Student successes get just rewards

Lismore Comprehensive pupils with their Attendance Excellence awards with principal Mrs Kane and Mrs Foster; vice-principal. INLM38-91

Principal, Mrs Fiona Kane praised staff as she is “very privileged to work with and lead a team of dedicated, hardworking and talented people who give of themselves every day for all of the pupils of Lismore”.

Congratulating the students on their exams success, Mrs Kane reminded students that “for all of us who work in Lismore, examination success on its own will never be enough for any of you”.

Working in partnership with parents, primary schools and associates in the Craigavon Area Learning Community including SRC, Mrs Kane thanked all stakeholders for their ongoing work and support and described how they collectively strive for the holistic development of each individual.

Lismore Comprehensive principal Mrs Kane presents Katie Hendron and Caolan Reynolds with their Principal's Choice Awards. INLM38-904

She particularly thanked members of the Parent’s Forum and students involved in the Pupil Voice Project last year.

While addressing the students Mrs Kane told the true story of silent film star Charlie Chaplin who entered a ‘Charlie Chaplin lookalike competition’ just for fun and he didn’t win, in fact he came in third place.

After reflecting on how Chaplin may have felt having not being recognised and on the judges who could not see who was really in front of their eyes, Mrs Kane encouraged students to, “Always present to the world the real you and not a lookalike and don’t always judge others on first impressions, take time to look to see the real person underneath.”

Dr Sharon McKenna, Principal Investigator at Cork Cancer Research Centre and leader of the Autophagy research theme, was the guest speaker.

A past pupil of Lismore Comprehensive Dr McKenna graduated from the University of Leicester in 1990 with an Honours Degree in  Molecular Biology.

She obtained her PhD at the Leukaemia Research Fund Laboratories, in the University of Wales, College of Medicine, Cardiff, 1995.

In October 2002, Dr McKenna was appointed as a Principal Investigator at the Cork Cancer Research Centre (CCRC).

Congratulating students on their achievements Dr McKenna encouraged them to work hard and ‘follow their dreams’.

Dr McKenna outlined her journey to fulfil her own dream career and vocation saying, ’it all started with great teachers and great teaching in Lismore, with teachers who sparked the imagination and captured  my interest’.