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“Changes must be made” to State exams

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By Michelle Crean

After multiple years of disrupted education local students are calling for hybrid State exams this year.

Many say they feel under pressure having missed school days due to COVID-19 and feel a hybrid exam would suit them better.ISSU conducted a nationwide survey last week with 40,000 students saying they'd prefer a hybrid alternative.

St Brendan's College student Kacper Bogalecki, who is a National ISSU representative, says he has spoken to students from Killarney schools, and their message is clear that "changes must be made".

"It is clear to me that the students do not want the Leaving Cert to go ahead as planned," he told the Killarney Advertiser.

"Many feel under a lot of pressure, having missed school because of COVID-19, many suggest the "hybrid model" as their preferred outcome for the 2022 Leaving Cert. Many also feel that additional changes should be made to the written exams - similar to what last year's cohort received. They highlighted to me how the pandemic has affected their senior cycle education as a whole pointing out remote learning last year as well as this year's substitution crisis as a major cause for this reasoning. Some students, those living in a rural community, said that having online learning whilst being in Fifth Year caused many to be disadvantaged over simply having an unstable Internet connection.

The accommodations that were made for our cohort in August are simply not enough, he added.

"This very much mirrors the results of the nationwide survey ISSU recently conducted where 67.81% of respondents indicated a hybrid model as their first preference and when including second preferences this rose 84.81% of Sixth Year students rating this option favourably. It is evident that they do not want a "traditional" Leaving Certificate exam. At this point in time many Leaving Certificate students are looking for an answer, some clarity for what their exams will look like."

 

When it comes to the Junior Cycle Exams, he said he received a lot of feedback from students who wanted to have the choice of sitting an exam in June as opposed to last year where the Junior Certificate/Cycle exams did not proceed.

STUDENTS' OPINION

“I personally believe that a hybrid model would be the correct option for this year’s Leaving Cert," Andrew Moynihan, a Sixth Year St Brendan’s College student, said.

"Nearly my entire Senior Cycle from Transition Year to today has been in a global pandemic. Therefore, to consider our Leaving Cert a “Normal Leaving Cert” would be grossly unfair on all students. The hybrid model would alleviate much of the stress laid upon us right now.”

Peter Walsh, also a student in Sixth Year in St Brendan’s College, said he feels it's important to understand that their time in Senior Cycle hasn’t been traditional.

"We shouldn’t have to do a traditional Leaving Cert. We have missed several weeks last year as well having to suffer through the substitution crisis. I have also been impacted on a personal level as I missed school at the start of this year. I hope that the work I have put in for the last two years is accounted for and that it isn’t all down to one exam, especially due to our current circumstances. I would like to see a hybrid model introduced to satisfy the needs of the majority of the student population.”

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Chamber pays tribute to late Dick Henggeler

Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has expressed condolences following the death of Dick Henggeler, the well-known owner of The Rose Hotel in Tralee. Mr Henggeler passed away peacefully at […]

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Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has expressed condolences following the death of Dick Henggeler, the well-known owner of The Rose Hotel in Tralee.

Mr Henggeler passed away peacefully at his home in Baltimore, USA surrounded by his Aghadoe-born wife Eibhlin (née Moriarty), their son Franz, and other family members.
Dick and Eibhlin purchased The Rose Hotel in 2015 in tribute to their late daughter Dorothy, who represented Washington DC in the 2011 Rose of Tralee Festival.
The Chamber said Mr Henggeler would be remembered for his warmth, good nature and positive approach, as well as for being a forward-thinking and knowledgeable businessman.
“He knew how to run a good hotel and that was and still is very obvious at The Rose Hotel, which is a great success story,” the Chamber said.
It added that continuity of ownership will remain in place, with Eibhlin, Franz, daughter-in-law Amber, and grandchildren Conrad and Rowan continuing to honour Dick’s legacy and vision for the hotel.
“Dick took enormous personal pride in Tralee and all of Kerry and he was always available to generously support any community initiative or endeavour undertaken in Killarney,” the Chamber said.
“He will be greatly missed by all that knew him but he leaves a wonderful legacy.”

He will repose at O’Shea’s Funeral Home, Killarney, on Friday (October 17), from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. The funeral will arrive at St Mary’s Cathedral on Saturday morning at 10:00am for Requiem Mass at 10:30am, with burial afterwards in Aghadoe Cemetery. The Requiem Mass will be live streamed at https://www.churchservices.tv/killarneycathedral.

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Beaufort Film Night returns with French drama-comedy

Beaufort Film Night will return on Friday (October 17) at Cullina National School, with a screening of the French drama-comedy The Marching Band. The film tells the story of Thibaut, […]

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Beaufort Film Night will return on Friday (October 17) at Cullina National School, with a screening of the French drama-comedy The Marching Band.

The film tells the story of Thibaut, a successful conductor recently diagnosed with leukaemia. A search for a bone marrow donor reveals that he was adopted and has a brother, Jimmy, a cafeteria worker.
The two meet, discover a shared love of music, and form a strong bond through an unexpected collaboration with Jimmy’s workplace band.
The Marching Band (French title En Fanfare) will screen at 8.30pm. Admission is €7, cash only, and will cover the motion picture licence fee.
The film has a 12A rating and is in French with English subtitles.
Beaufort Film Night is a non-profit community group that screens cultural English and international films that usually do not receive general release in Kerry.
The event is supported by Kerry County Council Arts Office and Access Cinema. Cullina National School is providing the venue.
Further details are available on Beaufort Film Night’s Facebook page @BeaufortFilmNight.

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