Principals Address
A warm welcome to all 6th class students and their parents.
This
is a time of change for you and indeed for me. It is my first year as
Principal but it is an even bigger change for you as you have to make
the change in 2010 from Primary school to Secondary school.
Of course you have made it this far and that it a big achievement for you and your parents. Your parents will continue to support and encourage you and in Athlone Community College you will also find encouragement and support. The French Nobel Literature prizewinner Anatole France said ‘Nine tenths of Education is encouragement’ and I can assure you my staff and I will not be found wanting in this regard.
This is a very exciting time for you and your parents, as you being sixth class students, get the chance to choose your second level school. Over the last twenty years, I have seen this school grow and flourish to become a centre of excellence, not only in the midlands but throughout Ireland. This was illustrated in a recent edition of The Irish Times which showed that Athlone Community College was fourth in the country as regards being a supplier school to Third level institutions of education. While these types of polls do not take into account the whole educational experience, I have no doubt that if they did, we would rank at number one in the country given the expertise of our staff, and the safe, secure, encouraging environment we create in this school. I hope as Principal to continue and grow such excellence, aided by the Deputy Principal, Mr.Whyte and a very talented and dedicated staff. You too will have a huge part to play and I look forward to working with you as new students.
This prospectus will give you a flavour of the education and activities available in our school. No prospectus could cover everything we do however such is the wide range of opportunities available to you. That is why we encourage you to attend our Open Night so that you can make an informed decision as to where you should attend for your education.
Our mission statement declares ‘We aspire to a holistic education encompassing the intellectual, moral, religious, personal, physical and social dimensions of our being’. This means we will help you develop in your very important continuing formative years in every way possible. Wherever your talents lie we will help to develop them. You could excel academically, on the sports field, in the practical arena, in the debating chamber or in the musical area. Whatever your strengths we aim to help you reach your full potential, a potential you will enjoy exploring. As the only co-educational school in Athlone, we are well placed to help you with your emotional and development as well as your educational development. As you can see being a co-educational school, our prospectus pays tribute to the successes and activities of both our male and female students. I am very proud of the achievements of your predecessors, our past students. Their accomplishments are there for all to see. You can emulate and maybe even surpass these and we will give you the opportunities.
As Principal I am very proud of Athlone Community College and I am absolutely confident we can cater for your individual needs.
Be excited about your next step and let us help you make the transition pleasurable and effective. I ask you to visit us on Open Night with an Open mind and I assure you all of a very warm welcome. I look forward to seeing you then.
Every good wish,
Eileen Donohoe
Principal