Sr. Paulinus became Principal in 1962. Sr. Columbanus stayed on for a while to help and then moved to Kilmore and on to Newry in later years. . Sr. Paulinus was a gentle Principal with a huge responsibility. She was in charge of a big school, Primary and Secondary and she was also teaching Inter and Leaving Cert. students as well. She loved to teach, especially Irish, and often found it frustrating to be called away in the middle of "Peig" or "Steal S6adna".
To make up for time "lost" on her students she often walked to school at nine o'clock on Saturday mornings so that she could work without fear of interruption for at least one day in the week. Some of her colleagues in the secondary school during her time teaching there were Srs. Dominica, Justinian Inez, Clare, Stephanus, Teresa Carmel, Murdoch and Marie du Sartre Coeur. Some of these nuns have resumed their own names and would hardly recognise themselves with their old titles.
The fifties and early sixties will be remembered by some as the time of the County Council Scholarships. As well as sitting the Primary Cert in 6th Class some students who were deemed capable sat "the scholarship". The reward for passing this exam was fifty pounds a year for five years to help with secondary education. If a girl went to boarding school she got eighty pounds a year.
The secondary school pupils were getting involved in choirs, Cór Fhéiles, debates and public speaking so it was planned to get a new uniform exclusively for the secondary. When the girls heard this they were delighted and began designing. This was the sixties. The favourite design was an A - Line mini skirt in black and white with red tights. This was not what they got, however. Instead it was a blue gymslip, a butter colour blouse, a black blazer and a black and blue striped tie. It had to be accepted but not the little black hats. Most girls "wouldn't be seen dead in them". They were seldom worn. One good thing that could be said for the uniform was that it had a big pocket and a wide yoke in the front which was great for smuggling
