by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent
THE Moyle National School in Newtowncunningham
closes for the summer holidays on Friday and when
the children and staff return at the end of August,
they’ll be coming back to a new school.
Builders are already on site building a multi-room
extension while the existing school building will be
extensively refurbished in time for the new school
year. Built in 1984, the Moyle School currently has
four teachers and 89 pupils operating out of three
classrooms. There is no office for either the
principal or the secretary, and the general purposes
room has been commandeered for use as a classroom
for the senior classes.
School principal Pauline Edwards says she and her
staff are delighted with the extension and
refurbishment. “It’s going to make a great
difference, it’ll be like a new school,” she said.
“The GP room will be freed up for drama, indoor
sports and after school events. Having worked in a
partitioned corner of the hallway, the secretary
will finally get her own office, and after 25 years
of teaching in small schools, I’ll finally get to
see what a staff room is like!”
“The rooms will be decorated in primary colours and
there will be lots of natural light through
skylights so that environment will be more
stimulating for the children,” Mrs Edwards
continued. “With the constraints in the Department
of Education at this time, we know how fortunate we
are to be going ahead with this. We’re really
blessed.”
Mrs Edwards also paid tribute to the parents of the
Moyle who helped raise more than €50,000 towards the
refurbishment of the existing class rooms at a ‘Who
wants to be a Thousandaire’ fundraiser in the Mount
Errigal Hotel earlier this year. “They’re brilliant,
they really got behind the event and are a great
source of support.”
Builders have already been on site for a number of
weeks and the first fit is complete. The extension
includes a classroom for infants, a learning support
room, a staff room, library and IT suite, general
store, a secretary’s office and a principal’s
office. Doubled glazing and other energy saving
building techniques will also be used in an effort
to reduce ongoing running costs. |
