New principal announced for Laois secondary school

A Laois secondary school has just announced that it has a new principal.

Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB) has confirmed that Sean Cotter is the new principal for Clonaslee College.

Sean has been acting deputy principal in Clonaslee College as well as previously being an assistant principal, school guidance counsellor and history teacher in the school.

"Sean joined the staff of the school in 2019 having previously held an assistant principal role in Colaiste Chiarain, Leixlip, Co Kildare. Sean brings a wealth of leadership experience and knowledge to his new role in Clonaslee College and is also well known through his involvement in local and county sports. Sean has contributed significantly to the growth and development of the school, and his broad experience will help to further progress the school in the local community," the LOETB says.

Sean Cotter, Principal with John Lee Deputy Principal, Clonaslee College

They say that Clonaslee College has a long history of providing quality education to the children and young people of Clonaslee and the surrounding areas and Sean has been central to this achievement in recent years.

Most recently, Agri Aware in partnership with LOETB chose Clonaslee College as the location to announce a national, newly formed initiative within the hugely successful Intro to Ag programme. The decision to host the launch at Clonaslee College was influenced by Clonaslee College’s success in being the overall winners of the Intro to Ag pilot programme, which was a significant achievement for the school.

Joe Cunningham, Chief Executive at LOETB, congratulated the new principal.

"Sean brings a unique blend of care, leadership, and vision that will help our school continue to thrive within the local community of Clonaslee, a community which has always shown incredible support for our students and their learning journey. His commitment to collaboration and passion for education will serve our school exceptionally well.”

Also wishing him well is LOETB’s Director of Schools Linda Tynan.

"I look forward to continuing to work with Sean in his new role. Sean has prioritised positive, engaging learning experiences for every student, ensuring that each individual feels supported and empowered to succeed to the best of their ability.

"The success of Clonaslee College is also made possible by the enormous dedication of the entire staff, whose commitment to excellence and care for students is second to none. Their support has also been instrumental in continuing to make our school a place where every learner thrives," she said.

Sean Cotter, Principal Clonaslee College with Linda Tynan, LOETB Director of Schools.

The new principal will oversee the launch this week of the new LOETB TY Digital Arts Programme (DAP) from Clonaslee College.

With filmmaking and digital content creation firmly embedded in the TY curriculum, the school has been chosen as "an ideal base from which to launch this new Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board initiative for all nine LOETB schools".

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The new LOETB Digital Arts Programme has been developed by LOETB, and Laois and Offaly County Councils to provide TY students with opportunities to use digital tools for creativity and innovation. Clonaslee College is already recognised as a hub of digital opportunities for students, as well as achieving a coveted European Digital Schools Award. The recent Open Day highlighted the school's array of digital activities and competitions. Students from the school have been very successful in the well-established LOETB S.T.E.A.M. Programme, with numerous teams from the school competing in VEX Robotics, First LEGO League coding, Minecraft Education design; and podcasting.