New beginnings
Emmanuele Barsy, Ellie McCabe, Oisin O’Brien, Jenna Rice andd Ailbhe Nugent, first years at the new Greystones Community College.
THERE were plenty of smiles, relief and a few first-day jitters from students and parents as Greystones Community College, the new post primary school for Greystones, opened its doors for the first time last week.
Sixty-five new first year students arrived at the school gates in impeccable new uniforms as they began their journey into secondary education.
The new multi-denominational school, temporarily housed at Greystones Tennis Club, was opened a year early to meet the huge demand for school places. ‘It’s amazing to see that from nothing, we have created a school that will serve generations of children in Greystones for post primary education,’ said principal Ruairí Farrell.
He said that this was down to the campaigning and leadership from the active parent body and, indeed, the drive and determination of the newly appointed staff. ‘We have the makings of an absolutely amazing school here and I am excited about all the opportunities these young students will have over the next six years,’ he said. ‘ The school is in the unique position to provide very specialised education and lots of pastoral support from teachers as it grows in size. The school is planned to grow to cater for 1,000 students in years to come.’
Greystones Community College has overcome many obstacles in recent weeks, given the announcement from the Department of Education and Skills that its planned interim school building at Greystones Community National School would not be ready for occupation as planned. The school sought out emergency accommodation locally and has now turned Greystones Lawn Tennis Club’s facilities into a school building. The school team worked around the clock to make sure the accommodation was fully kitted out for students in addition to making sure the school’s Covid-19 response plan was implemented. This was to ensure that the health and safety of all students and staff was paramount. ‘Opening a brand-new secondary school is challenging enough, but to do so in the middle of a global pandemic brings extra challenges,’ said Mr Farrell who praised the dedicated staff who have already contributed over and above to make the vision a reality.
Mr Farrell said that he was heartened to see the support from the local community and neighbouring schools in Greystones in what has been a difficult few weeks. ‘It shows that the community is really at the heart of what a Community College is and these students will have long-term connections with their local community as a result’. The Chief Executive of KWETB, Dr Deirdre Keyes said that this cohort of students and staff will pave the way for the school, will forever be part of the school’s history and will leave a positive, lasting impact on the school’s future. She said that the school is in great hands under the principalship of Ruairi Farrell.
Dr Keyes acknowledged all the parents, Greystones Community National School, the local representatives and entire community who have worked hard and supported the establishment of Greystones Community College. The school was awarded to the patronage of KWETB last December 2019 and has worked under extraordinarily tight times lines and unprecedented obstacles to open up.
The ETB wishes to sincerely thank Greystones Lawn Tennis club for the temporary use of their premises for the school.