The congratulations and best wishes of our whole school community are extended to two of our delightful students: Ava in Primary Six, and Primary Seven student - Molly - as both girls were announced winners in South West College’s ‘Sustainable Futures: Our Campus, Our Earth’ competition, in recent times.
South West College’s Sustainability Department was pleased to run an exciting art competition for schools in the region. The goals of this competition were twofold: to ‘commemorate the anniversary of the Erne Campus opening’ and to ‘promote the importance of sustainability and environmental stewardship among the younger generation.’ Through creative expression, the competition invited young artists to ‘envision a sustainable future for the SWC campus and for our planet.’
Sustainability and environmental stewardship are issues and ideals that we very much try to encourage, nurture and develop with our young people in St Mary’s; thus, we were delighted to embrace this opportunity, and proud to support and be associated with SWC.
Having taken cognisance of the criteria on which artworks would be judged - interpretation of the theme, artistic skill and technique, expression of environmental awareness and sustainability principles - a number of children across our Key Stage Two classes were pleased to submit creative and artistic pieces, as entries into the competition.
Our school was thrilled to be informed that St Mary’s had secured two individual winning entries in those of Molly’s and Ava’s. Well done and congratulations, girls! Ava and Molly have each won a SWC Sustainability Department gift pack, a £50.00 One4All Gift Voucher and a trophy.
Because we were the overall winning school in the competition, too, St Mary’s has won a Wind Turbine Kit for our school, and a wonderful opportunity for our Primary Five, Six and Seven children to participate in two workshops in SWC in the coming weeks. The two specially commissioned workshops will be based on ‘Pollinators and Planters’ and ‘Water Conservation and Renewable Technologies’ and will offer our students the opportunity to deepen their learning and understanding of biodiversity, water conservation and the importance of pollinators.
Many congratulations to Molly and to Ava, and to a number of other children who demonstrated such pleasing interest, awareness and knowledge, and creative skills, in these important matters of our time, as our school staff, who continue to promote these vital issues within our classrooms. We also convey our sincere thanks to Ms Supriya Foster - Sustainability Officer, SWC - and her colleagues in the Sustainability Department, and look forward to travelling to the College in the time ahead, to avail of further expertise and learning.
