Extra Curricular

As a school, we aim to cater for the interests of all pupils by offering a broad menu of activities, both during the school day and outside of school hours.

We believe that participation in extra-curricular activities has many benefits for pupils and, therefore, encourage all pupils to avail of the extra-curricular opportunities on offer.

Involvement in extra-curricular activities can help pupils to:

enjoy a physical and active lifestyle;
develop time-management skills;
understand the importance of commitment;
develop friendships;
develop skills in working as part of a team;
develop and share skills, gifts and talents;
build confidence and self-esteem;
manage stress; and
develop a personal portfolio for university and employment applications.

SPORTS

St. Mary’s promotes participation in sport at all levels and is fully committed to promoting both the physical and mental well-being of our pupils through physical activity. We constantly seek to enhance the sporting and physical activity opportunities for our pupils and we ensure that our provision caters for the needs of all our pupils, from the beginner to the elite athlete.

We enjoy excellence in Physical Education and Sport and our pupils have access to the following facilities and resources:

a Sports Hall;
a Gymnasium;
a fully equipped Fitness Suite;
a Strength and Conditioning Suite
two full-size grassed Gaelic pitches;
four tennis courts; and
three indoor handball walls.

SPORTING SUCCESSES

All of our teams in Gaelic Football, Hurling and Camogie are competing at Ulster Colleges’ level. Our footballers won the MacRory Cup in 2022 for only the second time in the school’s history. All of our other teams are very competitive at the highest level of competition in Ulster. Our Hurlers are McFarland Cup champions. Our Camogie teams compete between both top grades in Ulster. Our seniors are Ulster B champions and All Ireland Runners up while our Juniors are Ulster and All Ireland B Champions. Our Ladies footballers have made great progress in recent years and are current Ulster U14 A Grade champions.

The success of our teams has been reflected in the awarding of All Stars this year to a number of our players across the different sports;

Anna McErlean (Camogie 2024)

Sarah O'Neill (Camogie & Ladies Football 2024)

Sarah Heron (Ladies Football 2024)

Eamon Young (Football 2024)

Charlie Curley (Hurling 2024)

MUSIC AND DRAMA

In St. Mary’s, pupils can become involved in extra-curricular Drama, Music and Performing Arts activities such as:

Junior and Senior Choir
Junior and Senior String Orchestra
Junior and Senior Traditional Groups
String Quartet
Peripatetic Music Tuition
Spring Concert
Carol Service
Music Festivals
Lunchtime Theatre
Theatre Visits
Theatre Workshops
Drama Showcase Performance Evenings
Drama Festivals
Drama Club
Educational Visits
Trinity College Arts Award (Bronze, Silver and Gold)

MUSICALS

The Drama and Music Departments of St. Mary’s have an established tradition of producing high quality productions. As far as possible, school productions take place on a biennial basis and pupils can become involved in these in either a performance or backstage role.

St. Mary’s past productions include:

Guys and Dolls (2018)
Meet Me in St Louis (2014)
Hello, Dolly! (2010, Burnavon Theatre, Cookstown)
Juno and the Paycock (2009, Burnavon Theatre, Cookstown)
Oliver! (2007, Grand Opera House, Belfast)

EDUCATIONAL TRIPS AND VISITS

In St. Mary’s, we recognise the importance and value of providing pupils with opportunities for learning outside the classroom. Educational visits and trips are one way by which we provide such learning experiences for our pupils. The first-hand, practical experience of learning that is possible through educational visits and trips can help to make subjects more vivid and interesting for pupils and enhance their understanding of the world around them.

Through the educational visits and trips we offer, we aim to:

complement or extend the learning which occurs within the classroom;
contribute to the personal, social and emotional development of pupils;
enhance the cultural and/or intellectual development of pupils; and
broaden pupils’ horizons by giving them the chance to visit new places, meet new people and experience different cultures and lifestyles.

Each year, pupils in St. Mary’s have opportunities to participate in a wide range of day trips, including fieldwork trips, industrial trips, and arts and cultural trips. Additionally, a number of residential trips are organised on an annual basis, including ski trips, theatre trips, religious trips and sporting trips.

In recent years, St. Mary’s pupils have enjoyed school travel to destinations near and far, including places such as:

Italy Dublin London Barcelona Catalonia

Andalusia Madrid Rome Sicily Paris

Nice Lourdes Medjugorje Norway Austria

India Russia New Hampshire Boston New York

Trips for 2024-25

Trip	Location	Year Group	Date
Art & French	Paris	Year 11 - 14	September 2025
Ski-Trip	Italy	Year 9	January 2025
Business and Economics	New York	Year 14	February 2025
Irish	Gaeltacht	Year-All	June 2025