News Category: News

STEPPING INTO ST.MARY’S

Hundreds of Primary 6 and Primary 7 pupils from across three counties visited St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt this week.

​Congratulations to the winners of our Open Evening Primary School competition.

Catholic Schools Week 2020

St. Mary’s is joining schools across the globe in celebrating Catholic Schools Week 2020 from 26 January to 3 February 2020.  

During the month of December, staff and pupils from St. Mary’s Grammar School supported Trócaire’s Christmas Appeal by purchasing and promoting Gifts of Love.

The Ulster U16B Final took place on Friday 10 January in MUSA where St. Mary’s and St. Dominic’s battled it out to be crowned Ulster Champions. 

The St. Mary’s community has been saddened by the death of a highly esteemed former member of teaching staff.  Mrs Deirdre McCann (RIP) passed away on 1 January 2020.

Key Stage 4 pupils, under the direction of Mr Francis and Mrs Higgins, donated a range of presents for the annual St. Vincent de Paul Christmas Family Gift Appeal.

This year’s school Christmas card was designed by Adam Rocks, Year 13.  Thank you to Adam for giving of his time and talent in creating the artwork for the card. 

Full coverage of last weekend’s Rannafast Cup final between St.Mary’s and St.Pat’s Maghera. The game was held in Bellaghy and was nail biting from start to finish.

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Congratulations to our 2019 Derry U14 girls who were presented with their All-Ireland medals. 

The NEBSSA Cross Country Championships were held at Six Mile Water Park, Ballyclare on Wednesday 27 November 2019.

On 21 November 2019, six pupils represented St. Mary’s in the Regional Heat of the 38^th Annual Soroptimist International Public Speaking competition, held at Ballymoney Health Centre.

Year 8 pupils had a fun morning on 21 November 2019 when they participated in the ‘Bin It!’ workshop in St. Mary’s.

Pupils across all key stages in St. Mary’s recently enjoyed cookery demonstrations delivered by Patricia Mitchell from the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC).

Action MS Chief Executive, Ann Walker, recently visited St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt as part of a special awards presentation to thank Year 10 pupils for their tremendous efforts on behalf of people with Multiple Sclerosis.

Taekwondo World Championships 2019

GCSE Child Development students in St. Mary’s recently welcomed Rachel Scroogie from Sure Start Northern Ireland to their class.

Students from St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt are among the highest achieving students in this year’s GCSE and A-Level examinations in a number of subjects.

On Saturday 9 Novemeber 2019, 15 pupils from St.Mary’s travelled to the Cardinal ÓFiaich Memorial Library to participate in a Climate Change Conference.

The new term started exceptionally well for some St. Mary’s pupils. In June 2019, pupils in Years 8-11 were given the opportunity to enter a competition entry to the Schools Bible Project. Thousands of pupils from schools across the UK enter each year and four St. Mary’s pupils have been awarded prizes in this year’s competition.

Five pupils from St. Mary’s participated in the annual Derry Diocesan Lourdes Pilgrimage which took place during Summer 2019.

26 pupils from St. Mary’s attended the Mid Ulster Council Cross Country event on Tuesday 5 November 2019 at MUSA, Cookstown. 

Year 9 and Year 11 pupils in St. Mary’s have been raising funds to support the work of the Holy Family Sisters of Bordeaux.

Year 10 pupils, Georgia Lavelle and Zoe McAllister have been awarded Highly Commended in the prestigious Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Competition. 

The achievements of pupils in St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt during 2018/19 have been rewarded during a number of internal awards ceremonies for pupils from Year 9 to Year 12.

Congratulations to all our current and past pupils who were members of the victorious Magherafelt team who won the county final on Sunday.  Good luck with your Ulster campaign.

St. Mary’s Grammar School once again took part in the annual Road of Hope Shoe Box Appeal.  Road of Hope is a voluntary charity organisation that relies on the goodwill of local people to help support those under privileged in countries such as Bosnia, Croatia, Romania and Africa.

