Dream Room will help students develop a life outside of school
THE principal of Old Bawn Community School (OBCS) described a visit by Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD, last week as “an honour”.
Minister Foley visited the school on Wednesday, April 26, where she opened the school’s Dream Room – a learning space centred on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects.
The room is inspired by Microsoft’s Dream Space where immersive, research-based STEM experiences are held for schoolchildren, and pupils from OBCS have attended it many times.
The school’s own Dream Space, which previously housed a computer room, has been in operation for two years but the school community was delighted to finally have an official opening for it.
Ursula McCabe, principal of OBCS, told The Echo: “We now have a space with white walls and white floors where the students do various STEM-based activities, like coding and Lego.
“It’s to develop the skills they need, and these skills will be needed when they leave school. They learn how to work as a team, make decisions and collaborate.
“We feel that we’re preparing our students for life outside of school, and for college life, and so STEM experiences are very important in their lives.”
The school’s STEM credentials have been bolstered by its accreditation as a Microsoft Showcase school, and the pupils got to show Minister Foley how STEM is incorporated into their learning.
Explaining what it was like to have the Minister for Education visit OBCS – marking the first time an education minister has visited the school – Ms McCabe said it was an honour.
“I felt extremely honoured,” she said. “We’ve never had a Minister of Education in our school before.
“She came to look at what we do. It was a great honour and a privilege.
“Minister Foley was really lovely, she was really interested in the kids and the kids rose to the occasion.”
Minister Foley unveiled a plaque on the day, denoting the official opening of the Dream Space, which is a key part of the learning environment in the school and is already popular with pupils.
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