Vincentian community in Ethiopia, for two to three weeks each summer, overseen by the VLM – Vincentian Lay Missionaries. The first group in 2008 traveled to Mekelle in Northern Ethiopia and since 2009 the students have traveled to Ambo, Ethiopia. Successful applicants are trained and engage in a range of voluntary work for those struck by extreme poverty in Ambo, including teaching in the local Vincentian school, working in the Vincentian Food Programme, the Vincentian School for the Deaf, a leprosy village befriending members of the community and coaching Ambo United Football Club. Students are required to raise sufficient funds to meet their travel and subsistence expenses, and events are organised within and without the college to raise funds. This development programme has enabled the construction of expanded education facilities and the provision of medical and food supplies. Other extra–curricular activities Extra–curricular activities offered include membership of the painting society, the chess club, Irish literature – Ceardlann Litríocht na Gaeilge, the Cumann Gaeilge, the maths society, the prefect mentoring system, debating, band, music, language societies (French, Spanish, German and Chinese), book club, student enterprise, SVP – Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, speech and drama, charity work, the history society and Picasso's Left Ear (student intellectual publication). Chess In 2007 the under-16 chess team won the Leinster Championship and finished runners-up in the All-Ireland Championship. Sixth year student, Anthony Bourached, recently won the Leinster Under-18 Chess Championship. Christopher O'Reilly,one of the two sixth years who currently teach chess at the school is a grandmaster and both students have competed on an international level winning a number of trophies in the process. Debating Debating is a tradition dating back to the school's foundation. It was originally taught in the school curriculum during the Victorian era and was originally known as 'public oration'. There are separate clubs for junior and senior pupils. The school's debating society has contributed to the Irish World Schools Debating Team, with five students representing Ireland since the competition's beginning in 1988. In both 2007 (Alan Henry & Liam O'Connell) and 2008 (Adam Noonan & Killian Breen) the college won the Leinster Schools Senior Debating Championships. The Past Pupils' Union coordinates the annual College Union Debate where students and Pastmen debate against each other. Past speakers at the Union Debate include former Attorney General Paul Gallagher, Eunan O'Halpin, Mick Quinn and Irish Times correspondent Patsy McGarry. The college