Principal John Rennick standing at the popular outdoor sensory classroom which was burnt down
Community support after outdoor classroom blaze
THE principal of a Jobstown primary school, whose outdoor classroom was recently burnt down in an alleged act of vandalism, said he is heartened by the community’s support following the incident.
On the evening of Friday, May 5, an outdoor classroom and sensory space in the grounds of St Thomas’ Senior National School was set alight, completely destroying the structure.
The structure was popular among the young pupils, as it was used as an outdoor mainstream classroom, and also an outdoor sensory space for children with additional educational needs.
The canopy was valued at between €3k and €5k and was maintained by children and staff over the years, who painted it and made it an uplifting and attractive part of the school environment.
After The Echo reported on the incident last week, John Rennick, the principal of St Thomas SNS, said the community has come out in force to help to clean-up and restore the outdoor classroom.
Members of local walking and positive mental health group Walk and Talk have offered their assistance, as has the Hyland Boxing Club.
Mr Rennick told The Echo: “Stephen Brennan from Walk and Talk will be fundraising for us for between €2,000 and €3,000.
“I’ll be meeting the group later this week and they’re going to come in and help with the clear out, and they have a couple of carpenters who will put something new in for the school.
“We’ve also had people offer to help from the Hyland Boxing Club.”
The strong community response to the incident came as no surprise to Mr Rennick, who praised Jobstown.
“Since I started in Jobstown, I’ve been struck by how proud people are of the community and how they want the best for it. They’ve been very kind.”
Mr Rennick said students and parents have also offered words of support and are all looking forward to the space being cleared and restored for the use of the school community again.
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