The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Kerry sets aim on Enterprise glory
THERE will be three Kerry schools represented in the massive field taking part in the National Finals of the Student Enterprise competition on May 2.
Presentation Secondary School, Castleisland; St Joseph’s Secondary School, Ballybunion; and Killorglin Community College will be among the 77 secondary schools participating in a competition that will bring 230 students to Croke Park.
In the Junior Category, Castleisland is set to present its Complete Camán all-in-one training hurley to the most suitable of settings, the home of our national games. Their team is made up of Chantelle Broderick, Fiona Brosnan, Katie Cotter, Tara Enright, and Joanne Moynihan.
St Joseph’s will showcase its retro arcade machines through its Custom Arcades project as part of the intermediate competition, under the guidance of members Darragh Hanrahan, Evan Mulcare, Andrew O’Connor, and Adam O’Mahony. Finally, Killorglin Community College competes in the senior category with Timothy McGrath’s efforts to help students understand STEM through a variety of products such as robot kits and mini centrifuges.
The three county champions’ achievements are already astonishing having made it this far from a field that originally included almost 25,000 students from 480 schools and 31 Local Enterprise Office nationwide.
Tomás Hayes of Kerry’s Local Enterprise Office is hugely proud of the county’s three finalists, and indeed all who set out first-day across the country to win the prestigious competitions.
“The National Final in Croke Park is the biggest celebration of secondary school entrepreneurs in the country every year and we want to wish the students from Kerry the very best of luck in judging on May 2,” he said. “Thanks to the support of teachers from over 480 schools, including 20 local schools here in Kerry, the Student Enterprise Programme links in with the school curriculum around enterprise in the classroom and really helps students gain skills and practical knowledge of running a real-life business.
“The programme also encourages more students to consider entrepreneurship as a future career choice, with Kerry Local Enterprise Office on hand to help.”
The special guest at this year’s National Final is the Minister for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection Pat Breen TD. Further information is available at www.studententerprise.ie.