May 2015
Pupils of the Month
Year 8 -Courtney Sawyers
- Nicola Moore
- Sylvia Chen
Year 9 - Joel Charters
- Zara Preston
- Alexandra Monteith
Year 10 -Frazer O'Brien
-Lyndsey Fleming
-Kira Schneider
Year11 -Adam McCollum
- Adam Short
- Jill Alderdice
-Romy Kerrigan
Year 12 -Cameron Turner
- Jonnie Woods
- Kyle Richards
Year 13/14-Tamara Doherty
- Kelsey Glass
- Lee Kelly
Running House Totals
Auchinleck - 3987
Crevenagh - 3873
Strule -4594
School Closure
The school will be closed on Monday 4 May and Monday 25 May 2015.
Important Information
A recent DENI circular has advised schools to inform parents that it is vital that they let schools know if their child has suffered any head injury involving concussion and any restrictions placed on their child’s activities as a result of advice from a medical practitioner.
This letter has been given to each pupil for parents’ information. Please return the attached slip to acknowledge receipt of this letter by Wednesday 6 May 2015 at the latest.
Omagh High Team face Invest NI Dragons
March was very busy for one group of Year 10 students. After completing a Year 10 ‘Dragon’s Den Workshop’ with Paul McKnight from Eye4Education, just 5 students were selected to go through to represent Omagh High School in a province wide competition run by Invest NI and sponsored by Irish Football Association (IFA).
Leading the team was the originator of the idea, “Keys Please” a key tracking and location device; Andrew Ferguson, Managing Director, along with AaronChambers, the Design Manager, Rebecca Hewitt the Advertising Manager, Ella Small, the Marketing Manager and Jake Hannigan who was Finance Manager. Jake and Ella were also responsible for creating the product’s advert, which formed part of their successful Facebook advertising campaign, with their advert reaching over 10,000 people.
Our “Keys Please” team were visited by an Invest NI ‘Dragon’ and they successfully pitched their idea to win the area final, an ipod each and secure their place in the final 5 teams out of the 42 teams who competed province-wide.
The team travelled up to Belfast and were graciously hosted by Invest NI. Sadly our team were narrowly defeated in the final, however, they gave an outstanding presentation and should be extremely proud of their perfect performance under such high pressure and serious questioning from the Invest NI Dragons.
The team were naturally disappointed; however they agreed that the experience was a good one and that they had developed valuable skills that they would be able to use again in the future.
We will keep an eye on these budding entrepreneurs in the future …. watch this space!
Omagh District Council Young Achievers Awards
The annual Omagh District Council Young Achievers Awards took place on Friday 6 March at Omagh Leisure Complex. The awards were held in recognition of all the young people from the Omagh Area who have achieved notable success in the past two years.
In terms of Sport, Omagh High School had representatives at the awards across various sporting disciplines. Namely:
- Zoe Marshall: Ulster Girls Rugby representative honours
- Laura Jones: N Ireland Ladies Football Representative honours
- Jake Hannigan: Competing at International level in Judo
- Darnell Moore & Calvin Moore: Competing at Ulster and International Cycling events with notable success.
- Kyle Swann & David Clements: Representing Omagh High School as the Winners of the N Ireland Schools U15 Football Trophy 2013.
All in attendance received momentos from Omagh District Council. Well done to all
Summer Exams 2015
Internal exams for Years 8-10 will be held from Tuesday 26May to Friday 29 May inclusive. Year 11 pupils will follow an alternative timetable of classes during exam week which will be issued to them nearer the time.
Revision booklets have already been issued to all Years 8-11 pupils outlining the times of exams, the topics for revision and a planner to schedule revision sessions over the next few weeks. It is critical that all pupils plan their revision properly. Revision booklets are a very helpful guide for parents. They should be initialled as the revision sessions are taken and the guide should be kept in schoolbags for house teachers and subject teachers to check.
External exams for Years 11-14 will begin on Thursday 7 May 2015 and will continue until Tuesday 23 June 2015.
Year 11
Due to the modular nature of many subjects being studied at GCSE level, most Year 11 pupils will be sitting actual external GCSE/Key Skills modular exams in Summer 2015 in the following subjects:
- Agriculture & Land Use
- Business Studies
- English & English Literature
- Geography
- Health & Social Care
- History
- Home Economics – Child Development
- Hospitality
- LLW – Employability
- Mathematics
- Science – Double Award & Single Award
- Technology & Design
As the results of these modules (available when pupils return to school in Sept 2015) contribute towards the final GCSE subject grade to be awarded in Summer 2016, it is imperative that these modular examinations are taken very seriously in Year 11. In addition to the preparation and revision which will take place in class prior to the examinations, it is vital that thorough revision/preparation also takes place at home and parents are asked to facilitate this as much as possible.
