A Laois school has been recognised with a prestigious award from An Taisce's Green-Schools.

Scoil Mhuire, Abbeyleix were named as regional Water School of the Year at the An Taisce Green-Schools awards, which were held in Dublin last month.

The school emerged as regional winners in the primary school-level category on the back of their inspirational efforts in water conservation and environmental action. 

The annual event marked the twelfth year of Uisce Éireann’s sponsorship of An Taisce’s Green-Schools programme, which supports schools working to gain a Green Flag under the water theme.  

Students from the Model school embraced the Shower Time Challenge, encouraging their families to shorten shower durations and opt for showers over baths to conserve water.

This student-led initiative sparked meaningful conversations at home about the importance of everyday actions in protecting the environment. 

Scoil Mhuire upholds a strong environmental ethos with their thriving school garden, Ár Spás Glas.

Parents and students work side by side to sow and harvest seasonal produce, with summer and autumn yields shared and celebrated at local events such as Apple Fest. Their garden has even gained national recognition, having been featured on Nationwide. 

As part of their Water Flag journey, the school turned their attention to making Ár Spás Glas even more sustainable.

Determined to reduce their reliance on mains water, they set out to develop a self-sufficient irrigation system. With generous support from their local community, the school received a donated container from a haulage company and three IBC tanks to help bring the project to life. 

The innovative plan involves mounting the tanks on the container roof near their new storm-proof polytunnel, using gravity to generate water flow for irrigation.

This creative, student-involved project will allow the school to harvest rainwater and use it to nurture their crops. This is inspiring example of practical sustainability in action, rooted in learning, teamwork and community collaboration. 

“The Green-Schools Water Awards are one of the highlights of our year,"  said Ms Cathy Baxter, An Taisce Director of Education.

"They celebrate the creativity, commitment and teamwork of students and teachers working together to protect one of our most precious resources: water. These young people are leading by example and showing that real environmental change begins in our schools and communities. We’re so proud of their efforts and inspired by their impact.”  

Uisce Éireann’s Head of Customer Operations, Geoffrey Bourke, praised schools at the awards ceremony.

 “The vital work being done by Green-Schools in schools across Ireland is clearly bearing fruit in terms of how our young people think about water and the need to conserve and respect it. We in Uisce Éireann are proud of our long-standing sponsorship of the programme," he said.

Throughout the current academic year, An Taisce has been engaging with 330 schools on the Water Flag, working with over 100,000 students and 10,000 teachers across the country.  

The Green-Schools water theme is a grassroots sponsorship that aims to foster awareness and understanding of a range of activities, tailored to students at both primary level and secondary level.

In addition to developing awareness around water conservation, the sponsorship incorporates wider engagement around stewardship of our water resources.  

PICTURES: Laois school awarded amber flag by Pieta House