Double win for Loreto at enterprise awards
Loreto College Mullingar had multiple reason to celebrate last week as its students won two major prizes in the County Westmeath Student Enterprise Programme.
Emily Flynn and Emily Shaw took first place in the Senior Category for their project ‘Sustainable Stationary’. Mentored by Ms Weafer, Emily and Emily will now represent Westmeath at the national finals in May.
‘Sustainable Stationery’ makes ‘E Squared Folders’, promoted as alternatives to plastic pocket folders. They are made from recycled materials and can be customised to the customers’ requirements.
Emily McNamee, Abbey Norris and Orlaith Wallace were third in the Senior Category with their project ‘Penny Pots’, also Mentored by Ms Weafer. ‘Penny Pots’ makes handcrafted, customisable wooden plant pots from recycled wood.
Loreto had two other at the county final last week: Sarah Harrison, Caoimhe Morley and Orlagh Gavin (mentored by M. Weafer) and their project ‘No Cap’, which makes keyrings and necklaces from recycled bottle caps; and Fiadh Donlon (mentored by Mr Maguire), who developed ‘Fiadh’s Fancies’, which delivers homemade cupcakes to your doorstep.
Loreto College Mullingar was also named the Most Innovative and Enterprising School at the Westmeath awards.
The Senior Category runner-up was ‘C&E Developments’ by Ellen Geoghegan and Colin Burke from St Joseph’s Secondary School, Rochfortbridge, who developed a portable, eco-friendly, automatic calf ration feeder.
Teenager entrepreneurs from Moate Community School and Athlone Community College will also represent Westmeath at this year’s Student Enterprise Programme National Final on Friday May 14. As with last year’s event, it will take place virtually, and 80 finalist teams are expected to log in from across the country.
The Westmeath County Final was on Wednesday last, March 24, hosted virtually on the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Westmeath Facebook Page.
In the Junior Category, the students representing Westmeath at the national final are: Lucy Champ and Aoife Bolger from ‘Wreaths by Occasion’ at Moate Community School. In the Intermediate Category, Emily McDonnell and Ciara Healy from Seedy Feedy Bird Feeds at Athlone Community College will be representing the county at the final.
The judges at the final included Westmeath entrepreneurs Enda Geoghegan of Lift Hire Ireland and David Quirke of Wholesome Kitchen Ireland, and Catherine Darby, business advisor at LEO Westmeath.
Mr Geoghegan was also a special guest at the Westmeath county final, and he shared some words of wisdom with the students. He said: "I’d like to say all of the applicants in this programme are winners in my eyes, because you’ve done a great amount of work on your business plans. You’ve all done great research, market research, and you know what you’re selling to your customers. And from that point of view, you are all winners.
"I’d encourage you to try to capitalise on that, on this programme, so that in the coming months and years, you’re constantly looking for opportunities, either in your school or where you live, where you could have a micro business.
"They are the kinds of things that entrepreneurs are constantly looking for, to see where there are innovative products they might be able to sell or start to manufacture, but also opportunities in markets. That’s one of the two big things that make an entrepreneur, so you’re all entrepreneurs in my mind."
Mr Geoghegan congratulated all the students and the winners in particular for making "good, innovative, sustainable products" and "making a profit and developing a team around you".
Pat Gallagher, chief executive of Westmeath County Council, and Catherine Darby, Student Enterprise co-ordinator at LEO Westmeath, added their congratulations to the students and their teachers and praised the success of the student enterprise programme in Westmeath. An estimated local 1,100 students from 11 schools took part in the annual programme throughout the year.
The enterprise education initiative is funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 LEOs.
The Student Enterprise Programme also has a new range of online resources for 2020 2021 at www.StudentEnterprise.ie, which will feature regular blogs and houses a full range of Student Enterprise resources for students and teachers.
Schools participating
Marist College, Athlone; Our Lady’s Bower, Athlone; Mercy Secondary School, Kilbeggan; St Finian’s College, Mullingar; Loreto College, Mullingar; Wilson’s Hospital School; St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Rochfortbridge; Athlone Community College; Castlepollard Community College; Columba College, Killucan; Moate Community School.
Winning enterprises
Junior Category winner, ‘Wreaths by Occasion’ by Aoife Bolger and Lucy Champ from Moate Community School; Junior Category runner-up, ‘Creative Plaques’ by Darragh Madden, Lauren White and Sears Henson from Moate Community School.
Intermediate Category winner, ‘Seedy Feedy Bird feeders’ by Ciara Healy and Emily McDonnell from Athlone Community College; Intermediate Category runner-up, ‘Waxy Wraps’ by Sarah McCormack, Keelan Robbins and Emily Winters from Moate Community School.
Senior Category winner, ‘Sustainable Stationery’ by Emily Flynn and Emily Shaw from Loreto College, Mullingar.
Most Innovative and Enterprising School Award, Loreto College, Mullingar.