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St. Columba’s Leads the Way!

A local secondary school has become a leading light in Ireland in the way students participate in sports within their school communities. St Columba’s College, Stranorlar has become the first secondary school in the country to have its own student sports council. An offshoot of the overall student council in the school, the sports council looks to give students a forum that encourages them to take a more active part in the way sporting activities are conducted in the school.

It is being seen as a great addition to the school community. Its main aim is to allow students to voice their own opinions about sports in the school. It is hoped this chance to become more involved in the coordination and organisation of different sporting activities and events will encourage young people to become more active, to take part either competitively or recreationally. Teachers involved in the council also see it as a way of providing students with ways to develop key skills within the school and in their local communities.

The council consists of fifteen fourth year students. They are drawn from a range of sporting disciplines; GAA, soccer, boxing, swimming, and athletics. Members of the Girl’s Active group are also represented.

The council has as its motto the words of a famous Donegal native with a successful sporting track record. ‘Commit, focus, believe, achieve’; the rousing words from Donegal’s manager, Jim McGuiness, and the words the students of the council have chosen as their inspiration.

The Donegal Sports Partnership has commended the work of the council. After discussing their aims and objectives for the school year with Myles Sweeney, the Donegal Sports Partnership coordinator, he expressed the opinion that such projects are innovative and should be set up in schools nationwide.

Ten of the council have completed the Sports Leadership Award. Physical Education Teacher Nicola Ryan says that these students ‘are now using the skills they acquired to promote sport, health and recreation in the school’.

The council recently assisted the Irish Olympic Coach, Patsy McGonagle, to organise a cross-country meet with twenty five other schools from throughout Ulster. The council also made their way to a fitness ‘bootcamp’ delivered by Michael Black, an Irish dual-athlete and a director at Optimal Fitness, Letterkenny. After completion, the students were then able to assist teachers at the school in delivering the bootcamp to all fourth year classes.

Several of those participating have expressed their delight to be part of the council. According to Conor Lyons, ‘I get to find out a lot more about sports and better ways of exercising…I like to learn new things and passing that information on to other students’.

 

 

A keen participant of athletics and Irish dancing, Shauna Finn sees the council as the ‘voice of sport throughout the whole school. We hope to promote and encourage sport…even for those who are not interested in competitive sports to get involved in some type of physical exercise’.

According to another student the aim is ‘to get as many students to take part in sport no matter their ability and to have a fitter and healthier school’. They also intends to promote the playing of hurling and handball within the school, two sports that are not played at the present moment.

Danielle Preston, a member of the Riversdale Otters club in Strabane and part of the Ulster swim team, hopes that ‘the sports council will encourage people to participate in minority sports’.

James Rodgers, the sports coordinator within the school, said that he was delighted with the work of the council.