PICTURE: The Abbey School honours retiring and departing staff

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A retirement and farewell function was held in Aherlow House Hotel recently to acknowledge the contributions made by a number of The Abbey School staff members who had retired or moved to pastures new.

The retirees included John O’Dwyer, a Science and Chemistry teacher in the Abbey since 1990 and Bernie O’Dwyer, a school secretary in the Abbey since 1997.

The Abbey also bid farewell to Marian Keating, a Science and Biology teacher since 2014 who has taken up a new position in Knockbeg College and also Michael Martin who has given 20 years’ service as a member of its Parents’ Council and Board of Management.

School principal, John Kiely, paid tribute to Michael Martin and to his commitment to the school since his sons joined in 2001.

Mike joined the Parents’ Council in 2001 and he put in trojan work in the area of fundraising and was a great support to the then principal John Heffernan.

He was appointed Parents’ Representative on the Board of Management in 2002 and subsequently a Trustee Nominee in 2010.

In 2012 he took on the role of Chairperson, a position he held until 2021.

An incredible amount of change has taken place in our schools over the last twenty years and Mike has overseen this change with great measure and calmness.

For the last nine years Mike has been the main sponsor of the school teams and the school community is extremely grateful for his commitment, energy and time and wishes him the very best for the years ahead.

Marilyn O’Connell, a teacher in the Science Department, paid tribute to Marian Keating who was moving to a new position in Knockbeg College.

Marilyn said that from the very beginning of her time in the Abbey, Marian had immersed herself in her work and in every other aspect of school life.

She successfully headed up the science department for seven years, taking great pride in managing the Department and leading it through the implementation of the new Junior Cycle programme.

Undoubtedly, one of her most notable and proudest achievements was seeing two of her pupils win first prize in the BT Young Scientist Social Sciences category in the national competition in 2017.

Marian also organised a fundraiser in memory of Donal Walsh, a young Irish boy who was diagnosed and subsequently passed away from cancer, raising over eight hundred euro for his family.

This achievement demonstrates Marion’s generosity and kindness, which are an integral part of the person that she is.

She closed by wishing Marian and her family the very best for the future and in particular many years of happiness teaching in Knockbeg College.

School secretary Anne Marie Ruby paid tribute to Bernie O’Dwyer who was retiring as School Secretary, a position that she had held since 1997.

Warm tributes were paid to Bernie’s dedication, commitment and sterling contribution during her time in the office. Anne

Marie pointed to the many varied tasks that are undertaken every day in the office.

Over the years, Bernie took on many responsibilities and was well able to adapt to the everchanging administration of the school.

She always handled herself with the utmost professionalism and with a smile on her face.

Bernie was always a very welcoming person for anyone new to the Abbey whether as a student, parent or as a new staff member.

Bernie forged wonderful relationships with the students in the Abbey through her interactions at the shop and in the office.

She also built excellent relationships with the parents of the boys, which is such an important part of being a school secretary.

She made some amazing friendships throughout her time in the Abbey and the highlight of the day was sitting down to discuss the news of the day with her colleagues. Her warm, easy-going personality meant she was someone all the staff naturally gravitated to.

As she continues with the next phase of her life, best wishes were extended to Bernie and to her husband Michael and son Michael.

Retiree John O’Dwyer joined the Abbey on September 1, 1990 having spent a number of years on the oil rigs of the North Sea out of Aberdeen.

John joined the Science Department at Junior Cycle and took on the teaching of Chemistry to Leaving Certificate students.

He quickly developed a name for himself in these departments and established a reputation for excellent results with his classes with many achieving top grades along the way.

A1s or H1s as they became known in later years, were commonplace for his students.

He loved his lab work and had a great way at simplifying complex problems and topics. His calm and easy disposition leant to an easy relationship with his students that allowed them to excel in the classroom.

John also had a passion for computers and his arrival to the Abbey came at a time when computers were becoming popular in schools.

He was responsible for buying the first computers to come into the Abbey and oversaw the dial up connection to the internet in around 1996.

He was instrumental in so many areas that were vital to the successful roll out of IT in the classroom, computer rooms, offices and staffroom.

Some of the most notable achievements John had in this area included the creation of a dedicated computer room, teacher computers and projectors in the classroom, networked internet access points around the school, the roll out of the school database management systems, teaching the ECDL course in Transition Year and the school’s first website and subsequent successors.

John also had a passion for sport and was involved with many teams including U15 Football County and Munster and U16.5.

Many a Munster final was won, and many fine footballers were put through their paces by John. He had a great eye for a player and appreciated the skills of the game.

The same could be said for his knowledge on soccer and he looked after a number of soccer teams during his time in the school right up through the ages including the first year soccer in particular garnering success along the way including contesting a Munster first year soccer final and the inaugural John Walsh Tournament.

Principal John Kiely closed proceedings by wishing John, his wife Catherine and his family the very best for the future.