TY students from Thurles School Reach National Finals in NDC Milk It Awards

Twenty teams of secondary school students from ten counties have been short-listed to take part in the 2014 national finals of the NDC Milk It Awards, with a chance for the winning team to have their campaign transformed into a television advertisement and aired on TV3 and 3e.

A national survey has shown that 42% of Irish teenage girls and 23% of Irish teenage boys have insufficient calcium intakes (Ref 1). The NDC Milk It Awards programme aims to help teenagers learn about the nutritional benefits of the ‘milk, yogurt and cheese’ food group in a fun and engaging way.

Students from 1^st – 6^th year were challenged to set up their own ‘advertising agency’ with up to six team members and to create a ‘Milk It’ campaign based on a brief and guidelines. The team-based national initiative has cross-curricular applications for teachers and students.

A total of 358 school teams from 26 counties initially registered for the 2014 NDC Milk It Awards.  This year has seen 1,554 secondary school students actively participate in the first phase of the competition – involving the preparation of a campaign outline and submission to the judges in a two-minute video pitch.

100 teams from 22 counties were short-listed to go through to the second phase of the competition.  Provided with web support, media and nutrition guidance the students expanded their projects to show how their creative and strategic campaigns could be activated.

National Finalists

The judges have now selected the twenty teams (10 Junior and 10 Senior) who have successfully won a place at the national finals, to take place in Dublin on 15^th May, 2014, as part of National Dairy Week.   TV personality Deric Hartigan from 3e will be master of ceremonies for the NDC Milk It Awards, at the Round Room, adjacent to Dublin’s Mansion House.

3e’s Deric Hartigan: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be hosting the NDC Milk It Awards this year. It is such an exciting competition and I’m honoured to be a part of this initiative which encourages the young advertisers of the future! The standard is through the roof again this year so there is no doubt that the competition will be extremely close. I’m really looking forward to seeing the finished projects!”

National Broadcast Prize

This year’s awards have an exciting new dimension for students with the chance for the winning campaign to be transformed into a TV ad and broadcast on national television.  The National Dairy Council has teamed up with TV3 and 3e to offer this fantastic prize.

The overall winning team of secondary school students will have a day’s experience including a visit to TV3/3e television studios for a tour and a chance to brainstorm with creative experts and work with a commercial producer, who will be responsible for bringing the students’ campaign to life for broadcast on 3e and TV3.

The overall winners and the runners up will also receive One4all vouchers. The teacher of the overall winning team will receive a weekend break for two in Ireland.

2014 National Finalists – Junior Category 

• ·         “Bonnies Buddies” 2^nd Year students from Assumption Secondary School, Kilnamanagh Road, Walkinstown, Dublin  – Sophie Lyons, Sarah Craine, Rebecca King, Katie O’Brien, Kirsty Doyle (Teacher Mary Hegarty)
• ·         “Udderly Milky” 1^st Year students from Causeway Comprehensive School, Causeway, Tralee, Co. Kerry – Lisa Kearney, Cora O’Connor, Ciara Keane, Chloe Boyle, Roisin Teague, Tara Moriarty (Teacher Eimear Buckley)
• ·         “The Milkbusters” – 3^rd Year students from Dominican College Sion Hill, Cross Avenue, Blackrock, Co. Dublin – Sabine Haller, Tara Jenkins, Katie Doyle, Amy Giblin, Rachel Fitzpatrick, Fiona Cullen (Teacher Seanagh McCarthy)
• ·         “The Moo Crews” – 1^st Year students from Kildare Town Community School, Dunmurray Road, Kildare, Co. Kildare – Shannon O’Shea, Niamh Crowe, Marie O’Malley, Kirsty Hyland-Mulhall (Teacher Elizabeth Urell)
• ·         “Dairy to Dream” – 2^nd Year students from Maigh Ené College, Church Road, Bundoran, Co. Donegal – Eimear Colreavy, Rozarah Glenane, Laura Russell, Anna-Maya Pawlowski, Mary Loughlin, Breege Clancy (Teacher Kim Igoe)
• ·         “Dairy Diamonds” – 2^nd Year students from O’Carolan College, Nobber, Co. Meath – Laura Gordon, Shauna Hanratty, Claire Keogan, Mary Horgan, Sadhbh Leahy (Teacher Helena Tierney)
• ·         “The Dukes of Dairy” – 2^nd Year students from St. Francis College, Rochestown, Co. Cork – Fabrizio Sforza, Robert Cahill, James Hodnett, Mark Llewellyn, Sean O’Donoghue, Paul McLaughlan (Teacher Kelly McEntee)
• ·         “XFacta Ad Agency” – 2^nd Year students from St. Paul’s Community College, Browne’s Road, Waterford, Co. Waterford – Jenny Guiry, Shauna English, Cian Rockert, Jack Bray, Tadgh Cullen, Mikaella Dunne (Teachers Ann Barron/Philip Murphy)
• ·         “Moolicious” – 2^nd Year students from St. Peter’s Community School, Passage West, Co. Cork – Alanna Zerbane, Keela Murray, Andrew Corkery, Sarah O’Callaghan (Teacher Frances Clarke)
• ·         “Milky Moos” – 2^nd Year students from The Royal & Prior Comprehensive School, Raphoe, Co. Donegal – Shania Knox, Emma Gallagher, Charlene Wilson, John Clay, Mark Buchanan (Teacher Lorna Campbell)

