DHS Students Engage in Remote Education Beyond Class

Beyond working hard on their studies, some of our pupils have taken advantage of other learning opportunities, having their voices heard in wider community settings.

Year 13 student Tori Marks had the privilege of asking the second question in a Question and Answer session with the Northern Ireland Executive Office. Tori asked deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill and acting Junior Minister Gary Middleton if they could learn from the example of Nicola Sturgeon, who has held her hand up and apologised when the Scottish Government has made mistakes in its response to the current pandemic. Tori is part of a dynamic Shared Education Politics in Action group that is made up of some very committed Year 13 students from Down High School and Saint Patrick’s Grammar.

Following on from World Mental Health Day, which the school wanted to recognise last Wednesday by taking a one day "time-out" from study to add to the menu of wellbeing activities in which pupils are participating, Year 11 pupil Ellen Taylor took part in an online Mental Health Matters Conference. This was organised by the Secondary Students’ Union of Northern Ireland and chaired by Cormac Savage (the Head Boy of our Shared Education partner school, Saint Patrick’s Grammar). Ellen posed a carefully considered question to the panel of five MLAs. The politicians and students were reflecting on the findings from a mental health survey involving 2000 pupils in secondary schools across Northern Ireland. Well done Cormac and Ellen in your contribution to such an important conference. You can see Ellen asking her question to political representatives such as Robbie Butler MLA using the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NVeTqQAUkyEgVvcmJvBlQxXaGVFOyA5p/view?usp=drivesdk