East Glendalough School

From the Principal, Mr. Alan Cox

The first thing that struck me when I arrived in East Glendalough School was just how much energy there is in the place. I was meeting my predecessor to be shown around the school, and as I opened the front door, I was greeted by what can only be described as an almighty racket. Electric guitars were blazing and drums were being beaten to a pulp. Singers voices were being drowned out by lighting experts and sound checkers shouting instructions to one other. And amid all this noise and fury, the office staff were busily keeping the school operating, answering phone-calls sweetly, and dealing with other important administrative tasks, clearly used to what is obviously a regular occurrence in the school. Meanwhile, a variety of sports were in progress outside, Mr Harris was busy teaching Transition Years magic tricks, and two second year girls were teaching each other dance moves, in preparation for the next LCVP Talent Show.

That’s the thing about East Glendalough – there’s always so much activity going on. This has clearly been another hugely successful year for the school, and as this website develops you’ll be able to read of successes in academics, sport, art, drama, music, cookery, design and many other fields. But more importantly, you’ll quickly see just how many opportunities there are for pupils to try things out and get involved. I’m not going to try to pick out any one particular highlight of the school year, because the nature of school life is that each student will have their own special memories. For some it might be the Adventure Centre trip to Killary, for others it might be singing in the choir that did so well in the Wesley Music Festival, and for others again it might just be playing Ultimate Frisbee or Tip Rugby with their friends at lunchtimes. Over 360 pairs of young eyes perceive the school, each from a slightly different perspective, and what we are endeavouring to do here is give you just a flavour of what they see. In this regard, may I use this chance to say a big thank you to Dr Declan Cathcart who manages the website on behalf of the school.

In all of this frenetic activity, we’re hugely indebted to the staff. They are an exceptionally enthusiastic and positive group of teachers, and there is a huge energy and commitment to raising standards and doing the best we can for their students. When I complimented Mr. Christopher Woods, my predecessor, on leaving behind such an outstandingly positive school, he replied instantly “That’s because of the amazing staff we have here”. Now that I've settled in East Glendalough , I can see exactly what he meant. There’s an incredible professionalism and dedication here, and a team spirit and genuine concern to do the best by the students that is rare in Irish education. We strive to maintain the highest possible standards in teaching and learning, and we always try hard to get the fundamentals right – that students leaving here after an East Glendalough School education are good, kind, honest and thoroughly decent people.

To the Parents Association, and all the families who are so whole-heartedly supportive of the school, a big thank you. The voluntary contribution from parents and the support of the Association makes a substantial difference to the school – not just the grand events like providing the extension and technical facilities we built last summer, but also in terms of what you might not notice, like paying for the smaller class sizes that make a significant impact on the quality of teaching and learning in the school, and gives our students an edge on the competition.