Student Council

Student Council 2020:

The 2020 Student Council elections were held digitally in early October this year. 13 new members joined 6 previous members who wanted to continue on the council for a further year. The full list of members is as follows:

6th Year: Rebecca Harrington, Eoghan O’ Mahony (Returning members), Alannah Barry & Jack Hourihan.

5th Year: Rachel O’Leary, Dylan O’ Mahony, Mark Vanyai (Returning member) & Sean Onovo (Returning member).

4th Year: Ellie McCarthy & Padraig Harrington.

3rd Year: Emma Ward, Omike Olupona, Rosie Murphy & Marcus Christensen (Returning members).

2nd Year: Meabh Burke, Dylan Crowley & Tara Smith.

1st Year: Ella O’Donovan & Patrick Gacek.

The council has been dynamic in its work from the outset this year, in part as a result of the continuity of keeping on some existing members who have imparted their experience to the newer members and have shown them the ropes! So far this year they have met every fortnight discussing student issues. They have been consulted by management on a number of issues including the recording of behaviour on VSWare and of course the design and ordering of a new school half zip. The council are enormously proud of the arrival of this optional extra top especially as rooms can get chilly with many windows open at the moment. Students have been asking for this for some time and last year’s council were delighted when their proposal was accepted by the Board of Management.

The group are very obliging and are representing the voice of students in our school very well. Eoghan is our representative on the Irish Second Level Students’ Union and he has established many helpful links with other students around Ireland. Likewise Mark has made many contacts through his involvement with Comhairle na nOg over the past year. Seven of our members attended the recent online AGM of the Comhairle and have signed up to participate in Comhairle na nOg this year which will maintain connectivity at a time when it is greatly needed. They are bringing the voice of young people of Bantry to a regional and national level and we are very proud of that important job!

We are also very proud of the council for organising a Christmas Jumper Day on Dec. 11th which raised 936 Euro for the Simon Community. In an effort to bring even more festive cheer to the school they made and delivered hot chocolates to all students that day which brought a smile to everyone’s face after a tough term. They couldn’t have managed this huge task without the help of Mrs Mc Grath in the kitchen and without the kind donations of milk, chocolate powder and cups from our local Centra, Super Valu and Biggs. They also held a raffle which contributed greatly to the total raised for Simon. A very generous 1st prize of a 100 Euro One For All voucher was donated by Mairead O’ Brien from Bakewell Catering and 2nd and 3rd prizes were multiple tickets for Bantry Cinemax, kindly donated by Stephen Keohane.

Student Council 2018-2019

Congratulations to the new members of the Student Council  2018 -2019. Again this year we have a 13 member council in Colaiste Pobail Bheanntrai, one  girl and one boy from each year group and one student  from the Special Needs Unit.

Election Procedure

Each student nominated themselves using an official nomination form. They collected the signatures of two other students in their year to propose their nomination. They also got the signature of their class tutor to show that they approved of the nomination.

This year 31 students ran in the election held on Wednesday 5^th October. A ballot paper was provided to each student in the school with the names of the candidates in their own year group. They ticked the name of one boy and one girl in a secret ballot. All ballot papers were collected and counted. The boy and girl with the most votes in each year group was deemed elected using a “First Past the Post” system.

These are the candidates who have been voted onto the Student Council 2018-2019.

2^nd Year: Ellie McCarthy & Tom O’Donovan

3^rd Year: Caoimhe Cronin & Sean McCarthy

TY: Helena O’Mahony & Eoghan O’Mahony

5^th Year: Lucas Ahlas & Louise O’ Donnell

6^th Year: Elena O’Donovan & Gerard Galvin

SNU: Yet to be decided

1^st Year: Will be elected in November

Ruby McCarthy Lamb, TY and Libby Daly 5^th Year will stay on as additional members for this year to allow continuity.

SNU: TBC

1st years are valuable members of the council but join it later after elections in November to allow them get to know each other better.

The new Council will soon benefit from a training session with the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union of which our school is a member. This group supports and connects students and facilitates training by visiting schools.

The Council meet regularly to discuss and resolve, if possible, issues brought to them by their classmates. They plan student activities and represent the school when required.

