Moving out – finally!

(Above) Staff at Curraghamore NS start the moving process last week.

There was a palpable feeling of excitement and gaiety in the air at the old Curraghmore NS yesterday, Monday, morning, as staff assembled there to begin the mammoth task of moving – finally – to their new school building on the Ardmore Road.

After a long and fraught process, the completion date has now been nailed down for the end of July – and principal Michael Molloy and his team are thrilled.

“A sense of overwhelming relief is how I felt after taking the phone call from Joe O’Meara with the fantastic news that our new school will be completed by the end of July,” Mr Molloy told the Westmeath Examiner on Monday, as staff got set to begin shifting books, toys, teaching materials and school memorabilia into the state of the art €5m building that takes them closer to town.

“Senior officials from Westmeath County Council and the Department of Education invited Joe, as chairperson of the board of management, to a meeting Friday morning last, July 10, and it was confirmed by them that the conciliation process had concluded and our new facility will definitely be completed by the end of July,” said Mr Molloy.

The move marks the end of a journey that began 21 years ago, for it was when Mr Molloy was appointed principal of Curraghmore NS that he determined initially to bring the school to the same standard as all other parish schools, and he received the support of patron, Bishop Michael Smith, and then board of management chairperson, Fr Michael Kilmartin, to achieve that aim.

“With a successful conclusion now within weeks away, I sincerely thank all those who supported me along the way. You know who you are and I am forever grateful,” he said. The school construction project broke several deadlines, and Mr Molloy admitted that he and colleagues had to speak out at times over this and some of what they said was not well received:

“I unashamedly stand over anything I put in the public domain as I spoke out for the benefit of all the young boys and girls in my care,” he said.

“Never did I intend my comments or actions to be taken personally, but rather in good faith for the greater good of the school community I am so fortunate to lead,” he stated.

Because of social distancing, out of 20 teachers and seven SNAs, just six teachers were starting the move, although just four of those were being allowed into the new premises on Monday.

The six were Darragh O’Keeffe (Sixth Class), Gerard Nally (Fifth Class) Owen Price and Danny Foster (both Second Class), and Breda O’Connor and Mick Killene (both First Class).

The other classes are moving on Monday July 27. The move is being handled that way because of social distancing and as there is some work continuing at the new site, the school staff can’t go in and every day.

Then, at the end of July the whole team can all occupy the new building. Some of the tables are in and they were taking furniture in yesterday.

Teacher Avril Whitney was looking forward to moving in on July 27: “I’ve had First Class for the last number of years but I’m moving in to Special Education this year.

“I’m just so excited about the move to the new school. I was in a very small prefab with student numbers in the high 20.

“It’s exciting after all the time we’ve waited – and I’m here 14 years,” she said.

Not least among the reasons teacher Joe Maleady was looking forward to the move was because of the improved sports facilities.

“Two years ago we won the Cumanm na mBun Scoil, despite the lack of facilities,” he says, pointing at the tarmacked yard.

“That’s just one example of how we haven’t let the lack of facilities impact negatively on the children at all, but it will be a novelty to have a pitch!”

Now 11 years teaching at Curraghmore, Joe says that conditions at the school had been difficult.

“But we made do and all the children did extremely well.

“I would have had a lot of children going on to secondary school and the feedback was that they were always top of the class there, so it didn’t impact on them as much, but for us it will be great to have the facilities to give them the education, backed up by all the facilities that we want and need.

“There has always been a great atmosphere in the school and it has always been there, that’s nothing new.

“The staff has grown – by at least double – in the last couple of years.”

Claire Manning, who as worked as an SNA at Curraghmore for a year was based at St Loman’s is looking forward to being based on the main school campus on the Ardmore Road.

David Whelehan from Clonmellon is in his first full-time SNA job with Curraghmore. He was based at St Etchen’s NS in Kinnegad last year and is also looking forward to starting at the new school later this year.