Caoimhe Coleman and Jonathan Hughes have been busy at Our Lady's Secondary School in Castleblayney, Co Monaghan

After the study and stresses of our Junior Cert year, it was a pleasure to return to school for our induction day only to be told that we were going bowling for part of the day.

New class groupings seemed a bit daunting at first, but by the end of the day we had spoken to and enjoyed the company of some people we had never had the opportunity to interact with before. Lesson one of TY: be open to new people and new experiences.

It is wonderful to be beginning new subjects, especially as, if one subject turns out to be different from what we expect, we will be given the opportunity to try a different one. Our core subjects are so much more exciting than normal, but homework, unfortunately, is still plentiful. This year we are actually enjoying our homework - a fact that we are trying to hide from our teachers, in case they get overenthusiastic.

In economics, for example, we had to read the business section of The Irish Times, look up the internet and write a report on world trade. In Irish we watched a hilarious short film called Yu Ming is Ainm Dom, then had to write a summary of it for homework. Much, much more fun than learning Irish verbs.

But for both of us the highlight of TY is the modules. Where else would you get the chance to experience modules such as video and digital creativity, beauty care, self-defence, equestrianism, horticulture, road safety, debating and media studies, keep-fit, environment studies, international cuisine, music appreciation, dance, interior design, basic cookery, drama, art options and sport and leisure?

Social education is also a key element, and we hope to help some local charities during the year. We are also doing a GAA course that should train us to help with the younger teams at local clubs.

We are looking forward to two work placements, and we have had many guest speakers, including Alan Sheridan of Clones Garda station, who gave an excellent talk about road safety and the dangers of driving while under the influence of alcohol. We are also having a film day, an African musical workshop, and plays such as Psycho-Spaghetti, a comedy that aims to unite teenagers by getting them to laugh at themselves. Now that should be fun.

We could go on, but suffice it to say that TY at Our Lady's is a class act.

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