Student Council Tip Rugby Blitz 2017

Student Council Tip Rugby Blitz

On 28^th April last the Student Council ran a very successful Tip Rugby Blitz in conjunction with Bantry Bay RFC. There were smiles all round as over 300 C.P.B. students got involved. As well as playing, students acted as referees and score keepers. The aim of the event was to enhance the existing good atmosphere in the school and to give students a fun day to remember. While doing that the Student Council also carried out some charity work as all funds raised will be handed over to the Guide Dogs’ Association of Ireland when they visit the school on 23^rd May.

Damien Hicks, Club Community Rugby Officer, was an enormous help to the Student Council in organising teams and meeting them on a number of occasions prior to the event to discuss rules and the smooth running of the day. On the day he was joined by fellow coaches, Eugene McCarthy and Ray Gagsden who gave all students and especially the organising students, great responsibility and encouragement.

Student Council update , December 2016 – February 2017:

• The Student Council ran a successful Christmas Jumper appeal for Simon on December 22^nd and raised almost 600 Euro for homeless people in Cork. They presented the money to Niamh Quail, Education Officer with Cork Simon when she visited the school on Thursday 9^th February.
• The Council benefitted from a training session given by Aoife Ni Shuilleabhan of the Irish Second-level Students’ Union on 24^th She commended the advanced nature of the Council and helped the members organise some of the many ideas they have.
• Gary Butler and Tara O’ Donovan met with the Board of Management on 20^th January and representatives from the Parents’ Association have scheduled a meeting with all members of the Student Council on 8^th
• Communication with management and fellow students is working well via oral communication, the Council’s noticeboard, suggestion envelopes and feedback sheets.

Members of the Council have a group chat set up to communicate with each other.

• 5^th year reps are currently working on a survey of student attitudes to subject choice.
• Members are keen to set up a soccer team for girls and have gathered names of all those interested.
• Some members of the Council have proposed setting up a stationary shop in the school and are investigating that at present.
• Council members will attend the public meeting on Tuesday 21^st to convey student ideas on the proposed slob redevelopment.
• The 7^th April  has been provisionally set for a charity tag rugby blitz.  Bantry Rugby Club are working with the students on this.

County Cork Comhairle na nOg (Young people’s council)

For the last number of years Student Council members from CPB have represented the school at the AGM of the County Cork Comhairle na nOg held annually. There are 31 Comhairli across the country which act as a platform for young people to have their voices heard. This year 6 students travelled to Cork on Thursday 20^th October. They spent the morning in the County Council Chambers where they were addressed by the County Mayor, Cllr. Seamus Mc Grath and by  Cllr. John Paul O’Shea who is very involved with the Cork County Development Board who set up the Comhairle.

The day was hosted by young members of the Comhairle, called Councillors and was facilitated by the Y.M.C.A. We heard about the successful, “Let’s Go Mental” event hosted by last year’s Comhairle which aimed at promoting better mental health for teenagers. This year’s theme is Social Inclusion and one aspect discussed during the day at the County Hall was transport, in particular the cost of and services to rural parts of the country. Fiona Connolly, Area Manager of Bus Eireann addressed the 95 young people present about initiatives taken by the company to reduce the cost of  bus trips using the Leap Card for example.

Later on in the day the group got to know each other better working in smaller task groups and engaging in ice breaker activities and walking debates. They met a lot of new people, many of whom told them of their increased confidence as a result of being involved with the Comhairle and of how other opportunities have opened up for them. For example, last year’s group were brought to a European Youth Event in Strasbourg, France. They discussed the migrant crisis, unemployment and environmental issues. Their ideas were handed over to the European Parliament where the decisions taken by the young people were taken into account.

Kate Crowley, our 4^th Year Student Council representative and Liam Cotter, 4^th Year and a former Student Council representative, both signed up to the Comhairle and hope to attend meetings in Cork during the coming year. Another former  Student Council representative, Robyn Mc Carthy, currently in 6^th year in CPB was very active in the Comhairle during his  4^th Year in school. It is a real advantage to the young people of Bantry that our students are speaking up on matters of concern to them and are actively trying to make a difference for young people under 18.

What has the Student Council done in 2015/2016?

