Active School Flag for Dromclough

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Last Friday was a very special day for Dromclough N.S. as they raised their very first Active School Flag. Pupils, teachers, parents, invited guests and members of the wider school community all joined in the celebrations, a culmination of two years of hard work making improvements in the areas of fitness, sport and physical education.

The Active School Flag – the sporting version of the more widely renowned Green Flag – is bestowed on schools for their efforts in promoting physical education and physical activity within the school that meet the needs of all. It gives children an opportunity to develop a love for sport and living a healthy lifestyle as they are encouraged to take part in a minimum of 60 minutes physical activity per day. Establishing links and partnerships with other supportive groups, clubs and agencies that cater for physical education provision is also a key feature of the project.

The ceremony brought a close to Active School Week – five days in school life where books were given a back seat as activities such as soccer tournaments, orienteering trails, long puck competitions, taster workshops, circuit training and the annual “Sports-for-All” day took centre stage. This year, the highlight for many of the children was the eagerly anticipated “Teachers vs. Students Fun Soccer Challenge” in which the pupils of 6th class won 3-0!

As the sun basked down on the assembled crowd, Kevin Enright, ASF Coordinator for the school, spoke in detail about the successful campaign they embarked on to achieve an Active School status. He paid tribute to the strong team they have in Dromclough ably led by Principal, Ms. Mary O’ Connor. Local Kerry Senior footballer and special guest Shane Enright was on hand to raise the flag much to the delight of everyone present. The pupils were treated to an ice cream cone each from the Ice Cream Van to mark this achievement.

Pictured are: Mr. Kevin Enright & Mr. Kevin Stack (teachers) with Kerry Footballer Shane Enright and the pupils of the Active Schools Committee of Dromclough NS.