Longford schools: recent events and achievements in St Mel's College

St Mel’s College

College Awareness Week

As part of our school’s College Awareness Week, our Guidance Counsellors organised a huge range of activities for our students to take part in. Our 6th year students attended an informative talk on Occupational Health and Safety delivered by past pupil, Bobby Crilly who is currently studying at ATU Sligo. Bobby emphasised the wide range of career opportunities available in the sector and provided students with a relatable perspective on college life and future pathways.

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Overall, the talk was highly beneficial and served as an inspiring start to College Awareness Week highlighting the value of hearing first hand from former students who have progressed to third level. Our 6th year students led a peer-mentoring session with 1st year classes to promote early exploration of future pathways. The activity focused on introducing 1st Years to CareersPortal.ie, Ireland’s national career guidance platform.

6th Year mentors demonstrated how to navigate CareersPortal, including how to explore interests, search for courses, and identify subject requirements. Each 1st Year completed a “My Dream Course” worksheet, where they recorded a course that they may pursue in the future.Thank you to our 6th year mentors. Transition Year students took part in a lively Kahoot quiz focused on college courses, campus life, and future career pathways. The activity helped students learn more about the wide range of study options available after secondary school, while also encouraging discussion about personal interests and career goals. Well done to team Streamer University who were the winners followed by team Monsters University!

Our 2nd year students took part in a scavenger hunt for College Awareness Week during their PE classes. The students had to explore the school campus to find out information and fun facts about the colleges their teachers went to. Well done to the boys on their enthusiasm and teamwork. Thank you to the Guidance Department for organising all these activities.

Junior Hurling

Our Junior hurling team had a great win last Monday beating Oaklands Community College 4-07 to 1-06. The team now progresses to the semi final versus St. Joseph’s CBS Drogheda. Well done to the team and management and best of luck in the next game.

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Silver Surfers Technology Session
Some of our Transition Year students recently welcomed members of the local Men’s Shed for a special “Silver Surfer” technology session. Students paired up with participants to offer friendly, patient guidance on using smartphones, tablets, and everyday digital tools. From sending messages and managing photos to exploring useful apps, the session sparked great conversations and plenty of laughs. This initiative which will be running over the next few months, will not only help to bridge the digital divide but it also aims to build meaningful connections across generations, showcasing the power of community, cooperation, and lifelong learning.

Football
Well done to our 1st year football team who played St Mary's Edenderry in round 2 of the Leinster Championship last week. The lads played very well throughout the game and there were some well taken scores. The team were delighted to come through a tough game and are looking forward to round 3 next week v St Pat's, Navan. Well done to the team and their coaches.

Hard luck to our 2nd year football team who lost out to Coláiste Choilm Tullamore last week. St Mel's got off to a slow start as Tullamore opened with a quick 1-1. However, the boys in blue grew into the game as the 1st half progressed with some lovely scores. The first half finished 2-7 to 1-8, St Mel's trailing by 4 but playing some good quality football. Upon the restart, Mel's scored a point and a penalty to draw level again with the opposition. However, Tullamore put serious pressure on our kick outs and made it difficult for our defence to get the ball out of our own half. Tullamore capitalised on this period of the game and took their scores to pull away into the lead. Well done to the 2nd year team for putting in a great effort all year. We have no doubt this young team will continue to develop their skills and enjoy plenty more football at u16 and senior level.

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Junior Rugby
A massive congratulations to our Junior Rugby team who gave an outstanding quarter-final performance to beat St Mary's College, Dundalk last week. The boys played with exceptional determination and hunger. It was a performance to be truly proud of. Their victory means they now march on to the semi-finals in a few weeks’ time, where they’ll take on Boyne. We can’t wait to see them play again.