Features Links

Advising Students
Student Councils
Junior Press

Environmental Issues
Wild Ireland
Rubbishing Ireland

Issues of Concern
Children's Rights
Child Labour
Child Slavery
Anorexia Nervosa

Educational Issues
Learning the Internet
History Stuff
What is Quidditch?

Getting Involved
Paths to Peace
Concern Debates
Goal Link
The Asgard

Music
JJ72
Napster
Eminem

Sport
Basketball Finals

News
Nationwide News

A number of features of interest have appeared in Student Xpress for the past 2 years.

Advising Students

Junior Press
Junior Press is an international organisation dedicated to promoting newspapers in Europe written by students. Visit the Junior Press Website. They have a database of many Junior Press initiatives across Europe. They provide young people with guidelines for writing articles, censorship laws and the rights of young journalists. One of their objectives is to promote the idea of a junior press card.
Each year they hold a conference where young journalists from around Europe are invited. A number of journalists from Student Xpress were invited to Paris this year. Details of this conference and the topics of discussion at their workshops are set out in detail on the website.

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Environmental Issues

Wild Ireland
Wild Ireland has already made quite an impact in the relatively short space of time it has been in operation. The company was the brainchild of a number of individuals who all share a passion for wildlife and the environment. The pool of skills and qualifications used to create the Wild Ireland concept and website include graphic and web design, photography and videography, diving, marine biology, geology, marketing and project management.

Rubbishing Ireland
Recycling our rubbish is an important aspect of how we take care of our environment. Kevin O'Connor and Jean-Christophe Izart from Cyclope Recycling examine Ireland's waste crisis. More information can be obtained from ENFO, Ireland's information service for environmental matters.

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Issues of Concern

Childrens Right's
The Rights of a Child
The way a society treats its children reflects not only its qualities of compassion and protective caring, but also its sense of justice, its commitment to the future and its urge to enhance the human condition for coming generations.
Child Soldiers Fighting Wars
In Uganda, children make up 90% of the opposition army.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
A 'child' is defined as someone below the age of 18 deserving of the rights set out in the Convention. There are 41 articles in all covering the rights of children.
Fighting Twins
Johnny and Luther Htoo are 12 year-old twins. Their followers believe the twins, commanders of the rebel group God's Army, have mystical powers and can save their downtrodden people.

Child Labour
Bring Christmas Cheer to the World
Justin Killcullen, Trocaire's Director, examines the issue of child labour. Click onto Trocaire's Website to read more about the work of this charity organisation.
Fact File: The Plight of Children Today and what your money can do are discussed.

Child Slavery
Slave Labour: A Reality in the 21st. Century
Clare Holohan reports on a phenomenon created by economics.
Cocoa Plant Slaves
Boys work for nothing in the Ivory Coast.
Iqbal's Dream
The remarkable story of a Pakistani boy who escaped slavery and helped many others to freedom.
A Bullet can't Kill a Dream
A teenager who brought about real change

Anorexia Nervosa
'Anorexia Nervosa , extreme body emaciation caused by emotional or psychological aversion to foods and to eating. The condition occurs predominantly in young women'. (Britannica Encyclopaedia).
Starving for Success???
Frances Smith, St. Joseph's Secondary School, Newtownforbes, writes about producers who feel these days that beauty is represented by a thin, scrawny, skin-and-bones girl. This is not beauty. This is disastrous! It is time to really see the story behind the bill-board image and to recognise the false dream it represents, once and for all.
Anorexia Nervosa - the facts
Grainne Donovan, Regina Mundi College, Cork outlines the facts behind this condition.

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Educational Issues

Learning the Internet
Mike Carey (St. Eunan's, Letterkenny) developed his own website. He shared the experience of setting up his own website by writing a number of articles explaining how he went about it. We reproduce the articles here as a set of lessons.
Lesson I: Getting Started
Lesson II: Building a Webpage
Lesson III: Adding Cool touches to your page and Cool Sites
Lesson IV: Search Engines and earning money on the internet
Chataway: Petra Madill (Transition year), Holy Child Community School, Sallynoggin, discusses Chatrooms.

History Stuff
The History Department of Riversdale Community College has published a number of articles in Student Xpress of interest to history students.
A Tragic Love Affair
It was love at first sight. That hot July in 1880 was to be the starting point of a long, complicated relationship. In 1881 the couple began living together for short periods of time. Katherine had found the type of companionship she had always longed for.....
The Sinking of the Lusitania
As the passengers on deck enjoyed a view of the Irish coastline, some noticed a slight disturbance on the mirror-calm sea off the starboard bow. The thin streak of white foam was generated by a torpedo as it sped toward the Lusitania. An explosion under the bridge of the ship was quickly followed by another and the bow of the ship began to dip into the sea......