Congratulations to Year 13 student, Caitriona Toner, who was awarded an Ulster Schools Camogie All Star for 2019/20 following her participation in trials at the Ulster University, Jordanstown last week. 

On Monday 14 October 2019, St. Mary’s was delighted to welcome representatives from Gideons International to speak to Year Eight during their weekly assembly.  

On 9 October 2019, A Level Drama students attended a performance of Blackout at Sperrin Integrated College, Magherafelt.

The Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards has launched its campaign to shine a light on the commitment and dedication of young people’s volunteering efforts across Ireland by encouraging students to apply for their 2020 awards.

It was an evening of sophistication and sartorial splendour as students from St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt attended the annual Year 14 Formal.

ST.MARY’S GRAMMAR SCHOOL - ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY

St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt has held its annual Awards Ceremony to recognise and reward the academic and extra-curricular achievements of pupils. The event took place in the school on the evening of Tuesday 10 September 2019 in the presence of Guest Speaker, Professor Roderick Paisley, who holds the Chair of Scots Law at the University of Aberdeen. 

On Thursday 12 September 2019, Year 11 and Year 13 Drama students took part in a physical theatre workshop facilitated by the Creative Learning Department of the Lyric Theatre, Belfast.

Students at St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt have excelled in 2019 GCSE examinations. Following the publication of results, Ms Gillespie, Principal, described the grades achieved by students as “truly remarkable” and reported that 98% of students achieved A*-C grades in at least 7 subjects, including English and Mathematics. An impressive 60% of all grades were A*-A.

St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt is celebrating another year of exceptional performance in A-Level examinations.

Two Year 13 pupils from St. Mary’s have been crowned the winning team in a prestigious national legal competition.

Una Campbell and Luke McCallion competed against 8 other finalists from three schools across the UK in the “The Legal  Apprentice” competition, hosted by law firm Kingsley Napley LLP in partnership with The Times. 

All Year 8 pupils participated enthusiastically in The Critical Literacy Project through The Irish News earlier in the year.  This involved reading weekly student editions of The Irish News and completing various activities based on that week’s newspaper. The aim of the project was to develop pupils’ literacy skills and 8C were the worthy winners of a day spent at The Irish News Offices, in Belfast and at Inter-press, on the 18th June, learning all about how the different sections of the paper are planned and put together.

For the third successive year, a St. Mary’s student achieved a top award in the LifeWorks Education National Life Advocate Essay Competition.  Year 14 student, Anne McCoy, was Highly Commended for the excellent essay she submitted in response to the words of Pope Francis: “The right to life is the first among human rights.”  

After losing their opening game to Omagh CBS by one point, the Year 8 boys dusted themselves down to go on a run that would lead them all the way to the Martin O’Farrell Cup. 

Two Year 13 students from St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt have successfully reached the final of the ‘Legal Apprentice’ competition.  

Una Campbell and Luke McCallion will compete against three other schools from the UK to be crowned the winning team in the final at News UK (Headquarters of The Times) on 19 June 2019.

As a development of the Pastoral House System in St. Mary’s, Term Two saw the introduction of Vertical Tutor Groups.  Led by Mrs Higgins, the aim of the vertical group structure  is to enhance and encourage greater pupil interaction between pupils from different Year Groups within the same Pastoral House Group and promote a richer pupil experience and sense of House identity. 

History students enjoyed a number of visits to places of historical interest.  Year 14 students visited Glasnevin Cemetery and Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin as part of their study of Ireland Under the Union 1800-1900 and the Partition of Ireland 1900-25.  Meanwhile, Year 11 pupils travelled to Derry to visit the Siege Museum and the Museum of Free Derry, before enjoying a walking tour of the Bogside as part of their study of Northern Ireland 1965-98.

