Rossa College celebrates a very special awards night

SKIBBEREEN’S Rossa College is to remain open as an educational institution, the chief executive of the Cork Education and Training Board (ETB) has confirmed.

Ted Owens made the announcement as he was speaking at the annual awards ceremony at Skibbereen’s Rossa College, which took place recently.

  This very special evening in the yearly school calendar recognises and rewards the achievements of students across a broad range of activities including academic, practical skills, sporting, social and community involvement.  

This year was of particular note, as it was the last awards ceremony prior to the opening of the new school next year. To mark the occasion, the ETB chief Mr Owens attended as guest speaker. 

Mr Owens gave an entertaining account of the history of vocational education in Skibbereen and, while addressing pupils, he advised them to be themselves. 

He warned against ‘false airs and graces’ and said students should always be proud of their family and where they came from. 

He also acknowledged that not everyone can achieve maximum points in the Leaving Certificate and people operate at different levels. He said the only person students should judge themselves against is themselves. 

Mr Owens went on to talk of the great opportunities and facilities that will be available to pupils next year at Skibbereen Community School, and reassured those present that it was the ETB’s intention to keep Rossa College open as an educational institution. 

Rossa school principal Stephen Gilbert congratulated the award recipients and spoke of the role of the ETB in education across the county, and across the many sectors involved in education. He said the vision of the ETB was to provide a pathway for all learners and there was no doubt the ETB did this. He also said he was delighted Mr Owens accepted the invitation and thanked him for taking the time to travel to West Cork for the awards ceremony.  

Skibbereen-based rower and past pupil of Rossa College, Shane O’Driscoll, was presented with the Past Pupil Award in recognition of his achievements in international rowing. 

Shane spoke of the commitment and dedication he has for rowing, but he also emphasised the need to strike a balance between academic pursuits and sport, stressing that there is room for both.  

The Parents Association selected Shane McCarthy as the recipient of their award and chairperson Eileen O’Mahony was on hand to present it. 

She described Shane as an excellent student who had set goals for himself and worked diligently to achieve these. Lorna Twomey picked up a number of awards on the evening, including the coveted Principal’s Award. Mr Gilbert described Lorna as an excellent student who had set herself very clear goals and worked to achieve them. 

He spoke of the respect both staff and pupils had for Lorna and he wished her well in her chosen course of study in UCD. Colm Coleman was the recipient of the CIT Access Award and Elaine Dennehy spoke before presenting this award to Colm.  

Class Awards

First Year

Certificates of Merit: Jason Beamish, Ciara Whooley

Student of the Year: Eugene Daly

Second Year

Certificate of Merit: Bridget Brabazon, Abigail O’Shea 

Student of the Year: John Whooley 

Third Year

Certificate of Merit: Neisha Twomey, Gareth Whooley

Student of the Year:  Hannah Cronin

Fifth Year 

Certificate of Merit: Darren Whooley, Gary O’Donovan 

Student of the Year: Damien Beamish.

Sixth Year   

Certificate of Merit: Shane McCarthy, Colm Coleman

Achievement Awards

Teanga Gaeilge: Gareth Whooley

Creative Writing: Helena O’Siocháin

Maths: Denis O’Sullivan

French: Hannah Cronin

Geography: Aidan Stoutt

Science: Aoibheann Murphy

Technical Graphics: Mark Kingston

Junior Cert Home Economics: Neisha Twomey

Junior Construction: James Tidmarsh

Senior Construction: Lorna Twomey

Junior Engineering:  Gareth Whooley

Senior Engineering: Shane McCarthy

Agricultural Science: Diarmuid Collins

Artistic Talent: Abigail O’Shea

L.C.V.P: Sean French

Best Attendance: Devlyn Marcos

Best Junior Certificate: Mark Kingston

CIT Access Award: Colm Coleman

Parents Association Award: Shane McCarthy

Distinguished Past Pupil Award: Shane O’Driscoll  

Principal’s Award: Lorna Twomey