Years 12, 13 & 14
Years 12, 13 & 14 pupils will shortly commence study leave in preparation for GCSE, AS and A2 external examinations. During study leave, revision classes will take place in school with subject teachers and pupils are required to attend all of these classes in school uniform. A timetable for the revision classes will be distributed to all pupils in Years 12, 13 & 14. In addition to the preparation and revision classes which will take place in school, Year 12, 13 & 14 pupils need to spend the maximum amount of time at home carrying out thorough revision/preparation during study leave.
Please note:
Years 11, 12, 13 & 14 pupils have already been given their individual examination timetables for their external Summer 2015 examinations.
Examination preparation/revision for all year groups must take priority over other commitments such as part-time jobs and social events to ensure maximum potential is reached by all pupils at this crucial stage in their education.
Good Luck To All
Local students advocate for grassroots charities and give away£3,000
Year 10 students from Omagh High School became powerful agents of change in their community, awarding £3,000 to a local charity and advocating for many more. Year 10 students took part in the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative, which aims to grow compassionate communities through the teaching of strategic philanthropy.
The ground-breaking programme, running for the third year in Northern Ireland, aims to create the next generation of passionate and committed philanthropists by providing real life experiences of charitable giving.
Working in teams to identify the social needs of their local community, pupils selected a local charity that best addressed their chosen issue. They interviewed staff and beneficiaries before preparing a presentation for a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style judging panel, with the best team winning a £3,000 donation for their charity. The judging panel was made up of Mr RHussey, MrMcConaghy, Mrs M Bradley and Macaulay Killen. The winning team was the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice Horizon West. The team members were Hollie Jordan, NaomiConnell, Greta Rukaite and Emma Livingstone.
Taster Day
Year 6 Taster Day took place on Thursday 26 March 2015 when Year 6 pupils from 14 contributory primary schools joined Omagh High School for the day. After being welcomed by the Principal and having refreshments on arrival in the dining hall, the Year 6 pupils had an opportunity to sample what life at Omagh High School is like by attending a series of subjects or ‘classes’ and moving around from room to room at the end of each ‘period’.The subjects included PE/Games, Home Economics, Drama, Music, Art & Design and Science. Year 6 pupils had the opportunity to participate in activities,assisted by some Omagh High School pupils and staff. After a busy morning, the Year 6 pupils and staff were ready for lunch which was served in the dining hall before making their way back to their own schools. Thanks must go to all Omagh High School staff and pupils who assisted with the event and to both the pupils and staff of the primary schools for attending. An enjoyable time was had by all.
OHS Bake-off
The following contestants took part in the bake off this year.
Kirsty Ewing and Erica FaulknerZara Preston
Natalia Rejkiewicz and
Sarah Walker
Curt Stevenson
Isabella Shaw and Lily Small
Rebecca Stewart and
Emily Clarke
Sam Smyth
Kyle Mc Kernaghan
LukeBeattie
Rheanna Gilmore and
Emma Spence
Nathan Wilson
The pupils’ effort and creativity produced amazing bakes in all 3 sections –
-Signature Bake - Bite -size bakes,
-Technical challenge –Scones
-Show stopper – a cake for Mothers Day.
Winners:-
1stRebecca Stewart and Emily Clarke (£20 and a Mary Berry cookbook)
2ndKirsty Ewing and Erica Faulkner
3rd Zara Preston
Queens Academy
Three 6th form pupils have been selected unto this prestigious academy that works alongside Queens University. Congratulations to LeeGalbraith, Ged Rahman and Lorraine Patterson who have all been selected to attend the Academy.
Situations Vacant in Booming NI Film Industry
This week Omagh High School welcomed a visitor from PSI (Production Services Ireland). Mr Rainer Pagel, Head of Training, came in to speak to Year 10 and Year 11 drama pupils about the multitude of jobs available in the Creative arts sector, in particular, his area of expertise, lighting and rigging, but he was also in to talk about an exciting new apprenticeship scheme, which will be on offer from August this year.
It is enough to look at the credits at the end of a film to see the vast job opportunities that exist in this field and with Northern Ireland now hosting the filming of Game of Thrones and the latest Dracula film, and now with the recent BAFTA success of local short film, Boogaloo and Graham, it is easy to see why the industry is looking for people with technical skills in this area. So, this new apprenticeship scheme has as its main aim to train local people for the jobs that exist in this area, rather than having to look for expertise outside of Northern Ireland.
PSI have worked behind the scenes at some major local and worldwide events, providing equipment and manpower; most recently, providing the lighting and staging for the Carl Frampton fight and Michael Bublé’s Christmas concerts.
We would like to thank Mr Pagel for coming in and highlighting the opportunities in this area and if you are interested in a Career in the creative arts; film, tv, theatre or music and would like to find out more about the apprenticeships and opportunities available, then go to the Creative & Cultural Skills website at . To find out more about PSI, visit the PSI website at
Drugs Awareness Talk
Constable Thompson visited our school to give all Year 10 pupils a talk on drug awareness. He started off with the definition of what a drug is. A drug is a chemical substance which changes the function of the brain or body, which alters the way a person thinks, feels and behaves. People take drugs due to peer pressure, medical reasons, experimenting or for relaxation. Drugs can be classified into 4 groups.
