De La Salle Waterford

Gifts from De La Salle 

De La Salle blew the wind

that sends whispers across vast oceans

and causes windmills to spin ‘round.

This wind is called education.

De La Salle sparked the flame

that lit up every torch

and burns brightly in our hearts.

This flame is called inspiration.

De La Salle sprinkled the rain

that nurtures every bud in the garden

and helps mighty rivers to flow.

This rain is called motivation.

By Killian Calvey

When I heard about this competition ‘One Man, One Life, One La Salle’, I knew I had to contribute something to reflect what I think John Baptist De La Salle means to people in De La Salle schools across the country and across the District. While we may not go about our daily lives thinking about him, his impact on students worldwide is undeniable. I wanted my piece to reflect the huge impact he made that is still evident today. To me, the title of the competition -‘One Man, One Life, One La Salle’ was reflecting how remarkable this impact has been. I decided to write a poem because writing has been a hobby I’ve been doing for a long time - and even though I haven’t written very much poetry before, I thought the medium was the most suitable for what I was trying to say.

Raymond Chimwala

I chose to depict St John Baptist De La Salle in a mosaic like setting. John Baptist De La Salle was a French priest who founded the institution of the brothers of Christian schools in the 17th century. This provided education to poor children. His innovation in education earned him recognition as the patron saint of teachers.

Mosaic art is ancient art form that involves creating images or designs with small colour pieces of glass, stone etc. Mosaic art has been used throughout history to decorate building, religious sites, and public spaces.

While there no direct connection between John Baptist De la Salle and mosaic art, they both have left a long-lasting legacy that continues to inspire and impact people today.

The intricate and detailed work of creating mosaic art requires patience, precision and creativity. This is much like the dedication and commitment that De La Salle demonstrated in his mission to provide education for all children, regardless of their social status.

Fionn McGrath, Oisín Cooke, Darragh Bolger, Ed Whelan, Liam Steenson & George Lyons

Two of the most renowned traditions that are engrained in the history of De La Salle College Waterford are the De La Salle Choir and the Harty Cup. The combination of these two passions was our inspiration for this song. The joined use of harmony with the warrior-like sports chant led to this ‘call and response’ type piece, which we feel acts as a symbol of everything De La Salle means to us.

Throughout our five years in the school each of us has been involved with both sport and music in one way or another, led by positive role models such as, Br Ben Hanlon, Br Thomas Walsh and our school chaplain, Mr Dermot Dooley. These men, like De La Salle, have touched our hearts through the life lessons of kindness and perseverance that they have taught us. Their teachings have changed our lives and we will always remember …

“One Life, One Man, One La Salle”

by Iqbal Marzuki

This is a piece depicting St John Baptiste De La Salle, which I created with watercolour paints. I chose this medium as I have enjoyed art and painting as a hobby from a young age. I started secondary school in De La Salle, Waterford in 2018. During my time here I have learned about his altruistic journey to help educate children less fortunate than he was in terms of education and wealth. His acts of kindness sparked the development of the De La Salle Schools, as well as the Brothers community all around the world. I find it very inspiring how one man, in a single lifetime, was able to make such great changes in educational practices that have been in effect for over 300 years in our schools simply through his determination, devotion and compassion, which is something that we can all learn from.