In our efforts to achieve the Active School Flag, Kilsheelan NS has prioritised building strong partnerships with local sporting agencies, fostering a sense of community and encouraging lifelong fitness. A key component of this was the creation of an Active School Slogan,

Skip, jog walk and run,
Achieving the Active Flag will be lots of fun

 to inspire students and staff.  Our Active School Committee, comprising students and teachers, took a leading role in organizing activities and campaigns, uniting everyone under our shared vision for an active, healthy school environment. Fortunately, as we are a small school community our work towards an Active School Flag has been a school wide effort, with lots of ideas and input from our children.

To deepen our connection to local sports clubs, we launched a schoolwide survey, What Clubs are You In? which gathered valuable data on students’ participation in community sports clubs. This survey helped us identify popular sports and clubs among our students, enabling us to connect with these organisations and bring in expertise for school activities. By involving local sports representatives, we provided students with firsthand experiences in various sports, broadening their interest and involvement in new activities. These included:  Scouting Ireland, Alison Cronin Dance, Blossom Yoga with Brenda and fundamental movement skills with Barry O’ Brien.

Leadership roles were given to students through our committee, encouraging the senior students to take responsibility for the PE shed, as well as the Playground Leaders program. Through these collaborations and student-led initiatives, Kilsheelan NS has strengthened ties with the local sporting community, ensuring that our students have ample support and inspiration to lead active lives in and out of school.