Record breakers at St. Louis are A-OK!

Some 99% of this year’s talented batch of Year 12’s achieved seven or more A*-C grades - giving the school its highest ever points scores. Furthermore, over 94% of the pupils gained passes (A*-C grades) in 9 subjects at this level while 88% achieved a remarkable 10 GCSEs (A*-C grades)!

The Minister of Education, Mr. John O’Dowd mingled with pupils during the distribution of the results and commended them on some outstanding results. He commented:” This is an impressive achievement for these young people and they should be applauded for their hard work and dedication.” The UTV cameras were also in school to record the pupils as they picked up their results. Although a little anxious about opening the results in front of the media, all were delighted that the Minister took time to be with them on this special occasion and share in their joy. Four of the students, Helen Quinn, Anna McKinley, Mark McKeague and Niall Whiteford were captured on ‘You Tube’ and asked about their reactions to the day’s events.

Acting Principal, Dr. Arthur Byrne paid tribute to the hard work of students, staff and parents. He commented: “We are delighted and proud that once again our students have achieved excellent results across the full range of subjects. I would like to congratulate all those involved in their success. None of this would have been possible without exceptional hard work on the part of the pupils guided, of course, by the expertise of the staff. This demonstrates the ambition and dedication of our students and augers well for the academic future of the school.”

The in-coming Principal, Mr. Sean Rafferty, was bowled over with the scale of this achievement and congratulated both the pupils and staff on their diligence and commitment to excellence and high quality learning and teaching.

Mr. Rafferty added: “Everyone at the school is absolutely thrilled with these fantastic results. Students and staff have worked incredibly hard all year and these results reflect the exceptional devotion that has been invested in exam preparation over the past two years. I am delighted that so many of our own pupils and many students from other schools have decided to proceed to A-Levels with us and I look forward to welcoming them to our growing Sixth Form.”

He further emphasised how important it was to match the capabilities and skills of the young person to appropriate courses to ensure effective career planning and that this is something St. Louis does very well.

Among the many notable success stories of the day are those of Niamh Doherty, Natalie Marquess, Conor McAteer, Hannah McKay, Mark McKeague and Emer McLaughlin who gained 8 A* grades or better.

In total, 24 students got 9 grade A’s or better and they include:

Niamh Doherty;

Natalie Marquess; Conor McAteer;Hannah McKay;Mark McKeague;Emer Mclaughlin;Claire Mawhinney;Michael Purdy; Sinead McAleese; Helen Quinn; Clara Scullion;Sara Connolly; Anna McKinley; Clare O’Neill; Shannon O’Rourke; Emma Laverty; Derek Smyth; Rachel Taggart; Niall Whiteford; Sinead Dougan; Conor Simpson; Daniel McAteer; Amy Connon; Declan Traynor

At the end of the visit, the Minister of Education, Mr. John O’Dowd thanked all for the reception and left the school impressed not only by its record academic success but also its commitment to supporting its young people in their quest for a rewarding and productive career path.