16 of the children travelled to Dublin to present their project. They had a very early start on Friday as the science project needed to be on display in the R.D.S. by 9 a.m. At the R.D.S. the children took it in turns to talk to all those who visited the stand and they were also able to enjoy some of the shows, take part in workshops and view projects on display from other schools.
The children received not only glowing praise for the very high standard of their project from many people but also praise for their ability to talk with confidence, their knowledge of the subject matter and how well they represented their school and their county.
Part of the process involved presenting the project to the Fair's judges and the group who spoke to the judges were excellent, detailing everything they had done and what they had found out.
There were many visitors to the stand throughout the day but despite the early start and the crowds, the children's energy and enthusiasm never wavered all day.
In the afternoon, the children received another visit from two judges who spoke to them at length and they received the following written feedback:
"This was a fantastic project from every point of view. The students were very clear about the question they were addressing and were so excited by the fact that the findings were exactly the opposite of what was predicted. They had a most effective way of communicating views of the outcomes of their predictions. The visit to Sligo I.T. was obviously a highlight of the project and was a very effective way of helping students develop their techniques and insight into their project. They generated useful data which was both graphed and very well explained. Each student communicated very well with great understanding and enthusiasm. They also had great ideas as to what could be done to improve the project. They were enthusiastic and proud of what they had achieved and discovered. Given the high standard of work, they should be encouraged to write an article on what they found out and how they found it, and have it published in their local newspaper."
The children were then delighted to be awarded a trophy which we will put on display in school.
Hopefully you will have an opportunity to visit school over the next few weeks and can have a look at the children's work. We also hope to be able to publish it here on the website. The children deserve much praise for their enthusiasm and effort, not only at the R.D.S. but throughout the whole project.
The group who travelled to Dublin also deserve much credit for their behaviour and how well they represented our school. We also thank Mr Barnett, Mrs McMahon and Alan Mahon for taking such good care of everyone throughout the day, especially with the demands of the heat and crowds.
We would also like to thank Brian Donaghy for his help with our computer programming (our specially designed game was a big hit with other children).
One of the most common compliments we were paid throughout the day was in relation to the amount of work the children had completed and that their knowledge and skills were of a standard comparable to those of much older students. The credit and thanks for that must go to Paul Gallagher (Inland Fisheries), without whose support and expertise the children would not have been able to reach this standard.
Have a look at the rest of the photographs in the Gallery and hopefully over the next few weeks you will have an opportunity to see our trophy and project in school.
You can also have a look at our E-Book here.