Scoil Mhuire is getting into gear for the Millennium, as was apparent on a recent visit to fifth and sixth class in the Girls’ National Primary School on Gilford Road in Sandymount.

The sixth-class teacher, Ms. McCormack, explained that each pupil had recently written a Millennium poem or story for the ‘I have a Dream’ Den 2/RTE competition.

The overall winners from throughout :the country will see their work published in a special book to commemorate the year 2000.

Common topics in Sandymount included peace in Northern Ireland and throughout the world, and comic consequences of the Millennium bug.

Joanne Walsh, the overall winner from fifth and sixth class, penned a humourous poem, which is reprinted . above It has already been shortlistedby the prestigious RTE panel.and we wish her the best of luck with her entry.

School projects to mark the New Year include a giant ‘Jubilee 2000 A.D.’ poster made by the pupils earlier this year. It was used as a calendar to count down the days to the Millennium. Unfortunately, it recently ‘crashed’ and is.awaiting restoration!

There was clear evidence of the computer literate generation when the children gave a precise explanation of the Millennium bug detailing why the new date of 2000 is posing such a potential problem for computers around theworld.

The year 2000 caused some pupils to reflect on the past. In fifth class Julie-Ann Toomey considered electricity to have been the most imortant invention of the last 100 years, while Sarah Farrell claimed it was transport.

Among other landmark developments were cars, phones, airplanes, TV, computers, cures for diseases, medicine, clothes, biros and shampoo.

On a more political note,sixth class considered the improvement of rights for both women and coloured people to be one of the major advancements of this century.

Looking ahead to the 21st century, flying cars will be common on (or off) the roads, according to the pupils of both classes.

Sixth class, in particular, was concerned about the environment in the future.Sarah McErlean hoped that pollution would soon disappear while all pupils hoped there would be more medicine and cures for diseases. They would also like everything, (including sweets) to be free.

The most popular predictionwas that school will disappear in the new millennium as humans will either be born knowing everything, or will receive a special knowledge implant at birth.”There’ll be no more homework!”.

The pupils fully expect that spaceships shall travel regularly to the moon where you’ll be able to go shopping and even “get your hair done!’ Aliens could soon come to Earth: they’ll be green and purple with 20 eyes, or perhaps small and grey with the ability to change into human form.

Either way, at Scoil Mhuire they are all hoping that the extra-terrestrials will be friendly !
A quick survey of the pupils’ plans for the big Millennium night showed that most are going to large family parties, mainly around the country and a few in Britain.

Fifth class decided that their perfect Millennium party would be the entire class together. As for the best party song, Robbie Williams’s aptly-titled ‘Millennium’ got the universal thumbs-up.

When asked about their special New Year wish, Lisa Fitzpatrick said “a free, giant, everlasting Millennium marshmallow!”.

On a class vote, however, the choice was unanimous “No more school!”. Sorry to have to break the bad news girls but it’ll be back to business (and homework!) as usual when school reopens in January !

Millennium Dream or Nightmare
I have a dream that on millennium eve, the millennium bug will spread to my house and affect us all in strange ways.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
HAPPY NEW MILLEN……
“What the……?”
Dustin’s trying to sing to us from the microwave,
The tv’s going Bing, Bing,
The oven’s keeing the milk nice and fresh
The turkey is cooking nicely in the fridge.
The computer is dealing real solitaire cards at me,
The dishwasher is drying the clothes,
The steam iron is spitting out ice cubes all over the kitchen,
There’s a plane coming to land in the back garden!
Just when I think the worst is over
The burglar alarm goes off,
The hall door is flung open by my hysterical mother,
Screaming, “I’m a millionaire!!
And I only wanted £10 from the bank machine!”
The hoover is chasing my dog around the house
With my granny attached to the nozzle,
Shouting, “The bugs were easier to control in my day”.
What a millennium party it will be,
If my house comes alive with millennium fever!
I also wonder if millennium dreams really can come true.
Well! We’ll have to wait and see!

By Joanne Walsh