Sisters of Charity National School began their work on the Global Citizenship Marine Environment theme in September 2022. With the Green flag as their goal, this landlocked school aimed to educate the whole school community about the importance of protecting ocean ecosystems.
Green-Schools Committee
The first step they took was to set up their Green-Schools committee. This was made up of two representatives from each class from 2nd class to 6th class, the Green-Schools coordinator and four class teachers. The committee held a meeting once a month and sometimes the principal joined them.
Integration of the Marine Environment into Classrooms
The whole school integrated marine biology and oceanography into the existing curriculum. Marine themed lessons were uploaded onto the shared drive, and a folder was created for each class teacher. The work done on these lessons was displayed on notice boards outside each classroom for everyone to see. Students studied marine biology, ecosystems, and the impact of pollution on oceans, with many resources taken from the Green-Schools Ireland website. The SeaKeepers Junior project was used to educate the younger students on marine biodiversity in Ireland.
Awareness Raising
To create awareness about their work on the Marine Environment theme, representatives from 6th class shared ocean facts and good news stories on the intercom. The Green-Schools noticeboard was regularly updated and featured lots of useful information for staff and students to read. Waste reduction became a huge focus for the committee and this inspired the goal to become a plastic-free school. Articles about the Green-Schools programme were submitted to the quarterly school newsletter to keep parents informed. Money was raised to support local organizations, such as Tidy Towns, to broaden the reach of the school’s work.
Green Code
The school developed a catchy Green Code that they would sing and dance to:
“1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Keep our marine life alive!
6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Put your rubbish in the bin!
Why do we need our seas? Because they give us air to breathe!
Fish, dolphins, crabs and seals need our help to live and breed.”
Action Day
The school held an action day on a Friday in Spring-time in their second year of working on the Marine theme. The whole school community dressed in blue for the day. The children made a donation of €1 per child/family to their town’s Tidy Towns committee and raised €300. At assembly, the Green Schools committee performed their musical green code encouraging the whole school to join in. Students were invited to visit marine displays in the library and read marine themed books. A marine themed walkway around the school grounds was created for students to take part in. The walkway included nine stops that featured a question. There were letters to collect at each stop and these come together to spell out an Irish sea creature. The school had great fun taking part in ‘Drop Everything and Dance’, where sea-themed music was played over the intercom at random times during the day and everyone was encouraged to dance while it played! Marine themed yoga lessons, ocean table quizzes and sea related art were also enjoyed on the day.
Sharing the load
One of the keys to the success of the Green-Schools programme in Sisters of Charity NS was how they divided tasks in the committee. Individuals on the committee were set weekly tasks to monitor work on each theme of Green-Schools. For example, the 3rd class representatives visited every classroom to check if the waste was sorted correctly. The 6th class representatives devised and monitored litter picking rotas. 5th class representatives checked if the lesson plans and marine related work was happening with each class. Dividing responsibilities like this enhances the efficiency of the committee, and makes monitoring and evaluating work on the previous themes of the programme much more manageable.
Celebrating successes
This school celebrated hard work by both individuals and classrooms by creating a number of “eco- awards”. Recognising peoples’ contribution to the Green-Schools programme creates a supportive atmosphere where students feel valued and appreciated, which can enhance overall school dynamics. Every month, the class with the best compliance for waste sorting are celebrated at assembly and given a homework pass. The class that has the highest number of students that walked, scooted, cycled or travelled in a ‘green way’ to school are awarded the ‘Golden Boot’. In every class, a ‘Green Girl of the Month’ is chosen and they receive a special certificate which is presented to them by the principal. Their photos are taken and are put on the school website and Instagram page. Celebrating success like this fosters a positive learning environment, acknowledges the students hard work and boosts their self-esteem, helping them believe in their abilities and potential.
In May 2024, Sisters of Charity National School were awarded the ‘Marine School of the Year’ Award by Green-Schools. This award is a recognition of excellence. It acknowledges the hard work and dedication of the Green-Schools committee and coordinator, as well as students, teachers, and staff, highlighting the school’s commitment to protecting our planet, in particular the marine environment.
The results of the school’s commitment to the Marine Environment theme were a sense of environmental stewardship among the school community, development of leadership skills by committee members, whole school behavioural change and an increase in awareness of environmental topics. The marine litter awareness survey reported a 56% increase in marine litter knowledge among students and community members.
The students of Sisters of Charity NS thoroughly enjoyed working on this theme, and became invested in their lesson plans and awareness work. Going forward, the school will continue their endeavour to become a plastic free school with waste reduction staying a priority for their Green-Schools committee.