Marie Looking Gorgeous

Representing GLYNI at the Pride of NI Awards was our Marie O'Halloran.  She is looking fantastic, though no more waist length hair.  She moved from Shimna at Malone Integrated College and is currently studying art at Belfast Metropolitan College.  Great to see you Marie.

Distinguished Bravery Award

Decky Allister has been presented with a Distinguished Conduct Award for his rescue of three of his neighbours from a burning building earlier this year.  Decky had himself just undergone surgery on his had when he pulled a woman and two men from the burning building in the early hours of the morning.  Decky rescued me once from a smokey junior disco, when the smoke machine went wrong.  That was a very trivial episode compared with the life threatening situation he was faced with last May, but I was very pleased to see him.  I was stuck outside on a winter's night with a horde of wee people dressed only in their disco gear.  We are very, very proud of Decky.

Tanya's in Lille

I was in Oxford at the weekend and thinking about Tanya, who isn't there this year, because she is on her year out in Lille and loving it.  She returns next year to Oriel College Oxford to complete her French degree.

Ollie's Umbrella

Ollie Elsholtz has graduated in music = production, jazz and all sorts of things, and has set up his own recording label, which is going really well. It's absolutely brilliant and I hope he will call him and give us a saxephone blast next time he is home.

Liam's Scholarship

This week's headline in the MO. 'Newcastle student receives prestigious scholarship' and its our Liam Baron who has been awarded and IET FUSE scholarship, which is worth £4,000. Liam is studying MEng Engineering at Durham University and loving every minute of it. The Institute of Engineering and Technology took into account his Distinction in the International Physics Olympiad and the full marks he received in his A level physics module in making the award. IETAwards and Prizes Manager Linda Deleay said the scholarships are only awarded to the most outstanding candidates. "To be in receipt of one of these awards is a particular accolade," she added. Yahoo! (that was me, not Linda Deleay!)

Steven Corin Thomas McVeigh

Steven came in to visit today, and to tell us that he would be setting up in interior design while he consulted about the best route to furthering his career in drama. Steven already had a place at a prestigious drama school across the water, but had decided it was very important to him to stay in Ireland. He called to see his wonderful drama teacher, Catherine Kelly, and while he was there, his mobile went, and he was offered a place in the inaugural year of the brand new Lir School of Drama at Trinity College Dublin, which is a collaboration with the world famous RADA. This is the most fantastic news, and you will all have to paint your own houses now! Stuff interior design! Steven would be the first to say that his success owes so much to Catherine. She left the beautiful purple, greenroom Steven designed for her, perhaps for the last time as wageslave Shimna staff member BUT she is now Shimna associate and friend, and will be back in all sorts of capacities. We wish her all the very best of luck in her own new drama career.

Stephen Samples

It was great to see Stephen Trainor in the picture of CAFRE students from the Loughry campus out sampling the real world of the bakery industry during their visit to the Howell House bakery at Lisburn.

Jonathan Killen on the Underground

Turns out he actually works on the London Underground. He came in to get his passport form signed, and it was great to see him. I wish I had asked more questions though. While I did the signing, he set off for a look round the school to see what has changed. He was very pleased to hear about classmates Kerry Smyth and Ryan Doran.

A Philosophical Cyclist

We ran into Shane Cooney on one of his trips home. He transferred from his philosophy degree to study history and media studies. At the same time he kept up his mania for cycling, training in high level bike maintenance and travels the world with teams competing in international competition. He is looking ahead to the time when he may want to settle down, and might consider primary teaching.

Ryan Doran Teaching

Ryan Doran is following up his Journalism degree from Sunderland with a conversion course, which picks up from his A level maths and has won him a place on a maths teacher training course. On P6 Day, pupils from All Children's IPS joined us for language learning activities, and lo and behold, the staff member with them was Ryan himself. Every prospective teacher has to do some observing and volunteering before they start training so that they can prove to themselves that they actually like children. Ryan looked as if he liked them as much as they obviously liked him.

Graham Briggs, Architect

Graham took the smart route to his degree in Architecture with which he graduates this summer. He graduated first several years ago in Architectural Technology, worked a few years and earned a bit before completing the lengthy training. He has kept up his interest in sustainable design, which is important for all our futures.

Naming her Salary

Kerry Smyth has graduated with a first class honours degree in Actuarial Studies from Queens University, Belfast. So well has she done that she has job interviews lined up this week and next. With this kind of qualification, she really will be able to name her salary. We were so pleased to hear her good news and look forward to hearing which firm she picks.

Famous Horticulturalists

Wonderful to see Stephen Newell and Sam Wright among the names in the Belfast Telegraph achieving their Level 2 Diploma and National Award respectively in Horticulture from the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise. The Minister of Agriculture, Michelle O'Neill, made the presentations at the Greenmount Campus.

Matthew's Movie

Thanks a million to Matthew Denvir for our copy of his award winning film. Shimna has a pretty impressive back catalogue now of famous film makers, and Matthew is up with the best.

Famous Dan

Looking through the Careers Express, the newsletter of SERC, I spotted the famous Dan Wormell receiving his award for Commitment to Enhancing the Student Experience. He looked great, and we are delighted to see him receiving such an interesting award. Please come and tell us what you are up to, and how you did the enhancing.

Lyndsey and Sophie

Did you see the beautiful photo of Lyndsey Straney and her new daughter Sophie in the Belfast Telegraph. Apparently Lyndsey's older daugher, Lucy, is just delighted with her new sister.

Ollie's Umbrella

Wonderful to hear from Bente that Ollie Elsholz is about to graduate in music, and has already started his own label, Umbrella Music. That's just fabulous and we look forward to hear what he does with it.

Two Happy Mechanics

i was delighted to be hailed from a car by two bronzed God students of mechanics, Kyle Rooney and Philip Treacy. Both love their course and certainly look as if they are thriving. Keep in touch!

Loads of Old Scholars at Once

They all came along to our celebration Tea Party to receive their GCSE certificates. This was the replacement do for the Presentation Evening which fell victim to the snow. It was particularly good to see our first Greenmount students, Sam Wright and Stephen Newell, Sam in agriculture and Stephen in horticulture. Jenna's hair was spectacular and everybody had grown up tall and glamorous.

Sports Success

Great to meet Claire McCauley at the careers fair in the Slieve Donard. She was staffing the SERC sports studies stall, and celebrating her nomination as sports studies student of the year. Claire also has an interview at Liverpool John Moores University to look forward to. She looked great and it was a pleasure to hear of her success.

Ryan Doran and Adam Carr

News from Subway that Ryan Doran has graduated and is now completing a PGCE in maths at the University of Sunderland. Adam, between shifts at Subway, has graduated in politics and is now working at an internship in Belfast, which he really enjoys. Good stuff you two.

Hi Samuel

Good to meet up with Samuel Rose when he called in to collect his certificates. Samuel has tried lots of routes and is now applying for uniformed forces. He is through lots of sections of the assessment process and things are looking good.

Another PhD Begins

And it's Jeanette McQuillan who is starting her PhD at Queens in November. This is wonderful news. Very, very, very well done.

Redmond No 4 Hits Scotland

Daniel Redmond of that ilk is now successfully studying chemistry with Spanish at Herriot Watt University in Edinburgh. He loves it and is getting on well. Brother Mark is about in the city as well cooking good stuff. Brother Jonathan is not too far away at Glasgow University and the biggest brother (I bet he isn't) Chris is near at hand with his wife and child and a bit. Next Redmond due in March! Jennifer and Niamh have their holidays cut out for them getting round them all.