Winners of the Good Friday Agreement Schools’ Competition

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound, on 06/06/2023. Winners of the Good Friday Agreement Schools’ Competition

Tags: Teachers

In February, Minister for Education, Norma Foley launched a competition to encourage students to reflect on the 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement by submitting artwork, poetry, or visual and digital works, exploring the theme of ‘The Gift of Peace and the responsibility that comes with it’.
A huge number of fantastic creative works were submitted from schools across the country and following a judging process, the winners have been selected:

the students of third and fourth class at Glinsk N.S., Co Galway

Sophie, Chloe, Fionn and Ephra at Holy Spirit Senior primary school, Greenhills, Dublin 12

Nikola Domanska in first year at Loreto Seconday School, Raheen, Clonmel, Co Tipperary

Phedra Kingston in TY at St Louis High School, Rathmines, Dublin 6

Minister Foley said:
"I want to send a heartfelt thanks and congratulations to all of the students who really considered the theme ‘The Gift of Peace and the responsibility that comes with it’ and submitted a wonderful array of creative pieces exploring this. There were beautiful original pieces of poetry, digital works and some fantastic works of art. The talent demonstrated has blown me away. The commitment of the teachers is so obvious too. A special ‘well done’ to the winners who were selected by the judging panel.
"The 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement is an opportunity to celebrate what was a transformative moment for everyone on this island, bringing peace and resetting relationships. The Good Friday Agreement remains the agreed framework for relationships within and between these islands. It provided the foundation for a peaceful, prosperous society and it remains the foundation for a hopeful future as we look to what the current generation of young leaders and peacemakers will achieve in the next 25 years."

A selection of the submitted works, including the winners, are being exhibited in the Department of Education on Marlborough Street and will be hosted virtually on Scoilnet.ie to commemorate the Good Friday Agreement.
The winners are invited on a tour of Leinster House, followed by lunch in the Dáil as a guest of the Minister for Education. A certificate and medal will be awarded to each category winner.