Ratoath College's first Leaving Cert students complete their education

History has been made in Ratoath over the past few weeks with the first ever sitting of the Leaving Certificate examinations by students at Ratoath College. Some 39 students who began schooling at the college five years ago are now departing. The first home of Ratoath College was at Fairyhouse Racecourse for two years, with weekly trips on a bus to Dunshaughlin Community College to give teachers and students the opportunity to use practical rooms which were not available at the racecourse. Teachers and students of Ratoath College left Fairyhouse on 1st June 2007, accompanied by the Garda Mounted Unit and the Garda Band. Their slogan was: "Fairyhouse forever in our hearts, Jamestown forever in our future." They arrived in Jamestown to a new building designed by McGarry Ní Eanaigh Architects, with colourful interior walls, bright windows, skylights and pillars in the open areas, designs which teachers and students appreciate on a daily basis. The school has grown from 66 students to 615 students in five short years. It has developed into a large secondary school and that growth and expansion is set to continue into the future. Principal Máire Ní Bhróithe and a small teaching staff have also witnessed the school increase and develop immensely over the past five years. "I believe that with our fantastic students, our dedicated and innovative staff and the supportive parents of Ratoath that our school community will grow from strength to strength," the principal stated. The first ever Leaving Certificate exam students will always be the first year group to experience a school on a racecourse, the first to go to China, the first to experience the new building in Jamestown, the first to walk the catwalk at their fashion show and the first group of Ratoath teenagers to have the opportunity to sit the Leaving Certificate in their own town. Right from the start, students applied themselves with eagerness and an enthusiasm that is breathtaking in terms of the quality of what they have contributed but also the range and vast mix of different initiatives, projects, sports and other activities they have launched themselves into without fear or reservation. The reputation they have already established for themselves and the school has been truly remarkable in such a short time. With student numbers growing each year, this theme has continued to be developed and now all students at Ratoath College can be very proud of the effort and contribution they make in making Ratoath College the very special place it has become, the principal added.