Ardscoil Rís, Dublin

Ardscoil Rís (meaning Rice's High School) is a boys' secondary school on Griffith Avenue, Dublin, Ireland. The school caters for approximately 530 students every year.

Ardscoil Rís Secondary School Edmund Rice Highschool
Address
Griffith Avenue Dublin Ireland
Information
Motto	"Dilseacht agus Uaisleacht" (Loyalty and Nobility)
Religious affiliation(s)
Established	1972
Category	Edumnd Rice Schools Trust Catholic, second-level, state funded (public)
Oversight	Ardscoil Rís Board of Management
Principal	Mark Neville
Faculty	Full time: 34
Grades	1st Year - 6th Year Transition year optional
Gender	Male only
Age range	12-19
Enrollment	Approx. 525 students (96 new students per year)
Campus	Private Property - Edmund Rice Schools Trust and Ardscoil Rís Board of Management
Houses	No Student Accommodation
Student Union/Association	~20 members. Active.
Colour(s)	Navy/Blue
Rival	St. Aidan's CBS
Yearbook	.
School fees	No fees (state funded)
Feeder to	Dublin City University (DCU)
Affiliations	ECDL Training and Certification centre approved by ECDL Ireland Edmund Rice Schools Trust
Website	ardscoilrisdublin.ie

According to the 2015 Central Applications Office (CAO) statistics, 96% of Ardscoil Rís students continued on to third level education (e.g. college or university) in 2015. This was the highest rate for any school in Dublin 9 and its surrounding areas. In 2015 the school sent 32 pupils to DCU, more than any other school in the state bar the Institute of Education. As a percentage of students taking the Leaving Certificate the figure is the highest for any school in the state. In 2005 and following years, as a percentage of students taking the Leaving Certificate exam, the school topped the list of students provided to DCU. More than two thirds of all Leaving Certificate students went on to third level education that year.

Ardscoil Rís started out in the O'Brien Institute, which functioned as a private school, in 1969. Under the principalship of Brother Carberry the new school incorporated the existing second-level students from the old school and day pupils from the surrounding area. The school was under the trusteeship of the Christian Brothers.[1] However, they withdrew from Education in Ireland in September 2006 and the school passed into the trusteeship of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust upon the Brothers' withdrawal.[1]

History and expansion

Ardscoil Ris originated in the O'Brien Institute, which functioned as a private school, in 1969. The new school incorporated the existing second-level students from the old school and day pupils from the surrounding area. Old dormitories were converted into classrooms and an old reception room became the staff room.

• In 1970 and 1971 six prefab classrooms were constructed.
• On 21 November 1973 the new school building was officially opened by the Irish president, Éamon de Valera.
• In 1979 the school won the Hogan Cup, winning the All-Ireland Colleges football title for the only time. No Dublin school has won it since.[2]
• In 1984 a new wing was added with dressing rooms, showers, a Library and Audio-Visual Room. The school continued to excel on the sports field and most students went on to third level education at this point.
• In 1998 a state-of-the-art sports hall was completed and officially opened by the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Diarmuid Martin, the Archbishop of Dublin.
• In 1999 six new classrooms were built, a new wing for the library was constructed, and some much needed office space has eased the pressure on space in the school.
• In 2001 the science labs were refurbished.
• In 2003 the new computer room was completed. In later years, the computers have been upgraded.
• In 2005 the school designated a permanent art room.[3]
• In 2013/2014 the library was renovated. New book shelves, tables, better cushioned chairs and new blackout blinds. Chairs and blinds sponsored by the Students Council.
• In 2015, all the computers in the Technical Graphics room have been replaced with state-of-the-art, high-end computers which are required for projects such as Computer Aided Design.
• In 2015/2016 the GP Area has been refurnished by the Students Council.
• During 2016-2018 major changes have been planned for the sports ground. Changes include ground levelling, new ground equipment and other major changes which are estimated by the Board of Management, Parents Council, Sports Dept. and Students Council to cost over €250,000. The project has begun (Spring 2016–Present)

Subjects [4]

