FOR the first time in over 10 years St. Aidan’s High School in Derrylin has over 200 students in attendance, Principal Pat McTeggart has said. 
In his address at the school’s annual prize night, Mr. McTeggart thanked parents of pupils “for placing your trust in us to educate your children.” 
“This school is a high achieving school that caters for the needs of all our pupils whether it be academic or vocational and this is reflected in the prizes tonight and in the excellent GCSE results with 96 per cent of our pupils achieving A* to C,” he said. 
With the Northern Ireland average last year at 72 per cent Mr. McTeggart has described the results at his school as “remarkable.”
“This would not be possible without the hard work and perseverance of the pupils who can now confidently take the next step in their lives. St Aidan’s continues to place great emphasis on educating the whole person,” he said, placing on record his appreciation to all the staff at the school.
“Teaching is a vocation and I can safely say that all our staff are dedicated to the welfare of every child which is central to our Catholic ethos.”
The parents of pupils at the school “play a key role in supporting the children” he added. “Without your support we would not achieve the results we have.” 
Mr. McTeggart said the future of the school is “all about development and expansion.”
“We want to see our numbers increase and we are strongly committed to expanding curriculum choice. We already have many new subjects like agricultural science BTEC construction, motor vehicle studies and this term we have been working in partnership with St. Comhghall’s in Lisnaskea to deliver health and social care. This collaboration will further enable our pupils to access a broad and balanced curriculum while also fostering stronger links with our neighbouring school in Lisnaskea,” he said.
There is a “new confidence” in St. Aidan’s, said Mr. McTeggart, “and this is demonstrated not just in the classroom but on the football pitch.”
The partnership between Queens University Belfast and the school is now well established and in its second year.
“This progressive programme aims to develop decision making skills so that our pupils here in St Aidan’s are better able to make informed choices on their future careers. We are the only school in Fermanagh to have this partnership with Queens University,” he said. 
The prize night was an opportunity for the school to “celebrate the many achievements of our pupils ranging from academic and vocational to sporting, cultural and spiritual.”
“I want to congratulate each and every prize winner present here this evening who are a representative body for the many others in our school community who also deserve recognition for their admirable achievements throughout the year. You should be proud of your achievements as we as a school are very proud of each and every one of you,” said Mr, McTeggart.
Former GAA star Jarlaith Burns, the principal of St. Paul’s High School in Bessbrook was guest speaker at the event.
Reflecting on his sporting days, the ex-Armagh captain said sports teams at schools “create a love of place, uniform and help breed important values such as discipline, time management, sacrifice, will to win, organisation, resilience and coping with disappointment.”
These are skills, said Mr. Burns, “that our young people need.”
He said non-selective schools provide children with skills such as flexibility, leadership, productivity and sociable skills and encouraged students to be proud of St. Aidan’s.
“It is a community school for the community. It is a shame that people think it is a good idea to select children at the age of 11 on the basis of an academic test as for five to six months students cannot be creative, they just work and work.”
Concluding, Mr. Burns spoke of the “Catholic ethos which places the child at the centre.”
“Truth, integrity, compassion and kindness; these are values we see every single day but we might not notice it in the day to day running of the Catholic school as it becomes the norm. Never take Catholic schools and their values for granted as they are the glue that keeps the school together,” he said.