Thursday, June 2nd 2022 saw the grand opening of our Classroom in the Sun!
If you have been keeping a close eye on our school website over the last two years you will have seen all the tremendous work and creativity the children of St. Mary's Junior have undertaken along with our Creative Associate and artist Clodagh Emoe through our Creative Schools initiative.
The Classroom in the Sun project was initiated over two years ago through our engagement with the Creative Schools initiative. Creative Schools is a flagship initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme to enable the creative potential of every child. Creative Schools is led by the Arts Council in partnership with the Department of Education and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
We were partnered with our Creative Associate and artist Clodagh Emoe and began by engaging the children in conversations and questioning about how we might establish ways and methods of stimulating their imaginations, harnessing their curiosity, and enhancing their creative abilities. What really emerged from these discussions and interactions with the children was their passion or enjoyment in being outside; be it the fairy garden, the playground, or the grassy areas we are so lucky to have on the grounds of our school and indeed in the local Collinstown Park.
Creativity and collaboration are at the heart of this project, informed by the children. Through Clodagh, we connected with national institutions including trips to IMMA, the National Botanic Gardens, Phoenix Park/OPW. We worked with ecologists, botanists, horticulturists, designers, and artists and as a result, the children of St. Mary's designed their own multi-purpose biodiverse outdoor learning space. The Classroom in the Sun incorporates a Greenhouse where the children can grow plants and learn, raised beds with herbs, potatoes, raspberries, and strawberries, and their own Orchard. There are 13 fruit trees for every class in the school, planted by every child in the school.
The Classroom in the Sun radiates beyond the school to the local community with input and support from St. Mary's Parents' Gardening Group, Liscarne Community Centre, Stepping Stone Forest, English's Fruit Nursery, North Clondalkin Library, and Clondalkin Men's Shed.
We hope to screen our Classroom in the Sun film at North Clondalkin Library in the coming weeks...keep an eye out for further details!
