Our school mission statement indicates the importance we attach to developing the talents and gifts of our young people. We, therefore, place a strong emphasis on giving them the opportunity to participate in a wide range of activities aimed at developing their special talents. We also strive to promote the positive use of their leisure time.

Lunchtime Activities

The school offers a full programme of lunchtime activities to cater for all tastes. In addition to a range of activities in recreational sport, pupils can become involved in any of the following:

The sporting extra-curricular activities take place at lunchtime and after school. The programmes are led by our own teaching staff. However, from time to time visiting coaching specialists are brought to the school. The team and individual sports covered are:

* Denotes activities offered as recreational sport at lunchtime

 

Duke of Edinburgh Award

The Bronze Award is currently offered to senior pupils and offers opportunities for pupils of all abilities and interests. The scheme includes physical recreation, service, skills and expedition. This is a prestigious award recognised by employers, Universities and Further Education Colleges.

Click here to view our Duke of Edinburgh Award photo gallery.

Educational Visits

·         A Ski Trip takes place in the second term of every other year

·         Outdoor Pursuits Activity programmes are organised every year

·         Theatre Visits

·         Art Exhibitions

·         Science Exhibitions

·         Visits to facilitate a range of leisure activities including Bowling, Ice Skating, Swimming and Hill Walking

Annual Ski Trip

All year groups have attended over the years, but mostly targeted at KS4 and KS5.  Every student will have the opportunity to attend the trip twice during their time in CPC, once to learn to ski and once to develop their skills .

The ski trip has travelled to the Haut Lac International Centre in Gstadd, Switzerland.  The students partake in skiing, snowboarding, sledging, ice skating, swimming, 10 pin bowling and have some great snow ball fights.

Two of the past pupils on trips have since gone on to become ski instructors and have worked in the Alps for several seasons and in The Remarkables in New Zealand.

 

Music

The Music Department provides excellent facilities for a whole range of musical activities. The extra-curricular programme caters for pupils with a wide range of musical tastes and includes:

·         Senior and Junior Choir

·         Instrumental Ensemble

·         Irish Traditional Group

·         Rock Bands.

Individual or small group tuition is available in woodwind and string instruments including guitar. Pupils are entered for Associated Board or Trinity College examinations and are also given opportunities to perform at school concerts and various liturgical services.

Drama

The school's Drama Department is recently established and thriving. Pupils are given opportunities to perform short play extracts and monologues, and to participate in Dance Drama. In addition to this, a school musical is produced every two years - our most recent very successful productions have included:

·         Annie

·         The King and I

·         Me & My Girl

·         Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

One afternoon per week, Sixth Form students participate in a range of curriculum enrichment programmes. These include:

Digital Photography Club - "Digital Imaginations"

In September 2007 CPC started an enrichment course in digital photography for sixth years.  Mr. Eamonn McVeigh leads the programme with sixteen students, all armed with their own digital cameras.  The group has grown in experience and confidence, to the point where one student, Dara O’hArtghaile was a finalist in an All Ireland school’s competition.  His picture “Wood chopper” is shown below.

The course began with a programme of expression sessions where each student had to present several of their favourite shots and explain what they enjoyed about each.  This helped the whole group understand the fundamentals of photography and what it takes to capture that special shot.  This emotional attachment has been backed up with several workshops based on the general principles of photography coupled with technical tips for digital work and photo-shop. 

The group prepared shots with a Christmas theme and Mrs Ward selected the winning shot, this shot became the school Christmas card.

Living on the North Coast of Antrim is a luxury for a digital photography class and the group are spoilt with locations for land and sea scapes, to date having visited Ballintoy Harbour, Ballycastle Beach, Broughshane Village and Ballycastle Forest.  Other trips are planned for the Rope Bridge, Murlough Bay and Ballycastle Harbour.

Top local photographers have given us their support and the group will be visiting Roy McLarnon’s studio “Portfolio” in Ballymena, where Roy will meet with the group.  Michael McKay, from M-Photo in Randalstown is running a work shop for the group in early March.

The school has recently invested in some specialised equipment to enable the group to get experience of working with a semi professional SLR camera. 

With this type of opportunity it looks like the future experiences of CPC students will not need to be digitally enhanced.