GRADUATION AT BALLYHOGUE NS
IT MIGHT not have been the end they had envisaged but the five graduating students of Ballyhogue National School received a send-off befitting a group who had overcome some unique challenges since the arrival of the coronavirus.
The Class of 2020 comprised of Anthony Byrne, Cian Fortune, Jack Redmond, Chelsea Doyle, and Kian Dagg, and they were treated to a socially distant picnic to mark their graduation at the school.
‘All the teachers and staff were there, along with Fr Billy Caulfield,’ explained school secretary Yvonne Harrison. ‘Each child was presented with a yearbook which featured their favourite memories from their time at the school along with their hopes and dreams for the future.’
The pupils were then taken on one final tour of the school before emerging to a cacophany of horns courtesy of parents and community members who had assembled in the car park to bid them goodbye.
And Yvonne paid tribute to the five children for their efforts during lockdown.
‘It’s been difficult for them, but the school has maintained contact with all the students during the lockdown. We held a Zoom meeting every Friday where we had an assembly and everybody came on and sang songs.
‘But from speaking to the guys they’re looking forward to the next chapter, although they are sad about missing out on the last couple of months of school,’ she said.
With the school’s 25 pupils currently on their summer break, Yvonne said she and the rest of the staff hoped to see them all back in September for the beginning of a new year.