Two Galway schools were crowned winners of the Explorers Ocean Champions Awards by the Marine Institute this year.
Scoil Iosaif Naofa in Oranmore and Claddagh National School were named two of the six winners in the awards announced this week.
The Oranmore Boys NS won in the Cross Curricular & STEM category, while Claddagh National School took home the Judges’ Award.
Minister for the Marine Charlie McConalogue said “the Explorers Ocean Champion awards recognises the effort, commitment and collaboration of the children, their teachers and the wider community”.
He added that the projects show all of the above, “working together to learn about the importance of the ocean, as well as our unique maritime culture and heritage.”
As part of the Explorers Ocean Champion Project and Awards initiative, the Programme Manager, Camden Education Trust, and the Explorers Programme outreach teams have worked with 28 primary schools.
Ther project has seen them reaching up to 3,500 children across 13 coastal counties, creating ‘healthy ocean’ projects covering themes from STEM, outdoor education, through to the arts and ocean literacy.
Minister McConalogue added, “I am delighted to see so many schools from across Ireland participating in the programme and I want to congratulate all the children who completed Ocean Champion projects around the country.”
“Projects such as this enable a shared understanding of the impact the ocean has on our lives, as well as the impact we have on the ocean, and help to ensure that we are better informed to protect and manage this valuable resource.”
Patricia Orme, Corporate Services Director at the Marine Institute said that collaborative projects like this help to build understanding of the ocean and our maritime heritage.
“From beach cleans, working with musicians to create impactful songs, to creating public notice boards at beaches, all of the projects highlighted the importance of our marine resource and enabled communities working together to come up with inspiring solutions.”
