The Eco Club

Over the past year the pupils and staff have been working hard to make Inchmarlo a more “Eco Friendly” school.

The work has been carried out with the help of The Ulster Wildlife Trust who have encouraged the boys with various projects ranging from after school clubs and class projects to refurbishing the school pond.

During the first two terms Mrs Watson and Mrs Mc McCullough ran after school clubs where the boys built a “Bug Hotel” and created a wormery.

The summer term saw the two P5 classes making use of the grounds and learning about the habitat of small animals. They also created “faces” on the trees from mud and natural materials. During this time it was decided that we should attempt to restore the school pond which through neglect and vandalism had become completely overgrown. This job, undertaken by a number of P7 pupils and guided by Mr Rothwell and Mr Markwell managed after a number of weeks to clear the area and have it ready for parents Therese and Steven Frazer to help with the heavy work. Within a few days the pond was transformed to its former glory and ready for classes to go pond dipping.

Although this had been a major task in itself the pupils were not content and also managed to reclaim the play area previously used by the playgroup. They began by lifting the soft mat surface and clearing it of weeds. Next they created flower beds with a meandering path from rocks and stones. Topsoil was then put in place ready for the seeds which we hope to sow this autumn.

All in all it was a major undertaking and one which the pupils concerned can be extremely proud of. By their efforts they have left the school with a wonderful resource which can hopefully be maintained and enjoyed by all for many years to come.

As a result of the efforts the school have applied for an Eco Friendly award and have been awarded Bronze Level at present. By establishing a committee to oversee future developments we hope to gain further awards over the coming year.

Next on the agenda is composting which we hope will develop the concept of recycling.

SM

PICTURE GALLERY