There were proud parents and delighted girls and boys aplenty last Friday morning as two of Cork’s Community National Schools (CNS) gathered together in the Carrigaline Court Hotel to sing, dance and celebrate their students’ talents and achievements. The two schools in question, Scoil Aonghusa in Mallow and Scoil Chlíodhna in Carrigtwohill – both of which are governed by the Cork Education and Training Board (CETB) – are child-centred, multi-denominational primary schools, which provide high quality education and maintain an ethos of equal education for each of their students.
The celebratory concert began on a high note, with all students from both schools coming together to perform the inspiring song ‘Hello to All the Children of the World’. The students of Scoil Aonghusa provided more entertainment, with pupils from Junior Infants up to 6th class showing their talent through dance spectacles, poetry recitations, tin whistle compilations and the performance of an array of well-known songs.
The Community National School model was first launched in 2008 as a response by the State to increasing diversity within Irish society, which called for more choice through publicly managed primary schools. In operation since 2014, Scoil Aonghusa CNS was the first Community National School to open in Munster and currently caters for 105 students and 12 teaching staff.
Commenting at the celebratory concert, CETB’s Chief Executive Denis Leamy said: “As the first Munster-based CNS institute, Scoil Aonghusa has been nothing short of exemplary in terms of their achievements over the past five years and counting. A more recent addition to the CNS family, Scoil Chlíodhna will eventually cater for all classes from Junior Infants to Sixth Class. Both schools are continuously challenging and nurturing their students with one goal in mind; to bring out their full potential both personally and academically. Cork ETB looks forward to fostering this commitment in the years to come and to seeing the personalities of each student shine through as a result, just as they have done today.”
For more information on Scoil Aonghusa visit www.scoilaonghusacns.ie. To find out more about Scoil Chlíodhna, visit scoilchliodhnacns.ie.

Green Flag for
biodiversity
Families can encourage sustainable living and change how they eat, live, use resources and impact on their environment, to help preserve and protect the world they live in. The pupils of Scoil Aonghusa are learning by example both from their parents and also from their school, peers and teachers. Educational environmental ethos is so very important in early education. Young children learn by example and can develop habits that will last a lifetime. They are eager and enthusiastic young minds who are innately interested in their world and willing without prejudice to accept new concepts and ideals. Scoil Aonghusa C.N.S was awarded the Green Schools Achievement Award this year. The Green Schools  is an international environmental education programme, environmental management system and award system that promotes and acknowledges long-term, whole school action for the environment. Scoil Aonghusa was recently awarded the prestigious Green schools flag for the pupils work on biodiversity. The school now has five Green Flags and members of the pupil green schools committee received their biodiversity flag at an awards ceremony at the Radisson Hotel in Cork two weeks ago. Led by their pupil committee, all the classes worked this year to preserve and protect biodiversity at home and around their school. Class projects included creating a bug hotel, making bird feeders, rearing oak tree seedlings and planting bulbs. Pupils, staff and families are also looking forward to developing a school garden and have just started a ‘no-dig vegetable beds’ project with the help of Marian Ward of the Learning Network Pathways Programme.
Green Schools Teaching Co-ordinator Stephanie Mulcahy recommended the programme and said “this was a wonderful experience for the children, they learned all about the local environment and how to preserve and protect it for their future thus instilling environmental care and ethos in their community.”
If you would like more information on the Green Schools programme which runs all over the world, visit www.greenschoolsireland.org
Scoil Aonghusa was also awarded an SFI Discover Science and Maths Award for the 2018/2019 academic year. The school provided and facilitated an educational programme that increased pupils engagement with Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.