By 
PAST and present pupils, their parents and esteemed guests were treated to the delightful musical talents of the school choir and soloists during the recent annual prizegiving ceremony at St Ciaran’s College.
The initial welcome and introduction to the night was delivered by the recently-appointed head boy Darren McAnespie and head girl Mairead McConnell.
They were followed by the school principal, Paul Lavery, who welcomed everyone on the night, including guest speaker Chris Quinn, the NI Commissioner for Children and Young People.
In his address Mr Lavery praised the students for their hard work, parents for their continued support and staff for their dedication.The principal complimented the students on their examination success. In GCSE examinations 93 per-cent of the pupils passed 5-or-more subjects with grades A* to C.
At sixth form level, eight subjects achieved 100 per-cent A*-C grades.
He remarked on the wide range and diversity of the degree courses students leaving the school were embarking on, including Actuarial Science, Engineering, Medicine, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Teaching and Veterinary Science to name a few.
Mr Lavery went on to pay tribute to the school staff, both teaching and non-teaching members. He paid a special tribute to the Year 12 and Year 14 Form Teachers and Year Heads for investing so much time in their students.
Guest speaker Chris Quinn delivered a very empowering speech, referencing Article 29 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Chris’s commitment to supporting young people in today’s society certainly shone through.
Throughout the night, staff and guests presented awards to the Year 12 and Year 14 students of the academic year 2024/25, with everything from sporting achievements to students’ contributions towards the ethos of the school being celebrated.
Master of ceremonies, Mr Brendan Rodgers, announced the achievement and special awards categories, while Mr Quinn was on-hand to present the accolades to the worthy winners.
The school was pleased to see the return of the previous year’s Post 16 students to collect their prizes.
Students recognised for their outstanding academic achievements at Post-16 included Charlie McKenna, Eimear Quinn, Raina Meegan, Rionach Hackett, Dearbhla McAnenly, Paul McGinley, Daire McSorely and Aisling Cush.
Recognition was also given to last year’s student leadership team of Ciaran Mullin (head boy), Dearbhla Donnelly (head girl), Ben McMenamin, Sean Russell (deputy head boys) and Eve Turbitt, Rosie McCabe (deputy head girls), while Ronan O’Sullivan and Mairead McCann took home the titles of male and female football players of the year.
In the Key Stage 4 category, the previous year’s GCSE cohort saw Lorcan Murray awarded ‘The Loughran Perpetual Cup’ for best results at GCSE. While brothers Daniel McCreedy and Peter McCreedy, were awarded for their full attendance during seven and five years of school, respectively.
Every student was acknowledged throughout the night with presentations from their relevant pastoral staff, Fearghal McMullan (senior teacher – Year 12), Oguz (year head – Year 12), Michelle Donnelly (senior teacher – Post 16) and Roisin Mallon (year head – Post 16).
