Best Kept School Award

By Ballyclare High School on 15 June, 2018

 

 

Our school has won ‘The Best Kept School Award’ (Post-Primary: North Eastern Area) for the fourth time in the last five years.

“There has been much effort put into developing the school grounds; the caretaking staff took particular care in ensuring our school grounds were kept in pristine condition. Furthermore, the pupils and staff involved in the Eco Club ensured many environmental projects were carried out. The planting of many vegetables in the allotment in the Millennium Garden was a key element of the Eco Club’s involvement. The refurbishment of a Link Garden and creation of a new Sixth Form Garden involved many students helping to improve the appearance of our school grounds.”

“We would like to take this opportunity thank our hardworking pupils, building supervisors, teachers and other staff who have been involved in achieving this award.”

“However, appearance is not solely what this award is based on, it takes into account eco-friendly factors such as biodiversity, recycling, and saving electricity. Our school’s many bat boxes, bird feeders, and variety of plants (including the Wild Garden) help encourage many different animals and insects to live here, increasing biodiversity which is key in helping the environment and prevent some of our favourite creatures from declining. Our school has many bottle recycling bins and compost bins which help us to reduce waste. Our school is using energy saving lights and solar panels which help us to reduce our consumption of electricity. The greenhouse is also an important element of this award and we would like to thank Mrs Mairs and other staff for revitalising this space which is now in such good condition.”

Written by Anna Craig and Jamie Young, Eco Club leaders