Loreto College class of 2025 honoured in award ceremony

Loreto College, Mullingar welcomed their outgoing Leaving Certs into the concert hall recently for their annual awards ceremony.

Sr Anna commenced proceedings with a prayer, followed by the Year Head address by Sam Carroll. In his address he commented on the group as being, “uniquely talented, perceptive, warm, kind, at times energetic, and quite frankly remarkable Leaving Certificate Students”.

He also finished with some parting words of wisdom: “If I could give you one piece of advice, it would be to think of your graduation as not an ending, or a conclusion, or a final goodbye.

“What you now have is a new beginning, to continue your journey, and choose your path going forward, whatever that may be. We hope that we, as teachers, have given you all that you need, to choose a good one. We wish you well on your journey ahead.”

School principal Ms Callaghan spoke of how sixth year pupils were in first year in March 2020, and some started secondary school in September 2020. That start to their Loreto journey was during a pandemic, but since then they have left their mark on Loreto College; through their spirit, leadership, creativity, and resilience.

She said: “We have seen you perform on stage, compete on the sports field, excel in exams, lead in clubs, and lift each other through tough times. You’ve laughed, learned, questioned, supported one another, and become strong young women ready to take on the world.

“But more than anything, you have lived out the values of Mary Ward. You’ve shown freedom in becoming yourselves and allowing others to do the same.”

Ms Callaghan continued: “You’ve pursued justice, by standing up for each other and for what is right. You’ve practiced sincerity, by being genuine and grounded in your relationships and actions.

“You’ve sought truth; not just in your studies, but in how you understand the world. And you’ve brought joy; to your classrooms, to each other, and to our wider school community.”

The awards began with a presentation from senior management to the Head Girl Team in recognition of the hard work and dedication they have shown to both staff and students throughout the year. The presentation of certificates across different leadership areas of Library Prefects, Health Promoting Team, Shona, and Irish Certs presented by the respective teachers involved in those areas.

The Spirit Award was voted on by staff, students and the wider school community. The award is in memory of dear colleague and friend, Barbara Keena, and the recipient exudes qualities of kindness and a caring nature to every person he or she meets. This year, there were 18 nominees across sixth year with the winner for 2025 is Jennifer Bracken.

The Sr Teresita Award was presented by Sr Therese and Bridie Smyth. This award is bestowed upon a student who has overcome adversity and shown resilience throughout her time in Loreto. There were six nominees this year with the winner was Jessica Cunningham. Next up was the Rene Lysaght Award presented by Ger Meeaghan, niece of Rene Lysaght, and Mr Carroll; this prestigious award is bestowed upon a student who has shown leadership skills and qualities throughout her years in Loreto. There were two nominees, and the winner for 2025 was Joni Frank.

Ms Callaghan then explained the Joy Award. The recipient of this award is a student who exudes positivity and has a positive effect on others. Joy is one of the values of Loreto College foundress Mary Ward, an exemplary quality that is both recognised and rewarded in this award.

The deserving winner this year was Lily Reid, presented by Ms Hanlon. The Deirdre Brennan award was next up; this is presented to a student who was highly involved in physical education in the school and displayed a high level of commitment, generosity and participation. Noor Elamin was the winner, presented by Ms O’Keeffe.

The Contribution to School Life award explained by Mr Carroll and presented by Ms Hanlon. This award both recognises and rewards students who have positively contributed to school life in Loreto – students who embrace the spirit and philosophy of Mary Ward, and who go above and beyond to make the school a better place. Clodagh McGlynn is the winner this year.

Up next was the Sporting Excellence award; this prestigious award is bestowed upon a student who was highly involved in contributions to sporting success and achievements within their sporting field.

There was delight this year to see the large span of sports activities that were recognised and praise was extended to the students for the extra curricular activities that saw them competed at a high level. The award this year was won by Meabh O’Hara and presented by Ms Smyth and Ms O’Keeffe.

The last award of the afternoon was Leaving Certificate Student of the Year; this highly prestigious award is for students who have shown dedication and commitment to their work and academic endeavours throughout their senior cycle journey. This award recognises hard work, diligence and academic excellence.

It’s testament to the high achievers within this year group when so many students were nominated. There were 24 Highly Commended students to received certificates, nine nominees who received medals and the overall winner for 2025, presented by Ger Langtry from our Parents Advisory Council, was Anna Bose. The Leaving Cert students finished out their afternoon with a fabulous performance of Vienna.