THE newly appointed principal at North Monastery Secondary school said he wants to help students there to ‘surpass’ their potential.

Tony McSweeney commenced his new role at the school on Monday and said his first week has proved ‘very enjoyable’.

“The first few days have gone great. There has been a fast pace as I have been getting up to speed with things. It has been very productive and very enjoyable,” he said.

The secondary school principal boasts huge teaching experience having previously taught in both St Peter’s Community School in Passage West and then Charleville CBS.

“I was teaching in St Peter’s in Passage West and then I was Deputy Principal in CBS in Charleville. I finished up in Charleville on Friday, February 11, and I started in the North Mon the following Monday.

“I have the experience of serving as a deputy principal in Charleville. I also did a three-month stint as acting principal in Charleville during the reopening of the school for Covid while there was a handover of principals. It is an absolute privilege to be appointed as the new principal of the North Mon. It is a school with more than 210 years of history and tradition. The expectations and standards of the Mon are so high due to its history and rightly so,” he said.

The new principal, who grew up on the southside and attended Coláiste Chríost Rí during his secondary school days, said he wants to help students ‘surpass’ their potential in the North Mon.

“I want to deliver a holistic education. We have excellent and hardworking staff, so I want to support them.

“I want to make sure our students when they leave school have the knowledge, the skills, the competencies, and the values to go out and be valued contributors in society. We want to help them reach and surpass their potential after their educational experience in the Mon.”

Mr McSweeney has received a very warm welcome in the local community following his recent appointment. He said it is important to create a pathway for students to succeed.

“There is a massive community spirit in the locality and in the school. I have already been out and met some of the primary school principals and the first-year students who will be coming here next year. The welcome I have received has been so favourable. The North Mon is such an institution in the community that it always receives huge support from all.

“Every child has areas of strength and areas for improvement. Their social, emotional, physical, and academic development are so important. What you want to make sure is when they go through the educational system, they have a chance to achieve and that there is a pathway for all of them to succeed,” he added.

The North Monastery secondary school principal said he will work with all the school community to ensure the students and the school continue to thrive.

“The key is working with everyone in the school community, which is the students, teachers, parents, the wider community and the stakeholders to ensure the students and the school itself continue to thrive.”