Gorey wins ‘Water School of the Year’

By Dan Walsh

St Joseph’s Primary School in Creagh, Gorey, were named the regional winner in the ‘Water School of the Year’ category at the annual Green-Schools Water Awards hosted by An Taisce Green-Schools and Irish Water.

Over the past school year, over 123,000 students in 551 schools all over Ireland have participated in the Green-Schools water theme which is sponsored by Irish Water. The water theme looks at developing awareness around water conservation and how to effectively manage this precious resource in our schools and at home. 

St Joseph’s Primary School were named the regional winner in the ‘Water School of the Year’ category as they continue to spread their water conservation messages of “Saving water is in our hands” and “Save the flow, save H2O”.

St Joseph’s, consisting of over 550 students and teachers, completed all essential green schools’ actions, as well as conducted a water use survey, carrying out surveys/questionnaires to gauge awareness around water conservation, investigated the possibility of rainwater harvesting in the school and investigated the water lifecycle of the school.

For their action day they all wore blue, carried out water-related science experiments, and the senior classes did a 3km walk for water around the town park. They also learned a water rap that the caretaker composed. Students also took part in the Green-Schools Water Poster competition and displayed their internal winners on their website. The students continue to spread the message of their two green codes: “Saving water is in our hands” and “Save the flow, save H2O”. 

Speaking at the awards, Geoffrey Bourke of Irish Water congratulated all the winners for their efforts to highlight the value of water; “We have seen how the younger generation has taken the lead in the battle against climate change. We all have a role to play in safeguarding our water and they are leading by example through outstanding water conservation, communication and education initiatives. Congratulations to all the winners and everyone who has taken part in this excellent programme.”

This is the ninth year of the Green-Schools partnership with Irish Water, and in that time over 1,600 schools have taken part, attending interactive water workshops or Walk for Water events, hosting talks from Irish Water staff or visiting their local water and wastewater treatment plants.