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Open Night in deep Mid Winter11th Feb 2010

Open Night in the Deep Mid-Winter

In spite of freezing temperatures, snow and ice, January 7th saw another very successful Open Night. Hazelwood’s reputation as a high-achieving school was enough to bring hundreds of prospective students and their parents out on one of the coldest and most forbidding evenings of the year. We had children from a wide range of Primary Schools: Hazelwood, Abbots Cross, Carrs Glen, Cliftonville, Forth River, Glenwood, Mossgrove, Our Lady’s Park Lodge and Star of the Sea. Their journey was rewarded with a warm welcome from the principal, Eileen Lenehan, the staff and those many students of the College who had stayed behind to help.

We had children from a wide range of Primary Schools: Hazelwood, Abbots Cross, Carrs Glen, Cliftonville, Forth River, Glenwood, Mossgrove, Our Lady’s Park Lodge and Star of the Sea. Their journey was rewarded with a warm welcome from the principal, Eileen Lenehan, the staff and those many students of the College who had stayed behind to help.

They heard how Integrated Education offers a way out of the impasse created by the continued implementation of a selective and discriminatory system, and how children of all abilities and all social, religious and ethnic backgrounds grow and learn together in an atmosphere of mutual tolerance and acceptance.

With the College obtaining outstanding examination results in 2009 at all levels, they also heard and saw how academic success goes hand in hand with integration

On their tour of the school they were entertained by a wide range of activities, with, among others, opportunities to cook, paint, make a key fob, listen to a garage band, and dissect a rat. If the responses from the visitors were anything to go by, an enjoyable and enlightening time was had by all.

Student Film pick up for distribution15th Jan 2010

Student Film Picked up for International Distribution

Click on picture to play film.

Lee Stitt’s film “Life in a Jar”, which has already won the Carson Bursary Prize and been placed in the Foyle Film Festival and showcased at the Cinemagic and Belfast Film Festivals has now received a further accolade. Network Ireland Television, one of the foremost independent film and television distribution companies in the country has asked for the rights to Lee’s film.

Hoop Dreams23rd Oct 2009

On Friday 25th September a group of year 9 pupils attended a screening at Queens Film Theatre of the inspirational Sports Documentary “Hoop Dreams”. This was shown as part of the GAME ON – Sports Themed Films & Events weekend at the Belfast Film Festival.

The film was introduced by Tom Newell, an American former professional NBA basketball coach. The pupils watched the award-winning 2hours 50minutes basketball documentary following the lives of two young African American teenagers with a gift for playing basketball who struggle to become college players. The film documents their efforts to pursue careers from their homes in Chicago. Income, educational ability and upbringing are all shown to affect the chances of the boys as they train and then pursue college scholarships in the hopes of finally playing in the NBA. The film also documents the lives and reactions to the boys of their families. The basketball becomes secondary to the film's consideration of social and economic issues.

The programme was introduced by Gavin Garland, top Irish basketball coach and Development Officer for Queen's Basketball Club and the screening was followed by basketball workshops for pupils and a tour of Queen's PEC.

It was a very enjoyable day and a unique experience for those who attended.

The Queen and Hazelwood5th Oct 2009

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Top That28th Sep 2009

Top That!

Together Parents and Teachers Raise Achievement
On Tuesday 12th May the Raising Boys Achievement Working Party held a Parents’ Information Workshop.

During the meeting I spoke about individual cases that I have successfully worked with. I discussed how I used sport as a means to establish a strong trusting relationship with students. This allowed me to teach them self management skills useful in resolving conflict scenarios. Through structured sport and physical activity I was also able to teach the boys key skills such as time management, listening and communication skills which are required in sport and can be easily transferred to every aspect of life. The reward for mentoring these young men was to see them grow more confident.

Parents outlined successful strategies at home such as limiting time in front of the screens and rewards for work well done. Parents and staff left the well attended meeting with the feeling that together we were winning and raising boys’ achievement.
Stephen Mc Glennon