Clever Limerick kids solve Science Week theft

LISNAGRY National School in Limerick has caught the attention of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar with their unique Science Week undertaking.

Fourth class students were immersed in a CSI-style investigation, showcasing their scientific curiosity and skills to unravel an enthralling classroom mystery.

Activities include engaging forensic science experiments, insightful chromatography investigations, and intriguing fingerprint analyses.

Teacher Colin Foley said; “The class had to investigate a robbery that took place in the classroom. The classroom was turned upside down and it was an absolute mess, there were sweets missing from the press so they had to try to get them back. The class had five different investigations to do. We had Casteconnell garda station involved as well as a parent who is a secondary school science teacher, Ellen Condon who helped with the experiments. The students uncovered Ms Fiona Smith, the school secretary, as the culprit.”

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Colin added; “The kids really got into it and it brought the whole community together. There was intercom announcements everyday and it made it really realistic for everyone. The whole school bought into it, they actually believed that a real crime had been committed. They could not believe that someone had done it to the classroom and for it to be someone in the school made it ten times more realistic.”

What makes this endeavour truly remarkable is that their progress caught the attention of none other than Leo Varadkar, who recently tweeted about the initiative on X, acknowledging the significance of the school's efforts during Science Week.

The post has gained massive attention with over 12,000 views at the moment, illustrating the widespread interest in the educational venture.

Colin said; “I showed the students the tweet and they went mad. They thought they were famous as he has so many followers, they were over the moon.”

The project elevates the local community’s awareness of the exceptional educational initiatives happening right in the local community. It also highlights the brilliant students but also underscores the importance of fostering scientific curiosity especially with the rise of STEM. education.