The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Killorglin Community College excels on science’s biggest stage
NO less than three projects at the biggest exhibition of its kind, two prizes returning to Kerry, and chats with President Michael D Higgins and the British Ambassador to Ireland - all in a week’s work for Killorglin Community College at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2017!
Jack Nagle, Natasha Myers, and Timothy McGrath travelled to the RDS with justifiably high hopes, and left with accolades and sensational stories as their school left an indelible mark on this year’s edition of the famous fair.
Deputy Principal Donal O’Reilly was still in awe of what his school had achieved when he spoke to The Kerryman in the days after the event, and praised his pupils with no little authority.
“Second year student Jack Nagle designed a tractor safety lock which activates the hand brake when the operator forgets to do so,” Donal said.
“For that, he won the ABP Food Group Farm Safety Award in the Junior Category.
“His effort was so impressive that Michael D Higgins asked to speak to him personally before he’d even won the award. Jack had a surreal week.”
Jack’s victory won’t have come as a great surprise to anyone who knows him. The young inventor previously combined with schoolmate Eoghan McKenna to design a medical cot. For that effort, the pair qualified to the world famous Maker Fair Rome in October, the largest exhibition of its kind in the continent.
But not to be outdone at the RDS, Jack’s fellow students Natasha Myers and Timothy McGrath also excelled, as they impressed judges and some notable observers with their impressive projects.
Natasha won a presentation award after designing a dyslexia-friendly board game, and her vice-principal Donal said the vibrant colour and intricate design of the game made her a worthy winner of that particular prize.
Elsewhere, Timothy’s ultra-vision sensors for the blind were the product of years of hard work, and the exciting concept was so impressive that the British Ambassador to Ireland Robin Barrett spoke to Timothy personally to praise him on his project.
Dónal said the high-achieving trio are back to school this week, but are still trying to get their heads around the enormity of what they have achieved.
“They’re still on a cloud in school today after the surreal time they had in Dublin, but that’s understandable given what they’ve just done,” he said.
“It’s far from easy to qualify for this famous exhibition, and we were proud of the fact that they’d even gotten their stalls as far as Dublin.
“But for the three of them to not only make it to the RDS, but to excel, is a fantastic achievement and Killorglin Community College is rightly proud of what they’ve done,” he said.