The Music Department’s Spring Concert showcased the exceptional musical talents of St. Mary’s pupils.  Soloists, choirs and instrumentalists entertained the large crowd with music from across a range of genres, including traditional, classical and contemporary compositions.  Organised by Miss Donnelly, Head of Music, the evening was compered by Year 14 students, Orla O’Kane and Claire Kearney, who entertained the audience with their charm and wit. 

On Friday 12 April 2019, Year 12 students - Declan Larkin, Mark Donnelly, Niall McAuley, Allana Campbell, Evelina McElhone, Beth Dixon and Helen Doherty - along with 500 other post-primary school students from across Northern Ireland travelled to Titanic Belfast for BelTech’s Education Day.  

As part of the Shared Education Programme, the History Department was privileged to host the Truth and Reconciliation Platform which was established to give victims of the Northern Ireland ‘Troubles’, regardless of their political, religious or cultural background, an opportunity to tell their stories.  On this occasion, we heard Alan Mc Bride, Eugene Reavey and Stephen Travers speak.

Throughout the year, members of the St. Mary’s Student Council have been actively involved in inviting and representing the views and ideas of the wider student body to the Principal and Senior Leadership Team.  Various matters of pupil interest were discussed through regular Year Group Council meetings, Student Council meetings and meetings with Ms Gillespie and Mr Quinn.  The issues raised by pupils were discussed at Senior Leadership meetings and feedback was provided to the Student Council.  

Following the success of the first year of the cross-phase literacy project, the English Department was pleased to work with partner primary schools for a second year.  

Almost 80 pupils from St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt have been presented with a faith award by Archbishop Eamon Martin in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh.  The Pope John Paul II Award and the Muiredach Cross Award were presented to the young people at a special ceremony on Thursday 28 March 2019 in recognition of their volunteering work in parishes, communities and schools.  

In December 2018, a team of 15 Year 13 and 14 pupils participated in the Regional Heat of the National Bar Mock Trial Competition. The competition is facilitated by the Citizenship Foundation, a charity that aims to enable and encourage young people across the UK to actively participate in, and make a positive difference to, the societies in which they live.   The team engaged in a simulated criminal trial - an immersive, active learning experience which afforded the team the opportunity to take on the roles of barristers, witnesses and court staff to prosecute and defend specially adapted, real life legal cases, against other schools. 

A Year 13 student from St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt has won the top prize in this year’s Michaela Foundation Wings Award Programme.  

Laura Diamond was announced as the winner of the award at an Awards Ceremony in St. Mary’s University College, Belfast on Wednesday 27 March 2019.  Nominating Laura for the award, Miss Burns (Head of Religion) described her as “a kind, compassionate and inspirational young lady, who has been a true example of living faith in the twenty-first century.”

On 27 March 2019, Year 13 pupil, Ella McKenna, was  placed First overall in the A Level group of the prestigious Gael Linn public speaking competition, Abair.  

Ella, along with Treasa Ni Chathain, made it through to the All-Ireland finals, held in the Crumlin Road Jail, after qualifying in Letterkenny in January.  The girls spoke exceptionally well and Mr McPhilomey and Miss McGouran are extremely proud of their achievements.

In March, Year 10 students - Matthew Lynn and Aine Heaney - had the opportunity to take part in the Battlefields Project trip alongside pupils from a number of other schools across Northern Ireland to commemorate the centenary of World War 1.  Accompanied by Mrs McCormick, Head of History, the pupils visited a number of key World War 1 sites, including the Menin Gate, Peace with Ireland Park, the Ulster Tower and Thiepval Memorial.

Students from St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt have had the opportunity to speak to Lord Kerr as part of the Supreme Court’s Ask a Justice initiative.  

The programme provides young people with a keen interest in law with the chance to engage in a live question and answer session with a Justice from within the comfort of their own school. 

On Tuesday 19 March 2019, St. Mary’s was delighted to welcome Fr. Damien Quigley to speak to Year Eleven General RE pupils.

​The Governors, Principal, staff and pupils of St. Mary’s Grammar School extend their sincere sympathy and prayers to the families, friends and communities of those who lost loved ones following the tragedy in Cookstown on St. Patrick’s day.  

