Celebrating 125 years of STEM in Clonmel High School, Clonmel
On 13th March, CBS High School Clonmel held its inaugural SciFest STEM Fair. It was fitting to showcase present students’ work as the school proudly celebrates 125 years in educating young boys from Clonmel and surrounding areas.
Transition Year students, with the help of their Science teachers, spent months producing wonderful projects for display to fellow students as well as students from local Primary Schools and neighbouring Secondary Schools in Clonmel.
Junior STEM Club members and Senior Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science students also submitted projects to the judging panel.
Sample works included investigations into the following areas:
The Use of AI in Sustainable Intensification in a Dairy Enterprise; Be-Leaf in ACRES. A Study into Maximising ACRES Payments for Grassland Farmers; The Impact of a Change from Urea to Protected Urea on Grass Production; What’s Better for a Student’s Health – Playing Video Games Indoors with Friends or Playing Sports Outside?; The Effects of Sleep on the Body; An Investigation into the Success of the Deposit Return Scheme and Bamboo versus Ash Hurley Investigation, to name but a few.
The day started with a welcome address by Deputy Principal, Ms. Amy Walsh followed by students Arnav Lidge (6th year), Jamie Walsh (Transition Year) and Alan Ghali (1st year) sharing their experiences of STEM in the High School
Mary Condon and John Geoghegan (former High School Science Teachers), Michael Murphy TD, Michael Pettit (Restaurateur and Entrepreneur) – both former students, Alan Dunne, (SciFest Liaison Officer) and Francise Fenton (Boston Scientific), had a huge task in selecting winners due the the incredibly high standard. The outstanding projects were awarded prizes, sponsored by Scifest, the Irish Maths Teachers Association (IMTA) and Con Traas (The Apple Farm, Moorstown).
Visitors to the school along with present students enjoyed many activities in the hall such as Maths, Technology, Chess, Engineering, Green Schools and Calmast stands.
Puzzles, Quizzes and Competitions were scattered around the exhibition with a Scavenger Hunt proving a hit with the younger visitors on the day.
Ms Steenson, Principal, High School announced the winners at the end of the day and expressed her huge gratitude and appreciation to Ms Coughlan (Maths Teacher) and Ms Rowe (Science Teacher) for all their hard work and dedication to STEM in the school.
The Scifest Best Project Award was awarded to Michael Bates, Cian Flaherty and Jamie O’Keefe (6th year). Their project explored ‘’The Use of Artificial Insemination in Sustainable Intensification in a Dairy Enterprise’’. Their results indicated that milk from AI conceived cows results in a higher yield, more milk solids, less bacteria and less mastitis.
The IMTA Best Project was awarded to Milo McNamera and Cillian O’Brien (6th year) who investigated ‘’The Impact of a Change from Urea to Protected Urea on Grass Production’’. The boys discovered that protected urea which is better for the environment produced a better yield of grass when compared to standard urea.
The Scifest Runner Up Best Project was awarded to Oran Sheehan (6th year) for ‘’Be-Leaf in ACRES’’. A Study into Maximising ACRES Payments for Grassland Farmers
The TY Project Winner was awarded to Jamie Walsh and Ryan Murphy who explored ‘’Protein Consumption in young people’’.
The Mallinckrodt STEM Excellence Award was presented to Shane Howe and Alan Ghali (1st year) who built and tested a magnetic engine.
Peter Boland (6th Year), who investigated The Use of Min-Till Methods to Improve Earthworm Population, Soil Structure, Organic Matter and Weed Cover, received The SciFest Innovation Award.
The IMTA Junior Project Winner was presented to Akshatam Guptha and Yug Godhani (1st & 2nd Year) who investigated the worrying levels of sugar in Monster Energy Drinks.
Sam Normile, Ronan Fox and Aidan White (TY) were the recipients of the IMTA Best Communicator Award.
The IMTA Innovation Award was presented to Djamal Souag, Sean Doverman and Ryan Gutherie who investigated the Application of Fine Motor Skills, Eirgrid Award was presented to Rafay Iftikhar and Rhythm Guptha (TY) for a Self Watering Plant System they developed, while Keenan Scully and Josh Kelly TY were voted by the students for the Student Choice Award.
As the CBS High School proudly celebrates 125 years, it continues to excel in teaching the STEM subjects. With a strong teaching commitment to innovation, the school ensures students are provided with cutting-edge resources, expert knowledge, and hands-on learning experiences in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths.
The dedicated teachers foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
By embracing advancements in technology and curriculum development, CBS High School ensures that its students are well-equipped to meet the challenges of the future, reinforcing its legacy of academic excellence.
As the school looks forward to the next 125 years, it is clear that CBS High School Clonmel remains a hub of inspiration, fostering curiosity and cultivating the next generation of thinkers and innovators.
Already the teachers and staff are looking forward to next year’s SciFest STEM Fair!