Top marks for Duleek boys in Tidy Towns contest

Pupils from Duleek Boys" National School won the National Tidy Town Schools Award at the National TT awards ceremony in Dublin on Monday night for their major contribution to keeping their town clean. The school won both the national and midlands-east awards for their contribution to the local tidy town campaign. Initially, fifth class at the school got involved in the project but, as time went on, the entire school began to participate. Laura McManus, who taught the fifth class last year, explained that students helped the Tidy Town committee pick up litter and they designed posters on caring for their local environment, which were put up in the shops in Duleek. The school"s tidy towns effort was run in conjunction with their Discovery Science progamme. Students got involved in a gardening club and a wildlife watching project. Recycling was also amajor part of the project and the entire school became very involved in recycling waste. Representatives of the school who travelled to Dublin"s Burlington Hotel for the awards ceremony on Monday included principal Gerry Conroy, teacher Laura McManus and Maria Levine, who co-ordinates the school"s science programme. They were also accompanied by three students: Cal McKenna, Craig Cassidy and Adam Smith. 'There was great excitement in Dublin on Monday night and all of the students were very excited the next day, particularly as their schoolfriends had been on television,' according to Ms McManus. At the Dublin ceremony, Kilskyre NS also took a regional Green Schools initiative title, while Moynalty won a Gold Medal and took the Meath title for the 14th year in a row.