29.04.2016
Memories of the Past and Commitment to the Future as New School Extension Opens in Rathdrum
There was great rejoicing in Rathdrum today (Friday April 29) as the St Saviour’s National School community celebrated the dedication and official opening of their new extension and PE hall. The ribbon was cut by Archbishop Michael Jackson and he and some of the pupils also planted an oak tree as link between the town’s original No 2 School and the newly extended school. An oak tree was planted in the grounds of the original school in the town centre on the day it opened and it flourishes there to this day.
Joining the many parents, past and present, at this morning’s official opening were local TDs, former Rectors of the parish and clergy from surrounding parishes, Principals of nearby schools and the architect and builder. Musical accompaniment was provided by the school orchestra led by James Dunne and there was a recorder recital as well as choral contributions from the children.
Opening proceedings, school Principal, Heather Lawson, paid tribute to the parents of St Saviour’s who all helped with the various classroom moves associated with the extension and who helped get the building ready for the special day. She said St Saviour’s had a long history of being a family school and they were delighted to have pupils attending today whose parents had attended before them. Mrs Lawson stressed the importance of the school’s link with the parish and said the Rector, the Revd Brian O’Reilly was a regular visitor and had been displaying his skills as a handyman prior to the opening.
Paying tribute to the staff, the Principal thanked them for their dedication to the school and to the pupils. Addressing the pupils, she urged them to enjoy their day which she said was historic and she hoped they would remember it for many years to come. During the opening service children shared their memories of the old school prefabs and of the construction of their new classrooms and PE hall as well as seeing their new classrooms for the first time.
In his address, the Archbishop said that often an official opening came with a sense of relief that the work had been completed. He said people gathered together the memories of how they got to this point and looked forward to what lay ahead. “At the heart of a development like this is a group of people who hold hope for the future. This is an act of faithfulness, faithfulness that this building will be used by future generations and trust that the work has been completed to the highest standard. It is also a conviction that we have a future where we are in the place where we have grown up. We have a commitment not simply to the past but also to the future,” he commented.
The Archbishop added that schools could live out the phrase in the Proclamation that the nation shall cherish all children equally. “It is in a place like this that that vision is lived out day by day. The foundations for the future were laid for all who will come to the school in the years ahead but he reminded the pupils, teachers and parents not to forget the present and to enjoy the new building now.
Chairperson of the school’s board of management, Liz Farrar, congratulated all who had helped to bring about the opening of the new extension including the architect and builder, the building committee, the Department of Education, the parents’ association and the wider school community. She praised the parent body for their enormous effort in raising €45,000 for the project and also thanked the dioceses and the parish for their contributions. Reserving special thanks for the Principal, Mrs Farrar described Mrs Lawson as one in a million and “the glue that holds all of this together”.
