Our GCSE pupils encouraged to: “Learn from yesterday, live for today and hope for tomorrow” at special Year 12 Service
On Tuesday May 9th, our year 12 pupils, staff and parents attended a special service to both celebrate this important milestone in their ongoing Dominican journey and also to reflect and pray with them as they commence their GCSE study leave.
Our special service led by Fr Kevin Mc Guckien, our new Parish Priest and School Chaplain and were also delighted to be able to share this valuable experience with our year 12 pupils and families in Star of The Sea Church.
In his homily, Fr. Kevin spoke about the inspirational young footballer Bukayo Saka who recently inspired pupils in his old school in North London. Saka, a committed Christian, was not afraid to speak about the role of God in his life and told pupils that they too were created by God with a special purpose in life. FR. Kevin assured our year 12 students that they would never be able to fully evaluate how much inspiration and comfort they have brought to others in a school where all are respected, valued and loved regardless of politics, religion or skin colour. He told pupils that each of us,” Is loved into existence by God and that, presently, God needs each of you now more than ever and you are able to direct each other in a positive way as you move forward together”.
As Dominican pupils he also assured them that they had shown they were often in the driving seat in terms of social justice and that they should never underestimate their ability to bring about positive change and asked that they would continue to respect, support and inspire each other over the period of their GCSE exams.
Concluding his homily, Fr. Kevin told pupils to think about the pathways that lie ahead and asked that “May you be blessed by the one who has created you and who holds you in the palm of his hand. Always remember that you are never too young to be used by God”.
Mrs McAllister, our Head of Year 12, in her first year in post, spoke to the Year 12 pupils, telling them:
“I know this service has been called your leaver’s service but really the only thing you are leaving is Year 12. When you joined Dominican College in Year 8, for most back in 2018, you became a member of the Dominican family and we are just pausing at this point to reflect on how far you have come in the time that has passed since then.
You have changed in many ways since you entered the gates of DCP, growing, maturing and learning in all aspects of your life. The Covid-19 pandemic has been a significant part of your educational experience. For some, it was a time where the fast pace of life slowed, the loudness of life was quietened, you could see the positives of the situation we were in and were able to use the time to embrace the change. But there is no doubt for others time dragged, the silence was deafening, life was bleak, and all the changes seemed overwhelming and never-ending.
For all of us though, the return to normality was a challenge too far at times, face masks, relentless routines of handwashing and one-way systems, the same classroom all day, the same people all day, no football at lunch and much of the fun removed from school life. Looking back now it’s hard to believe that was school life and we survived it.
But we did and each and every one of us have been challenged by these experiences. It has shaped who we are, how we see life and how we respond to situations. This will be something that you will continue to face as you progress through life – it is the challenges you overcome in life that will build you up and allow you to reach your fullest potential.”
Reflecting on the continuing legacy of the Year 12 pupils, Mrs McAllister continued, “As you know I came to Dominican last year and had the great pleasure of meeting many of you straight away. It was obvious to me very quickly that you had many admirable qualities that you have continued to demonstrate throughout the last year.
I have witnessed kindness, generosity of spirit, friendship, empathy and a strong sense of standing up for what is right amongst others. I would encourage you to keep these strong morals and values as you progress through life as it is this that you will be remembered for – it is not what you do but how you make others feel that will be your legacy.
She also thanked all staff, classroom assistants and particularly the Year 12 Form team, adding “I have no doubt that they care for you all and have been a great advocate for you throughout the years. As a collective the staff of DCP have your very best interests at heart and will be delighted to see you continue to grow in the next stage of your academic career.
We could never be as successful as a school without the support of your parents and so I know I speak on behalf of all staff to say thank you for all your support and we look forward to continuing working with you.”
Concluding her reflection, Mrs McAllister added the following, “I want to close this afternoon with a reminder that no matter where your journey takes you will always be part of this family. We will be waiting in August to share in all the emotions that come with opening those envelopes and to welcome you back. Good luck and God bless.”
Mrs Heaney, Dominican College Vice- Principal, summed up the sentiments of the day in her final reflection. She spoke of the “special milestone” that we were celebrating in our Year 12 pupils’ Dominican journey. Mrs Heaney thanked Fr. Kevin for instilling confidence in our pupils and for inspiring them on the eve of study leave. She also thanked Ms Rainey and the RE dept for allowing us as a school family to celebrate, reflect and give thanks.
Mrs Heaney encouraged the pupils to consider their own Dominican journey from, “Those fresh-faced new Year 8 pupils in 2018, keen to begin this new adventure and embrace your new school, arriving here with a sense of fun and wonder… it has been a pleasure to watch you grow and develop into fine young people”.
Mrs Heaney also thanked in a special way the staff of the school, “Who have worked with you every step of the way, every day and who have also gone beyond the call of duty”. Mrs Heaney also spoke about the tremendous work done by the ancillary staff of the school including the cleaning staff, secretarial staff, Mr McCorriston, our Estates Manager, our bursar, Mr McIvor and Miss Campbell our exams officer.
In her closing reflection Mrs Heaney reassured pupils that they must not despair, that anxiety and fear are commonly felt emotions during exam season and asked them to share their worries and feelings with friends, family and school staff. Wishing pupils every success, wherever their journey would lead them, Mrs Heaney assured the pupils they would always be a part of the Dominican family and that we would all be here on August 24th to welcome them back and celebrate their successful results.
Mrs Heaney’s final advice was “Learn from yesterday, live for today and hope for tomorrow”.
We wish our Year 12 pupils every success over the coming weeks and we remind them that a full revision timetable is in place to ensure that within 48 hours of each exam they are given a focused revision lesson from their respective subject teacher to maximise learning, prioritise key content and to ensure pupils achieve their full potential.