The policeman explained that drugs work like a car:-
- Stimulants - speed you up, like accelerating in a car.
- Depressants - slow you down, like braking.
- Hallucinogens - blurred vision, like oil smeared on your windscreen.
- Opiates- ease the pain, like an airbag in an accident it protects you from getting badly hurt.
Taking prescribed drugs and illegal drugs can cause serious health risks such as mood swings, aggression, fits, nose bleeds, depression, anxiety and even death.
Legal highs are a big problem at the moment as there is no law yet to ban their use. Young people are losing their lives to these drugs as they contain all sorts of dangerous substances in various quantities which are not suitable for human consumption. Legal highs need to be banned.
At the end the policeman let us try out the “drunk and dangerous glasses” to see what it feels like to walk about which is the same as taking 6 pints of beer.
I learnt a lot from the policeman’s visit and it is up to us as teenagers to be really careful and make sensible choices and say NO TO DRUGS.
It is really important to remember it’s your body, it’s your choice.
Vladamir Dat-Ay
Seamus Heaney Commendation Award
The English Department are proud to announce that Dawid Chybowski was awarded the Seamus Heaney Commendation Award for his progression in poetry during the Community Arts Partnership Poetry in Motion workshop.
Dawid received his award at a prestigious event which took place in the Ulster Hall in March. 600 School children from schools around the province were present!
Congratulations also to Lily Small and Ryan Cairns who were invited to recite their poems at the Ulster Hall at the launch of the Poetry in Motion 2015 anthology.
Several other year 8 pupils also had their poems published in the anthology including: Nora Vegh and Nicola Moore.
Cycling
Darnell Moore (Year 14) has now moved into the top racing category A1 in Ireland due to his success in numerous races this year. This weekend he will compete in a 4 day race, starting on Friday at Stormont and finish on Monday. Throughout this four day race Darnell will be cycling up to ninety miles a day. Well done and good luck Darnell.
Mother’s Day Lunch
Year 11 Occupational Studies pupils hosted a Mother’s Day lunch on Wednesday 11 March 2015. Pupils invited their mothers to lunch as part of the Healthy Living topic for their Prince’s Trust Qualification. They planned a healthy menu, shopped for the event, cooked food and served it up. A great afternoon was had by all and no one left hungry. Well done Year 11 OSP! Thanks to MrsCresswell for the use of the facilities in the Home Economics room and her expertise in the preparation of the food.
SWC TO TACKLE YOUNG PEOPLE’S MENTAL HEALTH STIGMA
Year 11 pupils attended a mental health awareness conference entitled ‘Young Minds Matter’ on Wednesday 25 February at SWC Omagh. It was organised as part of the College’s Outreach Programme in association with NIAMH (Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health), PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) and WHSCT (Western Health and Social Care Trust).
Sadly the society we live in can be detrimental to the mental health of children and young people, with the impacts of family breakdown, the rise of social networking, violence, peer pressure and substance abuse often leading to mental disorders, anxiety, depression and conduct disorders. Despite children and young people’s mental health being high on the agenda for campaigners, there is still work to be done to raise awareness of the various mental health issues and to reduce the stigma associated with mental health.
The Young Minds Matter conference incorporated three sessions during the course of the day, each facilitated by renowned Communications and Lifestyle Consultant, Billy Dixon and featured a short screenplay entitled ‘Baggage’, produced in association with NIAMH and performed by the Performing Arts students from South West College.
Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet for Tyrone
Louise Maclaine (Year 13) has been appointed to the role of Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet for the County of Tyrone. She received her award from Mr Robert Scott, Lord Lieutenant for the County of Tyrone. Louise will be one of nine Lord Lieutenants' Cadets, taking on a role which is largely ceremonial. The 17-year-old student can expect a busy year ahead, accompanying Mr Robert Scott, Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant for the County of Tyrone, on major civic occasions. In recognition of the award, Louise will wear a special insignia on her uniform throughout her year in office.
Ulster rugby U18 7s
It is a busy time for Louise Maclaine as she has also been selected to play for Ulster Women’s U18 7s at an interprovincial blitz in Dublin on 18 April 2015. Louise had attended 3 selection days in Armagh where she became one of 14 to go to Dublin from 45 who had attended the selection. In Dublin Louise played against Leinster, Monster and Connaught winning against Connacht.
School Angling Club Visit to the Lough’s Agency
On the 23 April the School Angling Club visited the Lough’s Agency Headquarters at Derry, for a combined educational and fishing trip. It took place in brilliant sunshine, matched by the warm welcome the staff gave us on arrival.