2014 National Finalists – Senior Category 

• ·         “Offaly Milky” – 5^th Year students from Ard Scoil Chiaran Naofa, Frederick Street, Clara, Co. Offaly – Luke Dignam, Colm Doyle, Carl Stewart, Anu Oguntayo, George Robbins, Jack Handy (Teacher Andrea Egan)
• ·         “Smoolicious” – TY students from Ard Scoil na Tríonóide, Rathstewart, Athy, Co. Kildare – Ellen Purcell, Eadaoin Burgess, Clodagh Walsh, Emma Owens, Anna Cully, Adam Ryan (Teacher Jacqueline Cooper)
• ·         “Milkify” – TY students from Avondale Community College, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow – Rory O’Kelly, James Quinn, Stephen Cullen, David Byrne, Lorcan Shannon (Teacher Teresa Byrne)
• ·         “Dairy Fairies Inc.” – TY students from Coláiste Na Toirbhirte, Árd Aoibhinn, Bandon, Co. Cork – Louise McCan, Oliver Maher, Katie Lynch, Ruth Crowley, Elaine Murphy, Eadaoin O’Riordain (Teacher Siobhan Fitzgerald)
• ·         “The Chunder Wonders” – 5^th year students from De La Salle College, Newtown, Waterford, Co. Waterford – Nathan Long, Jack Walsh, Robert Sheehan (Teacher Nicola Lee)
• ·         “Legendairy” – TY students from Presentation Secondary School, Tralee, Co. Kerry – Leanne Hanafin, Aisling Clark, Moira Hanafin (Teachers Bernie O’Connor/ Sarah Coffey)
• ·         “RevolutionDairy” – TY students from Santa Sabina Dominican College, Greenfield Road, Sutton, Co. Dublin – Carla Kaveh, Emma Wilson, Orla Mulligan (Teacher Sean Campbell)
• ·         “Milkelline” – TY students from St. Aloysius College – Siobhán Marley, Jenny O’Keeffe, Ciara Murphy, Claire O’Brien, Jane McGauran, Nora Murphy (Teacher Ann Marie Haran)
• ·         “Belle Bó Advertising” – TY students from St. Mary’s Secondary School, Convent of Mercy, Macroom, Co. Cork – Shauna Buckley, Niamh Dineen, Niamh Relihan, Laura Murphy, Sinead Cronin, Kirstin O’Reilly (Teachers Arlene O’Donoghue/ Eibhlin Collins)
• ·         “The White Tache Brigade” – TY students from Ursuline Secondary School, Templemore Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary – Maeve Carew, Lucy Hayes, Mollie Kavanagh, Áine Coman (Teacher Annette Flanagan)

Updates about the national competition will be published at www.milkitawards.ie. #ndcmilkit on Twitter.