Portlaoise girls secondary school, Scoil Chríost Rí, has welcomed a new principal, with Mr Sean Smyth recently appointed to the role.
Mr Smyth (37) is originally from Galway and went to university in Maynooth.
He is taking over from Ms Helen O’Donnell who was principal at the school since 1998, serving for 26 years.
Following his studies Mr Smyth returned to Galway for a year where he worked with his father as a driving instructor.
His teaching career began in Grange Community College in Donaghmede, Dublin, where he spent 14 years.
Mr Smyth taught at the school for eight years before becoming principal in 2018, a position he held until the end of the 2024 academic calendar.
Speaking with LaoisToday, the educator remembered his time in Dublin fondly: “It’s a lovely school,” he said. “I enjoyed it immensely.
“When I took over in 2018 it was struggling. It was in a kind of disadvantaged area, and it hadn’t a great reputation.
“But we completely turned things around, and when I left there was about 600 students in it.”
Mr Smyth’s wife is also a teacher, who began her career in Coláiste Íosagáin Portarlington and now teaches in Portlaoise.
Having previously lived in Portlaoise, they moved to Abbeyleix, where they now live with their three children.
So, when the opportunity presented itself to work much closer to home, he took it with both hands.
“Scoil Chríost Rí is a fantastic school, so it’s aways been on my radar,” he said.
“We’ve based our lives here in Portlaoise. I’d be heavily involved in the rugby club – I played for Portlaoise for the last number of years, and I now coach the U-14s. I’ve been involved with them since they were U-7s.
“I’m also on the committee for Laois Marlins – my eldest and youngest lads both swim competitively.
“Whatever my children are involved in, I’d be out supporting and helping however I can.”
The 2024/25 school year will see Mr Smyth begin his tenure in Scoil Chríost Rí, and the new principal is eager to to trumpet his new school.
“It’s a brilliant school,” he said. “The kids are fantastic, the facilities are amazing, and they must be one of the most successful schools for sport in the county – girls or boys.
“We’ve Pat Critchley working here, and a great sports department.
“I’d be passionate about extra-curricular, but we also have very academic, high-achieving students.
“There’s also a great ethos here that I’d be very passionate about – an ethos of disadvantage, and working with marginalised and vulnerable students.”
Mr Smyth is keen to emphasise the quality of Scoil Chríost Rí and says he will be doing all he can to promote the school.
“I think we need more visibility, more community engagement. We have a massive sports hall and I think it’s underutilised – I think people don’t actually know it’s here.
“We need more visibility in Portlaoise so people know exactly who we are and what we are, and what we have to offer.
“Because the girls that are here are thriving, and I think we need to serve the community as best we can.”
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