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A group of Loreto students who achieved bronze Gaisce awards. Pictured front right is Louise Clancy who earned a silver award. Photo: Ellen Lynch

Learning Mandarin Chinese, hiking up a mountain in Kerry, canoeing in Kenmare Bay, volunteering with autistic children, swimming and playing badminton. That's what it took for Louise Clancy of the Loreto in Fermoy to achieve a silver Gaisce award.

The awards, also known as the President's Award, have been on the go for a long time now. It's considered the country's most prestigious and respected individul award programme. Every year, students sign up to take the personal challenge, which they are allowed to set themselves. It's then agreed with a President's Award leader. It's not a case of competing with ther participants, each challenge is completely individual. Different amounts of time are allocated to complete four challenges.

In Louise's case, for the silver award, she had 52 weeks to do it. The challenges come under the headings community involvement, personal skill, physical recreation and adventure journey. All must be done on an extra-curricular basis which demonstrates the level of commitment required and given. Louise undertook the challenge while she was in Transition Year.

While Louise was hiking up a mountain and getting to grips with Mandarin Chiinese, another group of 14 Loreto students went for the bronze awards. The four categories of challenge were the same. Their involvement saw them hike the Green Road in Kenmare, go canoeing in Kenmare Bay, and involve themselves variously in basketball, taekwondo, involved in the running of a charity shop and learning silkscreen painting.

Explaining her decision to take part in the awards participant Patricia Flynn said "it's good for the CV and it gives more confidence." Not to mention a memorable experience and the satisfaction of having achieved a significant personal challenge.

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