigh grúpa ón dara bliain an chéad duais. Ar an Luain, bhí scannáin éagsúla ar siúl ag am lóin le grán rósta agus seacláid agus bhí ciorcal comhrá ar siúl freisin. Faoi dheireadh, ar an lá is gnóthaí, chuireamar deireadh le seachtain na Gaeilge lenár gceolchoirm cáiliúil, agus ár lá glas ar ndóigh! Tar éis am sosa, bhí an cheolchoirm ar siúl leis an scoil ar fad. Ghlac go leor daoine páirt sa cheolchoirm mar shampla Alex Nós, an bhunscoil, an idirbhliain, amhránaithe agus rinceoirí on séú bliain agus filíocht ón gcúigiú bliain agus ón gcéad bhliain. Ba bhealach iontach é an tseachtain chun an Ghaeilge agus ár gcultúr a cheiliúradh. Mar a deireann ár mana i mbliana, “Labhair í agus mairfidh sí”.
On the 7th of March, we started Seachtain na Gaeilge. Firstly, there was a poster competition for 1st and 2nd Years. They made lots of posters with proverbs and phrases and they were displayed around the school. During the week, we had a dance and céilí session at lunchtime with dances like “An Dreoilín” and the “Ballaí Luimnigh”. On Friday, a quiz was held at lunchtime in room 10 and a group from 2nd Year won first prize. On Monday, various films were shown at lunchtime with popcorn and chocolate and a conversation circle was also held. Finally, on the busiest day, we ended Seachtain na Gaeilge with our famous concert, and our green day of course! After break, the concert was held with the whole school. Many people took part in the concert, for example Alex Nós, the primary school, Transition Years, singers and dancers from 6th Year and poetry from the 5th and 1st Years. The week was a great way to celebrate the Irish language and our culture. As our motto this year says, “Speak it and it will survive”.
News from the Maths Department
It has been a busy few months for the maths department! Alexandra College has gotten involved in quite a few competitions this year with some great success.
IMTA 1st Year Online Problem-Solving Competition
Many of our 1st Years took part in an online problem-solving competition back in January hosted by the Irish Mathematics Teachers’ Association. The primary aim of the competition is to promote mathematics in a fun and collegial atmosphere and to encourage problem-solving skills among our students. The students had 40 minutes to attempt a number of multiple-choice problems using their prior knowledge from primary school and new skills gained since they started 1st Year.
We were delighted to see that Holly T (1R) achieved a remarkable score of 100% and received a beautiful engraved trophy. She was one of only six students in the country to achieve this top score. There were 14,067 entries from around Ireland, so this is particularly impressive! We are very proud of Holly and of all the 1st Years who participated.
IAMTA Team Maths Competition Final
On Saturday March 22nd, the Irish Applied Maths Teachers’ association held the national finals of both the Junior and Senior Problem-Solving Competitions in Athlone Community College.
Alex saw great success over the weekend. In the Junior Competition, there were 24 teams from all over the country, of which Alex was one of only three girls’ teams. Our team, accompanied by Ms. Benson, were joint first at the end of the competition and participated in a four-way tie-break for 1st place. They came third in the end and received engraved trophies. Alex were the only girls’ team and the only team from Dublin to place in the top 3. These girls were Alvina A (3R), Jasmine Z (3B), Lucy G (4O) and Belinda W (4T).
The senior team were accompanied by Mr. Cushen. Lauren Kinsella (6M) and Entong Wang (5L) and Alexia Barabas (5L) competed against 23 other teams from around the country. They finished an excellent 6th place overall, only 3 correct answers away from 1st.
We would like to especially congratulate Jasmine, who in addition to this, made the honour roll of the 38th Irish Maths Olympiad (IrMO). This involved Jasmine getting involved in enrichment classes in UCD and taking a highly advanced exam. She ranked 26th in the IrMO this year and was invited to participate in the International Maths Olympiad training camp. It is quite extraordinary for a 3rd Year student to achieve so highly in this prestigious competition.
IMTA Team Maths Competition
On February 27th, Alexandra College hosted the regional round of the Team Maths competition, which is aimed at 6th Year higher level maths students. The competition involves teams of four students working together to solve challenging problems based on the Leaving Certificate higher level maths syllabus within a time limit.
Nine local schools arrived to Alex and 24 teams battled it out over eight rounds of questions. Alexandra College entered four teams of motivated 6th Years and were proud to boost the representation of girls in competitions such as these. It was a successful event in our very own study hall. All who participated enjoyed it thoroughly and were well challenged.
In the end, the top three teams came from St. Columba’s College, Belvedere College and Gonzaga College.
