Back to school for St Mel's College in Longford with lots of activities happening

St Mel’s College, Longford

Fishing Trip
On Friday, September 19, our 1st year anglers enjoyed a fishing trip to the Royal Canal in Killashee. It was a brilliant morning with loads of fish caught. For some students, it was their first time catching a fish. You could see their confidence and skills develop as the morning went by - hand to eye coordination, dexterity, and teamwork.

Thank you to our senior student Kyle Kane for his help and to Emmet from Camlin Anglers. A big thank you to Mr Galvin for organising. There will be plenty more trips in the coming weeks.

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Football
Well done to our 2nd year football team who played Roscommon CBS in a challenge match last week. The sides were very evenly matched and it was a great opportunity for both teams to work on their game play before the championship kicks off in the coming weeks. Best of luck to the 2nd year team who take on Marist of Athlone at home in the first round of the championship on October 7.

School Mass
Last Tuesday, Bishop Paul Connell and Fr. Tony celebrated the opening school mass of the year with our students and staff in St. Mel's Cathedral. Bishop Paul wished all students well for the year ahead. He reminded our Leaving Cert students that their exam results will not define them and that all we ask is that they do their best this year. He also formally welcomed our new first year students to St. Mel’s College and hopes that they have now settled into school life. Well done to our Prefects who played a huge role in the ceremony from readings to bringing up gifts. Bishop Paul presented our Prefects with their Prefect badges at the end of the mass. A special mention to our Trad Band accompanied by Bridie Gobl and Josephine Dolan who played some beautiful tunes throughout the ceremony. Thank you to our altar boys who served the mass. A
huge thank you to the Religion Department for organising a lovely mass.

Gaelic Blitz
Our 1st year Gaelic footballers put on the blue and white jersey for the first time last Thursday as they proudly represented St Mel’s College at the County Longford Schools Blitz. St. Mel's had 4 teams participating in the blitz, each team played 4 games each against teams from Mercy, Ballymahon and Lanesborough Community School. The boys had a great day with some great football skills on display. They are already looking forward to the next blitz in a few weeks time. Thank you to our TY students who helped out on the day, refereeing matches and managing teams. Thank you to Paddy O'Connor of Longford GAA for organising.

Cross Country
Well done to all the St. Mel's College students who participated in the Secondary Schools Cross Country competition in Moyne last Thursday. Well done to Dawid Zdybel who came 3rd in a very exciting sprint finish in the senior race. Well done to Conor Fox who finished 4th and Setanta Smith who finished 6th in the second year race. We had some very strong runs from Marcel Juszczyk, Evan Maher, Tom Donohoe and Sebastian Daniva. Well done to all students who participated on the day. Thank you to Longford A.C. and Moyne Community School for organising.

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TY Trip
Our Transition Year students had a fantastic visit to Jinny’s Bakery & Tearooms in Drumshanbo last Thursday. They learned how this family-run bakery grew from baking just 16 loaves in its first week supplying shops all over Ireland. Students also got to see how their award-winning breads and treats are made and enjoyed a delicious lunch in their beautiful setting overlooking Acres Lake. A huge thank you to Pascal for our informative talk and Sinead for welcoming us warmly. We then moved on to beautiful Roscommon to the Arigna Mining Experience. Students enjoyed a fascinating guided tour through the old coal mines, led by former miners who shared their stories of working underground. Thank you so much for this insightful tour