Published 11 March 2022
Pupils and staff at Our Lady and Saint Patrick’s High School are celebrating after being awarded their first prestigious Eco-Schools Green Flag Award.
Senior pupils in the school’s Eco group were praised for their work in making the school and grounds more sustainable.
Following COP26, S1 pupils engaged in high profile projects discussed at the international conference. ICT pupils investigated local businesses and proposed business plans to help them find ways they can become more sustainable. In English, pupils studied poems based on litter and air pollution while in Maths young people studied the percentages of pollution rates.
The school was praised for their engagement with parents and carers via their Eco Twitter page, which they used to promote and encourage families to think of the environment and become more environmentally friendly.
Creative pupils also posted recipes to encourage families to engage in ‘Meat Free Mondays’ and pupils made meat free recipes in Home Economics, which were shared with friends and family.
The school recently launched a joint campus project with neighbouring St Peter’s Primary, Aitkenbar and Bellsmyre and Andrew B Cameron ELCC working together to ‘Keep Bellsmyre Beautiful’ by doing litter picks in and around the grounds.
Councillor Karen Conaghan, Convener of Educational Services, said: “I would like to congratulate everyone at OLSP for their part in being awarded the Green Flag for the first time. This is a great achievement and everyone should be very proud of playing their part in helping the environment and making Bellsmyre a cleaner, greener area for us and future generations.”
Councillor Ian Dickson, Vice Convener of Educational Services, said: “It’s great to hear how committed and caring the young people are about their environment and how the right choices can have a positive impact on the world around them. This award recognises the commitment from everyone at the school who collectively have the same goal of making positive changes to protect the environment.”