THERE was great excitement at Scoil Chaitríona in Cappamore as Limerick hurler Darragh O'Donovan raised the schools latest Green and Amber Flag.
Limerick You're a Lady and Dreams by The Cranberries were sung by the students as both Darragh and principal, Mrs.Nicola Blake, spoke about the fantastic achievement of gaining two new flags for the national school.
Limerick's midfielder was delighted to hear the songs he and his teammates celebrate after winning their fourth All-Ireland title a few months ago.
O'Donovan also stated "I know ye are all mad hurling supporters here and one piece of advice I would give everyone is to listen to your teachers and coaches and also continue to keep practising, even if that means hitting a ball of a wall, it all counts."
The Limerick hurling star continued by saying "It is all about having fun and hurling is where I have met some of my best friends, they stick with you for the rest of your life.
I really enjoyed the singing from the choir, I haven't heard those songs in a couple of months and they sound away better than when myself and the Limerick team tried to sing them."
The first flag the school was awarded was the Pieta Amber Flag, which recognises the efforts of schools communities in creating a healthy and inclusive environment that supports mental wellbeing.
The objectives of the Amber flag are to Promote positive mental health, enhance inclusivity through teamwork and social support, reduce risk factors through increased awareness and education and improve quality of life for those with mental health challenges.
Scoil Chaitríona embodied all of these objectives and were awarded the flag through hard work from all the staff and pupils.
Mrs Blake stated at the ceremony "The most important education we can give our children is how to look after themselves and their mental health, we established a committee and we created a wellness board for positive affirmations."
The second flag that was raised was the school's eight Green Flag which focused on global citizenship and marine biology.
While this year the theme was global citizenship and marine biology, the national school also kept up litter picking, conserving energy and water and also practicing a more environmentally friendly way to travel to school, which all were all themes from previous Green Flags that the school was awarded.
Scoil Chartíona participated in a river clean-up in Cappamore while also learning about the effects plastic has on our ocean.
Huge work has been put into gaining the flags for both the teachers and students at the school and the occasion was made even more exciting with the appearance of a Limerick hurler.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.