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Bishop John McAreavey recently celebrated mass with the year 12 pupils at St Joseph’s Boys’ High School, Newry to give thanks and gratitude for their time at the school, as well as reflecting on the future pathways that they would be involved with.
During his visit Bishop McAreavey took time to chat to pupils and staff as he visited the newly refurbished Art department, met with the Pioneer Association, presented Pupil of the Week awards and offered his advice to the Student Support Council.
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Computing students recently gathered on Newry Campus of SRC to compete in a cutting edge Microsoft App Technology Competition.
Higher Education students attended from Portadown and Newry Campuses to battle it out to create the winning App with the winning students Stephen Shields and Dean Meehan both locals of Newry.
The competition, which began in January, involved students designing and developing Windows 8 phone Apps and culminated in a selection being released to the Global Microsoft market at the end of March. The event saw Microsoft Educational Evangelist Stephen Howell educate students on the complexities of designing, creating and finally uploading an App to the Windows App Store.?Using the latest online development tools students were able to design, develop and publish Windows 8 Apps.
Ten of the first Apps uploaded and currently available for download from the Windows App Store received one year XBox Live subscriptions. App ideas throughout the group were diverse and imaginative, reflecting the students wide range of interests. Apps’ were developed relating to the topics of soccer, local news, education, the world around us and Music to mention a few.?
All students that completed an App within the 3 day development process were entered in a draw to win a Windows 8 phone. The lucky Student was Larren Geary from Richhill who walked away with a shiny new Nokia 520.?All the ‘Appy developers on the final day received Microsoft branded t-shirts.
Speaking about the competition Stephen Howell, Microsoft Educational Evangelist said: “Making sure that the youth of today both have access to technology and understand how easy it is to use is one of our core objectives at Microsoft. The focus on coding, developing and building apps has really grown over the last couple of years and through competitions like today’s we want to demonstrate that anyone can design their own app. The technology industry is a dynamic sector to work in and every day the focus changes. By being ahead of the curve and providing students with the knowledge to build their own app they are equipping themselves with tools that will help them to progress in the work force of today. Whether you’re a marketer looking to promote your product or a coder developing a ground breaking idea the knowledge of how to design and app will be useful. I’d like to congratulate all the students here today and encourage them to continue with their interest in technology.”
Bryan Keating, Chair of MATRIX the Northern Ireland Science Industry Panel, and Catrina Gallen from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment were visiting Southern Regional College on the same day.
Bryan Keating, Chair of MATRIX the Northern Ireland Science Industry Panel said: “Our purpose in visiting the college was to see and hear about the courses and opportunities available to students in the local area, particularly in the areas of science and technology and to determine ways in which MATRIX and the College can work together for mutual benefit.
“It was evident from our discussions with the College Head Brian Doran and Claire Byrne that the college has built up solid relationships and partnerships with local businesses who benefit from the high standard of courses the colleges provides and the problem solving abilities of the staff at the college.
“We were also fortunate that our fact-finding meeting coincided with Microsoft Evangelist Stephen Howell’s master class on creating apps and I was hugely impressed by the students and their teachers’ enthusiasm on maximising the opportunity to learn new skills. I am confident many of these students will go on to very successful careers in industries where Northern Ireland excels, including ICT and the creative industries.”
Stephen Herron, Lecturer at SRC and Event Organiser said: “This event has been really beneficial for all the students taking part, considering the current rate at which technology is developing it is essential that SRC students are at the cutting edge.”
Sharon McCone (STEM Coordinator) sees this event as the first of many to help embed this technology into the current STEM initiative and push forward the exciting developments to be showcased later this year.
"The excitement generated at Higher Education level has filtered through to the Level 2 and 3 courses with new students excited about the inclusion of mobile development into their new courses starting this September, and we can’t wait to see their 'Appy' faces as the first course developed apps hit the Windows 8 App store later this year. For more information on computing courses at SRC log on to www.src.ac.uk for the full online prospectus."
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Social Development Minister, Nelson McCausland yesterday visited the Southern Regional College in Newry where he launched a qualification for those wishing to work in the offshore industry.
The Basic Offshore Safety Induction & Emergency Training (BOSIET) qualification, which will be delivered through the Oceans 14 project in the SRC, will provide accredited training and employment opportunities. The course covers safety and emergency response procedures such as fire fighting, first aid and sea survival. On completion, participants will be able to seek and secure employment in the Oil and Gas offshore industries.
Minister McCausland said: “This is another innovative project developed by the Southern Regional College, with the aim of providing training and employment opportunities for Neighbourhood Renewal residents.
“To date the Department has provided funding of £2.5 million to the College for 17 separate and highly innovative training programmes across the southern area, with over 1600 residents gaining accredited qualifications. This is a major achievement.
“These projects clearly demonstrate what can be achieved through working in partnership with government, statutory bodies and the voluntary and community sector. They will help sustain existing jobs and create new employment opportunities for residents within the Newry Neighbourhood Renewal Area this making a significant contribution to the economic regeneration of this area.”
