Mount Temple pupils grow their school garden!

Earlier this year, primary and secondary school pupils from Athlone and surrounding areas came up with creative ideas for improving the environment when they took part in the annual Arcadia Creative Climate Awards. In the weeks ahead, we'll be taking a look at some of their projects and findings...

In the 2024 Arcadia Creative Climate Awards, pupils from An Grianán NS in Mount Temple decided to dedicate their project to improving biodiversity in their school by creating a School Sensory Garden and Outdoor Classroom.

These annual awards, sponsored by Arcadia Retail Park, aim to get local primary and secondary schools thinking about how to help our environment. The competition is run in conjunction with Cllr Frankie Keena's 'Junior Mayor' initiative, and concluded this year with an exhibition at the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) in Athlone in April.

The awards this year attracted entries from 10 primary schools and 3 secondary schools across the Midlands. Students proudly displayed their favourite climate-focused and environmental projects, showcasing the green initiatives undertaken by their schools.

This annual awards event serves as a platform for schools to highlight their efforts towards sustainability and environmental stewardship. It not only recognises the dedication of young minds to making a positive impact but also inspires others to join in the movement towards a greener future.

The theme for this year's awards was 'giving young people a voice', and the An Grianán NS pupils certainly used theirs!

One of the main principles of their project was ensuring that the whole school community could get involved, from junior infants to sixth class.

They decided to build their sensory garden because they had an "ideal site at the back of the school, a stunning space under the overhanging boughs of ancient beech trees with the mount as a backdrop, a site where children would be absolutely surrounded by nature".

The parents' association in Mount Temple organised several fundraising initiatives. The goal included the creation of eight permanent raised bed growing boxes, and six octagonal tables with integrated seating all made from eco-friendly composite material. This eco-friendly composite material lasts forever but is very expensive, and An Grianán NS wished to thank the parents' association for all its hard work.

Heritage in school specialist Annette Corkery checked in regularly with the project and supported the staff, pupils, and parents alike. Under Annette's tutelage the garden was designed, hundreds of trees were sowed, the boxes were planted, the pond was dug, and the the willow dome and willow teepees were built.

The 'Trees on the Land' organisation donated 250 free native trees. An Grianán was also awarded funding from The Arts Council as part of the Creative School Programme. As part of the Creative Schools Programme, every child painted a rock which has become part of the sensory pathway into the garden. The pupils even got to work along side local artist Patsy Preston to create colourful hand printed bunting around the garden, made out of recycled tents left over from festivals.

The outdoor classroom sits 36 children and is used for learning, playtime, and even a picnic area!

Additionally, their sensory garden, with its appeal to all five senses, has become a place of sanctuary, beauty, mindfulness and interest for every child in the school. It has a positive impact on children's wellbeing and teaches them through direct experience the importance of nature and the positive effect it has on our mental health.

In conjunction with Athlone Education Centre, An Grianán also hosted a week-long summer course for teachers. 'Myths, Heritage & The Outdoor Classroom' was facilitated by Annette Corkery and Ann Gerety Smyth from Heritage in Schools.

This hugely enjoyable and extremely practical course explored local mythology, heritage and biodiversity, as well as ways to make better use of the school garden. Twenty-five teachers from across the Midlands, including four teachers from An Grianán itself, completed the course, which was a tremendous success.

The founder of the Junior Mayor Initiative, Cllr Frankie Keena sincerely thanked the schools who participated in the Arcadia Climate event this year. "It was fantastic to see the level of confidence and depth of knowledge of the students on the subject matter as they explained their respective projects to members of the public. The student voice was just exceptional on the day," he said.

"These climate awards would not have taken place only for the marvellous sponsorship received from Fiachra McLoughlin, Arcadia Retail Park. The financial and hands on support from Fiachra is just fantastic who was ably assisted by Katie Gleeson and Morgan Fagg.

"We were absolutely thrilled to host these awards for the second year in a row at the TUS campus thanks to the marvellous and endless support from Joanne Gillivan. This brought the status of the event to a much higher level and it created a 'wow'' factor for the students and staff," Cllr Keena concluded.