Grade A students star for schools
It might have been chosen for the school’s star pupil, Zoe Fannon, who is one of 10 nationwide to achieve eight A1s in the Leaving Certificate.
Zoe, from Cobh, is planning to study politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford University, driven by the urge to help her counterparts elsewhere gain the opportunities she has enjoyed.
“I would love to work for an international organisation like the United Nations, particularly in the area of education. St Aloysius is twinned with a school in Kenya and I would like to help ensure that young people everywhere get an education. We often moan about the Leaving Cert here but there are millions who would love to be able to do it.”
School principal Tony Lee described Zoe as exceptional. “She is a fantastic all-rounder and her achievement is a tribute to herself, her teachers and her family.” He added: “We are also delighted with the results achieved by many other of our students, including our special needs students. We are very proud of them all.”
Stephen O’Brien was hoping to get enough points for medicine in UCC. “Anything else would be a bonus.”
For 18-year-old Stephen, from Ballinlough in Cork, that “bonus” will not only assure him of getting on his chosen course but has placed him among the top ten Leaving Certificate students in the country.
Scoring eight A1s is not easy, no matter how bright you are. “It was tough going, all right. There was a lot of pressure for the past year in particular but I started working early and that made all the difference.”
Stephen, a student at Coláiste Chríost Rí in Turner’s Cross, cites maths as his favourite subject. It must be in the genes as his father is an accountant and his mother works in a bank. But nurture also played its part.
“I have a lot to thank my maths teacher, David Mahony for. He is a fantastic teacher. In fact, all the teachers were great and a huge help to me.”
