Pride and sense of achievement for Leaving Certs at Athlone-area schools

Schools across the region hailed the achievement of their Leaving Certificate students as results were published on Friday.

There were scenes of jubilation and delight as the long-awaited day for many brought to an end their second-level education.

Athlone Community College Principal Lisa O'Kennedy said she was 'absolutely delighted' with the achievement of the class of 2024/2025, as they received their Leaving Cert results on Friday.

Six students received 625 points: Sean Brennan, Harry Daniel, Heather McDermott, Shreyash Shukla, China Lynch, and Ukranian student Yelyzaceta Bratushkina.

"We are absolutely delighted with them," said Ms O'Kennedy. "They have huge ambition, and huge expectations for the future. They're confident that they will receive a spot on their course of choice."

She added: "Yelyzaceta was actually sitting her exams in Ukraine at the same time as the Leaving Cert, so it's a really remarkable achievement for her."

In addition, 3 LCA students received a Distinction in their exam results, including Pippa Martin, Riona Kennedy, and Amy Cox.

Over two thirds of this year's Athlone Community College Leaving Cert cohort achieved over 300 points.

Ms O'Kennedy noted that while grade inflation has been apparent across the board when compared to previous years, the students at Athlone Community College have still performed incredibly well.

"Grades from the STEM subjects in particular stood out, as well as the usual Irish and English. Across the board, the results have been just fantastic."

She extended her sincere congratulations to all Athlone Community College students.

"We are so proud of every single student, and are wishing them the best for the future.

"We know they will do very well next week, as the college places are announced."

"Students were delighted with their results, and we'd like to congratulate them all on their achievements," said Colaiste Chiarain Principal, Brendan Waldron.

"These students were still part of the Covid-19 cohort, have been in 1st and 2nd year at the time. Those who put in the hard work have been rewarded for their efforts."

Moate Community School principal Tom Lowry said the school was very happy with this year's results.

Speaking on Friday afternoon, he said seven students had obtained over 600 points,

In addition, more than 40 had achieved between 500 and 600, meaning that almost one third of the school's 135 mainstream Leaving Cert class had exceeded 500 points, while another 44 had obtained between 400 and 500 points.

Mr Lowry said on Leaving Cert results day, there is often a concentration on those over 600 points.

“Anybody who is excceeding 400 points is doing really well,” he outlined.

Along with the Leaving Cert, the school had a batch of Leaving Cert Applied students, who all secured distinctions.

And he said whilst there was a significant focus on Leaving Cert results, the real key date for students was the CAO first round offers.

“You might get the Leaving Cert of your dreams, and not get the course of your dreams,” he pointed out, whilst, conversely, someone with a slight sense of disappointment may find that the cards fall in their favour in terms of course

Although it was too early for a granular analysis of the school's results, Mr Lowry said it appeared as if there had been very strong performances in Maths, Irish and English, as well as in Applied Maths, for which the school has a long-standing reputation.

Over 30% of the Colaiste Chiarain Leaving Cert class of 2025 received over 500 points in their exam results.

In addition, over 50% of the school's LCA students received Distinctions in their exams.

"We also had one student who received over 550 points in his exams. He couldn't be with us today, as he is already starting the next chapter in his educational journey in Holland!"

When asked about the stand out subjects in the school, Mr Waldron noted that students did very well in Applied Maths and Computer Science - two of the school's newest subject choices.

"We have a wide range of subjects on offer now, and it was encouraging to see students doing so well in both of those newer subjects."

Mr Waldron said students had raised concerns about the difficulty of Maths Paper 2 during the exam season in June, however grades had been adjusted to match the difficulty of the paper.

"There was commentary at the time on how challenging that paper was, but in the end, the results were excellent."

The Colaiste Chiarain Principal extended his well wishes to the Class of 2025, as they progress to their next stage of life.

"The next thing now is the CAO places, and we'd like to wish our students the best of luck," Mr Waldron said.

"We'd also like to acknowledge those students who may be following other paths, such as apprenticeships. There are other great options out there for students who may not wish to go to university. We are delighted for all of our students."

Meanwhile, in the Marist College principal Mike Dermody lauded the results achieved by the school's students, with 82 candidates sitting the Leaving Cert examinations in June.

"There has been a gradual rebalancing of grade inflations, but we are extremely pleased by the results achieved by our sixth year students this year," Mr Dermody said.

Two students received the 'perfect score' available to them, Seán O'Neill receiving 625 points, while Ruairí Ó Duibhir also hitting 625 points, achieving H1s in seven subjects during the Leaving Certificate process, though only six are counted for CAO points purposes.

"While these particular results are exceptional, our school's results are broadly in line with the success achieved in previous years. One in three students achieved over 500 points, while 80% of sixth years achieved over 300 points which is great reward for their efforts," Mr Dermody added.

The school principal said that there were strong points performances in both PE and Technology with students performing admirably in higher level STEM subjects. "We wish our class of 2025 every success as they pursue their chosen study path in the future. They have worked hard during their leaving certificate cycle and earned their rewards," Mr Dermody said.

Meanwhile, in Ballymahon, the leadership team and board of management of Ballymahon Vocational School congratulated students on their “excellent results”.“We were confident for the success of the class of 2025. They have always shown tremendous engagement and attitude towards their learning, their school and their community. This group have been a pleasure for us to work with here at Ballymahon Vocational School, to get to know, support and nurture. They have brought us on a very enjoyable journey these past six years and today we wish them a fond farewell for now.”

Principal Mick O'Rourke underlined that the school motto, 'Where the Individual Matters' came to the fore on results day as it was about each individual student achieving their personal best and “providing them with a launchpad to the next part of their adventure be that university, training, further education or into the world of work”.