We were thrilled to find out after the competition that one of our teams achieved a high enough score to progress to the national final, which will take place on Saturday March 29th in the Midlands Park Hotel. These girls were Lauren Kinsella (6M), Órla McDermott (6K), Yvonne Fu (6K) and Rachel O’Connor (6M). We wish you the best of luck girls!
Hermione Headlines
This month's edition of the Hermione Headlines features St Patrick's Day, a trip to Cullen's Sheep Farm, and more!
TY Students at the YSI Speak Out Event
On Tuesday 4th March, 9 students from Transition Year attended the Young Social Innovators (YSI) Speak Out event in the Mansion House on Dawson Street. In front of an audience of hundred of other students, they presented the work they've completed since September on the topic of substance misuse awareness.
They spoke of their learning about drug addiction in Dublin, their examination of popular music and films that glamorise drug use and their future plans for a drug awareness week in the school.
Well done to the following students for all their hard work throughout the year and their presentation: Edda B (4R), Siyuan C (4J), Shengyi G (4O), Yinuo H (4O), Catherine K (4O), Nedjma R (4Y), Blaze S (4T), Katrina W (4Y) & Ziqi X (4O).
Sports Report March 2025
Athletics
Well done to Olivia B (2H), Julia B (2B), and Mollie C (1R), competed on the Junior Team in the Schools All-Ireland Cross Country Championship Final!
Soccer
Junior League regional Semi-Final v Mount Anville, won 3-2
Minor League regional Quarter Final v John Scottus Rathmichael, won 5-0
1st Years v Stratford College 1-1
1st Year League regional Semi-Final v Loreto Foxrock, won 4-2
Minor League regional Semi-Final v Dominican College Drumcondra, won on penalties
Hockey
4 March
1st Year Cup vs St Gerards 1-1 ( lost 2-0 on 1v1s )
5 March
1st Year 2 vs East Glendalough 0-1
1st Year 1 vs Loreto Stephens Green 1-0
1st Year 2 vs Loreto Stephens Green 1-1
Senior 1 vs St Gerards - Claudia Tierney Semi Final 0-0 ( Lost 2-1 on 1v1s)
6 March
Hockey: Minor 4 Semi Final vs St Killians 0-1
7 March
Hockey: First Year 3 vs St Mary’s Naas 0-0
Fresh Film Festival Regional Finals
On Wednesday the 19th of March, we went to the screening of the Leinster Regional Finals for the Fresh Film Festival in the Omniplex Cinema Rathmines. Going to the screening of our films was an incredible experience. We got to see ourselves and our friends on the big screen. The screenings started at 10am and ended at 3pm. We arrived and were greeted by members of the Fresh Film staff. Throughout the day we watched an array of films from all over the country, showcasing a diverse range of themes. It was great to see the work other people our age were able to produce, as well as meet and discuss with other rising filmmakers. At the end of the day, they announced which films would be going on to the finals. We were extremely excited to hear that our short film ‘disconnected’ had been nominated for the best school category.
We also want to congratulate Catherine Cannon (5L), who got nominated for the best 60 second film category with her film ‘Roaming Charges’. The finals will be held on Thursday the 10th of April, and we can’t wait!
MAD Festival - Drama Workshops and Events
The Drama Department were delighted to be part of the MAD Festival, for the launch of the Festival we had the fantastic and energetic performance of the 1st Year DramSoc play Happily Never After, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all audience members.
We began our exciting week of workshops with a special screening of ‘The Making of Mollie’ presented by The Ark, for our J2 - J6 students. Set in Dublin in 1912, the story follows 14-year-old Mollie Carberry, whose ordinary life takes an unexpected turn when she discovers that her older sister, Phyllis, is a secret suffragette. As Mollie becomes aware of the injustices around her, she is inspired to take action. This engaging piece of theatre provided students with a thought-provoking introduction to historical and social change, through drama.
On Tuesday, 4th March, our KG Lower, KG Upper, and J1 students participated in an immersive Shadow Puppetry Workshop, led by puppeteer Julie-Rose McCormick. During this hands-on session, students designed and created their own shadow puppets before bringing their stories to life in a shadow puppet theatre performance. It was a truly enriching experience that combined creativity, storytelling, and performance.
We ran two workshops, a physical theatre workshop with Micheal McCabe where the 1st and 2nd Year students gained valuable insights into movement, expression and teamwork.
At the Audition workshop by Aisling O’Mara, the senior students explored life in the audition room, building on their performance technique and gaining a better understanding of the audition process.
On Friday 6th March we were lucky to be joined for our panel conversation with industry professionals from the LIR National Academy of Arts – Clodagh Deegan a costume designer and former costume supervisor who works across theatre film and opera, Eve D’Alton the director of technical training and facilities management at the LIR, and Bryan Burroughs a skilled physical theatre performer as well as an actor, director, movement director and writer. The discussion for 4th, 5th and 6th Years was very insightful and informative, the panel were very generous in sharing their advice and opinions on how to get involved in the industry.