Our Lady of Sorrows pray for them. 

Miss McCloskey (Head of Chemistry) pictured with participants in the recent UK Chemistry Olympiad competition. 

Pupils Barry McErlean, Ella McKenna, Ciara Cassidy, Conor Bradley & John McMorrow (missing from picture) displayed a wide and diverse range of chemical knowledge and expertise to answer some very challenging questions - well beyond the scope of the Chemistry studied in the classroom. Congratulation in particular to Barry McErlean who achieved a prestigious Gold Award.

In March, four Year 13 and Year 14 History students - Mirren Mc Kenna, Una Campbell, Caoimhe Mullan and Cate Bateson - participated in the Lessons from Auschwitz project. This amazing opportunity allowed the girls to meet a Holocaust survivor and visit Birkenau, the death camp at Auschwitz.  On their return, the girls delivered a presentation to all Year Groups during Assembly to share their experience of being involved in the project with other pupils. 

Two young students from St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt have launched an innovative new “CropSafe” app that could help fight crop disease around the world.

To celebrate World Book Day in March, Year 8 pupils took part in a sponsored Readathon.  As well as developing pupils’ interest in reading, the Readathon raised £1923.41 for the Holy Family Sisters of Bordeaux.

Examinations for the Silver Fáinne took place in March with pupils in 10C and 10D also competing to win the Bríd Devlin Cup for excellence in Irish.  

The new Chair of the Board of Governors of St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt has been introduced to the staff of the school.  

Mrs Anne-Marie Campbell (née Pimley) addressed teaching and teaching support staff to outline the Governors’ vision for the continued success and development of the school in the years ahead.

St. Mary’s hosted its annual Primary School Gaelic Football Tournament on Wednesday 27 February 2019 in Meadowbank Sports Arena

Made up of more than 50 pupils from Year 8 – Year 10, the Junior Choir was awarded First Place in their competition at the Ballymena Festival.  Conducted by Miss Donnelly, Head of Music, and accompanied by Miss G Meyers, the choir delighted the adjudicator by singing the ethereal ‘Hushabye Mountain’ from ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ and ‘Hail Holy Queen’ from ‘Sister Act’.  The adjudicator praised the pupils on their beautiful tone and enthusiastic singing. 

Year 14 students in St. Mary’s have held a raffle and raised £331.65 for the AWARE charity to thank them for delivering the Mood Matters programme in the school last year.  

The programme gives young people the knowledge and skills which they can use to build good mental health and develop resilience to better deal with problems and challenges.  Margaret McCrossan from AWARE attended an assembly during Northern Ireland’s Young People’s Mental Health Week to thank pupils for their fundraising efforts. 

Just before half term, all Key Stage 3 pupils in St. Mary’s took part in a ‘School Mile Challenge’ in order to increase their awareness of the benefits of exercise to their heart health and overall lifestyle as part of the school’s Health Education programme.

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Nine Year 14 students from St. Mary’s have taken part in the first round of the British Physics Olympiad.  

Veterans of the US Civil Rights Movement, Dr Rip Patton and Dr Sybil Hampton, joined political activist, Eamonn McCann, to speak at a Shared Education History Project hosted by Magherafelt High School.

The Senior Choir travelled to Thornhill College, Derry in April to take part in the BBC School Choir of the Year competition.  

Each choir was invited to sing two songs and the girls, under the direction of Miss Donnelly, Head of Music, elected to sing ‘Fly Me to the Moon’, a song made famous by Frank Sinatra, and the lesser known song ‘Lullaby’ from ‘The Witching Hour’ and composed by Kerry Andrew.  Although the girls were disappointed to be knocked out in the first heats by Dalriada School, Ballymoney, they thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to perform in the competition.

As part of the Senior School General RE provision, speakers are organised for Year 14 students throughout the year. Recently, the pupils were brought on a virtual tour of the Holy Land by Mr. A. Thomson. 