JUNIOR CYCLE STUDENT AWARD (JCSA) CURRICULUM
All students study the following subjects to Junior Cycle Student Award (JCSA) Level:
Irish	English	History	Geography	Maths
Science	French or Spanish	Physical Education (Sports)	Religion	Civil, Social and Political Education
Social, Personal and Health Education
Students also choose two of the following subjects:
Music	Technical Graphics	Business Studies	Materials Technology (Woodwork)
LEAVING CERTIFICATE CURRICULUM
The Core Subjects at Leaving Certificate are:
English	Irish	Maths	Religion (non-exam)
Students also choose four of the following subjects:
History	Geography	Accounting	Business	French
Chemistry	Physics	Biology	Spanish	Economics
Physics & Chemistry		Construction Studies (continuation of MT Wood)		Leaving Cert Vocational Programme
Design & Communication Graphics
TRANSITION YEAR CURRICULUM
Core Subjects	Fifth Year Options		Additional Subjects / Activities
Irish	French		Art, Cooking
English	Science		Japanese, Judo
Maths	History		European Computer Driving Licence, Careers Guidance
Religion	Geography		Swimming, Sailing
Coaching	Business		Physical Education
Criminology	Accounting		Photography
Woodwork	Music		Drama

Notes:

• Work experience is a fundamental part of 4th year, three weeks of work experience will take place during the school year, with another week optional (permission from management needed)
• Optional subjects at Leaving Cert level are subject to demand.
• Religion is not an exam subject at Leaving Certificate (but is at Junior Cycle level) and is taught as part of the school's Catholic ethos.
• Social, Personal and Health Education is not an exam subject.
• Construction Studies is a continuation of Woodwork

Recent achievements

Ardscoil Rís is often noted for its academic achievements; in 2005 the school sent more students to Dublin City University than any other boys' school on Dublin's Northside. As a percentage of students taking the Leaving Certificate exam the school topped the list of students provided to DCU. More than two thirds of all Leaving Certificate students went on to third level education that year.[5] In 2008 the school sent 28 pupils to DCU, more than any other school in the state bar the Institute of Education. As a percentage of students taking the Leaving Certificate the figure is the highest for any school in the state.[6]

In sport, ardscoil's most recent successes included the Under-18 football team being crowned Dublin Senior Football Champions for 2008. A man of the match performance from centre back Aidan Collopy saw the trophy brought back to Ard Scoil. The team was beaten in the Leinster Final by Colaiste Iosagainn, Laois.[7] The Under-19 Basketball team reached the 2008 All Ireland Cup Final, which was screened on Setanta TV. However, they lost by three points to St. Malachy's, Belfast.[8][9] In the 2008/2009 Academic Year the school reached the Under-18 "B" Dublin Colleges final but was beaten by Oatlands College.[10] Ard Scoil's Under-14 footballers defeated Castleknock in the 2008 U/14"A" Dublin Colleges Football Semi Final[11] before going on to capture the title for the first time since 2002, beating Colaiste Eoin in the Final.[12][13]

Ardscoil also reached the Semi-Final stage of the 2009, 2012 and 2013 National Senior Concern Debating Competition.[14]

In 2010/2011 the school's Under-16s won the Dublin football/hurling double for the first time in 20 years while the 1st Year Basketballers won the school's first ever Division 1 East Region title. They later finished runners up in the All Ireland First Year tournament. The title was subsequently stripped from the winners, St. Malachy's, Belfast, for playing illegal players but was not awarded to Ardscoil due to Basketball Ireland regulations.[15][16] Ris repeated as U/16 hurling champions in 2011[17] and won both the Dublin and Leinster Senior B Football titles in early 2012.[15][18]

Student continuation to third level education[19]

Percentage of students who continues to third level education

Year	Percent to college[19]
2009	76
2010	80
2011	88
2012	88
2013	100
2014	93
2015	96

Numbers attending each third level institution

	2009[19]	2010[19]	2011[19]	2012[19]	2013[19]	2014[19]	2015[19]
Cork IT	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Dublin City University	16	18	24	17	25	21	32
Dublin Institute of Technology	21	10	24	11	23	18	17
Dún Laoghaire IADT	1	0	0	2	2	0	2
Dundalk IT	0	0	1	0	0	2	1
IT Blanchardstown	4	3	3	2	1	6	0
IT Carlow	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
IT Tallaght	0	2	2	0	3	3	0
Marino Institute of Education	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
Mater Dei	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Maynooth University	1	1	1	3	5	1	3
National College of Art and Design	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
National College of Ireland	10	14	3	9	7	11	11
NUI Galway	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
St. Patrick's (Pontifical) Maynooth	0	2	6	4	5	3	0
Trinity College Dublin	3	7	5	8	11	10	11
University College Cork	1	1	0	0	1	0	0
University College Dublin	12	8	9	6	11	3	7
University of Limerick	0	1	0	1	0	0	0
Waterford Institute of Technology	0	0	0	0	0	0	1

ITC (Information, Communication, Technology) facilities in Ardscoil Rís

A strict Internet usage policy was introduced in 2004 and all pupils wishing to use the internet must sign the policy along with their parents. The policy can be viewed on the school's official website. WiFi is in use for teachers.[20]

The school has a total of 48 student-usable computers (under supervision) and there is a computer in every classroom. Printing facilities are also available for teaching staff.

