Our School

For a number of years, we have been participating in the Green Schools initiative. Our aim has been to make the school more environmentally friendly.

We are currently aiming for our fourth 'Green Flag'. The first flag was achieved for our excellent in waste management. We managed to bin in the school by over 60%. We now recycle paper, batteries, mobile phones and even stamps. Each classroom uses three bins for various recycling activities.

The second flag was achieved through our work on reducing the amount of energy used by the school. We have encouraged pupils and teachers alike to turn off lights and appliances when not being used. Our lights now have sensors and only turn on when there is movement in the classroom. We managed to slash the schools energy bills as well as protect the environment.

For our third flag, we focused on water conservation. We placed plastic bottles full of water in the cisterns to reduce the amount being used while flushing. We placed notices in toilets around the school to remind all pupils and teachers to turn off taps. The school has now been fitted with new toilets which use far less water than previously.

We are currently working on our fourth flag, this time for transport to and from the school. We have introduced a programme called the walking bus, where a number of parents have volunteered to walk children to school. W.O.W. (Walk on Wednesdays) has been introduced where children are encouraged to get out of their cars and help the environment for one day a week. C.O.W. (Cycle on Wednesdays) has been introduced to encourage children to cycle to school.

Also, our school has a gardening programme which we are extremely proud of. We have lots of plants around the school. This year we have set up a potato patch. Needless to say, we use our own compost to help our garden grow! Green Schools has been a great success in our school. Over the past number of years, the pupils, staff and parents alike have become more environmentally aware and active.

Thanks to the Green Schools Officers and indeed all the puils of our school for their hard work. A huge thanks also to Mr. Downes who puts in a great of behind the scenes!

By Ross Kavanagh and Scott McMyler