Southern Regional College Assistant Director, David Vint, praised the commitment of participants on the programme saying: “I hope the BOSEIT qualification will prove to be a valuable community asset and in the future will provide a platform to help stimulate employment and enable those who have benefitted to use their skills and experiences to develop their career paths. Southern Regional College, in partnership with other statutory and voluntary organisations, wish to deliver real benefits for local people and seeks to be an agent for meaningful social change.”
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Through the support of Extended Schools funding, St Joseph’s Boys’ High School is providing an invaluable service for pupils in the way of a morning breakfast club.
The impact of the club has been greatly assisted by a £200 contribution from Kellogs as part of a nutritious kick-start initiative.
Extended Schools coordinator Mr Brendan Fearon expressed his sincere gratitude to the staff involved in this key initiative for their continued efforts in providing such a significant resource for pupils as well as thanking Kellogs for their greatly received contribution.
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Last month Southern Regional College (SRC) celebrated the third year of ‘Employ Me’ programme as students graduate in the Armagh City Hotel and many local students joined in the celebrations.
The guest speakers at the event impressed the audience with their personal stories.?Ms Anne Rooney, Director at FPM Chartered Accountants, and Mr Hugh Daly, Proprietor of Carndale Ltd, inspired the audience with their own experiences of learning and explained how with the right attitude, hard work and commitment one can gain vocational qualifications to build successful careers.
Employ Me is a package of training offered FREE to anyone unemployed across the southern region. The programme is funded by the Department for Employment & Learning (DEL), European Social Fund (ESF) and Southern Regional College (SRC).?Participants can choose one of six core pathways from Construction, Engineering, Finance, Hospitality, IT and Retail and are given the opportunity to achieve additional accredited qualifications in numeracy, literacy and IT. Further support in terms of personal development, careers advice and work placement opportunities are provided to increase participant’s employability as well as assistance with childcare expenses while attending the programme, travel reimbursement and learning support to help students achieve their potential.
Since it began three years ago over 115 participants have successfully completed the programme with 50 participants successfully obtaining employment as a result of their participation.
Mr Brian Doran CEO of SRC commented “the Employ Me programme is making a real difference to the lives of individual participants.?Not only is this evident through the achieving of qualifications but the confidence and belief that individuals have acquired during their time with us at SRC.?I encourage all participants to continue their journey of learning to acquire further qualifications and skills and be assured that the College will continue to support you on this venture.’
The Employ Me is a part-time programme run over a 25-week period. The next programme will begin in September 2014, applications are now being accepted.
For further information please contact the Employ Me office on 028 3751 2825 or email employme@src.ac.uk.
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Painter and Decorators Kevin and Francis Smith have sponsored the Netball kit for the Junior Netball players at St Mary's High School, Newry .
Pupils have celebrated many successes in netball this year with students representing Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the World Netball Championships in Glasgow in August 2013.
The Junior Netball team competes at SELB and Schools Cup/Plate Level and hope one day to emulate the successful senior players.
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A wide range of work was on display from students who attended the Newry Campus in Level 2 & 3 in Creative Media, Newry Level 3 Extended Diploma Art & Design and Foundation Art classes.
The students all displayed their work in the Newry West and East buildings. For more information about Creative Classes available at SRC campuses call 0845 604 0033 or log on to www.src.ac.uk
Many of the students will be exhibiting in the Hill Street Festival of Windows that will run for two weeks in shop windows the length of Hill Street in Newry from next Friday the 13th of June.
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As part of its Educational Outreach Initiative, the Newry Chamber of Commerce helped facilitate a powerful learning experience for pupils at St Joseph’s Boys’ HS, Newry.
Richard Moore visited the school to have a deeply moving chat with pupils as part of their Citizenship studies.
Richard was blinded at the age of ten by a rubber bullet and despite his blindness, went on to live a remarkable life.
Amongst countless inspiring incidents that followed Richard set up the Children in Crossfire charity which is helping thousands of less fortunate children around the world to have a better standard of life through educationally developed programmes.
Citizenship Co-ordinator Mr Brendan Fearon thanked Mrs Deborah Loughran, president of the Newry Chamber of Commerce, for her invaluable assistance in organising the event and gave thanks to Mr Jack Murphy and Ms Gemma Murphy for their help in raising awareness of Children in Crossfire at St Joseph’s.
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Transport Minister Danny Kennedy took time out of his busy schedule to visit Windsor Hill Primary School in Newry last week before the school closes for the summer break.
The Minister was invited by P5-P6 students to find out about the road safety project they had undertaken and to hear their findings about parking and traffic calming in the area.
The Minister heard how the pupils had expressed some concerns about roads in their local area and had decided to carry out some research with a view to improving safety near the school.
The children were able to identify a number of concerns with parking and speed, and presented some of their ideas for solutions to Mr. Kennedy. These included a 10mph speed limit together with speed bumps and a pedestrian priority zone to make the area safer for pupils, and a parking time limit or a parking charge for non-residents.
Mr. Kennedy also took the time to present a group of Primary 7 pupils with their Cycling Proficiency awards!
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