Listowel boys’ primary school is undertaking a major fundraising drive in early 2017.
The school is hosting a fundraising weekend next Easter (April 15-16) featuring a sponsored 20km walk, a football blitz, and other events centred around the school.
The fundraising target is €60,000 – the money will be used to upgrade IT facilities in the school,
particularly the purchase of Promethean interactive whiteboard technology for every classroom
The fundraising drive, the first in the school since a similar initiative helped to fund improved all-weather sports facilities in 2006, will be launched on Friday, January 20 next in the school when full details of the ambitious plans will be revealed
Education is about moving with the times and new ideas and Scoil Réalta na Maidine in Listowel is doing just that with its plans to introduce the latest educational technology to the classroom in 2017. The school is planning a major fundraising drive early next year to raise funds for new high-tech interactive
educational devices which, according to Principal Bernie Sheehy, will revolutionise the way the school
teaches its children.
“We must respond to a rapidly changing world and ensure that the boys in our school are ready to meet the demands of the 21st century. In order to address the challenges facing our pupils in this digital age, we need to invest in adequate, specified, up-to-date teaching and learning technology,” said Mrs Sheehy.
The school hopes to install new Promethean interactive boards in each classroom at a cost of €5,000 each. The school has been using two of these flat-screen devices on a trial basis in recent months and the response from the teaching staff and pupils has been extremely positive, according to Mrs Sheehy.
To finance the venture, the school is, quite literally, walking the walk. A committee is busy organising a gala weekend of events featuring a 20-kilometre sponsored walk along the river Feale, a School League blitz for past pupils featuring the four town teams – the Ashes, the Boro, the Country and the Gleann – as well as a host of other events in and around the school with the hope of raising in the region of €60,000.
“The fundraiser is the second part of a fundraising drive we had 10 years ago to raise funds for our school field and the sports facilities,” said Mrs Sheehy. “That time, we had a walk along the river Feale from Rockchapel to Listowel and it was a great success. This time round we are going to complete the journey and walk from the Cashen in Ballyduff back into Listowel.”
The school is hoping to get as many walkers as possible to undertake the challenge on Easter weekend next and it is hoped that the participants will raise the sponsorship through their efforts, as well as taking part in a reunion weekend for past pupils of Scoil Realta na Maidine.
“We also have corporate sponsors and local businesses coming on board and we are very grateful for the support of the community. Fundraising is never easy but we feel that this technology will really benefit our students for many years to come. We have been trialling state-of-the-art Promethean screens in two
classrooms this year and the response from the pupils is amazing,” Mrs Sheehy said.
“With technology and devices evolving all the time, we really feel this is the way forward. This technology allows the teachers to provide richer more immediate, world-relevant educational resources and
opportunities for our pupils.”
Anyone wishing to get involved with the project or learn more about the fundraising weekend can contact the school via email to info@scoilrealta.ie or on facebook (Scoil Réalta na Maidine). For further details, please contact: Bernie Sheehy, Principal Scoil Réalta na Maidine (087 214 0645) or Brian Scanlan,
chairman fundraising organising committee (087 239 6085).
Pictured: Teacher Craig MacSíthigh conducts a maths lesson on a Promethean interactive board with second class pupils in Scoil Réalta na Maidine in Listowel. The school is raising funds to install these high-tech teaching aids in every classroom. Photo: Niamh Stack
