Hi, my name is Lee Doran and I feel privileged to have spent an amazing 8 years at New-Bridge Integrated College. It was a small school when I started in 1996 with just 8 mobile classrooms and therefore I was in a position to experience the growth of the school which was very special.

School is the best time of your life and New-Bridge changed mine forever.
This is where my love for Science & Art flourished which for led to a career as a lecturer  in Newry College for ‘Sports & Exercise Sciences’ and the setting up of my own ‘Sports Injury Clinic’ established in 2006.

New-Bridge was a place that I learnt to treat and respect everyone equally in the classroom, out on the school grounds and even the football pitch. I got to meet some amazing people and I couldn’t have asked for better class mates, many of  whom are still good friends today.  The school introduced me different sports and  thanks to outstanding teachers like DJ Kane and Mr Walker, we got to compete all over Northern Ireland. From cross country to Rugby, we did our best against bigger and more experience schools.  I was also one of the lucky students that got to experience skiing in three different countries. That’s an experience I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life and still have the photos to prove it.

Let’s not forget the teachers whom I’ve always had the biggest admiration for. As a student I looked up to them and now I can call them friends. They were always willing to go the extra mile for us and this was why I treated my students with the same respect at College. It wasn’t hard to see that they cared about you, your future and the choices you made.  New-Bridge was a school that I looked forward to getting out of bed for and it brought out the best in me. I was extremely creative at art and plan to pursue again later in life.

I owe who I am today to New-Bridge Integrated College. On behalf of me ‘thank you New-Bridge’😊

Sarah McDowell

Hi my name is Sarah McDowell and I attended New-Bridge from 2004 to 2011.  My goodness did those 7 years go fast and  I can honestly say they were some of the best years of my life. Everyday I put on my work uniform and go into my job in neonatal intensive care I have to pinch myself at how lucky I am to have my dream job.

When I think about how I got here I will always say it was the incredible school I went to. It was the constant support from my teachers and their persistent attempt to bring out the best in me. It was their belief in me when I didn’t believe in myself. I loved my time at New-Bridge and made some of my life long friends there.

Our year group was incredibly close and most of us still are, almost seven years after leaving. I often miss my time at New-Bridge and my teachers. The teachers at New-Bridge were often my backbone.

New-Bridge’s motto is ” The school for all the family” but to me New-Bridge was my family. A place I felt incredibly safe and supported. I remember being petrified about starting secondary school, however it very quickly became apparent that New-Bridge was all about togetherness.

I never felt alone or that there wasn’t someone I could go to, to ask for help or advice. From learning my basic English and Maths right up to doing my A-Levels I feel I got exactly what I needed and more out of New-Bridge that has allowed me to pursue my dream career. But I feel what I got most out of New-Bridge was the morals and qualities that I’ve carried through life; my ability to accept each individual for who he or she is, my caring nature for others and my determination to follow through all my ambitions.

I often pop back into New-Bridge when I’m back home and I still get the same warm safe feeling as I did when I was there. Has New-Bridge changed? Yes. Each time I return to New-Bridge I see the positive changes it has made and the constant drive to make it the best school it can be to give its students the best opportunities possible. Mrs Anderson leads an incredible school and a safe place for all its students and it will always have a place in my heart.[/box]