WATCH: Bishop Deenihan officially opens new extension at Whitehall NS

The Bishop of Meath Diocese Tom Deenihan officially opened the new extension at Diarmada NS, Whitehall this morning.

Speaking at the well attended event, Bishop Deenihan praised the teachers and board of management for the efforts to grow student numbers in recent years.

“If they [the teachers] were not dedicated, the school would not have grown to the extent that it would need the extension.”

Bishop Deenihan said that in recent times there has been “a lot of discussion in terms of school patronage”. He said that when it comes to choosing a school, “patronage,whether we like it or not, is far down the list”.

“I think the quality of the school building, the quality of the teaching and learning, the personalities of the teachers, the extra curricular activities, these are all factors that impinge on school enrolment.”

Liz Brady, the chairperson of the board of management, said that a project such as the school's extension “does not happen without the hard work and dedication of the people involved in it”.

Designed by Coughlan Associates and built by Alan Kelly and his team during the pandemic, Liz said that “the final building is way beyond our expectations and is by all accounts a wonderful, practical building to work in”.

“Part of this project involved moving out of the school. We were fortunate Ringtown Centre was not in use because of Covid and the committee kindly allowed us to rent the facility. Many thanks to Ringtown.

“We had just two weeks to change it from a GAA Centre to a school that housed 80 pupils. This could not have been possible without the help of Ringtown CE Scheme, the parents association, and several parents who offered their plumbing, electrical and carpentry skills.”

Liz also thanked the principal Paula O'Connor and the rest of the teaching and SNA staff “who stepped up to the mark without complaint throughout the whole process”.

Noting that fundraising in the current climate is not an easy task, Liz thanked the parents association for their fundraising “without which we could not have achieved a lot of the extras”. She also singled out Olivia and Paddy for making sure that the school is always “spick and span” inside and out.

Finally, she praised the school's pupils “who are a credit to their parents and teachers”.

“You are the school and, as Mrs O'Connor says, we learn more from you than you from us because of your kindness, bravery and good humour. Long may it may last.”

Pick up Tuesday's Examiner for more coverage.