Twenty-four Westmeath schools were awarded Green Flags by An Taisce at a ceremony in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Athlone yesterday [Thursday].
Of these, three schools were receiving their first flag for litter and waste - Dean Kelly NS, Athlone; Streamstown NS; and Scoil Mhuire, Mullingar.
The other schools which received second or subsequent flags were: St Mary’s NS, Mullingar; St Colman’s NS, Mullingar; Milltown NS; Clonmellon NS; St Aloysius College, Athlone; Kilcumeragh NS, Moate; Presentation JNS, Mullingar; Scoil Mhuire, Mullingar; Scoil Naomh Bride, Ballynacargy; St Fintan’s National School, Lismacaffrey; St Brigid’s PS, Moate; Scoil na gCeithre Maistri, Áth Luain; St Paul’s NS, Athlone; St Peter’s NS, Athlone; Scoil Dhiarmada National School, Castlepollard; St Feichin’s NS, Castlepollard; Moate Community School; Scoil Chruimin Naofa, Mullingar; St Ernan’s NS, Delvin; and St Anne’s NS.
This May sees the number of Irish schools flying the internationally recognised Green Flag exceed 3,000 as 1,156 schools attend Green Schools award ceremonies across the country.
Nationally, 205 schools were awarded their first Green Flag in recognition of their hard work on the litter and waste theme, while 949 schools successfully renewed their Green Flag under the themes of energy, water, travel, biodiversity, global citizenship, and climate change.
Congratulating the Westmeath schools at the awards ceremony, manager of the Green-Schools programme, Anthony Purcell, said, “Congratulations to all schools receiving the Green Flag this year. An Taisce is delighted to award its 3000th Green Flag as it represents how far the programme has come since we awarded our first Green Flag in 1998.”
Ruth Maxwell, environment awareness officer with Westmeath County Council added her congratulations, saying: “Westmeath County Council would like to congratulate all the schools who have worked so hard to gain their Green Flag - making a change in the school and spreading the message to the student’s home and wider community is what makes the difference on a national and international level and continued success is wished to all the students and teachers in the year ahead.”
