St Patrick’s NS on Clare Island one of the first in Europe to receive BioBeo award

St Patrick’s NS on Clare Island is one of the first of five Irish primary schools in all of Europe to receive the inaugural BioBeo.

The school has received the recognition for their hard work and enthusiastic participation in the pilot program of the Horizon EU, which is funded by Biobeo project.

The pupils and school team enjoyed six outdoor learning sessions over four months which brought them to explore the five themes in BioBeo for a circular and sustainable bioeconomy. 

The themes of interconnectedness, outdoor learning, the food loop, life below water and forests were all investigated and explored in the outdoor classroom. 

By creating a mini school pond, planting a school woodland (an Coillín Beag) and planting a food garden for humans and our pollinator friends, the bees, the pupils managed to fully engage and connect with nature.

Additionally, they learned how the circular bioeconomy has many solutions for us in learning how to connect with our planet in a practical, caring way which can help us to live ecologically and sustainably.

The children reported back with great enthusiasm of their enjoyment and flourishing in the 'outdoor classroom without walls'. 

The school participated virtually in the BioBeo Festival in Brussels back in March to be congratulated by the EU Commission for their fantastic work. 

Maynooth University along with UCD who coordinate the European project, have both expressed their huge gratitude to the Principal, teachers and brilliant students for their commitment, dedication and generosity in engaging with the project.

As a nice finale, BioBeo schools have teamed up with the Irish agroforestry forum Cultivating Resilience Through Organic Farming with Trees (CROFT) project for a final visit in this summer term. 

In the CROFT workshop, the school receives a beautiful hand-woven willow basket filled with organic vegetables and a pack of great educational resources on the theme of food and trees/ forests and the school garden all working in harmony. 

In the one-day workshop, the children participate by learning how to make a delicious organic vegetable soup in the classroom. 

For more information on BioBeo, see their website.