It’s business as usual at the Patrician Academy
IT was business as usual at the Patrician Academy in Mallow as the full compliment of students returned to school just a matter of weeks after one of its main buildings was gutted in a blaze.
The fire in the early hours of July 13 last, described by local fire chief Tony Douglas as “one of biggest we have ever been called to”, ripped through the upper section of the ‘new building’ at the school leaving a devastating tail of destruction in its wake.
A total of 12 classrooms, laboratories and specialist rooms were damaged in the blaze.
In the days following the fire school principal Catherine Fitzpatrick vowed the Academy would be ready to take students at the start of the new school term
True to her word, she, the board of management and staff have been working tirelessly to accommodate all the of returning students with Ms Fitzpatrick saying replacements facilities will be fully ready on site by the end of September.
In the meantime some students are being accommodated at facilities around the town including the GAA Complex at Carrigoon, the Hibernian Hotel, the Youth Centre, the Gilbert Centre, Mallow Handball and the Parish Centre.
“Our top priority was always to ensure that teaching and learning could continue as normal and that ours students education would not suffer,” said Ms Fitzpatrick.
“Support from the entire school community, parents, students and staff and from the wider Mallow community has been tremendous and very heartening. This has been a real triumph of community spirit over adversity.”
While long-term plans for replacing the damaged building have yet to be finalised, Ms Fitzpatrick assured parents the accommodation that will be in place at the school would be “modern and up to date”.
“As is the way with these things the replacements facilities will be of the very highest standard. It goes to show that even in the worst of situations there is always a silver lining,” she said. Ted Kirby, chair of the board of management, agreed saying the alternative accommodation “will be of the highest standard with students availing of the most modern facilities.”