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Spotlight on Year 8
We wondered about the reasons why pupils are choosing our school now that the transfer test has been abolished. So who better to ask than this year’s Year 8 intake? This year we are delighted to welcome our intake of Year 8 pupils from many of the local primary schools in the North Down and Ards community. We discovered that our new pupils have a wide and diverse range of abilities, skills and talents.
We also found that pupils these days are choosing our school for much more valid reasons than basing their choice on outdated perceptions or because of misleading ‘labels’ like ‘Grammar School’ or ‘Secondary School’.
Modern, free-thinking children and their parents are choosing our school because of our reputation and ethos, our inclusive community and Christian values, individual family links and also because of our curriculum.
We would love to tell you all about each one of our new Year 8 students but we only have room to tell you about some of them.
Desmond Havlin
Des is a very high achieving academic boy who attended St Comgall’s Primary School in Bangor. He was the winner of his school’s cup for ‘Best Boy’ for attaining the highest level of academic and all round achievement in his primary school. He is Grade 2 in Piano and Grade 1 in Tin Whistle and has won awards at the Holywood Music Festival as well as recently appearing with MT4uth in their Waterfront Hall production of ‘Aladdin’. He has received an award for the past four years running in Bangor Speech Festival and is studying for Grade 2 in Speech and Drama. Des told us that St Columbanus’s College was his first choice because:
“It had the best atmosphere of all the schools I was thinking about applying to. I did the selection tests for other schools and I did very well, but in the end I chose St Columbanus’ out of all the schools I could have gone to, because I know it’s just a great school”
Thank you Des, we’re delighted to hear that we were the top of your list!
Beth Carson
Beth is an exceptional sportswoman who attended St Finian’s Primary School in Newtownards. She has achieved her purple belt in Tai-Jitsu and is working towards her junior black belt. Beth was awarded the Senior Sports Shield at St. Finian’s and she also won the Cup for ‘Best All Rounder’. Beth loves reading and she particularly enjoys the stories of Hans Christian Anderson. Beth tells us that she chose our College because
“I liked the school when I came to visit and my mum attended St Columbanus’. I am the third generation from my family to attend the school”
Thanks Beth. Wow – a third generation St Columbanusian, that’s fantastic!