‘Brightness Day’ at Curraghboy NS raises funds for Pieta

The school community of Curraghboy NS held a fundraiser for the charity Pieta last week, spreading a bit of colour and positivity in the process. The school raised more than €200 for the charity as part of its ‘Brightness Day’.

At the South Roscommon school, the students wore their brightest clothes to represent the importance of light in reflecting upon positive wellbeing on Valentine’s Day.

The school places a huge importance on student well-being and principal Rory Leonard told the Herald that they were delighted to support such a fantastic cause.

“We are very keen on promoting and protecting this vital aspect of students' lives,” he said.

The fundraising day was part of the school’s involvement in the Amber Flag. This flag celebrates communities that create healthy, supportive, and inclusive environments by promoting mental well-being.

Pieta provides free, therapeutic help to people who are in suicidal distress, engage in self-harm, or who are bereaved by suicide, 24/7. To donate to Pieta, visit www.pieta.ie.

Curraghboy NS has three mainstream teachers, including Mr Leonard, one full time special education teacher and three SNAs.

“It is a beautiful school situated on four acres of recreational space. It is a friendly and caring learning environment with small class sizes. There is a strong sense of camaraderie among the pupils here,” he said.

As well as nurturing well-being, the school also has a very strong record in science, technology and maths. In April, it will be the latest primary school to take part in the Mini Motion Pictures programme, which helps students learn how to be film makers. The programme is being led by award winning film maker Lee Williamson and Mr Leonard said the students were looking forward to taking part.

“We are so pleased to be working with Lee of Shuttermaniac Productions from April 12th. This programme is supported by Samsung, Amazon AWS (Amazon Web Services) and TransACT Technology Solutions. It allows us to use upcycled devices from the department of education to make films, making it a great example of sustainability in technology,” Mr Leonard said.

This is the latest initiative at the school using information technology to promote sustainability and protecting the environment.

“Outside in the school grounds there are QR codes. The children can go and scan them to learn about plants and animals. We really believe in sustainability, all our outdoor benches are 100 per cent recycled, made from plastic that has been repurposed. We also planted a wild garden last year and won a pollinator award in Roscommon County Council’s Greener Spaces Competition. We got first prize in that,” he said, adding the school was now on its fifth Green Flag.

“We are working with Michael Barrett of Microsoft Dream Space on a ‘micro:bits’ project,” he said. 'Micro:bits' are programmable devices that allows students to get hands-on experience with coding.

“The children really love them,” Mr Leonard said, adding that the school was also working with John Shaughnessy of Roscommon County Council on this programme.

Another example of the innovation at the school was last year Mr Leonard submitted a power point presentation on digital technology and sustainability for the German ministry of education as part of a European wide programme on sustainability in education. He also has excellent links with the Dublin West Education Centre and Dr Daithí Ó Murchú.

The school will be having its enrollment evening on Wednesday, February 21st at 6 p.m. and Mr Leonard said he would be delighted to meet any prospective parents and students.