• Caoimhe Harrington, Brian O’ Sullivan, Niamh Crowley and Shane T. O’Sullivan represented CPB at the  AGM of  Comhairle  na nOg on 22^nd October 2015.

• John O’ Sullivan and Rachel Crowley, Joint Chair, addressed the parents, staff and incoming 1^st Years at the Open Night in November.

• The Student Council members organised a successful Christmas Jumper appeal for the Simon Community in December. They collected €845 for the cause and invited a  guest speaker from Simon to speak to them and two 1^st Year groups about the work the organisation does. They formally handed the proceeds over at a presentation in January.

• John O’Sullivan raised the issue of getting blinds in the Careers room to shield students from the heat of the sun at times. He spoke to the Facilities Manager who organised provision of blinds.

• The Student Council had a successful meeting with Mairead about the school canteen in February following which some of their suggestions were put into the operation.

• Members of the Student Council were very involved in commemorating the 1916 Rising in the school and in the local community:

• In March Brian O’ Sullivan and former Student Council member, Leah Murphy, represented the school at the State commemorative event for secondary students at Croke Park. Here they collected a new Tricolour for the school.

• On Proclamation Day, March 15^th, John O’ Sullivan and Rachel Crowley met and spoke to the invited soldiers on behalf of the Student Council and wider student body.

• Brian and Niamh Crowley took part in a beautiful rendition of “The Foggy Dew” and Brain also accompanied other students playing traditional pieces of music.

• Kevin O’Shea and Kate Scully took part in the human flag event along with other first years.

• On Easter Sunday James Lavin and Sam Delaney read the Proclamation aloud at the main commemorative event in Bantry Town Square which was organised by Bantry Development and Tourism Association.

• TY students participated in a Flag Day organised by the Thomas Meagher Foundation in March and Brian O’Sullivan and Caoimhe Harrington formally handed over the proceeds, €560, to representatives of the Bantry Hospice who we had invited to the school.

• After Easter the Student Council began organising a charity tag rugby blitz . However due to the large number of matches which had been postponed due to bad weather last year, a suitable date, well in advance of final  exam preparations couldn’t be found so the Council of 2015/2016 will assist the new Council  in running that event before Easter 2017.

The end of year lunch was an enjoyable and social occasion.

 2015-2016

The Student Council handed over €845.00 to a guest speaker from Simon today. The lady guest speaker then gave a presentation to two groups of 1^st years on the work that Simon does nationwide.

On Wednesday 11th November, four student council members (myself included) headed to Cork County Hall for an AGM of Comháirle na nÓg. Comháirle na nÓg is a youth parliament, this one specifically for County Cork. They gave us a presentation on who they are and what they do, then we played a few ice breaker games to get to know each other. After we spoke about global and local issues, and gave our opinions on the different topics also. Soon we were then served a lovely lunch with tea and sweets after. We spent the rest of the afternoon discussing the 17 Global Goals for 2030. It started off with a short, yet interesting presentation, followed by a walking debate, then we were put into groups where we focused on one specific global goal. To finish, the current mayor of County Cork (John Paul O’Shea), stopped by to talk to us about his work and what he does. Overall, the day was very enjoyable.

Thanks again, Caoimhe Harrington (TY1).

2014-2015 Student Council Update

This year has been a very busy one for the Student Council. Following our visit to Comhairle na nOg last November, Robyn McCarthy has still been involved in the Youth Parliament, attending regular meetings in Cork. We’re lucky to have a representative linking us to the wider student body in Cork and it’s also a great opportunity to get involved in local politics. Please find attached his own account of his activities. **

We’ve also been consulted with by school management on various school matters such as creating a sense of pride in our school environment  and earlier in the year we worked with the Parents’ Association about the reporting of any incidents of bullying that might happen.

Most recently the Student Council organised a charity Tag Rugby blitz in memory of our past pupil and friend, Rachel Cronin. 250 junior and senior students took part in the event which raised 800 in aid of The Make a Wish Foundation. Even though the morning was wet there was a great atmosphere of fun at the event. Eugene McCarthy of the Bantry Rugby Club co-ordinated the games along with 4 other referees from the club and some of own star rugby players! We even had a visit from some Munster Rugby representatives on the day.