DramFest Weekend 2025
On the weekend of the 1st and 2nd March, the Drama Department celebrated 21 years of our annual DramFest! This is a major event in the Drama Department’s calendar, and is a chance for our students to perform in front of an audience. We were beyond proud of the dedication, confidence and courage they showed throughout the DramFest weekend; we’ve witnessed their imagination, creativity, perseverance and of course, their immense talent.
We had 4 adjudicators, 4 performance venues, and 57 different competitions from solo drama, duologues, Shakespeare, classical drama, improvisation, poetry public speaking and impromptu speaking. Our 4 external adjudicators watched close to 60 hours of performances between them over the two days of DramFest.
A huge amount of organisation and planning goes into DramFest each year and there are many people we would like to thank, a special mention to Ms Brehony for completing the difficult task of the timetable and the endless admin jobs from home. Thank you to our TY and 5th Year Drama Reps helping us out over the weekend, who worked tirelessly to make DramFest run as smoothly as possible.
DramFest Overall Awards 2025
Junior Poetry Prize: Alexandra B (3H)
Junior Solo Drama Prize: Ruby W (2B)
Junior Drama Duologue Prize: Iseult M (2R) and Lucy M (2R)
Junior Comedy Prize: Gracín M (3B)
Junior Adjudicators Prize: Alexis R-N (3S)
Junior Public Speaking Prize: Sophie M (3H)
Junior Shakespeare Prize: Catherine L (4R)
Senior Poetry Prize: Angela D (4R)
Senior Solo Drama Prize: Beth Patterson (6L)
Senior Comedy Prize: Elsa Mooney (6J) & Emma Johansson (6M)
Senior Drama Duologue Prize: Elsa Mooney (6J) & Emma Johansson (6M)
Senior Adjudicator's Prize: Lucy Colleary (6L)
Shakespeare Cup: Phoebe Boylan (5K)
LSMD Shield for Public Speaking: Catherine L (4R)
The Pat McHugh Cup for Outstanding Performance: Roisin Sheehy (5M)
MAD Festival 2025 - Music Festival
Congratulations to everyone who participated in this year’s MAD Festival, a two-week festival filled with music, art, and drama activities!!
A heartfelt thank you to Ms Ennis, Mr O’Farrell, Ms Lamplugh, and Ms Gorry for their unwavering support and flexibility during the festival, allowing students to step away from class to fully engage in the festival’s activities. We would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to the phenomenal staff in the music department, none of this would have been possible without them. Your dedication, from organising workshops and masterclasses to preparing students for competitions and concerts, played a vital role in the festival’s success. You are truly the driving force behind it all! Other than the music staff, we would like to say a massive thank you and congratulations to both the art and drama department for joining forces to create the MAD Festival this year! Your collaboration and support helped bring all the different activities together in such a fun and educational way. Finally, a big shoutout to all the TY music reps for their dedication and hard work – you made the festival very special!
Violin Masterclass
I really had a great experience with the strings masterclass that took place on Wednesday 26th of February. The masterclass was taken by violinist and singer Anne Phelan, who is currently the assistant principal second violin with the RTE Concert Orchestra. By the end of my session with her I felt I learned so much and improved on things that I thought I had perfected. Anne really showed me that there is always room for improvement. Other than my own performance, I also really enjoyed listening to the other performers. I was able to relate to all the feedback and guidance Anne was providing. I think it will be very helpful in the future for me as well. Overall, the whole event was really enjoyable and I can’t wait to participate again next year.
Piano Masterclass
​​As part of the MAD festival at Alex, there were numerous music workshops, masterclasses and competitions. I was very lucky to take part in the piano masterclass with Dr David Mooney, the Head of Keyboard Studies at TU Dublin Conservatoire. He has given piano masterclasses in Ireland, UK and Hong Kong. He is a world-appointed judge for the WPTA Piano Competition and has adjudicated at competitions and festivals in Ireland and the UK. For the masterclass, I played Rêverie by Debussy, and I benefited greatly! The Masterclass helped me to improve my understanding of the piece, and I learned new techniques to improve the technical passages as well as how to play the piece more musically. Thank you Ms Errity and Ms Qiao for organising this.
3rd Year Trip to the National Concert Hall
The 3rd Year music students, along with Ms Ross and Ms Qiao, made a visit to the National Concert Hall to watch a performance of the National Symphony Orchestra as part of their educational programme for the year.
The programme included:
- Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (Britten)
- Infernal Dance from the Firebird Suite (Stravinsky)
- Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven)
- Subito con forsa (Unsuk Chin)
The presenter, Jessie Grimes, spoke to us about some of the interesting features of these pieces, such as the use of canon, instrumental techniques, and the origins of Beethoven’s 5th, which then linked with Chin’s piece.
