19.06.2015
Day of Celebration for Pupils of St Andrew’s NS Bray
Pupils of St Andrew’s National School in Bray joined the celebration yesterday (Thursday June 19) as a new cross for their school was dedicated and their new library was opened.
The pupils welcomed special guests, Archbishop Michael Jackson, author Alan Nolan and members of the Reid family. The Reid Library is named in memory of the Revd Alec Reid.
Before the celebrations, the pupils and their teachers and parents paused to remember the students who died in Berkeley, California and the worshipers who lost their lives in South Carolina.
Welcoming the visitors, school principal, Peter McCrodden, thanked all who had been involved in preparations for the day and those who had worked so hard on the new library. He paid special tribute to school secretary, Wendy Costello, for her help and organisation skills.
The cross was dedicated by Archbishop Jackson who spoke of the significance of the cross for our lives. He also spoke of the connections that exist between people around the world and how they are drawn together so easily in the Global Village. He stressed the importance of the library and noted that sharing a love of reading, knowledge and understanding was what tied pupils, teachers, members of the board of management and the parent teacher association together.
David Reid, the son of the Revd Alec Reid, gave pupils an insight into his father’s life. He was ordained after World War II, during which he served in Burma. He came to St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Bray in 1954 where he became heavily involved in many aspects of the local community. The family was presented with a watercolour painting of the school.
Children’s author and Bray resident, Alan Nolan, cut the specially made ribbon to mark the opening of the library. The pupils were treated to an exclusive first taste of his latest book Conor’s Caveman which won’t be published until September. He also cut the fantastic cake which was baked and decorated by Mrs Mangan.
Down in the library, Tom, one of the pupils, read from Dr Seuss’s I Can Read With My Eyes Shut which included the line: “Young cat! If you keep. Your eyes open enough, Oh, the stuff you will learn! The most wonderful stuff!”
Mrs Costello spoke of the library’s history and paid tribute to everyone who had the vision to support it. Alan Nolan then gave an insight into how he got into writing and drawing.
Photo captions:
Top – Alan Nolan cuts the cake baked by Helen Mangan to mark the opening of the new library at St Andrew’s NS, Bray.
Bottom – The special guests who joined St Andrew’s NS, Bray, for the dedication of a cross for the school and the opening of the Reid Library.