On Friday 25 January 2019, five Year 13 French students - Rhiannon Quinn, Conor Bradley, Una Campbell, Declan Murray and David Cosgrove - had the opportunity to attend an AS Level French Day at Queen’s University, Belfast.  

St. Mary’s is joining schools across the globe in celebrating Catholic Schools Week 2019 from 27 January to 3 February 2019.  

The theme of this year’s Catholic Schools Week is ‘Celebrating the Work of Our Local Catholic Schools’. 

On Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 January 2019, hundreds of Primary 6 and Primary 7 pupils, along with their parents and guardians, took the opportunity to gain a first-hand insight into the St. Mary’s experience by attending one of the school’s annual Open Evenings.  

Lauren Toner picks up second place in Chester University Religious Studies Essay Writing Competition.

This year, St. Mary’s launched the Trócaire Gifts of Love initiative. Staff and senior pupils responded with resounding generosity to the campaign by purchasing a range of global gifts. 

On sale were gifts of chicks, solar lamps, soap, school kits, goats, school lunches and bee hives. The money raised from the sale of these gifts will go to the developing world to improve the lives of those who live there. Funds generated through Gifts of Love will also fund critical work in Trócaire’s Justice, Resource Rights and Women’s Empowerment programmes. 

The local Society of St. Vincent de Paul thanked the pupils and staff of St. Mary’s for their continued support of the annual Hamper Appeal.

Sixth Form pupils and teaching support staff participated by donating food and household items for underprivileged families within our local communities.

The Society of SVP guaranteed  that the food hampers would be delivered to those who needed them most before Christmas, bringing the joy of the festive season to

homes that would otherwise have been without.

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Year 14 pupil, Declan Murray, participated in a Cross-Community Carol Service organised by the Magherafelt Independent Methodist Church on Sunday 16 December 2018.

Declan is planning to take part in a humanitarian trip with Habitat for Humanity in 2019 and the proceeds from the Carol Service have been kindly donated by the Independent Methodist Church to the charity in aid of Declan’s work.

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On Sunday 16 December 2018, St. Mary’s, in partnership with local primary schools – Holy Family, New Row, Derrychrin and Anahorish – presented a Community Christmas Carol Service in the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, Magherafelt. 

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Pupils and staff once again supported the annual St. Vincent de Paul Family Gift appeal.

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Congratulations to Year 11 pupil, Sophie Donnelly, who created a watercolour and pencil study of the Holy Family for our school Christmas Card 2018.

The beautiful image is inspired by the quotation: “May we be in this world a ray of that light which shone forth from Bethlehem, bringing joy and peace to the hearts of all men and women.” (Pope Francis)

Sophie is pictured with Principal, Ms Gillespie and Art Teacher, Mrs Patton.

On Friday 30 November 2018, former St. Mary’s pupil, Sister Catherine Lavery, was installed as Provincial of the Holy Family of Bordeaux in Ireland and Britain. 

Sister Catherine was Head Girl of St. Mary’s in her final year, having attended the school from 1978 - 1986.  She trained in St. Mary’s, Belfast and taught for a number of years prior to taking her Holy Order. 

The Board of Governors, Principal, staff and pupils of St. Mary’s wish Sister Catherine a blessed and happy tenure as Provincial

Congratulations to Terry Devlin (11E) who was selected to play soccer for the Northern Ireland Under 16 International Team in Poland.

Terry travelled with the squad to Poland on 25 November 2018 for five days, during which time he played in two international games against Poland.

The Principal of St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt has expressed her delight at the news from CCEA that a number of pupils at the school have been included in the exam board’s 2018 list of top-performing students at GCSE level.

Over the last number of years, GAA Handball has seen huge growth, with an ever-increasing number of schools taking up Handball for the first time.

On Thursday 25 October 2018, students from St. Mary’s Grammar School went to the polls to vote for the pupils they wanted to elect as members of the school’s Student Council.  Working together, the Student Leadership Team planned and organised the event. 

