Today was a day of celebration for the pupils, staff and parents of St Andrew’s National School in Lucan as their brand new, state of the art school was officially opened and dedicated by Archbishop Michael Jackson. The fabulous new building represents the culmination of a 20 year campaign and many former teachers and past parents joined the huge crowd this morning (Thursday April 28) to be part of the milestone event for the school.
Among the guests at the opening was local TD and acting Minister for Justice, Frances Fitzgerald. She said generations of children to come would thank the persistent campaigners for their dedication and commitment to getting the new school building. She thanked school Principal, Julie Chapman, for inviting her and the Revd Scott Peoples for his “incredible commitment and persistence”. She also paid tribute to the boards of management, PTA and parents down through the years, including former Principal, Inez Cooper.
However, the Minister said that today was really about the children and their lovely new school. “Everyone in the Lucan community is delighted to see this wonderful building for the children – this building which will cater for all our children,” she said. She recalled the old school building and its cramped conditions and said that Mrs Cooper always had a vision of what the children should have and worked hard to achieve it.
Welcoming everyone to the school, Julie Chapman acknowledged the commitment of past and present staff, parents and parishioners of St Andrew’s and St Mary’s parishes and the wider community. She also paid tribute to the staff who worked as a team to ensure that the transition to the new school was an exciting time. During the morning the school’s Green Flag for energy was raised and Mrs Chapman thanked the Green Flag committee for their work. The PTA Library was also opened and she praised the parents’ association for their work in raising funds for this great new facility.
“The new St Andrew’s National School is a testament to the hard work and commitment of so many and I am very proud to be Principal of St Andrew’s. I look forward to the future years and I know that this will be a happy and fulfilling school for our children,” she concluded.
Archbishop Jackson said that education was God’s gift to us and our gift to others. In 2016, he said that schools under Church patronage were often portrayed as repressing expression but suggested this was rarely borne out in lived experience. He added that the arguments about fairness and inclusiveness were not borne out either. The Principal, board of management, teachers, parents and pupils at St Andrew’s were a testament to this and their commitment and collaboration with the Department of Education had resulted in a wonderful school, he stated.
“It is a specific outworking of the Proclamation that we cherish all our children equally… We are fortunate to have these facilities to bless and to dedicate and enjoy and to use and to share with the wider community,” the Archbishop said adding that schools are to be places of happiness, safety and security as well as intellectual development.
The Revd Scott Peoples, chairman of the Board of Management, thanked all who had provided encouragement, support and advice over the years and then all who had helped bring the building project to fruition. He recalled one time during their campaign for the new school building that the growth in Lucan’s population was described as a “temporary bulge” but pointed out that the bulge had kept on bulging.
“This is a project where we’ve kept the faith and that faith has been rewarded,” he said. Echoing the words of the Archbishop, he said: “Our school is a school of diversity. With have 15 different nationalities here. These are the new Irish and we are the richer for what we have received from them.” He added that St Andrew’s National School is heavily oversubscribed and said “it is clear that parents want a Christian environment in which their children can be instructed”.
Photo captions:
Top – Archbishop Michael Jackson cuts the ribbon on the new St Andrew’s National School building surrounded by members of the school’s student council. Also pictured is the Revd Scott Peoples and the Principal Julie Chapman.
Middle – The Revd Scott Peoples, Acting Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald, Archbishop Michael Jackson and school Principal Julie Chapman.
Bottom – Some of the pupils of St Andrew’s National School in the hall for the official opening of their new school building.