New library open at FCJ
THE NEW library at FCJ Bunclody was opened recently.
The library was officially opened by Sr Madeline Hayes while deputy principal Brendan Daly addressed the crowd and read poetry.
Situated in the convent building the library was made possible by the generosity of the Bunclody Sisters of the FCJ - Sr. Madeleine Hayes, and Sr. Madeleine Ryan, who handed over such the striking room.
The fundraising committee with the help of private donations and the whole staff managed to raise €7,000 for the provision of the library.
The central piece of the room is the floor to ceiling stained glass window which originally came from the old Bunclody parish church and the room was designed around the window.
Work began last December when teachers began painting the room. Once the walls were painted, quotes and the FCJ library crest were painted on the walls.
Then TY students, Shauna Ryan, Kayleigh Murphy, Eibhleann Bowkett, Ciara O’ Sullivan and Amy Smyth, under the guidance of Art teacher, Gail Connolly painted a tree with the roots woven into books.
An art competition was run to add a wall of creativity to the library with the work of four students selected. These were Tara Greenwood, Eimear Donohoe, Sophie - Rose Davitt and Orla Sinnott.
Their artwork was professionally framed and winners were presented with vouchers for the art shop Different Strokes in Gorey.
Hand crafted furniture designed for the needs of the library came from the construction teacher Thomas Mernagh. As the design elements were being added to the room, work behind the scenes on filling the library with books was an ongoing process.
A huge amount of support was given from local councillor and past pupil, Barbara Anne Murphy who put the committee in contact with Eileen Morrissey in Wexford Library who donated an extensive collection of books.
Staff member Carmel Wade also sourced books from educational companies.
Wally in Rebooks in Bridgetown was also a great help and was exceptionally generous with his time, knowledge and assistance in sourcing books for the library. When all the books were gathered the school brought in the library system Interleaf to catalogue the books.
With the help of student Aoife Lawlor the books were catalogued and organised over the summer. Over the next few months the Literacy Committee made up of Louise Kenny, Justin Kelly, Ciara Grufferty, Leanne Nolan and Rosemary Lawlor will introduce the Accelerated Reading programme into all the 1st year English classes and all learning support groups.
This programme will allow teachers to pinpoint where each student is with their reading and give them a guide as to the books suited to challenge their reading ability. It will monitor their progress and will be linked to home where parents can check their progress online. The library facility will also give the school an opportunity to introduce Paired Reading on a wider scale and will facilitate a Reading Club during lunchtimes.