The Firhouse Community College Student Council (Mac Lénine na Daltaí), is the representative body for students in Firhouse Community College. It is the main hub for discussing school issues between students and the council’s respected liaison teachers.
Students belonging to the student council are distinguishable by their badges (yellow “Student Council” badges for junior students & orange “School Council” badges for senior students). This is done so that students who have a suggestion or have an issue with something in the school, can easily approach a council member and speak to them about it so that the member can bring it up in the council’s next meeting. While students may also bring up suggestions and/or issues to teachers, we recognise that there are students who are a bit more shy and would prefer to talk to their fellow peers with confidentiality. The badges are also used to give a sense of school pride to our members.
Within the student council, there are a number of executive positions as outlined below:
Chairperson: This person is the head of the Firhouse Community College Student Council. He/She organises the running of the council along with the Vice-Chairperson and the liaison teachers. They are the main person to go to for communication between the principal and external organisations. (This role is restricted to senior students only.)
Vice-Chairperson: This person assists the Chairperson with their roles. They take over the Chairperson’s responsibilities in the event that they are absent and also assist with the running of the council.
Secretary: This person is in charge of keeping minutes during council meetings. They record what is discussed in meetings and will present a summary of the discussion at the end of every meeting.
Treasurer: This person is in charge of any finances associated with the council. They are very active during fundraising days as it is their duty to collect, count, and transfer all monies to the liaison teachers. Much like the secretary will keep minutes in meetings, the treasurer keeps records of how much money was raised during fundraisers, and also how much has been donated.
PRO (Public Relations Officer): There are two PR Officers in the council, one for 1st – 3rd years (junior students), and another for 4th – 6th years (senior students). They are in charge of communicating the council’s activities with their respected year groups, as well as preparing campaigns and communication strategies for said campaigns. They are the people who advertise and promote events, take charge of class visits with another student, and keep contact with base classes in regards to their own involvement with the student council.
Members: These are all the participants of the Firhouse Community College Student Council with or without a specific executive role. They help the council with identifying key issues within the school and discuss these topics during council meetings. They also participate in council events and help out in the organisation and running of events. The majority of the council is comprised of members without an executive role and they are of great asset to the council thanks in no small part to their input during meetings.
Liaison Teachers: There is always at least one designated liaison teacher for the council. The teacher(s) assist the council with the organisation of meetings, events, and the general running of the council.
This year, we have introduced the PRO as a new executive position within the council. For the upcoming year, we plan to not only assist fellow students with their issues and general queries about the school, but also to run various events and fundraisers during the year to raise money for our school and for charities alike. We are also ambitiously looking forward to expand external relations with outside organisations and our own school. For example, the Firhouse Community College Student Council is building and improving relations with organisations such as the ISSU (Irish Second-Level Students’ Union), Comhairle na nÓg, and also the EYP (European Youth Parliament). We believe that with continuous hard work, we will be able to create very strong links between Firhouse Community College and these outside organisations, creating opportunities for our fellow students to become more involved with the real world in outside events on a regional, national, and in some cases an international level. This is the main goal of our council, to promote and provide opportunities for our students to become more involved with our community, both inside and outside of school.
The Firhouse Community College Student Council always encourages students in any and all year groups, of all backgrounds to join and take part. We take everyone’s input very seriously and without this vital contribution, the student council would lose its purpose of helping to address the needs of students in Firhouse Community College, because as the name would imply, the student council is run by students. By joining, students also get the amazing opportunity to take part in various events both inside and outside of school, potentially with the aforementioned organisations. We envision our members growing not only as students, but also as individuals, being able to partake in amazing experiences they couldn’t find anywhere else.
If you would like to join the Firhouse Community College Student Council, just come along to one of our meetings. Meeting times are always announced on the intercom one day in advance, just stop by Room 24, we’re happy to have you join!
Chairperson:
Vice-Chairperson:
Secretary:
Treasurer & ISSU Liaison Officer:
Liaison Teachers: Ms. Moynihan, Mr. Reid