On Presentation Day, November 21st, a very special celebration was held in the parish church. The staff and students of the secondary school joined with us to honour Venerable Nano Nagle, selfless advocate of the poor and foundress of the Presentation Congregation in 1775. In her opening address to the large gathering, our principal, Mrs. Fitzsimons, spoke of how proud we are to be a Presentation school. She said that Nano Nagle would be happy to see that her ethos of care, compassion, tolerance and kindness continues to be promoted amongst us.
The pupils from First Class to Sixth Class staged a wonderful drama on the life and legacy of Nano Nagle. Nano’s vision, bravery and strength of character were depicted vividly through the enthusiastic and expressive performances of the children. Well done to Miss Tara O’Connor, our Speech and Drama teacher, and to Mrs. Laura O’Sullivan who provided the musical accompaniment for the production.
Afterwards, the Presentation sisters, our former teachers, the staff of the secondary school and several other friends were welcomed back to the Halla for refreshments. It was a lovely reunion for our guests as they greeted each other after so many years and shared their cherished memories of Scoil Maria Assumpta.
Mrs. Fitzsimons reminded us that we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to all of the Presentation Sisters who have worked in our primary school since 1957 and in our secondary school since 1967. May the spirit of Venerable Nano Nagle continue to be a driving force in our lives and may the light of ‘the Lady of the Lantern’ continue to shine as brightly as it did all those years ago.