On Wednesday 24 October 2018, former St. Mary’s pupil, Ciara Hampsey, visited the Art and Design Department to deliver a Halloween special effects make-up workshop.  

St. Mary’s Grammar School once again took part in the annual Road of Hope Shoe Box Appeal. Road of Hope is a voluntary charity organisation that relies on the goodwill of local people to help support those underprivileged in countries such as Bosnia, Croatia, Romania and Africa.

On 23 October 2018, GCSE and A Level Drama and Theatre Studies pupils travelled to the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast to watch a performance of The Man Who Fell to Pieces by Tinderbox Theatre Company.  

On Monday 22 October 2018, St. Mary’s was delighted to welcome Mr Billy Brown and Mr Ray Stewart, representatives of Gideons International, to speak to Year Eight during their weekly assembly.  

Students learnt about the work of the Gideons before receiving their own copy of the Bible.  Many thanks to Mr Brown and Mr Stewart for taking the time to visit the school and to Gideons International for providing a bible for each pupil to keep.

On Saturday 20 October 2018, musicians from St. Mary’s Grammar School’s traditional group - Cumann Ceoil Naomh Mhuire - held a morning of music in Meadowlane Shopping Centre, Magherafelt to raise funds for their trip to London to play at the School Proms.

On Friday 19 October 2018, GCSE and A Level Art and Design students, accompanied by Mrs McKernan, Mrs Patton, Miss Kerr and Mr Carleton, travelled to Dublin to visit three art galleries and museums. The main purpose of the visit was to observe the work of historical and contemporary practitioners to enable pupils to develop their practical and written work.

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On Tuesday 16 October 2018, the Drama Department of St. Mary’s Grammar School was pleased to welcome c21 Theatre Company to the school.  As part of its Irish tour, and ahead of its run in The Mac Theatre, Belfast, the company brought its current production of It Only Takes a Minute to St. Mary’s.  The play was performed for Year 10 pupils and GCSE and A Level Drama and Theatre Studies students.  

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Shared Education, the Magherafelt Learning Partnership hosted a public speaking event for Year 9 pupils on Tuesday 9 and Thursday 11 October 2018.  

On 6 November 2018, the traditional group from St. Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt will take to the stage of the Royal Albert Hall, London.  

They will perform alongside young musicians and singers from across the UK in the renowned Schools Prom organised by the charity, Music for Youth.

St. Mary’s Grammar School will be hosting an Online Safety Information Evening on Wednesday 10^th October 2018 at 7pm, for parents / guardians of pupils in KS3.

Tuesday 2 October 2018 marked the beginning of the Shared Education History Project for Year 10 pupils.

Students in St. Mary’s have been privileged recently to listen to the inspiring words of Sister Rose Devlin, a Holy Family Sister and past pupil of St. Mary’s Grammar School.

Sister Rose was awarded an MBE in Buckingham Palace on 2 March 2017 for her services to improving community relations in schools in  Northern Ireland.

Eight St. Mary’s pupils travelled with twenty-two other young people to Our Lady’s Shrine in Fátima in Summer 2018 with the Armagh Diocese. The students had a jam-packed week beginning with a tour of the Sanctuary in Fatima, the specific place where the Virgin Mary appeared to the three young shepherds in 1917.

As part of the Muiredach Cross and John Paul II Awards, nine pupils from St. Mary’s Grammar School gave up their Saturday morning on 29 September 2018 to lend a hand at New Row Primary School, Castledawson.  

Action MS Chief Executive, Mrs Ann Walker, visited St. Mary’s Grammar School this week for a special Awards Presentation to thank Year 10 pupils for their tremendous efforts on behalf of people with multiple sclerosis.

Organised by Mr Brady (Head of Year 10), pupils took part in a Walk for MS in June at Meadowbank Sports Arena and raised a total of £2,346.98 in aid of Action MS, Northern Ireland’s Multiple Sclerosis Charity.