As part of the celebrations for European Day of Languages GCE Committee members organised a table at lunch with some sweet treats from across Europe for students to sample. Thank you to Teodora who made Romanian Chec and Aitiana and Claudia who made Spanish Torryas.
Inspired by VOICE IRELAND’s initiative called ‘Second Hand September’ members of the Social Justice Committee decided to take action with all the unclaimed items in the lost and found room here in school. There was a wide range of class materials from brand new copies, folders and stationary that had been left around the school last year along with unclaimed clothing. The committee members set up a table displaying all the items during lunch and students who genuinely needed materials for class were able to avail of them. This helped reuse these items rather than contributing to more waste.
Students, staff and members of our community gathered outside for our flag raising ceremony. We also celebrated our achievement on being the National Winners for the Global Citizenship Energy theme.
Special thanks to Mr Mullen, Ms Colum, Ms Cooney & Ms Griffin who coordinate the programme.
On Thursday 19th May the two first year Home Economics classes visited the Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun. The Rediscovery Centre is Ireland’s National Centre for the Circular Economy. The students participated in a sustainable living workshop. Students learned more about the UN Global Goals and how interconnected they all are, they explored ways to be more sustainable with resources in their daily lives.
Best Secondary School in Ireland Award for Ballinamore CS in National Green Schools Ceremony, May 2022
On the 19th May, 2022 Ballinamore CS were once again crowned as Best Secondary School in Ireland for their successful completion of their Green School programme, Global Citizenship and Energy.
Ballinamore CS had previously been crowned Best Secondary School in Ireland in 2019 for their Global Citizenship and Litter and Waste programme.
To get to the National finals Ballinamore CS had to implement their programme for a minimum of 2 years on the Global Citizenship and Energy theme. Ballinamore CS were selected as Regional winners for the North and West Region and were then short listed for the National finals along with Secondary school winners from Dublin, East and Midlands, Leinster and the South of Ireland
The ceremony was held in the Radisson Blu hotel in Athlone, where Mr Mullen and 5 representatives from the Green School team in Ballinamore CS were present. The Green Schools programme was furst implemented in 2006 in what was then Ballinamore PPS. We received our 1st Green flag in 2007 and now in 2022 we have achieved our 7th. Each flag deals with a new aspect of the Green School’s programme.
Some of the many initiatives carried out in the school included;
Waste battery collection
A Clothes collection fundraiser for Guide Dogs
Fair Trade Week
Climate Justice Week
Climate Action Protest
Junk Couture
Digital Christmas Card
Setting up a Social Justice Club
Global Citizenship Passport
Planted trees and Flowers
Grew vegetables for Home Economics
Planted Cross-Pollinater plants
Purchased Outside Seating from Recycled Materials
April Spring Clean each year
Poster Competitions
Filtered Water Dispenser installed ( To reduce Plastic Bottle usage )
These are also a number of features in our school which helps reduce our Energy Consumption.
We use Grey Water for our washing and toilets. We have sensor lights and touch taps in all our toilets. We have Solar panels on the roof and we get our heating from Natural gas.
We would sincerely like to thank all pupils, parents, teachers, school management and BAM FM staff on a truely remarkable effort and achievement.
Particular thanks needs to go to the Green School Committee across the whole school and our 3 co-ordinators, Mr Mullen, Ms Cooney and Ms Colum.
Also to all the classes who were involved in the programme over the 3 years including Mr Mullen’s 2B CSPE class, Ms Cooney’s Home Ec classes and Ms Colum’s Agricultural Science classes. We would also like to thank Mr Kane and the Students Council and Ms Cooney for coordinating the Social Justice Club.
Our school plans to have a flag raising ceremony in September 2022 when we will comnence on our next Green School theme, Global Citizenship and Water.
We hope that involvement in this programme helps to forge a life long commitment to protecting the environment and to help combat Climate Change.
Well done to all on a great achievement
Well done to TY students Madison Conway & Aisling O Brien on their entry for this year’s Junk Kouture competition. Their creation ‘Soar with Seshat’ (Soar represents the wings in their design and Seshat was the Egyptian Goddess of Books) is made fully out of materials they recycled and repurposed, and was completed as part of Ms Cooney’s Global Citizenship Education Module. Amazing work girls! 
Thank you to Hugh Bergin from Self Help Africa who gave two informative workshops to the TY students as part of their GCE. Students learned more about what the Sustainable Development Goals are, more about gender equality and also the area of trade justice globally.
In our efforts to reduce fast fashion in school, 1st year Home Economics students upcycled old jumpers from home into Christmas themed ones. Well done to all students on their creativity and sustainable efforts in making them.
