Ashton students ‘think laterally’, and wonder about their ‘wishes’. Competitors from Ashton School for Round 1 of the All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad (AILO) were Senior Cycle students, Caoimhe Gannon, Zac Lumley, Philip Krause, Rebecca Maye, Ewen Lynch, Elisha Leonicio. The All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad (AILO) is the problem solvers’ challenge. The national contest sees secondary school students develop their own strategies for solving complex problems in unfamiliar languages from around the globe. No prior knowledge of linguistics or foreign languages is required. Even the hardest problems require only logical ability, patient work and a willingness to think laterally. AILO introduces students to the application of logic and linguistics (i.e. the study of human language) to problems of language understanding and translation. Transition Year girls from Ashton attended the ‘I WISH’ STEM (Science, Technology. Engineering, Maths) conference recently in the City Hall to hear about opportunities in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, organised by Guidance Counsellor Mrs. Kerins and T.Y. Co-Ordinator Ms. Burke. The overwhelming feedback was affirmative, and students feel they now have a much better understanding of what these subjects entail in relation to Third Level Degree courses, and their application in a ‘real-world’ context.