Three Tipperary Schools Among Winning Entries of Green-Schools Water Award Winners

Winning schools achieve up to 67% reduction in water usage through a Joint An Taisce EEU and Irish Water Initiative

• Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré take home prize for Southern Region’s Secondary School of the Year

• John Carey of Coláiste Dún Iascaigh, Cahir wins Green-Schools Irish Water Poster Competition for Southern Region

• Leanne Donegan & Constance Quinlan, Ursuline Secondary School named as new Water Ambassadors

Pictured at the Green-Schools Water Awards supported by Irish Water were Green-Schools Water Ambassadors’ Constance Quinlan and Leanne Donegan, Ursuline Secondary School, Thurles with Jerry Grant, Acting MD, Irish Water, and Michael John O’Mahony, Director, An Taisce Envrionmental Education Unit.

 Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré, Roscrea was crowned the Southern Region’s secondary school of the year at this year’s Green Schools ‘Water School of the Year’ awards, supported by Irish Water. The awards recognise the dedication and innovation shown by schools that have been working on the Water theme and are receiving the Green Flag award for Water this year. This is the third year of the awards, which also celebrated the winners of the Green-Schools Irish Water Poster Competition with Coláiste Dún Iascaigh student John Carey among those honoured for his entry Be Water Smart.

Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré worked on raising awareness of water conservation throughout the school with a series of school competitions and action days, adopting the code: ‘Do Your Part, Be Water Smart’. They also conducting leak tests and a water use survey amongst both staff and students. They located local water bodies, investigated rainwater harvesting and looked at environmentally-friendly cleaning products.

Greystones Educate Together, were crowned the overall winner in the primary schools category at this year’s Irish Water Green-Schools “Water School of the Year” awards. Seamount College, Kinvara, Galway took the top prize in the secondary school category.

Pictured at the Green-Schools Water Awards supported by Irish Water was John Carey, Coláiste Dún Iascaigh, Cahir with Jerry Grant, Acting MD, Irish Water, and Michael John O’Mahony, Director, An Taisce Envrionmental Education Unit.

For the first time this year, six Green-Schools ambassadors for the water theme were chosen from four regions in Ireland, with Leanne Donegan and Constance Quinlan of the Ursuline College, Thurles chosen for their innovative methods of communicating and outreach not only to their school but also to the wider community. A Green-Schools UCT Facebook page was set up, featuring a ‘Humans of Green-Schools’ campaign along the lines of Humans of New York. They publicised their initiatives with local newspaper articles and created a video highlighting the impact their work on the ambassador programme has made on the students in their school.

Speaking at the awards Jerry Grant, Acting Managing Director at Irish Water said “Irish Water is delighted to be supporting the Green-Schools Water programme for a third year. The success the students have achieved in reducing their school’s water usage and raising awareness about water issues highlights how important it is to learn about the value of water and water conservation from a young age.” He added, “I would like to congratulate all those who entered the awards, they should be very proud of their achievements.”

Pictured at the Green-Schools Water Awards supported by Irish Water was Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré, Roscrea, the Southern Region’s Secondary Water School of the Year with Jerry Grant, Acting MD, Irish Water, and Michael John O’Mahony, Director, An Taisce Envrionmental Education Unit.

Speaking at the awards was Green-Schools Manager Cathy Baxter: “Thank you so much to all our fabulous participating students and teachers who have achieved such impressive results on the Water theme this year. We’re particularly excited about the Water Ambassador Programme – well done to all our Ambassadors! We look forward to continuing to work with you all in the future.”

Schools were shortlisted for the award based on their application for the Green Flag award, the deadline for which was on Friday, 11 March 2016. An Taisce Green-Schools presented the winning schools with their Green Flags for Water today. This month 191 schools from across the country will be awarded with the Green Flag for Water.

Winners: Irish Water Green-School of the Year Award:

Overall Winners

• Eastern Midlands Primary: Greystones Educate Together National School, Co. Wicklow

• Ulster Connaught Secondary: Seamount College, Kinvara, Co. Galway

Dublin region:

• Dublin primary winner: Ranelagh Multi-Denominational School, Dublin 6
• Dublin Secondary: St. Aidan’s Community School, Tallaght

Southern Region:

• Southern primary: CBS Primary School Kilkenny
• Southern secondary: Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary

Ulster Connaught Region: 

• Ulster Connaught Primary: The Vale National School (aka St. Felim’s NS), Bailieborough, Cavan

Eastern Midlands Region:

• Eastern Midlands Secondary: St. Aloysius College, Athlone, Co. Westmeath

Winners of this year’s Green-Schools Irish Water Poster Competition 2016:

Junior Primary (Infants – 2^nd class)

• Overall Winner: Calan Murphy, Donabate Portrane Educate Together NS
• Eastern Midlands Regional Winner: Rachel Walsh, Melview National School, Longford
• Southern Regional Winner: Holly McCoy, Summercove National School, Cork
• Ulster Connaught Regional Winner: Aodh Mac Mahúna Scoil Rois, Monaghan

Senior Primary (3^rd – 6^th class)

• Overall Winner: Ríona Furlong, Scoil Iosagáin, Wexford
• Eastern Midlands Regional Winner: Marta Barwik, St. Patrick’s NS, Celbridge, Kildare
• Dublin Regional Winner: Mallaidh Ryan, Rathfarnham Educate Together National School, Dublin
• Ulster Connaught Regional Winner: Maria Dignam, Glanduff NS

Secondary

• Overall Winner 2016: Sinéad Tattan, Holy Child Secondary School, Killiney, Dublin
• Eastern Midlands Regional Winner: Sophie Newman, Ardee Community School, Louth
• Southern Regional Winner: John Carey, Coláiste Dún Iascaigh, Cahir, Co. Tipperary
• Ulster Connaught Regional Winner: Kasia Zarzycka, Mercy College, Galway

Green-Schools Water Ambassadors:

• Brendan Ngandu from St. Marys Diocesan School in Louth
• Erin Flaherty-White from Galway Community College
• Leanne Donegan and Constance Quinlan from Ursuline Secondary School, Thurles, Co. Tipperary
• Jane Myers and Rachel Phelan from Presentation Secondary School Waterford