CBS win big at anti-racism video awards

THE fifth class students from Dundalk’s CBS primary school have won a major award for their cool anti-racism video that was made with the help of some YouTubers in the class.

Teacher Tom O’Connor was with his talented students at the annual Show Racism the Red Card awards which were held in Tallaght Stadium when they were announced winners of the best primary school in the Creative Competition 2017. And the kids were doubly delighted because Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane was there to present them with their award.

The video, which is available to view on YouTube, featured all the students in Mr O’Connor’s class and a story about how two students - from Poland and Syria - were helped by the class to fit in.

This was the second time the class had entered the competition and while they didn’t win last year, they were determined to do better in 2017. Mr O’Connor said: ‘ We started working on the idea in January and the video features two students - Joudi Barakat from Syria and Brajan Kowlaski from Poland. The language barrier was there and they were brought into the class and felt part of everything. The video features them meeting in the park and wondering, naturally, how they will fit in’.

The fifth class students helped to re-write the Fresh Prince of Bel Air intro music script and even incorporated the new students’ talent for basketball, a game which helped unite the class around a sport and one of the components of the FAI-supported Show Racism the Red Card global initiative.

In addition, the video features Eoin Miller on guitar and the children singing well-known tunes. Putting it all together was a challenge for Mr O’Connor, a self confessed techno-phobe. But luckily, the class has five YouTubers who were well versed in creating and editing fresh, relevant, eye-catching content.

Mr O’Connor, a sports co-ordinator at the school said: ‘Everyone in the class was involved in putting it together and we were happy with it when we submitted. We were contacted by the organisers a few weeks ago to ask us if we were going to the presentations and later on, to tell us that we had made the shortlist’.

It wasn’t until the awards day, last Wednesday, which were hosted by RTE’s Tony O’Donoghue, that Mr O’Connor and the students began to hope. He said: ‘We were thrilled when they selected our video to play, and referenced by speakers and we were delighted when they announced us as the winners. There was no homework that day!’ See CBS Primary Dundalk on the Show Racism the Red Card channel on YouTube.