Page 40 - The Gonzaga Record 1988
P. 40
5th Year students with autistic group and Ms MacConville and Mr Slevin.
PE for the Autistics were a stunning success and with the
ongoing support of Mr Slevin and Ms
About twenty autistics and several of MacConville, they continued through-
their therapists from the Ghee! out the year. It became an integral pan
Therapeutic Centre in Milltown came of the autistics' therapy and was an
to our gym each Tuesday. The hope enjoyable and memorable pan of our
was not just to create a credible one- 5th year.
to-one relationship between the auris-
tics and ourselves but to encourage a Simon Carty (S.5A)
better sense of coordination and
physical confidence in each of the
visitors. We were all apprehensive on URBAN PLUNGE
our first encounter with them. Even
after a few sessions of PE there was The Urban Plunge is the brain-child of
evidence of the aims being realised, Fr Paul Lavelle who spent 10 years
however gradually. Nonetheless, there working as a curate in Sean McDermott
wa s something lacking until Ms Ita Street and at present is Chairman of
MacConville provided not only the the Archbishop's Task Force on AIDS.
in spiration but also the leadership. Fr Lavelle recognised the enormous
Instead of straightforward PE she gap that was growing between the rich
proposed the idea of Aerobics and and poor of Dublin, not merely in
exe rcises done to music, which was terms of possessions but also in their
eagerly and unanimously agreed to. attitudes towards each other. The
On the 3rd ovember, Ms MacConville, Urban Plunge was conceived as a way
resplendent in black leotard, re- to help bridge this gap.
launched the sc heme on a whole new 6th Year students from four differ-
footing, a she led the autistics and ent schools (St. Conleth's, Belvedere,
our eh·es in aerobic dancing to the Gonzaga and King's Hospital) spent
strains of the 'Pet Shop Boys ' and the over 48 hours immersed in a different
'Communards'. The new style sessions way of life, a completely different
38
PE for the Autistics were a stunning success and with the
ongoing support of Mr Slevin and Ms
About twenty autistics and several of MacConville, they continued through-
their therapists from the Ghee! out the year. It became an integral pan
Therapeutic Centre in Milltown came of the autistics' therapy and was an
to our gym each Tuesday. The hope enjoyable and memorable pan of our
was not just to create a credible one- 5th year.
to-one relationship between the auris-
tics and ourselves but to encourage a Simon Carty (S.5A)
better sense of coordination and
physical confidence in each of the
visitors. We were all apprehensive on URBAN PLUNGE
our first encounter with them. Even
after a few sessions of PE there was The Urban Plunge is the brain-child of
evidence of the aims being realised, Fr Paul Lavelle who spent 10 years
however gradually. Nonetheless, there working as a curate in Sean McDermott
wa s something lacking until Ms Ita Street and at present is Chairman of
MacConville provided not only the the Archbishop's Task Force on AIDS.
in spiration but also the leadership. Fr Lavelle recognised the enormous
Instead of straightforward PE she gap that was growing between the rich
proposed the idea of Aerobics and and poor of Dublin, not merely in
exe rcises done to music, which was terms of possessions but also in their
eagerly and unanimously agreed to. attitudes towards each other. The
On the 3rd ovember, Ms MacConville, Urban Plunge was conceived as a way
resplendent in black leotard, re- to help bridge this gap.
launched the sc heme on a whole new 6th Year students from four differ-
footing, a she led the autistics and ent schools (St. Conleth's, Belvedere,
our eh·es in aerobic dancing to the Gonzaga and King's Hospital) spent
strains of the 'Pet Shop Boys ' and the over 48 hours immersed in a different
'Communards'. The new style sessions way of life, a completely different
38
