County Roscommon school announced as Community Champions winner
Fourth, fifth and sixth class students of Scoil Mhuire Lourdes, Loughglynn were recently announced as the winners of the Community Champions Award as part of the Junior Entrepreneur Programme (JEP).
The fourth, fifth and sixth class students of Scoil Mhuire Lourdes, Loughglynn were recently announced as the winners of the Community Champions Award as part of the Junior Entrepreneur Programme (JEP).
Their successful business, Parish Pages, is a 48-page parish magazine featuring local stories, interviews, events and nostalgia.
Parish Pages is the first community magazine produced in the parish for over 20 years, with pupils from Lisacul and Gorthaganny schools also getting involved in the project.
Local entrepreneurs lent their experience while their teacher Rebecca Finan also gave her support as the Loughglynn pupils gathered storis and hundreds of photographs for the project.
Stories included in the magazine range from an interview with Fr Yashin, the parish priest hailing from Kerala, India, to a number of contributions from local clubs, groups and organisations.
The class hopes to make a profit of €1,500 through advertising and magazine sales and plans to use the money for a class trip and pizza treat.
After launching and selling their magazine, pupils remarked with how “proud,” “happy” and “excited” they were. One pupil stated, “I felt proud because everyone did such an amazing job.” Marie Lynch, co-founder and Managing Director of the JEP, highlighted the importance of the programme.
“JEP has become a rite of passage for children in primary schools. They pool their skills and talents to turn an idea into reality and experience real-world success. They forge deeper bonds with each other, and, for many, it is the highlight of their primary school year,” Ms Lynch said.
Parish Pages is available for purchase at Creaton’s Bar, Loughglynn.
