Fond Goodbyes

Posted on : October 29, 2020

On Friday 23^rd October SGS said goodbye to Mrs Lipsett, Mr Gavin and Mrs  O’Donnell. Collette O’Donnell taught at SGS for 33 years, retiring from full-time teaching in 2017 but continuing on a part-time basis until August 2020. She taught both Irish and Business in that time and was heavily involved in TY, managing the finances and was behind many TY fundraising ventures. She also ran the award-winning Seachtain na Gaeilge in SGS and was involved for many years in the Mini Company competitions with her colleague in business, Fidelma Lipsett. Mrs Lipsett taught Business Studies in SGS for 35 years. She was the driving force behind the many Mini-Company successes over the years. She supported and inspired her students to great success in many areas of business, both in their schooldays and beyond. She also ran the Gaisce programme in the school for many years, encouraging students to get active and try new things. James Gavin taught Irish in the school for 20 years, and was a much loved teacher to his students, but it is as rugby coach that he is probably best known. In his time as rugby coach he saw his teams win four Senior Connacht Schools League titles, four Senior Connacht Schools Cup wins and two Junior Connacht Rugby Cup wins. He served as a Connacht Schoolboy Rugby selector as well as an Ireland Schoolboy Rugby selector. Luckily for everyone James will not be retiring completely, however! He will continue to coach rugby and will teach a few classes of Irish. We wish our colleagues and teachers all the best as they retire -or semi-retire! -and look forward to having a proper send-off when social distancing and mask-wearing are a thing of the past.