The Principal of St Joseph's College, Jimmy Jackson-Ware opened the annual prize-night by explaining the ethos of the Enniskillen school. He said: "I would like to congratulate our Choir and the Traditional Group who performed for you in the school foyer. They are truly very talented. I am particularly proud of these young people because they performed with only limited guidance as their Music and Drama teacher for personal reasons was unable to be in school in the run up to this celebration tonight.
'When Miss McDaid approached them to see what could be done, their response was "ah Miss it will be fine, we'll get it sorted'. This is what St. Joseph's College is about – allowing students to take responsibility and letting them shine. Well done boys!"
Mr Jackson-Ware then went on to talk about the changes facing the education system in Northern Ireland.
"This is a time of great uncertainty about the future of post primary education. Many of you may be understandably confused and worried about the future given the myriad of conflicting media reports. However, one thing is certain – the 11 plus is gone for good after November 2008. Humpty Dumpy has fallen and it cannot be put back together again.
"I look forward to a transformed education system, one which puts children at the centre and not the self interest of institutions; one which is based on social justice, which is inclusive and not exclusive, which provides equal opportunities to succeed regardless of social background or perceived ability; one which gives all the young people of Fermanagh equal access to modern school buildings equipped with state of the art 21st Century technology.
"Education should not be about closing doors', he went on. "Teachers and schools should be providing the key to open them. This vision should not be a dream, it must be become the reality."
"Northern Ireland has a great opportunity to provide a world class education system for all our children and not just some. I talked about uncertainty. However, I can provide you with some guarantees tonight: St. Joseph's college will continue to provide excellence for all.
He suggested that the school's public examination results were testament to that fact, stressing at the same time that the true measure of a successful school was not about how many grade A or B's they achieved, rather it was value added.
He explained: "How much did a child benefit educationally by attending this school. I can guarantee that if you carry out this critical analysis of St. Joseph's College, who will find a high performing school.
"I guarantee St. Joseph's College will continue to provide a caring and supporting environment for all the students who attend. It will continue to be child centred in its approach to learning and teaching. Children are individuals, and we take account of the individual learning preferences.
"Learning is about relationship. I guarantee we will continue to develop good working relationship with our students, parents and local community, and that we will continue to provide equal opportunities for all who attend St. Joseph's College.
"We are a Catholic school and this will continue to guide and inform the ethos of our school. I guarantee we will continue to value and celebrate the full range of students' talents and skills."
The Principal told his audience that St. Joseph's College had a very successful year, and that for him, one of the great successes of the school had been the continued development of the Parent Teachers Association.
"We have a very energetic and capable PTA. They show a high level of dedication and commitment to the school. An important aspect of their work is fund raising, and we will always welcome extra funds. However, more importantly, the PTA allows parents to take an active part in the life of the school. It is a means whereby we survey views of parents, and this informs our future planning.
"As you are aware," he went on. "Every school in Northern Ireland is in the process of implementing the New Curriculum at Key Stage Three. St. Joseph's regards this as a very positive development and has actively embraced these changes. We are moving away from a content-driven curriculum to one which focuses on developing skills and capabilities designed to equip students to be active participants in 21st Century society. In supporting this new approach, St. Joseph's College has developed the Base Tutor Programme in Year Eight. All year Eight students spend 25% of their time with their Base Tutor.
"This helps to assist the transition from primary to post primary school. In addition, students are taught History, Geography, Employability and Citizenship through thematic projects as opposed to discrete subjects. The emphasis is on acquiring common skills as opposed to being content driven. This supports the philosophy of the new curriculum."
He explained that, as part of the new curriculum, it was now a statutory requirement that all Key Stage Three students are taught Home Economics. As St. Joseph's is an all-boys school, it does not have a Home Economics suite, hence he was indebted to Mount Lourdes Grammar school for allowing Year Eight and Nine students to use their Home Economics facilities twice per week.
"I am delighted to announce', he said, "that the tender for creating a Home Economics suite at St. Joseph's has been advertised and work on the project is expected to start before Christmas. After two years' applications to the Department of Education, our students entitlement will be finally met."
Turning to the staff in the school, Mr Jackson-Ware said they are the College's most important resource.
"St. Joseph's has a fantastic team of staff. They are highly committed people and are student centred.
"I want to focus my final words to our students," he concluded. "I and the entire staff are very proud of you. I want you to continue to hold your heads high and believe in yourself because we know you are the best."
