I got a letter from Leo Varadkar in lockdown. Mrs. Davis gave us a homework assignment asking us to pick a famous person to be for one day. I sent him a letter to tell him that I picked him. A few weeks later he wrote back. I couldn’t believe my eyes! I got a letter from the Taoiseach!
It was a very exciting and proud day in HNS yesterday as the pupils of the school got their first go on the new Artificial Grass Pitch.
The proceeds of Pedal to the Peak were all channelled into this development, along with funds raised from concerts, carol singing etc and generous donations to our school, including inheritance from the late T. McCarthy.
Sincere thank you to the team who completed the challenge on 23rd June 2018, also the support crew, the committee, all our sponsors, parents and pupils of the school, staff and parishioners of Herbertstown for your commitment and generosity, which have now come to fruition in this wonderful facility.
Thank you also to those who helped and supported us during the construction of the pitch, including the HDA for the use of the car park for site access and parking of machinery.
The pupils of HNS will enjoy the benefits of this pitch on a daily basis for many years to come.
There will be great activity at the school this week as the contractors will arrive on site on Wednesday 5th August to install an All Weather Pitch. This is the result of the fundraising efforts of the Pedal to the Peak crew, committe and whole school community in addition to the generous donation from Thomas McCarthy, cash prizes from Cumann na mBunscol awards and general fundraising efforts such as Carol singing, Christmas shows etc.
The pitch will be 17m x 28m enclosed with fencing and also ball stop netting. It will be located at the back of the school along the boundary fence, mostly on the grass but extending onto the basketball court. The location was determined by the underground percolation system which runs the length of the grass area from the front wall to the back fence along by the evergreen trees. We had to avoid building on these pipes and so located the pitch in the best spot according to site limitations, allowing for the proposed extension also.
The pitch will be completed in time for our return to school and will be a huge boost to us all as we return to school after the extended closure and facing into a new normal. It will be a huge asset to all as regards break times, PE lessons and training.
Congratulations and thank you to everyone for raising the money to make this possible and for your patience while the plan was formulated and the obstacles overcome.
We hope all the boys and girls will get many days of enjoyment and pleasure from the ‘Pedal to the Peak Pitch’.
The Anthony Baggott Cup should be on today,
but due to Covid 19 and social distance, we need to stay away.
No games, no cheer, no clash of the ash,
But in 2021, we will be back.
Today we will mark the occasion at home and remember
the memories we hold dear.
A secret glint in our eye knowing the Cup is in Herbertstown for another year.
We will be back but for today we remember with a smile
the year of 2020 when the tournament had to be paused for a while.
Christian – 5th Class
At this stage in June, we would usually be preparing for what is one of the biggest days in the school year, the staging of the Anthony Baggott Cup in Herbertstown. Unfortunately, like many other school events, it will not take place this year.
Normally, we would ask pupils to contribute artwork for the programme which is distributed on the day. This was one element which could continue.
Our pupils were invited to submit artwork for posting on the school website and they rose to the challenge – check out the gallery below to see some fantastic work!
Here is a sample of the work produced:
4th/5th class have been working hard at home in many subjects and this past week saw attention turn to the Industrial Revolution.
One particular area of focus here was the growth of the city of Belfast thanks in so small part to the ship building industry there.
Please see the gallery below for some posters designed by 4th/5th class advertising work in the Harland and Wolff Shipyard.
