Salesian Secondary College, formerly Copsewood College, is a

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

located outside the village of

Pallaskenry Pallaskenry () is a village in County Limerick, Ireland. Pallaskenry derives its name from Kenry Castle (the palisaded castle at Kenry), nowadays known as Shanpallas Castle. opographical Dictionary of Ireland, p455, Lewis It was one of the prin ...

County Limerick "Remember Limerick" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Munster , subdivision ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. The school campus is owned by the

Salesians , image = File:Stemma big.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , abbreviation = SDB , formation = , founder = John Bosco , founding_location = Valdocco, Turin ...

and shared with

Pallaskenry Agricultural College Pallaskenry Agricultural College is a centre of training for farmers, mechanics and salespeople for the Agricultural and Farm Machinery industries. It is located in Pallaskenry, County Limerick, Ireland, and is owned and managed by the Salesian F ...

. There are approximately 500 students enrolled in the schools co-educational program. The principal is Ms. Morgan O’Brien The school's webpage describes its mission as providing an education "based on Christian/Catholic values" while incorporating "the characteristics of Salesian Education". The basis of that

pedagogy Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as ...

is the

Salesian Preventive System The Salesian Preventive System is the educational method of the Salesians, built upon the pedagogical experience of Saint John Bosco with poor youngsters in 19th century Turin. It is based on the three pillars of reason, religion, and lovingkindnes ...

, which is based on the experience of the 19th-century Saint

John Bosco John Melchior Bosco ( it, Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco; pms, Gioann Melchior Bòsch; 16 August 181531 January 1888), popularly known as Don Bosco , was an Catholic Church in Italy, Italian Catholic priest, educator, writer and saint of the 19t ...

Curriculum

Salesian Secondary College's curriculum comprises six-year post-primary education, with a three-year junior cycle to the

Junior Certificate Junior Cycle ( ga, An tSraith Shóisearach ) is the first stage of the education programme for post-primary education within the Republic of Ireland. It is overseen by the State Examinations Commission of the Department of Education, the State ...

and a three-year senior cycle to the

Leaving Certificate A secondary school leaving qualification is a document signifying that the holder has fulfilled any secondary education requirements of their locality, often including the passage of a final qualification examination. For each leaving certifica ...

History and facilities

Local legend describes that Copsewood was named in the 19th century for Fr. Michael Copps, who lived in the house. The Salesians first took possession of Copsewood House in 1919. The boys-only missionary school opened in 1920 with 100 students, 80 of them boarders. The Agricultural School opened the same year. Many of the early students were involved in "The Troubles" and sought daytime refuge in the school by enrolling. In 1948 the missionary school was recognized by the Department of Education as a secondary school and began to receive government funding for teacher salaries. The school open to day-pupils. By 1957 missionary students had been phased out. The diocese permitted the school to become a secondary school, without missionary programs, to serve as a feeder school for the Agricultural College. The school offered subjects such as technical drawing, woodwork, metalwork, physics, chemistry, botany, and economics which were not then common in many schools at that time and were seen as an important grounding for agricultural students. From this came the development of the school's well-equipped science labs in the 1950s and 1960s. Boarding was phased out and ended in 1995, with the dormitory space converted into classrooms. The secondary school is now recognized as a regional leader in information technology. In 1972 the school hired its first female teacher and accepted its first female students. The school facilities include three science labs, a computer lab, a woodwork room, a home economics room, a canteen, a sports hall, a swimming pool and a number of other sporting facilities, including pitches and handball alleys.

Fingerprinting

In 2009 the school introduced an electronic fingerprinting system to assist with daily attendance and monitor absenteeism. This action gained national attention and the government's Data Protection Commission launched an investigation.''School fingerprints pupils to monitor absenteeism'', The Irish Examiner. 5 September 2009
Retrieved 2014-01-17

Notable alumni

Darren Shan Darren O'Shaughnessy (; born 2 July 1972), is an Irish writer and novelist. He is best known for his young adult fiction series ''The Saga of Darren Shan'', ''The Demonata'', and ''Zom-B'', published under the pseudonym Darren Shan. The former w ...

Philip Lynch Philip Lynch (born 1946) is an Irish businessman who has held the position of chief executive at two Irish public limited companies and multiple senior directorships including chairman of the board of An Post. In October 2010, he was forced by th ...

* Alex O'Dwyer

References

External links

School websiteMunster RugbyCaulfeild Burial Places – Ireland Reaching OutPallaskenry Agricultural CollegeTeagas – Pallaskenry Agricultural College
{{coord missing, County Limerick Secondary schools in County Limerick