The Presentation Primary School, Scoil Chroí Íosa on Newcastle Road, is the recipient of Baboró’s ‘Above & Beyond' award. Under the stewardship of its Principal, Colin Barry, the school has been recognised for the outstanding work it does in using the creative arts in the everyday teaching of the curriculum, and for instilling a love of the arts in its pupils.
First introduced in 2011, the ‘Above & Beyond' award was created by Baboró International Arts Festival for Children to recognise and reward inspiring individuals, organisations or communities who go ‘Above & Beyond’ to create a culture of creativity which encourages children to access the arts.
Scoil Chroí Íosa has made a conscious decision to integrate the creative arts at the core of its teaching and learning. The school counts itself very lucky to have a wide variety of cultures and traditions among its school population and has chosen to embrace that in order to allow its pupils to flourish.
Commenting on the school’s ethos with regards to art and culture, Principal of Scoil Chroí Íosa, Colin Barry, said:
"We endeavour to ensure that every child has opportunities to express his/herself creatively through visual art, music, drama and thematic learning. We have forged really strong partnerships in recent years with local and national expertise such as Baboró. This has helped us to create an environment in which children are encouraged to think and problem solve as creatively as possible. Lessons learned through arts education are valuable life lessons that will hopefully allow children to be better equipped when facing challenges in later life."
On receiving the award Principal Colin Barry went on to say:
“To receive the Baboró 'Above and Beyond' award is an incredible achievement for our school and also validation for the huge efforts made by staff, parents and our partners in arts education. We are so proud and we move forward now with a renewed sense of enthusiasm.”
Speaking on behalf of Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, Executive Artistic Director, Aislinn ÓhEocha commented:
“On behalf of Baboró I’d like to say how delighted we are to recognize the outstanding work that Scoil Chroí Íosa does in using the creative arts as a vehicle in the everyday teaching of the curriculum. Without a doubt, Principal Colin Barry together with his dedicated staff, have gone above and beyond to inject a love of the arts in its pupils.”
The ‘Above and Beyond’ award serves as an inspiration for others and is a way of ensuring that the arts are placed centre-stage as an integral part of childrens’ lives. Engaging with the arts teaches children to value the importance of using their imagination. The award also serves as a reminder of the countless individuals who have gone above and beyond their roles and remits to ensure children have the opportunity to experience the arts. Presented every two years by Baboró, previous recipients are Leo Hallissey (2015), Eileen Gibbons (2013) and Sadie Cramer (2011).