Past pupils

See also: List of Christian Brothers school alumni

Ardscoil Ris has a number of past pupils who have become household names in Ireland and further afield. Current Dublin GAA senior football players Ciarán Whelan, Tomas Quinn, Cormac Costello and Diarmuid Connolly and also former Dublin senior football manager Pat Gilroy[21] are former pupils, as is Dublin senior hurling player Ronan Fallon. Blackburn Rovers and Republic of Ireland midfielder Keith Andrews was also a pupil, as is current Shelbourne F.C. player Conan Byrne. International Airlines Group chief executive Willie Walsh[22] graduated in the late 70's while Labour Party senator Derek McDowell is also a past pupil.[23] The current Moscow correspondent of the Irish Times Conor Sweeney also attended Ardscoil Ris.[24] Another past pupil is comedian Paddy Courtney. Boyzone's Keith Duffy is also a former pupil.

Students Council

The school has an active Students Council with about 20 members. The Students Council organises and sponsors many events in the school including:

• The Annual School Walk
• First Year Quiz & First Year Bonding Day
• Awareness Week
• Small renovations throughout the school
• St. Vincent DePaul hampers
• Grants for students to go to Gaeltachts
• Careers Day (for 5th and 6th Year Students) (Approx. 25 unique professions, including the Irish Defence Forces)
• The School Library (Tuesday - supervised)

The current chairman as of the beginning of 2020 is Ian McAweeney, with Conor Davis as vice-chairman and Eoin Caverly as secretary.

Principal

Pat Reilly retired as principal in 2009 after eleven years - the longest serving principal to date. The current principal is Mark Neville.[25]

Activities

The school offers after school activities such as a History Club, Drama Club and Debating Club. The school boasts one of the top Debating teams in the Concern Debating competition.

Some of the athletic activities in the school are Gaelic football, hurling and basketball. The school also offers athletics, golf and badminton.

References

1. "Hanafin praises Christian Brothers". RTÉ News. 9 June 2006.
2. "Hogan Cup: Information and Much More from". Answers.com. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
3. History Of School Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
4. "Ardscoil Ris Dublin". Retrieved 2019-01-01.
5. "Feeder Schools" (PDF). The Irish Times. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2010.
6. Irish Times, Thursday December 4th, 2008
7. "Crombie adds gloss for Portarlington". Irish Independent. 15 March 2008.
8. :: Basketball Ireland :: Archived July 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
9. :: Basketball Ireland :: Archived July 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
10. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-09-28. Retrieved 2008-12-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
11. "Gaelic Football: Irresistible Rís in control of Castle' - Schools, Sport". Herald.ie. Archived from the original on 2012-08-02. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-09-28. Retrieved 2008-12-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
13. "Gaelic Football: Costello treble sinks Eoin - Schools, Sport". Herald.ie. Archived from the original on 2012-08-03. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
14. https://web.archive.org/web/20110721231423/http://www.concern.net/blogs/posts/dynamic-dublin-derby. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved May 14, 2009. Missing or empty |title= (help)
15. "March « Ardscoil Ris Secondary School, Dublin". Asrdublin.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
16. "May « Ardscoil Ris Secondary School, Dublin". Asrdublin.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
17. "October « Ardscoil Ris Secondary School, Dublin". Asrdublin.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-12. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
18. "January « Ardscoil Ris Secondary School, Dublin". Asrdublin.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-12. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
19. "League Education - From Primary School to College via CAO and leaving Cert - Independent.ie". Independent.ie. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
20. Policies Archived October 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
21. HILL 16 Archived January 7, 2002, at the Wayback Machine
22. Willie on a wing and a prayer: ThePost.ie Archived May 13, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
23. McDowell, Derek (2006-12-01). "Derek McDowell - Blogging Politics". Derekmcdowell-bloggingpolitics.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
24. "Russia's resurgence". The Irish Times. 2 February 2007.
25. "Administration". Ardscoil Ris Secondary School (blogspot site). Archived from the original on January 15, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2009.

External links

• Official School website