We were also treated to a performance by singer-songwriter Loah, who sang her beautiful commissioned song, Our Tree. The story of the mother and baby homes inspired the song. The jazz tradition very much inspired her as she grew up listening to it from a young age.
The concert concluded with a stunning performance of Mise Éire by Seán Ó’Riada. Jessie drew comparisons with the Finnish composer, Sibelius, who, like Ó’Riada, was also inspired by his traditional folk music and the subsequent rise in nationalism in music.
It was a wonderful experience to see a live orchestral performance of music from our national symphony orchestra whilst getting some music revision!
Wesley Interschools Music Festival
Well done to all students who competed in the Wesley Interschools Music Festival!
4 Part Girls Choir
2nd Place - College Choir, conducted by Ms Foster and accompanied by Ms O’Sullivan
O17 Duet
2nd Place - Lucy Colleary (6L) and Semi Oluborode (6L)
Classical Singing U17
1st Place - Ciara H (4R)
Popular Singing U16
Highly Commended - Grace O'B (3B) and Alexis R-N (3S)
U14 Strings
Highly Commended - Sophie F (1H)
Woodwind Masterclass
I had the privilege to take part in the woodwind masterclass with Jessica Harris on Tuesday 4th of March. Jessica is a renowned Oboist and leading music therapist in Ireland. Personally, I found the masterclass to be an incredible experience, as it gave us practise in playing, as well as getting friendly feedback and tips to improve in our playing. We also got to listen to other musicians in a non competitive environment and learn from them. Overall, this was a fantastic experience and I hope to participate again next year.
Music Competitions - MAD Festival
On Saturday the 8th of March, the music competitions took place in the lecture theatre for the MAD festival. We started the competitions nice and early at 9am and finished at 6pm. The competitions were for students in both the senior and junior school and to make sure there is a category for everyone, we had competitions in strings, piano, voice, woodwind and much more. To make the competitions as friendly and relaxing as possible, parents and friends also came to support. In addition, our adjudicator Catherina Lemoni was very positive and constructive with her feedback. We were very lucky to have such an outstanding musician as our adjudicator this year. All winners from each category were also awarded with a voucher from our sponsor MusicMaker. The day was a great success and everyone really enjoyed it! Thank you to our amazing music reps who helped out in the tuck shop, competitions and taking photos throughout the day.
Band Night at Alex
As part of the new MAD festival this year, we launched a new “Band Night”. We invited bands from around Dublin to play music on the night, and welcomed students from Loreto Dalkey, St Andrews College, Sion Hill, Loreto Foxrock and many others. The night was in aid of TY students’ fundraising for Cliona’s Foundation, an incredible Irish charity that supports the families of seriously ill children. Band Night was a great success, with some incredible music played by both visiting students and our own school bands, and over €500 was raised for Cliona’s. A huge thanks goes out to all the music staff involved, it would not have been possible without your support.
Strings Concert
My experience at the strings concert was truly unforgettable. I performed a solo piece by Vitali and a piece as part of the string quartet. I was very excited to showcase my solo piece after months of rehearsing it. It was an amazing night, but a standout moment was when we got a standing ovation from the audience after our quartet performance of Max Richter’s Vivaldi’s Spring Variation. This entire experience helped me boost my confidence and hearing performances from students in both the junior and senior school motivated me to practice harder.
Patterson Gala Concert
On March 10th, the senior school concourse was lit up with candle light for the Patterson Gala Concert, featuring many outstanding performers from both the junior and senior school. The evening showcased the remarkable talents of the Junior and Senior School Orchestra, Alex Nós, the Junior and Senior School Choirs, the Jazz Band, competition winners, and various other ensembles. Their exceptional performances created an unforgettable experience for both the audience and participants. The junior school was able to join in with both the senior school choir and orchestra, this was an excellent experience for both junior and senior school students. This remarkable event would not have been possible without their commitment and talent.
I had the privilege of participating in this concert, performing with Alex Nós as well as the Junior and Senior School Orchestra. The experience was truly unforgettable for me and the other musicians. I hope to have the opportunity to take part again next year.
In addition, Sunny a 5th year art student captured the magical night through art so this beautiful night will be remembered. It was a magical and enchanting evening and could not happens without Ms Qiao, all of the music teachers and everyone who graced us with their performance. What an incredible way to finish the MAD festival.
Mageough Nursing Home Visit
On Wednesday 12th of March, a group of students and I took a trip to Mageough Nursing Home accompanied by Mr Cooney and Dr Kalnins. Each student performed a solo piece on their various instruments and then the trad band played a couple of tunes. The residents seemed to really enjoy the music and it was a great performing experience for all of us.
