Weeks of tension over as results arrive at last

TEARS of joy from many of the girls and happy smiles from the boys were the main reaction at Navan schools last week as the arrival of the Leaving Cert results early last Wednesday put an end to weeks of tension.

Principals at Navan schools were pleased that the reported national trend of poor performances by Leaving Cert students in maths and science subjects had been 'bucked' by their students.

The principal at St Joseph's Convent of Mercy, Navan, Vincent Donovan, said their results in these subjects were "above the national average." Navan Community College principal, John Condon, had a similar report.

One top points-achiever was Gerry Sheridan, Seneschalstown, who will be 18 on 31st August and attended St Patrick's Classical School. He is in a group of just 379 nationally who obtained five A1s. These were in English, Irish, French, Biology and Techgraphics.

He got A2s in Maths and Physics. It all adds up to a remarkable 590 points.  His career course choice is medicine at Trinity College.

School principal at St Pat's, Colm O'Rourke, was "delighted" to find that the sportsmen in the group sitting the exam had achieved some of the best results. Gerry is one of these, having won a Leinster Colleges medal with the school this year. He plays with the senior Seneschalstown squad.

At St Joseph's Convent of Mercy, Aoife Hughes from Navan, was being hugged by her schoolmates, having achieved 570 marks: four A1s and three A2s. She wants to study speech therapy at Trinity. Dawn Park, Navan, who also achieved 570 points, wants to do architecture.

Over at St Michael's Loreto secondary school, Sinead Fahy, Kilberry, obtained 580 points and is also planning to study at Trinity - the MSIS course (Management Science Information Systems) in her case.

Amy Carlton, Navan, who obtained 540 wants to do the BESS business course at Trinity.

Mr Condon at Navan Community College was particularly proud of the school's international students. For the first time, the Community College obtained brilliant results in Portuguese, Russian, Polish and Lithuanian.

Guidance counsellor, Pat Marley, was at the college dispensing advice to students about their third-level options. Some students of the community college who have lived in Ireland for just a short time but have had to learn English for the Leaving Cert exam were looking at their options.

Rio de Janeiro girl, Fernanda Rezenge, Navan, had no English upon arrival in Ireland two years ago and was relieved to have passed the exam. Rafal Choma from Poland now plans to do an IT course at Dundalk Regional Technology College.

Anna Heldt, also from Poland, also had two years to learn English and was grateful that the community college had made special classes available. These are EAL (English as an Academic Language) courses to help with the type of English required by Leaving Cert examiners. She is considering doing photography.

Students, male and female, all had their sights set on specific and widely varying courses. Brian McGrane, from outside Navan, a student at St Pat's, and his friend, Philip Sheridan, Seneschalstown, are members with Philip's cousin, Gerry, of the rock n' roll band, Overdue, and they gig at weekends in Ryan's bar. Philip also was on the Leinster colleges football squad.

Brian, who plays guitar, wants to do either civil engineering or product design, a new course at DIT. Philip, who got 530 points, including an A2 in music, intends to undertake design and manufacturing engineering at DIT.

Some other happy St Pat's students on Thursday were Vincent Monaghan, Woodlands, Navan, who wants to do construction studies at DIT; James McFadden, Gibbstown, who said he got "exactly what he wanted" to study computer game development in Carlow College, and Christopher Galligan, Wilkinstown, who is not going to college but wants to get an apprenticeship to be a mechanic.

Most importantly, according to St Pat's principal Colm O'Rourke, the overall results were excellent and even those who had aimed high for courses such as medicine, engineering and architecture, could expect to get what they wanted.

At St Joseph's Convent of Mercy, some of the students getting their results were Nadine McGillick, Navan, who wants to do psychology at Maynooth and did "better than she expected" with 488 points; Grainne Clear, Navan, whose plan is to do English and classical civilisations in Trinity.

Lisa Farrelly, from outside Navan, was another happy Leaving Cert at St Joseph's.

Primary school teaching was a popular vocation for some St Michael's Loreto girls. Both Rachel Honnivall and Zoe Fitzsimons, both from Navan, want to study this at NUI Maynooth. Pauline Flanagan, Navan, plans to do primary school teaching at St Patrick's Teacher Training College, Drumcondra.

Tara Fitzpatrick, also from Navan, wants to do dance teaching and hopes to study in London. Dara Woods, Navan, has her sights set on an arts degree and Sinead Phelan, Rathfeigh, wants to undertake business and management at DIT.

Amy Finlay, Brownstown, Navan, also was pleased with her results and is awaiting CAO offers this week.