Tag Archives: green schools

Pumpkin Project

Agricultural Science, Green Schools, Home Economics, News, Science, Wellbeing, , , , ,

Ms Colum’s science classes  began by examining the pumpkin (from investigating measurement, weight & circumference, counting number of seeds, looking at plant cells, genetics through variation of pumpkins) and then developing their artistic/craft skills they designed and carved out their pumpkin creations. The pumpkin flesh was then used in Home Economics cookery class to make delicious pumpkin soup which students and staff all got to sample. The seeds were also used up by roasting them in the oven and made a lovely high fibre snack. This cross curricular project linked in with aspects of wellbeing and our current green schools project.

Climate Action Week Oct 2018

Development Education, Green Schools, News, Wellbeing, , , , , ,

A variety of events took place as part of Climate Action Week 16th-20th October 2018. CSPE Teachers discussed the topic of Climate Change with all of the Junior Classes resulting  in all of those students making a climate pledge outlining one thing that they are going to make an effort at doing that could help with Climate Action. Senior Home Economics classes also made similar pledges. Staff engaged in chat around the topic as part of our Climate Conversation and Cake morning on Tuesday 16th. On Wednesday there was a short Film Screening around the water crises in the world which really got students thinking about the value of water and how we really should make efforts to conserve it. Thursday saw the launch of our new formed club in the school ‘Social Justice Club’ where there was lots of chat around gender inequality. The club will meet on the first Monday of every month and work together on taking meaningful action around the local and global issues that interest them. Congrats to Amelia Woolterton, Ella Van Der Laan, Aoife Kelly and Aoibhinn Meehan who won prizes for the Climate Action Poster Competition.

All of these activities tie in with the hard work the Green Schools and Global Citizenship Education Groups are working on. Thank you to all the teachers who helped out in any way and to students and staff who engaged with this important topic. The Film Screening Clip is on Netflix: ‘Explained’ and the episode is called The World’s Water Crises (18 minutes long) 

Biodiversity Flag 2017

Development Education, Green Schools,

Well done to our Green Schools Committee for all their work on achieving our Biodiversity flag.  Some of the committee members collected our fifth flag at the award ceremony in Claremorris on Thursday 11th May.  The aim of our committee is to create more awareness for students, staff and the wider community on how their lifestyle choices can affect the environment and to ensure that Ballinamore CS remains a green school.  The environment committees have worked throughout the years to achieve the following green flags:

Litter & Waste (Awarded 2009) Energy (2011) Water (2013) Travel (2015) and Biodiversity (2017)

Next year we will begin working on achieving our sixth flag which will be for Global Citizenship – Litter & Waste. In addition to this, our committee continues to work on the other five areas in order to renew them and ensure Ballinamore CS remains as environmentally friendly as possible.

 

Science Gallery FIELD TEST Exhibition

Agricultural Science, Development Education, Green Schools, Home Economics, News, Transition Year 2016, ,

‘Our ability to produce food and products for growing populations on a finite amount of land with limited resources is unquestionably one of the great challenges we face globally. It may not be foremost in our minds when we do our weekly food shop but the decisions we make as consumers and digesters can be critical influencers in the way these challenges play out’ (Science Gallery)

As part of the Development Education module in school TY’s visited the Science Gallery in Trinity College to check out the exhibition that is currently running. The exhibition was very interactive and thought provoking in relation to the area of radical adventures in future farming. Sustainability, biodiversity what type of plants and animals we grow in the future, the use of mycotecture bricks in building (bricks grown from fungi like mushrooms), bee protection, home grown in vetro meat, city farms, insects as an alternative protein food source were all some of the topics discussed during our visit. Our focus this year in school was to look more at the idea of food sustainability both locally and globally and also food security through development education classes so this exhibition helped consolidate the ideas discussed in class.

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2nd year Trip to Mulleady’s Waste Plant, Drumlish

Development Education, Green Schools, News, ,

On Friday 8th May the 2nd year students visited Mulleady’s Waste Plant in Drumlish to learn more about what happens the waste in our wheely bins once it gets collected. Students were shown the various stages  throughout the plant including the recycling picking line where waste gets separated by hand and then the various types of waste gets compacted ready to be reused or in the case of paper gets shipped abroad to be reused. Students gained a deeper insight into what happens the waste and will hopefully be more mindful of separating waste correctly now that they see the process that it must go through once it reaches the plant. It also encourages students to become more aware of food waste and its effects.

 

Green Schools Action Day 2015

Green Schools, News, Parents, Student Council, Transition Year, ,

On Tuesday 3rd March we held our Green Schools Action Day as part of our work on achieving our fourth Green Flag for the theme of TRAVEL. There were a variety of activities on the day to promote greater awareness on the area of travel which included the following-

  • Presentation on road travel and safety from Garda Adrian Keane to students
  • 1st year History class completed a themed walk around Ballinamore taking in various historical buildings and locations around town. Students made a great effort dressing up and getting into the role of various historical figures for the event.
  • Transition Years also went on the historical walk.
  • 3rd year CSPE and TY’s visited Glenview Folk Museum to learn more about the various transport systems.
  • After lunch an interesting experiment was carried out with some students outside the school gates where there is a signpost stating the speed should be 50km. Students raised concerns to Guard Adrian Keane about cars driving past the gates in excess of the speed limit and so Adrian parked the speed van outside the school and students got to see how the process of recording the speed of vehicles works. Interestingly once the garda signs were placed on the van the speed of passing vehicles reduced.
  • There was a Green Schools display in the canteen area to highlight and inform the student body and staff of all the work that has been carried out in various subjects for the past two years as we work towards achieving our flag.
  • Check out some of our pictures from the day along with pictures of students carrying out a traffic survey earlier in the year.