Justice at Killester College 

We asked Killester College to describe how they have given expression to the theme of Justice - the Kildare Ministries Value for 2020. 

The theme of Justice has been lived at Killester in unique and different ways as 2020 proves to be quite out of the ordinary. In the first instance, Killester commenced the year with a liturgical celebration that saw the raising of 'Brigid's Cloak'; a piece of art or tapestry which was crafted by every homeroom in the College. Each 'piece' of the cloak held the commitment made by the homeroom to the theme of Justice. Whilst it has been difficult to complete all of the undertakings pledged at the start of the year, there has been a strong commitment to ensure that Justice has been at the forefront of our decision making, especially as the reality of COVID 19 and remote learning revealed its challenges. The one pledge that remained was our work with Project Compassion and the collection of non-perishable food items donated by students.  As a community Killester is proud of the outstanding generosity and commitment to justice, shown by our students and staff in these unsettled times. 

Not unlike the rest of the country, Killester began its remote learning in March. KOOL (Killester Online Organised Learning) became the remote on-line learning platform via the  website, where students could access and complete work at their own pace and in their own time. Twice a week, students accessed 'tutorials' with their homeroom teachers. We had hoped that once our students returned to school that we would have opportunity to rebuild our community.  However, at the time of writing we find that the situation is still precarious and we are on high alert regarding the COVID-19 threat. 

The return to remote learning for Years 7 – 10 has provided opportunities to continue elements of synchronous learning (where students learn in the same space and at the same time as their peers) and at the same time expand and develop opportunities for asynchronous learning. That is, where students complete work individually, at their own pace, and where they have an opportunity to expand their skills and knowledge, through in-depth exploration of areas where they have a particular interest. The Passion Project; Change Yourself; Change the World, in Years 7 to 10, was developed to enable our students to refine their asynchronous learning opportunities and develop skills in lateral thinking, self-directed learning and higher order problem solving. This term, students are working with the theme ‘Voice and Choice’. If last term’s work is anything to go by, it will be another spectacular project to look forward to. 

In the midst of all this, the generosity of staff continued to impress as they pledged to embrace our 'Welcome House'. Using a recently emptied property owned by the College, staff came together to fully clean, paint and furnish a three bedroom house.  The College made it available to a Sri Lankan family who were reliant on the support of BASP.  we are pleased to report that the family is now happily ensconced into our Killester community. We look forward to the richness that their living amongst us will bring.