On Thursday the 20th of March, the School of Sanctuary Monitoring Team was warmly welcomed to St. Mary’s Secondary School, New Ross by teachers, St Mary’s students, and students from neighbouring schools. An enjoyable programme of events ensued whereby the team was struck by the passion, enthusiasm and welcoming attitudes of the entire school community.
There were many highlights during this special day. The team noted the dedication and passion displayed by principal Mr. John Michael Porter as he shared his views on the importance of the School of Sanctuary message and his support of all the work being done by staff and students. The student addresses and informal chats clearly highlighted their commitment to and passion for an inclusive and diverse school community. Sanctuary Ambassador Najeeb Koohi (who is also parent to three students in St. Mary’s) and Stephanie Warner (Wexford County Council Integration Coordinator and past pupil) noted that, from their experience, this attitude is reflective of the entire student body.
The school tour highlighted the artistic talents of the student body. The reception area displays the word ‘welcome’ in all the languages spoken in the school as a permanent feature while the beautiful mural created by St Mary’s Summer School lights up the corridor clearly displaying the values of Schools of Sanctuary. Another noticeboard displayed the recent poster competition and the work of the Young SVP & Fair-Trade groups which clearly complements the School of Sanctuary group aptly named ‘People are People’. ‘Wear Red Day’ was being celebrated with students proudly wearing red and corridors decorated with ribbons and cards.
A trip to the 1st year Geography class showed that sanctuary is celebrated within the classroom as well as on the corridors. Students were busy writing letters to referee Michelle O’ Neill sharing their thoughts on how to address racism in sport.
Sanctuary Ambassador Valdas Kamarauskas, a musician from Lithuania, particularly enjoyed the music played by students during their Music class.
Following the school tour, members of the Monitoring Team attended the Multicultural Cafe. This monthly initiative ensures that all students can easily forge new friendships. We watched as members of the ‘People are People’ group interacted with students from New Ross Educate Together NS, playing board games. Monitoring team members Olga Rai (SA Coordinator & EAL teacher), Svitlana Lenets from Ukraine, and Tiffy Allen (S of S National Co-Ordinator) all commented on the warmth of these interactions.
After the team deliberated on these positive experiences, it was with delight that St Mary’s, New Ross was announced as Wexford’s 10th Champion School of Sanctuary and New Ross’s first. No doubt the amazing work carried out in St Mary’s will spread the positive message of inclusion to the wider community.