REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN BROTHERS COLLEGE
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN BROTHERS COLLEGE, MONKSTOWN PARK
Tá gliondar orm bheith anseo i bhur measc inniu agus sibh ag céiliúradh caoga bliain ag dul chun cinn na scoile seo. Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas ó chroí a ghabháil libh as an chaoin-chuireadh.
It is a great pleasure to join you here today to celebrate 50 years of education at this school. Fifty years is a long time – time enough to shape not just the educational opportunities but the outlook, ethos, mores and attitudes of several generations of students. Providing a safe and trusted place of education and formation for life of the students who are placed in its care, is a heavy responsibility for any school, and it is to the great credit of the Brothers, teachers, parents and Board of Management of CBC Monkstown over the years, that you have given so many students such a wonderful start on the journey towards a fulfilled and contented adulthood. The Irish adage ‘Tus maith is leath na hoibre’, comes to mind. A good start is half the work.
There is another expression which makes it clear what a huge responsibility it is to help guide a young boy or girl to their fullest potential. What is learnt in childhood is engraved on stone. When a small mistake was made on my grandfather’s granite headstone I was told it could only be fixed by starting again and erecting a new headstone. We don’t get that chance with our children. We get one go around. When that engraving process is successful, the gifts of each student are brought carefully to the surface, and developed so that self-esteem and
self -confidence can take root. Sometimes we measure school outcomes too easily in terms of points and important as they may be passports to the world of work, we as a community have a deep vested interest in ensuring our young people internalize and commit to the decent values which make them respected colleagues, trustworthy friends, supportive spouses and good parents in their turn. Here in CBC Monkstown, thousands of pupils over the past 50 years, whose names are recorded on the wonderful piece of artwork I have just unveiled, have become fine citizens of this country and many others. Their strength of character, their commitment has added hugely to the civic strength of many communities and of our country. For the greatest natural resource we have is our people and every one who blossoms into well-rounded adults through the support and encouragement they received during their schooldays here and elsewhere is a gift to himself and to all of us.
That is the proudest legacy any school can boast of, and it did not happen by chance. It is important on this day in particular, that we remember the many men and women whose individual and collective efforts built up that partnership of care into a life-support system for the students here. There is the congregation of Christian Brothers, past and present, whose vision and values are the foundation stone on which this school was built and on which it still stands. They have made an enormous investment of individual and collective contribution to educational excellence over the years, not just in this school, but indeed since 1867 when they first opened a school in Eblana Avenue in Dun Laoghaire. Today their work, and their circumstances, are changing rapidly. Yet as Trustees of this school, they continue to have a key impact on the school’s ethos, which is evident in the many voluntary and fundraising activities that students here are engaged in. It comes as no surprise to hear that CBC stands not only for ‘Christian Brothers College’ but also for the school’s motto: ‘Certa Bonum Certamen’ or ‘fight the good fight’. That message is as relevant as ever in today’s prosperous Ireland, as we face a fresh challenge of ensuring that our new-found wealth of resources and opportunities are more equally spread, and that we give new hope to many in our community whose talents and potential have never been given the opportunity to blossom.
I would like to commend the Board of Management for their role in steering the school so effectively through the challenges and complexities that face all schools in these first years of the twenty first century. Your dedication and commitment, in partnership with all of the teaching staff, is essential in making sure that the school’s values and objectives are not just aspirational, but part of the lived experience of every pupil here. That is no easy task and I congratulate you on all you have achieved.
The key relationship in any school, is that which exists between teachers and pupils and generations of students are fortunate to have had so many hardworking, deeply committed and talented teachers at this school, who unlocked the full potential of so many students. This is a day to acknowledge with appreciation that great gift of knowledge and self-knowledge that pupils, past and present, have received from the teachers here and I join you in offering congratulations to Pat Keating and all of the teachers, both current and retired. The vocation of teaching so often finds its greatest reward when students go out into the world as adults, as ambassadors for the school. Their stories of achievment, of success, of ups and downs transcended with faith and dignity, these stories filter back to the school and build up a store of vicarious pride which renews a new generation of both teachers and pupils. This school is lucky to have had so many fine ambassadors.
Finally, I would like to congratulate Joe Dunne and all of the Jubilee Committee members on the wide-ranging programme of events and activities which they have organised since the beginning of the academic year to celebrate this very special anniversary. CBC Monkstown has a great many past achievements to remember with pride, not least on the sporting field, but I have no doubt that in the next 50 years, the best is yet to come.
Guím rath Dé oraibh go léir.