What is Quidditch?
Alan Early has a passion for Harry Potter books. He tells us why.
Why Harry Potter books are so good?
The reason the books work so well is simple. It's something that few children's writers have picked up on. Don't patronise the reader. Each of Harry's adventures are different and individual and contain enough twists and turns for an Irish backroad. The complex plots are intricately planned and layered and often have you guessing twice.
Reviews of the Harry Potter novels
Alan Early gives a short summary of the Harry Potter books:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Letter to the Editor
I would just like to tell you what happened to me since you published my article entitled 'What is Quidditch?' I was just sitting in class when, all of a sudden, my name was called over the intercom......

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Getting Involved

Paths to Peace
The Tim Parry Scholarship and the Glencree Reconciliation Centre aim to promote peace on this island through understanding. The Glencree Centre outlines a number of courses they offer to schools.

Concern Debates
Since their inception in 1983 over 11,000 students have participated in the Concern Debates, with thousands more assisting in Research and support activities. Each year over 180 debates take place in 90 venues requiring 540 adjudicators. Sinead Kirwan, a debates student from St. Peter's College in Dunboyne, writes about her Life as a Debater.

Goal Link
The Goal-Aidlink St.Patrick's Day Badge Project is a charity run by fourth year students in Blackrock College, Dublin. We generate funds for the Third World through the sale of shamrock shaped badges, climaxing around St. Patrick's Day. We split our funds between two large Irish charities: Goal and Aidlink.

The Asgard
Sarah Doyle (Dominican College, Wicklow) spent a week on Asgard II. This is her story.

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Music

JJ72
Last year a debate took place in the pages of Student Xpress on the merits or otherwise of the band, JJ72. David Hayden, Blackrock College, got the ball rolling by describing JJ72 as the next U2. Oisin Horgan, Skerries CC, replied in the following issue that there was no basis to David's assertions. A number of letters followed in the letters page continuing the argument.
The Future of Irish Rock
'I have no doubt we'll be hearing a lot more of them in the near future as October Swimmer and Snow are undoubtedly the most impressive debut singles to come out of the Irish music scene in recent memory'. David Hayden, Blackrock College, is in no doubt that JJ72 are the band of the future.
Are they Really that Good?
'While meaning no disrespect to JJ72 or to David for that matter, his claim that JJ72 are original is ridiculous. It's impossible to miss the fact that JJ72 are using the exact same three piece set-up that Nirvana achieved success with in 1991.' Oisin Horgan, Skerries CC, disagrees with David Hayden.
Letter #1
David Hayden hits back.
Letter #2
Mairead McGuinness, St.Joseph's Secondary School, Newtownforbes, Co. Longford joins the debate.
Letter #3
Oisin Horgan replies.

Napster
Napster is a community of music lovers who can log on to this free service and download almost any song. Shawn Fanning, a 20-year-old Irish-American college student from Massachusetts, invented this free service. It has faced many challeges from the established music industry who view it as a threat to their industry. Click on to the Napster website and get the latest information on their legal battles.
The Napster Debate
Conor O'Callaghan reports on a music revolution.
Shawn Fanning Profiled
The whizz kid who developed Napster.

Eminem
Eminem's real name is Marshal Mathers. He is a white rap artist. The content of his albums is controversial.
Who is the real slim shady?
Albert Price, Dundrum College, analyses the person, the controversy he has created and the lyrics of his songs.
Eminem in Britain
The infamous "Slim Shady" recently caused uproar during the British leg of his European tour. America's most prestigious white rapper was overwhelmed by the legions of protesters awaiting him. Ann Mahon reports.

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Sport

Basketball Finals
Welcome to the Bank of Ireland Schools Cup Finals, some of the most action packed and exciting basketball you could every hope to see in Ireland. Bank of Ireland have been supporting the Schools Cup since 1993. The National Basketball Arena has hosted the finals with capacity crowds creating a pulsating atmosphere. This year's finals include schools from eight counties from the South all the way up to Donegal. A massive 154 boys and girls senior teams entered this season's cup draw which took place at the Schools Annual Coaching Conference in Portlaoise in September. More reports on basketball can be found on the students section of the Bank of Ireland website.

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News

Nationwide News
Student Xpress covered a series of news items around the country last year.
Less Stress, More Success
Less Stress More Success Gill & Macmillan Revision Time competition.
Building Bridges in Cabinteely
To celebrate the Millennium, a group of Cabinteely Community School students embarked on an ambitious project which involved 'Building bridges between the Cabinteely student body and people with disabilities'.
Pot Noodle Awards
Students from secondary schools nationwide were invited to work alone or in pairs to create their own 40-second radio commercial and demonstrate their considerable creative skills. This is the second year of the award scheme and over 1,000 entries were received.
O'Hagen Mace Debating Awards
The O'Hagan Mace Debating Championship is organised by the Literary and Historical Society of University College Dublin and is sponsored by O'Hagan Communications.
Anti-Bullying in Athboy
The course was the first of its kind in Ireland and aimed to develop an anti-bullying strategy for students. Students were taught the language of bullying, how to identify verbal, physical and psychological bullying and how to develop strategies for handling bullying.
IBIS Working for Primary Schools
The Irish Banks Information Service launched their latest resource for primary schools.

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