New beginning at the Jes

The Connacht Sentinel on 20 August gave two centre pages to a write-up of the new building of Colaiste Iognaid, illustrated with some spectacular photographs. They comment: “The students and staff of Colaiste Iognaid are starting the new year in a practically brand new school campus as they return for the beginning of term. In just under two years of construction work, the Jes on Sea Road has undergone a transformation, marrying the old with the new. .. For the past two years, classes were held in prefabs, but as from the start of this term, on top of the various classrooms, they will have a special lecture room, an IT room, a woodwork room, home economic suite, chapel, administrative offices, staffroom, parent-teacher meeting room and store rooms. The Jes, which has put thousands of students through its hands since the Jesuit order established their secondary school over 150 years ago, now has the most modern school building in the city. It follows a decade of planning by the board of management whose fundraising campaign to raise €2 million to bring the project to completion is ongoing.”

In other words, Rector John Humphreys still  has to spend much of his worrying time on that most difficult of tasks today: raising funds.