Funding from the Arts Council under the Creative Schools Initiative.

Scoil Mhuire, Ennistymon receives €4,000 in arts funding from the Arts Council under the Creative Schools Initiative.

Creative Schools is a flagship initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme to enable the creative potential of every young person. Creative Schools is led by the Arts Council in partnership with the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

Students are encouraged to draw on the range of resources within their school and wider community, developing new ways of working that reinforce the impact of creativity on student learning, development and well-being. 

Scoil Mhuire students have a central role in this process. Scoil Mhuire will receive €4,000 to implement their plans over the school years 2020–21 and 2021–22.

‘Creativity is very important to us in Scoil Mhuire. We have a vibrant art department, with many of our students going on to pursue careers in the arts. We are delighted to be taking part in the Creative Schools initiative and are really looking forward to working with our Creative Associate Brian Fleming,’ said Mary Fahy, art teacher at Scoil Mhuire. ‘Our first step is one of consultation with the whole school community, to identify what students would love to create over the two years of the project. Student voice is central to the process.’  The aim of this initiative is to understand, develop and celebrate the arts and creativity in our school. It also helps to establish a range of collaborative opportunities for our school and develop and strengthen the relationships between our school and the local community. This is also an opportunity for local artists, creative practitioners and individuals working in organisations in the arts and cultural sector. 

Creative Schools aims to understand, develop and celebrate the arts, as a core aspect of school life, and to foster young people’s creativity and participation in the arts as an integral part of their education in Ireland.  We recognise the arts as a powerful means through which children and young people can explore communication and collaboration, stimulate their imaginations to be inventive, and harness their curiosity. Engagement in the arts and creativity requires rigour, discipline and resilience nurturing learners’ sense of agency and self-worth. This combination of skills underpins all successful learning. 

For more information visit www.artscouncil.ie/creative-schools www.scoil-mhuire.ie www.brianfleming.ie