TY TALK:Loreto College Swords, Co Dublin

1Fiona Trimble (15) 2Katie Lynch (15) 3Olivia Robinson (15) 4Clodagh Manning (15)

ON SAVING MONEY

Katie Lynch:"When you factor in petrol, long queues, lunch, and impulse buys, I don't believe you save money by shopping in Northern Ireland. People should support the Irish economy."

Olivia Robinson:"More people are shopping in Aldi, and it's cutting the cost of the average consumer basket. In my TY class, we're pooling our resources to buy the ingredients for Christmas cakes, and we're saving money this way."

ON ABOLISHING THE JUNIOR CERT

Fiona Trimble:"They're talking about getting rid of the Junior Cert to save money. Continuous assessment is a good idea, but the Junior Cert is supposedly a stepping stone to the Leaving Certificate. So if they abolish it, how will be ready to tackle the big exam?"

ON OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

Clodagh Manning:"This is a project that we take part in every year: filling a shoebox with gifts and sweets for families in the developing world."

ON COLLEGE FEES

KL:"The registration fee is already quite steep, as is the cost of college. If the registration fee goes up, it will drive people away from college, leading to a less well-educated workforce."

ON THE JEDWARD PHENOMENON

FT:John and Edward are so different from anyone else that's been on The X Factor. They're only young and people kept them in this long because they're so entertaining."

ON STUDENT EXCHANGES

CM:Last year, two girls from all Ireland's Loreto schools spent time in Kenyan Loreto schools. This year, the Kenyan students will come to Irish schools, so we're looking forward to welcoming them."

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