A total of thirteen students from Cork’s Christian Brothers College (CBC) managed to achieve the top Leaving Certificate score of 625 points today, notably featuring one pupil who scored an impressive eight H1 grades. In addition, seven pupils were recognised with seven H1s whilst another five garnered six H1s.
Despite having to forego their chance to physically sit the Junior Certificate due to it falling amidst the pandemic, the lads at the school have truly excelled, according to Principal David Lordan. He emphasized the thrill of the morning and praised his students for their excellent performances. Indeed, approximately 22% of the 151 boys exceeded the impressive 600 point mark.
Commenting on the distinct lack of Junior Cycle exams in these boys’ educational journey due to the pandemic and its inherent challenges which they’ve had to face, Mr. Lordan underscored the significance of their accomplishments. While nervous jitters prevailed among most students and teachers alike in anticipation of the results, those who were sanguine managed a night of untroubled sleep, as per Mr. Lordan.
Among the names being celebrated this morning were those of Paul Scanlon from Rochestown and Sean Kelleher from Glounthaune, both of whom attained the maximum 625 points and seven H1s. Paul is set to pursue Law and Business while Sean plans to delve into Maths and Science. Despite finding the lack of a physical Junior Certificate bizarre, Sean was thankful for the post-mark adjustment and acknowledged the crucial role the teachers played. On the other hand, Paul mentioned how his experienced parents, having seen older siblings through the Leaving Cert, were more on edge than anyone he knew.
At 10am that morning, there was a knock on my door and I was diligently refreshing the web page and PDF in desperate anticipation of my results. Despite my efforts, the results seemed incomprehensible, taking me utterly by surprise.
The boys confessed their sleepless night of nervous anticipation. Nonetheless, they committed to gather the courage and muster the energy for a well-earned celebration that night.
Paul pointed out the remarkable dedication of the school faculty who provided invaluable assistance. He maintained a semblance of work-life balance at the start of the academic year by staying involved in activities like debate and hockey at school. “After the preparatory’s progress assessments though, I had to prioritise and it worked out in my favour,” he said.
Among the other triumphant students at the school were Ben Cullinane and Joe Hartnett from Glounthaune and Douglas, respectively. Both boasted 625 points and seven high-grade results.
Joe expressed his elation over his scores adding that he hopes to study medicine at UCC. He gave credit to the faculty of his school for their diligence and continued efforts to keep the students ‘on target’. “We were never in doubt, thanks to the teachers’ support. My apprehensions about English evaporated when the right poet, Seamus Heaney, was a part of the exam,” he added.
Ben, who aims to study Maths and Science at UCC, acknowledged that the academic year was gruelling. “The workload seemed manageable till Christmas but then, faced with progress assessments and projects, it was quite testing. However, time passed by quickly,” he reflected.
Eoghan O’Brien from Ballygarvan, Co Cork admitted to being fraught with tension all week. He explained his preference for receiving results at home than at school because the emotional turmoil was something he would rather share with his family than his mates. He was thrilled with his score of 600 points and was eager to start his law studies at Trinity College, hopeful for the fresh start and experience of a new city.
Eoghan expressed his anxiety about siting his very first state exams, the Leaving Certificate. He noted that it was during the mock exams that the lack of experience from not having completed the Junior Certificate became apparent. He found the mocks not so tough mentally, but more so physically. He admitted to fatigue post each exam, as he wasn’t hardened to sitting such lengthy papers. But now, thankfully, it’s all behind him.